Sunday Reflection - Gifts to be given

A man walked into a bar and saw an old friend nursing a drink and looking very despondent.  “You look terrible,” he said.  “Well, I am,” replied the friend.  “My mother died in April – and left me $ 50,000.  then in May my father died.  He left me $ 100,000.  “Gee, that’s tough, losing both parents in just two months.”  “Well, to top it off, my favorite aunt died last month, and left me $ 50,000.  “How sad!” “Tell me about it,” the friend continued.  “So far thismonth, nothing!” 

My sisters and brothers, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be.” My friends, a lot of folks put their hearts in really stupid places. Where’s our treasure?  Do we even know where we’ve invested our hearts?  That’s what Jesus is asking us in our Gospel today. It’s a crucial question, because our happiness and our very life depend on investing our hearts in the right place. 

Look at the man in the Gospel today.  His favorite words are “mine” and “more”.  He put his faith and all his hopes in piling up more and more for himself. It never occurred to him that it was all just on loan and would slip away before he knew it.  He never saw that the best part of having something is being able to share it and enjoy it with other.  He discovered too late that the real meaning of hell is sitting alone and looking back at a wasted life that left him with empty hands and an empty heart for all eternity. 

My brothers and sisters, God gave us life and talent and all the gifts of this wonderful world – to be enjoyed!  Don’t let anyone tell you differently.  But we only get the joy if we share the gifts – as God shares with us. Gifts given and shared are the only treasure we can carry into eternity, the only sure investments we can ever make. 

That tells us where we have to begin, with name our gifts – all of them. Tragically, many of us don’t even see half of them.  So many gifts of mind and heart in each one of us:  Perhaps the gift to make music, to comfort, to excite; the gift to imagine, to create, to organize, and to make things happen; the gift to laugh, to feed, to heal, to build, to make new; the gift to be strong, to carry heavy things, to endure; the gift to see, to be wise, to speak out, to be silent; and always, the gift to love.  So many good gifts: All needed by others, and all needing to be given.

Sunday Reflection - To welcome the other like Christ

One of the spiritual touchstones for me in my life is a Benedictine Abbey out in the High Desert not far from Palmdale.  It’s called St. Andrew’s Abbey situated in the small town of Valyermo.  Perhaps some of you have visited this wonderful spiritual oasis.  I first visited St. Andrew’s when I was in High School and was immediately touched by its serenity.  No wonder that on entering the gates of the Abbey there is the now famous sign that reads, “No hunting, except for peace!” 

The Benedictine order of monks and their sister congregations for religious women were founded by St. Benedict who lived in the 6thcentury.  He is given the name, ‘the Father of Western monasticism’ because of the foundational ‘rule’ or ‘way’ of life that he wrote that regulated the life of monks within the monastery.  The ‘rule of St. Benedict’ is known for its practicality as a school for spiritual growth for those who embrace the life of poverty, chastity and obedience together with stability to a monastic community.  Benedictine monks live their spirituality and love for the Lord within a community, dedicated to their motto, ora et labora – work and prayer. 

In the Rule of St. Benedict is found the beautiful admonition that, all guests are to be welcomed as Christ. If you have ever been a guest on retreat or simply a visit to any Benedictine monastery I’m confident that you have experienced this extraordinary hospitality.  From the welcome given to visitors, to the gracious though simple accommodations in their guest houses, to their legendary food – all of these elements are part of their profound commitment to welcome all guests like Christ. By the way, some of the best beer I ever drank was made in some of these legendary abbeys in Europe! 

The virtue of ‘hospitality’ is a theme that can be found in our scriptures today.  Abraham in the Book of Genesis extends the traditional hospitality that is so characteristic of Semitic peoples as he welcomes the strangers who visit him. Those strangers were messengers – angels - from God who brought with them both a blessing and promise for Abraham, his wife and their descendants.  Because of their gracious welcome to these strangers, Abraham’s life would be changed forever as he would become ‘the father of many nations.’ 

Our Gospel story is the familiar visit of Jesus to the home of his good friends, Martha, Mary and Lazarus.  While this story has traditionally been interpreted as the interrelationship between a spirituality of action and contemplation, the broader and perhaps more profound message is the important theme of hospitality that this family extended to Jesus.  Jesus, the itinerant rabbi who at times had no place to lay his head, found a home with Martha, Mary and Lazarus. 

To welcome all guests like Christ - my friends, what a difference our world would be if we took to heart this simple admonition. These past weeks we have sadly witnessed what happens to communities in our society and culture that are imprisoned by fear and suspicion of the other.  Mistrust can so easily breed contempt.  So much of the historic racial tension in our country and around the world is rooted in a failure to recognize the common humanity and dignity that is inherent in the sons and daughters of God.   A common humanity and dignity that transcends geographical boundaries to bind us all as members of God’s family. 

As we drink deeply of the grace of this moment, as we gather as a family of faith around this common table of blessing, may that virtue of hospitality grow ever stronger in our hearts and in our lives.  What a difference our world would be indeed if we welcomed all in our lives like Christ!

Reflections on the Dedication of Christ Cathedral

 Within the liturgical calendar of the Catholic Church, the Dedication of a Church building holds a privileged place as a solemnity that virtually trumps all other celebrations. So important is such a festival that it is anticipated the night before with the celebration of Evening Prayer or ‘first’ Vespers together with Evening Prayer on the Solemnity itself, as well as the singing of the great anthem of Praise and Thanksgiving, the Te Deum, during the Office of Readings or Vigils.  And so it was for the celebration of not only a new church building in the Diocese of Orange but a new liturgical mother Church, a new Cathedral. 

With the anticipated completion of the long-awaited remodel and repurposing of the former Crystal ‘Cathedral’ in Garden Grove made famous by the televangelist, Dr. Robert Schuller, planning began almost a year ago for the solemn liturgical rites that would mark and designate this building as an episcopal domus ecclesiae for God’s people in Orange. 

Under the able leadership of Lesa Truxaw, the Director of the Diocesan Office for Worship, various teams and committees were charged with the planning of various aspects of the dedication liturgies.  With the impeding publication of the second generation ICEL translation of the liturgical text for the Rite for the Dedication of a Church, draft copies of this text were available as an assist in the development and shaping of the dedication liturgies.  Though less than poetic in its slavish and turgid translation of the Latin text, the committees looked to opening up the rich symbols that would bespeak the meaning of these rites over and beyond a written liturgical text. 

Lesa Truxaw

The committees were charged with shaping three principal liturgical moments in the rites of Dedication: Evening Prayer with the Relics of Martyrs and Extended Vigil; The Solemn Mass of Dedication and finally, an Evening Prayer of Thanksgiving, that would take place the following day.  Because of the sophisticated video capabilities of the new Cathedral, the full Dedication Mass can be found below::

In this specific post, I would like to focus my attention primarily on the Solemn Mass of Dedication. This liturgy reflects the rich centuries-old traditions that surround the hallowing and consecration of a building for a sacred purpose.  As the ‘house of the Church’ which is the Body of Christ, the rites are replete with liturgical analogies to Baptism, with its use of water and anointings with sacred chrism.   

For those who were fortunate to be among the 2100 guests, including some 60 Bishops and nearly 300 priests, it was anything but a hurried affair at nearly 4 hours!  The liturgy unfolded graciously in an unhurried and deliberate fashion so that each of the myriad of symbols that shape this ancient rite spoke with dignity and clarity. 

While the Rite calls for the assembly of the faithful to gather outside the new building, the ability to do this with 1600 lay faithful was logistically impossible in the Southern California summer heat.  Only the clergy were gathered outside for the initial rites at the threshold of the principal doors of the Cathedral. 

Scott Johnson, Architect

The beginning rites call for the handing over of the plans of the new Cathedral to the Bishop by the architect together with acknowledgement of the good work and generosity of God’s people that have made such an historic endeavor possible.  The representative of the Papal Nuncio, read the canonical brief that formally designated Christ Cathedral as the new Cathedral for the Diocese, replacing Holy Family that held this distinction since the inception of the Diocese in June of 1976. These rites concluded with the Cathedral Rector, Fr. Christopher Smith, who grew up in the shadow of the former Crystal Cathedral, opening the Festive Doors for the first time.  The bronze doors, embellished with a magnificent bas-relief of the Creation and The Fall, pivot on a central axis, permitting passage on both sides. As the clergy entered in to the Narthex, they were greeted with the second iconographic bronze bas-relief of the Heavenly Paradise with the Lamb of God surrounded by the Cloud of Witnesses, the saints, of particular significance to the people of the Diocese of Orange, i.e., North American Saints, Saint Junipero Serra, Pope Sts. John XXIII, Paul VI, John Paul II. 

As the trumpets announced the formal procession of the clergy into the Cathedral for the first time, we prepared for the first major ritualization of the Rite of Dedication, the lustration or sprinkling of the Altar, walls and people with Holy Water. Ancillary ministers assisted the Bishop in the Rite of Sprinkling into the balconies of the Cathedral so that all were incorporated into this rite. 

All the music for the Dedication liturgies was coordinated and selected by Dr. John Romeri, Director of Music Ministries for Christ Cathedral, working with his team.  In a Diocese where four language are commonly used liturgically, English, Spanish, Vietnamese and Korean, the commissioning of special service music for the Dedication liturgies took place months before. The unifying language of Latin was used in a special setting of the Ordinary, composed by Normand Gouin. A professionally produced CD of the Dedication Music can be purchased at the following site: http://christcathedralmusic.org/commemorative-dedication-cd/christ-cathedral-dedication-cd

Dr. John Romeri

The proclamation of the Word of God for the first time, was ritualized with a special blessing of the reader prior to the proclamation.  The ‘table of God’s Word’ or Ambo, is a prominent symbolic balance to the Table of the Eucharist, both crafted from marble quarried in Turkey and finished in Northern Italy. 

The homily for this historic occasion was given by both Bishop Vann and Fr. Christopher Smith, Rector and Episcopal Vicar for the Cathedral. 

Following the Homily, the Rite of Dedication proper began with the invocation of the saints in the litany.  Before any great sacramental moment, e.g., Baptisms, Ordinations and the Dedication of a Church, the great cloud of heavenly witnesses who triumph now around the throne of the Lamb, are called upon to be present for this great act of the Church. 

From the very earliest days of our existence, the role of Christian martyrs has played a prominent place in the lives of the faithful as exemplars of virtue and the triumph of the cross over death.  Following the litany, the relics of the martyrs and saints who were venerated in Vigil the night before, were now reverently placed in the precious reliquary that is positioned under the massive marble altar. 

Attention was now focused on one of the principal rituals in the Rite of Dedication, the Anointing of the Altar with perfumed oil or Sacred Chrism.  As Christ himself was anointed Priest, Prophet and King through his paschal journey through life, death and resurrection, and as Christians are so anointed or ‘Christed’ in their own baptism, so too, was this Altar, the symbol of the Sacrifice of Christ in our midst, anointed with Sacred Chrism.  The Anointing was preceded by the Prayer of Dedication that spoke of the many times in which oil was used as a sign of God’s consecrating presence in the Scriptures. 

Following the Anointing of the Altar, 12 sections of the Cathedral walls were additionally anointed with Chrism as a symbolic representation that the Church, the Body of Christ, is built upon the witness and legacy of the 12 apostles. 

Anointed with Sacred Chrism, the Altar is now a fitting place for the Sacraficium Laudis, the ‘sacrifice of praise’ to be celebrated upon it. As a dramatic symbol of this dignity, a brazier was place upon it and much incense was placed in it as a symbol of our prayers ascending to God above.  Together with the censing of the Holy Table, the walls of the Cathedral and the Holy People of God were also incensed reflecting the dignity that is ours to stand circum altare– around the table offering our sacrifice of praise to the Lord. 

Finally, the central rites of Dedication were brought to a close with the solemn lighting of the Altar and Dedication candles. All the candles including the custom Paschal Candle next to the Ambo were provided by Marklin Candle Design.  From the Holy Table the light of Christ breaks through the darkness of this world with his unfailing mercy and grace. 

All is now readied for the first Eucharist to be celebrated in this new House of the Church.  Gifts of bread and wine are brought forward and reverently placed on the Table as the Great Prayer of Thanksgiving was proclaimed for the first time in this place now hallowed for sacred purpose. 

The sacred vessels that are used in Christ Cathedral were specially commissioned by Talleres de Arte Granda in Madrid, Spain.  The element of proportionality in a space holding 2100 people with long sight-lines, particularly from the transept balconies, was of paramount importance in the crafting of the sacred vessels.  The Bishop’s chalice is of monumental proportion so that it can be seen clearly from the furthest parts of the Cathedral. 

It was important that the fullness of the Eucharistic sacramental sign of ‘taking and eating’ and ‘taking and drinking’ were celebrated in the Dedication Mass in the Diocese where Eucharist under both the sacramental signs of bread and wine is normative.  

As the Communion Rite came to a close, the Eucharist remaining was reverently taken for the first time to the Tabernacle in the Eucharistic Chapel to the East side of the Cathedral. The exquisite enameled Tabernacle by the renowned 20th century German liturgical artist, Egino Weinert, received the Eucharistic Lord for the first time and will now enshrine the sacramental presence perpetually so that it can be taken to the sick and homebound as well as be a place for private prayer and adoration. 

With Altar and walls now blessed and anointed, with the Eucharist having been celebrated, the assembly was now dismissed to ‘be what we have celebrated.’ (St. Augustine) 

From Crystal to Christ - A Guide to the Nation's newest Cathedral

Behind the building of any great Cathedral there is inevitably a story.  Perhaps not all of them are as creatively intriguing as the one that stands behind the famous novel of some years ago by Ken Follett, Pillars of the Earth, nevertheless, virtually all reflect the story of the creative interplay between faith and imagination, as well as art and architecture, as we attempt to fashion something beautiful in the service of word and worship. 

I would like to tell the story that has recently been completed in how the Diocese of Orange has planned, shaped and designed a new Cathedral in light of its relatively recent acquisition of the former Crystal Cathedral and its extensive 35-acre property in Garden Grove, California, into Christ Cathedral. 

The campus that is now the heart and center of the 42-year-old Diocese of Orange came about as a result of the acquisition, in 2011 of this 35-acre site of the former Crystal Cathedral site in the heart of Orange County.  Why? Sadly, with the bankruptcy and relocation of the once phenomenally successful ministry of the televangelist, Rev. Dr. Robert Schuller, of the Reformed Church of America, the site went up for sale.  The Diocese acquired it for a little over 57 million dollars.   

On this premier piece of real estate, Dr. Schuller over the nearly 50 years of his ministry, secured three of America’s iconic architects of the 20th century to design not only places for worship but also a strikingly beautiful welcome center.   

Richard Neutra designed the first sanctuary or arboretum together with the Tower of Hope between 1961 and 1968.  In 1980, the new sanctuary called the “Crystal Cathedral” by Philip Johnson was dedicated. 

The final major structure to grace this property was the 57,000 sq. ft., five level Visitors Center designed by Richard Meyer, completed in 2003.

Shortly after the acquisition of the property and its buildings by the Diocese of Orange, visioning began for the eventual transformation of the Philip Johnson structure that would become the new Cathedral for the local Church.   

Simultaneous to this visioning, it was necessary to restore the original arboretum sanctuary by Neutra to accommodate the pre-existing, 5000 household St. Callistus parish community that had moved from a nearby location to now form the nucleus of the new Christ Cathedral parish community. The restoration of this beautiful structure to its original pristine form has garnered multiple architectural awards for its sensitive and careful desire to return the structure to its classic Neutra design.

The work on transforming and repurposing the Philip Johnson structure began in earnest in 2012 with the hiring of Br. William Woeger, a Christian Brother and Director of the Office of Worship in Omaha, to function as the principal liturgical consultant on the project.  Bringing with him over 40 years of experience in liturgical design and Cathedral renovation, Br. William worked closely with the newly formed Architecture and Renovation Committee for Cathedral design in eventually assisting in securing two Los Angeles based architectural firms, Johnson Fain and Rios, Clementi, Hale.  With the architects in place, they and their teams now became actively engaged in the synergistic process that brought together sacramental theologians, liturgists, artists, architects and designers to eventually bring about the transformation of this site from Crystal to Christ Cathedral.  

The challenges we faced in repurposing this structure were innumerable:

·      Respect for the architectural lines and genius of Johnson’s original structure

·      Moving from a Word centered space geared toward televangelism and an entertainment model of worship to

·      A place of sacramentality, were the traditional ritual interplay between the centrality of the Eucharistic Table, the Proclamation from the Table of the Word, and the episcopal presidency of the one at the cathedra would now take center stage.

·      The judicious integration of sacred iconography within a space that was visually opened completely to the outside environment

·      Taming hostile temperature variances that in the summer could range from 80 degrees at the floor level to 110 degrees in the upper sections of the Cathedral

·      Restoration of one of the great pipe organs of the world that had experienced 30 years of these temperature fluctuations.

·      Creating a ritual, liturgical and architectural ‘center’ for the Cathedral building itself in a campus that incrementally grew somewhat topsy-turvy over the years, without a specific focus. 

These and countless other ‘surprises’ were the ‘stuff’ of the monthly meetings of our team as our discussions and visioning led to preliminary designs, concepts and approaches.  These were then further refined and discussed in subcommittees, leading eventually to the completed design concept that is now in place, the fruit of a year and a half birthing process.  The process itself became a transformative experience for liturgists coming to know more of the dynamics of architecture and architects and designers coming to understand the place of sacrament and symbol in the shaping of a House for the Church. 

In her recently published book, St. John’s Abbey Church: Marcel Breuer and the Creation of a Modern Sacred Space, Victoria Young tells the story of the planning and building of this architecturally significant contemporary church structure in Collegeville, Minnesota.  

It was the positioning and orientation of the Table of Sacrifice that orchestrated the eventual positioning of all the other symbols for worship.  So it was for Christ Cathedral.  After reviewing a number of different orientations for the Altar it was initially strongly felt that the Catholicity of this unique project of transformation called for the positioning of the Table of Sacrifice within the axis mundi of the Johnson structure.  

This initial conceptualization, clustered the assembly in antiphonal seating to its right and left and positioning the ambo at one end of the centrally raised predella and the cathedra at the other end – the three primary symbols would now be liturgically, ritually and visually at the center of the structure with a seating capacity of 2100.

 While this design had its liturgical precedents within primarily monastic communities, it was subsequently wisely felt that such a ‘radical’ design would be too disengaged from the ordinary worship experience of the faithful in the parishes of the Diocese.  Hence, at the behest of the Bishop of the Diocese, a slight modification was made in this original orientation, moving the Altar slightly back creating a more fan-like seating arrangement for the assembly with the Ambo off to the right side of the worship area.

To underscore the permanence of these central symbolic elements of Altar, Ambo and Cathedra, they would be crafted in travertine marble quarried from Turkey and finished in Italy.   

Under the altar we have enshrined a reliquary house, ornamented in semi-precious cabochon stones that holds the relics of martyrs, specifically, the North American, Vietnamese, Korean and Mexican martyrs that have a special place in the hearts of the culturally diverse faithful of the Diocese. To acknowledge the proto-evangelizer of Orange County, a relic of St. Junipero Serra, founder of the historic mother church of the Diocese, Mission San Juan Capistrano (1776), will also be housed in the reliquary.   

To give visual focus to the table in an expanse that is over 100 ft high, is a suspended baldachino, leafed in antique platinum with an oculus opening to the sky.   

From the oculus is suspended the crux gemmata, in polished bronze and ornamented in semi-precious stones of lapis lazuli, carnelian, malachite, polished quartz crystal, with a large corpus in bleached wood in the Beuronese style reminiscent of the late 19th century.  Capturing the Johannine theme of Christ enthroned in glory on the triumphant cross of victory, the head of Christ is surmounted by a precious crown.

Sanctuary Appointments 

Great care was taken in the design and crafting of the sanctuary appointments, beginning with the principal symbols of altar, ambo and cathedra.  Because of the distant sight-lines from the twin transept balconies, appropriate proportion was of paramount importance.  It is for that reason that the marble altar is crafted in a generous 8’ square. As the Table of the Word, the ambo is equally generously proportioned.  Reminiscent of many of the ancient Basilicas, a permanent paschal candle stand, crafted in matching marble and ornamented in semi-precious stones is positioned next to the ambo.   

Post-conciliar liturgical directives clearly state that the cathedra should avoid any reminiscence of an imperial throne but rather should in noble simplicity be the place where the shepherd-servant presides over Word and Sacrament.  The designers integrated the simple cathedra into a ‘presbyterium’ bench, with the episcopal coat of arms of the bishop demarking his chair. 

Finally, the four altar candle holders are of similar substantial proportion and are positioned in such a way as to highlight the holy table.

The ritual of Dedication specifies that 12 (or 4) candles grace the walls of the dedicated church to mark the place of chrismal anointing. The designers choose 12 hanging lamps that surround the interior wall of the cathedral, symbolizing the 12 apostles to mark the places of anointing.

Iconography, Sacred Vessels and Vesture 

In transitioning from a primarily Word centered worship space to a highly liturgically oriented place of sacramentality within the Catholic Tradition, the place of sacred imagery together with all the other areas enriching the Catholic liturgy, i.e., sanctuary furnishings, sacred vessels and vesture, took on pivotal importance in the repurposing of the Philip Johnson structure. 

The newly established Sacred Arts Committee reviewed artistic submissions by a number of potential liturgical artists as a plan was developed for the use of sacred imagery within the Cathedral.  The Committee commissioned Pablo Eduardo, a native Bolivian, for the majority of the artistic enhancement within the Cathedral. 

Pablo Eduardo

Eduardo was commissioned to craft the four primary images in bronze of the “Manifestations of the Divinity of Christ” surmounted on the encircling walls of the Cathedral.  Drawn from Gospels, the images are:  The Epiphany, The Baptism of the Lord, The Wedding Feast in Cana and The Transfiguration.  These images will be installed later in the year.

Baptism of the Lord by Pablo Eduardo

Together with the Manifestations, Eduardo crafted the 14 Stations of the Cross as well as the bronze bas-reliefs that will be on the primary Festive doors of the Cathedral and on the interior Narthex wall.   

Festal Doors - Expulsion from Paradise by Pablo Eduardo

As the doors pivot open, the interior narthex wall hold an additional bronze low-relief sculpture depicting the Communion of Saints before the Lamb of God. 

The monumental tapestry of the titular image of Christ, Lord of Creation, designed by Br. Martin Erspamer, O.S.B., is hung in the interior of the Cathedral to the right of the sanctuary area.  Its bright colors create an iconic focal point to the otherwise monochromatic colors within the Cathedral interior. 

Christ seated in Glory by Martin Erspamer, O.S.B.

Image of Our Lady of Guadalupe 

With the establishment of the Diocese of Orange in 1976, the founding Bishop, William Johnson, petitioned the Holy See to name the Diocese under the patronage of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Since that time, the venerable image of Our Lady under this important title has had a prominent place in virtually every parish in the Diocese.  It is only fitting that in Christ Cathedral her image would have a prominent place. 

Enshrined on the opposite side of the Narthex wall and among the assembly facing the Table of Sacrifice, Mary, the first Christian and Empress of the Americas, will have a place of appropriate prominence in the Cathedral Church. 

Crafted in exquisite mosaic by the internationally renowned Italian artist, Valerio Lenarduzzi, with ample area for the veneration of the faithful, the image of the Mother of God takes its place among the images of the holy ones in the House of the Church.

In order to maintain artistic continuity and excellence with the Cathedral’s contemporary design, sacred vessels were commissioned and designed by Talleres de Arte Granda in Spain to complement the liturgical action at the Holy Table.  Crafted in hammered and highly polished silver and embellished with cabochon semi-precious stones, the episcopal chalice together with communion chalices and ciboria as well as a unique and highly creative design for the Cathedral monstrance and it’s baldachino, bring dignity and beauty to the life of worship in the Cathedral. 

Sacred Vessels

Presentation ciborium

Reservation Ciborium

Custom monstrance for Christ Cathedral

Monstrance with monumental baldacchino

Finally, the Committee commissioned The Holy Rood Guild in Spencer, Massachusetts, to design and craft the sacred vesture to compliment the liturgical celebrations for all seasons in the Cathedral.  A special design in white for the Bishop, Deacons, principal concelebrants and 200 presbyteral concelebrants was commissioned and gifted to bring dignity to major diocesan celebrations.

Blessed Sacrament Chapel and Tabernacle

To the East of the assembly area will be the Chapel of Eucharistic Reservation.  The Tabernacle or Sacrament tower, is by the 20th century German enamelist, Egino Weinert, positioned on a pedestal of bronze that depicts images from the Gospels.

The following video gives a more detailed explanation of the Weinert Tabernacle and its meaning within Christ Cathedral. The video was produced prior to the repositioning of the Sacrament Chapel to the East of the Cathedral proper.

Universal Quatrefoil System

In order to address the multiple challenges of the glass space frame historically inherent with the Johnson structure, an interior “second skin” for the new Christ Cathedral is constructed, comprising of what is referred to as a universal quatrefoil system.  Four-part triangular translucent “petals” have been designed to cover the entire interior of the existing space frame addressing an array of challenges which the existing building posed for both environmental comfort and the gracious celebration of the Liturgy.  Some of the issues in question were: 

   Solar heat: the petals deflect solar heat gain back into the environment rather than into the interior.

   Glare: the translucent panels will diminish the amount of direct natural light into the sanctuary.

   Natural ventilation:  the space between the panels and the space frame forms a ventilation flue.

   Acoustics: the petals are oriented in multiple directions, reflecting and dispersing sound.

   Night illumination:  In combination with artificial light, the surfaces of the petals will provide uniform lighting.

   Integration: the petals will diffuse interior light throughout the entire sanctuary and diminish strong shadow lines currently falling on congregants and the sanctuary floor.

   Organ: the petals will act as a “sound cloud” for the reflection of organ music into the volume of the sanctuary. 

Within the square grid of each quatrefoil, the triangulated petals have been programmed to be variously closed, 15 degrees open, 30 degrees open and 45 degrees open.  The surface of the Cathedral has been digitally mapped to identify the location of the sun during all periods of the day throughout the year.  Where direct sun is deemed to be problematic due to glare, closed pedals are located while in areas where glare is not an issue, the pedals are designed to be in varying stages of openness.  These various conditions are then randomized to create a singular tapestry of white, translucent skin inside the glassy exterior shell of the building.  By balancing the light, all attention will be directed to the liturgical action at the altar, the supreme liturgical focus for Catholic worship.   It is the hope of the design team that this unique solution will be a joyful nexus of worship, art and science.  An added benefit will be a dramatic evening illumination of the Cathedral as seen from the Cathedral close.

In the undercroft there will be an ancillary chapel seating 250 as well as sacristies, choir rehearsal space, burial vault for the bishops of Orange as well as additional columbaria niches, restrooms and storage space will be located.  At the present time, the full realization of the undercroft area, specifically its chapel, will be part of Phase II of Cathedral construction. 

Baptistery

The Baptistery is structured in the traditional eight-sided manner. The sunken cruciform baptismal pool with three steps from the West, leading down into the water and three steps leading out into the East will be ornamented with a simple Chi-Rho design together with the Greek letters, “Alpha and Omega.”  The Holy Oils will be enshrined in this area as well as a catafalque for the placement of a coffin in vigil.  Emerging out of the baptistery into the Cathedral proper will be the Reconciliation rooms to highlight this sacrament as that of ‘second’ baptism. 

Cathedral Close

The renovated Cathedral will be surrounded by a completely redesigned plaza or “Cathedral close.”  Bordered by greenery and lush landscaping, this exterior threshold symbolically will create the beginning transition from the marketplace into the area of sacred space.  

Architectural exterior lighting and accommodation for sound will delineate areas for the blessing of the great Easter fire, devotional shrines as well as areas for quiet contemplation, gathering areas for meals and receptions together with accommodation for gatherings of over 5000 for outdoor celebrations. 

Restoration of the Hazel Wright Organ 

Shortly after the acquisition of the Crystal Cathedral property by the Diocese, representatives of the Fratelli Ruffatti organ company in Padua, Italy, met with Diocesan officials and consultants to assess the condition of one of the properties most valued musical assets, the Hazel Wright Memorial organ in the Philip Johnson Cathedral.  Originally installed in 1982, the instrument was the amalgam of several existing instruments augmented and consolidated by the Ruffatti company.  In its final configuration it comprised of 270 ranks with 16,061 pipes and is considered one of the ten largest pipe organs in the world. 

Since its installation in 1982 and due to exposure to the elements as well as temperature variations occasioned by the lack of temperature control in the cathedral, the instrument needed a thorough renovation as well as upgrades in digital technology that has experienced substantial advancements over the intervening years. 

The restoration took over 2 years with work being done both in Padua, Italy and locally.  Part of the restoration was the complete refurbishing of the original principal organ console as well as that of an ancillary console originally built by the Möeller organ company to be position in the south gallery.  

Bishop Vann at the Fratelli Rufatti factory in Padua, Italy

The reinstallation and voicing of the newly restored instrument which is presently underway, will take approximately one year, augmented by a number of digital ranks by the Walker organ company. 

The organ will be blessed and rededicated on May 15-16-17, 2020.  For complete details on the Hazel Wright Pipe Organ celebrations see ChristCathedralMusic.org.   

Primary console restored

Secondary console restored

Shrine to Our Lady of LaVang 

The Diocese of Orange is blessed with a large Vietnamese population many of whom settled in the County as refugees following the Fall of Saigon in 1975.  To honor their pivotal devotion to Our Lady of LaVang, a magnificent outdoor shrine in her honor will grace the Cathedral Close in the coming year.

Conclusion

Responding to the question, “What elements create sacred space?,” Duncan Stroik, the revivalist champion for classic church architecture, has stated that sacred buildings have verticality to emphasize the important dimension of transcendence, they have directionality, starting at one point and leading to another; they have solidity and stability, made out of fine materials that will last for centuries and finally they have iconography and sacred imagery that we can relate to, that tells a story that we can identify with. 

It is our hope that the dramatic verticality of this renovated structure will indeed raise our hearts and minds to the God who lives in unapproachable light yet dwells among us in bread broken and cup shared. From whatever threshold one enters, the clarity in directionality will bring one to the Table of Grace and blessing. While one may not think of glass as a material of solidity and stability, perhaps we need only think of Sainte Chapelle and its enduring beauty.   

And finally, images of the sacred and the holy help us to remember that in our places of worship, heaven is indeed wedded to earth.  

Sunday Reflection - Who is my neighbor?

God’s revealed word, from the first chapters of the Bible and continuing to the Christian scriptures, presents an ongoing reflection on the questions:  Who is my neighbor? and, “Am I my brother’s keeper?”  These timeless questions upon which hinge the entire Judeo-Christian ethic, have become more and more relevant in the face of the daily lip-service given by politicians whose hearts are far from the authentic gospel. Their thin veneer of evangelical piety is easily replaced by a narcissistic nationalism and xenophobic fear of ‘the other’ under the pretext of protecting one’s ‘national sovereignty.’  Who would have ever thought that national sovereignty would be threatened by defenseless and sick children, separated from their parents and caged worse than animals?  This is quite simply, a crime that cries to heaven for vengeance. 

It is precisely to tragic and senseless situations like this that the liberating gospel of Jesus Christ tethers us back to the heart and center of what it means to be an authentic follower of the Lord.   

Our Gospel passage today is taken from the Gospel of Luke.  Biblical scholars remind us that each of the gospel writers present a facet or perspective on the good news of Christ, filtered through their own experience. For some providential reason, Luke focuses his recollections on the poor and the disenfranchised of his society. Some call Luke’s gospel, the gospel of women because of their important place in his narrative.  Luke presents unique recollections that speak of the Lord’s unwavering and unfailing mercy to the prodigal son, the woman caught in adultery and the thief that tradition calls ‘good,’ hanging next to the crucified savior and the first to be gifted with paradise.   

In today’s passage we hear the familiar story of the good Samaritan.  The story neatly illustrates the profound teaching of the Lord when asked what is necessary to gain eternal life.  Jesus asks his questioner, “What is written in the law?”  He responds by summarizing the entire teaching of the law and prophets in the foundational dual commandment: to love God with our entire being and to love our neighbor as ourselves. To which the master replies, "You have answered correctly; do this and you will live." 

My friends, how easy it is for us at times to hide behind the multiplicity of excuses that keep us from simply living the message of the Christ.  So often we miss the ‘forest for the trees’ in our convoluted attempts to obsessively keep what we perceive to be the orthodox ‘letter of the law’ and in the end so easily slip into living lives of cheap grace. 

To the observant Jew, the Samaritan was considered a heretic.  Yet, it was only this Samaritan whose heart was filled with compassion who stopped and tended to the needs of the poor, beaten traveler who had been left to die. Not the righteous priest, not the law-obsessed Levite, but the outcast Samaritan who saw the face of the divine in that poor and broken traveler, left for dead along the road. 

There is no question that in these latter days in our own country there is a profound need for a reordering of our values and priorities.  As Christians, we are called to be as courageous as the Samaritan to witness to the face of the divine that abounds in all God’s children, regardless of borders. The authenticity of the gospel message calls us to unmask the hypocrisy that masquerades as cheap grace and to be willing to embrace all God’s children as our neighbor in Christ.

Sunday Reflection - Traveling light

In yet another war of ethnic cleansing, a young mother was murdered, leaving behind only her husband and their little boy.  The man traveled far and wide, looking for work while his little son stayed with friends. After a long absence, the father came home only to find his village destroyed and all his friends gone. 

He searched the rubble and found some small bones, surely the remains of his little son.  So he wrapped them carefully in a cloth and carried them with him everywhere he went.  

Year’s passed, and one night the old man heard a knock at his door. “Who’s there?” he called out. “It’s me, your son!” came the reply. “I was kidnapped and escaped, and I’ve spent years searching for you.”  “You vicious imposter!” yelled the old man.  “My son is dead.  Leave me alone!”  And he refused to open the door.  The pounding continued for a long time, but finally it stopped and the son – for that is who it was – went away.  The old man wept – as he did every night – hugging his bag of dry old bones. 

And all he had to do, my friends, was to put down the bag and open the door!  My brothers and sisters, Jesus is talking to us about this very thing in our Gospel today. As he sends out his disciples to share the Good News, he gives them crucial advice:   Travel light.  Let go of whatever can steal life away from you. 

That’s good advice!  So what can steal life from us?  The “stuff” that we accumulate in life  can so often be a thief that seizes power over us and cuts us off from real life. I believe that deep down inside we all know that.  Far more insidious are the thieves that lurk inside our heads and hearts – whole gangs of them:  Paralyzing fears that freeze us in place; old hates and grievances that we cling to as if they were treasures; dead, shrunken ideas that blind us to the richness of life; stupid ways of responding to life that are as mindless as the two-year-old’s habit of saying “no!”, no matter what the question; poisonous relationships that we cling to despite all that common sense tells us. 

Some of those thieves – or their relatives – are lurking in the heads and hearts of us all, and they’re robbing us of life, every bit as much as that old man’s clinging to his bag of dry bones robbed him of life and kept him a slave to an ancient sorrow. 

My sisters and brothers, Jesus came to set us free.  And he’ll do that, if only we let go of whatever is robbing us of life – let go of our own little bag of dry bones and open the door. Letting go begins with naming the thieves in our life, and then deciding we don’t need them anymore, because the Lord is walking with us, and he’s all that we need in life. 

God wants us to be free.  But only we can do the letting go of the fears, the hates, the sorrows, the sick friendships, the overdose of “things”, or the habitual “no’s” in our lives. Only we can do the letting go.  So my friends, let us pray for the courage to open our clinched fists that can so easily hang on to the false securities in life and open them before the Lord and be free in his love.

Sunday Reflection - Don't look back

A high-powered executive was waiting to board an airplane when suddenly, without warning, his flight was canceled. He was furious, so he shoved his way to the head of the ticket line and demanded a first class seat on the very next flight. The agent explained it courteously that they'd be happy to help, but he'd just have to stand in line and wait his turn. 

"Young man, do you have any idea who I am?" Shouted the man. The agent looked him up and down carefully, then picked up his microphone and said, "Attention, please. There is a gentleman at the ticket counter who doesn't know who he is. If anyone can identify him, please step forward." 

My brothers and sisters, it's so easy to forget who we are, and where we're going. At certain points in our lives, it's all very clear. The young couple standing at the altar, the priest about to be ordained, the bright young woman walking into her first class at law school: they know where they're going: they know there will be a price to pay and they're ready to pay it. It's all very clear and very simple. 

Then time passes, and the price begins to be paid – and paid, and paid! And the payoff isn't as perfect and as consistent as they expected. The beautiful baby turns into a difficult teenager; the handsome groom loses his hair and his waistline; and after 10,000 sermons, the spirited preacher ponders the delights of taking the vow of silence! 

Doubts and painful questions force their way to the surface: I didn't know that it was going to be like this. Did I make the wrong choice back there? Is this going to go on forever? How do I get out of here? 

Jesus understood this part of our human experience very well: this midcourse weariness that tempts us to look backward instead of forward, that blinds us to the new and deeper joys and possibilities that are within our reach here and now, this mid-course weariness the tempts us to give up, abandon our "plough", and walk away.   

My friends, to hold to course and go forward without looking back involves letting go of many things – some of them very fine – but things we no longer need. That letting go can hurt, but it can make room for something more, something better. It can allow us the space to grow into entirely new ways of living and loving, and to do that right here inside our vocations as spouses, parents, friends, and priests, to which we committed ourselves so long ago. 

Like any good parent, God our father, wants us to grow big and strong, especially on the inside. And he wants to see us happy. That will happen if we remember where we're headed and why we made our central commitments in the first place. It will happen if we let the Lord take our hand as we march forward with him and don't look back. 

Don't look back. It will only freeze you in place and embitter your soul. Instead, look forward, and look deep. You'll be amazed at what's waiting there for you!

Sunday Reflection - The Holy Trinity

A few years ago a pack of wild dogs broke into the Omaha Zoo in the middle of the night.  The area they invaded was inhabited by wallabies.  And the next morning, when the zoo keepers make their rounds, they found all 23 wallabies were dead.  Upon closer inspection the keepers learned that none of the dogs had actually gotten into the wallaby cages.  Not one dog had laid a paw or a jaw on a single victim.  The wallabies were all dead from internal injuries suffered when their panic at seeing the dogs sent them crashing about wildly, bashing into the fences and one another.  Literally sacred to death, fifteen adults and eight baby wallabies, dead of fear. 

My sisters and brothers, fear, anxiety, anger, and doubt play far too large a role in all our lives, and sometimes they kill us.  That is why this Feast of the Most Holy Trinity is made for us. It’s an antidote to the poison of our unhealthy fears, angers and doubts.  It’s an invitation to relax in the God who manifests his life-giving presence as Father creator, Son redeemer and Spirit sanctifier in our daily lives. It’s an invitation to relax in the Lord who is infinitely bigger than any problem or need of our can ever be. 

Relax in the Lord.  Relax and gaze at the stars in the vast, night sky and see there a reflection of the mighty God who made them.  Relax and look at the tiny fingers of a newborn child and see there a reflection of the tender God who made every child ever born.  Relax and look at the goodness of so many people around you and see there a reflection of the good God whose inner life is a family of persons always giving and receiving in love.  Relax and look at the loveliness of a single flower and see in it a reflection of the gracious God who made every flower that ever blossomed.  Relax and look at all the goodness within your own heart and see there a reflection of the wonderful God who made you and me. 

The poet Gerard Manley Hopkins so beautifully wrote that the “world is charged with the grandeur of God” – Mirrored in the very beauty of creation we see a glimpse of the hand of a loving God who invites us every day to surrender our fears, anxieties, anger and doubt, pretensions and worries and to daily grow ever more deeply into his image and likeness – the image and likeness of one who creates, heals and makes holy.  It is wonderful gift, let us be willing to receive it in gratitude and share it with others in love.

Sunday Reflection - Pentecost

Some years ago, I got a call from a reporter from the Orange County Register.  She asked me my reaction to a statement that Pope Francis had recently made. Now, I generally pride myself on being up with the latest happenings in Rome but I had to admit I missed that latest statement from the ‘pope of surprises!’  Speaking to a group of women religious at the time, she shared with me the Holy Father’s desire to set up a commission to study the question of the admission of women into the order of deacons.  Composing myself and trying not to act too surprised, I offered a few positive comments, welcoming his decision being careful not saying too much until I actually read what the Holy Father said.  Afterward, I chuckled to myself realizing that as an avid follower of all things Vatican, even I couldn’t keep up with Pope Francis and the lasting mark he is having in reshaping so much of the identity of the Church today. 

Reflecting on this incident in light of the great Feast of Pentecost that gathers us in celebration this morning, I could not help but think of the continuing dynamic presence of the Holy Spirit in the life and ministry of our Church. 

In the Nicene Creed that we pray each and every Sunday we proclaim our belief in the Holy Spirit, the ‘Lord and giver of life.’  As we all know, only living realities dynamically, grow, change and develop.  Dead things do not – they remain lifeless.  For nearly 2000 years, the reality of the Church that came to birth on that first Pentecost Sunday has experienced ongoing moments of growth, development and change.  In the power of the Holy Spirit, the church in many respects remains the mystery of the great ‘both/and.’  In other words, she remains both the constant presence in time of the Body of Christ experienced in the faith and ministry of her believers – AND, a reality that is continually open to reshaping and renewing how the good news is proclaimed in every time and age the church finds herself. 

That living witness to both the church’s stability in its core beliefs as well as openness to change and ongoing reformation and renewal can be witnessed historically in the 21 great councils of our Church.  These great moments of reform and renewal are a living witness to the ancient Latin maxim: Ecclesia semper reformanda est – The church is always in a state of reform or renewal. By virtue of the Holy Spirit’s presence enlivening the good news of Christ that is the essence of our very existence, we have all witnessed the great prophets of renewal and reform in the life of our Church down through the centuries.  While prophets are often rarely recognized for their gifts in the present moment, it is only with the gift of time that we have come to recognize their genius for being instruments of God’s renewing presence in the life of our Church. Whether it is one like St. Thomas Aquinas who in his own time was condemned for daring to introduce new methods of theological inquiry and reflection or Pope St. John XXIII who called for the opening of the windows of the Church to let in the new fresh air leading to the call of the Second Vatican Council, these and countless other women and men of the Church down through the centuries have been instruments of the Spirit who is indeed the ‘Lord and giver of life.’ 

On this Pentecost Sunday let us be grateful for being a church that is ‘ever ancient, and ever new!”   Our wrestling as a church with the questions that modernity inevitably brings, rather than being a threat are opportunities to let the life of the Spirit take hold of us anew to create and fashion a church whose Christ is anxious to enfold all into His loving and merciful embrace.

Sunday Reflection - The Ascension of the Lord

There is probably no more special and graced time in a mother’s life than the moment she is handed her child for the very first time after delivery. I have been told from countless mothers – including my own – that all the anticipation, all the worry, the inevitable pain that invariably is a part of this miraculous moment – dissipates in seconds as she looks upon her child for the very first time and caresses him or her with a mother’s love.  Part of the wonder of this moment is, of course, the great hope that is in the heart of every mother and father as they witness new life come forth in their little family.  It is so natural to ponder the inevitable question:  What will become of this child?  As much as loving parents may want to chart the life course of their child they know that they must let their child in time experience the freedom of charting their own course in life, making their own life choices that hopefully will reflect the wisdom that mothers and fathers have striven to impart to their children.  In time, every parent in a sense must let go so that they can witness the hoped for blossoming of the life of their daughter or son. 

My friends, so much of our lives is about letting go – isn’t it? There comes a time when we have to let go of the security of our familiar surroundings and go off to build our own lives, chart our own course in life.  But, we never do that in a vacuum.  We have all heard the expressions, “We are our mother’s son” or “We are our father’s daughter” that conveys the notion that the character and integrity of our parents lives on in who we are. 

As we gather this day to ponder the mystery of the Lord’s Ascension into heaven, the dynamic of both letting go and charting a new course for Lord’s Kingdom and His good news is celebrated today. 

For three years the Lord’s disciples have shared companionship with the anointed one.  They have witnessed the challenge of his teaching of unconditional love and experienced his miracles of healing.  With his crucifixion as a common criminal they were crestfallen since in that dark moment they felt that all their hopes and dreams were for naught.  Then, to their utter astonishment, the one whom they thought was dead was now alive in their midst speaking his words of peace. For 50 days, the disciples encountered this mysterious risen presence offering words of promise, comfort, encouragement and challenge.  And now as he returns to His Father, his mission to transform the world by His loving mercy is handed on to them and to us.  There is a letting go and a new beginning. 

The mission and ministry of Jesus is now our mission and ministry, my friends.  The Lord through the mystery of the Ascension and next week as we ponder the mystery of Pentecost, calls each one of us now in the power of His spirit to continue shaping our world, our culture, our society and our families with the transforming presence of Jesus. 

Yet, the credibility of that mission and ministry will depend on how well you and I put on the mind and heart of Jesus, how well we are indeed shaped by the Father’s love who has called each of us to new life and hope in His Son, Jesus, the Savior of the world.  May we drink deeply of this grace so that the good news of Jesus may indeed live on in us.

Sunday Reflection - Freedom in God's Spirit

Fundamentalism of whatever sort usually manifests itself as an obsessive fear of ambiguity or change in life.  Fundamentalists inevitably find security and self assurance in a black and white dogmatism that is more concerned about condemning the views of others rather than listening to learn from others.  Fundamentalists have very little time to spend in discussion with others since they feel that they have all the answers to life questions.  A fundamentalist does not want to be confused with facts.  He or she is far more comfortable with the prejudices that bring security to their lives no matter how dark or controlling they may be. 

Tragically, most of us have some familiarity with fundamentalism as it expresses itself in religion.  Religious fundamentalism has inspired inquisitions, pogroms against Jews, and in our own day the Fall of governments and terrorist attacks throughout the world. 

Though not completely freed from tendencies toward fundamentalism, on the whole the genius of Roman Catholicism has been its sense of openness toward ambiguity and change which is so much a part of human existence.  Jesus did not come to straight-jacket his followers into a new law that would bind the human spirit but rather, as St. Paul reminds the early Christians, the Law of the Spirit is one of freedom, justice and love. 

Our first reading today from the Acts of the Apostles presents us with an important example of how the followers of the new way confronted the rigidity of the old law. The questions which the apostolic Church had to contend with was whether converts from Judaism had to follow both the mosaic law as well as the teaching of Jesus?  More specifically, must gentile converts be circumcised in accord with Mosaic Law?  There were some in the Apostolic Church who said yes, and some who said no.    The question was brought forward for prayerful discernment in Jerusalem.  The answer was that new converts should not be "saddled with any burden beyond the essentials".  In other words, gentiles coming to the faith would no longer be required to follow the exact prescriptions of the Mosaic Law that failed to free one for living the new way in Christ. 

Down through the centuries, the Church has continued to exhibit this kind of dynamic openness to change, transformation and renewal.  In the power of the Holy Spirit, the final gift of guidance and discernment which Jesus has left with Church, the Christian community has striven to respond to avenues and possibilities for growth in holiness that have been opened for her.  Not always responding perfectly, yet the Spirit has continued to bring forth new life and insight in the Church.   Through the witness and prophetic challenge of saints and mystics; through the solemn declarations of belief in twenty-one Ecumenical Councils; through the wisdom of theologians and philosophers; and through the gifted guidance of Pastors entrusted with the care of the flock of Christ, the Church has striven to be that place where peace beyond understanding can be found and celebrated.  A peace that is rooted in the freedom of the children of God. 

As we draw close to the great Feast of Pentecost - the birthday of the Church. Let us rejoice in a Church whose members are called to daily growth, transformation and change in the power of the Spirit.  May we indeed express in our lives the love we celebrate here in Word and Sacrament.

Sunday Reflection - Behold, I make all things new!

Walk down the aisle of any supermarket.  Scan the ads in any popular magazine.  Watch the commercials on TV.  One word recurs in ever fresh combination: “new.”  It if isn’t a new look, it’s a new taste, a new feeling, a new formula.  Everyone with something to sell seems to be promising us something new.  Self-help books offer us a whole new life, or at least renewed physical and mental health, if only we will follow their directions.  And during political campaigns candidates promise us a new society, a new frontier, new ideas, or at least a new approach.         

How many of these promises are fulfilled?  Not many.  Today’s shiny new car becomes tomorrow’s shabby trade-in.  The self-help books turn out to offer not the new life they promise, but at best improvement in the old life we already have.  And we all know what happens to campaign promises after the election.         

Is life a cheat?  Is the universal longing for newness to which all these promises appeal doomed to be forever frustrated?  To these nagging questions our second reading returns a ringing and confident No.  “The One who sat on the throne said to me, ‘Behold, I make all things new.’”          

The Book of Revelation, from which those words are taken, describes in language of poetic imagery the author’s vision of heaven.  It might seem, therefore, that this promise of One who makes all things new belongs not to this world but to another: “Pie in the sky when we die,” as the old saying has it.  Completefulfillment of this promise does belong to the life beyond death.  But it is part of the gospel or good news of Jesus Christ that God offers us here and now a foretaste of that new and better life which, in its fullness, will be ours hereafter.         

The Lord who makes all things new does this in many ways.  Let me speak about just one.  It is indicated by the words that the author of Revelation heard in his vision: “Behold, God’s dwelling is with the human race.  He will dwell with them and they will be his people and God himself will always be with them as their God.”           

That assurance that God is always with us evokes a ready response.  Deep in every heart there is a longing for a companion, a friend, a lover, who will accept and love us just as we are; who will support us in sorrow, share our joys, help us to rise above failure and injustice; who will be with us always.          

When we were little children our parents did this for us, if they were good parents.  Few things are more devastating for a small child than to be suddenly separated from Mummy or Daddy.  Across the span of seventy years I can still recall my feeling of panic when, on my first day at school, I found that my mother had slipped away without my noticing.  I realize now that she wanted to spare me a wrenching and tearful farewell.  At the time, however, I was crushed.         

We have all had experiences like that.  We carry those childhood hurts into adult life, still secretly afraid that we shall be hurt again; that our efforts at friendship and love will be rebuffed; that we shall be let down, hurt, abandoned, by someone we love and trust.  When we are, the old wound is reopened, and our fear of loneliness is reinforced.         

To those oppressed by loneliness (and which of us is not, at some time or another?) the Lord proclaims: “Behold, I make all things new.”  When no one else understands, there is One who does understand.  When everyone else seems to ignore us, to reject us, to condemn us, there is One who accepts us.  When I cannot find one other person to accept the love I long to give, and to receive, there is One who does accept: who loved me beforeI loved him, who loves me more than I can ever love him, who will go on loving me no matter what.  His name is Jesus Christ.  He is the One who makes all things new.         

Jesus knew greater loneliness than we shall ever experience.  The gospel reading we have just heard opens with the departure of one of Jesus’ closest friends, to betray him.  Yet Jesus’ first words after this devastating blow speak not of defeat, but of victory: “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him.”         

What gave Jesus that breath-taking ability to view betrayal not as defeat but as victory? It was his faith in a God who does indeed make all things new. God fulfilled that promise for his Son, however, not by delivering Jesus from death, but by raising him on the third day to a new life beyonddeath.  In his resurrection Jesus experienced the fulfillment of the great promises contained in our second reading.  On Easter morning God wiped away all tears from the eyes of his beloved Son.  In his resurrection Jesus was raised to a life in which there is (to quote the words of that second reading again) “no more death or mourning, wailing or pain, for the old order has passed away.”         

For us, as for Jesus on the night when Judas left to betray him, the complete fulfillment of those promises belongs to the future.  As St. Paul tells us in our first reading: “It is necessary for us to undergo many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.”  As long as this life continues, God’s promise to make all things new means not preservation from hardships, but support amidhardships.           

The Lord’s promise to make all things new is not like all those other promises I mentioned at the start.  It is a glorious reality.  But it is a reality which is both present and future.  We live at the intersection of the “already” and the “not yet.”  Already God is with us, supporting us in so many ways: through his holy word; through those personal loving encounters with him called sacraments; through our sisters and brothers.  Already God is fulfilling his promise to make all things new.         

Complete fulfillment of that promise belongs, however, to the “not yet.”  Only in a future life will God wipe away all tears from our eyes.  Only beyond death shall we experience what Jesus experienced in his resurrection: “no more death or mourning, wailing or pain, for the old order has passed away.”         

Life is not a cheat.  There is One who does make all things new.  His name is Jesus Christ.  He can make yourlife new.  He longs to do so.  He will never do this, however, without your consent.  His assurance, “Behold, I make all things new” is certain.  One thing alone is uncertain.  Do you really wantthe new life that God is offering you, even now, through his Son Jesus Christ?                  

Sunday Reflection - The Good Shepherd

Imagine you are a parent visiting Disney World with your children.  Most of you know the drill.  It has become the American parent’s journey to Mecca, a required pilgrimage if a parent is to retain their “good parent” certificate.  There you are, waiting in long lines for the popular rides, waiting in long lines for a table in a restaurant, and waiting in long lines for the restroom.  And at all times you are surrounded by the omnipresent Disney music.  For weeks you will be humming It’s a small world after all.   

            There must be one hundred children riding on the Merry-Go-Round when your children board one of the wooden horses.  And all of them are screaming the same thing to their parents, “Daddy, look at me!” or “Mommy, come ride with me!”  If I was there beside you in that bedlam, I might ask you, “How do you know which voice is the voice of your child?  They all sound the same.”  And wise parent that you are, you would say, “I know it sounds confusing when they all yell at once.  But trust me, I know the sound of my child’s voice.  I would recognize that voice anywhere.” 

            There must be a special frequency for intimate relationships.  For it is true, parents and children recognize each other’s voice, even in the cacophony of the world’s competing noise.  One father at the park utilized a special clucking noise he developed through the years to get his kid’s attention when they are in noisy places. Other parents simply call out to their children, calling them by name.  But the result is the same.  Parents and kids know each other’s voice. 

            But parents and children are not the only relationship that thrives on voice recognition.  Shepherds also know their sheep individually, call them by name, and the sheep recognize their shepherds voice.  To this day you can see Palestinian shepherds guiding their flocks through fields, or on roads.  Sometimes there are multiple flocks and multiple shepherds at the same place, all mixed up together.  And yet when the shepherds call their flocks, they separate, following the distinctive voice of their shepherd.  It is the Disney World of shepherding, but it works.  It’s all a matter of voice recognition.  This is the background for the image Jesus uses in our gospel lesson today.  He is our Good Shepherd, and he says “My sheep hear my voice.  I know them, and they follow me.”  What does this mean for us today? 

            Sheep recognize their shepherd’s voice because the shepherd is their only defense in a hostile world. 

            Just think about it.  Sheep have no natural defense mechanisms.  They have no claws, no sharp teeth.  Sheep are not fast, nor even extremely bright.  They do not organize into groups.  They have a poor sense of direction, so they get lost easily. Therefore, up against a world filled with wolves and other animals with a taste for mutton, what chance do the sheep have?  Well, none, if left to their own devices.  But the sheep have a secret weapon that gives them the tactical advantage against the wolves—the sheep have a shepherd. 

            That must be the reason the sheep pay such close attention to the voice of their shepherd.  Their safety and survival is completely dependent on their proximity to the shepherd, and to the ability and attentiveness of the shepherd to take care of his flock.  In the case of the Christian Church and her Lord, we could not have a more attentive and powerful Shepherd.  Are there wolves in our world—those who would take advantage of the people of faith, those who are long on aggressiveness and short on ethics?  Of course.  But the wolves are no match for our Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ.  So, do not fear.  And do not by tempted to join the wolves.  Even if they sit on powerful boards at the company.  Even if they seem to have the upper hand in the dangerous world of business and politics.  Do not cringe in fear by the sharp teeth and snarling growl of the wolves.  Trust the rod and staff of our Shepherd.  Listen for his voice.  Jesus will never leave us, nor lose us, nor lead us astray. 

            But sheep also listen to the voice of their shepherd in order to find their way in the world. 

            Earlier in this same chapter of John’s gospel, Jesus called himself the Good Shepherd who calls his sheep by name.  There is nothing quite so personal as our names. And nothing feels quite as good as when we hear our name called by someone who cares about us.  It is our name that keeps us from feeling anonymous, or invisible, in a large crowd.  Do you remember the TV sit-com Cheers? Who could forget Norm, the larger-than-life accountant who occupied a corner at the bar in every episode?  Even though Norm felt like a loser in every other arena of his life, when he came into the Cheers Bar, everyone there called out his name in a unison welcome, “NORM!”  And suddenly he felt like somebody.  Who wouldn’t, in “a place, where everyone knows your name”?  What if our parish, or small groups within the parish, was like that? 

            My good news of this day and every day of our faith life is that the Lord knows each of us by name – he calls us from the first moment of our existence to share his life and his unconditional love.            

            My brothers and sisters, what we want, what we really want, is to know that God knows about us, cares about us, and ultimately carries us safely across the shadow of death in his eternal arms.  And more than this, we want to know that God actually knows us individually, personally, that He knows our name. Well, good news.  According to Jesus, God does!

Sunday Reflection - Do you love me, Simon, son of John?

Ancient Jewish rabbis used to teach that every story in Scripture contained four meanings:  a literal meaning; a symbolic meaning, an intended meaning, and a personal meaning.  The insight of these Jewish scholars has validity and insight for us today as we gather to ponder on God's word this day. 

First, the literal meaning is simply what the gospel story says.  Sometimes it's not always clear what a particular story is saying.  In today's gospel, however, this isn't the case.  It's perfectly clear what the story is saying.  In fact, the scene that is set before in John's Gospel is probably one of the most well-known and well-loved passages of Scriptures. 

This brings us, however, to the second level of meaning - the symbolic.  The chief symbolism seems to center around Jesus question to Peter, which Jesus intriguingly repeats three times: "Simon, son of John, do you love me?"  What symbolism is contained in this threefold question that Peter seems to find so embarrassing? 

Many scholars believe the repetition is related to Peter's threefold denial of Jesus on the night of Jesus arrest.  They see Peter's threefold affirmation of love, "Lord, you know that I love you," as erasing his threefold denial of Jesus.  In other words, it allows Peter to make amends for his past and to redeem himself. 

This brings us to the third meaning: the intended meaning.  The intended meaning always urges us to ponder the question "Why?"  Why did John relate this incident?  What did he intend to communicate to us through it?  A footnote in the New American Bible points out that the First Vatican council cited Jesus' threefold response to Peter, "Feed my sheep," as evidence that Jesus gave Peter the authority and responsibility to succeed him as chief shepherd of the flock.  In other words, Jesus threefold response to Peter reaffirmed the decision Jesus had made earlier concerning Peter, when he said, "You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church...I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven." [Matthew 16:18-19]

Jesus could have reversed that decision, saying to Peter, "Simon, I had great leadership plans for you, but you denied me three times.  You failed under pressure.  So, I'm taking away your leadership role and giving it to someone else."  But Jesus didn't do that.  Rather, he reaffirmed his decision to make Peter the chief shepherd of his flock.   

Finally, we are faced with the fourth meaning of this Gospel passage - the personal meaning.  This is the meaning that the gospel story might hold for us, the attentive reader. In other worlds, God can use a Scripture passage or story to speak to our own hearts in a personal way.  In today's story, Peter is undoubtedly exhausted and disheartened at the fact that after fishing all night he has caught nothing. Jesus then tells Peter to try again. Peter does, and the result is amazing. He and his helpers catch so many fish that they need another boat to help them.  What personal meaning might we draw from this episode? Consider this story. 

Novelist A.J. Cronin says that he nearly gave up his writing career before he ever got started.  Halfway through his first book, Hatter's Castle, which was eventually translated into 19 languages, Cronin says that he threw down his pen and tossed his half-finished manuscript into the trash.  Then he went outside into the rain and went for a long walk down a lonely rural road in Scotland.  He hadn't walked far when he came upon an old farmer plowing a field.  The sight of that old farmer, working all alone in the rain, inspired Cronin to retrieve his manuscript from the trash and try again. Years later, when Cronin became famous, he credited his career to the farmer who inspired him to try again after he had given up the first time around.  

The personal meaning that we might draw from today's gospel story comes down to this: If, like Peter, we've been working all night and have caught nothing, or like A.J. Cronin, we've been working hard on something with little or no success, maybe it's because we've been working alone, without the Lord.  Maybe the reason for our failure is that we've been trying to do it all by ourselves. Maybe the reason for our own failures in life is that we've forgotten what Jesus said to his followers a few chapters earlier in today's Gospel:  I am the vine, you are the branches.  Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing. [John 15:5].

Sunday Reflection - Trusting Faith

On this Second Sunday of Easter, we hear the familiar gospel story that is proclaimed year after year as the Octave of Easter comes to a close.  It is the story of the risen Lord appearing before his closest friends only to have one of them, Thomas, at first doubt the reality of his risen presence but in the end, as the Lord stood before him in glory, he finally surrenders in belief.   To Thomas and to all who wrestle with faith, Jesus says, “You became a believer because you saw me.  Blest are they who have not seen and have believed." 

Basking in the glory of the great feast of Easter, God’s word sets before us, the transforming and reconciling power of faith and belief in our lives.  What does it mean to believe?  What does it mean to have faith? 

Part of the difficulty that many have with the reality of faith and belief is that tragically many of our contemporaries have been seduced into believing that the only verifiable knowledge that we can obtain or know in this world of ours comes from science.  The seduction of scientism sounds like this, “If it cannot be proved scientifically, then it doesn’t exist.” 

While science and the scientific method has indeed been a valuable source of knowledge and truth for humankind down through the centuries, more and more philosophers and scientist are modestly acknowledging the limits of science in capturing all truth in life.  

Can science explain the committed love that has sealed the 50 years of marriage of couples who have worked hard at letting their marriages grow in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health?  Can science explain a mother’s love for her children?  Can science explain the selfless gift of a service man or woman to lay down their lives for their country?  Can science explain the wonder of friendship, the loneliness that comes with the death of a loved one, the newness that is experienced in the gift of forgiveness and healing?

The belief that flows from faith, while not denying the truths of science, opens for us another way of knowing the deepest truths of life. For it is the way of knowing with the heart through trust in love. 

As Christians, the ultimate ground of our knowing is rooted in a God who shared most intimately his life with us in His Son Jesus.  A God whose own love for us was stronger than death.  As Christians, our faith is rooted in his words of promise to us.  It was this story of knowing without seeing, of believing in trust, that shaped the life of the early Church and continues to shape our lives as a people of faith.  

While we may never be able to prove our resurrection belief through the instruments of science, we believe because we have God’s word that it is true, a God “who can neither deceive nor be deceived.” 

While our rich philosophical tradition may help others come to understand the “reasonableness” of faith, in the end, faith is ultimately that great leap we make to trust with all our heart the one in whom we live and move and have our being.  It is a gift given in grace to see with eyes of love and trust.

Some years ago, when there was a severe drought, farmers were growing ever more anxious about the loss of crops and the erosion of the top soil.  In one country parish a special prayer vigil was organized.  The church was crowded from the beginning of the service and one after another the people prayed for rain.  Hour by hour the prayers echoed around the tiny church until the dawn light began to show.  It was just then that they heard the very faintest patter on the roof. Gradually it grew heavier and heavier. The whole church knelt and thanked God in their final prayers before leaving for home. By that time, though, the rain had become so heavy that they all had to stand on the porch and wait for the storm to pass. All but one little girl. She had brought her umbrella with her the night before. 

My brothers and sisters, let us pray that our faith may be like that little girl’s.  “Blest are they who have not seen, but believed,” and trust with all their heart. 

Easter Reflection

I could almost hear a collective ‘gasp’ as the world watched in horror as the roof of the iconic symbol of Catholicism in France and the epitome of Gothic architecture, Notre Dame Cathedral, went up in flames this past Monday.  As is often the case these days, the bulletin came through my mobile phone that “Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris is on fire.”  Turning the television on to CNN, I watched in horror as the central tower collapsed in flames.  Having visited the Cathedral a number of times over the years, my great fear was that the Medieval rose windows of incomparable beauty and antiquity together with the famous organ – completely restored only 20 years ago, would be consumed and lost forever in the flames.  While it appeared that first responders were slow in arriving on the site, what could not be seen on television was the heroic mobilization of over 500 firefighters to do all they could to save this cultural icon from being totally destroyed by the flames.  Precious relics were saved by the heroism of the priest chaplain to the fire fighters of Paris.  Thankfully, after a number of hours, the flames were extinguished and miraculously the main structure of the Cathedral with its famous twin towers and classic façade were saved. 

The following day, the first photos of the interior of the Cathedral were shared throughout the world. While the nave and sanctuary were strewn with charred debris from the collapsed roof, hovering over what could have been a total disaster was the brilliance of the cross, metaphorically speaking of triumph in the midst of what could very well have been total disaster.  Out of the ashes of that moment, the cross spoke of hope and promise for the future.  Within a matter of days, over 1 billion dollars was raised for the rebuilding, restoration and conservation of the Cathedral for generations to come. President Macron of France set a goal of accomplishing this within five years! 

My sisters and brothers, as we reflect this happy day on the meaning of the Easter mystery in our lives, there is no more fitting historic event that provides a metaphor for us to touch the inner meaning of this central feast of the Christian faith than what has recently transpired in the City of Lights this past week.  Out of the ashes has come a new beginning.  Out of the dark sadness of what appeared to be certain destruction has come new life.  From the cross has come resurrection! 

At the Great Easter Vigil, it is the symbol of fire that shatters the darkness of this holy night with the Light of Christ.  No longer the frightening symbol of destruction, fire now becomes the refining earthly element that ushers in the transformation of the cosmos into a new creation because of the risen Christ.  The darkness of cross and tomb cannot contain the one who will conquer death on the wood of the cross and let love triumph, renew and transform.  For in Christ, death give way to new life and with it, unending hope for all who are now buried and rise with him through the waters of Baptism. 

And so, my friends, on this Feast of the Resurrection, let our hearts be filled with joy for the one who has brought light out of darkness, hope out of despair, unending life out of death.  This is the day the Lord has made.  Let us be glad and rejoice in it, Alleluia! 

Sunday Reflection - Hope will not leave us disappointed!

A survivor of the Holocaust, who later became a theologian, was once asked to identify the worst sin a person could commit.  His response was a bit surprising.  You might think he would list genocide, or racism, or hatred.  But instead the great Jewish theologian said,  

“The worst of all sins that humans can commit is despair.  It is that moment when the present circumstances seem so overwhelming and hopeless to a person that they give up on the future, on the possibilities of a better world.  Such a person twists their memory into chains, and becomes imprisoned in the past. And without a future, that person ceases to become fully alive, fully human.  And more than this, such despair is a way of saying to God, or about God, that the best days are all behind, that even God Himself is as trapped in the past as they are.  Despair is our way of saying that God has petered out.  It is a grievous sin, not because it angers God but because it marks the end of our lives, of our usefulness.  All that is left is for the brain to die, for the soul has already quit.” 

         My brothers and sisters, our reading today from Paul’s letter to the Philippians illustrates this same truth.  Paul too was in prison, even as he wrote this brief letter.  And yet his eye was on the future, and with such hope his optimism could not be stripped from him, even if his captors stripped him of his possessions or his freedom.  And because Paul kept his hope, even in those desperate circumstances, he maintained an irrepressible joy that almost jumps off the pages of his epistle to the Philippians.  Here we are, two thousand years later, deep into the weeks of Lent, and some of us lack that same joy Paul knew.  Some of us are focused on what we have given up, or on how long it has been since the excessive days of Mardi Gras.  But Lent is not a season of sorrow, it is a time to shift focus, to clarify vision, to remember the real path to joy is not found by avoiding suffering, but by moving with faith through suffering.  Maybe Paul’s word from prison is a word for us too.  How could his sufferings, or ours, purify joy and strengthen hope, instead of leading toward the precipice of despair? 

         First, lasting joy comes from focusing on the surpassing gain of knowing Christ, rather than on the temporal gains or losses on this world. 

         Ok, ok, I know this all sounds a bit too otherworldly to be of any earthly good, but hear me out.  In the previous verses of his letter, Paul had just been listing for the Philippians a set of his worldly accomplishments—his pedigree, his resume of accomplishments, his reputation.  And we each have such a list, don’t we?  We each have a set of degrees framed on walls, or a list of social organizations in which we hold memberships, or a list of property holdings and bank accounts.  But Paul is saying that all of these things, noble in their own way, have only temporary ability to provide joy.  Eventually we will be separated from each of these treasures, by time, by our own mistakes, by shifts in global economies, or just by our own death.  And what then? 

         Paul urges his readers to keep invested in the only relationship that will transcend all of life’s ups and downs, and will even transcend death itself.  And that is our relationship with God, through Christ. When Paul thinks about that relationship, his heart swells with joy and gratitude, for he knows that it is pure grace from God that makes that relationship possible in the first place. We do not find Christ.  He finds us.  Our Christian faith is not our accomplishment.  It is God’s accomplishment.  And therefore, Paul considers that relationship his greatest gain in life, so great that all else in his life seems by comparison to be mere rubbish.  He uses a strong word for this comparison to emphasize his point, he compares even his greatest accomplishments and resume strengths to a word that is best translated “street rubbish, excrement.”  Strong image, to be sure.  But Paul does not hesitate to drive home his point.  The path to joy is only found on keeping a very loose grasp on that which the world grips so hard, and instead focusing one’s grasp on the surpassing value of knowing Christ, and being known by Him.  Nothing else in life can replace that joy.  Nothing. 

         The second message from Paul in this reading is the importance of keeping one’s focus on the future, rather than on the past. 

         Paul borrows an image from the Roman games, and an image every athlete here understands fully.  He compares himself to a runner whose eye is on the finish line.  Athletes learn early to endure the pain of practice and training in order to be in condition to compete, to win the game.  How do they do it?  They keep their mind trained on the goal rather than on the temporary muscle pain or boring routine of training.  And during the contest, that same athlete keeps his or her eye on the final goal, the finish line.  Let past hurts and past accomplishments stay there, in the past.  The only way to win is to press forward, not dwell in the past.  

         In 2002, two women lined up to run in the New York City Marathon.  One of them, Kenya’s Margaret Okayo, made headlines by setting a new record winning pace of 2 hours, 22 minutes, 31 seconds.  But the other woman, Zoe Koplowitz, ran the entire twenty-six mile race too.  Her notice in the papers was not on the front page, but it is no less dramatic.  You see, Zoe Koplowitz has diabetes and multiple sclerosis.  She completed the grueling race in 29 hours, 45 minutes.  She was the last competitor to cross the finish line, more than a full day after the world-class athletes.  But if you compare the pictures of both women as they crossed the tape, you see the same inexpressible joy.  It is not winning the race; it is finishing that matters.  And the only way to finish, at whatever pace, is to keep an eye, not on the clock, but on the finish. 

         And this is Paul’s point exactly, when he thinks about the human race.  “Just one thing; forgetting what lies behind but straining forward to what lies ahead, I continue my pursuit toward the goal, the prize of God’s upward calling, in Christ Jesus.”  Now there’s a good word for all of us, especially during Lent.  So, lace up your spiritual shoes.  On your mark, get set, go…

Sunday Reflection - Conversion

The Dallas Morning News carried a photo of some prisoners on a work-release program.  They were restoring a condemned house on the city's west side of town. Several days later one of the prisoners wrote the editor saying: 

Thank you for the coverage...The last time my name and photograph were printed in a newspaper took place the day I was sentenced...So it was a real joy to see my picture in your paper doing something good...When I entered prison 18 months ago, I was a lot like the house we just remodeled...But God took charge of my life and has made me a new creation in Christ. 

My friends, this brief story beautifully illustrates the point that Jesus himself is trying to make in our Gospel today. The first half of the gospel tells about two groups of people who are killed by recent tragedies in Jerusalem. Jesus ends his reference to these tragedies by saying to his hearers, "If you do not repent, you will all perish as they did!"

The second half of the gospel tells about a fig tree that was planted inside a vineyard.  A vineyard was an ideal place for fig trees to grow.  If a fig tree couldn't grow there, it couldn't grow anywhere. I have been told that a fig tree takes about three years to mature.  If it doesn't bear fruit in that time, it probably won't bear fruit it at all. This explains why the owner of the vineyard instructed his gardener to cut the tree down.  And so, it is remarkable that instead of cutting the tree down, the gardener begs the owner to give it a second chance.  "Leave it for this year also, and I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it," he says. 

Jesus intended his parables for two groups of people. First, Jesus wanted to instruct the people of his time.  Second, he meant this story for all of us who hear this in this time and place in which we live.

The Lord's first audience, of course, were the people of Israel.  Jesus tells them that God gave them a choice place in his plan and took special care of them.  But they didn't bear fruit.  Jesus tells them further that in spite of this failure, God will be patient with them a little longer.  He will give them a second chance, like the fig tree. 

But what is the Lord telling us in this parable? My brothers and sisters, in many respects we are like the people of Israel.  God has given us a choice place in his plan, and he has taken special care of us. But God expects us to bear fruit.  If we don't, then, like Israel, God will give us a genuine opportunity to repent.  If we don't repent, then, like Israel, we will perish.

The Lord has blessed our lives with countless opportunities to be transformed and made new in his love.  As Catholic Christians we have the daily and weekly opportunity to feast on the Lord's real presence among us in the Eucharist.  In the sacrament of penance, all of us have a second, third and infinite opportunity to express our sorrow for failing to grow in our love for the Lord and to begin again in becoming fruitful and life giving through the grace of forgiveness.   

Just as the Lord spoke to Moses in today's first reading, inviting him to make a choice in becoming part of his great plan of liberation for His people, so too, each of us are given choice to help build the reign of God in our midst.   

Paradoxically, however, our growth so often comes through the trials and challenges that we face in life.  That fig tree had to be fertilized for it to eventually bring forth its fruit.  So also, in our own lives.  The daily disappointments, the challenges and suffering in life can easily defeat us with despair, or bring us to new opportunities of growth in God's love. Yet, it is up to us to make that choice between despair and hope, stagnation or growth, death or new life. 

May this Lenten season provide countless opportunities for us to choose the path of growth and new life in Him in whom we live and move and have our being.

Sunday Reflection - Transfiguration

Some things cannot be explained, only experienced.  For example, how do you know the difference between the love of the moment, and a love that will last a lifetime?  Or how can you describe color to someone who is born blind?  Or why do war veterans stay so quiet about their battle experiences?  These are not the kind of questions that can be reduced to formulas, creeds, or slogans.  As with most of the really important truths in life, they resist easy explanations. They can only be known by living through them.  And those who know these truths rarely shout about them in public, for they are best laid gently against the ear in a whisper, or better yet, a knowing nod from across the room. 

         The great truths about life are wrapped in mystery.  To speak of them we must use the indirect language of poetry rather than the direct language of prose.  As light too bright to view straight on, these great truths can only be seen from an angle. 

         And it is with this angled vision that we view the story of the Transfiguration of Jesus, as reported in the Gospel of Luke today.  It is a singularly remarkable story.  And we do it no justice to reduce its mystery to a set of easy precepts that help us live our ordinary days.  This is a great, unusual moment in the life of Jesus.  It is utterly shrouded in mystery, and majesty.  So profound was this experience that decades later both Peter and John would write about it as the day “we saw his glory” (John 1:14) and “were eyewitnesses to his majesty” (2 Peter 1:16). 

         What happened on that mountaintop that day?  We cannot know for sure.  Even the eyewitnesses were not sure what they had seen, nor what it meant.  But the longer the disciples lived, the more they seemed to understand.  And these seemed to be some of the insights they learned. 

         First, those who have heard God’s voice can more easily endure God’s silences. 

         This was the second time in the Gospel record when the disciples heard the Father’s voice affirming the Son.  At Jesus’ baptism, the voice from heaven called him “beloved,” and gushed with the Father’s pleasure.  And now at the mount of Transfiguration, immediately after Jesus announced his destiny of suffering on the cross, the voice again confirms the path of Jesus’ direction.  How crucial these two heavenly confirmations must have been for Jesus, and for his followers! 

         But on another hilltop, outside Jerusalem, while hanging on a cruel cross, the heavens would fall silent. On this day there would be no shining light, no appearances of Moses or Elijah.  And yet Jesus could endure such a Day of Silence, because he had heard the voice earlier.  No amount of suffering or humiliation could erase that memory, or separate him from the confidence that voice gave him in his chosen path of redemptive suffering. 

         You and I will live through some dark moments of our own during a lifetime.  Moments when we will fling out our prayers to God in desperation, only to be greeted by heaven’s silence.  How do we maintain faith in such a dark quiet?  By recalling those times when the sunlight of God shone in our hearts, when God’s word was planted in our memories.  Suffering does not invalidate those times of intimacy with God. It is at such times that those memories are all we have.  But fear not, those stored experiences of God’s presence are enough.  We are saved by holy memory. 

         But second, we are also saved by holy hope.

         It is not incidental that it was Moses and Elijah that stood with Jesus on that day of transfiguration. Moses epitomized the Law, and Elijah epitomized the prophets.  And both the Law and the Prophets looked forward to the day when God would come to set things right, to redeem His people.  In Jesus all of those centuries of expectation and hope found their fulfillment.  For all of those years, God’s people lived and died by the hope that God would be faithful to fulfill His promises, even though they did not exactly know how God would do it. 

And it is not that different today for God’s people.  Even though we know the story of Jesus, and even though we have seen the heart of God laid bare in his suffering love on the cross, we still have more questions than answers when it comes to life’s mysteries. 

             And here is the greatest mystery of all, “what happens to us when we die?” Once again, the great truths cannot be explained, only experienced.  And the Transfiguration of Jesus does not provide that explanation.  But it does give us a glimpse of a transforming brightness on the other side of the darkness, like a light at the end of long tunnel. 

         On those occasions when Jesus took Peter, James and John aside for special instruction, the foreboding sense of death always hung in the air.  First it was at the bedside of Jarius’ daughter, whose death Jesus reversed with life-giving power.  On the mount of transfiguration, which occurred just after Jesus had been talking to the disciples about his own death, Moses and Elijah were talking with Jesus about his upcoming “exodus’—his death—in Jerusalem.  And finally, in Jerusalem, the night before he died on the cross, Jesus took these same three disciples to the Garden of Gethsemane to help him pray and prepare for death. 

         Why these three only? We do not know.  And why were they always falling asleep instead of watching and praying like he asked them to?  We do not know that either.  But we do know that in those few brief moments of special time with Jesus, God chose to pull back the curtain of mystery just enough to let them know that death does not have the final word.  At the other end of the tunnel of mystery, on the other side of death, is a transforming presence and power.  But at the end itself, there is God.  And that, for now, is enough for any of us to know.

Sunday Reflection - 1st Sunday of Lent - Temptations

According to the German legend, Faust was an astrologer who longed for restored youthfulness, fame, and fortune.  Now, there is nothing wrong with youth, fame, or fortune, to be sure.  But Faust so longed for these that his yearning became obsessive.  And such obsessive longings drew the attention of the devil, who is always on the prowl, sniffing for the scent of irrepressible desire. As you recall, the devil offered Faust all that he wished—youth, fame, and fortune—an instant gratification, for the duration of his life.  But in exchange, Faust had to give the devil his soul for eternity when he died.  To Faust, it seemed like a good deal.  A simple contract and handshake, and it was done. Immediately Faust was handsome, popular, and rich, and he enjoyed those benefits throughout his life. 

            Of course, the good deal did not look nearly so good when it came time for Faust to die.  But by then the die had been cast.  And Faust entered eternity, and our folklore, as the poster child depicting the tragic consequences that befall those who make deals with the devil.  The story proved to be very popular as it passed down in oral tradition from parents to children, and from pastors to parishioners, for centuries.  The tale of Faust is retold in the writings of Marlowe and Goethe, was staged in the operas of Berlioz and Gounod, and inspired a symphonic poem by Liszt.   

            But long before the legend of Faust, the New Testament writers recorded another encounter between the devil and a man.  But this story is not a Faustian tragedy, for the man named Jesus wins his battle with the devil.  That story forms the reading today from Saint Luke’s gospel.  As we enter the season of Lent today, the Church turns to this ancient story, and we seek from this text a path we might follow when we are tempted by a devil’s deal. 

            Temptations are not enticements to do evil, but to twist something good for our own convenience. 

            Notice the subtlety of the devil.  He does not come to Jesus until forty days have passed.  By this time Jesus is tired, he is hungry, he is lonely.  The desert elements have sapped his strength. Like a lioness seeking the weakest and smallest animal from a herd, the devil waits to pounce when he thinks his prey is most vulnerable. 

            And when the tempter speaks, it is with a whisper, with innuendo, with mere suggestions.  What could be wrong with satisfying hunger, turning a few rocks into bread?  Would not Jesus create bread in the wilderness for a great multitude later in his ministry?  And what’s wrong with using political power to overthrow oppressors? Or using miracles to prove God’s existence and convince the skeptics?  These are the implied shortcuts to a world-wide Church that the devil offers to Jesus in the wilderness.  And who would know anyway, way out there in the desert?  How subtle and sly are the innuendoes of the devil’s counsel!  But Jesus anticipated this tactic of Satan. As far back as the Garden of Eden, the whisper of the devil was to rise, not to fall.  He did not suggest to Eve and Adam that the forbidden fruit would make them like the devil, but like God.  The fall is there, to be sure, when you cut a deal with the devil.  It is just hidden in the fine print.  Just ask Faust! 

            When God created the world, he called it good.  Evil sneaks into this world when we succumb to a serpentine voice asking us to use something good for a twisted purpose.  So, money is not evil, it is the love of money that leads to evil.  And alcohol is not evil, but the abuse of it is.  We could say the same of beauty, of power, of credit cards, of technology, and of food.  The devil tried to get Jesus to use his creative power to satisfy his own needs, and thus subtly shift the focus of Jesus’ ministry from the path of suffering redemptive love to one of self-preservation.  It was, in essence, a temptation to by-pass the passion and cross in favor of a more comfortable life.  And Jesus said, “No.”   

            How are we faring with this same temptation?  What are we living for?  Is it worth dying for? 

            Second, temptations are not signs of weakness, but of strength. 

            We are not tempted to do that which we cannot do, but that which is within our reach and power.  For this reason, the greater a person’s power, the greater the temptation.  How fierce must the battle have been for Jesus Christ!  This struggle was not against a cartoon figure with horns and pitchfork.  It was a real battle, of cosmic proportions. The force of temptation is proportionate to the opportunity to do good that is before a person.  In the case of Jesus, the clash could not have been more dramatic. 

            On the backside of every strength is its hidden weakness, its Achilles heel. If you are beautiful, the temptation is to use that beauty to open doors of your own ego, or to invest too much of your self-worth in superficial and temporary appearance.  If you are wealthy, the temptation is to become possessed by your possessions, rather than use them for God’s glory and purposes. If you are powerful or popular, the temptation is to believe that you are essentially different than the rest of humanity, better than others, and therefore worthy of their servitude and adoration.  All of these gifts can make a life great when channeled in service to the world, and all of them can be distorted and wasted if used only to selfish ends.  Faust missed this truth, and it cost him his soul. Jesus understood this truth, and in the end, though he gave up his life, he did not trade in his soul. 

            So, how are we to withstand temptation?  The path of Jesus marks the way.  Just remember your baptism, and remember why you are here in the first place. Your life is God’s gift to you, and using it in service to your fellowman is your gift back.  A life lived by a lesser value is just simply not a good deal. And if anyone tries to tell you otherwise, just do what Jesus did—tell the snake “no.”