Advent: Already and Not Yet

Image: Alreadyandnotyet

Here's a portion of the homily preached by Gregory Burch, one of my deacons, on the First Sunday of Advent. I found especially rich his conceiving of Advent as a love poem from God.

... It is true that the Season of Advent is dedicated to the last things, but at the same time the first thing. The season of Advent is dedicated to the unfolding of new life for us; through a new beginning born in a rude manger and, in the same breath, the coming of Jesus to finish his Easter work and bring peace and justice for all time.

As we move through the season of Advent we are exposed to the simultaneous push and pull of a dual reality. Advent reveals to us a harmony of tension between the “Already” and the “Not yet”.

"Already" recognizes that, in Christ, “The Kingdom of God has come to you”. “Not yet” tells us that its fulfillment is beyond human capability.

If there is any story of mayhem or destruction in Advent it is of our own writing. It lies in a thin fiction of our own making where “already” and “not yet” become a push and pull between God’s saving grace and our worst impulses.

Already Jesus has opened his heart bidding us come home on a true path. Not yet, reminds us that challenges of life sometimes turn our paths away from God.)

Not yet, can I forgive myself for those things that you, Lord, have Already forgiven me.

Not yet, do I entrust you with my life, though you Already breathe life into me and carry me in the palm of your hand.

Not yet am I ready to put aside anger and jealousy even as I Already bathe in your love.

Not yet, will I stop coveting money and objects, when you Already give me all that I need.

Not yet, can I face myself though you Already are my true reflection.

Within the season of Advent we see that the future is not a jumble in darkness in which no one can find his way. In the season of Advent the growing light of Christ rouses us to awakening to illumine the truth of ourselves.

The days of Advent distill our longing for Christ’s coming, and His presence in our lives everyday. Advent asks us to cast aside the Not yet of fear, the Not yet of self-delusion, the Not yet of mistakes and to surrender to the love, and live in the new beginning, that is Christ.

If the Season of Advent were a book I would file it on a shelf, right at eye-level, foremost among the great works of poetry. Advent is a poem of a bright new beginning.

Advent is a love poem written to us from God.

This poem of the season of Advent is set to the meter of eternity, the rhythm of our hearts and in the cadence of now.

In the poem of the season of Advent we are pregnant with Mary. We are filled with our hopes for future, our longing for love and our trust in God. We live each day carrying within our bellies the expectation and the reality of the divine.

In the poem of Advent all words rhyme with love. Even Already, even Not yet.

In the poem of the season of Advent every line contains hope as “we wait in joyful hope for the coming of our lord”

Advent is a love poem written to us from God.

And, we all Already know the substance of this poem for it is inscribed on our heart. “Christ has died, Christ has risen, Christ will come again”

As we come to this sacrificial table the whole of the created universe responds to God’s presence and promise of a new dawn.

The whole of the created universe responds to the love poem from God, as we hear the first lines and the last lines, for they were written by Jesus himself: “This is my body, I give it up for you. This is my blood, the blood of the new and everlasting covenant”.

God’s presence in our lives, today, the reality of Christ risen and the ever- unfolding promise of His coming Glory on earth. Already and Not yet, this is Advent.

Advent peace in the harried, hurried holidays...

A friend sent this prayer while on retreat and last night I used it as the reflection at our Evening Prayer liturgy for the First Sunday of Advent. I read the prayer three times, slowly, letting it seep into our minds and hearts...
Lord, it is night.
The night is for stillness.
Let us be still
in your presence, O God...

It is night after a long day.
What has been done has been done;
what has not been done has not been done.
Let it be...

The night is dark.
Let our fears of the darkness of the world
and of our own lives
rest in you, O Lord...

The night is quiet, Lord.
Let the quiet of your peace enfold us,
all who are dear to us,
and all who have no peace...

The night heralds the dawn.
Let us look expectantly to a new day,
new joys, new possibilities...

In your name, O Lord, we pray...

Amen.

World AIDS Day: December 1, 2009

 











At the close of his Sunday Angelus talk, Pope Benedict XVI spoke of World AIDS Day:

"This coming 1 December sees the World Day against AIDS. My thoughts and prayers go to every person afflicted by this disease, especially the children, the very poor, and all those who are rejected. The Church does all it can to fight AIDS through its institution and staff. I urge everyone to make their contribution with prayers and actual care so that those suffering from the HIV virus may experience the presence of the Lord, source of comfort and hope. Lastly, I hope that, through more coordinated efforts, we may be able to stop and eradicate this disease."

Here are two prayers for World AIDS Day

Let us pray...

God of our weary years,
God of our silent tears,
O good and gracious God,
you are the God of health and wholeness.
In the plan of your creation,
you call us to struggle in our sickness
and to cling always to the cross of your Son.
Father, we are your servants.
Many of us are now suffering with HIV or AIDS.
We come before you, and ask you,
if it is your holy will,
to take away this suffering from us,
restore us to health and lead us to know you
and your powerful healing,
love of body and spirit.
We ask you also
to be with those of us who nurse your sick ones.
We are the mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers,
children, and friends of your suffering people.
It is so hard for us to see those whom we love suffer.
You know what it is to suffer.
Help us to minister in loving care, support, and patience
to your people who suffer with HIV and AIDS.
Lead us to do whatever it will take
to eradicate this illness from the lives of those
who are touched by it,
both directly and indirectly.

Trusting in you and the strength of your Spirit,
we pray all these things in the name of Jesus.
Amen.

(The prayer above is from the African American Affairs office of the USCCB)


Dear God,
we ask you to walk with us in our HIV and AIDS filled world.
We pray expecting your presence among us!
Be with all who live with the effects of this disease.
Be with those who wait to die because they have no access to medication.
Be with children who received HIV as a legacy from their parents.
Be with orphans and families who have lost loved ones.
Be with countries who have millions of citizens with HIV/AIDS.
Be with all who are stigmatised and ignored
because they have HIV or AIDS.
Be with politicians and corporate executives
who control access to affordable medications.
Be with researchers and scientists who work to find a cure.
Be with health care workers and caregivers who comfort and encourage.
Be with all who have lost hope because of HIV and AIDS.
Lord, we hear the angel's song of peace!
Fill the hearts of people around the world with good will
so that together we can work for justice and healing
for all who suffer from HIV and AIDS.

Amen.

(The prayer above comes from the Anglican Diocese of Oxford in the UK.)

-ConcordPastor

Monday Morning Offering - 74

Image: George Mendoza

Good morning, good God!

With Advent begins a new year of grace, Lord,
the grace that is yours to share and give...

In this new year I want to offer you
an open door to my heart
for you to enter and make your home there...

I offer you the corners of my heart's garden
where I let the weeds grow wild:
Lord, help me weed out
whatever does not nourish my life and my soul...

I offer you the closets of my heart,
stuffed with old grudges and resentments:
Lord, help me discard anything
that fails to help me heal and grow...

I offer you my heart's cartons of wasted time,
boxes of foolishness
and bags of misspent effort:
Lord, help me clear out the trash of my mistakes
and give me a new beginning...

I offer you the cellar of my heart, Lord,
where a locked trunk of hurt and anger
aches to be opened with the key of your healing grace:
unlock what keeps me prisoner
to my memories and disappointments...

I offer you my heart's hopes and dreams, Lord,
for this new year of grace:
my pledge to pray more regularly;
my desire to grow in your love;
my need to rely on your wisdom and word;
my promise to ask for your help each day;
my hope to be more forgiving of those who offend me,
more faithful in serving others' needs,
more welcoming of those who are alone...

I offer you this new year, Lord,
and ask for the strength and resolve I need to live it
as one worthy of the name Christian,
ready for the work of a disciple,
confident of your presence in everything I do
and in all I meet and know...

I offer you the new year ahead, Lord
- one day at a time -
and I pray for the serenity, the grace
to accept the things I cannot change,
the courage to change the things I can
and the wisdom to know the difference...

Amen.

-ConcordPastor

Advent peace in the harried, hurried holidays...

Photo by Ben124

Yet, O LORD, you are our father;
we are the clay and you the potter:
we are all the work of your hands.
Isaiah 63:7

Like clay in your moist hands, O God,
shape me, form me, make of me
the person you desire me to be.
Turn me on the wheel of my life's
sorrows and joys
and smooth my rough places.
Touch me and let your warm fingerprints
mark me as your own.
Let me be as clay in your hands
for you know better than I
the person you call created and call me to be.



As God shaped Jesus in Mary's womb
so are we shaped in the cradle of God's hands...

How might the God be shaping, forming,
healing, recreating each of us
in this season of Advent?

-ConcordPastor

Advent: not just a Christmas Countdown!

Homily for the First Sunday of Advent

As the song tells us,
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas - ev'rywhere you go…

There are signs of Christmas all around us:
in the stores, in the streets, in our own windows and on our front lawns.

Signs of Christmas all around us
which might sound a little bit like what Jesus says in the gospel today:
There will be signs…

Except that the “signs” Jesus refers to are in the heavens,
in the sun, the moon and the stars, and they’re signs -
not of a religious holiday much less, great savings at Macy’s
but signs of a time, a day, an hour when we will stand, each of us,
before the very face of God.

Those who first heard Jesus speak these words
understood he was speaking of the PAROUSIA -
that’s a Greek word meaning the Day of the Lord,
the Second Coming of Christ, the end of time: PAROUSIA.
Thus, this gospel imagery of the solar system being shaken
and people dying of fright for what they will see.
Think “climactic” and “apocalyptic” - PAROUSIA!

Now, the exact Latin equivalent of the Greek word, PAROUSIA
is ADVENTUS, in English: Advent.

It’s unfortunate when we drain the depth and drama of the word Advent
and shrink it down to “four weeks to get ready for Christmas.”

But the season we enter this weekend is meant to do a lot more
than get us ready for setting up nativity scenes in our living rooms
or exchanging gifts on Christmas morning.

Advent is not just a "Christmas Countdown!"

Advent is intended as a kind of “dress rehearsal” for the end time
and even before then, for the end of our individual lives,
for that time when each of us will stand before the face of God
hoping he will mercifully welcome us into his arms.

In fact,
Advent is a season for us to rehearse how we will stand before God
not only on our last day but on every day of our lives,
whether tomorrow is our last or decades stretch before us.

So I might do well to ask myself on this First Sunday of Advent:
Where are the signs to watch for in my life?
What signs might the Lord be giving to get my attention,
to point me in a particular direction, to reorient my path through life,
to call me to accountability?

And if I have trouble finding and seeing the signs the Lord gives me
perhaps I need to ask:
What’s clouding my vision?
What fog of activity or selfishness or distraction keeps me for seeing
how the Lord is trying to get my attention, get my ear, speak to me?
What keeps me from being alert to God’s presence,
God’s touch, God’s movement in my life?

These are tough questions to ask at any time
and even tougher to ponder in a season often marked
by carousing, excess and indulgence -
the very things that can so readily render us spiritually drowsy!

St. Paul’s words today
urged us to strengthen our hearts in love and faith
so that we might stand blameless before God,
living our lives as God calls us to live…

There’s so much in these harried, hurried days to distract us
from what lies at the heart of Christmas.

It’s so easy to shrink this season not less than four weeks
but to just a few days of shopping and parties and gift-giving
when at the heart of it all is a call to renew our faith in God
who desires, earnestly, to break into our lives,
as he did some 2,000 years ago:
to forgive, heal and shape us
into the persons we were created to be.

Pray with me that this Advent we will open our eyes and our hearts
and look for the signs through which the Lord draws near to each of us,
as he draws near to us at this table, week after week, in the Eucharist,
the greatest sign of his presence among us.

Let’s recall the words of today’s beautiful opening prayer:

O God, increase our longing for Christ our Savior
and give us strength to grow in his love,
that the dawn of his coming may find us
rejoicing in his presence
and welcoming the light of his truth.

-ConcordPastor

Music for Advent prayer and reflection

Image: SojournMusic

I love the music of the Advent season. I regret that each year we only have 4 Sundays on which to sing this music together in prayer at Mass. But it might be helpful to take a Musical Advent Break now and then - especially when this hurried, harried month of December begins to get the best of us.

So, please take a look and a listen to the widget at the top of the sidebar. There are 8 entries on it right now, including different arrangements of a couple of songs. I'll continue to add to this as the season progresses.

Don't forget to stop by for a Musical Advent Break now and again. You might consider playing a tune or two as you ponder the scriptures for the coming Sunday!

--ConcordPastor

While Michael Paulson has been covering some political beats for The Boston Globe, his religion reporting and blog, Articles of Faith, are both on hold. Paulson's blog was one of my daily reads and I find myself missing its broad sweep of religious news "from Boston and beyond."

Let's hope the Globe recognizes that it's a lesser journal for this omission and gets Paulson back to his own desk.

-ConcordPastor

Preparing to prepare the way of the Lord: Advent!

Been busy the last couple of days? Traveling? Cooking? Eating and drinking? Visiting?

I hope you had a great Thanksgiving!

But it's time to prepare for the season for preparing for Christmas, Advent: Prepare the Way of the Lord!

The First Sunday of Advent marks the beginning of a new year of grace on the church calendar. That puts us, liturgically, on the eve of a new year - and a New Year's Resolution might be in order!

As you've read on this page many times: one of the best ways to prepare for Sunday Mass is to ponder and pray over the scriptures for that day.

So, repeat after me:

For the new year of grace,
I resolve to prepare for Sunday Mass
by reading, studying and praying over the scriptures
ahead of time!

Happy New Year!

For this weekend's scriptures, background material on them and hints for helping young folks prepare to hear the Word of the Lord - check out this earlier post.

And at the top of the sidebar, you'll find a widget of Music for Advent, to which I'll add as the season progresses.

-ConcordPastor

The history of Advent

This coming weekend brings us to the First Sunday of Advent, the beginning of the Year of Grace 2010.

The following history gives you a concise view of how the season of Advent developed in the life and history of the Church.

In 490, Bishop Perpetuus of Tours officially declared Advent a penitential season in the Frankish Church of Western Europe, ordering a fast on three days of every week from November 11 (the feast of St. Martin of Tours) till Christmas. This forty days' fast, similar to Lent, was originally called Quadragesima Sancti Martini (Forty Days' Fast of Saint Martin's) - or - St. Martin's Lent. The readings for the Masses in this season were taken from the liturgies of Lent.

By contrast, the Advent season of the Roman liturgy, developing a century after that of the Frankish Church, was a non-penitential, festive and joyful time of preparation for Christmas. When the Church unified the liturgical season, the non-penitential nature of the Roman Advent conflicted with the longer and penitential Gallic Advent. By the thirteenth century a compromise was reached, which combined the fasting and penitential character of the Gallic observance with the Mass texts and shorter four-week cycle of the Roman Advent liturgy. The liturgy of Advent remained substantially unaltered until Vatican II mandated a few minor changes to more clearly delineate the spirit of the Lenten and Advent seasons.

Jennifer Gregory Miller Jennifer G. Miller

- Jennifer Gregory Miller

-ConcordPastor

Prayer for Priests in the Year for Priests

_______-Image by Spreadshirt

Each Friday in this Year for Priests I'll post this prayer and invite you to remember all priests and especially those who have been, who are and who may one day be a part of your life.

Several prayers for the Year for Priests are available through the US Bishops site. As an exercise for myself to enter into the spirit of this year, I wrote the following. For whatever use you make of it on behalf of my brother priests and me, we are most grateful. (Links to other material on the Year for Priests can be found on the sidebar.)

A Prayer for Priests

Gracious God, loving Father,
font of every gift and good,
make of priests for us we pray:

men of faith, men of love,
humble servants of your Word,
prophets of your Spirit’s grace;

men of hope, men of peace,
strong defenders of the truth,
heralds of your holy gospel;

men of prayer, men of praise,
guardians of our sacred rites,
of the scriptures and tradition;

men of changelessness and change,
men who follow you each day,
when and where your Spirit leads;

men of tenderness and strength,
comfort for the sick and weary,
shepherds leading home the lost;

men of counsel, men of wisdom,
gentle guides for the confused,
lights along the darkened path;

men of mercy, patient men,
understanding and consoling
of the grieving and abused;

men of justice and compassion,
reconciling and forgiving,
men of healing in your name;

men of sacrifice and honor,
single minded in your service,
set apart to do your will;

men of holiness and joy,
men anointed by your grace,
men ordained to serve as Christ.

Make us one with them in faith
and in Christ your only Son
in whose holy name we pray.

Amen.

-ConcordPastor

Murphy Report on clergy sex-abuse in Dublin

In May and June I published several posts on the story of clergy abuse of children in Ireland in residential care and other institutions for children between 1940 and the 1970's.

Rocco has a summary of the today's news from the Archdiocese of Dublin:

After a three-year state inquiry, today saw the release of the Murphy Report into clergy sex-abuse in the archdiocese of Dublin, which implicated the city's four previous archbishops in its conclusion that "no doubt" could be had over the presence of a decades-long cover-up of abusive clergy coupled with the mistreatment of survivors -- a state of affairs in which both the government and the police were complicit, and for which both quickly apologized this afternoon.

(Read the complete summary, with links, here)

-ConcordPastor

Thanksgiving Day: Survey says...

Image: RoadsideAmerica

So you thought someone in your family was the World's Largest Turkey? Think again and check this out!

Here's a little survey for after Thanksgiving Day!

1) On Thanksgiving Day, I had dinner
a) at home
b) at the home of family or friends
d) at a restaurant
5) at MacDonald's*

2) To get to dinner on Thanksgiving Day
a) I walked
b) I drove
c) I flew
d) I skateboarded

3) The turkey was
a) fresh kill
b) frozen
c) tofu

4) The cranberry sauce was
a) jellied
b) the other, awful, lumpy kind
c) never touch the stuff!

5) Minced meat is
a) meat of unknown origin
b) food of unknown origin
c) not fit for human consumption

6) The stuffing in the turkey was
a) secret-family-recipe-awesome
b) standard bread stuffing
c) Stove Top

7) My favorite Thanksgiving dessert is
a) apple pie
b) pumpkin pie
c) mince meat pie
d) 20 y.o. Tawny Port
(Hey, it's my blog - I get to make up the choices!

8) I had Thanksgiving Day dinner at
a) one house
b) two houses
c) three houses
d) four houses
e) I plead the fifth (amendment, that is - not five houses!)

9) At Thanksgiving Day dinner
a) we prayed before we ate
b) we couldn't get anyone to lead the prayer
c) we forgot to pray
d) we prayed to stop eating

10) Apart from praying at the dinner table
a) I thanked God personally today for all I have
b) I forgot to thank God personally today for all I have
c) as son as I finish this survey, I'll thank God personally for all I have!

*Trick Question! MacDonald's is closed on Thanksgiving!

-ConcordPastor

Praying on Thanksgiving for those no longer with us

Image: LetThereBeLight
Looking over the searched words and phrases that have brought visitors to this page, over 150 arrived here in the last week or so looking for a prayer for Thanksgiving Day - and the vast majority of them were searching for a prayer for Thanksgiving when a family is grieving.

One of the greatest rewards of the time I invest in this effort is knowing that others find a spiritual resource in these posts.

Please join me in praying today for those who celebrate this Thanksgiving missing the presence of someone beloved and especially for those celebrating the "first Thanksgiving" since losing a loved one.

-ConcordPastor

The rituals of holidays

Image: Susan's Page

On a rotating basis, the clergy of Concord contribute articles to the town's weekly, The Concord Journal, in a column titled Voices of Faith. It was my turn this week and here's my article.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There begins this week the season generally referred to as “the holidays,” a portion of the calendar stretching from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day. Some of the celebrations in this season are common to all and others are particular to different faiths and followers. Without wanting to omit less well-known dates, “the holidays” are generally understood to include Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, the Solstice, Kwanzaa and New Year’s Day. And each of these celebrations has its own rituals.

Consider Thanksgiving Day which is fast upon us. How many times in the past week or so have you asked or been asked the question, “So, what are you doing, where are you going for Thanksgiving?” There’s a ritual fascination for knowing when and where others (and how we ourselves) will celebrate this day. And many times have you heard a response like, “Oh, we’re going to my sister’s - she’s having 29 for dinner.” At no other time of the year are we likely to know, much less announce to others how many people will be at table for a particular meal. A number of other ritual questions will follow: will it be a fresh or frozen turkey - and how does it weigh? how many vegetables? sweet potatoes with or without marshmallows? who’s bringing what? is he bringing that string-bean casserole again? what kind of stuffing? how many pies and what kind? are your kids coming home or going to the in-laws?

Much conversation like this will be conducted before Thanksgiving and will be repeated again after this Thursday when folks begin to ask, “So, how was your Thanksgiving?” There’s a definite ritual conversation that occurs before and after the actual Thanksgiving Day meal.

And what of the ritual dynamics and conversations that occur once everyone is gathered: is there one table for kids and one for adults? is there a prayer before the meal? do you go around the table inviting guests to mention things they’re grateful for this Thanksgiving? who carves the turkey? who gets the drumsticks? what family stories are told again and exaggerated even beyond last year’s telling? who are the predictable tellers of the predictable stories? what politics are fair game during dinner? at what point does some portion of the company excuse themselves to go watch the game?

Odds are you’re adding your own family’s ritual words and deeds to the list I’ve offered above. True ritual behavior and dialogue: reconnect us to our roots and one another; offer us a conversation in which all participants know the vocabulary and their own part; and ritual offer us, if only for a few hours, a moment of sanity and serenity amidst the chaos of the rest of life. We are drawn to such ritual gatherings because they have the power to reassure us that in spite of everything else, there is a still point in which peace can be found, in the simplest experiences (sharing a meal) and among those who have helped, for weal or for woe, to shape our lives.

We should be grateful to know that in a culture so easily dismissive of ritual behavior as rote and empty, a holiday like Thanksgiving not only survives but thrives! And a whole season of such experiences draws us together between the end of November and the early days of January.

As Thanksgiving approaches, it might be helpful to reflect on how such holiday and family rituals play out in and prosper our lives and well-being: how these tried and true, age-old familiar activities and conversations touch us in the depths of our hearts and connect us with realities more important than we might often realize and acknowledge.

And I’ll go another step and suggest that the very same dynamic of ritual is played out week after week in the houses of worship in Concord. The ritual of worship in any faith is filled with: familiar words and dialogue; old, even ancient stories of the family of faith; meals shared in remembrance of our roots and our connection to one another; the offering of a place where peace can be found, where one can escape the chaos not by running away from it but by hastening towards a center, a calm, a serenity the chaos can never overwhelm or absorb.

The rituals of “the holidays” are life-giving in many ways but they also put us in touch with our losses, our hurts and our disappointments. Ritual in faith communities do the same but, again, such ritual offers a place not to deny our pain but to find healing for it in a community of others sharing joys and sorrows alike with any who will give themselves to the words and deeds of shared prayer.

May the rituals of this season of holidays enrich, strengthen, delight and heal you in your heart of hearts. And may the rituals of these holidays draw you home, through the new year, to the community of faith whose rituals are yours and waiting for you.

-ConcordPastor

A blogging pastor's prayer on Thanksgiving Day

Thanksgiving by Norman Rockwell

Today I thank God
for the gift of faith:
that strength, power and source within
showing me the way,
guiding me in the dark,
making sure my unsteady step,
giving light for finding the truth
and hope for living in troubled times...

Today I thank God
for the gift of the Church:
that wounded, rag-tag, joyful company
of sinners and saints
whose faith (see above)
is our strength,
binding us to God...

Today I thank God
for all the people
around, behind and before me:
the ones who gave me life
and shaped my life;
those who bring me joy today
and hope for tomorrow;
and I thank God, too,
for the people I've not yet met...

Today I thank God
for the simple tools
I have for doing his work:
words, wonder, witness, wit and wisdom-
roughly in that order!

Today I thank God for you, my readers!
Aliased, named or anonymous
commenting or silent:
you are solidly more than half of an enterprise
that brings me more joy and peace than you know.

For being there, for reading, for commenting,
for coming back again and again:
I thank God for you!

And may God bless you and yours this day!

Happy Thanksgiving Day!
978-369


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Year for Priests: Ministry Without Politics

A new post in the series on the Catholic News Service Blog is another essay by the fine writer, Basilian Fr. Chris Valka. This entry is titled, Ministry Without Politics and is well worth the read.

-ConcordPastor

A prayer for Thanksgiving Day 2009

Saying Grace - Norman Rockwell

O good and gracious God!

Make us grateful for all you have given us;
let our needs and desires not blind us to all we have.

Make us grateful for those who love us;
let no grudge or anger keep us from family and friends.

Make us grateful for those who are with us;
let no grief isolate us from their loving embrace.

Make us grateful for the good work we have done:
let our failures not weigh us down
or blind us to your mercy.

Make us grateful for the freedom we enjoy;
let us never take it for granted.

Make us grateful for the peace we find in you;
let no other cause or victory take its place.

Make us grateful for our dreams;
let no disappointment keep us from hope.

Make us grateful for our faith in you;
let no doubt keep us from your love.

Give us grateful hearts, O God,
to praise and thank you
in good times and in bad,
in sickness and in health,
in joy and in sorrow.

This is the day you have made, O Lord:
let us rejoice, be glad
and for it give you thanks and praise!

Amen.

978-369

-ConcordPastor

US women religious and the apostolic visitation

Bishop Robert Finn of Kansas City with Sisters celebrating their jubilee year of profession in religious life; I chose this photo because it offers a sweep of ways in which women religious dress these days.

I've posted twice (here and here) on the Vatican's three year study of American congregations of women religious. A portion of that study included questionnaires sent to the heads of these congregations which were deadlined for return on November 20. In response to negative reaction to the questionnaire, some elements of it were recently changed. Here's a link to the official Apostolic Visitation website.

And here's NCR's latest report on the progress of the visitation:

The vast majority of U.S. women religious are not complying with a Vatican request to answer questions in a document of inquiry that is part of a three-year study of the congregations. Leaders of congregations, instead, are leaving questions unanswered or sending in letters or copies of their communities' constitutions.

"There's been almost universal resistance," said one women religious familiar with the responses compiled by the congregation leaders. "We are saying 'enough!' In my 40 years in religious life I have never seen such unanimity."

The deadline for the questionnaires to be filled out and returned to the Vatican-appointed apostolic visitator, superior general of the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Mother Mary Clare Millea, was Nov. 20. On that day, according to an informed source, congregation leaders across the nation sent Millea letters and, in many cases, only partial answers to the questionnaire. Many women, instead of filling out the forms, replied by sending in copies of their Vatican-approved orders' religious constitutions. A religious order's constitution states its rationale, purpose and mission.

The Vatican initiated the study in January, saying its purpose is to determine the quality of life in religious communities, given the decline in vocations in recent decades. From the outset, the women have complained they were never consulted before Vatican officials announced the investigation and there is no transparency in the process. Some have called the effort demeaning and intrusive.

The decisions by congregation leaders not to comply follow nearly two months of intensive discussions both inside and across religious congregations. They follow consultations with civil and canon lawyers, and come in the wake of what some women religious see as widespread support by laity for their church missions.

With about half of the responses from the nation's 59,000 women religious accounted for, only about one percent answered, as directed, most or all of the questions contained in the study's working paper, officially called an Instrumentum Laboris, according to one informed source.

By contrast, according to the source, congregations representing, by far, the greater majority of women religious decided not to comply and answered only a few, or none, of the questions. Many of the 340 U.S. apostolic congregation heads instead sent letters to Millea stating that what they were sending was what the Vatican was looking for.

(Read the complete article)

Some of the commentary this story will occasion is fairly predictable. What interests me is the way in which the response of the women religious to the Vatican, to authority, might offer a case study from which the Church at large might grow in its understanding of how ecclesial life is best evaluated and conflict resolved.

-ConcordPastor

Word for the Week - Nov 29 - First Sunday of Advent

Image: SignsInTheSun

This coming weekend brings us to the First Sunday of Advent and the beginning of a new liturgical year: the Year of Grace 2010!

You will find the scripture readings and background material on them here. If you're shepherding young ones to Mass this weekend, look here for hints to help the younger crowd prepare to hear the Word of the Lord.

We begin with Jeremiah who tells us "the days are coming" when the Lord's promise will be fulfilled. "In those days, in that time," there will come one from the House of David who will champion what is right and just that God's people might dwell secure... Do we not need to hear those words, that promise in our own times?

The gospel passage leads us into the third year of the lectionary, with gospel passages drawn primarily from Luke. In this text Jesus points to signs in the heavens and peoples in dismay as signals that "the days are coming." The passage ends with some sharp words of warning that we'd do well to heed during "the holidays!"

The second lesson is taken from Thessalonians and earnestly exhorts us to love one another that we might be strengthened and stand blameless before God. Again - good words for those about to enter a season of parties, excess and indulgence.

In light of the above we might ask ourselves, as St. Paul suggests, if we are "conducting ourselves in ways pleasing to God..."

Now, there's some food for thought for New Year's Resolution making - only 32 days from this coming Sunday!

-ConcordPastor

A not-so-friendly Word of the Year

You're accustomed to my posting a Word for the Weekend to cue us to ponder the scriptures for the coming Sunday. Well, here's a post on the Word of the Year from Oxford University Press.

What do you think? Have you been unfriended? Have you unfriended anyone?

Got a a better Word of the Year?

H/T to Fran for this from the OUPblog:

Every year the New Oxford American Dictionary prepares for the holidays by making its biggest announcement of the year. This announcement is usually applauded by some and derided by others and the ongoing conversation it sparks is always a lot of fun, so I encourage you to let us know what you think in the comments.

Without further ado, the 2009 Word of the Year is: unfriend.

unfriend – verb – To remove someone as a ‘friend’ on a social networking site such as Facebook.

As in, “I decided to unfriend my roommate on Facebook after we had a fight.”

“It has both currency and potential longevity,” notes Christine Lindberg, Senior Lexicographer for Oxford’s US dictionary program. “In the online social networking context, its meaning is understood, so its adoption as a modern verb form makes this an interesting choice for Word of the Year. Most “un-” prefixed words are adjectives (unacceptable, unpleasant), and there are certainly some familiar “un-” verbs (uncap, unpack), but “unfriend” is different from the norm. It assumes a verb sense of “friend” that is really not used (at least not since maybe the 17th century!). Unfriend has real lex-appeal.”

(Read the complete post here)

-ConcordPastor

Called to the work of thanksgiving...

Here's a beautiful illustration from a Thanksgiving greeting sent by Catholic Charities, USA.

-ConcordPastor

Prayer for those who grieve at Thanksgiving 2009

Image: Cynthia Pinckney Ministries

Click here for an updated version of this prayer 
and for Grace for Thanksgiving Day Dinner!
 
 
For many reasons, the holidays are a difficult time for many people.

For those who are grieving the loss of a loved one, Thanksgiving and Christmas (especially the "first" of each) can be particularly hard to experience. Nothing can make these moments easy but prayer can offer a path to walk through these days with greater peace and even opportunities for healing.

I'm posting this prayer a week before Thanksgiving because it might help to sit with it for a while, to pray it over several days.

Some might find it helpful to use a prayer like this as the blessing before Thanksgiving Day dinner. Others might find it helpful to pray it alone, or to share copies of it with other family members and friends.

The Lord was a man well acquainted with grief: no stranger was he to a broken heart. He is with us in our pain as surely as he is with those whom he has welcomed to his arms of peace.

In those same everlasting arms he gathers us this Thanksgiving...


Dear God,

There is an empty chair at our table,
an ache in our hearts
and tears on our faces.

We may try to shield one another
from the grief we bear
but we cannot hide it from you.

We pray for (names)
whose presence we miss 
in these homecoming days.

Open our eyes and our hearts
to the healing and warmth
of the light of your presence.

Assure us, Lord, that those we miss
have a place at your table
and a home in your heart
as well as in ours.

Open our hearts to joyful memories 
of the love we shared
with those who have gone before us.

Help us tell the stories
that make the past present
and bring us close to those we miss.

Teach us to lean on each other
and on you, Lord,
for the strength we need 
to walk through difficult times.

Give us quiet moments
with you, with our thoughts,
with our memories and prayers.

Be with us, Lord,
and hold us in your arms
even as you hold those whom we miss.

This is the day you have made, Lord:
help us to rejoice in it
and in the promise of your peace.

Amen.

(Links to prayers and reflections for the month of November)


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Monday Morning Offering - 73

Coffee in the Morning by George Mendoza

Good morning, good God!

This week is a special time, Lord,
to do something we should do always and everywhere:
give you thanks and praise!

I offer you thanks for all the people
I so often take for granted:
those who serve me in a hundred, quiet ways each day;
those who work with me and around me and near me;
those who so often make my life easier, my work lighter;
those whose work so often makes my work fruitful...

And I thank you for those who stand ready to protect me,
in the town where I live and at posts far away;
I thank you for those who keep me safe
and those who safeguard my freedom and liberty...

I thank you for those whose work
brings me food from farms,
delight from poetry and song and all the arts;
news from the world, truth from study
and knowledge from a million different sources...

I thank you for those who deliver heat, light
and clean water to my home;
those who keep my home, my church
and my town the beautiful places they are;
those who bring the mail to my door;
those who deliver all the comforts I take for granted...

I thank you for all the people
who fill my mornings, days and evenings
with their smiles, their friendship,
their company and conversation...

I offer you thanks for the beauty of the world around me:
the light of sun and moon and stars;
the pull of ocean tides, the depths of lakes,
the flow of streams, the ripples of ponds;
the colors of nature, the bird on the wing,
the flowers of the field; and all of Cape Cod...

I thank you for my faith, my trust, my hope in you;
I thank you for my ministry and the people I serve;
I thank you for the message of the gospel I preach
and the history of salvation
we inherit from your chosen people...

I thank you for the beauty of worship,
the depths of your Word,
they lyrics of the psalms,
the grace of the sacraments
and the life that is ours
through faith in you...

Make me truly and more deeply grateful, Lord,
for all you have given me and for gifts
I have yet to find, to open, to discover...

I thank you, Lord,
for all things bright and beautiful
and for all things bruised and broken:
let me find in everything
and in everyone around me
a trace of your presence,
the fingerprint of your grace,
the signature of your artistry...

Indeed, Lord, help me
always and everywhere
to praise and thank you
for every good gift
that comes from your hand...

Amen.

-ConcordPastor

There's a bunch of turkeys in my parish -

- but most of them have flown the coop! Our youth park a Turkey Truck outside church every year on the Sunday before Thanksgiving, collecting birds for food pantries in East Boston and Roxbury. This year they bagged 235 turkeys! While most of the turkeys came from folks arriving at Mass, the truck and signage occasioned some passersby to stop, inquire and return with a turkey.
Turkey Photo: Alex Rushmer




Above and below: our turkey farmers at work.



Below: that's a rare breed of bird trying to get into the truck:
a genuine red-breasted, fleece-backed, American turkey!



Fortunately, we're close enough to the city that no thawing
threatened the venture. Below, the turkeys are being off-
loaded in East Boston.



Gotta love those Holy Family turkeys!

H/T to BT for the local photos!

-ConcordPastor

Homily for the Solemnity of Christ the King

Image: Genesis

Quality means...
(Scriptures for today's liturgy)

A friend who’s a craftsman has a website
and at the top of web page is a quote from Henry Ford:
"Quality means doing things right when no one is looking."

I think all of us hope that work we pay to have done
will be quality work,
that whatever that piece of work might be,
that deep inside it, and behind it, and underneath it,
in places we can see and places we can’t see,
that those who did the work “did things right”
even when “no one was looking.”

Those who do true quality work need to pledge to themselves
that they won’t take short-cuts;
that they’ll always use good building materials, even the best;
that they’ll take as much care with what’s unseen in their product
as they do with what is seen;
they they’ll be honest and fair
in setting a price to be paid for their work;
that the product they craft will be the product they advertised.

I think of this as I think of this feast of Christ the King.
It’s very easy for us here, together,
to acclaim Christ as King of our hearts, in prayer and song --
but what about the times we’re alone,
the times when “no one is looking?”

What’s the quality of our “doing things right,”
of our allegiance to Christ the King - “when no one is looking?”

• What kind of short-cuts do we take
when we’re pretty sure we won’t get caught?

• Are there times when we substitute the fake and the sham
for the real and the true
when we don’t want to take on responsibility for the truth,
when lying seems an easy way out?

• Is there a difference between the care we take
in living out our faith in front of others,
and living out our faith behind the scenes?

• Are we sometimes less than just and fair with others
when we think we can get away with it?
when being “just a little dishonest” will benefit ourselves?

• Are there ways in which we “advertise” ourselves
as a better product than we really are?

• What kind of spin do we put on our own reputations
when our rough and unfinished sides begin to show?

What we’re talking about here is the “quality” of Christian life
that each of us claims, or tries to claim or wants to claim --
and whether or not that quality is built on “doing things rights”
even when no one is looking.

Of course Christ, the King,
sees everything everyone of his subjects does
– or fails to do.

Christ, the King,
sees what we do when no one else is looking.

Christ, the King,
knows if what we craft of our lives is genuine
or a cheap imitation with a shiny veneer.

Christ, the King,
sees everything:
what’s true, what’s false; what’s real, what’s fake;
what’s fair and what’s unjust in everything we do.

And when he sees that our working at living our faith
is of a lesser quality than we’re able to give,
he calls us again and again to make the interior of our lives
as beautiful as we carefully make the outside.

In the scriptures this day, Christ is the “faithful witness,”
testifying to the truth at just the time when shaving the truth
would have spared him not only suffering but death.

The quality of his fidelity is the source of our peace.
And we pray beneath the sign of the Cross,
the sign of the consequence of his being faithful to the truth.

At this table he nourishes us with the truth of his love
in the very life he gave on the Cross
now given in the sacrament of the Eucharist.

Christ is our King and his truth is our peace.
The quality of our Christian lives
depends on our doing things right in his eyes -
even when no one else is looking.

-ConcordPastor

Christmas, GAP and the AFA

I posted recently on the American Family Association's action alert calling for a boycott of GAP stores because of their very limited use of the word Christmas in seasonal advertising.

Now GAP stores have created an in-your-face ad that does include the word Christmas and the AFA (unhappy with how GAP is using the word) is asking if the boycott should be halted - or not.

Here are the lyrics in the GAP ad in the video above:

Two, four, six, eight, 'tis the time to liberate
Go Christmas, Go Hanukkah, Go Kwanza, Go Solstice.
Go classic tree, go plastic tree,
go plant a tree, go without a tree,
You 86 the rules, you do what just feels right.
Happy do-whatever-you-wanukkah, and to all a cheery night.

I'd be happy if all retailers refrained from using religious vocabulary (of any stripe) for promotional and commercial purposes. (But you gotta love the choreography in the ad!)

I shop in a store for big and tall men and a few years ago, just before Christmas, I noticed that there were no Christmas decorations in the store. I asked a salesperson about and she said it was "on orders from corporate." She was Jewish and knew that I was a Catholic priest - an interesting conversation followed since she wanted the Christmas decorations back and I was pleased by their absence!

-ConcordPastor