Deny the Cat

The Womb Before the Dawn

2011-06-11T21:46:00.006-04:00

The phrase "in the womb before the dawn" comes from the translation of Psalm 110 used in The Liturgy of the Hours. I've been thinking about that idea for several months. Today, this poem came to me. Tonight is the vigil of Pentecost 2011. Pentecost is nothing less than a new creation, the birth of the Church.

In the Womb Before the Dawn

Wild winter waters,
Disordered deep,
Empty and formless void
Waiting for the wind
In the womb before the dawn.

The dove hovering
Moving over the ocean's face
Creating the foundations--
de profundis.

The breath breathes
The word speaks
From the heart of God

And there is light
To end the endless night
Of creation's confusion
At the cosmos' untamed sight
As the first day
Gives birth to the dawn.

What Is Irish Music?

2011-03-15T11:10:00.005-04:00

There are two kinds of Irish music. Most people, especially around St. Patrick's Day, think of those sappy sentimental songs like "When Irish Eye's Are Smiling" or comic songs like "Who Threw the Overalls in Mrs. Murphy's Chowder?" Some have called this American Irish music.

True Irish music can be sentimental, but never sappy. It's humor is the humor that come out of a hard life. Frank Harte said, ""Those in power write the history, while those who suffer write the songs. And given our history, the Irish have alot of songs." As G.K. Chesterton put it,

"The great Gaels of Ireland
Are the men that God made mad
For all their wars are merry
And all their songs are sad"

The problem is that people confuse the two types of Irish music, making life difficult for Irish singers like Robbie O'Connell.

Watson on Jeopardy!

2011-02-16T21:48:00.006-05:00

Well, the 3 day commercial for IBM on Jeopardy! is over and Watson won. As Ken Jennings said "I, for one welcome our new computer overlords." After revealing that Toronto is in the US, or at least it's airports are, I'm surprised that Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter didn't realize Watson's weakness. Captain Kirk figured it out in 1967! (The best part starts at 1 minute in.)

Waking Up to Christ--A Reflection on the 4th Sunday of Advent

2010-12-27T21:32:00.006-05:00

In today's readings, St. Matthew begins his gospel with a deceptively simple statement, "This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about." What follows deals with an unexpected pregnancy, angels, dreams, a prophecy, and a virgin birth.

Central to Matthew's account is St. Joseph. Mary is found to be with child. Even though they are betrothed, they are not yet living together. For Mary to be pregnant in that case is bad enough, but Joseph apparently knows of her story of the visitation of the angel Gabriel and the claim that she is with child by the power of the Holy Spirit. "That can't be true, can it?" Joseph must wonder. He has decide. Can he believe her story or should he end the marriage?

Going to sleep on it, he dreams of an angel--was it Gabriel?--telling him, as angels usually do at first, "Do not be afraid!" The angel confirms that his wife, Mary, is with child by the Holy Spirit. He directs Joseph to take Mary into his home and to name the the child Jesus.

I don't know about you, but I wouldn't make any of my dreams the basis of a big decision! But I think that this was the kind of dream that is more real than life itself. Another Joseph was a dreamer and his dreams ultimately saved Egypt from famine and, in doing so, saved the Jewish people, setting the stage for their Exodus. Now this Joseph, husband of Mary, dreams of the salvation of his people. He takes Mary into his home and names their son Jesus.

St. Matthew places the story of Mary and Joseph into the larger picture. He quotes from our first reading from Isaiah, "Behold a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel." As the Church reflected on they stories of Christ's birth that ultimately were written down in St. Matthew's and St. Luke's gospels, they saw this as the fulfillment of Isaiah's words. He had gone to King Ahaz to tell the king to ask for a sign that the attack against Jerusalem by the kings of Israel and Damascus would fail. King Ahaz feigns humility and refuses to tempt the Lord. So Isaiah tells him that the Lord himself has decided what the sign will be, "the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel."

There is some dispute over whether the Hebrew word here translated virgin means "virgin" or "young woman". The Greek word used in the New Testament does mean virgin. It shows us what the early Church thought this story of Mary and Joseph meant. It helps us understand why Joseph was so concerned. Mary was as virgin when she was found to be with child. She and Joseph had not had relations. That's why Joseph thought he should divorce her quietly and spare her any additional shame. That's also why it took an angelic dream to sort things out!

The Church talks much about Mary's fiat, her "yes" to the angel's message to her--and rightly so. But let's take a moment to think of Joseph's "yes" to the angel's message to him, for it is just as important. In the midst of a difficult, embarrassing and confusing situation, Joseph listened to what God was saying to him. St. Matthew tells us that when he awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded. We need to wake-up!

As a result of this obedience, Jesus was born into a family with a father and a mother. Think of it! God entrusted his only-begotten Son to a human father and mother in Joseph and Mary. Joseph took the child and raised him as his own. He was the example to God of what it meant to be a man!

St. Joseph is the patron saint of the universal Church, all of us! Let us learn from him as Christ did what it means to be human. Even when it is confusing or difficult or embarrassing, let us say yes to God as Joseph did. That simple "yes" of faith is why we call him Saint Joseph. When we receive Jesus in the Eucharist today, let us, as Joseph did, wake-up and say "yes" to Jesus.

Christmas, Candles and the Fall of Ceausescu.

2010-12-24T17:17:00.003-05:00

On Breakpoint, Chuck Colson tells an interesting story about Christmas, candles and the fall of Ceausescu.

The story begins with Laszlo Tokes, pastor of a fast-growing reformed church in the city of Timisoara. His powerful preaching had caught the attention of communist officials, and they began a strategy of suppression. They stationed police officers around his church, machine guns cradled in their arms. They hired thugs to attack him. Finally, just before Christmas, they decided to send him into exile.

Read the rest here.

Are You the One?--Reflection on the 3rd Sunday of Advent

2010-12-15T17:41:00.006-05:00

Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?" John the Baptist's question cuts to the heart of the Christian faith. Is Jesus the Christ who was to come? Are his teachings the truth? Is the Church the steward of his plan of salvation? Or is there another we should be following?

John had spent this life until that point preparing the way of the Lord. He had put his life on the line, proclaiming Jesus as "the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world." Now John is in prison. Before he gives his life, he sends his disciples to ask Jesus if he is indeed the Christ. Why John's apparent doubt?

Being in prison gave John much time to think. As he considered his life he naturally wanted to be sure he was on the right path. I think he doubt arose from the simple fact that Jesus was his cousin. With family, you want to be sure!

Could Jesus, this man John had know since childhood, be the Messiah? Their first encounter came when Mary, now with child, travelled to see her cousin and John's mother Elizabeth, who was herself expecting after years of sterility. When Mary greeted Elizabeth, St. Luke tells us that John lept for joy while he was still in the womb.

Years later, when Joseph and Mary were returning from Jerusalem after celebrating Passover, they realized that Jesus was not with them. People travelled with extended family then. Luke tells us that "they were looking for him among their relatives and friends." It is certainly possible that John was in that group.

In any case, John was wondering about his cousin. Jesus' answer to John was to tell them "Go tell John what you hear and see: the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised and the poor have the Gospel preached to them." It is what Jesus does that proves who he is.

What about us. If someone were to ask if were could prove we were who we claimed to be, could we prove it? On a good day, maybe. What works could we point to and say this is what I have done; it shows who I am. It is good to be here for Mass to worship and grow in faith. Now, what about the rest of the week? It would be a shame if we were to receive Christ in faith in the Eucharist yet fail to become what we receive. We receive the Body of Christ. Let us become the body of Christ in the world.

Repent and Receive--A Reflection on the 2nd Sunday of Advent

2010-12-04T18:24:00.005-05:00

John the Baptist is an astonishing man. He stands astride the Old and New Testaments; the last prophet of the Old and the first of the New. He lives out in the desert wilderness by the Jordan River. He eats locusts and wild honey and wears camel skins with a leather belt. His first words in Matthew's Gospel are “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” And let's not forget that his cousin is Jesus!

His preaching and presence brought many to be baptized, and the Pharisees and Sadducees didn't want to be overshadowed by this wild man. When they went to find out about his preaching for themselves, they must have been shocked. John is fearless. He calls them, the religious leaders of his day, a “brood of vipers!" and boldly asks them "Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?" He challenges them to "produce good fruit as evidence of your repentance." (Imagine if some people from the archdiocese and the seminary came to visit a parish and the priest said that to them!)

When St. Matthew heard John the Baptist preach, he was reminded of Isaiah's words "A voice of one crying out in the desert,/Prepare the way of the Lord,/make straight his paths. " John is preaching repentance to the people to prepare them for the coming of Christ. Today's first reading begins with a obscure reference to the Messiah. He shall come from the stump of Jesse. Perhaps you have heard of a "Jesse Tree"? Jesse was King David's father. The Messiah would come from David's royal line; he would be the son of David. In Isaiah's prophecy, the Kingdom has be reduced to a stump of a tree. Yet God promises that this stump shall produce a "branch" and that "from his roots a bud shall blossom." In other words, even though all looks hopeless, Christ will come!

What kind of Messiah will he be? John the Baptist says that "He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fan is in his hand. He will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” Isaiah says that "The spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him: a spirit of wisdom and of understanding, a spirit of counsel and of strength, a spirit of knowledge and of fear of the LORD, and his delight shall be the fear of the LORD." The Church calls these the gifts of the Holy Spirit, which are shared with us at Confirmation.

How do we put these two pictures together? By remembering that first we must repent as St. John the Baptist tells us. We must turn, change our minds about they way we have been living. We are sinners. We must become repentant sinners! We have been a brood of vipers doing evil. We must bring forth good fruit instead. When we have turned around to walk with Christ, then we can share in the gifts of the Holy Spirit that come from Jesus--not only at Confirmation, but throughout our lives as we continue to repent and become more deeply converted. Then we will see the reordering of creation that Isaiah speaks of "Then the wolf shall be a guest of the lamb,/and the leopard shall lie down with the kid;/the calf and the young lion shall browse together...". These natural enemies will one day be reconciled and live in peace.

This healing of nature will be so complete that as Isaiah says, "On that day, the root of Jesse,/set up as a signal for the nations,/the Gentiles shall seek out." Or as St. Paul says "that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy." Yes, even Jews and Gentiles, once implacable enemies, will be reconciled in the Kingdom of God. It begins now with Confession, the sacrament of reconciliation. We confess our sins to a priest not just because he represents Christ forgiving us, but also because we recognize that our sins hurt other people. The sacrament of Confession reconciles us not only to God, but to other people as well.

So, Repent! Turn your minds and hearts to Christ. Then he will share his Spirit will you. You will be the wheat that he harvests and gathers into his barn. You will share the Eucharistic wheat in the Church. This is the ultimate reconciliation. The greatest gift is Christ himself.

Keep Christ in Advent!--A Reflection on the First Sunday in Advent

2010-11-27T19:31:00.009-05:00

This Sunday, November 28, 2010 is the First Sunday of Advent. It is the beginning of the Church's liturgical year. The Mass readings are all about getting ready for the coming of Jesus, the Son of Man as he refers to himself in the Gospel.

In the first reading, Isaiah foretells it, "In days to come,/the mountain of the Lord’s house/shall be established as the highest mountain/and raised above the hills." God himself will instruct all nations. After this instruction and judgment, there will be peace--the universal peace of Christ. In those oft quoted words, Isaiah says, "They shall beat their swords into plowshares/and their spears into pruning hooks;/one nation shall not raise the sword against another,/nor shall they train for war again." Instruction, judgment, peace.

The problem is that instead of listening to the Lord's teaching, we have been sleepwalking through life. St. Paul calls for us to wake-up! "You know the time; it is the hour now for you to awake from sleep. For our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed..." In our sleepwalking we have wandered off the path. Instead we have stumbled into orgies and drunkenness, promiscuity and lust, rivalry and jealousy. That may sound like a pretty good Saturday night to some, but it makes for a terrible Sunday morning!

In the Gospel, Jesus compares us to the people of Noah's day. There's old Noah, building a boat in the middle of the desert. He was preparing for a judgment that seemed to never come. So the people did what we would do, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage. They probably even had a pool going on when the first raindrop would fall or when Noah would quit. So life went on as usual; until it began to rain!

Since we don't know when that first drop will fall in our time, Jesus calls for us to stay awake. The Church gives us this season of Advent at the beginning of it's liturgical year to remind us to prepare for Christ's coming. It is a time to consider our resolutions for this new year. What will you do to prepare for Christ's coming? It's not just his second coming we need to consider. Jesus comes to us every day, especially in two ways. First, he comes to us in the poor. They may be poor in spirit or poor in health or poor in morality. They may be financially impoverished or emotionally impoverished. They may be in the womb or at the end of life. They will probably be people we don't like very much. Learn to see Christ in them.

Second, he comes to us in the sacraments, especially in the Eucharist. Every Mass is not only a memorial of his passion and resurrection, but is also an anticipation of his coming to us. Jesus is meek and humble of heart, so he comes to us in bread and wine. Because if he came in his glory, to such sinners as we are, we could not see his face and live. But by his grace in the Eucharist, he does come to us; body, blood soul and divinity. As St. Peter says, his divine power has bestowed on us everything that makes for life and devotion so that we may come to share in the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4). He feeds us with his life so we will be able to live with him in Heaven.

Let us use this season of Advent to wake-up from our spiritual sleep, to leave behind the sin that so easily trips us up and to prepare the way of the Lord, in our hearts and in our world. Keep Christ in Advent! He is coming. He is almost here.

Celebrating the Miners Rescue

2010-10-14T11:34:00.004-04:00

In the celebrations of these men and their families, in their faith, we see the joy of Heaven breaking into this world. Heaven is rejoicing in the miners rescue now.

Michael Been and Theo's Logic

2010-08-21T19:46:00.004-04:00

Yesterday I heard about the death of Michael Been of The Call. Before leaving the house, I looked for my copy of On the Verge of a Nervous Breakthrough, Been's solo CD. I couldn't find it, but I noticed my copy of Daniel Amos' Bibleland. In one of those weird moments I thought "I'll listen to that instead--close enough!"

Driving to the next town for a 12 o'clock Mass, the song "Theo's Logic" was playing. Taylor sings "My grandmother's up there waiting/She spoke to me one night/She said there are millions of us praying/that you will be alright."

It was just what I needed to hear. Sweet communion of the saints! There are millions praying that I will be alright! And not just me, but you, too!

O Mother Mary

2010-05-13T19:11:00.005-04:00

O Mother Mary
Statuary
How does your garden grow?
May-flowers crown
Your head
As the children pray

O Mother Mary
Breviary
“Full of grace”, he said
The angel speaks
Your “yes”
And the Christ child moves

O Mother Mary
Estuary
How does water become wine?
“Do what he says”
Even though
His hour had not yet come

O Mother Mary
Sanctuary
Hide me in your womb
The dragon roars
Your seed
Crushes the serpent’s head

O Mother Mary
Reliquary
Assumed to Heaven home
Flesh and blood
Now await
Your family’s arrival there

O Mother Mary
Emissary
How does your garden grow?
May flowers crown
Your head
As the children play

© 2010 Brian Sullivan

Great Expectations

2010-05-08T19:03:00.009-04:00

I was reading G.K. Chesterton's "Tremendous Trifles" this afternoon and it got me thinking (Chesterton will often have that effect.) In the chapter "The Dickensian" he says:

"...let us have no antiquarianism about Dickens, for Dickens is not an antiquity. Dickens looks not backward, but forward; he might look at our modern mobs with satire, or with fury, but he would love to look at them. He might lash our democracy, but it would be because, like a democrat, he asked much from it. We will not have all his books bound up under the title of 'The Old Curiosity Shop.' Rather we will have them all bound up under the title of 'Great Expectations.' "

All right, I confess that my knowledge of Dickens is from the scene in "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" where Spock gives Kirk a copy of "A Tale of Two Cities" for his birthday. But it occurred to me that what Chesterton says about Dickens could also be said about the Catholic Church.

The Church, contrary to many people's opinion, does not look backward but forward, especially in those places where it most seems to be looking backward.

Imagine someone inherits an old Victorian house once owned by their great-great grandparents. The house is full of what the new owners think of as old, musty antiques. In the oak paneled dining room, there is a beautiful dining room table and chairs,with a matching sideboard full of the family china and silverware and on top of which are pictures of several generations of the family. In the living room there is an upright piano and over the fireplace is a portrait of the pater familias. The bookcase contains many of the classics (which were new at the time!). A gigantic family bible, it's pages well-worn, is in a place of honor on the coffee-table. In the kitchen is lined with a rustic wallpaper. In the pantry is a cookbook in which are scraps of paper with old family recipes. It is full of life and rich with tradition. Father and mother were respected. The family had even had a special way of speaking to each other that was passed on, creating a sense of belonging. It was a warm, inviting place ready for the new generation to settle into.

Except the new generation thinks it needs remodeling. They strip the paneling and wallpaper and paint in brighter hues. The dining room table, chairs and sideboard are sold cheaply, without much profit, and replaced by glass and chrome furniture. The fine china is put away and replaced by Pfaltzgraff. The family pictures are scanned and up-loaded to a digital frame. The portrait of great-great granddad is taken down to make room for a large plasma video screen. The fireplace and piano is replaced by a home entertainment system. The books are left there but never read since they only have time to read "People" magazine. The family bible is moved to make room for the Sunday New York Times. The old family recipes are too complicated to make, so they are replaced by Martha Stewart magazines and a copy of Cooking for Dummies. It is now a functional house for people who spend no time there.

The Church was like that comfortable house. It looked back to it's traditions so it could have a solid foundation for the future. But to some it seem merely old and tiresome. So they got rid of furnishings, family heirlooms and traditions. The altar was replaced by a table. The tabernacles were sometimes moved. The portrait of the Father was too patriarchal and judgmental, so it was moved to make room for inclusive entertainment. Church architecture was modernized until you couldn't tell a church from a theater. The early church fathers and the writings of the saints were ignored in favor of modern theology and contemporary spirituality. Classic chants and hymns were considered too hard to play and sing, so they were replaced by music that is too often impossible to play or sing! We made a new translation of the Bible that has the distinction of being an indistinct translation of the Bible (We're the only ones who use it after all!). We traded our family identity for a cookbook that doesn't even have a recipe for lentil stew! The Pope was ignored and Mother Church was put in a home. They family's way of speaking was changed into jive-talkin'. We were left with a functional house for people who spend no time there.

But now a people who did not know the Pharaohs of post-conciliar polyester have arisen and are heading back to their homeland. As the Holy Spirit is goes ahead of them in a pillar of fire to cleanse the Church, they are finding a beauty that was almost lost to them. It will take time to rebuild the walls of the city of God and to restore his Church, brick by brick, with a sword in one hand and a trowel in the other as those who watch them curse them with scorn. They will bring out of the storeroom new treasures as well as old. The way they are taking goes through Calvary back to the new Jerusalem. As they travel they are being lead by a man in his 80's dressed in white who, in the name of God, loves them enough to tell them the truth and give them hope. It seems like an unlikely group for such a task, but I think they will prevail. They have a 2000 year old promise that they will not be overcome, even by death itself. They will overcome because of the blood of the lamb, the word of their testimony and because they did not love their lives even when faced with death. I pray for the grace to join them.

How Not to Become Just Another....

2010-05-06T13:56:00.004-04:00

As Pia di Solenni points out in her article "A Necessary Conversation" on Headline Bistro:

"There has to be space in the Church for the faithful to discuss problematic issues. As I mentioned at the conference, if we don’t provide that space for the faithful within the Church, then the Church is effectively telling the faithful to go to other sources, including those biased against the Church."

I agree. Otherwise we become just another Royal Society for Putting Things on Top of Other Things until someone speaks up.

Another Woman Finds Her Freedom

2010-03-03T10:44:00.002-05:00

One of the criticisms leveled against the Catholic Church is that it denies women's equality with men and has made the second-class Christians. There have been times when some Catholics have said denigrating things about women. But I think that the Church has actually freed women to find their own best way to follow Christ.

A case in point is today's saint, St. Katherine Drexel. She was the heiress of her family fortune, but gave millons away to work with Native Americans and African-Americans, establishing the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament to work with them. The sisters even have a mission in Haiti (scroll down to just below the picture).

Read her story at one of the links above. This is not a woman who was kept by the Church from finding fulfillment. It was Pope Leo XIII who challenged her to become a missionary! Through her Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, her work is still being done by other women free to follow her as she followed Christ.

Feeling Dusty

2010-02-17T17:37:00.002-05:00

I had hoped to make the 12pm Mass at a nearby parish today for Ash Wednesday. My first mistake was to check my e-mail and Facebook a little after 11am. By the time I logged off, I was already running late! My second mistake was to misjudge the attendance at said Mass. Usually there's only about 20 people. Today there was no place to park! So I missed that Mass and ash distribution (I'll go to my parish this evening).

Driving home I thought "How foolish! Here I think I am doing so well spiritually, yet I can't even leave the house on time! How many other things that I think I do well are really mediocre at best. I pray the rosary then forget which mystery I'm on or if I missed a prayer. I read and don't remember what I read. I think I might have a vocation and I am way to easily distracted during Mass!

"Remember Man that you are dust and unto dust you shall return." Was I ever feeling dusty! At least I realized I was in good company--everybody else! I don't think any of us gets it right all the time. It's a matter of rejoicing in God's grace when we do get it right and repenting and getting back up when we fall.

Darwin Sunday?

2010-02-12T16:49:00.007-05:00

Charles Darwin's birthday is February 12th, aka International Darwin Day. I recently found out that the Sunday nearest Darwin's birthday is often an occasion for some Christian pastors to preach on Evolution. Not only that, but in the revised common lectionary it is Transfiguration Sunday. A day that should be spent preaching about Jesus' Transfiguration is, for some, a day to preach Darwin's Evolution. I think it is the lesser trumping the greater. Can't evolution be proclaimed some other day? Like Ash Wednesday? "Remember man that you are dust and unto dust you shall return."

Hmm, Evolution Sunday, or is it Darwin Sunday? I have no problem with evolution as a scientific theory. But if it is used (unscientifically) to explain God away, that's a problem. Science, by definition, can explain the areas of matter and energy. These are quantifiable. It cannot explain the immaterial, the unquantifiable; that is the realm of theology and philosophy.

The trouble comes when science merges with philosophy. It moves out of its area of expertise. When scientific evolution tries to say that the universe was not created, but that it evolved and therefore there is no Creator, it is no longer being scientific, but philosophical. The same can be said for religion when it tries to deny basic scientific tenets. It has left religion behind for Creationism, not creation--just because there is a creator doesn't mean the world didn't evolve. Genesis is a book of faith, not science.

My Mother and Our Lady of the Snows

2010-01-30T19:06:00.000-05:00

Hard to believe, but today is the 3rd anniversary of my mom's passing through the door of death into Heaven. My sisters and I had the grace of being at her side when she died. The funeral arrangements came together smoothly. Those who had to travel, even back from El Salvador, arrived safely. We were even given permission to use one of our parish's chapels in spite of the logistical difficulties, due no doubt to my mother's intercessory influence in Heaven--she could always get things done!

One time when I was visiting her, my mom had a card with a picture of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (and maybe also the Immaculate Heart of Mary as they are often pictured together). She looked at the picture for a moment and then kissed it reverently. It was an intimate, incredible grace to witness that.

It often snowed at significant times during my mom's illness: going into the hospital, when I visited, when she was transferred to the nursing home and the night between the last wake and her Mass of Christian Burial. Yes, it was January and snow is not that unusual. But one of the Blessed Mother's lesser known titles is Our Lady of the Snows. (That title refers to a snowfall in Rome on August 5th, A.D. 352 on the Esquiline Hill indicating where what is now the Basilica of St. Mary Major was to be built). I came to regard these snows as reminders of God's care for my mom.

Our Lady of the Snows, ora pro nobis.

37 Years Since Roe v. Wade

2010-01-22T11:58:00.007-05:00

Today marks the 37th year since Roe v Wade, the Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion in 1973. (I was going to say 37th anniversary, but those are usually happy ocassions). We have lost over 40 million children since that time, about 4000 a day. That's just in the US. Worldwide, the numbers are a staggering 46 million per year (approximately). That's about 126,000 per day worldwide!

Data from the Census Bureau on abortions in the US can be found here in this pdf file (note that the numbers must be multiplied by 1000 (as it says, "1,609 represents 1,609,000 which the the number of abortions in 1990!). Another summary using the CDC and Alan Guttmacher Institute's figures can be found here. And from About.com, a list of 10 abortion facts here. This analysis reported by Lifenews.com shows the number of abortions may be as high as 52 million!

To give some perspective, here are the annual mortality rates for leading causes of death. Death from heart disease and cancer combined is 1,191,524. Remember there were 1,609,000 deaths of babies from abortion in 1990. But abortion is apparently not considered a cause of death because babies (or fetuses, if you must) are not people according to these statistics.

Is there some good news? Yes! Here is an article on Crisis Pregnancy Centers.

St. Vincent, pray for us!

Mary, Mother of God

2010-01-01T10:38:00.003-05:00

Today, January 1, the Church celebrates the the solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. The title "Mother of God" was given to Mary formally at the council of Ephesus in AD 431. It is not meant to exalt Mary so much as to emphasize that Jesus Christ was fully God and fully Man. Mary is not the mother of Jesus human nature only, but since she gave birth to the person of Jesus Christ, who was both God and Man, she gave birth to the Son of God as well as the Son of Man.

Since Mary is also the Queen of Peace, the Church also celebrates the World Day of Peace today. Pope Bendict's theme for today is 'If You Want to Cultivate Peace, Protect Creation." His message can be found here.

Tis the season--of Advent!

2009-11-27T16:25:00.006-05:00

Advent is a largely forgotten season of the year. We jump straight from Thanksgiving to Christmas, forgetting the importance of taking a breath--Advent.

Advent is a time to prepare for the feast of Christmas. Advent means "coming." As we say in the Mass right after praying the Our Father, "Deliver us Lord from every evil and grant us peace in our day. In your mercy keep us free from sin and protect us from all anxiety as we wait in joyful hope for the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ."

This "waiting in joyful hope" lies at the heart of Advent. The readings of the first two weeks focus on the second coming of Christ and his judgment so we can prepare our hearts for his return. At the beginning of the third week, that Sunday is also called Gaudete Sunday. Gaudete means Rejoice! We move from a time of preparation and penance to a more joyful time of rejoicing and readiness. Christmas is coming!

Christmas is coming, but it is not quite here. The readings shift to focus of prophesies of the birth of a Savior, a Messiah, a Christ.

The best recommendation I've heard regarding Advent is to think of it as the Church does! It is the beginning of the Liturgical year, the Church's New Year! And just as we make resolutions to lose weight or stop smoking or turn off Oprah, we should make Advent resolutions. We might decide to learn to pray with the Church using the Liturgy of the Hours in some form. Or maybe go to daily Mass more often. We could make a commitment to contribute to the food pantry every month, or to volunteer at on of the parish's social ministries. Advent is the perfect time to examine our lives and ask "Lord, what do you want me to do, to be?"

Try waiting until at least to the third Sunday of Advent, Gaudete Sunday, to string lights or put up the Christmas Tree or play Christmas music. The commercial, retail world will overwhelm you at times; but the more you enter in to the time of waiting in joyful hope that is Advent, the more joyful your Christmas season will be. For the Church celebrates Christmas for more than just one day! It lasts from December 25th all the way to the Feast of the Epiphany on January 6th. Now that's a time of rejoicing in joyful hope!

"Walk(man) on By" (apologies to Burt Bucharach & Hal David)

2009-06-29T14:55:00.007-04:00

BBC News Magazine has this story about a 13 year-old boy they invited to swap his iPod for--brace yourselves--a Walkman!

I wonder if occured to the young reporter that in 30 years some other young reporter will have the same feelings he did about the Walkman compared to today's technology as that future young reporter will have when he compares whatever's around in 2039 to what we have now?

In other words, specifically those of GK Chesterton: "My attitude toward progress has passed from antagonism to boredom. I have long ceased to argue with people who prefer Thursday to Wednesday because it is Thursday." - New York Times Magazine, 2/11/23

Best First Line of A Song

2009-06-03T13:13:00.003-04:00

Here's a simple survey. What is the best first line of a song you've heard? You were listening to the radio or playing a new CD and the first line of a song just reached out and grabbed you. Some examples:

"What a beautiful piece of heartache this has all turned out to be."
from "Latter Days", Over The Rhine, Good Dog Bad Dog.

"After the rain in the streets light flows like blood"
from "After the Rain", Bruce Cockburn, Dancing in the Dragon's Jaws

"The screen door slams, Mary's dress waves"
from "Thunder Road", Bruce Springsteen, Born to Run

So what's your favorite first line of a song? It has to be a first line, not a whole verse or chorus or a line that's not the first line--that's for another time!

Line, Artist, Album.

Birthday Spirit—A Reflection on Pentecost Sunday

2009-05-30T21:07:00.003-04:00

Happy Birthday to Us! Pentecost has been called the birthday of the Church. The disciples of Jesus had been gathered together in prayer for 9 days since the Ascension. There were about 120 of them. Luke names the Eleven Apostles, Judas’ successor, Matthias, and “Mary, the mother of Jesus.”

Imagine being there. You’ve seen or been told that Jesus has returned to the Father in Heaven. He told you that “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses…” You’re not sure what this Holy Spirit is and you’re a little nervous about being a witness. So you pray with the others. And you wait. For 9 days. It’s becoming a little routine. The feast of Pentecost is coming. What began as a feast celebration the first fruits of the spring harvest had also become a commemoration of the giving of the Law on Mt. Sinai.

Suddenly, as Luke says, suddenly there is the sound of a strong driving wind. It shatters the quiet of your prayer. As you look around trying to see the source of the wind, you see a fire above you in the room. First wind, now fire. It is strange and frightening. As you watch, the fire divides into smaller flames. The flames come to rest on each of you. Luke calls what is happening being “filled with the Holy Spirit.”

What happens next is perhaps the strangest of all. You hear yourself and your brothers and sisters speaking in different languages. Those who have made the journey to Jerusalem for the feast of Pentecost hear the commotion and gather outside the house where you are; the same house where Jesus celebrated Passover with the Apostles. They hear you speaking in their native tongues.

In a moment the disciples went from hiding and praying privately to a very public preaching of the Gospel. This was brought about by the Holy Spirit, sent by Jesus from the Father as promised. It is a blazing beginning, a firey birth of the Body of Christ.

The Holy Spirit has come. The Church is alive. The harvest has begun. But what happens now? Paul tells us that the Holy Spirit gives gifts to the Church. This unites the Church. We need each other. The gifts are given to each for the benefit of all. The Holy Spirit also gives us the strength to fight against sin. He nurtures us not only with gifts, but with the first fruit of the Spirit; the love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control that nourish us to make us strong against sin.

Jesus gives us the Holy Spirit not only to bring the Church into being, but to lead and guide us. He will remind us of what Jesus taught us. As the Spirit of Truth, he will lead us into the Truth. He will lead us to Jesus.

If you want to know Jesus, you do so through the Holy Spirit. He will give you the power to live as Jesus did. He will give you the strength to suffer for the sake of the gospel and to be a witness to Jesus Christ. If you want to be like Jesus, pray that he will send the Holy Spirit into your life. Don’t worry about what others will think. Let’s imitate the early Church and, in obedience to Christ, gather in prayer and pray for a new Pentecost, a re-birth of the Church in the Holy Spirit.

They're Hot! They're Pockets!

2009-05-28T13:37:00.006-04:00

Did you know that although Hot Pockets come 2 to a box, you only have to eat one? I was shocked recently to find instructions for cooking one, one!, hot pocket! Stunning. There is even a tab/slot that allows you to re-close the box until you want to eat the remaining Hot Pocket. This fundamentally changes the balance of eating prepared snack type foodstuffs. I mean, what's next? Eating one Funny Bone? Ah, but they cannot be resealed.

Breaking News: Hot Pockets also lists the serving size as one and list the nutritional information based on one pocket. More as this develops.

Topic: Has anyone used Hot Pockets to actually heat their pockets? Discuss.

Kept by Christ—A reflection on the Seventh Sunday of Easter

2009-05-23T21:14:00.003-04:00

In today’s reading from John’s gospel, Jesus is praying what has been called his high priestly prayer. It is a prayer for the unity of the Church. He asks the Father to protect the disciples so they may be one as Christ and the Father are one. Jesus has protected them so that not one of them was lost, except for Judas.

And what of Judas? Why was he lost? Jesus calls him “the son of destruction” and says that Judas was lost “in order that Scripture might be fulfilled.” The first reading from Acts tells us that Peter was with 120 others waiting for the Holy Spirit to come on the day of Pentecost. He reminds them that Judas was the guide for those who arrested Jesus. He was the betrayer, the son of destruction. Peter finds in the Psalms that Judas’ vacant office needs to be filled. So they selected Justus and Matthias and after praying, they chose Matthias by lot. This may seem like a strange was to go about choosing a successor to Judas, but it was the ordinary way things were done. We might pick names out of a hat!

I think the deeper reason for Judas being lost is found in the reading from St. John’s epistle. It too is about our unity in God. It is a unity of love. God loves us, so we must love one another. If we remain in love we remain in God and God in us. Judas did not remain in love, he betrayed Love to death. If Judas had sought true repentance, he would have remained in God’s love. The difference between Peter’s denial and Judas’ betrayal is that Peter repented with bitter tears and Judas chose to end his own life outside of God’s love.

But this is Easter, the season of glory and joy in the risen Lord Jesus Christ! So why are the readings talking about Judas? Because the Church understands our human frailty. I am reminded of St. Philip Neri. Philip had a prayer he used to pray every day. It was “Lord, watch over Philip today, or he will betray you like Judas.” St. Philip Neri, whose feast we celebrate this coming Tuesday, understood our frailty. He knew that we are all the kind of people who could betray Jesus. Judas’ price was 30 pieces of silver. Our price is often much less. We betray Jesus every time we deny that Jesus is the Son of God. We do that when we take him for granted, when we put him to the test, when we tell those who ask us about our faith “I do not know him”, when we treat the sacraments casually, when we deny the Church which is his body by dissenting from its teaching, when we do not help those in need.

The good news is that Jesus is praying for us to the Father. The writer of the book of Hebrews says that he always lives to make intercession for us.(Hebrews 7:24-25 ) In today’s gospel, Jesus prays for our unity, he prays for protection, he prays for our joy, he prays that the Father will keep us from the evil one, he prays that the Father will consecrate us in the Truth of his word. Then he sends us into the world protected by this prayer of consecration. Jesus is praying for us now in this Mass. The Eucharist is his answer to all that he prayed for us and all that we pray for ourselves. It is the source of our unity and the way God remains in us and brings his love to perfection in us. Let us receive Christ, remembering St. Philip Neri’s prayer. We are frail but Jesus is our redeemer. He took on our human nature and ascended to Heaven. Let us work for the unity in truth before the Father, for Jesus is that Truth.

Keys to Ascension--A Reflection on the Feast of the Ascension

2009-05-21T15:38:00.006-04:00

On the Feast of the Ascension, the Church remebers the day that Jesus returned to Heaven. To some, this sounds childish. It recalls a 3-tiered view of the world with Hell below, Earth in the middle and Heaven above.

But whatever the geography of heaven there is a reality here. Jesus had risen from the dead. Conquering death, he is immortal as Son of Man and Son of God. So, where is he? He could not die again, ever. He is not on Earth. The answer in the Gospels and Acts is that, in some mysterious way, he returned to Heaven to his Father.

Mark's gospel says only that Jesus was "taken up into Heaven", as does Luke's gospel. The first reading from Luke's book of the Acts of the Apostles gives us more detail. The Apostles ask him if he will restore the Kingdom to Israel. He tells them not to worry about that, but promises them that they will receive to be his witnesses when the Holy Spirit comes upon them. Then as they were watching, a cloud took Jesus out of their sight. Why a cloud? Remember the cloud that folowed Israel in the wilderness? That cloud, the shekinah, was the glory of God. In the early Church this was understood to be the Holy Spirit. Luke is telling us that Jesus was taken up into Heaven by the Holy Spirit, God's presence in the world.

What's going on here? At least three things. First, Jesus is returning to the Father to take his rightful place as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Jesus is ruling the universe for the Father. As Paul says in Ephesians "And he [the Father] put all things beneath his [Christ's] feet and gave him as head over all things to the church,which is his body,the fullness of the one who fills all things in every way." Jesus is ruling the world and he is ruling it through his body, the Church. Luke tells us what Jesus is doing now.

Second, Jesus returns to the Father so he can send us the Holy Spirit. Some have said that the Acts of the Apostles could also be called the Acts of the Holy Spirit. It's Ascension Thursday, but Pentecost is coming after 9 days! In the meantime the desciples and Mary, a group of about 120 people, waits and prays. These 9 days of prayer was the first novena! The Pentecost novena to the Holy Spirit is the oldest novena of the Catholic Church.

Third, Jesus is preparing for his second coming. He is preparing a place for us. At the end of time, when his plan for the universe is fulfilled, Jesus will return to Earth. Then every knee will bow and everyone confess that Jesus is Lord. He will judge the world; those who have not lived in God's love will continue to live without God for eternity, those who lived in God's love will continue to live with God for eternity. We call the first state Hell and the second Heaven.

Jesus' Ascension has opened the gate of Heaven to all, but not all will enter. The saints, known and unknown, are there; Our Blessed Mother Mary is there; and the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are there. We will see God face-to-face. The gate is narrow, but is open. Will you enter in?

There is no need to wait until you die or Christ returns to enter Heaven. We do that at every Mass! Jesus is present in his Word during the Liturgy of the Word. He is especially present in the Eucharist. He is present in his mystical body, the Church--in you and me. If Jesus is present, the Heaven is present for, as Pope Benedict has said, "Jesus himself is what we call Heaven."

Jesus is here at Mass. Yet how many of us enter in? He is waiting for us, yet we act as if he is not here at all! We come late, we leave early, we dress as if we were going to a playground rather than Heaven. Yet, these are all external things. How is your heart? Is your heart coming late, leaving early, immodestly dressed? We are here to worship Christ the Lord. Let us show him, by clean hearts, pure minds, working hands and outward modesty, that we believe he is here with us. Let us enter heaven at this Mass and receive Jesus Christ our Lord and God.

Love and the Spirit--A Reflection on the 6th Sunday of Easter

2009-05-16T20:00:00.004-04:00

Love. The word “love” occurs 9 times in today’s gospel and another 9 times in the epistle. Friend occurs 3 times in the gospel and joy twice. We expect God to love us. We don’t really believe it, but we expect it! After all, isn’t God supposed to love everyone?

One of the most astonishing statement’s in all of Scripture is found in today’s gospel reading. Jesus says “No one has greater love than this, than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you.” Jesus says that we are his friends. This is the love of God we don’t expect; to be his friends. Not only that, but it is the kind of friendship that lays down its life for others.

But isn’t there a catch? Jesus' friendship seems conditional; if we do what he commands us he will be our friend. That sounds more like a servant or slave than a friend. No, we have it wrong. Christ says that he does no longer calls us slaves, because a slave does not know what his master is doing. Isn’t that amazing? We are not slaves but friends because Jesus has told us what he is doing. He tells us through the Scriptures, the Church and the Holy Spirit.

It was the Holy Spirit who led Peter to understand that even the Gentiles are loved by God, are God’s friends. Peter was shown by the Holy Spirit in a vision that God shows no partiality. He accepts anyone who fears him and acts uprightly. In today’s reading from the Acts of the Apostles, St. Luke tells us that as Peter was still speaking these things, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who were listening. God gave the Gentiles the same gift of the Spirit that he gave to the Jewish believers. He gave them himself.

Love is so essential because, as John tells us in his epistle, God is love. If we want to be like God were must love as God loves. We must love without partiality. We must accept all those who God accepts and love all those God loves. And we must lay down our lives for them. This is no sentimental love, but the love of God. It is a love, as St. Paul says, that spared not God’s own Son but delivered him up for us all. A love that will freely give us all things.

When my friend Vincent Druding was ordained to the priesthood last week, one of the verses he used on his invitations and holy cards was from today’s gospel, “No one has greater love than this, than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends…It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you. This I command you: love one another.”

Vince understood that laying down his life for God’s friends is at the heart of the priesthood. It is also what we are all called to as Christians. In imitation of Christ, we love as he loves. To do this, to have the strength to lay down our lives, we must receive from the Holy Spirit God’s grace, his very life. This life comes to us through the Sacraments, especially Confession and the Eucharist. In Confession, we lay aside every burden and sin that clings to us and holds us back from loving God and his friends. As we receive from this altar the sacred body and blood of God’s Son, Jesus Christ, we will be filled with every grace and blessing. We will receive the strength to love as God loves. As St. John says, “God sent his only Son into the world so that we might have life through him.”

Our Blessed Mother is sets an example for us. Having accepted the Father’s love by saying Yes to the angel Gabriel’s news that she was to be the Mother of the Son of God, she went to see her cousin Elizabeth. In that moment of joy and love and friendship, Mary brought Jesus to her.

Let us pray that the Holy Spirit will fall on us as he fell on the Church in Acts so that, filled with the Spirit, we will know the joy and the love and the friendship of Christ. Then let us bring that joy and the love and friendship of Christ to all of God’s friends.

Living in Christ--A Reflection on the 5th Sunday of Easter

2009-05-09T20:19:00.004-04:00

In today's Gospel, Jesus uses a agricultural metaphor to talk about the Christian life. He is the true vine and we are branches. We grow as we take his life into ours. Branches cannot survive without the vine. Cut off from the vine, they wither and die. Around my house we have wild grape vines. They grow everywhere! As they climb other plants and trees, their tendrils grab hold. The only way to disentangle them is to prune them, cutting the branches so they are no longer attached to the vine. Once they wither, they're much easier to pull off.

What grows on vine? Grapes. My grandmother used to make grape jelly from the wild grape vines. Saint John uses this story of vines and branches to talk about Christian living because of his theme of the Eucharist. Remaining in the vine, refers back to the Bread of Life discourse in chapter 6. There Jesus also talks about remaining in him "Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him." (John 6:56).

The Church only grows by remaining united to Christ. As it does so, the Holy Spirit is free to grow the Church. We see this in the first reading from Acts as Barnabas introduces Paul to the Apostles. As they come to understand Paul's calling, they accept him, even risking their lives to rescue him. The Church was briefly at peace and the Holy Spirit caused the Church to grow.

Saint John also tells us in his epistle that "the way we know that he remains in us is from the Spirit he gave us." The peace we know as we remain in Christ comes from God who is greater than our hearts. Our hearts often condemn us for failing to keep his commandments. But because God is greater than our hearts, we can be confident that God will give us what we ask. John says that "those who keep his commandments remain in him."

We remain in Christ, the true vine by keeping his commandments. We gain strength to keep his commandments through the sanctifying grace of the sacraments. Through the forgiveness of sin in Confession, God prunes away the sins that injure, and even kill, his life in us. In the Eucharist, Jesus gives himself, his true life, to us. As we remain in his life, we will bear much fruit as his life grows in us. If we separate ourselves from Jesus, we will wither and die as a branch does cut off form the vine. Jesus himself says that without him we can do nothing. United to him, we will grow and bear fruit, glorifying the Father.

The Good Shepherd--A Reflection on the 4th Sunday of Easter

2009-05-03T19:41:00.007-04:00

If you've ever had a problem with an employee or a contractor, then you know what Jesus means when he talks about the difference between hireling and true shepherds--it's ownership. The hireling works for pay and has no concern for the sheep. To the true Shepard, the sheep are like family. He cares for them because they are his. He knows the and they know him; the sheep know the shepherd's voice and follow him. A good shepherd will lay down his life for a sheep to keep them from the wolf. Jesus says "I am the good shepherd." I suppose that makes us sheep!

Jesus says "There will be one flock, and one shepherd." As our shepherd, he is our unity. He will bring together all the sheep into one flock, even the ones "that do not belong to this fold." When the Church teaches that "outside the Church there is no salvation" she doesn't mean that you have to be Catholic to be saved; she means what Jesus meant. There is one flock and Jesus is bringing those who belong to another sheepfold to the one flock. The Church as the body of Christ carries on this mission: to bring all the sheep together to his one flock.

This is also what Peter is saying in the first reading from Acts that "There is no salvation through anyone else, nor is there any other name under heaven given to the human race by which we are to be saved." Salvation is through Jesus Christ. The Church is his body, but the Church is bigger than just the Catholic Church. It is wherever people are seeking Christ, even if they don't know it is Christ they are seeking! Saint Paul says that God wants all people to be saved.

How will Jesus bring all his sheep together? By laying down his life for them. The cross didn't happen to Jesus, he wasn't a victim. He willingly gave his life for us, his bedraggled, smelly, wandering sheep. He laid down his life in order to take it up again. The salvation he secures for us by laying down his life is described by Saint John. "See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God. Yet so we are." Calling God our Father is not just a expression of faith. The Father loves us and gives his life to us through the Sacraments. He makes us his children in reality, not just figuratively.

And this salvation procured by Christ is not just for now. As we grow in grace, in the very life of God in us, Saint John tells us that "we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is." Trust the Jesus, the Good shepherd, to bring his sheep into one flock to present to the Father, who will give us his very life in grace through his Church.

Saint Joseph the Worker

2009-05-01T09:58:00.004-04:00

The Church has dedicated the month of May to honor the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God. May 1st is the feast of Saint Joseph the Worker, institiued by Pope Pius XII in 1955. It coincides with May Day celebrations held in may parts of the world.

It is fitting that the month of May, dedicated to Mary, start with a feast in honor of Saint Joseph, her husband and the foster-father of Jesus. Together Joseph and Mary raised Jesus. It has been said that Joseph had to be a saint to live with the Immaculate Conception and the Incarnation!

We know little of Joseph. He is mentioned in the infancy narratives in Matthew and Luke. God speaks to him through dreams, just like the patriarch Joseph in the Old Testament. In his desire to protect Mary from the dishonor of a public divorce, he wants to do it quietly--until Gabriel tells him in a dream that, as Bruce Cockburn puts it, "God did this and you're part of his scheme." For this Joseph is called a righteous man.

We know Joseph was a carpenter, a craftsman; a trade he taught to Jesus. He did this work to provide for his family, so we honor him on this day as St. Joseph the Worker to remind people of the dignity of work and it's value to living out the universal call to holiness.

Reality--A Reflection for the 3rd Sunday of Easter

2009-04-25T20:52:00.002-04:00

If there is one word that sums up today’s reading, it is reality. Now reality is something we tend to avoid at all costs. It can be hard and narrow. Jesus said that the gate that leads to destruction is wide and the road broad; many enter
through it, but the road that leads to salvation is narrow and the gate small; few shall find it. That is reality.

In the first reading, Peter is preaching after healing a lame man. He boldly reminds the people that they had “denied the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. The author of life you put to death, but God raised him from the dead; of this we are witnesses.” (Acts 3:14-15) This is something God had announced beforehand through the prophets, that Christ would suffer.

The people listening to Peter probably thought that Jesus was just another troublemaker like they has seen before. Perhaps they thought he was a prophet. But the certainly didn’t believe he was their Messiah. The Messiah was supposed to deliver then from the Romans, not be crucified at their hands. Yet, God had said that the Christ, the Messiah, would suffer. What God says is reality. And this Reality suffered before being raised from the dead. Peter and the others were eyewitnesses to this. That was their reality.

In the second reading, Saint John writes about the necessity of keeping God’s commandments. “The way we may be sure that we know him is to keep his commandments. Those who say, ‘I know him,’ but do not keep his commandments are liars, and the truth is not on them.” To call people liars sounds harsh. But Saint John is trying to get us to deal with reality. Many claim to believe in God. How do we know that we know God? John’s answer is that we know we know if we keep God’s commandments; then we are keeping with reality.

Today’s gospel is about the reality of the resurrection. When Christ appears to them, in their surprise they think they are seeing a ghost! To allay their fears, he invites them to look closely at him, even to touch him. John says, “He showed them his hands and his feet.” He is inviting them to see the wounds of his crucifixion. The resurrected body of Jesus, though glorified, is real. It can be clearly seen, even touched. He even eats a piece of fish on front of them. You don’t get much more real than eating!

Jesus reminds them of the reality of the Scriptures, that everything written about him must be fulfilled; that he would suffer and rise from the dead and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins would be preached in his name to all nations.

This is the reality we are living in today. The Church is still carrying out this mission, preaching the Gospel to the world. If we wish to live in reality, we must bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ to our family, friends and neighbors. Like Peter and John, we do that by living a life grounded in the reality of the Gospel and by our eyewitness testimony to what Christ is doing in our lives. We are simply to tell them about Christ and his Church and to trust the Holy Spirit to open their hearts. As he worked through the disciples, he will work through us as we live in the reality of the Gospel.

Canticle for Earth Day

2009-04-22T09:00:00.007-04:00

Today is Earth Day.

Saint Francis of Assisi and Blessed Kateri Tekawitha are patrons of the environment(-alists) and ecology (-ists).

Saint Francis is well-known for his love of nature, a love that came out of his love for Jesus Christ. St.Francis' "Canticle" starts with praise of God and blesses the Lord for his creation. He refers to creation as his brothers and sisters because the share a common Father. Concern for creation properly comes out of love for the Creator.

A contemporary St. Francis was Rich Mullins. Several of his songs, like "The Color Green" share a sensibility with St. Francis' "Canticle." Rich Mullins started Kid Brothers of St. Frank ,to help train other men in the Christian faith and outreach. Mullins was killed in a car accident in 1997. His family continues this legacy.

I imagine Rich, St. Francis and Blessed Kateri praying that our love for the Earth will flow from our love for Jesus Christ.

Believing Thomas--A Reflection for the 2nd Sunday of Easter

2009-04-18T18:47:00.005-04:00

Poor Thomas. One moment of doubt and he is labeled for life--"Doubting Thomas". Jesus appears to the disciples one night and Thomas is not there. Maybe he was visiting his twin? When the others tell him that "We have seen the Lord", Thomas gives his so-called doubting reply, "Unless I see the marks of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nail marks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe." In other words, Thomas wants proof, empirical evidence. He is a materialist; a man of science. Like so many of us, he wants proof before he will believe.

Thomas' refusal to believe without proof is strange for a man who has spent the last three years with Jesus. He has seen the blind see, the deaf hear, the lame walk, the dead raised to life again. He has heard Jesus' teaching. What more proof could he want?

It's one thing to believe that Jesus is someone. To some he is the Messiah, to others he is a moral teacher. To some he is a revolutionary, to others he is another spiritual master. Some even believe he is God. These all believe something about Jesus; even Thomas.

Yet, it in not enough to believe things about Jesus. As St. James says, even the demons believe and tremble. We must believe in Jesus. It is not enough to give intellectual or even faith assent to him. We must trust Jesus; that is the lesson of this Divine Mercy Sunday's motto, "Jesus, I trust in you." We must put our faith, our trust, in Jesus as a divine person, son of God and son of man, not in facts about him, but in him.

That kind of faith is transformative. As St. John says in today's 2nd reading, "Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is begotten of God..." God is our Father now. He puts his nature, his life into us by his Holy Spirit--that is divine mercy! Transformed by this love and mercy into his children, we can build the kind of community we see in the first reading from the book of Acts. St. Like tells us that "no one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they had everything in common."

But what of Thomas? Did his doubt exclude him from this community of faith? Again, we see God's divine mercy. Jesus appears again and this time Thomas is there. Jesus invites Thomas to "put you finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe." Jesus challenges Thomas with his own words at his own point of doubt. Thomas' distrust was really in the other disciples' testimony that they had seen the Lord. Perhaps he was more upset at being left out than anything else.

I wonder if it's too much to say that Jesus appeared again to the disciples for Thomas' sake; to offer Thomas a chance to show his faith to them all after his public doubting. After all, Jesus would soon offer Peter the chance to redeem his three-fold denial of him. This is divine mercy.

Thomas' response to Jesus is one many of us echo each time we receive our Lord in the Eucharist, "My Lord and my God." That is the response of faith in Jesus. But then Jesus reaches even beyond Thomas to each one of us when he says, "Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed." We are those who have not seen Jesus as Thomas did, but have believed. We, too, say "My Lord and my God."

Strengthened in his faith by his Lord and his God, Thomas becomes one of whom Acts says, "With great power the apostles bore witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus..." This witness and power of faith eventually brought St. Thomas to preach the Gospel in India. He founded the Church there around AD 52 and was martyred around AD 72. When travelers arrived in India, they found the Church, through St. Thomas, had gone there before them. The Syro-Malabar Catholic Church is the largest of the Catholic Churches in India. It traces its origins to St. Thomas. It is in full communion with Rome.

Doubting Thomas? Not after receiving God's Divine Mercy in Jesus. Not after he said, "My Lord and my God." We repeat his words as we receive Jesus in the Eucharist. As Jesus said, "Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed."

Two Cathedrals

2009-04-16T13:06:00.009-04:00

(No,this is not a West Wing post.)

Yesterday NYC saw the installation Mass for Archbishop Timothy Dolan at St. Patrick's. Today is the home opener for the new Yankee Stadium. Both were joyous occasions for New Yorkers everywhere. Both had charismatic personalities. Both had beautiful liturgies (really, the Yankees do beautiful liturgies, they just don't call them that, but it's a religious experience for many!). I am sure there were some people who attended both events.

Archbishop Dolan hit a home run at his installation. He was warm, funny, joyous, fatherly and priestly. Hopefully the Yankees will do as well.

Almost a year ago, Pope Benedict XVI said Mass at the old Yankee stadium; a cathedral of baseball. (See, I told you the Yankees do beautiful liturgies!). Maybe he'll be back to say Mass at the new stadium. It's a certainty that there will be a papal Mass at the new stadium eventually. Maybe Pope Dolan?

Update: Shortly after posting this, Archbishop Dolan was a guest on the Yankees Radio Network broadcast with John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman. Abp. Dolan could always go into sports broadcasting if the Archbishop gig doesn't work out...

Dolan Mania at Installation

2009-04-15T13:51:00.005-04:00

I am watching in preliminaries to the installation Mass of Timothy Dolan as Archbishop of New York. He has been standing outiside St. Patrick's Cathedral greeting people as they process in. As he greets them, he is saying repeatedly, "Thanks for coming!", "I need you" and "Pray for me." He is smiling the whole time, joking and laughing.

This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad! Psalm 118:24

Archbishop Dolan is living these words today.

Pray for him.

Raising Lazarus--A Reflection for the 5th Sunday of Lent

2009-03-30T13:22:00.005-04:00

Most, if not all, of us here have lost a loved one; someone we were close to. It may have been a friend, family member or even a pet. We have known sorrow and grief; the pain of loss.

In the gospel of St. John, chapter 11, the evangelist tells us how Jesus experiences to death of his friend, Lazarus. Lazarus and his sisters, Mary and Martha, were some of Jesus closest friend. St. John tells us that Jesus loved them.

When news reaches Jesus that Lazarus is sick, he waits two more days before he leaves to see his friend. In fact, he waits long enough for Lazarus to have died! Jesus tells his disciples that Lazarus’ death from this illness is not the end for Lazarus; that it is for the glory of God.

When Jesus and his disciples arrive at Bethany, where Lazarus, Mary and Martha live, Martha greets him. She says “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” It sounds almost like an accusation! When Jesus tells her that her brother will rise, she gives the theologically correct answer, “I know he will rise, in the resurrection on the last day.” Isn’t this how we respond to grief? We look for the correct answer.

What Martha failed to understand is that the correct answer was standing right in front of her! Jesus, as he tells her, is “the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.” Martha had her theology right; Lazarus would rise in the resurrection on the last day. But theology, as important as it is, can only take us so far. Theology cannot raise the dead! To raise the dead, it takes the power of “the resurrection and the life”. Notice that Jesus is not only the resurrection, the power to bring the dead to life; he is “the life.” That is, Jesus is life itself. Once raised from the dead, we will live in and by Jesus.

After challenging Martha with to look beyond her theology to understand that he is what she is truly looking for, Jesus asks, “Do you believe this?” Do you believe that I can conquer death and give life? Beyond your good theology, do you trust in me?

Martha answers, “Yes, Lord. I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world.” She answers a best she can, she responds with more good theology. She lists three facts about Jesus. She doesn’t say that she believes Jesus is “the resurrection and the life.” In her grief, she doesn’t rise to Jesus challenge go beyond her theology to believe in him.

When Mary meets Jesus, she says the same thing her sister Martha did. “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” This time St. John tells us that Jesus, seeing her weeping with grief, becomes “perturbed and deeply troubled.” This time, his response is deeply emotional. He becomes “perturbed and deeply troubled.” He even weeps.

He asks them to roll the stone away from the tomb. Lazarus has been dead four days now. According to the Jewish belief at the time, his soul would have definitely left his body. Decay had begun, hence “there will be a stench.” The stone is rolled away. After a brief prayer for the benefit of the mourners, Jesus cries out in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” Does Jesus think a dead man can hear? When “the resurrection and life” call, they can! Lazarus shuffles to the door of the tomb, still wrapped in his burial bands. Having raised Lazarus form the dead, Jesus asks the others to untie Lazarus and let him go. When Jesus gives new life to our loved ones, we need to free them from their bondage to sin and let them go to him.

Jesus answered Mary and Martha’s prayer. He doesn’t tell Martha “Sorry, but you didn’t answer my question ‘Do you believe that I am the resurrection and the life?’ correctly, so I won’t raise your brother. No, he raises Lazarus. He doesn’t tell Mary that her weeping indicates lack of faith. No, he weeps with her, and then he raises Lazarus.

Lazarus has been raised from the dead. As a result many people will believe in Jesus. The chief priests will plan to kill Lazarus. Stories will be told that Lazarus lives another 30 years, goes to Cyprus and is made bishop of Kition by St. Paul. In any event, Lazarus will die again. But next time, at the resurrection of the last day, Jesus will raise his friend Lazarus and his sisters, Mary and Martha, and all those who believe to the fullness of eternal life, never to die again. We will live in Jesus, the resurrection and the life. Do you believe this? Then believe beyond just sound theology, (as important as that is) and believe in Jesus.

Bishop Montgomery

2009-03-04T11:45:00.002-05:00

Interesting story about Bishop Montgomery here.

Michael Dubruiel, Resquiat in Pace

2009-02-04T14:25:00.007-05:00

You may have heard by now that Michael Dubruiel, Amy Welborn's husband, passed away on Tuesday, Feb. 3rd. More at my Rosary Around the World blog here.

The Meaning of Data

2009-02-02T15:13:00.005-05:00

Information. Lots and lots of information....
H/T to Deacon Greg at The Deacon's Bench.

The problem with technology, as shown in this video, is that we know the data, but have no idea what it means. "And the word became flesh and dwelt amoung us..." (John 1:14). The logos, the word, the data, became flesh and dwelt amoung us. So what does it all mean? The meaning we are looking for is in Christ. Unless we give the data flesh and blood, the data will be all there is. Data tells us facts about our world, we must put that information in context. We need to master the data, or we will be mastered by it. We have the tools of theology and philosophy. Let's get to work.

Scandal At The Weather Channel

2009-01-08T16:17:00.004-05:00

If you like nothing better on a stormy day than to spend it watching The Weather Channel, then this report from ONN might shock you.

Weather Channel Accused of Pro-Weather Bias

I Have Never Been More Proud

2008-10-30T15:46:00.006-04:00

I got an e-mail that a "friend" had sent me this video. This immediately made me suspicious since I have no friends. Also, this is apparently from the future; a wonderful future to be sure, but the future nonetheless. Here's the video.

Here's a link to the rest of the story...

An Angry Squirrel

2008-10-13T08:57:00.005-04:00

About a month ago, Sen. John McCain was scheduled to be on The Late Show with David Letterman. He cancelled and Letterman was miffed, especially when substitute guest Keith "big head" Olbermann set-up a live CBS news feed showing McCain getting ready for an interview with Katie Couric.

Letterman has never met a grudge he couldn't nurse ad infinitum, so he's spent a few days last month ragging Sen. McCain about the cancellation at every opportunity. Now he's back to attacking the McCain/Palin ticket as per usual, although with a little more rancor--if that's possible. Strangely, he's said nothing about Obama. As the Center for Media and Public Affairs pointed out in August, "David Letterman told only 46 jokes about Obama..." That seems high to me; certainly none that I can recall in the last few weeks.

Sen. McCain has been rescheduled to appear on Thursday night's show. I'm guessing Letterman will be doing his usual impression of an angry squirrel as he barks and chirps at Sen. McCain, even though he rightly considers McCain a hero for his actions as a POW. I wouldn't mind so much except that Letterman is giving a free pass to Obama. But then he's not the only one to do so.

Marian Gangs?

2008-10-07T13:19:00.005-04:00

Recently several high school kids in Texas and Oregon have been asked not to wear rosaries as the local police consider them gang signs.

I hope the kid wearing the rosaries are praying them as well.

Today is the memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary.

Nancy Pelosi, Non Capite

2008-08-29T21:23:00.008-04:00

Nancy Pelosi lectures the Catholic Church on it's own beliefs.

On Sunday's "Meet the Press" Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi did Catholics in America a huge, though unintended favor; she woke up our bishops! I am so proud of New York's Cardinal Egan or Archbishop Chaput of Denver, or Washington's Archbishop Wuerl or even the USCCB!

Speaker Pelosi, a self-decribed ardent Catholic claimed that her long-time study of Catholic theology, notably St. Augustine, she has come to the conclusion that the Church hasn't really defined when human life begins and even if it did "The point is, is that it shouldn’t have an impact on the woman’s right to choose."

This is so wrong, I honestly don't know where to begin. Fortunately others have done the heavy lifting for me: Amy Welborn, Fr.Z here and here, American Papist and even that other AP!

PS Forgive me if my attempt at an Italian pun via Babelfish failed. "Non Capite" is supposed to mean "you don't understand". I hope I did!

An Explosion of Apologists

2008-08-14T21:39:00.005-04:00

I was listening to EWTN’s Life on the Rock tonight. During the discussion someone mentioned the explosion of apologists and apologetical works. Hearing this I thought “Wow! That’s a great collective noun; an explosion of apologists!” It seems fitting since many apologists seem to be on the verge of exploding much of the time!

Let me ‘splain. St. Peter in 1 Pt 3:15-16, a favorite of apologists, talks about always being ready to give people a reason for your hope. We all need to understand our faith well so we can explain to others the reasons we believe, not just apologists. Notice that St. Peter talks about a reason for our hope. This is more than just intellectual faith. It speaks to our emotions as well. Not only that, but hope gathers all we believe and are and entrusts it into the hands of a God who is love. That hope then lifts up to heavenly places with Christ where we have an inheritance “that is imperishable, undefiled and unfading, kept in heaven” for us (I Pt 1:4).

I believe that it is especially because St. Peter is referring to hope, that he reminds us to explain the reason for it “with gentleness and reverence, keeping your conscience clear (1 Pt 3:16a). We are dealing with people’s deepest emotions here.

Yet some apologists seem to get the idea of explaining but miss the gentleness and reverence. In the heat of defending the faith, there can be rudeness rather than reverence and a kind of greediness in having the truth rather than gentleness in reasoning from it.

When people bring up these attacks on others rather than defending the faith, a common reply is that they are just being honest and to-the-point. They say that St. Paul could be a bit prickly. Even Jesus woe-ified the Pharisees, calling them whitewashed tombs. So they see their lambasting as a legitimate strategy.

To which I say when you are as brilliant as the apostle Paul, you can be as bombastic as he; when you are the Son of God like Jesus, you can be discourteous to the sons of men.

Until then we must all practice that gentleness and reverence as we give an explanation to anyone who asks about the reason for our hope.

Myers Wanna "Cracker"?

2008-08-12T21:16:00.007-04:00

PZ Myers is a godless liberal. Hey, that's what it says on his blog! He's a professor of biology at the University of Minnesota at Morris. He is an atheist and proud of it. In recent days he has become notorious for the sacrilege of desecrating a consecrated host or, as he calls them, "horrible little crackers."

According to the Catholic Church, when a priest speaks the words of consecration over the hosts (i.e. thin wafers of wheat bread) during a Mass, by the power of God the hosts become the body, blood soul and divinity of Jesus Christ in their essence while retaining the appearance of bread. Since the hosts are changed in what they essentially are but not in how they appear they still look and taste like bread. If you could examine them in a lab they would have the chemical composition of bread. Except for a few Eucharistic miracles, the consecrated hosts don't become physical flesh and blood. If you prick them, they do not bleed.

But that is apparently what PZ Myers expected or thought Catholics would expect. He did prick a consecrated host by pushing a nail through it. It did not bleed. Imagine his surprise and dissappointment. (It's funny how fundamentalist atheists become when it's to their advantage, but I digress). Remember this is not the first time someone put a nail through Jesus. On that occassion he said, "Father forgive them, for they know not what they do." I'm sure that what Jesus said when PZ Myers drove a nail through him--again!

Catholics must forgive PZ Myers for his sacrilege. This desecration of the Eucharist, this taking something of value to someone else and breaking it, is the action of a frightened, arrogant, petulant child who can't play nicely with others and whose vocabulary consists of profanity, silly blasphemies and "nyah, nyah, na, nyah, nyah!"

PZ Myers said that "nothing must be held sacred." I suppose that includes even the U of Minnesota and it's students. So the University might want to be careful. This breed will turn on you. For militant atheists have only their anger at a God they don't believe exists and at anyone who believes in anything other than their bitter screed. To them, all religions are lies and we would be better off without them. They are right in a sense. As St. Paul says if Christ is not raised our faith is in vain; we are still in out sins. If Christ is not God, if God doesn't exist, then the Eucharist is just a "horrible little cracker".

Fair enough. If PZ Myers wants a world without religion, especially Christianity, especially Catholicism, he can have one as long as he gives up any of the benefits of the Church. No hospitals, no art, no genetics, no seismology, no music, no charitable organizations, no universities, no care for the poor or elderly, no atheists, no one to rant and rail against.

So let's not rail and rant against PZ Myers. Let's pray for and forgive him. Priests at the London Oratory are doing just that!

Me? A Scholar?

2008-06-24T09:26:00.001-04:00

What type of story would you write?

My Result: You'd make a great scholar!

You'd be best at writing text books for students or just regular scholarly reading. You are very intelligent and enjoy analyzing everything. You take in every thing you learn, rather than one thing in the ear and out the other. Every piece of information you collect makes you that much smarter.

What are you?http://web.tickle.com/net/caq/quiz.html?id=13492700

The House That Benedict Built

2008-04-20T23:24:00.005-04:00

A few brief words about the Papal Mass at Yankee stadium. After driving to Yonkers yesterday, it was nice to take a bus in from my church and get to know some of my fellow parishioners. It took a while to get into the stadium until some more security check points became available. We had great seats. The altar staging was set-up over second base. Our seats were in the mezzanine directly behind home plate.

Due to an almost vain and very frustrating attempt that saw me spend 45 minutes or more on line at the concession stand to get a $8 Yankee stadium hot dog, I missed most of the pre-mass Concert of Hope.I did get to see most of it on the TV behind the concession stand! The only lines worse than the food lines were the lines for the ladies room. I know that because the ladies were even lined up outside the men’s rooms stalls! It’s a little difficult to be a gentleman and, you should excuse the expression, let ladies go first *ahem* when you have to go too!

I got back to my seat in time for the Benedict’s entrance via Popemobile to great cheering and applause. Interestingly, the Pope and Cardinal Egan were taken into the dugout (was it the home or visitors? Hmm…) to vest for the mass. They joined the processional several minutes later.

The mass itself was serenely beautiful. The readings were appropriate not only for the 5th Sunday if Easter, but for the Pope’s final mass on his apostolic journey to the United States. They really summed up what the Catholic Church is all about. The Pope’s homily brought out so clearly the teaching of the Scriptures and the theme of the mass.I’m sure my old Southwestern Baptist seminary preaching professors would have given it high marks indeed! Right, Dr. Fasol?

The music was excellent. It modeled what liturgical music should be: beautiful classical pieces, some basic chant, use of several languages in a way that fits the liturgy. Not to mention well-performed! Solo Deo Gratia! Let’s not forget the beautifully chanted Gospel. None of the insipid, stultifying music so common in parish masses today. You know what I mean.

I have heard some disparaging comments regarding the music at the Nationals Stadium mass. From what little I have seen, I think it important to keep in mind that mass was a votive mass of the Holy Spirit, so there was a Pentecostal theme (I mean the Holy Day, not necessarily the denomination!). It was also a weekday mass. So I think there was more room in that mass for music that might not be appropriate for a Sunday liturgy.

The Holy Father has returned to Rome. While his apostolic visit was so moving, profound and celebratory in every way, I think I can safely say it’s good that it’s over! Now we can begin the hard but necessary work of reflecting and meditating on his words and example. Let’s us imitate Pope Benedict XVI as he imitates Christ.

Lost in Yonkers with Pope Bendict XVI

2008-04-19T22:56:00.004-04:00

I attended today's Youth Rally with Pope Benedict XVI in Yonkers, NY--if someone my age can attend a youth rally! Getting there was indeed half the fun! Traffic wasn't too bad considering how much of it there was! So as I sat in traffic I said a prayer to the Blessed Mother asking her to get me to the rally in time. No surprise, I made it! At the merchandise booth a Yonkers police officer asked me how traffic was. I told him about my prayer and it's good result. He got a nice chuckle out of it.

The rally was tremendous. If you watched the coverage, especially on EWTN, you saw the main field with the stage at one end and the media at the other. Up the hill from there across a one-lane path was another field with the food and merchandise concessions. There was a large TV screen there, but no audio. Next to that field there was an adoration chapel and several areas with priests hearing confession.

Security definitely tightened up once the Pope arrived. People who left the main field to get food, for example, found that they couldn't get back. Since the video screen didn't have audio I could only hear what drifted over from the main field. Even so Pope Benedict was clearly enjoying himself. I'd say he smiled more than I've seen in any other event so far. And I thought Kelly Clarkson did a fine job singing Schubert's "Ave Maria".

Who Do You Say That I Am?

2008-02-18T22:24:00.006-05:00

Christ’s question to his disciples “who do you say that I am?” is the most important question ever asked.

Jesus and his disciples were in Caesarea Philippi when he took the first messianic straw poll and asked them, “who do men say that the Son of Man is?” “Some say John the Baptist…” John the Baptist was Jesus cousin. Herod had John beheaded. Apparently, some people, including Herod, thought Jesus was John the Baptist risen from the dead. Like Jesus, John was popular with the common man, not so much with the religious leaders. John had said that he was not the Messiah. “…others, Elijah….” Elijah was supposed to return before the Messiah and prepare the people’s hearts for his coming. Jesus had said earlier that John the Baptist had fulfilled the role of Elijah. “…still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” One popular idea was that Jeremiah had hidden the Ark of the Covenant until the messianic kingdom was established. Surely Jesus was at least a prophet?

Now Jesus asks these men who have been with him and know him “But who do you say that I am?” The first time he asked “who do men say that the son of man is?” But these are his disciples. He wants to know who they think he is. Silence. Crickets chirping. Throat clearing. Then Peter says, “You are the Christ, the son of the living God.” Peter’s statement is a revelation--literally!

Jesus tells him that this has been revealed to him by the Father. When Peter says that Jesus is not only the Christ but also the Son of God, we miss how startling this is. For Peter to say that Jesus is the Son of God is to acknowledge his divinity. It is an insight not only into who Jesus is but into the nature of his Messiahship. He didn’t say “you are the Christ, the liberator of Israel from the Romans”; that’s what most people expected of the Messiah. It’s what the disciples expected most of the time. Not this time. Peter realizes that the nature of Jesus mission is to reveal God as our Father.

Peter’s first thought after this answer might have been something like “what did I just say?” Had he said too much or too little? Did he get it right or did he disappoint Jesus again? He must have been astonished at what Jesus said next. “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven.” Peter was right! He was right because he had listened to what God was telling him. No other person had clued him in. The Father himself had. This answer, this blessing, would change Peter’s life.

Whether Peter understood all he said or not, he got it right. He listened to God and passed on what had been revealed to him. And of all the disciples, it was Peter who said it; the Rock that Jesus would build his Church on.

To let Peter know how much his life would change, Jesus changed his name. Peter’s given name was Simon. Now he would be Peter, a Greek translation of the Aramaic name Cephas, “the Rock.” In the Bible, whenever someone’s name is changed it indicates a change in their identity, in how they will be used by God. Abram, “exalted father”, becomes Abraham, “father of a multitude”. Jacob, “deceiver”, becomes “ Israel ”, “he who contends with God”. Now Simon will be known as Peter, “the Rock”. Jesus goes on to say that he will build his Church on this rock. All this was because Peter listened to the Father when he revealed to him who Jesus was.

When Jesus asked “who do men say that I am?” he wasn’t only asking Peter or the other disciples. He was asking all of us. Go ahead, answer him. And get ready for your life to change.

Here’s Mud in Your Eye

2007-08-08T21:55:00.001-04:00

Over the past couple of months my parish has been hosting a series of Eucharistic adoration holy hours, led by our seminarian summer intern. One of the holy hours was on “Marriage and Family Life”. As usual, my mind had been wandering during prayer until a guest speaker reminded me on the night’s theme. I spent come time praying for renewal of marriage and family life in the parish. Before long I was mentally wool-gathering again! Then a thought came to me.

I have been praying that God would use me to serve his Church in some way. I remembered that in one of the RCIA classes I taught, we looked at John 9. Here Jesus heals a man born blind. He spits on the ground, makes some mud and spreads it over the blind man’s eyes, telling him to wash it off in the pool of Siloam. When the man does this, he can see again.

What I felt the Jesus telling me was “If I can use dirt and spit to heal a blind man, I can use you! You feel like dirt sometimes, don’t you? Good! I can use dirt. I may have to spit on it, but I can use it!” This had the strange effect of comforting me. Yes. If God can use dirt, he can use me.

I once heard a speaker comment that he thought it was foolish for churches and shrines to be built in the Holy Land on places where Jesus had been or performed miracles. He said that Jesus had once spit on the ground to make mud to heal a blind man. “Why not have a Church of the Holy Spittle?”

Why not indeed? He missed the point. God spits on dirt and heals a man. God can use dirt; that should be remembered!

Who Can Forgive Sins But God Alone?

2007-07-03T22:27:00.001-04:00

One of the best ways to get to know someone is to ask questions. You might ask them about were they're from or what they do for a living. You might ask their opinion or for their help. Listening to their answers will teach you more than just the facts they give. The way they answer will often reveal more than what they say. Our questions reveal us as well. Do we ask with interest or boredom? Are we inviting or challenging?

If you've been in any bookstore recently, you've probably noticed many books that question the Church and the Scriptures, even books that question the existence of God, with titles like "The Lost Gospels", "Misquoting Scripture", and "The God Delusion". Two favorite targets of these books are the Bible and the Catholic Church. One tactic is to claim that the books we have in the Bible are full of error or that books that the author thinks should have been included were denied a place in the Scriptures and that this was done deliberately by the Church. If the Church and the Scriptures can be successfully challenged, their authority can be called into question.

It seems only fair that if people want to question the Church and the Bible, the Church through the Bible ought to be able to question them! Not surprisingly there are several questions the Bible asks us. Are you willing to answer them?

Who Can Forgive Sins But God Alone?

The Gospel of St. Mark (Mk 2:1-12) tells us of a paralyzed man who was brought to Jesus for healing by four of his friends. In fact, they did some home remodeling so they could reach where Jesus was! Seeing this display of their faith, his response to the paralyzed man was “Your sins are forgiven.” (Mk 2:5)

This upset the religious leaders who were there. They accused Jesus of blasphemy! He had told the paralyzed man that his sins were forgiven. Their challenge was “Who can forgive sins but God alone?” (Mk 2:7)

Like many today, they asked the right question but had the wrong answer! They thought that Jesus was blaspheming by telling the man that his sins were forgiven. “Who is this man to speak like this?” they asked. (Mk 2:7) If Jesus was only a man, they were right to accuse him; but what if he was also God?

Jesus knew better than to get into a theological arguement with these Scribes. So he asks them “Which is easier, to say to the paralytic ‘your sins are forgiven’ or to say ‘Rise, take up you pallet and walk?’” (Mk 2:9) I am sure he paused to let his question sink in. The Scribes must have thought “Hmm...it’s easier to say ‘your sins are forgiven’. The man wouldn’t look any different. But if he was told to walk and didn’t, then…Wait, what’s Jesus saying now?”

Jesus wanted them to understand clearly what he was about to do. Of course he was going to heal the paralyzed man. But Jesus wanted them all, the Scribes, the crowd and most of all the paralyzed man to realize what the healing would mean. It wasn’t only a physical healing; it was a sign of who Jesus was. He healed the man so that they would “know that the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the man “Rise, take up your pallet and go home.” (Mk 2:10-11). When the man got up, picked up his pallet and “went out before them all” he did so forgiven of his sins!

The Scribes were right to ask “Who can forgive sins but God alone?” But Jesus claim to do so was not blasphemy. He forgave the man’s sins and healed his paralysis. If Jesus had only healed his paralysis, the man would have still been paralyzed by his sin, unable to approach God freely. If Jesus had only forgiven his sins, there would be no visible sign that his life had been changed. Jesus healed the man’s body so that everyone would know that he also had forgiven the man’s sins by his own authority. It was a sign to them, and to us, that he was God.

Jesus and Sola Scriptura

2007-06-10T22:52:00.000-04:00

“Sola scriptura!” has long been a rallying cry of churches whose history begins with the Reformation. The Bible alone is their authority for what they believe. To them, the Catholic Church adds to the Bible by its use of Tradition, the teaching of the apostles that was written in scripture and their oral teaching that was passed on by the Church (2 Thess. 2:15), later including the teaching of the Church after the time of the Apostles. Catholic apologists point out that the very decision as to which writings make up the Bible that Protestants appeal to as their only authority is one of those Traditions of the Catholic Church!

I find two incidents in the Gospels shed light on Jesus view of the scriptures and authority. The first is in Mark 12:18-27 (also Matthew 22:23-33). The Sadducees issue their challenge against the resurrection of the dead by recounting a story of a woman who was married to seven brothers according to levirate marriage laws. The Sadducees want to know which of the seven she will be married to in heaven since she had been married to all seven in succession on earth! (BTW, this story bears a striking resemblance to Tobit 3:7-9, a book Protestants do not consider canonical, but which Catholics do. So which scriptura is sola?).

Jesus reply is that when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like the angels in heaven. She will be married to none of the seven or to anyone else! But more than that, he tells them that they are mistaken because they do not know the scriptures or the power of God, the very things they were sure they knew! They had forgotten the scripture where God had said “I am the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob” (Exodus 3:6). And they had forgotten the power of God, for if he is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, then they are alive because God is not the God of the dead but of the living! As Jesus tells them, “You are greatly misled.”

The Sadducees argued from a scripture they didn’t believe. The scriptures alone were not enough; they had them and they were wrong about the resurrection of the dead because they also needed to understand the power of God.

The other incident is found in John’s Gospel. In chapter 5, Jesus heals a lame man by the pool of Bethesda. The Pharisees are angry with Jesus because he has healed on the Sabbath. When Jesus responds by telling them “My Father is at work until now, so I am at work” they become incensed! They understand that by saying that Jesus is making himself equal to God (a claim so many today deny!) So, naturally, they want to kill him (v 18).

Jesus tells them that the work he does testifies that he comes from the Father and that the Father himself has testified on Jesus behalf. But they do not believe. “You search the scriptures because you think that you have eternal life through them; even they testify on my behalf. But you do not want to come to me to have life.”

The Pharisees were right to search the scriptures to find eternal life. Jesus does not rebuke them for this. But the scriptures alone will not give them, or us, eternal life, only Jesus can. But they would not come to Jesus. They thought they had eternal life through the scriptures. But they missed the testimony of the scriptures about Jesus, so they would not come to him to have life.

In both instances, people relied on their understanding of scripture alone and were mistaken. What they missed each time was the God of the scriptures. Words on a page can only give you the letter of what you need to have eternal life. It is the Spirit of God whose power gives that life. It is that same Spirit that Jesus said would lead us to all truth (John 16:12-15). He has given the Spirit to the Church and the Church has given us the scriptures. We need both; the scriptures and the Spirit-led Church that gave us the scriptures as part of her Tradition—the Catholic Church.

Isn't That a Bit Harsh?

2007-01-03T22:53:00.001-05:00

I was in a Catholic bookstore the other day when I overheard a conversation between a customer and a sales associate. In discussing a various authors of devotional booklets, the bookseller compared one to Thomas Merton. "Oh, no. I don't like him as much," the customer said, "he can be harsh. It might be alright for someone living as a monk, but regular Catholics have lesser standards to live by." (I don't think the bookseller agreed with that assessment.)

Hearing this I had to wonder what the customer would make of some of Jesus' statements in the Gospels! "Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword." (Mt 10:34) or "I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!" (Lk 12:49). There are many other such words of Jesus. Aren't they a bit harsh?

And what, I wonder, are these lesser standards? A little sin is OK? A smidge of adultery? A bit of lying? A pinch of stealing?

Apparently books aren't the only things to watch out for in Catholic bookstores! Hmm, I hope that's no too harsh...

Mr. Monk and the Jesuit

2006-08-21T21:41:00.000-04:00

I was watching "Monk" the other night, the episode "Mr. Monk Gets a New Shrink". I noticed in the opening credits the name Rick Curry, S.J.. I don't think in all the years of watching way too much TV, I can't recall ever seeing a actor's name followed by the name of a Catholic religious order. S.J. is the acronym for Society of Jesus, better known as the Jesuits.

Watching the show, I tries to guess which character was being played by Rick Curry. It seemed most likely that it was, in fact, Mr. Monk's new shrink!

So I did a little search and came across websites that mentioned Rick Curry, who is a Jesuit Brother. Here's a couple of them: this one from ABC News and one from the National Jesuit Brothers Committee. And yes, he played Mr. Monk's new, albeit temporarily so, shrink!

See if from the links you can guess why he made Monk so uncomfortable!

Are You Being Fed?

2005-07-27T00:05:00.001-04:00

In some protestant churches if someone wants to know if the church you joined is a good place for you to be they will ask “Are you being fed?” The choir can be musical, the sanctuary beautiful, the sermons evangelical, the youth ministry radical, but “Are you being fed”?

Now you will almost never hear someone ask a Catholic “Are you being fed”? Many would assume we are not! Yet if anyone can answer “Yes” to that question, it’s a Catholic!

First, the Catholic, like the protestant, is being fed with the Word of God from the Bible. On a typical Sunday the Catholic hears four readings from Scripture: an Old Testament passage, a Psalm, a New Testament passage from the epistles, Acts or Revelation, and a Gospel passage!

I’ll admit that Catholic priests aren’t exactly known for their preaching skills. (Catholics call their preaching “homilies” not “sermons”). Yet I would say that the average priest’s homily is as good as an average protestant pastor’s sermon. The key difference is its purpose.

The Catholic scripture readings and homily are part of the Liturgy of the Word, the first part of the Mass. They prepare the faithful for the second part, the Liturgy of the Eucharist. The Eucharist is the heart of the Mass. In Protestant churches the sermon (and perhaps the altar call) is the heart of the service.

In answer to the question “Are you being fed?” Catholics can say “Yes! Not only am I being fed the word of God from the Scripture, but I am literally being fed the incarnate Word of God, Jesus Christ, in the Eucharist!

The Eucharist is a continuation of the Incarnation of Jesus Christ. Once consecrated, the bread and wine become the body, blood, soul and divinity of Christ. Just as “the word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14) at the Incarnation, so in the Eucharist Jesus gives us his flesh and blood as real spiritual food and drink (John 6:53-59). He gives us himself.

Am I being fed? Yes, both through the Scripture and the Eucharist I am receiving the Word of God. I am being fed by and with Jesus. And you are what you eat!

Simon May Die, but Peter Lives On

2005-04-23T21:33:00.005-04:00

It has been a momentous few weeks from the death of Pope John Paul II on April 2nd to the election on Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger as Pope Benedict XVI. The world has been exposed to the Catholic Church in a way I don't think it has been before. For a few days in early April cable news looked more like a subsidiary of EWTN (the global Catholic network) than MSNBC or CNN! Best of all, the news of the passing of John Paul II and the election of a new Pope all but silenced the endless prattle that passes for news, especially celebrity trials!

I was away from the Catholic Church for most of John Paul II's papacy. I remember his election, his trips around the world, the assassination attempt, the Pope-mobile, World Youth Days, etc. I am blessed that the Spirit brought me back to the Church last December in time for these recent events. Even though I did miss much of his papacy, John Paul II still affected my life. And I miss him.

I am not yet used to praying the Rosary, but the few times I have prayed it have been influenced by John Paul II. On Good Friday, I prayed the Luminous Mysteries that Pope John Paul II gave to the Church. During the time of his passing, I prayed the Sorrowful Mysteries and when Pope Benedict XVI was elected, the Joyful Mysteries.

On Tuesday April 19th, I attended a noon mass. The parish priest said that he thought it was appropriate that the Cardinals were meeting to elect a Pope during the week following Good Shepherd Sunday. He said he hoped that the Cardinals would elect a good shepherd for God's Church.

As I left the church, I heard a couple of parishioners say that they heard a Pope had been elected. I drove to work listening for the news on the radio. As I pulled into the parking lot at work, the ceremony was being broadcast. Habemus papum! We have a Pope!

Let us pray for Pope Benedict XVI.

You Can Go Rome Again--Part 3

2005-02-27T22:20:00.001-05:00

After I came home, I attended First Baptist Church. After about 5 years there, I felt like I had never fit in. I had intended to find a new church home, but never did. In fact, I stopped going to church altogether for several years. From time to time God would move in my life to remind me that he was still with me. I was working, first in retail and then in the Audio Visual field. Then in September of 2003, I was lost my AV job. I was unemployed for a little over a year. I was finding bottom fast.

But, as he so often does, God was using this difficult time in my life to get me ready for something new. As he says in Isaiah, "I will lead the blind by ways they have not known; along unfamiliar paths I will guide them. I will turn darkness into light before them and make rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them." (Is. 42:16)

Eventually, I came across EWTN and "The Journey Home" and "Life on the Rock." "The Journey Home" is hosted by Marcus Grodi, a former Presbyterian pastor now a Catholic. Each week he interviews either a convert to Catholicism or someone who has returned to the Church. In the first half hour Marcus interviews the guests about their spiritual journey. In the second half, they take questions. In closing, Marcus Grodi's question is always "How has becoming a Catholic strengthened your faith in Jesus Christ?"

There are two things that keep coming up as reasons the interviewees become Catholic, the Eucharist and Church history--especially the early church fathers. The Eucharist because they come to believe that it's more than a symbol; it's the Real Presence of Christ. The church fathers because their writings reveal a faith that "sounds so Catholic".

"The Journey Home" got me thinking about returning to the Catholic Church. "Life on the Rock" also provided a great example of real Catholic faith. Even though I am not the target demographic (it's for "young people"!), the humor and good-natured faith of Father Francis, Father Mark and their guests is a powerful invitation to Catholicism.

I started researching some Catholic websites that deal with apologetics and doctrine. (see below). I continued to read. Over the course of several weeks, I read the Catechism of the Catholic Church. I was also reading some of Scott Hahn's books, especially "Swear to God" and "The Lamb's Supper." Even Garry Wills' books "Papal Sin" and "Why I Am a Catholic" were ultimately helpful!

I stopped by my parish church. The plan was to spend some time in prayer. The church was nice and quiet. I selected a pew near the front of the church since the Tabernacle is behind the main altar. I started to pray--the Our Father, the Jesus prayer, some other bits and pieces. I hadn't prayed like that in quite a while. I began to feel like something was happening, like I was getting through--a little taste of God's presence.

It occurred to me that I should spend some time listening! It's very hard to describe what happened next except to say that the feeling of being in God's presence intensified! The Lord said so much to me. He told me of his love, of his presence both in my heart and in the Tabernacle, that he was with me, that I could trust him, that I was forgiven--so much love! Somewhere in all of this, I confessed my sins. I let the tears fall.

I decided that I needed to go to a mass. I knew I couldn't receive the Eucharist yet. But I wanted to see what I mass was like after all these years. I had already stopped by the church when it was not in use to see what the building was like.

The mass I went to was on October 31, 2004, the eve of All Saint's, the 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time. Father George was saying the mass. Although it had been about 25 years since I had been to mass, I felt at home. The Gospel that day was from St. Luke's story of Jesus meeting Zacchaeus. Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost." (Lk. 19:9-10)

After that, I spoke a couple of times with Father George. I kept going to mass, longing to receive the Eucharist. My problems with some Catholic doctrine faded as I realized that the key to understanding Church teaching was incarnation (more on that later!). Finally in December I was able to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation. I was back in the Catholic Church. I was home.

The Journey Home

How a Nice Catholic Boy Became a Baptist--Part 2

2005-02-27T17:47:00.003-05:00

Dave invited me to a concert that Saturday. Albany Evangelical Christians (AEC) had a music group called "New Covenant". They played a program of songs, sometimes the whole group, sometimes smaller parts of it. After the show, Dave and I met with Jay, a philosophy major. We went up some stairs to a lounge area to talk. Jay asked me what I believed about Jesus. After some discussion, I said that I thought I should take some time and read the Bible. Jay said "I think you know all you need to right now." He suggested we pray, that I tell God that I believed in him. I realized that he wanted me to pray out loud!

After we were finished praying, we went back downstairs. There were still some people there from the AEC group. Jay introduced me as "a new brother in Christ." People cheered. There were handshakes and hugs. I realized that while we had been upstairs praying, these people had been downstairs praying for me!

Dave and I developed a routine of going to the InterVarsity group on Friday night, Mass at Chapel House on Saturday night and Albany Baptist Church on Sunday morning. Chapel House was just off campus—about 10 feet off campus! Father Ryan was the priest who said Mass there. It was a forward looking group. We adopted changes early. Father Ryan understood how to involve college students in the Church.

It was an excellent ministry, but I doubted I find anything like it off campus. And I was having some doctrinal issues--Mary, the Papacy, etc., things I felt there was little or no support for in the Scripture I had begun reading.

Through the InterVarsity group, I went to its missions conference Urbana '79. The conference was held every three years at the campus of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign during Christmas break. It was a great week. There were many challenging speakers, bible study and representatives from many missionary organizations. The highlight was a communion service lead by noted author and speaker Rev. John R. W. Stott. There's something special about 10,000 plus people singing hymns and saying prayers together. It was a foretaste of Heaven.

But when it was time to graduate, we could no longer attend the Chapel House or Albany Evangelical Christians. That left Albany Baptist church. It was, at the time, a small church of less than a hundred. There were several families of transplanted southerners, a few local families and some college students! I eventually joined that church. I taught some adult Sunday school classes. Some of the folks in the church encouraged me to consider seminary. I went to Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, TX for my M.Div.

I lived in Fort Worth and attended seminary part time for about 6 years. I was fortunate to have many outstanding professors who not only taught their subjects but shared their lives as well, especially Dr. David Garland, Old Testament, Dr. Jack MacGorman, New Testament, Dr. Jesse Northcutt, Preaching, and Dr. Al Fasol, preaching and many others. Dr. Russell Dilday was seminary President while I was there, just before fundamentalists in the Southern Baptist Convention began to take over its leadership.

During this time, I was a member of Hope Baptist Church in Fort Worth (now known as simply Hope Church). The pastor is Harold Bullock. While I was there, Hope met in the downtown YMCA and then other rented spaces as the church grew. Hope had a contemporary style of worship, even using songs written by church members! The sermon came early in the service instead of near the end as with most Protestant churches. This allowed the rest of the service to be a time of responding to what God had said to the people through the Scriptures.

Another strength of Hope Baptist Church was it's commitment to church planting. Teams left Hope regularly to start new churches. Hope was the model church for these new congregations.

After graduating from Southwestern Seminary, I had hoped to go to Vancouver, Canada to be part of a media ministry there. But things didn't work out, so I moved back home to New York.

Would I find a New York state of mind? More in part three, or "You Can Go Rome Again".

What We Need Here Are Name Tags--Part 1

2005-02-27T00:50:00.001-05:00

I started life as a cradle Catholic, baptized at Our Lady of Angels. I went to St. Joseph’s Catholic grammar school and John F. Kennedy High School.

St. Joe’s was a typical Catholic grammar school. We wore uniforms. About half of our teachers were Sisters of the Divine Compassion, the rest were laypeople. We had one room that was a combination auditorium, cafeteria, gymnasium and church. So it was there that I played Squanto in the Thanksgiving play, ate ham and cheese sandwiches, was taught how to dribble a basketball (badly) and received the Eucharist.

The changes of Vatican II happened in my early grammar school years. I can still remember going to Latin mass. By the time I got to high school, Sister Mary Bonaventure, who I was my first grade teacher, was now Sister Delores. She seemed to enjoy telling my high school class her memories of me in first grade!

High school has a similar mix of laity and religious teachers. Since this was the high school that most of the kids from the northern part of the county attended, I had friends from whole area. There was a group of 5 of us who didn't fit in with one of the easily identifiable high school groups. We weren't jocks or brainiacs or greasers or stoners (although we were close to some of them at various times). So we formed our own group, "The Lunatic Fringe"! As a result, we survived high school.

In college, my friend Dave, who was a fellow member of "the Lunatic Fringe" and also Catholic, had become a born-again Christian (As we said back then. Or, as I would say now, had an experience of deeper conversion to the faith he already had in Christ.) We had planned to room together the next year, so he told me how he had come to know Christ.

It was a typical March afternoon on the Albany campus, a Thursday. Dave told me of how he came to a personal faith in Christ. He challenged me by saying that if what we had been taught by the Church was true, if Jesus was the Son of God who had became man and died on the cross so our sins could be forgiven, and if God raised him from the dead—if that were all true then it called for a response. It was not something you could just say "Yeah, that's nice." Christ wasTruth worth believing, worth following.

Did I take Dave's Challenge? More in part two, or "How a Nice Catholic Boy Became a Baptist".