I am thrilled to be able to share with you the wonderful news that Amanda, the woman who was crushed by falling ice this past April in Alaska, is returning home once again on Friday.
It is truly a miracle that she has made almost a complete recovery in such a short time - although it must seem like 'forever' to her - and a testament to the power of prayer. We pray for safe travel on her trip from Boston and wish her well as she gets acclimated once again to her life in the 49th state! God speed, Amanda!
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Vatican II
A new movement is beginning in the Catholic Church in our country. It is called the Association of United States Catholic Priests - AUSCP for short. It began about a year ago when some priests used the rally cry: 'Just Say Wait' when it was announced that a new translation of the Roman Missal was about to be promulgated. The feeling was that not enough input had been gained from the grass roots level of the church, and perhaps, instead of just ramming this new translation down people's throats, it might be in the best interest of everyone to try it on an experiemntal basis and, after reviewing feedback, tweak it to better assist Catholics in worship. As you know, those calls went unheeded, and we have a cumbersome set of prayers that are not proclaimed in wording that is at all familiar to most people in the pews. In fact, the United States had almost no input into the English translation, whose committee was headed by someone from Great Britain.
From that futile effort at having our voices heard came some priests who thought it might be nice to rally like-minded priests in the United States, and perhaps, if our numbers became sizable (we are hoping to get 10% of the Catholic clergy to sign on), our voice might not go unnoticed as much as before. Austria and Ireland are among countries that already have such organizations. I have, until now, not been actively associated with this group because part of me wonders if anything can ever be accomplished, and wouldn't it be better to use all my energy ministering here in the parish.
However, I agreed to attend today's meeting of our Archdiocese's chapter of AUSCP, in part because my curiosity was piqued by the question 'Where do we go from here?' as the topic of discussion, and in part because it is raining and not worth heading to New Hampshire for my days off.
I am glad I went. There were sixteen of us, several for the first time. And alot of the discussion centered around our interpretation of the documents of Vatican II, which is a vastly different interpretation than what the hierarchy has been proclaiming in the recent years. The vision of the 2nd Vatican Council was a church where everyone has a voice, and while it is clearly not a democracy, nonetheless, it is no longer a monarchy either. In fact, the 'pyramid' is turned upside-down by Vatican II. No longer is the wide base of laity on the bottom with the Pope as the tip, resting on top. Rather, the wide base of laity is on top, supported by the tip.
We most certainly need the hierarchy to guide us, but the direction the Church is heading is formed by the needs of its members. 'Collegiality' comes through loud and clear in the documents of Vatican II, and the vision of Pope John XXIII. We see that a return to that is needed in our church today.
There are two ways to proceed, and we have not gotten to the point of deciding on one particular way. Some advocate for having an agenda and meeting with the hierarchy to hammer home our points. Others see nothing to be gained by getting in the face of the hieracrchy. Rather, we should seek ways of implementing the spirit of the Council in our ministries, and our periodic gathering would be to show solidarity for one another, gain support for our work, and share ideas to accomplish our common goal.
All in all, I was thought the meeting was productive. I am glad I spent part of my day off attending. I look forward to our next meeting in January. And in the meantime, we seek ways of adding to our numbers. Pray for us!
From that futile effort at having our voices heard came some priests who thought it might be nice to rally like-minded priests in the United States, and perhaps, if our numbers became sizable (we are hoping to get 10% of the Catholic clergy to sign on), our voice might not go unnoticed as much as before. Austria and Ireland are among countries that already have such organizations. I have, until now, not been actively associated with this group because part of me wonders if anything can ever be accomplished, and wouldn't it be better to use all my energy ministering here in the parish.
However, I agreed to attend today's meeting of our Archdiocese's chapter of AUSCP, in part because my curiosity was piqued by the question 'Where do we go from here?' as the topic of discussion, and in part because it is raining and not worth heading to New Hampshire for my days off.
I am glad I went. There were sixteen of us, several for the first time. And alot of the discussion centered around our interpretation of the documents of Vatican II, which is a vastly different interpretation than what the hierarchy has been proclaiming in the recent years. The vision of the 2nd Vatican Council was a church where everyone has a voice, and while it is clearly not a democracy, nonetheless, it is no longer a monarchy either. In fact, the 'pyramid' is turned upside-down by Vatican II. No longer is the wide base of laity on the bottom with the Pope as the tip, resting on top. Rather, the wide base of laity is on top, supported by the tip.
We most certainly need the hierarchy to guide us, but the direction the Church is heading is formed by the needs of its members. 'Collegiality' comes through loud and clear in the documents of Vatican II, and the vision of Pope John XXIII. We see that a return to that is needed in our church today.
There are two ways to proceed, and we have not gotten to the point of deciding on one particular way. Some advocate for having an agenda and meeting with the hierarchy to hammer home our points. Others see nothing to be gained by getting in the face of the hieracrchy. Rather, we should seek ways of implementing the spirit of the Council in our ministries, and our periodic gathering would be to show solidarity for one another, gain support for our work, and share ideas to accomplish our common goal.
All in all, I was thought the meeting was productive. I am glad I spent part of my day off attending. I look forward to our next meeting in January. And in the meantime, we seek ways of adding to our numbers. Pray for us!
Friday, October 5, 2012
Prince of Peace
Our final session suggested that when we gaze upon the Face of Christ, we can find the Prince of Peace. As many of you know from the way I end my homilies, our ultimate goal is to come to the Father's Kingdom of true and lasting peace. Our days are filled with our search for peace.
Fr. Ryan suggested that there are three things necessary to find the Prince of Peace.
The first is a commitment to personal prayer, through which we open the door to God. But, our prayer cannot simply be 'worrying in the presence of God'. We need to clear the 'rubble' which litters our minds and hearts when we come to prayer.
The second follows that thought. We need to let go of what we cannot control. That is why God is there - to handle what we cannot. We have to give that to Him.
And third, there has to be a desire for reconciliation. Reconciliation is something that we must practice constantly - a sprituality.
This was a good retreat for me. It was restful. It was inspiring. It gave me some new perspectives for my life and my ministry. And so, later today, I look forward to heading back to reality.
Fr. Ryan suggested that there are three things necessary to find the Prince of Peace.
The first is a commitment to personal prayer, through which we open the door to God. But, our prayer cannot simply be 'worrying in the presence of God'. We need to clear the 'rubble' which litters our minds and hearts when we come to prayer.
The second follows that thought. We need to let go of what we cannot control. That is why God is there - to handle what we cannot. We have to give that to Him.
And third, there has to be a desire for reconciliation. Reconciliation is something that we must practice constantly - a sprituality.
This was a good retreat for me. It was restful. It was inspiring. It gave me some new perspectives for my life and my ministry. And so, later today, I look forward to heading back to reality.
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Gazing on the Face of Christ
As I write on this last full day of retreat, I share some reflections on the overall theme being presented: gazing on the face of Christ. As I said, we began with a depiction of Caravaggio's 'Calling of Matthew'. Matthew is seen gazing into the face of Christ, and his expression has become radiant at what he saw.
The message is for us to gaze frequently at the face of Chrisr as well. And what we see will change according to our needs, our circumstances, our lives at that moment. As a result, Fr. Ryan is giving us different images of the Face we might gaze upon when we turn to Jesus.
So far, we have been given for our meditation Christ as Friend, Christ as the Healing Presence of God, Christ as the Caller of Disciples, Christ as Teacher, Christ as the Bread of Life, and Christ as Priest. We have one more session this afternoon to reflect on: Christ as Prince of Peace.
Just a brief notation on each:
Christ as Friend. The image of the vine and the branches suggests that the more time we spend with Jesus, the deeper our friendship with him, and the more readily we turn to him as a companion on our journey.
Christ as the Healing Presence of God. Jesus' healing of the leper shows Jesus sharing his humanity with the sick man, blending the holy and the unholy. Bringing life out of death is God's primary concern, even when we cannot see how He can accomplish that.
Christ the Caller of Disciples. Disciples often referred to in the Gospels as people of 'little faith'. We often read that as people of 'no faith'. But they were believers, just prone to fear and anxiety. Aren't we all. Believers/disciples, by our very nature, are followers - followers of Jesus. He calls us to follow - even as people of little faith.
Christ the Teacher. Disciples are always learners. We must continually allow ourselves to be evangelized. We never have it 'all figured out'.
Christ the Bread of Life. The Eucharist is the sacrament of communion. The Eucharist makes the church, which is why we place such great importance upon it. Our Church is founded on a vision of relationship and hospitality. In a word, communion - with one another and with God. And that word - communion - is a verb as well as a noun. It is a call to action, a call to achieve unity.
Chrsit as Priest. Two (of many) dimensions of Christ's priesthood are compassion and intercession. Christ prays for us. Christ prays in us. And Christ is prayed to, by us. God always expects the 'why' questions when bad things happen to good people. And He listens to them, and responds from the Cross. Therefore, those isolated by suffering are no longer suffering alone. Someone walks with us and prays for us: Jesus.
Obviously there is alot behind each of these, and much more food for thought as well. A good retreat so far. More to come.
The message is for us to gaze frequently at the face of Chrisr as well. And what we see will change according to our needs, our circumstances, our lives at that moment. As a result, Fr. Ryan is giving us different images of the Face we might gaze upon when we turn to Jesus.
So far, we have been given for our meditation Christ as Friend, Christ as the Healing Presence of God, Christ as the Caller of Disciples, Christ as Teacher, Christ as the Bread of Life, and Christ as Priest. We have one more session this afternoon to reflect on: Christ as Prince of Peace.
Just a brief notation on each:
Christ as Friend. The image of the vine and the branches suggests that the more time we spend with Jesus, the deeper our friendship with him, and the more readily we turn to him as a companion on our journey.
Christ as the Healing Presence of God. Jesus' healing of the leper shows Jesus sharing his humanity with the sick man, blending the holy and the unholy. Bringing life out of death is God's primary concern, even when we cannot see how He can accomplish that.
Christ the Caller of Disciples. Disciples often referred to in the Gospels as people of 'little faith'. We often read that as people of 'no faith'. But they were believers, just prone to fear and anxiety. Aren't we all. Believers/disciples, by our very nature, are followers - followers of Jesus. He calls us to follow - even as people of little faith.
Christ the Teacher. Disciples are always learners. We must continually allow ourselves to be evangelized. We never have it 'all figured out'.
Christ the Bread of Life. The Eucharist is the sacrament of communion. The Eucharist makes the church, which is why we place such great importance upon it. Our Church is founded on a vision of relationship and hospitality. In a word, communion - with one another and with God. And that word - communion - is a verb as well as a noun. It is a call to action, a call to achieve unity.
Chrsit as Priest. Two (of many) dimensions of Christ's priesthood are compassion and intercession. Christ prays for us. Christ prays in us. And Christ is prayed to, by us. God always expects the 'why' questions when bad things happen to good people. And He listens to them, and responds from the Cross. Therefore, those isolated by suffering are no longer suffering alone. Someone walks with us and prays for us: Jesus.
Obviously there is alot behind each of these, and much more food for thought as well. A good retreat so far. More to come.
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Gazing on the face of Christ
Ultimately, when we come to prayer, we do so gazing upon the face of Jesus. As in this painting, we look into his eyes, and he looks into ours. What does he see? What does he say? And, what do we see? What do we hear? What do we say?
The look on Matthew's face speaks volumes. We cannot see the face of Christ in this picture, so we can only guess what Matthew is seeing by the expression on his face. And yet, the expression on MY face could be vastly different as I gaze upon Jesus' face at the very same time.
We are encouraged to gaze upon the face of Christ as he comes to us in our prayer and meditation, in the Scriptures and the sacraments, and in the people we encounter in the course of each day. When we journey through this life seeing Jesus in all things, then we know we are indeed traveling the road that leads to our ultimate goal- eternal life in the Father's Kingdom of true and lasting peace.
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Guardian Angels
I am making my annual retreat this week at Holy Family Retreat Center in West Hartford. The theme this year is 'Gazing on the Face of Christ.' More on that in subsequent blogs.
However, today is the Feast of the Guardian Angels. The first readings at Mass this week are taken from the Book of Job. Job is the perfect example of someone to whom every kind of trial and tribulation fell upon, even when there was no reason why. He was an exemplary person, someone to whom everyone looked up, and yet, every good things was taken from him. Still, Job refused to trun away from the Lord.
Fr. Ryan, our retreat director said that bringing life from death is God's primary concern, even when we cannot see how He will possibly accomplish that. What a powerful statement. That is precisely what Job did. And that is precisely what we are called to do as well - persevere in our faith anf trust in God's divine providence.
That is what the Guardian Angels do. They are sign's of God's presence in our midst, helping us, guiding us, leading us through the ups and downs of this life.
It was suggested that we name our Guardian Angel. What an interesting thought. When we name something, it becomes personal, and we then have a relationship with it. Our Guardian Angel wants to have a personal relationship with us. Find a name for him/her today.
However, today is the Feast of the Guardian Angels. The first readings at Mass this week are taken from the Book of Job. Job is the perfect example of someone to whom every kind of trial and tribulation fell upon, even when there was no reason why. He was an exemplary person, someone to whom everyone looked up, and yet, every good things was taken from him. Still, Job refused to trun away from the Lord.
Fr. Ryan, our retreat director said that bringing life from death is God's primary concern, even when we cannot see how He will possibly accomplish that. What a powerful statement. That is precisely what Job did. And that is precisely what we are called to do as well - persevere in our faith anf trust in God's divine providence.
That is what the Guardian Angels do. They are sign's of God's presence in our midst, helping us, guiding us, leading us through the ups and downs of this life.
It was suggested that we name our Guardian Angel. What an interesting thought. When we name something, it becomes personal, and we then have a relationship with it. Our Guardian Angel wants to have a personal relationship with us. Find a name for him/her today.
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