Last night at Holy Spirit Church in Dunkirk, NY I had the pleasure of serving as a deacon at a wonderful celebration of the Eucharist.  It was the foundation upon which the evenings events were to be built and at the core of the message of the evening.  Wayne Weible, a journalist who has been called for the last 26 years of his life to write an speak about what has been happening in Medjugorje, spoke at length to a packed church about his call, conversion, and life.

The entire evening was a great joy for me and I am reminded of how at various points in my own walk, the Virgin Mary has entered my heart as my mother, my mentor, and my advocate.  I remember how close I felt t her on retreat  at the Abbey of the Genesee, while walking the floor in the middle of the night with my fussing baby girl, and when I opened myself to read her messages through the visionaries of Medjugorje and the inner locutions of Fr Stefano Gobbi of happy memory.

For more information try these links:

http://www.mmp-usa.net/main.html

http://www.medjugorje.org/

http://www.medjugorjeweible.com/

http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/para/67.htm

Follow the example of Mary, receive, give, and be living blessings.

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One year ends and another begins.

How many of you have or plan to make at least one New Year’s resolution?

I decided to be more practical this time in picking a resolution for myself.  In the past I have said things like, I’m going to lose 30 pounds by the 4^th of July, which hasn’t really worked too well for me.  So, this year I resolve to grow a foot and a half taller.  Then I will be the right weight for my height and not have to lose anything!  Why are you laughing?  Don’t you think that will work?  Of course, you are right and I suppose I will have to revisit that.

For many of the people we know Christmas is over.  It is time to move on to the next event, which is of course to celebrate the New Year.  We who are Catholics have a different approach.  We continue to celebrate the season of Christmas, and through the lens of Christmas, we celebrate the New Year.

Underneath the culture’s rituals of watching the ball drop, noisemakers, and midnight kisses with the one we love most… lies a deeper reality of great importance.  That reality is that our lives are in need of continual renewal.  The reason we need this renewal is that within ourselves, at the very core of our being, in our hearts where the Spirit of the Son who cries out “Abba” “Daddy” lives, we know that we fall short of the vision that we have for our lives.

What is that vision?  Is it a vague idea, which is mostly subconscious at this point, or is it in sharper focus because you have spent time trying to figure it out so that you can make the appropriate adjustments?  Perhaps there is some lesson to be learned from Mary the Mother of God, which will be of value.  Let’s review her year up to the point of today’s Gospel reading.

~ She was betrothed but agreed to put herself into a situation that would put her marriage and her very life at risk.

~ When visiting her older, barren, yet somehow pregnant anyway cousin, this cousin knew she was pregnant at the sound of her voice.

~Against the cultural norms, Mary was accepted in her own pregnancy by Joseph, who was not the father of her child.

~ They were then forced by the government to make a very difficult journey to Bethlehem for a census.

~ As she went into labor the only shelter they could find was a stable, and in those unsanitary conditions she gave birth to her son.

~ Shortly after going through labor and delivery her family was visited by strangers.  These sketchy characters were shepherds who said an angel told them that her son was the Messiah and Lord.

… And I thought I had an eventful and emotional rollercoaster ride this year!

How did Mary respond to this?  She kept all these things… reflecting on them in her heart.[1]  This is in clear contrast to “all who heard it that were amazed.”

In this keeping or treasuring of events, this reflecting upon, pondering, and interpreting them in the heart… at the core of her being, where the Spirit of God lives… in this she becomes the model for we who believe.

Her approach is emphasized again[2] after Joseph and Mary find the twelve-year-old Jesus in the Temple, His Father’s house, astounding the most learned teachers of Judaism with his understanding and his answers.  She kept all of these things in her heart as well.

This deep reflection of events in the light of faith informed her approach to life not just once a year but every day.  This idea is so important to Luke that in his Gospel Jesus himself refers to a faith like hers:

“But as for the seed that fell on rich soil, they are the ones who, when they have heard the word, embrace it with a generous and good heart and bear fruit through perseverance.”[3]

“My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and act on it.”[4]

And in response a woman from the crowd who called out and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that carried you and the breasts at which you nursed.”

He replied, “Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.”[5]

In pondering today’s readings I saw a very clear theme of blessings.  They are all about blessings given and received.

We are blessed by the birth of Jesus so that we are not only reconciled, but we become the adopted children of God.  Take that in for a moment…

How does that change the way we see our lives if we ponder that in our hearts.  How does it challenge us to make adjustments, resolutions if you will, when we treasure that thought and live by it.

If you and I look back on the events of the past year and put them into the light of a faith that trusts that God loves us, maybe we will see the blessings that he can bring out of our pain.  Maybe we will see the direction that we are called to move in this year.  Maybe, it will even bring down our blood pressure a bit to rest secure in that faith that we are the adopted daughters and sons of God.

Part of why we come here to celebrate Eucharist each week is illustrated in the Book of Numbers today when God says to Moses that he is to tell Aaron and his Sons, how they are to bless the Israelites.

Here we see how intercessory prayer and the use of mediators goes back to the very roots of our faith.  So we come here to be blessed, that happens in sacrament and word as well as through Fr. Charles who follows in Aaron’s footsteps and blesses us in the Concluding Rite.  But, we also come to bless each other with the support and strength of community as well as to bless the whole world through our intercessions for it during the prayer of the faithful.

I have indeed revisited my resolution for the new year and I invite you to share this new resolution with me.  I resolve to learn from Mary the mother of God and my mother, to ponder things in my heart.  Whether they are happy events in my life or sad ones, my marriage, my work, my difficulties, illnesses, anything at all that 2012 brings to me I resolve to ponder in my heart and seek the blessings.

I resolve to seek the blessings that I receive, the blessings I can give, and the blessing I am called to be.

The LORD bless you and keep you!

The LORD let his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you!

The LORD look upon you kindly and give you peace!

Homily for The Nativity of the Lord, Readings for the Mass during the day.  Reading 1: Isaiah 52:7-10, Responsorial Psalm:  Psalm 98:1, 2-3, 3-4, 5-6, Reading II:  Hebrews 1:1-6, Gospel:  John 1:1-18 or John 1:1-5, 9-14

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The mystery of the incarnation is born today in us.

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Well we made it.  All of the frantic activity that leads up to Christmas is pretty much finished, except for what needs to be done for Christmas dinner.  It’s pretty easy to think about Christmas in earthly terms, the details that need to be tended to, the gifts that we receive and the gifts that we give, all of the things that we do because at the heart of it, today is a very different day from the rest of the year and we know it.  Today is a celebration of an event, the Christ event!…  An event from which we count our years, in our world things happened in history either before or after the birth of the Christ of God who was named Jesus of Nazareth.

In remembrance of this great event, Our friends and family members who may have gone to the vigil Mass, or perhaps at Midnight or Sunrise, had the joy of hearing the Good News from Matthew or Luke while we heard from John.  They heard about Mary and Joseph, dreams and angels, shepherds and overcrowded inns, while we heard,

In the beginning was the Word,

and the Word was with God,

and the Word was God.

Is it just me or did we get a harder Gospel to understand?

Maybe… but maybe it is worth working with a little bit.  Did you know that up until Vatican II this Gospel text was proclaimed at the end of every normal celebration of the Mass, earning it the misnomer the “last gospel”?

Why did we do that… for centuries?  We did it because it ended every mass with the beautiful and compelling truth of the incarnation.  The incarnation, that’s another one of those silver dollar words that we throw around at church but seldom hear at the water cooler.  What the heck does that actually mean?  If we don’t have some kind of handle on that we can’t really understand Christmas.

The evangelists who wrote the Gospels each looked at it from a different perspective.  Luke’s account carefully documents the historical birth of the Son of God, starting with “in those days.”  Matthew’s account begins with a long genealogy, setting the birth of Jesus within the history of Israel.  With these two Gospels we may have a tendency to look at the incarnation as a historical event, frozen forever as that important point in time.  But watch how John counterbalances that.  John starts with “In the beginning…”  This phrase is a mystical code, which means “always and everywhere”.

We need all three evangelists to understand the incarnation.  Yes, God became man in the person of Jesus the Christ, but it is so much more than that.  John also tells us,

“to those who did accept him he gave power to become children of God,

to those who believe in his name…”

Did you listen to what Fr Charles prayed at the Collect a little while ago During the Introductory Rites?

O God, who wonderfully created the dignity of human nature

and still more wonderfully restored it,

grant, we pray,

that we may share in the divinity of Christ,

who humbled himself to share in our humanity.

So it remains today and always.  Our prayer and purpose is to share in the “life which is the light of the human race that the darkness has not overcome!”

Every single time that I assist at mass and prepare for the Eucharist, I hand the priest the paten with the bread to be consecrated.  Then I pour wine and a little water into the chalice saying quietly:

“By the mystery of this water and wine

may we come to share in the divinity of Christ

who humbled himself to share in our humanity”

The incarnation embraces us when we embrace our faith.  Our faith is an incredible gift, which allows us to become the hands and feet of Christ in the world.  We are the incarnation when we visit the sick and the imprisoned, help the poor and the hungry, comfort those who grieve, stand up for those who are powerless, in and out of season, not counting the cost, but doing what is right in the eyes of God because we are the daughters and sons of God.  This is what happens the more we ask for Christmas to live in our hearts.

Maybe now we can understand the incarnation a little better.

Maybe now we can understand what happens at the holy mass a little better.

Maybe now we can understand the importance of Christmas a little better.

The word, that was with God, that was God…

The Word that is the Gospel that is proclaimed each week…

The Word that is the Eucharist we can receive at every mass…

The Word that grants us grace upon grace and reveals the Father to us…

The Word that poured out His life for us on the cross to restore us to the Father..

This Word is the reason for the season.

This Word is the” why” shot through all we do today.

This Word, if we believe, is the foundation of our lives.

On this foundation we can build a house that will withstand the storms of life and give us peace that no amount of money, power, or influence could buy for us.

How can we respond to such an incredible gift?

In John Shea’s book “The Hour of the Unexpected” he shares a little story called Sharon’s Christmas prayer:

She was five,

sure of the facts,

and recited them with slow solemnity

convinced every word

was revelation.

She said

They were so poor that

they only had peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to eat

and they were a long way from home without getting lost.

The lady rode a donkey, the man walked, and the baby was inside the lady.

They had to stay in a stable with an ox and an ass (hee-hee)

but the three rich men found them because a star lited the roof.

Shepherds came and you could pet the sheep but not feed them.

Then the baby was borned.

And do you know who he was?

(Her quarter eyes inflated to silver dollars.)

The Baby was God.

And she jumped into the air

whirled round, dove into the sofa

and buried her head under the cushion

which is the only proper response

to the Good News of the Incarnation.

This Blog post from the Catholic News Service contained the remarks of Archbishop Dolan of NY and as often happens, the comments afterward had little to do with his remarks.  Instead they quickly swirled around the sex abuse scandal.  Typically I do not even read, much less reply to comments, but for some reason this time I chose to.  This is what I said.

While I will not enter directly into a debate about studies and statistics I do want to acknowledge the pain and suffering caused by those that did such terrible, terrible things. I pray often for the precious victims of abuse as well as for the success of the efforts being made by the church to see that it happens no more. May God have mercy on us all and guide us into a world where children are safe whether they be in church, school, sports, scouting, family settings, or any other activity.

To comment on the Archbishop’s published remarks we must keep in mind that they are only a small sliver of what was said over a span of days and were intended to illustrate the positive foundation on which the local churches of NY state will build toward the future. There were other times, alluded to near the end of his remarks, in which to address problems.

To see that the ecclesial culture has changed, and continues to change, as it seeks to legitimately engage the issues of the day, one needs only to read the remarks of the pope to the bishops of region 2 (Dolan et al… found at http://www.radiovaticana.org/EN1/Articolo.asp?c=541079) where he recalled his pastoral visit to the USA in 2008 and in which he said, among other things:

“…the seriousness of the challenges which the Church in America, under your leadership, is called to confront in the near future cannot be underestimated. The obstacles to Christian faith and practice raised by a secularized culture also affect the lives of believers, leading at times to that “quiet attrition” from the Church which you raised with me during my Pastoral Visit. Immersed in this culture, believers are daily beset by the objections, the troubling questions and the cynicism of a society which seems to have lost its roots, by a world in which the love of God has grown cold in so many hearts. Evangelization thus appears not simply a task to be undertaken ad extra; we ourselves are the first to need re-evangelization. As with all spiritual crises, whether of individuals or communities, we know that the ultimate answer can only be born of a searching, critical and ongoing self-assessment and conversion in the light of Christ’s truth. Only through such interior renewal will we be able to discern and meet the spiritual needs of our age with the ageless truth of the Gospel. ”

As a father, a husband, and a Catholic Permanent Deacon I too seek a blessing and a word of hope. I seek to be re-evangelized through ongoing self-assessment and conversion in the light of Christ’s truth. I trust in my God (not my bishop) to provide that grace as I seek to serve his people under the leadership of my bishop and the pope. May the Word made flesh change us all again and forever as we prepare our hearts for His coming.

I relived, although blunted by the distance of a decade, my own shock, and remembered how I could barely choke out the words that something horrible had happened as I called my father and told him to turn on his television.  However, the memories of the pain, which was shared by and galvanized our nation, was not what challenged me.  No, the challenges were to come from my faith, and what God led me to see and hear this weekend.

I usually drive with the radio off in the car but after running an errand I turned it on and I was drawn into what I immediately recognized as a homily in progress.  Not knowing who the preacher was I was captivated by his heartfelt remembrance of the horrible tragedy that was on the minds of so many.  Then came the challenge.  He saw the attacks clearly and undeniable as being impossible unless those who carried them out did not respect life.  They could not have recognized the inherent dignity of each of the lives that would be taken that day.  Furthermore, he said that the war against terror could not be won unless we understood that point and battled our own attitudes that the terrorist acts reflected back to us.  He connected the violence perpetrated against innocent adults in the World Trade Center to the same root cause that leads to violence against innocent babies in the womb.  That was a challenge to me.

At first, I thought well yes but let’s not downplay the significance of the terrorist acts that were being memorialized.  Then I remembered the word’s of two of the spiritual giants who walked the earth during my lifetime, John Paul II who said, “The promotion of the culture of life should be the highest priority in our societies…If the right to life is not defended decisively as a condition for all other rights of the person, all other references to human rights remain deceitful and illusory.”, and Mother Teresa, “We must not be surprised when we hear of murders, killings, of wars, or of hatred…If a mother can kill her own child, what is left but for us to kill each other?” .  This preacher and my own conscience are challenging me to be more open to the defense of life in the womb, life in the midst of poverty, life in the prisons, life in nursing homes and hospitals, life from the moment of conception until natural death.

The second challenge began with my reading of the scriptures for Mass this Sunday, which spoke of the necessity of forgiveness.  This challenge came to a crest for me when my voice nearly cracked with emotion as I proclaimed the final words of the Gospel passage from Matthew 18:21-35.  “Then in anger his master handed him over to the torturers until he should pay back the whole debt.  So will my heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgives your brother from your heart.”

Forgiveness is not merely a nice idea we might want to consider it is essential!  To follow Christ means to forgive.  If we do not forgive, we harbor resentments over little things and hatred over major things that can grow like a cancer in our spirit until what fills our hearts and our thoughts is black and joyless.   In order to live we must forgive.  What could be more challenging than to follow the example of a tortured man, close to death, crying out “Father forgive them, they know not what they do.” Luke23:34.

Can I forgive terrorists?  Can I forgive those who have harmed my children? Can I forgive those who have done me wrong at work? Can I forgive those who disrespect me?  Can I forgive those who steal from me or destroy my property?  Can I forgive those who attack my beliefs?  No, I can’t, at least not right away and certainly not without the help of divine grace.  But, with time and prayer, I believe that I can and that I must, for this is the way that leads us out of the hell of violence and hatred into the heaven of peace and love.

Have you have seen Monty Python and the Holy Grail?

In scene 35, Arthur and his knights come face to face with the keeper of the Bridge of death and they must correctly answer his questions or be cast into the Gorge of Eternal Peril.  Lancelot is the first of the knights to approach the Bridge keeper.

KEEPER:  Stop!  Who would cross the Bridge of Death must answer me these questions three, ‘ere the other side he see.

LANCELOT:  Ask me the questions, bridge-keeper.  I’m not afraid.

KEEPER:  What is your name?

LANCELOT:  My name is Sir Lancelot of Camelot.

KEEPER:  What is your quest?

LANCELOT:  To seek the Holy Grail.

KEEPER:  What is your favorite color?

LANCELOT:  Blue.

KEEPER:  Right.  Off you go.

Some of the other knights and even the Bridge keeper himself do not fare so well.

Of course, this is a modern comedy based upon “The great Grail legends first appeared in Europe around the year 1180.  They became popular at the same time that the gospel was either not being preached, or fading in importance.  The Grail stories, which emerged in Germany, France, and England, became a way for the laity to describe and understand the spiritual path in a non-academic way.”[v]

They were an expression of the basic human need to have a purpose, and to find meaning in life. This “need” expresses itself in all kinds of ways.

On our continent, “In the classic Native American vision quest, a young man would head out to the wilderness, find a solitary place, and then wait.  He did not return home until he received his destiny, and the Great Spirit gave him his true name.  That name told the young man who he was and what his life’s purpose would be.[vi]

I’ve experienced it in the world of business. In fact, this month we have been working on a vision statement as well as a mission statement for the insurance agency. Why would we do that?   Why do so many businesses, organizations, and churches work to come up with vision statements?[vii]

Because when we know how we want things to be… and where we want to end up in the future… it helps us to get there!  Your vision, your quest, the purpose and the meaning of your life, is the compass that keeps you moving toward your destination.

If I were to ask you to write your vision for the purpose and meaning of your life on a post card, would you be able to do it?

Jesus could.  His vision was to reconcile us to God.  He knew that he had to accept his death on the cross for that to happen.  He knew what his mission was and he would not let Peter or anyone else turn him aside from the tough choices he had to make.  Jesus knew that he did not belong to himself, but to the Father and to others.

“To live for God and for others”, isn’t this central to the Christian vision?

Certainly, the apostle Paul recognized that and came to that place where he was willing to live for God’s will rather than his own.  “In the letter to the Romans for 11 chapters, he established, at length and in detail, the great redemptive gift of God as it was revealed in the course of human history.

Then, and only then, as the 12^th Chapter begins, Paul answers the question that might well be in the hearts of those who were contemplating what he had shared,

“What will I do in the face of such awesome love?

How will I respond?[viii]”

Now that I know, what Jesus has done for me, what is my quest?

Paul tells the Romans, and us, that it is to offer ourselves as living sacrifices to God.  To live knowing that all that we are and all that we have belongs to God.  To let that knowledge transform the things that we do every day into activities that are good and pleasing to God, and to us, because we know in our hearts and in our souls that it is right.  It is in keeping with the reason that we were created, it is in keeping with our quest!

Jesus did not flinch even as he approached his “Bridge of Death” and he tells us what we must unflinchingly do.

“Deny the self, take up the cross, follow Christ.  Only in losing one’s life (the primary meaning of apollymi is to destroy) may one save it.

At this moment, we are hearing Matthew’s distinctive voice:  salvation comes not to those who call Jesus “Lord,” but to those who do what he says (7:21-29).  The Great Commission involves teaching people “to obey everything that I have commanded you” (28:20).  Disciples are to follow their quest every day, no matter what the cost.

In hearing this, we must face the chasm between Jesus’ call to discipleship and our own response as part-time volunteers for the gospel.  Few Christians abandon everything for the gospel’s sake.  Most of us simply fit our Christianity into the open spots on our calendars.  But in this Gospel passage Jesus links the life of discipleship with the complete self-giving of his own path.[ix]”

Right about now, you may be wondering if there is a way, perhaps some sort of litmus test, to tell you how your life lines up with the Christian vision.  Just how far off or how close to the mark are we each day?

Maybe this will help.  When I attended a Cursillo retreat over 25 years ago, I learned something that stays with me to this day.  I remember a simple way to take a read on how my life is tracking with my ideal path.  All I have to do is answer, with honesty, a couple of questions.

How do I spend my money, and how do I spend my time?

This gives me a quick read on whether I am living a life focused on building the kingdom, or if I have turned away from the Christian vision toward a more self-indulgent lifestyle.

We can learn about our call to discipleship on Retreats, and I highly recommend them, but is there help even closer at hand?  Of course there is.  It is at the mass.  There we find richness beyond measure that you can take into every moment of your lives.  Prayer, Eucharist, reflection, community, the sacred Word, and so much more are found in the celebration of Mass not just once a week but every day.

But, perhaps we are too close to it, and it is too routine for us to see the depth and beauty of this treasure of our faith.   I invite you to pay close attention over the next couple of months as we enter in and take a closer look at what it is that we do at each of the different parts of our sacred celebration.  Please consider joining us for our Journey program starting September 18^th.  This is where we will begin our exploration, which will continue on our website, in our bulletins, during the mass itself, and even on Facebook.

In all of this, we will be following an ancient understanding of the early church, Lex orandi, lex credendi.

The law of prayer is the law of faith: the Church believes as she prays.

Join us as we gain a better understanding of what we pray, so that we will also gain a better understanding of what we believe.   Allow yourselves to be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect.

In other words, what is your quest?

[i] You duped me, O LORD, and I let myself be duped; you were too strong for me, and you triumphed.  All the day I am an object of laughter; everyone mocks me.   Whenever I speak, I must cry out, violence and outrage is my message; the word of the LORD has brought me derision and reproach all the day.   I say to myself, I will not mention him, I will speak in his name no more.  But then it becomes like fire burning in my heart, imprisoned in my bones; I grow weary holding it in, I cannot endure it.

[ii] R. (2b) My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.

O God, you are my God whom I seek; for you my flesh pines and my soul thirsts like the earth, parched, lifeless and without water.

R. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.

Thus have I gazed toward you in the sanctuary to see your power and your glory, For your kindness is a greater good than life; my lips shall glorify you.

R. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.

Thus will I bless you while I live; lifting up my hands, I will call upon your name.  As with the riches of a banquet shall my soul be satisfied, and with exultant lips my mouth shall praise you.

R. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.

You are my help, and in the shadow of your wings I shout for joy.  My soul clings fast to you; your right hand upholds me.

R. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.

[iii] I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, your spiritual worship.  Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect.

[iv] Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer greatly from the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised.

Then Peter took Jesus aside and began to rebuke him, “God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you.”

He turned and said to Peter,”Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me.  You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.”

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.  For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life” Or what can one give in exchange for his life?

For the Son of Man will come with his angels in his Father’s glory, and then he will repay all according to his conduct.”

[v] Richard Rohr, “on the Threshold of Transformation”, Loyola Press, Day three, the great quest. Pp5

[vi] Ibid, Day Five, Pp7

[vii] Mission Statement: St. Joseph Parish is a Roman Catholic faith community formed by the Gospel and living as faithful disciples of Christ. We are dedicated to the worship of God and the serving of all God’s people.  –St Joseph Church, Fredonia, NY

[viii] Preaching Resources, August 2011, 22^nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

[ix] http://www.odysseynetworks.org/ON-Scripture-Matthew-16-21-28