Fr. Leo's Benevolent Blog!

     I saw a bumper sticker the other day: “Alaska—Land of the individual and other endangered species.”  Indeed, here in the Great Land, we have always admired the guys like Dick Proenneke who can go into the wilderness, chop down trees, build a cabin, and live in it for years, hunting and trapping and whatnot. The self-reliant individual is one of our great cultural myths. I say “myth” because in reality, there is no such thing as a completely self-reliant individual. As impressive as these guys are, we have to also admit that there is something a bit eccentric about them. As John Donne said so well in his 17th century poem, “No Man is an Island.”  Eventually, even Dick Proenneke had to come into town for supplies.

To be human is to be a social being.  We are born into a family, we grow up in our neighborhood, our school, our town.  We identify ourselves within the context of a nation, a people…a Church.

The laws of society and the public policies that enact them must first protect and the defend the rights of the nuclear family.  Perhaps at no time in our nation’s history have the unintended negative consequences of well-meaning, but poorly conceived public policy had such a devastating effect on the most basic unit of human society, the nuclear family.

Similarly, we have an obligation and a right to form communal ties with others as a Church, in fraternal and charitable organizations, even political parties, that help to build up a just society.

Finally, a just society must allow for all citizens to participate in the political process that will determine the course of civil society at the local, state, and national levels.  It is not enough simply to provide the legal right to participate, but people must also have the practical means by which they can actually do so. 

Society is at its best when it promotes and protects healthy families, healthy communities, and the participation in civic life of all members of society.

To learn more about the call to Family, Community and Participation, please watch this 3-minute video:

then go to:

https://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/what-we-believe/catholic-social-teaching/call-to-family-community-and-participation

This is a critical time in our society. Voting with an informed conscience is everybody’s responsibility.               – Fr. Leo

The Catholic Church has seen every empire, kingdom and government come and go for the last 2100 years. In that time, we’ve learned a thing or two.

     As we prepare for the upcoming election, it is our moral obligation to vote with a well-formed conscience. No matter where you might see yourself on the political spectrum, to ignore the wisdom of the one institution that has survived history would be patently irresponsible.

The first thing that makes for a just society is a healthy respect and the protection of the law for the life and dignity of the human person. All other rights are predicated on this fundamental principle. Without the right to life and protection of the dignity of one’s person, no other civil rights are possible.

The essential question here is: WHO is considered a full participant in civil society?  What is the standard by which one is considered a “person” in civil law so that they may exercise their rights and fulfill their obligations within society? 

The Church has always maintained that one is considered a human person from the moment of conception. But it does not stop there. It is not enough simply to be “Pro-conception” or “Pro-birth.” Life is sacred AND social. Thus, we all have a continuing obligation to promote the dignity of every person in society at every stage of life from conception to natural death. This includes attention to such things as affordable housing, access to health care, a living wage, participation in civic life, equal justice under the law, and the right to one’s life and dignity as he or she nears the end of life. In a nutshell, as a society, we are judged on how we treat our most vulnerable members, as well as who we consider to be members in the first place.

To learn more about the Life and Dignity of the Human Person, please watch this 3-minute video:

then go to:

https://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/what-we-believe/catholic-social-teaching/life-and-dignity-of-the-human-person

This is a critical time in our society. Voting with an informed conscience is everybody’s responsibility.               – Fr. Leo

I have mentioned that I have found at least three ways that we are made in the image and likeness of God – 1. We can love as God loves.  2.  We can create, taking what God has given us and helping the world become what he has intended it to be.  And 3. We can forgive as God forgives. 

       The second two flow from the first.  Love by its very nature creates and when creation goes astray, love by its very nature restores. Today, the Lord is very clear that we must forgive if we are to enter the kingdom of God.

       Love is an interesting thing. Love intends what is good for the other, not what is evil. If I am a loving person, I want what will make you whole, not what will diminish or destroy you. The desire and the absolute human need for love is part of the human condition. Yet, one must experience being loved before he or she can authentically love another. It’s a learned phenomenon. It’s very tough to love someone else if you have never experienced what love looks like and feels like. Forgiveness finds its origin in love. It’s easy when you are doing what is right. It gets a little harder when you are doing something that is hurting others. 

       And here is where the parable of the unforgiving servant helps us out.  Peter was being quite benevolent when he suggested forgiving another seven times. Seven is a perfect number symbolizing completeness.  It seems to make sense and there were probably nods of agreement from the other disciples when he said it.  But Jesus is insistent that it is not even close.

       The meaning of the parable is clear.  We can only forgive others to the degree that we ourselves have been forgiven. The point of the story here is that just like the this servant, we have been forgiven a HUGE debt.  Every sin we have ever committed or will commit has been forgiven by Christ in his one perfect sacrifice on the cross. Yet, we have to experience the enormity of that forgiveness.  Otherwise, we will not be able to give that same gift to others. 

       That is why the sacrament of reconciliation is so important.  It’s one thing to know intellectually that one’s sins are forgiven.  It’s quite another to experience that definitively in the confessional.

       I always encourage folks to get to confession about once a month.  I don’t know about you, I can’t go a month without sinning.  In the sacraments we kneel at the foot of the cross and sometimes the best we can do is say, Lord be merciful to me, a sinner. 

       Confession is good for the soul, and frequent confession is the source of grace we need to forgive others.  In a way, it’s like making frequent adjustments to the steering wheel.  If you do it often enough, the adjustments are pretty minor.  But if you wait too long then the adjustment is much more severe. If we wait too long, our negligence can have eternal consequences.  Don’t delay.

       Christ has forgiven you everything.  Should you not do the same for those who sin against you?  Love wants what is best for the other.  Should not you who have been loved and forgiven, love and forgive the one who sins against you?  It is not easy, but if the Cross teaches us anything, it is that it is possible. 

       As I said, I have found three ways in which we are made in the image and likeness of God. 1.  We can love.  2. We can create and 3.  We can forgive.  Let us forgive one another as we ourselves have been forgiven. 

“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.