The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity

The New York Times columnist, Ross Douthat, who is also a practicing Roman Catholic, some years ago wrote a fascinating book entitled Bad Religion.  The heart of the book revolves around a critique of contemporary versions of Christianity that in many respects fall short of the orthodox heart and center of the Christian Gospel.  Too often, Douthat maintains, contemporary variations of the Christian message are manipulated to simplistically justify personal or political agendas that have very little to do with the classic Christian message.  This manipulation of the Gospel can be seen in the simplistic psychologizing of the Gospel into nothing more than the “power of positive thinking,” or the affirmation of materialism and consumerism that is so characteristic of what we see in our society today.  If you are rich, God has blessed you, if you aren’t, then he hasn’t! 

Orthodox or authentic Christianity cannot be reduced to such simplistic concepts.  Orthodox or authentic Christianity as reflected in the Gospels and the writings of the great theologians of the Church lives comfortably in two worlds, the world of mystery and the world of ambiguity.  And, it is precisely these two realities of mystery and ambiguity that are anathema to a scientific and post-modern world where we demand answers to every question, and thrive on the simplicity of the black and white.

My sisters and brothers, as we gather this Sunday, there is probably no teaching in Christianity that is more mysterious and ambiguous than the one that gathers us in faith this day, the Mystery of the Most Holy Trinity.  Orthodox Christians believe that the God who lives in unapproachable light and is uniquely One, is also a Trinity of persons whom we name as Father, Son and Holy Spirit – three persons in one God.  Such a belief down through the centuries has had to defend itself against those who simplistically have concluded that such a belief is an affront to radical monotheism – the belief in a single God.  In the early Church such a belief was just too much for some and led to the development of some of the first great heresies of the Christian Church. 

However, thanks to the philosophy of Aristotle and his use of the categories of “person” and “nature,” Christian theology professes the radical oneness of God’s nature that is humanly experienced through the person of God who is Creator, Redeemer and Sanctifier.

Israel came to know the presence of God through their experience of a God who created all things out of love and then guided them to liberation in the great Exodus experience.  His commandments to them were signs of his abiding love and presence.

God so loved the world that He sent his only begotten Son to continue His loving liberation.  Christ, the anointed one, willingly embraced our human nature and the human experience of death itself so that our nature and death would ultimately be transformed by the power of redeeming love.

That transforming love continues to this day, penetrating every moment of our lives through the gift of God’s Holy Spirit, enabling us to experience in this present moment of our lives the God who carries us in the midst of our human challenges and brokenness by His unconditional love.

While theologians down through the centuries have attempted to “explain” the “mystery” of the Trinity, at their very best they help us to gain “insights” into the meaning of a reality whose depth can never truly be captured in words alone.  Like love, it must be experienced.

And so, my friends, in every moment of our lives when we experience the gift of life, the Trinity is there.  When our hearts are transformed by the love of another, the Trinity is there.  When we experience the precious gift of freedom, the Trinity is there. 

As we mark and celebrate this mystery of our faith, let us be grateful for a God who abides us with us still as Creator, Redeemer and Sanctifier.  May He be blessed now and forever.  Amen.

The beginning chorus of Bach's Cantata 129 for Trinity Sunday.  

Praised be the Lord,
my God, my light, my life,
my Creator, who has
given me my body and soul;
my Father, who has protected me
from my mother's womb,
who at every moment
does much good for me.

Character

One of the most insightful books that I read last year was by the New York Times columnist, David Brooks.  The Book is entitled, The Road to Character (Random House Publishing Group, 2015).  In the opening lines of its Introduction, Brooks writes:

Recently I’ve been thinking about the difference between the résumé virtues and the eulogy virtues. The résumé virtues are the ones you list on your résumé, the skills that you bring to the job market and that contribute to external success. The eulogy virtues are deeper. They’re the virtues that get talked about at your funeral, the ones that exist at the core of your being— whether you are kind, brave, honest or faithful; what kind of relationships you formed. Most of us would say that the eulogy virtues are more important than the résumé virtues, but I confess that for long stretches of my life I’ve spent more time thinking about the latter than the former. Our education system is certainly oriented around the résumé virtues more than the eulogy ones. Public conversation is, too— the self-help tips in magazines, the nonfiction bestsellers. Most of us have clearer strategies for how to achieve career success than we do for how to develop a profound character. 

Brooks goes on to speak of the critically important virtue of character as it has been mirrored through famous men and women down through history.  Each chapter focuses on one of these personages and movingly narrates how ‘character’ and ‘integrity’ were the motivating ‘eulogy’ virtue in their lives.  I’d like to share with you a few ‘gems’ from his book as we all strive to live lives of virtue, integrity and character in the Lord.

The self-effacing person is soothing and gracious, while the self-promoting person is fragile and jarring.

Humility is infused with lovely emotions like admiration, companionship, and gratitude. “Thankfulness,” the Archbishop of Canterbury, Michael Ramsey, said, “is a soil in which pride does not easily grow.”

If you don’t have some inner integrity, eventually your Watergate, your scandal, your betrayal, will happen.

“A sense of humility is a quality I have observed in every leader whom I have deeply admired,” (Dwight David Eisenhower)

Suffering simultaneously reminds us of our finitude and pushes us to see life in the widest possible connections, which is where holiness dwells.

Over the past few decades there has been a sharp rise in the usage of individualist words and phrases like “self” and “personalized,” “I come first” and “I can do it myself,” and a sharp decline in community words like “community,” “share,” “united,” and “common good.”  The use of words having to do with economics and business has increased, while the language of morality and character building is in decline.  Usage of words like “character,” “conscience,” and “virtue” all declined over the course of the twentieth century. Usage of the word “bravery” has declined by 66 percent over the course of the twentieth century. “Gratitude” is down 49 percent. “Humbleness” is down 52 percent and “kindness” is down 56 percent. 

Pentecost

In the great Feast of Pentecost, the Church brings to a close our 50 days of Easter rejoicing. We traditionally speak of this Feast as the “Birthday of the Church.”  For on this day, as reflected in our familiar first reading from the Acts of the Apostles, the disciples of the Lord underwent a profound transformation.  No longer imprisoned in the upper room by fear and doubt, they were empowered now by the gift of the promised Spirit of the Lord and went forth boldly to proclaim the Good News of the Risen Christ.  They became Evangelizers!  That word, Evangelizer – literally means one who brings “good news” to others.

Our familiar first reading from Acts that is always proclaimed on Pentecost is always a tongue twisting challenge for lectors.  For it narrates the various peoples who gathered from the different parts of the known world for the Jewish festival of Pentecost in Jerusalem.  However, this Pentecost would be one that would forever change their lives.  For on this day, the Church would be born as men and women would open their hearts and embrace in faith the saving news that the Risen Jesus is indeed Lord of Creation and Savior of the world.

The scripture story tells us that these diverse folk who represented different cultures and languages, all could understand the saving message proclaimed by those first apostles.  While we might conclude that some miraculous linguistic feat took place, empowering the apostles to skip arduous language courses to immediately be able to speak these different languages, perhaps something far more profound was taking place.

These first evangelizers were undoubtedly speaking the common language of God’s unfailing mercy, forgiveness and love to the people who gathered in anticipation that first Pentecost.  And it is that same, language, my friends, that is desperately needed to be on our lips today as women and men called to be the new Evangelizers to a world and culture that is in need of the transforming grace of the Risen Savior.

There are in life, languages that know no geographical boundaries.  The universal language of unfailing mercy, forgiveness and love, continues to speak powerfully to a world and to lives that more and more are scared by the darkness of hatred, resentment and prejudice.

It is a paradox that this language of mercy, forgiveness and love – virtues that are the antithesis of so much of the violence that we see in our world today – would empower a non-Christian, Gandhi the father of modern-day India, to bring about the peaceful liberation of his people into a new Nation.  Gandhi once said that “there would be far more Christians, if you Christians were far more like Christ!”

As we celebrate this great feast of the beginning of the Church, let us pray that our own hearts might be drawn into the Spirit’s gifts of mercy, forgiveness and love.  May those virtues be the universal language that we strive to speak each day and in doing so, may others come to know the marvelous works of God, as we strive to become more like Christ each day. 

10th Anniversary of Mission Basilica Grand Retablo

One of the most striking artistic enhancements to Mission Basilica San Juan Capistrano in recent years was the installation of a monumental Retablo or Reredos, positioned in the Apse of the Basilica Church. The historic Mission, founded on November 1, 1776, as the seventh Mission in the 21 centers of evangelization in Alta California by St. Junipero Serra himself, is not only a sought after historic destination by pilgrims and tourists from throughout the world, but it is also a thriving multi-ethnic and multi-cultural parish community of over 3000 households.  Together with a vibrant Parochial School that was founded in 1921, the Basilica parish continues to serve the spiritual needs of many who visit this hallowed place that enshrines so much of early California history.

For centuries, the venerable Serra Chapel was the primary place of worship for the Mission parish community.  With the incremental growth of Orange County in the 1960’s and 70’s, this small historic chapel could no longer adequately provide worship space for the growing number of parishioners.  Under the legendary pastorate of Msgr. Paul Martin, the 33rd successor of St. Junipero Serra, plans were begun in the early 1980’s for a large new Church that would be able to meet the needs of the growing congregation, be reflective of the liturgical reforms of the Second Vatican Council and be in continuity with the artistic historicity of this ‘Jewel of the California Missions.’

The Serra Chapel - Mission San Juan Capistrano

Modeled after the Great Stone Church that was completed in 1805 and tragically devastated in one of early California’s legendary earthquakes on December 8, 1812, the new Mission Church would accommodate over 700 parishioners and would capture the dramatic vaulted and domed character of its historic predecessor.  Completed in 1985 and solemnly dedicated shortly after its completion, the new Mission Church was raised to the dignity of a Minor Basilica by St. John Paul II on February 14 in the Great Jubilee Year 2000.  It was later designated a National Shrine by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Prior to my arrival as Pastor and Rector in July of 2003, plans were well underway for the ‘completion’ of the interior of the Basilica Church and specifically, the Apsal wall in the sanctuary.  Due to significant cost over-runs in the original plans for the Basilica, the interior was left ‘rather modest.’  Plans for a monumental Retablo in the Sanctuary were never able to be realized.  Yet, that dream and vision remained very much alive, especially in the hearts and minds of a wonderful couple in the Basilica parish community, Mr. Art and Gaye Birtcher.  Unfailing in their generosity to the Mission parish for decades, it was their unremitting passion to see the interior of the Basilica Church completed with its center piece, a Grand Retablo crafted in the style of the great Retablos of the Mission Colonial period.

Art and Gaye Birtcher

Initial contact had been made with the world renown liturgical artisans at Talleres de Arte Granda in Spain, to do the initial realizations of the Retablo.  The designs were subsequently refined to reflect the stylistic approach that was taken by the Catalonian Churriguera family in the latter part of the 17th and early 18th century Spain.  It would reflect the exuberance of the Spanish Baroque period at the service of the sacred liturgy.

Providentially, as conceptual plans were being completed, the parish was the beneficiary of a wonderful bequest that had been earmarked for the Retablo project.  Together with a significant gift from the Birtcher family, funds were in hand to begin this long-awaited project.

Construction in Spain took some 15 months.  Over 50 craftspeople were involved in realizing this magnificent project.  When the Retablo was completed in Spain, it was disassembled and carefully placed into well insulated shipping crates for its journey from the port in Barcelona, through the strait of Gibraltar, across the Atlantic, through the Panama Canal and up the Western Coast of Mexico, finally arriving at the Port of Los Angeles for its final destination to San Juan Capistrano.

The shipping containers arrived on the Monday before Ash Wednesday in 2007.  Granda had flown a number of their skilled craftsmen to reassemble the Retablo in its final home in the Basilica.  When the crates were opened and the various pieces of the Retablo were laid out on the transept floor, miraculously, there were only two minor damages – the tip of the right finger of St. Joseph was broken off and one thorn on the crown of thorns of Jesus crucified was broken.  Both of these damages were easily repaired.  All other pieces of the Retablo arrived in perfect condition.

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It took the craftsmen two weeks to assemble of various sections of the Retablo onto the steel grid that had been erected prior to its arrival.  The steel grid provided the necessary earthquake stability specified by the structural engineers.  When the entire Retablo was finally put together, the twin scaffolding was removed to finally reveal the full glory of this magnificent artistic enhancement to the Basilica. Together with the Retablo, a new altar, ambo and Sacrament Chapel as well as new Stations of the Cross that would be in stylistic continuity with the Retablo, were installed in the Basilica.

The first mass celebrated with the completed Retablo was most appropriately that of the Feast of St. Joseph on March 19, 2007.  A fanciful element of the Retablo is the incorporation of a number of swallows nestled among its Corinthian columns.

Prior to the Blessing of the Retablo and Dedication of the new Altar, a Solemn Evening Prayer Service was held in the Basilica in June, 2007. We were graced with the presence of His Eminence, William Cardinal Levada, who at the time was the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.  Bishop Tod Brown, the third Bishop of Orange, presided at the Mass of Dedication.

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Photos of Vesper Service and Dedication courtesy of Gary Tinnes

Memorial Day - 2017

My father was proudly a member of the greatest generation.  Born into the Great Depression, he and his family knew the hardships of this perilous time in our Nation’s history.  He was always grateful to FDR for helping to save a nation from this economic black hole. He, like so many teenagers of his time, was rescued from the hopelessness and apathy that economic hard times can engender, by involvement in the Civilian Conservation Corps. Providing work and hearty meals, he worked on various projects here in Orange County, including bridges in San Clemente.  Raised near downtown Los Angeles, he fell in love with the pristine beauty of Laguna Beach in the 1930’s, as well as the charm of San Juan Capistrano. 

All of this was shattered on December 7th, 1941 with the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the entrance of the United States into the Second World War.  Within no time, Dad was proudly drafted and eventually served as a Staff Sargent in the Army deployed to the South Pacific.  Since he was in his latter 20’s when he was drafted, his army comrades, many of whom were 18 and 19 years of age, often referred to him as ‘pops.’  While dad rarely spoke of the inevitable horrors of war, preferring to gloss over ‘those parts of his remembrances,’ he often spoke of the brotherhood among his buddies that sustained him during what seemed like endless months away from his newly married wife and newborn daughter, my sister, Melinda.  I fondly remember his recounting how beautiful the beaches were on the South Pacific islands of the Marianas, islands of the Kwajalein Atoll, Saipan and Guam.  Very little if any words were spoken of the bloody battles endured and the deaths of so many of these young men fighting to secure peace for our world that had been torn apart by despots.  Thankfully, Dad was one of the lucky ones, honorably discharged shortly before VJ Day, and returning safe and sound to the loving and grateful arms of his wife, daughter and family. I came along in 1948!  

Every Memorial Day, I cannot help but think of Dad and his faithful service to our country.  For the men and women who have served our beloved country in whatever branch of the military, in whatever War or conflict in which our country has been engaged down through the decades, we honor their memory and service this day with gratitude.  For our service men and women, political partisanship gives way to a common passionate commitment to preserving and defending the ideals and values that have made our Nation both good and great.  We honor and reverence their memory this day!

Ascension Day

So often in life, when God closes a door he opens other ones for us.  I’m reminded of this expression particularly at this time of year when graduates in middle schools, High Schools, Colleges and Universities throughout our land find themselves leaving the security of familiar academic surroundings and moving on to new challenges and opportunities.  When God closes a door, he opens other ones for us.

Something of that reality is at work in the Feast that we remember in faith this day.  Today's feast celebrates far more than Jesus' return to heaven after this time on earth was completed.  Our Scriptures tell us that it's also the day that the disciples become apostles.  The word "disciple" means "one who learns".  The word "apostle" means "one who is sent".  The disciples have learned well the freeing Good News of the Lord and now they are sent forth to share it with others.  They are to make disciples of all the nations, baptizing and teaching.  They have learned from the Master, and now they need to teach those lessons to everyone they meet.

Jesus assures his followers that he will be with them till the end of the world.  They will baptize in the name of the Trinity - Father, Son and Spirit.  They will teach the message of the Good News of God's reign, the commandments of Jesus himself.  And they will heal in his name.  Truly, his presence, his Spirit, never leaves them.  Indeed, that saving presence in the power of the Spirit is here with us this day.

This past May 25th I celebrated my 43rd anniversary of ordination to the priesthood.  During those 43 years, I have been privileged to witness the growth of our Diocese since its inception in 1976.  Four bishops have served us as shepherds during these formative years.  Each brought their unique talents to shape us into the local church that we are today.  Each of them have heard the call of the spirit to be latter day apostles for our Church here in Orange.  

While Bishops exercise this ministry in a unique way, we need to be reminded that this mission is ours as well. Too often we're like the apostles in our first reading.  When we focus too closely on our own salvation, our own experience, people could say to us, "Why are you standing there looking up into the sky?"  We, like the apostles, have been sent.  We are to share our experience with those around us.  This sharing will take many forms.  It might be formal preaching; it might be telling a friend about the importance of our faith; it might be simply living our lives according to Jesus' command to love one another without counting the cost.

In December 2015, we celebrated the 50th anniversary of the close of the Second Vatican Council, that great watershed moment in the history of our faith in the 20th century.  One of the great aims of the Council was to nurture a greater sense of unity, not only within our own household of the faith but among all Christians throughout the world.  It was the passionate commitment of Pope St. John XXIII that the sad divisions among Christians would be healed and that the great prayer of Jesus that he prayed the night before he died, that 'all may be one' might truly become a living reality.

An essential work of every apostle is to be a bridge builder for unity where ever God may put us in life. Husbands and wives do that as they strive to see each new day as an opportunity to deepen their love and commitment they made on the day of their wedding.  Parents are called to do this for their families by the quality of their inclusive love for their children. Citizens of this land are called to do this as we engage in the great issues that foster the common good of our Nation, disagreeing at times but hopefully never being disagreeable!

And so, on this Ascension Day, may we hear anew that challenge and mandate given to all believers - a mandate that can indeed renew the face of the earth: Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature!

This exquisite performance of Gerald Finzi's "God has Gone Up" by the Georgia Boy Choir was recorded in Hereford Cathedral during their 2014 tour of Britain.  This is one of my favorite choral pieces and a wonderful recording that is also visually stunning. There is nothing like the acoustics of a great English Cathedral!

Mentoring Civility

I readily confess, I am a late comer to Facebook!  I finally decided to take the plunge recently, because I was being asked by so many folks if I was on Facebook.  Once I took the plunge, in a relatively short period of time, I was connected to friends and acquaintances I had not heard from or seen in decades.  It has been thoroughly delightful.  With my mobility restrictions, being able to leverage social media to stay connected with others, to be a small part of their lives, to send a quick affirming message or ‘thumbs up,’ has precluded the kind of isolation that can so easily be part of ‘growing older.’ However, sadly, those who have been engaged with social media for some time and even new comers, like myself, have witnessed its dark side.                                                                                                

Within the past decade, all of us have experienced the eroding of civility, not only in our communication with one another but, more often than not, within the arena of political discourse.  Gone are the days when we would speak of the ‘loyal opposition,’ or ‘agree to disagree,’ or ‘disagree without being disagreeable.’  I recently got a taste of this in posting what I thought was a rather tame article encouraging young people to get involved with making a difference for the common good within the social fabric of our Country.  Don’t just complain, become involved.  Within no time, a responder was characterizing and name calling what he thought to be my political orientation. 

Frankly, like the proverbial frog in gradually heating water, we are so inundated with this kind of incivility, from the highest levels of our government to the talking heads on our 24-hour cable news, that we are often unaware that we are complicit in this kind of unworthy and potentially lethal behavior.

Part of the blessings and challenges in being part of a pluralistic society where we glory in the four foundational freedoms of our land - the freedom of speech and expression, the freedom to worship God in our own way, freedom from want and freedom from fear – is the cultivation of civility and tolerance.  At one time, civility and tolerance would be values and virtues inculcated at home and in our schools.  One would be naive to assume that today. And so, where can these virtues be nurtured today?  In what safe environments can our legitimate differences of opinion, strongly held political convictions and cherished religious values flourish and be respected?

Would it be out of the question to think that this might occur within the very medium that can become so toxic, social media itself?  For those who might be willing to exercise some important disciplines, each one of us might be a mentor of civility as we vigorously wrestle with the issues that stir our minds and hearts with passion.  And so, with this in mind, perhaps the following might be a helpful guide toward civility:

1.      No name calling.  While we might vigorously disagree with the thoughts, concerns or positions of others, everyone deserves respect and dignity. This has nothing to do with being politically correct, but is rather the measure of one's integrity and maturity.

2.     Strive to understand.  I have found the following approach so much more helpful than an immediate knee-jerk reaction: I’m not sure I understand completely your strongly held perspective, can you explain a bit more about….?

3.     Demonization of those with whom we disagree ends all possibility of dialogue.  Taking the high road and ascribing the best of motives to those with whom we disagree, goes a long way in finding some common ground of agreement, no matter how modest it may be.

4.     Prioritize the level of your passion and outrage.  There are a lot of ‘tempests in teapots’ going around these days.  Folks, not everything spells the end of Western Civilization as we know it!  Turning down the emotional volume can go a long way in helping to listen attentively to the issues that really require our focused passion and concern.

The 17th century German Lutheran theologian, Repertus Meldenius, who lived during the Thirty Years War (1618–1648), a bloody time in European history in which religious tensions played a significant role, gave the Christian Church a worthy maxim that, perhaps, can provide a helpful guide for us today as we strive to “Speak the truth in love.”  In Essentials Unity, In Non-Essentials Liberty, In All Things Charity.

University of Notre Dame Commencement Ceremonies

By serendipitous chance, I watched virtually all of the Commencement ceremony at the University of Notre Dame this morning via live stream.  It was an impressive and moving ceremony.  Rev. Gregory J. Boyle, S.J., was the recipient of the 2017 Laetare Medal, the oldest and most prestigious honor given to American Catholics by the University.  Fr. Boyle is the legendary founder of “Homeboy Industries” here in Los Angeles.  Homeboy Industries provides hope, training, and support to formerly gang-involved and previously incarcerated men and women allowing them to redirect their lives and become contributing members of our community. Each year over 10,000 former gang members from across Los Angeles come through Homeboy Industries’ doors in an effort to make a positive change. They are welcomed into a community of mutual kinship, love, and a wide variety of services ranging from tattoo removal to anger management and parenting classes. Full-time employment is offered for more than 200 men and women at a time through an 18-month program that helps them re-identify who they are in the world, offers job training so they can move on from Homeboy Industries and become contributing members of the community - knowing they count!

There were a number of distinguished guests at this year’s ceremony, yet none spoke more eloquently than Fr. Boyle.  It is indeed a credit to our Nation’s premier Catholic institution that they would so honor this priest whose life has been dedicated to tearing down walls of indifference and raising up the dignity of these sons and daughters of God.

Reflections on the Sixth Sunday of Easter

The following Homily was preached on the occasion of my 40th Anniversary of Ordination to the Priesthood.  In 2014, May 25th fell on the Sixth Sunday of Easter.  With my 43rd anniversary approaching this week, I hope my readers will enjoy these reflections.

I was a bit of a precocious child in the second grade at St. John Baptist de la Salle School in the San Fernando Valley.  Surprised?  Sr. Dorothy Ann would often conclude Religion class asking, “Now, are there any questions?” and I would invariably start raising and waving my hand.  With an ever so slight tinge of irritation in her voice she would say, “Yes, Arthur,” and I would launch into something like this, “Sister (Ster), can you explain to me how Jesus is in Holy Communion?”  She would pause, ever so slightly and then say, “Arthur, that’s a mystery. Next question?”

Reflecting back on 40 years of priesthood, I cannot help but think that the seeds of my own seduction by the mystery of God’s presence in our world, in the reality of the Church, in the enchanting beauty of its liturgy, and in those mysterious men in black, well maybe a little purple too, began in that second-grade class.  Sister’s response, that “it’s a mystery” was far less a theological cop out and far more the gracious acknowledgement that the heights and depth and breadth of our faith and the essence of those who are entrusted as priests to share such good news can never really be captured in words alone.  As bearers of the “mysteries of God” all of us but especially we priests are called to put a human face and a gentle human touch on the God who lives in unapproachable light and yet has embraced each one of us in the unfailing mercy of his beloved Son, Jesus the Christ.

Providentially, this 40th Anniversary of my Ordination to the priesthood that began in old St. Vibiana’s Cathedral in downtown Los Angeles at the hands of the saintly Cardinal Timothy Manning on May 25th, 1974, falls precisely on this Sixth Sunday of the Easter Season.  Easter gives our liturgical year its deepest meaning. The Feast of the Resurrection holds such rich meaning for us as Christians that it takes 50 days of celebrating to truly begin to unpack its meaning for us as followers of the Risen Lord.

God’s holy word continues to dynamically convey the fact that those first trusted companions of the Lord, the Apostles, were dramatically changed by their personal witness and experience of the Risen Jesus in their midst.  They were empowered to go forth and, like the Apostle Philip, in our first reading from the Acts of the Apostles, boldly proclaimed the Lordship of the Risen Christ.  St. Luke tells us of the effect of Philip's preaching, “…unclean spirits cried out in a loud voice (and) they came out of many possessed people…”  Having been a pastor now for 26 years, I wish that I could have had such a gift with a few of the more cantankerous parishioners that have come my way over these year!  Just kidding.  However, that passage ends with this beautiful line, “There was great joy in that city.”

Amid the inevitable challenges and frustrations, moments of heartache and disappointment that have been encountered over these years – something that can be said for all of us no matter what vocation may be ours - “There was and continues to be great joy” that powerfully sustains me and so many of my brothers in priestly ministry.  A joy that one writer describes as the infallible sign of God’s presence in our lives. 

No wonder that our Holy Father, Pope Francis, penned his first Apostolic Exhortation with the title, “The Joy of the Gospel.”  If there is one overriding reality that should pulse boldly and brightly in the heart of any true follower of the Risen Lord Jesus, but especially in the life of his priestly ministers, it is that we are called to help people delight with joy in the presence of the Lord in their life.

In one of his daily homilies, Pope Francis said this about the indispensable place that joy must have in our lives:  We Christians are not so accustomed to speak with joy, of happiness.  I think often we prefer to complain.  Without joy, we Christians cannot become free, we become slaves to our sorrows.  The great Pope Paul VI said that you cannot advance the gospel with sad, hopeless, discouraged Christians, You cannot.

My sisters and brothers, no wonder then that we speak of joy as one of the gifts or fruits of the Holy Spirit.  And it is precisely that gift that Jesus prays will be ours through the outpouring of His life-giving spirit in our hearts and in the life of the Church.

Over the last 40 years, I have been privileged to witness that life-giving Spirit invigorate our local Church of Orange, from its inception in June of 1976 to this present moment.  It has been my joy to have served under our founding Bishop, William Johnson – to be named Rector of the Cathedral under his successor, Norman McFarland – or as he was affectionately known, “stormin Norman!” appointed Pastor and Rector of this Jewel of the California Missions by his successor, Tod Brown, whose presence with us this day brings special joy, and finally, to be able to minister in close collaboration and friendship with his successor, our present Bishop, Kevin Vann, who honors us all with his presence today.  You know that the years are advancing when you are older than your bishop!

Jesus reminds us in the Gospel that “I will not leave you orphans, I will come to you.” For every priest, it can be truly said that the comforting presence of the Lord of life more often than not comes to us in the people whom we have been privileged to not only serve but befriend over the years.  On an occasion such as this, as I look out at the faces of friends who gather with me today from the parishes where I have served, that joy that the Lord wants for us all overflows in my heart with gratitude.  Thank you all for your presence with me this day.  May we go forth renewed by the joy of the Gospel and the gift of the spirit that is the reason for our hope, now and always.

Serra Chapel Organ at Mission San Juan Capistrano

I will readily admit that for years I was a purist when it came to organs – only pipe organs were the real thing, everything else is really nothing more than an appliance!  However, over the years, with the phenomenal advancement in digital sound production, a quiet revolution has been taking place challenging this purist position of mine. 

It has taken decades in the maturing technical sophistication in both digital retrieval or “sampling” and reproduction of sound that has brought us to the point now where digital instruments mirror ‘the real thing’ in an astounding way.  While the classic pipe organ is virtually made by hand with rows of pipes, arranged in varying ranks of sounds, together with wind chests to enable these pipes to ‘speak,’ digitization of pipe organs begins with ‘capturing’ as precisely and accurately as possible, that original sound of a given pipe.  The incremental increase in memory retention from kilobytes to megabytes and now to terabytes and beyond, enables the digital sampling of the most nuanced sounds produced by an individual pipe when it speaks.

During my pastorate at Mission San Juan Capistrano, it had always been my dream to eventually install a worthy pipe organ befitting the dignity and grandeur of the present Basilica.  Reality, however, set in when one was looking at nearly Two Million dollars or more to make this dream a reality!  As the years went on, I came to the realization that given the incredible acoustical environment of the Basilica – over a 5 second reverberation – a new digital instrument might be the most realistic and practical solution.  Thanks to a wonderful gift by the Tracy Foundation, a new four manual Rodger’s digital organ was installed in the Basilica to the delight of all.  It continues to serve our needs in an exceptional way.

Walker Organ - Keyboard and Stop - Serra Chapel

Knowing that my time as pastor was nearing its conclusion, it had always remained my fondest hope to install a worthy instrument in the venerable Serra Chapel that dates to 1780.  A very inadequate pipe organ had been installed in the 1970’s.  Aware of the space constraints of the choir loft, the possibility of a customized digital instrument was seriously considered.  Eventually, the contract was given to the Walker Technical Co. from Zionsville, PA.  Walker instruments are carefully crafted with proprietary advances in digital sampling and sound reproduction.  Mr. Robert Walker worked closely with us here at the Mission to craft an instrument that would both visually and tonally reflect a Tracker instrument of the mid-18th century.  Special care was taken in the crafting of the case work that would be in artistic continuity with the Mission colonial ambiance of the Chapel.  Mr. Walker was kind enough to provide the following description of this fine instrument:

The Gallery Organ recently installed in the Serra Chapel was inspired by the Pastor Emeritus, Rev. Msgr. Arthur Holquin during the final year of his pastorate in 2015.  Msgr. Art is an organ aficionado and lover of organ literature.  Designed and built by William Zeiler, formerly of Orange County, CA., for the Walker Technical Company of Zionsville, PA, the organ features Msgr. Holquin’s vision of an instrument built to accommodate modern American Guild of Organists’ specifications while visually offering an architectural image that reflects the craftsmanship and detail typical of the 18th century time period of the Chapel’s construction.  Architectural elements in the organ case emulate the beautiful “Golden Retablo” (Reredos) located on the opposite wall of the chapel.  The organ case features 24 carat gold leaf to complement the approximately 300-year-old “Retablo” and is deliberately finished and represented to the viewer in a manner that suggests that the organ has been a fixture original to the chapel, circa 1783. 

Walker Technical Company, builder of the finest digital/pipe organs, was chosen to provide the heart of the sound of the instrument since the loft has limited space to place an adequate amount of actual organ pipes.  The Walker Organ Company has done extremely high definition recordings of pipes with over 4 times the resolution of compact discs.  These sounds replicate pipes that were typical of organs in the mid 1700’s throughout the world.  High speed computers control the sounds as well as provide modeling of the interaction of the way pipes affect each other.  This interaction causes a chorus effect that is constantly changing, making the sound of the organ always enjoyable to hear and never tiring.

Happy Mother's Day, Mom!

This coming September, my sister, Melinda and I, will celebrate the 5th anniversary of our mother's entrance into eternal glory.  With grateful memories on this Mother's Day, I share with you the homily that I gave at her funeral mass.  We love you, Mom!

My sisters and brothers, it is immeasurably comforting for me and my sister that so many have gathered this lovely morning here in this beautiful Basilica as we surround our mother, Bertha, with the love and prayers of God’s people.  We never live our faith in isolation and our journey to the Lord is never made alone. We are always accompanied by that great “cloud of witnesses” who support us “…. until the shadows lengthen and the evening comes, and the busy world lies hushed, and the fever of life is over, and our work is done.”

After nearly 95 years, mom’s work is now done and with the lively hope that should always animate the hearts of those who truly believe in the Lord of life, we firmly believe the greatest chapter in her long life has now begun.

In 1984, our father died after a long and painful journey through congestive heart failure at the all too early age of 69.  While Melinda and I were understandably devastated at the loss of our father, we worried most about mom who had depended so much on him and during his declining health and had been his primary care giver. She was unfailingly devoted to him just as she was when our family brought into our home dad’s mother and mom’s own mother as their earthly journey’s were coming to an end.  There would be no talk of sending them to any antiseptic facility.  No, their final years and months would be in a home, our home now made their own. 

After caring for so many folks in declining illness, what would mom now do?  How would she fair?  Would the crushing grief of losing her husband of 43 years plunge her into despair?  No, my friends.  After mourning the loss of Dad, mom early on told us, “You know, one door has closed but another has opened for me!”  And so with the quintessentially characteristic hope that so marked mom’s incredible life, a new journey began for her during these past 30 years.  A journey of living life in such a buoyant and hoped filled manner that at times, Melinda and I would look at one another and say, “Doesn’t she ever slow down, or get tired of shopping!”  

Literally living the motto of Blessed Serra, “Always forward, never looking back, siempre adelante, nunca atras….” Mom traveled the world with her friends, became an accomplished painter, was an avid bowler, cultivated and took great pride in her gardens, kept up with the daily news, often calling me – the consummate “newsaholic” with a scoop, never missed her Wednesday hair appointment except for the one four days before she died, knew the aisles of Marshall’s like the back of her hand, and all the while relishing opportunities to prepare meals that became legendary. Whether it was her marvelous Mexican food without a recipe in sight, sushi, lox’s and bagels, lasagna or plain old American pot roast – it was always a “catholic” – with a small “c” culinary experience!  And all of it just seemed effortless for mom, most especially when she was doing it for others.

Mom was already in her 80’s when I was appointed here as Rector to this Jewel of the California Missions in 2003. She loved this assignment because somehow, she felt that it made her “Queen” of the Mission!  Having lived in our suburban home in Granada Hills for over 50 years and surviving two devastating earthquakes, Melinda and I thought for sure that she would never leave her familiar surroundings. But then came Christmas that year and as she was enjoying a “very light” scotch and soda before our Christmas dinner, she told us that she had an announcement to make. Mel and I looked up and mom simply said, “You know, I’m out of here!  I want to move to Orange Country – to Leisure World!”  And folks, by the summer of 2004, the house was sold, her new home acquired, a bevy of new friends were secured and, as she would say, the happiest ten years of her life began. 

Marvelous and grateful memories in life, sometimes have a way of filtering out the moments of challenge and difficulty.  Mom had her fair share of these – surviving breast cancer, the death of her parents, spouse, nine siblings and countless dear friends.  For mom, there was indeed a time to mourn and be sad, but far more was there a time to be filled with the hope and promise that so characterized her life of faith.  While mom’s faith was as deep and unshakeable at the foundations of this great Retablo, she was not a terribly pious person (like mother, like son!)  She disdained the “perpetually pinched look of the Catholic Taliban for whom the milk bottle in life always seems half empty.”  Mom’s faith was born of the confidence that was rooted in knowing that she was immeasurably loved by the Lord of her life – and no torment would ultimately touch or destroy that incandescent spirit.  It is said that joy and laughter are the infallible signs of the presence of God in one’s life.  If that be the case, mom undoubtedly overflowed with godly presence.  As an artist she was charmed by the beauty of God’s creation, she relished the company of others, especially my brother priests and the few bishops I have come to know along the way that she too got to know. Bishop Vann, thank you for your special attentiveness to her during your brief time as our new bishop.  From the flowers you sent her following your first meeting to your personal visit to her bedside a few days before her death, know how much those endearing gestures meant to her and to our family.

Speaking of my mom and Bishops, one will never forget the night before this grand Retablo was blessed and a dinner was hosted on the historic Mission grounds to welcome and acknowledge the presence of Cardinal Levada from Rome who would bless this Retablo the next day.  My mom knew the Cardinal before his appointment as Archbishop of Portland and even prepared a small farewell meal for him before his departure from Los Angeles at our home in Granada Hills.  As the meal, al fresco was about to begin, he walked over to mom in his cardinalatial splendor and asked, “Mrs. Holquin, may I escort you to dinner?” And then, arm and arm they walked into the outdoor garden behind the historic rectory – yes, the infamous one.  She was beaming so much that it almost delayed sunset!

“Do not let your hearts be troubled….”  Jesus reminds us and all who experience the loss of a dear loved one, “Do not let your hearts be troubled…”   My friends, the good news that has sustained Christians down through the centuries is that “we have not here a lasting city…”  We are all pilgrims, immigrants in search of our lasting home.  For mom, that pilgrimage that began in the font of new life at Sacred Heart parish in Clifton, Arizona has come to an end.  She is now home, embraced by the Lord of Life, surrounded by her family and friends who have gone before us in faith, and is now feasting at the eternal banquet of unending love and life.  Alleluia!

Fifth Sunday of Easter - Mother's Day

Reflecting on this annual celebration in our country set aside to honor all mothers, whether we are blessed to enjoy their living presence or are filled with grateful memories of those who have gone before us in faith, the image of a mother remains a powerful symbol for so many of us.  I fondly remember my father, digging into a beautiful, juicy filet mignon and declaring for all to hear, ‘tender as a mother’s love!’  Motherhood is virtually synonymous with those prized and endearing qualities of love and tenderness.  From being nourished at our mother’s breast to her gentle kiss that had a near miraculous way of bringing instant healing to a bruised finger or knee, loving tenderness is a hallmark of motherhood.

No wonder, then, that these attributes so beautifully exemplified in our mothers, would analogously be used in speaking of the community of believers in Christ, the Church.  There is something inherently touching for us as Catholics, when we speak of the Church as our ‘mother.’  From her font of new life, new Christians come forth.  From her Table of Blessing, we are nourished with the living presence of her Son.  Through the reconciling gift of her priests, the bruising that sin creates in our friendship with her Son, is healed and made new. With the tenderness of a mother’s love, the Church prepares us for our eternal destiny in our Father’s house.

God’s word today speaks of this maternal care that the community of believers exemplified from the very earliest days of the church’s existence.  The Greco-Roman world despite its flickers of grandness, was a cruel and heartless place, especially for those who tenuously existed on its margins – the sick, the aged, the poor, the widows and the homeless.  In our reading from the Acts of the Apostles, we witness how the early community of believers sought to make the care of these individuals, a priority.  The emergence of the ministry of deacons was precisely for the purpose of extending the loving tenderness and care of the Body of Christ to those who had no one else to turn to.  It was the church that provided the all important ‘social net’ of care for the powerless and those who lived on the margins of society. 

For nearly 2000 years, this maternal care on the part of the church for the voiceless and underserved of society continues to be a hallmark of a community that strives to see and serve the Christ in our sisters and brothers.  Perhaps that is one of the reasons why St. Theresa of Calcutta has endeared herself so beautifully to both believer and unbeliever, alike.  In her and in the community of sisters that she founded, the very best of a Church that is both mother and tender healer is so dramatically and beautifully exemplified.

This image of the church as ‘mother’ is needed more than ever today, when the poor, the immigrant, the homeless, the sick and those on the margins of our society are often sacrificed at the altar of a ‘me first’ society.  In the face of such self-obsessional narcissism, sadly witnessed in our society and its leaders, the church’s prophetic stance, ‘to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable’ can be the truest sign of our authentic commitment to the Christ, whose Body we are. 

Cathedral as Sacrament

On May 23, 2017, the long awaited signing of the Construction contract for the renovation and transformation of Christ Cathedral will take place.  This moment has been a long time in coming.  The project is anticipated to take 20 months.  In light of this historic moment for us in the Diocese of Orange, the following reflection that I gave some years ago in Salt Lake City, may be of interest to my readers!

A number of years ago, I was spending a quiet morning at my mother’s home on my day off, enjoying my morning coffee and reading uninterruptedly the morning paper.  Mom was off somewhere and I had the house quietly to myself.  Just as I was relishing this wonderful moment of peace and quiet, the front doorbell rang.  For one brief moment, I wrestled with, “should I or shouldn’t I answer the door?” – but in no time I found myself walking toward the front door.  As I peered out the window, I noticed two bicycles parked on the side walk – a mild grimace came over my face. However, it was too late to turn back.  Looking through the small window in the door, I spied two young men with white shirts and black ties – as clean as a whistle.  It was too late. I had to open the door for my Mormon visitors.  However, what initially began with trepidation ended with a moment of grace and blessing.  After their well-versed introduction, I thought again to myself “should I or shouldn’t I” disclose who I am? I decided, for the sake of full disclosure, to fess up and tell them that I was a Catholic priest on his day off and quite contented with my faith life in the Catholic Church.  I then invited them in for a chat which eventually led, to my great surprise, to a question by one of the missionaries.  After hesitating for a moment, he asked me, “What was so distinctive about Catholicism?”  After pausing for a moment, I responded that it was our “sacramental perspective on life”.  I spent a few moments “unpacking” what I meant by that statement.  I explained that we Catholics reverence all of created reality as potentially “revealing” or “disclosing” something of the "holy" in our lives.  This “sacramental” perspective enables us to see such simple, earthly elements as water, bread, wine, oil, the human touch, word spoken, the imaginative turn of a Mozart symphony, a child cradled in her mother’s arms, prisms of light shining through a stained-glass window, - these and countless other moments in life as graced doors that can open for us a glimpse of the holy presence of God, the all holy creator and sustainer of all life.

My friends, it is within this sacramental perspective or through the gift of our analogical imagination, as the theologian David Tracy would call it, that a Cathedral Church can be a powerful presence of the holy, revealing or disclosing the God of mercy, the God of justice, the Lord of beauty and the God of hospitality in the midst of the secular city.

Our Cathedral Churches strive to be places of mercy and compassion.  St. Augustine powerfully reminded the people of his Cathedral Church in Northern Africa in the 5th century “to be what you celebrate”.  The Cathedral Church is the privileged place where the Shepherd of the local Church leads God’s holy people and nourishes them with the sacramental life of the Church.  At the center of our liturgical life stands the Eucharist that for 2000 years has shaped our identities as Catholic Christians.  Augustine again reminds us, “What you receive is what you are, the Body of Christ – say “Amen” to what you are and be what you celebrate”.  The authenticity and true splendor of Cathedral worship must be gauged by the splendor of its care for those who live on the margins of society – the sick, the elderly, the homebound, homeless and helpless. 

Cathedral Churches are sacraments of justice in the quality and effectiveness in which God’s holy word, sharper than any two edged sword, is proclaimed day in and day out.  From the cathedra – the Bishop’s chair – the good news of God’s liberating love is proclaimed – bringing “good news to the afflicted…liberty to captives, sight to the blind, letting the oppressed go free…”  In the midst of a world enslaved by the lie of self sufficiency, a culture of death that views the ultimate value of life from the perspective of productivity and expediency, a society that is so often addicted to its pursuit of finding love and fulfillment in all the wrong places, there is a hunger to hear the liberating word of God proclaiming what we need to hear rather than what we may want to hear.  Our Cathedral Churches must be places were the truth of the Gospel is proclaimed with integrity.

Cologne Cathedral - Germany

Cathedral Churches are a sacrament and sign of God’s presence that comes to us in beauty.  The language of sacrament is the language of sign and symbol.  Words fail when we try to capture the meaning of life’s deepest realities.  Can we capture in words alone the depth of the love between husband and wife?  Can we explain in words alone the courage and commitment that brings a soldier to lay down his or her life in defense of their country?  The most profound realities in life are more often than not expressed through sign and symbol – a kiss, embrace, a flag at half staff, a lone trumpet playing taps.  The language of worship, is so often the powerful and engaging presence of the beautiful in our lives.  For centuries, we Catholics have wisely shaped our liturgical celebrations and particularly those in our Cathedral Churches in beauty – the beauty of soaring architecture, of sacred imagery that spans the centuries, the beauty of the poetic word, and most especially the power and beauty of music.  A Cathedral Church must vigorously foster and encourage the light of the beautiful in the midst of so much darkness that surrounds us each day.

Finally, a Cathedral Church is called to be a sacrament of hospitality in the midst of the city.  It is truly to be a “Cathedral for all people.” I’m sure you are all familiar with the ancient concept of “sanctuary” that has its origins in the sacredness and inviolability of our places of worship.  Those seeking refuge for whatever reason, could find solace and safety in the walls of our Churches.  While civil law technically no longer recognizes such a concept, nevertheless, our Churches and most particularly the Bishop’s Church, must continue to be a haven of hospitality where all God’s children have a place at the Table and can feel safe in its sanctuary.   In a society that is quick to judge, to segregate, to exclude, to marginalize, to characterize some as second class, whether overtly or subtly, in the Cathedral Church all should be able to find a place where they are greeted with the dignity that befits the children of God.  For us in Orange who celebrate our rich multicultural diversity, a Cathedral Church that highlights this sense of sacred hospitality is critical.

Chartres Cathedral - Grand Portal - France

That is the vision of what a Cathedral Church should be in our midst as God’s faithful people.  This past decade has been challenging for us as Catholics and most particularly for Bishops and Priests.  Rowan Williams, the former Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury in his book, The Christian Priest Today, writes: 

"When the vision of God's being and doing has become weak, theology becomes defensive - and so do Christians in general and priests in particular...But somehow or other, we all have to undergo a fairly fundamental conversion from seeing revealed truths as a possession to be guarded to seeing them as a place to inhabit; not our bit of territory that needs protection, but the whole world renewed.  We shall not proclaim Christ effectively if we are constantly revisiting what makes us anxious rather than what makes us grateful!"  

As the great project of transforming Christ Cathedral into our Mother Church gets underway, let us not be anxious but rather grateful for the “sacrament” that it can be for our local Church of Orange.

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Christ Cathedral - Diocese of Orange

World day of Prayer for Vocations - 4th Sunday of Easter

Forty-four years ago on the Fourth Sunday of Easter, the day after my ordination to the diaconate, I preached my first homily at my home parish in the San Fernando Valley.  After seven years of seminary formation my longed for and hoped for goal of finally becoming a priest was in sight.   Preparation in the seminary to eventually preach the word, begins early on in seminary formation.  In my seminary college days we were given yearly courses in public speaking with a particular emphasis on properly and effectively proclaiming the Scriptures.  I remember our professor criticizing one particular student who was presenting a rather lack luster and unenthusiastic “reading” of the scriptures to the class.  In the middle of his reading the professor yelled - “Stop! You're not reading the daily news, you're proclaiming the good news!  Let’s hear that in your voice!”

When the day of my first homily arrived and I ascended the pulpit in the Church where I had made my first communion and confirmation, to say that my heart was not beating double time would be less than honest.  Seated in the second pew in front of me - only because I wouldn’t let them sit in the first pew - was my mother, father and sister.  I remember proclaiming the Gospel that day - the Gospel of the Good Shepherd, remembering the words of my seminary professor, “Let’s hear that good news in your voice”!  Putting down the Lectionary, I took a deep breath and began my first real homily.  And so began a part of ministry that has, with God’s grace, continued for 44 years now. 

This Sunday always has a way of triggering my imagination with grateful memories as the Church asks her ministers to reflect on the call to ministry in the Church on this Good Shepherd Sunday and one designated by the Church as World Day of Prayer for Vocations.  God’s word gives us the vivid image of Jesus as the Good Shepherd.  The Good Shepherd knows his flock and his flock knows him.  So attuned are the sheep to their shepherd that even though they may not see him, they recognize his voice when he calls.  Even if someone else may call for them, they know that voice and will only respond when he calls.

The call to priestly ministry in the Church today continues to both fascinate but more often than not mystify people.  The unfortunate scandals surrounding a few ministers of the Gospel which inevitably end up on the front pages of our newspapers are a sobering reminder to us that, like the apostles themselves, the Lord does not pick the perfect and the sinless to continue his mission.  Rather, he picks you and me, men and women whose own weaknesses and sins are continual reminders that it is "not ourselves that we preach but Christ Jesus and him crucified and risen." 

Some time ago there was a special on Television that explored the topic of what truly makes people happy and fulfilled in life.  They interviewed a group of folks who had won big in state lotteries with the presumption that instant wealth would radically change that so called “happiness quotient” in their lives.  Invariably, however, this had very little if anything to do with affecting their happiness.  In some cases, a few individuals were less happy and less fulfilled because of their instant wealth.  The program concluded that the key to true happiness, weather one was fabulously wealthy or of modest means, had far more to do with living lives out of deeply held convictions and nurturing strong and loving relationships in life.  For the vast majority of those interviewed - this is what held and sustained them in happiness.

Reflecting on my own life as a priest, there is no question that living out my vocation as a response to the Lord’s call in my life - being attuned to his voice -  and building strong and loving relationships with others has been a hallmark of happiness and fulfillment in priesthood over the years.   Now, don’t get me wrong, as in all of our lives, there have indeed been moments of frustration and loneliness, times of anxiety and apprehension - yet those are inevitable aspects of all our lives in this human condition. What ultimately carries us, though, through these moments is the realization that the voice of the shepherd continues to be discerned in the rich and mysterious moments that make up our lives.  For a priest, it may be simply listening with compassion to the desire of someone to get “right” with God again.  Or, being there at the beginning of life’s journey with all its hope and promise or bringing comfort and consolation to those who lovingly bid farewell to those who continue that journey into eternity.  It may be the joy and happiness of witnessing the light of faith transform lives or simply enjoying the sustaining goodness that comes from knowing one is loved in friendship.

“How can the Word be preached unless one is sent” - so St. Paul reminds us.  While we are all called and sent forth to witness to God’s word, on this World Day of Prayer for Vocations, let us remember in a special way those whom the Shepherd’s voice still seeks out to lead God’s Holy people in priestly and religious ministry in our Church.  Let us pray that we continue to shape a parish and local church community that supports and celebrates this call which may be going out even today to members of our own parish family.  All of us have a role to play in supporting and sustaining vocations to the priesthood and the religious life - by the attitudes we share with others, by the witness we give in our families, and by our supportive prayers offered for an increase of vocations to the priesthood and the religious life.

Living and not just coping with Physical disabilities

Over the years since the onset of my neurological disability, it is only natural that folks have been curious as to ‘what it is” and “how I’m coping?” It is the nature of ‘inquiring minds’ to be inquisitive! Since the onset of my condition I have tried to be open, transparent and candid, in the hope that my experience dealing with a chronic disabling physical condition might be a help to others.

Some eight years ago I began to experience a slight ‘drop foot’ that caused occasional tripping.  In time, I realized that something was wrong and saw my doctor who sent me to a local neurologist – who, frankly, was totally mystified!’  This is often typical with the rarer neurological conditions.  It took almost a year and a half for me to doggedly pursue a diagnosis with various neurologists.  Finally, I was connected to a specialist at UCI who is the head of the ALS, MDA, Neuromuscular Center, who has helped me immensely.  After a series of exhaustive diagnostic tests as well as a second opinion from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, they narrowed my condition to one of two possibilities – Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia or Primary Lateral Sclerosis.  With the passing of five years, the markers pretty much were pointing to PLS.  The condition is not aggressively progressive but it is progressive.  My doctor told me that it won’t kill me but it is something that must be managed and will bring varying degrees of impairment. However, it is highly individualistic and there really is no cure now.

I’m often asked: How have you been able to manage and cope with it?  A person in their right mind, of course, never goes looking for such situations, but when they come, and, believe me folks, something will inevitably come our way if we live long enough, how do we continue to “live” and not just “cope” with the inevitable twists and turns of our human journey? 

Not long ago, a parishioner recently diagnosed with a somewhat similar condition, reached out to me for advice.  I shared the following touch-points with him that have served me well in this unfolding saga and, perhaps, might be beneficial to some of you:

1. Get good medical advice even if it may require a second or third opinion.  There is a reason why they call it the ‘practice’ of medicine. In so many chronic medical conditions and especially the rarer varieties, we must be our own advocate in doggedly pursuing both a diagnosis and possible treatment.

2.  After the bad news there is an inevitable period of psychological mourning that parallels the classic stages of death and dying (even though one may not dying at all) with a good dose of denial.  For me, I went through all that until I came to a level of relatively peaceful acceptance.  Amazingly, I never went through a ‘Why me, God?’ phase.  Mostly, I reflected on ‘why not me?’ as I see so many folks contracting terrible diseases far worse than mine.  This has had the beneficial effect of relativizing my condition.

3.  I did not drastically alter my life style or rhythm of life immediately but rather, gradually accommodated to my physical condition.  I try always to focus on what I can do, rather than what I can’t do.  Mentally, this has been very helpful.

4.  With the onset of my condition in my early 60’s, I thank God I didn’t contract it when I was in my 20’s – which I could have.   I have had a very wonderful rich and productive life.  Yah, it’s a bummer to be somewhat sidelined now, but life is not over.  I live each day as a wonderful gift to be lived as fully as possible.

5.  Focus on what truly matters in life rather than wasting time with so much of the foolishness that seemed to preoccupy our younger years.  Nurture the relationships that make life truly worth living.

6.  Don’t run too far ahead into the world of ‘what if.’ What if I can’t walk? What if I can’t eat? What if….?”  This is useless paralyzing thinking.  Live in the world of ‘what is!”

7.  Pace yourself – some days you are going to feel more energy than other days.  Don’t overdo it.  Follow your doctor’s recommendations about rest, healthy food and physical therapy to the extent that may be possible.

8.  Leverage technology to help you with what physical deficiencies may occur – whether that’s using a scooter to get around, voice recognition technology for emails, etc.  There is amazing stuff out there.

9.  Let the significant others in your life, not necessarily be your primary care givers.  I know that this may be easier said than done.  There may come a point that some added help may be needed to provide additional assistance in the home.  This is all possible. It is important that husbands be primarily husbands, wives, wives, sons and daughters, sons and daughters.  Seeing these pivotal relationships solely or exclusively as ‘care givers’ can be psychologically and emotionally draining for them, leaving little room to be husband, wife, son or daughter.  However, if you have good independence now, don’t start worrying about that now.  Live in the present with gratitude for the past, resisting worrying about a future that is not here yet.

10.  Believe it or not, I have found maintaining a sense of humor extremely helpful in pulling me out of the ‘woe is me’ syndrome that can take over at times.  I was always a ‘neat freak’ and very attentive to table manners, etc.  The condition has caused me some embarrassing moments that, frankly, I just have to laugh about.   I often say, “Such is life these days….”

11.  Remain interested and inquisitive about life and the world around us.  I’ve always been a bookaholic and a newsaholic – I now have time to feed these good addictions.

12.  People will want to help – let them!  Do not deprive them the opportunity to be empathetic and physically helpful.  Let go of the rugged individualistic mentality that can make life more difficult with these chronic disabling conditions.

13.  Remembering from a faith perspective that, "we have not here a lasting city," but are rather pilgrims awaiting the fullness of life in heaven, keeps hope of eternal transformation alive.  This helps on the 'down' days!

Sunday Reflection - In the Breaking of Bread

One of the joyous pastoral aspects of the Easter Season is to witness the adult members of a parish community who for months and in some cases years have been journeying through study, prayer and reflection,  to enter the Catholic Church.  It has sometimes been said that the Easter Vigil without baptisms is like the proverbial apple pie without ice cream or a kiss without a hug!  In other words, the fullness of the Easter experience comes home to us as a parish community when we witness and celebrate new life in our Church, the new life that baptism both expresses and realizes. 

What has brought these men and women to embrace our Church?  What brings them to Catholicism? Unlike some of the more traditional Christian denominations that are part of the American experience who are suffering from decreasing numbers, that certainly is not the case for Catholicism.  While the secular press may wish to paint a picture of crisis, upheaval and theological dissension in our ranks, there is something that continues to powerfully attract adult men and women to this 2000 year old Christian way of life which is, as the old Latin maxim states, both ancient and ever new.

One of the questions that I inevitably ask those who are inquiring into the Catholic way of life, or those who have recently become Catholic, is the simple: What is it that attracted you to the Faith?  Needless to say, there are a variety of responses such as the desire to share a common faith in one’s family or the powerful witness of a Catholic spouse - “I want what she has” or “I want what he has.”  But more often than not, it is the Eucharist and the central place which this pivotal doctrine plays in our Catholic way of life that holds a powerful attraction for men and women seeking to live with integrity the Christian way of life.  It is the Eucharist that for 2000 years has shaped the life of our Church.  It is the Eucharist and our belief in the abiding presence of the risen Lord in our midst - body and blood, soul and divinity - that has been the anchor of our belief and the source of stability in a Church that is ever ancient and ever new.

In the 24th Chapter of the Gospel of Luke this Sunday, the disciples who had come to know and love the Lord Jesus are crestfallen, helpless and hopeless as they find themselves leaving Jerusalem after the crucifixion of the Lord.  They are troubled by astonishing reports that somehow, someway, this Jesus continues to live in their midst.  This is news that is just too good to be true for them.  Then a stranger comes into their midst - he begins to speak to them, reminds them of the legacy of their faith enshrined in their scriptures, and then is asked to stay with them to share a meal.  During the meal he takes bread, blesses and breaks it - and in that gesture so characteristic of Jesus, they recognized that it was the Lord who was in their midst - they recognized him in the breaking of bread.

That expression, “the breaking of bread” is probably the oldest term we have for what our Catholic tradition now refers to as the “Eucharist”, the “Mass”, “Holy Communion”.  It is an expression that reflects an action - the sharing of a meal which has now been transformed into an experience of perpetual remembrance of the Risen and living Lord in our midst.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church articulates our unique belief in the Eucharist when it states that our gathering in faith is for no ordinary meal but rather a participation in the living remembrance of a “sacrificial” meal in which the saving effect of the Lord’s life, death and resurrection continues to transform and empower us for the work of the Gospel.  Time and space cannot contain the Lord’s lasting gift to his friends.   Through the proclamation of God’s Word in the Scripture - the Lord is present to us.  In our gathering in faith - he lives among us.  In those who minister at this Holy Table, he is present.  But most of all, as is so often the case in our faith, the Lord comes to us in the ordinary and simple realities of life - in a piece of bread and a cup of wine.  In these simple earthly elements, logic gives way to faith, and this food becomes a door to the sacred enabling us to proclaim with Thomas the Apostle, “My Lord and my God”.

My brothers and sisters, may our love and commitment to the Eucharist continue to be a hallmark of our lives as Catholics.  May we recognize His presence among us in the breaking of our bread at the Holy Table.  And may others come to know that the Risen Lord is present with us still through our lives broken in loving and compassionate service of others who hunger for the bread of understanding, forgiveness and healing in their lives.

Pope Francis gives Ted talk

Providing a healthy corrective to a prevalent, "Only I can fix it" mentality, our Holy Father speaks of the transformation that a 'we mentality' can bring to our fractured world.  Bravo!

Unless you speak Italian, press "cc" for subtitles in English.  It is well worth listening in its entirety.

The Medium is the Message - Part II

Last week in one of my postings I spoke of the extraordinarily beautiful project called The St. John’s Bible.  To mark the turn of the millennium, St. John’s Abbey in Collegeville, Minnesota, commissioned the first hand written and illuminated Bible since the invention of the printing press in the 15th century.  The posting detailed this project together with images taken from the Bible itself.

Over 40 years ago, in my first assignment as a priest at Holy Family Parish in Orange, I met a wonderfully gifted artist by the name of Michael Johnson.  Michael was a professor at one of the local Community Colleges here in Orange County.  With the ongoing development and sophistication of technology, Michael became fascinated with the use of computers and digitization at the service of the visual arts.  I was fortunate to witness the ongoing development and sophistication of his craft that continues to produce stunning effects.

Sign of the Cross - Michael Johnson

Inspired by classic illuminated manuscripts that predate printing, since 1991 Michael has been designing an original digitally illuminated image each year, combining a scriptural text in Latin for his annual Christmas card.  A very limited number of these images are enlarged for framing.  I have been blessed to be the recipient each year of one of these incredible images.

For anyone familiar with the world of digital technology, a quantum leap of development and sophistication has transpired since 1991 and today.  That refinement is reflected each year in these digital masterpieces. 

The Annunciation - Michael Johnson

In December of 2016, the Orange Review did a fine article on Michael’s work which can be accessed here. In addition, Michael maintains a dedicated website, Capio Lumen, that highlights his portfolio with incredibly stunning images of his work.

A fine introduction to Michael and his work, on the site, summarizes the focus of his work over the years with this inspiring project:

Capio Lumen, Latin for capture light, is a pseudonym used by Michael Johnson when publishing his art. Michael, a Professor Emeritus in the Media Arts Design Department at Cypress College, was finally able to create his pieces full-time in his Old Town Orange studio home after 38 years of college teaching. His master’s degree is in painting and drawing, and he has studied various forms of art including paintings created during the Renaissance and Gothic periods, as well as illuminated manuscripts. He incorporates various Christian art symbols into his artwork, like flowers, butterflies, fruit, and birds. He is keenly aware that “the beautiful” reflects the transcendent. The Latin text is used as an element of continuity within his manuscripts paintings. Michael’s art, as most religious art, becomes visual theology.

Doubting Thomas

Thomas would have none of it.  “Raised from the dead? You’re out of your minds!”  The skeptic would not be taken in by ‘fake news.’  These guys have been overdosing on CNN, or worse, believing Breitbart!  It was just too good to be true.  “The Master is dead and let me continue my grieving for the one who truly touched my heart and changed my life.”  And then it happened.  The Risen Lord appeared again and this time Thomas was with them.  The Lord knowing his propensity toward incredulity summoned him to come forward.   "Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe."  And Thomas response was one of simple worship, “My Lord and my God.”  To which Jesus responded, “Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed."

Friends, this all too familiar Gospel that is always proclaimed on the Sunday after Easter, can easily tempt the believer to conclude that doubt and questioning of faith is somehow beneath the real Christian.  The faithful Christian never doubts.  The orthodox Christian never questions.  However, to read this meaning into the Gospel would be a disservice to nearly two millennia of theological reflection that is always, as St. Anselm so beautifully stated, “Faith seeking understanding.”

Because we are who we are as human beings, gifted with the ability to ponder and reflect, to wrestle with the great questions in life and particularly, the questions of faith, is a natural and necessary part of bringing us to insight, belief and worship.

Part of the complexity of the interrelationship between faith and doubt has been inevitably influenced by our friends who brought us 18th century Enlightenment.  Emerging out of this period was the near infallible belief that the only verifiable truth that we can know comes through science.  Exalting the empirical was thought to be the death of God and the spirit. 

But, is that really the case?  How do we put the devoted love of friends for 50 years under a microscope?  What chemistry is at work that brings a soldier to lay down his or her life for their comrades?  And what organic compounds are at work that brings near delirium on seeing one’s beloved on a wedding day? 

Truth be told, there are some realities in life that ‘transcend’ the scientific and empirical gaze.  Love, mercy, forgiveness, loyalty, empathy, integrity of life are virtues that touch the deepest and most important meanings of human existence.  And, it is these realities that more often than not reflect the divine in our lives and in our world.  They escape words of explanation.  They just are, and elicit a response of wonder, praise and thanks.  And Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God.”

The Medium is the Message

My love for books and words began early in life.  I remember a gift from my beloved godmother, my Nina, when I was around nine or ten.  She knew that I was ‘a bit’ precocious, and so she gifted me with a Catholic Dictionary.  Now, folks, this was not the dumbed down version for kids!  This was the real thing.  The book was beautifully printed and thick.  I spent endless hours learning about ‘transubstantiation,’ ‘iconoclasts,’ and ‘mystogogy.’  There was power in these strange and wonderful words.  That book continued to be a wonderful companion through my years in the seminary.

My love for books continued and was endlessly fed when I went to St. John’s Seminary in Camarillo.  Both the College, now sadly closed, and the graduate school in Theology, had fine libraries.  The Theology library housed the then famous Doheny Collection of rare books that included a rare copy of the Gutenburg Bible.  There was also an incredible collection of first editions of many classics in English literature.  The beauty of words combined with beautiful printing and binding was a thrill to both read and see.

Gutenberg Bible - c. 1450

All of this most probably fed my ongoing love for illuminated manuscripts.  Prior to the invention of movable type, the Scriptures and liturgical books were meticulously and exquisitely done by hand.  Scribes, more often than not, monks, who labored for months in monastic scriptoria, created incredibly elaborate manuscripts with illuminated decorations.  Not only were the ‘words’ themselves an avenue to communicate the life-giving truths of the scriptures, but the imagery combined with the words became ‘evangelization in art.’ However, the invention of the printing press saw the radical decline in hand illuminated manuscripts. Utility and practicality trumped the laborious intensity of hand crafting these gems.

Book of Hours - c. 15th century

To mark the turn of the millennium, St. John’s Benedictine Abbey in Collegeville, Minnesota was inspired to commission a herculean project – the first completely hand written and illuminated Bible since the invention of the printing press.

The Saint John's Bible - the beginning of the Gospel of John

The Saint John’s Bible is divided into seven volumes and is two feet tall by three feet wide when open. The Bible is made of vellum, with 160 illuminations. The version of the Bible used is the New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSV-CE). A copy of the Bible has been presented to Pope Francis at the Vatican in several volumes, with the final volume being presented on 17 April 2015.

The following video gives a flavor of this incredible project.