TUESDAY QUOTE OF THE WEEK CXLI

FINDING TRUTH WHEREVER IT MAY BE FOUND: “A world-view that is incapable of giving even pain meaning and value is good for nothing. It falls short precisely at the hour of the most serious crisis of existence.” from Pope Benedict XVI’s “Called to Communion”

QUOTE II: “Celibacy has never been successful. Then again, neither has charity.” Fr. Benedict Groeschel CFR

IN OTHER NEWS:

Melody Laila sent in this site, podCatholic.com. The first pod cast is there but I only heard half of it. Let me know if it seems Okay to you.

Thanks to CK I can send you this information from the Eparchy of Parma. They are sponsoring an exhibition on Archbishop Sheen. Look here for more information. Sounds pretty cool.

Check this out! Dr. Trew sent me a notice about a fabulous conference being held in the Diocese of Cleveland! "Bringing America Back to Life." Go here and look to see the amazing list of speakers! Mark your calendars now!

Hey fellow priests! There is a contest going in honor of the year of priests for a paid trip to Rome. Look here for more details.

Saw this video on Called by Name. Thanks Fr. Kyle.

Thank you to all who participated in the poll and made comment to last Thursday's post. You inspired me to make a change to what I say. One person said that I sounded arrogant (which was a shock to me - then again, more offence is this world than is actually offered and who knows how one is coming across) but just the same I thought maybe changing my approach slightly might help. Thanks again!

Oh! There's more but I have to get to work!

MONDAY DIARY: I FEEL POORLY. REALLY. I DO. YOU SHOULD SEE THE LOOK OF SINCERITY ON MY FACE.

It is winter in Akron.

It is Arcticly cold in Akron.

There's a ton of snow in Akron.

I, however, am not in Akron.

Wait a moment, let me get the water out of my ear. Ah. There.

Every once in a while it is good for the pastor to take the difficult jobs to give the parochial vicar an example of dedication, hard work, and that can-do attitude that makes for a good priest. So I left the comfort of home - and the love of my dog - to go say Mass for a bunch of our parishioners who find themselves eslewhere this time of year.

Not having a lot of time to come up with a post today (I must needs get ready to depart and return to the delights and peacefulness of hearth and home) here is the homily that I gave this weekend.

God bless.


There are a lot of erroneous ideas about what prayer is. Some use words like obligation, a chore – a Godly one but a chore none-the-less, or work. People “get it in,” or “over with,” or “out of the way.” But this idea of prayer will work against the purpose of prayer. It is in the end about building a relationship.

Father Benedict Groeschel, in trying to get this idea across, asks the question, “does your prayer life lead you to more fully call God “Abba?” Abba is a term that is as intimate as daddy but as respectful and full of awe as the more formal father. It is this relationship to which prayer is calling us – it was Jesus’ mission to us.

Both Isaiah and Peter today got a deep taste of that relationship. Isaiah comes before the throne of God and Peter realizes the awesomeness of the God man before him. Their reaction is of shame and embarrassment. “I am a man of unclean lips living amongst a people of unclean lips,” cries Isaiah, while Peter declares, “Leave me Lord for I am a sinful man.”

It sounds a bit like Genesis and Adam and Eve. At first they walked in the garden in the presence of God and after they have disobeyed him they hide in the bushes for shame of being seen by Him because of their sin.

So what exactly is sin? Many people have a vague idea that it means something is wrong. It is like the time I went into a teacher’s room and used the world “Yeah” instead of “Yes.” The teacher had been training the kids not to use that word and they got in trouble if they did. So here I was, the priest, using the word and their eyes got big and they all said, “Awwwwwwwwwwww.” I knew I had done something wrong but what or why was lost on me but I knew something was amiss. So I then learned the rule and played along with the rules of the room. That is not what sin is.

Sin is simply this: It is anything that brings harm into the world. It is something that hurts you personally physically (like overeating) or mentally (like cyberporn) or spiritually (like ignorance of Scripture.) It is something that one does that brings harm to others spiritually, mentally, or physically. Or it is something that harms the relationship with the One that we are to call Abba/Father.

And the thing that this Father wants for us more than anything else is health – virtue, peace, life, “that my joy might be in you and your joy complete.”

Notice in neither of the readings today is God angry. In Isaiah God did not say anything like, “How dare you!” nor with Peter was there any condemnation of his sinfulness by Christ. Rather, I think they saw the great love of God – pure – generous – powerful – complete – extravagant – and like Adam and Eve in the garden they are suddenly aware of their illness – of their lack of love – of their sin.

A relationship with God through prayer is supposed to help to bring a remedy to this – to help us grow in understanding of God and of His love and mercy – to lead us into that relationship that helps us call Him Abba/Father, to begin to weed out that sin which is harmful to us and to others, so that when we stand before Him we are able to understand, withstand, and accept His love. If your prayer is leading you to this then you are praying well.

FRIDAY POTPOURRI - A GRAVE MATTER

I like snooping around churches. At my first assignment I was going through the basements seeing what I might find down there hoping to find some valuable or at least interesting thing long forgotten. The most startling find was a couple of marble slabs on top of which were stacked paint cans. The paint cans were stacked on them to protect the cement floor lest they leak.

The stones were about a foot square, had crosses carved into them and a round space that had something plastered into them. These were not random pieces of marble but the altar stones from the old church. The spot in which something had been plastered were the relics of some martyr! And these were being used to protect the cement floor from paint!

The altar at that church was not considered a canonically permanent altar and so did not have relics in it. I was hoping to be able to use these relics in that altar but was told that until the altar was replaced with a permanent one it could not contain relics and so the relic stones must be returned to the diocese for proper storage.

It is an ancient custom that Masses in usual circumstances be said over the grave of martyrs. Even St. Peter Basilica’s altar is built directly over the tomb of St. Peter. This is a tradition going back to the very early Church and eventually became law.

There are not martyrs tomb’s on every street corner – particularly in the United States so the practice of placing relics in the altar became the norm. The altar then is a kind of tomb and on that martyr’s tomb we pray the Mass. This is a wonderful reminder of the one Body of Christ, how we are all united – heaven earth – when we celebrate the Mass.

If you go to a Pre-Vatican II altar and find the place where the priest stands you might be able to see under the altar cloth the place where a martyr’s relics are. Post Vatican II there is the practice of placing the relics in the floor (like a grave) and constructing the altar over it. There is supposed to be on record somewhere who the martyr is in a particular altar but I have found unfortunately that many parishes have lost this information.

WHEN DOES HOSPITALITY GO TOO FAR?

Recently I received a letter stating that a recent action of mine had been perceived as insensitive, unnecessary, and thoughtless. Actually I can see how my actions might have been thought so. Except thoughtless. I do not accept that one. It had actually been given quite a bit of thought over the past eleven and a half years.

Here is the situation: There are often Catholic ceremonies that are attended by a good number of non-Catholics. The most frequently reoccurring of these is weddings and funerals. It is often not difficult for the celebrant to notice these persons. Sometimes they remain seated with arms folded across their chests while those around them are invited to kneel or stand. Then it comes time for Communion. We as Catholics have a very distinct belief in what the Eucharist is. This action is central and sacred to our covenant with God and with each other much as the marital act is to marriage. It is our com (with or co-) union. We believe that the Eucharist is a person. To share our most intimate action – indeed to entrust a person to another who does not recognize the Eucharist as such or at least not in the same way is dishonest at best. (If a person believe as we do then they should be in union with us. No?)

At Communion time I make an announcement. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church as well as Canon law only Catholics (and Orthodox under certain circumstances) who are in a “state of grace” are permitted to partake in Communion. This means not only should non-Catholics refrain from coming up the aisle but non-practicing Catholics, or Catholics in serious sin as well.

So I give the following statement just before distributing. “Out of respect for those who may be here today who are not Catholic and out of respect for your beliefs, I can only offer communion today to those Catholics who are in a state of grace. If you are unable to receive today I ask that you pray for the unification of the Christian Church, and made a spiritual communion with us.”

It seems to me that this statement is honest. It has spurred fruitful conversations with non-Catholics over the years. Quite often when priests get together we run by our little speeches with each other. “What do you say?” to see what might be a better way to handle it.

It has been suggested that we have people read the hymnal statements but until we have our pews refinished (please patron saint of pews soon) congregants do not have access to them. And programs (which are really quite unnecessary) are often not printed.

So I guess I am asking you what you think. Something needs to be declared. Whatever is said should in a perfect world be honest, brief, and inoffensive. I am open to your input. Leave a comment and or vote in the poll in the right column.

VINEGAR AND HONEY

Do you want to be happier? Do you want to feel better when you wake up in the morning? Do you want to have more energy during the day? Do you want to look better? Do you want to improve your marital relations? Do you want to look ten year younger?

Are you thinking, “Yes! Yes! Just tell me what to do!” or at least, “I know what I need to do, please give me a new way to do it that I will actually participate in.”

What if the opening paragraph read:

If you keep eating the food you like you will remain fat and listless. You feel sluggish because of the amount that you drink. You look older because of the cigarettes you keep smoking. You are feeling low because you keep filling yourself with mild poisons.

If you are like me you find some interest in the first paragraph and start shutting down or even skimming through the second. One invites people to be the best version of themselves that they can be and the second merely points out how terrible a person is as motivation to be better. (So the alternative is to be a negative person like you?) The first tends to work better than the second but far too many people use the second especially in matters of faith.

Rare it is that a person does not know what the Church stance is on something or what (at least they’ve heard) what Scriptures says about a given topic (through probably not why.) They care - but not enough. This is mostly because they know the teaching through the second type of teaching. This is true of premarital sex, cohabitation, same sex marriage, contraception, or even missing Mass on Sunday. Too often the thrust of presentation on these teachings is, “Here is what (God/Church) wants and those who are not doing it are sinning and sinning leads to unhealthy lives and unhealthy lives can put your immortal soul in jeopardy.” This is all true – but not very appetizing. If you teach the truth unappetizingly it does not matter much because people are not going to digest it.

Rather, start with the promise these teachings offer – even before the why of it. “You have tried everything else and they have not got you very far at least for very long. Do you want your marriage to be better? Do you want to love more deeply? Do you want to risk discovering something special between you and your spouse that you might never have seen before (or have lost touch with? Do you want to feel better about things? Do you want to risk finding a different kind of fulfillment? Then risk trying to live this teaching. It is unconventional by today’s standards but that doesn’t mean it won’t work. Why might it work? Let me offer you these reasons . . .”

Which would you rather hear or at least which would entice you to conversation? When you choose – then present the faith to others that way.

TUESDAY QUOTE OF THE WEEK CXL

FINDING TRUTH WHEREVER IT MAY BE FOUND: “When people stop believing in God, they don’t believe in nothing - they believe in anything.” — G.K. Chesterton – h/t to Kay

QUOTE II: “If priests today so often feel overworked, tired, and frustrated, the blame lies with a strained pursuit of results.” Pope Benedict XVI

QUOTE III: “Ouch.” Fr. Valencheck

IN OTHER NEWS:

DON’T BELIEVE IT! I got an Email from a person I know that says that they were robbed in London and are at the embassy and need money to get home. It Email was sent from their Email address directly to my more private address. I fortunately could not send the desired amount as it was too late. While much of the request sounded legitimate there were a couple of missed cues. A quick phone call to a mutual acquaintance cleared everything up. This was a scam. Apparently this happened to another person on my staff. Even if you get an Email from a person’s email account requesting money and they seem to have the rudimentary information that they should, dig deeper! Ask questions of the person and their friends and family. You may be helping a friend in a dire situation but more likely you giving a generous gift to a con artist.

IN STILL OTHER NEWS:

Kay also sent in this video. It is 5 and a half minutes long - about twice as long as it need be but still interesting.

This came in from EWTN: "Don’t miss Helen Hull Hitchcock talk about The New Missal at 8 p.m. ET, Wed., Feb. 3 on “EWTN Live” with Father Mitch Pacwa. As editor of the “Adoremus Bulletin,” a monthly publication of Adoremus – Society for the Renewal of the Sacred Liturgy, of which she is co-founder, Ms. Hitchcock is uniquely qualified to speak a...bout The New Missal. She also happens to be founding director of Women for Faith & Family and editor of its quarterly journal, “Voices.”

Yellow Line Studios sent this in: "The wait is over! The newest episode of BUMP+, the interactive web series from Yellow Line Studio, is currently available to view online at http://www.bumptheshow.com/ The Party reveals more about Hailey, Katie, and Denise, and follows their individual stories as they struggle to make a decision about their unintended pregnancies. New episodes will follow every Monday and Thursday through March 15, 2010. And of course, the conversation between viewers continues around the clock."

N.B.: Please mark you calendars for the first meeting of the West Akron Chesterton Society. We will be meeting at 476 Mull Ave. (aka St Sebastian Parish Rectory) on February 15 at 6:30 PM. We will discuss general issues and future plans. We already of a blogsite thanks to my cohort in crime! Thanks M. The West Akron Chesterton Society.

Elena sent this video in. 4 minutes. Thanks for sending it in. I'm glad I'm not caught on tape doing this.

MONDAY DIARY: HUMILITY, HUMILITY, AND EVER MORE HUMILITY

If you were a reader last week you know that I was on retreat. Trinity Retreat House is one of the very few places that caters almost exclusively to priests. If you would like to take a peek at it plug in the address here: 1 Pryer Manor Road, Larchmont, New York. If you travel down the road north east a bit (toward the unsuspecting person out for a constitutional) and then look to your left you can see the old carriage house that has the retreat house offices and the living quarters of Fr. Benedict Groeschel. Very humble, very humble.

It was thoroughly reinvigorating. The daily schedule went like this:

8:15 Breakfast
9:15 Morning Prayer and Conference
11:30 Mass with Conference
12:30 Lunch
Break – (This is when I would go on a hike – pray and light a candle at St. Augustine, get a cup of coffee and read and then pop by the library to update the blog.
5:00 Evening Prayer and Conference
6:00 Dinner
7:00 Confessions
8:00 Holy Hour and Conference.
9:00 Recreation

Mind you, Fr. Groeschel is up in years, was hit by a car and brought back from the dead, recently had a stroke, and put on most of this retreat and did a darn good job it. Amazing. The only part he did not do was part of Wednesday when the other priest at Trinity, Fr. Gene Fulton (also amazing) took over because Fr. Groeschel had to go with his community to elect a new superior. (That was fun hearing how that took place and seeing SO MANY young men in habits and beards who are joining this quickly growing community.) But after a day of meetings came back and continued our retreat. Wow.

At one of the evening conferences, Fr. Benedict came in to the chapel, made his way to his chair slowly, settled himself in and began telling the story of some time he spent with Mother Theresa. Apparently they were having some communication difficulties and Father was begging off of a project. She told him to sit down, and as he said, “When Mother asks you to sit, you sit.” She asked him, “Do you know why you are priest?”

“I don’t know Mother. Is it because he has a sense of humor?”

“No,” she replied, “you are a priest because of God’s humility.”

The six priests gathered gave a collective gasp – sat back against our chair backs as if physically pushed. Not because Mother Theresa would dare say such a thing to Fr. Benedict but because we knew it to be true – for all of us. For a moment – spiritually – we were all naked. Every priest knows (or SHOULD know) that he was chosen to be a priest not because he was the smartest, cleverest, holiest, most obedient, handsomest, most loved, or even the most talented. He is a priest by sheer grace – because of the humility of God. It is completely gift. You are a priest only because God can work with you – and perhaps most of the time in spite of you. And it is simply a deepening of grace if one comes to know this, believe it, and simply be grateful that he has the honor – because of God’s humility - to a priest of Jesus Christ.

FRIDAY POTPOURRI: PEEK A BOO - I SEE YOU

ON FRIDAY I WILL BE ON THE ROAD ALL DAY - HOPEFULLY GETTING HOME IN TIME FOR A YOUTH RETREAT. SO THIS IS POSTED EARLY. ENJOY. SEE YOU NEXT WEEK.

The priest is in the sacristy, the organist is in the choir loft, the bride is in the narthex, the servers are in the server’s sacristy, and the groomsmen are at the cross aisle. How do we get this show on the road?

Of course, there is that little bell. The voice of God! Ring it and everybody runs to their places and begins doing whatever it is they do to start the Mass. At other times there is someone with an astronomical watch that keeps an eye for the final nanosecond to blink by and sticks his index finger in the air in a “Let’s role” symbol causing the cantor to say, “Please stand now and greet our celebrant with, “Hail Holy Queen.” Let us pray that that never happens again.

Saint Sebastian has a button to press that sounds a buzzer in what in the old days was called the boy’s sacristy. It meant, “Hurry up and get over here! We’re about to start!” There was also an in-house phone system now defunct. It had four buttons on it. One could ring the sacristy, choir loft, rectory, and if there were more locations they have long disappeared. This went a long way in coordinating efforts (and asking last minute questions.) Some parishes have replaced this with walky-talkies. Now that everyone carries every kind of communicative device in their person at all times it seems that even this is unnecessary.

Saint Bernard’s has the equivalent of a rear view mirror just outside the sacristy door so that the priest can see if everyone is ready to go without sticking his head out like someone from an Our Gang epsode before the big show in the barn. Some places have more clever means. St. Ann in Cleveland Hts. has a peep hole built into the intricate grill work in the sanctuary. One goes into a small closet and peeks out at the congregation through a small and inconspicuous hole. One parish I was at had one way glass that almost worked. I wish I could remember where it was but there was a place that had a little door in the sacristy door about eye height. You opened it ala Wizard of Oz (Who rang that bell?) but it was hardly subtle.

Saint Francis in Akron probably has the most practical idea but because it works so well and makes so much sense it is almost uninteresting enough not to mention it. They simply have a peep hole in the door like one finds in a hotel door with the funny magnifying glass in it. It works. Blah. Now if only the door opened the other way . . .

SOMETIMES IT IS ABOUT ME

This guy asked me for money and I didn’t want to give it to him. I went to talk to my spiritual director. We had some discussion about giving versus not giving to every Tom, Dick, and Harriet that asks you for a few dollars. “Sometimes it isn’t always about money going to the right person,” he told me, “Sometimes it is that you need to be the type of person who can give it freely away.”

I think of that every now and then. It is not much different from our stand on life. We as Catholics defend life even to opposing the death penalty in, if not all, most situations. (John Paul allowed for the possibility that it might be employed in some unusual situation I believe.) Everybody knows of some seemingly unredeemable person that makes being anti-death penalty a very difficult position to hold. We have one in Cleveland at the moment. A man lured women to his home, had his way with them and then murdered them one after the other and buried them around his property.

How could one defend the life of such a person who snuffed the life out of so many other people? Does he appear redeemable? Will he ever be able to be set free again? Does he have any use to society? Is there any chance that he will have a major conversion and save his soul? It is quite possible that the answer to all of these questions is no. Even if he should live for a hundred more years. And the amount of money and time that he will use up – my money and yours – as he drones through the years is astronomical. Is it worth the off change that something – anything good might come from this?

Yes. Because it isn’t always about the “bad guy” earning redemption. Sometimes it is about us being the type of people who offer a chance for it.

YOU SAY TO-MAE-TOE AND I SAY TO-MAH-TOE

STILL ON RETREAT - STILL THINKING TOO MUCH

When one is on retreat you have a lot of time to think. Sometimes I think and analyze too much. Just the same this is though that came to me and I throw it out to you just to see what you think. It might be bunk but I like to think not – not because it means I might be actually right about something but because it would mean that there is much more hope in the world than meets the eye.

In his encyclical “Caritas In Veritate” Pope Benedict reminds us that Christ teaches that God is love. Love then is the center of the Church’s social doctrine. Because love is at the “heart” of what we are about, his encyclical then is addressed not just to Catholics or even to Christians, but to the whole world because love is a universal. It takes a particularly bitter person to not have any kind of faith in love.

The love about which he speaks is not sappy, sentimental stuff such as of what Hallmark cards are made. True love, he reminds us, bears truth. Truth and love has order. Christ’s whole mission is bringing all people into unity. Evil divides, grace unites. After Babel all the inhabitants were sent their own way speaking different languages. Christ was constantly calling people to unity – a unity in which we call God our Father. The people who are in ordained, sacramental leadership positions in the Church are said to be in “orders.”

Is it not interesting that left to its own nature tends toward disunity – toward chaos. When something dies it decomposes – falls apart. Left completely on its own all of its components will dissolve, pass, and never return to life again.

Life requires order. God creates. We co-create. God is the source of life – and he continues creating with our cooperation whether it be a baby or a skyscraper. Truth and order.

So we come to people who say they do not believe in God. In effect they say they do not believe in love –in truth nor order. Yet outside of a brooding teenager’s bedroom there is little evidence that there is anybody who does not see some use – does not believe in love and truth and order.

Love and order is the basis of life. Without it nothing can exist. So does belief in Love – an adherence to order and truth - not constitute the rudiments of belief in something which law abiding atheists say do not exists? They may deny that the Love they honor is what we say God is – but if we both believe that which is the fundamental force in the world is truth and order and love – is the only difference the fact that we prefer to name it God and they don’t? (This is not to deny that beyond this very simple formula there lies a great gulf of ideas and beliefs that are no where near reconciled.)

Even belief in the Darwinian Theory, while not containing the fullness of truth, may be a first step in belief in a God otherwise denied. After all what is stated in the Darwinian theory? In a chaotic universe there came order, consciousness ex nihilo (from unconsciousness), there is life and love and order. A total denial of God would have to include denial that there is truth, order, and love.

A supposed atheist may argue that they can love perfectly well without God thank you very much. It could be argued that this is the same thing as saying, “I never use chick peas! I use garbanzo beans!” In other words it is the atheist’s job to argue that, “I believe in order in the universe, but I denies that there is something that allows for order in the universe.” I find this a more difficult position to hold than that there is no God.

Love, truth and order – this are basic attribute of God. To acknowledge their existence is the first kernel of belief in God as He has revealed Himself to us.

TUESDAY QUOTE OF THE WEEK CXXXIX

FINDING TRUTH WHEREVER IT MAY BE FOUND: “Trust in God does not mean that everything is going to be Okay.” Fr. Benedict Groeschel

QUOTE II: “It is very fine and pleasant to think of ourselves as the most put upon folk in history – but then everyone has though that from the beginning. It makes a grand excuse for all manner of laziness.” From Tobias Wolff’s “Old School”

IN OTHER NEWS:

I am on retreat at Trinity Retreat House in Larchmont, New York. It is a retreat house for priests run by the diocese. It is my luck that Fr. Benedict Groeschel is the retreat master.

Today, as had been my custom during the afternoon break, I took a pilgrimage to St. Augustine Parish – a nice little hoof from the retreat house, said some prayers and lit a candle for you.

Several of you were kind enough to send in links to Pope Benedict’s call for priests to blog among other things. Image in that – me – cutting edge. To know me is to know how ridiculous that thought is.

For those of you who may have been waiting we are finally getting ready to launch what might possibly be the only Chesterton Society in the Diocese of Cleveland. (Let me know if I am wrong.) Watch this blog for details.

John sent this in. You might find it interesting. "Dear Friends, I would like to invite all of you on my mailing list who are interested in Church developments to sign up to receive the Dispatch From Rome Newsletters from my pal Bob Moynihan, the dean of Vatican Journalists and editor and publisher of Inside the Vatican magazine. His dispatches are also posted to his Blog The Moynihan Report here: http://www.TheMoynihanReport.com/ There is a subscription link there. Also visit the Inside the Vatican Website here: http://insidethevatican.com/

VERY INTERESTING: This came in from Yellow Line Cinema: SAN DIEGO, CA - 1/21/2010- In 1973, The U.S. Supreme Court gave women a choice. Thirty-seven years later, we're giving them a voice.

Yellow Line Studio announces the premiere of BUMP+, a web series that follows three women facing crisis pregnancies. The pilot is scheduled to launch on Friday, January 22, 2010. Thirteen episodes will follow in February and March; and the final cliffhanger is so unpredictable, even the writers and producers don't know how the series will end.

From Juno and Bella to Glee and Desperate Housewives, a woman's right to choose has been explored across the media landscape. What makes BUMP+ different? We're letting the viewers decide how our characters' stories will end. We've opened the official website to comments and invited people to share their personal stories. Our team will craft the final episodes, including the ultimate decision about each pregnancy, based on audience feedback. This isn't a moral or political statement - it's an experiment to see if story can succeed where nearly four decades of angry rhetoric and political posturing have failed.

That experiment is already underway at our website. A trailer for the pilot has attracted several comments and personal stories from viewers; and the YouTube, Facebook and Twitter following is growing quickly; and as someone with a strong commitment to quality, thought provoking entertainment, we'd like to invite you and your audience to be part of it. For more information, or to schedule an interview with members of the BUMP+ creative team, please contact me personally using the email address or phone number below, or visit our website.

MONDAY DIARY: RETREAT!

Greetings! I am on retreat this week and so posts may be late or sporatic! Sorry for the inconvenience. Say prayer for me as I say one for all of Adam's Ale readers. (I'll light a candle for you too!)

I’m on the road today. After the last Mass on Sunday, the last walk of Sebastian (at this point he started to suspect something,) and before evaporating out the door going over notes with my ever vigilant parochial vicar, I slipped in behind the wheel of my car, set the GPS, (I’m beginning the slippery slope toward high tech dependence saint preserve me) and stepped on the gas pedal to my yearly retreat. It was time to go. I was starting to get snarky and was taking things too personally. These being major signs that it was time for this priest to charge his spiritual batteries and reboot.

This is the first time that I am going to the retreat house on my own. I usually buddy up with at least one other priest but schedules were so conflicted and convoluted this year it was easiest just to make the seven hour trip on my own. A whole program of entertainment was in place to keep me interested in driving. The first hour was listening to “Wait, Wait! Don’t Tell Me” an NPR news quiz. When the signal was lost there were various CDs (and my rosary) to keep my company. There was a book on tape – a book that I read about ten years ago and enjoyed thoroughly and now was listening to again on CD, “Pillars of the Earth.” There was also “Nick Danger, Third Eye” which I can recite line for line. “What’s all this brouhaha? Brouhaha? Ha ha ha!”

The rest of the time was taken from CDs more in keeping with the purpose of my trip. One was entitled, “The Year of the Priest.” I listened to it with what I’ll admit was a bit of embarrassment. It went on at length about the great sacrifices priests make. And we do. But . . .

Now, there is no denying that there are priests who make extraordinary sacrifices: leaving family behind, working in terrible conditions, suffering poverty, way overworked, being accused unjustly of all sorts of things, and in some parts of the world facing severe opposition and almost monthly a priest meets with martyrdom. But you know what? If you are called to the priesthood, it is a far grander sacrifice not to be ordained. I have met these men in the confessional. They did what they were “supposed” to do – pressured by family or peers to do what everyone else was doing – wife, kids, job - and now quietly sacrificing something within themselves in order to fulfill the life they vowed to live.

Everybody makes sacrifices. You cannot begin to build anything until you sacrifice something. One must say no to many things in order to start creating something great out of the idea you are willing to say yes to. The sacrifices I make in order to be a priest I gladly do. My priest friends and I, when we get together, talk about how fortunate we are and are in wonder that more men do not choose this life. We know the sacrifices that others make and are in wonder at them. At the breakfast shop on our day away we see a mother and father struggling with a young child in the throes of a tantrum or a young couple obviously in a fight with their arms crossed, or we perhaps we’ve talked with family who may have to pull their children from the school because of a monetary set back and think we are lucky for the life we are privileged to live. “How do they do that?” Yet we also know that if that is the life to which God is calling them, anything else would seem a trial.

The escapism book that I am reading told a story about an honor that the main character is receiving. (I hesitate to recommend this book before I finish though I am quite enjoying it. It happened once that I recommended a book when half way through that was just delightful but turned rather lurid to the point that I was embarrassed even to have it on my bookshelf!) When the character was told of his honor it was so well written that I felt his thrill. I started to wonder what honor I could receive that would give me the same thrill. To be quite honest I can’t think of anything that would be more of an honor than of being the pastor of my parish. Become bishop? No. Win an award? No.

The richest man in the world is the one who is happy with what he has. Sure there are things I would like to change (one of which is wishing the Sebastian was on this trip with me.) But they are minor in comparison to the benefits that being a priest is to me.

Sometimes I worry about the future. Will there be a day that I am sorry that I do not have (grand)children? Will I feel loss for not having a family and a home? I was told to expect that when I turned 40 (and am well past that now.) But I realize there has not been a day that I have regretted (maybe a couple of incidents however) and that I am happy today and there is no reason to suspect that I will be unhappy, at least overall, tomorrow.

I hope you have said yes to something. I pray that your yes is bringing you closer to God and joy. But to those of you who are really facing sacrifices whether you be a priest, a married person, a deacon, a religious, or a single person, thank you. Thank you for saying yes and doing your best to build something greater than yourself for the benefit of your brothers and sisters and for the glory of God.

MONDAY DIARY: RETREAT!

I’m on the road today. After the last Mass on Sunday, the last walk of Sebastian (at this point he started to suspect something,) and before evaporating out the door going over notes with my ever vigilant parochial vicar, I slipped in behind the wheel of my car, set the GPS, (I’m beginning the slippery slope toward high tech dependence saint preserve me) and stepped on the gas pedal to my yearly retreat. It was time to go. I was starting to get snarky and was taking things too personally. These being major signs that it was time for this priest to charge his spiritual batteries and reboot.

This is the first time that I am going to the retreat house on my own. I usually buddy up with at least one other priest but schedules were so conflicted and convoluted this year it was easiest just to make the seven hour trip on my own. A whole program of entertainment was in place to keep me interested in driving. The first hour was listening to “Wait, Wait! Don’t Tell Me” an NPR news quiz. When the signal was lost there were various CDs (and my rosary) to keep my company. There was a book on tape – a book that I read about ten years ago and enjoyed thoroughly and now was listening to again on CD, “Pillars of the Earth.” There was also “Nick Danger, Third Eye” which I can recite line for line. “What’s all this brouhaha? Brouhaha? Ha ha ha!”

The rest of the time was taken from CDs more in keeping with the purpose of my trip. One was entitled, “The Year of the Priest.” I listened to it with what I’ll admit was a bit of embarrassment. It went on at length about the great sacrifices priests make. And we do. But . . .

Now, there is no denying that there are priests who make extraordinary sacrifices: leaving family behind, working in terrible conditions, suffering poverty, way overworked, being accused unjustly of all sorts of things, and in some parts of the world facing severe opposition and almost monthly a priest meets with martyrdom. But you know what? If you are called to the priesthood, it is a far grander sacrifice not to be ordained. I have met these men in the confessional. They did what they were “supposed” to do – pressured by family or peers to do what everyone else was doing – wife, kids, job - and now quietly sacrificing something within themselves in order to fulfill the life they vowed to live.

Everybody makes sacrifices. You cannot begin to build anything until you sacrifice something. One must say no to many things in order to start creating something great out of the idea you are willing to say yes to. The sacrifices I make in order to be a priest I gladly do. My priest friends and I, when we get together, talk about how fortunate we are and are in wonder that more men do not choose this life. We know the sacrifices that others make and are in wonder at them. At the breakfast shop on our day away we see a mother and father struggling with a young child in the throes of a tantrum or a young couple obviously in a fight with their arms crossed, or we perhaps we’ve talked with family who may have to pull their children from the school because of a monetary set back and think we are lucky for the life we are privileged to live. “How do they do that?” Yet we also know that if that is the life to which God is calling them, anything else would seem a trial.

The escapism book that I am reading told a story about an honor that the main character is receiving. (I hesitate to recommend this book before I finish though I am quite enjoying it. It happened once that I recommended a book when half way through that was just delightful but turned rather lurid to the point that I was embarrassed even to have it on my bookshelf!) When the character was told of his honor it was so well written that I felt his thrill. I started to wonder what honor I could receive that would give me the same thrill. To be quite honest I can’t think of anything that would be more of an honor than of being the pastor of my parish. Become bishop? No. Win an award? No.

The richest man in the world is the one who is happy with what he has. Sure there are things I would like to change (one of which is wishing the Sebastian was on this trip with me.) But they are minor in comparison to the benefits that being a priest is to me.

Sometimes I worry about the future. Will there be a day that I am sorry that I do not have (grand)children? Will I feel loss for not having a family and a home? I was told to expect that when I turned 40 (and am well past that now.) But I realize there has not been a day that I have regretted (maybe a couple of incidents however) and that I am happy today and there is no reason to suspect that I will be unhappy, at least overall, tomorrow.

I hope you have said yes to something. I pray that your yes is bringing you closer to God and joy. But to those of you who are really facing sacrifices whether you be a priest, a married person, a deacon, a religious, or a single person, thank you. Thank you for saying yes and doing your best to build something greater than yourself for the benefit of your brothers and sisters and for the glory of God.

FRIDAY POTPOURRI: LET ME MAKE THIS PERFECTLY CLERE

“Aint it a shame?” some people say from time to time, “those beautiful windows way up high in our church and nobody can see them!” These windows in the part of church architecture known as the clerestory (pronounced clear-story) is the upper part of a church building that rises above the lower level. It sits above the first roof line and is punctuated with windows. The purpose of it is to fill the building with space and light. The windows are high not to make them inaccessible but so as to give the space an airy and celestial feel.

With modern lighting and the movement to bring things down to our level if they are to mean anything and pragmatic concerns such as heating bills, the tendency to have clerestories have largely disappeared in modern architecture.

St. Sebastian, a building built in modern Romanesque style makes good use of the clerestory as shown here. Though well above the heads of the congregation the ample open space makes seeing the windows much easier and the artists and architects made good use of the windows to makes them catechisms in glass.

This is just my personal opinion so feel free to disagree nobody will have to go to confession for having an opinion on such things I dare say, but it seems to me that we have lost something in focusing too much on the human person in our church buildings. They no longer give us the feeling that we are participating in something much bigger than ourselves. When we gather for Mass we gather with the universal Church at the one Mass being offered around the world and throughout time. The whole Body of Christ is present. We represent the Church militant (which is why the sign of peace is supposed to be a symbolic gesture made to one person) but also present are the saints and angles (as we here every week in the preface) as well as God Himself. Often times modern church architecture is weak in expressing this – and any help we can get would in this regard is useful!

A ROSARY BY ANY OTHER NAME

The other day I was reaching into my medicine cabinet and saw the Mason jar I keep there. My mother who passed away a number of years ago gave it to me. When I was moving into the seminary she gave me a care package part of which was a Mason jar lined with cellophane (of course) and containing cotton swabs. Over the years they have been mostly used and replaced but I keep a few that she gave me (white sticks instead of the new blue) just as a remembrance.

This day for some reason I was particularly struck by it and took it off the shelf and just thought about the great love of a mother for her son that she would go through the trouble of something somewhat trivial but none-the-less helpful to extend her care to when I would be away. It was nice just to meditate on that for a little, to remember her, and to say a prayer.

That is kind of where I am with God on the rosary currently. If one wants to pray the Rosary well it means there must needs be some meditation to go along with it (the prayers being an aid and path to meditation.) Sometimes I simply think about the life of Christ during the particular mystery, sometimes I think about the mystery’s implication for the Church, sometimes I try to relate it to current living giving it a homiletic bent, but more recently (just my latest kick) I’ve been treating the mysteries like that glass Mason jar. I pull the mystery out and just look at it and try to concentrate on being thankful. “You bore Your Cross for me? Thank you.” “You resurrected for me? Thank you.” “You transfigured that I might believe? Thank you.”

There are many different ways to meditate on the rosary. You need to find your way. And like me it may change from time to time as you discover something new in God Who is more than our simple minds can ever mine.