Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

One of the great privileges of being associated with Mission San Juan Capistrano is, from time to time, baptizing infants in the venerable Serra Chapel.  Shortly after St. Junípero Serra founded this Mission on November 1, 1776, plans were laid for the construction of its first permanent place of worship. Even before the Chapel was completed, Fr. Serra holds the distinction of celebrating the first baptisms here at the Mission as early as 1778. When I was installed as Pastor of the Mission and the 34th successor to Serra, as part of the installation ceremony, Bishop Tod Brown, solemnly entrusted to me the first volume of the Baptismal registry of this Mission in which is inscribed, in Serra’s own handwriting, the names of those whom he first baptized. 

At the conclusion of the Gospel of St. Matthew, we hear the stirring mandate, given by the Lord himself to his apostles, to go and baptize in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  For nearly 2000 years, we Christians have been faithful to that mandate and have been privileged to lovingly hand on the faith from one generation to the next, through the Sacrament of Holy Baptism.

While we Catholics believe that the central Sacrament of the Lord’s enduring presence with his people is found in the Holy Eucharist, our access to the Holy Table and the food of eternity can only come through the life-giving waters of Baptism.

In today’s second reading from St. Paul’s letter to the Romans, we have an exquisitely beautiful meditation on this first sacrament of the Christian journey.  St. Paul reminds his hearers that in Baptism, you and I were plunged into the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus.  Through this sacramental moment, a radical transformation took place in our deepest identity – we became sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father, and brothers and sisters to Christ, His Son, and hence, brothers and sisters to one another.  No longer is the common expression, ‘blood is thicker than water’ applicable to us as Christians.  For, through the waters of Baptism, you and I are irrevocably bound to one another as members now, of God’s Holy and Beloved family.

To die and to rise with Christ in the waters of Baptism was powerfully conveyed in the structuring of Baptismal fonts or pools in the early church.  Invariably, they were positioned at the threshold of the church building and were literally pools of water where individuals would step down into the waters and be plunged completely, and then rise out of the waters, born again through the grace of this moment.

Archeological Museum in Sousse, Tunisia 

While Catholic theology over time developed an understanding that Baptism frees one from the original disorientation of our lives from God’s will and purpose – freedom FROM original sin – the grace of this Sacrament is far more a freedom FOR something.  It is a freedom for each one of us to live the life that we now bear as being ‘Christ-ed’ or ‘Christened.’  As the Baptized of the Lord, we are called and empowered by the grace of the Holy Spirit to be the prophetic voice of Christ in our families, society, nation and culture in which we live.  We are called to be the leaven of transformation to a world that is yearning to be freed from the power of darkness and despair by the bright promise and hope of the Good News of Christ.

No wonder, then, that as recipients of so great a gift, we should Forever sing the goodness of the Lord.

Saint Junípero Serra - the Great Evangelizer of California

In the Roman Catholic calendar of saints, July 1st in the United States is set aside as the memorial of St. Junípero Serra, the great Evangelizer of California.  On the occasion of his canonization, two years ago, by our Holy Father, Pope Francis, during his first pastoral visit to the United States, I was called upon to offer reflections on this great pioneer in the faith.  The following is the slightly edited transcript of my presentation, given at Mission San Juan Capistrano.

On this historic eve of the canonization of the founder of our beloved Mission San Juan Capistrano, it is a joy for me to offer these reflections on the Legacy of Fr. Serra. For all those associated with Mission San Juan, the visit of our Holy Father, Pope Francis, possesses special significance in light of the long anticipated canonization of our founder, Blessed Junipero Serra and Padre Presidente of the California missions.

As many of you know, Mission San Juan is the seventh of the nine missions that Fr. Serra himself founded. While all the 21 missions were under his governance as the Padre Presidente of the Alta California mission system, only nine were privileged to be founded by Serra himself, beginning with Mission San Diego de Alcalá, founded on July 16, 1769.  The ninth Mission, San Buenaventura was founded on March 31, 1782.  Our own beloved Mission was founded on the Solemnity of All Saints, November 1, 1776.

These reflections on the legacy of Fr. Serra, cannot be disengaged from the totality of his life.  And so, for that reason, these reflections are placed in the context of a brief overview to the life and ministry of Fr. Serra.  I will then explore briefly his road toward canonization, focusing on the often asked question: How does one become a ‘saint’ in the Catholic Church? Finally, I will conclude with a few personal comments on the ‘controversy’ that has surrounded his canonization.  Is Serra worthy of the title, saint?

Fr. Serra was born on the island of Majorca, off the eastern coast of Spain, on November 24, 1713.  At the early age of 17, he heard the call of the Lord to follow in his service and eventually joined the Alcanterine Franciscans, a reform movement in the order founded by St. Francis.  Within a relatively short time it was clear to Serra’s superiors that he was gifted with intellectual brilliance.  He went on to receive a doctorate in Sacred theology and was appointed to the Duns Scotus chair of Philosophy of the Lullian University in Palma.  Together with his academic prowess, his reputation was growing as an extremely engaging preacher and was sought after to give stirring parish mission retreats. 

Cathedral in Palma, Majorca

I share all of this with you to paint the picture that we have a young man whose career path in the church knew few limits.  He was one of the movers and shakers in his order at an early age.  Remaining in Majorca, he could easily have become Provincial or regional superior of his order.  But that was not meant to be. From his earliest days in religious life, Serra’s first love was simply to share the Gospel of Christ with others.  Serra lived during the heady times of continuing exploration and settlement in the New World.  Spain and her monarchs – designated as Los Reyes Catolicos – the Catholic monarchs – were laying claim to lands, to both enrich the Spanish treasury as well as claim new souls for Christ and the Gospel. Serra would eventually give up what undoubtedly would have been a brilliant career in the Church within the comforts of his homeland, to embrace the life of a missionary. 

In 1749, Serra and a group of his Franciscan companions landed in the port city of Vera Cruz to begin their Gospel adventure in the new world.  Walking most of the way to Mexico City, he first was assigned teaching duties in the College of San Fernando in Mexico City – until, at last, he was missioned to preach the Gospel to the indigenous people of central Mexico in the Missions in Sierra Gorda, in the present State of Querétaro.

Mission Nuestra Señora de la Luz de Tancoyol in the Sierra Gorda

God writes straight with crooked lines – with the suppression of the Jesuit order to the delight and complicity of the Spanish government – a vacuum was created in the missionary efforts in Baja California as well as the Southwestern portion of what would later become the United States.  Worried about incursions of the Russians from the North and the British from the East, Spain began its conquest of these lands and, as was their custom, would bring the ‘cross’ along with the ‘sword.’

Serra was now missioned first to the Missions in Baja California and then to what was known as Alta California where his legacy as the great evangelizer of California began.

He labored for the gospel some 14 years in his beloved Missions – confirming some 5309 neophytes, many of whom he had baptized himself.  Traveling mostly by foot, he was plagued with an ulcerated leg that nearly crippled him a number of times.  Yet, he would not be deterred in traversing the length of California ministering to and administrating the mission system that he established. On August 28, 1784, Serra died at his beloved Mission San Carlos Borromeo and was buried in the sanctuary floor.  Presidency of the Missions passed on to his colleague, Fr. Fermín Lasuén.

From Volume I of the archival Baptismal Registry of Mission San Juan Capistrano - 1778 - Serra's own Baptismal notation and signature - (c) Mission San Juan Capistrano

Before we examine Serra’s own road to sanctity, the question that continues to fascinate both Catholics and non-Catholics alike is simply:  How does one became a saint in the Catholic Church? What is a saint?  In Catholic theology, a saint quite simply is one who has tried to live a virtuous and good life here on earth and is now in heaven with the Lord.  In other words, there are countless unnamed and unknown saints in heaven and we honor them in a special way one day in the church calendar – November 1st – the Feast of All Saints – the day this mission was founded. However, there are some men and women in the history of the Catholic Church whose lives have been such outstanding examples of holiness and grace that they are set before the household of believers as exemplars, mentors and models of holiness and integrity.  These are the men and women who upon their death have spontaneously attracted the attention of others for their goodness and devotion has been given to them.  In time and after careful study of their lives by the Church they have formally been declared saints. The agency within the organizational structure of the Catholic Church that does this scrutiny or investigation is called the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.  It is part of what is called the Curia of the Catholic Church.

Over the centuries there have been various reforms in the process whereby one is formally declared a saint – the most recent reform having taken place in 1983 under the pontificate Pope St. John Paul II. At this point, it is important to note that canonization does not mean that an individual lived a perfect or sinless life.  Rather, it means that one so heroically and demonstrably lived the life of faith, hope and love that their life became a powerful witness of the goodness of Christ himself to the world.  Sin and evil never had the final say in their lives but rather the grace and love of God ultimately triumphed in the unfolding of their lives.

There are various stages leading to eventual canonization:

i)      After submission of a detailed spiritual biography of the individual in question, called the summarium, and if the Congregation finds the individual worthy of further investigation, they are given the title “Venerable”

ii)    Normally one miracle is required through the intercession of the person in question to be advanced to the next stage which is called “Blessed.”

iii)  A second miracle is required for one to advance to the final stage, that is, for canonization and formal ‘sainthood.’

iv)   These candidates for ‘Blessed’ and ‘Sainthood’ are moved through the process by advocates called postulators or vice postulators who prepare the extensive biographies for examination.  They also assist in bringing forward potential miracles to be scrutinized carefully by medical personnel.

v)     A much more detailed explanation of this process can be found in Kenneth Woodward’s fascinating study: Making Saints: How the Catholic Church Determines who becomes a saint, who doesn’t and Why.

When Father Serra died at the ago of 70 in 1784, he was mourned by friars and many of the Mission Indians, who referred to him for generations after his death at ‘el santo’ – the saint. However, it was not until 1934 that his cause was formally introduced to the Congregation by the Bishop of Monterey-Fresno. In 1941, the Vatican appointed a Vice Postulator for Serra’s cause who began the meticulous historical preparation of documentation required by the Holy See. He was assisted by the famous Franciscan historian, Fr. Maynard Geiger, the archivist for Old Mission Santa Barbara who prepared the 7500-page documentation that was submitted to Rome. It was presented to the Congregation in the summer of 1950 and finally in 1985 (Rome moves slowly!), Serra was declared ‘Venerable.’  Between 1985 and 1987, the Archdiocese of St. Louis, Missouri and the Theological and Medical Commissions of the Congregation of Saints in Rome investigated a reported miracle of Sr. Boniface attributed to Serra.  The result was that there was no medical explanation for the nun’s healing from lupus.  The Holy Father affirmed the miracle and on September 25, 1988 Serra was beatified by Pope St. John Paul II.

In the course of pursuing the second miracle, Pope Francis – the Pope of Surprises – in an impromptu press conference on his plane on returning from a pastoral visit to the Philippines – said that he was hoping to canonize Serra in the course of his pastoral visit to the US in September of that year.  This announcement caught everyone by surprise, including your's truly, who had just become the Rector emeritus of the Mission! What happened to the miracle?  Since the Pope is the supreme legislature in the Church and while he cannot change doctrine he certainly can change his own structures and traditional processes in the church. He dispensed from the second miracle through what is technically called ‘equipollent canonization’ stating that the decades of veneration given to this holy man warranted such a dispensation.

It comes as no surprise that the cause for Serra’s canonization had not been welcomed by all.  While I am not a trained historian but rather an avid student of history, I have tried to understand both sides of the arguments both in favor and against canonization.  While I would like to say that I am being absolutely objective, I am well aware that all of our perceptions can be colored by our own individual histories.  I am not a Native American and so the deeply felt perspectives and narratives that strongly objected to Serra’s canonization have not been my experience.  In the end, however, that critique must stand or fall based on the facts of his life and legacy.  And, in all candor, they are disputed by historians with those who supported and favored his canonization and those who did not.  With that in mind, I offer these personal reflections and perspectives:

The Church is canonizing the man, not the colonization enterprise that he was a part of.  It is indisputable that the Spanish conquest of the New World failed to respect the inherent dignity of the indigenous people of this land and was the catalyst for cultural genocide.  For this reason, the Holy Father asked forgiveness during a pastoral visit to Bolivia. where there may have been complicity on the part of the Church.

To judge the missionary techniques and methods of Serra, a man of the 18th century by 21st century standards is unfair.  There was indeed corporal punishment used with the neophytes who were kept in the safe confines of the missions. This was rooted in a paternalistic attitude exemplified by the Mission fathers who literally referred to these neophytes as ‘my child’ or ‘our children.’ This sequestration was done to protect the Indians from the Spanish soldiers who invariably abused and took advantage of the Indians.  Relative to the use of corporal punishment, I confess that I was at the receiving end of some (on very rare occasions) in the grammar school I attended!

Historically, Serra was an advocate for leniency on behalf of the Indians in a famous incident that involved an Indian uprising around San Diego Mission when both soldiers and padres were killed in the uprising.  Serra pleaded with officials that those responsible not be given capital punishment, otherwise, how would they ever come to understand the God of unfailing mercy and forgiveness.

Sadly, disease was introduced by those involved with the conquest of these lands.  Yet, my read of the historical evidence points to the preponderance of deaths occurring after the Serra period.  The systematic victimization of the Indian nations reached its zenith, not during the time of Serra but decades after, becoming particularly brutal during the early years of California statehood. In the recent historical research and new translation of hundreds of Serra’s letters done by the historians, Rose Marie Beebe and Robert Senkewicz, in their recent book, Junípero Serra: California, Indians, and the Transformation of a Missionary, it is clear that Serra’s sole motivation in life, the passion to which he left family and fame and the comforts of home, was simply to be a disciple of Christ and to share His good news with the people he was called to both serve and love.  He did this, not perfectly, but certainly heroically until his last breath. 

Padre Junípero Serra, the great evangelizer of California, was canonized on September 23, 2015, on the campus of the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., by Pope Francis.  The mission and ministry of this heroic and courageous man of the Gospel was finally recognized with the title of ‘saint.’  He truly was the apostle to California where the seeds of the Christian faith were planted here by him and his missionary colleagues.  Over the intervening years, those seeds have prospered.  From its relatively humble beginnings in 21 mission outposts, the Catholic Church in California has grown to 2 Archdioceses including the largest in the United States, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, and 10 Diocese.  Catholics make up over 32% of the population in the State.  The motto of Serra remains an insightful legacy for all people of Good Will as together we strive to be good stewards of the common good in our State.  Siempre Adelante – Nunca Atras – Always forward – never backwards.

The statue of St. Junípero Serra in the Great Retablo of Mission Basilica San Juan Capistrano

Solemnity of Sts. Peter & Paul

As war raged over Europe in the 1940's and the Nazis held virtually every Country in Europe in its tight grip of fear and terror, the city of Rome and its inhabitants were not spared this enslavement. The dictator, Mussolini, had entered into a war pact with Adolf Hitler and in time the Nazi storm troopers were marching down the via Appia into the Eternal City.

Pope Pius XII was keenly aware of the precarious situation that he and the Church faced in this dangerous situation. While Vatican City, of course, claimed neutrality and was narrowly freed from the terror of occupation forces within its hallowed precincts, nevertheless, the situation was precarious. The Holy Father through various diplomatic means attempted to provide safe shelter for members of the underground who were maintaining ties with the allies in their attempt to ultimately bring about the liberation of the city of Rome and all of Europe.

In the midst of incredible danger that was taking place “above ground”, there was another story - equally historic yet far more peaceful - taking place “below ground” - in fact directly under St. Peter’s Basilica. While the war raged on, Pius XII had ordered extensive excavations under the most well-known Church in all the world. Tradition has it that St. Peter’s Basilica, which in fact is the third Church to be built on this site, stands directly above the tomb of the prince of the Apostles and first bishop of Rome, St. Peter. The venerable story that has been passed down from one generation of Christians to the next is that St. Peter, having traveled to the center of the Roman Empire and having preached the Gospel of Christ, eventually died a martyrs’ death on Vatican Hill - crucified up side down - unworthy, as he said, to be crucified like his savior.

After the execution, his body was reverently taken down and buried in a small pagan cemetery not far from the place of his execution. Within a short time, his burial spot became a place of pilgrimage for early Christians who revered the man whose three fold denial of the Lord was transformed by his threefold profession of love which eventually would be a love unto death.

In order that undue suspicion would not be drawn to this place of veneration, a pagan altar was built above the tomb - to mislead the pagan authorities as to the real reason for the gathering of pilgrims to this holy spot. Yet, on a marble slab supporting the pagan altar, a devout pilgrim had inscribed a graffito in Greek helping pilgrims identify this spot as the tomb of St. Peter - It simply said, “Peter is here”!

And so, each day while Roman Jews were hiding for fear of their lives, and resistance fighters were gathering in secret, archeologists were quietly unearthing one of the most amazing and significant archeological finds of the 20th century right below the great Basilica. They eventually unearthed a city of the dead - a necropolis dating back to the time of the early Christians and St. Peter himself. They unearthed the tombstones and ancient burial chambers and then to their utter amazement, came upon a small pagan altar, intact, with a slab of stone nearby covered with ancient graffiti. As scholars examined the stone, they found the words, “Peter is here”! Excavating around the site they discovered bones which later through forensic investigation would be determined to be those of man in late middle age, short in stature, dating to the time of St. Peter himself. This news was immediately brought to the Holy Father who visited the site himself and in prayer, knelt to venerate as Christians of old, this most venerable site directly below the high altar of St. Peter’s.

The remains of St. Peter in the Confessio beneath the High Altar in St. Peter's Basilica

Following the war, news of this amazing archeological find was gradually made known to the public at large. The ancient necropolis has been almost completely excavated. Blessed Paul VI ordered that the bones not be removed, but rather remain intact, in what undoubtedly was the original tomb, so that pilgrims might come and give honor to the one whose feast together with that of St. Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles, we remember and celebrate today.

Tomb of St. Paul, Apostle to the Gentiles, in the Basilica of St. Paul outside the Walls

To this day, the Feast that gathers us in celebration this day remains a holiday in the city of Rome. St. Paul, who also journeyed to Rome, was slain by the sword and buried outside the walls of the city of Rome.

While the history of this feast and the archaeology that surrounds it may fascinate us, we remember today not just interesting facts of history, but a profound theological truth. When the Lord Jesus ascended into heaven, he promised his followers that he would not leave us orphaned. He promised that He would remain with us always. Through the missionary zeal of those who have followed in the footsteps of St. Paul, and in the office of the one we call the successor to St. Peter, the universal Pastor of the Church, the Bishop of Rome - Peter and Paul remain with us still.

Statue of St. Peter - 5th cent. - St. Peter's Basilica

As a Church which is One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic, our roots are sunk deeply into a 2000 year heritage of belief. Yet, that belief while ever ancient, remains ever new. The heroes of our faith are not the dry and lifeless bones of the past, but the living and breathing flesh and blood of those men and women who join their response to that of Peter when asked by the Lord, “Do you love me?” - May we respond with them, now and always, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” To which, Jesus responds, “Then feed and tend my sheep”. May we do so with courage and gratitude for all those who have gone before us in faith.

New Decree from the Bishop of Springfield, IL: Pastors must deny funerals to Catholics in Same-Gender Marriages

There is a certain amount of pastoral wisdom that is gained by my 43 years as a priest – a few of which as a monsignor, no less!  I’ve learned that invariably, Catholics are either gained or lost at Baptisms, Weddings or Funerals!  A beautiful, gracious and welcoming celebration of one or the other of these significant sacramental moments have garnered such comments as, “Father, I was so moved by the beauty and prayerfulness of this celebration, I might just consider coming back to mass!”  Or, “Father, I’m not Catholic, but I felt so included in this special moment for my friends.  How can I find out more about the Catholic Church?”  Sadly, through the years, I have also heard such painful stories and comments such as, “It was clear that Father didn’t want to be at the Baptism.  He rushed through it as if he wanted to be anyplace else but in that Church!” Or, “Father didn’t even get the names right.  He was a robot, totally disengaged from any human feeling.”  The most painful comment, however, that a priest can ever hear is one that goes like this, “My father was dying.  He hadn’t been to Church in years but we knew that deep in his heart, he loved the Lord and was connected to the Church in his own way.  I called for a priest and his first question was, ‘Are you registered in the parish?’  When we said, we weren’t, he said that he wouldn’t come. That was the last time we had any contact with the Catholic Church.”

It is within this context that I painfully read the news of the recent Decree from the Bishop of Springfield, Il.  When one reads such an astonishingly heartless and cruel judicial directive, any priest with an ounce of human compassion, let alone, pastoral sensitivity, is left breathless and rightfully, angry.  Now, I want to be clear.  The received teaching of the Church regarding what constitutes marriage is unambiguous.  One need only refer to the Catechism of the Catholic Church in reference to what it is that we believe about marriage. I certainly am not questioning this reality of our church teaching.  What I am questioning is the pastoral propriety to exclude Catholics from the sacramental presence of the church at some of the most vulnerable and difficult moments in life’s journey - at death.

Pope Francis has set an inspiring model for all priests and bishops, when he spoke of the analogy of the Church as a ‘field hospital.’  For, we are about reaching out and building bridges of mercy and compassion for all God’s people, but with particular love and care for those on the margins of Catholic belief and practice - those who are wounded and broken.  That’s what a good shepherd does.  He reaches out to embrace the lost sheep – not with words of condemnation or exclusion, words of self-righteous judgement – but rather with words of affirming encouragement that is befitting the inherent dignity of any child of God.

The moral credibility of the Catholic Church was understandingly devastated by the recent sexual abuse crisis.  Its lingering effects continue to hang as a dark cloud over the leadership of the church.  Pope Francis has done a great deal to begin rebuilding an image of the Church by humbly acknowledging our own brokenness, while endeavoring to show a Church willing to ‘accompany’ all those who are reaching out for the mercy of God – even those who are on the margins of Catholic belief and practice.  We are all in need of the Lord’s mercy, and “Who are we to judge” the inner heart of our sister or brother?

When a bishop issues a statement such as the one recently promulgated in Springfield, he does an immense disservice to his brother bishops, many of whom, like Cardinal Tobin of Newark, are attempting to right centuries of harm to and exclusion of the LGBT community, not, of course, by changing church teaching but, more importantly, by changing and transforming a ‘tone’ – from exclusion to inclusion, from ‘you need not apply’ to ‘all are welcome at this Table, from you are ‘defective’ to you are a beloved daughter and son of God.

All the law degrees in the world, both canon and civil, are no substitute for a shepherd’s discerning heart that is always more concerned about binding up wounds for healing rather than banishment from the fold.

In this day and age when the term ‘cafeteria’ Catholic is vogue, referring to the penchant of picking and choosing what beliefs we want to follow, perhaps Fr. James Martin, SJ, said it best in his Facebook comments regarding this recent decree:

If bishops ban members of same-sex marriages from receiving a Catholic funeral, they also have to be consistent. They must also ban divorced and remarried Catholics who have not received annulments; women who have, or men who father, a child out of wedlock; members of straight couples who are living together before marriage; and anyone using birth control. For those are all against church teaching as well. Moreover, they must ban anyone who does not care for the poor, or care for the environment, and anyone who supports torture, for those are church teachings too. More basically, they must ban people who are not loving, not forgiving and not merciful, for these represent the teachings of Jesus Christ, the most fundamental of all church teachings. To focus only on LGBT people, without a similar focus on the moral and sexual behavior of straight people is, in the words of the Catechism, a "sign of unjust discrimination" (2358).

12th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Reflection

Years ago, Stanley Coopersmith of the University of California became curious about why some people succeed, while others with equal talents and opportunities fail.  To answer his question, he studied 1,700 students for six years, following them through the key growth years.  Coopersmith's findings are remarkable.  They show that the most important factor contributing to success or failure is a person's self image.  A person with a positive self-image is apt to succeed.  A person with a negative self-image is apt to fail.

In other words, if we perceive ourselves to be valuable or lovable, we will probably succeed in what we do.  But if we do not perceive ourselves to be valuable or lovable, we will probably fail. 

But the effect of our self-image extends even beyond this.  Psychologists now tell us that our self-image holds the key to success not only as professional people but also as Christians.  How is this so?  Our success as Christians is measured by our ability to love God and our neighbor.  Studies show that people with a positive self-image are far more capable of loving God and neighbor than are people with a negative self image.   The reason for this should be obvious.  For love is nothing less than to see ourselves as a gift given to another person.  If we don't think we are valuable or lovable we won't be able to give ourselves as a gift to another person.  No one gives junk to another person, especially to someone he or she respects or admires.

A critical question, however, remains.  How do we develop our self-image?  Where do we pick up the idea that we are valuable or lovable?  The answer should be obvious.  We pick up this idea from other people, especially those closest to us, like our family and friends.  No wonder then that the role of parent, to be father or mother is so important in our world today.  Parents hold the unique privilege of being the first to shape the identity of their children; to help them come to know and accept their goodness and lovableness through the tender care, the challenging guidance and the forgiving love which they show to their sons and daughters. 

As Christians, we believe that God is the ultimate loving parent in our lives.  With the love of a father and mother, our identities are shaped by God's abiding and caring love.  Today's gospel speaks an important message to us.  It says that we are valuable and lovable.  For, God himself has told us so.  It is up to us to speak this same message of love to one another, especially the young.  Their future well-being, not only in this world but also in the world to come, depends on it.

Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ

Probably one of the most celebrated depictions of the Last Supper is that painted by the great Florentine artist, Leonardo da Vinci.  As a small child, I remember vividly receiving a Holy Card in the second grade from Sr. Dorothy Ann, which had this famous picture of the Lord seated at table with his apostles on the night before he died. 

Art Historians tell us that from 1495 to 1497 Leonardo labored on this masterpiece that was painted as a mural to grace the wall of the refectory, or dining room, of the Monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan.  Unfortunately, his experimental use of oil on dry plaster - on what was the thin outer wall of a space designed for serving food, was technically unsound, and by 1500 its deterioration had begun.  Since 1726 attempts have been made, unsuccessfully, to restore this magnificent treasure of Renaissance art.  A concerted restoration and conservation program, making use of the latest technology, was begun in 1977 and is reversing some of the damage.  Although much of the original surface is gone, the majesty of the composition and the penetrating characterization of the figures give a fleeting vision of its vanished splendor.  That restoration is now completed and those who have seen the newly restored Last Supper are astounded by it’s luminous quality with details appearing that have not been seen for centuries – details that have led to some incredible flights on fantasy on the part of the author Dan Brown in his book of some years ago, the DaVinci Code!

Leonardo was undoubtedly inspired to paint the Last Supper because of his own keen awareness of how important this central event was and is in the life of every Catholic Christian.  The greatest legacy given to us by the Lord is the gift of the Holy Eucharist.  Paul writing to the early Christian community at Corinth speaks of the radical unity that is ours as brothers and sisters in Christ who share this one bread and one cup.  Many though we are, when we eat this bread and drink this cup an intimate union - a divine communion - is forged between the Lord and each one of us who share this sacred meal.    It is this Tradition that has both anchored and shaped our identity as Catholic Christians.  It is the Eucharist that makes the Church.

It is the perennial teaching of the Church that in the Holy Eucharist, the Lord Jesus is truly present, body and blood, soul and divinity under the sacramental forms of bread and wine. In the power of the Holy Spirit and through the great prayer of remembrance in which the Lord's own words on the night before he died are spoken, the great transformation takes place.  The deepest reality of what may continue to look like bread and wine, has been transformed into the deepest reality of the Risen Lord himself, as food and personal communion for our journey in faith.

Recent surveys, of American Catholics however point to an alarming trend regarding Catholic belief in the Eucharist.   A growing number of Catholics of all ages, no longer hold to teaching of the Church in regard to the Holy Eucharist.  Many see the Lord's presence in the Eucharistic elements only in a "symbolic" or personal and spiritual way.  It is as if- like the great painting of da Vinci, in the consciousness of many Catholics today, the integrity of Catholic belief in the Holy Eucharist is fading with its distinct features becoming blurred and compromised.  Perhaps in a subtle way this diminished belief is reflected in the growing and unsettling trend particularly among our youth of failing to reverence this Holy Presence in Church through the venerable custom of genuflecting or bowing in humility on entering this Holy Place. 

Each year, the Church sets aside one Sunday to once again call to mind the foundational and central place the Holy Eucharist has in our lives as Catholics.  On this Feast of the Body and Blood of the Lord, we are reminded of the Lord's continuing desire to feed our deepest hungers - for unconditional love, forgiveness and inner healing - with the food of his life poured out in love for you and for me. 

Deep and abiding understanding and love for the Holy Eucharist must begin and be fostered in our Catholic families.  It is here in the most practical way that what was "handed down" to us by our ancestors in the faith, is now "handed on" to a new generation of Catholics.  If the commitment and reverence to this Sacrament of the Lord's loving and abiding presence is not central to lives of those of you who are privileged to exercise the vocation of parent, it will never become the heart and center of faith for your sons and daughters.

I am the living bread from heaven, says the Lord; if anyone eats this bread will live forever.  Each Eucharist provides an invitation to once again profess our belief in this wondrous gift.  May the "Amen" we speak as we receive the Eucharist in communion this day, truly reflect the conviction of our heart, "So be it, I believe".

O Sacrum Convivium - Thomas Tallis

O sacred banquet, 
in which Christ is received, 
the memory of His Passion is renewed, 
the mind is filled with grace, 
and a pledge of future glory is given us. 
Alleluia.

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.

Click images to activate slideshow:

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.