Happy Third Day of Christmas

               “Happy Third Day of Christmas” was the opening of the homily today at Holy Family Catholic Church in Hilton Head, South Carolina.  On this great solemnity for St. John, it does seem as if the entire world has forgotten that there are twelve days in Christmas. I made the mistake of not bringing any Christmas CD’s and cannot find any Christmas music, not even on Christian music stations.

                For most of Advent, I try not to listen to Christmas music.  Pandora’s Advent station becomes one of my most used sources for music during advent.  I’ve come to love the Advent songs.  There are thirteen verses to” O Come, O Come Emmanuel”.    “O Come Devine Messiah” and “Creator of the Stars at Night” are now in my Advent repertoire.  I have been singing the great Christmas carols to myself as I take the time to praise God for the gift of his only Son.

               The feasts that we, as Catholics celebrate this week are inspiring and beautiful.  Yesterday we remembered Stephen, the first Martyr.  I read an essay that reflected on the fact that Stephen and Paul are in heaven, ecstatic to be together, although Paul, then known as Saul watched Stephen be stoned to death.  The point was made that Stephen wanted everyone to know Jesus as he did and that Saul’s conversion would have filled Stephen with delight -a wonderful second day of Christmas.

Today, the Apostle John, the one to whom Jesus gave his mother and the one who first believed at the tomb, was the focus of the Eucharistic celebration.  Tomorrow it will be the feast of the Holy Innocents, the children whom Herrod had killed to eliminate the Messiah.   I would imagine that the children who were massacred in Connecticut will be prayed for during the prayers of the faithful at churches all around the country, and perhaps the world.  Saturday will be the feast of St. Thomas Beckett who was martyred in 1170 and then Sunday is the Feast of the Holy Family.  And on it goes until January 6^th, which is Epiphany, the twelfth day of Christmas.

If you are not ready to join the after Christmas madness of shopping, and preparing for New Year’s Eve, stop by your local Catholic Church.  You will find a place that celebrates the birth of Christ until Epiphany.  Christ, as a tiny baby will be found in the Crèche.  As you breathe, you will inhale the pine scent of the trees and you eyes will be delighted will altars decorated with a plethora of poinsettias.

               Most importantly, you will find Christ in the tabernacle and a quiet place to pray and reflect.  Whether it is the third day of Christmas, or the 198 day of ordinary time, it is a day to thank God for his great gift.

When Tragedy Strikes

               On Monday evening, one of the women in my prayer group was in tears during petitions.  A friend of her 12 year old daughter’s had been taken from school in an ambulance with an unknown condition.  Speaking to her later, she said, “You say good-bye to your kids in the morning thinking that you’ll see them in the evening”.  Tears welled up in her eyes again as we silently pondered the weight of motherhood and the fragility of life. Trying not to sound flip, and in all earnestness I said, “That is why we have faith. We believe in life after death”.  Those words eerily came to mind yesterday as I saw the news about Sandy Hook Elementary School.   As a Mom and a daughter of God, I thought I would share how I am handling this senseless tragedy.

               As I was preparing to leave my office and pray the Rosary with friends at Noon, I saw that there was a school shooting at an elementary school and at the time the report was one was dead.  “So tragic,” was my thought.  I prayed the Rosary, on my knees, for the parents and family members of the victim, for the children and teachers who experienced such violence in their school and for the shooter and his family.  I petitioned Mary to cover the entire community with her mantel.  I begged for a multitude of angels to be sent to the area to protect it. I pleaded for the Lord to be merciful and save the soul of the deceased.  And I prayed for the safety of school children everywhere.

               Soon I learned that the tragedy was much larger than initially reported. How do I make sense of such a heartbreaking calamity?  Prayer is my first step.  I paused often yesterday to repeat the prayers made during the Rosary and added other prayers.  I prayed to the Lord, and petitioned for prayer from Mary, St. Rose of Lima, my parents (who were school teachers), and the litany of saints who have become my friends over the years.

              Eucharist and Adoration are other steps that can be taken in the wake of disaster.  Going to daily mass and offering up prayers in thanksgiving for the safety of loved ones as well as for the community of Newton, Connecticut can be comforting.  Time spend in front of the Eucharist at Adoration can do the same.  St. Rose of Lima Catholic church is across the street from the school.  It had a mass last night that had hundreds of people flowing out onto the parish grounds.  It was also open all night for prayer.

               This incident gave me the opportunity to stop and realize, once again, that this is not our home.  God created us to live with him in eternity once our life on this earth is over.  Perhaps when we are ensconced in one of the mansions referred to by Jesus in the Gospel of John, we will understand why senseless tragedy strikes.  This world is not heaven and there will be suffering.  Believing that God is in control and that he loves us more than we can imagine is a healing balm for me.

               Another form of healing balm can be spending quality time with my son. Last night I was getting ready to go to bed, my 15 year old asked if I wanted to play a game of Jeopardy on the I Pad.  “Of course” was my response, in spite of the fact that I was really tired.  With all of the events of the day, the opportunity to spend time with him was welcome.  We always learn something about each other when we play. Tonight under the category of “Foreign Phrases”, we were asked to identify the Latin name for the “Our Father”.  After answering it correctly, my son began singing the Our Father in Latin.  What a wonderful gift on a tragic day.  

Pour, Pour, Pour

               A few days ago, while running to retrieve a football I was repeating “pour, pour, pour” over and over.  I found myself on the football field with my 15 year-old son. He wanted to practice punting and kicking, in the hopes that he might replace the graduating kicker on his high school football team next fall.  My husband usually handles the sport practices, but he was under the weather with a terrible cold.

               Earlier that week, I had been using Jeff Cavin’s new Bible Study titled “Walking Toward Eternity”.  It uses Lectio Divina to study several different topics, including love.  The passage I was reading was 1 Corinthians 13.  I think of this chapter as the wedding passage.  Having been to countless weddings with the reading, “Love is patient, love is kind”, my husband and I chose not to use it when planning our wedding 19 years ago. 

               I read the passage out loud twice and then quietly prayed with it.  I envisioned a water fall, understanding that true love is like a waterfall that pours and pours and pours.  The question in the journal asked me to describe the passage and I wrote “unending pouring”. 

               If love truly “never ends” and is all of the things described in 1 Corinthians 13, then it is like a waterfall pouring over those who are loved.  That means that I am the "pourer" of love over those I love.  To be able to pour means emptying myself, even when it feels like I don’t have anything more to give (or  don’t want to give any more).

               Later that day, I found myself on the football field, chasing down balls that landed on a fabric covering.  Rightly, my son didn’t think it was a good idea for him to run on the fabric with cleats.  First he enthusiastically practiced 8 or 10 punts (being filmed by me), and then 8 or 10 extra points.  He analyzed each kick, looked at the video to determine his form and then kicked the ball again. The clock was ticking.  I watched my watch as the minutes flew by, knowing that I needed to get home, shower change and get to church to lector at the 5 pm mass.

               As I was chasing that ball, I wanted to shut the practice down and go home.  And then the words, “pour, pour, pour” came into my head.  I realized that being generous with my time was the way I was pouring out my love for him (and for Him) that afternoon.  We gathered the kicking paraphernalia and headed for home 50 minutes before mass.

               We arrived at church 12 minutes in advance of the beginning of mass.  That was late for me, but in plenty of time to gather a sense of calm and prepare for reading.  My hair was slightly damp and I the only makeup was mascara on my lashes.  I doubt that anyone noticed.  But my son knows that I was willing to help him in this new venture and the Lord knows that I did my best to “pour” my love out for him that afternoon.

"One step enough for me"

               It’s just weeks before Christmas, which means I am focused on end of the year fundraising for my clients as well as preparing for family Christmas activities, decorating and spending some time in prayer each day.  For me, the end of the year means planning for next year for my clients and business.  This year, I am finding myself quiet anxious about the coming year. 

               For many years, probably decades, I was anxious about the future.  Planning and re-planning and obsessing over the smallest details were a part of my everyday life.  Although I realized I was falling into a period of depression, I could not find a way to relieve the anxiety.

               Then in the summer of 2008, God swept me back to him and the anxiety left as I learned to depend on Him for the future.  But the last few weeks, the anxiety has returned, in spite of time in prayer and frequent confession.

               Last Wednesday night, my husband and I found ourselves in the unusual situation of having an evening to spend alone. Our son was at batting practice and Dave’s mom had retired early.  We sat in the family room while he read and I finished a project for one of my clients, occasionally conversing about Christmas plans, household details, school and Scouts.  As I finished work, I found myself tired, but didn’t want to go to bed, because it was so pleasant to spend time with my husband.  In fact I was so tired that I didn’t want to get up to get my book.

               Routing through my brief case, I found the September issue of Word Among Us that I had not read.  This particular issue was devoted to Blessed John Henry Newman, of whom I knew very little.  Several times, I had it in my hand to recycle, but decided to keep it to read later. I opened the cover and was interested to learn about his life and his struggles.

               The surprise for me came in the second article written by a Benedictine Abbot.  In the article, the author wrote about the unusual path traveled by Blessed Newman. It was a path that included misunderstanding, criticism, and loss of friends.  His hymn titled, “Lead, Kindly Light” and include the line, “I do not ask to see the distant scene; one step enough for me”.  I stopped, shook my head and reread the paragraph.

               This is the answer!  In the past few weeks, the anxiousness occurred because of my desire to know what 2013 would bring.  I want life to “get back to normal”, knowing that these is no such thing!  I paused to thank God for the quiet evening that allowed me to finally open this issue.  The Lord knows that much of the time I want to look far ahead of the next step.

               I have a new mantra for this season, “one step enough for me”.  Let me focus on this moment today and let the future arrive one step at a time.

Thoughts for the Celebration of Advent

The Religious Education Director at my parish asked me to speak to the parents are preparing for Advent.  I have given this talk in the past and went in search for some new material. In the context of the Year of Faith here are some of my thoughts about preparing for the coming of Jesus. 

In October 2011, our Holy Father released a letter that declared a year of faith beginning Oct 11, 2012 and ending on November 24, 2013.  The Year of Faith is also tied into the much promoted New Evangelization. Pope Benedict believes that the Holy Spirit is giving us the opportunity and grace to rediscover our faith in this Year of Faith.  And what better time for us to begin than in preparation of Christ’s birth?

Let’s review some thoughts of our Holy Father, Pope Benedict.  On Wednesday, during the general audience, our Holy Father spoke about the role of family in faith.  Speaking specifically about parents, he said: 

·        Sharing the faith with children and others should be done in a clear, joyful and simple manner.

·        The Second Vatican Council says that parents are the first messengers of God. 

·        They are called to rediscover their mission to open small minds to the love of God.

·        A fundamental role of parents is as the first catechists. 

·        Always be joyful. Help all members of the family understand that faith is not a burden, but a deep source of joy.

Do your children know who Jesus is and what it did? St. Bernard describes Jesus life as follows:  He lay in a manger and rested on a virgin’s breast, preached on a mountain, and spent the night in prayer. He hung on a cross, grew pale in death, and roamed free among the dead and ruled over those in hell.  He rose again on the third day, and showed the apostles the wounds of the nails, the signs of victory; and finally in their presence he ascended to the sanctuary of heaven. 

And He sent the Holy Spirit to remain with us until He comes again.  One activity that may help Jesus come alive in the hearts of your children is to use the internet to find the places where Jesus lived.  Explore them together.

Advent is a time of waiting and preparing ourselves for the coming of Christ.  We can and should use this time to rebuild our own hearts.  I suggest a three-fold approach to rebuilding Advent hearts in your homes, adoration, Mary and Penance.

Adoration - I used to think that you had to be really holy to go to Adoration.  Now I believe that Adoration is for everyone, even the unbeliever.  During Adoration you may pray, think, read, and contemplate in the presence of Jesus. Plan to attend Adoration with your family during Advent. Come with your family and spend 15 or 20 minutes with Jesus.  Do this every month in 2013 and see what a difference it will make in your life and the life of your family.

Celebrate Mary – Because she said, " Yes", Jesus was born. Three great Marian feast days take place in the next month – Dec 8 –Mary’s Immaculate Conception, Dec 12 – Our Lady of Guadalupe, Jan 1 –Mary, Mother of God.  Come as a family to mass all of these days.  (Two of them are Holy Days of Obligation.)  Pray a decade of the Rosary each evening with your family.  You’ll be through all four of the mysteries before Christmas comes!

Penance - It is the most misunderstood sacrament of the Church.  I recently heard a priest say that the best reason to come to confession is because Jesus should have the opportunity to say, “I forgive you” and that is what he does thought our Priests.  In Psalm David writes, “Create in me a clean heart, Oh Lord”.  Have all of your family members receive a clean heart during Advent.

Today, after you pick up your children, sit down and talk about Advent.  Ask them how your family should prepare for Jesus’ arrival on earth.  You might be surprised with their response.  However you celebrate Advent, remember the Holy Father’s comments: clear, joyful and simple manner, open small minds to God, faith is not a burden, but a deep source of joy.

Mary, Mother of God and my Mother

Four and a half years ago, as God was in the process of reclaiming me, I realized that I needed to understand more about Mary, the Mother of God.  I had been Catholic for more than two decades, but she played a minuet role in my faith life.  I had just finished praying the rosary, a new practice for me, and I felt urged to have both a closer relationship with her and to understand Marian theology.  I immediately walked the four blocks to The Catholic Information Center in DC.

The selection of books was overwhelming.  While I didn’t consciously say a prayer to make a good choice, I do believe the Holy Spirit guided my selection.  I decided to purchase True Devotion to Mary.  I had no idea that it was a Catholic classic, or that it was written in the early eighteenth century and not published until 1842.   Of all of the books available about Mary, I selected the one written by St. Louis de Monfort, a Dominican priest.   

   I curled up with the book at home in the evenings and learned that Mary is the ultimate role model for Christians.  She said “Fiat” (or yes) to God’s messenger when asked to become the Mother of Jesus.      De Montfort’s writings, nearly 300 years old, helped me to understand the theology of Mary.  In the book he promoted a consecration to Mary, something that intrigued me but I was not even close to being ready for it.

Over the past year or so, I have thought of revisiting the book to determine whether I was ready to try the consecration.  It is de Montfort’s belief that the fastest and truest way to Jesus is through Mary, his mother.  My relationship with Mary has grown dramatically in the past few years.  Of all of her names, Mary, Mother of God is my favorite.

In August, at the Catholic Writers Conference, I heard Fr. Michael Gaitley speak about his book, “33 Days to Morning Glory”.  It is a do it yourself retreat in preparation for Marian Consecration. It focuses on how the life of de Montfort as well at Blessed John Paul II, St. Maximilian Kolbe and Blessed Teresa of Calcutta were influenced by an intense devotion to Mary.

It was de Montfort’s plan that the preparation begins so that it ends on a Marian Feast Day.  I pulled the book from the shelf and thought about doing the retreat as a part of my Lenten practice this year.  Over a two week period, I found myself reading the introduction and last week looked to see when I would begin to end on the next Marian feast day. I began this retreat on November 29^th and, God willing, will complete the process on January 1^st, the feast of Mary, Mother of God.

Coincidence?  I think not.  With three days under my belt, I find prayer more focused.  Father Michael uses a conversational writing style, which I didn’t think I would like for such an important topic.  I have actually found the content something that I am reading a couple of times each day.  Thank you, Father Michael, for this book.  I am looking forward to making it to Morning Glory.

I'm Not Home Yet

I distinctly remember the first November after God swept me back to him.  I was reviewing the daily mass readings each night before I went to bed.  This had been a habit since August, but I was struck by the glum and gloomy readings.  I mentioned to a friend, “The reading this month have been depressing”.  I didn’t understand at the time that November is the month when the Church remembers the dead as it approaches the end of the church calendar.

 

This November, four years distant from that November, I have taken satisfaction in the readings, the masses and the church's focus on the dead.  A significant reason for this is my understanding of the Church’s regard for dead souls.  As a protestant who become Catholic in her 20’s, it is only in the past few years that I understand the teaching on Purgatory and the great need to pray for those who have gone before us. My Dominican family is teaching me about the great benefit for praying for the dead. (And the great benefit we receive from the prayers of those who are now in heaven!)

My parish priest takes special care in the preparation of the All Saints and All Souls liturgies. Envelopes with the names of those to be remembered are on the altar for the entire month, and are prayed for at each mass. The past two years, my mother and my father in law were remembered in the litany of those who had died in that calendar year during the All Souls mass. This year, a good friend, not much older than me, was remembered at the mass. I’ve sent three sympathy cards to friends who have lost parents this month and are remembering their parents during the masses.

Each year, the week of Thanksgiving, my family remembers the birthdays of our fathers, Bob Liike and Martin Holohan.  My father has been gone for more than 25 years, whereas Dave’s for 18 months.  Regardless, we don’t let Nov 24^th or 27^th go by without remembering the important influences that these good men had on us.

At the age of 55, this focus on leaving this life and moving on is more comforting than disconcerting for me.  A current popular Christian song by the group Building 429 comes to mind.  The refrain says:

All I know is I’m not home yet

This is not where I belong

Take this world and give me Jesus

This is not where I belong

No I am not home yet, but, during this month, I am happy to remember those who are on their way, or who have arrived.

A Road Trip

               A few days ago, my sister called and asked me to drive with her to pick up her son at College for Thanksgiving break.  His college is four hours away. This is his first time home since he left for his freshman year at College in August.  My sister and I live about an hour apart, but we haven’t seen much of each other this year.  The idea of taking this road trip was delightful.

               My family vacations growing up were always road trips.  My parents purchased a trailer when I was 6 years old and we would travel the country, camping in the trailer. One summer, we drove from Detroit to California and back.  As an adult, I have flown to the destinations for most of my vacations. I look forward to retirement when my husband and I can hop in the car and travel to interesting and unknown destinations.

               We drove from up I-270 and I-70 to the turnpike and eventually ended at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh.   We drove past the outlet mall and resisted the temptation to shop, toward the mountains on a crystal clear day.  After a short stop for restrooms and coffee at Breezewood, we entered the turnpike and drove past farms, through the tunnel and small towns, viewing dozens of billboards.

               The best part about road trips is the opportunity to talk and to listen, to comment on what is seen and share what you had meant to share.  We talked about our faith, when we first really believed; I shared the reason for why our family changed churches.  We briefly talked politics and she shared what it was like to be an empty nester.

               For me, one of the more interesting observations was a Dunkin’ Donuts billboard.  It let the passersby know that Dunkin Donuts was 32 miles away.  It also said “Wi-FI” and “drive thru”, right next to each other.  I began to giggle and my sister said, “What is going on?”  It took me a few moments to compose myself and share how the billboard seems to sum up current lifestyles. 

               “Drive thru” because we never have time to sit down and enjoy a cup of coffee.  Let just get our caffeine fix and go.  And “Wi-Fi” because why would you ever want to sit down and enjoy a cup of coffee without being connected to the phone and internet?

               That led us to a long discussion about what is important in life.  For me, spending eight hours in the car with my sister talking and listening is one of the important times of life!

The Lost Wedding Ring

               A few weeks ago, my husband sat down next to me on the couch and said those words that can strike fear in the heart of a spouse.  He said, “I need to talk to you about something.”  When either of us has had something important, intimate or controversial to discuss, we have used a similar phrase.  My reaction to the phrase most likely goes back to my dating days, when it was followed by words to the effect of “you are a very nice girl, but . . .” and the relationship was over.

              

               This time the phrase was followed by, “I can’t find my wedding ring.”  I could tell how awful he felt about it.  He remembered being in church and knocking the ring against the pew on a Thursday night and then when he was driving on Friday; the ring wasn’t on his finger. So the timeframe when he lost it and the places he traveled led both of us to believe it was somewhere in the house.  I let him know that the ring is only a symbol and that it would turn up. 

               

                 Quiet frankly, in the business of the fall activities, I forgot about our conversation, only to be reminded when I ran across my husband dumping the paper recycling out on the garage floor to go through it before it went to the curb for pickup, or when he spent an entire day cleaning out his closet to, unsuccessfully, look for it.

               

                 For me, it is not the ring that binds us together as husband and wife, but our vows before God, that covenant that makes us one.  And after 18 years of marriage, it is certainly not the ring that keeps us together, but the willingness to love each other by giving out entire selves.  At one point when we were in conversation, I let him know that if the ring was not found, we would pick out another one and have it blessed by our Pastor.  In the whole realm of the stresses of life, I didn’t want him to worry about a piece of gold.  Especially since one of the reasons he lost the ring is that he has lost 40 pounds in the past few months and his finger is now thinner.

              

                 Last Friday, I received an email that said that the ring was found.  My son was going through his Scouting backpack, preparing for another camping trip and at the bottom of the bag, he found my husband’s ring (and $16 in cash that he didn’t know he had)!  I could feel the elation and relief that my husband was experiencing as I read the message.

               

               And so the ring is found!  But even better is the knowledge that our marriage is built on solid ground, not on all of the trimmings of our wedding day.  I am thankful for this experience and asked him to go get the ring sized this week, so we wouldn’t have to experience it again!

A New Friend

          I couldn’t help but smile when I realized that today (Nov 13) is the feast day for St. Frances Xavier Cabrini.  A few years ago, my pastor told a story about Mother Cabrini. She was in the last years of her life and was told that bed rest was best for her.  One afternoon, her caregiver entered Mother Carbrini’s room and became alarmed.  Where was Mother? She wasn’t in her bed or anywhere near.

          And a frantic search ensued. Finally, she was found in the linen area folding laundry. When asked why she left her bed, she said, “There will be plenty of time to rest in heaven.”

          Among other things, she is the Patron saint of hopeless causes.  She wanted to be a missionary in China, but was sent to the United States. When she arrived, the Archbishop of New York told her to go back to Italy.  Instead, she founded an orphanage, the first of 67 institutions that she would found in the Americas.

          In 1909, she became a United States citizen.  She died in Chicago in 1917 at the age of 67.

In light of our recent election results, we can learn from her wisdom.  She said, “We must pray without tiring, for the salvation of mankind does not depend on material success; nor on sciences that cloud the intellect. Neither does it depend on arms and human industries, but on Jesus alone.”

           Given the need for conversion of souls in the United States, I am now praying for her intercession to turn souls in her naturalized country back to Christ. I am also taking comfort in the following prayer for peace of mind:

                              FORTIFY me with the grace of Your Holy Spirit and give Your peace to my soul          that I may be free from all needless anxiety, solicitude and worry.  Help me to desire always that which is pleasing and acceptable to You so that Your will may be my will.

           And so, today I found a new friend.  Someone who does not give up. Someone who seeks Christ's will even when she thinks she should be going in a different direction.  Someone who values her time on earth and has left an amazing legacy.

           St Frances Xavier Cabrini, pray of us today and always.

 

Confidence in God

               My husband and I had the opportunity to hear Donald Cardinal Wuerl speak at the Catholic Information Center on Monday night.  He recently arrived back in Washington after three weeks in Rome at the Synod on the New Evangelization[i].  This morning, I am hanging on to his words about being confident in God as I recover from the election results.

               He spoke about confidence being one of three missing elements that are identified necessary to the spread of the faith and the success of the New Evangelization.  First some background.  Cardinal Wuerl said this Synod was very pastoral.  In other words, the discussions focused on practical actions that Bishops can take to implement the New Evangelization.  He also mentioned that the bishops are united in recognizing the challenges and that the meetings were very positive.  By positive he explained that it seems as if a new Pentecost is sweeping the world wide church.

              The three elements that identified as being necessary for the success of reproposing the Gospel are: recognizing the need for renewal of our faith, confidence in the truth of the message and willingness to share it with others.

              The first element, also described at the kerygma, is the ability for individuals to know and believe in the proclamation that Christ was born, lived on this earth, died, rose again and was seen by many, ascended into heaven and sent the Holy Spirit to be with us.  That Christ’s life described in scripture is not just some story, but details the events that happened to Him.

   

            Confidence is the second element that is necessary for the New Evangelization.  We must be confident in God’s providence. We must know the Gospel message is true and believe in it.  Belief in the kerygma determines how we live our life. On days when we don’t understand what is happening in the world, we recognize that God is in control.  Our confidence in the truth provides the essential foundation for the next element.

            

             The third element is that Catholics need to be willing to share their faith in all situations.  While “are you born again” is not our tag line, the example of Evangelicals asking this of total strangers is an action to emulate.  To be bold about our belief and to lovingly be able to share the teachings of the church with friends, family, co-workers and strangers is the essence of the New Evangelization. Sometimes we share in words, but we also share in our life style and our actions.

             

            On this day, when I feel bruised and battered, I can find hope in having confidence that our great and mighty Triune God is in control. Now, with whom should I share the message!

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[i] In finding a definition for the New Evangelization, I prefer to use the word that Pope Benedict XVI applied to the process.  He says we are to “repropose” the Gospel to others.  This whole process begins, however, with a deepening of our own faith and then, as a result of all of this, the desire to share the faith with others.  From Cardinal Wuerl’s blog - http://cardinalsblog.adw.org/2012/03/the-new-evangelization-in-brief/

The Storm Named Sandy

               If you live on the East Coast of the United States, the name Sandy suddenly has a new meaning.  Before last week, when I thought of the name Sandy, I thought of Sandy Duncan who played Peter Pan when I was a child.  Now I think of a tropical storm/hurricane coming to our Nation’s Capital.  The weather reports have shut down the schools, the county government and the federal government.   I made the mistake of stopping by the grocery store today for orange juice and yogurt and found long lines at the checkout.  My Eagle Scout husband made sure that both of our cars are filled with gas!

                Saturday morning, at Mass, my pastor prayed a Collect for averting storms.  In it the prayer reads, “Still this awesome storm that it may become an occasion for us to praise you.”  What a beautiful phrase and a hopeful way to look at this impending weather event.  This event helps me to realize that there are many occurrences in life over which I have little control. And it is good to take time to praise our Lord and pray for our needs.

               And if we lose power, then there will be time for our family to unplug and spend time playing board games (I think a massive Monopoly game may be on the horizon) and hang out together.  Potentially a great blessing in this all too busy life that we life!  

              Yet this prayer is just as applicable when confronting many of the storms of life.  A parent with cancer, the sudden death of a young person, a tragic accident resulting in a loved one in the hospital, the loss of a job and the list could go on and on of the storms that we face in life.  With each storm, we can pray for the Lord to still it that we may use the occasion to praise Him.

Mable and the Last Things

               I have been thinking about Mable this week.  I worked with her in the late 1970’s in a Stouffers Restaurant in Troy Michigan.  As a summer employee, I worked in the kitchen doing “cold prep”.  While I’m sure the job included more than this, I remember peeling mountains of shrimp each week, slicing dozens of red onions, mushrooms, and romaine lettuce. But what I remember most are the Fridays in my second summer, working alongside this octogenarian who had the most wonderful outlook on life.

              

               Mable had worked for decades as a baker for a variety of restaurants in the Stouffer’s chain.  Her husband had died many years before.  Each Friday and Saturday her work would fill the kitchen with the enticing smells of the most wonderful kind of sweets – tarts and cakes and pies.  These desserts were enjoyed by the guests who feasted at the Sunday brunch.

               

               I was drawn into a wonderful friendship with her, although there were 60 some years between us.  I learned very practical details about the precision of baking and the need to measure accurately. The most important lessons I learned dealt with how to age.  At 82 she was active, worked not for the money but because it gave a routine to her life.  Some weeks her back ached or her fingers were painful.  Rather than giving up her beloved baking, she knew that aches and pains were part of getting older.  She enjoyed each day that she lives. That fall she was going to Europe for four weeks and had found a grandchild to accompany her.  She was a believer in Christ and would not work on Sunday.

               

                Mable always comes to mind this time of year.  While the leaves are turning beautiful colors and you can hear a crunch under your feet when you walk over leaves that have already fallen, November is fast approaching.  I was reminded of this yesterday when I walked by a tree that has already shed its leaves.

               

               November is the month when the Catholic Church especially prays for the dead.  The focus in November is on the “last things” – dead, judgment, heaven, and hell.  This week, I made a list of the people in my life, who are no longer with us, for whom I want the Church to pray for in November.  Among those on the list are my parents and grandparents, a friend who died of cancer last June, a work colleague who died two years ago of heart complications and Mable. 

               

               After that summer, Mable and I saw each other occasionally when I came back to work in the kitchen during an especially busy time of year.  I never knew her last name or when she died, but I do hope to find her in heaven one day and let her know the important role she has played in my life.  She is my role model for aging gracefully and I am grateful that the Lord brought us together!

               

Turning our Minds to Heavenly Things

                On this second day of the Year of Faith, I’m feeling a like a have a double hangover.  Yesterday, I spent much of the day reading about the year of faith, attended mass and a Holy Hour and have many thoughts buzzing through my brain.  I also spent time, into the wee hours of the morning, watching play-off baseball.  Various members of my family are Nationals, Orioles and Tigers fans.  Each team was facing elimination from the play offs if they didn’t win.  All three teams won, in dramatic fashion.

               

               So in this prayful-baseball haze, I try to make some sense of the potential for the Year of Faith and of the experiences of yesterday.  I have been personally excited about this Year of Faith since Pope Benedict declared it a year ago. I wonder, what can this year mean for me?  For my family?  For those around me? Pope John XIII, who convened the Second Vatican Council, said that the Council was to “turn our minds to heavenly things”.

                In his homily on Oct 11th, Our Holy Father Pope Benedict said that “the Church proposed a new Year of Faith and a new evangelization, . . . because there is more need of it, even more than there was fifty years ago”.  He defined the Year of Faith as a “summons to an authentic and renewed conversion to the Lord, the One Savior of the world” (Porta Fidei 6). In other words, the Year of Faith is an opportunity for Catholics to experience a conversion – to turn back to Jesus and enter into a deeper relationship with him. The “door of faith” is opened at one’s baptism, but during this year Catholics are called to open it again, walk through it and rediscover and renew their relationship with Christ and his Church.

                The priest who preached at the holy hour spoke of life as a pilgrim on a journey. And, that like pilgrims, we can’t go alone.  He remarked that by reaching out to others during this year of faith, we can have a profound effect on our culture.  As we try more clearly to “see the light”, we can help others also find it.

                At mass, the priest described the Year of Faith as a time to fall in love with God all over again, or for the first time. It is a time to return, renew, discover, learn and deepen our relationship with Jesus Christ.

                With so many ideas and thoughts surging through my mind, I do think that Blessed Pope John XXIII said it simply.  This year is a time for us to turn our thoughts to heavenly things, as we let go and stop grasping for the material wealth of this world.

Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque

For me, one of the great wonders of the Catholic Church is that there is so much to learn.  Today is the feast of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, a 17^th century Sister of the Visitation who is especially devoted to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.  She is known for spreading this devotion throughout the church.  As a mystic she had many encounters with the risen Christ.

            Today’s reading in the Liturgy of the Hours includes a letter from St. Margaret Mary.  She says,  In the course of every activity pray as follows: “My God, I do this or I endure this in the heart of your Son and according to his holy counsels. I offer it to you in reparation for anything blameworthy or imperfect in my actions.” Continue to do this in every circumstance of life.  And every time that some punishment affliction or injustice come you way, say to yourself: “Accept this as sent to you by the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ in order to unite yourself to him.”  But above all preserve peace of heart.  This is more valuable than any treasure. In order to preserve it there is nothing more useful than renouncing your own will and substituting for it the will of the divine heart. In this way his will can carry out for us whatever contributes to his glory, and we will be happy to be his subjects and to trust in him”

            In the apparitions to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, Jesus gives these twelve promises for those who are devoted to His Sacred Heart.

1. I will give them all the graces necessary for their state of life.
2. I will establish peace in their families.
3. I will console them in all their troubles.
4. They shall find in My Heart an assured refuge during life and especially at the hour of their death.
5. I will pour abundant blessings on all their undertakings.
6. Sinners shall find in My Heart the source of an infinite ocean of mercy.
7. Tepid souls shall become fervent.
8. Fervent souls shall speedily rise to great perfection.
9. I will bless the homes where an image of My Heart shall be exposed and honored.
10. I will give to priests the power of touching the most hardened hearts.
11. Those who propagate this devotion shall have their names written in My Heart, never to be effaced.
12. The all-powerful love of My Heart will grant to all those who shall receive Communion on the First Friday of nine consecutive months the grace of final repentance; they shall not die under my displeasure, nor without receiving their Sacraments; My heart shall be their assured refuge at that last hour.

"Look at this Heart which has loved men so much, and yet men do not want to love Me in return. Through you My divine Heart wishes to spread its love everywhere on earth."

For more information about Saint Margaret Mary and her life, you can click on http://www.piercedhearts.org/theology_heart/life_saints/margaret_mary.htm.

Dancing Around the Altar of . . .

On Wednesday, I had the pleasure of hearing Father Robert Barron speak about the New Evangelization.  It is the best presentation that I had heard on this topic.  He began by recognizing that this is a current focus of the Church.  Father Barron is the creator of the Catholicism series released in fall 2011.  He has the talent to bring the highly theological into lay-mans terms.  He presented much, good content in this talk -too much to talk about here.

One of my take away ideas came from the time when Elijah, “the only surviving prophet of the Lord”[i] challenged the 450 prophets of Baal to have their gods light a fire on an altar. Fr. Barron recalled the scene, describing how the 450 prophets called on their gods to light the altar with fire.  They called from morning to Noon saying, “answer us Baal!” But there was no sound and no one answering. Then they hopped around the altar they had prepared.[ii] 

After continued hopping and calling on their gods and eventually slashing themselves, there wasn’t an answer.  Then Elijah built an altar with twelve stones, each representing a tribe.  He had the altar drenched three times until water flowed around the altar and into the trench around it.  He called on God, saying “Answer me Lord that this people may know that you, Lord are God and that you have brought them back to these senses.”  And the fire consumed the altar, even the water in the trenches.  And all of the people repented and said “the Lord is God”.

Father Barron’s point is that we have our own altars today.  There are things that we dance around all of the time.  For me I spend time each day “dancing around the altar of food”.  For others it can be alcohol or drugs, pornography, vanity, greed, sex, etc.

His point is that rather than follow the Lord in all that we do, as fragile human beings, we find another altar around which to dance and call out and slash our arms in the pursuit of earthly possessions or activities that bring us fame.  Yet all we need to do is to call out to our almighty, loving Lord and to pursue his plan for us, and ask for help to conform our will to His.

In our modern time, it is difficult for many to even think about obeying God.  We have been brought up to grasp and pursue material things, fame, success and money.  These are our altars.  Yet our great and mighty triune God is capable of some much more than we can imagine, if we dance around His altar and call upon Him as our Lord.

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[i] 1 Kings 18:22

[ii] 1 Kings 18:26

Did an Angel Drive my Car?

I wonder if I had a direct encounter with the supernatural world on Wednesday night.  Today’s feast of Saint Michael, Saint Gabriel and Saint Raphael reminded of Wednesday’s crazy series of events.  The short story is that I accidently took the wrong medicine before dental surgery. 

Each time I see the dentist, I take four tables of antibiotics to prevent any infection that might occur in my replaced hip.  I thought I only had antibiotics in my medicine cabinet and took four pills without looking at the pill container.  It was only after feeling lightheaded and sick that I asked the dental assistant to call my husband to pick me up.

My husband noticed that the pill container contained codeine.  After my dentist assured me that I hadn’t overdosed, I spent the afternoon quite ill, dosing on the couch.  At dinner, I only drank water and still felt awful as I laid back on the couch.  I agreed that I would go with my husband at 8 to pick up my car.  Neither of us wanted to leave the car in the parking lot over night.

On the drive to the parking lot I was not sure how I would manage to drive the three miles back to the house.  As I got in the car, my stomach felt queasy.  I got behind the wheel, took a deep breath and started the car.  I knew my husband was following me and would pull over with me if I needed to stop.  Yet, as I pulled out onto the main road, I didn’t have any problem driving.  I was cautious, but did not have any difficulty turning or stopping.

Sooner than I knew, I pulled into my drive way and parked.  I sighed and got out of the car. As I walked to the mailbox to get the mail, I began to feel awful again.  My husband got out of his car and commented on how great I drove, as I threw up on the grass.  I was so weak that I was

I can only think that I must have had some supernatural assistance to get me home safely.  Did my guardian angel assist me in that time of need?  Some will say it might have been adrenaline or just my own nature. Others will deny the existence of thrones, dominions, angels and archangels.  On this day, when we remember our supernatural friends, I am thankful to the angel who might have been driving my car on Wednesday.

               

An unexpected milestone

                On Monday, I turned 55 years old.  I didn’t think of 55 as being a milestone.  Yes, 50 was a time to celebrate and to evaluate.  Months in advance, I let my husband know that I wanted to go away with him for a weekend.  We had a great weekend in Sanibel Island, although I think we lowered the median age of people at the resort by about 10 years!

                

                What has my attention about 55 is that it feels like I turned 50 just a few months ago and that means that I’ll be 60 before I know it.  I’m not worried about growing old or facing health issues or even death.  I am more cognizant about how I am spending my time.

               

                 In the past five years, what I want out of life has changed.  Some of this is from life experiences. It was in my 50^th year that God swept me back to Him in the most marvelous, loving way.  Three years ago, my in-laws moved in with us. Two years ago, I accompanied my Mom on her final journey on this earth and last year was at the deathbed of my father-in-law.  My husband and I survived one job lay off and are currently in the process of experiencing another.

               

                 I find myself wanting fewer things as I want to spend more time with my family and friends.  Television, except for watching sporting events with my son or old movies with my husband is a thing of the past.  After years of collecting things, I’m more inclined to give away items.  I want to travel more, find new ways to enjoy the outdoors, be more selective in my volunteer hours and find extra ways to pray.  And I want to continue to make friends of men and women of all ages.  I have good friends who are 26 and 88.  They variety of ages adds richness to my days.

               

                  I want to follow God’s path for my life.  I’m more inclined to try new things now than in my 30’s or 40’s, am not worried about what others think of me and have found a creative part of me that I’ve not experienced.

               

                  I think more now about the amazing role models I’ve had in my life for aging.  Mable, the 82 year old baker who I worked with on weekends at Eden Glen restaurant as a college student, was the first “old” person (other than a grandparent) that was my friend.  I learned how to bake from her, but I also watched as she lived an active and full life.

              

                  My Aunt Mary is now 88.  She and husband have been great role models for how my husband and I want to live our retirement years.  Since his death two years ago, (she married him when she was 19) she has been an amazing example of how to live as a widow.  When I went to visit her earlier this month, she was complaining about aching joints.  She planted mums in her garden the day before!

                

                Watching the joy and energy of our beloved, aging Pope Benedict XVI is a life lesson in itself.  He has no retirement age.  His papacy has changes as he is not able to travel quite was much as before, but his desire to be the shepherd of his flock is as vigorous as ever.

                

                At 55, I don’t wish to be younger, or old, but to enjoy each day to its fullest.    That might be the best gift of this milestone. 

               

God in the marketplace?

I am reading “God in Action” by Francis Cardinal George, O.M.I, Archbishop of Chicago.  It has been on my bookshelf for several months, but with the upcoming elections, it seemed like a good time to read it.

Yesterday, I read the chapter subtitled, “Business as a Vocation from God”.  For me, the words leapt off the page.  He writes, “There’s a distinction and a separation in law between religious institutions and political institutions, but not between faith and society; the first 150 years of this country’s history bears witness to health interaction between the concerns of society and the influence of faith.” [i]

Cardinal George goes on to write that secularism, (my pastor may make the case for relativism), has become the public religion.  Any areas dealing with faith are considered private and no longer have value in the public spheres, especially the market place.  This becomes a significant problem as the gift of faith calls us to something beyond what and what we currently are. 

He then references the Trappist monk Thomas Merton[ii] in discussing “false selves” – masks that we use when interacting with others.  We might have the “boss mask”, the “mommy mask”, the “pious mask”, etc.  The masks represent a role that we play in various parts of our lives.

Yet as we spend more time with God, His unending and merciful love unifies everything in our lives, including our work, making us integrated persons who are free to act according to His will for us.  As we answer the call to follow his will, as our faith grows and deepens, faith no longer is a mask, or something that happens at a certain time and space, but is grafted into ourselves. 

My “take away” from this reading is this: once our unified selves enter the business world, tension is then created because we may be asked to take off our “faith masks” to conform to what is expected in specific situations.  Our work, the way that God calls us to use the gifts He has given us, will be transformed when we bring our unified selves to the market place.  As we labor, not in drudgery, but in joy, conducting our actions in His name, others will notice.  We will bring His love into the marketplace and who knows that will result!

Thank you Cardinal George for allowing me to realize that business is one place that I may put “God in Action”.

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[i] God in Action by Francis Cardinal George, Commerce as a substitute for war, page 155

[ii] If you haven’t read Merton’s “Seven Story Mountain”, put it on your Christmas list.  It is well worth the time to read this story of conversion.

Fruit of a Teacher's Strike

              There is much celebration in Chicago this morning, as students and teachers go back to school after a teachers strike.  I have been following the news on this event as I can still vividly remember a teacher’s strike in the Detroit school system.  About forty five years ago, in the 1960’s the Detroit teachers strike lasted more than two weeks.  I was 9 or 10 years old.   An experience I had during the strike had an important effect on me.   

               

                As a child, September was my favorite month of the year.  School began in September and not only did it mean new classes and teachers and a chance to see friends that I didn’t see over the summer, but also new school supplies and clothes.  It is also my birthday month.  I was more than a little distressed that school was delayed.

                

                During the second week of the strike, a friend invited me to come to her church.  The church decided to host a Bible school until regular classes resumed.  I was delighted to accompany her.  At some point during that week, we studied the parable of the sower.  I’m not sure which Gospel reading was presented, but the idea of sowing seeds that would or would not survive in various soils came alive for me.

                

                In fact, to this day, each time I listen to the parable, I think back to that lunchroom and how I didn’t want the Word gobbled up by birds, or to sprout only to not have roots to live, or to get choked.  Of course I wanted the Word to increase thirty or sixty or one hundred fold.  Then, as even now, I stop and think about the kind of soil I have been in the recent past. 

                

                  I would like to think that most of the time I am the “good ground”, and yet I can think of times when I am not.  Certainly, at times I may not hear the Word because I am distracted by thoughts such as:” Do I have enough lunchmeat in the house for sandwiches for tomorrow?” or “How am I going to complete the work for a client and get to my son’s football game?”

                

                  Other times, seed does not sprout because of the business of my life, or seed gets choked because of my preoccupation with grasping for the things of this world. 

                

                   This particular parable is a critical reminder for me to be diligent in hearing the Word, absorbing it and allowing it to produce fruit.  After all, “I did not choose Him, but He chose me to go out and bear fruit that will last.”

                

                   On this crisp fall morning, as children in Chicago are roused out of bed early to begin another year of education, I like to think that maybe some of them had a positive experience over the past two weeks that will have an effect of their lives, even 45 years from now!