Pentecost - June 11, 2000

[63B]
Acts 2:1-11 / 1 Cor. 12:3-7, 12-13 or Gal. 5:16-25 / John 20:19-23 or John 15:26-27; 16:12-15

INTRODUCTION - Remembering the Holy Spirit

It has been said that Christians of the West often neglect the role of the Holy Spirit in their prayer, worship, and reflection. There may be some truth to this in that the Catholic emphasis often centers upon Jesus, his mother Mary, and the saints. However, the Holy Spirit is not forgotten and is implicitly invoked every time we make the sign of the cross. The early Church discerned the power of the Holy Spirit in their midst as a personal encounter with God. When debates arose about the identity of the Holy Spirit, the Church rightly learned from the baptismal formula given her by our Lord. We are baptized "in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." A mere creature has no power to save us. Consequently, the Holy Spirit must also be God: he is the third Person of the Blessed Trinity, the one God who saves us.

BODY - The Coming of the Spirit

Our first reading gives us the scene of that first Pentecost. There are some interesting elements. First, the day "found the brethren gathered in one place". There is an unexpectancy to the movement of the Spirit who FINDS them and acts SUDDENLY. On what would be the birthday of the Church, the Spirit finds the brethren watchful and awake. The believers are gathered, no doubt for fellowship and prayer. Since Christ had already instituted the priesthood and Eucharist, they might have been celebrating the "breaking of the bread". Second, we read that "Suddenly from up in the sky there came a noise like a strong driving wind . . . ." All hear it in the house. Behind the symbolism of the wind, the Holy Spirit literally breaks from the celestial house of heaven and reverberates in the house of the Church. Third, the Holy Spirit is imaged as "tongues of fire" over the assembled. Fire gives off light. The Holy Spirit would illumine their minds and make them sharers in the Light of the World, Jesus Christ. Fire also warms the flesh, and again like Jesus, the Church would bring the healing and forgiveness of Jesus to a cold world. Fire also burns and so does the Holy Spirit in that it destroys the old way of sin and builds new with the firm foundation of Christ Jesus. Fourth, the assembled speak in many tongues, a recognition that the Gospel proclamation is meant for all peoples and nations.

The kerygma of salvation can only be understood in terms of configuration to Christ and the movement of the Holy Spirit. "And this is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of the Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. All who keep his commandments abide in him, and he in them. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit which he has given us" (1 John 3:23-24). Faith and obedience is only possible if the Holy Spirit animates us. (See also 1 John 4:13). Faith itself is a gift of the Spirit. This is the message of our second reading. "Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking by the Spirit of God ever says 'Jesus be cursed!' and no one can say 'Jesus is Lord' except by the Holy Spirit" (1 Corinthians 12:3). See also Acts 5:29-32. The posture of the believer to the Holy Spirit is one of humble openness and acceptance.

The Gospel reading gives an essential element of the Church's mission. The disciples are afraid and hiding behind locked doors. However, like Jonah who could not run away from God or his call as a prophet, so too can the disciples not hide. The risen Lord breaks upon them and proclaims, "As the Father has sent me, so I send you." Breathing upon them, another image for the Holy Spirit, he gives them a great commission: "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive men's sins, they are forgiven them; if you hold them bound, they are held bound." This legitimates the Church's ministry of forgiveness and the power given to priests to absolve sins. Never before had God given such authority to men.

What more do the Scriptures say about the Holy Spirit? As the principle of creation, we read that "the Spirit of God was moving over the face of the waters" (Genesis 1:2). A harmony existed between the Creator and creation. When mankind fell from grace, something of this Spirit was taken from us: "Then the Lord said, 'My spirit shall not abide in man for ever, for he is flesh, . . .'" (Genesis 6:3). The Holy Spirit gives both physical and supernatural life. The gulf created by sin ushered in our mortality as well as forfeiting our likeness to God in grace. God, himself, would not allow this sad separation to remain forever. The Gospel of John has Jesus explicitly speaking of the divinity of the Holy Spirit: "'God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth'" (John 4:24). This truth is confirmed by Peter when speaking about the deceit of Ananias: "But Peter said, 'Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit . . . ? You have not lied to men but to God'" (Acts 5:3,4). The Spirit maintains truth and convicts us if we stray away from the path marked by our Lord.

The Holy Spirit is God. He is the power of God that created us and keeps us in existence. The Spirit of God is absolutely dynamic and working. Otherwise, we would cease to exist. The Spirit of God is not fickle. What God has created has a purpose. God does not make mistakes. God respects our tremendous freedom in assenting to his grace or in rebelling against it. The Holy Spirit moves us to faith in the mysterious divine election. He guides human history and ensures the providence of God. He makes possible the miracles of Jesus. He makes real the forgiveness of sins. He is the force behind the resurrection, one with Christ, allowing him to rise by his own power. Showered upon the followers of Jesus at Pentecost, he gives efficacy to the sacraments of the Church and grants the assurance of truth to those appointed as sharers in Christ's priesthood. That which was lost because of our sin is restored by the intervention of God in human history. The resurrection of Jesus overcomes the stigma of death and allows us to be reborn in the likeness of God as sons and daughters to the Father.

The Holy Spirit makes faith possible and assures those in the Church established by Jesus of knowing saving truth without error. It is a truth different from that offered by the world. "If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he will give you another Counselor, to be with you for ever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him; you know him, for he dwells with you, and will be in you" (John 14:15-17). The Spirit of God is given to us both individually and as a new community fashioned by God, himself.

CONCLUSION - Invoke the Spirit of God

Just as the Holy Spirit lives in us, so too does he live in the house that is the Church, the community of faith. It has been said that the Holy Spirit is the soul of the Church. We would do well to reflect upon what the Spirit of God offers us. He gives us wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord [reverence] (Isaiah 11:2,3). Besides the seven gifts, there are also twelve traditional fruits: charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, long-suffering, humility, fidelity, modesty, continence, and chastity (Galatians 5:22,23,24). These catechetical listings are quite worthy of mention and annotation at a time when many good Catholics need a booster shot to their Christian formation. We live in the age of the Holy Spirit. Every day we should pray the words, "Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful; and kindle in them the fire of your love."

ASIDE

Ice Cream for the Soul (Author Unknown)

Last week I took my children to a restaurant. My six-year-old son asked if he could say grace. As we bowed our heads he said, "God is good. God is great. Thank you for the food, and I would even thank you more if mom gets us ice cream for dessert. And liberty and justice for all! Amen!"

Along with the laughter from the other customers nearby I heard a woman remark, "That's what's wrong with this country. Kids today don't even know how to pray. Asking God for ice cream! Why, I never!"

Hearing this, my son burst into tears and asked me, "Did I do it wrong? Is God mad at me?"

As I held him and assured him that he had done a terrific job and God was certainly not mad at him, an elderly gentleman approached the table. He winked at my son and said, "I happen to know that God thought that was a great prayer." "Really?" my son asked.

"Cross my heart." Then in a theatrical whisper he added (indicating the woman whose remark had started this whole thing), "Too bad she never asks God for ice cream. A little ice cream is good for the soul sometimes."

Naturally, I bought my kid's ice cream at the end of the meal. My son stared at his for a moment and then did something I will remember the rest of my life. He picked up his sundae and without a word, walked over and placed it in front of the woman. With a big smile he told her, "Here, this is for you. Ice cream is good for the soul sometimes and my soul is good already."

32nd Sunday of Ordinary Time - Lover of Souls

November 7 - 32nd Sunday of Ordinary Time
Wisdom 6:12-16 / Psalm 63:2-8 / 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 / Matthew 25:1-13

INTRODUCTION - God Comes to Souls Thirsting for Him

God has made us for himself. We seek him out as that truth that answers the fundamental questions of our existence. Incomplete apart from God, we yearn for his presence and union with him. God makes himself available to us. Through the use of reason and revelation, he shows us his face. The prophets, the people God called forth to himself, the promise of a Messiah, and the fulfillment of this hope in Jesus reveal a God active on our behalf. He does not wait to be haphazardly discovered. He comes to us.

BODY - God Comes as the Lover of Souls

The first reading touches a serious matter that has known no little controversy, the identity of God. Because Wisdom is portrayed as feminine, some had crudely concluded that we could acclaim God as female. In actuality, the ancient Jews never considered the Almighty as a goddess. Indeed, when the definitive revelation of God was given, it was offered through Jesus, calling God, "Our Father." Does this mean that God is male? No, not precisely, although the incarnation of Jesus is as a man. However, the essential element that is assumed for our salvation is humanity itself. Everything that we can know about God is by way of analogy. We can know and come into relationship with God but our intellectual categories cannot exhaust the divine reality. He expands and breaks through all the various concepts that we formulate to understand him. That which is finite can never utterly comprehend that which is infinite. Because it comes from Jesus, there must be a particularly important element about God as Father that signifies more than parentage. However, God gives us life and he nurtures us. The qualities of motherhood are used to expand our view of fatherhood. Who is the personified Wisdom? Is it a literary construct of the author, a metaphor for truth? It seems to be much more. The imagery in today's reading is that of an attractive lover. She is resplendently dressed and mesmerizing to those who love her. Those who search for her are rewarded with finding her. She is quick to make herself available in anticipation of men's desire. She does not wait for them to find her but runs to them. Traditionally the theme of Wisdom is associated with the Holy Spirit. We have no pagan muse for creativity but the Spirit of God that leads us to saving truth. Having said this, Wisdom has also been associated by Christians with Jesus. The use of feminine language presents no serious problem because even Jesus is pictured as a mother hen brooding over his chicks. He is the Word who enters the human family that those who yearn for God and eternal life might find their heart's desire.

The imagery with the Gospel is similar but somewhat reversed. We are to be watchful and filled with anticipation. The foolish bridesmaids are negligent in their watch and are locked out when the groom appears (notice the shift to the male figure). Like all parables, the kingdom of God is proclaimed. We await the return of our groom, Christ, even though he has "delayed his coming." This is where we find ourselves. We are awaiting a decisive entry into the wedding feast of heaven. We are dressed for the banquet. However, some have not brought oil for their lamps. We forget God and the things of God. We waste our time on useless preoccupations. Worse yet, some of us have poured our oil onto the ground by sinning and preferring the darkness to the light. At a moment we least expect, the dawn shall break and the groom will arrive. Here is where the parable is both reassuring and frightful. While five of the virgins were awake for the groom and entered into the place of his joy, the other five had fallen asleep and allowed their lamps to go out. At the last possible moment they seek to purchase more oil, but it is too late. They return to find themselves bared from the Master's celebration. They did not keep vigil. They did not claim the groom, and so he neither claims them. "I tell you, I do not know you." That sentence alone is sufficient for a most soul searching meditation. Rather than spiritually sleeping, such prayer during our earthly vigil is recommended, " . . . and through the night-watches I will meditate on you." Imagine how distressing it would be for one caught off-guard. Your time outside the door of the banquet has been in vain. I suppose an image today would be fans camped outside a ticket booth for tickets to a popular concert. Those who come too late or ill prepared for the wait, might be unable to get the tickets and see the show. The line is cut off and you are told with those behind you, "That's all, it is sold out, go away!" What makes the real thing worse is that it is the only show in town-- if you are shut out, there shall be no more joy.

Preparation for the bridegroom is not dissimilar from that for divine Wisdom. A few verses prior to our first selection today, we read: "For those who keep the holy precepts hallowed shall be found holy and those learned in them will have ready a response (Wisdom 6:10). Verses 17 to 20, following our designated passage, make the meaning clearer: "For the first step toward discipline is a very earnest desire for her; then care for discipline is love of her; love means the keeping of her laws; To observe her laws is the basis for incorruptibility; and incorruptibility makes one close to God; thus the desire for Wisdom leads up to a kingdom." The love for the Lord that is essential in our preparation is not simply sentiment, although it does require sincerity from us. Love is obedience. Yearning for divine Wisdom shows itself through the embracing of responsibility as a disciple. We are to keep the law. This does not mean we keep the commandments in a mechanical way. Rather, it means that true love brings forth sacrifice and a willingness to please God. If we love God, we will do what he demands of us. Just as God is not passive in our creation and redemption, so too must we be active as watchmen during the night, no matter how long it might seem. Many who heard Jesus speak probably believed that the bridegroom, our Lord, would return during their lifetimes. He has delayed his Second Coming so that others might be born and come to know him. The Letter to the Thessalonians addresses this matter of brothers "who have fallen asleep," in other words, who have died. The word "death" seemed inappropriate for those who passed away justified in Christ. They were still very much alive. When the Lord comes, the living and the dead would be gathered "to meet the Lord in the air." Especially as we approach the millenium, such passages are thrown around a great deal. Will we be the generation that will never know death? It is all speculation. The best course of action is always to be ready.

CONCLUSION - A Taste & a Glimpse

Of course, the Eucharist is a free preview of the celebration and still there are no lines to this participation under sacred signs of the marriage banquet that awaits us. Many neglect coming to church and putting Christ first. The opportunity is wasted for filling and refilling our lamps with oil. Exclusion from the heavenly banquet takes failure to eternal dimensions.

Elsewhere our Lord, himself, is compared to Light. He is the one who dispels the darkness of sin, death, and ignorance. He is holy Wisdom given flesh. The light that sustains us in the darkness is a small participation in the light of dawn that awaits us.

ASIDE

EXPLAIN GOD written by Danny Dutton, age 8, Chula Vista, California; third grade homework assignment.

One of God's main jobs is making people. He makes them to replace the ones that die so there will be enough people to take care of things on earth. He doesn't make grown-ups, just babies. I think because they are smaller and easier to make. That way, He doesn't have to take up His valuable time teaching them to talk and walk. He can just leave that to mothers and fathers.

God's second most important job is listening to prayers. An awful lot of this goes on, since some people, like preachers and things, pray at times besides bedtime. God doesn't have time to listen to the radio or TV because of this. Because He hears everything, there must be a terrible lot of noise in His ears, unless He has thought of a way to turn it off. God sees everything and hears everything and is everywhere which keeps Him pretty busy. So you shouldn't go wasting His time by going over your Mom and Dad's head asking for something they said you couldn't have.

Atheists are people who don't believe in God. I don't think there are any in Chula Vista. At least there aren't any who come to our church.

Jesus is God's Son. He used to do all the hard work like walking on water and performing miracles and trying to teach the people who didn't want to learn about God. They finally got tired of Him preaching to them and they crucified Him.

But He was good and kind like His Father and He told His Father that they didn't know what they were doing and to forgive them and God said OK. His Dad (God) appreciated everything that He had done and all His hard work on earth so He told Him He didn't have to go out on the road anymore, He could stay in heaven. So He did. And now He helps His Dad out by listening to prayers and seeing things which are important for God to take care of and which ones He can take care of Himself without having to bother God. Like a secretary, only more important. You can pray anytime you want and they are sure to hear you because they got it worked out so one of them is on duty all the times.

You should always go to Church on Sunday because it makes God happy, and if there's anybody you want to make happy, it's God. Don't skip church to do something you think will be more fun like going to the beach. This is wrong! And, besides, the sun doesn't come out at the beach until noon anyway.

If you don't believe in God, besides being an atheist, you will be very lonely, because your parents can't go everywhere with you, like to camp, but God can. It is good to know He's around you when you're scared in the dark or when you can't swim very good and you get thrown into real deep water by big kids.

But you shouldn't just always think of what God can do for you. I figure God put me here and He can take me back anytime He pleases.

And that's why I believe in God.

28th Sunday of Ordinary Time - Invited to Wedding Feast

October 10 - 28th Sunday of Ordinary Time
Isaiah 25:6-10 / Psalm 23:1-3,3-4,5,6 / Philippians 4:12-14,19-20 / Matthew 22:1-14

INTRODUCTION - The Promise of Salvation

The first reading has the prophet speaking about an eschatological banquet of great plenty and joy. Several times the "mountain" is referenced, as a symbol in itself of their hope. Note that mountains played an important part in the faith of the Hebrews. Noah's Ark came to safety on a mountaintop. Moses received the Decalogue and conversed with God upon a mountain. Even Jesus used mountains as special places to reveal God and his will, as in the Beatitudes and particularly in his Transfiguration. Mountains were strategic places of safety. God's promise is one that guarantees prosperity and security. The people yearn for wholeness and restoration. This latter matter goes beyond the restoration of a nation; Christians would understand it as a coming home to God, a healing of the breach caused by sin and the end of our long exile.

God will eradicate "the veil" over all peoples. He will "destroy death forever." The veil is not unlike a funeral covering. While we might see things now only as through a veil, all will come to light. This metaphor will also be carried over into the New Testament. The grave cost of our disobedience will be paid and we will have a share in the life of God, not merely as individuals, but as a people, a family of faith. Our death sentence from the Garden (Genesis 3:19) will be dismissed: "In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; you are dust, and to dust you shall return." God will wipe away the "tears" of mourning and suffering. This hope would remain with the Jewish people and take root in the Christian community: "For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water; and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes" (Revelation 7:17). Similar, we find in Revelation 21:4: " . . . he will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away." God will make us new.

As for the banquet element, our Lord makes repeated reference to it. "I tell you I shall not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom" (Matthew 26:29). See also Mark 14:25 and Luke 22:18. The scene is the Last Supper. The implication, as Catholic teaching stresses, is that the Eucharist is a foretaste of the banquet table of heaven.

BODY - Parable of the Royal Wedding Feast

The famous 23rd Psalm is the responsorial. It is often used to instill confidence at funeral liturgies. Our strength is in God. We do not walk alone. Whatever danger should menace us, we know that divine justice will make things right. The last line is echoed as the response: "I shall live in the house of the Lord (for years to come) all the days of my life." Jesus has promised that in his house there are many rooms. He goes ahead of us to make ready our place near him in the heavenly kingdom.

The second reading has Paul extending thanks to the Philippians for their kindness and concern for him. He admits, however, that he did not seek their assistance as he placed his trust totally in the Lord. He tells them that God will repay them for the sentiment of solidarity they express. They will be given the treasure of Christ, himself. This response connects the "hardships" of his imprisonment to the tribulation that the Christian community will know before the Second Coming.

The Gospel reading gives us the parable of a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son. The invited guests represent the Jewish people and their leadership. After all, Jesus is addressing the chief priests and elders. This banquet is associated with that celebration mentioned in the first reading. Christian theology would often talk about heaven as the wedding banquet between the Son of God (Christ our king) and his bride, the Church. Every Eucharist is considered as something of the same, although behind sacred signs. The invited guests refused to come. Many among the first People of God did not recognize Jesus as their Messiah and Lord. The prophets of old were often rejected and so would be the new prophets, those Christians believing and living the Good News. Upon the second try, some of the servants are insulted and murdered. Again, this has also been the lot of prophets. Not all of the Gentiles are receptive either. In this case, a connection might be made to the Roman persecution and the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD. The servants, filled with urgency, round up everyone they meet for the banquet. This may very well refer to the current state of the Church. Until the Parousia, the goats and the lambs or the wheat and the weeds are intertwined. But, this situation will be remedied in the end. The judgment is left to God. The king spies a guest improperly dressed. He is not wearing the customary clean white garment. The reaction is swift and decisive: "'Bind him hand and foot and throw him out into the night to wail and grind his teeth.' The invited are many, the elect are few." The mystery in these final lines is the relationship between free will and divine predestination. God's providence cannot be circumvented. This last bit might seem quite harsh. I heard one critic argue, well, maybe he was poor and did not have the proper garment. However, the host most often provided the garment. The true problem was that the improperly dressed man was a rogue.

The banquet of heaven, as I have mentioned, is not utterly locked into some distant future moment. Rather, we are given a taste of it at every Eucharist. As one of the precepts of the Catholic Church, participation at Sunday Mass is required under the penalty of mortal sin. That means if we miss Mass through our own fault with no good reason (like illness or lack of transportation) then we are culpable of a serious transgression. Before a person, who has committed such a violation, can worthily receive Holy Communion, it is requested that he or she go to Confession. Now, let us be honest, how many people really do this? Many seem to be quite careless about Mass attendance and make no effort to seek the sacrament of penance. This is the cause for tears from many priests and a sign of scandal in our society today. Beyond rules, we should be at Mass, because WE WANT AND NEED TO BE THERE.

If the banquet of heaven is linked to the Eucharist, and how could it be otherwise if we receive Christ himself, then every Mass is a taste of heaven. Beyond the music, preaching, and translations-- the presence of God alone should make it a command performance. If we LOVE God, then we should want to be where God is most present and nurturing of us. However, there is a deficit in faith that deadens this commitment among our brothers and sisters. Some people skip church during the summer, others replace it with recreation during holidays. Others only go for Christmas and Easter. And some cannot remember the last time they sat in a pew.

CONCLUSION - A Taste of What Awaits Us

It is said that wherever we find the Church, there is the Mass; and that wherever we find the Mass, there is the Church. This is quite true. Of course, it is to express the living discipleship of every believer. While we look forward to the consummation of all things in Christ and the final realization of his kingdom, there is something of this mystery alive right now in us. First in Christ and later in his holy Church, the kingdom of God is breaking into our world. Every one of us should live as if we already have one foot in heaven, because this is precisely the message of saving grace. This meaning is the backdrop to Paul's words about hardships and his abiding trust in Jesus. It was this appreciation that drove the saints and martyrs. They were not merely seeking a future reward; but were already living in the light of the risen Christ. The resurrection was not an event locked in past history or in future expectation; rather, it was a truth that colored everything in the present moment. This is something of the rationale why saints do not compromise the faith. They forgive those who hurt them and surrender things that many, if not most of us, pursue with great intensity. The evangelical counsels would make no sense apart from such an appreciation. Odd is it not, that the heavenly banquet is described in terms of earthly bounty and yet it is precisely a detachment from such gratification that might assist us in meriting a share of the incorruptible gifts from Christ?

Obviously, we are not to deny the goodness of the created things of God. It is only that we should not be preoccupied with them to the exclusion of heavenly treasure. Every good thing that brings joy to our mortal existence should be perceived as a mere taste, the barest glimmer, of what God has in store for us. Our jealous God demands the center portion of our life, not only now, but also for all eternity. We were made for God. Heaven is our true home.

ASIDE

Since we had the 23rd Psalm this week, here is an interesting variation for STUDENTS:

The Student's Psalm
(anonymous)

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not flunk;
He keepeth me from lying down when I should be studying.
He leadeth me beside the water cooler for a study break;
He restores my faith in study guides.
He leads me to better study habits
For my grades' sake.
Yea, tho' I walk through the valley of borderline grades,
I will not have a nervous breakdown;
For Thou art with me;
My prayers and my friends, they comfort me.
Thou givest me the answers in moments of blankness;
Thou anointest my head with understanding,
My test paper runneth over with questions I recognize.
Surely passing grades and flying colors shall follow me
All the days of examinations;
And I shall not have to dwell in this university Forever!
Amen!

3rd Sunday of Ordinary Time - Conversion, Communion & Mission

January 23 - Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
Jonah 3:1-5,10 / Psalm 25 / 1 Corinthians 7:29-31 / Mark 1:14-20

INTRODUCTION - Calling of the Twelve & the Continuing Call

The apostles, seeing Jesus as treasure greater than that which their nets could offer, immediately follow him. This is quite unlike the rich man who refused Christ's summons because "his possessions were many." The evangelical counsel of charity, sometimes externalized by vowed poverty, is an element of this priestly call. There is movement from personal conversion to humility to apostolic service. Chastity is a virtue allowing the priest to mature in love and self-donation, a radical availability within apostolic charity. Obedience relates to Christ as the head and pastor. Such configuration to Jesus as obedient and humble servant is a regal service that puts one into the crucible of Christ.

BODY - Conversion, Communion, & Mission

The prophet Jonah goes to Nineveh and warns of destruction. The people know full well that they have brought God's judgment upon themselves. They avert divine retribution by putting on sackcloth, in other words, by heartfelt contrition and penance.

Priests of the new dispensation are also prophets and give warning about the dire consequences of sin. Instead of condemnation against a city, the usual battleground today is each individual soul. Indeed, the compassion of God is fully realized with the coming of our Lord. Priests, sharers in the ministry of Jesus, can actually offer the divine absolution. Priests and bishops preach the Gospel of Life in a culture of death. If the world is to accept the Gospel, then each of us, like cells in a body, must turn from sin and seek the peace of God. Our priests make Christ and his saving mercy accessible.

Our psalm reminds us that true prophets need to know and embrace the things of God. We must know his "ways", his "paths", his "truth", trust that he "shows sinners the way" and "guides the humble to justice". Every believer enters into this prophetic mission, but priests, due to their formation and charge, are most responsible. They exhort us not to superimpose our ways over God's or to soften the challenges of the Gospel. A friend of mine is an out-of-work minister. He was dismissed from assignments when congregations rebelled against his orthodox views on sexual morality and abortion. God forbid such things in the Catholic faith, and yet, while our pastors are usually secure in their assignments, opposition to the Gospel has resulted in many wounded healers. This, our priests also share with the crucified one.

The second reading has Paul telling the Corinthians the time is short, that the world as we know it is passing away. Human history seems to tell a different story. However, viewed in a spiritual light, Paul is quite right. The coming of Christ has changed everything. No longer need we live under the bondage of sin and death. These realities are conquered by the saving work of Jesus, but not undone. We live during the final unraveling, a time to proclaim the Good News and win souls for Christ. Paul recommends celibacy, so much a hallmark of the priesthood in the West. Priests are living signs of contradiction in a world that has largely forgotten God. They are eschatological signs of the kingdom. The sign of marriage will give way to the full manifestation of Christ's covenant and unity with his bride the Church. The priest, configured to Christ in ordination, celebrates this marriage banquet with his bride the Church at every Eucharist.

The Gospel has Jesus calling the apostles, the first bishop-priests. He will literally make them "fishers of men" to spread the Good News, to minister and preach in his name. There is still something of Christ's call in every conversion and faith-filled baptism. However, it is ever so vital to the Church in priesthood.
Are those who would be good priests, listening? Are we praying for vocations? Do we appreciate Christ's work that they alone make possible? I was challenged for talking about the priesthood at Mass. An angry woman told me, "You wasted my time talking about something the Pope said half the congregation and I can't have!" She listened, but did not understand. Most men will not become priests either; and yet, in the sacraments sins are forgiven. We all benefit. The priesthood exists FOR US.

Good priests are daily converted in the face of the mystery that is theirs. They, most of all, are mindful of St. Paul's admonition about the consequences of unworthy reception from the altar. The Holy Father has told priests "to present yourselves to men and women as the living Christ in his role as shepherd." Priests are literally "the property of God," and "the living prolongation of the ministry of Christ." Our Lord's words to the apostles are also given to them: "As the Father has sent me, so I send you." Priests are admonished to practice the "rest of frequent and prolonged prayer" to offset the "danger of dispersion" in all their many tasks. First, they need to "be converted" so that they might convert others." Second, their "communion (with one another, the Church, and Christ) is to bring others to communion." Third, priests benefit from an ongoing relationship with Mary, the first evangelizer of America, "that you may be on mission for others."

Like Christ, the recipient of a vocation is called to be priest and victim, expiating sins. Nothing could be nobler, but vocations are few and many priests are troubled. Similar to the plight from Jonah, the pastoral ministry of priests emerges from a reflection upon the disgrace of man on earth. The Lord has tragically seen many pastors devastate his flock. Scandals are always in the news. People are driven away by those who should guide them. Other priests are exhausted by pointless activity. Pope Pius XII pointed to the problem 50 years ago, and it is more valid now: "Man does not examine his interior, or upon God, who is his end." The voice of God cannot be substituted by television, the sickness of contemporary man. Priests are not exempted. Many good men are suffocating under countless meetings, bureaucracies, and an abandonment of those necessary personal contacts with each other, with the Son of God, and with concrete persons. There is the real danger of losing ourselves to the exterior. People who work with priests in church ministry know what I am talking about. The "real interior life" must not be reduced to a channel of sentiments but depends upon reflection-- upon intimate contact with God. Meditation, reflection, and silence are important for all. There are three things crucial for priests and our collaboration with them: CONVERSION, COMMUNION, and MISSION. The Lord calls out to apostolic men for conversion, communion with him and one another in the Church, and sends them out on mission.

We are approaching a new millenium. Everyone is excited. But, the new evangelization is not an announcement of Jubilee, but a demand that we enter into the plan of God. Priests are the first responsible for the proclamation. Together, we work with our 'head" and foundation" which is "Christ and Christ alone." "Love" is transparent of our identity and with Christ, the head and master of our formation. Christ, spouse and pastor of the Church with his permanent and complete mark upon his priests nourishes us. Every priest, in every place, is Christ. We should seek to inspire young people with holy curiosity (about the priesthood) and to pursue (vocations). Priests, in turn, call all people to conversion and seek to make them disciples of Christ.

A lack of communion with the Holy See is a violation of the faith of God's people. A priest is not his own man. He belongs to Christ. He is the property of the Church. He should only teach and do what the Church holds as true. Men live priesthood in the seeing that the first element is an interior life, the state in which he encounters the Lord in the midst of his priestly soul.

A priest's ontological communion with the Lord demands that he testify in pastoral charity. Ecclesiam Suam says that the Church is the "Mother of men" and yet, at the same time, her leadership is made manifest in her pastors. "The work of evangelization must maintain with courage that every communion finds its justification in the Trinitarian God; and the dignity of every man, in Jesus Christ." We are sent on mission, "Go and baptize in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." Priests are the soul and dynamic of the preparation for the next millennium. The Church is not a bureaucracy, but a hierarchical family. The Church is saying to each one called: "Priest, give yourself to the Church, the living Christ on earth."

The "source and summit" of our unity is in the Eucharist. Being "servant" makes us one with our priests, bishops, one another, and the Holy Father. The celebration of the Eucharist is when "the Church is most visible." It is the "new and everlasting covenant in his (Christ's) blood." Our identity is most experienced (and expressed) at the altar of God. A minister of communion possesses a union of mind and will with the great high priest. The life of prayer prepares us for this. The Holy Spirit is the spirit of communion and love. We ask at the Mass that the Holy Spirit come upon the gifts and upon us.

CONCLUSION - Let Us Support Our Priests & Pray & Work for More Vocations

Priests are called to be a living and transparent image of Christ. He must live in the Church as mystery, configured in his very being to Christ. Here we see the true priest, the servant and spouse of the Church. In ministry and personal quality of life, the priest is to be "poor, chaste, and obedient." His life must not be reduced to mere functionalism or routine or become one of laziness or unproductive activity or driven by the extremes of authoritarianism or unrestrained democracy.

Let us ally ourselves with the Church that suffers a scarcity of vocations. The world is in the grips of a scientific, hedonistic, secularistic, libertine mentality that would have men live as if there is no God. In the midst of this, perhaps we are called (even) to martyrdom with our priests. The Lord who sends us will also sustain us. "Fear not, I have conquered the world."

Pope John Paul II says that the reason for the priesthood is the EUCHARIST. Cardinal Ratzinger gives the definition: "The Church is the celebration of the Eucharist and the Eucharist is the Church." Not side by side, they are the same. Priest who bring souls to the Eucharist, bring souls to the Church. Sharing the body and blood of Christ changes us into what we receive. We are all swept up into Christ's very being.



ASIDES (if necessary)

December 26 - Holy Family
If you knew a woman who was pregnant and already had 8 children, three of whom were deaf, two of whom were blind, and one mentally retarded, and who herself had syphilis, would you recommend that she have an abortion? If you said yes, you just killed Beethoven.

Anonymous

January 23 - Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
In the past 30 years, the Catholic Church has seen its ranks triple to more than 110 million in Africa, and the continent now accounts for 10 percent of the church's worldwide population. Africa's seminaries and convents are producing the largest class of young priests and nuns in the world, and their traditional beliefs are being heard worldwide. "The faith was brought to us by the early missionaries, and we want that faith to grow," said Raphael Imoni, a Nigerian seminarian scheduled to be ordained to the priesthood this year. "If that means going abroad to revitalize the faith in Europe and the United States, we will do that.

STEVE CHAMBERS ©1999 Religion News Service

The Holy Family - December 26, 1999

December 26 - Holy Family
Sirach 3:2-6,12-14 / Psalm 128:1-5 / Colossians 3:12-21 / Luke 2:22-40

INTRODUCTION - Reflection Upon the Holy Family

As we reflect upon the Holy Family, we are not only guided as to what a Christian family should be, but stand convicted in our lives over what it is not. While the modern concept of liberty is often moral license, theirs was responsibility and fidelity. We cater to individualism and a preoccupation with self that runs counter to the claims of familial bonds. The immediate family in the time of Christ was expanded to include aunts, uncles, cousins and others. (Indeed, the brethren of Christ were precisely these other relations.) Catholics realize, or at least should, that our relationship to God and to one another is in the context of family. We are not alone.

BODY - The State of the Family

While a brief homily on Sunday morning can only brush the subject of "family", a few thoughts might be shared to some benefit. Something is wrong. No amount of beating around the bush or a pretense at greater enlightenment can take away this nagging perception in all segments of society. Determining what is wrong, and for that matter right, is where public debate becomes quickly frozen and polarized.

Politicians clamor about "family values" and then argue what this means in a pluralistic society. Advocates of alternative lifestyles seek through the media and legislatures to socially engineer the family into something past generations would think unimaginable. It is in the midst of this confusion that we come to terms with that most central of human relationships. If it were not hard enough, even our traditional family units are plagued by communication that is absent or dysfunctional.

God sends his Son that repentant children might be added to his family and given eternal life. And yet, in our sinfulness, we can and often do offer a counter-witness to this truth. I know a couple whose girl ran away at seventeen. She eventually realized her foolishness and sought to return home. However, she discovered the locks changed. Her father had told her that if she went out the door she would not be welcome back. He gave away her clothes and personal things to charity. He would not allow his wife to display her picture. It was as if she had never been born. This couple, with their older daughter, were active in the parish and regularly at Sunday Mass. When their youngest returned to Mass, they refused to sit beside her. They even maligned her to neighbors. I overheard one of her father's parish friends tell her, "You did it to yourself. You made your own mess, now you have to live with it! This is what tough love means!" Well, yes and no. Tough love means discouraging selfishness and nurturing self-reliance. This was not that at all, it was cruelty. The girl, as it turned out, was not only a foolish teenager, she suffered from bipolar disorder. When I first met her, she was just out of a mental institution and living with her boyfriend and his grandmother. It was either this or the streets. She had nowhere else to go. She had no job because employers did not want a "crazy" girl working for them. When informed of an upcoming family reunion, she decided to attend. Her mother dismissed her at the back door: "You will just embarrass us. I planned long and hard for this party and I will not have you ruin it. Go away." When her boy friend smacked her around, she again tried to go home. But they were gone to Europe. The wife confided that with the younger daughter gone, they had regained their freedom, and could finally live for themselves.

As a pastor of souls I have heard many variations of this story. The happy ending of the prodigal son parable is not always revisited in the lives of those who claim to be Christian, and yet, it is precisely the witness that our Lord gave us from the cross. We read in Colossians, "Because you are God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with heartfelt mercy, with kindness, humility, meekness, and patience . . . Forgive as the Lord has forgiven you." This is the challenge and the transformation for those who would truly be Christian. Neglectful parents today might have astonished the worst sinners and unbelievers of yesterday. Our Lord says, "What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!" A rhetorical question is now a frighteningly real one.

Among those who call upon the saving name of Jesus are those who engage in unlawful sexual activity and infidelity, destroy children in the womb, and discard those labeled defective. Instead of a forgiving love, they harden their hearts against those who share their blood and their name. This is the way it is, not the way it should be, and definitely not the way true believers should want it to remain.

The first reading points, not to the parents' obligations, but to the those of children, particularly regarding the 4th commandment stipulation of honoring (obeying) one's father and mother. But increasingly preachers are forced to confront parents. How can a child honor parents if they are dishonorable? When Jesus demanded, "Call no man your father," he precisely meant that true fathers, indeed parents of either gender, are only worthy of the title when their role is reflective of the loving and merciful fatherhood of God. Parents have responsibilities toward those whom they give life. Many churches have to offer remedial instructions for uncatechized but baptized Catholics. Their parents failed to take them to Sunday Mass, to teach them their prayers, and to transmit to them our holy faith. This implies that parents themselves do not believe; nevertheless, they are still culpable for the damage to their children's immortal souls. Such neglect is a form of child abuse and ranks with murder in the hierarchy of sins.

In return, just as we read in Sirach, children have a lasting obligation toward their parents. When parents grow older and need the support of grown children, it is not merely a matter of charity but of duty. However, such a turn-of-events is increasingly considered an unwarranted burden. I know of cases where the children fight each other, no one wanting to take the personal and immediate responsibility for an elderly parent. The children, in some cases, have learned from the example of their parents all too well.

Familial roles are not limited to a few years but have lasting consequences and obligations. Mary followed her Son and quietly emerges at various stages of the Gospel and in the public life of Jesus. She was his mother at the Annunciation, at the Nativity, indeed, all the way to the cross. Love brings with it responsibility and often much worry. Jesus was disowned by many of those who knew him; Mary's testimony of love and loyalty is one that needs to be ours. She always claimed him. Jesus claims her and gives her to us, his new family, on Calvary. As for good St. Joseph, tradition has it that he died in the loving arms of Jesus and Mary. Perhaps this was God's greatest gift to this noble man? After all, as our Gospel relates, when an angel told him that Herod was seeking Jesus "to destroy him," Joseph sought refuge for them in Egypt until it was safe to return. The aged guardian of Mary and Jesus might have found it impossible to remain passive when his adult Son underwent his betrayal and passion. When his earthly role was finished, the foster father to Christ was taken from this world to await his Son and Savior in the abode of the righteous dead.

We need to put on the mind of Christ regarding family life. Can we conceive of God being well pleased with parents who killed their children through abortion? Along with contraception that breeds distrust between spouses, the abortion holocaust has attacked the very nucleus of family life. Pregnancy, once called the "blessed state" is now considered a disease to be medicated away. There is no reconciling such a mentality with that in our responsorial where the psalmist praises the wife as "a fruitful vine". The child, instead of being prized as a precious gift from God, is considered a tragic accident, a problem to be disposed of as quickly as possible. Freedom, or rather license, as well as economic and upward mobility, is all hindered by the presence of a child. We are forced to think of another's needs and wants before our own. Some just do not want to do this. Sex is recreation, nothing more. Such a mentality is inherently opposed to the Gospel. When such is the point of view of believers in Jesus, one has to wonder if even their concept of God is counterfeit?
Can we suppose that God cares little about marriage vows made in his name "to death do we part"? No, and yet divorce is at an epidemic high. Alternative living arrangements, including polygamy and homosexual liaisons would dismiss it entirely. Some critics argue that the dilemma is not the loss of the traditional family but rather because we are trying to force old codes of behavior (like the commandments) and expectations upon new forms of familial relationships. This post-Christian group insists that transitory unions are ideal and most reflective of modern experience. Some actually say that people live too long for lasting relationships. Prenuptial agreements posit a theoretical doubt in the permanence of a marriage bond, already. Certain states are considering marriages with easy escape clauses and some have even suggested built-in term limits. Logically, if spouses can separate at will, it would seem that offspring might have similar rights? Several years ago a child attempted to divorce his parents.

CONCLUSION - Where Do We Go from Here?

Television, which mirrors and also forms so many of our ideas and behavior patterns, has vividly shown the shift in family values. Programs like "Father Knows Best", "Leave It to Beaver", and "Make Room for Daddy" are a far cry from "The Simpsons", "Married with Children", and "Murphy Brown". A sign of hope is that a number of shows are returning to the older format and even go a step further by explicitly bringing in religious faith. I am thinking, in particular, about the short-lived but popular "Christy", and the more viable "Touched by an Angel" and "Seventh Heaven". But, we must be wary of the media that trusts more in profits than in prophets. If we want strong traditional families, then America must rediscover her soul. Statistics verify that families attending regular Sunday worship usually stay together and find contentment. Frequently, they are happier than those who have more money and material things. Many successful families also limit the amount of television they watch; review the music to which the children listen; actively participate in their religious formation; and pray together. They make family and not work or hobby the center of their lives. It is here where they find God. Regarding the flip side, children are increasingly bringing parents back to God and the Church, a mysterious movement of the Holy Spirit.

2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time - Life After 9-11

SECOND SUNDAY OF THE YEAR
Isaiah 49:3,5-6 / Psalm 40 / 1 Corinthians 1:1-3 / John 1:29-34

INTRODUCTION - A Light to the Nations

We have entered a new year, but we carry a lot of baggage from the previous one. The scars of violent acts at home still plague us and the war against terrorism is ongoing. Of course, except for its scope and the weapons of mass destruction, violence has always been with us. When the people of Israel suffered defeat and tragedy, they did not abandon hope in God. Indeed, if anything their faith was intensified. "It is too little, he says, for you to be my servant, to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and restore the survivors of Israel; I will make you a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth."

BODY - Twin Trade Towers and Pentagon Tragedy

Given the shocking terrorist actions last year in our nation, the words of Scripture take upon themselves a deeper meaning. The early believers suffered persecution; many grieved loved ones that lost their lives. The society promoted excesses that made the Christian lifestyle difficult. These are also our times. However, we are given direction. "Let us cast off deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us live honorably as in daylight." Evil comes from within and from without. We are all sinners. Since the destruction of the Twin Trade Towers and a portion of the Pentagon, church attendance nationwide has increased and it has become commonplace to see people praying in public. We recognize that we are not perfect, and yet, at the same time, there is a new national desire to combat evil, particularly that which makes victims of the innocent. Even the national percentage opposed to abortion has risen this past year and now represents a majority of the population. I suppose we are reminded again that God writes straight with crooked lines. The heinous acts inflicted upon our nation did not arise from God's direct will but from the evil of men. The zealots of biblical times are revisited in the new fanatics who use violence as their chief means for change and intimidation. Our response has been, not to scapegoat people of any particular ethnic group or religion, but to seek out the true criminals. Our motivation, it is hoped, finds its source not in bloodlust or revenge but in a desire for justice. The blood of the innocent cries out for justice.

President Reagan and the elder President Bush were fond of speaking about the thousand points of light. That light shines all the brighter when the darkness is most threatening. There were few days as dark as last September 11th. Our hearts are still heavy with grief over the national tragedy. The images from television of the suicide aircraft and the great loss of life will be hard to forget. Cardinal Egan in New York joined his priests in giving last rites to many of the victims. He acknowledged that many of them were police officers, fire fighters, and rescue workers. Hundreds of these brave men and women were lost with five or six thousand others. The collapse of the World Trade Towers caught many of them off guard. Of course, later the other tower, building seven, and other elements of the Trade Center also collapsed. One office worker from the twelfth floor, went back into the building three times to help his associates out safely. The last time he went in the building came down. He was lost. Firemen struggled to bring a paraplegic down from the mid-point of the building. They were lost. The chief, always insisting upon being the last man out, was also lost. Such was his loyalty to those in his charge. The elevators went dead. Cells phones would not work. The lights went out. Fleeing souls stumbled down steps made wet and slippery with the water from fire sprinklers, smoke, and debris. They came down stumbling in virtually total darkness. One man was carrying a person over each shoulder but would be plagued by guilt for being unable to answer the cries of people in wheelchairs as he descended the stairs. A doctor barely able to breath cared for the injured in the midst of the cloud of smoke and ash, unaware until much later that he was himself wounded with his hair and back caked in blood.

One story that was particularly moving for me was that of the New York Chief Fire Department Chaplain, Father Mychal F. Judge. One by one, he was praying over the wounded and dying. About twenty victims surrounded him. Administering the last rites to a firefighter mortally injured, the priest knelt and removed his fire hat to pray. Then the building collapsed and he was killed by falling debris. He could have run, instead he stayed by his charges and did his duty to God and man. A fireman would later uncover the dead priest from the debris and a touching picture was published in the local papers of him carrying the priest, and every firefighter's special friend, in his arms. The fireman did not place his lifeless body with the other dead but carried it to a nearby church, walked down the aisle, and placed his body on the floor in front of the altar. He then placed a blanket over Fr. Judge's body and upon that blanket he left two symbols. First, he set the priest's purple stole on the blanket, the very same one he was wearing when he was absolving the sins of the dying. Next to it, he placed the fireman's badge. Mayor Rudolph Giulini remarked, "He was a saint, a wonderful man." The funeral Mass was conducted at St. Francis of Assisi Church, across from the firehouse of Engine Co. 1 - Ladder Co. 24, which lost seven firefighters in the disaster. As many as 300 firefighters died, fifty on duty police men and women, and many other rescue workers. Former President Clinton visited the firehouse after the Mass and acknowledged that Father Judge's vocation was "a rebuke to the act of hatred" that murdered so many Americans. "So all of us who were here this morning feel a special loss. We should look at his life as an example of what has to prevail."

The words of Jesus offer comfort that ours is a God of love and not hatred. His children should also be about love and peace. While the Islamic fanatics murdered innocent people thinking that it would earn them an eternal reward; the truth was being realized in the courageous men and women risking their lives on the ground. "There is no greater love than this, to lay down your life for your friends." The president shared with the nation his deep Christian convictions. He quoted the Twenty-third Psalm: "Even though I walk through the valley of death, I fear no harm (evil) for you are (ever) at my side." Yes, we need to trust in a higher power. Only in the Lord can we find true peace and a security that the world cannot give. Despite our many differences, today all America is united against the evil acts of destruction and are resolved to defend the liberty we hold so precious and to bring to justice those diabolical cowards who know nothing about honor and decency. Despite our best efforts for peace, and we were attacked the very anniversary week of the Camp David Peace Accords, it is still a world of war and rumors of wars. We have usually dismissed such acts of violence as the problem of nations far away. We cannot do that any longer. Some of the commentators have suggested that the terrorism we experienced will be a watershed event, a new Pearl Harbor for a new kind of war. It is said that we will never be the same.

What shall we become? Security will tighten, that is for sure. We may become more suspicious and concerned about safety. There is already evidence of this. But, I pry that we will refrain from making scapegoats of the innocent. Not all Moslems or people from the Middle East are knife-welding fanatics. Most of them in this nation have proven themselves good citizens who work hard and do the best they can in raising their families. Pictures of celebrating Palestinians basking in the glow of the American tragedy may be a misnomer. Many of those pictured on the networks were very young children, easily influenced by the few fanatics in their midst. Christian Palestinians, in particular, are often very supportive of their American compatriots in faith.

CONCLUSION - Let us Change for the Better

If we must change, then let us become more reliant upon God and more determined to be good neighbors to others. A terrible thing was committed against us. And yet, in the great darkness there was light. Volunteers came forward to render aid and to give blood. Heroes risked their own lives to save others. Many who had forgotten God, came back to the churches to pray for the dead and their country. Let us follow this path of prayer in this new year. Let us trust Jesus who has shown us the way of sacrifice and love as the LAMB OF GOD. God bless America!

ASIDE

A journalist assigned to the Jerusalem bureau takes an apartment overlooking the Wailing Wall. Every day when she looks out, she sees an old Jewish man praying vigorously. So the journalist goes down to the wall, and introduces herself to the old man. She asks, "You come every day to the wall. How long have you done that and what are you praying for?"

The old man replies, "I have come here to pray every day for 25 years. In the morning I pray for world peace and then for the brotherhood of man. I go home, have a cup of tea, and I come back and pray for the eradication of illness and disease from the earth."

The journalist is amazed. "How does it make you feel to come here every day for 25 years and pray for these things?" she asks. The old man replies, "Like I'm talking to a wall."

Christmas

CHRISTMAS
Various Readings

INTRODUCTION - Messiah, Savior and Lord God

The long-awaited Jewish Messiah comes into the world. (Matthew 1:1-25) The Genealogy of Jesus is traced to his stepfather, Joseph and the remaining Gospel text affirms the virgin birth. It was customary for people to marry within their tribe. Thus, if Joseph were of the line of David than Mary would be as well. Despite the fact that the conception was made possible through the intervention of the Holy Spirit, it was customary to trace the family line through the father. (Luke 2:1-14) Again, affirming that Jesus was the promised Messiah of the line of David, Joseph and Mary go to David's town of Bethlehem for the census. The story is familiar, there was no room at the inn and so the Christ-child was placed in a manger, a food box for angels. Today, upon the manger of the altar, we again find Jesus, who makes himself a saving food for men and women. The angel makes the wonderful pronouncement to shepherds and the hosts of heaven rejoice. It is part of the Christian folklore that the devil and the other fallen angels were thrown out of heaven precisely because they refused to have any part in this angelic rejoicing. He would not bend the knee or give glory to a God dressed in human flesh and made vulnerable to human caprice. (Luke 2:15-20) The shepherds visit the nativity. Mary "treasured all these things and reflected on them in her heart," and indication from St. Luke that Mary was one of his sources for the nativity narrative. (John 1:1-18) The great theologian of the evangelists, John, speaks of the pre-existent Word that became flesh, the only Son of God come into the world to save us and to bring us to the Father. The Jewish Messiah is revealed as the World Savior and God come among us.

BODY - Reflections Upon Christmas & Christ

The feast of Christmas is very important in preserving an authentic understanding of the identity of Jesus. It is for this reason that the Knights of Columbus each year promote their "Put Christ Back into Christmas" campaign with essay and poster contests. Of course, it has been argued that the abbreviation "X-mas" still preserves something of the truth in that the "X" is an ancient symbol for the Cross and thus, by association, for Christ, himself. Those who malign the celebration of Christmas as a religious holiday, more so than not, minimize the mission and identity of the Lord. There is a minister, nationally televised throughout the nation on Sunday mornings, who annually assaults the meaning of Christmas. He actually claims that the Jesus who walked on earth was a different individual from God's eternal Son in heaven. Jehovah Witnesses reduce Jesus to an important prophet but sidestep the dilemma that unless he is God then the charges of the Pharisees and the Sanhedrin stick. Only God can forgive sins. Only God could save us. Another evangelist bewails the fact that at Christmas even the most sanitized Protestant worship space looks like a Catholic Church with the various "idolatrous" statues of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. This is peculiar in that many of these same churches will return to repudiating such graven images come December 26 and arguing that Catholicism has stripped the corresponding commandment from the Decalogue. Our view is not all that complex, although it is perfectly reasonable: the incarnation of Christ alters forever the economy of images. Jesus is the revelation of the Father and God with us. Now, the image of the creature can convey something of the dignity of God and his involvement in salvation history. Representations of Christ, the Virgin Mary and other saints are not worshipped in themselves but constitute a language in pictures that moves the mind and heart to the truth of the Gospel. A crucified figure on the Cross or any baby in a manger is recognized immediately, even by a child, as Jesus. One of the most heated debates on Internet message boards is between hard-line Seventh-Day Adventists and mainline believers over the correct Sabbath and the so-called pagan origins of Christmas. Protestant Christians are ridiculed for following Catholic institutions not mandated by the bible. The Mormons often have very elaborate and beautiful commemorations for Christmas; however, they deny that Jesus is the unique or only Son of God the Father. This difference is critical because a denial of monotheism separates them from classical Christianity as well as Islam and Judaism.

Technically speaking, God had already entered the human family when the Holy Spirit overshadowed Mary. However, although the proof of his existence as well as the personhood of John the Baptizer is validated in the visitation between Mary and Elizabeth; human convention places much gravity upon the moment of birth. Except for a few early episodes, we will not hear more about Jesus until he enters upon his public ministry. The life of Jesus is one of progressive revelation through significant steps. Jesus is present in the womb; then he is born and placed in a manger; later he is brought to the temple for his presentation; as a boy he is discovered teaching the teachers; many years later, he begins his public ministry and is baptized by John in the Jordan (the two meeting once more in a new beginning); and ultimately, he is fully revealed in his Paschal Mystery (passion, death and resurrection).

Looking to the date for Christmas, December 25, not all the ancient authorities were in agreement about it. Clement of Alexandria knew no certain tradition about it, asserting that some though that either April or May 20 might be the day. St. Epiphanius and Cassian offered the Egyptian reckoning as January 6. The Greek churches did not celebrate Christmas for some time and when they did they linked it to the Epiphany. Preaching on Christmas in the year 386, St. Chrysostom told the Antiocheans, "It is not ten years since this day [December 25] was clearly known to us, but it has been familiar from the beginning to those who dwell in the West. The Romans, who have celebrated it for a long time, and from ancient tradition, have transmitted the knowledge of it to us." St. Augustine confirmed that this was the practice of the Church in the West. Thus, we can conclude that even by the fourth century that dating was well established in earlier antiquity.

Such facts are interesting, but no matter what the true date is, we know for certain he was born and that Christ's humanity was real. God became a human being so that something of God could now be found in every man and woman. Such is the significance of divine grace. Human nature is not only restored in dignity, but is complimented by the supernatural presence of God. The unity between God and man that was disrupted by sin is bridged in Jesus Christ. Christ's redemptive work began with the incarnation and was accomplished in his saving works. The sinless One took upon himself "sinful" flesh that sin might be conquered. The unity between God and humanity was already realized in Jesus Christ personally, even from the womb. His death and resurrection would extend this unity as a saving reality embracing others in the human family.

The Scriptures give sparse details about the daily relationships in the Holy Family. Our natural presumption, given that Jesus is God and that Mary was preserved from sin as the vehicle of the Incarnation, is that it was a peaceful home filled with harmony. Certainly there is much credit to such a view; however, we should be cautious in too quickly identifying their family life with what we hold as ideal. What evidence we do have about the relationship between Jesus and Mary is jarring to polite sensibility. Luke's Gospel tells us that Jesus was submissive to Joseph and Mary. But, was there the tenderness that we usually associate with them at Christmas? The only polite words that Jesus addressed to his Mother, as understood today, were at the Cross. Mary, the same woman who held him in Bethlehem will hold her dead Son in her arms at Golgatha. Her devotion and faith is clear. But the recorded words of Jesus were often quite pointed and curt. Finding him teaching in the temple, after a three-day search, the boy Jesus speaks to Mary as if she were the child: "Why have you sought me? Did you not know that I had to be about my Father's business?" His foster father Joseph says nothing. Mary bends her will to Christ's and Joseph moves aside for the true Father of Jesus, the Father in heaven. As a man, Mary and the brethren (cousins to Christ) followed him and were no doubt concerned for his safety. They call out for him. He does not respond. Rather, he tells his listeners, "Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?" Then looking to his listening disciples, he adds: "Behold my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of my Father in haven is brother and sister and mother to me." Again, he speaks, not from the normal perspective of a son but as one who cannot be utterly contained in the human dynamic. In other words, his divinity as God's Son always comes to the fore. Earlier, at the wedding feast of Cana, Mary makes the statement to Jesus that they have no more wine. Jesus answers, "Woman, what business is this to me. My time has not yet come." Despite the tone, he will perform his first miracle all the same. If I spoke that way to my mother, she would probably slap me. Many women are well aware of the tough tone that Jesus takes with Mary. How often have we heard upset mothers say to their sons something like, "You must think you're Jesus Christ!" What are we to make of this?

First, Jesus was aware, even from the womb and manger, of his identity as the Son of God. He would grow in wisdom and grace but his divine awareness and knowledge was always accessible. It may be, as some theologians suggest, that he shelved while still retaining elements of his divine consciousness so as not to overwhelm his human nature. Second, we cannot interpret in the language alone any animosity or bitterness between Jesus and Mary. Jesus had to make a demarcation between them. While he had been born of Mary his was ultimately the role of the Creator and she, the creature. In any case, discriminating mothers know by a gentle embrace or even a look, that they are loved. Mary loved Jesus and never doubted his love for her. Full of grace, Mother Mary was always imbued with the presence of her Son. She gave physical birth to him in time, but she was always giving spiritual birth to him in faith and in her immaculate heart. The writer, Fracois Mauriac, said of this: "Christ had all eternity in which to glorify his mother in the flesh. Here below, perhaps, he sometimes treated her as he still does his chosen ones whom he has marked for holiness and who, behind their grilles, in their cells, or in the midst of the world, know all the appearances of abandon, of being forsaken, not without keeping the interior certainty of being his elect and beloved" (LIFE OF CHRIST, pp. 15-16).

CONCLUSION - The Gift of Jesus

God is on our side in Jesus Christ. God the Son, Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, and eternal Word, has made himself a son of Mary and a brother to all in the human family. Christmas signals a new intimacy between heaven and earth. At a time when we give and receive gifts, God has given us the best gift of all.

ASIDE

Grudges and withholding forgiveness makes us feel we're punishing a spouse, parent, child or friend. We punish ourselves as well and reveal a haughty righteousness in our own soul. Reinhold Niebuhr puts it well: "Forgiving love is a possibility only for those who know they are not perfect, who feel themselves in need of divine mercy.--Fr. Lou Guntzelman

First Sunday of Advent - Reconciliation

FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT
Isaiah 2:1-5 / Psalm 122 / Romans 13:11-14 / Matthew 24:37-44

INTRODUCTION - Peace in the Lord

A portion of our first reading marks the United Nations building: "They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; One nation shall not raise the sword against another, nor shall they train for war again." Unfortunately, for the sake of diversity, all reference to reconciliation in the house of Jacob and coming to God on the mountain of the Lord is omitted. Without God, there can be no lasting peace. The responsorial echoes this theme. The Christian can readily interpret the house of David and the new Israel as the Church, Christ's sacrament of peace in the world. The second reading admonishes us to awaken from our moral slumber, to avoid sin, and to put on Jesus Christ. The Gospel addresses the Second Coming of Christ. We need to keep our house in order, spiritually prepared for our encounter with Christ and his judgment upon us.

BODY - Sacrament of Reconciliation

Today we begin the Advent season and Advent is a time of preparation. Look into your own lives as you prepare for the non-spiritual celebration of Christmas -- a time of shopping and cooking -- of tree-buying and decorating -- a time of cleaning. It is also a time of renewal. Many of us will write letters to friends telling them of what the year was all about, the joys and sorrows, those things that uplifted us; and so, we will renew friendships through the mails. We may send Christmas cards and other forms of greeting. It is a time of travel, both physical travel towards loved ones; but also, spiritual travel. We travel into the Light and by the Light. Today we lit one candle on the Advent wreath and as the weeks go by we will light the second, third, and fourth; so that the Light of Christ will burn evermore brightly in our hearts; so that it will illumine our way. Advent is a time of coming and becoming, a time of growth and progress.
In our readings over the next few weeks, we will hear of a call to peace, and a call to justice. There is a joyful hope. Indeed, we will be told to rejoice because the Lord is near, because the Lord has removed the judgment against us. We also begin a new liturgical year. We have a fresh start; a chance to set our spiritual lives on a path that will lead our lives to that joyful welcoming of the Christ-child on Christmas morning. We will also heed the words of John the Baptizer when he says, make ready the way of the Lord; and when he tells us to receive a baptism of repentance. In the light of the liturgical renewal and in response to the Baptist's cry, we would do well to reflect upon the sacrament of reconciliation.

The sacrament of Reconciliation, as we shall see is also a means of preparation. It allows us to be healed and restored. It joins us more closely to Almighty God as it is his life, his grace, which we receive every time we celebrate the sacrament. Oftentimes we think that we only receive God in the Eucharist. We receive God each time we celebrate any of the sacraments; because each of those sacraments was instituted to be channels -- instruments of God's life -- God's grace. It is a different way that we receive Almighty God in the sacrament of Reconciliation, but we do nonetheless receive him. The sacrament is also a sign of hope; for in celebrating the sacrament there is that joyful hope and loving trust in God's forgiveness. It is also a call to justice, a justice which forces us to examine, in truth, our relationship with God, with our brothers and sisters, and with our very selves.

The sacrament also brings us peace. Oftentimes, the emotional burdens of guilt can weigh heavy upon us. They can cause us to stress and be disruptive in our lives. By celebrating the sacrament of reconciliation, we can put all of those behind us. We can be at peace with ourselves and with those whom we encounter. Finally, this sacrament allows us to begin again -- to be restored -- to be made whole and integral.

I said we celebrate the sacrament of Reconciliation. That may be a strange word and a strange sensation in talking about Reconciliation; but that is really what we do. Just as we celebrate Baptism, Eucharist, and Confirmation, so also we celebrate Reconciliation. Look to the story of the prodigal son. There were no recriminations; there was simply joy and rejoicing. And so it is with Almighty God. There is great joy and rejoicing when we celebrate reconciliation. It is a chance to encounter Jesus Christ. We receive God's grace every time we celebrate the sacrament. There may be times when we do not have that sense of celebration, that sense of uplifting; and that may be the penitent's fault. He or she may find it hard to confess at all what difficult to confess, some particular sin. The penitent may be rushed, distracted. Or, it may be the priest's fault. He may not be as receptive and as responsive as he should be. But, each time we celebrate the sacrament, we acknowledge our sinfulness -- our need for healing -- our need for God's grace. We recognize that we are always called to a higher and a deeper level of spirituality, a higher and a deeper level of holiness; and, that we can only achieve that holiness through the Church and her sacraments.

Scripturally, we know that the sacrament was instituted at that first Easter Sunday after the resurrection. Jesus comes into the upper room where the Apostles have gathered and he says, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so now I am sending you." He breathed upon them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven; whose sins you shall retain, they are retained." And likewise, in the Gospel of Luke, after the resurrection, Jesus appears to the disciples and says, "Thus it was written that the Messiah would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins would be preached in his name to all nations."

Over the years, we have referred to the sacrament by a number of different terms. We have called it Penance and Confession and now, Reconciliation. And, Confession is a necessary part of the sacrament. We must articulate our sins. We must confess them openly. We must be sorry for them. And, we must do penance; we must make some amends for the things, which we have done wrong -- some process of healing and restoring. And so, Reconciliation takes up and combines those processes. It is a more general term that allows us to incorporate all of the various parts. You might say, why confess? Why is it necessary? I think if you look to your daily lives, you see that every day you have to go to your spouse, to your children, your parents, your coworkers, and say that "I am sorry." "I've done something wrong and I need your forgiveness." The Church has taken that very human dynamic, that very human process, and sacramentalized it -- allowed it to become a means of God's grace -- a channel of God's love.

Eric Segall in his book, Love Story, said "Love means never having to say you're sorry." I disagree with Eric Segall. Love means always saying, I am sorry -- going to that loved one -- to the beloved, and asking for forgiveness and then being confident in that forgiveness, resting assured that one has been made whole. M. Scott Peck, psychiatrist, in his book, The Road Less Traveled, recounts or tells the story, that when he has a Catholic patient who comes for psychoanalysis, he tells that person to go and receive a sacramental Confession. Fifty percent of those who go to the sacrament of Reconciliation no longer need psychoanalysis. The sacrament has relieved that burden that they have been carrying around with them.

An important part of the whole sacrament is our sinfulness. And so, I think a very natural question is "What is sin?" I think we have seen over the last twenty-five or thirty years a whole transformation of our concept of sin.
Earlier on, it seemed that everything was sinful and we kept lists of things we had done wrong. People would come into the sacrament and say they did this ten times or fifteen times as if they were keeping score almost. And then, there was a transition that said nothing is sinful. If it feels okay, go ahead and do it. If the entire world says that it is okay, then there is no problem. And obviously, we know that there must be some middle ground; that God is not sitting there as a scorekeeper but, very assuredly, God is not saying that nothing is wrong, either. We know in our own personal lives, we do things that are wrong and we have that sense of guilt, that sense that there is something wrong. And so, we know that we have committed sin; we know that we have to ask for forgiveness. I think one of the real beauties of the Catholic religion is the sacrament of Reconciliation, the ability to go and to be healed and restored. And, if I had to give a definition of sin, I would say that it is a missing of the mark, a transgression, the committing of a fault, an offense against another, an infidelity to charity, a rejection of love.

And sin can be both personal and communal. However, our Holy Father has told us that even with communal sin, each of us bears some responsibility -- communal sins of discrimination, economic or social oppression, even though they may be the whole community doing it or the law of society. Each and every one of us participates some way in that process; and when we do, we have to go and ask Almighty God for his forgiveness. The sin can either be venial or what might be referred to, as daily sins or it can be grave and mortal. The daily sins may be the small lies that we tell, the failure to pray, the child taking something that does not belong to him; little minor infractions that are always in front of us -- kind of the opportunities are always there and sometimes we fall into that sin.

But grave sin also has to be addressed and it is unwillingness on our part to accept our responsibilities before God. It is a radical infidelity to Almighty God. The Church has taught over the years that three things are necessary for grave sin. It must be serious matter, such as missing Mass on Sunday, such as taking an innocent life, and I don't mean simply the murder of somebody. We can kill someone by what we say and what we do, as we cut them off from the community, as we really eliminate their lifeblood. So, it's some serious offense. And, we have to know that it is wrong. And finally, knowing that it is wrong, we have to make a conscious decision to do it anyway -- a direct and premeditated offense against God and Man.

CONCLUSION - Metanoia

The only way that we can be forgiven is through contrition and confession. To be forgiven, we must say that we are sorry. We must ask for that forgiveness and then we must rest confidant in that forgiveness. Examining our conscience, we resolve to change and start the process of metanoia. Metanoia means a complete change of our heart -- a turning around to face Almighty God -- what it means to say "I am sorry" and to be truly sorry for our sinfulness. I pray that over the next few weeks you will be prompted by God's grace to celebrate the sacrament so that you may live your lives more faithfully to the Gospel message -- to the universal call that each of us has received, "To be perfect, as your Heavenly Father is perfect."

14th Sunday in Ordinary Time - A People on Mission

July 8, 2001
Fourteenth Sunday of the Year
Isaiah 66:10-14 / Galatians 6:14-18 / Luke 10:1-12,17-20

INTRODUCTION - Mother Zion and the Coming Judgment

The first reading gives us the image Of Jerusalem as a loving and nurturing mother. Similarly, the Church would be viewed as the new Jerusalem, the first glimmerings of Christ's kingdom breaking into our world. Missing from our citation are the next two verses that juxtapose an entirely different vision. While we find security and comfort in the maternal analogy, verses 15 to 17 speak of the Lord coming in fire to judge all mankind. He shall wave a sword "and many shall be slain by the Lord" (verse 16). It was this messianic vision that many sought in Jesus but he surrendered his life on the cross and told us to forgive one another. However, the Second Coming of Christ retains the full force of this passage. If we are members of Mother Zion, we can be saved; if we reject her, and here we really mean Mother Church, then we will be subject to fire and the sword. Here we find a serious imperative for the mission activity of the Church. Similarly, the second reading tells us, "Peace and mercy on all who follow this rule of life (never boasting of anything but the cross), and on the Israel of God. The Gospel reading has Jesus sending out the seventy-two to proclaim the Good News. The urgency of the proclamation is illustrated by Christ's instruction against a walking staff and traveling bag and against wearing sandals or greeting people along the way. He gives them something of his power but warns them not to be proud, just content that their names "are inscribed in heaven."

BODY - The Mission of the Church

The mission of the Church is to spread the Gospel and to baptize in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. As Christians, we are sent on mission at the end of Sunday worship each week: "The Mass has ended. Go in peace to love and serve the Lord." We must take our role as missionary seriously. As a people empowered by the Holy Spirit, we are compelled to share our faith if it is real and important to us. Our faith is a great treasure, but unless we share it with others, it might very well whither and die. If something great happened in your life-- like someone proposing marriage, or the birth of a new baby, or you won the million dollar lottery-- you would probably shout about it from the rooftops. The happiness and excitement would be too intense to contain. However, our saving faith in Jesus Christ and the Church is just as important, if not more. Where is our passion for the Gospel? Why are we not on fire telling people about it? Faith is a free and undeserved gift of the Holy Spirit; and yet, God has given us the privilege of being his instruments in the world. Our personal witness of prayer, speech and service should not be timid. God very much wants us to extend his offer of love and salvation to others.

You might think you are unworthy or incapable of really fervently sharing God's Good News. Certainly, we all relate to our brothers and sisters in different ways. But what does it matter? We all have something to contribute. Because of in-depth knowledge of our teachings and the Scriptures, some may be called to add apologetics to the work of winning converts. Others might find themselves in jeopardy if they walked that root, but might be exceptional in helping people with their hurts and in touching others through personal charity. Some may relate well with young people who often look for answers in the wrong places. Still others may be able to reveal in ecumenical prayer and service the fraternity of Catholics with other believers in the Lord. We need to bring the Gospel to our homes, our neighbors, and to our workplaces.

However, if we are going to share our faith, we had best make sure that we are Christians and good Catholics first. We need to nurture a determination to stick with the Church no matter what disappointments may come our way. Some do not do this and the results can be tragic for all. I recall a woman who studied at a Catholic college for four years and was certified to do parochial work. When the new pastor was assigned, he failed to keep a position for her. Along with this disappointment, the Pope reaffirmed that women could never be priests. Well, that was the last straw for her and she left the Church. What is sadder is that she took a few others with her. There are only so many clergy and most of the outreach into the community must be done by the laity. We have to be flexible enough to bounce with the bumps in the road. Doors close and other doors open. We have to be receptive to God's will, even when we do not entirely understand it. The work is not so much ours, as it is the Lord's. Some are given the gift of Holy Orders, but there are other gifts, particularly given to the laity, that facilitate the expansion of the Church and the proclamation of the Good News. Married couples are missionaries to their children. Many non-Catholic spouses embrace the faith of their Catholic partner. Single people have the gift of time and availability to help in youth groups, bible study programs, prayer circles, charity endeavors, etc. With the loss of sisters and religious brothers, the laity teach in Catholic schools, CCD and RCIA programs, etc. There are even parishioners that go door-to-door with the invitation to explore the faith and their parishes.

Spreading the faith requires that we grow in the faith, ourselves. We should search in ourselves and with others for a stronger faith and then share it, loving and caring for those with whom we come into contact-- keeping in mind that the burden of conversion is held between the individual and God. God changes a wicked person into a saintly one. Our care for the poor, the sick, our families, our neighbors; by our pursuit of social justice, for peace, etc.; in all these things we witness for the Gospel.

Souls are not simply converted by highly educated or witty missionaries; rather, they are brought to the Lord through the work of Christ in holy men and women inspired and sanctified by the Holy Spirit. Look at Peter, he was an ignorant fisherman! Neither Mary nor Joseph was ordained a priest; and yet, who could estimate the enormous spiritual benefits that both of them have exerted for our well being? The Holy Spirit is the Divine Counselor, who like Father and Son, makes use of frail instruments to achieve his purposes.
While the kingdom of Christ will be realized in God's good time, the laity and clergy work together for this eventuality. Having spoken about our universal call as missionaries, I would like to say a few words about priestly ministry. Have you ever wondered what it must be like as a priest? He knows the dark secrets of people's lives and weeps over their sins and the sheep that go astray. He sees more than his share of sickness and dying, particularly those with a regular hospital ministry. Yes, he knows the joy of witnessing marriages; but he also feels the arrogance of those who violate the commandments in dating promiscuity and cohabitation. He sometimes wonders if the young even listen to him. The happiest times are when he baptizes a child; and yet, he can never forget the babies he could not save from abortion. When things go right, God gets the praise and when they go wrong, the priest gets the blame.
People angry with the Church see him as an icon for the institution and assault him for things he had no part in, possibly going back to before he was born. This often happens when priests wearing clerics are recognized in public. I recall one fellow on the subway who sat next to me and without any introduction, shouted, "I left the Church thirty years ago, and let me tell you why!" In such situations, the priest wants to get away or argue back, but he just sits back and listens. "A priest yelled at me in the confessional," the man says, although he cannot recall what it was about. Such a little thing, and for all we know the poor priest probably had his own demons plaguing him at the time or was maybe just not feeling well. In any case, it was enough to make this man leave the Church. I explained how sorry I was that it happened, and the tone of the conversation changes. I miss my metro stop, but it is okay. His wife recently passed away and he had a bad heart. His mind often went back to his childhood days. Eventually, he asks, "Father, how do I come back to the Church?" What happened? I could not recall saying anything particularly moving. It must have been God's grace. I take out my purple stole. Hie eyes open wide. We move to a vacant section of the train, he falls to his knees, and says, "Bless me Father, for I have sinned." When I leave the train a prodigal son is back home. I catch a subway car going in the opposite direction, back to my exit. When I enter the rectory, I am chastised for my tardiness. I say nothing.

CONCLUSION - All the Baptized are Missionaries

As a sign of contradiction in our culture, the priesthood can be difficult. However, there is also a deep consolation in being an instrument of God's mercy in a sometimes cold world. The same difficulty should be a daily element in the lives of all Christian believers. Evangelization is not just the business of professional religious people. It is an indispensable part of our baptismal call. We can work together to make it a more heart-warming place for all those wounded and searching.

ASIDES (use as needed)

Cardinal George´s Meditations at Papal Retreat: "Conversion Implies a Freedom to Give"
March 6, 2001 (Zenit.org).

Is it possible to forgive the murderer of one's own child? This was one of the questions addressed this morning by Cardinal Francis George, archbishop of Chicago, on the second day of spiritual exercises preached to the Pope and the Roman Curia.

The image of Michelangelo's Pietà -- the Virgin holding her dead Son after the crucifixion -- gave the cardinal the chance to talk about a 1996 event, when Mario Ramos killed his friend Andrew near Chicago. The entire parish and its priest prayed intensely so that there would be reconciliation following the young man's death. Two letters, in fact, were written: one by Mario Ramos from prison, and the other by Andrew's mother, which sealed the repentance of the former and the forgiveness of the latter. "Only grace can break the cycle of violence," Cardinal George said, "only something that goes beyond man and his categories; only Christ's cry who, innocent, forgave those who were killing him. If we perceive things simply with human categories, to proclaim Jesus' words on love for our enemies would be completely useless and vain. We do not proclaim the wisdom of this world, nor of the rulers of this world, which perishes. On the contrary, we proclaim the mysterious and hidden wisdom of God. We keep the living memory of past grace -- 'Father, forgive them' -- and of a new possibility in the future -- 'Love your enemies.'"

The theme of this year's retreat is "A Faith for All Peoples: Conversion, Freedom and Communion."

Eleven Things I've Learned from Noah's Ark, Author Unknown

1. Don't miss the boat.
2. Remember that we are all in the same boat.
3. Plan ahead. It wasn't raining when Noah built the Ark.
4. Stay fit. When you're 600 years old, someone may ask you to do something really big.
5. Don't listen to critics; just get on with the job that needs to be done.
6. Build your future on high ground.
7. For safety's sake, travel in pairs.
8. Speed isn't always an advantage. The snails were on board with the cheetahs.
9. When you're stressed, float a while.
10. Remember, the Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by professionals.
11. No matter the storm, when you are with God, there's always a rainbow waiting.

Miscellaneous Quotation - Albert Einstein

"Being a lover of freedom, when the [Nazi] revolution came, I looked to the universities to defend it, knowing that they had always boasted of their devotion to the cause of truth; but no, the universities were immediately silenced. Then I looked to the great editors of the newspapers, whose flaming editorials in days gone had proclaimed their love of freedom; but they, like the universities, were silenced in a few short weeks.... Only the Church stood squarely across the path of Hitler's campaign for suppressing the truth. I never had any special interest in the Church before, but now I feel a great affection and admiration for it because the Church alone has had the courage and persistence to stand for intellectual and moral freedom. I am forced to confess that what I once despised I now praise unreservedly."

BISHOP BLASTS CATHOLIC VOTERS WHO VOTED PRO-ABORTION
ARLINGTON, Virginia, Jan. 16, 01 (CWNews.com/LSN.ca) -

Retired Bishop Thomas J. Welsh, the founding bishop of the Arlington Diocese, has expressed great frustration at the voting pattern of most Catholics in the United States during the recent election. "What disturbs me, then, is the politician, man or woman, who wants to have it both ways. They say, 'I'm a Catholic,' then espouse all sorts of things that the Catholic Church says are wrong. Our message isn't getting out. If you say the Church is wrong about one serious issue like the pro-life stance, then you're undermining the whole nature of the Church. The Lord didn't say, 'I'm with you all the time, except on some major issues.' ... The Church is supposed to be guiding people on a day-to-day basis on how to get to heaven ... We are saying this (abortion) is intrinsically evil. There's no time for anybody at any place to have an abortion and say, 'this is right.' It's always, always wrong."