God Makes the Sun Rise on Us All

June 14, 2011

Tuesday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time

By Beth De Cristofaro

(Jesus Said) But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust. (Matthew 5:44-45)

Piety

(The Lord) Who keeps faith forever,
secures justice for the oppressed,
gives food to the hungry.
The LORD sets captives free.

The LORD gives sight to the blind.
The LORD raises up those who were bowed down;
the LORD loves the just.
The LORD protects strangers. (Psalm 146:6-7, 8-9)

Study

A political saying goes “When my neighbor loses a job, it’s a recession. When I lose my job it’s a depression.” For God, when either my neighbor or I lose a job, lose a loved one, lose hope, God is right there “keeping faith forever.” I must say, it is sometimes hard to imagine this as I read the papers or hear a story and think: there for the grace of God go I. Or isn’t that to bad…wonder what I should wear to work tomorrow in this oppressive heat.

When I think about it, it gives me great pause to realize that God doesn’t put me on the back burner even though in my humanness that is often where I put others. Even our prayers often reflect this: we pray for our country every day in many parishes including mine but we do not necessarily pray for the countries which are experiencing deadly conflicts, debilitating living conditions and drought or famine. How often do we pray for the prostitute? The pimp? The suicide bomber? The abusive or neglectful spouse? Our minds just can’t process all the hurt, despair, cruelty and our hearts become too pierced or too defended. And, they are not me. But God’s heart does not close to anyone as the psalmist says.

God does count on me to open my heart as much as I am able so that the bowed down, the captive, the stranger might experience here and now a little of what God’s heart offers. I pray that my heart may be every day open a little more.

Action

Sometimes it feels like such an imposition to be asked for help – or to see a situation which might be made better if I intervene. Paul commended the church in Corinth when: they gave themselves first to the Lord and to us through the will of God, (2 Corinthians 8:5). Look for an opportunity to engage someone different than you and look for the presence of God within her/him. Rejoice in praying for her/him and yourself and the gifts of God you both enjoy.

Offer No Resistance

June 13, 2011

Memorial of St. Anthony of Padua

We are treated as deceivers and yet are truthful; as unrecognized and yet acknowledged; as dying and behold we live; as chastised and yet not put to death; as sorrowful yet always rejoicing; as poor yet enriching many; as having nothing and yet possessing all things. 2 Corinthians 6:8b-10

But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil. When someone strikes you on (your) right cheek, turn the other one to him as well. If anyone wants to go to law with you over your tunic, hand him your cloak as well. Matthew 5:39-40

Piety

O Holy St. Anthony, gentlest of Saints, your love for God and Charity for His creatures, made you worthy, when on earth, to possess miraculous powers. Encouraged by this thought, I implore you to obtain for me what I have lost. O gentle and loving St. Anthony, whose heart was ever full of human sympathy, whisper my petition into the ears of the sweet Infant Jesus, who loved to be folded in your arms; and the gratitude of my heart will ever be yours. Amen.

Study

What is the Christian experience? Today's first reading and Gospel hint that the experience will be the diametrical OPPOSITE of success in the world.

In Corinthians, St. Paul presents to us a series of seven negative external expressions which are counterbalanced with positive inner reality. The notes to the New American Bible point out that "Paul perceives his existence as a reflection of Jesus' own and affirms an inner reversal that escapes outward observation."

The Gospel from Matthew expands upon this theme and asks us to react with love to injustice that we may personally face in the world. Our temptation is for revenge. Our demand is for justice. Yet Jesus says we must imitate his model and forgive those who do harm to us…behavior that the external world will not understand.

Action

Often we turn to St. Anthony for intercession when we lose something of value. Growing up, we prayed to St. Anthony when we lost a book, a ring, or some physical possession.

However, take this one step further. When have you felt lost? When has your pursuit of piety or study or action slacked off -- or worse was interrupted by an overwhelming desire for control or other worldly pursuits and temptations. During these times as well to turn to St. Anthony to find you and get you back on track.

Read the story of Blessed Franz Jägerstätter, layman and martyr on the Vatican web site. (http://www.vatican.va/news_services/liturgy/saints/ns_lit_doc_20071026_jagerstatter_en.html). He refused to go into the German army and was executed. As the biography tells us, "Franz Jägerstätter, who would not bow his head to Hitler, bowed his head to God, and the guillotine took care of the rest. He was obviously called up to serve a higher order."

He provides a perfect example of someone offered no resistance to the forces of evil. He is one who was in a perfect union with God and refused to be swayed by the political and military forces in his country.

I Send You

June 12, 2011

Pentecost Sunday Mass During the Day A

By Rev. Joe McCloskey, S.J.

When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled, they were all in one place together. And suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were. Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them. And they were all filled with the holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim. Acts 2:1-4

As a body is one though it has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body, so also Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free persons, and we were all given to drink of one Spirit. 1 Corinthians 12:12-13

The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. (Jesus) said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you." And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained." John 20:20b-23

Piety

For every need of the Church there is a new coming of the Spirit. When our hearts open up to the need of the other, we are touched by a coming of the Spirit. The Spirit is alive in us when we are able to recognize Christ in each other. The first time I said to another that the Christ of my heart recognizes the Christ of your heart, the Spirit was alive in my heart. When we know love for one another, it is the work of the Spirit we are witnessing to as we take the deeper look at another. We are all gifted by the Holy Spirit when we understand how the mystery of Christ makes sense in our own lives. The good that we do for another is done for Christ who identifies with all the needs that surround us in the ravaged spirit of the Lord that is the suffering of all our brothers and sisters. The sevenfold gift of the Spirit touches our minds as Wisdom, Knowledge Counsel and Understanding: it touches our heart with Piety, Fortitude and the Fear of the Lord. The gifts of the Spirit are ours for the taking.

Study

The Gospel of John tells us that Jesus breathed on the disciples and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit, whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.” Christ gave to the Apostles the power of his love. The Acts of the Apostles describe how the entire house shook. The disciples went out from the locked doors to proclaim the mighty acts of God. We study how to speak for the Lord. The excitement of our hearts passes over our entire demeanor and people hear more than merely our words. The presence of the Spirit in our lives gives power to the sermon we preach with our lives. The words are just now and then. Our lives are the every day of the sermon we have to come to be by the love we share with each other.

Action

We need to say a thousand different ways that “Jesus is lord.” We can only say that with the conviction of our hearts by the WORKING of the Holy Spirit on us. Christianity never has to be a boring Religion if we give sway to the Spirit of the Lord. Christ is willing to be all of us. He came to us by our Baptism. But he lives in us by the actions of the Spirit in the love we have for one another. Pentecost needs to be every day of our lives. All the different forms of service come from the same Lord. The different workings of the Spirit in each of us are given to each of us as manifestations of the Spirit. All the actions of the many of us are the outflow of the same Spirit at work in each of us. We have all been given to drink of the one Spirit. Together we make the one Body of Christ, the Mystical Body of his Church. Pentecost is the richness of the life of the Spirit spelt out in each of us. LIVE PENTECOST!

You Follow Me

June 11, 2011

Mass in the Morning
Memorial of Saint Barnabas, Apostle

When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, "Lord, what about him?" Jesus said to him, "What if I want him to remain until I come? What concern is it of yours? You follow me." John 21:21-22

Piety

Father, so often we compare ourselves to others -- what they have equals what we want. Your Son reminds us that the only measure of our life is in faith and service. Help us to let go of our propensity to keep up with the Joneses so that we might be better able to concentrate on following you and serving others. Amen.

Study

John's Gospel ends with five commandments to Peter.

Feed my lambs.

Tend my sheep.

Feed my sheep.

Follow me.

You follow me.

These variations on the two greatest commandments are at the core of the Christian experience. John's emphasis on these underscore their importance at the close of his great Gospel. This book opens with the narrative summary:

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. What came to be through him was life, and this life was the light of the human race; the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. (John 1:1-5)

In the end, are these departing words to guide us. These commands are the ways that we will find life, overcome darkness, and continue to shine for the human race.

Action

Today's Gospel reminds us not to measure ourselves by what others do but only by our own personal fidelity to the Gospel commandments to love God and love our neighbor.

Life gives us daily opportunities to help others near to us and far away. We must stop worrying about our portfolio value as the market continues dropping for the sixth straight week. Instead, place yourself in the Midwest and Southeast where violent weather and spring floods continue to disrupt lives and uproot families rich and poor. Or imagine being in Arizona where one of the worst wildfires in history is destroying property and lives.

The water levels continue to rise in places like Iowa and Missouri. Consider ways that you can pitch in to help the flood, tornado and fire victims through your charitable giving and volunteer work. This CNN story (http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/04/28/how.to.help/index.html) tells you some of the organizations you can support.

Pray that those who are in the path of these rising waters and searing flames and tornadoes are brought to safe places.

Do You Love Me?

June 10, 2011

Friday of the Seventh Week of Easter

By Melanie Rigney

(Festus referred Paul’s case to King Agrippa, explaining it was confusing because Paul’s accusers) “did not charge him with any of the crimes I suspected. Instead they had some issues with him about their own religion and about a certain Jesus who had died but who Paul claimed was alive.” (Acts 25:18-19)

Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all my being bless his holy name. (Psalms 103:1-2)

(Jesus) then said to Simon Peter a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Simon Peter answered him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” (John 21:16)

Piety

Lord, I do love You—when it’s convenient, anyway. Hold my hand and light my path that I might carry Your name into the places that are harder and more unfriendly, in the world and in my heart and soul.

Study

Why did the risen Christ ask Peter this question three times, “Do you love me?”

Was it because Peter had denied him three times?

Was it because the writer of this gospel understood the power of repetition?

Was it because three is such a significant number in many faith traditions (Christians’ Holy Trinity and the three wise men; the three sections of the Jewish bible; the Three Jewels of Buddhism; the Hindu Trimurti; the three holy cities of Islam)?

Or maybe Jesus just wanted to make sure Peter understood what he was signing on to do as the leader of the Church after Jesus’s Ascension. Later in today’s reading, Jesus forecasts Peter’s violent death, saying Peter would stretch out his hands, be dressed by someone else, and led “where you do not want to go.” (Tradition says he was crucified upside down.) Yet the post-Resurrection Peter is a different man; he doesn’t run away at Jesus’s words, or ask questions about this somber prediction. Satisfied, Jesus says, “Follow me.” And, after a bit of a dustup between Jesus and Peter over John, this Book of the Gospel ends.

Loving Jesus sounds so easy. He’s a good guy who talks a lot about love and being our friend. The tricky part is he desires us to be more than his friend; we’re to be the friends of people who don’t like him or us, people who want to take us places we do not want to go, whether that’s a stretch of time, talent, treasure, trust, you name it. Because when we are Christlike to the poor, the suffering, and the misguided, we reflect his love.

Do you love him?

Action

What is your answer when Jesus asks if you love him? Are you doing all you can to feed his sheep?

Kept in God's Name

June 8, 2011

Wednesday of the Seventh Week of Easter

By Colleen O'Sullivan

At Miletus, Paul spoke to the presbyters of the Church of Ephesus: “Keep watch over yourselves and over the whole flock of which the Holy Spirit has appointed you overseers, in which you tend the Church of God that he acquired with his own Blood. I know that after my departure savage wolves will come among you, and they will not spare the flock. And from your own group, men will come forward perverting the truth to draw the disciples away after them. So be vigilant and remember that for three years, night and day, I unceasingly admonished each of you with tears. And now I commend you to God and to that gracious word of his that can build you up and give you the inheritance among all who are consecrated… When he had finished speaking he knelt down and prayed with them all. They were all weeping loudly as they threw their arms around Paul and kissed him, for they were deeply distressed that he had said that they would never see his face again.” (Acts 20:28-32, 36-38a)

“Holy Father, keep them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one just as we are one. When I was with them I protected them in your name that you gave me, and I guarded them, and none of them was lost except the son of destruction, in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled. But now I am coming to you. I speak this in the world so that they may share my joy completely. I gave them your word, and the world hated them, because they do not belong to the world any more than I belong to the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world but that you keep them from the Evil One.” (John 17:11b-15)

Piety

In your deepest hour of darkness
I will give you wealth untold.
When the silence stills your spirit,
will my riches fill your soul.

(Verse 4, “Holy Darkness,” by Dan Schutte)

Study

Some people thrive on change and are energized by it; I, on the other hand, despise it. I like things to stay the same. I don’t like farewells or goodbyes. I have trouble envisioning futures filled with new possibilities. Yet changes and goodbyes are part and parcel of our lives.

In today’s first reading, Paul is on his way to Jerusalem, when he decides to stop in Miletus and meet with the leaders from the church in Ephesus. This is goodbye. In his heart, he doesn’t believe he’ll ever see them again. Hardships and imprisonment are what he’s expecting to encounter in the holy city. He’s concerned for his friends and for the young church in Ephesus, because he loves them and has spent three years with them. Paul warns them that the future is fraught with danger to the church both from without and from within. Their weeping is evidence that this is a difficult leave-taking for all.

Jesus, too, in today’s Gospel reading, is saying farewell. He truly loves his ragtag group of disciples, however thick-headed or unfaithful they may sometimes be. He has given God’s word to the disciples and now the world will despise them, because they’ve turned their backs on the priorities and values of the world. Jesus has guarded them over the three years of their time together, but now he is going to his Father. How difficult it is to say goodbye to these cherished friends.

The word of hope in both of today’s readings is found in the prayers for those being left behind. Paul commends the Ephesians to God and to “that gracious word of his that can build you up.” Jesus prays to his Father to keep the disciples “in your name… so that they may be one just as we are one... (K)eep them safe from the Evil One.”

Action
Over the course of a lifetime, we will say farewell many times and in many situations, sometimes with great sorrow. I find it comforting to read Jesus’ farewell discourses to his disciples in John 14-17. Our Lord knows from experience how difficult it can be to say goodbye, to let go and move on. He doesn’t leave us on our own, but sends his Holy Spirit to comfort and guide us. If you are struggling with saying goodbye to someone or something, as you are praying today, share that and open your heart to the healing touch of God’s loving Spirit.

Glorify God in All You Do

June 7, 2011

Tuesday of the Seventh Week of Easter

By Beth De Cristofaro

From Miletus Paul had the presbyters of the Church at Ephesus summoned. When they came to him, he addressed them, “You know how I lived among you the whole time from the day I first came to the province of Asia. I served the Lord with all humility and with the tears and trials … I earnestly bore witness for both Jews and Greeks to repentance before God and to faith in our Lord Jesus. But now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem. … Yet I consider life of no importance to me, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to bear witness to the Gospel of God’s grace. (Acts 20: 18-19, 22, 24)

Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come. … I glorified you on earth by accomplishing the work that you gave me to do. Now glorify me, Father, with you, with the glory that I had with you before the world began. “I revealed your name to those whom you gave me out of the world. They belonged to you, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. (John 17: 1, 4-6)

Piety

Almighty God, thank Thee for the job of this day.
May we find gladness in all its toil and difficulty,
its pleasure and success,
and even in its failure and sorrow.
We would look always away from ourselves,
and behold the glory and the need of the world
that we may have the will and the strength to bring
the gift of gladness to others;
that with them we stand to bear
the burden and heat of the day
and offer Thee the praise of work well done. Amen

(Bishop Charles Lewis Slattery - early 20th century)

Study

http://www.usccb.org/nab/060711.shtml

On Sunday we heard Jesus’ send his followers off with the instruction to Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations and promise them I am with you always, until the end of the age. Today, Jesus speaks of the source of both his command and his assurance. He knows that his followers “belonged to God” and Jesus, himself, faithfully accomplished his Father’s work. As brothers and sisters, we not only belong to God but are called upon to accomplish God’s work just as Jesus was called, just as Paul was called.

The Ascension is a time of good-bye for the disciples. In our own lives we experience many good-byes and, of course, some are more difficult than others. I remember the fear and trepidation with which I faced my year abroad in college even as I was excited to be taking on such a grand, grown-up adventure. The evening of my flight to France, my dad gave me half of a valium because I was so nervous. In many ways, although I did not expect it, that year which was both very difficult and very wonderful, was a year during which I experienced the presence of God in a new and sustaining way. At a time when I was most fearful and alone, I indeed found that God was with me and I began a more intentional walk with Jesus that has continued through my life. God’s gifts of presence, grace and faith broke through for me and it sounds as if Paul was convicted that they would break through for him despite the persecution he knew he would face.

Action

Consider a time in your life when in spite of good-byes, you found new life in Christ. Give thanks as does the Apostle Paul. Acknowledge how your life (work) is or is not glorifying God. Is there room for adjustment?

I Am With You Always

June 5. 2011

Solemnity of the Ascension - A

By Rev. Joe McCloskey, S.J.

When they had gathered together they asked him, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?" He answered them, "It is not for you to know the times or seasons that the Father has established by his own authority. But you will receive power when the holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." Acts 1:6-8

[D]o not cease giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation resulting in knowledge of him. May the eyes of (your) hearts be enlightened, that you may know what is the hope that belongs to his call, what are the riches of glory in his inheritance among the holy ones. Ephesians 1:16-18

Then Jesus approached and said to them, "All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age." Matthew 28:18-20

Piety

Our lives have many goodbyes. We live out our goodbyes with mixed emotions. They go from gratitude that an unwanted visitor is leaving to sadness that we are going to be without a good friend. All too often we do not know what we will be feeling until it is too late to do something about it. Grieving is all the unexpressed love we did not have the chance to express with those we love who were taken away from us suddenly by death or moving away. Love goes toward oneness with the beloved. Separation from a loved one is a terrible gap to live with when our whole lives are built around the one who has left. Presents are often given to bridge the gap of separation. They allow us to think about the one we care about. Some presents are special in their utility. A watch tells time and it is a useful object that can make the giver of the gift frequently present to our thoughts each time we check the time.

Study

We study the going of Christ for many different reasons. We learn that the disciples are a lot like us. They were locked in place until the angels told them to get going. The “why stand you here idle” is a question always asked. When a friend leaves, how do we remember the friend? The best way is doing the work left behind. What does Christ’s going ask of us. We study the good news of Christ to appreciate what we have to offer to our people. Christ has prayed for us. He sees us as given to him by the Father. He gives us back to the Father. We are protected in what we do by our belonging to Christ. If we are given the chance to suffer like Christ who was not guilty of any sin we can rejoice rather than feel sorry for ourselves because we will be like Christ. Christ is the ultimate meaning of our life. Created in his image we have fulfillment of our destiny in all the ways we are more and more like him.

Action

Every going in our lives can be a reliving of the going of Christ. His going initiates the beginning of our work to spread the good news that Christ lives on in each of us. We give a special meaning to the Ascension of Christ in the ways we make our lives into an expression of what he has given us of himself. We can make each moment a reliving of his going as we give all of ourselves to what we are doing. Christ lives in the love we share. He is the recipient of whatever need of another we meet because Christ identifies with the hungry, the thirsty, the naked, the sick and the imprisoned. Christ goes so that he might be present in each of us in what we do for one another. Together we are the mystical body of Christ. The suffering of Christ we minister to in the good we do for one another. The Ascension is not a goodbye. It is the hello to the Nativity of everlasting life. It is a passing of the baton for us to finish his race. Christ in his humanness had to go so that we could be his humanness to our world.

From God

June 4, 2011

Saturday of the Sixth Week of Easter

"For the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have come to believe that I came from God. I came from the Father and have come into the world. Now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father." John 16:27-28

Piety

Father, help us to a greater understanding and realization of the union you have with us, a union that was repaired through the sacrifice of your Son Jesus and a union that propels us to stay close to you and each other through our piety, study and action.

Study

Early in John's Gospel, we learned that God so loved the world, that He sent his only Son to save it. The central fact of redemption is love and sacrifice. As Jesus prepares his disciples for his torture, death, execution and ultimately life beyond his physical presence in the world, God's love is the central point that he wants them to remember.

In today's encounter, Jesus moves away from talking in parables and figures of speech and talks plainly about what will happen and why. However, his tone and the words he chose to speak communicate the serious nature of his message. Now, for the first time, the disciples seem to realize the connection between Jesus and the Father. The total experience of hearing Jesus, witnessing the signs Jesus has performed in their midst, and getting to know Jesus as a friend have led the disciples to this "epiphany."

From this point, the last thing Jesus does with the disciples before heading out on the final steps that will lead to the cross is pray to the Father as intercessor for the disciples. His prayer and his life were offered up in order to restore our union with the Father...a union based upon the love that created us and that saved us from our own sins.

Action

When did you have an eye- and mind-opening realization about your relationship with Jesus? Was it on your Cursillo weekend? Does it happen whenever you have a close moment with the Lord through others in the world?

The Easter experience that we relive at every celebration of the Mass reminds us of this united love. each celebration ends with the command to carry this love union into our relations in the world just as the Father did when he sent his Son to restore that union.

How are you carrying the Easter spirit into the world through your actions?

There is an interesting story about union with the Father. Twin brothers who were members of the Franciscan order for 65 years, died on the same day last week. They served the world at St. Bonaventure University for more than 35 years and left the world on the same day. (http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/twin-friars-92-die-within-hours-of-each-other-in-fla-spent-35-years-at-catholic-university/2011/06/03/AGsgw2HH_story.html?hpid=z9

As we contemplate how we can be in a more perfect union with the Lord, may the lives, service and sacrifice of these twin servants Julian and Adrian Riester inspire us in our piety, study and action.

No One Will Take Your Joy Away From You

June 3, 2011

Memorial of St. Charles Lwanga and his companions, martyrs

By Melanie Rigney

…(W)hen Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews rose up together against Paul and brought him to the tribunal, saying, “This man is inducing people to worship God contrary to the law.” When Paul was about to reply, Gallio spoke to the Jews, “If it were a matter of some crime or malicious fraud, I should with reason hear the complaint of you Jews; but since it is a question of arguments over doctrine and titles and your own law, see to it yourselves. I do not wish to be a judge of such matters.” And he drove them away from the tribunal. (Acts 18:12-16)

God is king of all the earth. (Psalms 47:8)

Jesus said to his disciples: “Amen, amen, I say to you, you will weep and mourn, while the world rejoices; you will grieve, but your grief will become joy. When a woman is in labor, she is in anguish because her hour has arrived; but when she has given birth to a child, she no longer remembers the pain because of her joy that a child has been born into the world. So you also are now in anguish. But I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you. On that day you will not question me about anything. Amen, amen, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you.” (John 16:20-23)

Piety

Lord, I humbly ask for the courage and strength to do your work amid the obstacles in my life.

Study

Charles Lwanga was only in his twenties when he and 21 other Catholics were burned alive on June 3, 1886 in Namugongo, Uganda. Charles’ main offenses appear to have been practicing his faith and protecting other pages from the unwanted advances of King Mwanga II.

According to the narrative posted at the Ugandan Martyr Shrine Web site, Charles arranged his own pyre and, after his feet and legs were burned away to the bone, told his tormentor: “You are burning me, but it is as if you were pouring water over my body. I am dying for God’s religion.”

On October 18, 1964, Pope Paul VI proclaimed the 22 as saints, the first from Central Africa. “Life passes away, but faith lives on,” he said. “Violence is pitted against valor—and violence in prevailing is vanquished, while valor triumphs in defeat.”

We may not be called upon to suffer in the way Charles Lwanga and the others did, but we all pay a price for following Christ. We miss out on some of the momentary pleasures of life. We suffer rejection or isolation or mockery. But in today’s Gospel reading, Jesus tells us that that anguish will end when we see Him… and God will provide what we ask for in Christ’s name. In the martyrs’ case, they were provided with the fortitude to face a gruesome death. For some of us, it’s confidence or temperance or patience. We may not always get what we think we need in this life, but as Paul VI said in canonizing the Ugandan saints, “faith lives on.”

Action

Catholic Relief Services (http://crs.org/uganda/index.cfm) has been active in Uganda since the year after Charles Lwanga and the others were proclaimed as saints. Consider making a gift to assist CRS in its work there.

While The World Rejoices You Will Grieve

Thursday of the Sixth Week of Easter June 2, 2011

So he left there and went to a house belonging to a man named Titus Justus, a worshiper of God; his house was next to a synagogue. Crispus, the synagogue official, came to believe in the Lord along with his entire household, and many of the Corinthians who heard believed and were baptized. Acts 18:7-8

Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him, so he said to them, "Are you discussing with one another what I said, 'A little while and you will not see me, and again a little while and you will see me'? Amen, amen, I say to you, you will weep and mourn, while the world rejoices; you will grieve, but your grief will become joy. John 16:19-20

Piety

Jesus, thank you for the promise in this scripture. Help us not to be consumed by our earthly circumstances. Instead, Lord, help us to see them for what they are: “a little while.” Though we may be going through hard times on this planet, if we just keep our eyes fixed on you, Jesus, and ask for your help, and that you will be glorified in the situation, you will use it for good! We can choose to sit around and ask, “Why do bad things happen to me?” or we can sit back and trust that you, the Master of the entire Universe, have it under control. (http://www.givenlife.com/prayer/2011/04/grief-turns-to-joy/)

Study

The contrast between the perfect knowledge of Jesus and the puzzled disciples shines forth today. Jesus spoke in what appeared to be riddles and His followers had trouble fully understanding what he meant. Along the way, this led to them making many missteps as the disciples tried to plot a path for the church in the ancient world.

As Peter, Paul and the rest of the disciples carried the Word into the world, they sometimes did so through trial and error. Sometimes, they were in the wrong place and people were not affected or changed by their preaching. In those instances, they moved on to find more fertile soil upon which to plant the seeds of the new church. In today’s case, when the Jews in Corinth did not heed the Word, Paul turned to preach to the Gentiles there and many were converted.

By what standard do we judge their work? Clearly this method was not very efficient or effective. That is not the standard with Christianity. Throughout this Easter season, we encounter many instances where the standards of success in the world are different from the standards of success as preached by Jesus. Nowhere in the Bible are we called to efficiency or effectiveness. We are called to be authentic friends of Jesus while on our mission of discipleship.

Action

What worldly concern troubles you this week? How can you let go of that so you can focus on your walk with Jesus in the world?

Led by the Spirit

June 1, 2011

Memorial of Saint Justin, Martyr

By Colleen O’Sullivan

Jesus said to his disciples: “I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now. But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth. He will not speak on his own, but he will speak what he hears, and will declare to you the things that are coming. He will glorify me, because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you. Everything that the Father has is mine; for this reason I told you that he will take from what is mine and declare it to you.” (John 16:12-15)

Piety

Day by day

Day by day

Oh dear Lord

Three things I pray

To see thee more clearly

Love thee more dearly

Follow thee more nearly

Day by day

(from “Day by Day,” Godspell)

Study

Three years traveling the countryside with Jesus, and what do his disciples truly understand about his mission and ministry? Not nearly enough. Jesus has told them more than once how his life on earth will end, but now that it’s actually time to say goodbye, he sees that they are frightened and a bit overwhelmed. There is so much more he would like to tell them, but they are not in a frame of mind that would allow them to take in more. Once again, he reminds them that when he is gone, he will send the Spirit of Truth to guide them in continuing the work he has begun.

Just as it was for Jesus’ first followers, discipleship is a process for us as well. We have the Scriptures, we have the tradition and teachings of the Church, but we, too, need to be guided by the Holy Spirit to discover anew each day what shape discipleship will take for us individually. Where is our journey with the Lord taking us today? Open to the working of the Spirit in us, we continually gain new insights into our faith, we deepen our relationship with the Lord, and we are empowered to go forth in Jesus’ name to proclaim the Word and show Christ’s love to our brothers and sisters.

Discipleship is seldom ever a straight line process. When I look back over my life, there have been times of intense spiritual growth and there have been periods of “maintaining the spiritual status quo,” so to speak. Throughout the Easter season, “America” magazine has offered a video series on the symbols of the season. In the most recent one, “In the Wind,” Francis Hezel, S.J., talks about the working of the Spirit. He says that the Spirit is like the wind in our lives – sometimes nothing more than a gentle breeze, other times coming out of nowhere in sharp gusts, and even once in a while hitting us with the force of a hurricane. (You can view the video at http://www.americamagazine.org/content/video/video-index.cfm?series_id=1253. Scroll down to the last video.)

Action
When you have a few quiet moments, reflect on your spiritual journey. Can you see where the Holy Spirit has been at work? Very definitely the Spirit transformed the lives of those frightened, troubled followers Jesus was facing in today’s Gospel. They were able to go out and build the Church in Jesus’ name. The Spirit can do great things in our lives as well. Where might the Holy Spirit be leading you today?

Let Love Be Sincere

May 31, 2011

Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

By Beth DeCristofaro

Brothers and sisters: Let love be sincere; hate what is evil, hold on to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; anticipate one another in showing honor. Do not grow slack in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, endure in affliction, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the holy ones, exercise hospitality. Bless those who persecute you, bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. (Romans 12:9-13)

Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the infant leaped in her womb (Luke 1 39-41)

Piety

And Mary said: “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant. From this day all generations will call me blessed: the Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is his Name.

He has mercy on those who fear him in every generation. He has shown the strength of his arm, he has scattered the proud in their conceit. He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, and has lifted up the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. He has come to the help of his servant Israel for he has remembered his promise of mercy, the promise he made to our fathers, to Abraham and his children forever.” (Luke 1:46-56)

Study

Let love be sincere. God gives us so many ways to love. Paul lists some here. Earlier in Paul’s epistle he tells the Roman community: I urge you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, your spiritual worship. (Acts 12:1) We see Mary offering her body in her “yes” to God. And then, in an act of love, she goes to visit Elizabeth. Mary’s prayer speaks of the ways the Israelites experienced God’s love. Jesus Beatitudes completes that experience by showing us, as the Body of Christ, how to love

Paul tells us not to lose our zeal. God gives us the opportunity to see God in this wounded world. God offers us a chance to experience, like Elizabeth, the leaping joy in recognizing God. In the everyday, in our sorrows, fears and anxiety, it is our piety, our trust and our being open to the surprises, the presence, the outreaching of God in which we can experience this joy.

Action

Visit the sacred art of Bro. Mickey McGrath and see his exuberant take on the Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth. http://www.shop.beestill.org/product.sc?productId=78&categoryId=3 . Go through today looking for the unexpected presence of God. If this is a particularly difficult time for you, keep Mary’s prayer in your heart to remember the ways in which our God cared for the Chosen People.

How Does This Happen

May 31, 2011

Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Do not grow slack in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, endure in affliction, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the holy ones, exercise hospitality. Bless those who persecute (you), bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Romans 12:12-15

When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, "Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. Luke 1:41-44

Piety

“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.

He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm,
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,
and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children for ever.”

Study

How does this happen? How does a young girl living in ancient and impoverished Palestine carry the Lord in her womb? How does her cousin and her cousin's growing yet embryonic Son recognize what will happen in just a few weeks?

Elizabeth and John had no Gospels to study. They did not have two thousand years of sacred tradition passed on to them. They did not have the teachings of the Magisterium. But they knew in their hearts who was in their presence when a very pregnant Mary walked into their house.

Mary knew that the Lord "has looked with favor on the lowly." Her words and deeds are passed on to as a model for us to imitate in our life through faith. Because we may never know how Mary Elizabeth and John recognized who was in their midst. That's why we call it a Joyful Mystery.

Action

How do we imitate Mary? Our first reading from Romans gives us some pointers. Maybe we can rename Romans 12 "All I Ever Need to Know About How to Live I Learned from Romans 12." Do not grow slack in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, endure in affliction, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the holy ones, exercise hospitality.

Calendar coincidences no longer surprise me. Today our civil-religion marks Memorial Day while the Church celebrates the Visitation by Mary. How can you combined the ideals of these two celebrations in your actions today?

Rolling Thunder comes to mind. Every year on this weekend, these vets and their motorcycles visit the Vietnam War "Wall" as a way to honor their fallen and missing comrades.

Some will use this holiday to visit the cemetery where a loved one is buried. Others may just pick up the phone and call a relative.

As we do this, keep in mind the humility of Mary as you carry out your actions on this Memorial Day/Feast of the Visitation.