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Ask Fr. Leo – What is Purgatory?

[Many of you know that I run a monthly column in the local Catholic paper in southern Alaska. Others have asked that I start posting those columns on the blog. So, for your edification, here is the first installment. I’ll post the once a week until we get caught up with the paper. ]

Dear Fr. Leo,

I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around the idea of purgatory. I believe in a just and merciful God, but this doctrine feels like it forgets that God’s perfect justice was shown by Jesus’ sacrifice, thus also showing His perfect mercy toward all men. While, ultimately, I do believe there is a place (Purgatory) of atonement for righteous, but “imperfectly purified” souls (again demonstrating God’ mercy) there’s a problem for me with the heavenly math. If souls in purgatory require prayers from the rest of us to get to heaven and God is timeless, then how is it that God doesn’t act on behalf of those receiving these prayers, even outside of time? – R

Dear R,

Excellent questions! It is important here to distinguish between the souls in purgatory needing our prayers as opposed to them benefiting from our prayers.  If we believe in an all-powerful, all merciful God (and we do!), the souls in purgatory do not need our prayers for salvation. As the Book of Wisdom says, “The souls of the just are in the hands of God.” (Wisdom 3:1). Everyone in purgatory goes to heaven.  Period.   However, they can and do benefit from our prayers. 

One way to think of purgatory is liken it to Homecoming. There is the game and the fancy dinner dance afterwards.  Now, I don’t know about you, but when I was in high school, it always seemed to rain at the Homecoming game. It was fun, but it was messy! Now, if you were a player on the field or in the band, or even in the stands, would you go straight from the mess on the stadium to the fancy dinner dance?  No, of course not! There is that intermediate step where you go to the locker room, take off your gear, hit the showers, get your fancy clothes on, comb your hair, and whatnot.  Then, when you are presentable, you go to the dance. 

Purgatory is kind of like that. It’s a stage of purification where God’s love cleanses us of all we may have been clinging to, or that is clinging to us, that is not worthy to enter heaven, the ultimate Homecoming. To run with the analogy a bit farther, God can do all the scrubbing of the souls himself, but we can help them out as well.  Say your buddy asks you to bring him a towel. You can make his life that much easier if you help him out.

Here’s another example. Say you are on your way to the homecoming dance in your car.  As you go along, you see your buddy walking to the dance on the side of the road. It’s a nice day and not that far.  He will make it in due time.  However, how much better if you offer him a ride. Strictly speaking, he doesn’t need a lift.  He will get there eventually.  However, he can greatly benefit if you give him a ride. 

Our prayers for the Church being purified are like that. God can do it all himself, of course. But how much better if we join with God in the work of grace.

Dear Fr. Leo,

It is becoming more common that Catholics are giving into the cultural norm of having sex before marriage and living together, “to see if it works.” I have searched the bible for anything that supports NOT doing that.  I know the church has a position.  I just want to know what it is.  Could you please clear this up for me? – S

Dear S,

Sure.  A simple Google search of “biblical prohibition of sex outside of marriage” will yield over 14 million results.

Shacking up and having sex outside of marriage is always a bad idea, and not just for spiritual or moral reasons. Citing numerous studies, psychologist Therese DiDonato, Ph.D., has written several articles in Psychology Today as to why cohabitation is a bad idea.

“Substantial evidence associates cohabitation with negative relationship outcomes. Pre-marital cohabitation is viewed as a risk factor for divorce as it predicts later marital instability, poorer marriage quality, and less relationship satisfaction (Kamp, Dush, Cohan, & Amato, 2003; Stanley et al., 2004). Compared to married couples, cohabiting couples argue more, have more trouble resolving conflicts, are more insecure about their partners’ feelings, and have more problems related to their future goals (Hsueh, Rhabar, Morrison, & Doss, 2009).” – Psychology Today, July 25, 2014. 

It’s hardly surprising. If you think about it, the essential characteristics of marriage are permanence and indissolubility. In a word, marriage is about commitment.  Cohabitation is just the opposite. It is characterized by a lack of commitment. Where there is no commitment, somebody is going get hurt.  To expect the benefits of a committed, married relationship without the commitment only leads to frustration.

By contrast, the Sacrament of Marriage is a living sign of God’s love and God’s faithfulness in the midst of the Church and the world. The freedom given in a permanent, committed relationship gives the couple the freedom to love unconditionally, to mirror God’s faithfulness and its fruitfulness. Love by its very nature is lifegiving. It’s no coincidence that within the context of the Sacrament of Marriage, sexual union becomes both the beautiful act by which the marriage covenant is renewed and by which children are conceived. As Dr. Scott Hahn once quipped, “We are talking about a love so intense in its expression, nine months later you may have to give it a name!”

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What Lies Within…

[In contentious times, the first casualty is usually the truth. There is lots of misinformation and “fake good news” out there. Sadly this has found its way into the Church. Check out the video by clicking here.

Today, we enter the third part of Luke’s “Sermon on the Plain.” Here we are given three parables to contemplate. So what’s going on? Quite simply, Jesus is helping the disciples move from attitudes to action, from doctrine to discipleship. 

       Two of the parables have to do with logs and trees, so I figured some lumberjack stories were in order.

Did you hear about the lumberjack who worked overtime?

        He logged a lot of hours.

A lumberjack went into a magic forest to cut a tree

When he got there, he started to swing at a tree when it suddenly shouted, Wait! I’m a talking tree!

       The lumberjack laughed and said, And you will dialogue.

       When he finished the tree asked, “Why did you cut me down, lumberjack?”

       Lumberjack: Oh, you really don’t know why?

       Tree: Sorry, I’m stumped.

What do lumberjacks do when they’re about to finish work?

       They Log off.

Okay, back to the Gospel.

       The first parable is about the blind being unable to lead the blind. This is an indirect reference to the false teachings and hypocrisy that was so prevalent in his day. There is a lot of misinformation out there these days. Sometimes we call it “false news.” Sadly, this has also found its way into the Church. There are many false and “alternative magisteriums” out there. By this I mean well-meaning Catholics who make a habit of making bold pronouncements about how one should be living the faith. In truth, the only authentic magisterium in this Archdiocese is the Archbishop, who has been appointed by the Holy Father himself. Yet these self-appointed defenders of the faith make a habit out of criticizing him and others, and quite often they are quite wrong.     

       It is this critical nature lacking all charity that Jesus warns against when he tells the parable of pointing out the splinter your brother’s eye while ignoring the beam in your own. Note that Jesus does not rule out fraternal correction, but before we point one finger at another, we should remember that the other four are pointing at ourselves. The truth without compassion is the hammer that destroys.

       In the last parable about the good tree producing good fruit and the bad tree producing evil, Jesus helps us discern where we should look for guidance. What are the fruits that they produce? You can tell a lot about people simply by watching them. As Jesus points out, good produces good, evil produces evil. If a person, or group of people produce nothing but vitriol and criticism, you can be pretty sure their hearts are in the wrong place. If there is no joy, get out of there. Otherwise, you are just doom-spiraling.

       Archbishop Bellisario once said that we can get our energy from one of two places. Being negative and critical is powerful and seductive, but it always burns out quickly and leaves us frustrated, isolated.  By contrast, striving for virtue and charity is not always all that exciting, but does provide a steady source of positive grace that leads us to deeper communion with God and others.         We need to be careful where we get our information. We need to go to the authentic source first.  We need to strive for personal holiness of life before being critical of others. We need to be wary of those who produce bad fruit.

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From Good to Great – From Justice to Love

[This week we hear the Golden Rule in the second part of the Sermon on the Plain in Luke’s gospel. But did you know there is a Bronze Rule and Silver Rule as well? Check it out. As always, you can watch the video by clicking here. ]

       A young priest was in the bishop’s office pouring out his heart.

       “I can’t seem to get the people’s attention in my homilies,” he said. “What can I do?”

       This bishop replied, “Why don’t you try saying something shocking at the beginning. Then once you have their attention, they will listen to the rest of what you have to say.”

       “How do you mean?” asked the priest.

       “Well,” said the bishop, “For example, I started my homily last week like by saying, ‘I’m in love with a woman…She’s married…Her name is Mary.’ Do you see how that works?  Try it.”

       Next week the priest is in the pulpit, still very nervous and begins, “THE BISHOP IS IN LOVE WITH A WOMAN!  She’s married…I can’t remember her name!”

       Today’s gospel gives us the second part of the “Sermon on the Plain” in Luke’s gospel. It starts off with the shocking statement, “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.” We Christians are quite familiar with these statements, but they would have been shocking to his audience. The expected Messiah was supposed to destroy the enemies of Judah. Primarily the Romans. Jesus is saying they have to love the Romans! What’s up with that?! 

       However, a previous ‘messiah’, King David, shows us just how it is done when he declines the opportunity to kill Saul, who is trying to hunt him down and kill him. In one sense, Jesus is simply asking his disciples to embrace the best of their heritage. He is inviting them, and us, to rise above the limited standards of the worldly and instead embrace the Kingdom of God. This requires a fundamental shift in the way we think, feel and act, especially towards those who do not embrace the Kingdom.

It is matter of rising from good to great, from justice to love.

       Most people remember the Sermon on the Plain for it’s articulation of  the Golden Rule, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” which summarizes his many instructions. But did you know that there is a Bronze Rule and a Silver

Rule which preceded it? 

       In the Books of Leviticus (24:19–21) and Deuteronomy (19:21), as well as the legal codes of other cultures, we see the Bronze Rule, “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.” It was an important law that kept limited retaliation for an injury to the level at which it occurred. It ensured that justice was served while preventing escalation of the situation.

       Cultures develop over time. At a certain point people look to how to avoid such conflicts rather than just react to them. Centuries later, we see the Silver Rule, “Do to no one what you yourself dislike.” It also makes sense. If you don’t want to be injured. Don’t injure others.” 

       Still, this is a rather passive way of acting. Jesus takes it a step further. The Kingdom is not just about how to avoid doing the wrong thing. It is about doing the loving thing. Thus, “do unto others…” In this way, we move from the good to the great, from the moral to the magnanimous, from justice to love.

       I’m reminded of Abraham Lincoln’s reply to a woman who asked him how he thought he could win the Civil War if he did not destroy his enemy. Looking at her, he said, “My dear lady, I do not destroy my enemy when I make him my friend.”

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Matters of the Heart

   Hello, Church fans! The Beatitudes in Luke, along with their corresponding woes, can sound a little harsh to our ears. What’s Jesus getting at? It has to do with where your heart is. Once you figure that out, blessing is yours for the asking. You can check out the video here. Most of the text is below.

Blessings are good. Curses are bad.  Joy is good. Woe is bad. So why does Jesus make such a big deal about who gets cursed as well as who gets blessed? It sounds harsh to our ears, but he’s making a really good point.  To start, let’s look to the first reading from the Book of the prophet Jeremiah.

       “Cursed is the one who trusts in human beings, who seeks his strength in flesh…” (Jer 17:5), and

       “Blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose hope is the LORD.”  (Jer 17:7) 

       Now take a look at the Lucan Beatitudes and you will see a similar dynamic going on. It all hinges on what and in whom we place our trust. Where is your heart? Quite simply, our happiness in this life and our eternal joy in the next hangs on one decision—do we place our trust in God or in the world? Trust in God brings the blessing of peace. Trust in the things of this world brings the curse of bitterness and resentment. 

       Thomas Aquinas talks about this at length. As human beings we are born to seek the good. The greatest good, of course, is God. Anything short of that will leave us wanting. As St. Augustine said, “Our hearts are restless, O Lord, until they rest in you.”

       Unfortunately, we humans are easily distracted by the things of this world. Thomas pointed out that the worldly person rather than trusting in God, erroneously seeks fulfillment in power, wealth, pleasure, or honor. None of these are evil in and of themselves, but if we seek them before or in place of God, we will always be frustrated.

Thomas was a smart guy. If you look at the Lucan Beatitudes, each of the blessings and curses correspond exactly to either wealth or poverty, hunger or pleasure, power or mournfulness, honor or denunciation.

       The poor by definition do not have wealth. The hungry are deprived of one of life’s basic pleasures. Those who weep seem the most powerless. And those who are hated, excluded and denounced, certainly do not have honor. They cannot look to these things instead of God simply because they do not have them. They are blessed in one sense, because they aren’t distracted.

       But by the same token, powerlessness by itself is not virtuous; neither is hunger, weeping or being hated. For example, the poor person’s desire for wealth can lead him away from God; so too the hungry person’s desire for pleasure, (not all hunger is for food).

       As I have said before, regardless of your circumstances, you can approach life either with a spirituality of abundance and gratitude, or of scarcity and resentment. If you choose abundance and gratitude, then you will never want for anything. If you choose scarcity and resentment, you will never have enough, no matter how much wealth, pleasure power or honor you may accumulate in this life.  

       Blessings are good.  Curses are bad.  Joy is good.  Woe is bad.  Which you will experience in this life all depends on the deepest desires of your heart. As Jeremiah says, the key to blessedness is to put our trust first in Almighty God, and everything else after that.

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How Jesus Works

[Greetings, Church fans! I had a nice vacation in a much warmer climate. Nothing like a little golf to reinforce the virtue of humility. This week we look at how Jesus meets us where we are and invites us to where we are called to be. The text is below, the video can be seen by clicking here.]

An confused angler and decided to go ice fishing. He grabbed his gear, stepped out onto the ice, and started to cut a hole when he heard a booming voice shout:

“THERE ARE NO FISH UNDER THE ICE!”

The man jumped up and looked around, but he didn’t see anyone. He carried on cutting into the ice, and again, the voice boomed:

”THERE ARE NO FISH UNDER THE ICE!”

Still nobody. The man goes to a new spot and started drilling another hole when the voice shouted for a third time:

”THERE ARE NO FISH UNDER THE ICE!”

The man looked up into the blinding light and said ”Is that you, God?”

The voice answered, ”NO, IT’S THE MANAGER OF THE ICE RINK!”

       Our God can act very powerfully at times, but he never does anything violently.  Take the call of the first disciples in today’s gospel reading from Luke. While I am convinced that this is not the first time that these four disciples have encountered Jesus, nevertheless, the way he enters Simon Peter’s life shows us how God takes him and his companions where they are and invites them into what they are called to be.

       Jesus arrives on the scene while Peter, James, John and Andrew are just finishing up the night’s work. Fishermen in that part of the world would work at night, shining lanterns over the water near the boat to attract the fish and then casting a weighted net over the side. It was hard, repetitive work. No doubt the four were pretty tuckered out when Jesus arrived. They may or may not have been expecting Jesus to stop by.  But, like all in Israel in those days, they were looking for the coming of the Messiah.

       The first thing Jesus asks Simon Peter is simply to borrow his boat so he can have a better vantage point to teach the people. When we go to the Holy Land this Fall, you will see the very place. It is a little cove that forms a natural amphitheater. Several hundred people can assemble there quite comfortably. Someone speaking from a boat about 30 yards offshore can be heard quite well. Peter, Andrew and John have already spent a day with Jesus earlier, so it is an easy favor to grant. I often imagine what it would be like to be Peter sitting in the boat with Jesus, listening to him teach the crowds. He’s very much in his comfort zone.  No risk here.

       But Jesus has something greater in store for Simon Peter and the others. His command to set out into the deep seems futile. Simon knows his business. Fishing in daylight is futile in those waters. The fish simply aren’t there. I imagine he figured it couldn’t hurt anything to humor the carpenter turned rabbi. It’s nothing he hasn’t done before. The only difference this time is that Jesus is with him.

       There is a lesson for all of us here. So often when we are trying to discern the will of God, we expect him to act powerfully from the outset. We want the huge, the outrageous, the bombastic—a sign in the heavens. Christ is much gentler than that. He takes us where we are and invites us into what we are called to be. He prepares us to recognize him acting in little ways, so that we will not be overwhelmed when he acts in profound ways. There is no part of our life that is separated from God.  May our hearts be open to him in the mundane so that we may recognize and follow him in the profound.

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The Messianic Mic Drop

[What does it mean to be the People of God in the Age of Fulfillment? What difference does it make? What difference should it make? Watch the video here. The text is below. ]

    Much to the consternation of stage hands and techies everywhere in show business, the “Mic Drop” enjoys widespread popularity. For those of you who are not up to speed, the Oxford English Dictionary defines the mic drop as, (n.) an instance of deliberately dropping or tossing aside one’s microphone at the end of a performance or speech one considers to have been particularly impressive. They go on to say that it is “used to emphasize that a discussion is at an end after a definitive or particularly impressive point has been made, as in: ‘Nuff said. Mic drop!’”

       At the RCIA this week, this is exactly how one of the catechumens described what was going on in the synagogue in Nazareth when Jesus said, “Today, this scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.” 

       I think he was on to something, especially when we remember that Jesus just did not pick this particular passage from Isaiah at random. It is one of the passages that heralded the coming of the Messiah and what it would look like. If you stop to think about it, the things described in the passage were exactly the kinds of things that Jesus has been doing before he stopped in at Nazareth and the kinds of things he would continue to do right up to his passion, death and resurrection. He is pointing out to them that the time of fulfillment is at hand.

       Indeed, the Church is very clear that just like all Old Testament sacrifices, all Old Testament prophecies were perfected and brought to fulfillment in the person of Jesus Christ.

       (So, if you run across a preacher who is saying that O.T. prophecies are coming true in the present day, please charitably remind him of this reality.)

       It is a heady thing to live in the time of fulfillment, but that is exactly what we are doing. Christ fulfilled the prophecies and ushered in the new age of grace.  The present age will last until he comes in glory with salvation for his people.

       So, how do we live as the People of God in the age of fulfillment? 

       How are our lives different than those around us? Here’s a quick little quiz to help us out. 

1.  How do you organize you time?

  • Is prayer your first priority of the day, or is it just something that you fit in when you can on the side? 
  • Do you get your ten minutes of prayer a day? If not, why not?  
  • If you are not getting at least ten minutes a day of quiet private prayer with God, your life is out of control and you need to make adjustments.  No excuses.
  • Does all those in the home gather for prayer at a certain time of the day for prayer.

       And I don’t mean grace before meals.

Some folks might say, “Oh but Fr. Leo, life is busy with work and school and hockey and dance and whatnot.

       If you find yourself thinking this way, then the Evil One is already dominating your lives. 

       What I have described to you is the MINIMUM.

Remember, if I am the Evil One, I am going to fill your life with so many GOOD things, that you will not have time for your relationship with Christ.

       To whom do you give your time? Your life?

       To Christ?  Or to all these other…things

2.  How deliberately do you share your talents?

       What ministries are you involved in here at the parish?

       What organizations do you volunteer for in the community? 

       You don’t have to do everything, but you should do something.

       In the parish, I always advise folks to commit to one liturgical ministry and one ministry of service to the parish.

       In addition to volunteer for one organization in the community.  Somewhere that needs your gifts. 

3. Finally, how deliberate are you with your stewardship of treasure?

       On what kinds of things are you spending your money?

       How deliberate are you about distinguishing between needs and wants?

       How deliberate are you about giving a planned, proportionate amount to your income to the parish, to the Archdiocese? To other worthy causes both in the Church and in the larger community? 

       Let me tell you how I came to be deliberate about my stewardship of Treasure to the Lord.

A couple years after I was ordained, the Archdiocese made a commitment to implement the U.S. Bishops’ Pastoral letter on Stewardship.

       It is a powerful document, which is far more about how to be a Christian than anything else.

       Shortly thereafter at a meeting of the priests, Fr. Moore, the Vicar General introduced the new priests’ remuneration package.

       As he was talking about the amount of the monthly stipend, he added, “And of course, this is based on the assumption that all priests are tithing to their parish.”

       And there was a little twitter of laughter.

And in that moment something inside of me snapped. 

I said to myself, “This is so wrong.  How dare we ask our people do to something we are not willing to do ourselves?” 

       So like St. Peter, I went over the rail and into the deep.  That night in prayer I committed to the Lord that I would give the first 10% of my stipend to the parish, and any Mass stipends or other gifts would be tithed for other charities and the special collections.

       I should have done the math first.

       In those days, the priests stipend was $440/month.  Between my car payment, my student loan payment, one other monthly expense and the tithe, I started every month $49.73 in the whole.

       But, I had made a private vow to the Lord.

              So there could be no excuses. I had to live it out and trust that he would take care of me.

       I think it was in that moment that I made the transition from consumer of religious goods and services to disciple of Jesus Christ. I had to trust him with my finances…
That was hard.

       But you know, I never missed a payment,

       I found that I became incredibly grateful for all the little blessings in life.

       I learned the difference between a want and a need.

And surprisingly, I found that I had much more money at the end of each month than I really needed. 

       I realized then that Jesus meant what he said,

And also that you cannot outdo the generosity of God.

       I’ve never looked back since. 

Now, you may or may not be able to make such a leap all at once, but you can take a step.

       My advice is to work yourself up to it. 

       Sit down. Look at your household finances, pray hard, and decide.

       Maybe you start by committing 1% to the Church and 1% to other charities this year. Then next year, do the same assessment and work yourself up to 2% and 2%.  And then the same thing the next year and so on and so on. 

       For many of us, this is the most uncomfortable part of our life as a disciple, but for me, I found it was the most necessary. For me, I found that if I do not trust Christ with every part of my life, including my finances, then I am not loving him with all my heart and all my strength and all my soul. 

       I like what Bishop Gerber had to say about discerning one’s commitment of treasure.  He said:

  • “After prayerful thought about the size of our gift;
  • When we do not find ourselves making excuses for its size;
  • When we know in our hearts it is sacrificial;
  • When we are completely honest with God and with ourselves;
  • Then we know our gift is the correct amount.”                     

In the end, it’s all about gratitude.  As the Psalmist says, “How shall I make a return to the Lord, for all the good he has done for me…(Psalm 116).

In short, when we understand what we have been given

       When we understand what we have been FORgiven

Then the only response that is possible. 

       And the only one that is necessary is gratitude.

Then the only question becomes what tangible expression will my gratitude take?

       On what and with whom do you spend your time?

       On what and with whom do you share your talent?

       On what and with whom do you spend your treasure?

To put it more glibly,

       Show me your calendar

       Show me your bank statement

       And I’ll tell you what your priorities are. 

Much of what I have just said is already known and lived by many of you. You’ve already made the time and the effort to be in this church or watch online.

But it is good once in awhile to sit back and take inventory. To look at one’s life and make an honest self-evaluation how we spend our time, talent and treasure.

       To put the “discipline” in “disciple”

To be deliberate in how we express our gratitude to Almighty God as people of the new covenant,

       Proclaiming the joy of the gospel

       In all that we say

       But more importantly, in all that we do.

So that those around us may come to know their Savior.

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Be Like Mary!

This week we move into Ordinary time and our gospel brings us to the Wedding at Cana. Check out the video here.

It was the great social philosopher Groucho Marx who once said:  “Marriage is a wonderful institution…

    But who wants to live in an institution?”

Did you hear about the two florists that  got married?

          It was an arranged marriage.

Ten years ago, the invisible man married the invisible woman.

          Yeah, their kids are nothing to look at either.

Two spiders got married.

          They met on the web.

Two antennas got married.

          The ceremony wasn’t much but the reception was excellent.

    There are many things we could talk about regarding the wedding at Cana in this week’s gospel. Personally, I am greatly edified that Our Lord’s first miracle was to make a party a success. As tempting as it might be to go down that rabbit hole, instead I’d like to talk about the role of the Blessed Mother.

    Much like today, wedding feasts were a big deal in first century Palestine.  But unlike today, they were public, not private events. Days before, the groom had left with his entourage to retrieve his bride from her village. Travel being what it was in those days, he could show up at any time, day or night. Once the bridegroom and his bride arrived there was a festive procession from the gates of town to the bridegroom’s household. The whole village was involved. Since there were no newspapers or Facebook or any other type of media to publicize the event, this is how they did it. The typical wedding feast went on for a week or more. Many scholars comment that this particular wedding feast had probably been going on for at least three days by the time the wine ran out. How embarrassing! 

    Enter the Mother of Jesus. Seeing the awkward situation of the host family, she approaches her Son. We may be a bit perplexed at Jesus’ response, “My hour has not yet come.”  I’m not sure what his plans were, but whatever they had been, the intervention of his mother seems to change all that. And then, perhaps even to his own embarrassment, she turns to the steward and says, “Do whatever he tells you.”  I my own mind, I can hear Jesus mutter to himself, “Oh, Mom!”

    Then, the miracle happens. 

    The implication of the story is clear. Jesus works the miracle because of the intercession of the Blessed Mother on behalf of the bride and groom. It is a powerful lesson and a strong example for all of us. There are three things we should take away from this encounter.

    First, Mary is the first disciple and the model for all the rest of us disciples. As she was not shy about asking Jesus to work the miracle for her friends, neither should we be in asking Jesus to help ours.      

     Second, like the bride and groom, we should not be shy about making our needs know to the Blessed Mother so that she may intercede on our behalf.

    Finally, once we have, we would do well to heed her advice to the stewards: “Do whatever he tells you.”               

There are many things we can contemplate about the wedding at Cana, but it behooves us to look very closely at the role of the Blessed Mother.

    In how we pray

    What and for whom we pray

    What we should do with the fruits of that prayer.

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Of Kings, Wise Men and Magi

This week we celebrate the Epiphany of the Lord. Most notably, we celebrate the adoration of the child Jesus by the Magi.  These magi are interesting characters? Who are they, what do they represent, and what did that mean for folks in Jesus’s day and for us? 

Check out the video here. You can watch the whole Mass on our Facebook page here.

Magi – Who are they?

       Well, they are not kings, per se. They did not become so in our culture until John Henry Hopkins Jr., Rector of Christ Episcopal, wrote the carol we all know for a Christmas pageant in New York City in 1857.  It was the first widely popular Christmas carol written in America.

(Now, here is an idea. Why don’t we write some carols for our own Christmas pageant next year?  Wouldn’t that be something!)

Hopkins based his designation on earlier Christian tradition, which I’ll speak to a bit later. 

No, they are Magi,

        The word comes to us from Latin, which borrowed it from the Greek, which got it from the Persians. 

       The term refers to the Persian priestly caste of Zoroastrianism. As part of their religion, these priests paid particular attention to the stars and gained an international reputation for astrology, which was at that time highly regarded as a science.

       Interestingly enough, there was a celestial event at that time that would have caught their attention. Apparently, about the time of the birth of Christ, Jupiter, the celestial body associated with kings, moved into the constellation Aries, which was associated with Israel. While probably unnoticed by most of the population, those who were paying attention to such things, such as the Magi, would have interpreted this phenomenon to mean that a king had been born in Israel.  Pretty cool. 

What do they represent?

       For Matthew and certainly for the early Church fathers, the magi represent to the fulfillment of the prophecies of Isaiah 60:6ff, who we heard this morning, and other prophecies. Most notably:

       Psalm 72:10: “The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall pay tribute, and the kings of Arabia and Saba offer gifts“

       Psalm 72:15: “…and may there be given to him gold from Arabia“,

       Given these references, it is not long before early Christians began to see them as kings, even giving them names:  Balthasar is often represented as a king of Arabia or sometimes Ethiopia, Melchior as a king of Persia, and Gaspar as a king of India. By the 6th century all Christian commentators, both east and west referred to them as kings. This did not change until the movement of modern biblical scholarship in the first half of the 20th century.  So, we can give Hopkins some slack.  Besides, it’s a fun song.  (Although I still don’t know where the rubber cigar came from in the version we sang in 3rd grade…)

What does it mean?

       For the magi, it meant that a new king was born in Israel. I still can’t figure out why they felt compelled to make the journey and give him the gifts.  Perhaps it was because they recognized that there was something going on in Israel that would have universal impact. Perhaps it was simply to fulfill the prophecies.

       For Herod, it was a direct threat to his reign. Herod the Great was an incredible builder and administrator, but he was also a ruthless despot. Propped up by the Roman occupiers and insecure in on his throne, he held onto power with an iron fist and a sophisticated network of spies. This is a man who, days before his own death, had his two eldest sons executed because he suspected they were trying to usurp his throne.  He was a bad dude.  On Tuesday, we celebrated the Feast of the Holy Innocents, commemorating all the boys in Bethlehem under two years of age, whom he had killed in hopes of eliminating the threat that Jesus posed to his reign.

       He need not have worried, however. Jesus came preaching a very different kingdom that the one that Herod clung to.

       For us, the Visit of the Magi is the confirmation of what St. Paul says in his letter to the Ephesians, “that the Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same body,

and copartners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.”

       I don’t know about you, but for me, this is good news. When all these things were going on, my ancestors, the Danes and the Celts, were still painting themselves blue and worshiping thunder and trees and whatnot.  But in the providence of God and the kindness of history, the gospel reached those hallowed shores, and through the work of missionaries, especially he Jesuits, it moved from there to here.  Christianity also went out from the east with Orthodox missionaries and worked its way across Asia, and eventually across the Bering Streit. 

       We live in a very privileged place in Christian geography. It was here in Alaska, probably in the lower Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta that the gospel circled the globe.  Now the whole world is wrapped in the arms of the good news of Jesus Christ.

       It also means that we have work to do. The legacy that we have received is no small heritage.  The mission continues, not so much geographically, but certainly  demographically, and sociologically.

       First, in our families, such as they are.

       Then in our parish family of St. Patrick.

       Then beyond these walls into our neighborhoods, our schools, our workplaces, our state, our country, our world.

The Magi followed the star, carried gifts, and found Christ,

       We have found Christ, we follow Him, and carry the joy of the Gospel as our gift to the world.

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Leaping for Joy

Hey there, Church fans! There are two important times in scripture where someone dances. One of them is in today’s gospel. Check out the video here.

10 Quick Christmas jokes:

  1. Why does Santa Claus go down the chimney on Christmas Eve? Because it soots him.
  2. What did the English teacher call Santa’s helpers? Subordinate Clauses.
  3. What do you call people who are afraid of Santa Claus? Claustrophobic.
  4. What do you call a chicken at the North Pole? Lost.
  5. What is it called when a snowman has a temper tantrum? A meltdown.
  6. What would you get if you ate all the Christmas tree decorations? Tinselitis.
  7. What kind of linens to gingerbread people put on their beds? Cookie sheets.
  8. What did Santa say to Mrs. Claus when he saw their Christmas tree? It looks okay, but you could Spruce it up a bit.
  9. What do you call an elf that runs away from Santa’s Workshop? A rebel without a Claus!
  10. Why was the candy cane so expensive? It was in mint condition!

     This Fourth Sunday of Advent, we shift gears a bit. For the first three weeks we have been preparing practically and spiritually for the Lord’s second coming in glory and majesty. We just wrapped up the Advent Triduum, “In Praise of Mary—Woman of Faith, Hope and Charity.”  Most folks have commented rightly that this one was more about prayer, penance, and quiet expectation than our Lenten Missions tend to be. This was done on purpose.

       Now, in this Fourth Week of Advent, we shift our focus to preparing to celebrate his first coming in poverty and humility. It is time for unmitigated joy.

       To help us, the Church invites us to contemplate the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary to her cousin Elizabeth.

       There are two times that scripture emphasizes dancing.  The first is found in 2 Samuel 6:14 where David dances before the Lord as the Ark of the Covenant is brought up to Jerusalem.  The second is in today’s gospel, (Lk 1:39-45) where John the Baptist leaps for joy before the Lord in the womb of Elizabeth. 

       In the first, David dances with abandon that the Lord is in the midst of his people. In the understanding of the day, wherever the Ark was, there was God’s dwelling.  John the Baptist leaps in the womb for the same reason. Only this time, he dances before the new Ark of the Lord in anticipation of the new covenant of grace.

       The Ark of the old covenant had been lost when the Babylonians conquered Jerusalem around 586 B.C. It’s whereabouts are now known only to God.

       But here, in the womb of Mary, God dwells among his people once again. Mary is rightly called the Ark of the New Covenant of Grace. The holy child in her womb is called Emmanuel, a name which means “God is with us.” Even in the womb of Elizabeth, John leaps for joy in the presence of the Lord. 

Now, I’m going to digress here a little bit.

       When the pastoral council met earlier this month, I asked them what the mood of the parish was.

       The confirmed much of what I had observed.  Here are some bullet points from the minutes of that discernment:

  • People are emotionally tired.
  • Parishioners need a pep talk, and tough love;
  • we’re all in this together;
  • we should be patient with each other, demonstrating our faith combined with “I understand” at the same time
  • “Get it done.” 

Clinically, it’s been a tough time; everyone is weary.

I get it. It just doesn’t seem to end. It seems we just get done with one surge or variant and then are told that another one might be on the horizon.

       It’s not unlike that meme that’s going around:

“Mary, exhausted and just having gotten baby Jesus to bed is approached by a young man who thinks to himself, “What this lady needs is a drum solo!”

And yet, when I start to feel like that, I think back on what was going on at the very time that Mary made haste and went to Elizabeth. As I mentioned, times were tough.  There was a 30% chance that the children in their womb would survive their first year. The Jewish homeland was under the occupation of a distant, foreign Empire.  Corruption was rampant in politics. A weak governor ruled the land with a collaborating tyrant in the local puppet government. Tax collectors took more than what was required. Thieves roamed the highways.

And yet, the baby in her womb leaped for joy!

       He knew that “God is with us.”

Our own day feels a similar socio-political malaise. 

       There is a lack of trust of public institutions

       Many urban centers are in chaos.

              Or just simply filthy places of rot and decay.

       An uncharitable polemic pervades public discourse   People are not treasured, but labeled.

              Conservative – liberal

              Social drone – anti-vaxer

              Right wing – left wing

              Urban – Rural…

              ENOUGH!

This is a time faith

        This is a time for hope. 

              This is a for charity.

                      This is a time for the joy of the gospel.

                             This is a time for saints.

It starts here.  It starts now.

       The time for excuses is over.

              The time for blame is past.

We are not special.

We are no different than any other time human history.

       We Christians are the heirs to a great heritage.

It is our prayers that will change human hearts.

       It is our actions that will improve our society.

              It is our witness that will transform the world.

And if not the whole world, then at least that little part of the world with which we come into contact.

For like Mary, we bring Christ to the world.

       Through his Church and her sacraments,

              Our God is with us.

Who shall make him known…? 

       Who shall proclaim him to the world…?   

              if not you and me?

The world in silence waits.

The time for excuses is past.

       Now is the time for saints.

              Now is the time for the joy of the gospel to transform the world.

       Our God is with us.

              Now is the time for joy.

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Quare Gaudete?

[It’s Gaudete Sunday! The word means “rejoice!” But why? What do we have to rejoice about? View the video of the homily here. As always, it’s a little more involved than the text.

It’s been a tough week here in the Walsh family,

       My uncle works at an Advent calendar factory, but he got fired. All he did was take a few days off?

       It was not unexpected, whenever you work with Advent calendars your days are numbered.

So anyway, if any of you were looking for a biblical mandate to participate in the warm clothing drive, I refer you to today’s gospel wherein John the Baptist tells the people: “Whoever has two cloaks should share with the person who has none.” 

       The Third Sunday of Advent is called Gaudete Sunday for a reason. The word means “Rejoice!”  And sure enough, the word joy or rejoice or something similar appears no less than thirteen times in the readings for this week. Okay, so what are we to rejoice about?

       The prophet Zephaniah exhorts us to rejoice for several reasons, namely that a) the Lord has removed the judgment against us and our sins are forgiven, b) he as turned away our enemies, c) the Lord is in our midst, and d) we have no more misfortune to fear.

       Paul also tells to rejoice because “the Lord is near.” 

       Finally, in Luke, we see that all the people were filled with expectation for the coming of the messiah.  

         We tend to forget that life was a lot tougher in ancient times. About a quarter to a third of all babies in the Roman Empire did not survive their first year. If you made it through your first year, you could expect to live another 34-41 years. Death was much more a part of life. This gave an urgency to all manner of things.

       Advent also has a certain urgency to it.  It is a time of penitential preparation and expectation. We can also rejoice that the Lord is near.

       We look forward to Christ’s coming in glory at the end of the age, but we are also aware that through Church, and especially in the sacraments, the Lord is truly and substantially in our midst in several ways. 

       Advent helps us to become aware that Christ comes to us in little ways, like our small groups that pray together, in our daily devotions, in our personal reading of scripture and so on.

       He also comes to us in sacramental ways, especially in the sacrament of Reconciliation and in the holy sacrifice of the Mass and in adoration.

       Finally, we are filled with expectation that the coming of the Lord in glory at the end of the age is near. For the Christian this is cause for rejoicing as we anticipate the fulfillment of our ultimate hope.

       Advent is a time for rejoicing in expectation of the coming of the Lord in ways both big and small.  May he find us watchful and ready when he comes.