A Concord Pastor Comments

Monday Morning Offering - 178

2012-01-30T00:05:00.002-05:00

Image: George Mendoza

Good morning, good God!

This Monday morning I'm wondering, Lord,
What if... ?

What if I accepted all the love you offer me?
How would I, how would my relationships,
change and grow?

What if I surrendered to the truth of your Word?
How would my thinking change,
and my decisions and choices?

What if I stopped, listened and heard what you ask of me?
What would I do differently?
What new turns might my path take?

What if I saw you in every face I meet?
How would my day change? my plans?
With whom would I my spend time?

What if I named my sins and prayed for your mercy?
How would I see others' faults in light of my own?
How would your forgiveness mend my heart?

What if I put others' needs ahead of my own all day long?
How would my priorities readjust?
How would you call me to serve my neighbor?

What if I bared my soul to your healing touch?
What joy would fill my heart?
And how would I share my joy with others?

What if I walked only the path you map out for me?
Where would you lead me? Where would I go?
Who and what would I leave behind?

What if I offered you all I have, all I want, all I need?
What would you do with me, Lord?

What if I asked to be recreated in your Spirit?
What would you do with me, Lord?

What if I truly opened my mind and heart and welcomed you in:
what would you do with me, Lord?

That I might come to know what you would do,
I offer myself into your hands:
do with me this day as you will...

For whatever you do, Lord, I thank you:
make me ready for whatever you ask
and open me to receive all you give me
this morning, this day and through the week ahead...

Amen.

(Click here for an archive of Monday Morning Offerings)

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To be free of my own demons...

2012-01-29T15:50:00.011-05:00

Image source

Homily for the Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

(Scriptures for today's liturgy)

Audio for homily

I’m not asking for a show of hands here,
but I’m wondering if anyone here
is possessed by an unclean spirit…

The notion of “unclean spirits” might put us off
from this gospel’s message and if it does, that’s regrettable
because there’s something of value for us here that we shouldn’t miss.

We might not often hear anyone speak of having an unclean spirit
but we do talk about struggling with own demons:
not little devils, not demonic possession, but rather
those habits, those inclinations, those anxieties
that take hold of our better selves,
shape our behavior and choices in unhealthy ways,
and trap us in patterns of living we’d love to be free from.

• I’m speaking of the habits that keep me less a person
than the person I know God made and calls me to be.

• I’m speaking of those inclinations that lead me off the path,
off the road I know God maps out for me as a priest,
or for you in your own way of life.

• I’m speaking of those anxieties
that can imprison me in worry and fear,
robbing me of the richness of life God wants for me.

• I know my demons when I see what dulls my spirit
and leads me to make unhealthy and unproductive choices,
contrary to my own good.

• When I see the contrast between the life my heart truly longs for
and the lesser life I so easily settle for,
I can see the influence of the spirits
that keep me from the happiness I desire.

Our demons go by many names:
fear, envy, anxiety, pride, porn, greed, alcohol, selfishness,
the past, work, lust, power, infidelity, food, prestige, laziness…

And the most subtle demon of all,
is the one who tempts me to think, to believe, "I have no demons!"

Most of all, my demons keep me from knowing God
and from knowing my true self,
the good person God made me to be.

And that’s how my demons are the source of my anxiety.

I am made in God’s image, created to know God who made me,
and to be grateful for the person God made me to be.

My demons frustrate the relationship I’m meant to have with God
and the relationship I’m meant to have with myself
-- and that frustration leads to anxiety.

It’s just what St. Paul is getting at in his letter this morning.
Paul writes that he wants us to be “free from our anxieties”
precisely because they distract us from and interfere with
our intimacy with God - and with others.

The Lord wants to free us from our anxieties and fears,
wants to free us from anything that keeps us from him,
and from our true selves.

In the first scripture this morning the people of Israel asked God
to give them a prophet to speak the Lord’s Word to them.

We have just such a prophet in Jesus
who enters our temple this morning
as surely as he entered the synagogue in Capernaum.
And just as Jesus met the man with an unclean spirit there,
so he meets us here with our demons:
spirits from whom the Lord wants to set us free.

But often, we’re afraid and slow to let go of our demons,
so accustomed to their presence have we become.
They're often difficult to dismiss
because we’ve become dependent upon them,
so deeply have they shaped our lives.

The good news is that Jesus desires to free us
from any spirit, any worry, any fear
that keep us from God.

It might take great trust on our part
but the Lord never ceases to hold out his hand,
inviting us to take it and leave our demons behind.

To the Lord belongs the Spirit who belongs in our hearts:
the Spirit whose desire for us is always pure,
always good, always healthy;
the Spirit who waits and wants to shape our lives
so that we might know God and God’s love for us,
that we might know our true selves,
the persons we are, persons beloved by the Lord.

Even while we struggle with this,
and many of us are struggling with this, this morning,
Jesus, the prophet who gave his life for us
to make good his Word that he loves us,
Jesus invites us to the heart of the temple, to the altar,
to share in the sacrifice he offered on the Cross,
that we might have his joy and have it to the full.

Come to the Lord’s Table and share in the Body and Blood
of him who reaches out his hand to each of us,
inviting us to be one with him
and to be free of anything
that keeps us from tasting and drinking in
the love of God for us.

Image source

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A word on anxities and personal demons

2012-01-27T23:38:00.002-05:00

Healing the Sick by Ulrich Henn

In a previous post I noted that this coming Sunday's readings raise some significant questions for us:

- To whose prophetic word do I listen?

What words, whose words touch and shape my life?
turn me this way or that?
change me, change the path I'm following?
What words, whose words help and heal me?
comfort and challenge me?

- What anxieties come between me and my faith in the Lord?

What anxieties, what fears and problems, what worries
come between me and my faith in the Lord?
What distracts me from the Lord's presence?
leads me to think God has abandoned me?
makes me wonder if God is truly with me?

- From what "unclean spirits" might I want Jesus to free me?
The phrase "unclean spirits" might put us off
but many of us do have our own personal demons,
haunting us and drawing us away from the Spirit
who wants only our peace and serenity.
What personal demons distract me
from the Lord's Word and my faith?
From what "spirits" might I pray for Jesus to free me?

In every age, the Lord's Word stirs and moves in the souls of those who want to follow him, those who seek his counsel and peace.

Now's a good time to look over the scriptures we'll hear at Mass this weekend. You'll find those texts and some background notes on them right here.

Image: Henn, Ulrich. Healing the Sick, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN.

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A first Mass reminds me of my own...

2012-01-27T22:28:00.001-05:00

Photo by CP

A FaceBook friend who's being ordained this spring just posted the date of his first Mass.

His announcement stirred some memories...

It's nearly 39 years since I was thinking of and preparing for the first time I would celebrate Mass after ordination. I was filled with excitement, joy, anticipation, nervousness and gratitude. I remember planning the invitations, the music, the worship aid and the reception. I remember choosing my vestments and chalice.

And of course I remember the liturgy! It was May 20, 1973 and the weather was perfect. I could tell you even now who were the concelebrants, the servers, the deacon, the lectors and the music ministers. I can see my parents and sister in the front row; my grandparents and aunts and uncles and cousins just behind them. My brother was the cross bearer that day and I don't think either he or I suspected then that one day he'd celebrate his own first Mass!

It was a day of fulfillment, happiness and great joy. What began that weekend has filled my weekends and my life for nearly four decades.

It's a grace to remember the joys we've known and my ordination/first Mass weekend is one of the greatest joys of my life. (What joys, large and small, have been blessings in your life?)

Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

Please pray for those who will be ordained this spring and preside at the Eucharist for the first time (and especially for FB friend, Tom Gibbons, C.S.P.) May their celebrations and their ministries be filled with the Lord's peace and joy.

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Snowflakes and hearts

2012-01-26T15:31:00.003-05:00

The complexities of the human heart are so many and multifaceted.

As it's said is true of snowflakes, I doubt there are in all of human history two identical human hearts.

Each heart has its own story and each story has been shaped and molded by different people, unique circumstances and the mystery of God's individual and singular touch upon every heart he's created.

Consider this: God relates to me in ways significantly different from the way he relates to any other man or woman because God knows me as I am and I am a unique creation of his hand.

With what great care, then, must we approach, accept and appreciate one another!

With what great openness must we honor how we are unlike, recognizing that God loves us in our differences as much as or more than in our similarities.

With what great patience, then, must we wait on how others grow, change and respond to us and to the life and world around us.

In the Christian life we often speak as if "one size fits all." And in the most important ways, that is true but in less important ways it is false. What does fit all of us is the command:

to love and forgive one another

as God loves and forgives us;

to do what is just, to love what is good

and to walk humbly with God...

Give us care, openness and patience with one another, Lord, that we might do what you ask of us...

Image source

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Word for the Weekend: January 29

2012-01-25T21:59:00.004-05:00

Remains of synagogue built in Capernaum (4th century)
over the remains of synagogue of Jesus' time.
Image by πρώρα (Prora)

Time to make some time for the Word of the Lord for the Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time. The scriptures for this Sunday's liturgy along with background on them can be found right here. Will you be taking children to Mass with you? Take a look here to help them prepare to hear the readings.

The first reading for the Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time is from Deuteronomy and finds the Israelites begging Moses for a prophet and the Lord responding favorably. There's a stern warning for the prophet, however, lest the prophet speak in the Lord's name anything the Lord had not given him to speak. Exorcising a man with an unclean spirit, Jesus is hailed as a prophet in the gospel - one who teaches and heals with the authority of God.

In the day's second scripture, St. Paul writes the Corinthians that he wants them to be free from anxieties. Who wouldn't want to be free from anxieties? But Paul has a particular take on this...

The gospel finds Jesus teaching in the synagogue at Capernaum (see photo above) where he frees a man there of an unclean spirit.

- To whose prophetic word do we listen?

- What anxieties come between us and our faith in the Lord?

- From what "unclean spirits" might we want Jesus to free us?

Serious questions to ponder... Why not click on the link in the first paragraph now and read over and prepare to hear the Lord's Word this weekend...

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A front row seat for God's grandeur

2012-01-24T17:07:00.000-05:00

Photo by Mark Penta

Mark Penta, the caricaturist who did my profile pic on the sidebar, posted another great photo on FaceBook this afternoon. (Click on the photo for a larger version)

Powerful image, Mark!

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Lift me up, Lord!

2012-01-24T11:56:00.002-05:00

LIft Me Up by Amy S Turner

Why is it, Lord,
that I so quickly perceive the problem,
remember the hurt,
rehearse the pain,
dwell on the negative,
fret in my fear
and nourish my anxieties?

Why, Lord,
am I so slow to see your grace,
treasure past joys,
celebrate every healing,
ponder your truth,
lean on your strength,
and place my troubled heart
in your open, loving hands?

Lift me up, Lord,
out of all that keeps me down.
Open my eyes to see
the beauty of your face.
Lift my hands and heart
to you in prayer.
Open my ears
to the voice of your Spirit within.
Touch my mind and heart
where I most need your healing.
Open my mouth
to sing your praise.
Remind me, every day,
of my joys and blessings,
old and new.
Give me strength to live
one day, one hour at a time.

Lift me up, Lord,
out of all that keeps me down
and let my spirit find its joy
in you and in your love.

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Yes!

2012-01-24T00:05:00.000-05:00

Image source

Two weeks ago I encountered some problems with posting podcasts of my homilies. It took a lot of googling, a lot of time and countless failed efforts before I finally figured out a fix for the problem!

One happy blogger here!

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Monday Morning Offering- 177

2012-01-23T00:05:00.003-05:00

Image: George Mendoza

Good morning, good God!

The last few days on my calendar, Lord,
were filled to overflowing
and this week is shaping up to be just about the same.

I went into the weekend with some foreboding,
hoping just to make it to Monday,
and have the rest behind me -
but something changed...

It wasn't the weather:
it snowed - and that was the last thing I wanted!

It wasn't me:
I wasn't even trying
to have a brighter outlook...

It wasn't a cancellation:
in fact, things got even busier
than I'd expected!

It was you, Lord,
and your powerful grace
seeping into my mind and heart,
bringing me peace when I needed it most,
softening the edges of my self-concern,
giving me patience with how things came to pass,
opening my eyes and ears to those around me
and to the grace of their presence...

It was you, Lord,
making of these full days
a weekend filled with acceptance,
with trust that all was proceeding as you desired,
along a path you had traced for my steps...

It was you, Lord,
and the light of your presence
disclosing what I would have missed
had I not given way to your hand's touch
upon my days and the gift of all those
whose paths crossed mine...

How often, Lord, have you reached out to me
and have I failed to welcome
your hand upon my shoulder,
leading, guiding, comforting me
when a troubled spirit fills my heart?

How often has my self-concern kept me
from seeing you right beside me,
from hearing your words of comfort,
from accepting the strength you offer?

How often, Lord, have fear and anger
hardened my heart and
shut me in, alone, refusing to believe
that you or any other might love,
might care, might be there for me?

How often have I hid in my own darkness
and missed the light of your face,
the goodness you've disclosed,
and the peace you've reached to offer me?

I offer my thanks for the weekend past
and pray when next you slip into my day
I'll have the grace to see and welcome you,
to find in you the strength I need,
the peace that's yours to give...

And when you find me stewing in my own dismay,
dismiss whatever keeps my heart
from opening up to all you have to give me, Lord...

Shake, nudge, stir, move, push, rouse me, Lord,
from my complacency, my fears and my anxiety
and wake me to your presence, your grace
and to your face...

Accept my prayer this morning, Lord,
and be with me this day, tonight
and every day this week...

Amen.

(Click here for an archive of Monday Morning Offerings)

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Gone fishin' - with the Lord!

2012-01-22T13:27:00.019-05:00

Image source

Homily for the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
(Scriptures for today's liturgy)

Audio for homily

Just as Jesus interrupted these four fishermen
in the middle of their day,
I need to interrupt you this morning,
and ask you to look up from your nets
and even to put them aside for a while.

In the gospel here,
Jesus begins his preaching at a difficult time in his own family:
his cousin, John the baptizer, has just been arrested,
arrested for doing just what Jesus is beginning to do:
preaching repentance and the mercy of God.

Times aren’t good, and the future is very uncertain,
but this doesn’t keep Jesus from his mission.
And straight away he begins to enlist others to join him.
His words were simple (Come… follow me)
so there must have been something very powerful in his voice,
powerful enough to draw these men away from their work,
their livelihood - even away from their father, Zebedee,
who depended on them for their muscle in the boats.

I doubt these men could have imagined that some 2,000 years later
their story might be told around the world on a Sunday morning
and a preacher might interrupt the lives of others, like you,
calling them from their nets, their work and their families,
to follow Jesus and go on a fishing trip with him.

Actually, there are two fishing stories for us to attend to this morning.

First, I’m going to ask you take very seriously
the Lord’s call for you to be “fishers of men and women,”
casting your own nets of faith
to catch those who have slipped through the many holes left unmended
in the Church’s nets in these very difficult times.

We can’t wait until all the troubles are over
before drawing back to our company those who have left us.

I ask you to take the nets of your own faith that brought you here today
and cast those nets among those you know who,
for any number of reasons, are no longer with us in prayer.

In the weeks ahead, I’ll be writing to you in the bulletin
with some ideas and suggestions for doing just that.

And although “fishing for others” is the most important thing
I’ll ask of you this morning, I need to ask you for more than that.
And here’s the second fishing story.

I need to ask, for the sake of our parish life,
for a greater share in the “catch” you bring home each week,
for a greater share in your household’s resources.

If you’re registered in the parish,
you received a letter from me this week
outlining the financial troubles our parish is facing.
In the past four years our weekly offertory collection has dropped
by more than 20%.

We are not alone in this: our situation is not unusual --
it mirrors that of most parishes in the Archdiocese of Boston.

If I believed that we were already receiving all you have to give,
I’d be forced to consider cutting staff and programming.
But that’s not the case.

I believe that many among us can be more generous
and I’m calling on you to give as sacrificially generously as you can.

Many parishioners might assume Holy Family has no financial concerns
and have been contributing accordingly.
As you can see, the drop in our offertory collection tells a different story.

And I also know that some households in the parish
face serious financial difficulties of their own
and I know that when times are better
you’ll respond as you might wish you could right now.

What I ask is for every household to consider my message carefully:
to prayerfully and seriously review your support of Holy Family
and, as you are able, to increase that support.

Only you and those I pray will come home to us through your nets
can help bring our active parish life
to the financial stability and spiritual vitality
I believe we can achieve.

My letter to you in this week’s mail
included information on a number of ways
for you to pledge and manage your parish support.

Annual pledging is vitally important
in that it helps you make a firm decision
and helps the parish to prepare and execute an informed budget.

Making and fulfilling a pledge
also guards against the “gaps in giving” we experience
when you are away for weekends on vacation or for business.
Your using our pledge form is the first step you can take
to help Holy Family secure a stronger, more stable financial base.

So, I have interrupted your prayer with some nitty-gritty parish business.

I hope there's no one here this morning who's been away for 20 years,
sitting here thinking, "They're still looking for money!"

This is the first time I’ve done something like this
in my 17 years as a pastor
and I wouldn’t be doing this were I not convinced of the need for it.

I do this out of the conviction that you love our parish
and want to see it grow and thrive, especially in difficult times.
Holy Family is your parish.
It’s the place where you worship, your house of prayer
where you hear the Lord’s Word and celebrate the sacraments.

When times are confusing and confounding, difficult and demanding
for us and for those who have left us,
I pray you find Christ’s peace and strength in our parish life --
enough to help you cast wide your own nets of faith
to invite back those who drifted away.

At the heart of our lives as Christians, as members of Holy Family,
we come to this Table, in the shadow of the Cross,
to remember, to celebrate and to receive that gift offered for us by Christ
who never counted the cost of giving all he had for us.

Pray that the love of Jesus will open our hearts generously
in our love and support for Holy Family Parish.

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US Bishops on HHS decision on health plans

2012-01-20T23:01:00.002-05:00

"Let's honor the conscience of those who disagree with abortion, and draft a sensible conscience clause, and make sure that all of our health care policies are grounded in clear ethics and sound science, as well as respect for the equality of women."

- Commencement address by Barack Obama given May 17, 2009 at the University of Notre Dame.

U.S. Bishops Vow to Fight HHS Edict

January 20, 2012
Unconscionable to force citizens to buy contraceptives against their will

No change in limited exemption, only delay in enforcement
Matter of freedom of conscience, freedom of religion

WASHINGTON—The Catholic bishops of the United States called “literally unconscionable” a decision by the Obama Administration to continue to demand that sterilization, abortifacients and contraception be included in virtually all health plans. Today's announcement means that this mandate and its very narrow exemption will not change at all; instead there will only be a delay in enforcement against some employers.

“In effect, the president is saying we have a year to figure out how to violate our consciences,” said Cardinal-designate Timothy M. Dolan, archbishop of New York and president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

The cardinal-designate continued, “To force American citizens to choose between violating their consciences and forgoing their healthcare is literally unconscionable.It is as much an attack on access to health care as on religious freedom. Historically this represents a challenge and a compromise of our religious liberty."

The HHS rule requires that sterilization and contraception – including controversial abortifacients – be included among “preventive services” coverage in almost every healthcare plan available to Americans. “The government should not force Americans to act as if pregnancy is a disease to be prevented at all costs,” added Cardinal-designate Dolan.

At issue, the U.S. bishops and other religious leaders insist, is the survival of a cornerstone constitutionally protected freedom that ensures respect for the conscience of Catholics and all other Americans.

“This is nothing less than a direct attack on religion and First Amendment rights,” said Franciscan Sister Jane Marie Klein, chairperson of the board at Franciscan Alliance, Inc., a system of 13 Catholic hospitals. “I have hundreds of employees who will be upset and confused by this edict. I cannot understand it at all.”

Daughter of Charity Sister Carol Keehan, president and chief executive officer of the Catholic Health Association of the United States, voiced disappointment with the decision. Catholic hospitals serve one out of six people who seek hospital care annually.

“This was a missed opportunity to be clear on appropriate conscience protection,” Sister Keehan said.

Cardinal-designate Dolan urged that the HHS mandate be overturned.

“The Obama administration has now drawn an unprecedented line in the sand,” he said. “The Catholic bishops are committed to working with our fellow Americans to reform the law and change this unjust regulation. We will continue to study all the implications of this troubling decision.”

(You'll find the video response of New York's Archbishop Dolan, President of the USCCB, here.)

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So much simple beauty...

2012-01-20T16:03:00.001-05:00

Photo by Winslow Pettingell

Not every pastor has a place as beautiful as Walden Pond in his parish -- or a FB friend (Winslow Pettingell) who takes such beautiful photographs of Thoreau's famous venue. This is Walden at 6:51 this morning, January 20, with a beautiful moon still hanging in the sky...

(Click on the photo for a larger image!)

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A blogging Bishop from Boston

2012-01-20T11:58:00.002-05:00

Bishop Coyne with Jim Nabors at the Indy 500

Bishop Christopher Coyne, ordained in 1986 for the Archdiocese of Boston, now serves the Church as Apostolic Administrator of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis. Bishop Coyne is a former Professor of Sacred Liturgy and Preaching at St. John’s Seminary in Brighton, MA, having received his doctorate from the Pontifical Institute of Liturgy at St. Anselmo in Rome. He is also a former director of the Office for Worship for the Archdiocese of Boston and, later, media spokesperson and Cabinet Secretary for Communications of the Archdiocese of Boston.

AND, he blogs at Let Us Walk Together: thoughts of a Catholic bishop.

And, yes! He gave the invocation at the Indy 500

Recently, Bishop Coyne posted his 10 daily internet reads here and here, with a third installment yet to be published. Take a look: I'll bet you'll find a link or two you'll want to add to your own list.

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Just keeps getting better!

2012-01-19T20:21:00.000-05:00

Image source

Great Tweet from GlobeKPD:

''Walking to rink in NJ this morn, saw guy having video chat adjacent to busy food court. Smartphone for screen. Entire chat in sign language.''

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A prayer for beginning to pray...

2012-01-19T19:22:00.000-05:00

Image source

A prayer to begin my prayer...

Lord Jesus:

you are here now,

always

and only

because you want me

and want to be with me...

Lord Jesus:

I am here now,

again

and only

because I want you

and want to be with you...

Lord Jesus,

help me surrender

to your love,

your mercy

and your arms...

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Brothers and sisters in the human family

2012-01-18T15:38:00.000-05:00

When I sit in the presider's chair on Sunday mornings and look out on God's people at prayer, I often wonder at all the individual and personal stories, the joys and sorrows (known and visible, secret and hidden) that each brings to the foot of the Cross and the table of the Sacrament.

This video reminds us not to judge one another but to remember how much we all share in human family, the family of God.

(H/T to Aggie Catholics)

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Jesus' prayer for us: That they may be one...

2012-01-18T14:35:00.089-05:00

Today begins the annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. For more information, scriptures, prayers and resources, see the Vatican page on this effort here and the Graymore Institute page here.

The theme for this year's Week of Prayer:

We Will All Be Changed

by the Victory of Our Lord Jesus Christ!

1 Cor 15:51-58

I pray not only for them,
but also for those who will believe in me through their word,
so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you,
that they also may be in us,
that the world may believe that you sent me.
And I have given them the glory you gave me,
so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me,
that they may be brought to perfection as one,
that the world may know that you sent me,
and that you loved them even as you loved me.
Father, they are your gift to me.
I wish that where I am they also may be with me,
that they may see my glory that you gave me,
because you loved me before the foundation of the world.
Righteous Father, the world also does not know you,
but I know you, and they know that you sent me.
I made known to them your name
and I will make it known,
that the love with which you loved me may be in them
and I in them.

-John 14:20-26

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Mark Wahlberg on faith and prayer

2012-01-17T23:30:00.000-05:00

Now, here's the kind of interview you don't see often enough!

Wahlberg spends 15-20 minutes in prayer each morning to begin his day. He speaks about his daily prayer on this video. Sounds like a good way to get the day going!

How do I begin my day? Of the 1,440 minutes in every day - how many minutes do I give to the Lord in prayer? For what do I pray?

Thanks, Mark!

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Fishing in the waters of faith

2012-01-17T22:58:00.008-05:00

Go ahead!

Click your cursor a few times in the water and watch the fish come and gobble up their lunch!

There are fish in this weekend's gospel - and fishermen, too. But at just a word from Jesus they abandon ~~their cursors~~ their nets and begin to follow him.

Can you move your cursor down here and click on this link to the weekend's scriptures and some interesting commentary on them? And if some children are fishing with you, click here for some hints on helping them prepare to hear the Lord's Word when they come to Mass.

The first scripture tells part of Jonah's story - he of the really big fish who swallowed him whole! And in the second scripture for the day, St. Paul gives a very brief but important warning: "Time is running out!"

The fish swimming at the top of the post will be here when you get back from the two links and they'll be just as hungry. So take some time to read and ponder Sunday's readings - it's a great way to prepare now to worship on the Lord's Day.

And remember: whatever you do with your nets, the Lord has cast his line and hopes to catch you!

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Link of the Day

2012-01-17T00:19:00.003-05:00

I'm very pleased to share a link to a spirituality blog: Hearts on Fire. The author is Paul Wharton, a priest of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston WV, pastor of Sacred Heart Parishes in Princeton and Bluefield, WV, chaplain to the Newman Center at Concord University - and an old friend. Paul and I met years before anyone had a computer, when we were both studying at the University of Notre Dame: Paul was a seminarian pursuing an MDiv degree and I was working on my MA in liturgical studies.

It's a delight to connect with an old find, another pastor who blogs! We only recently discovered each other's pages and it's amazing that Paul's blog should feature Mystic Mondays while I've chosen Mondays for my Morning Offerings.

Be sure to visit Hearts on Fire!

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Shed A Little Light: James Taylor on MLK Day

2012-01-16T14:46:00.000-05:00

It's a little late in the day but FB friend DR just posted this and it's more than worth a listen.

Shed A Little Light

Let us turn our thoughts today

To Martin Luther King

And recognize that there are ties between us

All men and women

Living on the earth

Ties of hope and love

Sister and brotherhood

That we are bound together

In our desire to see the world become

A place in which our children

Can grow free and strong

We are bound together

By the task that stands before us

And the road that lies ahead

We are bound and we are bound

There is a feeling like the clenching of a fist

There is a hunger in the center of the chest

There is a passage through the darkness and the mist

And though the body sleeps the heart will never rest

(chorus)

Shed a little light, oh Lord

So that we can see

Just a little light, oh Lord

Wanna stand it on up

Stand it on up, oh Lord

Wanna walk it on down

Shed a little light, oh Lord

Can't get no light from the dollar bill

Don't give me no light from a tv screen

When I open my eyes

I wanna drink my fill

From the well on the hill

(do you know what I mean? )

(chorus)

There is a feeling like the clenching of a fist

There is a hunger in the center of the chest

There is a passage through the darkness and the mist

And though the body sleeps the heart will never rest

Oh, let us turn our thoughts today

To Martin Luther King

And recognize that there are ties between us

All men and women

Living on the earth

Ties of hope and love

Sister and brotherhood

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Monday Morning Offering - 176

2012-01-16T00:10:00.001-05:00

Image: George Mendoza

Good morning, good God!

Just now in my life, Lord,
there are more than the usual number
of loose ends, unanswered questions,
and forks in the road…

It’s a confusing, confounding in-between time
and I know there’s nothing I can do
to hasten a future
taking its own time
and making its own schedule…

These in-between days are too many
and too long for me to hold my breath;
and waiting for the other shoe to drop
only keeps me from all that’s mine to do
today…

So this morning, Lord,
I offer you all my anxious distraction
and pray you’ll free my mind of worries
and fill my heart with your peace…

Keep me in the moment, Lord,
in the day, in the hour at hand,
and free me for this day’s work
for this day’s joy, for this day’s grace…

Help me trust that in all times,
in joy and in sorrow,
in confusion and distraction,
in good times and in bad:
you are always with me
and you will never leave my side…

All time is yours, Lord,
and only in your time
is my past healed, my day fully lived
and my future met…

In this in-between time, Lord,
make me more patient with others
than I am with myself:
let none be burdened by my forgetting
that in days yet to come,
all shall be well;
than in your time, Lord,
all manner of things shall be well…

As I offer this prayer,
strengthen my trust in you, Lord,
and remind me
how faithfully you’ve been by my side,
behind and before me,
deep within my heart and soul,
every step along the way...

Help me worry not about tomorrow, Lord:
keep me faithful to your presence
in the moment at hand
and to whatever you might ask of me
this morning, this day, this week…

Amen.

(Click here for an archive of Monday Morning Offerings)

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Martin Luther King Day

2012-01-16T00:05:00.006-05:00

An excellent way to observe this day is to listen (above) to or read (below) Dr. King's most famous speech given on August 28, 1963 at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC.

I Have a Dream!

I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.

Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.

But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. And so we've come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.

In a sense we've come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the "unalienable Rights" of "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note, insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked "insufficient funds."

But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. And so, we've come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice.

We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of Now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children.

It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. And those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. And there will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.

But there is something that I must say to my people, who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice: In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force.

The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. And they have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom.

We cannot walk alone. And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back.

There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?" We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as the negro's basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their self-hood and robbed of their dignity by signs stating: "For Whites Only." We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until "justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream."

I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. And some of you have come from areas where your quest -- quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive. Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed.

Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I say to you today, my friends. And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today!

I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of "interposition" and "nullification" -- one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today!

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; "and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together."

This is our hope, and this is the faith that I go back to the South with.

With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith, we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

And this will be the day -- this will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with new meaning:

My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing.
Land where my fathers died, land of the Pilgrim's pride,
From every mountainside, let freedom ring!

And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true.

And so let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire.
Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York.
Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania.
Let freedom ring from the snow-capped Rockies of Colorado.
Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California.

But not only that:
Let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia.
Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee.
Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi.
From every mountainside, let freedom ring.

And when this happens, when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual:

Free at last! Free at last!
Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!

Free At Last by austin fleming on Grooveshark

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Of interest to fans on both sides of the field...

2012-01-15T21:44:00.002-05:00

So a week from today the Patriots and Ravens will mix it up at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, MA.

Here's an interesting interview with Ravens' head coach, John Harbaugh.

If you'd like to check out the coach's favorite scripture verse, here's a link to it.

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Tebow, the Patriots and Jesus' words...

2012-01-15T00:34:00.029-05:00

Image source

(Note: I preached a post-game version of this homily this morning.)

Homily for the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time

(Scriptures for today's liturgy)

Audio for homily

I’m not a big fan of professional football
but as a New Englander born and bred,
my loyalty certainly lies with the Patriots.

I won’t, however, be praying tonight for a Pats victory.

I hope they win,
but I’m inclined to let that decision rest more on how well they play
than on urging God to run the scoreboard for our side.

Perhaps you saw the results of a poll taken this past week
in which 43% of those questioned said they believe
that the Bronco’s Tim Tebow’s achievements on the field
can be attributed to divine intervention.

And that, presumably, because Tebow
gives such public expression to his faith.

Now especially when his behavior is contrasted
with the shameful exploits of some other professional athletes,
I have no problem with Tim Tebow kneeling on the field
or praying in sound bytes on the news.

But neither do I believe his words and deeds help guarantee
the accuracy of his arm or a win for his team.

Of course that’s just my opinion.

But I wonder what might Jesus add to our conversation
about Tebow’s faith and the outcome of tonight’s game?

I’d bet that Jesus might say just what he says in today’s gospel:
“What are you looking for?”

What are we looking for?
What do we look for in following Jesus?
Where do we hope he’ll lead us?
What do we ask for in our prayer?
What do we hope God’s answer will be?

We’re all familiar with stories wherein someone is granted three wishes.
Suppose the Lord were to come to you this evening
to tell you he’d grant any three wishes you might make.

Would you squander one of your wishes on the Pats-Bronco game?

Might you wish for peace in the world?
for shelter and food for the homeless and hungry?
for freedom for the oppressed? for the healing of the sick?
for the mending of broken hearts?
for peace with God in your own heart?

In the gospel here, Jesus says something else.
The two disciples ask Jesus where he’s staying
and he replies, “Come, and you will see.”
And they followed him and stayed with him.

Where does the Lord stay today?

Well, you can be sure he’ll be in the Patriots’ locker room tonight --
and that might make you happy --
but you can also be sure he’ll be in the Visitors’ locker room, too --
because the Lord is everywhere and especially in any place
where a human heart is to be found.

Close to 69,000 people will go to the game tonight at Gillette.
Of that number about 60,000 will sit for hours in stadium seats
in the freezing cold.

You won’t find me there.

But I might be among the millions
who spend the evening watching this game.

And many of those watching, including you and me,
will have heard Jesus ask us, just now,
“What are you looking for?”

Now, don’t get me wrong!
Being a Pats fan and watching the game tonight are both great things
and I say, “Go for it!”

But win or lose, before we go to bed tonight -- or perhaps tomorrow,
we might do well to ask ourselves some questions:
What am I looking for?
What might be the three wishes I really pray for?
If we’re sure that God will be in the locker rooms at Gillette tonight,
where is he staying in my life? in my home? where I work?
where I go to school? where is he in my heart?

We look for the Lord at his table tonight,
and there we will find him
in the bread and cup of the Eucharist:
receiving him in Communion, he will come to rest in our hearts.

As we seek and find him tonight at this altar,
so may we look for and find him each day in the week ahead.

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What are you looking for?

2012-01-14T14:07:00.000-05:00

Image source

Jesus asks this probing question, "What are you looking for?" in this Sunday's gospel. To help you ponder your response, take a look at the readings before you hear them proclaimed at Mass.

The texts and some brief commentary on them, as well as hints for helping children understand the Word, are linked in this earlier post.

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Respect, compassion and sensitivity

2012-01-13T19:37:00.000-05:00

Image source

The Church teaches in its Catechism that gay and lesbian persons "must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity."

On America's blog, In All Things, James Martin, SJ asks the question, "What does that mean?" What does it mean to accept gay people with respect, compassion and sensitivity?

That's a very good question and Martin offers us a very good response.

Well worth your reading, right here.

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In God's time...

2012-01-13T11:37:00.002-05:00

Image source

My thanks to a faithful reader who sent this prayer in response to the post just below: perfect timing, CC!

Oh God, grant us a sense of your timing.
In this season of short days and long nights,
of grey and white and cold,
teach us the lessons of beginnings;
that such waitings and endings may be the starting place,
a planting of seeds which bring to birth
what is ready to be born--
something right and just and different,
a new song, a deeper relationship, a fuller love--
in the fullness of your time.

O God, grant us the sense of your timing.

by Ted Loder

Might this be a prayer you find helpful, too?

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290 parishes and 125 pastors

2012-01-12T23:47:00.000-05:00

The past week has been chock full. A number of things weigh on my mind but especially a pastoral planning initiative the archdiocese is presenting to parochial staffs and the people of our parishes. You can read about the plan here.

In a nutshell, the 290 parishes of the archdiocese will, within a couple years' time, be served by 125 Pastoral Service Teams:

A New Structure for Mission: The Pastoral Service Team
The proposal is to create a new structure called a Pastoral Service Team (PST) to provide pastoral services to our parishes. The Pastoral Service Team is a group of priests, deacons, pastoral associates, lay ecclesial ministers, parish pastoral and finance councils who provide pastoral services to multiple parishes, which partner with one another to exercise more fully the mission of Evangelization. As opposed to a plan for merging parishes and closing church buildings, this plan adopts an approach that strengthens and enlivens our current parishes. By creating these teams, improved pastoral services can be provided to parishes without altering the parishes themselves. The members of each PST work together under the leadership of one pastor, serving and ministering to multiple parishes in a particular area. The PSTs have two primary goals:
1) meeting the specific pastoral and spiritual needs of Catholics in each parish that the PST serves in order to strengthen their communion in Christ, and
2) drawing these parishes into a tighter and more effective bond for the work of the New Evangelization and the realization of the Archdiocese’s pastoral plan.
This proposed new structure does not involve changing the parishes themselves. Rather, it focuses on the means by which pastoral services are provided in and to our parishes.

I fully understand the situation that has led to this plan and I see much of value in what it offers. Still, anyone familiar with parish life and ministry can see that the years ahead are not going to be easy and that new and greater demands will be made on both the people of God and those who minister to them.

So, that's what's been on my mind and I admit to being somewhat preoccupied with all of this. Perhaps you've noticed that it has taken a toll on my time and creativity and that posting here has been light. I have some important parish assignments to complete over the next 10 days so please be patient with me and I hope I'll be back to regular posting after that.

And, if you would, please keep the people and pastoral ministers of the Archdiocese of Boston in your prayer!

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Word for the Weekend: January 15

2012-01-12T22:37:00.000-05:00

Image source

Remember Ordinary Time? We're back there again, this time with Second Sunday in Ordinary Time. (The first week in Ordinary Time began this past Monday, the day after our celebration of Epiphany so this is the second Sunday in this season.)

The day's gospel is a great text for these first weeks of a new year. Jesus asks John and two of his disciples, "What are you looking for?" He asks the same question of us. In reply, the trio asks Jesus, "Rabbi, where are you staying?" How many of us are searching for the place where Jesus stays in our hearts, in our lives, in the world around us? And Jesus answers, simple, "Come, and you will see." Any of these brief quotes from the gospel would be good prayer starters for us this coming week.

The first scripture, from 1 Samuel, tells the story of the Lord calling Samuel. At first, Samuel is confused and thinks the voice is Eli's -- but finally he understands and answers, "Speak, for your servant is listening. How is the Lord calling each of us? If we listen carefully, what might the Lord speak to us in the year ahead?

In the second lesson (1 Corinthians), Paul writes of how the body is a temple of the Holy Spirit - certainly a message for our own age to hear and ponder.

For the texts of these readings, look here and if you're bringing children to church with you, here are some hints for helping them understand the Word of the Lord.

It's a new year -- time to resolve to prepare for Mass each week by reading and praying with the scriptures before we get to church.

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Frost: Dust of Snow

2012-01-12T17:06:00.002-05:00

Image: Squirrel Basket

Dust of Snow

The way a crow
Shook down on me
The dust of snow
From a hemlock tree

Has given my heart
A change of mood
And saved some part
Of a day I had rued.

- Robert Frost

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When Christmas is done...

2012-01-11T18:52:00.001-05:00

Image by Kayla

"The holidays" are such a hurried, harried time. I'm usually grateful when the "season to be jolly" is in the rear view mirror. But rather than respite, this week has had its own share of burdens and my schedule for the next month or so doesn't look any less full than the month just past.

I was grateful, then, to come across this helpful, seasonal reminder. Perhaps it will put things in perspective for you, too.

Now the Work of Christmas Begins

When the song of the angels is stilled,
when the star in the sky is gone,
when the kings and princes are home,
when the shepherds are back with their flocks,
the work of Christmas begins:
to find the lost,
to heal the broken,
to feed the hungry,
to release the prisoner,
to rebuild the nations,
to bring peace among the people,
to make music in the heart.

- Howard Thurman

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Monday Morning Offering - 175

2012-01-09T00:05:00.007-05:00

Image: George Mendoza

Good morning, good God!

I’m fresh from Epiphany
with its star and magi and gifts...

You ‘ve revealed so much, to so many,
to all peoples everywhere!

You showed yourself as a child:
intimate and innocent,
vulnerably human, lovingly divine,
imminent and inviting…

Help me see in the child, Lord,
Christ who is my brother,
my savior, my redeemer,
my prince of peace, my merciful judge,
my healing and my hope…

I pray that in the year ahead
you’ll continue to reveal, to show,
to disclose, to unwrap
your presence in my life…

So, this morning I offer you my vision, Lord,
that I may indeed see what you reveal…

Help me see you
when you show yourself
in the people I don’t like,
in the people who aren’t like me,
and in the people who don’t like me…

Help me find you, Lord,
in the times when I can’t see you…

Show me where you are
when I think you’ve forgotten me,
when I fear you can’t find me,
when I wonder if you’ve abandoned me...

Help me see your compassion, Lord,
when you pour out your healing
on my sorrow, on my pain…

Reveal yourself as the source of my joy
and show me the depths of all you’ve given me:
may I always give you the glory and the praise…

Help me see you
in the moment at hand
and in my past:
show me where you are
and remind me of where you’ve been…

Show up in my life every day, Lord,
and show yourself
at every twist and turn
along the path I walk…

At least now and then, Lord,
dazzle me with your brightness and beauty –
I need the showstoppers
to carry me through my cloudy days…

Reveal yourself in my prayer, Lord:
bathe me in the light of your face
and let your radiance shine on mine…

Reveal yourself in the Church’s prayer, Lord,
and in the bread and cup of the Eucharist
feed me with the life of your presence…

Unfold your plan for me, Lord:
let me see where you lead me,
where you call me,
where you want me to be,
what you ask me to do…

Reveal yourself in your simplicity
as the child of Bethlehem
and in depths of your love
as the One who bore the Cross for me…

This morning I offer you my vision, Lord:
all that I see and all that I hope to see
with my eyes, my heart, my mind…

Show me who you are, Lord,
show me your face
and keep me as the apple of your eye…

Amen.

(Click here for an archive of Monday Morning Offerings)

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Epiphany and Easter

2012-01-08T18:24:00.002-05:00

Image source

The Star of Epiphany, the Morning Star of Easter

At the 11:30 Mass in my parish this morning, our sung prayer was especially beautiful and strong. Some days it all comes together, and this was one of those days.

We began by singing all five verses of today's standard selection, John Hopkins' We Three Kings. Once you've taken a good look at its verses you can see how cutting that hymn short stops a story in the telling, one that brings us from Bethlehem's plain to Calvary and Easter.

1) We three kings of Orient are,
Bearing gifts we traverse afar,
Field and fountain, moor and mountain,
Following yonder Star.

Chorus:
O, star of wonder, star of might,
Star with royal beauty bright,
Westward leading, still proceeding,
Guide us to the perfect light.

2) Born a babe on Bethlehem's plain;
Gold we bring to crown Him again;
King forever, ceasing never,
Over us all to reign.

3) Frankincense to offer have I;
Incense owns a Deity nigh;
Prayer and praising, all men raising,
Worship Him, God on High.

4) Myrrh is mine; its bitter perfume
Breathes a life of gathering gloom;
Sorrowing, sighing, bleeding, dying,
Sealed in the stone-cold tomb.

5) Glorious now behold Him arise,
King and God and sacrifice,
Heaven sings, "Hallelujah!"
Hallelujah!" Earth replies.

But the Epiphany- Easter connection was to surface again, later in the liturgy!

My music director, Jim Barkovic, usually continues the Communion song instrumentally after all have received and often includes a subtle interpolation, sometimes a segue, into the melody of another song with some connection to the day's feast, scriptures or homily. These moments are subtle and if you're not listening, you might easily miss them.

Today we were all sitting in quiet prayer after Communion as Jim continued to play Gift of Finest Wheat. Then I began to hear a familiar tune making itself gently heard, rising out of the Communion music. Within a few moments, I was hearing Haugen's The Light of Christ Surrounds Us, a piece we do every year at Easter. The light of Epiphany's star and Easter's candle shone as one, just as the entrance song had reminded us, Glorious now behold Him arise...

The choir and some in the assembly began to softly hum the refrain of the Paschal piece and for a few moments, the two feasts folded musically into the unity that every Eucharist brings to the liturgical year.

May the Morning Star which never sets
find this flame still burning:
Christ, that Morning Star,
who came back from the dead,
and shed his peaceful light on all...

Epiphany 2012

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The Magi as patron saints

2012-01-08T14:50:00.007-05:00

Image source

Homily for Epiphany 2012

(Scriptures for today's liturgy)

Audio for homily

Although we popularly refer to these visitors from the east as “kings,”
the gospel tells us they were Magi,
very likely practitioners of a cult, probably from Persia.

And every year these three mysterious, rather ambiguous,
unnamed figures appear in the gospel and in our crèche scenes
at church and even in our living rooms.

Allow me to propose these Magi as “patron saints” for us:
holy persons whose lives, in one way or another,
recommend them as sponsors for those whose lives
in someway mirror theirs.

How then might the Magi be our patron saints?

First of all, the Magi are searchers and they are following a star.
They’re looking for the Lord, they want to find him
They’re close to where he’s supposed to be
but they can’t quite locate exactly where he is
and so they’re asking questions about him.

How many of us are looking for the Lord
and following the light of faith, wanting to find him?

How many of us sometimes have trouble
finding exactly where the Lord is in our lives?

How many of us have questions
about where the light of faith is leading us?

In our searching for God, don’t we, like the Magi, sometimes get lost?
Over the years, how many wrong turns
and sketchy short cuts have we taken?

Right now we’re in church, and like the Magi, we’re in the general area
where the Lord is to be found
and like the Magi, we’ve come here to worship, to do him homage.
But as close as we are, we might still be asking,
“Where is the Lord in my life?
where is Jesus in my home? in my family?
where I work? in the world around me?”

Like the Magi,
we have questions about exactly where Jesus is to be found.

I’m sure the Magi got all kinds of answers to their questions,
probably from each other, certainly from folks along the way,
from religious leaders
-- and even from the king, from the government!

Two thousand years later, it’s still the same:
everyone wants to tell us what to think, what to believe
and where to find God.

And don’t we hear on all sides the voices of those
who would have us believe whatever they believe?

Aren’t there some who think us foolish because we follow in faith
a light we believe comes from God?

Are there others who, like King Herod, would plot against us
when we give our allegiance, our loyalty to our God?

Are we easily swayed from our beliefs by philosophies and politics
that mock our faith as naïve and out of date?

The Magi gave a fair hearing to all who spoke to them,
to all who offered direction,
but through it all, they continued to follow the star,
the guiding light that had brought them as far as they’d come.
They didn’t give up on the light they’d come to trust,
a light still shining
when they looked up into the night sky’s darkness
or deep into the shadows in their own hearts.

The Magi make good patron saints for us because, like us:
they searched, got lost, struggled, inquired, listened, discerned,
remained faithful to the light,
persevered until they found the Lord
and then offered him the best of what they had to give.

Might the Magi turn our eyes again to the star’s light,
to the light of faith,
and bring us closer to the Lord?
And upon finding him, might we, like the Magi,
willingly offer what gifts we have to give:
our time, our prayer, our treasure, our minds, our desires,
our talents, our hearts?

Let me share with you my musing
on what the Magi might have talked about on their way home,
after finding the Child Jesus.

Close your eyes, picture the Magi in a caravan of camels,
making their way back to Persia, and listen in on their conversation:

We set out with myrrh, frankincense and gold:
now, empty-handed, we’re homeward bound.
Empty saddle bags on the camels
and our hearts filled of questions…

Did we leave the gifts with the right king?
Herod in a palace, warm, fine and plush;
the child in a barn, all muck and hay and oh, the smell!

Oh, I think so!
Remember Herod’s eyes, envy-green?
But ah, the innocence of the child
who but cried and nursed and slept…

I think I saw him smile once!
And surely his parents needed the help.
None so poor would have turned down the gold -
but they were honest folk…

You could see it in Mary’s face -
and how Joseph cared for her and for the child…

They’ll save our gifts for when they need them
and mark my words: they will need them…

But did we find the one we sought?
Was it his star? And what if we were wrong?

His star it was, indeed:
a star of mystery beyond the wisdom of us all.
We may not understand, but we know:
it was his star…

What next, then?
What to tell the folks at home
of what we saw - and didn’t see?

And what will they make of our tale:
a manger for a throne and a barn for a palace?

They’ll likely think us fools and I wonder, still, myself:
did we find anything? or everything? or even more than all?

A trip we won’t forget, for sure,
nor him we found nor those we met along the way…

And the angel in the dream, with warning - just in time!
So this way home, another way…

A new way, now, the path of dreams…

Mind the star, it’s still above…

But fading fast, so keep the pace…

Like our patron saints, the Magi,
we come to the Lord’s house and offer our gifts:
our praise and thanks, our bread and wine,
our hearts and our lives.

At this table, the Lord welcomes us and all we bring
and in return he offers us the gift of his life, his Body and Blood,
in the bread and cup of the Eucharist:
food to nourish us who follow in faith
the light of Bethlehem’s star.

Epiphany 2012

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I wish I'd written that!

2012-01-07T18:59:00.000-05:00

Read this homily to understand the photo!

Sometimes I'll read something on another blog and say to myself, "I wish I'd written that!" I read just such a homily today by Greg Kandra, the deacon at The Bench.

The deacon's Epiphany homily is very fine indeed and might help you prepare for this feast before you go to church to pray.

Greg, I wish I'd written that!

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Word for Epiphany!

2012-01-07T00:08:00.000-05:00

Magi 1 by Della Conroy

You'll find a host of posts for preparing for Epiphany here and one in particular to help you study this Sunday's Word here.

A good new year's resolution might be to take some time every week to look over the scriptures for Sunday Mass - do you know a better way to prepare to celebrate the Lord's Day?

Epiphany 2012

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First Friday Prayer: Litany of the Sacred Heart

2012-01-06T00:05:00.002-05:00

O Key of David by Ansgar Holmberg

The first Friday of each month is a special day to honor the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The beginning of a new year is a graced time to open our lives to the Heart of the One who came to heal our hearts and make them whole and holy. May the heart of Jesus, beating always with love for us, give us strength to live this new year one day at a time, all in the grace of God...

Litany of the Sacred Heart

Heart of Jesus, hear our prayer!

So loving
So humble
So gentle
So compassionate
So faithful
So wise
So patient
So steadfast
So tender
So spacious

Heart of Jesus, hear our prayer!

God’s joy
God’s shalom
Harp of the Trinity
Wingbeat of the Spirit
Breath of God
Five-petaled rose

Heart of Jesus, hear our prayer!

Womb of justice
Birthplace of peace
Our dearest hope
Longing of our lives

Heart of Jesus, hear our prayer!

Freely flowing fountain
Spring of grace
Freshet of forgiveness
Merciful river
Mystical dew

Heart of Jesus, hear our prayer!

Warmth of our hearts
Transforming fire
Cosmic furnace
Enflamer of hearts

Heart of Jesus, hear our prayer!

Heart of evolution
Beginning and ending
Center of all

Heart of Jesus, hear our prayer!

Garden of virtues
Mystical dew
Table and food

Heart of Jesus, hear our prayer!

Our refuge
Our shelter
Our comfort
Our rest
Our welcoming breast

Heart of Jesus, hear our prayer!

Wounded by love
Pierced by our cruelty
Broken by our hardness
Mystic winepress
Poured out as gift

Heart of Jesus, hear our prayer!

Have mercy, gracious heart,
Give us gratefulness
Teach us tenderness
Let us learn to love.

Hear our prayer!

- Wendy Wright

Let us pray...
God of all our hearts,
open your heart that we might see in yours
the beauty of each and every one created in your image.
We pray for all who have died
that they may find in your heart
the eternal peace you offer us.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.

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10 years later: reflections on the abuse crisis

2012-01-05T17:38:00.004-05:00

Image: Boston Globe

This month marks the 10th anniversary of the revelations of the sexual abuse of children by priests in the Archdiocese of Boston. Some anniversaries are happy and others, like this one, are somber.

In addition to a number of interviews in the print media, Cardinal Sean O'Malley, Archbishop of Boston, has issued a document titled, Ten Years Later – Reflections on the Sexual Abuse Crisis in the Archdiocese of Boston. It's a review of the last 10 years and how survivors, their families, the archdiocese, priests and parishioners have responded to this crisis. It's not a lengthy document and I'd encourage you to read it and the Cardinal's cover letter which are available on the archdiocesan website (click on the two links under "Announcements").

Here's a portion of the reflections:

Our Priority
Since the time I was named Archbishop of Boston in July of 2003 our highest priority has been to provide outreach and care for all the survivors of clergy sexual abuse and to do everything possible to make sure this abuse never happens again. This priority will be central to all of our efforts going forward; all initiatives, plans, and programs will be structured with reference to outreach and care for survivors and the protection of children.

With the assistance of those who oversee the Archdiocese’s Office for Pastoral Support and Outreach, it has been my privilege and a source of great humility to meet with hundreds of survivors and their families. Their voices, stories, faces, and tears have helped me to understand how deeply those who were abused and their families and loved ones were harmed. Some of the most deeply moving moments have been meetings with families who have lost loved ones who were abused, to suicide or drug overdose. Our having prayed for peace and for the repose of the souls of the departed will be always held in my heart and my memory. I have also been deeply moved by meetings with survivors and family members when men and women who have suffered the most egregious abuse shared that they are striving each day to forgive the man who perpetrated the abuse. This is an extraordinary and humbling sign of God’s goodness beyond all measure, and a message of courage, hope and love.

Survivors have made clear that the Church must do everything possible to make sure that what happened to them never happens again. On behalf of the entire Church, I pledge our vigilance as we continue to help those that had been harmed. One of our most important efforts has been to provide outreach and care to survivors and their families. Through the Office of Pastoral Support and Outreach (OPSO), the Archdiocese of Boston continues to reach out to all who have been hurt by clergy sexual abuse. OPSO has met with over 1,000 survivors and family members. As one measure of our commitment, during the past seven years, the Archdiocese has spent more than $7 million to provide counseling, medicines, and other services for survivors and their families. At any given time, we are providing assistance for approximately 300 people.

Read the complete document here.

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The red, red, robin comes bob, bob, bobbin' along

2012-01-05T14:50:00.002-05:00

Winter robin from FruitJar

My second floor bedroom window looks out over a flat garage roof and this morning I spotted about a dozen robins there, picking through some leaves and twigs for a bite to eat. I'd just recently read about "winter robins" and was pleased to find some so close to home.

Unfortunately, my move to reach for my camera scattered my red-breasted visitors but I hope they'll return soon.

More about winter robins here and an old familiar song here:

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On the twelfth day of Christmas...

2012-01-05T13:40:00.000-05:00

Some folks count January 5 and some January 6 as the 12th day of Christmas. So this post comes right on time or a day early! In either case, I offer you my annual post of Straight No Chaser's rendition of this popular seasonal song - enjoy! (SNC has come a long way since this early on-campus performance but it's still the one I like the best.)

(And before you post a comment on "the true origin" of The Twelve Days of Christmas - please check here for the true scoop.)

Epiphany 2012

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Preparing for Epiphany: a Carol

2012-01-04T18:35:00.002-05:00

Hills and fields around Bethlehem: Source

This poem celebrates Christmas and in its last lines brings us, along with the Magi, to Epiphany.

Epiphany Carol

by Thomas Merton

Flocks feed by darkness with a noise of whispers,

In the dry grass of pastures,

And lull the solemn night with their weak bells.

The little towns upon the rocky hills

Look down as meek as children:

Because they have seen come this holy time.

God's glory, now, is kindled gentler than low candlelight

Under the rafters of a barn:

Eternal Peace is sleeping in the hay,

And Wisdom's born in secret in a straw-roofed stable.

And O! Make holy music in the stars, you happy angels.

You shepherds, gather on the hill.

Look up, you timid flocks, where the three kings

Are coming through the wintry trees;

While we unnumbered children of the wicked centuries

Come after with our penances and prayers,

And lay them down in the sweet-smelling hay

Beside the wise men's golden jars.

Epiphany 2012

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Preparing for Epiphany 2012

2012-01-04T17:17:00.005-05:00

Source

I've edited, spruced up, tweaked and reposted some Epiphany posts from other years and added a few new ones. They are gathered together here and through a link on the sidebar.

Scrolling down you'll find: T.S. Eliot and James Taylor; a possible explanation for why the Queens came late (after the Kings); a reflection on a reader's photo and another on some fine art; and, as always, some help for preparing to hear the scriptures at Mass this weekend.

I'm posting these early for those who are preparing to celebrate Epiphany and for any who might find such reflections homiletically or catechetically helpful.

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Preparing for Epiphany: Blessing your home

2012-01-04T17:16:00.000-05:00

It's an old custom to bless homes on Epiphany which is celebrated this coming Sunday, January 8, 2012.

Some parishes provide blessed chalk for marking the front door as part of this house blessing, but if not, you may certainly use your own chalk.

The Blessing of a House on the Feast of the Epiphany

All gather at the front door and one person is chosen as the Leader of prayer.

Leader:

In the name of the Father
and of the Son
and of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

Peace be with this house and with all who live here.

Blessed be the name of the Lord, now and forever.

During these days of the Christmas season,

we keep this feast of Epiphany,

celebrating the manifestation of Christ to the Magi.

Today Christ is revealed to us

and his presence makes our home a holy place.

The lintel above the door is marked. If a number of people are present, individuals might be invited to mark the several elements of the inscription as found here:

20 + C + M + B + 12

The traditional marking of the doorway commemorates the three magi (traditionally named Caspar, Melchior, and Balthazar) and gives the calendar year already recently begun.

Then one person is chosen to read the gospel:

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Saint John

In the beginning was the Word,

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

He was in the beginning with God.

All things came to be through him,

and without him nothing came to be.

And the Word became flesh

and made his dwelling among us,

and we saw his glory,

the glory as of the Father's only Son,

full of grace and truth.

All who are present proceed from one room to the next,

asking God’s blessing on all that takes place in that room:

Lord, bless this room
(where we eat, rest, gather, cook, sleep, bathe, play, work)
and bless those who dwell here
with faith, hope and love.

Coming finally to the dining room or kitchen table,

all join in praying the Lord’s Prayer…

after which the Leader prays:

Lord God of Heaven and earth,

you revealed your only begotten Son to every nation

by the guidance of a star.

Bless this house and all who live here.

Fill them with the light of Christ:

may their concern for others always reflect your love.

We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

All join in singing a Christmas hymn
(Silent Night or O Come All Ye Faithful or We Three Kings)
and perhaps enjoy some refreshments or dinner!

Epiphany 2012

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Preparing for Epiphany: The Queens Came Late

2012-01-04T17:15:00.000-05:00

Epiphany by Janet McKenzie - Bridge Building Icons

We don't know much about the Magi in Matthew's gospel but we know that following them to the Christ Child is a long line of wise women and men who seek the One who saves us.

The interpretation of Epiphany (above) portrays women from around the world gathered with their sister, Mary, the Mother of Jesus. Janet McKenzie's painting has been praised for its "powerful, protective and tender manifestation of a mother and child, embraced and nurtured by a loving community... a global inclusiveness proclaiming again and anew: Christ for all people. God's favor extends to all!"

I've taken delight for many years in sharing this poem at Epiphany and I'm pleased to do so again in preparation for Sunday's feast...

The Queens Came Late

The Queens came late, but the Queens were there
With gifts in their hands and crowns in their hair.
They'd come, these three, like the Kings, from far,
Following, yes, that guiding star.
They'd left their ladles, linens, looms,
Their children playing in nursery rooms,
And told their sitters:
"Take charge! For this
Is a marvelous sight we must not miss!"
The Queens came late, but not too late
To see the animals small and great,
Feathered and furred, domestic and wild,
Gathered to gaze at a mother and child.
And rather than frankincense and myrrh
And gold for the babe, they brought for her
Who held him, a homespun gown of blue,
And chicken soup--with noodles, too-
And a lingering, lasting, cradle-song.
The Queens came late and stayed not long,
For their thoughts already were straining far-
Past manger and mother and guiding star
And a child aglow as a morning sun-
Toward home and children and chores undone.

-Norma Farber in When It Snowed That Night

Epiphany 2012

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A streetside epiphany...

2012-01-04T16:46:00.001-05:00

H/T to MS (Click on photo for a larger version)

The picture came four years ago from a reader who then lived in Brookline, MA. It's a night shot whose darkness reveals more than any daylight photo might have shown us.

I was immediately taken with this side-street scene : a street lamp burning star-like above and a doorway from which spills a splash of light in the darkness: light to light in the darkness...

The lamp and the entry way, the star and the dwelling, the royal beauty bright and a door upon which to knock...

Dear Magi,
Were you confused?
Did you wonder if you'd taken a wrong turn?
Had you misjudged the star's GPS?
Was it all a big mistake?
Could this really be the street? the place? the door?

The light spills into the night,
beckons and calls:
"This way! Come this way!
Let go your thoughts
of what should have been,
what might have been,
and open your heart to what is,
what will be,
and to where he is,
where he dwells,
in the warmth of his light
on this chilled, dark night..."

Teach us wisdom, Magi:
open our eyes to the star above
and to the glow of his presence
living just across the street,
lighting the paths we walk each day,
lifting us up and out of our darkness
to the radiance of his holy face...

Amen.

Epiphany 2012

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Preparing for Epiphany: It's all in the eyes

2012-01-04T16:43:00.000-05:00

Adoration of the Magi by Andrea Mantegna

(Be sure to click on the image for more detail)

It's all in the eyes!

The magi offer the Christ Child their gifts, but they still gaze up and off into the distance. Perhaps they are inquiring of the star: "Is this really the One to whom you have drawn us?"

And Joseph... Joseph keeps his eye on these wealthy visitors... "How came they knocking on my door?" he must wonder. 'Their gifts are extravagant! How will I provide such things for my wife and the child? What do these strangers want?"

Not surprisingly, Mother Mary simply keeps her eye on the child of her womb. Might she see in this unexpected visit the twists and turns her child's life will take? But see, too, how she offers us her child, holding him forth, already aware that she will, in the end, need to give him away to all who come looking for him...

The Infant's eyes and visage tell us clearly that he has no need of these fine offerings... He wants something from each of us but what he desires comes in neither coffer nor cup ... What he desires comes only in our hearts...

Child of Mary's womb,
apple of Joseph's eye,
welcome us when we come to you:
to visit, to pray,
just to draw near...

Set our gaze on only that star
whose light leads us
along the path of your truth...

Teach us to make of our hearts
the finest gift we have to offer
to you and to others...

When we wonder if we have found you
- or lost you -
deepen our faith
in your faithful pursuit of us,
of our lives and our love...

Shine, appear and reveal to us
the beauty of your face
that we might never fail to see you
in all we meet and know...

Guide us, Lord Jesus,
by your perfect light...

EpiphanEpiphany 2012
y 2012

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Journey of the Magi: TS Eliot, James Taylor and CP

2012-01-04T15:14:00.009-05:00

Source

To help prepare for the celebration of Epiphany this coming Sunday, here are three reflections on the Magi's experience: one by a famous poet, one by a fine song writer and one by a blogging pastor...

Journey Of The Magi
by T.S. Eliot

'A cold coming we had of it,
Just the worst time of the year
For a journey, and such a long journey:
The ways deep and the weather sharp,
The very dead of winter.'
And the camels galled, sorefooted, refractory,
Lying down in the melting snow.
There were times we regretted
The summer palaces on slopes, the terraces,
And the silken girls bringing sherbet.
Then the camel men cursing and grumbling
and running away, and wanting their liquor and women,
And the night-fires going out, and the lack of shelters,
And the cities hostile and the towns unfriendly
And the villages dirty and charging high prices:
A hard time we had of it.
At the end we preferred to travel all night,
Sleeping in snatches,
With the voices singing in our ears, saying
That this was all folly.

Then at dawn we came down to a temperate valley,
Wet, below the snow line, smelling of vegetation;
With a running stream and a water-mill beating the darkness,
And three trees on the low sky,
And an old white horse galloped away in the meadow.
Then we came to a tavern with vine-leaves over the lintel,
Six hands at an open door dicing for pieces of silver,
And feet kicking the empty wine-skins.
But there was no information, and so we continued
And arriving at evening, not a moment too soon
Finding the place; it was (you might say) satisfactory.

All this was a long time ago, I remember,
And I would do it again, but set down
This set down
This: were we led all that way for
Birth or Death? There was a Birth, certainly
We had evidence and no doubt. I had seen birth and death,
But had thought they were different; this Birth was
Hard and bitter agony for us, like Death, our death.
We returned to our places, these Kingdoms,
But no longer at ease here, in the old dispensation,
With an alien people clutching their gods.
I should be glad of another death.

Home By Another Way

by James Taylor

(Audio widget followed by lyrics)

Those magic men the Magi
Some people call them wise
Or Oriental, even kings
Well anyway, those guys
They visited with Jesus
They sure enjoyed their stay
Then warned in a dream of King Herod's scheme
They went home by another way

Yes they went home by another way
Home by another way
Maybe me and you can be wise guys too
And go home by another way
We can make it another way
Safe home as they used to say
Keep a weather eye to the chart on high
And go home another way

Steer clear of royal welcomes
Avoid a big to-do
A king who would slaughter the innocents
Will not cut a deal for you
He really, really wants those presents
He'll comb your camel's fur
Until his boys announce they've found trace amounts
Of your frankincense, gold and myrrh

Time to go home by another way
Home by another way
You have to figure the Gods saying play the odds
And go home by another way
We can make it another way
Safe home as they used to say
Keep a weather eye to the chart on high
And go home another way

Home is where they want you now
You can more or less assume that you'll be welcome in the end
Mustn't let King Herod haunt you so
Or fantasize his features when you're looking at a friend

Well it pleasures me to be here
And to sing this song tonight
They tell me that life is a miracle
And I figured that they're right
But Herod's always out there
He's got our cards on file
It's a lead pipe cinch, if we give an inch
Old Herod likes to take a mile

It's best to go home by another way
Home by another way
We got this far to a lucky star
But tomorrow is another day
We can make it another way
Safe home as they used to say
Keep a weather eye to the chart on high
And go home another way

Overheard In The Caravan

by CP

With myrrh, frankincense and gold we set out:

now empty-handed we're homeward bound.

Empty saddlebags on the camels

and our hearts full of questions…

Did we leave the presents

with the right king?

One in a palace, warm, fine and plush;

the other in a barn, all muck and hay – and oh, the smell!

But did we leave the presents

with the right king?

Oh, I think so! Remember Herod’s eyes, envy-green?

But ah, the innocence of the child who but cried and nursed and slept…

I think I saw him smile once!

And surely, his parents needed the help.

None so poor would have turned down the gold -

but they were honest folk…

You could see it in her face -

and how he cared for her and for the child.

They’ll save our gifts for when they need them

and mark my words: they will need them…

But did we find the one we sought?

Was it his star? And what if we were wrong?

His star it was, indeed:
a star of mystery beyond the wisdom of us all.

We may not understand but we know:
it was his star…

What next, then? What to tell the folks at home

of what we saw - and didn't see?

And what will they make of us and our tale

of a manger throne and a barn for a palace?

They’ll likely think us fools and I wonder, still, myself:

did we find anything? or everything? or even more than all?

A trip we won’t forget, for sure,

nor him we found nor those we met along the way…

And the angel in the dream,

with warning – just in time!

So this way home,

another way…

A new way now,

the path of dreams…

So mind the star,

it’s still above…

But fading fast,

so keep the pace…

Epiphany 2012

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Epiphany Quiz 2012: Weekend Word

2012-01-03T14:38:00.001-05:00

The Magi by He Qi

It's time to take a look at the scriptures for Mass this weekend when we'll celebrate the Epiphany.

You'll find the readings and some helpful commentary on them here. Bringing children to Mass with you? Here are some hints for helping children prepare to hear the Lord's Word.

I have sometimes begun my Epiphany homily with a quiz on the day's gospel, just proclaimed, from Matthew.

The Annual Epiphany Trivia Quiz

See how you do on the quiz. Don't peek at the answers (below) until you've answered all the questions!

1) How many wise men are mentioned in today's gospel?

2) How many kings are mentioned in today's gospel?

3) How many magi are mentioned in today's gospel?

4) What are magi?

5) How do you spell the third gift presented to the Christ child?

(gold, frankincense and m _ _ _ _ )

6) Why do we imagine there were "three kings"?

Answers:

1) Matthew makes no reference to wise men in this gospel passage.
2) Two: Jesus and Herod
3) Matthew does not say how many magi followed the star.
4) Magi were likely Persian Zoroastrian priests who practiced the occult.
5) M y r r h
6) Because that's what the song, We Three Kings, not the scriptures, tells us. In addition, the number and value of the gifts presented (gold, frankincense and myrrh) may suggest three gift bearers of royal wealth.

But What About That Song?

Listen (on the widget below) to the carol, We Three Kings. Unfortunately, in many parishes only one or two verses will be sung. The five verses tell a story and it's very much worth singing the complete hymn. If you listen to the whole song (and study the lyrics below) you'll see that the gifts presented by the magi offer a vision of the whole life of Christ.

We Three Kings by The Irish Tenors on Grooveshark

1) We three kings of Orient are 
Bearing gifts we traverse afar. 
Field and fountain, moor and mountain, 
Following yonder star. 

O star of wonder, star of night, 
Star with royal beauty bright, 
Westward leading, still proceeding, 
Guide us to thy perfect Light.

2) Born a king on Bethlehem's plain, 
Gold I bring to crown Him again, 
King forever, ceasing never 
Over us all to reign.

3) Frankincense to offer have I. 
Incense owns a Deity nigh. 
Prayer and praising men are raising, 
Worship Him, God on high.

4) Myrrh is mine: it's bitter perfume 
Breaths a life of gathering gloom. 
Sorrowing, sighing, bleeding dying, 
Sealed in the stone-cold tomb.

5) Glorious now behold Him arise, 
King and God and Sacrifice. 
Alleluia, alleluia! 
Sounds through the earth and skies.

Epiphany 2012

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Working on your New Year's resolutions?

2012-01-03T14:37:00.001-05:00

Image source

No, I'm not going to reveal my New Year's resolution(s) here but I did share something about this with a brother priest a few days ago and in our conversation he reminded me of one of the 12 Step slogans, Do The Next Right Thing (DTNRT).

It's only January 3 but I've already found it helpful to keep the DTNRT refrain in mind. When facing options that involve my resolution(s), DTNRT pops into my consciousness and immediately I'm confronted with what I know is the right thing to do - even it it's the more difficult, seemingly impossible thing to do. And it helps to have a light shine on the path that leads where I know I truly want to go.

Making changes in our lives is sometimes difficult to do precisely because we're so practiced, so good at ignoring or avoiding or just plain failing to see what's the better, healthier, desired choice - which is sometimes, even often, just the choice the Lord calls us to make.

So I pass this bit of advice on to any who are working on resolutions, trying to make changes, or simply at a loss for knowing what to do next: do the next right thing!

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Monday Morning Offering - 174

2012-01-02T00:05:00.005-05:00

Image: George Mendoza

Good morning, good God!

It's 2012, Lord,
and I pray you'll find us making peace this year
with you, with one another, with ourselves,
and with our neighbors near and far...

I pray you'll find us
giving of ourselves without counting the cost,
sharing from our want, not our surplus,
forgiving those who have offended us
and seeking pardon of those whom we've hurt...

How will I have share in such a year, Lord?
Will I be a peacemaker?
By what measure will I give of myself and of what's mine?
By what merciful standard will I regard anyone who's hurt me?
Will I forgive others' trespasses as freely
as I hope and trust you forgive me mine?

Lord, in this new year, make me an instrument of your peace...

Help me become a peacemaker in my home, Lord,
in my extended family, at school and in my neighborhood:
help me be the one who offers the peaceful gesture,
who speaks the peaceful word,
who suggests the peaceful option...

Give me courage to be a peacemaker at work, among my colleagues:
help me be the first to take a step towards reconciling
disputes and differences...

In my parish, Lord, help me be a bridge
between groups not at peace with each other:
let me me lead the way towards understanding,
collaboration and unity...

In my community, Lord,
keep me from taking sides based on prejudice and personalities;
help me shape my opinions based on knowledge and truth,
and to work for what is just, what is fair
and what yields to peace...

When I'm at odds with someone close to me, Lord,
let me be the one who lets go the grudge, the resentment:
help me be the one who offers to reconcile...

Lead me every day to be at peace with you, Lord:
keep me faithful to your Word
and to whatever you ask of me
in service of my neighbor...

Keep me honest in my relationship with you, Lord,
and at peace with my true self:
open me to the peace that's yours to share,
the peace that comes only from your heart,
from your hand...

Open my eyes, my ears, my mind,
my intuition, my imagination,
my will and my heart, Lord:
open me to every opportunity for making peace...

Make me an instrument of your peace, Lord,
this Monday morning, this week
and day by day through the new year...

Amen.

A song for Morning Prayer

Make Me A Channel Of Your Peace (Prayer Of St. Francis) by Catholic Classics on Grooveshark

(Click here for an archive of Monday Morning Offerings)

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Mary kept all these things in her heart...

2012-01-01T13:29:00.000-05:00

Immaculate Heart by Smith Catholic Art

Homily for the Solemnity of Mary, Holy Mother of God

(Scriptures for today's Mass)

Audio for homily

And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart…

And not just Mary, but all mothers do this:
they store up memories of their children:
to keep them, hold on to them, to treasure them
lest they ever be lost.

And not just mothers, but all of us.

We all keep memories in our hearts,
continuing to reflect on them as the months and years pass by.

I’m wondering this weekend, this New Year’s weekend,
what memories of 2011 are you and I keeping, storing,
holding in our hearts?

Was 2011 a good year or a hard year? a happy year or a sad year?
A healthy year or a year of sickness/
Was it a year of gain or a year of loss? a year of pain or a year of peace?

Did the year just past seem to fly by or did it creep at a snail’s pace?

My physical heart has only four chambers
but my soul’s heart has many more than four.
With what memories has last year filled the chambers of my heart?

Am I keeping some hurtful memories alongside some happier ones?
Am I holding on to some resentments and grudges
or have I filled some chambers
with forgiveness, with peace-finally-made?

Is there a chamber in my heart now empty
because I’ve lost someone or a relationship?
Have I locked up that empty place -- or left it open,
waiting for it to be filled with consolation and healing,
with fresh affection?

In the past year did my heart expand to accommodate
everything that came my way? peace and pain alike?
Did my heart enlarge to welcome God’s grace in my joys
and his gentle touch upon my grief?

In 2011 did I turn to the Lord living in my heart:
to lean on his strength in my weakness,
to depend on his counsel in my doubt,
to seek his wisdom in my confusion,
to reach for his companionship in my loneliness?

Mary would come, eventually, to keep in her heart
not only joyful recollections of Jesus’ birth
but also the painful memories of his suffering and death.

And so it is with us, too.
Our hearts are the storehouses of all that has shaped us
to be the persons we have become
and our hearts are the Lord’s dwelling place
where he wants to forgive our sins, heal our wounds,
calm our fears and give us the peace
that comes only from his heart, from his hand.

This New Year’s weekend might be a good time for us
to walk through the chambers of our hearts and,
with the Lord’s help, empty out
what might be better left behind as a new year begins.

If we’ve been living in the chambers of sadness
it might be time, again, to enter the chambers of gladness --
and ask the Lord to make his presence known and felt again,
in the good memories we’ve held and kept in our hearts.

For sure, the year ahead
will find its own share of blessings and sorrows filling our hearts
but with the Lord’s help
we can come to accept and even treasure it all
and find peace in good times and hard times alike.

Every week when we come to the Lord’s table
we keep the memories of Christ’s birth,
and of his suffering, death and resurrection.

And every week the Lord who gave his life for us on the Cross
fills our hearts with his living presence
in the bread and cup of the Eucharist.

Pray that in new year we, like Mary, will keep in our hearts
the memories of our blessing
and treasure them in peace,
in a new year.

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And a new one begins...

2011-12-31T17:00:00.002-05:00

I hope and pray the New Year we're entering will be filled with peace for you, for those you love and for all peoples.

I pray the New Year will unite us in the love of God revealed in Christ Jesus through the grace of the Holy Spirit.

And I pray that 2012 will find us growing together in holiness, health and happiness!

Happy New Year!

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A prayer for New Year's Eve

2011-12-31T15:19:00.001-05:00

I posted this earlier this week but here's the promised repost for this evening...

Let us pray...

Good Lord,
it's the last day of 2011...

Only a few hours left in this old year
which seemed so new
oh, not-so-long ago...

Where has the old year gone, Lord?
And how did it go?

And how did I go with you,
make my way with you, Lord,
these past twelve months?

I remember the times
we walked and talked together,
side by side,
you and I...

And I remember the times
when I forgot, somehow,
that you were right there by my side,
and the times I tried to pretend
that you weren't there,
always within arm's reach...

I remember the times when you took delight
in my words and my work
and I remember the times I ignored and forgot you
- but still you loved me
and in your mercy, you forgave me...

Nothing I've done, Lord,
merits what you've given me:
all your love is grace,
an unearned gift
from your heart to mine...

In return I offer so little
and I have so little to offer...

But there comes now a new year, Lord,
and with it my prayer
to live a life more worthy
of all you so freely give me...

In this new year, Lord,
make strong my resolve to be faithful,
make deep my trust in your presence
and make sure my hope in your promise,
for without your help
I will fail...

Lord, you offer me only
what is true and pure,
good and just, strong and graced...

In this new year, help me recognize
what is false, cheap and sham...

Help me to settle for nothing less
than what comes from your heart and hand...

Nourish me, Lord:
give me a hunger for what is genuine,
a thirst for what is holy,
a wisdom for discerning your gifts...

It's the last day of the old year, Lord...

Shake from my heart what has no place there
and wake my heart
to the gift of your grace
and the dawn of a new beginning...

Amen.

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2012 is coming: one day at a time...

2011-12-31T00:22:00.002-05:00

"The best thing about the future is that it comes one day at a time."

~ Abraham Lincoln

Since the healthiest way to live is to live one day at a time, Lincoln offers us good advice.

And it's something worth keeping in our minds and hearts as we look toward a new year stretching ahead of us.

Remember: 2012 is only going to come to us one day at a time...

Or, as Jesus put it:

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?

Look at the birds in the sky; they do not sow or reap, they gather nothing into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are not you more important than they?

Can any of you by worrying add a single moment to your life-span?

Why are you anxious about clothes? Learn from the way the wild flowers grow. They do not work or spin.

But I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was clothed like one of them.

If God so clothes the grass of the field, which grows today and is thrown into the oven tomorrow, will he not much more provide for you, O you of little faith?

So do not worry and say, 'What are we to eat?' or 'What are we to drink?' or 'What are we to wear?'

All these things the pagans seek. Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides.

Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself. Sufficient for a day is its own evil.

-Matthew 6:25-34

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January 1 on the Church calendar

2011-12-30T23:45:00.001-05:00

This icon by Aidan Hart is titled, The Mother of God and Savior. Notice that although Jesus is imaged as as a child, his muscularity and strength are beyond his years. At the same time, Mary is rendered as great, indeed "large enough" to be the Mother of God. A similar shift in proportion is at work in the familiar Pieta where the figure of Mary is much larger than the Christ she holds in her lap. (Click on the image above for a larger version.)

January 1 is the Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God on the liturgical calendar. On the civil calendar it is New Year's Day. It is also the World Day of Peace and the 2012 edition of the pope's annual message for this occasion can be found here. Benedict's message is titled, Education Young People in Justice and Peace.

The Message is addressed especially to parents, families and all those involved in the area of education and formation, as well as to leaders in the various spheres of religious, social, political, economic and cultural life and in the media.

The scriptures for this day are, I believe, the shortest lections of the whole liturgical year. You can find them here.

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This is one great salad!

2011-12-30T00:29:00.001-05:00

Photo: CP

I've been in Hyannis for a few days, heading home on Friday morning. Tonight I had dinner at my favorite restaurant on the Cape: Embargo.

Above's an image of the great salad I ordered. The photo doesn't do it justice so a description is definitely in order.

The salad comes served in the "bowl" of half a roasted acorn squash, cooked to warm perfection. In the bowl is an arrangement of arugula, carmelized onions, sliced apple, craisins, walnuts and goat cheese - all drizzled in a cider dressing. Amazing!

Just the perfect beginning for dinner on a chilled December evening: kudos to Embargo and their head chef, Justin Hamilton!

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A blessing for New Year's Eve and Day

2011-12-29T23:58:00.000-05:00

I'm a fan of John Rutter's music and I'm pleased to share with you here his setting of the blessing in the first scripture from this weekend's celebration of the Solemnity of Mary, Holy Mother of God.

You'll find the scriptures for this day linked in an earlier post.

This comes a little early but I thought you might want to pass it on to others before New Year's eve and day.

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A prayer for New Year's Eve

2011-12-29T23:47:00.003-05:00

As we approach the end of the calendar year, I offer you this prayer with the hope that these words might help all of us walk gracefully into 2012.

I'll post this again on New Year's Eve but perhaps some readers might be able to share this with others before then.

Let us pray...

Good Lord,
it's the last day of 2011...

Only a few hours left in this old year
which seemed so new
oh, not-so-long ago...

Where has the old year gone, Lord?
And how did it go?

And how did I go with you,
make my way with you, Lord,
these past twelve months?

I remember the times
we walked and talked together,
side by side,
you and I...

And I remember the times
when I forgot, somehow,
that you were right there by my side,
and the times I tried to pretend
that you weren't there,
always within arm's reach...

I remember the times when you took delight
in my words and my work
and I remember the times I ignored and forgot you
- but still you loved me
and in your mercy, you forgave me...

Nothing I've done, Lord,
merits what you've given me:
all your love is grace,
an unearned gift
from your heart to mine...

In return I offer so little
and I have so little to offer...

But there comes now a new year, Lord,
and with it my prayer
to live a life more worthy
of all you so freely give me...

In this new year, Lord,
make strong my resolve to be faithful,
make deep my trust in your presence
and make sure my hope in your promise,
for without your help
I will fail...

Lord, you offer me only
what is true and pure,
good and just, strong and graced...

In this new year, help me recognize
what is false, cheap and sham...

Help me to settle for nothing less
than what comes from your heart and hand...

Nourish me, Lord:
give me a hunger for what is genuine,
a thirst for what is holy,
a wisdom for discerning your gifts...

It's the last day of the old year, Lord...

Shake from my heart what has no place there
and wake my heart
to the gift of your grace
and the dawn of a new beginning...

Amen.

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United with Christ in a death like his...

2011-12-29T18:20:00.010-05:00

It's not my intention to comment on this page on the several difficulties I'm having with the translation in the new Roman Missal. Still, there are places in the new book that I'm finding increasingly difficult to use. Consider, for instance, this text which is to be included in the Eucharistic Prayer for Masses for the Dead (for example, at funerals):

Remember your servant N.,

whom you have called

from this world to yourself.

Grant that he/she who was united with your son in a death like his,

may also be one with him in his Resurrection.

In a death like his... I don't have the expertise or facility with Latin to compare this translation to the Latin text. I do, however, have the capacity to know what most people think of when they hear someone speak of "a death like" Christ's. Can that be anything but crucifixion?

Would the following not faithfully communicate what's intended, without any confusion:

Grant that he/she who was united with your son in his death

may also be one with him in his Resurrection.

In fact, that's what I prayed at a funeral I celebrated on Tuesday of this week.

I speak the words of the canon in a way that I hope invites the assembly into the prayer being offered. But if they are listening carefully and praying with me, what are they to make of the text above? After using the previous translation for over 38 years, Ive been as careful as possible in these first 5 weeks in being faithful to the new texts. But moments like this in funeral liturgy give me pause. That I consciously made a change in the text leads me to wonder what changes other priests are making and where that will lead us.

Some of the new texts that I expected to be most problematic for me have, rather, been easily incorporated into my prayer and its vocabulary but I continue to discover texts that may obscure or confuse both the prayer and us who offer it.

I'd be especially interested in hearing response to this from readers who are priests and may or may not be experiencing similar difficulties.

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As the New Year approaches

2011-12-29T15:26:00.005-05:00

Image source

You'll find wisdom and truth abounding in Fr. Jim Martin's excellent post: Twelve really stupid things I never want to do again over at Huffington Post.

I wish I could tell you that at least one of his twelve topics is something I don't need to work on in the coming year but then I'd have to add lying to the list.

Chances are you'll find yourself in Martin's dozen... Take a look and bring this to the table when you're considering making some New Year's resolutions.

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Word for the Weekend: January 1

2011-12-28T23:31:00.002-05:00

Seeing Shepherds by Daniel Bonnell

(Click on the image above for a larger version)

This coming weekend finds us celebrating the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. It's also World Peace Day (but the Mass for Peace may not be celebrated on this day) and of course it's the first day of the new civil year which is what will be on most folks' minds.

You'll find the scriptures for this day and commentary on them right here. If you're shepherding children to church this weekend, here are some hints for helping them prepare to hear the Lord's Word.

The scriptures for this Sunday are relatively brief. The first text, from the Book of Numbers, is a blessing of God's people which seems eminently appropriate for the first day of a new year. The gospel, from Luke, tells of the shepherds spreading the message of the news of the Lord's birth and contains that beautiful verse, "And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart." The middle text, from Galatians, includes this verse so appropriate for the (Christmas) season and the day's feast, "When the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law."

RIGHT NOW would be a fine time to make a New Year's Resolution to prepare for Mass each week by taking time to read and pray over the scriptures for the coming Sunday.

NOW is the time to resolve and NOW is the time to click on the links above and begin to keep that resolution!

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About that question...

2011-12-28T22:58:00.002-05:00

Image source

How was your Christmas?

For many, that's a fairly personal question. In most cases, it's asked with a particular certainty that the response will be in the joyful affirmative. I'm not sure if a real answer, a true answer, is expected or desired.

Then there's the matter of the phrasing, "your Christmas..." Just what is my Christmas or your Christmas? Is Christmas something that's belongs to us? that we own or possess? Or is it truly more something that we hope to enter into, to celebrate, to participate in? There's something about the notion of "my" Christmas or "your" Christmas that's limiting, possessive of something that should be free for all.

All of this on the heels of several weeks of answering the question, "How was your Thanksgiving?"

And of course there are those for whom the holidays are a difficult emotional time and who can't wait for Christmas to be fading in rear view mirror.

I'm also struck by the reality that this question, "How was your Christmas?" is asked of believers by non-believers, or at least by those for whom Christmas has little if any faith connection. One doesn't have to be a wise woman or man to see that Christmas is celebrated by those who practice no faith as it is by those who struggle to live their faith day in and day out.

Isn't it amazing that folks who otherwise celebrate none of the Christian mysteries choose to prepare for this day, its social festivities and all the spending and gift-giving as much if not more than those who celebrate December 25th as a holy day on the calendar and in the annual cycle of the mystery of Christ in our lives and in our world?

Priests are routinely asked, "How was your Christmas? I know this is your busy time!" Truth be told, Lent and Holy Week make Advent and Christmas look like a piece of (fruit) cake! Christmas this year in my parish was preceded by four funerals in the fourth week of Advent. That was a busy time - and it had nothing to do with Christmas.

I hope I'm not sounding like the Grinch here. Just raising some questions that cross my mind each year as people ask over and over again, "How was your Christmas?"

My Christmas is still going on: for twelve days, at least, until Epiphany (January 8 this year) and, for the purist in me, until the celebration of the Baptism of the Lord which this year is celebrated on Monday, January 9.

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A treasured moment from Christmas weekend

2011-12-26T18:39:00.000-05:00

Many sights and sounds over the weekend were wonderful - not the least of which were the bursting-at-the seams crowds at our liturgies. It's a joy, a real joy for me when all the folks come home!

But my favorite moment?

We've a custom at all the Christmas liturgies in my parish of singing Silent Night before the prayer after Communion. It's simple, it's beautiful and even folks who haven't opened their mouths through the whole Mass sometimes join in singing this carol.

As I told the people after singing Silent Night, "How good it is for us to be in prayer together. How important is the presence of each one of us for all the others and how important is the presence of us all for each individual."

At the risk of offering a subjective point of view, our Christmas liturgies were prayerful, beautiful and reverent in spite of the crowded conditions. The music was soul-lifting and the preaching solid. (A visiting priest proclaimed and preached on the long form of Matthew's gospel, the genealogy of Jesus, in masterful fashion. One of the strongest Christmas homilies I've ever heard!) Aside from the fact that many had to stand for the whole time, I can't think of anyone leaving one of those Masses without having had a good experience of praise and prayer, word and sacrament. Unfortunately, that will not be enough to bring some of those folks back again until Easter...

Still, Silent Night will echo in my memory and in my heart for at least the 12 days of Christmas and maybe longer...

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Monday Morning Offering - 173

2011-12-26T00:05:00.000-05:00

Coffee in the Morning by George Mendoza

Good morning, good God!

New Year's Eve comes this week
and it's time to make some resolutions...

No one knows better than you, Lord,
how poorly I’ve done
in keeping resolutions I’ve made in the past
at New Year’s and on Ash Wednesdays
and all those other times
when I resolved to do this or that,
or to stop doing such and such
and then just a few days later…

You know how that usually goes, Lord,
so this morning I offer,
I want to place, the new year
all in your hands...

I offer you this new year, Lord,
trusting that you plan on adding
another year to my life…

I offer you my heart for this year ahead
and pray that you soften my heart where it's stony,
smooth its rough edges
and heal its brokenness --
for my sake and for those who will count on my heart
and its love in the new year...

I offer you my mind in this new year, Lord,
and pray that you help me sort through
my doubts, my questions and my confusion,
that you hone my mind with your truth,
that you expand my thinking where it narrows
and open me to learn what I need to know...

I offer you my body in this year ahead, Lord:
help me respect and care for the flesh and bone
that give form to my soul:
get me out of bed, off the couch and up from the chair
and move, shake, walk and strengthen
me and my mortal frame
for the work you give me to do…

I offer you my time in 2012, Lord:
teach me not to waste this precious gift:
fill my days with energy
and the will to live by your word
and work for your glory;
fill my nights with deep and restful sleep
and prepare me for what you would make of my life
in the next twelve months...

I offer you my imagination in the new year, Lord:
make my thoughts pure, my dreams sweet,
my intentions just, my ideas honest, my plans firm,
my goals sure and my hopes rooted in your promises…

In the new year, Lord,
I offer you those you’ve entrusted to my care:
any who look to me and lean on me
for support and care and hope:
make me faithful to those who depend on me
but not so strong, Lord,
that I fail to depend and lean on others
who offer me support and strength…

I offer you my bounty in the year ahead, Lord:
help me know the difference
between what I desire and what I truly need;
teach me to share what I have,
especially when I have more than I need;
teach me to see others’ needs before my own
and to care for them before I care for myself…

I offer you, Lord, the challenges of the year ahead:
give me the wisdom and strength I'll need
to confront and work through them...

And I offer you the burdens and sorrows
the new year will bring:
give me strength to carry them
and consolation to help me bear with them...

I offer you the joys of the new year, Lord:
let me not miss one of them,
let me delight in each of them
and let me share them with others...

I offer you the year ahead, Lord,
with its months as 12 new chapters
in the book of my life:
help me see the story of your love
in the days of each month;
show me the clues to resolve the mysteries
that confuse and baffle me;
let me see how these new chapters
follow from what has been
and lead to what is yet to come;
be the Author of these 12 chapters, Lord,
and let your words and your story
shape the person you created me to be…

I offer you the new year, Lord,
and pray that I will come to its end
in your peace
and in the embrace of your arms…

Amen.

(Click here for an archive of Monday Morning Offerings)

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Occupy Bethlehem!

2011-12-25T14:42:00.000-05:00

Nativity by William Bell Scott

Homily for Christmas 2011
(Scriptures for the liturgy: readings for Mass at Midnight)

Audio for homily

Occupy Wall Street; Occupy Seattle;
Occupy Boston; Occupy London; Occupy Sao Paulo…

Whatever your political take on this movement,
it’s likely that the verb OCCUPY is a word you’ll remember
from the news reports of 2011.

OCCUPY:
to take possession of;
to take up space or time;
to claim;
to reside in

I wonder if this word might not help us this day
towards a deeper understanding of Christmas...

If we take away all the red and green and the glitter…
If we take away the mistletoe and the merriment…
If we take away too much food and too much drink…
If we take away time spent on endless shopping
and worrying about wrapping everything we bought…
If we take away all the work of what we like to call holidays --
with what would we be left?

We’d be left with God’s desire to occupy the world around us.
We’d be left with God’s desire
to take possession, once more, of all creation, to claim it as his own -
to occupy it: to live within us and among us.
We’d be left with God’s desire to occupy each of us.

If we took away all the holiday hoopla,
we’d be left with the Spirit of God
claiming Mary of Nazareth as spouse
and occupying her whole being, body and soul,
with the power of divine love.

We’d be left with the Word of God occupying human nature,
taking flesh in time and space, in Mary’s womb,
and claiming her as his home.

We’d be left with Mary and Joseph, alone in the city,
occupying a barn because there was no room for them at the inn.

We’d be left with Jesus,
occupying our humanity, claiming us as his own in his divinity,
taking up residence among us: one like us in all things but sin.

If we take away all the decorations and distractions of Christmas,
we are left with God, occupying the world:
intent on taking possession of each of us,
and pitching his tent in our hearts.

God’s occupation of our world began some 2,000 years ago
and no authority on earth has succeeded in ending it.
It’s that very occupation we celebrate this day, this Christmas.

And it’s God’s desire to occupy the hearts of 100% of his people:
no exceptions, no exclusions.

In the birth of Jesus God claims each one of us as his own,
as his beloved,
and seeks to occupy our time and space, our nights and days,
our hearts, our minds, our bodies,
our imaginations, our desires and our hopes.

And most of all, the Lord wants to occupy those places within us
where we might least welcome him:
the places where we are selfish, wounded, ashamed, fearful,
anxious, and empty.

The Lord wants to take possession of whatever keeps any of us
from his love, his mercy, his peace, his embrace.

And no one sees more clearly than does the Lord
what already pre-occupies us, what restrains us,
holds us back and keeps us down,
what prevents us from being, from becoming the persons
he created and called us to be, from before all time.

Will we welcome, this day, the Lord who came to occupy our lives?
Will we invite the Lord to claim our hearts?
Will we yield to Jesus time and space in our day-to-day lives,
and especially that one hour of time and place on Sunday mornings?
Will we honor that place in our hearts
where Jesus has already pitched his tent and lives within us?

Jesus, who occupied Mary’s womb and the manger in Bethlehem,
claimed also for himself our place on the Cross,
taking possession even of our sins
that we might be free to live in his peace.

This day, he will claim our hearts again
when we receive him in the sacrament of this altar,
in the Bread and Cup of the Eucharist.

As a newborn child claims our attention and affection,
let’s pray that the Christ child will occupy our lives
and claim all of us as his beloved on this holy Christmas day.

Occupy Wall Street;
Occupy Boston;
Occupy Concord;
Occupy Holy Family Parish;
Occupy each of us, Lord Jesus and make your home with us.

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Merry Christmas!

2011-12-24T14:07:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas!

Long before there was any question about the political correctness of wishing others a “Merry Christmas,” the pastor of the parish of my youth (Monsignor John Cusack, St. Richard Parish in Danvers, MA) took the occasion every year of telling us why he preferred to wish everyone a “Happy Christmas.” He’d point out that we never wish anyone a “Merry Easter” and would question whether this adjective for Christmas, dating back to the 17th century, was the best one for us to use today. The first printed Christmas card (1843) wished recipients a “Merry Christmas” but at the end of A Visit From St. Nicholas (‘Twas the night before…), Clement Moore wishes his readers a “Happy Christmas.” The history, then, is mixed. “Merry” seems rather light and even “Happy” might fail to bear the weight of this day’s wishes. What kind of Christmas do we hope and pray our family and friends will have?

My prayer is that you will have a Joyful Christmas: a Christmas rooted in the serenity that deep faith provides, strong enough to survive the disappointments and sorrows life delivers to our doorstep and exuberant enough to celebrate life’s happiest times. May the birthday of Christ touch you with deep joy...

I pray, too, that you will have a Peaceful Christmas: the peace the world so clearly is unable to give itself; the peace that broken hearts long for; the peace that is ours to share with one another in forgiveness, kindness and charity. May the birthday of Christ sow seeds of peace in your heart...

Finally, I pray that you have a Hopeful Christmas. So much in the world around us encroaches on our capacity to hope: a spirit abroad that seems intent on draining the beauty and poetry from our lives while our ever burgeoning knowledge robs us of awe and reverence before the mystery of life, of love and of God. May the birthday of Christ renew hope in your heart...

I wish you a Joyful, Peaceful, Hopeful Christmas and should your Christmas be Merry and Happy, too – all the better! Please pray the same for me.

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A Christmas Flash Mob!

2011-12-24T00:05:00.000-05:00

H/T to Mike Hayes at Googling God for this wonderful video!

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A prayer for those who grieve at Christmas

2011-12-23T00:05:00.003-05:00

Image source

I've made just a few changes in the prayer I wrote for Thanksgiving to make it appropriate for those who grieve at Christmas time. Please share this with others who might find it helpful.

Dear God,

There is an empty chair near the tree,
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 so much
in these days of peace and joy.

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

We pray, Lord, and we trust
that those we miss
have found the place you prepared for them,
their home within your heart.

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

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

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

Be with us as we cry and sing our our way
through Christmas cards and carols;
help us find and open the present you bring:
the gift of your peace
in the birth of the child we call Christ.

And 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
who have gone before us.

Help us to trust that one day
we shall be with those we love
when your mercy gathers us together
in the joy of the life you promise us.

This is the Christmas you have made, Lord,
the only one we'll have this year:
help us to rejoice in it
and in the blessings of your peace.

Amen.

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The one thing God asks of us...

2011-12-22T23:50:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite Advent books is A Child In Winter: Advent, Christmas and Epiphany with Caryll Houselander. It draws on all of Houselander's writings and is beautifully edited by Thomas Hoffman.

Especially in this season when so many feel blue amid the glitter of the the red and green, these words are beautiful. Perhaps this passage from A Child In Winter will help move you to prayer in these busy days...

Christ never goes away, never forgets,
all day long ,
however you are,
whoever you are,
whatever you are doing.

His whole heart is concentrated on you.

He watches you with the eye of a mother
watching an only child.
He sees not the surface things,
not the imperfections inevitable to human frailty,
but the truly lovable in you,
your dependence on him,
your need of him.

Does a mother love her child less
because it fallen and bruised herself?
No, indeed; only (if that is possible) more!

What then must we do?

Listen.
Be silent.

Let Christ speak to you.

Forget yourself,
do not be self-centered,
let him tell you how he loves you,
show you what he is like,
prove to you that he is real.

Silence in your soul
means a gentle attention to Christ,
it means turning away from self to him,
it means looking at him,
listening to him.

God speaks silently.

God speaks in your heart;
if your heart is noisy, chattering,
you will not hear.

Every ordinary thing in your life is a word of God's love:
your home, your work, the clothes you wear,
the air you breathe, the food you eat,
the friends you delight in, the flowers under your feet
are all the courtesy of God's heart flung down on you!
All these things say one thing only:
"See how I love you."

God asks only one thing,
that you will let God tell you this, directly, simply;
that you will treat God as someone real,
not as someone who does not really exist.

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