For My Sake

For My Sake

August 21, 2012

Memorial of Saint Pius X, Pope

By Beth DeCristofaro

The word of the LORD came to me: Son of man, say to the prince of Tyre: Thus says the Lord GOD:  Because you are haughty of heart, you say, "A god am I I occupy a godly throne in the heart of the sea!"-- And yet you are a man, and not a god,  (Ezekiel 28:1-2)

Jesus said to his disciples:  "Amen, I say to you, it will be hard for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of heaven…. And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands for the sake of my name will receive a hundred times more, and will inherit eternal life.  (Mark 19:23, 29)

Piety

Draw me ever closer to you, my Lord and my God.  As I accept your presence within my body, my soul and my mind in Holy Communion, allow me to set my eyes on you and my feet on your path each and every breathing hour of my day and night.  May I be your living monstrance taking you to the world.

Study

When I was in college, I studied in France my junior year.  At the time I was conscious that not only was it a huge challenge for me, it was also a way for me to “cut the apron strings”.  It was clearly a giving up of houses, brothers and sisters but not for God.  This was a chance for me to figure out who I was and where I was headed.  Interestingly enough, one of the comfort zones for me was the church.  Even though it took me several months to understand the liturgy, I felt at home and safe in the olde, dusty ancient Cathedrale de Ste Sauveur. 

Then I figured I still needed more figuring out and took the year after college in Guam, teaching in the Catholic parish school of Sta. Barbara.  Again, this parish run primarily by a welcoming group of Guamanian nuns was home base.  I met people there who cared about each other and I watched people searching for and serving God in ways new to me but grounded in a familiar tradition.  Hospitality was a vital part of this diverse community.

While I did not give up anything for Jesus, I definitely found God waiting for me and accompanying me during these years.  I found myself drawn closer.  Jesus’ words to the disciples call for a more intentional and conscious turning toward.  Thankfully, I have that opportunity each and every day.

Action

St. Pius X was instrumental in promoting  the teaching that Catholics can receive Eucharist as often as every day.  He called Holy Communion the shortest and safest way to Heaven.   At the time, some were concerned saying that this might cause people to take Communion for granted or treat it too lightly.  What do I believe about Eucharist?  Do I willingly take time for Eucharist beyond once a week?  Am I taking it for granted or is it a breathtaking opportunity for me to turn once more to God?

Sell What You Have

Sell What You Have

August 20, 2012

Memorial of Saint Bernard, Abbot and Doctor of the Church

Son of man, by a sudden blow I am taking away from you the delight of your eyes, but do not mourn or weep or shed any tears.  Groan in silence, make no lament for the dead, bind on your turban, put your sandals on your feet, do not cover your beard, and do not eat the customary bread.  That evening my wife died, and the next morning I did as I had been commanded.  Ezekiel 24:16-18

Jesus said to him, "If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor,
and you will have treasure in heaven.  Then come, follow me."  When the young man heard this statement, he went away sad, for he had many possessions.  Matthew 19:21-22

Piety

Take from me, Father, all that keeps me from you.  Give to me, Jesus, all that leads me to you.  Set me free, Holy Spirit, that I might live my life for you.

Study

In the Sunday Gospel, Jesus told us that we had to remain in him and He would remain with us. That bond is forged in the Eucharist.  Today, our readings outline what we have to do in return for the gift of the Eucharist -- obedience to the commandments.

Just as Jesus took our relationship with Him to a higher level through his sacrificial offering of his own body and blood, he asks us to take our obedience to a higher level.  Jesus asks us to go beyond the ten commandments Moses delivered from on high. 

In order to follow Jesus, we cannot be distracted by or burdened in our journey with material possessions. Therefore, he instructs us to give away all that ties us to "living in a material world."

If we don't accept voluntary poverty, we face the real possibility of a future like Ezekiel when that which gives us delight will be taken from us if we do not give it up in pursuit of the Lord and the Kingdom.

Action

The calls and postcards come in weekly.  Purple Heart.  Amvets.  The National Children's Center.  They are all looking for the "jetsam" of suburban life that we can toss overboard and they can sell in a thrift shop for money to deliver their vital programs. 

As the summer winds down, do through your closets, dressers and basement for items that you have not used in the past year.  Clean them up and give away these possessions to make your journey with the Lord lighter.

Make a habit of doing this each month. 

Remain in Me

Remain in Me

August 20, 2012

Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time 2012 B

By Rev. Joe McCloskey, SJ

"Let whoever is simple turn in here; To the one who lacks understanding, she says, Come, eat of my food, and drink of the wine I have mixed!  Forsake foolishness that you may live; advance in the way of understanding."  Proverbs 9:4-6

Therefore, do not continue in ignorance, but try to understand what is the will of the Lord.  Ephesians 5:17

Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him.  Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me.  This is the bread that came down from heaven.  Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever." John 6:56-58

Piety

Piety is the heartbeat of our love affair with God.  Our response to God’s love is seen in our piety.  Love is given its greatest expression in God’s desire to be one of us.  It is not simply that God is our creator.  We are so much a part of God that God became one of us in the Word made flesh.  God loved us so much that he wanted to be one of us.  Our piety is seen in our willingness to be one with God.  Eucharist is the love of Christ who is willing to be one with us with not just his humanness in having been human, but also by giving us his body and blood to eat and drink as Eucharist.  Human love takes us to an ever deepening relationship with the one we love.  Eucharist is the living expression of how much God loves us in his Son Jesus.  Jesus offers us his body and his blood.  The bread and the wine become the living expression of the human love of Jesus in the life of his Church.  He gives us his body and his blood in the ultimate statement of how much he loves us.  He is not only willing to take himself to the Father as one of us but also to take us to the Father with us in him.  Christ is the best part of us in so far as our souls are with him in heaven.  The Sacraments are his humanness in the life of the Church.  In the Eucharist Christ takes us into himself even as we take him into ourselves.  Even as we can live in Christ, Christ lives in us as we feed on his love for us and his willingness to grow in us.  Christ came to us in Baptism.  We come to him in Eucharist even as we grow in him by his becoming more of us.  We not only grow up with Christ because of Baptism, we also grow into being a greater fullness of him by Eucharist. 

Study

Our reading of the Scriptures, our reception of the Eucharist and our companionship of each other in Christ creates the Mystical Body of the Church.  We study how our baptism and Eucharist in Christ give greater meaning to whom we are.  We are created to the image and the likeness of God in Christ.  Our study discovers for us the deeper meaning of our lives that is found in Christ.

Action

Our action is to remain in Christ even as he remains in us.  Our hunger for Eucharist should be a daily thing.  Even as we recognize that Christ is our food of life, our gratitude to God for life is shown in each Eucharist we receive.  The prayer of the Christian has gratitude as its chief ingredient.  Each reception of Eucharist in our lives makes the perfect expression of the Gratitude that lives in our hearts when God recognizes us in our reception of the Body and the Blood of his Son.  Even as Christ is God’s love for us, Christ becomes our love of God.   Our Eucharistic thanks is the perfect expression of the gratitude we ought to have for God’ love for us.  Eucharist is Thanks.  Baptism made us God’s children.  Eucharist allows us to grow into bigger and better children of God. 

Return and Live

Return and Live

August 18, 2012

Saturday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Therefore I will judge you, house of Israel, each one according to his ways, says the Lord GOD.  Turn and be converted from all your crimes, that they may be converted from all your crimes, that they may be no cause of guilt for you.  Cast away from you all the crimes you have committed, and make for yourselves a new heart and a new spirit.  Ezekiel 18:30-31

"Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them; for the Kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."  Matthew 19:14

Piety

Father, recreate in us the innocent hearts we had when we were children.  Help us to turn away from the adult wants which get in the way of our path to true friendship with you through you Son Jesus.  Send your Spirit to make the path of return on that we can find and follow.

Study

Change.  Presence.  These two themes reverberate throughout so much of our Sacred Scripture, prayer, and traditions.  When we change the direction in which we seek happiness, then we can obtain the true gift -- Jesus present in our lives as a friend.

We don't need to look any further than the local newsstand to be reminded of the kinds of hatred and corruption that seem to invade our lives and our consciences.  Our crimes may not be murder but may be more personally rooted in the advertising-fueled desire for money, possessions, and influence.

Ezekiel and Jesus want us to be prodigal children.  They want us to turn away from these selfish pursuits.  They want us to come back to the path they walk.  With change comes the ultimate gift -- being able to revel in the true presence of the Lord in our lives. 

Action

The first step in this journey is awareness.  For the next 30 days, if you are not already making use of some process to examine your daily life, try the Examen of Conscious in the Jesuit tradition.  Once you review your day with humility and contrition, ask yourself: "How will I let the Lord lead me to a brighter tomorrow?

http://norprov.org/spirituality/ignatianprayer.htm

For I Will Re-Establish My Covenant With You

For I Will Re-Establish My Covenant With You

August 17, 2012

Friday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time

By Melanie Rigney

For I will re-establish my covenant with you, that you may know that I am the Lord, that you may remember and be covered with confusion, and that you may be utterly silenced for shame when I pardon you for all you have done, says the Lord. (Ezekiel 16:62-63)

God indeed is my savior; I am confident and unafraid. My strength and my courage is the Lord, and he has been my savior. With joy you will draw water at the fountain of salvation. (Isaiah 12:2)

(Jesus) said to them, “Because of the hardness of your hearts Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. I say to you, whoever divorces his wife (unless the marriage is unlawful) and marries another commits adultery.” (Matthew 19:8-9)

Piety

Lord, be my spouse and my best friend. Love me even when you probably don’t like me very much, and when I treat you more like a used tissue than the best thing that ever happened to me.

Study

Let’s face it. We’re pretty much stuck with God.

We all have had or have seen earthly relationships that didn’t work out, where people were unevenly yoked from the get-go, where what started out as a storybook romance ended up in divorce court because of addictions or unconscionable behavior or because of that age-old indefinable “we just grew apart.”

And in our Church, there are specific rules that need to be followed to determine just when and where a marriage blessed by God went wrong should either person desire to seek another sacramental union.

But we can’t divorce God, no matter how unevenly yoked we might feel, no matter how upset we get with him, no matter how unfair we may believe he’s been as we’ve struggled with illness ourselves or seen loved ones die far too soon or wondered how he can let millions of children go to bed hungry or worse each night or just feel we’ve grown apart from or beyond him.

Once our baptisms and confirmations have occurred, we’re Christians. We can turn away from God. We can become murderers or gossips or adulterers or persecutors. We find ourselves so out of sync with Church teachings that we are no longer able to partake of the Eucharist. But there’s always a road back. And when we encounter him on it when we come to our senses or hit rock bottom, we fall silent, in awe and yes, in shame, for his ability to pardon and to love, the best friend or spouse we could ever hope for.

Action

Offer up a love prayer, poem, or song to God.

Each of You Forgives

Each of You Forgives

August 16, 2012

Thursday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Now, son of man, during the day while they are looking on, prepare your baggage as though for exile, and again while they are looking on, migrate from where you live to another place; perhaps they will see that they are a rebellious house.  You shall bring out your baggage like an exile in the daytime while they are looking on; in the evening, again while they are looking on, you shall go out like one of those driven into exile; while they look on, dig a hole in the wall and pass through it; while they look on, shoulder the burden and set out in the darkness; cover your face that you may not see the land, for I have made you a sign for the house of Israel.  Ezekiel 12:3-6 

"'I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to.  Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant, as I had pity on you?’  Then in anger his master handed him over to the torturers until he should pay back the whole debt.  So will my heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgives his brother from his heart.”  Matthew 18:32-35

Piety

Take notice of those in life that need forgiveness.  Start by gazing in the mirror. You know that the Father will forgive you.  Who are you being asked to forgive next?

Study

The Word of God does not always reveal its true meaning to us easily.  At the beginning of this week, the prophet Ezekiel had to figure out (discern) what he was hearing in the sounds of the powerful winds on the mountaintop.  He was experiencing his own personal "transfiguration" encounter.  He wrestled with the meaning just as Peter, James and John did when they saw Jesus transfigured. 

In today's reading, Ezekiel hears the word of God more directly in the command to go out on the road as if in exile and bring a special message to the rebellious people through his actions -- without any special gift of prophesy through words.

Imagine just for a minute that we were personally given the same command as Ezekiel.

Imagine walking to the corner of say 16th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, and starting in our march away.  Maybe we would have a backpack slung over our shoulders or a U-Haul truck filled with our possessions. 

By the very act of leaving, would that alone be witness enough to cause change in the words and deeds of our neighbors?  Doubtful?  People are coming and going every day.  The rebellious generation in which we live would probably just mistake us for commuters or tourists. 

No matter how rebellious the current generations act, the bottom line is that the Father sends messengers of forgiveness to preach through words and deeds the need for change.  The Gospel reading underscores the same generous forgiving and loving spirit. 

As we look around, we are not asked to judge others.  We are asked to be the quiet witness.  Through our piety, study and forgiving action, the Lord sets us loose to bring back the rebels.

Action

Rebel from the rebels.  If our generation has so rebelliously ignored the Word of God, then our only hope is to rebel against the rebels. 

Maybe it's more fun to be the rebel or the pirate, than it is to be the dutiful soldier or sailor.  Certainly images of hero like Luke Skywalker, Captain Jack Sparrow and Billy Jack make the fantasy of rebellion attractive.  But Ezekiel does not make being witness to the rebellion sound very attractive.  Nor does opting for forgiveness sound all that appealing.  Would not we also want to extract revenge and just payment from our debtors?

Who is in need of your loving forgiveness?  Get the love moving and put your revenge on a path to exile.

Chosen By God

Chosen by God

August 15, 2012

Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

By Colleen O'Sullivan

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, and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, “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.  Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.” 

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, and 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 1:39-55)

Piety

Hail Mary, full of grace.
The Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners,
now and at the hour of our death.  Amen.

Study

Today’s Gospel reading focuses on the Blessed Virgin Mary, the woman God chose to be the mother of his Son, Jesus.  Mary has had time to ponder the words of the angel Gabriel and their impact on her life.  There she is, a young girl betrothed to be married.  Things are going along as expected for most girls her age in that part of the world, when suddenly an angel appears and informs her that God has greater plans for her, that God has chosen her to bear a child who, the messenger says, will be the Son of God.  Visions of angry, disappointed parents, humiliation and embarrassment in the face of other family and friends, the almost-certain breaking of her betrothal to Joseph – all these must have raced through her mind.  God often attempts to lead us in unexpected directions in our lives and many times we dig our heels in and refuse to leave our comfort zones.  One of the beautiful things about Mary is her trust in God and her willingness to go wherever God leads, in spite of any trepidations she might have.

At the prompting of the angel, Mary goes to visit Elizabeth, whose life also has taken an unexpected turn as a result of God’s favor.  What a greeting she receives!  Elizabeth greets her as the “mother of my Lord.”  She tells the younger woman that her child is leaping for joy that Mary has come and because Mary believed what the angel told her.

Whatever initial fears may have beset Mary, she has conquered them.  Her response to Elizabeth is to sing of what God has done for her and what God is doing through her for all the world.  I am full of joy!  I am no one, but God has chosen me for a great purpose.  Future generations will call me blessed, not because of anything I’ve done, but because of what God has promised to do through me.  God is truly the God of the poor, the outcast, and the lowly.  Our God is a merciful God, coming to the aid of Israel as he always said he would.

Action

In part, Mary’s greatness lies in her willingness to empty herself of whatever expectations she has for herself and her willingness to live faithfully the life God has chosen for her.  She will be led to many places not of her choosing, but she will always listen and follow.

How many of us can say that about ourselves?  The truth is that God has chosen us, too.  God created each one of us for a purpose.  Maybe we don’t have our vocations spelled out as explicitly for us as Mary’s was, but God asks us, too, to empty ourselves of all that prevents us from discerning God’s will and faithfully living it. 

Spend some time today reflecting on Mary’s response to God’s messenger.  Then ask yourself:  What is God calling me to do?  What is my response?  How can I be more like Mary?

Speak God's Word

Speak God’s Word

August 14, 2012

Memorial of Saint Maximilian Mary Kolbe, Priest and Martyr

By Beth DeCristofaro

It was then I saw a hand stretched out to me, in which was a written scroll which he unrolled before me.  It was covered with writing front and back, and written on it was:  Lamentation and wailing and woe!  He said to me: Son of man, eat what is before you; eat this scroll, then go, speak to the house of Israel.  So I opened my mouth and he gave me the scroll to eat.  …  I ate it, and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth.  (Ezekiel 8:9-10, 3:1-2, 43)

(Jesus said) "Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven.  Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.  And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me.  (Matthew 18:

Piety

Lord, you inflamed St. Maximilian with love of the Immaculate Virgin and filled him with zeal for souls and love for neighbor.  Through his prayers, grant that we may work strenuously for your glory in the service of others and so be made conformable to your Son until death.

(http://www.st-cecilia.org/580%20Bulletin%20August%20%2012%20%2012.pdf)  

Study

St. Maximilian willingly asked for and ate of the scroll on which was written lamentation and woe when he volunteered to die for a man condemned to death.  A prisoner of the Nazis in Auschwitz, he freely took the place of a family man in the starvation chamber where for three weeks he prayed, encouraged other condemned prisoners and celebrated Mass.  Finally he was murdered.  He willingly took on the sacrifice because he was so childlike in trust and dependent on the love of God, just as Jesus described the humility of a child.  St. Maximilian knew that the Nazi’s could kill his body but not touch his soul, and he also knew that acts of charity and good triumph over evil and speak God’s glory to the world. 

Action

Maximilian acted as if he heard God’s words to Ezekiel addressed to him:  He said: Son of man, go now to the house of Israel, and speak my words to them. (Ezekiel 8:4)  Out of torment and faith, God’s words were spoken and resound today.  Do our actions speak God’s word?

Flesh for the Life of the World

Flesh for the Life of the World

August 12, 2012

Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time 2012 B

By Rev. Joe McCloskey, SJ

After [Elijah] ate and drank, he lay down again, but the angel of the LORD came back a second time, touched him, and ordered, "Get up and eat, else the journey will be too long for you!"  He got up, ate, and drank; then strengthened by that food, he walked forty days and forty nights to the mountain of God, Horeb.  2 Kings 19:7-8

So be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us and handed himself over for us as a sacrificial offering to God for a fragrant aroma.  Ephesians 5:1-2

"I am the bread of life.  Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died; this is the bread that comes down from heaven so that one may eat it and not die.  I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world."  John 6:48-51

Piety

Accepting Jesus as the bread that came down from heaven is the rock bottom of our piety.  Jesus is the eternal word of God’s love for us.  Love is the gift of one’s life to another.  Jesus loves us to such an extent that he holds back nothing of himself.  He gives us his body and his blood.  He promises us that if we accept him, he will speak for us to the Father.  He gives us his life to such an extent that the Father sees his Son in us.  The Ancestors of the Jews ate the manna in the desert and they died.  If we accept the gift of the life of Jesus we will never die.  We will live forever in the love he has for us.  Jesus has given us his flesh for the life of the world.

Study

We accept the challenge of Paul in Ephesians not to grieve the Holy Spirit of God.  All bitterness, fury, anger, shouting and reviling we get rid of with all our love.  Malice can have no place in our dealings with others.  We must be compassionate and forgiving of one another even as Christ is forgiving of us.  We study how best to imitate Christ.  Christ loved us and handed himself over as a sacrifice for us to the Father.   Christ’s love on the cross is the human expression of the fullness of God’s love for us.  So we must offer our lives for one another.  Christ shows us how to give of ourselves.  All that he is he has received from the Father.  He gives all of himself to us even as the Father has given to Christ all that he is.  Christ is the Word of love of the Father for all of us.  Christ loves us even as the Father has loved him.  He challenges us to love one another even as he has loved us.  He shares all that the Father has given him with us.  He asks us to learn how to share ourselves for the sake of our neighbors.

Action

It is the Father who draws us to Christ.  We must embrace what Christ says to us with all our hearts.  There is and can be no doubt in our hearts that Christ has come down from heaven.  Even as God has created us out of nothing in the creation of our world, He creates new life in Mary and Mary becomes the mother of Christ and the Mother of God in the same moment.  Jesus is one person with two natures Mary as the mother of the human nature of Christ becomes mother of each and every one of us since we are created to the image and likeness of God in Christ.  How we respond to Eucharist is the challenge to our piety.  To make up our minds to go to frequent communion is the beginning of new life.  Christ takes us into himself even as we take him into ourselves.  We grow n Christ’s life within us each time we communicate.  Christ becomes our real life.  We become his life in our world today.  Eucharist makes us into the hands and the feet of Christ.  The Sacraments are the human continuation of Christ on earth in each of us.  We live our destiny when we share Christ with each other.  Sharing Christ makes us Eucharist to our world. 

Say to This Mountain Move

Say to This Mountain Move

August 11, 2012

Memorial of St. Clare, virgin

For the vision is a witness for the appointed time, a testimony to the end; it will not disappoint.  If it delays, wait for it, it will surely come, it will not be late.  See, the rash have no integrity; but the just one who is righteous because of faith shall live.  Habakkuk 2:3-4

Then the disciples approached Jesus in private and said, "Why could we not drive it out?"  He said to them, "Because of your little faith.  Amen, I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, "Move from here to there," and it will move.  Nothing will be impossible for you."  Matthew 17:19-20

Piety

Father, you seek in us faith no larger than a mustard seed in order that your Spirit and your Kingdom may grown in our lives and in our hearts.  Brother Jesus, plant that seed so that its flowering bush will crowd out of our lives all that keeps us distracted from your ideals.  Holy Spirit, cultivate that seed so that we may be inspired like Clare and Francis to do what you desire of us. Amen.

Study

On this Memorial to the incredible faith of St. Clare, our readings concentrate on how opposite mere mortals are from the ideals -- especially the ideal of faith -- sought and taught by the Lord. 

Various Catholic sources tell us that St. Clare of Assisi was the first woman to practice the life of entire poverty as taught by St. Francis. She was placed by her brother at the head of a few companions in the small convent-church of San Damiano.  The convent sits slightly up the hill of Assisi from the monastery community of St. Francis. 

A visit to the Cathedral community of St. Clare allows the pilgrim to pray in the presence of the actual cross of San Damiano -- the cross which inspired Francis to rebuild the church in more ways than one.   Francis had a mystical vision of Jesus Christ in the Church of San Damiano just outside of Assisi, in which the Icon of Christ Crucified said to him, "Francis, Francis, go and repair My house which, as you can see, is falling into ruins." He took this to mean the ruined church in which he was presently praying. 

On his first interpretation, Francis took the vision and inspiration literally and sought to reconstruct the physical building of the church.  However, he later realized that the Lord wanted him to also spiritually rebuild the Church.  That led him to begin the community of Franciscans which is devoted to voluntary poverty and walking in the ways of the Lord.

Clare governed her "sister community" for forty-two years -- more than two generations -- and founded the Order of Poor Clares.  Clare and Francis exhibited the kind of faith that Jesus lamented was missing from his generation. 

Action

How would Jesus judge our generation?  Faithless? 

The name St. Clare can be literally translated from its Latin origin to mean "make bright or clear."  By her example, Clare clearly teaches us about voluntary poverty while living in our world surrounded by riches.   Yet the examples like Clare do not resonate in our world.  Instead we continue to seek heroes in the movie theaters, stadiums, and hallways of power.  Wealth, however, is as treacherous as fame and pride. 

Let us reject cult of fame epitomized this weekend by the premiere of the latest installment of "The Bourne Legacy" and instead revel in the legacy of a God who allowed himself to be born a humble, lowly, human servant.  Look to Clare and Francis to inspire you today to take a break from shopping for riches and to make a special gift of your time, your talent or your treasury to rebuild the church this weekend.  That "Born Legacy" will help us cultivate the kind of faith that will move mountains.

The Upright Generation Shall Be Blessed

The Upright Generation Shall Be Blessed

August 10, 2012

Feast of Saint Lawrence, deacon and martyr

By Melanie Rigney

Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. (2 Corinthians 9:6)

Blessed the man who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in his commands. His posterity shall be mighty upon the earth; the upright generation shall be blessed. (Psalms 112: 1-2)

“Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there also will my servant be. The Father will honor whoever serves me.” (John 12:26)

Piety

Lord, grant me the courage to confess the sins I most fear bringing to You.

Study

I attended an event recently that left me a little unsettled. The speaker, a priest, in essence said that if we hold back when we go to confession (he most pointedly did not use the word “Reconciliation”), we negate the sacrament’s benefit. I started one of those internal monologues that amounts to asking how many angels can dance on the head of a pin:

·         What about things that you just don’t think are worth discussing, that are one-time aberrations, not recurring bad behavior?

·         What about behavior that should be confessed, but it hasn’t risen to that point on your internal radar screen, that is, it’s an excess or poverty of spirit that you don’t recognize yet?

·         What if it’s something that you meant to confess but you honestly forgot?

·         What if it’s behavior that on the surface seems totally confession-necessary, but when you consider the circumstance in its totality (like the disciples foraging a field on the Sabbath) it really wasn’t a sin?

Fortunately, at some point, the priest recaptured my immediate interest with a story.

But as I read today’s readings, I became convinced I’ve again made it all harder than it needs to be. While God loves us all to distraction, if we squander opportunities to draw closer to him and become more Christlike, can we be surprised if He pulls away? If we only follow Jesus when it’s convenient, do we really think our lives won’t be the poorer for it?

I still differ with that priest on an incomplete confession being of no benefit. If you’re quaking in your boots about voicing your innermost wrongs, maybe that less-than-total reconciliation will give you the courage to put it all out the next time. Maybe through an incomplete confession, you’ll come to believe your harvest can be bountiful.

Action

What are you holding back from discussing with your pastor, spiritual director, or group reunion? Try saying it out loud first in a place where you know no one else can hear you. Make the self-damning words lose their power.

Upon Their Hearts

Upon Their Hearts

August 9, 2012

Thursday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time

But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD.  I will place my law within them, and write it upon their hearts; I will be their God, and they shall be my people.  No longer will they have need to teach their friends and relatives how to know the LORD.  All, from least to greatest, shall know me, says the LORD, for I will forgive their evildoing and remember their sin no more.  Jeremiah 31:33-34

He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"  Simon Peter said in reply, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."  Jesus said to him in reply, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah.  For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.  And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.  Matthew 16:15-17

Piety

A clean heart create for me, God;

renew within me a steadfast spirit.

Do not drive me from before your face,

nor take from me your holy spirit.

Restore to me the gladness of your salvation;

uphold me with a willing spirit. Psalm 51:12-14

Study

Peter's relationship with Jesus has undergone change.  As the readings for our week began, we celebrated the Transfiguration.  The external perception of Jesus had changed among Peter, James and John.  They saw Jesus revealed differently. They heard the voice of the Father proclaim Jesus' new identity.  Yet, we know that they were still confused about what to do and what this all meant. 

Now, that change has been written on the heart of Peter.  Jesus of Nazareth has gone from being the carpenter's son, the itinerant preacher, and has become the Son of God. 

It is only through having a relationship with Jesus can our journey go from a prescribed, etched in stone, set of rules to an internalized, spiritual relation that is written upon our hearts.  Moses -- who appeared on the mountaintop at the Transfiguration -- came down from the mountaintop with the Ten Commandments chiseled into rock.  Jesus came down from the mountain with his love chiseled in the heart of his disciples.

Action

How is your relationship with Jesus changing as you move through your day, your week, your journey, your life?  With some, as they endure hardships, they turn away from God.  With others, as they endure hardship, they turn toward the Lord. 

We will not get it right the first time.  Or maybe even the second, third or fourth time.  But what is important is that this relationship change, evolve, and grow.  If we allow the Lord -- through those around us -- to clean up our hearts and our lives, Jesus will remove any obstacles in the way of that relationship.

With Age-Old Love I Have Loved You

With Age-Old Love I Have Loved You

August 8, 2012

Memorial of Saint Dominic, priest

By Colleen O'Sullivan

At that time, says the Lord, I will be the God of all the tribes of Israel, and they shall be my people.  Thus says the Lord:  The people that escaped the sword have found favor in the desert.  As Israel comes forward to be given his rest, the Lord appears to him from afar; With age-old love I have loved you; so I have kept my mercy toward you.  Again I will restore you, and you shall be rebuilt, O virgin Israel; Carrying your festive tambourines, you shall go forth dancing with the merrymakers.  Again you shall plant vineyards on the mountains of Samaria; those who plant them shall enjoy the fruits.  Yes, a day will come when the watchmen will call out on Mount Ephraim:  “Rise up, let us go to Zion, to the Lord, our God.”  For thus says the Lord:  Shout with joy for Jacob, exult at the head of the nations; proclaim your praise and say:  The Lord has delivered his people, the remnant of Israel.  (Jeremiah 31:1-7)

Piety

Have mercy on me, God, in accord with your merciful love;

in your abundant compassion blot out my transgressions.

Thoroughly wash away my guilt;

and from my sin cleanse me.

For I know my transgressions;

my sin is always before me.

(Psalm 51:3-5)

Study

O Lord, as I listen to the words you spoke of old to my ancestors in faith, I hear you speaking to me as well.  For it is a tale as contemporary as it is ancient, a story repeated not only in every generation, but in every human heart.  You call us into being and you make a covenant with us.  I will be your God, you say, and, in turn, you ask us to be your people.  I am indelibly marked by the waters of my baptism as one of your children.

You have never gone back on your promise.  You, O Lord, are always there, loving, guiding and sustaining me.  I am the faithless one.  I am the one who breaks the covenant between us.  In spite of your overwhelming love for me, I am tempted by the beguiling whispers of other, false gods.  Lured by their siren songs, I turn and walk away from you.  Though I have never seen Babylon, I have been there more than once in my heart, exiled from you and all that is familiar.

Though I may wander a great distance, eventually I remember who and whose I am.   I fall on my knees, sorrow for my sins pouring forth.  I hear you call:  “With age-old love I have loved you; so I have kept my mercy toward you. Again I will restore you…”  With overwhelming gratitude, I put my hand in yours and allow you to lead me home.  “Shout with joy…the Lord has delivered his people!”

 

Action

There is no reason to live as a stranger in a strange land, exiled by our sins.  As Fr. Tuck Grinnell reminds us at every diocesan healing Mass, the one type of healing every one of us can be assured of is forgiveness for our sins.  God, like the Father in the parable of the prodigal son, is waiting for us to return.  His arms are always open, ready to welcome us home.

If you are feeling burdened by sin, turn to the Lord for forgiveness, for he is a merciful God.  You could also look up the times for confession in your parish, because the sacrament of reconciliation is truly a healing gift.

Come

August 7, 2012

Tuesday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time

By Beth DeCristofaro

Meanwhile the boat, already a few miles offshore, was being tossed about by the waves, for the wind was against it.  During the fourth watch of the night, he came toward them, walking on the sea.  When the disciples saw him walking on the sea they were terrified. "It is a ghost," they said, and they cried out in fear.  At once Jesus spoke to them, "Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid."

Peter said to him in reply, "Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water." He said, "Come."  Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water toward Jesus. But when he saw how strong the wind was he became frightened; and, beginning to sink, he cried out, "Lord, save me!"  Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?"  (Matthew 14:22-24)

Piety

Jesus, as I spend this time with you, open my heart and my senses and quell my fears that I might  not mistake you for a ghost but recognize you in everyone, every experience I encounter.  Hold my hand, Lord Jesus, whether my boat is rocked and I cling on for dear life or when I step out and toward you.  Let me come to you, Lord.  And if I cling like a barnacle to illusionary safety, Lord, come to me.

Study

For a very long time I experienced a desert dryness in my faith journey.  This started in my young adulthood even though I was an active, determinedly committed Catholic.  There would be long stretches when my prayer life was non-existent because when I tried to pray, I felt nothing. 

Throughout there were moments that, had I reflected on them, I might have recognized the richness of God present.  I experienced them with a sense of relief that God hadn’t abandoned me rather than much gratitude.  My father’s funeral in 1985, for example, was a surreal juxtaposition with the Baptism of my oldest daughter the following day.  I was glad that my family and I had beliefs in which life was celebrated and rituals allowed for mourning and hope at once. 

Looking back, I see that period of dryness was an invitation to get out of the boat and experience Jesus in a closer way.  Scary stuff.  But I had been feeling the tug of God’s love, calling me for a long time and I believe that in ignoring that tug I had stranded myself.  Getting out included Cursillo and volunteering in a hospital as well as taking “sabbatical” time for intentional prayer and discernment while being a stay at home mother.  Rivulets appeared on the barren earth and, indeed, I have felt the greening of my desert over these years. 

There are still times when my boat is tossed about by the waves.  There are still times when I start to sink.  But I have seen that to stay onshore, isolating myself from the fathoms-deep love and care of God is life-losing rather than life-saving.

Action

Where in my life is dryness, lack of grace and vigor.  What ballast needs to be tossed?  Or how can I climb out to a new vantage point that allows me to better see Jesus in my life?  Or who in my life is stranded in a desert?  What can I do to extend the hand of Jesus to them so they can experience His life-giving presence more fully?

Listen to Him

Listen to Him

August 6, 2012

Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord

For he received honor and glory from God the Father when that unique declaration came to him from the majestic glory, "This is my Son, my beloved, with whom I am well pleased."  We ourselves heard this voice come from heaven while we were with him on the holy mountain.  Moreover, we possess the prophetic message that is altogether reliable.  You will do well to be attentive to it, as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.  2 Peter 1:17-19

Then Peter said to Jesus in reply, "Rabbi, it is good that we are here!  Let us make three tents: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."  He hardly knew what to say, they were so terrified. Then a cloud came, casting a shadow over them; from the cloud came a voice, "This is my beloved Son. Listen to him."  Mark 9:5-7

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.  (From the "Prologue" to the Holy Rule of St. Benedict.)

Study

We know what happened on the mountain because we have eyewitnesses and ear-witnesses.  Peter, in his typical clumsy fashion, did not really know what to do or say.  God filled in the blanks.

"Listen to him."

We have the rules prescribed in Exodus, Deuteronomy, Leviticus and Ezekiel -- just to name a few of the codes enumerated in the Hebrew Bible.  We have the ten commandments that were so important they were etched in stone.  We have the Golden Rule.  We have the two great commandments.  However, the Bible could in its essence, be summarized in these three words.  Listen to him. 

Before Peter, James and John can know what to do on the mountaintop, they have to get a clue from those in their presence.  They are not told to build any structure.  They are not told to offer any sacrifice.  They are not told to carry out priestly duties.  They are simply told three words -- three challenging words.  Listen to him.

Many of our most loved and most used prayers put listening at the heart of our actions.  We have to listen to Jesus through the words of Scripture in order to know what we are studying.  We have to listen to those who preach and teach.  Before we can glorify God through the way we live our lives, we have to know what God wants from our half of the Covenant. 

Action

There are many places where we can start to learn what the Lord wants of us.  Perhaps an ideal first step is to sit back, remove the distractions of modern life, and simply "Listen to Him."

Who is the voice of Jesus in your life today?  We may not be in the presence of Moses, Elijah and Jesus on the top of a mountain.  However, in their physical absence, someone else is here and will pass their words of wisdom and piety and love on to us.

When we are attentive to the words of Jesus, the morning star rises in our hearts.