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 . . . 

"The Night Will be Clear as Day"

That's what I felt like saying yesterday morning when the power went out 40 minutes before Mass. We began on time (8:00 AM), and actually did quite well, given the only "major" light was shining from the emergency lights in the church, with some flashlights and the rising sun (covered by clouds) to assist us along the way.

The lights came on right after I consumed the Eucharist. The congregation gave the "traditional" crowd-sounding "Oooooooo!", and I could not help but to smile and chuckle. 

A number of people congratulated me on being able to celebrate Mass with no electricity. I reminded them that the Church had celebrated the liturgy for many hundreds of years without electricity, and so it really wasn't too much of a problem.

Though I would have preferred to have the sound system working (I felt my voice starting to strain a little at times - which it very rarely does), I think that I liked the low-lighting in the church . . . there was a more "mystical" feel around the entire ritual. Some of the parishioners said that they preferred the low-lighting, as well. Maybe we can celebrate an evening Mass in the future with the lights lowered - but we'll keep the sound on.

To paraphrase, "The Mass must go on!"

And "on" it did.




Enjoy the journey . . .

Baptism by Fire

Last Tuesday, I and twenty-nine of my brother priests of Pittsburgh began a program called Good Leaders, Good Shepherds (GLGS). This is a program for priests to (further) develop their leadership skills in the model of Christ. This is to be two-year program, which varies in time given due to where we are in the program. We are the third group of our diocese to go through the program.

I do believe that it will be good to hone the skills I believe that I have, and to develop those that I don't recognize that I have. Yet, to be honest, I'm a bit concerned. Not that I don't think that I have the skills or talents or to be a leader. But, as it seems to be with and within the Church in the United States these days, I'm afraid that the experience will be more of a "baptism by fire". Of course, this is not the ideal situation. But this seems to be one of the best reasons to take this course on being not only a good leader, but - more importantly for the Church at-large - a good shepherd.

 

 The idea that I'll be thrust into the office of pastor sooner than later has been on my mind recently, especially in the days leading up to the beginning of GLGS. I am troubled in spirit when I think about it simply because I do not feel ready. But, I guess, neither did my brothers who have entered into this office . . . no matter whether they were ordained for three years or thirty. One is never truly and completely ready, I guess.

But with any part of the Christian life, "baptism by fire" is the way to go. It's not the most pleasing; it's not always the best choice; it's most definitely not the way that most of us would choose. Nevertheless, we find consolation knowing that in these moments of anxiety, frustration and stress, the Lord continues to walk with us, even guiding us through the fire to the cool and quiet waters of refreshment. (Although the time between the fire and the water may seem like forever to get there, when we finally do get there, we find the peace and consolation that we have been desperately searching for.) We also recognize and cannot forget that the Holy Spirit first came to the disciples in the Upper Room in tongues of fire . . . so that the passion for the faith may truly burn not only in the activity or the offices that the disciples were given, but in their very person / being and in the lives they were called to live.

I can only hope and pray that if and when the time comes, I'll be able to be as courageous as those early disciples and the other men who have gone before me in the role and office of pastor, of leader and shepherd.

I'll just have to wait and see.

(And I'm not rushing to move any time soon!)

Enjoy the journey . . . 

Quote of the Day

At our youth ministry meeting tonight, the topic was God's gift of sex and sexuality. The parish's youth minister gave one of the best quotes of the night, and probably one of the most true that I've heard:

"You're not an object! You have faces and souls and stuff . . ."


How true.

When asked what the "stuff" was, it was a great answer: "You know, everything else."


This is why youth ministry is so awesome . . . and so important.




Enjoy the journey . . .

"The Lord Will Deliver Them"

Homily for the Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

3 February 2013

        My brothers and sisters, we all want to be accepted; we all want to be loved. However, our Gospel today points out to us a message that we hear all too often, but may not implement well in our lives:

To follow Christ is to not enter a pain-free or trouble-free life, but is, rather, to freely accept an overwhelming challenge that will bring us ridicule, yet doing so because we know that God will protect us.

        Yes, it’s hard to live out the Gospel message, even for a priest. It’s difficult because we don’t want to take the risk; we don’t always want to do what’s right, but, rather, what’s easy.

        And this is the antithesis of the Gospel.

 

       Jesus sat among the people who know Him well, who watched Him grow up. And yet, in the moment when He had to speak the truth, He did. And He did so knowing – because He is God – how the people of Nazareth would react. Jesus did not shy away from the mission He was given by the Father nor the message He had to preach.

        But He’s God, and we’re not.

        That’s where our First Reading from Jeremiah comes into play: The Lord has formed us in our mothers’ wombs, and He knows us better than we know ourselves. And so, when the task at hand is to bring the Gospel to others, He will protect us from harm. We should not be afraid to live the Gospel or to proclaim it.

        We must have the fortitude of Christ when proclaiming to our families and friends that cohabitation before marriage is wrong; that abortion, euthanasia, assisted-suicide and the like destroy not only the life of an innocent, but the dignity of the human person; that the use of artificial contraception destroys the sanctity of marriage and the intimacy found in it; that marriage is only between one man and one woman, and cannot be changed because God did not create us all equal in this way, and we are to be reminded that not all people are called to marriage; that we must stay away and abhor all images that defile the human person, making her or him simply into an image to satisfy our carnal pleasure, for all people are created in the image and likeness of God – the image of love, and that love must be expressed properly, underlying that dignity that is inherent to our creation.

This is the message that we must bring to the world. And the world will hate us for it. It will try to push us over the edge of the cliff to silence us, just as the people of Nazareth tried to do with Jesus.

        Yet we proclaim the Gospel message, we say all these things because we love. We just heard Saint Paul reminding us in his First Letter to the Corinthians of what love is. And it is all these things because God is love, and having been made in that image and likeness, we must uphold the Gospel ideal of love . . . and that is a message that our culture and society hate because it focuses on the “other” and not on “me”.

        We proclaim the Gospel message in love because, as Saint Paul reminds us, love “does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth.” And so, when we shy away from proclaiming the Gospel because we don’t want to offend someone, or it’s too difficult or embarrassing for us, we allow the wrongdoing to overshadow the love we inherently have for other people. We also do not allow the Lord to give us the grace – and the protection – He promises us when we submit to His will. Does this mean that we will do this perfectly every time? No. But by trusting in the Lord, we give ourselves a more secure footing against those trying to push us off the cliff.

        Yes, we all want to be accepted by others. But the only acceptance that we need is the embrace given to us by God. Yes, the Gospel is very difficult to live out and proclaim at times. But the best way to be faith-filled people is to embrace the Cross as Christ did, and, with joy, laugh in the face of all who want to destroy us, for the Cross is the ultimate sign of victory.

        And it is a victory for all who trust that the Lord will deliver them.

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Enjoy the journey . . .