The Young SEE the Cross - We Pray that they ENCOUNTER the Resurrection

See – Encounter – Pray

Each year on Good Friday night, the Pope presides over a celebration of the Stations of the Cross at the ancient Roman Coliseum, a symbol of the history of Christian martyrdom.  This year, in anticipation of the Synod on Youth, Pope Francis invited fifteen young people between the ages of 16 and 27 to write the meditations. They did so using a precise methodology. Gathered around a table, they read the accounts of the passion of Christ from the four Gospels. In other words, they stood before each scene along the Way of the Cross and “saw” it. Then, after a certain time had passed, each young person spoke about a detail of each scene that had struck him or her the most. Three key words, three verbs, mark the development of these texts: first, as already stated, is seeing, then encountering, and last, praying. (See meditations here)

In giving young people, this challenge the Pope was asking that this two millennia old story be seen with the eager newness of youth.   When grow old when we no longer want to see anything new, we fear what is new, close doors and lack trust and openness.

To encounter means to change, to be prepared to set out once more on our journey with new eyes. 

To see and to encounter leads, finally, to prayer. 

If you would indulge me for a moment I would like to share with you, the meditation and prayer of the 11^th Station – Jesus is nailed to the cross.

I see you, Jesus, stripped of everything. They wanted to punish you, an innocent person, by nailing you to the wood of the cross. What would I have done in your place? Would I have had the courage to acknowledge your truth, my truth? You had the strength to bear the weight of the cross, to meet with disbelief, to be condemned for your provocative words. Today we can barely swallow a critical comment, as if every word was meant to hurt us.

You did not stop even before death. You believed deeply in your mission and you put your trust in your Father. Today, in the world of Internet, we are so conditioned by everything that circulates on the web; there are times when I doubt even my own words. But your words are different; they are powerful in your weakness. You have forgiven us, you held no grudge, you taught us to offer the other cheek and you kept going, even to the total sacrifice of yourself.

I look all around and I see eyes glued to telephone screens, people trolling the social networks in order to nail others for their every mistake, with no possibility of forgiveness. People ruled by anger, screaming their hatred of one another for the most futile reasons.

I look at your wounds and I realize, now, that I would not have had your strength. But I am seated here at your feet, and I strip myself of all hesitation. I get up in order to be closer to you, even if by a fraction of an inch.

To see – to encounter – to pray

This has been our task this Holy Week, on this Easter Day and throughout our Christian lives which begins in baptism.  A baptism which 4 young people will receive tonight.  To see, to encounter and to pray is what the Holy Spirit whom we received at confirmation who empowers us to allow our seeing and encountering give rise to mercy, even in a world that seems pitiless and abandoned to senseless anger, meanness and the desire not to be bothered.

Today with these women of Mark’s Gospel, we see the tomb of Jesus, not as expected.  We watched the women make their journey to the place where Jesus’ body had been laid, carrying spices, oils and everything that was necessary to properly clean, anoint and bury the dead.  Shockingly we see the tomb as they do, the stone has been rolled away.  Has someone broken into the tomb or stolen the body?

What we see gives way to an encounter – not at this point with the risen Lord, but a YOUNG MAN – who is sitting on the right side, clothed in a white robe. He said to them, "Do not be amazed!
You seek Jesus of Nazareth, the crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Behold the place where they laid him.”

What we and the women see is now different, no one has broken into the tomb – SOMEONE HAS BROKEN OUT!  This encounter at the empty tomb begins a change, a movement in a new direction, that will be empowered all the more when these women, and the disciples, encounter more than an empty tomb but the resurrected Christ.

Tonight, having witnessed salvation history in the scriptures proclaimed, having watched the story of Christ passion unfold over these days, we encounter the Risen Christ, in the Gospel proclaimed, in the conferral of the Sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation and in the reception of the Risen Christ in the Holy Eucharist. 

Having seen, having encountered, on this Easter night we are therefore called to pray that we who have seen the suffering and have encountered Christ might receive the wisdom, courage and the grace we need to share in the salvific mission to which the Lord calls us.

On Ash Wednesday, the day the Lenten season began, 19 students and teachers were killed by a shooter at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland Florida.  Since that time some of the young survivors have become very familiar to us.  They have appeared all over the media and have led massive rallies advocating change and have even inspired law makers to consider legislation that they hope would prevent such violence.  Many have been inspired by these young people and others have taken offense at some of the words, actions and policy proposals that these young people have advocated.  

This tragedy and these subsequent experiences with the young survivors have impacted the Lenten season for me.  We are foolish, if we reject seeing what they see.  No matter what we may feel about their words or actions, we can’t but help but be awakened to the injustices they see and to which we have become complacent.  Young people see the sufferings of Christ in a way we sometimes miss.  They more readily see poverty, racism, social inequity and a disregard for human life.  Yet often they don’t see the resurrected Christ.  Their anger and pain overwhelms them and they can be brought down in despair or overcome by the same forces they oppose.

So, we are called to see what they see and help them, help this generation to encounter the resurrected Christ, who conquers all these things.  As church and families, we witness to Jesus Christ risen from the dead, overcoming all evil.  As church we live the words of St. Peter in the Acts of the Apostles

We are witnesses of all that he did…
They put him to death by hanging him on a tree.
This man God raised on the third day

and granted that he be visible,
not to all the people, but to us…
He commissioned us to preach to the people
and testify that he is the one appointed by God
as judge of the living and the dead.

In their empathy, our young can be lied to, and brought down the devil’s path of immorality, abusive relationships, destructive decisions and a rejection of the faith.  They need us to respond to their vision, to help them see that Christ sees what they see by living lives of faithful witness.  Because we have encountered the risen Christ we must reject hypocrisy, dualism, bigotry and any lack of compassion.  We must be merciful as the one who willingly died on the cross is merciful. 

The greatest experiences I have had in my priesthood are the moments when I have witnessed the empathetic vision of the young encountering resurrection faith.  The annual March for Life in Washington, Catholic Scouting, Youth Ministry, Service Retreats and our seminarians are what happens when the young encounter the resurrected Christ.

How blessed we are to have these four, young people with us  tonight.  They have a vision to share with us, they offer us a perspective that we must see.  And we offer to them - Christ crucified and raised – so that what they see does not end in despair but is transformed in hope.

Throughout Lent and this Holy Week, we have seen sin and death.  On this Easter Day we encounter Christ raised and we go forth in prayer and joyful hope.


With the vision of the young who have encountered the Risen Christ, let us pray the prayer which followed the meditation of the 11^th Station last night in Rome

I ask you, Lord, that in the face of good
I may be ready to recognize it,
that in the face of injustice I may find the courage
to take my life in my hands

and to act differently.
Grant that I may be set free from all the fears
that, like nails, immobilize me and keep me far
from the life you have desired and prepared for us.

HAPPY EASTER

CHRISTIAN LIFE...a TEAM sport

Some time today before tonight's 6:30 kickoff two coaches will address their teams one last time before they take the field for Superbowl 51.  Their messages will most likely not be addressed to individuals but the team as a whole.  They will direct their teams' attention to the gifts and talents that they already posses and challenge them to know that those gifts exist for the purpose of bringing their team to victory. Some time later at halftime those teams will be back in their locker rooms and winning or losing at that point their coaches will speak again.  The coaches will point out the successes and the failures of the first and instill in them a hope that using those gifts and talents they will succeed.  And win or lose both of those teams will return to the locker rooms at the end of the game and the coaches will speak once more and even the non victorious team will hear their coach speak perhaps of some individual achievements but will once again acknowledge the universal gifts and talents that brought the team to success that season.  The victories and the losses of life are reflective of the team not one individual.

Today's Gospel continues Jesus' Sermon on the Mount; his address to the team that are his disciples.  He speaks to their gifts, calling them salt and light, and teaches them that these gifts are to be used for a victory that serves others and gives glory to our heavenly Father.  He isn't telling them to conjure up these gifts or intensify them - as a team they are already salt and light, they simply must dedicate themselves to using them.

Salt and light elements that do not exist for themselves, they are made for the other. Salt preserves and brings out flavor.  Light highlights beauty helping us to appreciate it more and it also illuminates what is evil, dark and dangerous.  In commissioning his "team" Jesus is identifying them as gifts that are made for others.  To be salt, bringing forth the flavor, the presence of God and preserving the goodness of his kingdom.  To be the light that helps all to acknowledge the beauty of God's presence and to illuminate the darkness of sin and evil.

So in the midst of the game, how is this team, this church, these disciples doing? Looking over the course of some 2000 years of history, we can see the effects of the salt and light of the church.  In the care for the poor and infirm, the team has responded.  In the education of young and old, we have seen victory.  In laying down lives in sacrifice for those who are treated with injustice, persecution and violence we have known triumph. 

But as a team of disciples we must also be attentive to our

failures.  How did genocide and holocaust take hold in Christian Europe and anciently Christian Russia?  Why did slavery and racism take root in a land founded by Christian pilgrims?  Why does gun violence prevail in the streets of cities with churches on every block?  Why in a country that was born under the Christian premise that all are created equal do we see abortion, euthanasia, the death penalty, bigotry and bias being celebrated as a right?  Quite simply these are examples of the team, Christian disciples not being salt and light.

Today we mark the World Day of Prayer for Consecrated Life. We celebrate and give thanks for the professed religious men and women who through their communities have been at the forefront of manifesting the gifts of salt and light and even more so modeled for us the unity of team.  We may mention a particular sister or brother who taught us, but we speak of being educated by the Dominicans, the Jospephites, Sisters of Mercy, Christian Brothers, Franciscans and Marianists. We not only give thanks for what they have done for the mission of Jesus Christ in the church, but pray fervently that consecrated life may continue to grow and flourish.

As we receive the Holy Eucharist, we are reminded of whose

team we are on and through it we are empowered to be salt and light as a team.  We are the team of the universal church. This week we celebrated the installation of our new Bishop, John Barres and from those days one image of team stands out for me.  The seminarians of the diocese were assembled to take a picture with the bishop.  The formed a semi-circle with some standing and some on one knee waiting for the Bishop to slip into his spot.  Before he did that though, the Bishop stood before the group of seminarians and spoke with them for about five minutes.  He looked like a coach speaking to his team.  I expected them to run a play after he was done. As church we can never forget that we are a team united around our bishop who stands before us in the fullness of Christ's priesthood.

Our families are the most basic of our Christian teams, where salt and light are fostered.  Our families are fractured, not necessarily in the sad brokenness that is a reality for many. But by simply having two and sometimes three generations in one household our families can be simply a group of individuals living under the same roof.  We pray for the unity of our families, the first team of Christian life so that they may be salt and life for each other and the world.

Its half time, the struggle is real.  The gifts have brought successes and our failure to use them have hurt us.  Let us hear Jesus speak to us, recognize the gifts with in us and use them to be salt, light and share in the building of his kingdom

Thanksgiving LAFTR

Thanksgiving Homily 2016

Is. 63: 7-9

1 Cor. 1: 3-9

Mark 5: 18-20

“Go home to your family and announce to them all that the Lord in his pity has done for you.”

The Gospel passage just proclaimed tells us that, having been set free from the demons that has possessed him, the man implores he may be allowed to get into the boat and depart with Jesus.  But the Lord tells him to “go home to his family.”  In my mind I imagine him pleading with Jesus again – “Go home to my family?  Where do you think my demons came from?”  I imagine that some gathered here this morning, at Thanksgiving mass may be thinking the same thing as you anticipate the day ahead.

In seriousness though, there are legitimate questions here.  Why was the man’s initial instinct to get in the boat and follow the Lord; rather then return to family and friends?  Earlier in this chapter, St. Mark describes the gravity of this man’s possession:

The man had been dwelling among the tombs, and no one could restrain him any longer, even with a chain. In fact, he had frequently been bound with shackles and chains, but the chains had been pulled apart by him and the shackles smashed, and no one was strong enough to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and on the hillsides he was always crying out and bruising himself with stones.

Because of his possession, this man’s humanity was no longer recognizable. His shame at what he had become may very well have removed any desire he had to face the family he once knew. In addition, wouldn’t it be hard for his family and friends to accept such a change?  Would he still be seen as the possessed one?  Such is the case in our own family dynamics.  Over the course of our lives, we change, for better and for worse.  We might have shame for past indiscretions and old wounds.  Further, while we may recognize growth and conversion in our lives, others may refuse to do so or be unable to see those changes.  Like the formally possessed man, our anxiety over others disbelief or lack of mercy is real and can keep us from sharing who we have become.

So why then does the Lord not let the man remain with him?  Most assuredly Jesus would have been aware of such fears, but this moment of healing happens for this man “and for many.” Who better to be a witness to the good God has done then one with whom we are familiar?  This man’s family and friends knew the depth of his possession, only they could appreciate the magnitude of the healing.  Jesus heals and sends them man back to his family so that he may be an evangelist; a bearer of good news and a cultivator of faith.  The man does as Jesus tells him and – all were amazed.  Or more literally from the Greek translation - they all marveled and wondered.  In simply telling the story of what happened to him, the man provoked within others a desire to know the work of God.

We give thanks today because as St. Paul says, Jesus Christ strengthens and considers us worthy to be his ministers. [1Timothy 1:12] The word that we give to the blessed sacrament we receive today is “Eucharist;” a Greek word meaning, thanksgiving.  By this Holy Eucharist we are strengthened so we can be bearers of the good the Lord has done for us.  Regrettably our instinct is to keep this thanksgiving private.  We recoil from the notion of evangelization and are particularly averse to considering ourselves one to our friends and family.  But Jesus kicks us out of the comfort of this boat and commands us, if we are truly thankful for what we receive in this Eucharist, to go back to our families and tell them all that the Lord has done for us.

So what am I asking us to consider today?  Am I asking you to approach the Thanksgiving table with a bible in one hand and the catechism in the other?  Probably not a good idea.  Your family might think you are as possessed as the man in the Gospel.  Let me show you a subtler way.  The first pastor I served with as a priest, liked to offer acronyms as a way of remembering his homily.  So let me offer you one to guide you today.  Using the first letter of words taken from this morning’s scriptures I offer you the acronym LAFTR, L-A-F-T-R, LAFTR

Love – In first reading the prophet Isaiah tells us, because of love, the Lord redeems.  We are called to tell love stories.  Not just tales of romance, but the ways in which love, or our passion for someone, or something, brought about change in our life.

Amazed – The people were amazed at the man’s story in the Gospel and therefore pondered this divine intervention.  What ability, talent, skill or act of kindness have you observed in someone or even yourself?  Find an opportunity to share your wonder and awe, allowing another to be aware of mystery that comes from the divine presence.

Faithful – In the second reading St. Paul tells us that God is faithful to us.  So often we tell the tales of infidelity.  We repeat gossip or relate how we’ve been wronged. A story of another’s faithfulness can counter that negative inclination and restore hope in the fidelity of God and those he sends into our lives.

Thanks – While this one might seem obvious, remember how St. Paul begins that second reading, “I give thanks to my God always on your account for the grace of God bestowed on you in Christ Jesus.”  We can so quickly point out flaws in the other.  St. Paul give thanks for the gifts of God that he observes in the people.  In so doing he shows us how necessary it is to acknowledge the good we see in the other.  This is particularly important to offer to those who lack esteem and self-worth.

Recall – The passage from Isaiah begins with his commitment to recall the loving deeds and acts of God.  How many of our gatherings of family and friends devolve into the rehashing of old arguments or past mistakes?  Instead recall a shared memory of the good of your lives, the blessings you have encountered and the joy you have shared. Positive recollection transforms that inclination to dwell on the negatives of the past and instead establishes hope in remembering the good the Lord has done for us.

As you go back to your families today, in a moment when the attention turns to you or better yet, if you have the courage to initiate a conversation, interject some LAFTR - love, amazement, faith, thanks, recall - and be the thankful evangelist the Lord has called you to be.

In his proclamation that created the national Thanksgiving holiday in 1863, amidst the Civil War, President Lincoln, asked the Almighty to heal the wounds of the nation & restore peace, harmony, tranquility & union.  It is with the very same desire that we go forth from the Lord’s Table today.  We need to be bearers of Good News at our Thanksgiving tables today.

A CNN poll has found that 53% of Americans dread the idea of talking about the Presidential election over dinner today.  There are also found numerous articles online suggesting topics other than the election to be discussed at family gatherings, so as to avoid strife.  There is a need for healing and not more animosity in our world.  So I pray that as a result of the strength we receive in this Holy Eucharist, this sacred thanksgiving; we may be grateful for the opportunity to go home to our families, enjoy the blessing of a meal shared and through LAFTR announce to all, the good the Lord has done in us.

Happy Thanksgiving.

The Election - a pilgrimage bonus blog post

"Do Good Anyway," the name of this blog comes from a reflection made popular because of St. Teresa of Calcutta's fondness for it. For me the sentiment is important when I find myself discouraged by the world around me. Yesterday- I found myself coming back to it again.

At the end of the day we stopped at the archaeological site of the biblical town of Magdala. In addition to the dig revealing the remnants of a 1st century town stands a brand new church called Duc In Altum whose spirit exalts the presence of women in the Gospel. I found my pilgrimage and the days events coming together as I went downstairs to the church's lower chapel. 

As I reached the bottom of the stairs and before entering what is called the Encounter Chapel, I came across this display of St. Teresa. The image of her was unique, depicting not her charismatic smile but her face covered as she bends in either deep prayer or maybe even under the weight of disparity.

I then turned and walked into the chapel and was struck by the painting of "The Encounter" The Encounter Chapel is first of all an archaeological treasure: the floor is that of the original first century market place of the Magdala port. Secondly, the large painting gives us a snapshot of the encounter of the hemorrhaging woman who tries to touch Jesus for healing (Mark 5: 25-29).

It is an image like none I have ever seen. Focused on the feet of Jesus and those walking with him, one sees the hand of the woman reaching through the feet to "just touch his clothes." so that she might be healed.

I thought to myself, this is who we are as church, being present to those who seek to be healed from the pains and suffering of life.

Too often we make politics our religion and politicians our saviors. When they or the system fails our expectations we lose hope. In Jesus though we do not lose hope but in fact we are saved by our faith. 

The woman represented in this chapel was looking for healing, and found it when she touched the hem of Jesus. What a miraculous and life changing encounter! Today, I stood on the stones of the marketplace where Jesus walked and through these images, had a personal encounter with him. An authentic experience with the historical and spiritual presence of Christ brings consolation and hope, so we can be healed from our sorrow and continue to DO GOOD ANYWAY.

And a woman afflicted with hemorrhages for twelve years. who [had spent her whole livelihood on doctors and] was unable to be cured by anyone, came up behind him and touched the tassel on his cloak. Immediately her bleeding stopped.

Jesus then asked, "Who touched me?" 
While all were denying it, 
Peter said, "Master, the crowds are pushing and pressing in upon you."

But Jesus said, "Someone has touched me; for I know that power has gone out from me."

When the woman realized that she had not escaped notice, she came forward trembling. 
Falling down before him, she explained in the presence of all the people why she had touched him and how she had been healed immediately.

He said to her, "Daughter, your FAITH has saved you; go in PEACE."

After 15 years...a time to be found

These acts of mass murder were intended to frighten our nation into chaos and retreat. But they have failed. Our country is strong...

President George W. Bush, September 11, 2001

The memories of we have of lost loved ones are truly a blessing for us, however, they are never enough. As much as we come to value the blessing of memories, the pride we feel for the heroes of that day and the consolation that has assisted us these fifteen years -- we still long for what we lost. We know that we will never regain what we have lost. The lives as well as physical and mental health remain a loss for us; but what about the many other losses? In these 15 years we have lost security, trust, unity, civility and hope. Fifteen years later, the words of President Bush no longer seem to be true; our nation has been frightened into chaos and retreat. In the days, weeks and months following the terrorist attacks, despite its horrific impact.  I felt a unity like I had never known before. Now, fifteen years later, I feel a division and hostility that I never experienced before. As disturbing as it is to watch television footage of those days and the aftermath, I strangely find a sense of tranquility in the resilience, fortitude and unity they depict.

At Sunday Mass today, the Gospel reading included the parable known as the Prodigal Son.  Jesus offers the parable as means of understanding God the Father's insatiable quest for the lost.  The father of the parable rejoices that his scandalous son has returned as he joyfully proclaims that his son who was "lost" has been "found." The Greek work (in the original text) for the word "lost," apolōlōs, means to utterly destroy. And the Greek word translated as "found," heurethē, is also used to announce the pregnancy of the Blessed Mother; "Mary was found to be with child."  We might say then, that which is utterly destroyed is found alive only through God.

Memories are a blessing not simply because they help us to remember what we had, their blessedness is greatest when we realize what still remains. The resilience, fortitude and unity that I remember has not been lost, because they were signs of the Lord's presence. We remain in the abiding and loving presence of God but we feel lost.  We are like the lost sheep who knows it is lost but does not know how to be found.

On this 15th anniversary I pray for our nation that we may be found and that we may by the grace of God recover the security, trust, unity, civility and hope.  Many of those who have lead our country have caused chaos and a retreat from the communion we once knew.  And unfortunately there are those on the leadership horizon who seem to be setting a course deeper into the darkness.  It is therefore up to people of faith, to let God be God.  We seek to be found so that we can share in the recovery of what was lost. 

College and the Big Kids

This week, like many others her age, my niece and only godchild heads off to college.  It is hard to believe this time has come.  As the saying goes, “they grow up too fast.”  I remember her informing me on her first day of kindergarten that the “big” kids on the bus said “bad words.”  Needless to say I was disturbed by this contamination of her five year-old innocence.  As she begins her college career I have some of the same feelings, although now it seems more appropriate to be concerned with the new outside influences she faces.  Her parents, like most, have raised an exceptional young woman in whom I have a great deal of confidence.  Yet as a protective godfather and a priest, I worry about the  encounter with new “big kids,” in her life.

As a spiritual father to many others who are at this same new beginning in their lives, I thought I would offer an open letter to my niece and all her fellow college students.

Dear College Student:

Congratulations!  With mixed feelings of excitement and anxiety you are about to begin the most important years of your life thus far.  You are in my prayers and I wish that you may be blessed with wisdom, fortitude and happiness.

Like all adults in your life, I have concerns about the  road ahead.  The world you will now encounter may not always support and validate what you have been taught  by your parents, role models and your faith. While it is important for us to be challenged on the path to greater wisdom - it is also important to recognize and respect the wisdom we have already been given.  So I offer you the following counsel .

Respect your freedom - You will now have a new found independence and with it comes responsibility.  You have the freedom to be faithful to your studies or to ignore them in the name of fun.  You have the freedom to experience new things as well as the freedom to make destructive decisions in the process.  You have the freedom to grow and evolve into an adult, but you also have the freedom to remain childish and irresponsible

Respect your body - You have heard that you have been created in the image and likeness of God and that your body is the temple of the Spirit.  These teachings are the truth and not just pithy sayings.  Respecting the body that God has blessed you with is a means of recognizing your own human dignity and a way to show others how you expect to be treated.  Respecting your body means being mindful of what you eat, getting the sleep you need, and being physically fit.  It also means that you must make good decisions with your use of alcohol and drugs (including those prescribed by a doctor.)  Respect for your body includes attentiveness to your sexuality.  Taking advantage of the body of another or allowing another to take advantage of yours for the sake of personal fulfillment is a disrespect of your body and what it is made for.

Respect your faith -  Practicing your faith and growing in it is an important part of your college years.  Now facing the challenges of an adult life you ought not to abandon the practice of faith but perhaps even increase it.  Be faithful to Sunday mass.  Many college campuses meet the needs of a college student by offering mass on Sunday evening.  Spend time with others who not only share your faith tradition but are also facing the same challenges and struggles which you are.  Cultivate a habit of prayer: pray the rosary, read the scriptures and talk to God daily.

Beloved college student, your families, your communities and your church wish you well and will keep you in our prayers.  In the words of Jesus, we hope that you will always strive  to “enter through the narrow gate,” [Lk13:24] and not take the easy way out.  Respect the person God has made you and your parents formed you to be.  GOD BLESS YOU!

WE DESIRE MERCY - NOT MONGERING

The Catholic Church has begun a universal celebration of an Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy. This is more than an a marketing theme or a catchy slogan put forth by the church.  The Jubilee is a year which celebrates the remission of sins and the alleviation of suffering that comes from sin. It is a time of reconciliation and of conversion through sacramental penance. It is a year dedicated to solidarity, hope, justice and serving God in the spirit of joy and peace with everyone. Above all, the Jubilee Year is a year of Christ, the giver of life and of grace to humanity. It is called a “Holy Year” because it is celebrated with sacred rites and its mission is the holiness of human life.  A Jubilee year is referred to as "Ordinary," if it falls after a set period of years (generally 50 or 25 years); and extraordinary if it is declared as a celebration of an event of outstanding importance.  Pope Francis has declared an Extraordinary Jubilee Year dedicated to the theme of mercy, "as a special time for the Church, a time when the witness of believers might grow stronger and more effective." Misericordiae Vultus 3 I very much agree with the Holy Father, we are in a time when mercy is most needed.  The world needs Good News and the act of mercy is authentic preaching of that Good News.

I found it sadly ironic, however, that on the day Pope Francis marked the beginning of this jubilee year by the opening the Holy Doors of St. Peter's Basilica, the most merciless of statements was made by a front running candidate for the presidency of the United States, calling for the barring of all Muslims from entering the United States (immigrants and visitors alike.)  This declaration follows a more recent one, which sought a mandatory registry of all Muslims living in the United States. This candidate calls himself a Christian, but no man or woman of any faith can hold these positions.  

Long before Pope Francis, Pope Saint John Paul II wrote an encyclical on mercy.  One significant point he made was that the human thirst for dominance has left no room for mercy.

The present-day mentality...seems opposed to a God of mercy...The word and the concept of "mercy" seem to cause uneasiness in man, who, thanks to the enormous development of science and technology, never before known in history, has become the master of the earth and has subdued and dominated it. This dominion over the earth, sometimes understood in a one-sided and superficial way, seems to have no room for mercy. Dives in Misericordia 2:3

Saint John Paul goes on to say that this desire for domination, as opposed to mercy, leads to a false sense of justice.

Often programs which start from the idea of justice...in practice suffer from distortions. Although they continue to appeal to the idea of justice...other negative forces have gained the upper hand over justice, such as spite, hatred and even cruelty...The desire to annihilate the enemy, limit his freedom, or even force him into total dependence, becomes the fundamental motive for action; and this contrasts with the essence of justice, which by its nature tends to establish equality and harmony between the parties in conflict. Dives in Misericordia 12:3

Exclusion from society because of one's religious identification can not be accept as a just response to violence and terror.  Such a perspective is not only unjust to the persons to which this is applied, but it also accelerates intolerance, which will ultimately lead to the justification for persecution of any and all faiths.  One only needs to remember the famous poem First They Came by Rev. Martin Niemoller to be awakened to the dangers of a ideological bigotry.  If we can not show mercy, we can not expect that it will be shown to us.

Mercy is relational, not ideological. The deep wounds of our world are the result of merciless acts of those who do not know God.  May this year of mercy bear fruit for those who share our faith and our culture as well as in the lives of those we fear. 

    

ROMEWARD BOUND - A personal reflection on the visit of Pope Francis

Many have asked if I was able to see the Pope during his visit to New York.  I was fortunate to have attended vespers at St. Patrick's Cathedral and the Mass at Madison Square Garden.  The Mass at MSG was particularly special because it was the first time that I concelebrated mass with a Pope.  As a seminarian I attended 4 masses with Saint John Paul II, three of them in Rome and one here in the U.S.  One of the masses with him in Rome was in his private chapel with the opportunity for a personal audience after the mass.  I had the honor of distributing Holy Communion at Yankee Stadium during Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI's visit in 2006.  But the mass with Pope Francis was a unique gift, joining my brother priests in the section behind the altar and sharing in the offering of the sacrifice of Christ with the Vicar of Christ himself was truly one of the most sacred moments of my life as a priest. That being said the most personal moment of the Pope's visit was vespers at St. Patrick's on the evening before.

When I was a new college graduate, I worked for a time in New York City.  During those months, I would go to St. Patrick's Cathedral and pray in front of the Blessed Sacrament in the Lady Chapel.  As I was asking God to me help to understand what I was called to do, I was mindful of the din of the city noise outside.  In that chapel, I found comfort in the peaceful presence of our Lord and clarity in my discernment.

Almost one week ago,  I sat in that same cathedral awaiting the arrival of Pope Francis. With the assembly gathered, I prayed the rosary using beads given to me by Saint John Paul II. Unlike my visits long ago, there was no noise emanating from outside the cathedral. All I could hear was the peaceful prayer of God's people awaiting our Holy Father. When the Pope arrived, he processed through the cathedral and went directly to the Lady Chapel, and then he prayed before the very same altar, my altar, where I first prayed about my vocation.  How incredible this was.

The words Pope Francis spoke that night were powerful and encouraging to me.  The Holy Father took me back to where it began for me. Having now the perspective of 18 years of priesthood, it was an incredible reaffirmation of the discernment that began right there, 25 years ago.

During the homily, Pope Francis said

We can get caught up measuring the value of our apostolic works by the standards of efficiency, good management and outward success which govern the business world. Not that these things are unimportant! We have been entrusted with a great responsibility, and God’s people rightly expect accountability from us. But the true worth of our apostolate is measured by the value it has in God’s eyes. To see and evaluate things from God’s perspective calls for constant conversion.

Those words articulated the reasons I sought the sabbatical experience that begins for me this week.I depart this Sunday afternoon to participate in the Institute for Continuing Theological Education, at the North American College in Rome.  I will spend a little more than the next 7 weeks there.  I am grateful, humbled and a bit anxious about these weeks ahead.  At the institute, I will be engaged in coursework dedicated to preaching and evangelization in the modern era.  In addition, the city of Rome provides both a symbolic and tangible experience of returning to the roots of personal faith as well as the mission of the church. I look to this immersion as a means of strengthening my faith and deepening my encounter with Jesus Christ and His Church. 

I am a person who feels most comfortable at home.  I desire to be close to my family and my ministry.   It is with  some anxiety that I take this time. It is truly hard for me to let go.  But I am eager to follow Pope Francis, back to Rome and along the path of priestly ministry that he is leading us.

I anticipate that I will find opportunities  to share the experience via this blog in the weeks ahead. I ask you to pray for me.