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“Stay safe and sane!” 

     I have started to put this little phrase at the end of just about all of my correspondence and texts these days.  As we enter into the seventh month of this pandemic, I finding that I’m experiencing different stresses than I was at the beginning. For example, I used to be really intrigued by the utility and novelty of a Zoom video conference. Now I see them merely as a necessary evil for conducting essential business. The same goes for social media. I had a little fun with livestreaming at the beginning, but over time I’ve experienced just how painful it is to celebrate Mass in an empty church. I miss you all very dearly.

Thankfully, that is changing next week as we gather inside the church for the first time since March 8th, albeit at 50% capacity, or as much as social distancing will allow. I can’t wait!

Looking back over the past six months, I must admit that I’ve learned a few things from the ‘Rona. Here are just a few of them.

I’ve learned that uncertainty and instability, whether it’s in the regulatory environment, the economy, or even the fact that there might not be basic items at the grocery store, is very frustrating.  I’ve also learned that it’s important to find healthy ways to deal with that frustration so that I don’t take it out on others who don’t deserve it. I’ve learned that prayer and exercise, especially outdoors, help a lot with this.

I’ve learned that it is really difficult to tell a person’s expression while he or she is wearing a face covering. I’ve also learned that there are certain people who know how to smile with their eyes. I’m trying to learn how to do this myself. I’ve also learned that the eyes truly are the windows to the soul. I find myself looking people in the eye more these days.

I’ve learned that the pandemic, especially the isolation part, is particularly hard on those who feel they are nearing the end of life. I’ve also learned what a difference a simple phone call can make to a loved one.  I find myself listening to my elders more.

I’ve learned that the convenience and utility of videoconferencing and livestreaming, etc., as good as it is, simply doesn’t compare to personal, physical interaction with family, friends and fellow parishioners. I’ve also learned that virtual family gatherings pretty much run out of conversation after the first half hour.

Finally, I’ve learned how much people love their Lord and their parish. I’ve also seen how in the midst of adversity and uncertainty, people find amazingly creative ways to support one another in faith.

So, stay safe and sane, People of God. Let’s keep looking out for each other and keeping each other in prayer.               – Fr. Leo

I like to listen to Clark Howard on the radio. He is a wealth of information for those who are looking to simplify their life and minimize the expenses of daily living. He also spends a lot of time talking with people about saving for their retirement and whatnot. While I find those segments interesting, they are not compelling. Oh, don’t get me wrong. I used to be in business. I plan prudently for retirement as well as the next person, maybe better. It’s just that so many see a well planned, comfortable retirement as the ultimate goal. For the Christian, retirement is merely a step the journey. Our ultimate goal is heaven. St. Augustine said it well: “Our hearts are restless, O God, until they rest in you.” 

One thing is abundantly clear in this week’s gospel passage. Namely, the Kingdom of Heaven is not about accumulating things in this life. The one who dies with the most toys, or the most fabric, or whatever…still dies. Rather it is about emptying oneself for others. The ancient Greeks had a great word for this – “kenosis.” 

This complete gift of self found its greatest expression in the sacrifice of Christ on the Cross. Christ emptied himself completely so that we might “have life and have it to the full.” (Jn 10;10)

I think that this idea of self-sacrifice, this kenosis, helps us to make sense of what Jesus means when he says that we must “take up our cross” daily if we would follow him. You don’ have to look far to see it in real life.  Parents sacrifice daily for their children; spouses sacrifice daily for each other; pastors for their people.

It is in a life lived for others where we learn that a full life is not so much about having all the right things, but rather in giving oneself to right relationships with God, self and others. Love of God, who emptied himself for us on the Cross, finds its expression in our love for each other.

In part, this is what St. Paul is referring to when he writes to the Romans:

I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God,
to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice,
holy and pleasing to God, your spiritual worship.

Romans 12:1

To empty oneself as Christ did, to live a kenotic life, can be profound at times. But usually, it is lived under the radar, in mundane tasks and the sacrifices of daily living.

I have an uncle who is a saint.  His cause has not been promoted yet, but I am convinced that someday it will be.

Don Cahill came into our family when married my Aunt Joann in 1947.  Soon after they were married, she developed rheumatoid encephalitis.  She recovered after a year and they had four children, cousins Mike, Pat, Donny and Jan.  They made their home just outside Portland.  In 1974, when Aunt Joann was 48, she returned from a wedding with what seemed like the flu. But instead it was another type of encephalitis, different than the first. This one destroyed her brain, erasing her memory. It changed her personality. Once devout and quiet, she became quite talkative, sometimes sweet and sometimes screeching and hollering. She never did remember her children or her husband.

For the next 34 years Uncle Don made her meals. He ironed. He hosted holidays. He kept Aunt Joanne looking great: He shopped Nordstrom and bought her undergarments and Clinique makeup, which he learned to apply quite expertly. He shaved her legs. He curled her hair; he took her to the beauty shop. 

Every Sunday he took Aunt Joann to Mass. Uncle Don was more of a practical Catholic than a devout one, but he knew that she would have wanted to be there. But before they left the house, he made sure her lipstick was perfect, and that she was dressed in a snappy outfit.

Sometimes people would ask him why he went through all the trouble and he simply replied, “People don’t realize that I really, really love her.”

With the Cahills living in Oregon and our family living up here, I didn’t get to know Uncle Don as well as I would have liked. But still, on the few occasions I did get to spend time with him, he would not strike you a as particularly holy or heroic man. He simply went about loving his wife and living his faith in a very practical, businesslike way because it was the right thing to do.

Uncle Don died Feb. 19, 2008, after his final bout with cancer. His biggest worry was who would take care of Aunt Joann when he passed. 

Of course, their kids picked up the ball and she lived a very dignified life for another 12 years, entering eternal life on July 5^th at the age of 94. I like to imagine the happiness of their reunion in eternity. 

If Uncle Don taught me anything, it is that holiness is not complicated.  And where love is present, sacrifice comes without hesitation.

Yes, I have an uncle who is a saint.  His cause has not been promoted yet, but I am convinced that someday it will be.

I look at Jesus’ words in the Gospel today.  I listen to the words of St. Paul to the Romans. I think about my Uncle Don and Aunt Joanne and their life together. 

And I realize that that a grace-filled life is not so much about having all the right things, but rather in giving oneself completely to the right relationships with God, self and others. The love of Christ, who emptied himself for us on the Cross, finds its best expression when we too empty ourselves out of love for one another.

         James Dean, the Rebel Without a Cause, was wrong. The purpose of life is not to “Life fast, die young and leave a good-looking corpse.” I think Hunter S. Thompson came closer to the mark when he wrote: “Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming “Wow! What a Ride!”

 

Thank goodness we have better weather this weekend! Preaching during a thunderstorm is exhilarating, but I’ll take the sun. Drive-In Masses are on Saturdays at 5:00PM and the Livestreamed Mass is at 10:00. As always, you can catch the video on the St. Pat’s Facebook page and our YouTube channel. Here’s the homily.

There are certain phrases that I have come to greatly dislike.  Among them are: “In these uncertain times…” and “The new normal…” I’m sure you can come up with a few of your own. One thing that is certain “in these uncertain times,” is that life is anything BUT normal. The life of our families, our society, our parish has been greatly disrupted. Perhaps one of the greatest disruptions was to our ability to gather in the Sacred Assembly for the Eucharist in Holy Mass. Perhaps for the first time, many of us realized how important the Eucharist is in our lives. To be deprived of it, if only for a time, caused a lot of anxiety. It’s nice to be able to receive again, even if we are gathering in more creative ways than before. 

       It makes a lot of sense, if you think about it, this sense of loss we all experienced. The Eucharist is the ‘source and summit’ of the life of the Church. (cf. Sacrosanctam conciliam, 10) Everything we do as Church flows from the Eucharist and everything leads back to the Eucharist. It has been said that once you understand the Eucharist, you can never leave the Church, not because the Church won’t let you, but because your heart won’t let you.

       Indeed, the Eucharist is at the heart of all that we are as Church.  Thus it speaks to the heart of the Christian in a way like no other.  The main reason for this can be summed up in two words: “true presence.”

       Christ is truly and substantially present in two places, in heaven and in the Eucharist. Whether in His dynamic presence in the Mass or his abiding presence in the reserved Sacrament, this true, substantial, sacramental presence is different than a mere physical presence. It is deeper and goes to the very level of who Christ is being joined to who we are.  It’s about the heart of Christ being present to the heart of the believer. As St. Frances de Sales described it: “Cor ad cor loquitur—heart speaks to heart.” Is it any wonder that the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (this Friday) falls so closely to Corpus Christi? 

       [Fr. Tom Lilly Story.]       

To be a people of the Eucharist is to be united to the heart of Christ.  May our lives reflect the love of Christ for us and for the world as we go forth as witnesses of the Good News. 

We are now into our second week of Phase III of reopening. Drive-In Masses on Saturdays at 5:00PM and the Livestreamed Mass is at 10:00. As always, you can catch the video on the St. Pat’s Facebook page and our YouTube channel. Here’s the homily.

I’ve always been puzzled by those on either side of the argument who say that faith and reason are somehow opposed to one another. I think the folks at the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and the Vatican Observatory would share this puzzlement. The two are not opposed. They simply answer different questions.

They also employ different methods of inquiry to discern the truth. By and large, science limits itself to the physical, natural universe and seeks understanding by approaching it as a problem to be solved, using the scientific method. I’ve mentioned Prof. Michio Kaku, a really smart guy who is one of the pioneers of ‘string theory.’ He is fond of describing it as a “theory of everything.” By this, I assume he means everything in the physical, natural universe. As far as it goes, science is really good at what it does. By observing, asking questions, hypothesizing, predicting, testing and iterating (making new hypotheses and predictions), science has given us the internal combustion engine, solar power, nuclear medicine, and hopefully soon, a treatment and vaccine to the coronavirus, just to name a few.

       But even the best scientists will admit that science has its limits. There are just certain things it is not designed to explain. For example, let’s talk about relationships between persons; let’s talk about love. While there have been some interesting studies by the behavioral sciences which describe certain characteristics about persons who are in love, a comprehensive scientific explanation of love simply does not lend itself to analytic scientific inquiry. It remains, appropriately so, a “mystery.”    Don’t believe me?  Try this little experiment at home. Go to your spouse or loved and say,

       “You know, I’ve done the research and I’ve determined that I’ve got you figured out.  I know everything about you.  I know your history. I know what you like, what you dislike, your favorite color, your favorite foods. There is nothing about you that is hidden from me.

       See how far you get.

       Or instead you might say, “You know after all these years, you still amaze me.”

       Herein lies the key. When we approach the phenomenon of relationship between persons, we can do so as problem to be solved, or mystery to be lived. If we do so as “problem to be solved” as we would for the physical, natural universe, we are bound to fail because we are using the wrong tool for the job.

       However, if we do so as “mystery to be lived,” then we enter into a different level of inquiry, we move “beyond the natural” and into the “super-natural.”  Then we can make some headway.

       When we talk about “mystery” in this sense of relationship with the other we are referring to a “reality larger than yourself of which you are a part, and which is a part of you.” A first good example is your family, such as it is. Think about it. You don’t “solve” your family. You are a part of your family; and genetically, psychologically, sociologically, spiritually your family is literally a part of you. 

       Now let’s bump that up a notch.  Let’s talk about larger groups of relationships between persons—your neighborhood, your school, your nation, even the Church. These are realities bigger than any of us, of which we are a part, and which are a part of each of us in all the ways I have mentioned. 

       Now, let’s talk about the mystery that is God. God is certainly a reality bigger than all of us. We Christians understand the reality of God, not as something to be proved, but as the perfect relationship between persons. The terms that have been given to us by Christ are relational. The Father and the Son love each other eternally, and that relationship itself is what we call the Holy Spirit.  God is love. 

       The amazing thing is that we are invited into the very relationship that is God.

       Think about a couple you know who have a great marriage. Now think about the love between the husband and wife,

       This relationship is exclusive to them, but they can invite others into that circle. 

       Have you ever been invited over to their house for dinner?

       Have they ever shared their table with you at Christmas, Easter, birthdays,

       Do neighborhood kids hang out at their house with their own children? 

       Now think about the love between God the Father and God the Son.   Just like a married couple can invite us into the circle of their own relationship, so too we have been invited into the relationship between them.  We receive the Gift of the Holy Spirit.  This is not just intellectual, it is personal, involving our whole person – mind, body and spirit. In the context of this relationship, we truly enter into a Holy Communion with the Divine.

       It is this union with God at the level of our very being that makes Christianity unique.    

       We are united in a communion of life and love with the God who perfect relationship itself.

       It is in the celebration of the Sacred Mysteries, that our Communion with God is complete.

       This is the great invitation of grace.

       This is the dignity that has been won for us when Christ reconciled all things to the Father in his Passion, Death and Resurrection

       This is the hope which we proclaim to the world

       And our destiny in the life to come.

Pentecost, 2020

So we had our first Drive-In Mass this weekend. It was outrageously fun and a great success. We’ll tweak a few things for next week, but by and large it went really, really well. It’s also nice to be able to give communion now after Mass. As always, you can catch the video on the St. Pat’s Facebook page and our YouTube channel. Here’s the homily.

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   Today we celebrate Pentecost, the birthday of the Church. Birthdays are fun. but births themselves are simply miraculous. Anyone who has been there can tell you that perhaps the most profound moment of any birth is when the baby takes its first breath. The experience is indescribable, even for those who are there. Perhaps it is because at that moment, we realize that where there is breath, there is life. In the same moment we realize that we are not the source of that life, we are merely its beneficiaries. 

       There is a story making the rounds on the Internet about an elderly Italian gentleman who was hospitalized after he had contracted COVID-19. He recovered but had to spend a day on a ventilator. As he left the hospital, he received a bill for €500. The old man began to cry. The embarrassed attendant assured him that financial assistance was available if he could not pay. The old man said, “Oh, I don’t cry because of the money. I can afford it easily. I cry because I have been breathing God’s air for free for the last 93 years.  I have never thanked him once. It takes €500 to use a ventilator in a hospital for one day. Do you know how much I owe God?

       There are many different things we could meditate on this Pentecost, but given the historical context in which we live I would like to spend some time on the Holy Spirit as the life breath of the Church. 

       It helps to remember that we understand the Holy Spirit as the very love between the Father and the Son; the relationship between the lover and the beloved. It is this relationship of co-eternal, mutual love that is the life breath of the Church. It is the very love of God that breathes life into the Church and animates its members. 

       We have two wonderful images of this in today’s Scriptures. In the reading from Acts, we see the first manifestation of the Spirit as “a noise, like a strong driving wind.”  I’ve mentioned before that in Hebrew, the word for ‘spirit’ is “ru’ach” (רוח). Literally it means wind, breath, or soul. Thus, at the birth of the Church at Pentecost, the noise like a strong driving wind makes sense. It is God breathing life into the Church.

       In a similar way, in the passage from John’s gospel, we see the resurrected Christ breathing on the apostles and saying, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” It is more personal, but the image is the same. It is the breath of the Divine, the Holy Spirit, that animates or “ensouls” the life of the Church.

       It is through the Holy Spirit that we receive the gifts of  Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Courage, Knowledge, Piety, Fear of the Lord.

       It is in our grateful acceptance of these gifts that we become aware of the charisms of the Holy Spirit given to certain individuals within the Church, including prophecy and healing, mercy, teaching, stewardship, perseverance, encouragement, hospitality, leadership, joy.       

Finally, it is in our exercise of these gifts that we each enjoy the fruits of the Holy Spirit: charity, generosity, joy, gentleness, faithfulness, patience, modesty, kindness, self-control, goodness, chastity, peace.

       St. Paul is right. “There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit; there are different forms of service but the same Lord; there are different workings but the same God who produces all of them in everyone. To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit.” (1Cor 12:4-7)

As we begin to slowly emerge from the lockdown perhaps it is a good time to pause, take a deep breath, and thank God for the gifts that we have been given.

       The gift of life,

       The gift of faith

       The gifts, charisms and fruits of the Holy Spirit

              that are given to each of us for the building up of the Church and the world. 

Let us pray. Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth. Amen.

Why did Jesus ascend to the Father? Why did he not just stick around until the end of the age? Read on…As always, you can catch the video on the St. Pat’s Facebook page and our YouTube channel.

Happy Memorial Day Weekend.  It is good for us as a nation and as a Church to pause and remember those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice for the freedoms we enjoy, especially religious freedom.  All have given some, some have given all.  Let us always remember them with honor and gratitude. 

How very appropriate that this national celebration should occur in such close proximity to the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord.

I like to listen to Science Fantastic! with Dr. Michio Kaku. Dr. Kaku is a super smart guy who has one mantra: There are no stupid questions. It’s true in the physical as well as the theological sciences. 

So here’s a fun theological question for you. In the Nicene and Apostles’ Creed, we say, “He ascended to heaven…”  But did you ever wonder why? I mean, come on, Jesus is truly human and truly divine.  He is the Eternal Word of God Incarnate, the perfect self-expression of the Father.  He can do anything he wants!  Why didn’t he just stick around after the Resurrection until the end of the age? He certainly could have if he wanted to.  Why didn’t he?

Think about it for a minute. If you want to see the Pope, you have to go to Rome, because that is where he is. If you want to see the President, you have to go to Washington, because that is where he is. But if you want to encounter the Risen Christ, where do have to go? Really, you don’t have to go any farther than your own home and parish, because that is where he is. How is this possible?

It all has to do with sacramentality. Back in 1963, a Dutch theologian name Edward Schillebeeckx wrote a book called Christ, the Sacrament of the Encounter with God. It’s a rich work, with lots of fancy theological terms, but it all boils down to this.

Sacraments are all about true presence. Jesus wasn’t some great prophet who simply taught us about God, Jesus IS God.

So, after the Incarnation, how was God truly present to humanity?  Through Jesus Christ. So in the broad sense of the term, Christ can be said to be the “Sacrament of God.”

But if Jesus was still walking the face of the earth, where would you want to be now? I don’t know about you, but I’d like to be there. But there is a problem with such a localized Messiah, the only way to be in his presence is to be where he is.  If only there was a way to overcome this physical limitation and transcend the temporal order while being truly present to it….

Fortunately for us, God is waaaay smarter than Michio Kaku.  If God was truly present to humanity in the person of Jesus Christ at one time and place, how is Jesus truly present to humanity in all times and in all places? The answer is surprisingly simple. Through the Church.  So in a sense, the Church can be said to be the “Sacrament of Christ.”

       The physical Christ simply cannot be present in all times and in all places, but through His Body, the Church, he certainly can, and indeed is.

       Finally, within the life of the Church, there are those seven sacramental moments

       Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist

       Reconciliation, Anointing

       Holy Orders, Holy Matrimony…

when we truly encounter the Risen Christ, especially in the Eucharist. 

       To sum up, physicality brings with it, the limitations of time and space. Sacramentality transcends those limitations. Had Christ remained on earth, humanity would only be able to encounter Him in a very limited way. But through the Church and the grace of the sacraments, there is no limit to where and when we can encounter the Risen Christ.  The Kingdom of God is very much within our grasp. 

Deacon Mick nailed it again! Catch the video on the St. Pat’s Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/stpatsak) and our YouTube channel. (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCce6fxZKR1vqgyhuTO7e7VA/)

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There was a fellow named Tom and

Tom figured out a way

to remember his wife’s birthday and their wedding anniversary. 

He opened an account with a florist

and told him to send flowers to his wife on those specific dates,

along with a note signed, “Your loving husband.” 

Now, his wife was thrilled by the attention,

and all was great until one anniversary.

Tom had forgotten about the anniversary, as usual.

So that evening he came home as usual, saw the bouquet of flowers,

kissed his wife, and said, “Nice flowers. 

Where’d you get them?”  

…Tom is now quarantined…alone.

You can’t put love on cruise control or automatic pilot. 

Marriage is a promise to love and honor

as well as a commitment to fidelity. 

Relationships take an ongoing involvement of ourselves,

even in our relationship with God.

SO —— with God

we’re often tempted to

let fidelity to God take a back seat

as we let other things

take a higher priority in our lives than God,

such things as sports events, TV,

the internet, money, our own ego, etc.

In today’s Gospel reading,

the Lord gives three promises of fidelity to the Apostles

and to each of us.

(1)  He said,  “I will send you another Advocate”!

of course, the Lord is speaking, of the Holy Spirit. 

Most of us have seen ads for

expensive items which

carry a small disclaimer at the bottom of the page,

“batteries are not included.” 

Jesus did not give us a Gospel to follow,

a personal call to conversion,

And a way to live our life, only to say,

“By the way, you’re on your own,

batteries not included.” 

Jesus gave us the Holy Spirit to be the energy

and staying power in our life of faith. 

That’s why, in the first reading,

the Apostles were sent to the people of Samaria

to give them the Holy Spirit so that 

their faith would not depend on temporary emotion. 

This Holy Spirit is manifested

not primarily in extraordinary gifts

but in the ordinary gifts of fidelity, prayer and conscience

that enable us to live our faith day by day.

(2)   He said, “I will not leave you orphans. 

I will come back to you.” 

Remember —— these words of Jesus

are at the Last supper. 

Jesus here

is referring to His return to the Apostles at Easter,

at His Resurrection. 

To us today,

this promise of the Lord

is kept in the Eucharist

when Jesus comes to us in His risen presence

under the form of bread and wine

to be our strength

and to give us a pledge of eternal life with him. 

The Eucharist is Jesus’ fulfillment of that promise to us. 

Because of the Eucharist,

we’re not orphans, we’re never alone,

no matter what we may face. 

Promise two is the gift of the Eucharist

where Jesus remains with us.

(3)  Finally he promised, “If you keep my commandments,

My father and I will reveal ourselves to you and come to you.” 

The presence of Christ becomes more vivid to us

as we follow the Gospel. 

Our failure to follow the gospel

is like a spiritual cataract

where our faith is obstructed or clouded. 

As we remove the cataracts of our life,

we start to experience the presence of the Father,

the Son and the Holy Spirit in a variety of ways. 

The Lord gives this promise

not only to the Apostles

but to the Church and to us as a whole. 

It’s our responsibility

to make sure that our life is faithful to Jesus.

The elimination of these obstructions

allows us to see the Lord more clearly in our life

and enter more deeply

into the mysterious divine life of the Trinity.

In a wonderful image in today’s Gospel,

Jesus promises those who are faithful to the Gospel

the “WE (we being the Father, Son & Holy Spirit)

will come to them and make our home with them.” 

We have three promises of Jesus that

are fundamental to Christian spirituality

and to the life of the Church. 

First, the promise of the Holy Spirit

to energize and sustain our fidelity to Christ. 

Second, the promise of Jesus’ return

to the Apostles at Easter and the Resurrection —

and to us in the Eucharist. 

Third, the promise of sharing God’s life

more powerfully now

and forever as we cleanse and clarify our lives.

We will celebrate the fulfillment

of each of these promises over the next four weeks. 

Next Sunday is the Ascension. 

After that is Pentecost with the gift of the Holy Spirit. 

This is followed by Trinity Sunday,

the feast of the mysterious life of God

in which we can have a part. 

Last comes Corpus Christi,

the Feast of the Eucharist.

My friends——

Festivals are wonderful celebrations

of the bounty of nature. 

These words, these promises of Jesus

carry the gifts of a great spiritual bounty

for each of us —

and for the Church —

through the Holy Spirit,

the Eucharist

and the life of grace that can be ours today.

In the Gospel,

Jesus gives every one of us

the promise of a magnificent spiritual life and destiny

and, as the next four Sundays will show,

with the promises of Jesus,

his fidelity is forever and 

my friends, “the batteries are included.”

Okay, so I’ve been a little busy working for the bishop lately as we are putting together our guidelines for opening the churches and other parish facilities in the Archdiocese. Like the butcher that backed into the meat grinder, I got a little behind in my work. So what follows is the texts of the homilies from the last three weeks. They are quite good actually. As always, the videos are on the St. Pat’s Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/stpatsak) and our YouTube channel. (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCce6fxZKR1vqgyhuTO7e7VA/)

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Fourth Sunday of Easter – Having Life Abundantly

     I learned a lot on my first Engaged Encounter. I particularly remember the talk given by the senior couple about what it means to be “pro-life” in a Christian marriage. What was striking about their talk was that they approached it from a multi-dimensional perspective. Being pro-life does not mean just being “pro-baby” or “pro-birth.” Being “pro-life” for married couples and indeed for all Christians involves not just the passive receiving of the gift of life, but perhaps even more to be active in “life-giving” in all aspects and at all stages—not just physically, but also morally, spiritually, and emotionally, just to name a few. The best advice I have ever heard about being life-giving was imparted during that talk.  The husband said, “The question before you do ANYTHING in life, let alone in marriage is this: “Is this decisions life giving or not? Does it make life possible or does it keep it from happening?  Does it enhance the life of others, or does it diminish it in some way? Does it preserve life, or take it away? The answer to that question will determine what you should do.”

       It’s good advice for all of us, principally because it is rooted in the life-giving mission and ministry of Jesus, who came “so that they might have life and have it abundantly.” (Jn 10:10) Jesus did not just affirm life where he found it, he is the ultimate life-giver. He instructed the ignorant. He healed broken bodies and broken spirits. He fed the hungry. Finally, he conquered sin and death and opened for us the way to eternal life.

       What about us, the Body of Christ? How might we emulate the Lord in this ministry in our own lives in the present moment? Using the questions I have mentioned, let’s take a look at some of the moral decisions we are called to make this days. 

       While there are signs of hope, we are still in the midst of dealing with the COVID-19. Our daily lives have been greatly modified, disrupted even. When we choose to isolate or distance from those we would normally associate with; when we choose to wear a mask—are these  decisions not life giving? Do they not preserve life?  The answer is pretty obvious. We do these things, not because we like to or even want to, we do them because they are life giving. And we are here so that they may have life and have it abundantly. 

       What about our relationship with others? When we check in on our neighbors, when we buy groceries for a high-risk friend, when we donate to the food bank or give a pint of blood, is this decision not life giving? Does it not enhance the life of others?  We do these things often because they make us feel good.  We are here that they may have life and have it abundantly.

       Perhaps most sacrificial of all, when we stay away from church, at least for now; when we arrange a home chapel; when we take time for prayer after the evening meal; when we find new ways to make the Sabbath holy; are we not preserving the life of our parish community; are we not preserving the life of the parish for the future? We make these sacrifices out of a sense of duty to the common good. For we are here that our parish community may have life, and have it abundantly. 

       Things will not remain this way much longer.  The coming weeks will see a gradual reopening of our churches for prayer and eventually for limited gatherings and then even for Mass and Communion. Until then, let us choose to be a life-giving in the present day and in that part of the Kingdom where Christ now needs us most. 

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Fifth Sunday of Easter – A Place at the Table

    

“If evolution really works, how come Mothers only have two hands?”

-Milton Berle

How fitting that we pause today to honor motherhood in general and all our mothers living and in eternity. This celebration is actually kind of special to us priests. You will recall that Our Lord said, “And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands for the sake of my name will receive a hundred times more.” (Mt 19:29) So we get hundreds of mothers throughout our lifetimes, even the Mother of Christ! So Mother’s Day is pretty special for us priests

Today, I’d like to concentrate on the words of Jesus when he says to the Apostles, “I am going to prepare a place for you.” 

       At first I was going to try to do this against the backdrop of Mother’s Day, but it just doesn’t work.  All that comes to mind is that Joan London commercial about “A Place for Mom” and I just don’t want to go there.

But this notion that Christ has prepared a place for us is very compelling. 

I think there are two ways that we can approach it.

       As a future reality and as a present reality.

It is very comforting to know that there is a seat waiting for you and for me at the heavenly banquet. Our reservation is confirmed.  All we need to do is show up!

But there is also a bit of a caution called for here as well. Sometimes we can get so fixated on the future that we forget the present.  I think of the person that is so much looking forward to retirement that they don’t pay attention to what is right before them in the present moment. 

It’s important to keep in mind that Kingdom of God is at once a present and a future reality.  It is “already” and “not yet.”  Christ came preaching the Kingdom and it has been continually unfolding ever since.  We have a place in that Kingdom, but it is not just some distant, future reality.

       The Kingdom of God is in your grasp!

We have a place in the Kingdom, right here, right now. 

As I look at this Gospel passage, I see Christ speaking to the apostles at the last supper, telling them that he is going to prepare a place for them.  But I also notice that they already have a place at the table in the upper room.

It was true for them and it is true for us. 

Christ has already prepared a place for you.  Look around you right now…go ahead…take a good look.  This is your place in the Kingdom right now, physically, spiritually, psychologically, sociologically. 

       Just like the rest of the Kingdom it will unfold and develop over time, culminating in the fulfillment of your vocation and taking the place in heaven that has been prepared for you since the beginning of the Age. 

During this COVID inter-Mission, we have all been given the gift of time

       Hopefully, we have used some of that time to reflect on what is most important, or perhaps more importantly WHO is most important,

       and about our place in grand scheme of things.

During this time, for the health and safety of others, we have withdrawn from certain activities and interactions

       Perhaps this has given us a new perspective and a new appreciation

       For family

       For friends,

       For Church

       For the Sacraments. 

Most of you have already read Bishop Bellisario’s letter informing us that this time we have had will be gradually coming to an end over the coming weeks and months.  In due time, we will once again take our places here in the Sacred Assembly,

       first in very creative ways,

              and then, hopefully, as time passes in a more                             normal fashion.

In the coming days, with the parish staff and the liturgy committee we will be putting our safety plan together for the incremental reopening of the Church and a return to the sacraments, albeit in somewhat limited and creative fashion.  I’ve mentioned some of that in my column in the bulletin, but on Wednesday or Thursday log onto the parish website for details of the Plan. 

       We need to get a few things in place and make sure we have all the necessary supplies, but my hope is to begin opening the Cloister and the Church for prayer and devotions on Tuesday, May 19^th and begin with small daily Mass right after Memorial Day on Tuesday, May 26^th.

       Given the restrictions on space in the Church, I don’t see us having public Masses in Phase II. If we can get the FM transmitter in time, I think we will have a drive-in Mass on Saturday evenings and then a livestreamed Mass on Sunday mornings, each followed by the distribution of Holy Communion.  That would begin on the weekend of Pentecost. So stay tuned and log onto the website for details. 

We most definitely live in interesting times.  But that’s been true in very era of the Church, why should we be any different. 

       Our place in history is here.

       Our place in the Kingdom is here.

       It has been prepared for us since the dawn of time.

       And will bring us to eternity.

     In most Catholic households, it is a tradition to have a depiction of the Last Supper in the dining room.  However, in the parish house, I have hung a print of Caravaggio’s second Supper at Emmaus. It’s a bit more subdued than the 1602 version, but I like it. In fact, I like everything about the Emmaus story.

           Principally, I like how the story is constructed. The framework in which the narrative unfolds is unmistakably the same as the Order of the Mass. Our first hint comes from the punchline about how they recognized him “in the breaking of the bread.” Indeed, “fractio panis” was a sort of buzz word for the Mass in the early Church. An early Christian would have picked up on the reference immediately.

           You will recall that the Order of the Mass has four main parts in which we gather, we share our stories, we break the bread, and we are sent forth. Officially, these are known as the Introductory Rites, the Liturgy of the Word, the Liturgy of the Eucharist and the Dismissal. Just as the Mass is timeless in its relevance, reading the story within this framework can help us understand it and apply it to our present circumstances.

           The story opens with the two disciples heading away from Jerusalem to a place called Emmaus. Emmaus was a small resort town not far from Jerusalem, sort of like Girdwood is to Anchorage. The appearance of the Risen Christ as they walk along discussing the passion and death of Jesus is consistent with his earlier saying, “wherever two or three are gathering in my name, there I am in their midst.” So they are, and so he is.

           I think it is important for us to remember this in our present circumstances. While am heartened by the gradual lifting of certain health restrictions, in reality it will be some time before it is safe for us to gather as a parish community. It is comforting to know that Christ does not abandon us during this time. Christ is truly risen, and he certainly more powerful than any microbe. When we pray together in our homes, when we video conference with our small groups or FaceTime with our prayer partners, Christ is in our midst, just as he was for the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. Where two or three of us are gathered in his name, by any means, Christ is present in our midst. He is truly risen, even if we sometimes do not recognize him right away.

           There is no shame in that. The two disciples did not recognize him either. I love how Jesus is so coy in drawing them out of themselves. It’s a simple exchange: “Hey, guys! What’s up? What are you talking about?”

           “Are you the only one in Jerusalem who doesn’t know about the things that have gone on there?

           “What things?”

           At this point, the disciples have a choice. They can change the subject, lest they reveal themselves as disciples of Jesus, or they can share their story and the questions of faith that they are dealing with. They choose the latter and that’s when things get real. 

           So they share their experience of the passion and death of Christ, but they don’t know what to make of it. Fair enough.  Who would? So Jesus goes to work putting their experience into context as he explains everything that referred to him in the scriptures and how the Christ had to suffer. What an incredible Liturgy of the Word that must have been!  Can you imagine having the scriptures explained to you by the very Incarnate Word of God?! What a privilege. What a gift!

           In these past weeks, we too have been given the unique privilege and gift of time to encounter Christ more deeply in the sacred scriptures. What an opportunity to take some of that time and set it aside to spend some time with the Word. There are lots of ways to do this. Here are just a few suggestions. 

– Take ten minutes every day, perhaps right after dinner, to read the Gospel of Luke to each other. Have a different person in the house read each day, maybe reading a chapter or a section each evening.

– On the weekend, do the same thing with the Sunday readings.  Have one person read and each listener share one thing from the sacred text that stood out for them. 

– View an online course at formed.org or Word on Fire.

Just like the disciples on the road to Emmaus, we have the gift of time to spend with the Word.  Let’s not waste it.

           The story goes on. As they near the village Jesus toys with them again, perhaps testing their faith. He pretends to continue on, but the two disciples prevail and they all sit down for supper. What happens next is at once simple and amazing. As he had done so many times before, Jesus takes what is before him and transforms it into the means of grace.

           Our first clue comes when the words used to describe his actons are exactly the same ones that Luke uses earlier to describe the Last Supper. 

           …he took bread, said the blessing,

           broke it, and gave it to them.

The reference is unmistakable—for the two disciples, for the early Church, and now for us. Jesus is doing exactly what he did at the Last Supper. This is the Eucharist, Christ truly and substantially present in the appearance of bread and wine. 

           Many scholars think that is why he vanished from their sight. Present in the sacrament, his physical presence is simply not necessary.  From now on, it is in the fractio panis, the breaking of the bread, where he is recognized by those who believe in him. Powerful stuff.

           They don’t seem to have realized it, but the power of this moment is exactly what they were yearning for earlier during their ambulatory Liturgy of Word.  I’m struck by the phrase “Were not our hearts burning within us…?”  Their encounter with Christ in the scriptures leads to a burning desire for more intimate union with Christ. This finds its fullest expression in the Eucharist.

           So what about us?  What about now?  Perhaps in one sense, some real spiritual good can come from this extended Eucharistic fast, this COVID-19 “Inter-MISSION.” Are not our hearts burning within us?  Perhaps absence does make the heart grow fonder in a holy longing for deeper intimacy and full communion with Christ and his Church

           It is important to remember that the while the reception of Holy Communion is the fullest expression of our union with Christ, we must distinguish between the relationship itself and the expression of the that relationship.

           Married couples give us a good example of this. My mom and dad had a great marriage of 47 years. Being of good Irish and Danish stock, they were not overly public in their displays of affection…but they did have eight kids, so that says something. They had a deep, loving and fruitful relationship.  But there were times when they were separated from each other, sometimes for weeks at a time. During those times, there were no hugs, no kisses, nor anything else that goes along with showing how much they loved each other. But their relationship was deeper and more profound than their inability to express it. It did not cease to exist simply because they could not be with each other for a period of time. In some ways, it grew deeper so that its expression was all the more profound when they were finally reunited. Did I mention that they had eight kids? 

           So it is in our relationship with Christ and the Eucharist. There is the reality of our relationship with Christ, and there the expression of that relationship in the Eucharist.  At present, we may be separated for a time, but will that not make our reunion all the more powerful?  Are not our hearts burning within us? That may not be such a bad thing for now.

           A second thought – as soon as they recognize him in the breaking of the bread, he “vanished from their sight.” 

           In a certain sense, because we cannot gather for Mass, we may be tempted to feel that Christ has disappeared from our midst, that he is somehow absent. But is he really?

           Listen to the text again. It simply says, “…he vanished from their sight.” It does not say that he abandoned them. Otherwise, how could he say elsewhere, “I am with you always, even to the end of the age”? He did not abandon them then, and he does not abandon us now.  For “nothing can separate us from the love of Christ.”

           Now, after all this, the two disciples could have remained where they were, contemplating in wonder all that had just happened. But they do not. They cannot! They are compelled to share their experience of the Resurrection with others.

           So it is with each of us. Sure, we may be hunkered down, but as the meme says, the church isn’t empty, “The Church is deployed.” Right now we are where we are because God needs us in our homes in our neighborhoods for a reason.

           Perhaps it is to check in on an elderly or infirmed neighbor. Perhaps to get back in touch with loved ones, maybe even the ones under your own roof. Perhaps to be a witness of the Resurrection in a way that you have never thought possible before.

           The two disciples on the road to Emmaus can teach us much in our present circumstances. Understood within the framework of the Order of the Mass, we see

1) that whenever and wherever two or three are gathered in his name, Christ indeed is in their midst. It was true for them; it is true for us.

2) that an encounter with the Word of God evokes in us a holy longing where our hearts are burning within us for deeper intimacy with our Lord. It was true for them; it is true for us. 

3) that while our relationship with Christ is best expressed in the sacred assembly it is not limited only to it, any more than the relationship of a married couple is defined solely by their ability to express it. “Nothing can separate us from the love of Christ.” It was true for them; it is true for us.

4) that even now we are sent into the world, or at least that little part of the world in which we find ourselves, to be witnesses of the resurrection because that is where God needs us to be. It was true for them; it is true for us.

           Like the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, we all have a choice to make. When asked, we can change the topic or we can face our fears and reveal ourselves as disciples of Jesus Christ. 

           My prayer for us, is that like them, we do not shy away from our calling; but that we share our story to be numbered among the saints as witnesses of the resurrection.    

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For a video recording of the Mass for Divine Mercy Sunday, as well as daily Mass, check out the St. Pat’s FaceBook page: https://www.facebook.com/stpatsak/

The Sunday Masses are also posted on the St. Pat’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCce6fxZKR1vqgyhuTO7e7VA

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My friends,

This weekend the Church concludes the Octave of Easter

as we celebrate the 2^nd Sunday of Easter,

now referred to as Divine Mercy Sunday. 

As I was reflecting on our readings today,

I noted an interesting feature

about this Gospel scene in that ———

the Risen Christ retained the scars of the Passion on his body. 

I think it’s quite extraordinary. 

Jesus had a transformed,

exaulted, glorious risen body that

could pass through doors —— yet he kept the scars. 

Now, Christ could have miraculously

erased those scars after the Resurrection but

He chose not to. 

They were his personal “signature”.

They helped identify him.

Most of us can often recognize someone

who has changed dramatically over the years

by certain marks and scars. 

It was only

when the apostles saw the scars in his hands and side that

they realized that

this was the Jesus of Nazareth they knew,

The Jesus of Nazareth they had spent 3 years walking with,

The Jesus of Nazareth that had been their teacher. 

In reality, I believe

that’s why Thomas wanted to see the scars.

Personally, whenever we see a scar

on our knee, finger, face or chest,

we remember how it got there. 

Maybe we got these scars from

our own negligence

or that of others. 

Some scars came intentionally through surgery or

accidentally from a sports injury

and others maybe from violence. 

Some of those scars are on the outside

while others are on the inside,

but each one has a story. 

I believe the Risen Lord kept his scars as the evidence of his love.

They also help us

keep his Passion and Death joined with his resurrection. 

It can be spiritually distorting to separate them. 

If we emphasize the sufferings of Jesus,

it is important to remember that

those sufferings lead to his resurrection. 

If we reflect solely on the resurrection of Jesus,

we need to remember that

the road to new and eternal life was through a crucifixion and death. 

The Passion, Death and Resurrection of Christ are all linked. 

Theologians call this fusion — this uniting of the Passion.

Death and Resurrection of Christ

the “Paschal Mystery.”

Jesus’ scars are also a promise. 

The Risen Lord showed his apostles His scars

and He still has them, to show us that

through him we can have healing and spiritual victory.

Jesus knows the stories behind all our wounds,

the ones on the outside and the ones on the inside. 

Catholics — Christians do not have immunity to wounds. 

People slander us as they do others;

people harm us as they do others;

people oppose us as they do others;

people deceive us as they do everybody else. 

The scars of Jesus should give us the confidence that

real victory comes from doing God’s will. 

The scars of the Risen Christ

give us strength that

comes from knowing

we are on the side of the Risen and victorious Christ.

None of the circumstances

outside that locked room

in today’s gospel reading changed

after the apostles received the peace

that Jesus offered them. 

They still had to face the same situations they faced

before he entered the locked room. 

They still had to face the authorities. 

They still had to risk going out into the streets. 

They still had to face the crowds who crucified Jesus. 

They still had to face trials and troubles —— as each of us do.

The change

occurred inside the room and inside them.

Jesus gave them a strength

and a peace

which they could not generate on their own. 

Just as the Apostles recognized Jesus by his scars ——

so will Jesus, in his Divine Mercy, recognize us by our scars.

When we reveal our scars,

when we open whatever wounds we have

to the healing power of Christ’s truth and grace,

they can become places of strength. 

That will be true of the church

as well as of our lives.

My friends, the scars of Jesus

give us hope,

strength and confidence that,

through him, and by his divine mercy

our wounds can heal

and even become places of new strength and grace

for ourselves and for others.