From the bulletin

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

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

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

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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

Taking a moment to break from some school work.


I'll be updating soon.



Enjoy the journey . . .

It's been a while . . .

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

My homily for this weekend.

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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

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 . . .