Here is My Brother, Sister and Mother

July 21, 2009

Tuesday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time

By Beth DeCristofaro

Let us sing to the Lord; he has covered himself in glory. …And you brought them in and planted them on the mountain of your inheritance—the place where you made your seat, O LORD, the sanctuary, O LORD, which your hands established. (Exodus 12: 1, 15)"Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my heavenly Father is my brother, and sister, and mother." (Matthew 12:49-50)

Piety

Jesus, I come to do your will. Show me how to love rather than fear or render judgment. Help me to love rather than seek to be right or make demands. Strengthen me to love rather than defend what I imagine is mine whether property or identity. Enfold me as your sister, Lord, and open my eyes to those opportunities in which I might be sister to someone else. Amen

Study

This week is the anniversary of my brother’s death, more than 10 years ago. Unexpected and shocking, this was harder to get through than my father’s death from leukemia years before. Sadly, Mike and I did not get along very well. We had one of those relationships in which being in the same room together for more than five minutes usually led to tension at best, a heated debate over opposite opinions at worst. He was a curmudgeon with a generous streak and I was a “let me tell you how to get your life together”, big sister. Which makes Jesus’ words in today’s Gospel even more difficult for me.

“Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?” he asks. Don’t you think this hurt Mary’s feelings? What does he mean dismissing the immense love and sacrifice with which she raised Him? She probably was hurt, pierced. A mom would be. But she probably understood her beloved Son much better than I.

Kinship is one level of relationship. God’s love is quite another. Jesus is again telling his audience and us just how much he loves us. He is inviting us to be his spiritual siblings and thus close ever further the gap between divinity and humanity. He is inviting us to be closer than even human siblings can be, because he is for us. God is for us.

Jesus wants us to close gaps between people too. He wants us not only to honor the kinship, the gift of family, but to realize its limitations. We are to go beyond and extend the kinship of God to one another. God graces us with the Spirit to do so. I did not do very well on either level with my own brother. Mike was not my only sibling; he was a child of God. I did not respect either identity in him very well. Jesus reminds us that as we start by loving God first, we then are beholden to love others as we love ourselves. He takes the adage of loving one’s neighbor and deepens it, graces it. We must love each other because the other is also God’s brother, sister or mother not just neighbor or kin.

Action

God has planted us in his sanctuary by giving us Jesus as brother and as Lord. In God’s vision, we love those even if they offend or discomfort us, not by accepting their transgression but by accepting their kinship to Jesus. Attending to our prayer life helps ground us in Jesus’ kinship. Our actions make manifest this love. Who do we see as our brother or sister? That self-indulgent and whiny family member? The homeless person who blocks our way asking for a hand out? The worker who will be receiving a raise this week when the minimum wage is moved up? Or are we self-righteous? Judgmental? Fearful of what might be taken from me?

There are so many things that I would say to Mike if he were here now, not the least of which is “Sorry I was so impatient and self-righteous.” What do we need to say or do for the other to whom we are less than loving? Do our actions on a personal level and as a member of society proclaim our spiritual relation to Jesus?

Something Greater

July 20, 2009

Monday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time

And they complained to Moses, "Were there no burial places in Egypt that you had to bring us out here to die in the desert? Why did you do this to us? Why did you bring us out of Egypt? Did we not tell you this in Egypt, when we said, 'Leave us alone. Let us serve the Egyptians'? Far better for us to be the slaves of the Egyptians than to die in the desert." Exodus 14:11-12

He said to them in reply, "An evil and unfaithful generation seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it except the sign of Jonah the prophet. Just as Jonah was in the belly of the whale three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights. Matthew 12:39-40

Piety

Lord, we know that you have something greater in mind for us. We know that we will attain something greater when we dwell in full communion with you. However, there are so many distractions and desires that are set up as hurdles in the race to be with you. Send us your spirit to remove these hurdles so that we can respond to you with the fullness of the faith you ask. Amen.

Study

The human limitations on faith come through in today’s readings. Something greater than a human dimension of faith is needed. Something greater can overcome death in the Egyptian desert, in the belly of the whale or in the passion and death of Jesus.

What does Jesus refer to when he talks of “something greater?” In the Hebrew Bible, they did not have Christ. Yet, people responded to the witness of Jonah and Solomon. Now, the Jews had the greater ministry of Jesus to prompt them into action. That ministry was “something greater” that Jonah and Solomon. That ministry alone was not enough for the Jews. They wanted more. They wanted more signs of God’s love and miracles. But they would not get “more” unless they showed even a little faith the size of a mustard seed because Jesus rewarded faith with his miracles and signs. Jesus did not reward doubt.

Action

Who will we serve? The children of Israel preferred to be slaves to pharaoh rather than die in the desert. However, the relationship Moses had with the Lord helped them to overcome imminent death in the desert just as Jonah had overcome death in the belly of the whale.

What and who do we serve?

Rest a While

July 19, 2009

Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

By Rev. Joe McCloskey, S.J.

I myself will gather the remnant of my flock from all the lands to which I have driven them and bring them back to their meadow; there they shall increase and multiply. I will appoint shepherds for them who will shepherd them so that they need no longer fear and tremble; and none shall be missing, says the LORD. Jeremiah 23:3-4

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have become near by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, he who made both one and broke down the dividing wall of enmity, through his flesh. Ephesians 2:13-14

He said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” People were coming and going in great numbers, and they had no opportunity even to eat. So they went off in the boat by themselves to a deserted place. Mark 6:31-32

Piety

“Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.”

How hard it is to imagine Jesus inviting us to rest a while? Wasting time with friends is a gift we give them. It says they are more important than the work that brings us together. We are more important to Jesus than the work that we do for him. Our world looks at work as the definition of life’s meaning. We are so much more than our work in the eyes of Jesus. We were loved even before we were born in our mothers’ wombs. It is by the blood of Christ that our piety takes on its meaning. Love is the gift of oneself for others. The time and the energy that we put out for Christ in our lives give us our Christ connection. Christ lives in us by our love. He goes on establishing peace in us by his love which permeates our lives. It is through Christ that we have access in one Spirit to the Father. It is in Christ that we become one by his blood, shed out of love for us on the Cross. This is the source of the Sacramental life of the Church and gives us the promise of eternal life. The only limit on God’s love in our lives is what we are willing to accept. God, in giving us life, is forever holding us in his love by each living breath. Jesus is the reason for God’s love for us by his life offered for us on the Cross.

Study

Study is how we stay close to Christ. The more time we give to him by our study, the closer we come to him. There is no substitute for a steady diet of Christ. The Scriptures of the daily Eucharist give us a one liner we can hold unto during the day. Thinking about the one liner gives us direction as the words from our Gospel of the day come alive in the experiences of the day. Light is shone on our path by closeness to Christ. Looking at how he grew up gives us awareness of how our lives are close to Christ. He gathers us from all the distractions of our day into the closeness that brings us to the restful waters he leads us to. Study reveals the right paths and even when the valley is dark his words bring light and place him at our side. The strength of Christ becomes ours and the goodness and the kindness of Christ keep us close to his people and his presence in our lives. We study the goodness of each other and the very search for his presence opens our eyes to the wonder of his creation. There should be no limit on how far we would go to be close to Christ.

Action

There is a vast crowd of un-churched people in our world and it behooves us to share Christ with one another if we truly want to hold unto him. We can have as much Christ in our lives as we share him by our words and by the sermon in the goodness of our lives. He is always providing for his faithful. He keeps in our minds the wonderful things he has done for us in his compassion and his love. People are crying out for what we have. There is no genuine rest for us until we are willing to let our lives be a constant teaching of how Christ lives in us. We are his hands and his feet in the extra steps we are willing to take in his name. We need to be like the two disciples of Emmaus who by asking Christ to break bread were able to recognize him in the breaking of the bread. Discovering Christ sends us back to our communities to share the good news with those we belong to. And it is in this sharing that our action takes form and is its presence of the goodness of the Lord to us. Christ always provides for his faithful.

A Bruised Reed He Shall Not Break

July 18, 2009

Saturday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time

The Israelites set out from Rameses for Succoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, not counting the children. This was a night of vigil for the LORD, as he led them out of the land of Egypt; so on this same night all the Israelites must keep a vigil for the LORD throughout their generations. Exodus 12:37, 42

But the Pharisees went out and took counsel against him to put him to death. When Jesus realized this, he withdrew from that place. Matthew 12:14-15

Piety

Here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one with whom I am pleased, Upon whom I have put my spirit; he shall bring forth justice to the nations, Not crying out, not shouting, not making his voice heard in the street. A bruised reed he shall not break, and a smoldering wick he shall not quench, until he establishes justice on the earth; the coastlands will wait for his teaching. Thus says God, the LORD, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spreads out the earth with its crops, Who gives breath to its people and spirit to those who walk on it: I, the LORD, have called you for the victory of justice, I have grasped you by the hand; I formed you, and set you as a covenant of the people, a light for the nations, To open the eyes of the blind, to bring out prisoners from confinement, and from the dungeon, those who live in darkness. Isaiah 42:1-7

Study

The roots of our throw-away culture go all the way back to Egypt…even to the Garden of Eden. When Cain was envious of Abel, he committed the first capital murder in history throwing away his relationship with his brother. When Pharaoh was tired of enduring the wrath of the Hebrew’s God, he threw the Israelites away to wander in the desert. When the Jews grew weary of the message taught by the itinerant preacher from Nazareth, they laid plans to get rid of him as well.

Biblical stories have laid the outline and our disposable behavior today continues the narrative. Is it any wonder that 41 percent of first marriages in the U.S. end in divorce? Who is surprised to learn that there are more than half a million children in the American foster care system thrown away or abandoned by their birth parents? If something doesn’t fit, rather that work out issues, we cut people out of our lives.

The Jews were bruised reeds at the hand of the pharaoh. Jesus, too, was about to be bruised, broken and crucified as a traitor. Yet before the authorities could arrest him, he escaped. Only later when the time was ready, did Jesus become a bruised reed for us.

In ancient times, a healthy reed was used for many things such as musical instruments, medicine, mats and paper. When it got bruised, it was no good and was thrown away like salt that lost its flavor and got nothing to savor. As blogger Josh Spiers comments, “Bruised reeds are good for nothing! But Isaiah said that Jesus wouldn’t [discard one].”

Things we think have little value continue to be discarded by us. However, the Lord’s beatific mercy was extended even to those weak and broken. He would not throw away a bruised reed, a blind beggar or a leprous outcast. Jesus not only became human, he also became vulnerable like the bruised reed.

In the person of Jesus, the bruised reed (weakest link) becomes the strongest link freeing us from sin. Matthew’s gospel today – in quoting Isaiah 42 – restates the Nazareth manifesto that outlined Jesus’ priorities and was revealed in his visit to the temple. Today, we see how we the people in Jesus’ time and today rejected that message and that messenger.

Action

Just as Jesus’ message challenged his neighbors, we have a very challenging encyclical from Pope Benedict posing some tough moral questions for all Catholics. (I invite you to read John Allen’s analysis of the “long-awaited social encyclical Caritas in Veritate.”)

In a press conference after release of the document, Allen reports that Archbishop Giampaolo Crepaldi of Trieste, Italy, the former secretary of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace commented on one of the unique aspects of the encyclical: Pope Benedict’s insistence on “holding anthropology and sociology together -- or, to put it differently, his insistence on treating the pro-life message of the Catholic church and its peace-and-justice concerns as a package deal. This is the first papal social encyclical to so thoroughly blend economic justice with the defense of human life from conception to natural death.”

Allen comments: “Of course, the idea that defending unborn life and defending the poor go together is not terribly revolutionary at the level of principle. It's been repeated so often in official Catholic literature that there are probably T-shirts someplace emblazoned with that mantra. Statements of principle, however, often fail to account for the gap between what we say and what we do. In that sense, Caritas in Veritate amounts to a direct challenge to the sociology of American Catholicism.” (italics added)

The Vatican reporter concludes: [T]he question implicitly posed by Benedict's encyclical: Can the church in this country develop a new way of "breathing with both lungs," bringing its pro-life and peace-and-justice energies into greater alignment?

Or will each cafeteria continue to reject what is being served in the other line like those in the temple who were not comfortable with the manifesto Jesus was preaching in his day and ours? Life is a “seamless garment” and we must not discard any of it as we strive for consistency in our words as well as in our deeds.

Something Greater Than the Temple Is Here

July 17, 2009

Friday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time

By Melanie Rigney

... The blood will mark the houses where you are. Seeing the blood, I will pass over you; thus, when I strike the land of Egypt, no destructive blow will come upon you. (Exodus 12:13)

I will take the cup of salvation, and call on the name of the Lord. (Psalms 116:13)

I say to you, something greater than the temple is here. If you knew what this meant, I desire mercy, not sacrifice, you would not have condemned these innocent men. For the Son of Man is Lord of the sabbath. (Matthew 12:6-8)

Piety
Lord, thank You for inviting me to drink from the cup of salvation. I call on You to help me pass it on.

Study
The best, most challenging homily I’ve ever heard was not delivered in a grand cathedral or even a humble parish, but at a retreat house chapel smaller than my apartment.

The Parish Council members and staff had been together for about seven hours. We’d broken bread together, we’d shared stories in small groups, and we’d heard two wonderful priests talk about the day’s readings. I can’t speak for the others, but I was feeling pretty fat and happy about being part of the parish leadership and about my intelligence and about my relationship with God.

The homily that evening changed everything for me.

After briefly thanking us all for the gifts we share to keep the parish going, the priest challenged us. What would you be doing if there wasn’t a church? he asked. What would you be doing if it was dangerous for two or more Christians to be seen together, let alone be attending a Mass? Church is more than the building or the institution, he said. "What are you doing to bring souls to the Kingdom?"

What are you doing to bring souls to the Kingdom?

It’s the same challenge Jesus throws down to the Pharisees in today’s Gospel reading. “Something greater than the temple is here,” he says when his disciples are criticized for picking grain on the Sabbath because they are hungry. “... The Son of Man is Lord of the sabbath.”

That homily nearly three years ago redefined what I thought being a Christian means. It showed me that being a Christian is greater than the temple, whether you define temple as the physical building or the rules and dogma and doctrine. It’s about being ready for flight like the Israelites in the first reading. For many of us, that flight doesn’t involve escape from physical danger. But it does involve escape from self-satisfaction and comfort and routine to do God’s work where He desires we do it. Each night, I ask myself, "What did you do today to bring souls to the Kingdom?" Some days, I’m happy with the answer; some days, I’m not. But asking the question keeps me focused on what Christ wants instead of what strokes my ego.

What are you doing to bring souls to the Kindgom?

Action
Do something today to bring a soul to the Kingdom.

I Will Give You Rest

July 16, 2009

Thursday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time

"Thus they will heed your message. Then you and the elders of Israel shall go to the king of Egypt and say to him: The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, has sent us word. Permit us, then, to go a three days' journey in the desert, that we may offer sacrifice to the LORD, our God. "Yet I know that the king of Egypt will not allow you to go unless he is forced. I will stretch out my hand, therefore, and smite Egypt by doing all kinds of wondrous deeds there. After that he will send you away. Exodus 3:18-20

“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for your selves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.” Matthew 11:28-30

Piety

The LORD is my shepherd; there is nothing I lack. In green pastures you let me graze; to safe waters you lead me; you restore my strength. You guide me along the right path for the sake of your name. Even when I walk through a dark valley, I fear no harm for you are at my side; your rod and staff give me courage. You set a table before me as my enemies watch; You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Only goodness and love will pursue me all the days of my life; I will dwell in the house of the LORD for years to come. Psalm 23:2-6

Study

God. The Deity that Refreshes. Whether you are the Hebrews enslaved in Egypt, a laborer enslaved by your master, or just an average person burdened by the law of the land, God wants us to gravitate toward him so that he can refresh our soul, our body and our mind.

When I read this passage, it reminds me of all the invitations that God sends to us. Like Psalm 23, we are promised only good things like green pastures, safe waters, restoration, only goodness and mercy. Like John 13-16, the last lecture in which we are invited to share in the mission of the Church. Follow me.

In addition, the theme of my Cursillo (Arlington, VA Men’s 104th, Missionhurst, Rector Dave Maurer), came from this passage in Matthew. My yoke is easy my burden light. Even though the Lord tells us that we have to take up our cross and follow him, he will always have a place for us to rest our feet and heads and hands in his house where we will dwell.

The pastoral peaceful God always shines through the darkest clouds. When you are burdened by a bad day at the office, a traffic jam on the Beltway, a mailbox full of unpaid bills, or demands from your family and friends, God invites us to share each moment. When and if we surrender to God and rest in the present moment, we will be able to enjoy the peace that surpasses all other.

Moses had to surrender to God even though he wanted someone else to be called to free the Hebrews from the wrath of the pharaoh. But Moses took up the task – the yoke – that God reserved for him, and eventually, Moses led his people out of Egypt and back into the Promised Land.

Action

What “promised land” does the Lord have waiting for you? What path is he inviting you to travel in order to arrive at that destination? God will deliver us from whatever our burdens appear to be.

Who Am I?

July 15, 2009

Memorial of Saint Bonaventure, bishop and doctor of the Church

But Moses said to God, "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and lead the Israelites out of Egypt?" He answered, "I will be with you; and this shall be your proof that it is I who have sent you: when you bring my people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this very mountain." Exodus 3:11-12

All things have been handed over to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him. Matthew 11:27

Piety

(This reading on mystical (contemplative) prayer, taken from St. Bonaventure's Journey of the Mind to God (Cap. 7,1 2.4.6: Opera Omnia, 5, 312-313), is used in the Roman Office of Readings for the Feast (liturgical memorial) of St. Bonaventure on July 15.)

Christ is both the way and the door. Christ is the staircase and the vehicle, like the throne of mercy over the Ark of the Covenant, and the mystery hidden from the ages. A man should turn his full attention to this throne of mercy, and should gaze at him hanging on the cross, full of faith, hope and charity, devoted, full of wonder and joy, marked by gratitude, and open to praise and jubilation. Then such a man will make with Christ a pasch, that is, a passing-over. Through the branches of the cross he will pass over the Red Sea, leaving Egypt and entering the desert. There he will taste the hidden manna, and rest with Christ in the sepulcher, as if he were dead to things outside. He will experience, as much as is possible for one who is still living, what was promised to the thief who hung beside Christ: Today you will be with me in paradise.

For this Passover to be perfect, we must suspend all the operations of the mind and we must transform the peak of our affections, directing them to God alone. This is a sacred mystical experience. It cannot be comprehended by anyone unless he surrenders himself to it; nor can he surrender himself to it unless he longs for it; nor can he long for it unless the Holy Spirit, whom Christ sent into the world, should come and inflame his innermost soul. Hence the Apostle says that this mystical wisdom is revealed by the Holy Spirit.

If you ask how such things can occur, seek the answer in God’s grace, not in doctrine; in the longing of the will, not in the understanding; in the sighs of prayer, not in research; seek the bridegroom not the teacher; God and not man; darkness not daylight; and look not to the light but rather to the raging fire that carries the soul to God with intense fervor and glowing love. The fir is God, and the furnace is in Jerusalem, fired by Christ in the ardor of his loving passion. Only he understood this who said: My soul chose hanging and my bones death. Anyone who cherishes this kind of death can see God, for it is certainly true that: No man can look upon me and live.

Let us die, then, and enter into the darkness, silencing our anxieties, our passions and all the fantasies of our imagination. Let us pass over with the crucified Christ from this world to the Father, so that, when the Father has shown himself to us, we can say with Philip: It is enough. We may hear with Paul: My grace is sufficient for you; and we can rejoice with David, saying: My flesh and my heart fail me, but God is the strength of my heart and my heritage for ever. Blessed be the Lord for ever, and let all the people say: Amen. Amen!

Study

Who am I?

Who am I in my eyes? Who am I in the eyes of others? Who am I in God’s eyes?

Once we know who we are, we can try to look God in the eye like Moses did and be in the presence of God like St. Bonaventure. Because, like any other person, the way we come to know them is to spend time with them. How do we really know God if we do not spend time with God? Moses spent time when called over to a burning bush? How will we know if God is appearing to us on a Metro bus or at the IHOP, or on the steps outside the Metropolitan Club begging for change? If we do not try to get to know God before these encounters, we probably will not recognize these moments close to the Lord when they occur.

There are two relationships that improve when I get to know God. First is mine. Second is yours. So unless you want to improve your relationship with others, what difference does God make in life? All the difference in the world.

In God’s eyes, there is no application form, no job interview, no test and certainly no election or Senate confirmation hearing. We are all given everything we need to walk for justice. The shy Moses is given everything needed to confront the powerful pharaoh. So are we.

God provides all but there are still people who reject all the good gifts provided and reject having a relationship with the Lord. This weekend I listened to a radio interview of a young atheist woman who took out ads throughout Europe saying that there might not be a God, so enjoy life now. Guilt-free. This “carpe diem” attitude is pervasive throughout the world. It no longer surprises me when I encounter it. Yes, it would be easy to deny that God exists especially in a world filled with people who are centered on themselves. It would be easy to deny God when we see such death and destruction in the world.

So maybe God does not exist. Why else would a couple who have adopted a dozen special needs children in Florida be gunned down during a home invasion? Wouldn’t God stop that if He was in the world?

But maybe our atheist advertising friend is wrong. We could all look at natural disasters, wars, famine and more and ask God why he allows such hurt to happen in the world. And the atheists would probably jeer us on. However, that brings to mind a religious cartoon Pontius’ Puddle that appeared in some church bulletin a few years ago.

Frog: Sometimes I’d like to ask God why he allows poverty, famine and injustice when he could do something about it.

Turtle: What’s stopping you?

From: I’m afraid God might ask me the same question.

Just like Moses was the voice for the people of God in pharaoh’s court thousands of years ago, we are now the only hands and feet and voice that God has in the world.

Action

Who “knows” what God will ask of us? Moses did not think he was worthy of the task to advocate for the enslaved Israelites before Pharaoh. However, God provided him with the strength he needed to plead their case and ultimately to prevail.

What will God ask of you? I’ll leave you with one more version of a Pontius’ Puddle dialogue to consider:

Pontius: I wonder if God can really hear me. “Hey God! What should I do with my life?

God: Feed the hungry. Right injustice. Work for peace!

Pontius: Just testing.

God: Same here.

Take Heart

July 14, 2009

Memorial of Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha

By Beth DeCristofaro

A certain man of the house of Levi married a Levite woman, who conceived and bore a son. Seeing that he was a goodly child, she hid him for three months. When she could hide him no longer, she took a papyrus basket, daubed it with bitumen and pitch, and putting the child in it, placed it among the reeds on the river bank…(the Pharoah’s daughter) was moved with pity for him and said, "It is one of the Hebrews' children." (Exodus 2:1-3, 6)

See, you lowly ones, and be glad; you who seek God, take heart! (Psalm 69:33)

Jesus began to reproach the towns where most of his mighty deeds had been done, since they had not repented. "Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! (Matthew 11:20)

Piety

Kateri, favored child, Flower of the Algonquins and Lily of the Mohawks, We admire the virtues which adorned your soul: love of God and neighbor, humility, obedience, patience, purity and the spirit of sacrifice. Help us to imitate your example in our life. Through the goodness and mercy of God, Who has blessed you with so many graces which led you to the true faith and to a high degree of holiness, pray to God for us and help us. Obtain for us a very fervent devotion to the Holy Eucharist so that we may love Holy Mass as you did and receive Holy Communion as often as we can. Teach us also to be devoted to our crucified Savior as you were, that we may cheerfully bear our daily crosses for love of Him Who suffered so much for love of us. Most of all we beg you to pray that we may avoid sin, lead a holy life and save our souls. Amen. (From Novena Prayer to Blessed Kateri)

Study

Today’s memorial of Blessed Kateri, recognized as the patroness of ecology and the environment, is an opportunity to praise God for the gift of faith and to renew our awareness of our world’s health.

Kateri survived smallpox as a small child but lost her parents. She was almost blinded by the illness yet grew into a shy, kind young woman. She remembered the faith of her mother, a Catholic Algonquin, and as a young adult began to visit a Jesuit missionary for instruction over the protest of her adopted family who opposed this new religion. Kateri was devoted to penitential practices, helping the poor in her village and teaching, especially about her love and faith in God. It was said that people loved to spend time with her and listen to her stories because they felt the presence of God when with her.

Threats against her increased after her baptism. Kateri left her home and walked for almost two months to a Catholic mission near Montreal. In her short life she dedicated herself to God, spent time in prayer, especially in the woods, alone, and received Eucharist as often as possible. Always in bad health, Kateri died at the age of 24.

If Kateri had lived in either Chorizin or Bethsaida, perhaps Jesus would not have had to reproach the unrepentant citizens. Perhaps because there was no Kateri to give them a model of loving humility and obedience Jesus needed to warn these arrogant and hard-hearted people in the most severe terms. He loves those who seek God, however. Kateri brought out good in those around her; witnesses at her death said that her final words were “Jesus, I love you.”

Action

Take an opportunity today to look at nature – the sky, a tree, a hawk or perhaps even a very busy ant. Use that moment to praise God for the gifts of life of good people such as Kateri who reminds us God’s love in our lives. Savor the humility of knowing that you are but one of God’s creatures and take heart that you are one of God’s chosen. To whom are you a model of loving service, humility and obedience?

Upon the Earth

July 13, 2009

Monday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Then a new king, who knew nothing of Joseph, came to power in Egypt. He said to his subjects, "Look how numerous and powerful the Israelite people are growing, more so than we ourselves! Come, let us deal shrewdly with them to stop their increase; otherwise, in time of war they too may join our enemies to fight against us, and so leave our country." Exodus 1:8-10

"Do not think that I have come to bring peace upon the earth. I have come to bring not peace but the sword.” Matthew 10:34

Piety

"Come, let us climb the LORD'S mountain, to the house of the God of Jacob, That he may instruct us in his ways, and we may walk in his paths." For from Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations, and impose terms on many peoples. They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; One nation shall not raise the sword against another, nor shall they train for war again. O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the LORD! Isaiah 2:3-5

Study

We can get into quite a fix if we try to interpret Jesus’ words literally. For example, we can read Matthew 5:29-30 and realize that Jesus did not want us cutting off our hands at some doc-in-the-box clinic. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one of your members than to have your whole body thrown into Gehenna. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one of your members than to have your whole body go into Gehenna.

Today is another prime example. People equate Jesus with being the “prince of peace.” That was his Pentecost greeting to the disciples in the locked upper room. So how do we make heads or tails out of today’s reading?

"Do not think that I have come to bring peace upon the earth. I have come to bring not peace but the sword.” Matthew 10:34

First, let’s view the statement in its full context, not by isolating it from the entire message Jesus delivered to us through Matthew.

For I have come to set a man 'against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and one's enemies will be those of his household.' "Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me. Matthew 10:35-38

The primary message is love – love of Christ. Nothing is to come ahead of that love. Not the love of a parent to a child. Not the love of a child to the parent. Nothing.

These words foretell the harsh treatment that will await the disciples when they truly follow Jesus. Old friends will go away. Even family members will betray them. The only truth is to pick up the cross of capital punishment and follow Jesus. Not just listen to him. But follow his example and path right up Calvary.

According to David Rensberger in his essay on the BUT WHAT ABOUT…? The “Hard Sayings” for Jesus About Nonviolence, “Household conflict, then, resulting from placing loyalty to Christ and to the God he represents above family loyalties, is one way in which Jesus' disciples encounter the cross and lose what is most precious to them, only to find it again more truly.”

So this passage is about where our loyalty is directed or should be directed. The same kind of loyalty the king of Egypt worries about with the children of Israel. He worries that they will outnumber the Egyptians and turn against them in times of war. So, he tries to suppress them with hard work and slavery.

We continue to learn that our Father behaves just the opposite of the Egyptian monarch. Rather than fear us, he gives us our freedom to pursue whatever we desire. And then he plants among us something we will all want to desire when we have a proper relationship to God and to His son.

These disciples, according to Rensberger, are not above their teacher. They should expect to experience the same rejection and punishment that Jesus feels. “The ‘sword’ that Jesus brings is not a sword for his followers to wield but one for them to suffer, as even family members reject them and their newfound commitment.”

He concludes: The fact that Jesus called his disciples to be peacemakers does not automatically guarantee that they will succeed. They are liable to be targets of hostility themselves. The peace that they seek to make may well be denied to them. But at no point does Jesus authorize them to take up arms in retaliation, least of all in carrying out the mission he has given them.

Instead, the vision of Isaiah 2:4 continues to prevail. They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; One nation shall not raise the sword against another, nor shall they train for war again.

Action

Today, as you consider the role of peace in the Bible, pray the Oblates of Saint Benedict prayer and think of a place upon the earth where you want peace to grow. Honduras, Haiti, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, your office, Congress, your family.

Help us to become people of prayer and peace. Though scattered far and wide, help us to be together in the spirit of your love. Give us hearts wide enough to embrace each other as well as those whose lives we touch. Enable us to listen and to learn from each other and those around us each day. May we be models in our homes, neighborhoods, and communities of wise stewardship, dignified human labor, sacred leisure, and reverence for all living things. Above all, O God, may our presence among others be a constant witness of justice, compassion, and hope to all. Amen.

He Chose Us in Him

July 12, 2009

Fifteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time

By Rev. Joseph McCloskey, S.J.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens, as he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and without blemish before him. In love he destined us for adoption to himself through Jesus Christ, in accord with the favor of his will, for the praise of the glory of his grace that he granted us in the beloved. Ephesians 1:3-6

He said to them, "Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave from there. Whatever place does not welcome you or listen to you, leave there and shake the dust off your feet in testimony against them." So they went off and preached repentance. Mark 6:10-12

Piety

In Christ we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing. We are chosen in Christ. Christ is the fullness of spirituality. All our goodness has its ultimate meaning in Christ. Our goodness captures the essence of what life is about. Christ is the fulfillment of the meaning of every gift we have. He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. In him we have our being. We are created in the image and the likeness of Christ and he gives us the fullness of self discovery when we find ourselves in him. We are chosen in Christ to be holy and without blemish. It is by Christ that we belong to the Father. It is our being in Christ that makes us brothers and sisters and heirs of heaven. Christ is the richness of our lives and it is in Christ that we find salvation. The plan of God for us sums up all things in Christ. Our very belief in Christ is sealed with the promised Holy Spirit. Thus we are God’s possession and our lives are able to give God glory. Before the foundation of the world we have been chosen in Christ to know the forever of God’s glory in our life in Christ.

Study

Our holiness grows in its connection with the life of Christ. We study the Sacraments of the Church to discover how we belong to Christ in how Christ shares his life with us in the Sacramental life of the Church. He gives us in the Sacraments as the hands on touch of the divine in our lives by how his humanness continues in us by each of the Sacraments. The humanness of the Risen Christ is our foothold in heaven. Christ by the Resurrection is in heaven. But He lives in us by our participation in the Sacramental life of the Church. Christ walks the earth in how we share the message of the love of God both through our example and our words. The Sacraments make this possible. The Church is the People of God. The people of God are the Mystical Body of Christ. All the ways we can embrace the fullness of Christ in our lives by the sacraments and the word of Christ in us are how God has blessed us and goes on blessing us in Christ.

Action

The paradox of Christianity is the simplicity of the fact that the only way we can hold unto Christ in our lives is by sharing him. We are all sent in our very Baptism and Confirmation to be the living word of Christ. We have the responsibility to take Christ whither we would go and to live Christ by our lives and our words. We live Christ by making our lives a daily sermon. We share Christ by bringing him into each contact with each other. Wherever there is love, God is there. Whoever receives us in the name of Christ, receives Christ as the one who sends us into life with his name. We can never be poor when we go out in the name of Christ because we are rich with Christ. Our lives can never be without meaning when we are willing to be Christ to each other. We need to come to realize that our spiritual journey makes it possible to live in Christ and to be able to say with Paul. “Now I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.” Our happiness will never end because the love of Christ is forever. God sums up all things in Christ. This is the hope that belongs to our call.

To Achieve His Present End

July 11, 2009

Memorial of Saint Benedict, abbot

But Joseph replied to them: "Have no fear. Can I take the place of God? Even though you meant harm to me, God meant it for good, to achieve his present end, the survival of many people. Therefore have no fear. I will provide for you and for your children." By thus speaking kindly to them, he reassured them. Genesis 50:19-21

"Therefore do not be afraid of them. Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known. What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light; what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna. Matthew 10:26-28

On this the feast day for the Benedictine order as well as for our Pope, our Tripod brings in some key passages from the prologue to the Rule of St. Benedict which also (I pray) help and inspire us to fulfill our spiritual journey of piety, study and action.

HAPPY ST BENEDICT'S DAY TO ALL!

Piety

Listen carefully to my instructions, and attend to them with the ear of your heart. This is advice from one who loves you; welcome it, and faithfully put it into practice. The labor of obedience will bring you back to one from whom you had drifted through the sloth of disobedience. This message of mine is for you, then, if you are ready to give up your own will, once and for all, and armed with the strong and noble weapons of obedience to do battle for Jesus, the Christ.

First of all, every time you begin a good work, you must pray to God most earnestly to bring it to perfection. In God's goodness, we are already counted as God's own, and therefore we should never grieve God by our evil actions. With the good gifts which are in us, we must obey God at all times that God may never become the angry parent who disinherits us, nor the dreaded one, enraged by our sins, who punishes us forever as worthless servants for refusing to follow the way to glory.

Study

Let us get up then, at long last, for the Scriptures rouse us when they say: "It is high time for us to arise from sleep (Rom. 13:11)." Let us open our eyes to the light that comes from God, and our ears to the voice from the heavens that every day calls out this charge: "If you hear God's voice today, do not harden your hearts (Ps. 95:8)." And again: "You that have ears to hear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches (Rev. 2:7)." And what does the Spirit say? "Come and listen to me; I will teach you the fear of God (Ps. 34:12)." "Run while you have the light" of life, "that the darkness" of death "may not overtake you (Jn. 12:35)."

Benedict, long before anyone thought of Cursillo, focused his students and companions on two core principles – “Ora” (prayer) and “Labora” (work). When the monks would break from work, at meals eaten in silence, one would read aloud. After Vigils (prayer at night) they would study scripture, the psalter and “explanations of scripture by reputable and orthodox writers.”

The traditional hospitality of the monks at Belmont was marked by, among other acts, always inviting the visitor to join them for meals when passing through or visiting the college. When you reach the dining room, rather than hearing the low hum of many table discussions over lunch or dinner, the room was united in holy silence while another monk read aloud from a selected book.

Further on in the Prologue, Benedict echoes the reassurance of the readings from Genesis and Matthew to us today. He does not want us to shy away from his road to salvation. The road is not one to be explored by wandering but through a disciplined yet flexible program of prayer, work and study -- the precursor and model to our Cursillo school of leaders.

We intend to establish a school for God's service. In drawing up its regulations, we hope to set down nothing harsh, nothing burdensome. The good of all concerned, however, may prompt us to a little strictness in order to amend faults and to safeguard love. Do not be daunted immediately by fear and run away from the road that leads to salvation. It is bound to be narrow at the outset. But as we progress in this way of life and in faith, we shall run on the path of God's commandments, our hearts overflowing with the inexpressible delight of love. Never swerving from God's instructions, then, but faithfully observing God's teaching in the monastery until death, we shall through patience share in the sufferings of Christ that we may deserve also to share in God’s eternal presence. Amen.

Action

If we wish to dwell in God's tent, we will never arrive unless we run there by doing good deeds. But let us ask with the prophet: "Who will dwell in your tent, O God; who will find rest upon your holy mountain (Ps. 15:1)?" After this question, then, let us listen well to what God says in reply, for we are shown the way to God's tent. "Those who walk without blemish and are just in all dealings; who speak truth from the heart and have not practiced deceit; who have not wronged another in any way, nor listened to slanders against a neighbor (Ps. 15:2-3)."

Doing “good works” for others in the monastery and in the community also is central to the Benedictine life.

In Chapter 4 of the rule, Benedict continues to outline the tools for good works which differ from those we pursue every day:

Your way of acting should be different from the world's way; the love of Christ must come before all else. You are not to act in anger or nurse a grudge. Rid your heart of all deceit. Never give a hollow greeting of peace or turn away when someone needs your love. Bind yourself to no oath lest it prove false, but speak the truth with heart and tongue. "Do not repay one bad turn with another (1 Thes. 5:15; 1 Pt. 3:9)." Do not injure anyone, but bear injuries patiently. "Love your enemies (Mt. 5:44; Lk. 6:27)." If people curse you, do not curse them back but bless them instead. "Endure persecution for the sake of justice (Mt. 5:10)."

Maybe the National Cursillo office should add St. Benedict as another patron saint of Cursillo. As an added advantage, all of our friends who were not able to meet the high standards for entrance at Benedictine colleges like Belmont Abbey and instead had to attend such other minor universities such as those founded by the Jesuits or the Holy Cross fathers in some desolate, cold cornfield (you know who you are Ken, Mike, Sam, et. al) may now enjoy the benefits of the Benedictines beyond the brandy.

The Spirit of Your Father Speaking through You

July 10, 2009

Friday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time

By Melanie Rigney

... God, speaking to Israel in a vision by night, called, “Jacob! Jacob!” He answered, “Here I am.” Then he said: “I am God, the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for there I will make you a great nation. Not only will I go down to Egypt with you; I will also bring you back here, after Joseph has closed your eyes.” (Genesis 46:2-4)

The Lord watches over the days of the blameless; their heritage lasts forever. They will not be disgraced when times are hard; in days of famine they will have plenty. (Psalms 37:18-19)

Jesus said to his Apostles: “Behold, I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves. But beware of men, for they will hand you over to courts and scourge you in their synagogues, and you will be led before governors and kings for my sake as a witness before them and the pagans. When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say. You will be given at that moment what you are to say. For it will not be you who speak but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.” (Matthew 10:16-20)

Piety

Lord, speak through me when I encounter the pharaohs, wolves, governors, and kings in my life. Let me get out of the way so You can change their lives.

Study

Some people don’t want to listen to God. They blame Him for their problems, they find it difficult to accept His presence, they wonder how there can be a God when bad things happen to good people.

They also don’t want to listen to other people talk about God and their faith and their passion for belief. They find such conversations boring, tiresome, and unbelievable. They don’t recognize the fire. And that’s the problem when we lecture our friends, neighbors, and relatives about the importance of having a stronger relationship with God. We plan out and worry over what to say and how to say it, as if it’s our own message we’re carrying rather than letting the Spirit take over.

In today’s first reading, Jacob has resolved to take all he has to see his beloved son Joseph before Jacob dies. Don’t worry, God tells him; it’s going to be all right. I’ll go with you.

Jesus tells the Apostles the same thing in the Gospel reading: Don’t worry about what to say when you’re handed over to the nonbelievers; it’s going to be all right. God will give you the words. His Spirit will be with you.

I spent decades avoiding people who talked about God and going to church and praise Jesus. When I finally did listen, it was because God manifested Himself in people who talked instead about their own struggles and how God was with them through the loss of family members, health issues, career crises, and other challenges.

Micromanagement isn’t a good idea in your family, your parish, your workplace, or your ministry. Don’t question why you are sent to nonbelievers; like Jacob, say, “Here I am” with the confidence you’ll have the help you need.

Action

Someone you think doesn’t have a relationship with Christ is trying to find one. Be open to sharing your story, unvarnished, with him or her.

Without Cost You Are To Give

July 9, 2009

Thursday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Saint Augustine Zhao Rong, priest and martyr, and his companions, martyrs

"Come closer to me," he told his brothers. When they had done so, he said: "I am your brother Joseph, whom you once sold into Egypt. But now do not be distressed, and do not reproach yourselves for having sold me here. It was really for the sake of saving lives that God sent me here ahead of you.” Genesis 45:1-5

As you go, make this proclamation: 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.' Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons. Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give. Matthew 10:7-8

Piety

Dear Lord, can the kingdom of heaven really be at hand? Are we that close to the utopian, everlasting life you promise when we “follow” you? Maybe I have it pretty good in this life and world but so many others do not. This is a time of uncertainty just like it was when Mary and Joseph trekked to Bethlehem for the census. Give us this day our daily bread. Forgive our selfishness. Lead us not into sin and keep us from the reaches of those who would blind us to the needs of the poor. Amen.

Study

The model of servant-leader that Jesus portrayed is so embedded into today’s Bible stories that it is hard to disconnect Joseph’s benevolence from that of the Messiah who came after him – the Messiah providing food and drink for everlasting life. The fact that unselfish charity in the face of cruelty is the model upon which Jesus wants us to base our lives also comes through loud and clear in the commissioning of the disciples in Matthew 10. Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.

These scriptures come to us in a new light – the light of Charity in Truth, the fourth encyclical of Pope Benedict XVI. In this new document, Benedict weaves a consistent ethic of economic life along side a consistent ethic of social life. The sacramental ethics of life are firmly rooted in the sacred scripture and in the foundation of Catholic Social Teaching. Caritas in Veritas adds another stone to the rocks of the Church laid by Pope Paul VI with Populorum Progressio and John Paul II with Sollicitudo rei socialis. This tradition continues to apply the teachings of the church to our present moment – a tradition reaching back to the economic encyclical Rerum Novarum by Leo XIII on Capital and Labor from May 1891.

These Holy Fathers and the late John Cardinal Bernardin might be smiling as they read this document in light of the historical continuity and unity of message preached and imperfectly practiced over these centuries. However, neither they nor we should be smiling at the persistently inequitable economic conditions that persist and expand in our world today marked especially by the ever-widening divides between the rich and the middle and the middle and the poor.

The new encyclical is Pope Benedict’s latest wake-up call to us…a wake up call no less urgent than the one felt by Joseph when he reached the epiphany that his slavery paved the way for him to be in a place and moment in which he could save his family from hunger. As John Paul II noted, “time maintains a constant and unchanging rhythm. Today however we have the impression that it is passing ever more quickly, especially by reason of the multiplication and complexity of the phenomena in the midst of which we live.” Such an observation is every more important in today’s situation where not only do millions of people live on $2 per day or less, eat dirt paste made into cookies in the hot tropical sun, and lack basic food, water, clothing and medicine while even the criminals in our society have their needs met more adequately than free people find in the developing world.

We need another Joseph to come into the world and lead us by example so we can be inspired to greatness to alleviate the suffering of our extended families. Rather than focusing on the death and life of another celebrity, maybe we need to plant our feet firmly on the ground so we see the needs surrounding us as we reach for the heavens to alleviate that suffering rather than leaving flowers at the gates of Buckingham Palace, Neverland, or wherever the next instant memorial will be erected by adoring fans.

Action

We can not count on the forces of the world to do good in and of themselves. That is why Pope Benedict reminds us, “The sharing of goods and resources, from which authentic development proceeds, is not guaranteed by merely technical progress and relationships of utility, but by the potential of love that overcomes evil with good (cf. Rom 12:21), opening up the path towards reciprocity of consciences and liberties.”

This is the trail that Joseph blazed in Genesis. This is the path that the disciples followed when commissioned to go out into the world. This is the direction in which we are invited, urged and commanded to follow if we are truly followers of Jesus.

What are we to do in our jobs in light of massive unemployment? What are we to do with our savings in light of scarce resources elsewhere? What are we to do about the dream of retirement when so many in the world will never retire until they rest in God?

Pope Benedict tries hard to wake us up. Unfortunately, there are no easy answers to these moral and ethical quandaries that we balance when we accept the invitation from Jesus to “Follow me.”