One Last Thought

Thanks be to God, I'm going on vacation tomorrow. Nothing too big planned - just visiting with some friends here and there. It'll be a good time.

That being said, I know that I'll miss the opportunity to give some final parting thoughts about the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, before he leaves the Papal Office on Thursday, so I just wanted to post something now.

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I remember that April day in 2005, when the announcement of Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger being elected as the 265th Bishop of Rome. It was my first year in seminary, and was just arriving at Duquesne University for my afternoon class. (I was coming from a funeral for a priest who had an influence on my vocation.)

Standing in the student union, I, along with another then-seminarian (now-priest) and students and faculty of Duquesne, watched as the announcement was made. I remember when "Joseph" was announced as the first name of the man becoming Pope, the other seminarian and I looked at each other and said "Ratzinger" to each other. For me, it was a moment of pride. Not only had the Holy Spirit worked (once again), but He gave us the "German Shepherd". (And since I'm half-German, it was a great "tip of the hat" to my heritage.)

The first time that I saw Pope Benedict "in person". It was 2005 in Cologne, Germany, for World Youth Day. I, along with some seminarian brothers, had the opportunity to go to the gathering he had with seminarians. It was a rainy day, but, thankfully, I and my companions were in the church building. As the Holy Father came through to greet all the men discerning and aspiring to the priesthood, I was rushed over by a number of people trying to get close. But I was able to get close - no more than about twenty feet. And though it was extremely brief, it was a wonderful experience nonetheless.

One of the last times that I had the opportunity to see Pope Benedict XVI "in the flesh" was the last time I was in Rome - October, 2009. I was there for the diaconate ordination of my diocesan classmate, and was walking through Saint Peter's Square, returning to my hotel. There was some movement, and - again, very quickly - the Pope was passing by. He was not in the Popemobile, but in a limo - and I only saw his hand waving to us along the way. True, I didn't get to hear him speak, but it was a wonderful experience. Just to know that the Holy Father was there, even going to meetings with officials of Rome, gave a great satisfaction that things were being taken care of. It was a unusual encounter that I know I won't forget.

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People will continue to argue if what the Pope is doing is beneficial for the Church, or if his "stepping down" from office and ministry will do her more harm. I'm not going to judge that right here or now. That's ultimately for time to tell.

I believe that the Holy Father has prayed about his decision, and feels that he is doing what is best for the Church Universal. I'm going with the flow - not really worrying about who will become the next pope. It's the fact that it's happening - history (once again!) in the making. I just pray that the cardinals really listen to the promptings of the Holy Spirit.

Other than that, we'll just take it day-by-day.




I hope to be in a church on Thursday, 28 February at 2:00 PM (8:00 PM Rome) when the Church begins the interregnum. I hope to hear church bells ring out the fact that we are "shepherdless" at that moment. I hope that all Catholics at that moment say a prayer to the Holy Spirit to guide Pope Benedict, the cardinals, and the man who will be Pope #266.




It will be interesting to not mention the Pope's name in the Eucharistic Prayer.

It will be harder to remember to say the new guy's name after his election.


We'll get through it. We just need to trust in the Holy Spirit.






Enjoy the journey . . .

It Is Good that We Are Here

Homily for the Second Sunday of Lent
Sunday, 24 February 2013

        “It is good that we are here.”

       My brothers and sisters, a truer statement has honestly never been made.

       We gather together on this Second Sunday of Lent to – once again – enter into a covenant with the Lord, just as Abraham did in our First Reading from Genesis. We also travel up the mountain with Jesus, like Peter, James and John did . . . and we witness – once again – the transfiguration of our reality from something as finite to that which is infinite.

       “It is good that we are here.”

       And we HAVE to be here; we NEED to be here. It is here that we once again learn, as Saint Paul reminds us, how to be imitators of him who is an imitator of Christ. The Apostle reminds us of the fact that those who worship themselves will always rally AGAINST the Cross, while we, who try day-in and day-out to imitate Christ, rally AROUND the Cross.

       THAT is reality of the Transfiguration of Christ. THAT must also become our reality.

       The glory of the event of the Transfiguration shows not only Peter, James and John a foretaste of the Resurrection, but also shows to us a glimpse of the infinite reality promised to humanity – as long as we imitate Christ and rally around the Cross. This is way it is, for the glory of the Transfiguration only makes sense in glory of the Cross. Jesus knew this. Moses and Elijah knew this. Peter, James and John eventually came to understand it. It is now up to us to live it.

       I was woken up at 1:00 this morning / yesterday morning to go to Passavant Hospital. A man was dying, and needed the “Last Rites”. When I got to the room, the gentleman was someone I came to know during my diaconate assignment. It was hard to see him there, but his daughter and son told me about his health problems over the last month, and that he was ready to pass from this life to the next. This man was a “gentle giant”, so full of faith in God and love for his family, a true witness to Christ. A man who I was happy to see at my ordination to the priesthood, and a man I was honored to pray with and for in these last moments of his life here on Earth.

       Yes, “it is good that we are here.”

       While we would most likely love to stay on top of the mountain with Jesus, He reminds us that we must venture through the valley. The destination is Jerusalem; the destination is Golgotha – the Place of the Skull. The destination is the Cross. Yet, even rallying around the Cross, “it is good that we are here.”

       Jerusalem is the ultimate destiny for the one who follows Jesus Christ. To think otherwise is to rally against the Cross. If we are to become imitators of Christ, if we are to stand firm in the Lord, if we are to inherit the infinite reality of the Transfiguration, then we need to “fix our eyes on [those] hills” and “set our hearts for the way”. The journey to Jerusalem is, indeed, our destiny. Again, the glory of the Transfiguration only makes sense in the light of the glory of the Cross.

       The man that I visited in the hospital this morning / yesterday morning was travelling from Jerusalem to, God willing, I pray, the glory found in the Transfiguration. And it was good for him to be there – in that valley, between the mountains, for it is in the struggle that we come to understand the depths of the love of God for us. We recognize that we do not walk alone, for this journey is not a journey simply for Catholics or simply for Christians: It is the journey of humanity. Our journey to Jerusalem, to the Cross not only helps us understand God’s love for us in our finite world, but the desire He has for us to join Him in the infinite life of eternal transfiguration. It is good for us to be able to see in the here and now the “truth which bids [us] rise” from the confined life of temptation and sin to the ever-expanding freedom that comes from rallying around the Cross.

       My brothers and sisters, it is good for us to be here. Not just in this church; not just in 2013; not just existing on Earth. Rather, it is good for us to be on Mount Tabor at the Transfiguration. It is good for us to be in the valley, travelling with Jesus and learning from Him on the way to Jerusalem. It is good for us to be at Golgotha, witnessing those pinnacle acts of our salvation.

       “It is good that we are here.” For it here we witness, once again, Christ’s arms outstretched between heaven and earth as the lasting sign of the covenant with the Father. A covenant which transfigures us along the journey with Christ – and each other – to Jerusalem.

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Enjoy the journey . . .

Prayer, Fasting, Almsgiving, and Waiting for God

Homily for Ash Wednesday
Wednesday, 13 February 2013

While some people believe that the culture and society in which we live is “going to hell in a hand basket”, there are some gems and moments of hope out there. And, oddly enough, that includes those finds within the media.

   

       I must admit that I have my particular taste in modern music. Some of the so-called artists out there I choose not to listen to. However, every-so-often, a song comes on the radio that grabs my attention, and – even more rarely – helps me to see the depth of God’s love and presence in our society, and even echoes the crying out to God from the depth of our collective soul.

          Mumford and Sons’ I Will Wait is one of those songs. (If you’ve not heard it, I urge you to listen for it on the radio or check it out on YouTube.) The three verses of the song can help us understand those three Lenten practices we just heard Jesus mention in the Gospel: Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving (or, some would say, “Service”).

          The first verse reads:

                   Well I came home like a stone
                And I fell heavy into your arms
                These days of dust, which we’ve known
                Will blow away with this new sun.

This verse can help us understand “Prayer”. It is in prayer that, especially in this joyful Lenten season, we “come home” to Christ, carrying our sins “like a stone”, falling heavy into the arms of Him Who Loved Us First. These “days of dust”, these days of ashes, these days of Lent need to “blow us away” as we once again come to know Jesus Christ in a more intimate way.

          The second half of the second verse gives a great reference to “Almsgiving”. It reads:

                   Know what we’ve seen and him with less
                Now in some way shake the excess

We are to know and recognize who and what we see in our lives, especially those who are in need, and, out of our compassion, “shake the excess” from our lives, so that others may have a fighting chance. We give alms not because Jesus says we should, but out of our genuine concern for our brothers and sisters. Through the outreach to those who are poor – be it monetarily, physically, mentally, emotionally, or spiritually – we reach beyond ourselves, and allow ourselves to become, as Saint Teresa of Avila prayed, the Body of Christ enfleshed in our works.

                    So tame my flesh and fix my eyes
                A tethered mind freed from the lies

          These lyrics of the third verse point out to us the great practice of fasting. “Fasting” isn’t just the practice of not eating food in between meals. (Though, in fact, a practice most of us here will be doing today.) When one fasts, it can be from a multitude of things: television, social media, food, gossip, listening to the radio, texting, the use of foul language, etc. The taming of our flesh by those things we fast from, along with the practice of fixing our eyes upon the Cross, allow our minds to be freed from the lies that our society and culture whisper daily in our ears. Fasting allows us to come to know the truth of God’s love through our self-denial of sin’s temptations and those things which distract us from God.

          And, then, we come to the refrain:

                   I will wait for you.

Five small words that can have an enormous impact upon our spiritual life.

          In our sinfulness, we run away from God. In the frantic, hurried-pace frenzy of our society, we run ahead of God. In our selfish pride, we often believe that God is working too slow – or not at all! – in our lives, and, so, we decide to turn away from Him. We – with our own free will – choose not to wait for God. We turn our backs on Him and run away, because we ultimately believe we know better.

          But Lent is that time to stop and wait for the Lord. We choose to stop and wait to see what the Lord has in store for us. In this joyful season, we, by means of our free will, allow the Lord to “catch up” to us, so that we may, once again, walk with Him along the path of faith and of life.

          And so we encounter the Lord, we wait for our God during these forty days while we enter in to the practice of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. It is through this waiting, through these Lenten practices that we continue to experience the depth of the love of God.

          Beginning today, right now, and not for simply forty days, but for each day of our life, we must repent, be faithful to the Gospel, and wait upon the Lord, Who waits for us to turn back to Him.

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Enjoy the journey . . . 

Our German Shepherd

The news that Pope Benedict XVI will be abdicating his office has truly taken the world - and especially the Catholic world - by storm and surprise. 

I have to admit that I had been thinking, "How much longer with the Holy Father be with us?" Not that I was wishing him to depart, but in simply noticing how he has become more frail with the passing of time. His voice has been becoming weaker, and to see him walking with almost continual assistance has helped me in recognizing that he is not the spry, young man he once was. I think it was a question a number of us privately asked ourselves.

That being said, I don't think his mission on Earth is quite done.

And I don't think he thinks it is, either.

While this IS a monumental event in the history of the Church (one that we haven't seen in almost 600 years!), it does prove the working of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Father, through his own understanding of his person, through prayer, and through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, has FREELY CHOSEN this action - seeing in it something revelatory.

One of the many notifications on social media stated today something that I had thought at the beginning of the development of this story: Pope Benedict, while head of the CDF, watched now-Blessed Pope John Paul II struggle with his health while trying to maintain duties and responsibilities of the Petrine office. And while Blessed Pope John Paul showed us that there is dignity in the struggles of our aging, Pope Benedict is showing us that there is also a dignity in coming to know our limitations. And while both paths are valid - and had to be chosen by each man individually -, it's wonderful to know that the dignity of the human person is revealed through both decisions.

In his "retirement", if you will, Pope Benedict will continue to teach us by his life, and maybe some more writings. His mission in leading the Church is transitioning into a new phase - that of the contemplative. He will be leading us into a deeper understanding - although one that many of us already realize - of how one's "work" for building up the Kingdom of God is never completed, and how there are different phases and models for how we go about doing the work of God. He will show us - as he did today - that knowing one's limitations is not a failure, and in recognizing that gives us greater freedom in pursuing the will of God.

Though he will not be "officially" teaching or governing the Church, we are still able to gain his wisdom and insight as a theologian, a priest, and as the "Servant of the Servants of God". And this is a new-found blessing for us in this moment of transition.

Yet while we thank our "German Shepherd" for being a faithful steward of the Church, and for being a courageous leader in our times, we begin to pray for the man who will become the 266th Bishop of Rome. We also pray for the conclave to be held in a few weeks, that the Holy Spirit may guide the cardinals gathered to help fulfill the mission of Christ and His Church.

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Prayer for the 

Election of a Pope

                            

O God, eternal shepherd,
who govern your flock with unfailing care,
grant in your boundless fatherly love
a pastor for your Church
who will please you with his holiness
and to show us watchful care.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.

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Enjoy the journey . . .

  

Encountering the Living God

Homily for the Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Sunday, 10 February 2013

Encounters can be the strangest of things. Think back, if you will, to the first time you met your spouse, your best friend, your next door neighbor. While the environments and situations in which we meet people may vary, because we are created as communal creatures, we thrive on the encounters we have with people.

But then there are those times in which we, if you will, “re-encounter” someone. A situation presents itself, and we see someone in a new and different light – for good or for bad. And it’s in these “re-encounters” that we ask ourselves a variation of one of two questions:

1.   How could I have been so blind to not have seen the blessing this person is to me?; or

2.   How could I not have noticed how my relationship with this person was causing me some type of harm?

In response to either question, we have a moment of growth, of awareness within the self. And this is a good thing.

Yet, for many of us – myself included, we almost never apply the two previously posed questions to our spiritual life and our relationship with God. We recognize that God is present, but we put in the minimal time with Him to truly foster a wonderful and life-giving – and life-sustaining! – relationship. (Our modern notion could be simply logging on to Facebook, Google+ or Twitter, and never posting anything ourselves – more-or-less, just “creeping” on our friends.)

The readings that Mother Church presents us with today are blessedly awesome. They remind me of something that Father Robert Barron points out to us in his Catholicism series: No one simply “meets the Lord”. Rather, when one encounters God, there is a transformation of life, and we are sent to proclaim the Good News to the world.

Both Isaiah and Peter recognized this in our readings today. They recognized that they were in the presence of the Holy One; they became aware of their sinfulness and unworthiness; and after being consoled by the Lord, they were sent on a mission. Isaiah and Peter; Abraham and Andrew; Noah and James; David and John; Ruth and Mary Magdalene; Francis of Assisi and Teresa of Avila; Paul of Tarsus and Edith Stein; Thomas Merton and Dorothy Day; you and me – We are all part of that Communion of Saints: Women and men who have, at one point in our lives, encountered the Lord, who, in turn, has sent us out into the world to proclaim His Gospel by our very lives.

But it’s not enough to say, “I’ve encountered Christ”, and be done with it. My brothers and sisters: we must continue to “re-encounter” Christ daily in our lives. We have (hopefully) already encountered the Lord. Now we – you and I – must become aware of our sinfulness and our unworthiness to be in the presence of the God of Hosts. It is only in this recognition, which formally we call the “Sacrament of Reconciliation”, that the consolation of God will be with us. It is then that, in the recognition of who we are and Whose presence we are in, we can go out into the world and tell the Good News.

God loves us too much to simply be considered that so-called “spiritual creeper” in our lives. He wants us to encounter Him every day through the good times and the bad. He wants to help us to recognize and acknowledge our sinfulness, not just so we can feel guilty, but, ultimately, to be ready to witness to His eternal and providential love in our lives. We must be willing in our lives to be like Isaiah and Peter, and to allow the Lord to console us.

In the end we must be vigilant in our lives to entering into the mission which the Lord entrusts to us. The Lord is always asking for people to go out and spread the Good News. And after encountering and re-encountering the Lord in our lives – most especially through the Word and the Sacrament – there is only one response we can give: “Here I am! Send me!” And we are sent, so that we can bring others – in their mind, heart, and soul – to encounter for themselves the Living God.

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Enjoy the journey . . .