“Can I Get an Amen?” by “Sam” Miller

The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, Solemnity

Remember how for these forty years the LORD, your God, has directed all your journeying in the wilderness, so as to test you by affliction, to know what was in your heart: to keep his commandments, or not. Deuteronomy 8:2

“The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?  Because the loaf of bread is one, we, though many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf. 1 Corinthians 10:16-17

“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.”  John 6:56-57

Piety

” What he did at supper seated,

Christ ordained to be repeated,

His memorial ne'er to cease:
And his rule for guidance taking,

Bread and wine we hallow, making

Thus our sacrifice of peace.
This the truth each Christian learns,

Bread into his flesh he turns,

To his precious blood the wine:
Sight has fail'd, nor thought conceives,

But a dauntless faith believes,

Resting on a pow'r divine.
Here beneath these signs are hidden

Priceless things to sense forbidden;

Signs, not things are all we see:
Blood is poured and flesh is broken,

Yet in either wondrous token

Christ entire we know to be.
AMEN! 

(from Sequence – Lauda Sion)

                                                                                   
Study

Wow!!  Talk about a Holy, grand slam of Sundays!!!!

We celebrated the ASCENSION OF THE LORD on Sunday the 28^th of May, where we, Jesus’ disciples, were told to go out and tell the whole world the Good News but to first wait ‘til receiving power “when the Holy Spirit comes upon you”.   AMEN!!!! 

The end of the Easter Season was Sunday the 4^th of June, PENTECOST, when we were “blown away” by the promised reception of the power of the Holy Spirit and the Peace of Christ!!!!  We also heard … “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.”   AMEN!!!! 

Sunday, the 11^th of June, was the celebration of the MOST HOLY TRINITY where we heard from our second reading in 2 Corinthians, “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.” SHAZAM! That’s Greeting “A” in the Order of the Mass following the blessing of ourselves “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit!!!!  AMEN!!!!   

This Sunday brings us “home” as we celebrate the MOST HOLY BODY AND BLOOD OF CHRIST!!!!  I believe: The Lord directs and guards my wanderings in this journey, knowing my heart!!;” Because the loaf of bread is one, we, though many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf.”; “…Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him.”  AMEN!!!!   

Action

When I receive the Body & Blood of Christ at Mass today and respond with the interjection, “AMEN,” I’ll be saying: “It is so!”  “So be it!”, expressing solemn ratification or agreement!!!!   AMEN!!!!

(Just so you know: This Pentecost was particularly special to Wayne & Sam because we were lectors for Mass and renewed our vows following Mass on our 50^th Wedding Anniversary!!)

HAPPY FATHER’S DAY TO ALL YOU DADS!!!!!!

We Are Ambassadors for Christ

Saturday of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time

So whoever is in Christ is a new creation: the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come. And all this is from God, who has reconciled us to himself through Christ and given us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting their trespasses against them and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. So we are ambassadors for Christ as if God were appealing through us. 2 COR 5:17-20A

But I say to you, do not swear at all; not by heaven, for it is God’s throne; nor by the earth, for it is his footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Matthew 5:34-35

Piety

Incline my heart, O God, to your decrees. (Psalm 119:36)

Study

Oath-taking.  Swearing. For those of us who drive competitively (i.e. rush hour aka crawl-and-sprawl hour around Washington, DC), there is the near occasion to sin multiple times daily.  Even for public transit commuters, who has not sworn at Metro when the bus was late, the subway train broke down, or the sardine-can crowds unbearable?

You don’t have to be a commuter to find occasions to swear.  Some years ago, I was testifying in Federal court.  Once I sat in the witness chair, the experience started with “swearing me in.” The purpose of an oath like that was to guarantee truthfulness in a legal proceeding.  And of course, just like on TV, the phrase ended with “…so help me God.” [There was no Bible.] Also, on the first day of both my Federal jobs, I took the civilian oath of office.  On both October 22, 2012, and February 6, 2017, I raised my right hand to proclaim:

I, Anthony DeCristofaro, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God. (5 U.S.C. §3331)

According to a story broadcast on National Public Radio before the 2009 Presidential Inauguration, Mr. Paul Lacey of the American Friends Service Committee said, “The Quakers were among some of those groups that took very literally the injunction in Scripture in the Sermon on the Mount that you should swear not, just period. You swear not.”

The Quakers are not out on a limb.  They are following the letter of the moral code set down in Hebrew Law. Swearing by the name of God has been against the moral law since the Ten Commandments were etched in stone: “You shall not invoke the name of the LORD, your God, in vain. For the LORD will not leave unpunished anyone who invokes his name in vain.” (Exodus 20:7)  

Why the fuss?  Mr. Lacey further explained: “The meaning behind that for Quakers was not only the sense that if the Sermon on the Mount gives you an ethical principle, you ought to take it very, very seriously, but also that if you swear, you are suggesting that maybe other times you don't tell the truth.”

Jesus reminds us to not use the divine name in making any oaths.  “Let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No’ mean ‘No’: literally, “let your speech be ‘Yes, yes,’ ‘No, no.’”  Some take this passage to mean that this milder form of oath is permitted by Jesus. However, contrast this statement to Matthew 5:34, “Do not swear at all.” Period.  Drop the mike.

Action

When I was in junior high school, I remember the howls of laughter from my friends as we would listen to George Carlin’s “Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television” monologue.  And I can still see my father’s face when he heard us listening to that!  Ouch!

If we did not have a tendency to lie, then oath-taking would not be necessary.  Imagine the world if we could not lie.  (“Does this dress make me look…?”  No, dear!).   As new creations formed to be “ambassadors for Christ,” our advocacy must be based upon truth-filled witness.  Jesus asks us – or demands of us – a level of truthfulness that would make oaths needless and superfluous.

Swearing may be your best option when trying to open that #$@&%*! pickle jar.  However, when taking an oath to be truthful, avoid the near occasion to sin. And if you can not turn off the profanity in Grand Theft Auto V or Call of Duty video games, then maybe you should not use them at all.  

“Earthen Vessels” by Colleen O’Sullivan

Friday of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time

Brothers and sisters:  We hold this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing power may be of God and not from us.  We are afflicted in every way, but not constrained; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the Body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our body.  For we who live are constantly being given up to death for the sake of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh.  (2 Corinthians 4:7-11)

Piety

Lord grant me the grace of humility.  Help me to be satisfied as an ordinary clay pot, my flawed nature a foil to your glory.

Study

Layers of shards of amphoras settled at Testaccio hill in Rome,
October 3, 2015, Flazaza, Creative Commons Attribution-Share
Alike 4.0 International license, via Wikimedia Commons

In Paul’s day, the Romans imported vast amounts of olive oil from Spain.  Most of the time the oil was delivered in 18-gallon earthen vessels known as amphorae.  When they were empty, the Romans discarded the amphorae at a particular spot near the Tiber River in Rome.  Over time the pile of shards grew and grew and became known as Monte Testaccio.  Once their task of holding the olive oil was done, the vessels were of no more use.  They could be flung into the dump, joining millions of other shards of pottery.  It wasn’t the amphorae themselves that were so valuable but what they contained that was so precious.

So, when Paul wrote to the church in Corinth about treasure held in earthen vessels, people could well identify with what he was saying.  The clay pots weren’t nearly as important as what they held - the Gospel in its entirety, Jesus’ death, the very glory of God!  It isn’t by accident that such great treasure is contained in fragile clay pots, subject to chips, flaws, and cracks. 

We hold the glory of God within us.  In John’s Gospel Jesus’ final moments of torment on the Cross are his moment of glory.  It is precisely at that instant that the Roman centurion recognized and proclaimed Jesus the Son of God.

It’s okay if we’re a little worn or chipped, perhaps even cracked in some parts of our existence.  The reality is that we are flawed.  We fall ill.  Eventually, we will die.  It’s no use pretending otherwise. And after all, it’s not really about us; it’s about the glory of God contained within us.

Unfortunately, from the White House to our houses, humility is not much in vogue at the moment.  It doesn’t always suit us to be clay pots.  We waste time wishing God had made us beautiful vases instead.  We spend hours polishing those earthen vessels, more interested in what the world thinks about us than about the treasure God has placed within us and the need to share it with our brothers and sisters.  Sometimes we’re so focused on ourselves, I’m afraid we forget that we’re holding a treasure at all.

Action

Spend some time savoring the treasure that you hold.  How have you shared it with others?  With whom could you share it today?

Photo source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Monte_Testaccio_Particolare.jpg

“Go, Be Reconciled First” by Beth DeCristofaro

Thursday of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time

Angel of Grief  (c) All Rights Reserved by Conn

(Jesus said) You shall not kill, and whoever kills will be liable to judgment. But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment, and whoever says to his brother, Raqa, will be answerable to the Sanhedrin, and whoever says, 'You fool,' will be liable to fiery Gehenna. Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift. (Matthew 5:21-24)

Piety

“Kindness and truth shall meet;
justice and peace shall kiss.
Truth shall spring out of the earth,
and justice shall look down from heaven.”

And let them begin with me, Lord Jesus.

        (adapted from Psalm 85:11)

Study

Need I say, we are an angry nation. People seem to have forgotten how to disagree and be respectful. The yesterday’s news was chilling. Again. Jesus knows our hearts. He teaches that violent actions stem from internal violence, sin, which begins with each person. My irritation and rage, my judgmental attitudes, perhaps my fear is the beginning.

“Killery” was thrown at a recent politician. A campaign bulletin board asserting “make America white again” was erected along a Southern roadway. Protests – a constitutional privilege - seem to turn violent quickly no matter who or what is being protested. Women in the online gaming world are routinely bullied by their cyber male competitors. 53 “mass” shootings (more than 5 people killed) occurred in the last 18 months here in the US of A.

Although that isn’t the whole story, it seems as if Jesus’ words warn of what we see in the USA. Hateful, disrespectful and angry speech has led to hurtful, at times lethal behavior. Jesus preached that the thought preceding the action is as sinful as the action. Jesus further preached that there is an antidote. Be reconciled. It takes a courageous person to make the step. Cursillistas “who don’t pay attention to human opinion” can be the bold spark firing up reconciliation. Cursillistas can model being one with Christ and bring Christ to those who disrespect, who speak or act in anger. Jesus is concerned with me, with you, with my neighbor even if I do not like her/him and with our souls.

Action

It befits me and each of us to be aware. Sometimes anger comes out of fear such as the anger recently shown to refugees fleeing more evil, hatred, and danger than I will ever know firsthand in my entire lifetime. Heightened self-awareness allows me to stop any anger-inspired speech or action before they burst forth.

We who choose to “Be a Friend”, “Bring a Friend” to Christ can Be Love. One way to become more aware of what moves us to speak and act can be found in an intriguing and fascinating Implicit Association Test (IAT). This test “measures attitudes and beliefs that people may be unwilling or unable to report. The IAT may be especially interesting if it shows that you have an implicit attitude that you did not know about. For example, … your automatic associations could show that you (like many others) associate men with science more than you associate women with science.” 

Implicit attitudes are often unconscious and through awareness, we can begin to choose our actions with more freedom, with more loving consciousness than before. We can more fully “Be a Friend” to Christ and to others. Find the IAT at https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/takeatest.html

Be Glorious

Wednesday of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time

[H]ow much more will the ministry of the Spirit be glorious? For if the ministry of condemnation was glorious, the ministry of righteousness will abound much more in glory. Indeed, what was endowed with glory has come to have no glory in this respect because of the glory that surpasses it. For if what was going to fade was glorious, how much more will what endures be glorious. 2 COR 3:8-11

"Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law until all things have taken place. Matthew 5:17-18

Piety

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 (Rv 2:7)." And what does the Spirit say? "Come and listen to me; I will teach you to reverence God (Ps 34:12)." Run while you have the light of life, that the darkness of death may not overtake you (Jn 12:35)." (From the Prologue of The Rule of St. Benedict)

Study

Just about every word uttered by Jesus could be considered a new commandment.  However, just because he issued two basic commandments, does not mean that he absolved anyone from adhering to the instructions of the original Ten Commandments. He reminds us of that very fact today. 

At one point in my education, I thought Jesus changed everything. Yet I have come to realize that while he changed a lot, he did not toss out the best of the past. Paul’s message to Corinth emphasizes that in the new options presented by Jesus for life in the Spirit according to his Great Commandments.  These only replace what will fade with what will endure. 

As the New American Bible notes remind us, the real “turning of the ages” came with the death and resurrection of Jesus – not the end of the world when literally the earth will pass away. The people Matthew addresses in the Good News already are living in the new age, prophesied by Isaiah as the time of “new heavens and a new earth” (Is 65:17; 66:22). During the new age of Jesus’ ministry, the kingdom is rising from the ground up.  This new age ministry remains within the framework of the “law and the prophets,” though with significant anticipation of the glorious age of the Spirit yet to come.

New Age has interesting connotations in modern American culture.  The “New Age” is a term applied to a range of spiritual or religious beliefs and practices that developed in during the 1970s.  Think hippies and flower children.  Although considered to be religious, those involved in it typically prefer the designation "spiritual."  The practices are removed from any connection to Jesus, Christianity or any specific dogma or theology.  We have heard this referred to as a time of peace, love, and happiness. 

Jesus ushered in a New Age yet he also was careful not to promise us a Rose Garden of earthly delights or the dawning of the Age of Aquarius.  Suffering for His sake on our personal cross is the differentiating factor between these modern new age spiritualists and the faith-life lessons taught by Jesus in the Be-attitudes and beyond. 

Action

As Matthew Kelly writes in Rediscover Jesus: An Invitation, “Our God is a God of second chances, fresh starts, and new beginnings.”  As Jesus ushered in the new heaven and new earth, he gave us the chance for a fresh start just like we get every morning when the son (Son) comes up in our lives.

Just as Jesus transformed the laws and the prophets to give them the added dimension of love, he transformed people’s lives and the lives they touched. Moses. Job. Joseph. Mary. Cephas. John. Saul. And thousands of others whom we do not know their names. The Prodigal Son. His anonymous brother.  The Good Samaritan. The widow and her two coins. The centurion’s servant.  The leper. Peter’s mother-in-law.

“Jesus is the ultimate new beginning,” Kelly writes. 

What is happening in your life right now?  Do you need or want a change?  A new group?  A new assignment or volunteer job?  If you don’t know where to start, maybe you can pick up a copy of Rediscover Jesus for some ideas. (www.DynamicCatholic.com)

“Your Light Must Shine Before Others” by Melanie Rigney (@MelanieRigney)

Memorial of Saint Anthony of Padua, Priest, and Doctor of the Church

For however many are the promises of God, their Yes is in him; therefore, the Amen from us also goes through him to God for glory. (2 Corinthians 1:20)

Lord, let your face shine on me. (Psalm 119:135a)

“You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be

William Holman Hunt
[Public domain], via
Wikimedia Commons

seasoned? It is no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lampstand, where it gives light to all in the house. Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.” (Matthew 5:13-16)

Piety

Jesus, help me to remember that more people than I care to think of look at me and see You… my family, my neighbors, my coworkers, my fellow parishioners, and even those who sneer and scoff at us both.

Study

The idea of Jesus as the light of the world—as Christians, we get that. Before Him, there was hope and faith amid darkness for generations. And then, with the resurrection, that hope was realized, through God’s grace.

And wouldn’t it be wonderful if we all reflected our confidence in that grace all the time, to those who know and believe and to those who have heard and don’t believe and to those who don’t know or understand the Good News?

But it’s all too easy to dim that light that shines within us. Let me give you an example. A colleague raised Catholic, took his wife who grew up in a different faith tradition and their teenagers to a popular musical. He knew I had tickets for a later date, and so he shared with me his thoughts about the singing, acting, and staging. I asked what the kids thought. He laughed. “They didn’t really understand it because, well, we’ve raised them as heathens and so they don’t know the Jesus story.”

I thought about asking how they can appreciate art or music or literature or world history if they don’t know “the Jesus story,” whether or not they believe. I thought about suggesting that since they live less than five blocks from my parish, they should come to Mass with me sometime, maybe during Holy Week.

Yes, I thought about saying these things. But all I did was nod and return to asking about the production. My light flickered and went out in what could have been an ideal opportunity to evangelize in a relatively same environment with a colleague I like and respect.

I doubt my experience is unusual. It’s a lot easier to talk about “the Jesus story” in our safe little cocoons with fellow believers. But He didn’t say to shine that light only among those who think like us but to “all in the house.” Let’s pray for the faith and trust to do so with every opportunity that presents itself.

Action

Shine His light today in a situation you know will make you uncomfortable.

Share in the Encouragement

Monday of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time

For as Christ's sufferings overflow to us,
so through Christ does our encouragement also overflow.
If we are afflicted,
it is for your encouragement and salvation;
if we are encouraged,
it is for your encouragement,
which enables you to endure the same sufferings that we suffer.
Our hope for you is firm,
for we know that as you share in the sufferings,
you also share in the encouragement. 1 COR 1:5-7

Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the clean of heart,
for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God. Matthew 5:6-9

Piety

Father, help us to recognize that our help is not in our own hands but in another’s – Yours.  Let us look where that help will come and accept it when it is offered as we pray the Serenity Prayer:

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time; Enjoying one moment at a time; Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it; Trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His Will; That I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.  Amen.

--Reinhold Niebuhr

Study

How many people listening to Jesus heard their own life reflected in the Beatitudes?  How many people saw the lives of those around them reflected in the Sermon that hot day?  Did they see the Romans as blessed?  Did they hear the scribes and Pharisees among the blessed?

What about today?  Do red states and blue states see each other reflected inclusively in being blessed?  Do traditional Catholics and progressive Catholics see a place for everyone to be among the Blessed?  Men and women?  Ordained and lay?  Baptized and non-baptized?

For as Christ’s suffering overflows to us, so, too, does his mercy and encouragement.  For as Christ’s suffering, mercy and encouragement overflow to us, so too, does it flow to all the Children of God in the Kingdom.  All the meek.  All the merciful.  All the peacemakers. All the clean of heart.

Action

To where do you look for satisfaction?  Chances are good it will not come from Ford or Chevy; Safeway or Giant; the Nationals or the Capitals; eBay or Amazon.com.  We can get stuff from them but not stuff that will make us eternally happy.  

“Considering the Most Holy Trinity with Affection” by Rev. Paul Berghout

The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity

Brothers and sisters, rejoice. Mend your ways, encourage one another, agree with one another, live in peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you. Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the holy ones greet you. 2 Corinthians 13:11-12

God so loved the world that he gave his only Son so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. John 3:16-17

Piety

The mystics often use the affective mode of meditation to ponder the Three Persons of the Most Holy Trinity, using their imagination.

This type of meditation put the imagination on the level of our feelings – an emotionalization wherein the worshipper seeks to imagine the sights, sounds, tastes, movements, and touches of specific scenes from the Gospel in order to engage and reinforce learning, compassion, and to highlight that God is loving and accessible.

Margery Kempe pictured the Trinity in this way: “God the Father sits on a golden cushion, in honor of his might and power; Christ sits on a cushion of red; and the Holy Ghost,” the sanctifier, “sits on a white cushion, because He is full of love and cleanness.”

It's interesting that she came up with the image of colored pillows! Very creative. I have a pillow on my couch with words printed on it which say: "If you are looking for the T.V. remote, it is hidden under here."

Study

Use your imagination in your meditation and prayer to the First Person

of the Most Holy Trinity, God the Father.

The Father is first. The Father is the eternity. The Principle. The Source of all life. The Word and Holy Spirit proceed from Him, and all creation comes from Him through the Word, in the Holy Spirit.

We can use our imagination to honor the Father as the First Cause by laying down at his feet our whole being, our plans, our desires, in order that he, God the Father, may take the initiative in everything concerning us. In this way, we imitate Jesus.

Use your imagination in your meditation on the Second Person of the Most Holy Trinity, God the Son.

From Our Gospel today on John 3:16: "God so loved the world that he gave his only Son so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life."

Here is something imaginative: I saw a picture of Yoda from Star Wars, where he quotes John 3:16:

Another example: A banker in New York had a great desire to encourage some soldiers who were fighting during World War II. But, he could not get permission to visit the war zone personally. But his longing desire to help these men was not to be easily thwarted, so he called on a firm which manufactured advertising novelties and had them make several thousand small mirrors about three inches in diameter.

On the backside of each of these mirrors, he had printed the words of John 3:16. Beneath the words of this inscription was written, "If you want to see who it is that GOD loves and for whom He gave His Son, look on the other side."

These mirrors were distributed among the soldiers with the permission of the officers, and thus each man looking into the mirror would see the object of GOD's love and the one whom the SAVIOR came to save.

I bought a similar compact mirror on the internet that flips open with the words of John 3:16, written on the outside.

Use your imagination in your prayer and life with the Third Person of the Most Holy Trinity, the Holy Spirit. I think of the number 3 with the Holy Spirit, and of course, the Trinity.

The Trinity (Godhead) is 3 in one.

God is both one and three at the same time.

Isaiah 6:3 says that two seraphim, each with six wings "...were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.”

In Revelation 4:8: "Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night they never stop saying: “‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,’ who was, and is, and is to come.”

"Holy, Holy, Holy" is repeated three times because of the Trinity, The Godhead is 3 in One.

At Fatima, the Angel of Peace had the children repeat three times a Trinity Prayer in preparation. Lucia said: "We saw shining over us a strange light. We lifted our heads to see what was happening. the Angel was holding in his left hand a chalice and over it, in the air, was a host from which drops of blood fell into the chalice. The Angel leaves the chalice in the air, kneels near us and tells us to repeat three times:

Father, Son and Holy Spirit,

I adore Thee profoundly.

I offer Thee the most precious Body, Blood, Soul

and Divinity of Jesus Christ,

present in all the tabernacles of the world,

in reparation for the outrages,

sacrileges and indifferences whereby He is offended.

And through the infinite merits of His Most Sacred Heart

and the Immaculate Heart of Mary,

I beg of Thee the conversion of poor sinners.

When I have a problem to work out, I look for a new creative solution, a third way, asking the Holy Spirit for help.

Here is an example that I adapted from Fr. Rohr about a woman in Canada who is the director of a small government-subsidized service agency. She had to appear before a provincial board each spring to orally defend her budget and make her request for the next year’s funds.

The main problem was that as she waited her turn in a seemingly endless litany of petitions from the heads of other agencies, was that she was worried about scarcity--not enough money to go around.

Simply put: You have money. My agency needs this amount to function. I am worried that you'll blame the economy for not giving me what I need.

Then, she pictured the situation in terms of a third factor, gratitude, in honor of the Holy Spirit.

Suddenly an inspiration arrived. She threw away her prepared speech, smiled warmly, and began, “I want to thank you all for the generous funding we received from you last year. Here’s how we spent it.” She then went on to detail all the good work they had managed to accomplish on what was actually a very small subsidy. As she spoke, she could sense the board members visibly relaxing and her colleagues staring in amazement. She concluded, “We are not asking you for a single additional penny this year, and if we need to cut back, this is the strategy we’ve put in place to do so with minimal impact on our service.”

She got the full amount that she requested.

Action

Lastly, with your imagination, use the Trinity as a model in your relationships.

The distinction between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit doesn’t rest on their autonomy, but in the “relationship of each Person to the others” (Catechism, 252).

We are created in his image and likeness. This means that he created us to be relational too.

"Our God in his deepest mystery is not solitude, but a family..." says Pope Francis, quoting St. John Paul II, AL 11.

How does that model your relationships since we believe in the Triune God whose very nature is communal and social?

Psychologists say that to the degree that we are deprived of social interaction we are emotionally deficient and vulnerable to addiction.

For example, avoidant individuals, who attempt to detach themselves from psychological distress, can use alcohol and drugs as a means of avoiding painful emotions and self-awareness. It also contributes to eating disorders.

Experience teaches us that we are only fully alive when our lives are lived in a relationship.

Lastly, St. Ignatius of Loyola did not think of himself as a highly educated intellectual. He had an advanced degree from the University of Paris, the finest university in Europe at the time. But it was imagination that played a central role in his conversion.

Through his many years of directing others he discovered how useful the imagination could be in fostering a deeper relationship with God.

Imaginative prayer is recognized as one of the hallmarks of Ignatian spirituality. 

Imagine God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, actively in your life, as a verb more than a noun.

All She Had

Saturday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time

“A king’s secret should be kept secret, but one must declare the works of God and give thanks with due honor. Do good, and evil will not overtake you. Prayer with fasting is good. Almsgiving with righteousness is better than wealth with wickedness. It is better to give alms than to store up gold.”  Tobit 12:7-8

He sat down opposite the treasury and observed how the crowd put money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. A poor widow also came and put in two small coins worth a few cents. Calling his disciples to himself, he said to them, "Amen, I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the other contributors to the treasury.” Mark 12:41-43

Piety

Suscipe by St. Ignatius of Loyola

Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty,
my memory, my understanding,
and my entire will,
All I have and call my own.

You have given all to me.
To you, Lord, I return it.

Everything is yours; do with it what you will.
Give me only your love and your grace,
that is enough for me.

Study

Repetition as a rhetorical device is used in speaking and writing to emphasize a thought or concept.  It is so common, that sometimes we fail to even notice what is being repeated. However, when something is repeated once or twice, it is like a “Gibbs slap” to the back of the head. Pay attention. 

In our reading from the Book of Tobit, the Archangel Gabriel completely repeats an entire phrase within a few breaths of each other. After traveling with Raphael, Tobit and his son agree to pay the companion generously.  Following that act of generosity, Raphael reveals his identity and provides the advice to continue to praise God generously through piety, study, and action.

Remember, throughout this week, we have seen Tobit go through a series of emotional and spiritual ups and downs from burying the dead stranger to his healing from blindness. His Fourth Day journey has been rough. Raphael wants to make sure that Tobit and all who read this book of wisdom touch all the bases of the tripod legs.

Piety: Prayer with fasting.

Study: Know God’s will.

Action: Almsgiving with righteousness is better than wealth.

Can you image getting the message that your prayers were answered from the saint or angel to whom you prayed for intercession with and to God?  Whether your prayer is to and through St. Mary or St. Francis or St. Anthony, imagine your advocate appearing at your front door like Raphael did in today’s reading to reveal their identity to you. “it was I who presented and read the record of your prayer before the Glory of the Lord.”

Jesus also repeatedly calls our attention to widows.  First, he does so to point out what the Scribes do wrong. (“They devour the houses of widows and, as a pretext, recite lengthy prayers.”) Then, he calls our attention back to the poor widow as an example of what to do right. (“…she, from her poverty, has contributed all she had…”). The two coins she gave Jesus cherished most of all. In fact, you can just image if this was the same widow who had lost her coin (Luke 15:8-10) and searched all over her house until she found it...only to give it away in the next action.

The concept of giving all is foreign to us. We prefer to give a part…sometimes a small part. Even though the Hebrew Bible reminds us early and often about tithing, Jesus takes giving one-tenth another nine parts higher all the way up to the heights of the cross. The widow gave all she had just like Jesus will give all.

Action

Can you take your giving up to one part to a new level?  Maybe a simple step like using one of the Parish Giving websites to automate your weekly financial gift.  That way, when you are traveling or sick, your give is made even when you are gone.

Giving, though, is not only about money.  What can you do with your time to add more hospitality to your life?  Sharing food regularly with a food pantry is one way.  Did you know that you can even enter an order for food into popular websites and have the items delivered directly to the Capital Area Food Bank or other charities? 

Think too, about items sitting around your house or apartment.  What clothing, household items and more can go to a thrift store to generate revenue for its charitable mission? 

“Grateful for All of It” by Colleen O’Sullivan

Friday of the Ninth Week of Ordinary Time

When Tobit saw his son, he threw his arms around him and wept.  He exclaimed, “I can see you, son, the light of my eyes!”  Then he said, “Blessed be God and praised be his great name, and blessed be all his holy angels.  May his holy name be praised throughout all the ages, Because it was he who scourged me, and it is he who has had mercy on me.  Behold, I now see my son Tobiah!”  Then Tobit went back in, rejoicing and praising God with full voice for everything that had happened.  (Tobit 11:13b – 15c)

Praise the Lord, O my soul;

I will praise the Lord all my life;

I will sing praise to my God while I live. (Psalm 146:2)

Piety

Lord, may your praise be the song on my lips as I reflect on the ways in which you have blessed me.

Study

"Tobit heals his father's blindness,"
Domingos Sequeira (1768-1837),
Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons

Many years ago, I went on my first 8-day, silent retreat.  I had no idea what to expect nor any confidence that I could, in fact, be quiet for that long.  Being silent turned out to be no problem.  The shock came during my first meeting with my retreat director when I was asked to reflect with gratitude on the blessings of my life.  “Not just the good things,” he said, “but the negative things as well.”   I wondered why anyone would want to be thankful for the bad things that had happened to them.

Too bad I wasn’t more familiar then with the story of Tobit and his family.  Tobit is living in Nineveh with other exiles from the northern tribes.as our Scripture reading for today opens.  He hasn’t had an easy life.  He is blind, the result of a freak encounter with bird droppings while resting after doing a good deed by burying a murder victim left lying in the street.  The blindness put a great strain on his marriage, and, after a time, sent him spiraling down into depression, even causing him to pray for death.

One day Tobit remembers a sum of money that he has put away for safe keeping in a place called Media.  He dispatches his son to go and fetch the sum for them.  Tobiah, the son, is gone for so long that his parents begin to fear that something has happened to him.  It has, but not anything like the disaster the parents are envisioning in their worried states of mind.

Tobiah has just arrived home in today’s reading.  He is accompanied by the Archangel Raphael, God’s messenger of healing, and a new wife.  He has with him the ingredients it will take for a remedy for Tobit’s blindness.  The potion is applied, and Tobit is ecstatic.  He can see again.  The son he had feared dead is, instead, right in front of him in vibrant Technicolor clarity.  The daughter-in-law is lovely.  And the money the family needs is all there, thanks to Raphael.  They are all safe and sound.

To hear Tobit pray, you would never imagine all the tumult he has been through in his life.  He praises God for everything that has happened.  If he hadn’t been exiled, who knows whether he would have met the woman he married or had his son Tobiah.  If he hadn’t been blinded, maybe God would never have sent the Archangel Raphael to them.  Certainly, there would have been no reason for Tobias to travel to Media.  And if the son hadn’t traveled with the Archangel, who knows if there would ever have been a cure for the blindness.  There certainly wouldn’t have been such a lovely young woman in Tobiah’s life.

Once you start seriously reflecting on your blessings, you discover that it’s actually very difficult to separate the bad from the good.  God has a way of taking the very worst times in our lives and working them into some of the best times.  To wish the negative away would be wishing a great deal of the positive away at the same time.

Action

When you are praying today, spend a little while on the same assignment I was given on the first day of that 8-day retreat.  Look back over your life.  Pray with thankful hearts for every place where you see the hand of God.

“Praise Your Name Forever” by Beth DeCristofaro

Thursday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time

Tobias & Sarah Awake

(Raguel said) I have given her in marriage to seven men, all of whom were kinsmen of ours, and all died on the very night they approached her. But now, son, eat and drink. I am sure the Lord will look after you both." … Tobiah arose from bed and said to his wife, "My love, get up. Let us pray and beg our Lord to have mercy on us and to grant us deliverance." She got up, and they started to pray and beg that deliverance might be theirs. And they began to say: "Blessed are you, O God of our fathers, praised be your name forever and ever. Let the heavens and all your creation praise you forever. (Tobit 6:14, 8:4-5)

The scribe said to (Jesus), "Well said, teacher. You are right in saying, He is One and there is no other than he. And to love him with all your heart, with all your understanding, with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices." And when Jesus saw that he answered with understanding, he said to him, "You are not far from the Kingdom of God." And no one dared to ask him any more questions. (Mark 12:32-34)

Piety

"Blessed are you, O God of our fathers, praised be your name forever and ever. Let the heavens and all your creation praise you forever.”

Study

Remarkable, the beauty of Tobiah and Sarah’s prayer, praising and thanking God although they were facing potential deadly danger. Yes, they got around to asking for protection but much of their uplifted prayer is one of loving God with all their hearts and putting their love for each other before their God. Their prayer comes of pain, anguish, and waiting. They trust in God believing that love will win out.

At times in my life, I’ve been so sick that even the sound of a soft voice asking to help me hurt my eyeballs. And there have been the few times when loss or anxiety over the future weighed so heavily that it was hard to imagine a path out of the trouble. During these times it has been hard to pray much more than a meager “help me Lord” much less thank the Lord as did Sarah and Tobiah. What I know of gratitude, however, is that it can, indeed open your heart to newness, to light, to life. As Jesus saw with the scribe, love of God, gracious and giving, opened him to the imminence of the Kingdom. His heart was receptive and God was present.

Action

“No one dared ask him any more questions.” Awe is righteous fear inducing. And our pause is, again, a place to be with God.

Today, in a moment when you find yourself off balance or even fearful, lost, angry, distressed, pray with Sarah and Tobiah: “Blessed are you, O God of our fathers, praised be your name forever and ever. Let the heavens and all your creation praise you forever.” We are blessed by a gracious God and thousands of holy ancestors who by trusting in God approached the Kingdom. Be grateful.