A Capuchin Journey

Fishers of People

2012-01-21T10:13:00.000-08:00

(Mark 1:14-20 ESV)

Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” And immediately they left their nets and followed him. And going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, who were in their boat mending the nets. And immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed him.

What we see in the gospel today is Jesus ushering in the Kingdom of God by proclaiming the Good news.

There is a story of a man made of salt, who lived in the desert, and he wondered who he really was. So the Salt man decided to take a Journey to find out. He come across different creatures in the dessert like the scorpion and he ask, “Who are you?” The scorpion would replay, “I am a deadly Scorpion. Don’t come to close to me or I will sting you to death.”

Next he came upon a rattle snake, and asked, “Who are you?” The Rattle snake replied, “I am a deadly rattle snake, don’t come to close or my bite will kill you.” As he walked and walked, and walked, he came in contact with some very dangerous situations. He finally came upon a vast ocean and was startled by the tremendous body of water which he never saw before.

The Salt Man said to the ocean, “Who are you?” The ocean replied back, “Come and see.” So the salt man started to walk into the ocean and as he did he began to dissolve into the ocean. Finally, just before the salt man was completely dissolved he said, “I know now...who I am,” and then he became one with the ocean. The salt was made for the ocean and he knew who he was by dying to himself, and letting himself become what he was called to be.

In scripture today is the beginning of the journey for the disciples who have an encounter with Christ who says to them, “Come follow me.” They let go of what was familiar to them. They turned and followed Christ and embraced who they were called to be - Apostles.

It is in that relationship with Christ that we came to know who we are, and learn what it is that we are meant to be, but we have to let go of what we are about and let ourselves be dissolved by surrendering to Christ’s call in our lives.

When we empty ourselves, letting go of all the things we think are going to make us happy; all the things we think will bring meaning to our life, we find that when we embrace Christ’s call we discover, in the end, who we really are, and what we are called to be.

Letting ourselves be dissolved into the will of God is much like the doctrine of the cross, “If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny his very self, take up his own cross and follow in my steps.” There are a lot of instances in the gospel where people were called, but didn't follow. The rich young man who couldn't give up his wealth. The disciples who couldn't accept the teachings of the Eucharist and turned away.

So we need to look into our own lives and ask what is it that I cling too, that I can’t let go of, which keeps me from following Christ. Sometimes we follow, but look back like the person who put’s their hand to the blow, but looks back saying, 'Well…I had these career plans or I had this plan or this project.'

And Jesus says, ‘Let go, you put your hand to the blow, don’t look back,” but the things we had in the past nag at us, and we turn, and lose sight of God’s kingdom.

If we lose sight of God's Kingdom then we put ourselves in danger of all the traps of this world. The sing of addiction to drugs and alcohol, the dangerous bit of temptation, the surging waves of depression and meaninglessness, the loss of God and the endless wanderings in hopeless night.

We will never find ourselves in these things, we can only lose ourselves in them. What Christ offers us are His nets of mercy and as we fall deeper, and deeper into them we will find who we really are and what we are called to be.

The gospel is the bait. The hook is His church, and the catch is eternal life. Only we can decide if we are going to allow ourselves to be caught by the gospel message, but if we do we will find not only ourselves but the very meaning of our existence.

The Call To Discipleship

2012-01-14T07:21:00.000-08:00

John was standing with two of his disciples, and as he watched Jesus walk by, he said, "Behold, the Lamp of God." The two disciples heard what he said and followed Jesus. Jesus turned and saw them following him and said to them, "What are you looking for?" They said to him, "Rabbi" - which translated means Teacher-, "Where are you staying?" He said to them, "Come and see." So they went and saw where Jesus was staying, and they stayed with him that day. It was about four in the afternoon. Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, was one of the two who heard John and followed Jesus. He first found his own brother Simon and told him. "We have found the Messiah" - which is translated Christ - Then he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, "You are Simon the son of John; you will be called Cephas" - which is translated Peter.

Today we hear in the OT and NT what has become known as, “Call Stories.” There is nothing more fascinating then hearing about someone being called by God and how it changes everything in a person’s life.

Much of what is written about the 'Call Stories' today is missing one vital element: resistance! The disciples where happy they discovered the Messiah. Little did they realize at the time when embracing the call of Christ the cost and demand it would place on them.

We live in a culture which impacts us in every way with relativism, extreme religious world views, and the corruption and abuse of power within every institution that exits, one is challenged on a daily based to keep the call of Christ from being drowned-out by the noise of the world. Yet, reassuringly Christ, in the gospel, is always calling us to discipleship.

This past Christmas, all the church’s in the Rutland Vermont area were packed, (as I am sure every diocese in the country was). Now we have entered ordinary time, and I have to ask where are all the people who packed the churches just a few weeks ago?

The baby Jesus is easy to admire and adore. Jesus in his infancy makes not demands on us. He is not a threat, and does not make our lives uncomfortable. But today, we meet the adult Jesus – all grown up – who looks at his disciples in the eye and says, “What are you looking for?”

What separates a true disciple from one who is simply along for the ride? The answer can be found in the response of the disciples? “Where are you staying?” Discipleship is about relationship! Once they have entered the relationship with Christ, the relationship is no longer on their terms. Being at home with that reality is where they will learn how to live, how to love, and how deal with the messiness of relationships even with the one they are were now staying with - the Messiah.

I am always amazed how quickly people who do not have faith or believe in Christ walk away from relationships, friendships and even marriages once they become difficult. (This is not to say Christians never do this, but the speed at which it happens I believe is different) Yet, what we see in the Christian story are two things: Christ's relationship to us and our relationship with Christ. He chose us and we blow it. There is no one (outside of Judas, who I believe would have been forgiven had he held on) who makes more mistakes than Peter.

It is interesting that after the resurrection Jesus asks Peter three times “Do you love me.” Finally Peter responds by saying of course I love you. And Peter probably was expecting Jesus to say, 'What a wonderful person you are Pete, I knew you didn't really mean it when you denied me,’ but this is what Jesus tells him,

"But I tell you the truth, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go." (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him “Follow me.”

Not what Peter wanted to hear I am sure! He wanted to hear something else like, 'That-a-boy Pete' but Jesus spoke truthfully about the price he would pay for following Him. As I approach my forty-sixth year and reflect on twenty-five years of discipleship, I amazed at some of the sacrifices that this vocation has demanded of me. Looking back, I know that I must have been given Divine strength to give up everything, to minister in places I did not want to be or go, and yet, I know I am right where I am supposed to be. Christ has not asked me to literally die for Him, but I have died in many ways to do what he has called me to do today.

When I talk to married couples they sometimes share with me the price they have paid in order to say faithful, to have a family and children and it is not that much different than my own vocation. What Christ is going to ask of me and you this year, I do not know, but one thing I do know is: to do the will of Christ, to be his disciple is the greatest meaning one can ever find. "What are you looking for?" Christ asked his disciples. If you are looking for a comfortable, selfish lifestyle, you come to the wrong place, but if you are looking for meaning, truth, and real transforming love, then you have come to the right person, Jesus Christ.

The Birth of Christ

2011-12-31T10:22:00.000-08:00

It is a wonderful thing that the birth of Christ, and the announcement of that birth should come first to lowly shepherds. Although these shepherds, quite unable to keep the details of the Judaic laws; take a special role in salvation history.

They could not observe all the meticulous hand-washing, rules and regulations of the law. Their flocks made far too constant demands on them for that. Undisciplined in the ways of Judaism, uneducated, in the reading of the Torah, what they possessed was a sincere, simple, faith. A faith which made their response of seeking out Christ possible.

When they found Christ they returned to shepherding changed people. They now knew they were counted, valued, and loved by God. Despite their lowly circumstances, despite the fact that most people didn't even know they existed, they had real joy and meaning because of their relationship with God.

What started out as a fearful event, turned into a joyful one. A sense of isolation shattered by a sense of the sacred. God is making a statement to all of us in the birth of Christ. We who feel overlooked, neglected, fearful and feel of little importance. The God of the universe not only knows how you feel, the God of the universe, the Creator of all things visible and invisible has experienced rejection on every level. From the stable to the grave; Christ’s life is marked by rejection.

The apologist and author Ravi Zacharias bring us a good point when speaking about rejection and meaning when he states, "The quest for meaning, the pursuit for meaning, all over the world, humanity has this one, particular, aspect about them, whether they be atheists, agnostic or skeptic. Somewhere in a person’s life is a drive to find meaning and to understand their existence. My question is this: What does it take for a person to say, I have legitimately found meaning?"

For many people, meaning is not important. What is important is that they be left alone. However, when that wish is fulfilled, simply existing becomes utterly unbearable.

The shepherds didn't find meaning only in being Shepherds. They didn’t consider themselves special visionaries of angels. They weren't looking to be the first apostles. They simple wanted to share the news about this Child to others and then went back to their lives rejoicing. What was there to rejoice over? The simple fact that God is here to save.

The plan God is using to save is the same today, as it was yesterday, and it’s just as effective as it was two thousand years ago. As the prophet Isaiah proclaimed: "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."

With the reality of such good news: God with us, who is for us and living inside of us, how could we not go back to the workplace like the shepherds - changed people?

Repentance And The Spirit.

2011-12-03T09:31:00.000-08:00

Is 40:1-5, 9-11

Comfort, give comfort to my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her service is at an end, her guilt is expiated; indeed, she has received from the hand of the LORD double for all her sins. A voice cries out: In the desert prepare the way of the LORD! Make straight in the wasteland a highway for our God! Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill shall be made low; the rugged land shall be made a plain, the rough country, a broad valley. Then the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together; for the mouth of the LORD has spoken. Go up on to a high mountain, Zion, herald of glad tidings; cry out at the top of your voice, Jerusalem, herald of good news! Fear not to cry out and say to the cities of Judah: Here is your God! Here comes with power the Lord GOD, who rules by his strong arm; here is his reward with him, his recompense before him. Like a shepherd he feeds his flock; in his arms he gathers the lambs, carrying them in his bosom, and leading the ewes with care

Gospel Mk 1:1-8

The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ the Son of God. As it is written in Isaiah the prophet: Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you; he will prepare your way. A voice of one crying out in the desert: "Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths." John the Baptist appeared in the desert proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. People of the whole Jourdan countryside and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River as they acknowledged their sins. John was clothed in camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist. He fed on locusts and wild honey. And this is what he proclaimed: "One mightier than I is coming after me. I am not worthy to stoop and loosen the thongs of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."

To understand the Prophet Isaiah and his message of comfort, we really need to look at the prophet Jeremiah, and his message of warning to Israel about sinning against God. Time and time again Jeremiah warned the people of God that if they continued in their sins they would find themselves in exile. Instead of heading Jeremiah’s message, they killed him and decided to listen, instead, to the false prophets who said, “Peace, peace.”

As a result, the people of God found themselves in exile in Babylon. Only by God strong hand did they return. Historians still scratch their heads wondering how a captive people simply walked away from Babylon without one shot being fired. Now instead of saying, “I told you so” or “See what happens when you don’t listen!” Isaiah’s message is surprisingly different, "Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.”

The people of God must have looked pretty haggard walking back to Jerusalem, but that is what sin does to us, and if we think there is no consequences to sin we are only fooling ourselves. John the Baptist is shouting in the desert - why is he in the desert feeding on locus and honey?

The metaphor of locus & honey is to represent the notion that life is both bitter and sweet. If we except life to be nothing but sweet all the time we will find ourselves living in bitter disappointment. I think it is safe to say we are living in some pretty bitter times, and no matter how the economists and experts try to give a reasonable explanation for the cause and effects of the recession the one thing they never mention is sin; individual sin, corporeal sin or structural sin.

The bottom line is that sin is the cause for most our troubles, but we do have hope, and in reality the only solution available to us is to live by the power of God’s Holy Spirit. However, that requires willingness to turn away from sin and to trust in the power of the Spirit. A terrifying prospect for some because it means giving up control.

Father Marie-Eugene was a Carmelite friar who lived in France in the early 1900’s. His father was a miner who died unexpectedly in 1904 when Marie-Eugene was not yet ten. The family then experienced the hardships of poverty, but his mother managed to raise all five children by herself. Speaking of the Holy Spirit, Father Marie-Eugene wrote, “Before enlightening your heart, The Holy Spirit sheds light through events and situations, light in darkness; you don’t know where it’s going, you don’t know where it’s coming from.” When he came to the end of his life, a life dependent on the Spirit, he was able to happily state, “The Holy Spirit has always foiled my projects, but for the better.”

That cannot ever be said of sin which will not only ruin our projects, but our lives as well. Instead, the better alternative is to be willing to open our hearts and minds to the Spirit so as live better, freer lives in Christ as children of God.

The Advent Fast

2011-12-02T10:12:00.000-08:00

It has become a costume of mine to fast during Advent. I not only fast, but I take this time to detox my system as well. I am always reluctant to speak about fasting because I am conscious of the fact that Jesus in the gospels exhorts his followers not to let people know when they are fasting. (I wonder who takes fasting seriously anymore today?) Of course, when speaking about fasting all kinds of ideas come to mind on how to fast - what does it mean to fast - what should one give up? I know a fellow brother Capuchin who told me when he sees food he eats it fast and that was his idea of fasting. I would imagine most people think fasting is about bread and water.

I all I can say is how a person fast is really up to them. Because I have been fasting during Advent for years my body knows what is coming: for the first week of Advent, I drink nothing but fluids and have one salad for lunch. The second week, I have vegetables and fruit, and the third week I include fruit. By the end of Advent, I am feeling in such great spiritual shape that I long for Lent to do the process all over again. Prayerful waiting and watching is what makes all the fasting possible, so that is why I am grateful it is the first Friday of the month when I simply get to put myself in from of the Lord in adoration and thank Him for all the wonderful things He has done for us. For me, fasting is all about staying awake and being watchful.

Using The New Translation

2011-11-10T10:21:00.000-08:00

Today, on the feast of St. Leo the Great, pope of the church in the fifth century, I decided to use the new sacramentary during morning mass. There were just a few parishioner's and I think they were okay with me starting a little early than November 27th. I don't want do it 'cold turkey' on the first Sunday of Advent without some practice and familiarity with the new translation. So, I decided today would be as good as any to start.

For the most part, it still feels like the mass, and not a whole lot has changed. It will take a little getting used to, but the parishioner's who were there seemed to be okay with it. Change is never easy, but I feel better knowing, as a universal church, we are all using the same translation. I still wonder how well this will take place in other diocese's? I guess time will tell.

2011-11-05T08:58:00.000-07:00

Gospel Mt 25:1-13

Jesus told his disciples this parable: "The kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones, when taking their lamps, brought no oil with them, but the wise brought flasks of oil with their lamps. Since the bridegroom was long delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep. At midnight, there was a cry, Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!' Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.' But the wise ones replied, 'No, for there may not be enough for us and you. Go instead to the merchants and buy some for yourselves.' Wile they went off to buy it, the bridegroom came and those who were ready went into the wedding feast with him. Then the door was locked. Afterwards the other virgins came and said, 'Lord, Lord, open the door for us!' But he said in reply, 'Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.' Therefore, stay awake,

for you know neither the day nor the hour."

Staying Awake

When we hear scripture today, the message we hear is that time is sacred and how we spend that time will show how accountable we are or are not to God. When scripture tells us that our time is scared, our property is sacred, our sexuality is sacred, our home is sacred, our worship is sacred, what is it really telling us?

It is telling us that unless we have a sense of the scared we will find an emptiness at the end of life which will lock us out of the very scared event we are all truly longing for – union with Christ! Today’s parable Jesus tells us about ten virgins. Virginity was sacred in the ancient world, but virginity in and of itself, could not save five of the maidens. Why – because they were foolish, and why were they foolish? Because they no longer were conscious of God's saving action in their lives.

They fell asleep, they had forgotten, they in essence turned away – and the tragedy of our own times is the constant turning away from Christ, which is, in reality, the complete rejection of the good, the true, and the beautiful.

The five foolish virgins awoke to find they lacked oil. Scholars have speculated what the oil represents: faith, good works, mercy, or love. I think the oil represents all of it, every thing which makes up the ingredients of our faith.

The foolish turn to the wise and ask for oil. You would think the Christian thing to do is give them some, but they were meet with a resounding, "No!" How many people have you met who have wanted the faith you have and you were puzzled as to how to give it to them? The reality is, faith and good works is not transferable.

It reminds me of Anna Russell, Psychiatric Folk Song which goes like this, "At three I had a feeling of ambivalence towards my brothers and so it follows naturally I poisoned all my lovers, but I am happy now I have learned the lessons this has taught: Everything I do that's wrong, is someone else's fault!"

In the end, we are accountable to God for our own lives. There will be no excuse for our falling asleep or turning away. We can’t blame the hierarchy, the scandals, this one or that one; in the end, if our oil is gone we have only ourselves to blame.

God wants us to be accountable, and if you and I really, really believed that God is present to us, there are many things we would not be doing. Watching and waiting, anticipating Christ’s return; is what keeps us honest and transparent, but is it some thing that is reasonable or even productive to do?

It been two thousand years and Jesus is still a, 'no show.' Why would I put another minute into it expecting it? Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple computer, the man who created a enough gadgets to keep us distracted for the rest of our lives, got the news he had terminal cancer and started asking the important questions of faith.

He wondered if there was a God and figured there was a fifty-fifty chance. He found it hard to believe that all the wisdom he attained in life would be lost in death. Steve Jobs, the great creator was now lying on his death bed coming to grips with the reality that he was simply the creature struggling with the reality of knowing the Ultimate Creator.

During his last days, while he lay in his bed waiting for death to arrive his family surrounded him. He lovingly looked at them, and they, lovingly looked back at him. Then, just before he took his last breath they said his gaze went beyond them, as he slightly looked up and his last words were, “Oh wow, oh wow, oh wow.”

Why wait in anticipation for Christ return, because, as believers we are headed in that direction. Waiting and anticipating helps us accept the fact that this earth is not our final reality. There is more to this life than what we see. but at the end of our life, we will see it, and that reality could be any day for anyone of us. "Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour."

An Ego Deflating Proposition

2011-10-30T09:51:00.000-07:00

This Sundays Gospel

Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples, saying, "The scribes and the Pharisees have taken their seat on the chair of Moses. Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you, but do not follow their example. For they preach but they do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens hard to carry and lay them on people's shoulders, but they will not lift a finger to move them. All their works are performed to be seen. They widen their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels. They love places of honor at banquets, seats of honor in synagogues, greetings in marketplaces, and the salutation 'Rabbi.' As for you, do not be called 'Rabbi.' You have but one teacher, and you are all brothers. Call no one on earth your father; you have but one Father in heaven. Do not be called 'Master'; you have but one master, the Christ. The greatest among you must be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted."

Being both a religious and a priest I must admit the readings this Sunday have a way of making me feel a little uncomfortable. Yet, this is why we need the gospels and the readings from the Hebrew bible. They keep us accountable when our own accountant has lost touch with reality.

Both readings state the obvious: religion is being miss-used, and people are being miss-treated as a result. However, as bad as things get in Jerusalem, it is important to look at Christ’s attitude towards the faith. He does not encourage his hears to rebel, dismiss or leave Judaism. He in fact, says listen to your leaders; in another words - remain loyal.

Why in God’s name would you listen to someone who isn’t practicing what they are preaching? Because the reality is, there is nothing wrong with the orthodoxy of faith, even when it is spoken by a person who is severely flawed.

I remember when I was young in my vocation and I used to listen to a priest who inspired me to such a degree that I used to record his homilies. As a matter of fact, I still listen to these tapes to this day. A short time after I entered the order, I learned that he had a relationship with a women and had gotten her pregnant. He ended up leaving the priesthood and marring her. Today, we may not rank this as a major scandal considering what the church has been through these last few years.

However, I still had to make a decision; was I going to let his actions hinder me, or was I going to press on knowing that Christ was my ultimate leader, teacher, and savior? This is what Mathew’s Gospels is teaching us today; we should strive to have Christ in the center of our lives: everyone else should be a secondary source, everyone else should be of secondary importance.

“You are not to be called Rabbi.” There is nothing wrong with being a Rabbi. Jesus is not trying to do away with the position, he is simply trying to get his disciples to realize that in order to be his disciple they had to rid themselves of all ambitions however good, however noble, but where not in-line with the mission to spread the Gospel.

“Call no one on earth your father, you have but one Father in heaven.” The question arises often with me being a priest why do we call you father when Matthew's Gospel says we shouldn't. Jesus used of the word Abba to describe God as Father and it became such a sacred word that the early church wanted it used for God alone. Yet, some early church fathers stilled used it like a monk who called himself "Abba Isaac." Jesus was not thinking about the Catholic priest who holds the title father or even the parent who is a father. Instead he wanted them to understand that certain titles belong to God alone.

However, as we know all-to-well there are certain ministers who have not lived up to their title. There are also people who should never have been called, Officer, Your Honor, Doctor, or even Mother or Father. Our world is riddled with scandal on every level, and in today’s gospel, Jesus looks at his disciple’s and in his own way teaches to them, ‘know yourselves, be right sized, choose a position that will please God most; become a humble servant’s and serving the needs of others and you will find your importance, because those who try to become important by being the boss and the big-shot will be humbled.'

But those who serve will find no greater meaning than being a part of God’s loving community.

Back In The Saddle Again

2011-10-27T18:17:00.000-07:00

I can't believe how fast three months goes by, but that is how long it has been since I have written anything in my blog. What I have learned from not blogging is how focused the blog kept me, and how it helped in constructing homilies . However, I do believe it was necessary to take a break in order to make the transition into parochial ministry.

This past weekend St. Alphonsus celebrated their one hundred and fifty-first anniversary as a parish. What a wonderful experience it was for all the parish to see their history which I had on displayed in the hall. I can't begin to tell you how inspiring it was to learn all about the history of the parish. I found an interesting coincidence in that in 1860, Fr. Charles Boylan, the third pastor of St. Peters in Rutland Vermont, was the first pastor of St. Alphonsus in Pittsford; we seem to have come full-circle in our parochial duties. Whenever I start to complain about the amount of travel between St. Peters, St. Dominic's and St. Alphonsus that I have to do, I think of Fr. Boylan and remember he did not have a Toyota in 1860 and was able to not only build St. Alphonsus, but be their pastor too.

taking a break from blogging

2011-08-13T18:28:00.000-07:00

Congratulations - you have reached the end of my blog. Seriously, I have given it a lot of thought, and I have decided to take a break from blogging for a little while. I have to much going on with three parish to minister and run. I feel like the blog is just another thing I have to do...that is when you know it is time to take a break. Thanks everyone for your support and stopping by to read my thoughts on the Gospel. I will be back in a few months. God bless.

The Storms of Life

2011-08-07T18:26:00.000-07:00

The storms of life; most of us try to avoid them. If we are honest about it, we usually think and hope that they happen to someone else, not us. However, most of us go into the future confident knowing if we encounter hardships we will have the support of our families.

If our family support is lacking, then we hope our friends are there for us, to listen, support, and encourage us. As John Lennon believed and sung, “I get by with a little help from my friends.” If we neither have support from family and friends, we usually take refuge from the storms of life in our own ability and resources: plenty of money, a good career and self insurance will see us through (that’s All-State stance – what’s yours?)

However, even if all three are present, 1) a loving family, 2) caring friends, 3) wealth and financial security, There are no guarantees we are going to avoid the storms of life. The recent story of the tragic death of singer Amy Winehouse; a talented singer who had it all: loving family, adoring friends and fans, a musical career more successful than she ever anticipated. Yet, none of it was able to save her from the storms she faced.

The gospel we hear today, never sugar-coats the harsh realities of life. Never does the gospel side step the fact that there are destructive forces working in the world. What we see in Jesus, is the courage to face the storm; to transcend it, overcome it, calm it.

After He feeds and cares for the crowds, He seeks to be alone with God - he seeks solitude, not escape! Why is down-time so important with God? Because it gives us rest when we don't even realize how exhausted we really are. Why is prayer so important? Because it prepares us for what coming next...and it's coming!

There is no doubt that Jesus is exhausted. Although, if he is, he never states it; does not speak about it to his disciples, and he certainly does not take it out on the crowd. He seeks his need in one place; in God alone. Just when things become peaceful and serine, He hears the first screams of his disciples who are in complete fear!

The early Christians used the image of a boat as the metaphor for the church. It was not a church exempt from the trials and tribulations of the sea but a part of them. The church by itself cannot control the sea. It has no political slogans which will calm the financial waves of an uncertain ocean. The church has to trusts in one thing more than anything else; the power of Christ.

The decision is ours, just like it was with the disciples two thousand years ago: faith or fear? With fear, it is impossible to overcome the storms of life. With faith in Christ, He can do the impossible as the Psalmist testifies, "He hushed the storm to a murmur; the waves of the sea were stilled. They rejoiced that the sea grew calm.”

Are we calm today? Do we handle situations with peace? Do we have serenity in our life? It's pretty simple: No Jesus, no peace. Know Jesus, know peace.

New Assigments

2011-07-21T10:24:00.000-07:00

The order has given the brothers new assignments. Some brothers will be continuing their work and their new assignment is to continue where they are ministering. I was certain I was going to be leaving Vermont, but our new provincial accepted another parish in Pittsford, Vermont called, St. Alphonsus.

St. Alphonsus is right on U.S. Rt 7

I must admit, I do not know a lot about St. Alphosus, but I plan on learning more about him in the near future. I have been to this parish in the past to do help-outs and have enjoyed it. However, it is not a very large church, I believe it holds about a hundred and fifty people. So the Capuchins in Vermont now work with three parish's: St. Peters, St. Dominic's and St. Alphonsus. Starting August 8th, I will be the administrator of St. Alphonsus, and another brother, Fr. Tom will be pastor of St. Peters and St. Dominics. The parishioner's at St. Alphonsus are asking me who will be their pastor, and I keep telling them that Jesus will be their pastor...and good Shepherd...and I will be the administrator! I have provided picture of St. Alphonsus below.

Outside of the main church. This walk leads to the St. Therese of Lisieux chapel.

Inside of St. Therese of Lisieux chapel

Inside of St. Alphonsus chapel

The back of the church

The Parish Hall

The Friary

Weeds Among The Wheat

2011-07-16T09:00:00.000-07:00

Gospel Mt 13:24-43

Jesus proposed another parable to the crowds, saying: “The kingdom of heaven may be likened to a man

who sowed good seed in his field. While everyone was asleep his enemy came and sowed weeds all through the wheat, and then went off. When the crop grew and bore fruit, the weeds appeared as well. The slaves of the householder came to him and said, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where have the weeds come from?’ He answered, ‘An enemy has done this.’ His slaves said to him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’ He replied, ‘No, if you pull up the weeds you might uproot the wheat along with them. Let them grow together until harvest; then at harvest time I will say to the harvesters, “First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles for burning; but gather the wheat into my barn.”

I think everyone can still remember a popular book written a few years ago entitled, Why Do Bad Things Happen To Good People? The book tried to explain why life wasn’t fair, and how to accept the reality of dealing with life on life’s terms. In today’s gospel, we hear Jesus speaking in parables about a similar problem….why do evil people exist in the world?

Notice the reference Matthew makes to Jesus being the head of the household. This is the forming of the early church. Jesus is the one in charge, and the servants are scandalized by the presence of the weeds. They want to know why, after so much hard work, some bad elements found their way into God's world. How did this happen?

At one time, we believed as a church we were the safe saved ones, and the people in the world were the evil ones which needed conversion. Remember when we used to pray for the conversion of Russia? This turned out to be a very naive mentality. The children of the devil are among us Matthew's gospel tells us, whether we like it or not, believe it or not.

However, this business of figuring-out, exactly, who is of the devil is risky business. Usually, the people we can’t stand become immediate candidates. The Middle Ages is littered with victims who the church killed thinking they were getting rid of the children of the Devil, when in fact, most turned out to be Saints.

However, we don’t have to study the Middle Ages to see how this gets played out in all sorts of bizarre ways today. I remember when my friend Jeff was planning on marring a girl named, Kim. All my friends pleaded with him to reconsider. They insisted they knew more about her than he did, tried to convince him that she was bad news, and blinded by his love for her, was not able to see her evil ways.

One day, Jeff asked me, since I had said nothing about his situation, and didn’t join in on the bashing of Kim, if I thought he was making a big mistake. It was one of those subtle questions which made me feel the happiness or misery of my friends life was going to be determined by my thumbs up or my thumps down remark. I thought for a moment, wondering if this girl could be the first born of Satin, and then I looked at Jeff and said without any emotions…"I don’t know.”

They got married and had three beautiful children. One day, I visited and as I watched him holding his youngest daughter in his arms, and as I saw his wife gently pushing her oldest son on a swing, I thought with great relief, 'Thank God, I didn’t get in the way of this one!'

Maybe this is the point of the parable; let God be God and allow him to sort these things out, or better yet, let’s avoid playing God altogether, after all, who are we to think we know the difference between good and evil, when the reality is, there is a little bit of good in the worst of us, and a little bit of bad, in the best of us.

The Sower Sunday

2011-07-10T08:36:00.000-07:00

Gospel Mt 13:1-23 or 13:1-9

On that day, Jesus went out of the house and sat down by the sea. Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat down, and the whole crowd stood along the shore. And he spoke to them at length in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky ground, where it had little soil. It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep, and when the sun rose it was scorched, and it withered for lack of roots. Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it. But some seed fell on rich soil and produced fruit, a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold. Whoever has ears ought to hear.”

This past fourth of July a poll was taken and it revealed that 3 out of 10 Americans have no idea why America is an independent nation or what we are independent from. The responses to the question varied but were revealing. One college student stated that “We celebrate the 4th of July to mark the end of Prohibition.” (I am sure he was well on his way when he answered that question)

Another person said, “We celebrate the 4th of July because that is when we won our freedom from the Indians.” Not only is it incorrect, but it is also politically incorrect; the right description is Native Americans.

Finally, a person who obviously watches to many movies stated he didn’t have a clue, but if he had to guess, he would say it had something to do with space aliens. Sorry, but the movie Independence Day can not be considered historically accurate.

Let’s hope non of these people actually handled fireworks during the 4th. However, it does bring up an interesting point; can we be a part of something without understanding the meaning of it?

In today’s Gospel, Jesus is addressing the problem of people not really getting it or at least not retaining the message for long periods of time. In part, it’s easy to consider ourselves Christian when in fact, we may not understand what the Christian message really means.

It's not always an easy thing to understand God’s kingdom. That is why Jesus uses a simple imagine; a man sowing seeds in a field. The seed is always ready to do its part. The only thing needed is soil prepared and cultivate for the reception of the seed.

In essence, what Jesus is telling us is that the problem is not the word of God. The word of God is powerful, essential and relevant to any generations needs. The Word of God has the power to transform, to purify, to sanctify; give hope, blessings and salvation to all.

In the first reading the prophet Isaiah testified to this power when he prophecies, "It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it.”

The problem is the human heart, and much like the work it takes to plant a garden and care for it by weeding and protecting it from hungry creatures, the human heart needs to be worked on every day as well. If the heart is filled with the weeds of resentment, hatred, bitterness, anger, and hostility, then the word of God’s love will not be rooted in our lives.

The work that is required to stay heart healthy requires patients, time, and tilling because like all things which we value this work cannot be completed in a day. The Monks of Weston Priory have a said pray before their song called, “Calm is the night.”

"The human heart is not built in a day. It takes a lifetime to make a human heart. It takes all: birth and learning how to talk, making wishes, living with hope, dreaming dreams. The human heart is nourished with yearning for tomorrow, with poetry and devotion, with contemplation and the incessant thought of home.

The human heart prays; it strives to find a faithful lover; it does not love until it dies in fidelity
for the mystery of another life. The human heart suffers or else it does not grow; it exhausts itself or else it is empty; it waits and hopes at dawn and dusk, in darkness and daylight."

God is faithful in sending us the word of life, let us be faithful in keeping our hearts ready to do the work required to receive the word.

My Yoke is Easy, My Burden Light

2011-07-04T06:48:00.000-07:00

Mt 11:25-30

At that time Jesus exclaimed: “I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to little ones. Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.”

“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.”

Revaluation…it more than just a word. It is an event which happens every day. The news the world reveals is often the kinds of revelations we dread learning about the most: violent crimes, terrorism, scandal and corruption. President Nixon used to call the five O’clock news. "the five O’clock blues.”

In the gospel today, we learn another, more important, form of revaluation: Divine Revaluation and we learn that Jesus is the exclusive revelation of God. That is why Jesus says, “come to me” and “learn of me” because trying to know and understand God should be easy; God wants us to know who He is, and when we look at Jesus we hit the bulls eye.

Most of us learn from an early age that if we want something in this world it will not simply be given to us.
We have to work hard to get good grades in school, we know that making a living will come by the sweet of our brow, not by the seat of our paints. The American dream will happen only if we work hard, strive to achieve, and think only to succeed.

Yet, many people have worked hard, and fail. There are plenty of people who have played by the rules
and have gotten nothing for it. There are those in life who have tried, and tried, and tried to make life work only to experience bitter disappointment.

Where do we go when things are at their worst? Who do we turn to when we have so many hurts and disappointments? Does God really care if He lets so many bad things happen to us to begin with? For those who’ve had heavy burdens placed on their backs, Jesus has an invitation to take his yoke upon our shoulders instead.

The scholar William Barclay writes, "There is a legend that Jesus made the best ox-yokes in all of Galilee, and that from all over the country men came to him to buy the best yoke that skill could make. In those days, as now, shops had their signs above the door; and it has been suggested the sign above the door of the Carpenter’s shop in Nazareth may well have been, “My yokes fit well.”

The life Christ has for us is not meant to burden us to exhaustion; Jesus does not set us up for failure; God's name is not disappointment - our task will be measured to fit us. Whatever God sends us is made to fit our needs and our abilities exactly, and when we find that our burdens have been lifted and new life is experienced, then we respond by making the burdens of others lighter.

Prayers for Catholics in Belfast

2011-06-23T06:04:00.000-07:00

It may seem strange that Northern Ireland is experiencing troubles again, but I don't think it is a return to the violent days of decades ago. Although a lot of people will think Protestants and Catholics are at it again, the reality is much more complicated and political in nature. Since it is a very sensitive political issue, I will keep this post short by only requesting that we pray for our persecuted Catholic brothers and sisters in Northern Ireland and the Short Strand enclave in which they live. I believe the unionist will never be able to persecute Catholics for a long duration because the internet exposes them and their deeds to the whole world. Yet, the internet can not pray for our persecuted Catholic brothers and sisters, only we can do that. Pray for the peace of Ireland.

The Mind of Christ (7th Sunday of Easter)

2011-06-05T07:26:00.000-07:00

Gospel of John

Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come. Give glory to your son, so that your son may glorify you, just as you gave him authority over all people, so that your son may give eternal life to all you gave him. Now this is eternal life, that they should know you, the only true God, and the one whom you sent, Jesus Christ. I glorified you on earth by accomplishing the work that you gave me to do. Now glorify me, Father, with you, with the glory that I had with you before the world began.

“I revealed your name to those whom you gave me out of the world. They belonged to you, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything you gave me is from you,because the words you gave to me I have given to them, and they accepted them and truly understood that I came from you, and they have believed that you sent me. I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for the ones you have given me, because they are yours, and everything of mine is yours and everything of yours is mine, and I have been glorified in them. And now I will no longer be in the world, but they are in the world, while I am coming to you.”

All of us have had moments in our lives when we wished we knew what was being said about us behind close doors. Few of us have avoided some sort of evaluation process at work when our boss was discussing something with management about our work performance. How many times have we wished we could be a fly on the wall in order to hear what was being said.

Recently, with the capture and killing of Osama Bin Laden, we have been privy to learning about what was going through the mind of this terrorist...not to many good things we learned. Although most of us could care less about what others think of us, most of us (especially in high school) spent a great deal of time worried about what others (mostly the in group) was thinking about us.

Today, John's gospel gives us a glimpse into the mind of Christ; into the very thought life of our Savior. This Sunday, we get to be the fly on the wall, and hear what Jesus is saying about us. There are only two things He is thinking: 1) staying true to His Father God and 2) leading us to salvation. This gospel should give us a big sigh of relief when we learn about the thought pattern of Christ.

"I glorified you on earth by accomplishing the work that you gave me to do." I once spent some time ministering in the South Pacific and had the opportunity to visit an Island called Molokai. It’s an island which Hawaii had all of its people who suffered from leprosy placed there. It was also the place where a Belgium Missionary Fr. Joseph Damien took care of them.

His life work was heroic: he cared for them, embraced them, built a church, and taught them. His grave is in front of that church, but only part of his body is there. The Belgium government believed he belonged to them, so they wanted his body flown back to Belgium.

The people who suffered with leprosy struggled with the idea of giving him back and they begged the government to leave his body on the island. In the end, the two sides came to an agreement; the people of Molokai asked for part of his body and gave the rest of his body back to Belgium. The part they kept was the right hand. The hand that served them, blessed them and the priestly hand which absolved them of their sins.

We may never be called to do the work of a missionary like Fr. Damian, or even mother Teresa for that matter. However, at home and in the work place, whereever that maybe, no matter how humble the position can we say God is glorified in what we do, and by the way we live our lives?

Nothing like a Rainbow

2011-06-02T18:37:00.000-07:00

I finally got the big fish which I had on one of my hooks on a number of ocations, but this time, he didn't get away. A fifteen inch Rainbow trout. Thank you Lord!

Here he is coming right at you.

The Ascension

2011-06-02T06:20:00.000-07:00

The feast of the Ascension has always filled me joy, but a little ambiguity too; on the one hand, Jesus is leaving, but promising to stay by sending us His Spirit. When someone tells us they will be with us in spirit, it often feels less of an assurance then if they were with us in the flesh – going through the same thing and helping us by telling us what to do, say or think. However, being physically present has its drawbacks. If our parents were physically present to us at all times during our childhood and adolescence, would we truly mature? We have to make our mistakes – it's what make us human, but Christ will never abandon us to face our trails alone. That is why we need His Spirit because it is the source of forgiveness; giving us the strength to begin again and carry on. When we admit our mistakes and take responsibility, we in turn, find we are growing up and maturing in the faith.

The Freedom Saint!

2011-05-29T18:59:00.000-07:00

To one of the greatest

Saints the church

has ever known

St. Jeanne d'Arc...

Happy Feast Day!
May 30th 1439

Seeing the Lord

2011-05-01T18:54:00.000-07:00

Hearing the gospel this Sunday I was struck by how many times the word "seen" or "saw" was used. Since I will not be returning to the college after this semester, I have been having a hard time seeing what good it has been being chaplain there for the last two years. I am relieved I will not be continuing because, as I told my province, "I did not get ordained to presided over empty chapel chairs."

However, I did learn a skill I never thought I would - teaching. Hats off to all the teachers who either teach college or high, middle, or elementary school; I have so much respect for the amount of work which goes into preparing lesson plans, disciplining students, and mentoring others....it is a lot of hard work.

I imagine I am still to close to the experience to be able to reflect on what the purpose was of my being at the college. Maybe I will never know or I am just to close to the tree and can't see the forest. Yet, nature has been the best remedy for the pain I feel when things do not work out as I imagined they would.

Since a new assignment will not be given until after our Provincial Chapter which happens in the last week of May, I have decided to explore the state of Vermont. Since I arrived here two years ago, my focus has been ministery. Since I have the time, I am hiking and fishing every day I get the chance, and I am astonded by the beauty which surrounds me. I feel close to God in nature - which probably explains why I am a Franciscan. Today, after mass, I saw Christ in the breaking of the bread. After mass, I climbed Mt. Tabor in Danby and was held by God in creation. It's a great way to let go - and I feel like the risen Lord has spoken to my heart today and said, "Let go or be dragged."

Jacob's Well

2011-03-26T06:34:00.000-07:00

Of all the stories we read about in the bible, of all the teachings we hear about in scripture, there is none that speaks more eloquently to our human condition then John's account of Jesus speaking to the women by the well.

In it, you have all the dynamics of division: a Jew and a Samaritan; a man speaking to a women, a discussion over important places: the temple, a mountain, the well itself. In the first century, Samaritan's were considered almost subhuman because they married outside their own race; because of that they were shunned and were marginalized to the point of worshipping on a mountain.

Notice Jesus does not make the issue about proper places of worship. He does not get caught up in the ego debate about who is greater - He or Jacob; at the end of the story that will be self evident. Instead he cuts right to the heart of the matter. What is it that we are really thirsting for? What is it that our hearts are truly longing for? What is it that is going to make our life fulfilled and meaningful?

"Drink this water," He tells her, "and you will thirst again." We, as a culture, are offered many cups to drink from and the biggest one being our social networks. So much communication, at such an argent pace, but nothing of significance is being said. After a day of emails, text messages, and tweets we are not only left drained, but I suspect we are left still feeling very much alone.

Sinclair Lewis in one of his books writes about a girl who is in love with a man and she writes to him saying, "On the surfaces we seem quite different; but deep down we are fundamentally the same. We are both desperately unhappy about something - and we don't know what it is!"

What is it? Is it rejection? Is it not fitting in or not living up too? Dreams not fulfilled? Lost love or no love at all? I guess the list could go on and on, but I believe the answer is as simple as the heartfelt plea put forth by the apostle Paul, "Be reconciled to God!"

The reality is, we have a God in Christ who stands, patiently, beside us, wanting to live inside us, offering his very body and blood; real food, real drink, to satisfy and fulfill our spiritual hunger and thirst for the living God. We have every possible sacrament freely given and available.

Jesus answered her: "If you knew the free gift that God is offering you, and if you knew who is speaking to you and if you knew who was saying to you: 'Give me to drink' you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water."

Christ has a thirst for souls, and our souls must thirst for Christ. Then and only then will we be truly satisfied when we, "Taste and see that the Lord is good."

The Catch-22

2011-03-18T07:09:00.000-07:00

In the Joan of Arc class I am teaching, we have learned all about her childhood, and military career, and have begun learning about her capture and impeding trial. Right now, the students are a little taken aback by Joan's leap from a sixty-six foot tower in order to escape her captors. Since this is the first time some of the students are taking any kind of religion course I find myself having to help them by writting essays so that they can view things through a theological lens in order make sense of a saints life. The following essay is what I wrote about Joan's leap from the tower which I have entitled, "The Catch-22".

Jeanne is a messenger, prophet and spiritual leader like Moses, John the Baptist and Martin Luther king; to use a modern spiritual leader. Jeanne is preparing the way for the carination of King Charles who once anointed, has the very power to rule and govern France with God’s and the churches approval.

Jeanne has taken her mission to the point where France itself has benefited. She has sent the English running in all directions. Every town has either opened its gates or has been subjected to the will of the French troops.

Up until this point, Jeanne has enjoyed doing the will of God with complete confidence and clarity. She has accepted being selected and divinely appointed to do that, which is in continuity with her own will; to raise a siege, to enthrone a proper King, to rid her country of a foreign invader.

However, there is a catch 22 involved in God’s will. Moses led his people from slavery in Egypt to freedom without ever stepping foot in the Promised Land. John the Baptist never got to see any miracles of Jesus before he had his head removed, but humbly accepted his destiny by claiming Christ must become greater and I must become lesser. Martin Luther claimed non violence, but violence was involved as he prepared his followers to endure violence in order to over-come it. He never saw the fruits of his labor because violence ended his life.

There comes a time when God’s will is no longer our will and that is the catch 22 which is about to take place in Jeanne life. The thought of being captured by the Burundians is hard enough to accept, but the idea that she will be turned over to the dreaded English is horrifying. So horrifying is God’s will now for her that she leaps from a sixty-six foot tower despite her voices pleading to stay put and trust God.

Jeanne is nineteen years old, “or there about” she wants to live and enjoy a full life like any normal teenager. Every one of us has dreams that things will be the way we envision them; the person we marry will always be in love with us. However, the catch 22 is inevitable and one day, you discover that when you married Mr. Right you didn’t realize his first name was “Always”. It is amazing how quickly the will to love another can evaporate when things become difficult. I surmise that we are a culture that seeks escape and leaps from any situation that presents itself as difficult, scary, or mundane. Jeanne is no different than us in this regard.

St. Augustine, the wonderful and fascinating saint from the late patristic period once wrote in his book, Confessions, “I place myself behind myself all the time, you O'Lord took me from behind myself, put myself in front of myself, and when I saw myself...I was horrified.”

We all come to such a dilemma about the self when we finally have to look at our soul, our will, our ambitions, our goals, and our dreams and realize things are almost never as they appear to be. Psychology tried to reduced the problem of self by taming it and claiming we simply had to relate to the self as our "inner child". This may have work for a while until we realized that the inner child, like every child, grows into an adult, who thinks it knows what it wants and is not about to let anything get in the way of getting what it wants no matter what - the recovery community has named this most accurately as “self will run riot.”

Jeanne now has to see her mission in another way which will take more courage and tenacity than any battle she has faced thus far. In embracing and accepting it, she has something to teach us when it comes to being true to God, ourselves and to other human beings - even if they happen to be the enemy. She will also teach us the reality of failing and falling sort in all three categories, but at the same time being truly triumphant.

What A Tough Winter

2011-03-14T12:17:00.000-07:00

Recently, my father fell on some black ice and broke his ankle in three places. He lives about three hours away from me in NY and I have been traveling down to see, and help, him while trying to teach my Joan of Arc class. This has been no easy task and I have been telling myself not to think about it, but just do it. When I feel the weight of responsibility on my shoulders, I feel like I am walking a tight rope and I remind myself not to look down.

After my father got out of the hospital which required a few scary days in ICU , my biological brother (not to confuse you with one of my Franciscan brothers) discovered a good rehabilitation place for him. I thank God for my brother because he spent a good deal of time going over what the insurance companies would or would not cover - made my head spin! Once I knew my father was safely in the rehabilitation center, I was able to visit some old friends in the neighborhood.

I could not believe how many people were suffering from so many things this winter: my friend Tom’s mother had a stroke and I anointed her at the same hospital my father was at. My old school teacher, Mary had sixteen hours worth of back surgery and they discovered she, practically, had no disk’s in her back. A lovely elderly couple I know, who are the pillars of the church in Wallkill, were in and out of the hospital - the list seemed to go on. However, the highlight of my visit was with a woman called Maggie who I knew growing up. She is blind now and a widow, and I consider her a living saint. She is Irish like myself and when we chat it must be amusing because when you talk with someone who is really Irish you start your conversation with the starting point of utter and complete doom. Then you make your way up into the light...maybe. The conversation went like this:

Maggie: Richie it is so good to see you, thank you for stopping by!

Me: No problem Maggie, it is good to see you. Tell me, how have you been?

Maggie: Richie, I am completely alone here…no one is here with me…I am utterly, and completely, all alone.

Me: Really, what about Jesus…is Jesus here with you?

Maggie: Yes…he is here with me…but that is it.

Me: So it’s just you and Jesus….what about Fr. Raphael…does he visit you. (I know he does, because he tells me he visits her on a weekly bases)

Maggie: Yes…he comes on Fridays.

Me: So it’s Just you, Jesus and Fr. Raphael…what about your daughter?

Maggie: Umm…she tries to get her once a week..maybe once every two weeks.

Me: I see…what about Veronica?

Maggie: She picks me up for mass every Sunday and for the prayer group on Saturday.

Me: She is such a good friend to you and very faithful to the Lord. Tell me, your place looks spotless…do you keep house yourself?

Maggie: No, I have Tara and Kelly come on Wednesday to help clean and they spend some time with me.

The phone rings and it is someone from the prayer group who needs prayer because they were told one of the prayer group members just got diagnosed with a rare disease. She puts down the phone after assuring them she will pray for them.

Maggie: You see Richie, it’s none stop …I don’t know how I can get a quiet moment.

Me: I don't know either Maggie...it's not easy being a prayer warrior. However, your prayers are very needed.

Old & New

2011-02-23T13:35:00.000-08:00

Recently, I went to visit a priest friend of mine in Vermont on a day I had free. Some of the brothers in the order refer to this type of day as their "day off". However, I also avoid the word "vacation", not because I don't think I deserve a day off or a vacation, I just don't want to be tempted into thinking I can take a day off from prayer and seeking God. I would rather call it, "ministry down time day." My vocation never takes a day off, and I don't think temptation takes a day off either.

I joined my friend at his parish and sat in the pew waiting for him to begin celebrating mass. He is very devote and traditional, yet, at the same time, very pastoral and approachable. He had a very large crucifix on the altar facing him. I thought he was going to remove it as the liturgy began, but he left it on the altar. I must say, I love using all the things that have been discarded like the mandible, chalice veils and burse. I even have a beautiful altar cloth I place on the altar at the college. However, recently I have seen priests using crucifixes on the altar, and I have thought about using it myself, but as I sat in the pew I felt a real disconnect. It was almost as if the priest was cutting himself off from the people and using a crucifix to do it.

I am all in favor of recapturing a lot of the traditional symbols that work so well in the liturgy in the past, but when do we say certain things are not helpful.

P.S. Deconstructionists need not comment - thank you.

Studying Apparitions

2011-02-01T19:26:00.000-08:00

Since I am teaching a course on Joan of Arc, and since she had many apparitions, I decided to look into the topic to greater detail. Fatima has always fascinated me and I must admit that I know only a little about it. However, I just love the response little Francisco gave when asked what he wanted to be when he grew up. For me, his answer is about as classic and authentic as it gets.

When asked what he wanted to be when he grew up, Francisco answered, "I don't want to be anything. I want to die and go to heaven."

The Beatitudes - What A Great Attitude!

2011-01-30T14:09:00.000-08:00

When it comes to preaching on the beatitudes I, sometimes, feel like I should use previous material, but somehow, I feel like I would be side-stepping the work of the Holy Spirit if I did. Plus, I think the people of God know when you are giving them something which is a bit stale. This fourth week of Ordinary Time found me completing my three week help-out at our Lady of the Assumption parish in Ludlow, Vermont. The following is my homily on the beatitudes:

There is something very powerful in beatitudes which can be considered the first sermon of Jesus. However, it can be a bit daunting to summarize the beatitudes in one homily. After all, as I always say, "Blessed are those who gives short homilies, they shall have happy parishioners. So I will comment on at first three and leave the rest to contemplate during the week.

Blessed are the poor in spirit, they shall see God.

In our culture, the American way is to be independent to the point of needing no one. The image of the self made man, needing no help from anyone is infused into our American psyche. The notion we should be, or even need to be, dependant on anyone or anything repulses us. Yet the reality is – we need to be dependent on God. This is what being poor in spirit is about, knowing that without God we cannot live well.

Most of us live dependant lives, even if we consider ourselves independent, we are still dependent upon things like electricity to give light to our homes, power to our computer, and all the million gadgets we have today. We are dependent on our cars to get us to destinations. We are dependent on good pluming to have clean water to drink, showers to take, and even to have clean clothing.

Being dependant on these things does not diminish our lives they enhance them. and so-it-is with our dependence on God. Being dependant on God does not make us weaker, but stronger:

Stronger because we have a God in Christ who does not forsake us to face our trials alone - so we are free from fear; stronger, because we have a God in Christ who forgives us - so we have confidence. Stronger because we have a God in Christ who not only loves us, but died for us, so that we might have life and have it to the full.

Blessed are those who mourn, they shall be comforted.

More than not wanting to be dependant, we avoid, at all costs, the shedding of tears or the showing of emotions. Yet, not until we learn to be vulnerable enough to love someone more than ourselves, will we

never really know what it means to really live. Blessed are those who mourn, they shall be comforted is Christ's way of saying, 'don’t be afraid to love. I promise to be there to comfort you when you feel the pain of losing someone you truly love.'

I know in my own life, when I lost my mother at the age of six I felt God's comfort even though I didn't understand that it was God comforting me at that time. Unfortunately, somewhere along the journey, I lost touch with that ability to allow God to bring consolation through my tears. I bought into the cultural message that to be a man, you never show emotions. I think there even is a song that says, "Big boys don't cry." Recently, I saw a commercial depicting a therapy session where the therapist (who played the drill instructor in the movie Full Metal Jacket) throws a box of Kleenex's at the person sitting across from him while shouting, "big cry baby." I know it's just a commercial and something to make us laugh, but I think it also highlights the attitude the culture, in general, has towards this particular emotion of grieving.

When we stuff our emotions and refuse to grieve (at loss of almost anything) we will enviably seek comfort in things that do not really bring comfort at all; initially, it just seem to do the job. One only needs to look at the rise in addition and know that most of this is the attempt to get something which can only be found in God and our ability to shed tears. Yet, we have a compassionate God who even claims to have our tears saved and stored up because we mean that much to God.

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land.

It so easy to live comfortably in the delusion that because I have a deed to my properly, I possess the land I live on. Possessing and inheriting are two different realities. To inherit something is pure gift. Only the meek are humble enough to understand that everything is a gift from God. Only the meek person understands that possessions are a illusion because in the end – we really possess nothing - we hardly possess our own souls. I haven't seen it yet, but I am waiting for the day when I see a hearse drive by with a luggage rack - if it happens, it will only be in America!

It is interesting that Christ warns his followers that there will be trouble for those who follow him. This is really what is at the heart of the beatitudes. The high cost of following Christ, the rejection from synagogues, the lose of one's belongings, the rejection of this new way, is what is taken place in the gospel community. Although this may not be the reality today, we still face forces that are in opposition to the Christian message. If we are to be disciples of Christ then we better get ready to endure some serious resistance. The rejection can sting, but the beatitudes is the healing remedy for our souls.

Filling In & Helping Out

2011-01-25T19:32:00.000-08:00

Lately, I have been covering for a lot of parishes. I seem to be the help-out for the diocese. I guess I have been given this grace because I enjoy saying mass in different faith communities in the dioceses. In a lot of ways, the parish benefits because they get to hear a different voice. I benefit because I get to see the bigger picture and realize that there a lot of strong, committed, faith filled people in the church.

However, one disturbing trend I see in a lot of parish's is that the precious blood is not being offered anymore. When did this start happening? I keep wondering why is it being withheld from the people? I know H1N1 was the cause of the cup not being offered because of the fear of the flue spreading. I wasn't a big fan of withholding the cup even when H1N1 was going around because the gospel bids us to be fearless as in today's reading (feast of St. Paul's conversion), "These signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will drive out demons, they will speak new languages. They will pick up serpents with their hands, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them. They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

Sometimes I wonder if this is the trend in other diocese's in the United States? Over all, I am sure that many parish's are putting every effort into having meaningful liturgies that capture the sacredness of the celebration and Holy Sacrifice of the mass. However, I still ponder what is happening with the percious blood?

Baptism of The Lord

2011-01-09T10:41:00.000-08:00

The Christmas season has passed. Tomorrow begins Ordinary Time in the churches liturgical calender. However, there is nothing ordinary about the experience Jesus is having in the Jordan river in today's gospel.

What we see throughout the liturgical season of Advent and Christmas; what we see being affirmed during the feasts of Epiphany and Baptism is that being human is good. It is good as long as we continue to repent from our sinful ways and stay in relationship with God, and Jesus shows us how it is done.

Jesus goes to John who is calling for repentance. Jesus does not go to the temple, but to the Jordan. Why did Jesus go to the Jordon? What attracted him to John? Why would Jesus accept a baptism of repentance when he is not guilty of sin?

Christ is affirming the act of repentance which orientates us back to being in relationship to God. In the temple they are slaughtering animals, using their blood for the forgiveness of sins; the cost of which few could have offered.

Now, John is offering God’s forgiveness with water. The water is free and John isn’t charging a dime. In the Jordan, John the Baptist, is the image of repentance, and Jesus the Christ, the image of God’s love and mercy. When the two come together something happens, something is experienced? What happens when repentance and mercy meet? ... Divine Revelation!

The very voice of God is heard, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." It has been my experience (my experience is not the norm. Maybe you have not experienced this as I have) that we tend to try and please God in ways which St. Peter has been convicted of in the second reading - by our own efforts.

I remember when the charismatic movement was in full swing and there was, at that time, an implied message that if you were not charismatic, you were not as pleasing to God. Today, I see the same ecclesial trend taken please with the Latin mass. I have no problem with mass in Latin and if it inspires people to worship God and be in union with Christ, I am your supporter. When we start thinking Latin is better than the vernacular then we are in danger of causing division. I know division does not please God.

We know that when God created Adam and Eve, they were created in the image and likeness of God. When they sinned they lost the likeness aspect. We rejoice at the birth of Christ every year because Jesus has come into the world to restore the likeness that was lost. When we fix our eyes on Jesus, we learn just how to become like God again by becoming Christ-like. (This is not to say we think we are God, or can play God.)

The Christmas season is over. The Christmas tree is gone! The Christmas lights are put away. Now comes the challenge and hard work of keeping your eyes and mind fixed on following the Lord and repenting from all the ways which keep us from doing so, but when we do, we too can be sure that God will find us pleasing to Him as well.

The Mad Dash Capuchin Journey

2011-01-05T19:26:00.000-08:00

I was thinking of renaming my blog, "The Mad Dash Capuchin Journey" because I have not stopped since returning from my retreat. On Christmas Eve, I was asked to cover two mass on Stratten mountain in Vermont. The chapel there is a place of worship which is owned by Stratten mountain and is called, The Chapel of the Snows. There is this hugh circular window right above the altar of the chapel. When you sit in the pew, you can look out at the mountain and see the skiers coming down it. I figured if people got bored with my homily they could watch the skiers at least.

Early the next morning, I drove to Cap Elizabeth, Maine to visit a family I know and enjoyed spending Christmas day with them. However, the blizzard which was threatening to dump twenty inches of snow had me leaving early. Recently, I have been covering for a parish who's name I can't even pronounce; St. Stanislaus Kostka in West Rutland. This past Tuesday, I agreed to say a mass for a charismatic group at Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha (who name I can pronounce) in LaGrangeville, NY. Finally, I arrived back in Rutland today and had the Academic Dean of the college hunting me down for the syllabus and outline for the course I am teaching this Spring called, Joan of Arc - The Image of Female Heroism.

In all of this motion, I thought I would lose the calmness, peace and sense of being loved by God that I came away with from my retreat, but I have discovered the only way to keep that gift is by giving it away and I have been doing just that. However, I am glad to settle down into another semester. I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas day and I hope that the new year brings many blessing to all.

At The Abby

2010-12-17T18:24:00.000-08:00

Monday 12/13/10 I arrive at the abbey

I arrive at the Abby at 11:00am. It is just off the main road and it reminds me of the abbey in Newton, NJ which is a Benedictine abbey. A lady working in bookstore greets me and she kindly answers my questions. She tells me where to find the guesthouse, but I decide to go to Sext at 11:20am before going to my room. The chapel is very large and I count about thirteen Trappests. I breathe in the monastic atmosphere and gratitude for being here fills my soul with joy.

After Sext, I head to the guesthouse which I have to drive about 400 yards to get to, but once there I have some lunch and settle in. My bed is probably the worst bed in the guesthouse and I think my back is going to pay the price. I consider asking the guest master if I could change my room, but the words of St. Francis come to mind, “Perfect Joy” and I decide to deal with it. I awoke the next morning to find the bed was not as bad as I thought. My back feels fine and I am filled with more gratitude.

Tuesday 12/14/10

I must have been real tired because I slept right through Lauds/Mass. However, I enjoyed saying my prayers in solitude in the Bethlehem guesthouse. There are two retreat houses here at the abby; one is called, Bethlehem and the other, Nazareth. The retreats at the Abbey of the Genesee are silent and, for the most part, self-directed. One way of looking at a retreat is to see it as a time to open oneself to God and others in love. This means that the individual must truly listen to what God is trying to say during those intimate times of prayer.

This morning, I felt God speaking to me through the readings of the office. The second reading in the office is from The Imitation of Christ: “Do not care much who is with you and who is against you; but make it your greatest care that God is with you in everything you do.” It struck me that most of my time is spent thinking (mostly unconsciously) about who is against me. Why are they against me? What am I doing to make them take such a stance against me? How can I get them to understand me or if I cannot change their minds, how can I come up with an effective strategy to defend myself against them?

“Have a good conscience, and God will defend you securely; no one can hurt you if God wishes to help you. The author now challenges me to consider my relationship with God and myself. I am being honest with myself? Do all my relationships check out? Is there an area in my life where I am being dishonest? Do I need to make an amends with anyone? Am I handling situations with the peace Christ has given me? I am taking short cuts or avoiding something? Am I nursing resentments (real or imagined). Part of nurturing my relationship with God is done by taking my focus off others and placing it on myself. I like what Jeanne D’arc once said during her trial, “One cannot clear their conscious too much.” Now, I find myself in a spiritual place where I can laugh at my first thoughts of, ‘for or against’ and say, ‘WHO CARES!’ “No one can hurt you if God wishes to help you.”

Wednesday 12/15

Today, I feel the grace to contemplate my relationship with Mary, the mother of God. I feel her presence and have found some books in the lending library that have made me reflect on my past experiences and my past devotion to her. Mary, Queen of Peace, Stay with Us is a book about testimonies in favor of Medjugorje. It is dated now, written in the late 1980’s. I visited Medjugorje in 1990 and I enjoyed my two-week stay, but I did not experience anything supernatural, but I did feel graced to be there. However, I remained ambivalent about the apparitions which the four girls and two boys claimed to be receiving of the Blessed Virgin. If it was genuine then I was thinking at the time I would be happy I came, but if not genuine, I would feel very betrayed. Time would tell I told myself then, and since that time I have forgotten about Medjugorje, until today when I picked up the book and started reading it. Part of me feels some nostalgia. Back then, it seemed like the whole world was flocking to Medjugorje, and I met a lot of wonderful, faith filled people. The image of Medjugorge's Mary, arriving on a cloud with the sun setting behind her, and the Croatian word Mir (Peace) always gave me a sense of transcendence. The messages seemed to repeat the same theme: Prayer, Fasting, Penance, and Reconciliation. Mary was always reprimanding the seers (or was it the parish) to pray more and do better. I just didn’t know what to make of it because, at the time, I was experiencing a powerful conversion, and this seemed to be speaking to people who where not converted. I even spoke to one of the seers, Ivan who spoke very little English.

He was a very approachable person and was hanging out in the back of the church wearing a suit and tie when I spoke to him in 1990. The suit he was wearing seemed like a very expensive suit, and to be honest, it set off red flags for me. I told him I was considering a vocation with the Capuchins and thinking about the priesthood. He seemed very interested and concerned and said, “Go slow, go slow” a number of times. It took over twenty years to get ordained so I guess I took his advice. I heard he tried to study for the priesthood himself, but could not do the academics. When I was studying for the priesthood in 2008 I heard he was married and living Massachusetts. One weekend he was holding a speaking engagement somewhere near Boston. One of the brothers, who lived in community with me at the time, said he was going to go, but I felt no interest.

Now it has been over thirty years since the Blessed Virgin Mary first started (reportedly) appearing on June 24, 1981, and apparently, is still visiting these seers on a daily basis. If it was and is a scam the truth of it being so should have come to light by now, but that has not been the case (or has it?). To this day, I still think that six very young kids could not have pulled something like this off without at least one of them cracking or spilling the beans. I still have more questions then answers and find myself (knowing the church has not approved it, nor is any closer to declaring it authentic) very skeptical. I am also very curious, but the good dimension in all-of-this is that on this retreat I have felt a need to reconnect with Mary. The last few days, I have felt her motherly care and guidance, and I am feeling blessed because of it. I guess my reaction to all of this is the same today as it was in 1990 when thinking of Medjugorie – it makes me say, “…hummm.”

Thursday 12/16/10

Today is the last day of my retreat. Tomorrow, I will be leaving very early, and I think I am ready. A week retreat always seems very short because by the time I wind down and get into the flow of the prayer life here it is already time to leave. However, one insight I have discovered from my time here at the Abby is that I must progress at protecting my prayer life. I must be very cautious about the things that interrupt, distract, and compromise it. The other reality which has jumped out at me while praying the psalms with the monks is that I am way to self-sufficient. Not self-sufficient in the sense of taking care of myself; I know how to do that, but self-sufficient in that I am able to accomplish most things without ever looking to God for help. I have realized that I have learned this as a survivor skill, but now with my walk with the Lord it have turned into a character defect of sorts. However, the solution is simple; I will ask the Lord for help because by myself, I am unable to do anything about this defect, and I have a hunch it just the tip of the iceburgh

Sext

While praying the noonday Sext, we prayed psalm 129:

Much have they oppressed me from my youth,

This is Israel song.

Much have they oppressed me from my youth,

Yet they have not destroyed me.

Upon my back the plowers plowed,

As they traced their long furrows.

But the just Lord set me free

From the ropes of the yoke of the wicked.

May they be scattered in disgrace,

All who hate Zion.

May they be like grass on the rooftops

Withered in early growth,

Never to fill the reaper’s hands,

Nor the arms of the binders of sheaves,

With none passing by to call out:

“The blessing of the Lord be upon you!

We bless you in the name of the Lord!”

- Later in the Same Day -

Advent is not a mere return, a recurrence, and a renewal of the old. It cannot be a return to childhood, whether personal or social. The coming of the Lord, which is the same as His “presence” is the coming of the new, not the renewal of the old, and Sacred History is like the Heraklitean river in which no man steps twice. -Thomas Merton, Seasons of Celebration

This afternoon, I was delighted to sit in on a conference given by Thomas Merton’s former spiritual director, Fr. John Eudes. I had no idea that he was Merton mentor until he mentioned it and talked about some of Merton’s ideas on Advent. Maybe I was a little star struck, but I quickly put that aside, and listen carefully to what he had to say about the season of Advent.

Most of what he spoke about drifted into philosophy and combined Aristotle’s and Plato’s believe in the infinite. However, he skillfully connected the dots to the Old Testament when he spoke of Adam and Eve being created in the image and likeness of God. However, when they sinned they were no longer in the likeness of God. In Christianity, we believe that God became a man and Christ restored the likeness. When we become Christ like we become like God in that we are now in continuity both image and likeness, but we are not God because we do not posses immortality. We must die or the body must die, but our being is infinite because once we have being we cannot-not-have being. Advent is all about prepairing to welcome him who shows us how to regain our God likeness by showing us how to become Christ like.

The Egyption Retreat

2010-12-10T14:17:00.000-08:00

The Egyptian retreat is a tradition which I created a few years ago and every year I try to stay true to the purpose of the retreat. I have taken it from the gospel of Matthew where Joseph and Mary flee to Egypt to escape Heralds threats (2: 13-23). Although it is still Advent, I have decided to take this journey during the third week of advent because it is the week which symbolizes joy or Gaudete ("Rejoice"), taken from the Latin translation of Phil 4:4-5. In the spirit of joyful expectation for the Lord's birth and Second coming, I also find it a joy to go on retreat; a joy to get away for a week; a joy to escape from all the things which threaten to deaden my walk with the Lord.

This year, I have chosen the Abbey of the Genesee for the week in Pittard, NY. I am excited to go there because I have never been there even though it is a five hour drive, I am looking forward to the journey. It is a Trappist community and I feel like Thomas Merton will be a companion of sorts as I pray and enter the silence with the monks.

The fall semester has come to an end; papers are graded, tests are finished and I feel like it has taken so much out of me. I believe this is perfect timing for the Egyptian retreat because I will be able to face the Christmas season with renewed vigor after I come back.

The New Sign

2010-12-03T12:29:00.000-08:00

Here is the new sign I had created for the College of St. Joseph. Recently, while driving I have passed a lot of church's displaying little sayings along with their service times. I thought, 'if they are taking the time and effort to do that it must be working so why not do something too!' Will it help? Well...being a fisher of people... all I know is that no one baits a hook thinking....I'll never catch a fish with this!

First Sunday of Advent - Thank God!

2010-11-27T08:02:00.000-08:00

When I write about the issues of the holidays, I find myself sounding like, bah humbug. However, because I am devoted to Christ, I can give some constructive criticism to the commercial world knowing we are entering the wonderful season of Advent. Thank God! This past Thanksgiving which I spent with friends and I watched football (my two favorite teams: Saint and Jets), I started to feel nauseated over those premature holiday commercials. Who in this economy can afford a Lexus or a diamond? Yet, these are the two commercials which were constantly put in front of our faces. Already, I could feel the pressure of gift giving and the sick feeling of the season of Christmas being warped into selfish materialism. The only antidote to this poison is the season of Advent. Isn’t it interesting that as the commercial world is battling for our attention, the gospel is exhorting us to wait and watch for the coming of Christ. I love the season of advent because I feel I am turning my back on all the attempts of this world to rob me of my most life-giving relationship. I will quietly prepare for Christmas this year and make gifts for friends and family, but I will do it slowly, with thought. I will be creative, mostly sending pictures of friends and family I have taken over the past year, and send them in nice frames. I will make my own Christmas cards and do this all in a spirit of prayer and anticipation for the coming of Christ. Thank God for Advent, Thank God for our faith.

A Trip to Weston Priory

2010-11-23T12:03:00.000-08:00

Today is the last class before Thanksgiving break, and I can tell the students are very tired of the semester, and, probably, of my class. Instead of adding to their misery, I decided to take them on a field trip to Weston Priory. One of the Brothers (Brother Daniel) was kind enough to talk with the students, show them around, and tell them a little about the history of Benedictine monastic tradition. He told us how Brother Leo, during WWII left Germany and built a monastic community in Weston Vermont. I am always amazed to learn how a founder, with little to nothing, establishes a community. God can do so much with the smallest efforts.

The students took it all in, and I was please with how respectful they were. They seemed to become pacified or maybe they just needed to feel that monastic peace. At one point, we could smell the wonderful aromas of food being cooked coming from the dinning hall. Since it was around lunch time, I decided to bring them back to the college so they could eat. However, I really felt like this was a refreshing and educational trip for them. I am blessed to have the Priory so close to the college.

Christ The King Sunday

2010-11-20T07:10:00.000-08:00

Col 1:12-20 Reading 2

Brothers and sisters: Let us give thanks to the Father, who has made you fit to share in the inheritance of the holy ones in light. He delivered us from the power of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For in him were created all things in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all things were created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things he himself might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile all things for him, making peace by the blood of his cross through him, whether those on earth or those in heaven.

Lk 23:35-43

The rulers sneered at Jesus and said, "He saved others, let him save himself if he is the chosen one, the Christ of God." Even the soldiers jeered at him. As they approached to offer him wine they called out, "If you are King of the Jews, save yourself." Above him there was an inscription that read, "This is the King of the Jews." Now one of the criminals hanging there reviled Jesus, saying, "Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us." The other, however, rebuking him, said in reply, "Have you no fear of God, for you are subject to the same condemnation? And indeed, we have been condemned justly, for the sentence we received responds to our crimes, but this man has done nothing criminal." Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." He replied to him, "Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise."

It is a familiar pattern to most; something started right, loving and true, mysteriously, turned into something evil. "He was a good kid. He was brought up right. He came from a loving home. However, he turned violent; drugs and alcohol consumed him." Sometimes it not so dramatic; maybe a father after a few years of marriage abandons his family. The wife who thought she married Mr. Right, discovers Mr. Rights first name is 'always' and decided to find love else where. Then the hate begins and consumes everything.

The rulers sneered,

the solders jeered,

and Jesus remained loving.

They said, "Save yourself if you are the messiah," Maybe he would, but in reality, He was too busy saving them, and - us! There is such a thing as evil...just plan evil. Beyond the sin of human kind, beyond our own personal sins, there is a mystery of iniquity, a power of evil, a force of darkness, in this world that, somehow, summons all its power and all its energy to destroy the work of God in the world and in our life.

That work of evil is so large, and powerful that there isn't any one person who can stand in its way or turn it aside. There isn't any one person:

Who can change it!

Who can subdue it!

Who can concur it!

Who can control it!

The power of Darkness is much bigger than any of us or all of us put together. However, when Jesus Christ died on the cross, He was victorious over the power of darkness, because He never gave into it. When He rose from the dead He over throw the power of Darkness. He conquered sin, and death, and He has the victory over the power of darkness. What another person or human being could not control, subdue or conquer, Jesus Christ alone did, and that is why He is Christ the King.

Now St. Paul tells us in the second reading that we have a Golden opportunity at redemption; to be delivered, and transferred from the power of Darkness into the kingdom of God's beloved Son. The good thief, who spoke to Jesus is the example of that deliverance, that transference, that redemption from darkness to light. Somehow he knew the solution to the dilemma was not more participation in hatred and blame, but instead, a simple surrender to the real King saved him. All he did was acknowledge who the real King was and is: Christ the King, the King of love.

Faith Day

2010-11-10T13:16:00.000-08:00

"Now I ask you: in what does this difficult task consist? Certainly not in that devout stirring of love that is continually wrought in his will not by himself but by the hand of Almighty God; for God is always ready to bring this work to pass in each soul that is disposed to carry it out when the person does whatever is his power and has done so for a long time in order to carry on the work"

- The Cloud of Unknowing

On November 9th, I decided to have a day on campus devoted to the theme of faith. I called it, "Faith Day 2010." I know faith isn't just for a day, but the goal was to help the campus community become more conscious of the importance of having faith. The day consisted of many activities like a 9:30 morning meditation on the 23rd psalm. An instructional mass at 1:30 in the afternoon which many faculty and staff, and some students attended.

One of the most powerful tools I used was a video a student was willing to help me create with interviews of students, staff, and professors speaking about the importance of their faith. Some things people shared were very moving. The pains, joys, and struggles with faith which were expressed captivated the college community. I also had a film called, "Champions of Faith" playing in the athletic center... can't forget the athletes!

The cafeteria staff also participated by preparing faith day food like, shepherd's pie and angel hair pasta. They made a cake in the form of the Ten Commandments. The library displayed books dealing with the topic of our Catholic faith. Of course, I made sure that "Fully Human, Fully Divine" by Michael Casey was front and center.

The day ended with Taize chants which was the perfect way to end a wonderful day of faith sharing. I feel that my own faith in this ministry is starting to increase as I see more students and staff participate in mass and other activities. Truly, the kingdom of God can be compared to a mustard seed because this ministry is growing and I hope I am around long enough to see it in full bloom.

Tomorrow, I head down to NY for our Provincial Assembly, and it will be good to gather with the brothers and talk about our future direction as we consider our chapter in May. However, for now, I will just enjoy the blessing that Lord has given and live for today. Maybe that was what was so special about "Faith Day" because I lived and ministered as if there was no tomorrow.

The Luken Lepers

2010-10-10T13:30:00.000-07:00

As Jesus made his way to Jerusalem, he went along the border between Samaria and Galilee. He was going into a village when he was met by ten men suffering from a dreaded skin disease. They stood at a distance and shouted, "Jesus! Master! Have pity on us!" Jesus saw them and said to them, "Go and let the priest examine you." On the way they were made clean. When one of them saw that he was healed, he came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself to the ground at Jesus' feet and thanked him. The man was a Samaritan. Jesus spoke up, "There were ten who were healed; where are the other nine? Why is this foreigner the only one who came back to give thanks to God?" And Jesus said to him, "Get up and go; your faith has made you well.

Luke's narrative story about the encounter between Jesus and the ten lepers continues to speak to us about the importance of being aware of our identity being found in Christ and having an attitude of gratitude for the gracious healing effects such love can have in our lives today.

What moves me in the story of the ten lepers is the amount of tension and suspense that is created in the birthing process of encountering your true identity. Jesus seems to be forcing his way into the religious culture of Jerusalem. However, he knows they have plans of their own for him, "The Son of man must suffer much and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and teachers of the law" (LK 9.22). Other outcasts, like that of the lepers, come in contact with Jesus. At this end stage of his mission, I assume Jesus is tired of hearing people's cries for quick fixes.

In my own imagination I can see him praying by a tree, trying to muster up enough courage to continue his dangerous path towards Jerusalem. He hears the voices in the distance, "Jesus, Master, have pity on us!" He sees them, but is not convinced they want to be made well. They keep shouting all the more, "Have pity on us." Jesus says, "Go and let the priests examine you!" Some of the lepers must have felt irritated or frustrated. The theologian, Jerome Kodell reveals that Jesus' command to the lepers in Luke also echoes Elisha command in 2 Kings. Elisha's instructions to was in the Jordan river makes life hard on Naaman, "But Naaman left in a rage, saying 'I thought that he would at least come out to me, pray to the Lord his God, wave his hand over the diseased spot, and cure me!' The implied message is healing comes to those who are willing to accept it, but it does not always come to us on our terms.

I would imagine as the lepers are walking together the Samaritan asks, "What happens when the priests examine us?" The reply would causes more fear, "They declare us unclean again and we continue our isolation." Suddenly each of them notices that the other is healed. Overjoyed, the Samaritan man knows it was his encounter with Jesus which helped him find healing. He asks the others to come with him, but they insist Jesus had little to do with it. Plus, "He wanted us to go to the temple and be examined by the priests."

Luke never tells us what the other nine actually do. They could have done two things: 1) If they wanted to keep their identities as practicing Jews in the community, they would be forced to be examined by the priest. This meant going through a long, expensive eight-day process of having to be declared clean which the Judaic law required. 2) They decide against being examined by the priests and dismiss Jesus' involvement. They only feel fortunate and their humdrum life continues on.

Moving from the surface level one can see the deeper truths of Luke's story. It's not simply about God's Salvation being available to all people, but a challenge to discover God's desire to transform and restore us. Luke's story is multi-layered and the passage is always pregnant with a deeper meaning. For example, why does Luke have ten lepers? Why not five or six? In Luke there is a heavy reliance on the first commandment. In Matthew we see that the second commandment is like the first. However, in Luke, there is no second commandment but only one; love God and neighbor as yourself.

The ten lepers evoke the Ten Commandments. One of them returns and he represents the first commandment and fulfills it by recognizing his healing and having gratitude for it. The message is even clearer - the law and it's commands can't heal you, but loving God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind; along with loving your neighbor can.

As a college chaplain, I find an amazing amount of young people who are sometimes hopelessly lost in their relationships with each other. I have seen the health, studies and spiritual life of students being affected. They come wanting the cure or answer, but have no interest in confronting the cause of the illness. If finding healing comes only at the price of breaking up or being alone in an uncertain world, they would rather risk staying sick. Their whole identity and life has been built up around the other. Behind the co-dependence is a fear of being totally alone and I often wonder who told them they are as risk of being so alone? Somewhere our culture has given them the message that they can find their cure in some person, place or thing - if they don't they end up on the outskirts. We are given images of beauty that the models themselves cannot live up to, but yet, we believe that if we look this way, have this amount of wealth; our lives will be made whole. Rarely are we encouraged to confront or challenge what we see or believe to be our true identity.

Reflecting on Year One

2010-09-27T07:49:00.000-07:00

The apostles returned to Jesus and reported to him all that they had done and what they had taught. He said to them, "Come by yourselves to an out-of-the-way place and rest a little.

- Mark 6:30

The feast of Saint Francis, the Transitus, marks the completion of one year as an ordained minister for me. How appropriate, I was ordained on the weekend Saint Francis died. In a lot of ways, the priesthood this year has been an experience of dying. Priesthood has been a blessing, a joy, and fulfilling in many ways. However, it has also been marginalizing, stigmatizing, and painful. However, when one looks at the life of Christ it should become obvious that Jesus was shunned as much, if not more, then he was accepted.

For example, one day I stopped to visit a friend. He usually is very happy to see me, but this day he was very squirrely and distant. He informed me he was having a cook-out with family and friends, but assured me I was more then welcomed to stay and join them. Unfortunate, I am better at reading non-verbal communication then verbal communication. I thanked him, but decided to go - after all - I won't want a priest at one of my parties either. Instead of giving into feelings of self pity, I decided instead, I needed to accept the fact that things are different now. I believe this is the hardest aspect to accept of any one's vocation whether it be marriage, being single, or religious life. For those who have decided that discipleship is their vacation the door to our old life must be shut while solitude must be befriended if we are to be faithful to our calling.

One of the blessings has been teaching at the college of St. Joseph. This fall semester, I am teaching Intro to The New Testament. I am pretty sure the students are enjoying it. It is a subject that I delight in and I started with the gospel of Mark because this gospel is the original source. At the same time, I was hoping more students would attend mass, but that has not been the case. Some times I feel like a shepherd without sheep, but I come to accept this as a blessing because it forces me to enter the solitude to a greater degree. With all that said, it is easy to conclude, God has me right where God wants me.

Martyrdom

2010-09-16T14:22:00.000-07:00

Recently, I stopped in an antique shop looking for religious books. Rarely do I find anything of value or interest, but the other day I struck gold and found a set of old, "Lives of the Saints" books by Rev. S. Baring-Gould, M.A, which this antique shop was selling for fifteen dollars. I have almost every month with the exception of August and November.

Since today is the memorial of Saints Cornelius and Cyrprian (both martyrs), I wanted to share the story of Saint Sozon, who lived about A.d. 304 and was a martyr too. I love this story and was delighted to see the story of Sozon in this "Lives of the Saints' book for September. With no further ado, I present to you, one of my favorite stories and Martyr - St. Sozon!

When Maximian was governor of Cilicia there was a shepherd boy, named originally Tarasius, who took in baptism the name Sozon. This boy loved God with all his heart, and sought to advance His Kingdom and glory by every means that lay in his feeble power.

Now one day, when his heart was full of what he heard, how that Christian men and women were being haled before judgment seats, and delivered over to be tormented, and how they warred a good warfare, and finished their course, and bound about their brows the wreaths of unfading flowers, he lay down under a great oak beside a murmuring spring that bubbled out of a rock, and fell asleep. Then he dreamt that the Lord Jesus stood before him, and said, "Sozon, lay aside thy bow and three arrows that are in thy quiver, and come and follow me to death."

Then the lad jumped up and hid his weapons under the rock, and with only his shepherd's crook in his hand he went straight into the city of Pompeiopolis, and entering a temple, he struck a golden idol there with his crook and broke off the right hand. Then he further broke the hand, and divided the bits among the poor. Now when the sacrilege was discovered there was great commotion and many innocent persons were arrested on suspicion. When Sozon saw this he went boldly into the Court, and without a pallor on his fresh cheek, or his limbs trembling, he stood forward before the governor, Maximian, and said, "Let these go free, I knocked the hand off the image; and I have given the gold fingers of that infamous idol to the poor."

Then Maximian said, "what is thy name?

Sozon: "If thou desirest my name by which I am most commonly known, I am called Tarasius, as named by my parents; but I was called Sozon when made a Christian."

Maximian: "where come you?"

Sozon: "From the village of Midarze"

Maximian: "What brought you hither?"

Sozon: "I am a shepherd boy, I wonder from place to place with my flock."

Maximian: "An what induced you to commit this act of audacity?"

Sozon: "I wish to show that I am a Christian, and that I thought you impious. That is why I struck off the hand of the idol."

Maximian: "Come now, adore the gods, and we will look over this first audacity."

Sozon: "What god, that one-handed fellow? I should be ashamed to venerate such a god as that, who cannot help himself against my crook."

Maximian, turning to the executioners, said, "Rack his limbs." Then Sozon said, "Lord Jesus! help thy servant."

Maximian: "There is yet time. Do what I bid you, and you shall be spared torture."

Sozon: "Fool! do you not see that I did this deed to prove myself a Christian? I fear not your torments, and I despise that filthy idol."

Maximian ordered nails to be driven into his shoes, and that he should be made to walk round the arena. Sozon did so, and the blood spirted from his torn feet, so that his skin was reddened above his ankles. As he passed the tribunal of Maximian, he pointed to his feet and said, "By my hope! You are not as gaily booted as I am in crimson."

"Why, fellow," said Maimian, "you bear it bravely."

"I feel nothing," answered the shepherd lad.

"Then tune your pipe," said the magistrate, "and by the gods I will spare you."

"Of old I have piped many a pretty song to my sheep," Said Sozon, "now I will not pipe to you, but sing to God."

"Burn him to death," Said Maximian, "and silence his accursed tongue."

Then the Martyr walked glady to the pile of wood smeared with tar, a fire was set to it, and the flame rushed up around him and consumed him. Now as evening came on, a heavy thunderstorm arose, and roared over the city, and the hail and rain drove the keepers from the court under cover, and taking advantage of the storm and darkness the Christians came by night and carried off the scorched bones of the Martyr.

Liturgical Changes

2010-09-13T07:49:00.000-07:00

I just returned from a conference, sponsored by the diocese of Burlington, on the changes which will be taking place next Advent to the liturgy; in particular, the Sacramental translations. I have heard, through the grape vine, wild rumors and words like, "transubstantiated" would be used in the new translation of the sacramentary. However, after this conference, I am happy I did not find such words being used. Instead, phrases like, "as far as the East is to the West" will be translated, "from the rising of the sun to it's setting" which is more poetic and spacious.

I know a lot clergy fear this will lead us back to saying the mass in Latin. I do believe this is an irrational fear. Personally, I think the church is taking the right step in bringing us back to a closer translation which expresses the beauty of the Latin language. For those Catholic's who long for the Latin liturgy, this will be something to rejoice over, but I know that until we use the actual Latin they will not be happy. Never-the-less, change is coming whether we like it or not. Personally, I like it.

Metanoia - A Change of Mind and Heart

2010-09-05T15:49:00.000-07:00

Phmn 9-10, 12-17

Reading 2I,

Paul, an old man, and now also a prisoner for Christ Jesus, urge you on behalf of my child Onesimus, whose father I have become in my imprisonment; I am sending him, that is, my own heart, back to you. I should have liked to retain him for myself, so that he might serve me on your behalf in my imprisonment for the gospel, but I did not want to do anything without your consent, so that the good you do might not be forced but voluntary. Perhaps this is why he was away from you for a while, that you might have him back forever, no longer as a slave but more than a slave, a brother, beloved especially to me, but even more so to you, as a man and in the Lord. So if you regard me as a partner, welcome him as you would me.

Lk 14:25-33Gospel

The letter to Philemon occurs only once in the liturgical year. It may seem odd that such a correspondence is even in the canon of scripture. However, it is an important moment in the life of St. Paul which can teach us something about the Christian life.

St. Paul, an old man now, and he is not enjoying his golden years because, as he states, he is in prison for preaching Christ. His prison situation was not, exactly, Alcatraz. It was more like being under house arrest. The powers-that-be probably realized he was an old man and not much of a flight risk. They probably had a Roman solder guarding him just in case. We know at this point he was probably days or weeks away from his execution.

Onesimus comes to seek out Paul’s help. Paul is familiar with Philemon who was a slave master and probably a hard task master as well. Paul does not fame the flames of discord by congratulating Onesimus on his escape. Nor was Paul so self absorbed in his own plight that he could not see beyond his situation.

Paul didn’t say to Onesimus, 'Look at me, a prisoner, facing execution, I can’t be bothered with you right now.' Instead Paul writes a letter as an appeal to Philemon to accept Onesimus back not as a slave, but a brother in the Lord. This is the challenge to Philemon - to see Onesimus not a property, but as someone who Christ loves and died for. This requires a change of mind and heart. It also requires Philemon to see with the eyes of Christ.

The Christian life requires this change of mind and heart. The way we treat others, the things we value most, will be the litmus test, which determines if we are true to our profession of faith. Do we really have what it takes to walk in faith and love?

The Gospel of Luke today, encourages those who believe they have what it takes to be a disciple, to think long and hard about what is needed to embrace discipleship. It’s something we do every day when we go shopping: we pick up some food and look at the price. We consider the cost and if the budget allows.

Jesus even uses a military metaphor:

What King, going to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and take counsel whether He is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends an embassy and asks terms of peace?

Sound familiar?

What today’s gospel is asking us is simple [but hard] – what is our priorities? Are we willing to put Christ first in our lives – come what may! Are we willing to keep Christ front and center; committed to Him with our very lives, even if it costs us popularity, status, or a job. The forces that oppose us are many on almost every level and they are not about to cooperate with grace anytime soon. We can stomp and shout - "America get back to God" (as if it has ever been with God), but the reality is, we need to be at peace with the fact the political world is often far from the Kingdom of God.

I believe this is what the gospel today is conveying to us; we must be at peace with the fact that the powers-that-be might not accept us, and our faith stance. Are we at peace with the fact that it might not be the most fashionable thing to be people of faith?

Have we counted the cost? And are we willing to say, in the light of so much cultural opposition that may faith in Christ must come first!

The Start Of A New Semester

2010-08-30T11:38:00.000-07:00

Let them thank the Lord for his love,

for the wonders he does for us.

Let them offer a sacrifice of thanks

and tell of his deeds with rejoicing.

Psalm 107

The start of a new semester is always exciting, but to have all the hard work put into restoring the Shrine and to see it used as part of orientation week was something I never expected to happen. In the fall semester of 2009, I simply wanted to clean up the area in order for students to have a place to pray. Last semester, the president of the college found a way to get an alter place at the shrine. This past Thursday, the Bishop of Burlington rededicated the altar, and the college has incorporated the event into orientation week. Talk about a mustered seed becoming a big tree.

I felt an overwhelming sense of humility and great satisfaction that something which started off as a small effort has become such a big event. I know that a lot of you who have followed my blog are familiar with the progress of the shrine. However, I wanted to show the progress, once again, in the pictures I have been taken. Simply click on the pictures to make them larger.

(In Fall of 2009)

From Pet Sematary to the New and Improved

To Present Day

The Bishop - I never thought it come to this!

Preaching to students, faculty and staff at the Shrine

Bishop Salvatore R. Matano anointing the Altar

Complacency

2010-08-22T14:57:00.000-07:00

I spent many hours meditating on the scriptures for the Twenty-first Sunday and my thoughts seem to come back to one thing: complacency. How easy it is to think we are doing alright, when in fact, we are doing nothing at all.

The Leper from the movie The Flowers of St. Francis by Roberto Rosscllini

In Jesus’ day, there were only two groups of people: Jews and Gentles. If you were Jewish, being saved was almost a given. If you were a Gentle, you had a lot be worried about. The question put to Jesus is an interesting one: “Will only a few people be saved?”

When I was younger it seemed like every Born Again Christian was obsessed with knowing whether you were saved or not? The famous question was “Do you know Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior?”

I used to respond by saying, “Yes I do…and it’s personal!” Truth be told, at the time, I wasn't serious about following the Lord, I just didn't want to be perceved as being against Him. In today’s gospel the defensive reply is, “We ate and drank in your company and you taught in our streets.” Certainly this is implying a certain personal familiarity with the implied message; ‘You are one of us Jesus. We know you, and you know us; come on...let us in!’ The reply is rather shocking and alarming, ‘I do not know where you are from. Depart from me, all you evildoers!'

Who are the Evildoers? Who are the ones that are saved? For that answer, I turn my attention to Matthew’s gospel which boils it down to goats and sheep, not Jew or Gentle. Jesus says in Matthew’s gospel, “When I was thirsty, you gave me a drink. A Stranger, and you welcomed me. When I was naked, you clothed me. Sick and you visited me."

Not only is it about knowing Jesus, it's about seeing Him in the poor, the needy and homeless - the least of these. "Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough." (Luke 13:22-30).

The Transfiguration

2010-08-06T10:59:00.000-07:00

The Transfiguration event has always spoken to the part of myself which is so vulnerable to distractions, and yet, so in need of communion with God. The brightness of Christ and the illuminating power of his grace needs to be sheered into my consciousness so that I don't forget who is it that saved us, and what is needed to respond to divine love - our total attention. In a world of a thousand electronic gadgets, and a million text messages, I wonder what will catch our attention to focus solely on Christ?

Mt. Tabor in Danby Vermont

Part of me wonders if it is possible at all to hold the attention of anyone for more than ten minutes anymore? It seems that the more we enjoy the use of electronics the less we are able to focus our attention on what is most of value. This is not a blog entry about the evils of technology. After all , I need technology to write this blog entry. However, recently one of the brothers had to get a new router and the computer in my room was not able to pick up a single because my Range Expander was not comparable with the new router. So I have been going to the public library or the College of St. Joseph to do my computer work.

I have been more focused and have been giving more time to personal prayer because I don't have easy access to the internet. One of the brothers said he would get a new router that had a stronger single and I told him not to bother - I am picking us the spiritual single must better now.

Living to be transformed by Christ is what the gospel message is about today. I always stand in awe when someone has the courage to express how there lives have been transformed by Christ. What concerns me about the Christian life today is that we have become people of the issue. I hear so little about how Christ has transformed the life of those who where dead in sin. Sometimes I wonder when the issues serve as only a distraction? Yet, when Christ is illuminated in our lives there is, undoubtedly an attraction. This is why the gospel evangelist is reminding us to be always ready to give an answer to the hope we have in Christ.

The View From Mt. Tabor, Vermont

2010-07-30T07:48:00.000-07:00

Matthew 10:34-11:1

Jesus Said to his Apostles: Do not think that I have come to bring peace upon the earth. I have come to bring not peace but the sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and one’s enemies will be those of his household.

“Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”

“Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me. Whoever receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward and whoever receives a righteous man because he is righteous will receive a righteous man’s reward. And whoever gives only a cup of cold water to one of these little ones to drink because he is a disciple – amen, I say to you, he will surely not lose his reward.”

When Jesus finished giving these commands to his twelve disciples, he went away from that place to teach and to preach in their towns.

In the ancient world, a cup of cold water was not something that was readily available. Today, if you want a cup of cold water you simply go to the refrigerator and grab some ice. We think nothing of it if someone offers us a cold beverage when we visit a friend or neighbor; it’s just good hospitality. In the ancient world, they did know how to keep a certain amount of water cold. However, it was used sparingly, and only on special occasions when an emperor, governor or someone of importance came to town. When they were greeted with a cold cup of water it was a way of affirming their authority or importance, and that important person knew they were respected by the people of that town or village.

When Jesus tells his Apostles that when they, “give only a cup of cold water to one of these little ones” they are doing something which no one else is willing to do – they are telling those who they are giving the water to that they are counted, have value, and being the least, are in fact, the most important.

“Whoever receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward.” I would imagine that once you don’t like what that the prophet is saying, it would be easy to lose your reward when you send that prophet, politely, on his way. “Whoever receives a righteous man because he is righteous will receive a righteous man’s reward.” However, you could lose your reward if the righteous behavior of another convict’s you of your questionable motives, and you dismiss the righteous one.

Yet, Jesus tells his disciples that they can never lose their reward when they give a cup of cold water to the one who is consider of no importance in the eyes of the world, but are of great importance because they are a disciple. Why can’t you lose your reward? The gospel of Matthew answers that question when Jesus states, “Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”

When I was a campus minister to a very prestigious college, the students would go on trips to foreign countries like Peru. A student on returning once stated, “Why is it that I was happier there than I am here.” I replied, “Because unlike here, there you don’t have to worry about being better than everyone else.” It is easy to lose yourself acquiring status, prestige, and self importance thinking that you will find your true life in such things when in fact you are more vulnerable to losing yourself.

Have you ever seen anyone trying to impress the poor? Have you ever seen a celebrity say they want all the unimportant people of the world to love and adore them. Yet, when you are with the poor, you are able to find yourself because there is no reason to be anyone else but yourself. This is the reward most of us are seeking in life – finding out who we really are.

In many places you can find advertisements which encourage you to find who you really are - for a small fee of course. However, the gospel proposes something dangerous because when we give our cups of cold water; our time, attention and love to the undeserving poor, we will find that, one’s enemies will be those of his household.

Friends can reject you, society can snub you, but when your own family turns on you this is the worst form of hatred. Jesus has a way of striking at the heart of our deepest insecurity, but he always offers something better in return: finding yourself by being with the least. Maybe this is why he doesn't suggest giving a cup of cold water to the least of his followers, he commands it.

Day One in Kentucky

2010-07-27T06:14:00.000-07:00

The pace at which we work when we come to Kentucky is extreme. A professor I once knew used to say, "Speed is of the Devil", and I tend to agree with him. However, we only have a week to complete what we start building or else the people we are trying to help will have to wait another year for us to arrive.

This year I am sent with a person named, Denis and four young people to paint the inside of a woman's house. Her name is, Wilma and I chuckle because her name makes me think of the Flintstones. Wilma is a elderly women living alone in a house no bigger than a trailer. She is familiar with our out-reach team because last year they built her a porch so that she could sit outside and watch the world go by.

I walk inside her home and it is very crammed with a bed, two couches and a thousand nick-nacks. The ceiling is brown from tobacco smoke. Her roof is leaking and Denis gets two of the kids to work with him on repairing it.

I start moving some things while trying to hide my annoyance. 'Didn't Wilma know we were coming to paint her house? Why didn't she try to move some things for us?' I think to myself. I hear what I have come to believe to be the Lords voice speaking to me, 'Rich, what would a elderly women on oxygen do to prepare for your arrival - move a couch? Where would she put it even if she could move it?'

I run my hand across the back of my sweaty neck - it's hot - too hot for 9:30 in the morning. The whole country is in the middle of a record setting heat wave and I am spending it in Kentucky! The young adults with me are standing around wondering what to do first. I want to shout and say, 'Don't just stand there - do something!" However, that is exactly what I am doing at the present moment; standing and staring at the walls I need to paint, but cannot reach because there is too much stuff in the way.

Wilma's dog is in the hallway behind a wooden gate barking at us. It is the ugliest little dog I have ever seen with protruding dark eyes that look as if they might pop out. I whisper, "Lord, that is the ugliest little dog I have ever seen!" The Lord speaks again, 'Yes and if you lose your patients which I have given you, and start barking orders, you will be just as ugly as that little dog...which, by the way, is quite beautiful because I created him."

I close my eyes and ask the Lord for help. Then I open them and say, "Okay gang, let's move everything to one side of the room." Within the hour we have enough room to start priming one side of the house. I begin to chat with Wilma, and I am realizing the others are relaxing because I am more relaxed as I let go. That becomes my motto for the day - 'Let go and let God'. As I paint I start to think about today's scripture because I am presiding tonight and it's the liturgy which kick's off our mission trip. It fills me with hope and energy knowing that tonight my prayers for help will be changed into a prayer of praise.

Going to Kentucky

2010-07-26T12:38:00.000-07:00

This past July 18th I went with our Capuchin Youth and family Ministries program to Appalachia Kentucky. I have not been on this trip since 1995, and I did not know what to expect since it has been so long, but I enjoyed myself as usual. Reaching out to the "least of these" and working to help others makes me feel truly alive for Christ. The heat felt demonic! One day, I drank two gallons of water, and did not go to the bathroom once. My batteries for my digital camra died, and I am waiting for others to send some pictures, but the ministry did put together a nice video of the work we do in Allalachia. So I will leave you with a link to that video:

http://www.capuchin.org/what_we_do/OutreachPrograms/AppalachiaMission.

Being Appointed By The Lord

2010-07-04T10:54:00.000-07:00

"The Cross is the only solution in Christianity"

- Thomas Merton

Lk 10:1-12, 17-20 or 10:1-9 Gospel this Sunday

This Sunday's reading, Jesus' appoints seventy-two others. I wonder what the twelve thought of that - they must have struggled with their own human ego's knowning the Lord wasn't relying soley on the original twelve or maybe they were happy they had more helpers? Whatever the case may be, it makes me think of the humility needed to realize that we are not self appointed ministers. If we do not consider ourselves ministers, then as believers, we still have to have the humility to realize it was Christ who chose us, not the other way around.

St. Paul, in today's first reading, reminds himself not to boast of anything except in the cross of the Lord. Sometimes, the way in which Paul reaches his audience gets lost on us Catholics today who have heard him so many times before, but he is doing something rather extraordinary for a person who has had so much success in the past. He is reminding himself first - not to boast of any accomplishments of his own. In reminding himself, he is reminding all of us who take great pride in having accomplished so much academically, professionally or athletically.

Why should we boast of the cross? Because we should see it as a tool for salvation. We are people who want everything ... as the song goes, "we want the world and we want it - NOW!" We are people who not only want what we don't have, we usually want what everybody else has. The cross prevents us from grasping on to anything and everything which is not of Christ. The cross works to save us from being pulled into the currents of this passing world where nothing lasts. Holding on to the cross, saves us from being buried alive with stuff, and hording as much as possible. It saves us from materialism, consumerism and every other "ism" which we are powerless over.

Maybe after embracing the cross long enough we become free enough for the Lord to appoint us. Br. Jack Rathsmith, who is in charge of priestly formation in the Capuchin order, wrote that many of us gather too much stuff along the journey. At some point, it becomes to heavy to move. Instead of getting rid of it, we simply take the wheels off our wagon and think that is the solution, but the result is the same - we become stuck!

In reality, to be stuck is a good place to be if you have never experienced the power of the cross. To become unstuck by embracing the cross is a witness all by itself in a culture obsessed with stuff - especially old, rare stuff. I believe the seventy two went out to proclaim that there is another way to live. We are to live by the Spirit and the cross makes us able to do it so that we are truly free.

Today is the 4th of July, and I hear it said that freedom isn't free. I believe this is said to remind us that many people in the past fought and lost there lives to protect our freedom. In Christianity, one could say that the spiritual life is not free either. In order to live by the spirit and enjoy spiritual freedom it requires a cross so that we don't get overly burdened and distracted by all the things this world tries to sells us and tell us. Instead, we have a better message for the people deceived, stuck and despairing because they cannot find freedom for themselves or from themselves - 'The kingdom of God is at hand for you.'" - Luke 10:12

Goodbye Maine

2010-06-27T17:56:00.000-07:00

This weekend I traveled back Portland Maine to our friary called, St. Joseph's, where I was stationed in 2001 to 2006. I was thrilled when in 2001 my provincial minister asked if I wanted to try campus ministry at Bowdoin College. This is the chapel I started preaching in (giving reflections - I should say) and it was here, I realized my calling to ordained ministry was more important than how comfortable and fulfilling things had become at Bowdoin college. The students newspaper, The Bowdoin Orient, still has a featured article dating back to 2005 called, Sunday Mass brings tradition to Chapel. Instead of posting the article, I will leave the link for anyone interested in reading it:

http://orient.bowdoin.edu/orient/searchresults.php?cx=013877420925418038085%3Apuwwqemrwqe&cof=FORID%3A11&ie=UTF-8&q=chapel&siteurl=orient.bowdoin.edu%2Forient%2Farticle.php%3Fdate%3D2005-11-11%A7ion%3D3%26id%3D2#914

Unfortunately, in 2008 my province decided, after being in dialogue with the Bishop, that we could not stay in Portland Maine because of the diocese restructuring plans. Now the friars will be gone as of August 2010. I wanted to go back to make sure I collected any belongings of mine from the friary. Saturday night, I went up into the attic, and found a box I had put there, but had forgotten about for years. I discovered pictures of my final vows in 1998 at St. Joseph in New Paltz, NY, which I thought were lost forever. It is easy to forget how much time has passed when embracing and completing differed assignments. I must admit, I am a bit nostalgic when I look back at these pictures. I am conscious of that fact that each step in the journey had its struggles, pains, and setbacks, but today, that seems to be minor compared to the joy of remembering the grace filled moments with my Capuchin brothers, along with my family and friends.

Br. Eddy, Br. Tim, Br. John, and Br. Paul. (May 1998)

My brother Terry, Robert, Myself and brother Steve with my nephews (May 1998)

Me & my father and friends Frank and Jay

Parish members from East Patchogue NY - St. Joseph the Worker

In today's gospel, Jesus states, “No one who sets a hand to the plow and looks to what was left behind is fit for the kingdom of God.” However, I believe it is good to glance back now and again; to realize that all the effort to proclaim God's Kingdom is worth the energy that goes into it because in the end, God blesses the effort.

Sin – The Failure To Bother To Love

2010-06-12T12:26:00.000-07:00

Luke’s Gospel is known as the social justice gospel - rightly so - in it we come to understand that what is wrong in Luke’s world, is also wrong in our own – a serious lack of love. However, Luke does not badger us with the corruption of the political world, or insist we must change sinful social structures in order to experience justice. Neither does Luke’s gospel point the finger at the sinner. Instead, he reveals, “the failure to bother to love” as the Jesuit, James F. Keenan states it, which lies within the religious establishment.

Luke never reveals how Jesus knows the woman who is pouring out her tears (her Heart) as well as her expensive ointment. We do not know what Jesus did for her...even though Luke gives us a hint at the conclusion of this story: Accompanying him were the Twelve and some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out.” No doubt, this women had listened to him speak from the edge of the crowd, and his words might have been all it took to convince her that forgiveness and a new way of life where possible, even for her, a prostitute.

He who has been forgiven little, loves little. I used to think people, as they grew older, learned to love more as they aged. In reality, people who love little can grow in loving even less as they grow older. I know it sounds like an oxymoron - growing in one’s ability to love less - but I have seen examples and evidences starting with myself, and proceeding on with many other wonderful church goers.

The first false premise which most of us, unconsciously and (sometimes, consciously) live by is, ‘I will only love, if I am first loved.’ Often, this non-verbalized justification lingers in the sub-conscious: ‘Why should I care…what has anyone done for me,’ and is impossible to overcome without the help of Divine Revelation. If we wait until we are loved by someone before we commit to being loving we could be waiting around for the rest of our lives.

The women who is pouring out her heart in this text is not the one initiating love. She is responding to the experience of being loved. Anyone who considers themselves Christian needs always to remember that it is Christ who has chosen us not the other way around. As christians, we can’t say we have never been loved. Therefore the justification in not being loving towards others is the first thing God destroys in Christ’s Crucifixion.

The Journey Across the Pond

2010-06-04T08:31:00.000-07:00

This past May, I had the opportunity to travel to England (Jeanne d' Arc please forgive me, but it was for family reason LOL) and visited some relatives who live in Leeds. These are cousins who are on my mother's side of the family. Some of them came over for my ordination back in October. When I learned that my cousin Jodi was getting Married on May 21st, I wanted to be there for it. They got married at St. Peter and Paul Catholic church and I received their vows. It was a very beautiful ceremony with the reception at the Ramada inn.

While I was there I had the chance to con-celebrated at St. Augustine parish which was very inspiring because it was multi-cultural. It was interesting to be with the faithful in another country because it brought home the reality that the Catholic church really is universal. This is one of the reasons why I love being Catholic because we are all on the same liturgical page.

I spent one day visiting York which is the city "New York" is named after. I stumbled into a little church\ shrine of saint Margaret who I know very little about. I learned she was martyred in the 16th century: 1556-1586. St. Margaret is considered the first woman martyred under Queen Elizabeth's religious suppression. She refused to join the church of England and died holding fast to her Catholic faith. (Jeanne d' Arc would be proud) I really want to lean more about her in the future.

York is a very interesting place, and I did enjoy the history the area has maintained. However, I did feel a sense of sadness of the divisions which have taken place down through history in the church. These divisions seem to be evident in so many aspects of human life. It made me even think of my own family which has been so influenced by division and alienation from other family members.

However, this trip was about establishing new relations with cousins who I long for in my childhood, but never had the opportunity to see. Now I see them, and my heart is filled with joy because the Lord has made this journey possible. Maybe this is what faith is all about - longing to be with the Lord while suffering separation for a short period until we are ready to be with the Lord and see him face to face.

My cousins Magan, and Aisling with their little brother

May 30th Feast Day of Jeanne d"Arc

2010-05-29T18:37:00.000-07:00

The Feast Day of Saint Jeanne d' Arc

The Saint Joan of recent hagiography, and Saint Therese, the Little Flower, both give confort. They provide for adults a simple image of perfection. They eliminate complications; by remaining childish, they do not present their votaries with moral dilemmas or ambiguities. Such a saint represents a reduction of conflict. Joan tending her sheep, the innocent country girl called by God, becomes simple. One of the most tantalizing puzzles of European history disappears underthe cloak of primal innocence. This feels reassuring. Creating simplicity often makes the heart leap; order has been restored, the crooked made straight. But order is understanding that things cannot be made simple, that complexity reigns and must be accepted. Infantism is extrinsic to Joan, however young she was; it is projected upon her by adults who fear the absence of such clear and simple goodness in themselves and through themselves, who fear its disappearance in everyone and therefore feel a need to experience it in reality by finding it in someone who lived. We have again a translation of a personal intimation of goodness into the "real" world: an incarnate idea. But to conceive goodness as youth is also an admission of defeat, for it disallows the maturing of virtue and it expresses a fear that change, which is inevitable, will be for the worse. The young Joan of Arc, the sweet-faced child of hagiography, represents the Western attachment to changelessness and our terror of flux.

At one level, her martyrdom is a consummation of her unbending trueness to herself, a concept that underlies the essence of heroism. As a heroine, she could not be deflected from her path, even unto the last test. She was loyal to her voices, and because those voices can be seen as her interior spirit, by those who reject the explanation from supernatural causes, she can be a heroine to believer and unbeliever alike. But at another level, her death in the fire is the only triumph in an ideological climate where change means deterioration, a gradual haemorrhage of grace from the state of first innocence, the pure child.

It is astonishing how many of Joan's apologists like her dead. Without this badge of blood, this self-obliteration in the ideal, her glory would be the less. She was cut off before she could be proven weak, and in that cutting off is the redemption of sin for others. Her stake is likened to Christ's cross: through it, her virtues can be transmitted to others and save them. Her perfection is preserved by her climactic end in violence, just as a goldsmith in the process of annealing heats the metal in the fire till it glows and then plunges it in water to seize all the heart's virtue, now transmitteed to the gold, and uses them for his purpose.

Dumas explicitly wrote" :Joan of Arc is the Christ of France: she has redeemed the crimes of the monarchy, as Jesus redeemed the sins of the world: like Jesus, she suffered her passion; like Jesus, she had her Golgotha and her Calvary."

Marina Warner -

Joan of Arc, The Image of Female Heroism

" The Messenger"

Dumbed Down Dame

Is poetic license a license to kill?

By Ronald F. Maxwell

"Anything must be true before it can significantly claim other merits. Without truth, all else is worthless."

- E. Gellner, Postmodernism & Reason

The French ecclesiastics delegated by the occupying English powers to the thankless chore of determining whether Jeanne d'Arc was an impostor or a heretic guided by Satan have much in common with the new priesthood of popular culture. Luc Besson attempts to prove what even the best prosecuting clerics of her day could not: that Jeanne was a demented, misled, hysterical, confused and guilt-ridden phony. In those days the power structure was the Church, nowadays the multi-national corporations Gaumont and Sony. Neither the hooded inquisitors of Rouen nor the T- shirt deconstructionists of Paris can quite pull it off.

In the trial transcripts of 1429, under a months long grueling cross-examination, Jeanne herself identifies and describes encounters with the saints Catherine and Margaret. Why are these filmmakers not interested in taking Jeanne at her own words nor in the testimony of anyone else who knew her as recorded in voluminous first-hand accounts in the trial of rehabilitation conducted just twenty years after her execution? And why is no allusion made to the significance of these particular women saints to the French and English societies of this era? Could an impressionable young girl make a connection, forge an identification with these female role models from antiquity who renounced marriage for spiritual calling and salvation? And why no mention of Saint Michael, the male saint who she claims to have seen and heard? Did it matter to Jeanne, as well as to her contemporaries, that Saint Michael was the protector of the French people? That her countrymen were resisting a year long English siege at the shrine of Saint Michael himself at Mt. St. Michel? The difference between the story of a young girl who claims to have been visited by specific saints and one who is transfixed by thrashing winds, rushing clouds and a wolf pack on the hunt is the difference between the real life Jeanne d'Arc and the fictitious marionette of this film.

The film begins with the child Jeanne witnessing the brutal murder and rape of her sister Catherine by marauding English soldiers. There is no evidence in the historical record that this ever happened and, in any case, it was not English soldiers who ransacked Domremy, but Burgundians from the other side of the river Meuse. Aside from the now antiquated notion that an artist should strive for the truth, why does this matter? It matters because, with the subtlety of a pole-axe, the filmmakers are desperate to provide the young Jeanne with "motivation." Revenge, the all-purpose motivator of nineties movies! This graphically filmed scene (qualifying the film for an R rating, thereby keeping young people away from a story about a young person) is followed by a scene with a priest in which she rails at God for permitting these atrocities. There were many horrors that took place in the Hundred years War, and much to rage at both God and man, but this made-up incident wasn't one of them.

When a film is founded on a lie, and a perverse one at that, nothing that follows can be trusted. In the case of "The Messenger," a true story of love and sacrifice, of dedication and faith, is cinematically morphed to a false one of hatred, bitterness, fury and revenge. If there was any truth to this outrageous concoction, which there isn't, this incredible revelation might have been noted by one of the following: playwrights Shaw, Schiller, Anouilh, Peguy, Brecht; historians Duby, Pernoud, Michelet, Warner, Fabre, Quichertat, Contamine, Luce; novelists Anatole France, Claudel, Delteil, Dumas, Malraux, Twain, Tournier, Vioux, Keneally; or filmmakers Dryer, Ucicky, Gastyne, DeMille, Fleming, Preminger, Robert Bresson, Enrico, Panfilov and Rivette. Calling attention to one's own outrageousness as a filmmaker has always provided a fashionable haven for those who cannot or will not do the hard and patient work that leads to real insight, true understanding, gripping storytelling and work of lasting value.

This Jeanne, psychically removed from the medieval universe in which she lived, is not only strangely ignorant of the saints, she never utters the names of the Virgin Mary or Jesus. In reality she instructed that these names be sewn into her banner, regularly prayed, exhorted others to pray and regarded her own virginity as crucial to her mission. This question of her virginity, so significant to her contemporaries, is barely alluded to in this film. In the fifteenth century, all believers knew that Satan could not enter into the body of a virgin. That may seem a quaint notion to us now, half a millenium later, but it made all the difference to those who considered giving Jeanne their support and to those who would later seek to condemn her. Why this attempt to dilute Jeanne's actual and specific faith into some generalized cosmic pablum?

The sets and costumes indicate a film set in the early fifteenth century, but nothing in the character and belief system of this portrayal takes the slightest step out of the pop culture of the late twentieth century. If the intention is allegory, why set it in its own physical context? Is this honest? Bertold Brecht, in "Saint Jeanne of the Stockyards," transposes the scene to 1930's Germany, where she becomes a "creditable visionary and worthy antagonist for powerful and nasty men." In the Russian feature film, "The Screentest," (1970), Gleb Panfilov sets Jeanne's story in Moscow, wrapped within a film crew making a movie about Jeanne d'Arc. Both are examples of poetic license and both stand as convincing portrayals of the character of the actual woman. Literalism is not the issue, fidelity is.

If "The Messenger" is an attempt at fabricating a feminist Jeanne, one who carries the torch of womankind into a man's world, the filmmakers would have done well to avail themselves of Christine de Pizan's epic poem on Jeanne, the only poem written by a contemporary. It is a paean to womankind, an ode to Jeanne as liberator and woman of faith in the tradition of Judith and the selfless saints of antiquity whom Jeanne herself adored. If Jeanne was indeed the boorish, screaming, hysterical, frenzied, petulant, angry and weepy female as portrayed in this film, the salutary proto-feminist poet would not have written about her, nor would anyone of either sex have followed her out of her pasture, let alone into a campaign to liberate France.

The film does try to portray Jeanne as a warrior, which is in welcome contrast to the sometimes limited view of Jeanne as simply a pious victim. As expected, there are hacked off limbs, decapitations with blood gushing forth, maulings and maimings, and spilled entrails - plenty of superficial movie mucous. But there is none of the dark beauty of equally violent films such as Kurosawa's "Yojimbo" or "Sanjuro," with their existential undertones and potent sense of character imbedded and connected to a specific time in a specific place. Ms. Jovovich's Jeanne is a thoroughly modern Milla who struts and poses across the battlefield as if she's having a temper tantrum in the middle of a photo layout for Vogue. She is surrounded by a motley crew of armored buffoons and clowns who have as much to do with Dunois, Lahire and Giles de Rais as La Cirque du Soleil. Real jeopardy is replaced by theatrical bravado and cliched camaraderie, the kind of movie where every other stunt is supposed to be a joke. So much so, that Jeanne's wounding at Les Tourelles arouses neither sympathy nor apprehension. It is emotionally empty. When it comes to scenes of battle, this film has neither the character based grittiness of Kenneth Branagh's nor the sheer visual splendor of Laurence Olivier's "Henry V" films, both set in precisely the same epoch.

In our modern world, persons who claim to hear voices are sometimes thought to be delusional or schizophrenic. At the very least, the sound of bells ringing in one's ears can be diagnosed as tinnitus. In Julian Jayne's fascinating treatise, "The Origin of Consciousness . . . " he suggests the relationship of the brain's left and right lobes as separate entities in a life-long dialogue. Such an exploration might have made for an interesting and worthwhile film, but this film tosses out the possibility of a delusional Jeanne like a sensational expose in some glossy gossip weekly instead of as a valid idea to be seriously explored as was the case with films that at least tangentially deal with these themes such as "Breaking the Waves," "The Anchorite," or "Therese."

Near the end of the film Dustin Hoffman appears as one of her voices, ostensibly her conscience, his mission being to debunk the mythology of Jeanne's belief system. There follows a laborious sequence where the miraculous appearance of Jeanne's sword in her youth is recalled and then explained by circumstantial evidence. The beautiful photography, insisting score and weighty authority of Mr. Hoffman's performance cannot hide the fact that Mr. Besson is setting up an historical straw man just so he can tear it down. In keeping with all the other historical infidelities of this film, there was no sword in the field, and the real Jeanne never claimed that her sword fell down to her from heaven.

The point, however, is not that this or that miracle occurred or didn't occur. The "miracle" is Jeanne herself. How did a seventeen-year-old girl, a peasant from the fringes of the kingdom, manage to enlist the trust and support of a nation and play a pivotal role in expelling a foreign invader? Not only does this film fail to pose this central question, it seeks to remove the authenticity of Jeanne's faith and the faith of her countrymen as at least a factor in these complex events.

This cinematic hocus-pocus is revealing of a more profound absence in this film, the inability to comprehend and to express the miraculous while simultaneously adding to the clutter and confusion which has over the centuries accumulated to the Jeanne story like barnacles.

A film that separates fact from fiction would be welcome. What is the point of a film that further obfuscates, that makes the already murky waters an impenetrable tar? Beyond the mythology and folklore lived a real person in real times who said and did real things. The known facts, or even the events as conjectured by the best historians, are infinitely more interesting and dramatic and fantastic than any of the lame inventions of this film. When you haven't taken the trouble to learn about the real civil war in France between Armagnacs and Burgundians, about the actual intrigues inside the Valois court, about the centrality of faith to fifteenth century peoples, about the schism in the Catholic Church, about mystics and witchcraft and the nascent Inquisition, about pilgrimages and crusades, about symbols and chivalry and the circumscribed role of women in medieval societies - all forces that swirled around Jeanne, informed her world view and shaped her destiny - then you're left with nothing but to make it all up. The result is "The Messenger," which only pretends to portray Jeanne d'Arc, informed as it is by nothing more than hand-me down folklore, pop psychology and the current maxim to make it "relevant" and "accessible" to a modern audience, to squeeze Jeanne's immense cosmology into the narrow confines of fashionable skepticism and the cinema of "cool."

Ignorant of cinema or literary tradition, bereft of the insights of generations of historians, vacant of the least comprehension of faith and not the least bit curious about what might actually have motivated Jeanne, the film derives its conceptual take from nothing more than its own claustrophobic surroundings and attitudes. But even in its choice to pose as modern, it fails to connect Jeanne with anything in the present to which she might legitimately be connected, for example Mother Teresa's work with the poor, Dorothy Day's political activism, Anne Frank's compassion or Rosa Park's stoic courage. Or, perhaps to the slick denizens of the super cynical these women were phonies as well.

Might this film be Vanity Fair or, to put it in its proper historical context, a bonfire of the vanities? The term originated in feudal times, when the populace were exhorted to dispense with the trinkets and trivialities of their earthy excesses, hurling dice, ornaments, fancy clothes and playing cards into the flames in an orgy of self-purification. Perhaps this film teaches us what should be relegated to the flames: the vanities of arrogance (thinking a film on Jeanne can be made with no regard to the research and the record), of self-adulation (believing that cleverness can substitute for a genuine search for the truth), and of vanity itself (the obvious way in which the role was cast and the reason for which the movie itself was made.)

Notwithstanding other qualifications and talents, can a filmmaker attempt a film on Jeanne d'Arc without a sense of humility and a willingness to listen; perhaps not to the Saints who visited Jeanne, but at least to the hundreds of real life people who knew her and whose testimony has been recorded for posterity, to the hundreds of scholars who have studied her over the centuries and to the artists who have written poems and plays and novels and made movies about her? Would there be something innately authentic in availing one's self of this kind of knowledge, in submitting one's self to this kind of discipline, in modestly accepting one's valid place in the collective effort of generations seeking illumination and truth? In such organic context could a filmmaker make a lasting contribution to our understanding and our continuing fascination with this remarkable woman?

Regrettably, "The Messenger" stands off by itself, disconnected from any authentic witness or tradition or community, whether religious, artistic, cinematic, historic or psychological. It is the ultimate ego trip, the polar opposite of the historical Jeanne, who surrendered her ego to what she herself saw as a higher calling. She came to be a liberator at the head of armies because she earned their trust, because she was self-less, she was viscerally connected with her people, she was authentic, she was faithful and she was loving -- immensely loving. That is partly an understanding of her power -- the power to rally soldiers, inspire the common people, win over princes and prelates, and the power to endure in our hearts over the centuries. All else is mystery. The inability to distinguish between what is historical and what is mysterious, compounded by the inadequacy in rigorously pursuing either choice, is the failure of this motion picture.

In 1899 Georges Melies produced the very first film on Jeanne d'Arc. There is more truth in any single frame of that silent, awkward beginning than in this entire inflated state of the art mega-mess. It's not Jeanne who should be judged as a fraud. It's this silly, heartless, mean-spirited, small-minded and phony film.

Ronald F. Maxwell

November 12, 1999

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Mr. Maxwell wrote and directed the motion picture Gettysburg and is preparing his own film on Jeanne d'Arc.

The Real Christian

2010-05-05T05:47:00.000-07:00

The worst error is to imagine that a Christian must try to be "sane" like everybody else, that we belong in our kind of society.

-Thomas Merton, Raids on the Unspeakable.

Lately (I always feel I am late in thinking about these things) I have been giving serious thought on what it means to be a Christian. I have been blessed by many who are Christian because of how they led their lives in total self giving. Something I admit I have not attained yet, but at least it is a goal of mine.

This morning, while praying the office of the readings, I read a letter to Diognetus about the Christian in the world. I studied this letter in seminary, but it was the first time I read it in the bravery. However, I felt blessed by it and convicted that this is the most accurate description of what we, who call ourselves Christian, are supposed to be. I certainly felt the pinch!

From the Letter to Diognetus

The Christian in the world

Christians are indistinguishable from others either by nationality, language or customs. They do not inhabit separate cities of their own, or speak a strange dialect, or follow some outlandish way of life. Their teaching is not based upon reveries inspired by the curiosity of men. Unlike some other people, they champion no purely human doctrine. With regard to dress, food and manner of life in general, they follow the customs of whatever city they happen to be living in, whether it is Greek or foreign.

And yet there is something extraordinary about their lives. They live in their own countries as though they were only passing through. They play their full role as citizens, but labor under all the disabilities of aliens. Any country can be their homeland, but for them their homeland, wherever it may be, is a foreign country. Like others, they marry and have children, but they do not expose them. They share their meals, but not their wives. They live in the flesh, but they are not governed by the desires of the flesh. They pass their days upon earth, but they are citizens of heaven. Obedient to the laws, they live on a level that transcends the law.

Christians love all people, but all people persecute them. Condemned because they are not understood, they are put to death, but raised to life again. They live in poverty, but enrich many; they are totally destitute, but possess an abundance of everything. They suffer dishonor, but that is their glory. They are defamed, but vindicated. A blessing is their answer to abuse, deference their response to insult. For the good they do they receive the punishment of malefactors, but even then they rejoice, as though receiving the gift of life. They are attacked by the Jews as aliens, they are persecuted by the Greeks, yet no one can explain the reason for this hatred.

To speak in general terms, we may say that the Christian is to the world what the soul is to the body. As the soul is present in every part of the body, while remaining distinct from it, so Christians are found in all the cities of the world, but cannot be identified with the world. As the visible body contains the invisible soul, so Christians are seen living in the world, but their religious life remains unseen. The body hates the soul and wars against it, not because of the restriction the soul places on its pleasures. Similarly, the world hates the Christians, not because they have done it any wrong, but because they are opposed to its enjoyments.

Christians love those who hate them just as the soul loves the body and all its members despite the body's hatred. It is by the soul, enclosed within the body, that the body is held together, and similarly, it is by the Christians, detained in the world as in a prison, that the world is held together. The soul, though immortal, has a mortal dwelling place; and Christians also live for a time amidst perishable things, while awaiting the freedom from change and decay that will be theirs in heaven. As the soul benefits from the deprivation of food and drink, so Christians flourish under persecution. Such is the Christian's lofty and divinely appointed function, from which they are not permitted to excuse themselves.

Determined To Stay

2010-05-02T08:07:00.000-07:00

Spirituality is...the awareness that survival is a savage fight between you and yourself.

- The Little Red Book.

The Gospel begins this Sunday, the fifth week of Easter, with the opening line, "When Judas had left them, Jesus said..." What follows is Jesus' description of his will for them - stay and love one another; not very adventurous or ambitious. When I was in the eighth grade and was asked to write about what I wanted to be when I grew up, I never stated (nor did anyone else for that matter) that I simply wanted to love my friends to the best of my ability. My goodness, how will you ever make a living doing that? My journey now is all about staying in the place where the Lord has led me in order to accomplish His will for others. It is not always where I want to be, but it is, I am certain, where the Lord wants me. The Lord purpose is wonderful, glorious, and fulfilling when it is in continuity with our own will, but when the Lord's will is not my own will anymore the question becomes - am I still willing to stay?

"Lord is this all there is?" Fr. Richard

"Yes, this is all there is." The Lord

"Okay Lord, count me in." Fr. Richard

Many times we are reluctant to identify with Judas because he is the betrayer, but I can so easily see myself following him right out the door when I see failure and scandal in the church. To be honest, there are moments when the thought of dropping out and moving on does cross my mind ever now and then. This temptation frightens me more than any other because I know the lose of meaning it leads to - so I am determined, no matter what may happen, not to go back out there. I rather stay with the Lord and help him wash some smelly feet than go where Judas is headed.

However, in order to avoid giving in to that temptation, I have to let go of all ambition, self will, and pride. All I have to do is love and serve those around me - what is so complicated about that? Why is that is difficult? Can it really be that simple?

However, when I do I find myself in a place of contentment, peace and gratitude. I am forever grateful the Lord has saved me from the perils of my own complicated will.

Dealing with Suffering

2010-04-26T19:49:00.000-07:00

The Strongest of all warriors are these two - Time and Patience.

- Leo Tolstoy

There are great lessons to be learned in studying the death of St. Francis. Death in our "comfort culture" is a very taboo topic. We are bombarded with prescription drug commercials which generate more fear of suffering than the suffering itself can deliver. Yet, in suffering, St. Francis learned that there was a great reward for bearing it.

"If the whole bulk of the earth and the whole universe were precious gold without price, and if there were given to you as a reward for these severe suffering you are enduring, after all the pain had been removed, a treasure of such great glory, in comparison with which that aforementioned gold would be nothing or not even worthy of mention, would you not be happy and would you not willingly bear what you are bearing at the moment?"

"I would indeed be happy," the saint said, "and I would rejoice beyond all measure."

"Rejoice, therefore," the Lord said to him, "for your sickness is an earnest of my kingdom; and await the inheritance of that kingdom, steadfast and assured, because of the merit of your patience."

Sometimes, I am surprised how little patience I have with my own sufferings which are minor in comparison to others (it has been said there is always some one who has it worse), When I complain it only compounds the problem. When I first accepted the Lord, and God became a reality in my life, I was willing to suffer for others to help bring about salvation...I even prayed for martyrdom. Now, I pray for my daily bread ...and that is it! Yet, the Lord made it known to Francis that his suffering was useful. There is a connection between God's kingdom and suffering. This is not to say that we should not try to relieve suffering. Jesus' mission was all about relieving the sufferings of others, but some types of suffering there is no pill for; no human intervention can help, and there is no way out of it except to hear the voice of the good Shepherd say, 'I am going to reward you for it.'

In Mary's song she sings, "my soul magnifies the Lord." What Francis does by turning to the Lord is similar. He stops magnifying his circumstances and starts magnifying the Lord. In doing so something changes within him. Francis circumstances haven't changed, but his attitude has, and this made for a peaceful death which came to him very quickly, and he died blessing his brothers instead of cursing his circumstances.

"Then, with all the brothers sitting about, he extended his right hand over them and beginning with his vicar, he placed it upon the head of each one. "Farewell," he said, "all you my sons, in the fear of the Lord. and may you remain in him always!"

The End of the Semester

2010-04-21T09:18:00.000-07:00

The end of the semester is a beautiful thing. It amazes me that the end of the semester is much like life...or the end of life. Students are busy writing papers they should have started long ago, but are now stressed out trying to make the dead line. My own class was very simple; you come to class, write a final paper and you are done! I would say it was that simple, but the problem is some could not make it to class regularly. Others waited for the last minute to write the paper, and now the end comes with so much unfinished business. It really is a lesson on how we complicate our lives unnecessarily. I remember when I was a college student and started my papers at the beginning of the semester. I would write one page every night before I went to bed. At the end of the semester, I just handed in my paper without all the stress and worry of having to finish it at the last minute. I know a lot of students who can stay up the night before and cram, but that was not for me.

I have two more class after today, and I plan on ending the course, "Franciscan Spirituality" with a look at the death of St. Francis. Hopefully, that will get us thinking about what comes next, and do we care about having unfinished business when the end comes?

My Favorit Christian Radio Program

2010-04-14T08:04:00.000-07:00

O' my God, with what might You sometimes choose to teach a man's soul Your immense lessons!

Here, even through only ordinary channels, came to me graces that overwhelmed me like a tidal wave, truths that drowned me with the force of their impact: and all through the plain, normal means of the liturgy - but the liturgy used properly, and with reverence, by souls inured to sacrifice

- Thomas Merton, The Seven Story Mountain

I have to admit, I only enjoy one evangelical, Christian radio program called, "Let's talk About Jesus" by Loving Grace Ministries. I find the minister, Rev. Wayne Monbleau very Christ centered and Catholic friendly. (Even thought he freely admits he does not agree with all Catholic theology.) However, he isn't anti Catholic like most are, and I find myself very inspired after listening to his program. However, he had a caller on yesterdays program, who identified herself as being raised Catholic. She now has come to believe in Christ and wants to join a bible believing church, but her husband, who she claims is not saved, will not leave the Catholic church. Rev. Wayne wisely told her he was not going to tell her to leave.

What surprises me is this notion that Catholics are not bible believing Christians. It not like we read from Harry Potter during mass. The second thing that astounded me was her surety that her husband wasn't saved. All this made me reflect on a number of things. First, I understand her comments about bible believing Catholics...or the lack there of. For example, I held a retreat a few weeks ago for my home town parish, and I used a lot of scripture. I asked if anyone brought their bible, and they looked at me as if I was a Jehovah Witness or something. I really do believe Catholics have to do better in this regard...although, we have come a long way. However, one truth other denominations need to remember is that scripture came from the Catholic church.

The second issue is Catholics (former Catholics mostly) putting down their Catholic faith. Maybe this caller was a 'Father forgive her for she knows not what she says' type caller, but one thing that we should all agree upon is that the Catholic church (However, you may feel about her) is Christ's church. Our mutual need for Christ and the love which Christ has for all his children is something all denominations should put first when speaking about differences. I, for one, need to be Christ centered in order not to get pulled into all the negativity that is out there right now. That is why am grateful for Rev. Wayne and his ability to stay Christ center and helping others see the bigger picture.

Happy Easter

2010-04-04T08:22:00.000-07:00

What a joy to have finally arrived at the Easter Season. Putting aside all the distractions, and my created concerns through much of Lent was a blessing. So much so that I almost considered giving up blogging permanently, but I do miss the blogging community, and I am glad I am back on line. Happy Easter everyone! Like St. Paul, let us desire to know nothing except Christ and the power flowing from his resurrection.

Happy Are The Poor

2010-02-14T11:29:00.000-08:00

This past Wednesday, I had the Little Brothers of St. Francis come and speak to the students at the College of St. Joseph. The Little Brothers are a small community in Boston who have a special charism, "To follow Jesus in the footsteps of Saint Francis as a non-clerical community of religious brothers (not ordained to the priesthood), embracing a life of contemplative prayer, Eucharistic Adoration, and solidarity with the lepers of our society.” - Br. James Curran, Founder.

Because they do not even own cars, I had the joy of driving down and bringing three of them here to Vermont. The college community were happy to meet them, and the students were fascinated by their simple way of life. The gospel today,(Lk 6:17, 20-26) the Sixth Sunday of Ordinary Time, affirms so many Franciscan aspects in terms of rejecting the values of this world, and seeing life through the eyes of Christ. St. Paul's letter to the Corinthians 1 Cor 15:12, 16-20 also helps us to see why the poor are happy - because they have hope and joy in the resurrection which supersede any happiness worldly riches can offer.

I was amazed by the response of the students who asked them question after question, and some seemed interested in pursuing a possible vocation with them. Between the Little Brothers and the gospel this Sunday, I find myself convicted to embrace my own Capuchin charism to a greater degree. This Lenten season, which starts this Wednesday, will begin my own thrust toward solitude, prayer and fasting. Therefore, for forty days I will not be posting any blogs, watching TV or using the computer. However, please know those of you who have been so supportive and kind (especially with sending Rosary beads) will be in my prayers and thoughts this Lenten season. I will leave you with a short video of the Little Brother of St. Francis.

Ridiculous and Sublime - trailer from Maureen Cotton on Vimeo.

2010-02-08T04:25:00.000-08:00

The Siege of Orleans

Congratulations

to the New Orleans Saints!

Writers, Mystics and Visions

2010-02-04T10:21:00.000-08:00

In my class, Franciscan Spirituality, we have studied the beginnings of the Franciscan order by looking at the life of Saint Francis. In order to have something to compare it too, avoiding the trap of thinking Franciscan-ism is the only spirituality, I am introducing the students to other, less known figures like, Hildegard of Bingen. She died in 1179 - just a few years before Francis was born in 1181. She was a powerful Benedictine and had the support of the ecclesiastical community who approved and affirmed her spiritual writings and visions. The pope even sought her out for spiritual direction because of her powerful spirituality. Her visions were unique, and the image of the blue Christ is something I use today as a means of meditation.

In class today, we watched, "Play of the Virtues" which was written by Hildagard and is the oldest surviving European music-drama, and the greatest musical work by the visionary mystic. It depicts Christian virtues as women singers who sing in perfect harmony. They are living virtues which are given as gifts, unlike Aristotle's virtues which are obtained by working for them. The Christian virtues, in this play, come to the aid of a young female community member who is struggling with temptation. The young women is seduced by the deceiver (Satan). Satan does not sing in the play because he is the embodiment of all dis-harmony. Eventually, the young women sees sin for what it is, and decides to returns to the company of the virtues. They embrace her and assure her of God's forgiveness and support. They do not judge or condemn, instead they are aware of the source of sin - Satan. the great deceiver, and they are able to render him powerless - giving the young women the courage to find her voice, and confront Satan, her accuser, which empowers her, and Satan fails to get back her allegiance.

I really enjoyed introducing this powerful, Catholic women, who's experience had a strong impact on the church in the medieval age. At the same time, she also experienced the harsh reality of not always being in agreement with the powers-that-be in the church. Yet, Hildagard is a model of perseverance, not quieting on her faith by leaving the church. Instead, she engages the hierarchy while standing her ground, and was successful in changing the edict which was place on her signing community.

The Grace of Substitution

2010-01-26T13:23:00.000-08:00

When St. Francis was undergoing his initial conversion his father would berate and abuse him verbally because Francis was changing his allegiance from his biological father to his heavenly Father. Most of us are familiar with the story of how Francis was brought before the civil and ecclesiastic courts by his father in order to get back the money or material which was used to fund the repair work at San Damiano's church.

However, what strikes me about Francis was the grace he exhibited in dealing with the rejection he endured by his father who would "cursed Francis" when he saw him. To buffer such rejection Francis would find a poor old beggar and ask him, "When you hear my father curing me, I shall turn to you saying: 'Bless me, Father'; and then you will sign me with the cross and bless me in his place." And when this happened, the beggar did indeed bless him; and Francis turned to his father, saying: "Do you not realize that God can give me a father whose blessing will counter your curses?" (Legend of the Three Companions p. 913)

I call this, "The Grace of Substitution." Many students in my Franciscan Spirituality class were intrigued by this story because often they find their family relations less then perfect. St. Francis, the symbol of universal peace, was not able to salvage his relationship with his father. However, Francis didn't become a victim or fall into self pity. Instead he was resourceful and realized God could, and would, fulfill the fatherly role with others.

Preach The Gospel In Everything You Do

2010-01-21T08:22:00.000-08:00

St. Francis would tell the brothers to preach the gospel in everything they did, and if necessary, to use words. He knew the brothers wanted the power of an audience, and so one day he told them they would go to town and preach. They were excited and eagerly followed St. Francis through the village of Assisi. When they arrived at the end of town they asked St. Francis when were they going to preach to the people? St. Francis responded, “We just did.”

St. Francis believed preaching was about the way you conducted yourself. It was an action, a behavior, and he knew people paid little attention to what they had to say if they couldn’t live what they believed. This is true when trying to account for why God allows things to happen in the world. The danger in using words to try to describe why God allows bad things to happen is that you can make horrible mistakes like Pat Roberson made in trying to explain why an earthquake leveled Haiti. When “ministers” speak such destructive words they add to the pain of a horrific situation, and they distance anyone considering Christianity because it adds to the stereotype that Christians are all the same. St. Francis told the brothers to preach the gospel in every thing they do, and if necessary use words. Three words - I don't know - would have been sufficient in this case.

The Wedding At Cana

2010-01-17T08:18:00.000-08:00

The wedding at Cana is a very human story because even two thousand years ago things had a way of going aye. Even with careful planning, something went wrong; they ran out of wine. Not the worst thing that can happen we might think, but in their day, it’s not like they could make a run to the local liquor store and pick up a few bottles of burgundy.

Mary comes to Jesus with a need and a want. Jesus reaction is almost dismissive; He must have chucked wondering who planed this wedding - just goes to show that even if the Savior of the world is at your wedding, it still does no guarantee things won’t go wrong.

How we hate it when things go wrong. That is why we do our best to make sure people don’t get the wrong impression of us: when it comes to being engaged; when courting another, we always put our best foot forward. We bring out our very best when we are seeking employment, building a career or asking for a promotion. Everyone puts their very best effort into getting what they love…until, that is…they love it no longer.

Human love is a funny thing - it really is wonderful, fulfilling, and exciting - however, it doesn’t seem to last very long. People can love you one minute and hate you in the next. The wedding at Cana is an important story because it shows us that human love; the best tasting wine we use to win friends and influence people - runs out! It’s enviable!

The wedding at Cana shows us God’s love is the real wine that lasts! It has the power to transform not only water into wine, but a cold heart into a warm one. The wine of God’s love is inexhaustible, freely given and poured out for us in the blood of Christ. Most importantly, we can trust in God’s love because it's never ending.

The wedding at Cana is an important story because it helps us to understand where our ultimate trust needs to be. Mary, realizing she is getting know where by her own efforts falls back on her faith and trust by saying to the servants, “Do whatever He tells you.” She has to let go of control and places all her trust in the Lord. She knows that such a trust will never end in disappoint. Not doing what we know Christ calls us to do does lead to disappointment and often inner impoverishment.

As we watch events unfold in Haiti, we see the need for so much help and assistance. The circumstances may not be as trivial as having a wine shortage, but a miracle is needed never-the-less. We may wonder what we can do when what to do is not clear. Being open to the gospel challenges to do what ever He tells us might be a good starting point.

A New Semester and Ordinary Time

2010-01-11T19:21:00.001-08:00

The view out the front door of St. Peters friary

It seems like God is challenging me once again because I am teaching a course, for the first time, in Franciscan Spirituality at the college of St. Joseph. I never had any ambition to teach or become a professor. I could have declined, and insisted that I am not of the teaching caliber, but that gentle voice inside seemed to beckon me, once again, to try. A few weeks ago I sat down with the department head, and we reviewed all the possible courses I could teach, and we decided on Franciscan Spirituality. I figured no one would sign up and that would be the end of it, but the class is full.

Today was the first day, and I did my best to introduce them to key concepts of Franciscan spirituality. It seemed like the harder I tried to make myself clear the more I sounded like I was speaking French. At one point, I told them that theology was like another language, and if I sounded like I was speaking French, I needed them to speak up and say, “English brother, speak English.” The parable of the prodigal son saved the day.

I am happy it is Ordinary Time once again, and the gospel message today was the call of the first disciples who were busy mending their nets. Many times, I find myself trying to mend my own life when I hear the Lord calling me to leave it and come follow Him again. I don’t like loose ends, but the Lord never promises perfect relationships, job opportunities or careers. He only gives an invitation to, “come and see” and to see what happens.

Happy Birthday to the Maid

2010-01-06T07:53:00.000-08:00

Thank God for Jeanne d'Arc and Happy Birthday

The Magi

2010-01-02T08:16:00.000-08:00

We are supposed to be the light of the world. We are supposed to be a light to ourselves and to others. That may well be what accounts for the fact that the world is in darkness! writes Thomas Merton in his book, Life and Holiness. Merton's thoughts give us a reminder of what the Advent and Christmas seasons are about; a season of lights. The journey of the Magi (wise men) is the journey of all who look for that subtle light which shines in our lives leading us to places of wisdom. Of course, when we finish the Christmas season and return to Ordinary Time we will find we are a little wiser and more mature then before.

The wise men were expected to report back their findings in Bethlehem, so they made sure to return by a different route. The positive encounter with the Christ child changed the Magi’s very direction and behavior patterns. We undergo the same change when Christ is the light which guides us, and gives us the ability to discern different routes to travel, different ways to behave, and the wisdom which sometimes says, “Don’t go there.” Such wisdom gives us confidence to continue our journey in safety despite being vulnerable in a world bruised by darkness. Yet, as a Christian, the light shines brightest knowing that the darkness shall never overcome it!

The wise men were aware of the motives of the king. When Herod realized he was duped he didn’t go after the magi, instead sought to destroy what threatened him; the Christ child. Herod enjoyed playing god by imposing his will on ever one and every thing. For Herod, the message of glad tidings was something to be feared.

The Magi had the courage to go a different way; never making the situation about them. Why is it important to have Christ as King in our life? Being Christ centered gives us the wisdom and light to interact with others differently. Having Christ as King also has a way of keeping all the other little kings in check.

The Vigil Mass

2009-12-24T16:04:00.000-08:00

Tonight is the first time I am presiding at a Christmas Vigil Mass at St. Dominic's in Proctor, Vermont. It comes to me after four weeks praying and fasting through Advent, that in my journey, it has taken me forty-three years to appropriate the mystery of Christ's birth. Maybe what has hindered me all these years is the notion that a vulnerable, fragile, human has come to save the world. How counterintuitive it is since, from an early age, we are presented with the reality of human failure. Even the psalmist reminds us, Do not put your trust in princes, in mortals, in whom there is no help (Psalm 146:3). Yet, here lies my help, our hope, and the hope of the world. It is a paradox; a helpless, dependent child is here to deliver us. A child, relying on its poverty stricken parents, and the kindness of strangers, makes His entry into the margins of our society. I like to think of the manger scene as God keeping his foot in the door of humanity - we will never be able to shut God out completely. However, the reality of Christ being born onto us will only be made evident in our fragile, human relationships with each other.

The Gospel of Matthew 1:18

This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found with child through the Holy Spirit. Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly. Such was his intention when, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means “God is with us.” When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home. He had no relations with her until she bore a son, and he named him Jesus.

Nowhere is it recorded in any of the gospels of Mary's defense of her pregnancy. The gospels would not be interested in such conversation. They are not biographies, but theological statements of faith. This is not to say she did not try to enlighten Joseph. However, being familiar with the futile attempts of speaking to someone who has already made up their mind, I imagine Mary remained silent, trusting God would do His part. It is the most uncomfortable, vulnerable position to be in; knowing you've done your part, saying "yes" to God's will - now relying on God to do his part! This kind of patience requires grace, because by ourselves we are deficient in this regard.

The angel appeared to Mary, but spoke to Joseph in a dream. How God decides to communicate is different in each situation. There are no norms, rules or instructions when, where or how God chooses to interact with us. In each case, rarely is the sacred and the profane in unison with each other; Mary was not in a synagogue or temple during her visitation. Joseph was in bed, not in a pew when he was given instructions. This is a challenge for us who restrict God to the sacred places that are familiar to us. Yet, God spoke to Moses through a burning bush, not by a tabernacle.

Maybe our response to such a gift from God in giving us his only Son, is to remain open and aware of the many ways God chooses to communicate with us. Tonight, as we behold the sleeping Christ child, we too can rest, knowing God has done his part, and as we drift off to sleep, we can do ours by recalling what marvels God has done for us. And in the morning, when we awake to gifts of so much love, we can awake to an even greater reality, the gift of God and his salvation.

St. Augustine once wrote, Awake, humankind! For our sake God has become man. Awake, you who sleep, rise up from the dead, and Christ will enlighten you. I tell you again: for your sake, God became man.

We would have suffered eternal death, had he not been born in time. Never would we have been freed from our sinful flesh, had he not taken on himself the likeness of sinful flesh. We would have suffered everlasting unhappiness, had it not been for his mercy. We would never have returned to life, had he not shared our death. We would have been lost if he had not hastened to our aid. We would have perished, had he not come.

He has come, let us rejocie and be glad! Merry Christmas!

2009-12-15T09:02:00.000-08:00

"Do you consider yourself to be in a state of grace?" They asked her.

If I am not may God put me there; if I am, may He keep me in it!"

-Jeanne d'Arc

Jeanne d'Arc is one of my favorite saints even though I am a Franciscan; Francis will always be the model. However, there is something about Jeanne d'Arc which fascinates and inspires me. I find her especially inspiring because much of the work I am doing on the college campus feels like I am doing battle against spiritual forces which are in opposition to the mission, and I look to Jeanne for inspiration. Jeanne represents the faith in a way that is passionate and unapologetic - something which is missing in today's politically correct world! Although she was not literate, her courage and conviction went beyond what we can intellectually understand. However, those with a simple faith get it. Her courage was the quality which admits no disbelief and recognizes no obstacle. Her own absolute faith was the secret of her strength.

In her dictated letter to the Hussites, who were a military faction in Czechoslovakia, Jeanne denounces their theology as a "mad and obscene superstition", and threatens to add her own leadership to the ongoing crusading efforts against them unless they, quote, "return to the Catholic faith and the original Light". I like her notion of the Catholic faith being the original light, and I have never heard that expression used until I read it. I am particular saddened by two things which lead to her demise, 1) the King of France, Charles VII, didn't seem to eager to help Jeanne, (particularly sad when Jeanne single handedly got Charles to the throne), and 2) a Catholic Archbishop Pierre Cauchon condemned her, but centuries later the church made her a saint. (I think Jesus said something about this pattern of behavior when he spoke about the Old Testament prophets being killed).

What is, particularly, amazing is that although she loved her church, and was faithful to it, she had the, uncanny, ability of avoiding making the church an idol. This is evident during her trial, "When Archbishop Cauchon and six others visited her in her prison and asked her for the first time whether she would abide by the decision of the Church, as was her duty, should it be found that she has acted against the faith. She replied that her answers should be read by the clerks, and that she should then be told whether they contained anything opposed to the Christian faith, when she would lay the matter before her conseil, meaning her voices, and then would declare to them what the conseil had said. She did add that she would not persist in any opposition to the Christian faith as ordained by God, but it was evident that she was not giving the answers she ought to have given if she wished to save her life. She was, in fact, proving herself guilty of the major offense of adhering, 'steadfastly to the principle of private judgment which was in conflict with the attitude of simple obedience exacted by the Church." (Saint Joan of Arc, V. Sackville-West, P.304)

Although Jeanne was not in conflict with the church she knew - that the last word lay with God. I think it is fair to say that down through history Catholic and protestants have dug two disastrous pitfalls: Catholic making the church God, and Protestants making the bible God. Jeanne ability to avoid committing both sins was extraordinary (even though at one point she broke only because she feared the fire saying, "I would rather have my head cut off a hundred time then be burned").

Movies About Jeanne d'Arc

There have been movies about Jeanne's life that I would like to comment on:

The Messenger,which was made in 1999. This movie was visually stunning, and good at depicting war in the medieval age. However, the movie portrayed Jeanne as a lunatic who was driven by resentment. Its treatment of Jeanne's relationship to the Eucharist is nothing short of blasphemous. In her visions, she dances with a character who represents Christ, but who looks more like a hippie on drugs. Although Milla Jovovich makes for a passionate Jeanne, her character diverts from the historical Jeanne on a number of levels. One in particular is when she encounters Dustin Hoffman who is dressed like a character out of Star Wars. (I guess he is supposed to be her conscience) This movie makes the same misstep as the Last Temptation of Christ, which, at least, gives us the disclaimer it was not going to be true to the gospels. Milla Jovovick stated that if she would met Jeanne d'Arc today she would, "give her a hug for everything she went through." Hate to tell you Milla, but the real Jeanne may not respond in kind to the way you portray her character, and in essence - betrayed her! The French people should be outraged!

This mini-series tried to stay true to the historical events, and did for the first five minutes, but like a train wreck it derailed, and was a big disappointment. In it, Joan gives the impression that she allowed herself to be captured - Please! The real Jeanne jumped off a castle sixty or seventy feet high in order to get away from the Burgundians - am I suppose to believe she was willing to be captured? The influence of the English playwright, Bernard Shaw, is greatly felt through out this film. Leelee Sobieshi was horrible, and she looked as if she not only didn't want to play the part, but didn't seem to know how to act. This weak, lack-luster performance would not inspire the Knights of Columbus never mind the French army. However, just because I did not like it, does not mean others would not. Maybe I am too hard on this mini-series, but I find it hard to believe anyone with a little knowledge of the real Jeanne d'Arc would enjoy this film.

The passion of Joan of Arc made in 1928. Renée Falconetti gives one of the greatest performances ever recorded on film, as the young maiden who died for God and France. Long thought to have been lost to fire, the original version was miraculously found in perfect condition in 1981—in a Norwegian mental institution. In my mind this is a milestone of silent cinema in a new special edition featuring composer Richard Einhorn’s Voices of Light, an original opera/oratorio inspired by the film. Thank God someone has the courage to accurately depict historical events - two thumbs up for this movie.

Although a dated movie, this is one of the best productions of the story of Jeanne d'Arc I have ever seen, and if you want a movie which sticks to the historical events than this one is for you. I was amazed how well Charles VII was depicted. I felt like I was looking at the real thing. The battles were not the best, but it was well done for the 1950's. If I could take parts of The Messenger, and use the story line of Joan of Arc, along with the trail of the Passion of Joan of Arc, and combine them into one movie, I think I would have an amazing film.

"I had a daughter born in lawful wedlock who grew up amid the fields and pastures. I had her baptized and confirmed and brought her up in the fear of God. I taught her respect for the traditions of the Church.... Because the people had suffered so much, she had a great compassion for them in her heart and despite her youth she would fast and pray for them with great devotion and fervor. She never thought, spoke or did anything against the faith. Certain enemies had her arraigned in a religious trial. Despite her disclaimers and appeals, both tacit and expressed, and without any help given to her defense, she was put through a perfidious, violent, iniquitous and sinful trial. The judges condemned her falsely, damnably and criminally, and put her to death in a cruel manner by fire. For the damnation of their souls and in notorious, infamous and irreparable loss to me, Isabelle... I demand that her name be restored."
Isabelle Romée, Jehanne's mother, November 7, 1455

Long Live Saint Jeanne D'Arc!!!