Sunday Reflection: Called to Serve

“Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.” 

A question that I have invariably been asked hundreds of times over the course of my 45 years as a priest is, “When did you decide to become a priest?”  And, invariably, to the utter astonishment of my questioners, I have responded, “When I was in the second grade!”  I go on to explain that I was so taken by the example of my second-grade teacher, Sr. Dorothy Anne, who daily radiated an inexpressible joy in serving the Lord and her students, that I wanted what she had.  In time, that seed of a priestly vocation was nurtured in varied ways until the moment of decision came in my Junior year of High School, on a class retreat when the still voice of the Lord echoed in my heart to ‘respond to the call’ and try my vocation in the seminary.  Over the intervening eight years, the Lord confirmed that response on my part with the invariable feeling of joy that affirmed his call in my life.  To varying degrees, that feeling has never left me. 

To be called by one to be part of a great adventure in life is, indeed, a precious reality.  For the vast majority of folks, that call comes to shares one’s life in the intimacy and partnership of marriage. In this unique form of friendship, two people are now called to face the world with its opportunities as well as challenges, not alone but together in helping to make family the center of our communities. 

Together with the intimate partnership of marriage, a call to serve others in the midst of one’s vocation in life is often realized in the rich and varied callings in life: as a teacher, lawyer, physician, nurse or whatever unique way of life one lives out the beauty of helping to build up the human community.  I would like to believe that these ‘vocations’ in life are not accidental but rather the way the good Lord discerns how the gifts and talents each one of us possesses may be used for the common good. 

As a new President and Vice-President together with their new administration begins in our country, how appropriate it is for us to remember in prayer all those who have responded to the noble vocation of service in politics.  While it is fashionable in these latter days to disparage those, who seek and serve in public office, such a jaundiced attitude is a far cry from the ideal of serving our sisters and brothers in helping to forge the common good and create a more perfect union among us. 

As we bask in this new springtime in our nation, let us rejoice and give thanks for all those who serve us in maintaining the common good of our land.  May they never forget that at the root of this noble calling of selfless service is always the other and not oneself.

Sunday Reflection: Extraordinary Ordinary Time

“Speak, for your servant is listening.” 

Today in the Liturgical calendar of the Catholic Church we mark the beginning of Ordinary Time.  In light of the events of the last two weeks, to speak of ordinary and time in the same sentence feels like a sacrilege!  My friends, in our beloved Nation, these weeks have been anything but ordinary.  We have witnessed the attempted siege of the symbol of our Republic, The Capitol, by latter day traitorous insurrectionists, deluded by a President who has forsaken in the past four years the foundational values that have truly made our Country great: profound respect for the rule of law, commitment to the truth and the inviolability of our free election process that is the cornerstone of our democracy. 

As Christians in this extraordinary ordinary time, what are we to make of these events that have so scarred our national identity?  What might God be telling us as the Lord of Life often writes straight with crooked lines? 

In Psalm 146 we read, “Put no trust in princes…powerless to save.”  These extraordinary ordinary times should be a sobering warning to us all to the dangers of the cult of personality that has doomed nations down through the centuries.  All of us, no matter how personally gifted we might be, possess shadow-sides and feet of clay.  The truly worthy leader of character and integrity humbly acknowledges his or her weaknesses and failings.  The strength of true leaders is always measured by their ability to selflessly listen to the wisdom of others as they lead both friend and foe to the common good. 

These extraordinary ordinary times should provide a check on a certitude that rather than being based on verifiable facts, is fabricated out of delusional feelings egged on by the irrational fear of the other rather than a reverence for the dignity of all God’s children. 

Providentially, this extraordinary ordinary time will draw to a close on the 17th of February as that same liturgical calendar will mark the beginning of the penitential season of Lent.  Perhaps, at no time in previous years will this season provide the collective opportunity for many to beg the Lord of mercy, for his forgiveness. 

For the forgiveness of forgetting that love is stronger than hate. 

For the forgiveness of sowing division rather than unity from the rich fabric of diversity that has made our country the shining light on the hill for all nations. 

For the forgiveness in demonizing those with whom we disagree. 

For the forgiveness in so easily being seduced in making profit be the measure of what truly constitutes national greatness. 

Yes, my friends, Lent cannot come soon enough for a Nation that is in need of reconciliation, healing and a new beginning.  As the Lord of all ages stands before a us, let us utter our silent prayer: 

“Speak, for your servant is listening.”

Sunday Reflection: Born Again

“In truth, I see that God shows no partiality.
Rather, in every nation whoever fears him and acts uprightly
is acceptable to him…” 

These beautiful and powerful words of inclusion were spoken by St. Peter to Cornelius, the gentile, in the Acts of the Apostles in the first lesson on this Feast of the Baptism of the Lord.  They are a reminder to us by the first Pope that no one is outside of the loving mercy of the Lord of Life.  There is no one who possesses an inside track on God’s partiality.  Coming from the lips of one raised within the tradition of the Covenant that God made with the people of Israel, now transformed by the new Covenant in Christ, it was a liberating message that Peter and the other Apostles were charged with bringing to the world. 

On this Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, how fitting it is to remember the wideness of God’s mercy as we sing in the beautiful hymn of that same name.  There is indeed a ‘wideness’ in the loving embrace of our God that sees all women and men as his beloved children, inviting them to eternal life through the waters of baptism. 

It has been said that Catholics of all the various Christian denominations has the most expansive understanding of salvation in Christ.  While there are some Christians who hold to the literal words of Scripture that one has to be baptized by water in order to be saved, thus relegating the majority of the world’s population to eternal exclusion from God’s presence, we Catholics hold to a far more inclusive understanding of salvation that does not straight-jacket God to the literal words of scripture. 

Catholics have traditionally believed in three kinds of ‘baptism:’ of water, desire and blood.  One can be ‘born again’ through the literal waters of the sacrament of Baptism; through no fault of one’s own and desiring to live a good and virtuous life or, as the great theologian Karl Rahner called it, living the life of the ‘anonymous Christian,’ be saved; and finally, one who may not have been physically baptized in water, is martyred for believing in Christ in their heart, is baptized by their own blood – such a person is indeed saved. 

We must never forget that God is bigger than the categories of human thought that so often exclude and divide.  God transcends such petty categories that more often say more about us than the Lord of Creation. 

On this Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, the giver of Baptism unto life eternal, our response remains the simple prayer:  Thanks be to God! 

There's a wideness in God's mercy,
like the wideness of the sea;
there's a kindness in his justice
which is more than liberty.

Sunday Reflection: Epiphany-Surprised by Joy

"Where is the newborn king of the Jews?
We saw his star at its rising
and have come to do him homage." 

A charming story is told of a wise mother and her teenage son.  One afternoon, she heard a sound coming from her son’s bedroom that she rarely, if ever, had heard.  It was the sound of a vacuum cleaner!  As he came bounding down the stairs she heard him humming a tune as opposed to his usual dourer attitude.  He was also wearing, strangely, nice jeans and a shirt that was tucked in!  Now, she was really beginning to worry.  As he went to the refrigerator to ‘graze,’ low and behold she smelled the unmistakable fragrance of cologne!  It was then that she simply asked him, “Who is she?” 

This wise mother intuited the signs that something extraordinary had taken hold of her son.  Love had captured him and his life would never be the same. 

My friends, as we remember and celebrate the Solemn Feast of the Epiphany of the Lord this Sunday, we hear the timeless story of wise men who intuited from the signs of nature that something marvelous had broken into our waiting world.  The star in the heavens would lead them to an utterly ordinary scene – a mother with her husband, cradling her newborn son.  Yet, in the ordinariness of this moment, they knew in their heart of hearts, that their lives and the life of every person yet to be born, would never be the same. 

God the Father, in his unfailing love to share himself with his creatures, would gift the world with his Son, Jesus, who would make his home with us.  To some, that astounding reality would be simply embraced in a surrendering faith that needed no explanation.  However, for the wise men, symbols of men and women of every age who wrestle with both faith and belief, God would, in the words of C.S. Lewis, ‘surprise them with joy’ as they came upon the nurturing love of a mother, her husband and child.  In this very disarming and captivating encounter, God would be revealed in the flesh. 

And isn’t that so often the case, my friends?  God revealing his presence as we find ourselves surprised by the joy of unexpected love, forgiveness, mercy, grace and healing.  These moments continue to hold the possibility of daily ‘epiphanies’ in our lives, signs of a gracious and merciful God who makes his home with us still. 

No wonder the angels sang, “Glory to God in the highest and peace to people of God will!”

Sunday Reflection: The Gift of Family

Brothers and sisters:
Put on, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved,
heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience,
bearing with one another and forgiving one another, 
if one has a grievance against another; 
as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do. 

Of all the challenges that the Covid-19 pandemic has created, aside from the death and serious illness of loved ones, it is the separation it has wrought for so many families across our land.  It has often been said that absence makes the heart grow fonder.  The physical closeness of family members especially as they grow older and have lives of their own, has been shattered by this dark chapter in our history. 

Fearing contagion especially for older and more vulnerable parents and relatives, younger members and their own families have been relegated to phone calls and video visits.  Older parents sequestered in skilled nursing facilities look longingly through widows at their daughters, sons and grandchildren, deprived of the warmth of an embrace, a kiss and physical presence. 

There is no question that our families that we sadly so often take for granted have become a longing source of comfort as we look forward to the day when our physical presence will not be a threat but an opportunity to rejoice in so precious a gift. 

The Church in her calendar marks the Sunday after Christmas as the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph.  In the mystery of the Incarnation, our loving savior took on the fullness of humanity in the midst of a human family.  With Mary, his mother and St. Joseph, her beloved husband, the Lord would grow in wisdom, age and grace, nurtured by his parents – as is the case for all of us.  They prepared him to eventually take up his public ministry, knowing that he would forever have a home in their hearts. 

Let us remember in prayer, all families who nurture their children in love.  Let us especially remember those families that are fractured and suffer brokenness. May forgiveness of painful memories bring renewed healing. Let us lift up the families that perhaps experience the marginalization that comes from prejudice.  May all families come to know that Christ lives with them and makes his home in their midst. 

Christmas Reflection

In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God. 

Long, long ago, when I was a college seminary student studying Biblical Greek, our professor, Fr. Barr, unveiled the opening passage of St. John’s Gospel for us to translate from the Greek.  First, he had us read it in the original language.  I distinctly remember a strange sort of thrill in knowing that the exotic words that I was hesitatingly pronouncing were the same ones that Christians in the first and second centuries had contemplated as they pondered the same mystery that marks our celebrations today – the Incarnate Word of God in Christmas. 

My friends, we call this the ‘mystery’ of Christmas because there is invariably an ‘ineffable’ quality to the reality that we remember and celebrate in faith on this day of days.  One definition of ‘ineffable’ is quite simply: a reality too great or extreme to be expressed or described in words. And so, it is.  God taking on human flesh out of the grace of underserved and amazing and unconditional love – that truly is ineffable. 

Perhaps, that is the reason why the deepest meaning of this feast let’s words give way to the symbols of this season that silently speak so profoundly, unpacking the mystery of this day. 

We glory in the sights, smells and sounds of these days.  The Christmas tree, the sacred images, the fresh smell of pine, the rich fragrance of incense and candle wax. And then, the music, the glorious music that down through the centuries has captured the heart of this ineffable mystery.  Each of us, I’m sure, cherishes a carol that for one reason or another, touches us in a special way with the grace of this season.  There is a beautiful contemporary carol by the British composer, John Rutter, that, for me, speaks so beautifully of the mystery of Christmas as the greatest gift to us all at this season.  May that gift of love be with you now and always, gifting you with a peace beyond all understanding.  Merry Christmas. 

Born in a stable so bare
Born so long ago
Born 'neath light of star
He who loved us so
Far away, silent he lay
Born today, your homage pay
For Christ is born for aye
Born on Christmas Day

Cradled by mother so fair
Tender her lullaby
Over her son so dear
Angel hosts fill the sky
Far away, silent he lay
Born today, your homage pay
For Christ is born for aye
Born on Christmas Day 

Wise men from distant far land
Shepherds from starry hills
Worship this babe so rare
Hearts with his warmth he fills
Far away, silent he lay
Born today, your homage pay
For Christ is born for aye
Born on Christmas Day 

Love in that stable was born
Into our hearts to flow
Innocent dreaming babe
Make me thy love to know
Far away, silent he lay
Born today, your homage pay
For Christ is born for aye
Born on Christmas Day 

Songwriters: John Rutter

Nativity Carol lyrics © Oxford University Press

Christmas Greetings 2020

Dearest Friends,

As we prepare to celebrate a Christmas ‘like no other,’ finding many of ourselves sequestered with limited contact with family and friends due to the pandemic, my annual Christmas Greeting takes on special meaning. These months have provided an opportunity to prayerfully reflect on the ‘grateful memories’ of the many friends who have been a blessing to me in my life. I thank the good Lord for them and pray that good health, a reality we so often take for granted, may be the special gift we all celebrate in 2021. 

Despite the physical restrictions of the past year, my health has thankfully held steady with my neurological condition plateauing. I’ve adjusted to my ‘new voice’ which is slower and less dulcet than before – but I still have a voice, thank God!

I’ve valued the companionship of my dear sister, Melinda, during this past year – from her multiple visits during the week, our Sunday dinners and multiple text during the day – loneliness and isolation have been kept at a minimum.

What I miss the most, understandably, has been gathering on Sundays to concelebrate the Eucharist with the Mission Basilica parish.  I look forward to that experience in the coming year as we celebrate the hoped for ending of this Pandemic with the coming of the vaccine.

May our grateful remembrance of the Lord’s Birth at Christmas fill our hearts with the enduring hope and peace that only the Savior can bring to our lives.  And may the New Year that will soon be upon us bring a final end to this shadow of darkness, with healing and health for all!

Love,

(Msgr.) Art

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Advent Reflection: Tender Mercy

“The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.
Therefore the child to be born
will be called holy, the Son of God…” 

Three characters take center stage during the Advent Season – Isaiah the Prophet, John the Baptist and Mary, the mother of the Lord.  Isaiah captures the longing of the people of the covenant who never lost hope that the Lord would fulfill his promises to them.  That hope would burn brightly in their hearts and sustain them during the many challenges that marked their history. 

John the Baptist, sometimes referred to as the ‘first evangelist,’ heralded the coming of the promised one as he called his contemporaries to ‘prepare a way for the Lord!’  The baptism of John was one of repentance and he would be privileged to baptize the Messiah, the giver of the definitive Baptism leading to a radical new life in Jesus himself. 

And finally, Mary, the mother of the Lord.  We Catholics together with our Orthodox sisters and brothers, venerate Mary as the first disciple and the living ark of the new covenant that would be realized in her son.  Mary’s unique role in this History of Salvation depended completely on her son whom she bore in the Mystery of the Incarnation that first Christmas morning.  That is the reason why the most ancient images of Mary in Christian art would never think of portraying her alone.  She is always imaged lovingly carrying her Son, the Savior of the world.  Her venerable and ancient title as Theotokos or “God-bearer” reflects this reality. 

In Eastern iconography there is a particularly moving image of Mary that powerfully conveys her dignity as the “God-bearer” of Jesus.  It is called ‘Our Lady of Tender Mercy’ and depicts the child Jesus with his cheek next to his mother and arms embracing her.  In the simplicity and power of this image we witness the summary of our theology about Mary in visual art.  For, she is the mother of mercy itself as she gifts that reality to a world waiting to be transformed by a love and mercy that knows no bounds.  That, my friends, is our greatest gift this Christmas and every Christmas of our lives. 

“The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.
Therefore the child to be born
will be called holy, the Son of God…”

Advent Reflection: Rejoice Always

Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing.
In all circumstances give thanks,
for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus. 

It may seem incongruous in the midst of a pandemic where there is so much fear and anxiety, illness and death, for us to hear a scripture passage urging us to ‘rejoice always!’ Yet, for the faithful Christian, it is precisely in the midst of challenges, suffering and trials that our faith urges us, once again, not to lose heart and even to rejoice! 

Perhaps, part of that incongruity lies in our misunderstanding of what truly constitutes true joy in our lives.  Joy is not the fleeting emotion that puts a silly smile on our face.  Nor is joy, necessarily, the feeling of happiness when everything is going our way. 

Rather, the kind of joy that St. Paul speaks of today is anchored in an unwavering relationship of hope and promise in the one who speaks to us those freeing words, ‘fear not, I am with you always!’ 

For Christians who truly live Advent in their lives, no tribulation, anxiety or fear will ever have the last word in our lives.  Why? Because our lives have be redeemed by the unfailing love and mercy of a God, who in his Son, Jesus, our Emmanuel, has made a home with us.  In that home, no one is ever a stranger, all have a place at his table of love and mercy.   

And so, my friends, it is that reality of being forever ‘found’ by our loving God and having a home in his heart that is the foundation of our joy, a joy that will have no end. 

Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing.
In all circumstances give thanks,
for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.

Advent Reflection: Comfort, comfort my people

Comfort, give comfort to my people,
says your God. 

Each day we hear the rising number of Covid-19 deaths and infections across our country. While there are those who, perhaps, wish to avoid the news, it is difficult since news sources are inundated with the unsettling toll that this pandemic is taking. 

The stories of those who have endured the heartache of losing a loved one to this virus are legion.  In normal circumstances, as a loved one faces the reality of death, it is only natural that we surround them physically with our comforting presence.  We reassure them that in this moment of leave-taking, they are not alone.  We accompany them at this still-point moment in our earthly journey with the comforting assurance of our unfailing love and prayers. 

The tragedy of Covid deaths is that invariably that human presence and touch is often missing for fear of contagion.  We are left with iPhone or iPad encounters to offer our loved ones, comforting words of affection and farewell.   

For people of faith, we believe that the Lord himself grieves with us as we bid farewell to those we love as the finality of deaths claims our loved ones.  As Isaiah the Prophet reassures us today, it is the Lord himself who bids us to comfort others with his own loving presence in the midst of whatever hardship, challenge or trial that may be part of our human journey. 

So often it is to doctors, nurses and medical personnel that the charge to comfort is given from the Lord of life and endless love in this challenging moment.  They now become the Advent people who carry the promise of unending hope to those in the shadow of death.  

Sisters and brothers, as we journey in this Season to the bright promise of thankful remembrance of the Lord’s birth, let us hold these front-line healers and comforters in our heart.  May the Lord grant them strength and courage to not grow weary and to know that we hold them in grateful prayer. 

Comfort, give comfort to my people,
says your God.

Advent Reflection: Christ, Yesterday, Today and Forever

“Be watchful! Be alert!
You do not know when the time will come… 

One of the great highlights in my life as a priest was my involvement with the 1987 Second Pastoral Visit of Pope St. John Paul II to the United States.  As part of the preparation for this historic event, liturgical composers here in our Country were commissioned to write special music for the liturgical celebrations that were a center-piece of the visit. 

Together with On Eagles Wings by the American priest composer, Jan Michael Joncas, there is probably no more beloved or familiar hymn than, I am the Bread of Life, by Sr. Suzanne Toolan.  A less well-known hymn that she was commissioned to compose for the 1987 Pastoral Visit of His Holiness, is the hymn, Jesus Christ, Yesterday, Today and Forever.   

I mention this moving hymn today as the Church enters a new liturgical year with this First Sunday of Advent, because in the simplicity of this refrain, we have captured the entire theology of the Advent Season. 

This season of hope and promise has three temporal dimensions, past, present and future upon which the eyes of our heart are to be focused.  We remember with gratitude the longing of our ancestors in the faith for that moment promised to them by God when the Lord would break into history itself and reveal the fulness of his presence in the one we call, Emmanuel – God is with us.   

Yet, Advent is no mere experience of nostalgia, wedded solely to the past.  We remember the present moment of our lives when the God of unfailing mercy and love continues to break into our lives sacramentally in the Church that is his living Body today.   

While we cherish that divine presence in the present moment of our lives, Advent calls us to look to the future – to be watchful and alert -for when the Lord of all Creation will come again – to judge the living and the dead – and to transform all of created reality in his great Second Coming. 

Past, Present and Future.  We remember the past with gratitude.  We celebrate the present with hearts filled with faith and love.  We look forward to the future coming of the Lord with Hope.  Jesus Christ, Yesterday, Today and Forever!

Sunday Reflection: Christ, King of the Universe

I myself will pasture my sheep;
I myself will give them rest, says the Lord GOD. 
The lost I will seek out,
the strayed I will bring back,
the injured I will bind up,
the sick I will heal… 

Since my teenage years, I have always been attracted by the beauty and simplicity of Byzantine iconography. This is one of the earliest forms of Christian art that emerged from Eastern Christianity.  Some years ago, during my traveling days, I acquired a splendid icon in Athens of Christ seated in Glory as King of the Universe.  In Greek, this classical depiction of Christ coming in glory at the end of time is referred to as Cristos Pantocrator.  The image exudes the sovereign power and majesty befitting the Lord of Creation.  The Lord is surrounded by a host of angels as he comes to judge his creatures at the end of time.  It is the visual depiction of the story we find in the Gospel today taken from the 25th chapter of Matthew on this Solemnity of Christ, King of the Universe. 

When we think of a King, it is only natural for our mind’s eye to go directly to one who exhibits unlimited power.  Ancient kings were absolute in their power.  How paradoxical, then, that on this Feast that conjures absolute power, that our first reading today should speak of shepherds and sheep, the very antithesis of Kings and their subjects. 

Within that paradox, my friends, stands the reality of the Lord’s true sovereignty over all creation.  Not the capricious and arbitrary power of a narcissistic potentate but, rather, the image of the simple and loving shepherd whose life is given over for his sheep – to seek out the lost, bind up the wounded and heal the sick. 

The Feast that brings to a close our Liturgical Year, a year that we will never forget, speaks of our Eternal Shepherd who will judge our hearts at the end of time precisely on how well we, too, have been there for others who were lost, abandoned, sick, imprisoned, the homeless, the naked or broken in anyway.  Christians will ultimately be judged, not for their theological brilliance or deft moral reasoning but simply how well they have recognized Christ in one another and reverenced that divine presence in one another.  

I myself will pasture my sheep;
I myself will give them rest, says the Lord GOD. 
The lost I will seek out,
the strayed I will bring back,
the injured I will bind up,
the sick I will heal…

Sunday Reflection: Children of the Day

But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness,
for that day to overtake you like a thief. 
For all of you are children of the light
and children of the day. 

My morning ritual for these past challenging months of the pandemic is to check the statistics of those who have both contracted Covid as well as those who have tragically died the day before in the New York Times.  For the past weeks, those numbers have sadly been spiking, as all the epidemiologists had soberly predicted.  Who would have thought that in this age of medical and scientific wonders that we would be facing the same pandemic challenge that the world wrestled with in 1918?  

It is so very easy for many faced with the dire predictions of the daily news to become oblivious of the Good News that should be the rock and anchor of hope for us who profess to be followers of the Christ who is the light of the world.  How easy it is for us all to let our fears paralyze us and drain our lives of the hope that will ultimately sustain us through the challenges of this life into the glory of the next. 

Those words perhaps trip easily off the lips of those who haven’t had to deal with the wrenching and agonizing death of a loved one by Covid.  Yet, even for those who have had to face the crucible of this wretched disease, all the more is the hope that Christ has brought to a waiting world for nearly 2000 years, that must be our guiding light leading us through this valley of darkness. 

As much as all of us cling to the goodness and beauty that our lives and this world brings, the Good News of the Gospel reminds us that you and I are essentially pilgrims in an alien land.  We have an eternal destiny and, as St. Augustine so beautifully stated, our hearts are restless until they rest in you, O Lord!  The author to the Letter to the Hebrews said it best when he said, We have not here a lasting city…. No, our homeland will be with the Lord and all those whom we have come to know and love in this life, in the unending glory of the life and eternal communion to come. 

And so, as St. Paul reminds us today, despite the darkness that surrounds us, let us be children of the day.  And, let us make the beautiful prayer of St. Richard of Chichester our own as we continue our pilgrimage to the promised land. 

Thanks be to thee, my Lord Jesus Christ,
for all the benefits thou hast given me,
for all the pains and insults thou hast borne for me.
O most merciful redeemer, friend and brother,
may I know thee more clearly,
love thee more dearly,
and follow thee more nearly, day by day.

Sunday Reflection: Solemnity of All the Saints

“Amen.  Blessing and glory, wisdom and thanksgiving,
honor, power, and might
be to our God forever and ever.  Amen." 

Probably one of the most familiar pieces of great choral music is the beloved, Halleluiah chorus from Messiah by George Frideric Handel.  Tradition has it that when King George II heard it for the first time, he was so moved by the emotions that it stirred within him, that he stood, thus initiated the tradition to this very day that all stand for its singing.   

As much as I love this wonderful piece of music, it was always the final chorus of Messiah that claimed my heart.  Handel, in concluding his epic Oratorio of the life of the Savior, brought to a close his magnum opus by setting to music the text taken from the 7th Chapter of the Book of Revelation.   Logic gives way to poetry for the author of this final Book of the Bible to paint a dramatic picture of what will be when all of created existence is gloriously transformed in Christ at the end of time.  Scripture sings poetically a story of an intimate communion of all peoples around the throne of the Living God in loving adoration.  The brokenness of humanity will be eternally healed as with one heart and mind, the human family of the redeemed sing an endless song of praise and thanksgiving. 

On this All Saints Day, we capture a glimpse of that destiny that awaits you and me as we venerate the women and men down through the centuries who kept their eyes on the eternal prize that is promised by the God of mercy and unfailing love.  While we Catholics cherish the names and stories of those famous Saints that have endeared themselves to us, today we remember the countless unnamed Holy Ones who have been the friends of the Lord through the simplicity of their lives, unmarked and unnoticed by the world.  The countless parents who selflessly sacrificed daily in love for their children; the men and women of integrity who lived daily the Gospel-values they professed with courage and conviction; the priests and religious who brought the Good News of Christ to God’s people, not counting the cost; those who have died for their faith in godless dictatorships down through the centuries and to this very day.  Today, we give thanks to God for the witness of their lives as we, with unfailing hope, look to the day of our eternal communion with them. 

“Amen.  Blessing and glory, wisdom and thanksgiving,
honor, power, and might
be to our God forever and ever.  Amen."

Sunday Reflection: Justice tempered by mercy

Thus says the LORD:
"You shall not molest or oppress an alien,
for you were once aliens yourselves in the land of Egypt. 
You shall not wrong any widow or orphan. 
If ever you wrong them and they cry out to me,
I will surely hear their cry. 
My wrath will flare up, and I will kill you with the sword;
then your own wives will be widows, and your children orphans. 

I don’t know about you, but I found this passage taken from the Book of Exodus as part of the first lesson for today’s Mass, particularly strong and uncompromising, coming from the Lord of compassion and mercy.  As much as we might want to rationalize away certain parts of Scripture, not to our liking, these words from the Lord are pretty straight forward.  If we fail to open our hearts and create a hospitable home for the alien, the widow and the orphan who cry out to the Lord, then, there will be a consequence: My wrath will flare up, and I will kill you with the sword; then your own wives will be widows, and your children orphans. 

Is it possible that the Lord of all creation could be using truthful hyperbole in this passage?  Well, I, for one, do not want to find out!  The plain truth remains that both the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures present as essential criteria for living the authentic life of faith, our willingness to see all peoples and especially, the alien, the immigrant, widows, the homeless and disenfranchised, as beloved children of God and, indeed, our sisters and brothers.  There is no way around it, we are to see them as God sees them, his beloved who are worthy of protection, love and mercy in the home of our hearts and in the land, we call our own. 

This passage cannot but prod the consciences of those in our own country who have witnessed the virtual dismantling of our immigration system and particularly, the closing of the door to those who seek legitimate asylum from the death-dealing circumstances in their respective countries.  All peoples of good will with an ounce of sensitivity toward the inviolability of the family, have shuddered in incomprehension at the separation of children from their parents, as a cruel and heartless disincentive to immigration into our country.  While every country, of course, understandably regulates immigration through laws that are fair and equitable, justice must always be tempered by mercy. 

My friends, the Word of the Lord, must always be a beacon of light calling us to the true North Star that leads us ever more deeply to living our faith with integrity and authenticity.  May we pray for the courage to let that divine Word, take root in our hearts and in the hearts and minds of the citizens of our beloved country to transform us with truth and justice tempered by mercy.

Sunday Reflection: Repay to Caesar...

At that he said to them,
"Then repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar
and to God what belongs to God." 

With a General Election a little more than two weeks away, how appropriate it is that we have set before us this Gospel passage from Matthew.  From the earliest days of our faith, Christians by and large, did not separate themselves from the rest of civil society but took seriously the Lord’s analogy that we were to be ‘leaven in the midst of wheat.”  In other words, Christians are called to bring the values of Christ to transform the society and world in which we live.  While our ultimate allegiance will always be to God and his Kingdom, we must never forget that we serve that Kingdom by the quality and level of our commitment to the Body of Christ who are our sisters and brothers in Christ. 

Unlike many of the Catholic nations of Europe, the great American experiment in its foundational documents, created a Republic where there would be a constitutional separation between the Church and State.  While our founders would distance themselves from an established Religion, there would be a guarantee of Religious liberty for all.   

In time, such a civil ‘experiment’ away from an established Church and the guarantee of Religious liberty which was viewed with suspicion by the Catholic Church was eventually blessed in the vision of Church articulated by the Second Vatican Council. 

Catholics are called to faithful citizenship in helping to form a more perfect union together with their sisters and brothers in these United States.  We do so most profoundly by exercising our right to vote.  While neither one of the major political parties in our Country, perfectly reflects the totality of our Catholic ethical vision, we must never let, as they say, the perfect be the enemy of the good.  In other words, as flawed as their positions may be, rendering ‘to Caesar’ means wrestling in conscience with a decision as to what party or individual may bring about the greater good.   

Our Bishops have set before us the challenge that in our vote, a preeminent place should be afforded to those willing to safeguard the dignity of life and especially the vulnerable life of the unborn. Our Holy Father, Pope Francis, extends this vulnerability to the life of the poor, the hungry, immigrants, the ailing and the aged, and those who live on the margins of society.  In other words, the haunting refrain of ‘what would Jesus do?’ should be in our minds and hearts as we exercise our civic duty to vote. 

In the end, I would like to make the words of Fr. Michael Ryan, Rector of St. James Cathedral in Seattle, my own: 

Politics have their place and so do political parties, but the demands of the Gospel of Jesus Christ – with its broad embrace of ‘the least, the last, and the lonely’--will always be the decisive factor when it comes to how a Christian forms his or her conscience, and how a Christian exercises the sacred duty of voting responsibly. May Jesus Christ and his Gospel inspire and challenge each of us as we prepare to cast our vote in this election.

Sunday Reflection: Lift your eyes to the mountain

On this mountain he will destroy
the veil that veils all peoples,
the web that is woven over all nations;
he will destroy death forever.

One of most memorable of all the speeches that the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave was on April 3, 1968 at the Church of Christ headquarters in Memphis, Tennessee, the night before he was killed by an assassin’s bullet.  In that farewell legacy talk, he said: 

Well, I don't know what will happen now. We've got some difficult days ahead. But it really doesn't matter with me now, because I've been to the mountaintop. And I don't mind. Like anybody, I would like to live – a long life; longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the Promised Land. So, I'm happy, tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord. 

Steeped in the Biblical imagery of the Hebrew Scriptures, Dr. King knew the power and symbolism of ‘the mountain’ for people of the Judeo-Christian tradition.  So often, God manifested his power, might and holy presence on a mountain.  In the mysterious burning bush that was not consumed, God spoke to Moses, the great liberator of his people, commissioning him to ‘set his people free.’  And, it would be on that same mountain top of Horeb, that The Lord would entrust to Moses the law of the covenant in the Ten Commandments.  Good and Pious Jew that he was, Jesus aware of this tradition would be transfigured on the mountain top as he revealed his deepest identity of deified glory to Peter, James and John. And it was on a mountain that he would reveal to his followers the new law of ‘Blessedness’ as he preached the Beatitudes to those who longed for the new covenant of love and mercy that would be realized in the one who spoke those inspiring words.  And finally, on the hill of Golgotha, the King of the Jews would paradoxically reign from the throne of the cross, uniting heaven and earth as he embraced humanity in death, only to redeem it in Resurrection three days later. 

My friends, amidst the incredible challenges that are upon us in this moment of our lives, we are reminded to ‘lift our eyes to the mountain’ where our hope will come.  Raise your vision to the mountain for, as the prophets have said, ‘a people without vision will perish.’   

On this mountain he will destroy
the veil that veils all peoples,
the web that is woven over all nations;
he will destroy death forever.

Sunday Reflection: Think about these things!

Finally, brothers and sisters,
whatever is true, whatever is honorable,
whatever is just, whatever is pure,
whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious,
if there is any excellence
and if there is anything worthy of praise,
think about these things. 

Anxiety can paralyze us.  During these months of pandemic, I’m sure that there are not a few of our sisters and brothers who have experienced the paralyzing effects of anxiety and worry.  Am I going to catch the dreaded virus? My job is at jeopardy, what am I going to do.  My rent is due and my unemployment has run out, what am I going to do?  This isolation from family and friends is driving me nuts, what am I going to do?  The litany of anxiety producing things during these extraordinary times appears endless. 

No wonder, then, that our second reading from Paul’s letter to the Philippines provides such healing and comfort for those of us who are heavy with anxiety.  Paul is mining the wisdom of psychology in asking his listeners to ‘think about these things’ that can lift us out of the pit of desolation, anxiety and ceaseless worry.   

So much of the anxiety and you and I face comes from what is called ‘tunnel vision’ in life.  At the end of that tunnel we see only that which is causing anxiety and worry that can paralyzes us with fear.  However, when we broaden our vision, we see the totality of life that can so easily be forgotten – the people who love us, the unexpected and unearned moments of grace and blessing, the beauty and splendor of God’s creation.

A wise spiritual director taught me the importance of the prayer of remembrance and gratitude.  In the midst of whatever moments that may spiral us into anxiety and moments of spiritual darkness, remember the moments in life that have brought joy, love, peace and unearned gratitude.  It might be the smile of a long-forgotten friend, the forgiveness that brought a new beginning in life, a moment of solitude that brought unbelievable inner peace or simply, the cherished memory of a sunset that brought a perfect ending to a day of blessing and grace. 

No wonder, then, that Paul admonishes us in the midst of whatever worries that may burden us, to remember these beautiful words: 

Finally, brothers and sisters,
whatever is true, whatever is honorable,
whatever is just, whatever is pure,
whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious,
if there is any excellence
and if there is anything worthy of praise,
think about these things.

Sunday Reflection: Humility

Do nothing out of selfishness or out of vainglory;
rather, humbly regard others as more important than yourselves,
each looking out not for his own interests,
but also for those of others. 

Humility is probably one of the most underrated and underappreciated of all the virtues.  Especially in a country that prizes the rugged individualist whose value is often gauged by his or her ability to ‘grab all the gusto there is’ or who considers that winners are the ones who ‘end up with all the toys in life,’ humility is often relegated to wimps and losers. 

How far from the Gospel values such attitudes are.  In Paul’s letter to the Philippians today, we hear the great apostle to the gentiles sing rhapsodically about the virtue of humility which always seeks the good of others. Within this letter we find an ancient hymn that extols the greatness of Jesus because he ‘poured out himself’ as he refused to cling to his divine nature and embraced in utter humility our humanity. 

During this pandemic, I think of the selfless healthcare workers who day in and day out are there providing healing and comfort to the many who have contracted Covid-19.  Often, these caregivers are the last ones the dying see in isolation as they remain at their bedsides in these sad moments of leave-taking. 

The word humility has its root in the Latin word, ‘humus’ or ‘earth/soil.’  People who are humble possess a radical honesty about themselves and others.  They realize that all that they are and all that they have come by way of gift from the one who is the giver of all good gifts.  Humble people reverence the giftedness of creation, the unsolicited beauty of Mother earth and the exquisite beauty of friendship and love.   

Ultimately, my friends, it is humility that is at the heart of human greatness, character and integrity. 

Sunday Reflection: Be worthy of the Gospel of Christ

Only, conduct yourselves in a way worthy of the gospel of Christ. 

Social media was in an uproar recently with a YouTube video post of a priest who unequivocally stated that voting for a Democrat for President should bar one from the reception of communion.  With unremitting passion and unfailing sincerity, this priest was obviously motivated by the Presidential election that is less than six weeks away. 

The priest’s Bishop eventually intervened to caution him with fatherly love to reexamine both his judgements and tone and to correct what, obviously, was creating a great deal of confusion, since what the priest was saying did not represent the official teaching of the Catholic Church. 

Ministers of the Gospel and all Christians, for that matter, need to listen with an attentive heart to the wise admonition that we find in Paul’s letter to the Philippians in our second reading today:  Only conduct yourselves in a way worthy of the gospel of Christ.  My friends, how quickly we forget that wisdom of the ages in the midst of the passion of the moment when we are more prone to react rather than thoughtfully respond. 

The word, “Gospel” means “Good News.”  As Christians, we are called to put flesh and bones on the Good News of Christ by the quality of how we live our lives, interact with one another and finally, by the words we speak. 

We Christians will bring others to Christ far more by the silent witness of our understanding, compassion, mercy, forgiveness and unfailing love than by the self-righteous judgments that we might make in our fanatical obsession with trying to second-guess God himself. 

Let us pray for the wisdom, as St. Francis of Assisi is quoted to have said, to preach the Gospel always, and sometimes, use words!