Teach What You Believe

Homily: 11th Sunday in Ordinary Time 2013

2013-06-15T22:46:00.000-04:00

This weekend every year two things happen: we celebrate Father’s Day…and the US Golf Open is played. One of the greatest golfing legends of all times is Billy Casper. This past year he wrote his autobiography called, The Big Three And Me, filled with great insight and wisdom about what impacted his life the most.

On this 11^th Sunday of Ordinary Time we hear the famous story of the sinful woman who washes the feet of Jesus and anoints his body with perfume. I found it interesting to see the similarities of how Billy Casper has lead his life….and how Jesus deals with the situation he finds himself in between the woman and the Pharisee. Click and see what I mean…

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Homily: Pentecost 2013

2013-05-19T01:00:00.000-04:00

In today’s gospel, John describes the appearance of the risen Christ to his disciples who are hiding in the Upper Room. In doing so he reveals three basic skills or spiritual practices to follow in order to strengthen your soul, your well-being and your connection with God and with each other. If you find yourself stuck in your own ‘Upper Room’ you may want to check out what you could be missing.

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Ascension Thursday

2013-05-09T01:42:00.001-04:00

If it has been 40 days since Easter it must be Ascension Thursday, a Solemnity of the Church. It is the day we commemorate the bodily ascension of Jesus into heaven.

In the words of Richard Rohr:

The Ascension is about the final reunion of what appeared to be separated for a while: Earth and Heaven, human and divine, matter and Spirit. If the Christ is the archetype of the full human journey, now we know how it all resolves itself in the end. “So that where I am, you also will be” (John 14:3)

It is no surprise that most artist renderings of the Ascension show the eyes of the crowds looking upward to the sky. I guess that is where heaven is supposed to be.

But as we celebrate the Feast I think it is also important that we do not take our eye off the body of Christ that dwells among us, in us, and through us. And what better example of this than the article written by my friend Mike Leach about the battle his beautiful wife Vicky has fought for so many years with Alzheimer’s. As her caregiver Mike writes, “Some people spend thousands of dollars to take courses on living in the present moment. In Alzheimer's there is only the present moment.

Perhaps on this Feast day were we celebrate the moment of the ascension of Christ, we can also take some time to recognize the daily moments in our lives where Christ dwells.

Homily: Fourth Sunday of Easter

2013-04-21T01:00:00.000-04:00

Today’s Gospel comes from the tenth chapter of John reminding us that there will be one flock, one shepherd. Meanwhile we hear from Acts that there is disagreement between the Jews and Gentiles as to who God is for. I think it is easy for us to forget that we all belong to God – even those who feel that they may be the ‘black sheep’ of society.

This season we are reminded that we are all called to be an Easter People. And who better than Pope Francis to show us what this looks like.

See what I mean…

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Pope Francis Breaks With Triduum Tradition

2013-03-29T07:50:00.001-04:00

“He emptied himself, taking the form of a human slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbles himself, becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” Phil. 2:7-8

When I heard these words proclaimed last Sunday my mind drifted to replaying what we have witnessed from our new Pope these past few weeks. It seems few can stop talking about Francis - a man who seems to have no sign of ego, rather is focused on serving others.

And, once again, this was witnessed yesterday as he broke with tradition. In the past Francis’ predecessors washed the feet of priests in the Basilica of St. John in Lateran -- the most important of the four major basilicas in Rome. Instead Francis chose to kneel down before young offenders at the Casal del Marmo Penitentiary Institute for Minors. The inmates were aged between 16 and 21 and chosen from different nationalities and religious backgrounds - including two Muslims…and two women.

"This is a symbol, it is a sign — washing your feet means I am at your service," Francis told the young prisoners. "Help one another. This is what Jesus teaches us. This is what I do. And I do it with my heart. I do this with my heart because it is my duty, as a priest and bishop I must be at your service."

What is most remarkable is that Francis would include women in his inaugural Holy Thursday Mass as pope, given that current liturgical rules exclude women. Really? What a surprise!

Canon lawyer Edward Peters, who is an adviser to the Holy See's top court, noted in a blog that the Congregation for Divine Worship sent a letter to bishops in 1988 making clear that "the washing of the feet of chosen men ... represents the service and charity of Christ, who came 'not to be served, but to serve.'" Peters went on to say "By disregarding his own law in this matter, Francis violates, of course, no divine directive. What he does do, I fear, is set a questionable example." Questionable? For who?

Fr. Federico Lombardi, a Vatican spokesman, said he didn't want to wade into a canonical dispute over the matter. However, he noted that in a "grand solemn celebration" of the rite, only men are included because Christ washed the feet of his 12 apostles, all of whom were male.

I doubt that this nonsensical fodder bothers Francis. Christ heard the same sort of ego centered rhetoric from the Pharisees…albeit it led to his death.

So what we are left with on this Good Friday 2013 are some refreshing photos of our new Pope, wearing a deacon’s stole and humbling himself to serve others, along with the message he gave each inmate before he left them, "Don't lose hope," he said. "Understand? With hope you can always go on."

What more can you say…..but Amen.

Homily: Fifth Sunday in Lent

2013-03-17T01:00:00.000-04:00

This Sunday we hear the familiar Gospel of the woman who was caught in adultery and about to be stoned. Meanwhile the Scribes and the Pharisees, keepers of the Jewish Law, are not very happy with all the attention Jesus is getting, so they a lay trap for him.

So how does the work of Fr. Greg Boyle S.J. dealing with gangs in LA shed light on what is this Gospel is really all about?

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Or if you are not into clicking….just read on….

With only two weeks to go before Easter, this morning’s Gospel gives us a story we have heard so many times. It begins with Jesus in the temple preaching as the crowds continue to gather to listen to him. Now keep in mind, the Scribes and the Pharisees, keepers of the Jewish Law, are not very happy. During those days, they were the ones who were considered to be greater than all others. They were held up as the brightest people of their time, and enjoyed being in the position of power. They had established a system of a religious government that shunned and shamed the unclean, the sinners and the uneducated. So in their eyes this Jesus, who was living and preaching a new way to live – and gaining all the attention, had to be dealt with. So they set out against Jesus with what seemed to be a well laid trap.

The situation concerns a married woman caught in adultery and the Jewish law dictating that she must be stoned. Besides this pending brutality, there was also an inequity that Jesus was aware of. For in Jewish Law, only an unfaithful wife was charged with adultery. The husband, on the other hand, could only be charged if the act was witnessed by two other men along with the husband of the woman. Being a Rabbi, Jesus knows this to be the case – and independent of her guilt – he recognizes the injustice as well as the lack of compassion and the utter shame being thrown onto this woman who is about to lose her life.

And so Jesus is faced with answering the question of what should be done to this woman. You see, Roman Law prohibited the Jews from extracting the death penalty when it was a sentence dictated by Jewish Law. So he had to either reject the Law of Moses or the Law of the Roman authorities. If he insisted on having her stoned then he would have to answer to the Romans. If he pardoned her he would be accused of siding with her, thus being an accomplice in the eyes of the Jews. Indeed, it seems to be the perfect trap as there was no way for Jesus to answer the question without being found guilty of breaking Roman or Jewish Law.

So as we all know, rather than give them any answer, he begins to write in the dirt. Much has been written and debated over exactly what Jesus was writing on the ground. The most popular theory, supported by scripture scholars, tells us that Christ began to write out the sins of the accusers. But notice by doing so he did not shame them – he did not call out to each of them their sins. But like the miracle of mixing dirt with his saliva and placing it on the eyes of the blind man to see – here he again touches the earth and now opens the eyes of the accusers that they too are sinners, no different than the woman – and then invites those without sin to cast the first stone.

One by one they walked away until Jesus is left alone with the woman. What a powerful moment that had to have been as this humiliated and petrified woman, who was about to be stoned to death, faces Jesus. Placing no shame on her, he first says – “I do not condemn you.” Then he says, “Go and sin no more”. In other words – go take ownership of your life and where necessary – change it! And isn’t this what Lent is all about? Isn’t this the same revelation we heard in last week’s gospel, made by the Prodigal Son as he tended to the pigs, without even being invited to eat their slop? He made a decision to take ownership of his life, to commit to change and to repent to his father who recklessly and unconditionally gave his love and forgiveness to both his sons.

But don’t miss the point that these gospels make. Not only are they teaching us about our call to repent and to make a change in our lives – but more importantly Christ is teaching us what the love of God is like. It was Meister Eckert who said, “God is greater than God.” Like the adulterous woman, we need to renew our own sense of God and of God’s forgiveness. We need to discover our God who will wipe away our tiny sense of worthiness or lack thereof.

Our challenge is that we create a God in our own image – in every way possible. Therefore it is so hard for us to even imagine that disapproval and shame don’t seem to be a part of God’s being. God is simply too busy loving and forgiving. Theologian Belden Lane said, “Divine love is incessantly restless until it turns all woundedness into health, all deformity into beauty and all embarrassment into laughter.”

A few weeks ago Teresa and I were at the LA Religious Ed Conference in Anaheim. Some 40,000 Christians – including 15,000 teens came together for four days of talks and incredible liturgies. Of all the sessions I attended, by far the one given by the Jesuit Fr. Greg Boyle blew me away the most. You see for the past 25 years Greg has spent all his energies working with the gang members in the LA basin. Founder of Homeboy Industries, he has helped thousands of young men and women (who he calls homies) to find a life outside gangs. His work and stories are chronicled in his book, “Tattoos of the Heart.”

Let me share one with you:

“ All through Scripture and history, the principal suffering of the poor is not that they can’t pay rent on time or that they are three dollars short for a package of Pampers. As the Jesus scholar Marcus Borg points out, the principal suffering of the poor is shame and disgrace. It is toxic shame – a global sense of failure of the whole self….a shame that can seep so deep down. I once asked a homie, after Mass at a probation camp, if he had any brothers and sisters.

“Yeah,” he says, “I have one brother and one sister,” and then he’s quick to add, with emphasis, “but there’re good.”

“Oh,” I tell him, “and that would make YOU…?”

“Here,” he says, “locked up.”

“And THAT would make you…?” I try again.

“Bad,” he says.

Homies seem to live in the zip code of the eternally disappointing, and a need for a change of address. To this end, one hopes (against all human inclination) to model not the “one false move” God but the “no matter what-ness” of God. We seek to imitate the kind of God you believe in, where disappointment is, well, Greek to God. Where we strive to live the black spiritual that says, “God looks beyond our fault and sees our need.”

I think many times, we are no different than the homies that Greg works with. For out of our broken selves, darkened by shame, tainted with disgrace, overshadowed by questioning our worthiness – we need to be reminded that the Lord comes to use disguised as ourselves. God in you, with you, through you and despite of you loving God.

We spend so much time measuring ourselves…and yet we have a God who doesn’t measure and must wonder why we do. I love the term that Greg pens – the “no matter what-ness of God.” For it is this God who loves us – no matter what. The God that calls for us to let go of our past. The God who wipes away our shame. The God who fills us with the same mercy as Christ gave the woman who was about to be stoned. The God who prefers a relationship with you versus you being “right.”

In the end of the Gospel we hear that everyone walked away. The Scribes and Pharisees departed…the accusers left…and the crowds dropped their stones leaving only the woman and Jesus facing each other. And so it is with you and me – for this is the relationship we have with Christ, where there is no shame – only forgiveness…no shunning – only acceptance…no stones - only a warm embrace…no admonishment but the call to see our own imperfections – the call to change our ways, the Lenten call to let go of our past and to be open to start each day anew in the unconditional love of our good and gracious God.

Pope Francis' First Homily

2013-03-16T15:40:00.000-04:00

Each day we gain a bit more insight into the type of Pontiff we are now blessed with. This past Thursday night in the Sistine Chapel Pope Francis delivered his first homily, indicating the path he wanted the Catholic Church to take. Shunning the prepared Latin homily and vestment ornamentation including lace, he spoke without notes in Italian, setting out his vision of what the Church should do and how the clergy should see their roles.

Here is the Vatican's official translation of the homily, released yesterday morning.

In these three readings, I see a common element: that of movement. In the first reading, it is the movement of a journey; in the second reading, the movement of building the Church; in the third, in the Gospel, the movement involved in professing the faith. Journeying, building, professing.

Journeying. 'O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord' (Is 2:5). This is the first thing that God said to Abraham: Walk in my presence and live blamelessly. Journeying: our life is a journey, and when we stop moving, things go wrong. Always journeying, in the presence of the Lord, in the light of the Lord, seeking to live with the blamelessness that God asked of Abraham in his promise.

Building. Building the Church. We speak of stones: stones are solid; but living stones, stones anointed by the Holy Spirit. Building the Church, the Bride of Christ, on the cornerstone that is the Lord himself. This is another kind of movement in our lives: building.

Thirdly, professing. We can walk as much as we want, we can build many things, but if we do not profess Jesus Christ, things go wrong. We may become a charitable NGO, but not the Church, the Bride of the Lord. When we are not walking, we stop moving. When we are not building on the stones, what happens? The same thing that happens to children on the beach when they build sandcastles: everything is swept away, there is no solidity. When we do not profess Jesus Christ, the saying of Léon Bloy comes to mind: 'Anyone who does not pray to the Lord prays to the devil.' When we do not profess Jesus Christ, we profess the worldliness of the devil, a demonic worldliness.

Journeying, building, professing. But things are not so straightforward, because in journeying, building, professing, there can sometimes be jolts, movements that are not properly part of the journey: movements that pull us back.

This Gospel continues with a situation of a particular kind. The same Peter who professed Jesus Christ, now says to him: You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. I will follow you, but let us not speak of the Cross. That has nothing to do with it. I will follow you on other terms, but without the Cross. When we journey without the Cross, when we build without the Cross, when we profess Christ without the Cross, we are not disciples of the Lord, we are worldly: we may be bishops, priests, cardinals, popes, but not disciples of the Lord.

My wish is that all of us, after these days of grace, will have the courage, yes, the courage, to walk in the presence of the Lord, with the Lord's Cross; to build the Church on the Lord's blood which was poured out on the Cross; and to profess the one glory: Christ crucified. And in this way, the Church will go forward. My prayer for all of us is that the Holy Spirit, through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, our Mother, will grant us this grace: to walk, to build, to profess Jesus Christ crucified. Amen.

The Election of Pope Francis

2013-03-13T21:35:00.002-04:00

The media and major blogs are alive with all kinds of information about our new pontiff, Pope Francis I. So I will leave it to all of them to report on all that is known about our new Pope and how he has humbly lead his flock in Argentina...and what we may expect going forward.

Personally, I tend to be a person who focuses not so much what one says, but what one does. So, there was something that immediately caught my eye today when the Pope was first introduced. As he stepped out onto the loggia balcony of the Basilica overlooking St. Peter's Square all he was wearing was the papal white cassock and a simple cross...and no other ornamentation.

Did you notice how this contrasted with the robes worn by Benedict XVI when he was first introduced in 2005?

Only when Francis bestowed the blessing upon the City and the World did he place the red ornate stole over his shoulders and at the conclusion of the prayer quickly removed it. All this only after he asked all those gathered to pray for him in a moment of silence.

Nothing against our beloved retired Pope, but by Francis' first actions in public and even his choice of papal name, could lead one to hope that we have a pontiff that is focused on the Gospel message...and indeed, that may be the good news some one billion Catholics have been hoping for.

Waiting for God in the Deep Midwinter

2013-03-06T19:55:00.001-05:00

Just today an article my wife, Teresa, wrote was published in a local journal. With the publication lacking an on-line presence…I wanted to share this piece with you. Enjoy the read...

Just last week I was watering my indoor plants and inspecting a late summer acquisition from the bargain rack of my local nursery. I cannot resist rescuing these orphans and trying my hand at coaxing them back to life. "This one's doing pretty well" I noted, spying a few new green leaves. “But what is this bump on the leaf?” I thought, and saw with closer inspection that is was a butterfly chrysalis. After scouring my resources, I discovered that it was the chrysalis of the Cabbage White, a rather mundane denizen of agricultural fields and also of my garden. It is even considered a pest since its caterpillar eats cabbage, broccoli and related crops.

The vision of this beautifully crafted space for incredible transformation intrigued me. How did it get here? Why on this plant? Why would the Creator take such exquisite care to make this small green case for what some would consider a pest? These questions lead me to wonder about the many ways that God makes waiting palpable, possible and even beautiful in the natural world. The bleak winter landscape seems devoid of life and color yet contains buds and possibility for all the new growth of spring. The intermediate stages of many insects can be appreciated for their own beauty just as I had wondered about my little green chrysalis once I noticed and named it.

It seems possible, at times, that our spiritual life can have the same quality of waiting and dormancy. There are periods of dryness, complacency or non movement in our prayers and contemplations. We can use the lessons from the natural world to learn how to be in what can be the difficult liminal space of waiting. In the winter of my spiritual life can I slow down to notice all that possibility? What about noticing the possibility in my own heart? Winter spirituality is a time of patience and being present with the possible and perhaps rejoicing in the "not yet": those parts of my deepest self that have not yet been brought to my awareness. My own spiritual practices in the dormant wintertime are quieter and more contemplative. They may include journaling, or making a midwinter retreat, or taking winter walks crunching over frozen paths or even walking a labyrinth in my backyard made from snow. Many of these practices can engender a quiet and patient anticipation of what is next in store for our souls.

The dark dormancy of midwinter outside can give us a unique context to understand how to wait for those things in our lives that are not yet seen or perhaps even imagined. Waiting is particularly hard for us as high speed internet and data exchange happens at the speed of light. Is there any point to waiting?? How can we wait?

Henri Nouwen gives us great insight into the nature and holiness of waiting in his work The Spirituality of Waiting. Nouwen invokes the stories of Zechariah, Mary, Elizabeth and Simeon and the Prophetess Anna from Scripture to enlighten us about the sanctity of waiting. These figures are all waiting for the coming of the Christ into the world. We may think that their vigils were passive, yet Nouwen tells us:

… There is none of this passivity in Scripture. Those who are waiting are waiting very actively. They know that what they are waiting for is growing from the ground on which they are standing. That’s the secret. The secret of waiting is the faith that the seed has been planted, that something has begun. Active waiting means to be present fully to the moment, in the conviction that something is happening. A waiting person is a patient person. The word “patience” means the willingness to stay where we are and live the situation out to the full in the belief that something hidden there will manifest itself to us. Impatient people are always expecting the real thing to happen somewhere else and therefore want to go elsewhere. The moment is empty. But patient people dare to stay where they are. Active waiting means to be present fully to the moment; in the conviction that something is happening where you are and that you want to be present to it.”

There is consequently none of this passivity in nature either. Although we think of a caterpillar as "sleeping” in its chrysalis, in actuality, incredible transformation is occurring. The essential cells and DNA are first breaking down and then being rearranged into a completely different creature. The insect goes from a creature that crawls on the earth or on the leaves of plants to a winged beauty that can take flight and astound the observer with its luminous colors. But to the casual observer this is not apparent.

What then is the clue that both Nouwen and nature give us about waiting? We are to stay present in this moment even though it seems as if nothing is happening. We are to stay actively engaged in what God is presenting to us and surrender to the quiet work of dormancy knowing that it is far from a waste of time. Simeon in Luke’s Gospel knew this. The gospel writer says that, “He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.” Praying in the Temple daily, Simeon was ready for the Christ because he had been engaged in that holy and hopeful waiting. He was ready to recognize the Christ when he was presented to him.

As seekers we can cultivate the same kind of readiness that the prophet exhibited by being present to the quiet work of winter spirituality. In the winter when the soil is frozen and unworkable I draw inside to the garden of my heart to till. The journaling and retreats are the compost I add to the garden of my soul.

Just as I let my garden rest I realize that the dormancy is just as important as the growing and fertilizing. So it is in my spiritual winter that I can rest in the hope that God is working the soil of my inner soul. In the fallow fields, the earth gathers the nutrients to bring forth nourishment and beauty in the following spring. Can it be that what may seem as quiet waiting is actually preparation for what is yet to come?

I believe the Creator may have placed that chrysalis on my house plant to remind me that as I wait for the butterfly, I should not miss the beauty of the chrysalis-- the undone piece. Just as the Creator takes such exquisite care to craft a vessel for the common butterfly's transformation to its adult stage so God has created the indescribable beauty of the quiet winter landscape in order to facilitate our own deep metamorphosis.

Homily: First Sunday of Lent

2013-02-16T22:43:00.000-05:00

It seems that before Christ was ready to begin his ministry it required barren time in the desert – a place of solitude without distractions. It is there that he needed to wrestle with the same temptations we still face today: power, possessions and prestige.

And on this first Sunday of Lent we are called to journey into our personal deserts where we are to ‘repent’ or in other words, ‘to turn around.’ It seems that true transformation can only be found in that type of liminal space..

Why? And, what does that type of transformation sound like? Click the link below and see what I mean!

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Where Do Ashes Come From?

2013-02-09T16:04:00.000-05:00

So as we approach Ash Wednesday I am often asked the question, "Where do those ashes come from?" Is there an angelic 'Ash Fairy' who drops them down from heaven?

Actually the ashes come from the burning of the blessed palms used last year during Palm Sunday. So yes - there is a process and method, honed and used every year, in order to yield the ashes a parish requires for their Ash Wednesday services - and it is not found in the Roman Missal!

Over the past few months parishioners have been dropping off their old palms knowing that we would soon be preparing for Ash Wednesday.

So this past Thursday, when the wind was calm and before the snow and rain from 'Nemo' arrived here in the Northeast, I gathered all the palms that had been collected and pulled out the clean fire pit.

Sheltered behind the Church, I began the process of burning all of the palms, careful not to let the fire cool and thus generate plumes of white smoke - signaling the Princeton Fire Dept! After the fire burns down the ashes are gently fanned in order to facilitate the smoldering ashes to completely burn down.

The ashes are then collected in a metal pot and allowed to burn down some more and then cool off.

With a metal mortar and pestle the ashes are slowly ground down pulverizing most of the palm remains.

Afterwhich the ashes are then sifted through a flour sifter. Now I know what you are thinking - and no we do not use this sifter for flour. It comes with the territory: all deacons should have a dedicated ash sifter! And I recommend that they do all this when their wife is away!

After burning some 20 pounds of palms - followed by grinding and sifting, you are left with enough 'clean' black palm ash for a parish of 3,500 families!

So when you come forward this Wednesday to receive your ashes and to begin your Lenten journey, you may want to say a pray for your parish's ash maker!

Laughter and Prayer

2013-02-04T00:30:00.000-05:00

When did you laugh last? Well depending on whom you were rooting for in the Super Bowl you may or may not be laughing this morning!

But really, when did you laugh last?

Why do I ask? Because I think when we see a baby laughing like this or like this or even like this…or when twin babies gaze at each and laugh like this it is a reminder on how to pray.

Pray?

Sure. And this is why.

I think so often we spend so much time trying to find the right words, the right formulae, and the right rituals in order to pray we miss what Jesus told us when he said, “when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.” (Matt 6:7)

So what option do we have?

Well…Jesus said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. (Matt 18:3) And then later on Matthew says, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." (Matt 19:4)

I think what Jesus was trying to remind us is that God only seeks for us to be open to God’s connection – like a child. Isn’t that why we love looking at babies and hearing them coo and laugh? It is pure innocence and presence. There is no agenda, no right words, no climbing the ladder, no desire for power or effort to earn love. Rather the baby is the essence of love and a perfect example of what it means to be in union – which is prayer.

So with less than two weeks before Ash Wednesday, maybe give some thought on how you will pray this Lent…and remember to laugh today!

Homily: Second Sunday in Ordinary Time

2013-01-20T08:50:00.001-05:00

Wedding Feast at Cana by Paolo Caliari - 1562

A great deal of focus this week has been paid to Lance Armstrong and his interview with Oprah and the years of lying about his doping. Most of the media coverage has been discussing whether or not society will forgive him. I think the better question is why now? Perhaps as he began a New Year he felt a need to empty himself so that he could begin to be filled with something else. And just maybe he got that idea from today’s gospel about the Wedding Feast at Cana? Click and see what I mean.

Click here for the Sunday readings
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Catholic Education

2013-01-09T17:00:00.000-05:00

I just received a message on my Deacon’s Facebook page from a follower asking my thoughts about the recently published N.Y Times Op-Ed piece and the role deacons could play as part of the solution to the crisis we face in Catholic Education.

The article begins by listing many of the current statistics of where we are today with regards to this issue:

· More than a third of parochial schools in the United States closed between 1965 and 1990 Enrollment fell by more than half during that time

· Since then, enrollment has plunged despite strong demand from students and families.

· At the same time the need is great as almost 30 percent of Catholic schools have waiting lists

· The American Catholic population has grown by 45 percent since 1965.

· Hispanics, who are often underserved by public schools, account for about 45 percent of American Catholics and an even higher proportion of Catholic children, but many cannot afford rising fees.

Just about a year ago, during Catholic Schools Week, I wrote a series of blogs on Catholic Education that also identified the following:

· Since 1960 the number of religious sisters in the US has dropped from 180,000 to about 56,000, with an average age of 69 years.

· In 1960 the sisters accounted for 92+% of the faculty, they now account for 2.5%

· In order to remain somewhat competitive Catholic schools have had to begin to compensate the faculty closer to the pay of the public sector, adding to their escalating costs.

In summary, the future of Catholic Education is a multifaceted problem:

Money: The financial model of the 1960’s is long gone where Catholic education was a ”gift” of the Church on the backs of the religious for the benefit of the children of the parish. Catholics, as a group, need to decide the importance of Catholic Education and then support it. Note: in Lakewood NJ, the public schools serve 5,300 students. The Jewish Orthodox, financially committed to teach its faith, educate 17,000 students!

Staffing: As the writers of the Op Ed piece point out there are certainly opportunities for deacons to assist, along with Lay Ecclesial Ministers and the laity – but in general, that is happening now. But certainly, as the number of deacons increase (where allowed by the local bishop) and when the deacons are allowed to function fully in the faculties that came with their ordination (where allowed by local bishops and their pastors), then yes, many of them can add great value in a variety of areas, working alongside the priests and the laity in running parishes and schools.

Parental Involvement: What is often overlooked is role that each parent must play in the education of the children in the faith. For those married in the Church, it was a promise made on the day of their marriage – i.e. to raise the children in the faith, for they are to be the first and best teachers in the faith. Catholic Education is more than just having a Catholic School. It is how we raise our children, love our children, and teach our children by being living examples of what it means to be a Christian – a disciple of Christ.

So I cannot necessarily agree with John J. Hughes, the first archbishop of New York (1842), who was quoted in the article as saying some 160 years ago: “The school is more necessary than the church.” I would say in 2013 – the schools….the laity….the parents…the clergy…all play equal and critical roles in looking ahead as to what the “church” and “church schools” of the next 50 years will look like. Needless to say, it will not be same...

Your thoughts?

Homily: Fourth Sunday of Advent

2012-12-23T14:48:00.000-05:00

We gather this week, maybe holding onto our children a bit tighter than usual and praying for each other and our families as we prepare to celebrate the birth of Christ. But as the events of these past ten days fall into the background of the season, many find themselves still holding onto the key question:

What can we do?

We know we can’t wave a magic wand and make guns go away. We can’t snap our fingers and eliminate violence and evil. We can’t keep thinking that this stuff only happens someplace else, to other people in other places.

What can we do?

So on this fourth Sunday of Advent, days before Christmas, we find ourselves praying for a town and its people that are steeped in deep darkness as they look to regain a spark of that same light. And we gather around the light of four Advent candles seeking the answer to the same question:

What can we do?

And maybe, just maybe this Sunday’s gospel sheds some needed light on that nagging question.

Click here for the Sunday readings

Click here for the homily text

Click here for the podcast

O Emmanuel

2012-12-23T01:00:00.000-05:00

O Emmanuel, our king and our Lord, The anointed for the nations and their Savior: Come and save us, O Lord our God.

With the O Antiphons concluding today, those playful 8^th century Christian monks added a twist to the prayers by having the first letters of the Latin words spell out (in reverse order) the acrostic ero cras, which translates: "tomorrow I will be," thus heralding the birth of the one who is to be called Jesus.

"Behold a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel." (Isa 7:14)

Emmanuel: God with Us. Jesus the Christ is present, here and now, dwelling within us, always present to us. Thus the greatest present you have and the one that you can give time and time again – is the presence of the God who dwells within you, the God who loves you, the God who is Emmanuel.

O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.

Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

O Rex Gentium

2012-12-22T01:00:00.000-05:00

O King of all the nations, and their desire, the cornerstone uniting all people: Come and save us all, whom you formed out of clay.

"The Stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone" Psalm 118:22

That line is cited six times in the New Testament... so what is it saying to us?

Today when we hear 'cornerstone' we think of that date inscribed stone which is ceremonially laid at the completion of the building project. But historically the cornerstone was just the opposite. It was the first major stone laid that determined the position of the entire building. Placed incorrectly and the structure would fall.

As we near the end of the O Antiphons we are reminded that Christ is the cornerstone upon which all creation is saved. All things God has made from the clay of the earth: Jew/gentile; black/white; rich/poor; gay/straight - all creation, without exception is saved.

What remains? Take a moment and look at which stone you have selected to be your cornerstone. Do you have any corrective masonry work that needs to be done?

O come, Desire of nations, bind
In one the hearts of all mankind;
Bid Thou our sad divisions cease,
And be Thyself our King of Peace.

Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

O Oriens

2012-12-21T01:00:00.000-05:00

O Radiant Dawn, splendor of light everlasting: Come and enlighten those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death.

For those of us in the northern hemisphere today marks the shortest and darkest day of the year. And as the funerals continue to take place in Newtown/Sandy Hook this week so many in that community sit in darkness and the shadow of death...waiting for light to reenter their lives.

The first sign of light is called twilight - a liminal time of hope as the sky brightens, while we wait for the star to rise above the horizon. Advent is a season of waiting and hoping for a new light, a renewed energy, to break into our darkness.

On this fifth day of the O Antiphons we are reminded that it is the light of Christ that will illuminate our truest self....a light that will wipe out our darkness...a light that will warm our being.

O come, Thou Day-spring, come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death’s dark shadows put to flight.

Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

O Clavis David

2012-12-20T01:00:00.000-05:00

O Key of David and scepter of the house of Israel, You open and no one can close, You close and no one can open: Come and rescue the prisoners who are in darkness and in the shadow of death.

The first shoot from the tree of Jesse is his son, David. The prophet Samuel passes over the seven oldest sons of Jesse in his search for a new king. Jesse then pulls forward his youngest son - the shepherd boy, the least of the brothers. And this is whom Samuel anoints as the new king.

God seems to always choosing and using the 'least' to open new doors that need to be opened and to close doors that need to be closed. God calls each of us to do God's work...but the first step forward needs to come from us.

Each of us already holds the 'key of David' in order to be God's presence in the world...a presence that is so greatly needed. So on this fourth day of the O Antiphons, what is preventing you from turning the key and opening yourself up?

O come, Thou Key of David, come,
And open wide our heavenly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery.

Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

O Rex Jesse

2012-12-19T01:00:00.000-05:00

O Root of Jesse, who stands for an ensign before the people, before whom kings are mute and to whom the gentiles shall seek: Come quickly to deliver us.

With the passing of Superstorm Sandy last month we found that many trees that we thought were well rooted, were unable to take on the winds of the storm and they fell. And yet there were many trees no one thought would survive which still stand.

Life is like that. We make decisions each day as to what and where we want to take root. Some spend more time pruning their branches to look perfect, while paying no attention to where they are rooted.

Where have you planted yourself and your family? How fertile is your soil? Something to think about on this third day of the O Antiphons.

O come, Thou Root of Jesse’s tree,
An ensign of Thy people be;
Before Thee rulers silent fall;
All peoples on Thy mercy call.

Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

O Adonai

2012-12-18T01:00:00.000-05:00

O sacred Lord of ancient Israel, who appeared to Moses in the fire of the burning bush and gave him the law on Sinai Mountain; Come, stretch out your mighty hand to set us free.

Moses – a shepherd and a murderer, comes face to face with a bush that is burning, but not consumed by the flames. The bush, most likely a thorn bush of some sort, is the least of all the plants and tress of the desert. Sometimes we can forget that no place is ever void of the presence of God. Not a thorn bush, not Syria, not Sandy Hook Elementary, not even you or I.

God will often come to us in our lives as some sort of “burning bush” in order to flame away who we think we are so that we can serve God and serve others by who we really are. And in doing so, God sets us free.

So on this second day of the O Antiphons, can you feel the heat?

O come, O come, great Lord of might,
Who to Thy tribes on Sinai’s height
In ancient times once gave the law
In cloud and majesty and awe.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

O Sapienta

2012-12-17T01:00:00.000-05:00

O Wisdom, O holy Word of God, you govern all creation with your strong, yet tender care. Come and show your people the way to salvation.

The O Antiphons begin with God's wisdom in showing us the way to salvation. And it seems that the easiest way to have done this was for God to come to us, incarnate as Jesus the Christ.

"And the Word became Flesh and dwelt among us" Jn 1:14

Perhaps the reason was that we were overly consumed with asking the wrong question...and still are. Namely: How do I get to heaven? Or in other words: How do I earn salvation?

But I think we have it all backwards.

We think we are human, learning to become divine and actually it is just the opposite.

We think eternal life starts when we die, but actually it begins now.

We think of a “Santa Claus God” who is checking the list to see who is naughty and nice in order to determine who is worthy of heaven, yet God loves and accepts all.

We think that salvation can actually be earned! When actually it is all a gift.

We need to stop focusing on what we need to do for salvation, what we need to do "to get" to heaven and instead bring heaven to Earth, right now.

"...thy will be done on Earth as it is in heaven"

God's dwelling place is right here, right now, among the people. Emmanuel!

O come, Thou Wisdom from on high,
Who orderest all things mightily;
To us the path of knowledge show,
And teach us in her ways to go.

Rejoice! Rejoice!

Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

Homily: Third Sunday of Advent

2012-12-15T09:41:00.001-05:00

This Sunday is Gaudete Sunday, which translates: Rejoice! But truth be told, after what happened Friday in the sleepy town of Newton, CT and the massacre of 20 young children there seems to be no reason to rejoice. This same day I received an email from a dear friend. Her little nephew will have to undergo another open heart surgery in order to survive. More reason for not rejoicing. So I gave thought of not posting the homily for this weekend. I mean, really, who feels like rejoicing this weekend…
But then I realized, in a new way, all that has taken place actually brings more meaning to this Sunday’s readings. Each reading contains a crowd who is confused, worried, anxious and searching for the presence of God. They were asking the same questions so many of us are asking this day – Why? and… Where is God in all of this? And while we will never comprehend acts of violence as was witnessed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School, this Sunday we are reminded why there is reason to still rejoice.

So you may wondering why I posted a picture of so many lit candles, after all there should be only three Advent candles lit, the third being rose colored?

Three reasons.

This weekend we light the third candle of our Advent wreath as we mark our time through this liturgical season.

This weekend we light 27 candles representing the lives that have been lost in Newtown, with the faith of knowing that they bathe in the light of God’s presence, resting in the arms of our risen Lord.

And this weekend I light one candle as I celebrate the first birthday of my blog! It was Guadete Sunday last year that I took to my keyboard and launched the first posting. So my thanks to all of you who have supported me in any way...those of you who have enjoyed (or not) my postings…and all who have helped me teach what I believe!

And on my first anniversary I have added one more feature to the homily posts – and that is my voice. You will see the extra link below allowing you to hear a podcast of the homily…in addition to the usual written version.

And so, I am reminded that I do have great reason to rejoice – for the blessings of God’s presence in all of you.

Click here for the Sunday readings

Click here for the homily text

Click here for the podcast

Tridentine Mass - Taking a Step Backward?

2012-12-11T18:01:00.000-05:00

On the feast of the Immaculate Conception last week, the National Catholic Reporter published an online ‘Viewpoint’ written by Fr. Ron Schmit, pastor of St. Anne Church in Byron, California. Schmit takes a careful look at the “extraordinary form” of liturgy - better known as the pre-Vatican II 1962 Latin Mass (Tridentine Mass), which seems to be gaining popularity in many dioceses, including my own.

Schmit points out that any attempt to resurrect and popularize the 1962 pre-Vatican II Mass has serious ramifications. He reminds the reader that:

“The 1570 missal (the basis of the 1962 missal) was, and continues to be, a liturgy in which the baptized -- once subjects of the liturgy and co-celebrants of the eucharistic sacrifice -- were and are reduced to mere spectators. They are there to watch the priest say "his" Mass. The emphasis is hierarchical and legalistic (who has the power and how are they lawfully exercising that power). Rather than the risen Christ working through the whole people of God (lay and ordained), we have a powerful clergy ministering to a passive people. Instead of church as sacrament, we have church as a juridical hierarchy”

It seems that even Pope Paul VI was adamant in not allowing this form of liturgy to continue post Vatican II. When the French theologian, Jean Guitton asked the Pope why not concede the 1962 missal to Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre and his followers. Pope Paul responded:

“Never. This Mass ... becomes the symbol of the condemnation of the council. I will not accept, under any circumstances, the condemnation of the council through a symbol. Should this exception to the liturgy of Vatican II have its way, the entire council would be shaken. And, as a consequence, the apostolic authority of the council would be shaken.”

It seems the new ground laid 50 years ago by Vatican II is seriously being “shaken” up again and again. One could think that the Church may be forgetting that, “liturgy” by definition means the work of the people…not work thrown upon the people.

Take a read of the full article by clicking here

The New English Translation - A Year Later

2012-11-29T07:36:00.002-05:00

The Lord be with you. And with your Spirit

Consubstantial with the Father

…will be poured out for you and the many…

…was incarnate of the Virgin Mary…

For many of us, perhaps we have grown somewhat accustomed to these and other changes in the English text of the Roman Missal. Or maybe not.

This Sunday we will begin a new liturgical year – Year C. And as we do, it will be the one-year mark since the implementation of the new English translation. Given birth after nine years of debate and arm wrestling and prayer, the new translation is one that is closest to the original Latin text.

Upon its launch we were told that, “one of the main goals of this new translation is to rediscover and represent the deep, rich and authentic meaning of the faith of our Church in our life of prayer.”

Has it?

In reserving my comments, for now, I thought I would do a very quick survey as to what others think and feel after having been immersed in this new translation for a year. So I am inviting you to click HERE – and take the very, very brief survey – but do feel free to fill in some of the comment boxes!!

If you would – please forward this post or cut and paste the following link to your friends, family and fellow parishioners:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/TeachBelief1

Then just after Christmas I will post the results and blog a bit about the findings.

So please take a minute and let your voice be heard!

Advent peace to you and yours.