Can You Drink the Cup?

Video rant

2012-01-12T14:55:00.000-05:00

Below is a response to a video that someone posted on my Facebook wall. It's been going a bit viral - but there's some harm in the misunderstandings this guy is pontificating.

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"Jesus>Religion"? Hardly.

by Father-Rob Fleckenstein on Thursday, January 12, 2012 at 1:54pm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IAhDGYlpqY

The above link will take you to a video that states that "Jesus > Religion". (The title of the video at the top will read "Why I Hate Religion, but Love Jesus".) From the first moments of the video to the end, I think I developed a headache in trying to follow his logic, although he said something screwy about logic being unworthy in other areas of life.

Let me try to explain some thoughts I had at things that were said in the course of the video:

- "Jesus came to abolish religion." . . . If this is so, why did He begin the Church? (Matthew 16:18 [You are Peter . . .]) He began the Church, began this "new religion", if you will, to help us understand His teachings. Religion - in general - is a communal way to express one's faith with others of the same beliefs. The religion developed by Christ when He gave the keys of the Kingdom to Peter was to help those who have come to believe in Him (and through Him and the power of the Holy Spirit, the Father) in a way which would unify the faith. Jesus was NOT against religion, but came to usher in the fullness of worship to the Father through His Paschal Mystery. Remember, Jesus came to fulfill the law, not to abolish it. And if religion is all about laws, then Jesus came to fulfill religion, not to abolish it.

- While it is true that "Republican does not equal being Christian", neither does "Democrat", "Libertarian", "Independent", or any other political ideology. Being Christian equals being faithful to the Truth, Who is Christ. No one particular political ideology can claim this.

- And our poet is correct in claiming that it is knowing Jesus that we are able to boast in our weaknesses, for it is in Christ that our weaknesses become our strengths. Saint Paul teaches us this in his writings, and it is a practice of our faith which we continue to hold.

- Religion "builds great churches, but fails to feed the poor." We have the saying from Jesus that the poor will always be with us, and while it IS important that we continue to show the preferential option for the poor and continue to care for them, we must also and always continue to realize that these great churches were built by the poor who sacrificed so much so that they could glorify God in a place worthy of His praise. How quickly we forget the sacrifices made by the least among us so that they could feel "right and just" worship our Lord in a fitting environment.

- Religion "doesn't get to the core, because it's behavior modification like a long list of chores." But that "long list" helps us set goals and guides us along the journey of faith and life to "get to the core". How else will you get to the core unless you have items along the way to help you out? We, of course, know that the core is Jesus Christ, Himself. Yet it is important for us to understand and recognize those "things" along the way which help us reach the core, which allow us to reach Christ, and that "long list" is there to support us in modifying our behavior so that we CAN become more like Christ in our life, and to reach the core of His promises.

- "Now I ain't judgin' . . ." Yes, you are. You are telling anyone who follows "religion" that they are hypocrites, dressing up their outsides while their insides rot, pretending to be one thing to one group while trying to be someone completely different in their relationship with God. And while it is true that we all wear masks in our lives to protect our vulnerability, we must be aware that in our relationship with God, those masks are destroyed, because God knows us better than we know ourselves. That is one of the weaknesses - if not the greatest weakness - that we boast in because we know that it is in God alone that we come to understand who we are in Truth. And while we do need the Blood of the Paschal Sacrifice to make us clean and whole once again, we also need religion to help us not fall into the damnable patterns of our sinful lives that we find ourselves continuously falling in to. Religion helps us not only keep the outside clean and polished, but it helps us clean the inside by not just a quick rinse, but using the spiritual scour pad to take off the layers of junk that keeps us separated from God and His love and mercy.

- While it is true that the Church should be a "hospital for the broken" (which is why we have such a great relationship with our Divine Physician), it must also be that "museum for good people", because it is in that museum in which we currently are touring. As members of the Communion of Saints, we look to our past (whether immediate or ancient) to recognize those great men and women of faith who, though sinners, are now part of that heavenly celebration in which we hope to one day be a part of. Every saint has a sinner's past. We need to be mended by our Great Doctor, to receive the medicine which He prescribes (through the Scriptures and the Sacraments, most especially the Eucharist and Reconciliation), and to continue to take our spiritual vitamins (through the use of sacramentals) and constant consultation with Him (in and through our prayer). We need these multiple buildings (the hospital and the museum), for our community is not yet ready to be gathered into one building (the Temple, in the New Jerusalem).

- "Better than following some rules." Again, Jesus came to not abolish the law, but to fulfill it, since He is the Law Itself. And since He has informed us that He is the Way, Truth and Life, and if we are to follow Him along the Way through the Truth to (eternal) Life, then we come to understand and recognize that the rules that are given to us do not hinder or prohibit the freedom that we share in or live out, but rather enhance that freedom so as to truly live as sons and daughters of the Father.

- Jesus = work of God, cure / Religion = man-made invention, infection ------- Something instituted and begun by God, though run and inhabited by man, can not be seen as "an infection" for humanity. Religion is the path by which we come to know Who God is and who we are being made in His image and likeness. And Jesus cannot ever be considered as the "work" of God. He is the Word of God, He is NOT the "work" of God, though the works of God are enacted through Him. Though, as mentioned above, Jesus is the cure for all that ails us (in His role as Divine Physician).

- "Religion puts you in bondage, makes you blind." And that is very true if you live a life so tightly constricted by rules and regulations that you don't spend some time in coming to recognize the freedom that those rules and regulations are supposed to give you. And religion can make you blind if you are constantly focusing on your relationship with Jesus and forgetting about the relationship that you need to have with your neighbor. Yet, as we have mentioned before, (the Christian) religion is simply a guide for how to live one's life more fully and more alive through a relationship with Jesus Christ. The guide of religion should allow us to see Christ and His Spirit truly alive and active in this world, and how we are to participate in the Spirit for the spreading of the Gospel. (It's all part of that "amazing grace".)

- Religion = Man searching for God / Christianity = God searching for man ----------- Christianity is more than just some philosophical way of life: IT IS A RELIGION! And what is so wrong in man's desire to search for God?! NOTHING! For it is understanding that God desires to search us out that our desire to search Him out makes sense. CCC 27 states:

The desire for God is written in the human heart, because man is created by God and for God; and God never ceases to draw man to himself. Only in God will he find the truth and happiness he never stops searching for: The dignity of man rests above all on the fact that he is called to communion with God. This invitation to converse with God is addressed to man as soon as he comes into being. For if man exists it is because God has created him through love, and through love continues to hold him in existence. He cannot live fully according to truth unless he freely acknowledges that love and entrusts himself to his creator.

Another way to say it was said by Saint Augustine of Hippo in his "Confessions": "You have made us for Yourself, O God, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You."

Or another, more simplified way: We love Him because He loved us first.

- While our poet does have some truth in the statement about Jesus bearing our sins on the Cross, he is misguided in his understanding about Jesus' statement, "It is finished." Jesus was finishing or consummating the Paschal Sacrifice to the Father when uttering these words; He understood that the salvific actions of the Cross were completed, and that the actions of the new and eternal covenant were fulfilled. Jesus never meant to say that "religion was finished". If this was the case, why would Jesus ask Saint Peter to feed His sheep three times upon the beach following His Resurrection?

Our poet confesses that he does believe in Jesus, the Bible, the Church [the church], and sin. Yet he continues to have this Evangelical / Non-Denominational / American understanding of religion as something that is a barrier to a full life in Christ. It is quite the opposite - it is only through a practice of religion that we come to live that full life in Christ. For Christ did not come to simply establish a one-on-one relationship with His followers, but to give them a community of faith to live out together their joys and struggles, and through the fulfillment of the laws in Truth, come to recognize the fulness of life given to those who not only believe in His Name, but also worship and live within the Church that He established so as to guide us along the way of life and faith to the fullness of the promises He has given us.

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Enjoy the journey . . .

IC '11

2011-12-10T16:08:00.001-05:00

Although a few days late, I did want to post my (extremely-short-for-me) homily for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary (8 December). Enjoy!

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Two thousand years agoEternity stepped into time, and the God of all glory and majesty took on theweakness and brokenness of our human flesh in the Mystery of the Incarnation.Today we come and celebrate one of the final acts of preparation God did sothat He could enter our world in such a unique way. The Immaculate Conceptionof the Blessed Virgin Mary is the “final act”, so to speak, of SalvationHistory before God’s ultimate interaction with His creation through His Worddwelling among us. The graces Mary received so that she could say “Yes” to theAngel Gabriel are the same graces we receive from the Paschal Mystery – in ourcelebration of the Mass and, most especially, in our reception of the Eucharist– which allow us to also say “Yes” to God so that we, like Mary, may be able tomake Christ present to the world. Our openness to God and His graces afford usthe awesome opportunity to be like Mary, always willing to say to the Lord thatwe are His servants – let it be done to us according to His Word.

O Mary, conceived withoutsin, pray for us who have recourse to Thee.

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Enjoy the journey . . .

An Advent Prayer

2011-12-03T16:52:00.001-05:00

Last evening, the combined music ministries of Saint Alphonsus Parish and Saint Alexis Parish had their annual evening of Advent Lessons and Carols. I was asked to do the final prayer, and didn't have anything really prepared. But, as always, the Holy Spirit came through. This is what I composed during the event:

Lord Jesus,
You are the Song our lives sing out.
You are the Silence in which our lives yearn for Your peace.
Break through the darkness of the world's night
And shine, once again, the splendor of Your great light into our midst.
For You, we long.
For You, we hope.
For You, we cry out, "Come quickly, King of kings!", for it is in You we find our salvation.
In quiet stillness, our hearts ache for Your presence.
In joyful expectation, we announce Your coming.
Through Your grace and mercy, allow us to prepare our hearts and our lives to celebrate the remembrance of Your Incarnation and the joyful event of Your coming again.
Turn our hearts to hear Your voice.
Turn our faces to see Your glory.
Turn our lives so as to be like You, so that we may be ready to welcome You when You come again.
We ask this, and all things, through Your most glorious Name.
Amen.

Enjoy the journey . . .

Homily 110925

2011-09-25T10:19:00.001-04:00

This weekend, Bishop Zubik asked all parishes in the Diocese of Pittsburgh to read a letter he had written to the faithful of the Diocese at all Masses, in every parish across the Diocese. The subject matter was on the proposed "Preventative Services Mandate" (to go into effect on 1 August 2012), which is part of the Federal Health Care Plan (to be fully implemented by 2014). You can read about our Bishop's letter to Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius here, as well as an option to write Secretary Sebelius requesting that she halt the "Preventative Services Mandate".

Once the letter was read, I followed with my homily, written below:

My brothers andsisters in Christ:

You know it’s veryinfrequent for me to read my homily or to preach from the ambo on a Sunday, letalone from the celebrant’s chair. Butgiven what we have just heard from our Bishop, it seems rather appropriate today.

Our Gospel todayreminds us in no uncertain terms that when it comes to the practice of ourFaith, we cannot be of two minds. Rather, we must be decisive in following Christ, without question,knowing that our baptismal promises oblige us to do so.

Our Lord, intoday’s Gospel pericope, presents to us the choice to follow Him, or not. We either put our faith into action, or weremain silent and still. Those are ouronly two options, and they equal spiritual life or spiritual death: Life in theever-loving Spirit of God or death through our own pride, selfishness andsinfulness. But, in reality, this isnothing new – these are the choices we face every day.

When we reject thelife God gives to us, we cry out, “The Lord’s way is not fair!”, those same wordswe hear from the prophet Ezekiel in today’s First Reading. These are the words we hear in society today,because our culture sees iniquity everywhere – but not seeing with the eyes ofGod, but using the vision of our limited human nature. Currently, our government is trying toimplement a program in which they believe to be virtuous, but in doing so, theyare enacting restrictions on religious liberties for us and others around ournation. And I am not speaking just aboutus Catholics, or just for Christians in general, but also including our Hindu,Buddhist, Muslim and Jewish brothers and sisters as well – all people of anyfaith.

You see, once onebegins to chip away at the liberties held by one group, religious or otherwise,others quickly follow. And once onebegins to chip away at any of the liberties we hold dear, one begins tearingaway the fabric of our national identity – an identity founded on the pursuitof life, liberty and happiness; a national identity founded and guided by theProvidential Hand of God.

And so, mybrothers and sisters, we must be as Paul says in the Second Reading: “of thesame mind, with the same love, united in heart, thinking one thing.” And in our unity, we begin to “have in [us]the same attitude that is also in Christ Jesus.” And that attitude is a selfless love, aself-sacrificing love. A love which goesbeyond our individual self and implants itself in others when we turn from actsof iniquity to acts of virtue.

This is theattitude, the virtue we develop when we put our faith into action. The words of the Responsorial Psalm come tolife when we embody the selfless love of Christ and share that love withothers. It is in our selfless actionsand humble attitude that we come to know the ways of the Lord. But we cannot fully carry out that mission ifour hands are tied, and we are told who we can serve or how, if at all, we canpractice our faith. We cannot truly knowof the Lord’s ways if we are not free to hear His voice.

And so, today, mybrothers and sisters, choose life! Choose the freedom found in a life with Christ! Choose the virtuous ways that God was givento us! His Providence has guided thisnation for the last 235 years to life, liberty and the pursuit ofhappiness. That same Divine Providencewill continue to lead us with zeal and conviction if we only choose to let ourfaith guide the way we live our lives – privately, publicly, professionally,and politically. Yet this DivineProvidence will guide us when we come to realize that we ARE “one nation, underGod, indivisible, with liberty and justice FOR ALL.”

Let us pray:

We pray, TheeO Almighty and Eternal God! Who through Jesus Christ hast revealed Thy glory toall nations, to preserve the works of Thy mercy, that Thy Church, being spreadthrough the whole world, may continue with unchanging faith in the confessionof Thy Name.

We pray Thee,who alone art good and holy, to endow with heavenly knowledge, sincere zeal,and sanctity of life, our chief bishop, Pope Benedict, the Vicar of Our Lord Jesus Christ, in the governmentof his Church; our own bishop, David,all other bishops, prelates, and pastors of the Church; and especially thosewho are appointed to exercise amongst us the functions of the holy ministry,and conduct Thy people into the ways of salvation.

We pray TheeO God of might, wisdom, and justice! Through whom authority is rightlyadministered, laws are enacted, and judgment decreed, assist with Thy HolySpirit of counsel and fortitude the President of these United States, that hisadministration may be conducted in righteousness, and be eminently useful toThy people over whom he presides; by encouraging due respect for virtue andreligion; by a faithful execution of the laws in justice and mercy; and byrestraining vice and immorality. Let the light of Thy divine wisdom direct thedeliberations of Congress, and shine forth in all the proceedings and lawsframed for our rule and government, so that they may tend to the preservationof peace, the promotion of national happiness, the increase of industry,sobriety, and useful knowledge; and may perpetuate to us the blessing of equalliberty.

We pray forhis excellency, the governor of this state, for the members of the assembly,for all judges, magistrates, and other officers who are appointed to guard ourpolitical welfare, that they may be enabled, by Thy powerful protection, todischarge the duties of their respective stations with honesty and ability.

We recommendlikewise, to Thy unbounded mercy, all our brethren and fellow citizens throughoutthe United States, that they may be blessed in the knowledge and sanctified inthe observance of Thy most holy law; that they may be preserved in union, andin that peace which the world cannot give; and after enjoying the blessings ofthis life, be admitted to those which are eternal.

Finally, wepray to Thee, O Lord of mercy, to remember the souls of Thy servants departedwho are gone before us with the sign of faith and repose in the sleep of peace;the souls of our parents, relatives, and friends; of those who, when living,were members of this congregation, and particularly of such as are latelydeceased; of all benefactors who, by their donations or legacies to thisChurch, witnessed their zeal for the decency of divine worship and proved theirclaim to our grateful and charitable remembrance. To these, O Lord, and to allthat rest in Christ, grant, we beseech Thee, a place of refreshment, light, andeverlasting peace, through the same Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Savior. Amen.

The prayer which closed the homily is a prayer written by the first bishop and archbishop of our country, John Carroll. He wrote the prayer in 1791, and asked the Catholics of the United States to pray it on major federal holidays. I thought it most appropriate to pray it at the end of this homily.

Usually I don't like to "mix religion and politics" - but sometimes we need to voice the potential threats and injustices to our liberties when we see them coming over the hill. It's our constitutional right for the freedom of speech, so let's use it.

The window to write Secretary Sebelius to request the withdrawal of the "Preventative Service Mandate" from the Federal Health Care Plan is coming shortly - Friday, 30 September 2011. I would ask that you click on the link in the first paragraph to write to Secretary Sebelius and urge her to halt the implementation of the mandate.

Enjoy the journey . . .

Journeys

2011-09-03T22:27:00.000-04:00

**NOTE: This is a LONG entry . . .

It's now early September, and the journey season of the summer is now over. It was a hectic time, but so very well worth it. That doesn't mean that I'm not planning to travel soon, but I have some weeks before I'm on the road again.

My last post had me preparing to head to my retreat on Enders Island, Mystic, CT. The retreat center, Saint Edmund's, is a wonderful place, and the island itself is small and beautiful. While the weather was perfect to be ocean-side for a week, it was also just a great setting to re-encounter Christ and His Spirit - and it was a blessed time simply to get away and slow down, rest, read, pray, walk, and "simply be" with God. There was a wonderful opportunity to sit down at each meal with some of the other people on retreat. Even while we were able to get to know each other, we also had great conversations about our work in the Church and how the Spirit continues to guide us in our ministries.

One of the evenings early in the week saw us caught in the middle of a great thunderstorm that came off of the mainland and head out into the ocean. It was just so awe-inspiring to witness nature be so violent in the course of a short time, but also how calming and refreshed everything was following the storm. The next evening came one of the greatest sunsets that I had ever seen. And, like most things, while you take a picture to capture that moment, that memory, it doesn't do it justice . . . the best picture of the event is kept alive and fresh in one's mind and memory.

After about ten days back at the parish, I and my group from Saint Alphonsus were off to World Youth Day (WYD) in Madrid, Spain. (This was my fourth WYD.) We flew from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia, before making our final stop in Lisbon, Portugal. Before we headed into Spain, however, we had the blessed opportunity to make a [rather quick] stop in Fatima. What a wonderful and spirit-filled place! I had the opportunity to be the main celebrant for our group of pilgrims from Pittsburgh. (Three of my diocesan priest brothers concelebrated with me.) That was a moment I'll treasure for quite some time!

Our immediate voyage into Spain did not take us to Madrid, but, rather, to the ancient city of Ciudad Rodrigo. This is where 168-or-so pilgrims from Pittsburgh (plus a number of other from various countries, such as the Philippines, China, Belgium and the Congo) spent a week in the "Days in the Diocese" program, where we were introduced to Spanish culture, workings of the Church in Spain (and, in particular, the Diocese of Ciudad Rodrigo), and engaging with the local people through service and spiritual opportunities. Never having participated in Days in the Diocese before, this was a fortunate opportunity that I'm glad to have done. Not only were the people of Ciudad Rodrigo very gracious and open to us, but they were able to provide for us a witness of faith - and even a lack-thereof! (Not that we wanted to see anything said or done against our faith, but it was there in a small portion. A bigger event was to happen in Madrid - but more on that later....)

After affirming our faith for about five days, our celebration culminated in the celebration of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which is the patronal feast of their cathedral. On the night before the feast (literally "night", because we began at 11:00 PM!), the pilgrims from Pittsburgh joined in with the faithful of the city in a procession from San Andres Church (the oldest in the town) to the cathedral, with some of the men carrying a statue of the Blessed Virgin through the streets. It was awesome! Some of our guys from Pittsburgh volunteered to carry the statue through the streets - a truly moving moment to see the faith of the youth shining through in that moment. When we arrived at the cathedral, there was a period of a vigil service with Exposition and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. During this time, we had three excerpts from Scripture read - all three in three languages: Spanish, French and English. I was honored to be asked to read the Gospel in English. The bishop gave an excellent homily about how Christ, truly present before us as the Bread of Life, was the foundation of our faith. It was very simple, but extremely profound. Following the vigil service, we returned back to the boarding school that we were staying at (which the cornerstone read "797" [I'm not joking - a building from the late Eighth Century!]), which was good, because it was somewhere between 12:30 - 1:00 AM! The next day, we gathered at the cathedral to celebrate not only the Solemnity of the Blessed Mother's entrance into heaven, but to be sent by the bishop to Madrid and the celebration of WYD.

[An interesting aside: There were five Pittsburgh priests in Ciudad Rodrigo. All five of us wore our "blacks", our clerics, every day. The priests in Ciudad Rodrigo did not. At least, at the beginning of our time there. The Church in Spain is undergoing an intense persecution, and a number of the priests there have basically abandoned the wearing of their clerics. (And I don't want to judge, because being persecuted CAN wear one down to a point where an individual wants to simply remain anonymous.) But the presence of the Pittsburgh priests did something to the clergy of Ciudad Rodrigo, because over the course of the week, there was a change in clothing. From "civies", to the wearing of a dark / black polo shirt, to gray clerics, to the black clerics. Apparently, the five of us helped the priests of Ciudad Rodrigo to find the courage to wear the "symbol" of who they are, and who they are called to be by the nature of their ordination. It was an interesting evolution to see over the time that we were there. I continue to pray that they have the courage and zeal to not be anonymous, but visible signs of Christ in their community.]

After a brief stop in Salamanca, we entered into Madrid for the celebration of the 26th World Youth Day. We stayed at a sports complex a short distance outside of downtown Madrid, but not too far away by bus or train. Our group quickly learned the stops of route 102, and found the Metro pretty easy to figure out. Though we did A LOT of "hurry up and wait", we were able to get a shady spot for the Opening Mass. I was able to concelebrate and distribute the Eucharist - and meet up with a classmate of the Archdiocese of Atlanta from seminary, as well!

Our first full day of WYD did not proceed as we would have hoped, and there were some eye-opening moments, but I wouldn't trade those experiences for anything in the world. We tried to get to a catechetical session, but the volunteer said it was full (and admitted that he wasn't too positive where the church was), so we, along with another small group from Pittsburgh, did our own catechesis, and were able to catch a quick, but good lunch before we headed into the Sol section of Madrid to catch a bus that would take us (and the pilgrims from Saint Teresa of Avila Parish) to Avila for a day trip. I wish that we could have spent more time there! Avila is just so rich in spiritual history that I would to have liked to soak it in! But we had to head back to Madrid, which was about an hour away.

When we returned to Madrid, we decided to stay in Sol, since we were scheduled to have a Holy Hour with Bishop Zubik, Bishop Walterscheid and the pilgrims from the Diocese of Pittsburgh. Unknown to us was the fact that the government had authorized a protest from 8:00 - 10:00 PM in the Sol section. You could imagine our surprise and concern when we came out of the restaurant from dinner, and, looking at the streets around us (and even the one we were on), protesters were gathering to speak out against: WYD, the cost of WYD on the Spanish government and citizens, the Pope and the Church in general. Anyone wearing a WYD backpack or any priest in his blacks or religious in their habit was a target of yelling and / or violence. An older gentleman stopped me and warned me that if we were to go in the opposite direction, we would be in perilous danger. We ran into the group from Saint Teresa's, and decided to pray for our safety and the protection against the anger of the protesters. (I recommended the prayer to Saint Michael the Archangel.) After we finished praying, we noticed our Pittsburgh bishops walking up the street toward the protest. We stopped them, and two of the other priests with me went to scout out a safer route, while I stayed with the bishops and the rest of the group. After some time, we headed up to the church (Santa Cruz / Holy Cross), and had the Holy Hour. Unfortunately, the groups from Saint Columbkille and Saint Louise de Marillac Parishes could not join us, for the protesters were still gathered right outside their hotel. It was a powerful Holy Hour - and one that we all needed.

The rest of WYD was not as concerning, but there were things that frustrated us, including a sickness that seemed to be running through various members of the Pittsburgh pilgrims. (I did get sick, but only a head cold on the last few days - but I'm still getting over it. [Just a lot of congestion - but am feeling a lot better than I did a week or so ago.]) One of the more interesting things that happened to me personally was to receive some "protest propaganda" shoved right at me as I was walking with my group. When I opened up the paper, there was a paragraph on how the Church needed to accept the use of condoms, with a condom in the paper. It was an awkward moment, but I just discarded it, and prayed for those people who thrusted it to me.

A HUGE highlight for the group was the ability to be about 10 - 20 feet from the Pope and Popemobile as it passed through the crowds for the Welcome Ceremony on Thursday. You could see some of the youth becoming so alive in that moment. (Or, as I should really say, "moments", since the Holy Father passed the group twice!) They got some great pictures and video, and, hopefully, an understanding of who the Holy Father is to us as Catholics.

The Stations of the Cross were beautiful. The statues that they used for the Stations truly depicted the scenes of Scripture that were used for our reflection. The music, also, brought the Stations to life, and we were able to enter into the Paschal Mystery in a unique way in this celebration with the Pope and our sisters and brothers from throughout the world.

The USCCB Mass for all the pilgrims from the United States was pretty good. Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York gave an awesome homily about how Peter's encounter with Jesus literally turned his life "upside down" - reflecting on the martyrdom of Saint Peter on his cross. The journey to the vigil site was HOT (as was pretty much the whole time we were there)! However, since one of our youth came down with the same head cold that I was developing, I took him to one of the hotels where our sick pilgrims were staying. I, therefore, was not with the group when they entered the vigil site, and ended up being a part of a large group that was prohibited from entering for quite some time. An intense thunderstorm passed through (as you may have heard from the news), and so I left my place "gateside", and tried to find some shelter - not from the rain, really, but more from the lightning. After walking a good bit, and unsuccessful in my attempt to find shelter, I headed back to the vigil site, and spent a good 30 - 40 minutes trying to find my group.

My group was in one of the farthest areas away from the stage. There was a hillside blocking any sight of the stage, and the closest large screen was about 300 yards away, if not more. We did have a speaker in our area, so we could hear everything pretty well. As I walked down the hillside to get to them, I could only think that I was entering a refugee camp - there was a fence blocking out the area for the people to stay, and there were people on either side of the fence talking. That was on my right side. On my left were police and their vehicles, making sure that no one became too rowdy or out of control. It felt very odd - it was like nothing I had ever experienced on a WYD. (I felt like I was a "chaplain to the damned".) It felt like forever to walk along the fence and find my group, but I did. I quickly set up camp, and went to sleep. I was just happy to be with the group.

The next morning, we awoke to announcements being made about lost children needing their parents to pick them up; about how only concelebrating priests and bishops would receive the Eucharist, since the wind of the previous evening's thunderstorm knocked over the tent where the Blessed Sacrament was being reserved; about how the people had to clear the roadways and proceed to their assigned areas so that the Pope would be able to drive around and see as many people as possible; how the Pope was glad to be there, and would like to see all the flags flying as high as possible; and about how there was an 83-year-old Polish lady who had lost her group - this announcement being made only in Spanish, English and Italian. It was a strange morning.

The Mass, though, was wonderful - and though we could not receive the Eucharist, it was a great catechetical moment to remind the youth that the obligation for Sunday is not to receive the Eucharist, but to attend Mass and to be a part of the community of faith, to be a part of the full, conscious and active participation of worshiping God.

Returning to the sports complex after two long days was wonderful - just in the fact of getting a shower and washing all the dirt and dust off. Our group finished packing, and at 11:30 PM, boarded the bus to take us to Lisbon for our return flight home. Flying from Lisbon, back to Philadelphia and then back to Pittsburgh, it was a good time to rest, catch up on some sleep, and then see family and friends at the airport to welcome us home. And it was SO GOOD to come home . . . and to sleep in my own bed.

WYD, despite what I wrote above, was an overall wonderful experience. We know that the negative moments are going to creep in to any event. Unfortunately for my group, they happened around some of the most pivotal events of the WYD experience itself. But I am very glad to have gone. I gained a deeper appreciation for my faith, for my vocation as a priest and shepherd, and for the people the Lord has placed in my life to get me to where I am. I am grateful for the opportunities to have been a witness to the faith, not only for the world, but more for those who were with me throughout the pilgrimage. Yet I am also thankful for the witness of faith that they provided for me. And I am glad to have shared this experience not only with some of my brother priests, who are some of my best friends, but also with my sister. She was great to have around . . . and not because "she's my sister", but because of the silent communication that we share and have developed over the years. Plus, it was good to have the "24-hour comedy channel" (as our cousins would put it) there with me to help me in not becoming too stressed at moments.

Will I be going to WYD in Rio de Janeiro in 2013? I really don't know at this point. Part of that depends on where I am assigned to at that moment. The other part is dependent upon whether the Lord needs me to be a witness of faith at that WYD, or if my witness will be needed more here. Would I like to go? I think so, for a variety of reasons - but I'm not going to think about it right now, and take the decision slowly for now.

My summer journeys have ended. They were good - they were long. And while it's good to be home, it's also good to have traveled and experienced my faith in these relaxed, yet intense ways. I can't wait to see where the Lord takes me in my journeys - both physically (including future assignments) and (more importantly) spiritually. Until the next leg begins, I'm going to take it slow and see what plans the Lord has in store for me.

Enjoy the journey . . .

Go with God, but Go

2011-07-23T15:31:00.000-04:00

The above saying is one that I say to my friends - and even others - from time to time. While it is jovial, I find myself saying it to myself more and more recently. Which is why I'm saying it to myself once again. And I need to.

I'm leaving for my annual retreat tomorrow. This will be the first one that I've gone on since I've been ordained, and I'm very much looking forward to it. I'll be heading out a good numbers of hours away from SWPA, to what seems to be a wonderful, peaceful and blessed place in New England. (I've not yet been there, so I'm going on what's been put on their website.) I've been looking toward this retreat for some time now - especially since the World Youth Day pilgrimage is right around the corner. (Yep, I'll be back a little over a week, and then I head with our group of 17-or-so to Spain.)

I think that I wrote in a previous entry how I was explaining to a friend that retreats are a good thing. He had joked with me that I shouldn't be retreating in life, but courageously moving forward. And, laughingly agreeing with him, told him that for me to move forward - or anyone for that matter - I had to "retreat" and fall back, see what I've done, where I've been, so that I know where I am going and what I am to do. I still think of this conversation often, especially when I am preparing to go on retreat. I need to "Go with God" - we all do. But, even more so, we all just need to "go".

The only thing now separating me from leaving on retreat are three Masses, one sleep, and packing. (I have a feeling that the packing won't occur until tonight or tomorrow morning, but we'll see.) And while I wish, in some sense, that I had someone to drive up with me, I'll be happy to have some time alone in the car. I have a number of CD's to listen to, and lots of good music to set me in the "retreat mood / mode". I'm looking forward to some down time / quiet time.

Pray for me, as I will for you.

Enjoy the journey . . .

Non-Stop Homilies

2011-06-19T23:52:00.001-04:00

It's been awhile since I've written, and I apologize. Since Lent began some 90+ days ago, it's been a non-stop whirlwind of constant activity. But I did want to share two weekday homilies that I gave recently. I usually don't write down my homilies, but I needed them to be succinct, and so I wrote them down so I wouldn't find myself rambling.

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Gospel: Matthew 6.7-15

The Lord gives to us this day the perfect prayer. We, in turn, pray through Him and, once again, offer to the Father the Perfect Sacrifice. We do so that, through our prayer and offering - and through the the reception of the Eucharist - we join in the work that God's Kingdom will come, and that His will - not ours - will be done and be the mission we live out.

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Gospel: Matthew 6.19-23

"Heart speaks to heart." This motto of Blessed John Henry Newman summarizes what we are called to reflect upon today. The Lord reminds us that where our treasure is, there is our heart. Our hearts, my brothers and sisters, are ultimately resting in the Sacred Heart of Jesus, finding their solace in His Paschal Mystery. Our task is to seek the true treasure which His Heart is, and to constantly find solace and rest there. And that seeking begins here - at the Table of the Word and the Altar of Sacrifice - when we place our hearts, when we place our all at the foot of the Cross, seeking nothing more than to find our treasure at the Feast of Life - the treasure of the very Heart of God poured out for us, speaking to our own hearts, "Follow me."

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Interestingly, the Gospel for the second homily fell on a day when I and a youth minister of the Diocese were going to use this particular Gospel for our opening prayer in a Morality course that we were teaching. Truly, the Lord works is awesome ways.

Enjoy the journey . . .

Time of Transition

2011-04-23T18:07:00.000-04:00

With all of the craziness that accompanies the Triduum, in the midst of everything, life still goes on as normal outside the walls of the parish. I was reminded of this in a special way within these last minutes.

We received a call from one of our local hospices that a man was in the process of dying, and his family had requested one of the priests to visit and pray. They gave me the name of the man, and I was on my way. When I arrived, one of the nurses met me and introduced me to the family. One of the children of the dying man is a well-known member of the media in the area. How gracious the children were to have a priest come and anoint and pray with their dying father in the midst of the chaos of Easter preparations.

As I was making some small talk with the family prior to praying, we agreed that if this man - this father - was to die, there was not a better time to do it within the veil of the celebration of Easter, within the celebration of the Paschal Mystery. Truly, it is the ultimate time of transition from this life to the next.

As I was driving back to the parish, it struck me that it is in the "ordinary-ness" of life that make us appreciate not only the whole understanding of how our relationship with God underlies all that we are and do (or at least it should), but also how much the presence of Christ is truly found in the smallest of moments - in the quiet of the chaos that surrounds us. Our openness to the moments when God makes Himself known to us are profound opportunities in which we come to grasp - even if it's just for the briefest moment - a glimpse of the Divine. And these small glimpses strengthen us for what is ahead. Yet, these glimpses ought to lead us to a deeper relationship with God - especially the strengthening of our relationship with God through the celebration of the Sacraments of the Eucharist and Reconciliation.

We are all constantly in some type of transition. Yet there is not a better time to reflect upon the greatest of all the transitions - that from death to life - than at this time of Easter. And I'm glad I had the opportunity to, if just briefly, see this transition happen at this time, within the veil of the celebration of Easter and the Paschal Mystery.

Lord, help us in all of our times of transition. Allow us to see the glimpses of You to allow us to know of Your constant Presence with us. May these glimpses, especially through the celebration of the Sacraments, enable us to be strengthened in the knowledge of Your love and new life. Amen.

Enjoy the journey . . .

B16's Holy Thursday

2011-04-22T10:43:00.000-04:00

Pope Benedict XVI had some wonderful thoughts in his homilies for the Chrism Mass and for the Holy Thursday Evening Mass of the Lord's Supper. I thought that I would share with you some of the quotes that really impacted me.

From the homily for the Chrism Mass

"I wish not merely to be called Christian, but also to be Christian, said Saint Ignatius of Antioch."

"Through this first anointing [with the Oil of Catechumens], which takes place even prior to baptism, our gaze is turned towards people who are journeying towards Christ - people who are searching for faith, searching for God."

" . . . God himself is searching for us."

"Driven by love, God has set out towards us."

"God is searching for me. Do I want to recognize him? Do I want to be known by him, found by him? God loves us. He comes to meet the unrest of our hearts, the unrest of our questioning and seeking, with the unrest of his own heart, which leads him to accomplish the ultimate for us. That restlessness for God, that journeying towards him, so as to know and love him better, must not be extinguished in us."

"Let us remain constantly on a journey towards him, longing for him, always open to receive new knowledge and love!"

"The proclamation of God's Kingdom, of God's unlimited goodness, must first of all bring healing to broken hearts."

"Christians are a priestly people for the world. Christians should make the living God visible to the world, they should bear witness to him and lead people towards him."

"We have reason to cry out at this time to God: 'Do not allow us to become a "non-people"! Make us recognize you again! Truly, you have anointed us with your love, you have poured out your Holy Spirit upon us. Grant that the power of your Spirit may become newly effective in us, so that we may bear joyful witness to your message!'"

"With great gratitude for the vocation [to the priesthood] and with humility for all our shortcomings, we renew at this hour our 'yes' to the Lord's call: yes, I want to be intimately united to the Lord Jesus, driven on by the love of Christ. Amen."

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From the Evening Mass of the Lord's Supper

"Jesus desires us, he awaits us. But what about ourselves? Do we really desire him? Are we anxious to meet him? Do we desire to encounter him, to become one with him, to receive the gifts he offers us in the Holy Eucharist? Or are we indifferent, distracted, busy about other things?"

"Eucharistic communion requires faith, but faith requires love; otherwise, even as faith, it is dead."

"Yet at his final meal, more than anything else, Jesus prayed."

"Jesus turns his suffering into prayer, into an offering to the Father for the sake of mankind."

"The ultimate purpose of Eucharistic transformation is our own transformation in communion with Christ. The Eucharist is directed to the new man, the new world, which can only come about from God, through the ministry of God's Servant."

"All of us eat the one bread and receive the one Body of the Lord; this means he opens each of us up to something above and beyond us. He makes all of us one. The Eucharist is the mystery of the profound closeness and communion of each individual with the Lord and, at the same time, of visible union between all. The Eucharist is the sacrament of unity. It reaches the very mystery of the Trinity and thus creates visible unity. Let me say it again: it is an extremely personal encounter with the Lord and yet never simply an act of individual piety."

" . . . unity is something utterly concrete, it has names. In this way unity becomes visible; it becomes a sign for the world and a concrete criterion for ourselves."

"Every human being, save Mary, has constant need of conversion."

" . . . in the humility of one who knows that he is a sinner, is he called."

"We too, all of us, need to learn again to accept God and Jesus Christ as he is, and not the way we want him to be."

"Tonight we want to ask Jesus to look to us, as with kindly eyes he looked to Peter when the time was right, and to convert us."

"'I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you.' Lord, you desire us, you desire me. You eagerly desire to share yourself with us in the Holy Eucharist, to be one with us. Lord, awaken in us the desire for you. Strengthen us in unity with you and with one another. Grant unity to your Church, so that the world may believe. Amen."

I would recommend that you read the entirety of both homilies. They are excellent. They give us wonderful reflection material for the quiet of these days.

Enjoy the journey . . .

A Passiontide Prayer

2011-04-13T16:48:00.000-04:00

O great Passion!
O profound Wounds!
O outpouring of blood!
O highest Sorrow!
O Death suffered in every bitterness!
Be to us healing and eternal life.

Mère Yvonne–Aimée de Jésus is credited in writing this wonderful prayer. Truly, something to help us enter into the wonderful celebration of Holy Week and the Paschal Triduum.

Enjoy the journey . . .

Nutrolls = Commitment

2011-04-04T13:19:00.000-04:00

As one of our fundraising efforts for the pilgrimage to Madrid, Spain, for World Youth Day in August, our group is making nutrolls. (We're planning to bake about 300 nutrolls, and, hopefully, about 50 apricot rolls.) We've done them before, but they seem to be an intense process to make.

One does not simply seem to need enough dough or enough filling to make sure that we have the item to eventually sell, but one also needs to have the people in the kitchen to make all these treats become a reality. As always, "Many hands make light work!" This can seem like an overwhelming process if you do not have the people to assist. In the long run, these nutrolls equal commitment.

The pilgrims who are attending World Youth Day (WYD) from the parish have committed themselves to help not only in the fundraising efforts for the group to get to Spain, but also in assisting the other members of the group in their own preparation for the voyage. There is a commitment from each of the pilgrims to support, through prayer and action, the others journeying with them to Europe. And this is a daunting thing when one stops to think about it. The commitment that I and the other adult leaders have agreed to does not simply begin at one point in time and end at another - we are here to see the preparation of the group, the journey of the group, and the returning of the group home. We are simply not putting our lives up for grabs for two weeks in Spain; rather, we are entering into a commitment with the other pilgrims that, beginning in the here and now (which already had begun before I arrived here in July), should carry us in a committed relationship of Christian fellowship throughout our lives, whether we remain physically connected or not. Our group's total commitment to manifesting the Mystical Body of Christ on a physical level within the fraternity that we build amongst ourselves.

And so our nutrolls are simply something more than just a tasty treat which we're trying to sell to raise some money to travel to Spain to be with other Catholics from throughout the world. Rather, these nutrolls symbolize a deeper commitment in those who bake them - and those who buy them - to support one another in our journey of faith . . . and to help lead each other to the Kingdom of God. I know in a few days, I will be sick of thinking of and dealing with nutrolls.

But I also know something greater:

Nutrolls are only a small part in the way that we help each other journey in our lives of faith.

Enjoy the journey . . .

Happy 200th!

2011-03-28T14:16:00.000-04:00

Today is the 200th birthday of Saint John Neumann, one of the priests who served in the Pittsburgh area - including my hometown and my current parish assignment, as well as the bishop who established the Franciscan order who oversees the high school where I am chaplain.

(He has influence over a lot of my life . . .)

Happy Birthday #200, Saint John Neumann!

(A picture of the former Shrine of Saint John Neumann in the mother church [Saint Peter Parish] of my hometown, which is now closed.]

Wearin' of the Green

2011-03-17T13:11:00.001-04:00

"I am certain in my heart that all that I am, I have received from God."

- Saint Patrick

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

It's hard to believe that, in some regards, we're already at this point of the year! But, as in all things, I am thankful.

We all know legends and tales of the blessed Patron of Ireland, whom we celebrate today. And no matter which tales we believe, or how we celebrate his life, we must ultimately give thanks to God for giving us a wonderful example of the Faith.

Many of us are wearing some form or shade of green today, which is a color of hope. How appropriate! Saint Patrick brought many men and women of the Emerald Isle to come to know the eternal hope that comes to us through our belief in Christ Jesus. We continue to celebrate the transcendence of that hope throughout the ages not only through the remembrance of the saints, but also through the celebration of the Sacraments, in which we continuously open ourselves to the grace of God, in which we have that eternal hope.

Saint Patrick gave us many wonderful ways to experience our faith, one of which is the wonderful prayer, "The Deer's Cry". I post it here, now, for you to pray, so that you (and I) may once again open ourselves up to experience that eternal hope that God gives to us.

The Deer's Cry

Also known as "The Breastplate of St. Patrick" and "The Lorica"

This powerful prayer was composed by Saint Patrick in the year 433. He was aware that there was an ambush to try to kill him and his group en route to the King's court. It was during the march that they chanted the sacred Lorica or Deer's Cry - later known as St. Patrick's Breastplate.

As the druids lay in hiding, ready to kill, they saw not Patrick and his men, but a gentle doe followed by twenty fawns.

St. Patrick and his men were saved.

******* + + + *******

I arise today through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity, through belief in the Threeness, through confession of the Oneness of the Creator of creation.

I arise today through the strength of Christ with his Baptism, through the strength of His Crucifixion with His Burial through the strength of His Resurrection with His Ascension, through the strength of His descent for the Judgment of Doom.

I arise today through the strength of the love of Cherubim in obedience of Angels, in the service of the Archangels, in hope of resurrection to meet with reward, in prayers of Patriarchs, in predictions of Prophets, in preachings of Apostles, in faiths of Confessors, in innocence of Holy Virgins, in deeds of righteous men.

I arise today, through the strength of Heaven; light of Sun, brilliance of Moon, splendor of Fire, speed of Lightning, swiftness of Wind, depth of Sea, stability of Earth, firmness of Rock.

I arise today, through God's strength to pilot me: God's might to uphold me, God's wisdom to guide me, God's eye to look before me, God's ear to hear me, God's word to speak for me, God's hand to guard me, God's way to lie before me, God's shield to protect me, God's host to secure me: against snares of devils, against temptations of vices, against inclinations of nature, against everyone who shall wish me ill, afar and anear, alone and in a crowd.

I summon today all these powers between me (and these evils): against every cruel and merciless power that may oppose my body and my soul, against incantations of false prophets, against black laws of heathenry, against false laws of heretics, against craft of idolatry, against spells of witches, smiths and wizards, against every knowledge that endangers man's body and soul. Christ to protect me today against poisoning, against burning, against drowning, against wounding, so that there may come abundance in reward.

Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ on my right, Christ on my left, Christ in breadth, Christ in length, Christ in height, Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me, Christ in the mouth of every man who speaks of me, Christ in every eye that sees me, Christ in every ear that hears me.

I arise today through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity, through belief in the Threeness, through confession of the Oneness of the Creator of creation. Salvation is of the Lord. Salvation is of the Lord. Salvation is of Christ. May Thy Salvation, O Lord, be ever with us. Amen.

Enjoy the journey . . .

A Joyful Time

2011-03-11T14:36:00.001-05:00

Turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel.

Remember, man, you are dust and to dust you will return.

Lent 2011 has begun. And these words above call each one of us to heed the call to repentance and conversion. It is so important for us to remember that what this season of Lent calls us to: repentance and conversion. And while the this season is one of the most somber, subdued and introspective throughout the Church's calendar, this does not mean that it is also the most "depressing" of the liturgical year.

Rather, this season in which we sacrifice to become more like Christ is a joyful season of hope in the promise of the Resurrection which we will celebrate in some 40 days at Easter. The Preface for Lent I reminds of this when we pray:

Each year you give us this joyful season

when we prepare to celebrate the paschal mystery

with mind and heart renewed.

You give us a spirit of loving reverence for you, our Father,

and of willing service to our neighbor.

As we recall the great events that gave us new life in Christ,

you bring the image of your Son to perfection within us.

We enter into this Lenten journey fully aware of our sinfulness; yet we prepare with joyful hope to celebrate those central acts of our faith in which Christ has given us new life. It is through this "joyful hope", then, that we put into action the three-fold action of Lent: prayer, fasting and almsgiving (works of charity). It is through the interconnectedness of prayer, fasting and almsgiving which we come to not only appreciate the sacrifices Christ endured, but also for the sacrifices which we make so to "bring the image of [Christ] to perfection within us".

Father in heaven,

the light of your truth bestows sight

to the darkness of sinful eyes.

May this season of repentance

bring us the blessing of your forgiveness

and the gift of your light.

Grant this through Christ our Lord.

(Alternative Opening Prayer for Ash Wednesday)

Enjoy the journey . . .

A Little Catch-up

2011-02-28T18:48:00.000-05:00

DAG! It's hard to believe that this is the final day of February. Where has the time gone to? There's been a lot going on, and some of it I've wanted to post about over the last few days. Fortunately, ministry has kept me going from last Wednesday on . . .

Wednesday was a crazy, yet important day in the life of our parish. Bishop George Murry of the Diocese of Youngstown visited us and confirmed 85 students in their faith. But before we got to the actual celebration of the sacrament, the day was a blessed marathon: parish Mass, Mass at one of the local high school, staff meeting, and anointing at the local hospice. Following the conferral of the Sacrament, there was, of course, a reception. It was a wonderful time. It was a good day.

The day actually made me think of the day I received my Confirmation. It's hard to believe that I was where they were almost 20 years ago. Sometimes it seems like it really wasn't that long ago, but time flies when you're having fun. [Hmmm . . . I guess I am having a little bit of fun in my life. :)] The Spirit seems to continue to surprise me - and keep me young at heart!

Thursday wasn't too bad of a day: parish Mass, lunch with my spiritual director, Mass at one of the local nursing homes, and vigil at the funeral home for one of our parishioners who had passed away. Also on that day, I made to a visit to a new coffee shop that opened in the area a few months ago - and within walking distance of the church! I placed a request with the managers to hold a Bible study Saturday mornings there for young adults of the parish. They said that they had to talk to the owners, and that they would get back to me.

Friday saw me spending the almost the entire day away from the parish. I spent a good bit of the day at the high school where I'm chaplain for the Junior Retreat - which was awesome. Since it was our day to be on hospital duty, and since the hospital we visit is on the way back to the parish from the high school, I stopped and visited those people that the chaplain asked me to visit. As I was leaving, I received news from one of the youth ministers that a situation in which we were involved that had calmed down for a bit was now flaring up again. My brief time back at the parish was spent in dealing with some of the fallout. I was so happy when I got to IGNITE, a night of praise and worship with Eucharistic adoration - though I did not get a big chance to join in, since I was hearing confessions for a majority of the event (which, for me, was part of the healing I think I needed). A few of us went to Applebee's following, and took the time to relax in Christian fellowship, which was much needed and welcomed.

Saturday found me celebrating the morning Mass for the parish, followed by our normally-scheduled Confessions at noon. I had promised one of the seminarians who is (God willing!) moving on to theology in the Fall that I would help him pick out some clerical attire. So we headed out early that afternoon, and he picked out a few items. (Reminded me of the first time I had to do such things. Oh, the memories!) We then proceeded to grab some lunch. Since the pastor had the evening (vigil) Mass, I laid down for a bit until I was needed after Mass. During that time, however, I received a call from the daughter of a gentleman I anointed about 1.5 months ago - his health was deteriorating rapidly, and they asked if I could come and pray with them for him. That was an honor. I ended up spending about 1.5 - 2 hours with the family, praying with them and allowing them to tell me their stories. It was a wonderful time. When I got back, the pastor and I headed out for a brief dinner.

Thank goodness I was able to sleep in a little on Sunday! I had the 10:00 AM Mass, as well as the 12:15 PM, which I hadn't celebrated in over a month due to varying schedules. It was good not to have the 8:00 AM! Following my two Masses, I drove the pastor to the airport so he could begin his vacation . . . I returned, and we began our youth ministry meeting, which ended up in the church. We had a wonderful discussion! It was a very good session! Following that, I met up with my diopitt classmate for a quick cup of coffee and discussion.

Today has found me planning some youth ministry events, being proxy for an exam, meeting with some parishioners, and - the high point - finding out that the coffee shop has given permission for me to go ahead with the Bible study on Saturday mornings! We'll be beginning that on Saturday, March 19th, following our parish mission earlier in the week.

And now, I go to shut down the month of February and prepare for the month of March - after I do some prayers . . .

Enjoy the journey . . .

Snow

2011-02-22T11:59:00.000-05:00

Last night, the Pittsburgh area received 8.4 inches of snow. As one radio broadcaster put it this morning, "I thought the forecast was for 2-4 inches, not 2 x 4 inches. Must have missed the "x" symbol in there somewhere."

Since we were only expecting - initially - 2-4 inches, I thought that I would be fine traveling to have dinner with a friend at a restaurant about 45 minutes away. Generally, I have no problem driving in snow. But the falling of the flakes began a little sooner than most people expected, and collected on the ground faster than anyone thought it would have.

"Eh . . . I'll still go to dinner," I thought. And I did. And it was a delightful dinner. A catching-up with one of my friends that was long over-due. By the time I left the area, it was 8:50 PM. I returned home to the rectory at 10:30 PM. I, luckily, decided to take the Turnpike. While there was some traffic, everyone kept moving, so there wasn't any problem about getting stuck on the road. The only major problem I had was as I was driving on Route 19 South. I sat in traffic there for about twenty minutes.

In retrospect, I probably should have spent the night at a hotel. (The pastor assumed I wasn't coming back, and was waiting for me to call informing him of that.) But, once here, I was happy to be in my own bed for the evening.

When I went to bed last night, our parish school and the surrounding school districts had a two-hour delay. When I woke up this morning to unlock the church for the 7:00 AM Mass, they had closed. I was surprised when I had about 10 people this morning for Mass - I was preparing for about 3-4. And we're still at the point where the snow is still the major story everyone is talking about, because a lot of people are still be effected by it. Nevertheless, it's wonderful to see the sun out, though it's still chilly out.

I just cannot wait until Spring finally decides to come around.

Enjoy the journey . . .

A Personal Prayer

2011-02-20T21:53:00.003-05:00

While I was on vacation, I took the opportunity on the final day to sit at one of the overlooks and drink in not only the beauty of the scenery (overlooking the Missouri River and the state of Missouri, too!), but the opportunity to listen to what the Lord was saying to me. During that time, I wrote a little prayer. And while I do hold that this prayer is a bit personal, I hope that even one person may find it helpful in their life.

***************

Lord Jesus Christ,

Breath of my life,

Song of my soul,

Flame of my heart,

Confirm within me Your grace

To be Your Presence,

To know of Your Love,

To live in Your Light,

To trust in Your Providence.

Allow me to abandon myself completely to Your Will.

Empower me to live my life in complete conviction to the Gospel.

Open me to the movement of Your Spirit dwelling within me.

Enfold me in Your Loving and Sacred Heart.

Unite my sufferings to Yours for the redemption of the world.

Let Your Holy Cross

Be my banner of victory,

Be my altar of sacrifice,

Be my sign of love for the world.

Make me like You

In all that I say,

In all that I think,

In all that I do.

May my presence be Your Presence to all I encounter.

Allow me to grow in faith, hope and charity,

For I place my life in Your Hands.

Amen.

Enjoy the journey . . .

And We're Back!

2011-02-20T21:23:00.000-05:00

The vacation and the time spent away from the parish was absolutely wonderful! It was a good time to get away. The biggest blessing of the whole vacation was spending it with two of my seminary classmates, and enjoying times present and past together.

This week, however, is not one that eases me back into the midst of life. Wednesday will see our parish's celebration of the Sacrament of Confirmation, which means a slight adjustment in the schedule - which is basically switching my day off. Nothing too big, but it will help because the end of the week is a bit crazy for me: meetings, Masses, a high school retreat, and, hopefully, some time of P&W at the end of the week. (By that point, I'll need it!)

But, for now, I'm enjoying the end of the day. Even coming back into the parish Friday night brought some excitement - including some Laser Tag with the youth ministry Saturday evening. Good times, but it's most definitely time for just a few moments of R&R.

Enjoy the journey . . .

God's "Kick-Me-In-The-Pants" Playlist

2011-02-12T17:00:00.002-05:00

I meant to post this earlier in the week . . .

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The other evening, as I was in prayer, I began feeling a bit stupid for my sinfulness, for my lack of charity, and even for my lack of trust in God. This is nothing new to me - I don't often dwell on these to the point of frustration, but, every so often, my eyes are open a little more to my faults and failings. (Although, I am quite aware of them on a day-to-day basis.) And so, I felt moved to search my soul, see where I was, and to place that before the Cross.

"Well," I thought to myself, "if I'm going to contemplate, maybe some music will help open me up." And this is where God kicked me in the pants.

As I started the music program, the first song that popped up was Hillsong United's "From the Inside Out". This song has always had a special place in my heart, more so following the most recent Fall Retreat where this was the theme song. The song hit me rather hard at that point, beginning with the first words: "A thousand times I failed, still Your mercy remains . . ." And that's how I was feeling at that moment, and prayerfully entering that song was very easy, and I was chuckling to myself throughout the song . . . it was what I needed to pray at that moment. "From the inside out, Lord, my soul cries out . . ." I was crying out to God that He would hear me at that moment of frustration.

The next song that began to play was Matt Maher's "Alive Again". "Ugh! God, what are You doing?" I love this song, and it's hit me on a number of levels a number of times. "I was looking outside / As if love would ever want to hide / I'm finding I was wrong." Love doesn't hide; Love always makes itself known. Love always makes HIMSELF known. "You called and You shouted / Broke through my deafness . . . You shattered my darkness / Washed away my blindness . . ." To be alive, and yet alive AGAIN is to allow one's self to be completely opened to Christ and the love which He bestows upon us through His Spirit. We're not simply alive once, but alive again and again each time that we are able to let Love be present in our lives: to us and through us to others. It doesn't matter how many we've messed up in our relationship with God or with others, His Love, primarily through the Sacraments of Reconciliation and the Eucharist, allow us to become alive once again through the graces He chooses to bestow upon us.

The third song was, once again, the exact prayer I needed at that moment. It was MercyMe's "Word of God Speak". "Word of God speak / Would You pour down like rain / Washing my eyes to see / Your majesty / To be still and know / That You're in this place / Please let me stay and rest / In Your holiness / Word of God speak." I needed to be reminded to be still and to quiet. I needed to be more aware of the quiet whisper of Love spoken in the solitude of silence. I needed to be reminded that sometimes the best prayer is to simply rest in the Divine Presence.

And that's what I chose to do.

I shut off the music. I simply allowed myself to be quiet, to be still. I simply rested in His Presence.

God kicked me in the pants during that prayer session. I needed it. I needed to move beyond myself once again to realize that the vocation, that the assignments, that all the busy-ness, that all of it was and is, though important, not the most important thing that I should have been doing at that point or should be doing at any point. God's kicking me in the pants that night reminded me that in all things my life is a continuous prayer. Sometimes I forget that - and those are the moments in which I find frustration and aggravation in my life. The more open I am to the Spirit, the more that I allow the Spirit to work in and through me, the more apt I am to recognize the quiet whispers of Love speaking to me, knowing that Love never hides, and knowing that our soul continuously cries out to God from the inside of our very being to the outside of the lives we live.

We all have frustrations in our lives from time-to-time. In the end, it's about recognizing the movement of God in those moments. It's about finding the peace in the quiet solitude of life - those whispers of Love - which allows us to "live and move and have our being" (Preface for Sundays in Ordinary Time VI). We are all seeking happiness in our lives. A life lived in Christ, a life lived for others is ultimately what will help us to become happy. Sometimes we need to reach out in our prayer to obtain this goal. "Ask Christ to help you to become happy," are some wise words from Saint Paul Miki, the Sixteenth Century Japanese saint. And Jesus did promise that whatever was asked for in His Name would be granted. Sometimes we need to ask to be happy. Sometimes we need to ask to be at peace.

Sometimes it's taking that leap of faith to reach out to the Love that created us, to move ourselves from the inside out, to allow our deafness to be shattered and our blindness washed away, to be still to allow the Word to speak to us and to dwell within us.

Sometimes God needs to kick us in the pants to recognize how deep His Love dwells. Sometimes God needs to kick us in the pants to move us beyond ourselves. Sometimes God needs to kick us in the pants so that we can be quiet, so that we can be still.

It is truly "From the Inside Out" that we are "Alive Again", allowing the "Word of God [to] Speak" to us in our lives so that the journey of faith may be one lived completely by the promptings of the Spirit.

Enjoy the journey . . .

VACATION . . .

2011-02-12T15:21:00.002-05:00

. . . all I ever wanted.

I'll be leaving for a vacation on Monday with a classmate from the Diocese of Erie to visit one of our classmates in Kansas. I think that it will be a wonderful time. And while I've seen both classmates since our graduation from SVS in May, this will be the first time which the three of us will be together. Like I said, it should be a wonderful time.

Today marks my seven-month anniversary in the parish. It's hard to believe it's (only) been that long. Yes, some days it doesn't feel like seven months; some days it feels like seven years. (But that is normal in anything that we do.) It's wonderful - in some ways - to see the passage of time in one's life, and also notice how we're shaped by time's passage.

And so I look forward to Monday, to vacation, and to spending some good time with good friends. I just hope the weather cooperates, and, from what I've been seeing, it should. Heck, even now the sun is shining!

Enjoy the journey . . .

End-of-the-Year Reflection

2010-12-31T12:30:00.001-05:00

In the beginning was the Word,

and the Word was with God,

and the Word was God.

He was in the beginning with God.

All things came to be through him,

and without him nothing came to be.

What came to be through him was life,

and this life was the light of the human race;

the light shines in the darkness,

and the darkness has not overcome it.

A man named John was sent from God.

He came for testimony, to testify to the light,

so that all might believe through him.

He was not the light,

but came to testify to the light.

The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.

He was in the world,

and the world came to be through him,

but the world did not know him.

He came to what was his own,

but his own people did not accept him.

But to those who did accept him

he gave power to become children of God,

to those who believe in his name,

who were born not by natural generation

nor by human choice nor by a man’s decision

but of God.

And the Word became flesh

and made his dwelling among us,

and we saw his glory,

the glory as of the Father’s only-begotten Son,

full of grace and truth.

John testified to him and cried out, saying,

“This was he of whom I said,

‘The one who is coming after me ranks ahead of me

because he existed before me.’”

From his fullness we have all received,

grace in place of grace,

because while the law was given through Moses,

grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

No one has ever seen God.

The only-begotten Son, God, who is at the Father’s side,

has revealed him.

(John 1:1-18, NAB - Gospel for the Seventh Day in the Octave of Christmas, 31 December)

Holy Mother Church gives us this wonderful Gospel pericope on this final day of the calendar year as a way for us to remember what we have been celebrating this week: Eternity stepping into time.

God lives in eternity; we live within the confines of time. What God did for us was to step out of the vast infiniteness of eternity and enter into the finiteness of time. This is the beginning of the selfless act of love which ended upon Calvary's hill, with God giving His very life for the life of the world. Yet, it had to begin with this act of love - this beginning of the unconfined God entering into the confines of time and space - entering into the confines of our human weaknesses.

The very Word who spoke us and all of creation into being has Himself become one of us out of love for us. LOVE CAME DOWN! THE Word of Life, Light and Love became incarnate - donned our flesh - and entered into the confines of time and space so that we, who believe in His Name, could one day share eternity with Him. The Incarnation had to happen so that we could have the opportunity to share in the joy of the Resurrection, God willing we are found worthy to do so.

We are given this Gospel pericope at the end of the calendar year to remind ourselves that while time fleeting - as is our time on this earth - our end is not. We were not created to simply live in this world, where everything is finite, where everything is confined to time and space. Rather, we have been created to share eternity with the Word who spoke us into being, with His Father who loved us into being, and with the Holy Spirit who continues to guide all of creation back to the love of the Father.

We are given this Gospel pericope because we must remember that while we have the ability to be called "children of God" for simply believing in His Name, it is that personal relationship that we have with Love Himself that enables us who live in this world while at the same time to not be a part of this world. We have been called to something greater! We have been called to live outside of time while we continue to live within time. We have been called to live in Love for it is in that Love that we will leave time to enter into eternity.

We celebrate the fact that "Love came down" at this end of the year for, in the end, we are not called to live in time, but in eternity. Yet in all things, we are called to live in Love.

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As I was getting to celebrate Mass this morning, I was listening to 106.7 FM (WAOB - Pittsburgh / Greensburg). They were broadcasting the Mass from Hopedale, Ohio, from the Order of the Sacred and Immaculate Hearts of Jesus and Mary. Father Francis, who was a year ahead of me at the seminary, was celebrating the Mass. During his homily, I caught him saying:

2010 - Never Again

2011 - A taste of Heaven

Okay, I rolled my eyes a little. But as I thought about it, we will never see 2010 once the new year is ushered in. Yet, we come to recognize that in 2011, there will be a little "taste of heaven" if we keep in mind that amidst all the joys and sorrows this coming year, we cannot limit the power of the Holy Spirit, especially if we are always open to the workings of the Spirit.

Happy and Blessed New Year 2011!

Enjoy the journey . . .

My First Christmas

2010-12-23T14:05:00.000-05:00

That does seem a bit odd to say, but, as a priest, this is my "first Christmas".

I'm getting excited about it: From choosing the readings (We do have options!), to preparing the homily, to getting all the "other" stuff done (i.e., wrapping presents), it's been proving to be a fruitful time for me, not just emotionally, but spiritually, as well.

Though I was excited for Advent to begin (and it is a most wonderful and blessed season), I had a somewhat difficult time entering into the season as much as I would have liked to. But I don't see that as a negative; rather, it's been a positive thought for me to be able to be a little more deliberate in my final preparations for the Christmas season. Advent has always been a wonderful opportunity for me to grow - and this Advent hasn't disappointed me in that regard. I feel that I have grown this season, though, in all honesty, probably not as much as I would have liked. But that's okay with me; I'm not disappointed in the progress or lack-there-of that I have made in this last month. And while I haven't progressed as much as I would have liked, where I am now is not where I was a month ago, and so I really can't complain.

And so this all leads me into celebrating my first Christmas as a priest of Jesus Christ. I'm looking forward to celebrating the Mystery of the Incarnation in this fashion for the first time.

A Blessed Christmas to you all!

Enjoy the journey . . .

Just can't believe . . .

2010-12-19T15:51:00.000-05:00

- that it's less than one week until Christmas. I'm looking forward to celebrating Christmas this year. Not that I don't generally, but more specifically this year since it will be my first Christmas as a priest.

- that I'll be celebrating my (and my classmates') six-month anniversary of ordination the day after Christmas (the feast of Saint Stephen). Time has truly flown by during these six months!

- that it's less than eight months away until World Youth Day 2011 is celebrated in Madrid, Spain. Everything for this pilgrimage is entering the time where the rubber meets the road.

- that winter will officially be here in less than two days. (Although, by what the weather has been around here [and elsewhere], one would think that winter came quite some time ago.)

- how many confessions I've heard in the last number of weeks . . . and it won't stop for a while. And, honestly, I'm not complaining - it has been a joyful and humbling experience.

- that this year of 2010 is just about over. Time has come and gone quickly. It doesn't stop, nor does it slow down. I think that I need to remember, however, to stop and slow down from time-to-time, so that I can appreciate the time that is presented to me.

- that there's more to come.

Enjoy the journey . . .

Mary was turned "InsideOut"

2010-12-08T18:44:00.000-05:00

This past weekend, I had the (awesome) opportunity to be one of two priests at the annual Fall Retreat, which is put on by a number of the youth ministers of the Diocese. This year's theme was "InsideOut". It - as expected - was a WONDERFUL experience of faith. And I'm not just saying that for myself; I believe that the majority of the youth who were there also got a lot out of it.

One of the greatest moments of grace during the retreat was celebrating Saturday morning Mass for all on the retreat. I chose to celebrate one of the Marian Advent selections (from the Marian Sacramentary / Lectionary set), namely, the Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth. I talked about how Mary's life was turned "inside out" by God's invitation to bear His Son. Elizabeth's life was turned "inside out", too, when asked to be the mother of the Lord's herald. The lives of Zechariah and Joseph were changed, as well, for their plans were changed by the announcement of God's working in the lives of these two women.

And today - the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary - we reflect upon the role that Mary assumes by her fiat - her "yes" - to the Lord. And she, in her free will, was willing to submit to the will of God in her life because, from the beginning of time (or before!), God knew that she would be willing to become the Mother of His Son, Jesus Christ, who came to save all of humanity. But, as we were able to discover at the retreat, Mary had to learn what it was to be turned "inside out".

And so do we.

For us to be able and willing to submit our lives to the will of God, we have to be able and willing to be turned "inside out". The great quote from the weekend was: "The world works from the outside in. The Lord works from the inside out." And how true this statement is when we take the time to not only see how God is working in and through our lives, but when we allow Him to use us as the instruments of His will. For us to be turned "inside out" means that we have to allow God to be God, not to hold anything back, let go of everything that constricts us from running to God, and falling in love with God with reckless abandon.

Mary is our ultimate example of how to do this. Gabriel came to her, and asked Mary to be turned "inside out" so that the will of God may be fulfilled and our salvation may be accomplished through the Son. She was able to say "yes" to something that was beyond and above her, and yet she submitted to the will of the Father. She was confused about what was being said and what was happening around - and inside - her, but Mary was able to place all her hope and trust in God that everything would turn out as He had planned. Mary learned and later on saw first-hand how Elizabeth had been turned "inside out" (as had Zechariah), and this could have given her strength in her saying "yes" to God's invitation.

How do we encounter God? What is His invitation for us? Do we have the courage to say "yes" and place all our trust in Him? Do we still ponder God's plan for our lives? All these important questions are essential for us to ponder over and pray about. But the first question after looking at Mary's example is most important to begin with:

Are we willing to be turned "inside out"?

Enjoy the journey . . .

The End and the Beginning

2010-12-02T12:53:00.000-05:00

Blessed Advent!

It's difficult to believe that the end of the calendar year of 2010 is almost upon us, yet the beginning of the Year of Grace 2011 has already begun! During these first few months as a priest, I have anxiously awaited this Season of Advent (no pun intended). This, to me, begins the "first year" of my priesthood . . . not that it didn't start on June 26th, but with the beginning of the Church's calendar, it gave me a chance - as it does for all of us - to begin things again with continuing to find ways to become a better follower of Christ.

This Advent is allowing me to put my relationship with God back in order. Though while the major portions of my spiritual life were there, I found myself wanting to go deeper in my relationship with God - which is something we're all called to do. And this beginning of Advent has helped me do this: It was the end of trying to fit everything in and the beginning of putting everything in its proper place. I now find myself more-or-less where I feel I need to be, but always digging deeper. I'm once again finding that peace which only Christ can give.

But I am hopefully not stopping here. I need to move deeper - I need to continue to work on my relationship with Christ and his Church. It is what He asks of me.

So, Happy New Year of Grace 2011!

What are your "new year's resolutions" to come to know Christ better this year?

Enjoy the journey . . .

Impacted

2010-10-09T15:31:00.001-04:00

It's been amazing - these last few months. A number of items have impacted me in the way that I feel I'm exercising my share in the Priesthood of Jesus Christ. Some things are big, while others are small. Some may seem insignificant to others, but, to me, they are some of the most poignant experiences in my journey of the priesthood thus far.

One of the most amazing experience has been in administering the Sacrament of Reconciliation. The opportunity to welcome people back home to the Church, the opportunity to assure people of God's infinite mercy and love has been an "amazing grace" (pardon the pun) for me. Whether I know the penitent or not, whether they come face-to-face or decide to remain behind the screen, the awesome experience of being the intermediary of God's grace is one that I cannot fully explain.

Although I have a hesitancy towards hospitals, the experiences that I have had in anointing and visiting the sick has been most impressive. I get butterflies in my stomach while I'm going there, never knowing what I will be asked to encounter that day. But once I get the hospital, I am glad to be there and to visit those who need me.

Another impact is working with the youth and young adults of the parish and of the high school where I am Chaplain. These young men and women of faith continue to invigorate me in my own faith. Helping them come to know Christ and leading them into a fuller understanding of the Catholic Church has been one of the most rewarding aspects of the priesthood. And though I know that I don't see the direct impact that I make (or hope that I am making), I have confidence that the Lord continues to work with them and in them.

All-in-all, it's been a very rewarding time. I know that I have not made everyone happy, and I have experienced some frustrations in my life as a priest so far. I continue to pray for my conversion of heart that I may always have the Sacred Heart of the Good Shepherd - and I pray for the conversion of heart of those I serve, that they may come to desire and possess the heart of Christ. I hope that these events continue to impact me, and that I do not lose the zeal that the Lord has given me through the grace of my ordination. I pray that I may have a positive impact on people, and that I do not drive them away from our Lord and His Church.

I need to be impacted.

Enjoy the journey . . .

Up and running

2010-09-16T09:46:00.002-04:00

Well, the school year has begun, and the life of the parish seems to back into full swing. The "lazy days of summer" seem to be quickly passing, and the routines that autumn bring seem to be with us once again.

Our faith and the practice of it should never take a break - even in the summer. Amidst the many activities that resume with the new school year, we need to remember to take time to come with the other members of the Body of Christ to worship our God and thank Him for all the blessings He has given to us. It's so important to remain connected to God, especially through our participation in the liturgy - for the reception of the sacraments and the gathering together as the Body of Christ is what truly sustains us in this life . . . and this life of faith.

Continue to be active in your parish family. Continue to know the love and the life that God offers to us through the sacraments, especially those of the Eucharist and Reconciliation. God is always calling each of us to a deeper relationship with Him. We simply need to respond.

Enjoy the journey . . .

Busy, busy, busy

2010-09-09T14:27:00.002-04:00

Although I promised to post weekly, I quickly fell behind a little. My apologies!

But, in all honesty, it's been a busy time.

Coming into the priesthood, I knew that I would be rather busy, but it's in the unplanned events and activities that I find myself that I find my plans and intentions being side-tracked. In no way am I complaining . . . each unplanned moment has been a unique and grace-filled experience, and I would not trade those moments in for anything. Yet, when I would set aside time to blog, catch up on some correspondence or prepare for the classes that I'm teaching (beginning next week - YIKES!), those moments would be interrupted by someone visiting the parish offices, a phone call, a conversation between staff members, etc. Yet, while I look at the totality of these events - planned and unplanned - THIS IS WHY I ENTERED INTO THE ORDAINED MINISTRY!

Speaking of classes that I'm teaching, the two are coming up very fast. The first class, Understanding the Sunday Eucharist, begins next Wednesday. I feel rather comfortable in teaching this class, since this is one of the areas I worked in prior to entering the seminary. I have the classes outlined, and am just getting final preparations completed. The second class, The Spiritual and Moral Character of the Human Person, is still a bit of an enigma to me, for no one has yet taught the course. And so, I am pretty much building this one from the ground up. Again, no complaining, just a little frustration and a slight feeling of being overwhelmed when I first began to prepare. However, one of my former seminary professors pointed me to a few books, one of which seems solid enough in which to base the course off of. I'm excited to have this opportunity to pass my excitement (and whatever knowledge I may have) to those who sign up for the course.

One other exciting (small) project is writing two reflections on the readings of upcoming weeks for our diocesan newspaper. They're due by next Monday, so I should be finish them within the next few days. I'm also the guest homilist at a Eucharistic Day at my former seminary parish assignment of Sacred Heart, in the Shadyside / East Liberty section of Pittsburgh. It will be good to be back there.

Other than that, Madrid prep, a new year of Youth Ministry, hospital visits, anointings, school visits, active presence at the high school, and a life in ministry in general is what is going on. It's a life which is keeping me busy, busy, busy . . . but I am enjoying it overall.

Enjoy the journey . . .

Ponderings

2010-08-24T23:04:00.002-04:00

I just returned from the 61st Annual Ordinandi Dinner where I and my two classmates were the guests of honor for being recently ordained. During the evening, the Bishop asked us to say a few words. One of my classmates talked about his experience of anointing a lady who was dying. That got me to thinking about the people who I have anointed since becoming a priest.

One anointing sticks in my mind well. Although it was after the surgery, I anointed a woman who was 102 years young. She was so grateful for my presence and prayer. I told her that even though she already had her surgery, we could pray for her continued healing. She liked that very much. She was a sweet woman, although she may have started to slip a little. (She repeated some information a few times in our conversation.) But I think that the experience of having someone so grateful for the opportunity to receive the sacrament was a gift in itself. That will be an experience that I will treasure for a while.

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I am looking forward to beginning my duties as a high school chaplain. It really won't take up too much of my time, but I think that I want to put some effort into it, outside of the set schedule that they've given me already. My first "official" act will be a week from Thursday when I celebrate the Mass for the Opening of the School Year. From then, I need to look at my schedule and try to figure out a few hours a week to simply be available to the students. Again, this is something that won't be too time consuming, but is something that I'm looking forward to.

Until then, enjoy the journey . . .

New Beginnings

2010-08-22T22:58:00.003-04:00

Well, here I am. Almost two months following my ordination to the priesthood, and it's still all so new.

I'm hoping that now that a rhythm is starting to set in, I'll be able to post a little more frequently. My goal is at least one post a week.

To fill in the blanks . . .

Following my ordination on June 26, the Bishop has assigned me as Parochial Vicar at Saint Alphonsus Parish and part-time chaplain at Mount Alvernia High School. Saint Alphonsus Parish is 170 years old, and is the first parish in the USA to bear the title of this particular saint. Saint Alphonsus was canonized in 1839, and the Redemptorist priests who began the parish - Saint John Neumann and Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos (of whom I have a strong devotion to) - decided to name this parish after the founder of their order.

I'm not too sure about Mount Alvernia quite yet. I haven't had a chance to get to the school and meet everyone at this point. But I know that I will be soon.

Until then, enjoy the journey . . .

Easter Note - 2010

2010-04-03T14:37:00.000-04:00

ALLELUIA! CHRIST IS RISEN! HE IS RISEN INDEED! ALLELUIA!

We celebrate today the fullness of the salvation that Christ has promised to us. We rejoice in the fullness of the hope of glory that has been revealed to us in the Resurrection. We welcome all those who have traveled in the RCIA process into the fullness of the Church. We meditate upon the fullness of life that is ours who bear the brand of the Cross in their flesh by the waters of baptism.

The joy we express today cannot be summed up in candy, eggs, festive dinners or the enjoyment of those things which we gave up for forty days. Rather, the joy we feel and express as the Body of Christ is felt within each member, in our hearts and souls, and fully expressed in the celebration of the Paschal Mystery – the celebration of the Mass.

This is our day . . . this is our day in which we gain a glimpse of what has been promised to us by Christ. This is our day to truly share in the foretaste of the heavenly banquet. This is our day to know the Risen Christ in ways that are too profound and too intimate for words. This is our day to celebrate. “This is THE DAY the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad!”

RESURREXIT, SICUT DIXIT! ALLELUIA! ALLELUIA! ALLELUIA!

From the bulletin

2009-10-24T00:14:00.002-04:00

I placed this in my assignment parish's bulletin last weekend . . . Just a thought.

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On the front porch of the seminary residence at Saint Vincent’s are four columns, each with a letter – I, O, G, D. These four letters are the abbreviation of the phrase In Omnibus Glorificatur Deus, “In all things, may God be glorified”. This phrase reminds not only the Benedictines of the Archabbey and the men in the seminary, but in fact all of us, that all our actions need to be ordered to the glory of God.

Jesus calls us to share in His glory. Yet, like James and John in this week’s Gospel, we often seek after the glory that is measured in human standards. The glory that Jesus urges us to seek is found by drinking from the cup that He has received from the Father and accepting the baptism with which He had been baptized. Namely, the glory of the Lord is ours when we live out the Paschal Mystery of Christ: His Passion, Death and Resurrection.

Our dying to self to give life to others gives glory to God because, through this, we are not simply acting on our behalf. Rather, our words and actions are focused on building up the Body of Christ and the Kingdom of God. Our entrance into the Paschal Mystery of Jesus allows us to fulfill the mission given to us at our baptism, which is to bring others to Christ. This is not often an easy task, and many of us shy away from “being Christ” to others. However, if we allow ourselves to focus our actions so that in omnibus glorificatur Deus, we see beyond ourselves and our human understanding, and the Holy Spirit opens us up to see, speak, and act in ways which bring glory to God and others to Christ.

James and John were ready to drink the cup and be baptized with Christ’s radical baptism without fully comprehending what that would entail: the ultimate sacrifice of one’s life for the Gospel message. For us who live in 2009, we know the Gospel message. But do we allow it to transform us so that we may live the Paschal Mystery faithfully so that in omnibus glorificatur Deus?

Through the power of the Holy Spirit, and the reception of the sacraments of Reconciliation and the Eucharist, we are given the means in which we can transform our actions so that they bring glory to God. It is through the Holy Spirit alone that we can fully enter into the Paschal Mystery so that others may come to know Christ and His Gospel. And so, we must really ask ourselves that, in and through our words and actions, who is really receiving the glory? Are we acting for only ourselves, or are we acting for the glory of God?

Flying time

2009-10-23T23:45:00.002-04:00

Time has been flying . . . We're a few days to T-8 months until priesthood ordinations -- God willing.

A big portion of my time recently has been split between school / school work and parish / parish life. I can feel the pull of being (back) in the parish full-time: it's something I love, and has been a part of me for many years. I'm enjoying my time at the parish, overall. Yes, there have been some challenges and decisions made in which I didn't fully agree with. However, I'm there to learn (through active and passive participation), and I feel that I am learning.

Things here at the seminary are going well. I have let go of many of the responsibilities that I have held here over the past few years. I needed to let them go, and better I do it now while I am around to answer questions than leave the poor guys grasping for answers. I still play a small parts around here, but am glad for learning how to let go . . . even though part of me would still like to be doing more.

I've begun to see a change in myself. Most of the time I believe this to be a good thing, but sometimes not. I guess I'm noticing myself in a different light: Life as an ordained man changes you - not completely . . . but I guess I'm taking some things more seriously (as I should), and allowing the things that would completely bug me to simply go to the side. (Not everything that bugs me, however. I've been holding on to some frustrations that I know I need to cool down, but every time I encounter them, I just become frustrated again. Patience is a virtue!) But no matter how I view them, I know that I am changing. I'm not the man who I was when I entered the seminary, nor am I the man who I was just prior to ordination. And while, for the most part, I am who I always have been, I continue to change as I continue to configure my life to that of Christ's. It's not always an easy thing to do, but it's what I'm called to do.

Well, I need to finish a few things to prepare to go to the parish in the morning.

Enjoy the journey . . .

A thought

2009-09-13T23:29:00.004-04:00

Hopefully, this will be in my parish's bulletin this weekend.

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

A Thought from Deacon Rob

Three weeks have come and gone since I’ve started my final year in seminary. Three weeks which have given me many reading assignments, typed / homework assignments, opportunities to re-connect with old friends and make new ones, and opportunities to exercise my diaconal ministry both at Saint Mary’s and at Saint Vincent’s.

Yet one of the most important lessons that I continue to learn is how central the Eucharist is in the life of a Catholic. I continue to learn that lesson daily, and in that lesson I find new depths in not only knowing the love of God, but also in deepening my relationship with Jesus Christ. I continue to explore and discover the vast riches that this Mystery holds in my life, and in the life of every Catholic.

At the seminary, we are given ample opportunities to adore our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament. I try to make time everyday to spend at least 15 minutes in conversation with our Lord. And I believe that anyone with a serious commitment to the Gospel would try to spend some time before our Lord at some point during the week between Masses.

Recently, an article appeared in Catholic circles by a priest from a mid-West college who concluded the article saying that Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament is “a doctrinal, theological, and spiritual step backward”. This is such a sad statement! We have recently heard from Jesus himself for five weeks on how central His Body and Blood are to those who are His disciples. How can anyone who professes to be Catholic not want to spend some time with Him, to come to know Him and experience His love?!

We are called to come and sit at the feet of the Master. We are called upon time and again to “follow Him” (as we heard last week). To be in communion with Christ is to know what He says and to desire to live the way He lived. There is no better way in which we come to know Jesus than to spend time in conversation with Him who is Love itself . . . and the best way to do this is before His Presence in the Blessed Sacrament.

I encourage all to come early or stay a little bit before or after the Mass you attend on the weekends to know Christ better. I would also encourage, if your time permits you, to visit the Christ during the day in the church. He quietly waits for you and me to visit Him. Come, let us adore.

Enjoy the journey . . .

Procrastinating

2009-09-10T23:23:00.002-04:00

Taking a moment to break from some school work.

I'll be updating soon.

Enjoy the journey . . .

It's been a while . . .

2009-07-25T21:01:00.002-04:00

I know . . . I apologize.

Becoming a deacon and entering into parish ministry on this level has been an awesome experience. I cannot believe the joy I feel from simply being around the people of God. This is something that I felt prior to entering the seminary while working in the parish, and in my summer parish experiences . . . but it feels different this year. Probably because I have the opportunity to do things that I never could have before as a member of the laity. Not to say that I didn't find joy during those years -- this is simply a different type of joy.

One of the biggest thrills I get is the ability to preach at Mass. It's wonderful, yet awesome, yet sometimes terrifying feeling to know that the Lord is using me to speak to His people . . . to open the Scriptures up and teach the assembly of the will of God. The Holy Spirit has been working overtime with me. While I sit and prepare my homilies for the weekend Masses (when I do preach), daily Masses are often unscripted. And while I have had a number of people say that they have enjoyed my homilies, I'm still waiting for the one to say that they didn't. I know that day will come, and part of me would like to have it sooner than later.

One of my other "peak moments" came recently in the airport in Lima, Peru, while waiting to board a plane back to the United States. One of my brother seminarians purchased a wall Rosary as a remembrance of his time in Peru, and he asked me to bless it. To be able to do that for a brother was a real honor . . . and a real blessing for me. It was, truthfully, a humbling moment. Again, to be God's instrument in such a fashion is quite a remarkable thought - and I'm really getting use to that.

All-in-all, I've had an awesome time as a deacon. Everything is preparing me for the "big" ordination next year. I can only hope that I continue to take these experiences, and, like Mary, ponder them in my heart, so that I can make this year truly a time to prepare to become a priest of Jesus Christ.

Homily for 26 July - 17th Sun. OT / C

2009-07-25T20:53:00.002-04:00

My homily for this weekend.

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

A little over a week ago, as was announced in the bulletin and is reflected upon in this week’s Pittsburgh Catholic, I and nine of my seminary brothers had the opportunity to visit the Maternidad de Maria Hospital in Chimbote, Peru, with Bishop Zubik. Our visit there consisted of coming to know the Maternidad and the people that they serve – both at the hospital itself, as well as visiting some of the people in their homes. It was a phenomenal experience, to say the least. The people of Chimbote, while some of the economically poorest in our hemisphere, displayed some of the greatest joy I had ever seen. It sounds perplexing, and somewhat of a paradox, I know. But their joy didn’t come from anything physical; rather, it was a joy based in the Gospel. These people live out daily their faith and conviction that the Lord will take care of all their needs.

The abundance – and even over-abundance – of graces that the Lord continually provides for His people is what is presented to us in today’s readings. The man who presented Elisha with the twenty barley loaves could not fathom how there would be enough bread to feed one hundred people. The Apostles questioned Jesus on how five barley loaves and two fish could feed over five thousand people! What Elisha and Jesus were able to recognize, however, is that the Lord cares for those who believe in Him and call upon Him in their time of need.

We, in our current society and culture, have a hard time understanding how people who don’t have the latest car, the fastest computer, the newest video game, or the biggest TV could ever be happy – or at least content. What we fail to recognize is that there is something more important than anything our culture or society can ever give us, and that is the gift of faith. The people of Chimbote recognize this, because their faith is lived out in some fashion everyday.

I’m not saying that we who are gathered here today do not have faith, nor am I saying that we don’t recognize the blessings that are ours. We have just become so accustomed to our lifestyles that we fail to see the abundance of gifts and graces that the Father has bestowed upon us. I get that way myself: I’m going out, I make sure I have my cell phone . . . I’m too warm, I put on the A/C . . . I become bored, so I turn on the TV or throw in a movie to watch. Our society has drifted from the Norman Rockwell-esque picture of the perfect summer – that of sipping your iced-cold lemonade while laying in your hammock in a vast field of flowers, enjoying the simple gifts of life – to our worrying about what will happen if the power fails, and I can’t have my A/C on while I’m watching the game. We neglect to notice those simple graces that God bestows upon us daily, such as: life, family, friends, faith – and we, in turn, forget to thank God for these “simple pleasures”.

Beginning this week, and for the next four weeks, we will hear and reflect upon the sixth chapter of the Gospel of John: the Bread of Life Discourse, in which Jesus gives to us His definitive teaching on the Eucharist and the centrality of receiving His Body and Blood in our lives. You see, to begin to recognize the abundance of the graces and gifts in our lives, we must first turn to and tune in to Him from where the graces and gifts originate. We must make the Eucharist THE priority in our lives – placing it above all others. The Second Vatican Council reminds us that the Eucharist is the “source and summit” of the Christian life. If we are truly to live as disciples of Christ, how dare we not recognize Him from which “all good things come”?

To come before the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament, to offer Eucharist, which is Greek for “thanksgiving”, we come to recognize the awesome workings of God in our lives. When we come with simple and humble faith before the God of the Universe disguised in elements of bread and wine, those things which our culture and society deem as important take a backseat to those things which really are: our life, our health, our family and friends, and, ultimately, our faith.

The people of Chimbote, though lacking in material wealth, are able to recognize the abundance of gifts and graces that are theirs through their gift of faith. We can be like them. We only need to come to the Lord – especially in our prayer before the Blessed Sacrament – and recognize that, with simple faith, “the hand of the Lord feeds us; He answers all our needs”.

Getting ever closer

2009-05-24T22:28:00.003-04:00

I'm daily getting closer to ordination, and it's somewhat surreal.

Having received my Call to Orders on Friday, 8 May, it's been a busy time in doing the final preparations for the ordination that I need to be doing, which have been primarily sending out invitiations and coordinating the reply cards as they come in. But, now, I also have two homilies to write: one for The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ [at my home parish] and one for the (transferred) Solemnity of the Sacred Heart [at my most recent assignment parish]. I'm looking forward to giving these homilies, but hope that I don't preach heresy. (I don't think that I will, though.)

Well, a little under three weeks.

Very exciting!

Enjoy the journey . . .

The Group

2009-04-04T21:44:00.002-04:00

I would just like to say that I am so very fortunate to lead a discernment group who actually want to listen to the Lord's voice, and be the voice of the Church.

That being said, the Group of college students that I lead continue to amaze me . . . and support me. Instead of me driving to the college campus this week to hold the meeting, the Group came to the seminary. They joined us for evening Mass and dinner. The college connected to the seminary, along with the parish on campus, hosted a Festival of Praise, to which some of the Group's members were coming to anyway. So, following Mass and dinner, we joined in the P&W with Adoration for the evening. Following the FOP, we went to a local restaurant for dessert and fellowship. Wow. Just, "wow". It was great food and greater conversation. These students know how to connect with the Church, and with each other.

I've noticed, especially through this Group, that there are young people willing to listen to the calling of the Lord to a deeper relationship with Him, even though if they're not positive on where that calling will lead them. They, like many, are open to test the waters of discernment, only if this means that they discover that religious life isn't for them, or that married life is for them, but there's still something deeper to that call. The joy of leading this Group for the past year has allowed me to venture into different avenues of explaining the faith in new - and sometimes quite different - ways.

I've also become more secure in my own discernment through this Group. Their support of me and of my vocation has been an outstanding testimony to know that there are people who support you, who are even excited for your vocation, because, perhaps, they see themselves serving the Church in a similar fashion.

As we enter Holy Week, I pray that they - and all of us, for that matter - take the time to reflect on the selfless offering of Christ's love exampled to us by His death on the Cross. I look forward to entering the Paschal Mystery in a deeper, more reflective mode. I want to enter it for those I lead - and for those I will one day lead, God-willing.

We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You . . . for by Your holy Cross, You have redeemed the world.

Enjoy the journey . . .

Ummm......

2009-04-01T23:37:00.003-04:00

I really don't have that much to say, but felt that I needed to post something . . .

Ummm........

This week has been good so far, and I'm excited that we're getting closer to Easter Break. I'm looking forward to being back at my assignment parish for the final time (officially) before ordination and I get a new assignment. Life has been good, and I'm glad for that.

I made up my mind tonight to go to iPraise, a weekly event that is held on the college campus here. I don't ever really decide to not go, but by the time it rolls around, I often forget. But not tonight. And I'm glad that I went. I needed that time to just sit and be. (Well, I stood the whole time, but you get the point.) It was an awesome experience, and I'm glad I set aside that time. With papers, projects, assignments and exams looming in the not-too-distant-future, I needed that hour outside the set time of community prayer to regroup and re-energize myself. (Not that I don't do this on a regular basis, but iPraise helps me regroup in a different way . . .) I feel calm once again, and ready to finish the week of classes tomorrow.

I just want Break to be here, so that I can be in the parish again. I really miss it. That's where I belong. Ultimately. Right now, I need to be where God has me.

Enjoy the journey . . . .

Things I've learned

2009-03-28T22:42:00.002-04:00

God's been humble in teaching me new lessons and reminding me of old ones recently.

One of the lessons I've been reminded of and am constantly being retaught is about being able to trust in the Lord. I've been having my doubts as I approach my Diaconate ordination, and have been having a difficult time in turning over what I need to to the Lord. I had a few dark days a little over a week ago, but things have been better, and I'm happy for that. And I still get my moments of doubt, but I believe that the Devil's trying to get me away from here, and to not follow my vocation. I'm still here, and I'm not planning to go.

Another lesson is not to be judgemental of people. Not that I sit there and think things about other people, but I sometimes don't give them the benefit of the doubt. Recently I re-connected with a high school classmate on the (infamous) Facebook. I posted a link about the storm that's arisen over the Pope's comments about the use of condoms to prevent HIV/AIDS in Africa. My classmate made a comment about the link, and I thought, "Hmm. That's odd. I wonder what he exactly means by that." I checked out his page, and noticed the one group that he belongs to is a pro-life group on Facebook. I was a little shocked, to be honest. I mean, he and I were not the closest of people in high school: we were classmates who occasionally had a class or two together, and I didn't often think about where he stood on every issue. Honestly, it never crossed my mind. But I guess that I never associated him with a pro-life position because we had never really talked about it. It was a pleasant surprise to find out that he is pro-life, but I should not have jumped to any conclusions or presuppositions in my head, even if it was not even thinking about it in the first place.

Yes, God's been challenging me, but I need this. It's all for His will and work here on earth.

We're under the 70-day waiting period for ordination. I still have a few things to do before I really worry and focus in on it. But it will be there when I'm ready.

Enjoy the journey . . .

Break time

2009-02-11T21:28:00.002-05:00

I'm taking a break from preparing for my Eucharist exam tomorrow. There's A LOT of information to remember, and my brain needs a moment to rest from re-reading my notes. (At least the ones that make sense.)

This semester is turning out a little different than what I expected. On paper, the schedule looks great. However, after actually living it, it's a bit hectic. It feels a little disconnected to me, and doesn't give me a good solid block of time to do things, except on Tuesday mornings and Fridays, which is difficult for me since I'm not a morning person, and end up falling asleep while reading or preparing other projects. I'm dealing with it - and, in reality, it's not horrific, just a little disconnected in the way I was hoping this new schedule would run. But it is what it is.

Well, back to the grind. I think I'll do okay on the exam if I can just remember how this information goes together.

Oh, well . . . .

Enjoy the journey . . .

Congratulations . . .

2009-02-02T10:23:00.002-05:00

. . . to the Pittsburgh Steelers on their historic sixth Super Bowl victory!

One of the good . . . um . . . GREAT guys

2009-02-01T00:24:00.005-05:00

Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos, C.Ss.R., pictured above, is one of my favorite modern guys who is on his way to canonization. I first learned about him in 2000, when he received his Beatification - the only North American to have this done in the Jubilee Year. He was a contemporary of Saint John Neumann, and both served in the Pittsburgh area at the same time. A local connection, yes - but it becomes a little more personal for me as he was the founding pastor of my first assignment parish, Saint Joseph Parish in O'Hara Twp. (The parish was founded in Sharpsburg in 1845, and relocated to O'Hara in 1960.)

A little bit about Blessed Seelos . . . (taken from a prayer card):

Blessed Francis X. Seelos, C.Ss.R., arrived in America in 1843. Having studied for the priesthood in Germany, he asked to be admitted to the Redemptorists with a view to future work in America. He was ordained in 1844. Three years after ordination, he was appointed Master of Novices and spent one-third of his priestly life training future priests. In 1860 the Bishop of Pittsburgh (the Right Reverend Michael J. O'Connor) wanted Father Seelos to be his successor. Father Seelos asked to remain a humble priest and his request was granted.

He was stationed in Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Annapolis, Cumberland (MD), Detroit, and New Orleans. He preached missions and retreats throughout most of what was then the United States. Transferred to New Orleans in 1866, he contracted yellow fever and died October 4, 1867. Many miracles are attributed to his intercession during his life and after his death.

I have placed my seminary formation under his intercession. I believe his prayers to be working for me. I received a first-class relic of him recently, and I now count it as one of my prized possessions. It's awesome to get to know this "humble priest", and I do pray that he will, one day soon, be canonized and recognized for the good he has done for the people of Pittsburgh, and the United States.

Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos, pray for us!

A prayer:

Bountiful God, in Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos You have given Your people a model for those who labor joyfully in Your earthly kingdom. May his smile dwell on those who find life burdensome. In him, our eyes continually behold the gentleness of Jesus Christ, our Redeemer. Amen.

All information presented here, and any further information, can be found at http://www.seelos.org/.

Enjoy the journey . . .

Thursdays

2009-01-29T22:27:00.002-05:00

Thursdays . . . honestly, they've never been my favorite day of the week. (As Auther Dent says in Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, "I could never get the hang of Thursdays.") But I've learned to live with them. I mean, they're not going away any time soon, are they?

I realized tonight, however, how much I had missed attending our seminary's Adoration / Night Prayer / Benediction on Thursdays. Last semester, the Vocations Discernment Group that I lead met on Thursday evenings, and that wasn't a bad thing over all, but I did miss the coming together in prayer with my brothers. It didn't really hit me until we were singing the hymn for Compline. Something inside me breathed a sigh of relief hearing the guys sing. I was home.

I guess that I need these Thursday nights . . . it gives me a break in the week to be in community and in the presence of the Lord in a way that's slowed down and relaxed. It gives me a chance to just be in the midst of the insanity of seminary life. I allow myself to reflect upon the cup, the chalice that the Lord is asking me to drink from, and, on most occassions, I can say, "Yes". And, with diaconate ordination only 125+ days away, I was able to pray a song-prayer from my youth this evening, and truly understand the depths of the message:

Lord, make me like you.
Please make me like you.
You are a servant,
Make me one, too.
O Lord, I am willing;
Do what you must do
To make me like you, Lord.
Please make me like you.
Whatever you do, Lord,
Please make me like you.

Can I drink the cup that the Lord is asking me to drink from? At this moment, I believe I can . . . and that feeling grows each day. Some days the will and ability is strong than others. But, when it comes down to it, I just need to have faith in God and His will for me.

Enjoy the journey . . .

Down time?

2009-01-23T23:23:00.002-05:00

Well, it's been a crazy time for me here. I spent last weekend and the beginning of the week doing stuff to prepare for events in the latter part of the week, which is now gone.

On Saturday, a group of us went to Franciscan University of Steubenville to spend some time at the FOP (Festival of Praise), which was needed after a hectic first-week of classes. We stopped at one of the guys' home on the way back, caught a bite to eat at Steak 'n Shake, and then headed back to Latrobe in snowy conditions. Sunday was a good day, getting some stuff done . . . lots of reading. Monday was pretty much back to the grind, as was Tuesday. All-in-all, I got done what needed to be done before Wednesday . . .

. . . Which was when we left for Washington, D.C., and the March for Life. The Vigil Mass at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception was awesome. I had the opportunity to sit with my diocesan brothers from our minor seminary back home, and slept in the Shrine / Basilica overnight. The seminary was in charge of a Holy Hour from 2-3 AM, which I always enjoy. Some singing, and some silence. I got about an hour's worth of sleep before people were getting ready for the day. The March itself on Thursday was hectic, but very good . . . and I felt better for having been there.

Today was my day to run around the Pittsburgh area, trying to pick things up and get things organized. It was mostly successful. The diocesan brothers here went out for dinner, which was good to do - just to be out and relax with each other and have a good time was a nice way to end the week.

Tomorrow is unplanned, mostly. I have to attend the funeral for my cousin's mother-in-law, who passed away from complications with a stroke suffered earlier this week.

Other than that, things are going well, and I'm starting to settle in for the semester. It will be good.

Enjoy the journey . . .

It's begun . . . again

2009-01-14T21:33:00.005-05:00

Well . . . we're back in school. The retreat was OUTSTANDING, and I got a lot out of it. I feel refreshed, and ready for the semester to end. In some ways I'm joking . . . but in other ways, I'm not.

The classes for the semester are: Eucharist

The Fourth Gospel

Pastoral Counseling I

Homiletics II

Deacon Prep Lab

Spanish Deacon Prep Lab

Independent Study: Pastoral Practicum in College Campus Ministry

Most of them require a lot of reading . . . which I'm not against . . . it will be a lot of time spent, though. They're all good classes. I think that I'll enjoy Pastoral Counseling and Deacon Prep the most. And, of course, my Independent Study will be awesome!

Although it's only been three days since we've started the semester, it's been a whirlwind of activity around here. Between classes, prayer, class prep and formation, we've been keeping busy. Today, the monastic community celebrated the 200th birthday of their founder, Boniface Wimmer. We had an outstanding service for Vespers, which opened up the celebratory year. I was leary about going . . . "another thing" that we had to do, but it was a great experience.

In any case, I should do reading . . . I'll post more soon.

Enjoy the journey . . .

Going Back to Go Forward

2009-01-03T00:39:00.003-05:00

And so, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2009!

I'll be leaving early this afternoon to head to IUP and then back to Latrobe to prepare for the Spring Semester. Every year at this time, the entire seminary goes on retreat at a local retreat center. I mentioned this to a friend of mine when we met for drinks earlier this week. Jokingly, he said that I should never retreat . . . "You can't go forward if you retreat." However, for me - or for any Christian, really - to move forward in the Christian life (or in my case, formation), one does need to retreat so that one can "regroup" and take a step back, see where they've been, and move forward in their life.

I've always looked forward to the retreats that the two seminaries I've attended have offered. Of course, I've always enjoyed going on retreats. I'm looking forward to this one, since I'll be spending some time reflecting on the questions I'll be asked on the day of my diaconate ordination, as well as the readings that have been chosen. I'm also looking forward to the fraternity with my classmates, as well.

Well, Happy 2009 (again)! Be blessed.

Enjoy the journey . . .

What I've missed . . .

2008-12-21T21:07:00.002-05:00

I've realized, though albeit for only a little over 24 hours, how much I have missed parish life. I do feel refreshed and energized being back at my assignment parish for this short period. I think that I miss working with the people the most. I guess this is why I find my Independent Study with the Discernment Group so refreshing: it gives me a chance to be out there helping people grow in their relationship with Christ.

It's been a busy few days . . . retreat / Advent Gathering at SPS, Bishop's Reception, parish life, outings with friends - and Christmas coming in a few days. Things are really hectic! But I enjoy it . . . I enjoy being able to be busy through the day only to collapse at night, exhausted, but not from boredom. I think that, at school, boredom can creep in because it's a lot of the same things day after day: Classes, prayer, meetings, homework . . . it can seem like a never-ending cycle. It's trying to find the extraordinary that sometimes makes things bearable. (I'm not saying that I don't like school. I don't like the tests and papers, but do enjoy learning and applying the material. I guess every student can relate to that on some level.)

Well, we do what we can. Let us rejoice! . . . The celebration of the Anniversary of the Incarnation of the Lord is upon us! Maranatha! Come, Lord Jesus!

Enjoy the journey . . .

Couting the days to D-Day

2008-12-20T22:49:00.002-05:00

Yep, you read it correctly . . . "D-Day". June 6th. Apparently, that will be the day (God-willing) that my classmate and I will be ordained to the Diaconate. This date is rather special to me to begin with. Besides being one of the biggest days in US military history, it's my dad's birthday, and it also was my maternal grandfather's birthday. And so, "D-Day" in a sense, was for "Dads' Day . . . of birth". And now "D-Day" will also mean for me "Deacon Day". 167 days left.

God-willing.

"Can You Picture That?" (a.k.a. iTunes - part 3)

2008-12-09T01:44:00.003-05:00

Okay - it won't die . . . but I found some new questions, so I thought I would do this again. Third time's the charm, isn't it?

1) IF SOMEONE SAYS "IS THIS OKAY" YOU SAY?
"Moving Forward" by Hoobastank

2) WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY?
"Ecce Sacerdos" by Anton Bruckner (from Music for the 1999 Papal Visit to St. Louis by Pope John Paul II) [This has me a little worried.]

3) WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
"If You Could See Her" from Cabaret: The New Broadway Cast Recording (1998)

4) HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?
"Rainbow Connection" from the Muppet Movie

5) WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE?
"Minuet Militaire" by PDQ Bach

6) WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?
"I Wanna Be a Producer" from The Producers Original Movie Soundtrack

7) WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR PARENTS?
"Stay, We Must Not Lose Our Senses" from The Pirates of Penzance Broadway Cast Recording

8) WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
"But Mister Adams" from 1776 - The Broadway Revival

9) WHAT IS 2+2?
"Can't Explain" by Cherry Monroe

10) WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
"How Can I Keep From Singing" by the Univeristy of Notre Dame Folk Choir

11) WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
"O Thou that Tellest Good Tidings to Zion" by Stevie Wonder & Take 6 (from Handel's Messiah: A Soulful Celebration)

12) WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
"Hail Mary, Our Icon" by Scot Crandal & Delores Dufner, OSB

13) WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
"You'll Be Watching" by The Three Graces

14) WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
"The Intermission" from Monty Python's Spamalot

15) WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
"Our Burden is Heavy" by Iona Community

16) WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
"I Am Blessed" by Percy Gray, Jr. (from the Papal Visit CD) [I guess I should say at Ordination Party]

17) WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
"Oh Dry Thy Glistening Tear" from The Pirates of Penzance

18) WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
"Coventry Carol" arrangement by Richard Hillert, performed by the Schola Cantorum of Saint Peter's

19) WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?
"Maybe This Time" from Cabaret

20) WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
"Wonderful to Me" by Matt Maher

21) WHAT'S THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN?
"It Won't Let Us Leave" from Evil Dead: The Musical

22) HOW WILL YOU DIE?
"Oh! Men of Dark and Dismal Fate" from The Pirates of Penzance

23) WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU REGRET?
"O Lord I Am Not Worthy" by Schola Cantorum of Saint Peter's

24) WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH?
"Stonehenge: Revisited" by Scythian

25) WHAT MAKES YOU CRY?
"Amen, Amen, It Shall Be So" by Iona Community

26) WILL YOU EVER GET MARRIED?
"Overture: A Partial History of Black Music" by Quincy Jones (from Handel's Messiah: A Soulful Celebration)

27) WHAT SCARES YOU THE MOST?
"Cell Block Tango" from Chicago: Original Movie Soundtrack

28) DOES ANYONE LIKE YOU?
"Final Reel" by Scythian

29) IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE?
"We Got Us" by the Muppets

30) WHAT HURTS RIGHT NOW?
"Cevenant Hymn (Wherever You Go)" by Gary Daigle, Rory Cooney & Theresa Donohoo

31) WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS?
"Can You Picture That?" by the Muppets

I just move on . . .

2008-12-07T23:28:00.002-05:00

It almost seems impossible to think that this semester is essentially over, with the exception of final exams. It seems to have flown by so fast, and a lot has happened this semester - most of it good. Turning my attention to my three finals and one final paper, I feel that I have grown this semester not only in my academic knowledge, but also in my ability to minister to people.

One of the biggest joys - and largest amount of energy and time spent - went to the Vocation Discernment Group I facilitated with some local college students. I looked forward to spending time with them, and have grown with them in their own discernment, that they have actually strengthened my discernment and vocation. They were (and are, since we'll be meeting next semester) my small parish, my faith community. Looking back on how nervous and anxious I was at the on-set, even though I was excited to have this opportunity, we have all grown together closer to Christ and to each other. Though I am happy to be at a break from this project, I am very much looking forward to next semester with the "crew".

I cannot believe that I'm now six months away from my diaconate ordination. Everyday, I seem to be more excited and, at the same time, more overwhelmed by the responsibility that this office will hold for me. Will I be able to be the servant Christ is calling me to be? Only with His grace will I know; only with His grace will I be able to carry out my duties. I've been reflecting upon the questions I'll be asked at the ordination, and while there are only six questions to answer, each one is filled with a lot of "meat to chew on". Each season, each experience is one that I look upon as my final one as a lay person . . . I know it sounds strange and maybe a little morbid, but as with any type of commitment, once you say "yes", everything changes. And I know that this can only be a change for the better . . . all the way around.

But for now, I have a paper to write . . . and a life to continue to live. (Not that I won't have a life in six months; it'll just be different.) Here I go . . . just movin' on.

Enjoy the journey . . .

iTunes - Part 2

2008-12-05T23:31:00.002-05:00

I was told to do this again by a few friends, because they thought my answers were too genuine. (I guess they may have meant "fixed".) Here we go:

If someone says, “Are you okay?” you say?
”May God Show Us Kindness” – James Chepponis

How would you describe yourself?
“That Face” – The Producers Original Movie Soundtrack

How do you feel today?
”Willkommen” – Cabaret: The New Broadway Cast Recording (1998)

What is your life’s purpose?
”Prisoners of Love” – The Producers Original Movie Soundtrack

What is your motto?
"Nican Nopohua: In Italaquentzin Iuhquin Tonatiuh (Her Garments are Like the Sun)” – San Antonio Vocal Arts Ensamble

What do your friends think of you?
"Razzle Dazzle” – Chicago Original Movie Soundtrack

What do you think about very often?
"Hush! Hush! Not a Word” – The Pirates of Penzance Broadway Cast Recording

What is 2 + 2?
"We Rely on the Power of God” – Schola Cantorum of Saint Peter’s

What do you think of your best friend?
"All is Prepared” – The Pirates of Penzance Broadway Cast Recording

What is your life story?
"I Will Never Leave You” – David Haas

What do you want to be when you grow up?
"Send Down the Fire” – Marty Haugen (performed by the Incarnation of the Lord Parish Choir) [appropriate for my “Spiritual Pyromaniac” homily]

What will they play at your funeral?
”Psalm 34: Taste and See” – James Chepponis

What is your hobby/interest?
"Psalm 139: Wings of Dawn” – Gary Daigle, Rory Cooney, Theresa Donohoo

What is your biggest fear?
"I Move On” – Chicago Original Movie Soundtrack

What is your biggest secret?
"Coventry Litany of Reconciliation” – University of Notre Dame Folk Choir

What do you think of your friends?
"Be with Us Now” – David Haas

I think that some of them are too fitting, but whatever . . .

iTunes fun

2008-12-05T12:20:00.002-05:00

I stole the following from Mike's Blog:

1. Put Your iTunes on Shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3.You must write down the name of the song no matter how silly it sounds!
4. Put any comments in brackets after the song name.

If someone says, “Are you okay?” you say?
"Agnus Dei” - Taize

How would you describe yourself?
“It’s Time” – Evil Dead: The Musical

How do you feel today?
"Cry Out with Joy and Gladness” – Tony Alonso, Michael Mahler, Lori True

What is your life’s purpose?
”When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” – Schola Cantorum of Saint Peter’s

What is your motto?
"When Christ is Lifted from the Earth” – Schola Cantorum of Saint Peter’s

What do your friends think of you?
"I Want to Walk as a Child of the Light” – Saint Louis Archdiocesan Children’s Choir

What do you think about very often?
"Go Up to the Altar of God” – James Chepponis

What is 2 + 2?
"We Praise You” – David Haas

What do you think of your best friend?
"Happy Song” – Joshua Blakesly

What is your life story?
"Next 5 Minutes” – Steven Curtis Chapman

What do you want to be when you grow up?
"All Glory to God” – Matt Maher

What will they play at your funeral?
”Bulletproof and Bleeding” – Dog’s Eye View

What is your hobby/interest?
"Covenant Hymn” – Gary Daigle, Rory Cooney, Theresa Donohoo

What is your biggest fear?
"I Wish (All the Love in the World)” – Three Graces

What is your biggest secret?
"How Can We Stand Together?” – Iona Community / Wild Goose Worship

What do you think of your friends?
"Fresh as the Morning” - Tony Alonso, Michael Mahler, Lori True

Time is flying

2008-11-24T23:21:00.004-05:00

I cannot believe how fast time has flown this semester. After this, I only have a year-and-a-half left here. In a little over six months, I'll be ordained to the Diaconate. Everything is moving so fast. But I'm enjoying myself. This year has gone a lot more smoothly than the previous two, and there are a number of factors to that reason. But I'm glad everything has turned out the way it has, and I just pray that God will continue to lead me to where he wants me to be. I also pray that I have the strength and the courage to endeavor whatever will come.

And as I continue to travel down these halls, I pray for the intercession of Mary, Our Lady of Sorrows, Saint Robert Bellarmine, and Blessed Francis Xavior Seelos for their guidance along my life here in the seminary.

Blue Clouds

2008-11-15T22:32:00.002-05:00

Taking a break from the work of the day, I went outside to walk around a bit. When I stepped out onto the front porch of my residence hall, the wind was really blowing around, and the clouds were whipping around the sky. And then I saw . . .

. . . BLUE CLOUDS.

In the almost 32 years of my life, I have never seen blue clouds. It was an amazing sight. I have seen white clouds, black clouds, gray clouds, yellow clouds - but never blue. It was like the clouds were taking on the color of the sky and trying to blend in to it. The only thing I wish is that I had had my camera.

But, as is often the case, the best pictures are the ones you preserve in your memory.

In awe . . .

2008-11-13T23:41:00.003-05:00

It's amazing to be leading a group that is so completely open to the Spirit and His workings.

This semester (and next, come to think of it), I'm leading a Vocation Discernment Group at my college alma mater to some of the Catholic students on campus. It's been a wonderful experience for me, and I believe for them as well. We've had some great discussions, and it's been a powerful experience.

I've noticed how God has been working through me with this group, and I'm completely in awe of how much I have opened up to the Spirit while leading this group. Though the group is small (only about 8 people), the young men and women who constitute the membership of the group are focused in their faith and not afraid to ask where God is asking them to be and what His will is for them. I see a lot of me in them at this particular point in their lives . . . as well as the particular place (that is, the specific college), since that is where I did a lot of my prayer and discernment before entering the seminary. (Yes, it was four years after I completed college, but I don't think that I would have eventually entered if I didn't have that experience.)

I know that I'm a better person for knowing these great folks, and I hope that I am helping them in their discernment. Two meetings left for the semester . . . and then we'll see what next semester will bring!

Welcome, Pope Benedict!

2008-04-15T23:06:00.002-04:00

Pope Benedict XVI has landed in the US for his first apostolic visit to this fine land. Welcome!

It's going to be a hectic few days travelling to DC and then NY for the different events we're going to, but it will be worth it. And then to look forward to seeing him again this summer in Sydney, Australia . . . WOW!

Yeah, there will be the 4-5 hour bus ride to DC, and the 7 hour bus ride to NY . . . but that's where we're supposed to sleep, right?

Enjoy the journey . . .

Brief Update

2008-04-08T21:41:00.003-04:00

It's been a busy time here . . . and it's going to become more busy.

Last Friday, we had our annual Bocce tournament. My team didn't win, and we didn't finish until 1:20 AM Saturday morning.

Saturday, we had our semesterly Pastoral Stewardship Conference. This conference's theme was "About Stewardship." Not too bad, just very early in the morning. After that, I headed down to Pittsburgh to play (the piano and organ) for Mass at my home parish. I came back and a few of us just hung around for the rest of the evening.

Sunday morning was a bit of a break . . . no seminary Mass. BUT I did have a paper to finish researching and to write . . . and that's what I did. I finally went to sleep at 10:30 . . .

. . .Monday night.

It was a long 38 hours to be up, and I tried to go to sleep a few times, but couldn't.

Next week will be fun . . . Matt Maher concert on Sunday, Knights of Columbus dinner on Monday, Popefest '08 Part I from Wednesday to Thursday, with Popefest '08 Part II being held from Friday to Saturday. Canon Law exam somtime that week, and normal class & liturgy schedule. Woo hoo!

If I think of anything else, I'll let you know.

Enjoy the journey . . .

Nouwen's Influence

2008-04-01T22:52:00.004-04:00

I forgot to add in my first post another reason for me calling this blog "Can You Drink the Cup?" It's also named after one of my favorite books (same title) by Henri Nouwen. In the book, the reader journeys into the cup of life: how we hold the cup, lifting the cup, drinking from the cup, and some of the different types of cups our life can be: sorrow, joy, blessing.

I first read this book either towards the end of my college years or in the beginning of my years working in the parish. It taught me a wonderful lesson on approaching life. And now, after about six - eight years, I can go back and re-read the book with further reflection and gaining further insights.

I was first introduced to Nouwen in my college years by some friends of mine (and my parents) who were discussing his writings. After making my Cursillo weekend in 1997, one of those friends gave me a copy of his book, With Open Hands, which is a reflection about prayer and entering into prayer. Since that time, I've read a number of his books, not having completed the list of all of them - and each time being able to reflect deeper into my own life. His book, The Wounded Healer, which is a reflection on ministry in modern society, helped me in my life in my role as pastoral musician and youth minister. It also allowed me to discern further whether or not I could see myself entering the seminary and, God-willing, becoming a priest.

Well, you know the rest of the story . . . here I am . . . a little over two years until priesthood ordination.

Enjoy the journey . . .

Our Wounded Healer

And we celebrate some more!

2008-04-01T22:30:00.004-04:00

Happy Feast Day to all the Benedictines out there!

It's been a crazy few days here with special Masses. Yesterday, the transferred Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord, we held our Institution to the Ministry of Lector. Five guys (including one of my diocesan brothers) received the ministry, and took a step closer to ordination. And though it was only a little over 13 months since I received the ministry, I was excited for these guys. Most of them I've known for two or more years, and so it was exciting to see them take this step towards the priesthood.

This afternoon, we attended a special Mass in the Basilica for the transferred Solemnity of the Passing of Saint Benedict. It was a good Mass . . . and even better for me since I didn't have to do anything for it.

But now I'm all solemnitied out. After everyday in the Easter Octave being a solemnity, and these two transferred celebrations (one which is local because of the Benedictine community), I'm quite happy to go to "regular" Easter weekdays for a bit.

But I'll celebrate a little . . . one month of classes left!

A strange discussion

2008-03-30T23:07:00.002-04:00

A few of us were talking tonight about dreams, which led to a discussion about demons. Yeah, I know: What were you guys doing? What we came to realize is: 1) How much dreams have an impact on an individual (directly and indirectly), and 2) How alive the demonic powers are in our lives.

Dreams are powerful things, and I think that we can all relate to that . . . sometimes I'll have a dream in which a friend may do something awful to me. I'll know that I have dreamt it, and that, in real life, nothing has been done by the other to me. However, I'll react strangely to that friend, afraid that he / she might hurt me again like they did in the dream.

As for the demons: Being where I'm at, Satan doesn't want me here . . . in fact, he hates the fact that any of us are in the seminary. He tries to frighten us and discourage us so that we want to leave. If we do so, he's won the battle. What we need to remember in all of that is that Christ has aready won the war - the Lord has triumphed over anything that the devil can do to us. We only need to have faith in the power of Christ, and call out to him when things get dark in our lives.

In all of this, I was reminded of a reoccuring dream that I had when I was 5 / 6 years old - and then again in college when I was taking my synthesis course in dreams and nightmares: The setting is the Biblical: I'm hiding behind a pillar in the Praetorium where Jesus is being tried by Pilate. The Pharisees are there, and Jesus is bloody from the scourging, crowned with thorns and draped in the purple robe. At one point, I peak out from behind the pillar, and Jesus sees me. He becomes furious at me: I can see absolute anger in his eyes. He begins to chase me all around the palace, including some walkways that are outside. At one point, I trip and fall. I turn around and see Jesus bending over to pick me up, his hands soaked in blood and his eyes filled with rage . . . . and that is where I would wake up. Not the most pleasant dream to have when you're 5, but it's one that sticks with you.

Dreams can tell us things about ourselves . . . and some dreams are just fluff. Like anything, it's knowing when you can look at your dreams and hopefully pull something good out of them. Recently, all my dreams have been comedy-like, and rather confusing. I've been lucid in a majority of my dreams over the years, but some control me the following day.

In any case, dreams are dreams . . . and how we handle them is better then allowing them to handle us, to control us. Dreams can also be ways in which God communicates with us. (Look at Saint Joseph and a number of the prophets!) Hopefully, our good dreams will outnumber our nightmares in life.

Enjoy the journey . . .

A beginning . . .

2008-03-28T22:15:00.000-04:00

Hello . . .

This blog will just be a way for me to "think out loud", if you will. Nothing fancy. More will come as time progresses.

The title of this blog comes from one of my favorite Gospel passages: Matthew 20.20-28, the story of James and John (and their mother) asking who will sit on the left and the right of Christ in the Kingdom. Jesus asks them, "Can you drink the cup that I will drink of?" They reply, "We can." Are we all not supposed to drink of the cup that Christ has drunk from? Can we accept the will of God in our lives?

I hope to reflect upon these thoughts, and some others, in the course of this blog, and allow myself room to grow. Hopefully, you will be able to join me in this.

Enjoy the journey . . .