From 1983 until 2015 I was a pastor/missionary. I valued greatly when someone told me that he or she was praying for me. Even with those assurances, there were days when it seemed that I was all alone, that the spiritual burden was greater than I could bear. Because of that experience I sense a great responsibility to pray now for those in spiritual leadership over me.
If you feel spiritual attack or pushback in your daily walk with Christ as a disciple, as a father or mother, as a college or high school student, or in the workplace, imagine what your priest/pastor is experiencing in their godly role of leading you and me to Christ.
Every morning I pray the following prayer for my priest. I found the prayer in the United States Grace Force Prayer Book.
O Almighty Eternal God, look upon the face of Thy Christ, and for the love of Him who is the Eternal High Priest, have pity on Thy priests. Remember, O most compassionate God, that they are but weak and frail human beings. Stir up in them the grace of their vocation which is in them by the imposition of the bishop’s hands. Keep them close to Thee, lest the Enemy prevail against them, so that they may never do anything in the slightest degree unworthy of their sublime vocation.
O Jesus, I pray Thee for Thy faithful and fervent priests; for Thy unfaithful and tepid priests; for Thy priests laboring at home or abroad in distant mission fields; for Thy tempted priests; for Thy lonely and desolate priests; for Thy young priests; for Thy aged priests; for Thy sick priests; for Thy dying priests; for the souls of Thy priests in purgatory.
But above all I commend to Thee the priests dearest to me; the priest who baptized me; the priests who absolved me from my sins; the priests at whose Masses I assisted, and who gave me Thy Body and Blood in Holy Communion; the priests who taught and instructed me, or helped and encouraged me; all the priests to whom I am indebted in any other way, particularly [Name(s)]. O Jesus, keep them all close to Thy Heart, and bless them abundantly in time and in eternity. Amen.
Imprimatur +Robert C. Morlino, Bishop of Madison, 6 September 2018
I’m enjoying the frozen fog in the trees of Madison, WI as I sit with God in Lectio Divina.
As I wrote recently, I was successful in completing one of my three goals for 2020—reading the Bible daily, thus reading through all 73 books of the Bible in one year!
This year I sensed a need to spend more time in smaller chunks of the Bible. I wanted to get back to practicing Lectio Divina and decided to use the Gospel reading for each day (lectionary) to move my way through the four Gospels.
Yesterday I saw a meme that said: “I’d like to cancel my subscription to 2021. I’ve experienced the free 7-day trial and I’m not interested.” We have gotten off to a rough start! But I am finding that my time with God in Scripture, unhurriedly reflecting and praying, is making a difference in how I see God, myself, and the world in 2021.
So far in eight days I have experienced the following:
Friday, January 1 — Solemnity of Holy Mary, Mother of God — Luke 2:16–21 And they [the shepherds] went with haste, and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it they made known the saying which had been told them concerning this child; and all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them.
What the shepherds heard and saw, they made known concerning the Christ child. Hearing and seeing the Good News should lead us to declare as we share with others.
Father, you have revealed so much to me and made me privy to your great work of salvation. May I not keep it to myself, but share with others in such a way that they will be able to share with others.
John (the Baptist) certainly had a specific role and ministry as the forerunner to Jesus, of preparing the way for the Lord. Yet every disciple of Jesus shares in the ministry of being a “voice of one crying in the wilderness” in which we found ourselves. Not only are we to conform our lives to the Lord, “make straight the way of the Lord,” we are to call others to that life-altering encounter as well.
Sunday, January 3 — The Epiphany of the Lord — Matthew 2:1–12 When they [the Wise Men] saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy; and going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him.
In Matthew 2:2 we find the Wise Men arriving in Jerusalem and asking, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the East, and have come to worship him.”
After meeting with Herod and explaining the purpose of their pilgrimage, Herod feigns devotion in order to discover more about this potential rival and says, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.”
Worship is the focus of this entire narrative. When the Wise Men reach the house where the Child lived, guided by the star, they entered and fell down and worshiped him. They fell down. This was no nod of the head, or stiff bow or even a genuflect of the knee; they fell down upon both knees and they worshiped. What can we learn from the Wise Men as we approach this same Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament? O, come let us adore him!
Monday, January 4 — Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton — Matthew 4:12–17, 23–25 From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” … And he went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every infirmity among the people.
The coming of the kingdom of heaven elicits a response from us. We are called to repent. To repent is to recognize our current condition and turn away from it and in so doing turn to God; it is to go in the opposite direction—do a 180 degree change. We cannot remain in our life and practice of sin and enter the kingdom of heaven.
Tuesday, January 5 — Saint John Neumann — Mark 6:34–44 And when it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, “This is a lonely place, and the hour is now late; send them away, to go into the country and villages round about and buy themselves something to eat.” But he answered them, “You give them something to eat.”
There are obvious connections between the story of the feeding the 5,000 and the Eucharistic meal that Jesus offers us at every Mass. It was in this context in John’s Gospel that Jesus referred to himself as the Bread of Life. The disciples want Jesus to send the crowds away so that they can find their own sustenance. But Jesus turns the tables and tells them, “You give them something to eat.”
This continues to be the dilemma for God’s people. Too often the successors of the apostles are sending people away to fend for themselves and all the while they have access to the blessed Bread of Life and could provide life and nourishment to the flock.
Father, I pray a great awakening on men who are often more concerned about the social issue du jour than for the eternal destiny of those placed under their charge. I pray for a mighty move among these men and if they are not willing to give us something to eat, may another take their place.
Wednesday, January 6 — Saint André Bessette — Mark 6:45–52 (Actual day of Epiphany) Jesus has fed the multitude. He puts his disciples in a boat. He dismisses the crowd. He goes up into a mountain to pray. It’s around 3:00 a.m. and the disciples are still on the lake frantically rowing against the wind. Jesus sees them in distress. He goes out to them walking on the water. But we are told, “he meant to pass by them.”
In the early days of my life and labor in this new location I am entering new areas and even some potential challenges. The religious and political landscape is tempestuous and the gale force winds are downright fearsome. I seek to row as the water washes over the boat. I look at Jesus as the disciples did and say, “You are not asleep in the boat. You’re not in the boat!” Then I look up and see a figure, a person seemingly with intention to walk right past me. Walk right past me? How is this happening? Who can walk on water?
Lord, if it’s you, why do you intend to pass me by? Like the disciples, I cry out to you. You come my way and get into my boat. The winds calm down. I don’t fully understand you or your intention. My heart is hard! Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner!
Thursday, January 7 — Saint Raymond of Peñafort — Luke 4:14–22 And he taught in their synagogue, being glorified by all. … And all spoke well of him, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth; and they said, “Is not this Joseph’s son?”
So the crowds in the synagogues were amazed and spoke well of Jesus as he taught them, even when he returned home to Nazareth. However, in Nazareth they still considered him as Joseph’s son and for them that limited the impact of his words.
Our perception of Jesus, if it is not grounded in divine revelation, will erect barriers and we will attempt to discount his teaching and his authority in our lives.
This comes from the story of Jesus cleansing a leper. The leper was in a sad state of affairs, and when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and begged him, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.”
This is the second incident of bowing before Jesus in the Scripture readings this week. The first was on Sunday when the Magi saw the child Jesus and they fell down and worshiped him (Matthew 2).
Jesus healed the leper and he went away whole, 100 percent cleansed of his leprosy. This healing miracle began with an act of worship and a statement of faith: “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” What does God want to accomplish in my life through worship that is grounded in faith?
This is the next-to-last day of 2020. This morning as I was writing in my journal, something I try to do most days, I decided to see what I had written at this time last year. I found there three goals that I hoped to accomplish during this year that is near its end.
To read through the entire Bible in the Douay Rheims translation. The DRB is a translation of the Bible from the Latin Vulgate into English. The New Testament was published in 1582, and the Old Testament in 1609-1610, before the King James Version in 1611.
To endeavor to walk 10,000 steps each day, using my trusty Fitbit and taking advantage of my treadmill if the weather didn’t permit outside walking.
To lose five pounds a month over the course of the year resulting in the loss of 60 pounds.
How did I do with my goals in a year that was the “gift” that just kept on giving: working from home 12 weeks due to COVID, losing my job and doing free-lance work for five months, and then moving from New Jersey to Wisconsin to take on new role?
Let’s start with #3. The weight loss thing really suffered with being homebound, especially with COVID snacks. So I ended the year right where I began it. Makes sense, but it was a goal frustrated.
Then there’s the walking goal. Now being homebound or having bad weather did nothing to keep me from walking 10,000 steps each day. How did I do? With today and tomorrow to go, I attained 10,000 steps a total of 40 days! Ouch!!! And two of those days were the days I moved out of our apartment in New Jersey and the day we moved into our apartment in Wisconsin. So I had less than an 11% success rate! And I sold my treadmill when I moved! And I lost my Fitbit! Any other excuses?
So how did I do on the first goal of reading through the whole Bible? and for me that means 73 books, not 66! I had a chart that I used to mark off each day that I downloaded from The New Saint Thomas Institute and that helped me keep on track. So here’s the final tally: tomorrow morning, December 31, I will read 2 Maccabees 13—15, Sirach 51, and Revelation 22. I will achieve my goal of reading through the entire Bible in the Douay Rheims translation!
I really enjoyed and benefitted from this exercise. And I am reminded of words of St. Paul to Timothy: For bodily exercise is profitable to little: but godliness is profitable to all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come. (1 Timothy 4:8, DRB)
While I wished I had accomplished all my goals, I am thankful that I made good on the first goal. With it came a growing faithfulness in prayer and consistency in the powerful weapon of praying the Rosary. I know that is what sustained me in all of the exigencies that presented themselves in 2020.
As I read, and later heard the reading of the Old Testament in the Mass this morning, it seemed as if I were listening to a selection from Handel’s Messiah. George Frideric Handel composed the music for Messiah and the text compiled by Charles Jennens comes from the King James Version of the Bible.
So we read in Malachi 3:1-4 is what can be heard in the sixth section: “But who may abide the day of his coming?”
Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts.
But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap:
And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.
Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the Lord, as in the days of old, and as in former years.
I love Handel’s Messiah! It is my goal to listen to the complete work at least once during the Advent/Christmas season. I also love how the music plays in my head when I hear the related Scripture read in the Liturgy. What a powerful presentation of the story of God’s plan of redemption!
My friend Jon Tyson once stated that he believed that certain works of art and music will be enjoyed in heaven throughout eternity. He felt Handel’s Messiah would be on that list. I agree.
“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” (Hosea 4:6 RSV)
If you have spent any time reading the Bible you will find a recurring theme. When individuals or nations misbehave, or let’s just say it—sin—God calls them on it. He sent the prophet Nathan to speak to King David about his sin with Bathsheba. He sent many prophets to call out Israel for her sins. Today’s first reading in the Mass is one of those situations where God uses the prophet Zephaniah to speak to King Josiah about the wickedness of Judah and the nations around her.
The reading in our lectionary takes up the first two verses of Zephaniah 3 and then skips to verse 9 to verse 13.
Woe to her that is rebellious and defiled, the oppressing city! She listens to no voice, she accepts no correction. She does not trust in the Lord, she does not draw near to her God. (Zephaniah 3:1–2 RSV)
The next six verses are omitted in the reading.
Her officials within her are roaring lions; her judges are evening wolves that leave nothing till the morning. Her prophets are wanton, faithless men; her priests profane what is sacred, they do violence to the law. The Lord within her is righteous, he does no wrong; every morning he shows forth his justice, each dawn he does not fail; but the unjust knows no shame.
Then the Lord speaks:
“I have cut off nations; their battlements are in ruins; I have laid waste their streets so that none walks in them; their cities have been made desolate, without a man, without an inhabitant. I said, ‘Surely she will fear me, she will accept correction; she will not lose sight of all that I have enjoined upon her.’ But all the more they were eager to make all their deeds corrupt.”
“Therefore wait for me,” says the Lord, “for the day when I arise as a witness. For my decision is to gather nations, to assemble kingdoms, to pour out upon them my indignation, all the heat of my anger; for in the fire of my jealous wrath all the earth shall be consumed. (Zephaniah 3:3–8 RSV)
The Mass reading picks up again at verse 9:
“Yes, at that time I will change the speech of the peoples to a pure speech, that all of them may call on the name of the Lord and serve him with one accord. From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia my suppliants, the daughter of my dispersed ones, shall bring my offering.
“On that day you shall not be put to shame because of the deeds by which you have rebelled against me; for then I will remove from your midst your proudly exultant ones, and you shall no longer be haughty in my holy mountain. For I will leave in the midst of you a people humble and lowly. They shall seek refuge in the name of the Lord, those who are left in Israel; they shall do no wrong and utter no lies, nor shall there be found in their mouth a deceitful tongue. For they shall pasture and lie down, and none shall make them afraid.” (Zephaniah 3:9–13 RSV)
I wonder why those six verses were omitted? It could be explained easily as needing to shorten the reading. Could be. Or perhaps the committee who selected the readings felt the first two verses sufficiently explained the wickedness of the nations. Could be.
Call me suspicious, even cynical, but I suspect the omitted verses were too intense. They call out four groups of people who were the leading culprits in leading Israel and the nations into wickedness: the officials, the judges, the prophets and the priests.
Her officials within her are roaring lions; her judges are evening wolves that leave nothing till the morning. Her prophets are wanton, faithless men; her priests profane what is sacred, they do violence to the law.
When was the last time you heard a messenger from God boldly call out government officials, judges, prophets and religious leaders? If he or she did, public opinion, the media, and the powers that be would squash them, they would ridicule them as not being sensitive, not being politically correct, not being tolerant. And so those things that grieve God and pull us farther from him continue unchecked, unabated.
What Zephaniah tells us in the full context of his prophecy is that God is not like these human leaders. God is righteous. God does no wrong. Every morning God shows forth his justice, but is anyone paying attention? Each dawn God does not fail, but are we appreciative and responsive? Sadly, we often follow the example of our leaders in government, culture, entertainment and even in faith, and we are unjust and we know no shame!
God have mercy on us! God have mercy on our leaders in government and especially in the Church! Let’s seek our refuge in the Lord. Let’s do no wrong. Let’s utter no lies. Then we will pasture and lie down with our Good Shepherd and we will not be afraid!
I have mentioned before in this blog that I am reading through the Bible in 2020. On this 10th day of December I began reading in The Apocalypse of St. John the Apostle, more commonly known as the book of Revelation. St. John was one of Jesus’ original 12 disciples, one of his inner circle of three along with his brother St. James and their fishing companion St. Peter. John is the author of the fourth Gospel that bears his name and he also wrote three letters: 1, 2 and 3 John. John refers to himself in his Gospel, not by name but as the disciple “whom Jesus loved.” According to tradition, his mother Salome was a sister to the Blessed Virgin Mary, making John the first cousin of our Lord. He, of course, is the disciple to whom Jesus entrusted his mother in the final hours of his life on the cross.
So with that in mind, I invite you to join me in reading John’s encounter with the risen, glorified Christ on the Lord’s day in the first chapter of Revelation (1:9–18, RSV).
I John, your brother, who share with you in Jesus the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance, was on the island called Patmos on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet saying, “Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven churches, to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Per′gamum and to Thyati′ra and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to La-odice′a.”
Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden girdle round his breast; his head and his hair were white as white wool, white as snow; his eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined as in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of many waters; in his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth issued a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength.
When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand upon me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one; I died, and behold I am alive for evermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.”
So John, the beloved disciple, who walked and lived with Jesus for three years, who leaned on his breast at the Last Supper, encounters Jesus in all his glory and how does he respond? He doesn’t say, “Jesus, what’s up?” nor does he call him “buddy” or even “Rabbi.” He writes, “when I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead.”
Seven years ago my mother-in-law passed away. The day after her death, my father-in-law engaged three of his children and me in a very significant conversation. At this point my wife’s father was in his 90s and due to physical infirmities found it difficult to communicate clearly. However, that morning he was articulate and to the point. The overall tenor of his expression was sadness due to the lack of unity in the family over religion. He identified how he understood the religious practice of each of us in the room. When he came to my wife and me, he talked about our “buddy-buddy Christianity.” I didn’t need much commentary to understand what he was referring to.
Our practice of faith was casual, low-key, and interactive. That carried over into our expression of faith and how we shared our faith. Jesus was Lord, but he was mainly our best friend. I never would have considered falling at his feet as though dead. Also, I would have been very careful not to ruffle anyone’s feathers by insisting on Jesus’ kingship. No, Jesus loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life. Nothing wrong with that message, but it isn’t the whole story according to John in Revelation 1. The Jesus upon whose breast he leaned, now was so “awesome” that he fell to his feet as dead.
Fast forward to the present and I am a Catholic convert. No longer is Communion merely a symbol of Jesus’ Body and Blood, received at the whim of the pastor’s planning or the church’s schedule, but the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ. In every Mass I go forward and receive the host on my tongue, I am receiving the actual Body and Blood of Christ. While the host still retains the appearance of bread, in reality it is now the Body of Christ. Therefore, being the Body of Christ, special reverence is given to Christ in the Sacrament, and also in the Tabernacle where the host is kept, and also in the church where the Tabernacle resides.
When I come into the church I immediately recognize the very presence of the Risen and Glorified Jesus Christ. He is waiting for me. That will impact my conduct. I will show reverence in my conduct, my speech and my activity. I have entered into sacred space. I have entered into the presence of the eternal King. I have entered his courts with praise. It is fitting for me to bend the knee before him. We call that “genuflection.” Unless physically impossible, a simple neck bow will not do. I have come into the Holy of holies. In the Old Testament a person who entered the “Holy of holies” unworthily was struck dead!
That’s another reason why the Tabernacle that houses the host is situated in the center of the altar. Although many tabernacles were moved off to the side or to another location in the church nearly 50 years ago, we should make every effort to return the Tabernacle to its rightful place. Why is this? Because Jesus is the center of our faith, our life and our hope. Our eyes should be drawn to his holy majesty. He is our focus, our North Star, our guiding light.
When we encounter the living Christ in the Holy Eucharist, we heard the same words he spoke to St. John: “Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one; I died, and behold I am alive for evermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.“ What happened to John as this encounter with Jesus? He was given a mission. Jesus told him, “Now write what you see, what is and what is to take place hereafter.” (Revelation 1:19 RSV).
John wrote the book of Revelation after his encounter with Christ. The revelation is God’s definitive word of how he will work through his Church and counter the assaults of the enemy against all of God’s creation. What a mission John undertook! What mission will we receive when we properly approach and receive our Lord Jesus in Holy Eucharist? I can’t tell you what it will be, but I can tell you it will change your life! When Isaiah had his encounter with the holy, holy, holy God, his first response was “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips,… for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!” (Isaiah 6:5 RSV). He was touched with a hot coal that purified his lips. Subsequently he was called to a mission. He responded: “Here am I! Send me.” (6:8 RSV).
“Lord, I am not worthy,… but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.” “Hear am I! Send me.”
Each morning the Daily Readings in the lectionary are part of my devotional time. These are the readings that are read in the daily Mass. Some mornings a verse will jump out at me. Other mornings I am hard pressed to remember what I read. Today I decided to revisit the readings and soak in them a little longer.
My wife and I have just moved from South Jersey to Wisconsin. I accepted a position with a parish in Madison and have been on the job now three days. I come to the role with energy and excitement, but I can in no way ignore that this is the twelfth month of the year 2020. Allow me to share just a little about my 2020. I’m sure we will have some points in common.
January 2020: My dad died from Parkinson’s at the age of 87. Little did I know that I was given a great gift in being able to attend his funeral. So many others were not afforded that opportunity in their loss due to what was coming.
March 2020: We were introduced to the Coronavirus (COVID-19). So very little was known, except that it was highly contagious. We were asked to quarantine for 15 days to slow the spread. For me, as for many others, that meant working from home. At the same time our religious services/Masses were suspended. We didn’t know it then, but that would go on for at least three months. For some it continues.
May 2020: We watched with horror the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Protests over his death took place in many places. Unfortunately, some of these protests were co-opted and became riots with looting destroying businesses and even homes. There was a general sense of anger, frustration and hopelessness that pervaded our lives.
June 2020: After working from home 12 weeks, I was notified that due to restructuring, my job was being eliminated. Suddenly I had no job. I joined a vast number of other people who also lost their livelihood. We were able to return to Mass with many safeguards in place.
July/August 2020: I sent out resume after resume, but nothing seemed to attract anyone’s attention.
September 2020: I interviewed for my current position and planned a trip to America’s Dairyland.
October 2020: I traveled to Wisconsin to see first-hand the job opportunity. The grip that COVID had on the nation was evident in the precautions taken in the airports, airplanes and in all public settings. While in Madison, I accepted the new position.
November 2020: Packing, celebrating Thanksgiving, praying for friends and family members who contracted the virus, and a presidential election that truly divided the nation occupied the month.
That brings me to December and I’m on the job as Director of Evangelization and Community Outreach for Good Shepherd Parish. My responsibility is to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with those who have not heard and with those who really aren’t sure there is good news. And hopefully encourage all of us who need some good news!
For a people who are weary, worn down and worried as 2020 comes to an end, especially in this season of Advent, this morning’s readings are a source of “glad tidings of comfort and joy!”
Isaiah 40:28–31 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary, his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint. (RSV)
If that wasn’t enough, Jesus, the eternal Son of God, comes among us and reinforces this incredible news we first hear from the prophet Isaiah!
Matthew 11:28–30 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. (RSV)
I have a feeling that Jesus understands when life presses on our last nerve. I cannot but accept his invitation to come.
This past Sunday on our way to meet my sister and husband for dinner in Pennsylvania, Charlotte and I worshiped at St. Mary’s Church in Conshohocken. I carried with me The New Roman Missal by Father Lasance. After receiving the Eucharist I returned to the pew and knelt and began to pray. I found a prayer in the missal from The Voice of the Sacred Heart.
O Lord Jesus, do Thou henceforth alone live within me. May the tongue whereon Thou hast rested never move to utter words other than such as would proceed from Thy meek and humble Heart. May the thoughts of my heart be in unison with Thine. May that mind which is in Thee be likewise in me. May I be consumed with the same desires; may I be one heart, one soul with Thee, O Jesus, Whom I bear within me. And let this union of my heart with Thine shed its influence over my whole life and conduct at all times and in all events, that so I may be able to draw other hearts to love Thee, and to devote themselves to Thy interests. This is the desire, O my Jesus, with which Thou dost inspire me—that Thy sweet name may be hallowed, that Thy kingdom may come, and extend, and triumph over all hearts and nations, and that Thy will, which is ever one with Thy Father’s, may be perfectly accomplished. Amen, Amen.
Today is Thursday, and I cannot get away from this prayer. Each day as I have received our Lord in Holy Communion since Sunday, I am reminded how desperately I need him and how easily I can stray away from his meek and humble heart.
En aquel tiempo, Jesús dijo a sus apóstoles: “Yo los envío como ovejas entre lobos. Sean, pues, precavidos como las serpientes y sencillos como las palomas. Cuídense de la gente, porque los llevarán a los tribunales, los azotarán en las sinagogas, los llevarán ante gobernadores y reyes por mi causa; así darán testimonio de mí ante ellos y ante los paganos. Pero, cuando los enjuicien, no se preocupen por lo que van a decir o por la forma de decirlo, porque en ese momento se les inspirará lo que han de decir. Pues no serán ustedes los que hablen, sino el Espíritu de su Padre el que hablará por ustedes. El hermano entregará a su hermano a la muerte, y el padre a su hijo; los hijos se levantarán contra sus padres y los matarán; todos los odiarán a ustedes por mi causa, pero el que persevere hasta el fin, se salvará. Cuando los persigan en una ciudad, huyan a otra. Yo les aseguro que no alcanzarán a recorrer todas las ciudades de Israel, antes de que venga el Hijo del hombre.” (Mateo 10:16–23)
La lectura del Evangelio del leccionario de hoy es inquietante. De verdad, muchas de las palabras de Jesús lo son. El contexto de estas palabras, obviamente, es una conversación entre Jesús y sus discípulos, que posteriormente se convierten en sus apóstoles. De las Escrituras y la tradición sabemos que ellos soportaron todas estas cosas frecuentemente mientras salían a predicar el evangelio. Todos sufrieron el martirio con la excepción de san Juan el Amado, y su vida no era nada fácil.
A lo largo de los 20 siglos de historia cristiana, hombres y mujeres han escuchado estas palabras y se han preguntado si se aplicaría a ellos. Para millones de ellos ha sido el caso. Hoy hay personas sin cuenta en todo el mundo que conocen la realidad de este pasaje profético de la Biblia pronunciado por nuestro Señor.
¿Y qué de nosotros? Cada vez que he leído este pasaje me imagino un peligro distante y distópico que nunca me afecta la vida, ni la de mi familia. ¿Pero si tú y yo no tenemos esta ventaja? ¿Qué pasa si estamos incluidos en el número de los que claman en Apocalipsis 6:9–11?
Cuando el Cordero rompió el quinto sello, vi debajo del altar, con vida, a los degallados por anunciar la palabra de Dios y por haber dado el testimonio debido. Y gritaban con fuerte voz, diciendo: —Señor, que eres santo y siempre dices la verdad, ¿cuándo nos harás justicia y vengarás la muerte sangrienta que nos dieron los habitantes de la tierra? Se les entregó entonces un vestido blanco a cada uno y se les dijo que esperan todavía un poco hasta que se completara el número de sus compañeros y de sus hermanos, que como ellos iban a ser martirizados. (Biblia de América)
No sabemos lo que el día de hoy ni el mañana nos trae. Debemos oír la palabra del Evangelio de hoy y no buscar la forma de excluirnos de ella o presentar razones por qué todo esto no nos sucede (como ha sido mi costumbre). Solo Dios conoce nuestro futuro y con eso Jesús nos da una palabra de alivio y un desafío.
We don’t know what today and tomorrow holds for us. We should hear the word of the Gospel today and not immediately exclude ourselves or come up with all the reasons why it won’t happen to us (as has been my custom). Only God knows our future, yet Jesus does give us comfort and a challenge.
La palabra de alivio: “No se preocupen por lo que van a decir o por la forma de decirlo, porque en ese momento se les inspirará lo que han de decir. Pues no serán ustedes los que hablen, sino el Espíritu de su Padre el que hablará por ustedes”.
La palabra de desafío: “Todos los odiarán a ustedes por mi causa, pero el que persevere hasta el fin, se salvará”.
Una oración por la preservación de la fe. (San Clemente Hofbauer, 1751-1820)
Oh Jesús, redentor, autor y consumador de nuestra Fe, te suplicamos desde lo profundo de nuestro corazón afligido, no se extinga la preciosa luz de nuestra Fe. Nos aflijan los disgustos, nos afecten los infortunios, pero que no nos falte la Fe.
Oh Jesús, autor y consumador de nuestra Fe, concédenos la paz y la unidad. Confórtanos y consérvanos en tus santos servicios, para que por ti y en ti vivamos siempre. Amén.
Some time ago two coworkers were talking a few cubicles away from me and one said “If you believed in asking the saints to pray for you, which I don’t, maybe you should ask John Knox (Scottish Presbyterian reformer) to pray, because he’s probably not too busy.” The insinuation is that Catholics are keeping their saints busy. If only it were so!
The conversation continued with chuckles and with an assurance that there is a hole in the Catholic theology of the “Communion of the Saints.” I listened and immediately wondered what I would do the next time one of my coworkers asked me to pray for them. Am I any more qualified to lift their concern in intercession to God? Just because I am on earth, how is my prayer more effective than the prayer of one who is in the very presence of God?
I know that the idea of asking the saints to pray with us and for us is foreign, even abominable to many who identify as Protestants or Evangelicals. The ironic thing is that the joke was being made by someone who should know better, but that is not the point of this article.
The point is that the Church is one, whether in heaven or on earth. The writer of Hebrews tells us in chapter 12, after giving us a run down of the faith of many Old Testament saints, that “we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses.” Mary Healy in her commentary on the book of Hebrews writes: “As we run this race, we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses, as if filling the stands of a huge sports arena. They are the saints of the old covenant (now joined by those of the new covenant), who are rooting for us and passionately interested in the outcome of our lives.”
These are more than pictures or statues or memories in a dusty history book; they are real, living (more living than ever) saints who have won the victory and are in the very presence of God and of the Lamb in heaven. We are united not only in prayer, but also every time we celebrate the Mass which draws heaven and earth together through the person of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lamb that was slain before the foundation of the world for their sin and ours.
The book of Revelation gives us another clue to this amazing ministry the saints have in heaven. In chapter 5, verse 8, John writes: “And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and with golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.”
Now of course the unfounded argument or accusation is that Catholics pray to the saints, somehow elevating them to a divine status reserved only to Jesus. This, of course, is not true. What is true is seeing the saints as any other member of the Body of Christ whose main role is to continue to be part of that Body and care for one another. So when you ask me to pray for you, you are not divinizing me, but asking me to fulfill my God-given role of ministering to you as part of the Body of Christ. When I ask St. Francis de Sales to pray for me, I am not divinizing him, but asking him to intercede on my behalf.
One of the great gifts that my Catholic faith has given me is recognizing that death does not separate us. We are in the Church Militant; the saints are in the Church Triumphant; but it is one Church and Jesus Christ is our Head. Another benefit of the gift is knowing I have earthly and heavenly intercessors pulling for me, rooting for me and passionately interested in the outcome of my life.
Caritas in Veritate 