The Long Journey Into Light

Retreating away...

2012-01-23T09:07:00.002-06:00

Today I depart for Mount Saint Joseph in Maple Mount, KY. Together with the rest of my class, I will be on a silent retreat there through Sunday. No blogging until I get back. Pax.

Good bumper stickers I've seen on facebook of late

2012-01-22T02:07:00.002-06:00

Clippings converter

2012-01-21T23:13:00.003-06:00

Just discovered this site today--http://www.clippingsconverter.com/.

It allows Kindle users to export a list of their highlights and notes in all of their Kindle books. The list, offered in Excel, Word, or PDF format, separates by book highlights and comments.

It also spits out the page number of each highlight, which answers the problem of not knowing what page number one is on in the book itself.

This website is awesome!

mk

Feast of Saint Meinrad

2012-01-21T18:58:00.003-06:00

Today is also the feast day of St. Meinrad, who died on this day 1,151 years ago. He is the holy patron of the monastic community here in Southern Indiana, and the patron saint of hospitality.

This patronage is attributed to Meinrad for good reason. Meinrad welcomed to his hermitage, where he had lived faithfully for 26 years, two men he knew would kill him.

The robbers-turned-murderers, thinking that Meinrad had many possessions in his hermitage, came not long after Meinrad had a vision that two visitors would soon kill him.

They demanded all Meinrad's goods when they arrived. Meinrad told them he had nothing but they didn't believe him, thinking that Meinrad had benefactors who showered him with gifts.

Meinrad was offering Mass at the time the men came into his hermitage. He finished Mass, offered some additional prayers, kissed his relics, and opened the door.

He warmly greeted and welcomed the men he knew were about to kill him.

We can love our enemies, too, but we usually can do so only in small ways.

As it did last year, this reality makes me think of a beautiful moment in Graham Greene's The Power and the Glory. The whiskey priest, nearing his death, comes to a powerful realization that night before he was shot:

He felt only an immense disappointment because he had to go to God empty-handed, with nothing done at all. It seemed to him, at that moment, that it would have been quite easy to have been a saint. It would have only needed a little self-restraint and a little courage.

Some might call it 20/20 hindsight, but I think that it points to the reality that sainthood isn't all that hard, so long as, like Saint Meinrad, we have a little self-restraint and a little courage.

We can love our enemies in little ways, and those little ways end up going a long ways, such that perhaps we will come to discover that our "enemies" are not really enemies at all. It's easier, says the whiskey priest, than we might think. Let's take this lesson from him now, before the eve of our own passing.

St. Meinrad: Pray for us!

mk

Pope: Seminarians, study hard

2012-01-21T18:30:00.000-06:00

Our rector and vice rector often stress the same points the Holy Father spoke of today: that seminarians must study and appreciate the universality of the holy Church, as a part of their pursuit of holiness.

Here's this from Zenit:

Benedict XVI today told those preparing for the priesthood that their path to holiness also includes a commitment to their studies.

The Pope said this today in an address to the community from one of the Diocese of Rome seminaries, the Almo Collegio Capranica, which he received in audience for the feast of St. Agnes, patron of the college.

He said that priestly formation requires integrity and asceticism, as well as "heroic constancy and fidelity."

"Deep down there should be a solid spiritual life animated by an intense relationship with God on the personal and community level, with particular care shown in liturgical celebrations and the frequenting of the sacraments," the Holy Father encouraged. "The priestly life requires a growing desire for holiness, a clear sensus Ecclesiae and an openness to a fraternity without exclusions or partiality."

And he said that the priest's path to holiness also includes a decision to develop his intelligence and cultural knowledge, the "fruit of passionate and constant study."

"Faith has its own intellectual and rational dimension that is essential," the Pontiff explained. "For a seminarian and a young priest still struggling with academic study, it means assimilating the synthesis between faith and reason that is peculiar to Christianity. The Word of God became flesh, and the priest, the true priest of the Incarnate Word, must become more transparent, luminous and profound, to the eternal Word which is given to us. He who is mature also in this, his global cultural training, can be a more effective educator and promoter of that worship 'in spirit and truth' of which Jesus speaks to the Samaritan woman."

Universal

Benedict XVI also encouraged the seminarians to steep themselves in the experience of the Church's universality.

"Always have a deep sense of history and tradition of the Church," he invited them. "Being in Rome is a gift which should make you especially sensitive to the depth of the Catholic tradition. You touch it with your hands already in the history of the building that houses you. In addition, you live these years of training in a special closeness with the Successor of Peter, which enables you to perceive with particular clarity the size of the universal Church and the desire that the Gospel may reach all peoples. Here you have the opportunity to broaden your horizons with experiences of internationality; here, above all, you breathe Catholicism.

"Take advantage of what is offered, for future service to the Diocese of Rome, or your dioceses of origin! By friendship, which springs from living together, learn about the different situations of the nations and Churches around the world and learn to form in yourselves a Catholic view. Prepare yourselves to be close to every person you meet, not allowing any culture to be a barrier to the Word of life, which you proclaim also with your life."

The Pope concluded by reminding the seminarians that "the Church expects much from the young priests in the work of evangelization and new evangelization."

mk

"This decision must be fought against with all the energies the Catholic Community can muster."

2012-01-21T18:28:00.000-06:00

About the ruling yesterday that will force all employers--ALL employers, even of Catholic organizations--to provide contraceptives, including some associated with abortion, here is Cardinal Roger Mahony:

I cannot imagine a more direct and frontal attack on freedom of conscience than this ruling. This decision must be fought against with all the energies the Catholic Community can muster.

For me there is no other fundamental issue as important as this one as we enter into the Presidential and Congressional campaigns. Every candidate must be pressed to declare his/her position on all of the fundamental life issues, especially the role of government to determine what conscience decision must be followed: either the person’s own moral and conscience decision, or that dictated/enforced by the Federal government. For me the answer is clear: we stand with our moral principles and heritage over the centuries, not what a particular Federal government agency determines.

As Bishops we do not recommend candidates for any elected office. For me personally, I intend to vote on November 6, 2012, for the candidate for President of the United States and members of Congress who intend to recognize the full spectrum of rights under the many conscience clauses of morality and public policy. If any candidate refuses to acknowledge and to promote those rights, then that canddate will not receive my vote.

This is a sad moment in the life of our country where religious freedom and freedom of conscience led to the formation of this new Nation under God.

Dolan: "In effect, the president is saying we have a year to figure out how to violate our consciences"

2012-01-20T23:58:00.001-06:00

Unbelivable and sad news just in on, surprise surprise, Friday afternoon.

The Administration has come out with what is rightly called an "unconscionable" edict that would force all employers--ALL employers, even of Catholic organizations--to provide contraceptives, including some associated with abortion.

And citizens foot the bill.

In their incredible generosity, the Administration has offered a one-year grace period to faith-based organizations, if they apply for it and meet the narrow criteria.

Sickening. Deplorable. Infuriating. Tragic.

Pray. Pray. Pray.

The bishops have already written a response, copied below:

U.S. Bishops Vow to Fight HHS Edict

WASHINGTON—The Catholic bishops of the United States called “literally unconscionable” a decision by the Obama Administration to continue to demand that sterilization, abortifacients and contraception be included in virtually all health plans. Today's announcement means that this mandate and its very narrow exemption will not change at all; instead there will only be a delay in enforcement against some employers.

“In effect, the president is saying we have a year to figure out how to violate our consciences,” said Cardinal-designate Timothy M. Dolan, archbishop of New York and president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

The cardinal-designate continued, “To force American citizens to choose between violating their consciences and forgoing their healthcare is literally unconscionable.It is as much an attack on access to health care as on religious freedom. Historically this represents a challenge and a compromise of our religious liberty."

The HHS rule requires that sterilization and contraception – including controversial abortifacients – be included among “preventive services” coverage in almost every healthcare plan available to Americans. “The government should not force Americans to act as if pregnancy is a disease to be prevented at all costs,” added Cardinal-designate Dolan.

At issue, the U.S. bishops and other religious leaders insist, is the survival of a cornerstone constitutionally protected freedom that ensures respect for the conscience of Catholics and all other Americans.

“This is nothing less than a direct attack on religion and First Amendment rights,” said Franciscan Sister Jane Marie Klein, chairperson of the board at Franciscan Alliance, Inc., a system of 13 Catholic hospitals. “I have hundreds of employees who will be upset and confused by this edict. I cannot understand it at all.”

Daughter of Charity Sister Carol Keehan, president and chief executive officer of the Catholic Health Association of the United States, voiced disappointment with the decision. Catholic hospitals serve one out of six people who seek hospital care annually.

“This was a missed opportunity to be clear on appropriate conscience protection,” Sister Keehan said.

Cardinal-designate Dolan urged that the HHS mandate be overturned.

“The Obama administration has now drawn an unprecedented line in the sand,” he said. “The Catholic bishops are committed to working with our fellow Americans to reform the law and change this unjust regulation. We will continue to study all the implications of this troubling decision.”

---

First Amendment, heath care, Archbishop Timothy Dolan, Freedom of Conscience, U.S. bishops, United States Conference of Catholic bishops, President Obama, Sister Carol Keehan

# # # # #
MEDIA CONTACT:
Sr. Mary Ann Walsh
O: 202-541-3200
M: 301-325-7935

mk

"Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands."

2012-01-19T21:23:00.005-06:00

I think it was Thomas Aquinas who said that envy is really the dumbest sin because at least with the other sins you get some kind of pleasure in doing them.

Envy is the only "unfun" sin.

Interesting to contemplate. And yet envy is so very, very common.

As Fr. Ron Knott, founder of the IPP program here at St Meinrad, commented the other day, clerical envy is sadly rampant in presbyterates everywhere.

And it divides and embitters a group of priests who ought to be on the same team!

Our first reading today reminds us of this:

When David and Saul approached
(on David's return after slaying the Philistine),
women came out from each of the cities of Israel to meet King Saul,
singing and dancing, with tambourines, joyful songs, and sistrums.
The women played and sang:

"Saul has slain his thousands,
and David his ten thousands."

Saul was very angry and resentful of the song, for he thought:
"They give David ten thousands, but only thousands to me.
All that remains for him is the kingship."

And from that day on, Saul was jealous of David.

A good reminder for us all to get rid of envy from our hearts, bit by bit, by celebrating the good things others do that we, well, can't!

mk

"Here's the thing, Al: I've always encouraged moderation"

2012-01-17T22:32:00.002-06:00

Gotta love that Paula Deen.

I fell in love with her the first time I went to her buffet just outside New Albany, Indiana.

News came out today that she was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes three years ago.

On the Today show, she spoke a word very much at the heart of the Benedictine philosophy--and the wider Church's teaching: moderation.

All things in moderation, as the saying goes.

Many think she is responsible for fattening a good number of people and giving them health complications such as the one she now has.

Au contraire, she says. People need to be responsible for themselves.

"It's like I told Oprah a few years back. I'm your cook, not your doctor. You've got to be responsible for yourself."

Thanks Paula. It's a lesson we'd all do well to contemplate, maybe even while having a piece of pie.

mk

Martin Luther King Day

2012-01-16T15:02:00.000-06:00

Father Hesburgh stood together with Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., while singing "We Shall Overcome" at a 1964 civil rights rally held at Chicago's Soldier Field.

Here I am Lord

2012-01-15T22:54:00.005-06:00

The Deacon's Bench alerted me today of a beautiful rendition of that tune Here I Am Lord which I've embedded it at the end of this post.

Because of the first reading's story of Samuel and Eli, the song was probably sung at the majority of Catholic parishes this weekend.

But most parishes probably weren't so fortunate to hear it done as beautifully as it is in the video below.

I remember liking this song and being attracted to something in it even as a young kid.

Perhaps I was drawn then, even subconsciously, to the idea of God having some kind of need of me--so much so that in the back of my mind I was already then saying, "Send me."

Or, perhaps it was just that it was sung so often--too often it could well be argued--that the song became common and drilled into my head. We are often drawn to the common and known. I had the words down by third grade probably and still remember it was in those days found on page 492 of that blue book.

Whatever it was that I liked then, this is the simple truth I like about the song now: it emphasizes that God calls and the Christian ought be there and respond. That, and in our faithfulness to our calling is life, light, hope, freedom, and a good deal else.

Perhaps what people like least about this tune is its contemporary and somewhat less-than-interesting musical nature. Or maybe it's that they've never heard it done as best it can be done.

Here, I think this boys choir makes it sound as good as it can:

Better than guitars, no?
mk

Make me a fork

2012-01-15T22:19:00.005-06:00

A brother seminarian has this at the end of each email he sends out:

"Father, make of me a crisis man. Bring those I contact to decision. Let me not be a milepost on a single road; make me a fork, that men must turn one way or another on facing Christ in me."

I rather like this. It's attributed to the journals of Jim Elliot, a (non--Catholic) missionary who died in bringing the Gospel to the unreached Auca tribe of Ecuador in 1956.

May it be so, that we not only serve as pointers and signs to Christ, but abide with him so much so that others see him in us and are forced to make a decision: do I allow myself to be converted a bit more, or do I walk away?

I know fork people like this and it's true: they bring me and just about everyone they meet to a decision point. Conversion or reversion?

mk

A Catholic response

2012-01-14T23:39:00.002-06:00

There has been in recent days a video floating around facebook made by Jefferson Bethke called "Why I Love Jesus But Hate Religion."

There's been a lot of attention paid it. If you've not seen it, click here.

Here is an excellent Catholic response!

To Monte Cassino, our dear Lady's shrine, we pilgrims come asking for blessings divine

2012-01-14T19:33:00.011-06:00

In the later part of 1870, when Ulysses S. Grant was president, smallpox had broken out and was spreading quickly in southern Indiana. Many in villages nearby the monastery and seminary had died over the Christmas season. Four men from St. Meinrad had also died.

The students and monks of St. Meinrad at the time, fearful of losing their lives, turned to Mary. They set out on pilgrimage to the top of a hill not far from the monastery and seminary.

Along the way, they prayed. Once they reached the top of the hill, a votive Mass was offered at the current church building.

All were spared.

Every year, we continue this tradition and process to the shrine of Our Lady of Monte Cassino in thanksgiving for her protection and care, and in petition that we might continue to receive her healing touch.

Our Lady is the Mediatrix of grace, and so we ask her to pour forth that grace upon us.

Here's the opening hymn from this morning's Mass:

To Monte Cassino, our dear Lady's shrine,
We pilgrims come, asking for blessings divine.
O Mary our Mother behold at thy feet
Thy confident children, who thee now will greet.

Thou health of the ailing, come heal all our ills,
Come, dry sorrow's tear that our eye so oft fills,
O refuge of sinners, fling over us wide
The folds of thy mantle that there we may hide.

Thus under thy guidance, thou bright morning star,
We'll journey toward heaven, till gleaming afar,
We see that bright city where all for us wait
Who reached that safe haven through thee, heaven's gate.

Pictures thanks to Doug Hunter and John Honiotes.

mk

The Feast of the...what?

2012-01-14T15:35:00.007-06:00

Evening is now drawing in, and so with it comes the Second Sunday of Ordinary Time.

But today, January 14, was once known as Festum Asinorum.

In English, it's known as the Feast of the Ass.

I'll keep the tradition of this feast alive on this blog.

Most widely observed in France, this feast, before it faded away, was to celebrate the Flight into Egypt.

As recorded in Matthew, this is the event in which Joseph, Mary, and Jesus escape to Egypt, after the Epiphany with the Magi, because Joseph had learned of Herod's plan to kill all infants and sought to protect the newborn King and Mary.

Caryll Houselander writes a bit about that moment and how difficult it must have been for Joseph: "But when he was in Bethlehem and Christ was born, one by one his troubles crowded in--the command not to return home, the hardships of the journey into Egypt and being obliged to see Mary and the Infant endure them, the struggle in the foreign country, starting again, trying to build up a trade, to learn the language..."

There is a little mural right by the monastery entrance, just outside the St. Joseph's Oratory, that reads: "The hand of the humble Joseph guides that of the Almighty."

Perhaps I will pay it a visit before the day is over, but here it is for those who are far away enough that a visit is not quite practical or possible:

Happy Feast of the Ass!

(And thanks to Southern Fried Catholicism for reminding us here of this feast, which lives on over there too!)
mk

Evelyn Waugh: "You have no idea how much nastier I would be if I was not a Catholic"

2012-01-13T15:41:00.002-06:00

I like this:

According to a literary anecdote, the author Nancy Mitford had asked Waugh how he could behave so abominably and yet still consider himself a practicing Catholic. "You have no idea," had Waugh replied, "how much nastier I would be if I was not a Catholic. Without supernatural aid I would hardly be a human being." -- The New Criterion Reader

mk

St. Hilary: "You will not so easily get out of Hell!"

2012-01-13T08:54:00.001-06:00

Today the Church celebrates a wonderful saint, St. Hilary of Poitiers, born around 315.

He became a bishop of Poitiers (where he was born) three years after becoming a Christian, and so he was most likely a layman at the time of his election.

Hilary was very much a defender of orthodoxy in the face of heretics and their movements, especially Arianism.

The distinction "the trumpet of the Latins against the Arians" was given to him by St. Jerome who of course studied Hilary's writings and life.

I prefer the nickname given him by the Arians, who evidently referred to Hilary as "the troublemaker".

Constantius II, the Arian emperor at the time, sent Hilary into exile for not condemning Athanasius, who like Hilary fought against Arianism. For this, he is the patron saint of exiles.

He preached the truth and didn't water anything down. Story goes that one Sunday while Hilary was preaching, some people began to leave the church. Why? They didn't like what he was saying, what he was challenging them to do. So they began to walk out. Hilary yelled to them: "You will not so easily get out of Hell!"

This is one of my favorite quotes.

St. Hilary: Pray for us!

mk

Imploring the helping hand of God

2012-01-13T04:41:00.001-06:00

Today, like all ordinary Fridays, the Morning Prayer of the Church includes Psalm 51.

Br. Francis' blog had not too ago a quote from Augustine on this psalm:

Psalm 51 is a psalm of someone repenting, someone wishing to retrieve the hope he had lost, lying where he had fallen, begging the Lord to give him a hand to raise him up again, like someone quite capable of injuring himself but not of healing himself. After all, we can wound our own flesh whenever we want, but to heal it we look for a doctor. In the same way the soul is perfectly able to sin all by itself, but to heal the hurt it has caused by sinning, it implores the helping hand of God. -- St Augustine

Words of wisdom indeed.

Wisdom from Fr. Christian Raab, OSB

2012-01-12T20:23:00.004-06:00

Fr. Christian Raab of St Meinrad writes here about ten things to know about discerning a vocation, from his own discernment experience.

He goes through each of the ten pieces of wisdom below:

God calls
Vocation is a two-way gift
God preserves our freedom
Know thyself
Christ is the way, the truth, and the life
Find your place in the symphony
Ask for help
Expect some “blindness”
God writes straight with crooked lines
Discernment is not your vocation

Universal signs of a vocation

2012-01-12T19:17:00.002-06:00

Whispers has a good bit here today on the signs of a vocation, timely since it is, after all, Vocation Awareness Week:

Whatever it might be, the signs are universal: it's what makes you burn, brings you joy, makes life good, gets you up in the morning (sometimes keeps you awake in the night, too) and -- even with the knowledge that it'll never be fully perfect nor without its sufferings, burdens and trials -- you really can't see yourself doing any other thing with your days and giving it everything you've got.

In a nutshell, your call is that one thing above the rest which makes you happy and gives life to you and others. You'll know it simply by finding it and knowing you can't be anywhere else -- and in some cases, even now, even if you don't think you know or have found it, somewhere down deep inside, it's already there and maybe just needs a little extra figuring out.

The Church is not against science and reason!

2012-01-11T23:57:00.002-06:00

And the man profiled by Google today is proof of that.

Today, Google's main image was this:

Clicking on it leads one to various profiles of Bishop Nicolas Steno, a geologist, biologist and paleontologist.

And Catholic bishop.

He is even on his way to sainthood, having been beatified by JPII in 1988.

He found the excretory duct of the parotid glands and discovered patterns of blood circulation in the human body.

He studies a great deal of the anatomy of the human brain, fossils, and all sorts of scientific stuff.

The Catholic Church does not stand against reason or science...and praise God for that.

George Weigel, in talking about other converts (Steno was a convert from Lutheranism) has this to say: "If there is a thread running through these diverse personalities, it may be this: that men and women of intellect, culture and accomplishment have found in Catholicism what Blessed John Paul II called the “symphony of truth.” That rich and complex symphony, and the harmonies it offers, is an attractive, compelling and persuasive alternative to the fragmentation of modern and post-modern intellectual and cultural life, where little fits together and much is cacophony."

His words (click here to read them all) seem quite appropriate for Bl. Steno.

Bl. Steno, pray for us!

mk

I'm no expert in the kitchen

2012-01-11T23:55:00.000-06:00

But I think I could throw this together...maybe.
Here's the recipe.

This is a dish we discussed this morning in class, when we went up to the kitchen to learn some basic skills that might be useful later on in rectory life.

Sure does look tasty!
mk

Wise words from St John Vianney

2012-01-10T23:22:00.001-06:00

"If you care what people think of you, then you never have become a Catholic."

The Baptism of the Lord

2012-01-09T22:58:00.003-06:00

Today is the Baptism of the Lord, the final day of Christmas. (And hence, the color of the blog has just now been adjusted to reflect Ordinary Time green.)

The first reading today from Isaiah is awesome:

Thus says the LORD:
Here is my servant whom I uphold,
my chosen one with whom I am pleased,
upon whom I have put my spirit;
he shall bring forth justice to the nations,
not crying out, not shouting,
not making his voice heard in the street.
a bruised reed he shall not break,
and a smoldering wick he shall not quench,
until he establishes justice on the earth;
the coastlands will wait for his teaching.

I, the LORD, have called you for the victory of justice,
I have grasped you by the hand;
I formed you, and set you
as a covenant of the people,
a light for the nations,
to open the eyes of the blind,
to bring out prisoners from confinement,
and from the dungeon, those who live in darkness.
mk

Record Number of pro-life laws passed in 2011

2012-01-09T22:43:00.004-06:00

LifeSiteNews.com has a bit here about a recent Washington Post article explaining that the number of laws limiting abortions have jumped greatly in recent years, especially in 2011.

Excellent news!

We must keep praying for life and that those in office continue to advance the cause of life.

Here's the chart from LSN:

mk

And they went back another way

2012-01-08T23:57:00.010-06:00

The Feast of the Epiphany, which we celebrate this day, turns our minds to the revealing power of God, who shows us who he is and comes into our lives changing everything.

This weekend the St Charles group was here. 41 high school sophomores going through Confirmation prep.

The Church is blessed to have them. And I'm blessed to know them!

Every year I love this retreat, because watching God work in the lives of these young people on this Hill is an incredible sight--one their parents would likely be surprised at if they were able to see it.

It happens in many kinds of ways, but it happens.

God comes in.

And they are changed. Or so we hope.

I concluded the retreat with the same words that conclude the Gospel today, that concluded the reading in Vespers last night, and that concluded the reading from the morning Office today: "They [The magi] departed for their country by another way."

Why a different way?

Because they had just met Christ God.

And an experience with Christ God changes everything.

Over the weekend, I pray these kids encountered the living God in a way that will shift their thoughts and hearts and lives.

So, today, they got on the bus and departed for Bloomington in another way.
mk

Journey of the Magi, T.S. Eliot

2012-01-08T23:55:00.000-06:00

Below is the text, but click here to hear Eliot read it.

A cold coming we had of it,
Just the worst time of the year
For a journey, and such a long journey:
The ways deep and the weather sharp,
The very dead of winter.
And the camels galled, sore-footed, refractory,
Lying down in the melting snow.
There were times when we regretted
The summer palaces on slopes, the terraces,
And the silken girls bringing sherbet.
Then the camel men cursing and grumbling
And running away, and wanting their liquor and women,
And the night-fires going out, and the lack of shelters,
And the cities dirty and the towns unfriendly
And the villages dirty and charging high prices:
A hard time we had of it.
At the end we preferred to travel all night,
Sleeping in snatches,
With the voices singing in our ears, saying
That this was all folly.

Then at dawn we came down to a temperate valley,
Wet, below the snow line, smelling of vegetation;
With a running stream and a water mill beating the darkness,
And three trees on the low sky,
And an old white horse galloped away in the meadow.
Then we came to a tavern with vine-leaves over the lintel,
Six hands at an open door dicing for pieces of silver,
And feet kicking the empty wineskins.
But there was no information, and so we continued
And arrived at evening, not a moment too soon
Finding the place; it was (you may say) satisfactory.

All this was a long time ago, I remember,
And I would do it again, but set down
This set down
This: were we led all that way for
Birth or Death? There was a Birth, certainly,
We had evidence and no doubt. I had seen birth and death,
But had thought they were different; this Birth was
Hard and bitter agony for us, like Death, our death.
We returned to our places, these Kingdoms,
But no longer at ease here, in the old dispensation,
With an alien people clutching their gods.
I should be glad of another death.

The sixth of January

2012-01-06T01:20:00.000-06:00

The sixth of January by David Budbill:

The cat sits on the back of the sofa looking
out the window through the softly falling snow
at the last bit of gray light.

I can't say the sun is going down.
We haven't seen the sun for two months.
Who cares?

I am sitting in the blue chair listening to this stillness.
The only sound: the occasional gurgle of tea
coming out of the pot and into the cup.

How can this be?
Such calm, such peace, such solitude
in this world of woe.

mk

Priests: be priests

2012-01-05T13:42:00.004-06:00

George Weigel has a great piece on how the New Roman Missal affords us the perfect time to "break bad liturgical habits."

In it, he explains that the correct wording of the benediction is not, "May Almighty God bless us..."

I've heard that one plenty of times.

Here's what Weigel has to say: "Catholics who embrace the truth of Catholic faith do not enjoy clericalism. But they do not find comfort, much less evangelical leadership, from priests who imagine they can avoid clericalism by unwittingly denying the truth of their own sacramental vocation and its distinctiveness."

And, while we're on the topic of priestly identity, the Portiuncula blog shared this quote from the woman who said it all, Mother Teresa: "You have not become a priest to be a social worker."

Weigel's piece here is well worth the read--and it's short.

mk

Stephen Colbert: "Pain is actually a gift"

2012-01-05T13:34:00.002-06:00

The Deacon's Bench alerts us to a NYT article on Stephen Colbert. Read it here.

I love this paragraph:

In 1974, when Colbert was 10, his father, a doctor, and his brothers Peter and Paul, the two closest to him in age, died in a plane crash while flying to a prep school in New England. "There's a common explanation that profound sadness leads to someone's becoming a comedian, but I’m not sure that's a proven equation in my case," he told me. "I'm not bitter about what happened to me as a child, and my mother was instrumental in keeping me from being so." He added, in a tone so humble and sincere that his character would never have used it: "She taught me to be grateful for my life regardless of what that entailed, and that’s directly related to the image of Christ on the cross and the example of sacrifice that he gave us. What she taught me is that the deliverance God offers you from pain is not no pain -- it's that the pain is actually a gift. What’s the option? God doesn’t really give you another choice."

Emerging from beneath our trees

2012-01-05T11:03:00.007-06:00

Today's Gospel (John 1:43-51):

43 The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. And he found Philip and said to him, "Follow me." 44 Now Philip was from Beth-sa'ida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 45 Philip found Nathan'a-el, and said to him, "We have found him of whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." 46 Nathan'a-el said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see." 47 Jesus saw Nathan'a-el coming to him, and said of him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!" 48 Nathan'a-el said to him, "How do you know me?" Jesus answered him, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you." 49 Nathan'a-el answered him, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!" 50 Jesus answered him, "Because I said to you, I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You shall see greater things than these." 51 And he said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man."

I love the image of Nathan'a-el just sitting under his tree, mostly because we've all been there before.

I wonder if he was lonely, bored, ready to give up, just tired, frustrated, angry, confused, doubting, stubborn, or just plain lazy. We can't know, but we do know that Nathan'a-el doesn't jump up in joy--as we might expect of a saint and apostle!--when his friend delivers the news that Jesus had been found.

Nathan'a-el sits there. "I cannot come to the feast," we almost hear him say.

Good thing that Phillip knows a thing or two about evangelization. Rather than debating with Nathan'a-el about the claims of Jesus, Phillip simply says, "Come and see."

Arguments, lessons, lectures--these things are nice, but they do not always succeed in bringing someone out from under his tree. Now a true encounter with the living God--that will.

This weekend a large group of high school sophomores from St. Charles in Bloomington will arrive on this Hill. They come from under their own trees--and, like Nathan'a-el, most likely reluctantly.

But here they will "come and see" for themselves who Jesus is. If they open their eyes, as Nathan'a-el does in today's Gospel, they will quickly find a God who knows them and loves them deeply, and who will transform them right here.

May it be so.
mk

"We know that we have passed from death to life because we love..."

2012-01-05T10:56:00.000-06:00

Today's first reading from 1 John makes it clear that only those who truly love, live.

We know that we have passed from death to life
because we love our brothers.
Whoever does not love remains in death.
Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer,
and you know that no murderer has eternal life remaining in him.
The way we came to know love
was that he laid down his life for us;
so we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.

That means the unlovable, too. Which reminds me of this quote from Chesterton: "To love means loving the unlovable. To forgive means pardoning the unpardonable. Faith means believing the unbelievable. Hope means hoping when everything seems hopeless."

mk

Feast of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Catholic schools, and an interesting Indiana connection

2012-01-04T23:53:00.000-06:00

Today Mother Church has been celebrating the feast day of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, the first American born saint.

She was born into an Episcopalian family and married a wealthy man when she was 20 years old, with whom she had five children.

Together with her husband and their eldest daughter, Elizabeth moved to Italy in the hopes of finding a cure for her husband's TB. He died soon after they arrived, but Elizabeth became Catholic as a result of the kindness an Italian Catholic family offered to her during this difficult time.

This is a good lesson to us: oftentimes, we can spark conversion just by doing simple things that show we care.

She converted in 1805, much to the dismay of her family and friends who shunned her out of their lives. Three years later, she had established a school for girls in Baltimore. The next year, 1809, four other sisters joined her and together they formed the Daughters of Charity of St. Joseph.

Under Mother Seton's charge and along with her, these nuns busied themselves with teaching in schools attached to parishes. She is thus rightfully known as the founder of the Catholic parochial school system in America.

Today is a great day to pray for her intercession to guide our Catholic Schools, that they might always remain close to that mission to which Mother Seton dedicated her life: the passing on of the true faith. We might also pray for those who are charged with this hugely important task.

Interesting Indiana connection: Mother Seton's spiritual director was Fr. Simon Brute, a French priest who had just moved to America to serve Mt. St. Mary's, a seminary nearby Seton's central hub in Maryland.

Fr. Brute gave Mother Seton her last rites in 1821. Thirteen years later, Fr. Brute became Bishop Brute--the first bishop of the Diocese of Vincennes, Indiana (now known as the Arch. of Indianapolis).

Recently, Bishop Brute became Servant of God Brute since his cause for canonization is in process. Let's pray for St. Elizabeth Ann Seton's intercession on that process.

From her writings:

What was the first rule of our dear Savior’s life? You know if was to do his Father’s will. Well, then, the first purpose of our daily work is to do the will of God; secondly, to do it in the manner he wills; and thirdly, to do it because it is his will. We know certainly that our God calls us to a holy life. We know that he gives us every grace, every abundant grace; and though we are so weak of ourselves, this grace is able to carry us through every obstacle and difficulty.

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton: Pray for us!

mk

The manhood of the Apostles

2012-01-04T04:51:00.000-06:00

Our rector, Fr. Denis, has an awesome way of highlighting the follies and foibles of the Apostles. He's done so in homilies/reflections about three times when I've been there to hear. I hope he does it many more times.

His eloquent reflections on our Apostles are reminders that God chooses the weak and makes them strong. That good can come from the seemingly bad. That God works through all the muck of man. That the ordinary can become sanctified and extraordinary. That God's strength reveals itself in man's weakness.

It is the human qualities of saints that most attract us. Because we can relate. The "pie-in-the-sky" becomes quite real.

I'm now reading Christ is Passing By by St. Josemaria. He does the same kind of thing as Fr. Denis in stressing the humanness of the Apostles:

The first Apostles, for whom I have great affection and devotion, were nothing to boast about, humanly speaking. With the exception of Matthew, who probably earned a comfortable living which he left behind at the behest of Jesus, the Apostles were mere fishermen. They lived a meager existence, fishing all night to keep food on the table.

But social status is unimportant. They weren’t educated; they weren’t even very bright, if we judge from their reaction to supernatural things. Finding even the most elementary examples and comparisons beyond their reach, they would turn to the Master and ask: “Explain the parable to us” (Matt 13:36). When Jesus uses the image of the “leaven” of the Pharisees, they think that he’s reproaching them for not having purchased bread (Matt 16:6‑7).

They were poor; they were ignorant. They weren’t very simple or open. But they were even ambitious. Frequently they argued over who would be the greatest when — according to their understanding — Christ would definitively restore the kingdom of Israel. Amid the intimacy of the last supper, during that sublime moment when Jesus is about to immolate himself for all of humanity, we find them arguing heatedly (Luke 22:24‑27).

Faith? They had little. Jesus Christ himself points this out (Matt 14:31; 16:8; 17:17; 21:21). They had seen the dead raised, all kinds of sicknesses cured, bread and fish multiplied, storms calmed, devils cast out...

And did these men of little faith at least stand out in their love for Christ? Undoubtedly they loved him, at least in word... They are ordinary men, complete with defects and shortcomings, more eager to say than to do. Nevertheless, Jesus calls them to be fishers of men (Matt 4:19), co‑redeemers, dispensers of the grace of God.

Holy Apostles: pray for us.

Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St Peter

2012-01-02T23:33:00.003-06:00

The New Year began with great news about the establishment of the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St Peter here in the States. Southern Fried Catholicism has a nice post here summarizing the big news:

Yesterday, Pope Benedict XVI announced the establishment of a new Church structure for Anglicans and Episcopalians in the U.S. who want to become Catholic. It is the second "personal ordinariate" founded in response to the 2009 document Anglicanorum coetibus, in which the Pope responded to the requests of disaffected Anglicans who want to enter into full communion with the Catholic Church in a way which preserves the good and unique aspects of their Anglican heritage - aspects such as beautiful hymnody and choral music and unique prayer and liturgical traditions. As described in the establishing document, the purpose of the ordinariate is "to maintain the liturgical, spiritual and pastoral traditions of the Anglican Communion within the Catholic Church, as a precious gift nourishing the faith of the members of the Ordinariate and as a treasure to be shared."

On the technical side of things, a personal ordinariate is a Church structure similar to a diocese, but one that is nation-wide and led by an "ordinary" (a priest or a bishop) who is answerable directly to the Pope. Much like a diocese, an ordinariate has parish churches, priests and faithful. Naturally, the parishes that will be part of the Anglican ordinariate will preserve Anglican forms of worship and governance while being fully "Catholic" in their faith and in their relationship to the Successor of Peter (i.e. the Pope).

The first Anglican ordinariate, named Our Lady of Walsingham, was established last January in England and Wales. Yesterday, it was announced that the U.S. version is called the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter and it will be headquartered in Houston, Texas at Our Lady of Walsingham Church. Fr. Jeffrey Steenson, formerly the Episcopal Bishop of the Rio Grande but now a Catholic priest, will be the ordinary for the structure in the U.S.

For the vast majority of American Catholics, this development will not mean a whole lot. As you travel to different cities in the future and look for a place to fulfill your Sunday obligation to attend Mass, however, you might now have a few more choices. But from a Southern perspective, the birth of the ordinariate is interesting because many of the long-established Anglican parishes and groups who are lined up to join the Church through the ordinariate are in Southern states - especially Florida and Texas (the latter of which is the birthplace of Anglican Use Catholic parishes). You can take a look at the unofficial Google map of these communities.

A development from today comes from Whispers, which shares a few words from the new Ordinary, Fr. Jeff Steenson.

While talking about Anglicans, here are two other things I'll share to clear out the RSS feeds:

The end of Anglicanism?

The number of Anglican sects

This is really, really terrific news for the Church.

Unity.

2+2

2012-01-02T22:28:00.002-06:00

Joe Carter hits the nail on the head here: "When someone comes up with a well-reasoned argument backed by top economists that two plus two equals five, there's no brilliant way to refute it. The only response is: 'No, you’e an idiot; it's four.' But if you say that, you’ll be called anti-smart people."

Is this not what we are dealing with now?

Ours is sadly a society that does not believe in truth and devises convoluted ways of explaining why what is posited as truth cannot be.

Good thing two plus two actually equals four.

Pope Benedict: "We must bend down"

2012-01-02T22:11:00.001-06:00

From the Pope's Midnight Mass homily:

Today, anyone wishing to enter the Church of Jesus’ Nativity in Bethlehem will find that the doorway five and a half metres high, through which emperors and caliphs used to enter the building, is now largely walled up. Only a low opening of one and a half metres has remained. The intention was probably to provide the church with better protection from attack, but above all to prevent people from entering God’s house on horseback. Anyone wishing to enter the place of Jesus’ birth has to bend down. It seems to me that a deeper truth is revealed here, which should touch our hearts on this holy night: if we want to find the God who appeared as a child, then we must dismount from the high horse of our “enlightened” reason. We must set aside our false certainties, our intellectual pride, which prevents us from recognizing God’s closeness. We must follow the interior path of Saint Francis – the path leading to that ultimate outward and inward simplicity which enables the heart to see. We must bend down, spiritually we must as it were go on foot, in order to pass through the portal of faith and encounter the God who is so different from our prejudices and opinions – the God who conceals himself in the humility of a newborn baby. In this spirit let us celebrate the liturgy of the holy night, let us strip away our fixation on what is material, on what can be measured and grasped. Let us allow ourselves to be made simple by the God who reveals himself to the simple of heart. And let us also pray especially at this hour for all who have to celebrate Christmas in poverty, in suffering, as migrants, that a ray of God’s kindness may shine upon them, that they – and we – may be touched by the kindness that God chose to bring into the world through the birth of his Son in a stable. Amen.

Humility, humility, humility....

Anti-Catholic Catholics

2012-01-02T21:11:00.006-06:00

Fr. Z has some terrific comments in his usual red scattered throughout Fr. McBrien's recent piece on how evil the new translation is.

Read the piece, together with Fr. Z's comments.

My favorite comment is Fr. Z's, "When will that take place?" at the very end. hahahaha

Usually I find those who constantly--and almost hatefully--criticize the Holy Church not very pleasant, most especially when they are Catholics. I don't know why I keep reading some of these angry and bitter people. I'm thinking here of so much of what comes from that NCR (Reporter).

Such people cause others to become angry and bitter (even me!), and they cause great scandal in their anti-witness to the virtues of charity and joy and trust and peace and a good many more.

George Weigel had a good bit about the newest kind of anti-Catholicism that comes to us from "anti-Catholic Catholics":

Ecclesiastes notwithstanding, there is something new under the sun in the annals of American anti-Catholicism; and that something is the rise of the anti-Catholic Catholics, self-described Catholics who make a career (or at least part of a career) out of mounting endless attacks on the Church, its settled beliefs, its leadership, and its people. Like the Nast/rationalist anti-Catholicism of the past, today’s Catholic anti-Catholicism is a left-of-center phenomenon that, in secular guise, often reflects the critiques of the Church mounted by so-called “Catholic progressives”: The Church is hopelessly sexist; the Church is hopelessly sex-obsessed; the Church is cruel to women and gays; the Church is hypocritical. And, of course and most recently, the Church is a global criminal conspiracy of child rapists and their abettors, which “fact” validates the other charges in the standing indictment just cited.

I stick to the advice from the Pope and every holy person: "Love the Church." Life is better that way!

hahaha

2011-12-31T09:22:00.000-06:00

The Holy Innocents, then and now

2011-12-29T11:39:00.004-06:00

Yesterday was the feast of the Holy Innocents. St. Matthew shares this:

When Herod realized that he had been deceived by the magi, he became furious. He ordered the massacre of all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had ascertained from the magi. Then was fulfilled what had been said through Jeremiah the prophet: "A voice was heard in Ramah, sobbing and loud lamentation; Rachel weeping for her children, and she would not be consoled, since they were no more." Matthew 2:16-18

Fr. Stan's homily reminded us that Herod was and old and somewhat senile man when he ordered the murder of all male children three and under in the Bethlehem district. He was afraid and tormented by worries of what might happen to his own throne. Fear begets violence.

And we see that today in the pro-choice movement. Fears of what might happen should this child be born, fears of how to support him, fears of who might think what, fears...fears...fears. In our own day, fear still kills countless "holy innocents" through the atrocity of abortion.

This painting by Gustave Dore is entitled "The Slaughter of the Children of Bethlehem":

How to write good

2011-12-29T10:47:00.002-06:00

A friend sent me this list a few days ago. I love it!

Avoid Alliteration. Always.
Prepositions are not words to end sentences with.
Avoid cliches like the plague. (They’re old hat.)
Employ the vernacular.
Eschew ampersands & abbreviations, etc.
Parenthetical remarks (however relevant) are unnecessary.
It is wrong to ever split an infinitive.
Contractions aren’t necessary.
Foreign words and phrases are not apropos.
One should never generalize.
Eliminate quotations. As Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “I hate quotations. Tell me what you know.”
Comparisons are as bad as cliches.
Don’t be redundant; don’t use more words than necessary; it’s highly superfluous.
Profanity sucks.
Be more or less specific.
Understatement is always best.
Exaggeration is a billion times worse than understatement.
One word sentences? Eliminate.
Analogies in writing are like feathers on a snake.
The passive voice is to be avoided.
Go around the barn at high noon to avoid colloquialisms.
Even if a mixed metaphor sings, it should be derailed.
Who needs rhetorical questions?

O Holy Night

2011-12-25T01:49:00.002-06:00

O Emmanuel

2011-12-23T15:03:00.003-06:00

LATIN: O Emmanuel, Rex et legifer noster, exspectatio gentium, et Salvator earum: veni ad salvandum nos Domine Deus noster.

ENGLISH: O Emmanuel, our King and lawgiver, the expectation of the nations and their Savior: come to save us, O Lord our God.

IN THE BREVIARY: O Emmanuel, king and lawgiver, desire of the nations, Savior of all people, come and set us free, Lord our God.

The antiphon is a reminder that our God is not distant and elusive, but near and real. God is our hope and desire and savior.

If we believe that, as the antiphon goes, I suppose we'd try to follow his laws--which have saving power themselves. As one line from Ps 119 in today's mid-day office puts it, "the lovers of your law have great peace." And the psalm prayer: "There is great peace, Lord, for those who love your law; they never stumble. Grant that those who love you above all else may be undisturbed by thoughts of evil."

Joy of man and the uniting cornerstone

2011-12-22T22:43:00.003-06:00

LATIN: O Rex gentium, et desideratus earum, lapisque angularis, qui facis utraque unum: veni, et salva hominem, quem de limo formasti.

ENGLISH: O King of the gentiles and their desired One, the cornerstone that makes both one: come, and deliver man, whom you formed out of the dust of the earth.

IN THE BREVIARY: O King of all the nations, the only joy of every human heart; O Keystone of the mighty arch of man, come and save the creature you fashioned from the dust.

The "only joy of every human heart" and the "cornerstone" that unites all--this is Jesus.

It's not the how of the Incarnation, but the why

2011-12-21T11:42:00.003-06:00

Looks like a good On the Square column today:

The title of Father Edward Oakes’ new book, Infinity Dwindled to Infancy, nicely captures the imaginative challenge posed at Christmas: the mystery of the infinite God become finite man. In truth, however, the challenge to our imaginations has less to do with the how of what the Divine Office calls this admirabile commercium [marvelous exchange] than with the why.
...
The real question is why such a God would want to do such a thing: to submit his divinity to the limits of our humanity, to dwindle into infancy and then to go farther—to die as a tortured criminal at the hands of his own creatures. Here is the “scandal” of Christianity. For the answer faith gives to the question of why is salvific love: a love so great that it required, not an argument, but a demonstration.

Here's the whole thing.

mk

O Radiant Dawn

2011-12-21T10:29:00.002-06:00

LATIN: O Oriens, splendor lucis aeternae, et sol iustitiae: veni, et illumina sedentes in tenebris et umbra mortis.

ENGLISH: O dawn of the east, brightness of light eternal, and sun of justice: come, and enlighten those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death.

IN THE BREVIARY: O Radiant Dawn, splendor of eternal light, sun of justice: come, shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death.

Sometimes the darkness seems overwhelming, but no matter how dark a room--or a soul--, the darkness goes away right as soon as even a glimmer of light comes.

Light always wins.

The Digitalnun as usual says it best:

This is the shortest day of the year, a day of darkness. All around there is a sense of political, economic and moral darkness, too. We read of the loss of lives in Syria, the effect of tropical storms in the Philippines, the fear that the work of scientists on swine ‘flu could be subverted to terrorist ends, the death of small children the world over because they don’t have clean water to drink. Beside all this our own the anxiety about the Eurozone and the economic structures of the west looks a little indecent, yet we know that for many it means the difference between a job and no job. It is into the heart of this darkness and uncertainty that the gospel comes as light and life. How often do we receive the gospel as Good News? How often do we welcome the coming of God as cause for celebration? Does the birth we look forward to at Christmas makes us want to sing and dance for joy at the nearness of our God? Are we prepared for what that birth demands, the risks we shall be called upon to take? Many of us, I suspect, prefer the dimness of the familiar and safe to the brilliance of the unexpected.

Tonight as we sing the Magnificat antiphon, hailing Christ as Splendour of Eternal Light and Sun of Justice, we shall be reminded that we are children of light, not creatures of darkness. As Christians we are, so to say, professional risk-takers, ready to be light-bearers in any and every situation. It requires effort, of course, just as it required effort on Mary’s part to be a Light-bearer to Elizabeth; but only so can our prayer embrace the whole human race, ‘Come and free those sitting in darkness and the shadow of death.’

Maybe this photo would have been better for the post below

2011-12-21T09:36:00.000-06:00

hahaha

mk

Animals in the manger

2011-12-20T22:22:00.002-06:00

Most nativity sets have animals in them, but as Dr James Edwards points out, they are not mentioned at the manger in any of the Gospels.

A good column that can be read here. mk

Study: Eating less keeps the brain young

2011-12-20T22:01:00.000-06:00

En interesting development from the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Rome that might bode well for me:

Everybody knows that diet and exercise is a great way to try to maintain the ever-more fragile facade of youth as you barrel towards a slow but inevitable decline, but did you know that diet can actually help keep your brain from aging? Neither did anyone else until researchers at the Catholic University of Sacred Heart in Rome found that the molecule CREB1, spurred into action by a strict diet, activates a whole bunch of genes that add to the longevity of that big ol’ hunk of meat.

More...

mk

O Key of David

2011-12-20T21:47:00.003-06:00

LATIN: O clavis David, et sceptrum domus Israel: qui aperis, et nemo claudit; claudis, et nemo aperit: veni, et educ vinctum de domo carceris, sedentem in tenebris.

ENGLISH: O Key of David, and scepter of the house of Israel, who opens and no man shuts, who shuts and no man opens: come, and bring forth the captive from his prison, he who sits in darkness and in the shadow of death.

IN THE BREVIARY: O Key of David, O royal Power of Israel, controlling at your will the gate of heaven: Come, break down the prison walls of death for those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death; and lead your captive people into freedom.

Interesting! Just yesterday night I was reflecting on a theme central to this antiphon as I was reading Scripture.

Following my cool chart that is supposed to help one get through the Bible in a year, I happened upon Psalm 82 and Acts 16.

Here's this from Ps 82:5: "The 'gods' know nothing, they understand nothing. They walk about in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken."

And from Acts 16:26: "Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody's chains came loose."

The theme in both of these passages is the power of God in unlocking dark prison doors and granting light and freedom.

Just before what I pasted from Ps 82, we see God exhorting the great assembly: "Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked."

In Acts, we see an earthquake that shakes the foundations of the prison that unjustly oppresses Paul and Silas. The verse right before 26 talks about how the two were in prison "praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them." They prayed, and God delivered.

God is interested in those who are imprisoned, those who are weak, fatherless, poor, oppressed, needy. (That's all ofus!)

He's especially interested in those who call out to him with prayers and hymns.

And, with the power of an earthquake, he will deliver us. He has the key to unlock prison cells and the door to eternal life. And he'll let us in if we ask.
mk

O Root of Jesse

2011-12-19T22:16:00.003-06:00

LATIN: O Radix Jesse, qui stas in signum populorum, super quem continebunt reges os suum, quem gentes deprecabuntur: veni ad liberandum nos, iam noli tardare.

ENGLISH: O Root of Jesse, that stands for an ensign of the people, before whom the kings keep silence and unto whom the Gentiles shall make supplication: come, to deliver us, and tarry not.

IN THE BREVIARY: O Flower of Jesse’s stem, you have been raised up as a sign for all peoples; kings stand silent in your presence; the nations bow down in worship before you. Come, let nothing keep you from coming to our aid.

Fr. Z explains the antiphon beautifully: "No matter what the exigencies of life present to us or how turbulent the vicissitudes of the passing world may be, when we cling to the root we are sure to be victorious in the end. Life includes patterns of destruction and rebuilding, pruning and regrowth, transplantation and rerooting. So long as we are grafted into the Root, we survive and grow."
mk

The Angelus and today's collect

2011-12-18T20:09:00.006-06:00

Did you catch it? The new (but actually older) translation had the priest reading this opening prayer (collect): "Pour forth, we beseech you, O Lord, your grace into our hearts, that we, to whom the Incarnation of Christ your Son was made known by the message of an Angel, may by his Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of his Resurrection. Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever."

Pretty much the same as that prayer that ends that ancient prayer we call the Angelus: "Pour forth, we beseech thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts, that we to whom the incarnation of Christ Thy Son was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His resurrection; through the same Christ our Lord. Amen."

The Holy Church prays the Angelus at 6am, Noon, and 6pm every day. It's a fantastic practice that reminds us of our need for God and our need to be open, like Mary, to what God wants to pour into our hearts--his grace.

I heard a story of the nuns at St Charles who used to pause, no matter what they were doing, to pray the Angelus at the Noon hour. I think it was Sister Regina Marie who told me about it.

Adults and children knew the prayer those years ago because just about every Catholic institution was faithful to the practice. At noon, the bell rang. And no matter what, each offered a prayer.

Daily it amazes me that, no matter what I'm doing or where I am, at Noon a bell goes off in my mind that reminds me to pray. I'm thankful St Meinrad has planted this devotion within me.

Would that it were planted in the minds and hearts of all students in our Catholic schools as it once was!

I'm a huge fan of any prayer that becomes so habituated within people that before long it becomes a part of them, so much so that when it is missing, one feels out of it.

Here it is:

V. The angel of the Lord declared unto Mary.
R. And she conceived by the power of Holy Spirit.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

V. Behold the handmaid of the Lord.
R. Be it done unto me according to your Word.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

V. And the Word was made flesh.
R. And dwelt among us.
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
V. Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God.
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray: Pour forth, we beseech thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts, that we to whom the incarnation of Christ Thy Son was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His resurrection; through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

O Adonai

2011-12-18T19:34:00.004-06:00

LATIN: O Adonai, et Dux domus Israel, qui Moysi in igne flammae rubi apparuisti, et ei in Sina legem dedisti: veni ad redimendum nos in brachio extento.

ENGLISH: O Lord and Ruler the house of Israel, who appeared to Moses in the flame of the burning bush and gave him the law on Sinai: come, and redeem us with outstretched arms.

IN THE BREVIARY: O sacred Lord of ancient Israel, who showed yourself to Moses in the burning bush, who gave him the holy law on Sinai mountain: come, stretch out your mighty hand to set us free.

"Remember... the strong hand and the outstretched arm with which the Eternal your God brought you out [of Egypt]." (Deut. 7:18-19)

God the Father saved the Israelites with outstretched arms. God the Son saves us with outstretched arms on the Cross. Through his Church, God hands the laws to us even still today, because the faithful following of his laws is sure to save us. H

is laws do not bring oppression; they do bring deliverance.

God's arms are outstretched...are ours?

mk

The O Antiphons - O Wisdom

2011-12-17T16:40:00.001-06:00

Today is December 17, which means today--right about now, with Vespers--begins the use of the "O Antiphons" in the Liturgy of the Hours. As Fr. Z notes, this is a time to enter fully into the "final stretch" of the Advent season.

The O Antiphons are used in the Evening Prayer of the Church from December 17 through the 24th. Each day the assigned O Antiphon is used as the antiphon sung/spoken before and after the Canticle of Mary (Magnificat) .

In a monastery setting, the Digitalnun explains here how it is determined which member of the community sings a given "O Antiphon":

The antiphons are sung by different members of the community (usually the seniors), and ‘care’ is taken to ensure that certain officials receive antiphons appropriate to their office. Thus, the gardener is thought a good choice for O Radix Jesse, while the cellarer (bursar) is considered a fitting match for O Clavis David.

Very interesting! Sister also notes that traditionally, bells are rung during the assigned O Antiphon each day, in order to mark the solemn and joyful nature of these days before Advent. The bells also make us more alert, calling our attention to something. (This is why the ringing of bells during Mass is such a lauded practice, especially these days.)

The origins of these O Antiphons are ancient. The Digitalnun says they are first described in fifth century writings.

Today's O Antiphon: "O Wisdom, O holy Word of God, you govern all creation with your strong yet tender care. Come and show your people the way to salvation."

Fr Z notes that it is better translated this way: "O Wisdom, who came from the mouth of the Most High, reaching from end to end and ordering all things mightily and sweetly: come, and teach us the way of prudence."

This is the Latin: "O Sapientia, quae ex ore Altissimi prodidisti, attingens a fine usque ad finem, fortiter suaviter disponensque omnia: veni ad docendum nos viam prudentiae."

What a nice antiphon! It calls upon the help of Wisdom, the very Word of God, which speaks to all nations and all peoples. This Wisdom orders and governs all of creation, with strength but tempered with care and mercy. The antiphon asks God, through his Wisdom/Word, to teach man the way to salvation--which is, as the translation goes, the way of prudence.

Prudence helps us know what is really good and what is not. The first antiphon (not an "O Antiphon") from Vespers tonight refers to the One who comes as "the desire of all human hearts." We all act towards the good, that's nature, but sometimes what we think is good is actually not. Prudence helps us know for sure and helps us actually pursue that good.

And that is why it is the king of virtues. One we'd do well to habituate.

Either translation hits this message: we need God's Wisdom in order to gain prudence and salvation.

Br. Francis at St Meinrad has a nice bit on the O Antiphons here.
mk

Shedding light upon darkness

2011-12-17T05:32:00.005-06:00

Today's Office of Readings has some good treasures in it, in the psalms and readings.

The psalms point us int he direction of a God who ever-enduring love can't help but draw all people to himself, from east to west and in all far-off lands. He even goes to the deserts and wilderness, seeking those who have gotten lost in themselves and whose spirits faint. He goes even to those in darkness, locked in the chains of gloom and misery, and he rescues them in their distress.

The First Reading, from Isaiah, is interesting. It records the Lord's words as spoken to Cyrus: "I will give you treasures out of the darkness and riches that have been hidden away, that you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel,who calls you by your name."

St. John of the Cross, whose feast day we celebrated just days ago, likely appreciated these verses. John talks about the beauty of darkness, explaining that ultimately, union with God can only be reached in the darkness--the “darkness of faith”--because in that darkness we see nothing but can believe everything.

Darkness enables pure faith. This is fundamental for St John. Some in our Church, even today, have a tendency to put a bit too much stock in images, visions, symbols, etc. All of these things play a role, but we can get lost in them; we may never interpret an image the "right way" and that really nice vision we cling to from prayer may, heaven forbid, have origins that are not divine.

This is why St John appreciates the "rays of darkness" that are actually rays of authentic faith. At a certain time, we must realize that our faith is what it is; it ought not depend upon consolations and locutions and whatever else.

The "treasures of darkness", seen in the light of St John, are exactly this: those things that enable my ascent to God. St John talks about how the "dark night" characteristic of this ascent is "term from which, the mean, and the term to which" the ascent takes the soul: darkness is our starting point, our way, and our destination.

In other words, we set out to God in darkness. We draw near to God in darkness. All the while, the end goal is still in a way darkness. Think here of the Easter Vigil: we begin in darkness outside, we journey inside towards the altar in darkness, and, when all is said and done, the faithful return to the darkness of the night--but changed.

This blog's title is meant to communicate the idea that the "Journey Into Light" is one that is done through darkness. First, it's based off that O'Neill play "Long Day's Journey Into Night." But second, the very word "long" communicates not only distance but also, according to the OED, a sense in which it is always somewhere outside our reach.

God's grace makes the difference. And so we return to the psalms in the Office of Readings this morning. God alone is the pure light that will come into our lives and cast out all the bad darkness there. For now this light dazzles gradually, but one day it will be the only thing there.

Did you notice that the feast of St John was the day after the feastd of St. Lucy, whose name has origins in the Latin word "lux", light. On her day we celebrated light, and so the traditional practice, still preserved in some places, involves the "festival of lights" in which a young girl, in St. Lucy's place, heads a candlelight procession...with several candles on her head.

On St. John's day, we celebrate the darkness that it takes to get to that eternal light.

To prepare ourselves for that eternal light, St John says, we must cherish what Isaiah terms the "treasures of darkness" and extinguish whatever "false lights" we may have burning under the roofs of our souls.

The theme of darkness and light, as my former PV Fr Don once told me, is one that has lots of dimensions. But let's celebrate for now the reality that there are benefits and graces even in the darkness everyone experiences!!

mk

St Augustine on prayer and desire

2011-12-16T23:58:00.000-06:00

A nice insight:

For the desire of your heart is itself your prayer. And if the desire is constant, so is your prayer. The Apostle Paul had a purpose in saying: Pray without ceasing. Are we then ceaselessly to bend our knees, to lie prostrate, or to lift up our hands? Is this what is meant in saying: Pray without ceasing? Even if we admit that we pray in this fashion, I do not believe that we can do so all the time.

Yet there is another, interior kind of prayer without ceasing, namely, the desire of the heart. Whatever else you may be doing, if you but fix your desire on God’s Sabbath rest, your prayer will be ceaseless. therefore, if you wish to pray without ceasing, do not cease to desire.

The constancy of your desire will itself be the ceaseless voice of your prayer. And that voice of your prayer will be silent only when your love ceases. For who are silent? Those of whom it is said: Because evil has abounded, the love of many will grow cold.

The chilling of love means that the heart is silent; while burning love is the outcry of the heart. If your love is without ceasing, you are crying out always; if you always cry out, you are always desiring; and if you desire, you are calling to mind your eternal rest in the Lord.

And all my desire is before you. What if the desire of our heart is before him, but not our groaning? But how is that possible, since the groaning is the voice of our desire? And therefore it is said: My groaning is not concealed from you. It may be concealed from men, but it is not concealed from you. Sometimes God’s servant seems to be saying in his humility: My anguish is not concealed from you. At other times he seems to be laughing. Does that mean that the desire of his heart has died within him? If the desire is there, then the groaning is there as well. Even if men fail to hear it. it never ceases to sound in the hearing of God.

Christmas decorations in Advent

2011-12-14T20:56:00.006-06:00

Southern Fried Catholicism has a good post today about Christmas decorations, wherein Fr. Joe explains the frustrations he has found in those who attempt to argue against Christmas decorations before Christmas "with the dogmatic authority of stuff they heard in a workshop."

Fr. Joe kindly points out the gigantic Christmas tree and nativity set sitting next to the Pope at his general audience today.

I'm glad our pope is not a scrooge!

Like me, I imagine that a decoration or two gets him in the mood and spirit of the joyful expectation Advent is fundamentally about.

To quote Fr. Joe: "So, there."

New friary at the Farm

2011-12-14T18:42:00.008-06:00

Fr. Elias from the Mother of the Redeemer Farm invited me to come by the Farm before the newly-constructed friary will be dedicated and the doors locked up for good.

The new construction is quite impressive!!

I hope they fill the place up.

I will not post any photos from within the new Friary, but it is awesome!

Look at this awesome renovation

2011-12-13T23:59:00.000-06:00

Check this out:

"God comes to us from below, and we must stoop to find him."

2011-12-12T14:12:00.003-06:00

There's a saying about humility--both God's and ours: "God comes to us from below, and we must stoop to find him."

Today's feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe is a reminder that both God and Our Lady continually pick the least of us for great things.

Who would have thought a young peasant boy, Juan Diego, would be the one to announce Mary's message?

Then again, perhaps it's because no one else could.

And who would have thought a young girl named Mary would be the Theotokos?

Then again, perhaps it's because no one else could.

God comes to us often from low places.

And it is there we ought to look for him. It is there that we'll find him.

Awesome video

2011-12-11T22:55:00.002-06:00

‎"The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me; he has sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor, to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and release to the prisoners, to announce a year of favor from the LORD and a day of vindication by our God."

If only I liked burgers

2011-12-11T21:36:00.002-06:00

Burger King in Japan has apparently started to sell a Whopper the size of a 8.8" pizza!!

Today's Office of Readings

2011-12-11T21:20:00.004-06:00

Today's Office of Readings offers us another way to think about how to "rejoice always."

Namely, the reading from Isaiah and the reflection from St Augustine both insist that the faith can never grow so habitual that it loses its meaning.

Isaiah says, "The Lord God said:

Since this people draws near with words only

and honors me with their lips alone,

though their hearts are far from me,

And their reverence for me has become

routine observance of the precepts of men,

Therefore I will again deal with this people

in surprising and wondrous fashion:

The wisdom of its wise men shall perish

and the understanding of its prudent men be hid."

And Augustine: "John is the voice, but the Lord is the Word who was in the beginning. John is the voice that lasts for a time; from the beginning Christ is the Word who lives for ever. Take away the word, the meaning, and what is the voice? Where there is no understanding, there is only a meaningless sound. The voice without the word strikes the ear but does not build up the heart."

He goes on to talk about how preaching with his voice effectively, he must preach the Word from his heart.

Good advice.

Ultimately I think that's why St Meinrad is so famous for its work in making good preachers: it seeks to help seminarians grow first in relationship with the Lord before teaching them the practicalities of preaching a good sermon. (Of course the practicalities are quite important, too.)

But the bottom line is this: we can always rejoice with our voices if we meditate on the Word in our hearts sincerely.

And, as Isiah reminds us, that means doing one better than just "saying the prayers."

Because when we enter into the prayers, we are doing more than speaking with voices; we are rejoicing in the constant and saving Word.

Which enables us to truly rejoice always.

"Rejoice in the Lord always! I say it again: Rejoice!"

2011-12-11T20:52:00.002-06:00

Today the Church celebrates Gaudete Sunday, aka Rejoice Sunday.

Authentic Christian joy is not the absence of sorrow but rather the presence of the indwelling God.

Numbness is a sign that one is not really living the faith.

True joy does more to convert another--and oneself--than anything else.

It's more effective than indoctrinating or yelling or rigidity.

Joy is the secret ingredient in the recipe of the "new evangelization."

These were sentiments expressed in Fr. Cassian Sama's homily yesterday, who was filling in at our place.

Fits well with the readings! Here's how:

Is. 61, the first reading, begins: "The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me; he has sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor, to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and release to the prisoners, to announce a year of favor from the LORD and a day of vindication by our God." We're called, and empowered by the Spirit, to proclaim the good news of God's saving power.

The psalm (the Magnificat with a response from Is) says our souls rejoice always in God, and Paul's first letter to the Thessalonians says the same thing: "Rejoice always....Do not quench the Spirit."

John 1, the Gospel, says it's our job to prepare the way for the Lord.

Fr. Dustin Boehm, at his brother's funeral on Saturday, preached about the difficulty of rejoicing in the midst of almost-unbearable trial, incredible loss, and overall desolation.

The human tendency is not to rejoice always because we do not always feel like it.

And there is nothing wrong with that, because I have a hunch that the "rejoicing" Paul speaks of less about "happy happy joy joy" and more about an overriding faith that conquers all in looking to God.

Because, as Fr. Boehm explained, we can rejoice in the God who is "never gone" and always there.

Thank God for that reason for our hope and joy, because very often it is God alone who will bring us out of darkness into light, out of pain and into healing, etc.

And he is never gone. Our faith and the faithful practice of it reminds us of that always.

That's something to celebrate even in the middle of Advent when we recall the ways in which we still await the coming of the Lord.

No wonder, to quote a recent study reported at the Washington Post concluded that, "By and large, Catholics like being Catholic."

Perhaps this joy that goes--must go--hand-in-hand with authentic Christian faith is also why so church attendance is linked to lower rates of depression and such. Check this.

Because our Catholic faith does not, when embraced and lived, make us oppressed, embittered, numb curmudgeons, but ultimate witnesses to the wonder-working power of God.

I'll end with John Allen: "Fundamentally, I don't think the Catholic church gets enough credit for being a hell of a lot of fun. There's great warmth and laughter in most Catholic circles, a rich intellectual tradition, a vast body of lore, an incredible range of characters, a deep desire to do good, an abiding faith against all odds, an ability to go anywhere and feel instantly at home, and even a deep love of good food, good drink, and good company. All that is part of the tapestry of Catholic life, but it rarely sees the light of day in commentary and reporting that focuses exclusively on crisis, scandal, and heartache."

The dogs that die

2011-12-11T20:39:00.000-06:00

At least five times . . . with the Arian and the Albigensian, with the Humanist skeptic, after Voltaire and after Darwin, the Faith has to all appearance gone to the dogs. In each of these five cases it was the dog that died.

-- G.K. Chesterton, The Everlasting Man

That which every man's heart desires

2011-12-06T16:05:00.000-06:00

Off to adoration.

"Out of the darkness of my life, so much frustrated, I put before you the one great thing to love on earth: the Blessed Sacrament...There you will find romance, glory, honour, fidelity, and the true way of all your loves on earth, and more than that: Death: by the divine paradox, that which ends life, and demands the surrender of all, and yet by the taste (or foretaste) of which alone can what you seek in your earthly relationships (love, faithfulness, joy) be maintained, or take on that complexion of reality, of eternal endurance, which every man's heart desires." -- JRR Tolkein

Praise to the holiest

2011-12-05T05:45:00.000-06:00

Because "there is nobody to make them Christians"

2011-12-03T05:55:00.000-06:00

Today is the feast day of St. Francis Xavier, patron saint of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis.

St. Francis' live is an inspiration to those who desire the salvation of souls, for his life deals a lot with evangelization.

These are his beautiful words recounted in today's Office of Readings:

Many, many people hereabouts are not becoming Christians for one reason only: there is nobody to make them Christians. Again and again I have thought of going round the universities of Europe, especially Paris, and everywhere crying out like a madman, riveting the attention of those with more learning than charity: “What a tragedy: how many souls are being shut out of heaven and falling into hell, thanks to you!”

I wish they would work as hard at this as they do at their books, and so settle their account with God for their learning and the talents entrusted to them.

This thought would certainly stir most of them to meditate on spiritual realities, to listen actively to what God is saying to them. They would forget their own desires, their human affairs, and give themselves over entirely to God’s will and his choice. They would cry out with all their heart: Lord, I am here! What do you want me to do? Send me anywhere you like – even to India.

Indifference is one of the greatest evils. The world needs folks like St. Francis Xavier to shake people up a bit.

St. Francis Xavier went where God called him. He traveled all over, from India to Japan to China and a lot of other places. And wherever he went he carried the Gospel with him.

There were challenges, but done from love.
mk

To build one's life on God, not on sand

2011-12-01T23:53:00.001-06:00

Today's Gospel reminds me of something shared by Father Larry Richards of The Reason for Our Hope Foundation on Monday night in Jasper.

He started out by asking everyone there--way over 1,000--to make a list of the five most important things or people or whatever in our lives.

Obviously, I knew one of them needed to be God. I've seen the exercise before.

But it made me question: Did I put God on here because I know he should be, or because he actually is in the top 5 of my life?

In any event, he made us one-by-one eliminate four of the things from the list.

Then he said: if what is on your list is anything but God, you have built your life on sand.

Dang.

Fits with today's Gospel, doesn't it:

Jesus said to his disciples:
"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,'
will enter the Kingdom of heaven,
but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.

"Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them
will be like a wise man who built his house on rock.
The rain fell, the floods came,
and the winds blew and buffeted the house.
But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock.
And everyone who listens to these words of mine
but does not act on them
will be like a fool who built his house on sand.
The rain fell, the floods came,
and the winds blew and buffeted the house.
And it collapsed and was completely ruined."

What the Gospel teaches here is what Father Larry teaches here: we need to do more than call out, "Lord, Lord"--as important as that is--because that calling out can turn into just that: saying God is important when we don't live it.

To build one's life on God is tough, but it alone makes us happy.

It's tempting, Fr Larry said, to build it on people. But...one's wife might die, one's daughter may run away, one's friend may ditch him, one's role model may turn into a bad apple, etc...

People are fickle and far from perfect. They change, they die, they leave, they come, they are weak at one point and not at another, they have flaws, and the list could go on.

Only God is eternal and perfect. He alone should be the rock of one's life.

Anything else is sand.

mk

Pope's Dec Prayer Intentions

2011-11-30T23:03:00.000-06:00

VATICAN CITY, 30 NOV 2011 (VIS) – Benedict’s general prayer intention for December is: “That all peoples may grow in harmony and peace through mutual understanding and respect”.

His mission intention is: “That children and young people may be messengers of the Gospel and that they may be respected and preserved from all violence and exploitation”.

mk

St. Charles: We await the coming of the one who will "summon us to heaven"

2011-11-28T11:05:00.004-06:00

The second reading in today's Office of Readings was penned long ago by the patron of my parish, St Charles--who was a deeply spiritual man rooted in the living Tradition of the Holy Church.

My favorite of his lines are in bold.

From a pastoral letter by Saint Charles Borromeo, bishop
The season of Advent

Beloved, now is the acceptable time spoken of by the Spirit, the day of salvation, peace and reconciliation: the great season of Advent. This is the time eagerly awaited by the patriarchs and prophets, the time that holy Simeon rejoiced at last to see. This is the season that the Church has always celebrated with special solemnity. We too should always observe it with faith and love, offering praise and thanksgiving to the Father for the mercy and love he has shown us in this mystery. In his infinite love for us, though we were sinners, he sent his only Son to free us from the tyranny of Satan, to summon us to heaven, to welcome us into its innermost recesses, to show us truth itself, to train us in right conduct, to plant within us the seeds of virtue, to enrich us with the treasures of his grace, and to make us children of God and heirs of eternal life.

Each year, as the Church recalls this mystery, she urges us to renew the memory of the great love God has shown us. This holy season teaches us that Christ’s coming was not only for the benefit of his contemporaries; his power has still to be communicated to us all. We shall share his power, if, through holy faith and the sacraments, we willingly accept the grace Christ earned for us, and live by that grace and in obedience to Christ.

The Church asks us to understand that Christ, who came once in the flesh, is prepared to come again. When we remove all obstacles to his presence he will come, at any hour and moment, to dwell spiritually in our hearts, bringing with him the riches of his grace.

In her concern for our salvation, our loving mother the Church uses this holy season to teach us through hymns, canticles and other forms of expression, of voice or ritual, used by the Holy Spirit. She shows us how grateful we should be for so great a blessing, and how to gain its benefit: our hearts should be as much prepared for the coming of Christ as if he were still to come into this world. The same lesson is given us for our imitation by the words and example of the holy men of the Old Testament.
mk

Looking for God during Advent in those places where we most need him

2011-11-27T22:28:00.008-06:00

It may have been my first year here--can't remember--that Fr. Joe preached at the start of Advent about the need to invite God into certain places of our lives during this Holy season of expectation and hope.

Where, he asked, in our lives do we need God to come? He asked us at that time to reflect upon thsoe places of darkness, brokenness, fear, struggle, unease, anxiety, pain, etc.

Those are the places, he said, into which we need not only invite the Lord to come, but to look for him to come and set us free. "Seek and ye shall find."

Some of the best Advent encouragement I've ever heard.

Because when the Emmanuel comes, God is with us, and with God all will be well.

Just something to ponder in our hearts as we enter this season. May we enter it deeply.

mk

Fr. Tom's three prayers

2011-11-27T22:24:00.000-06:00

Lord please give me your Grace so that I do what you want me to do today.
Lord please give me your Grace so that I treat everyone I meet today the way that you would treat them—especially those people that anger, irritate, or offend me.
Lord please give me your Grace so that I remain chaste and celibate in both mind and body.

In Father's words: "The thought behind the prayers is that we are created in the image of God and find happiness even in the midst of pain and suffering when we act as God would act given our particular situation."

mk

It's Advent!

2011-11-26T19:11:00.004-06:00

And so the color the blog changes.

Intercessions from Evening Prayer I:

Jesus Christ is the joy and happiness of all who look forward to his coming. Let us call upon him and say:
– Come, Lord, and do not delay!

In joy, we wait for your coming; come, Lord Jesus.
– Come, Lord, and do not delay!

Before time began, you shared life with the Father; come now and save us.
– Come, Lord, and do not delay!

You created the world and all who live in it; come to redeem the work of your hands.
– Come, Lord, and do not delay!

You did not hesitate to become man, subject to death; come to free us from the power of death.
– Come, Lord, and do not delay!

You came to give us life to the full; come and give us your unending life.
– Come, Lord, and do not delay!

You desire all people to live in love in your kingdom; come and bring together those who long to see you face to face.
– Come, Lord, and do not delay!

And here's the collect for today in the new and improved translation:

Grant your faithful, we pray, almighty God,
the resolve to run forth to meet your Christ
with righteous deeds at his coming,
so that, gathered at his right hand,
they may be worthy to possess the heavenly kingdom.

Founding of the liturgical art and sacred music commission

2011-11-21T22:32:00.004-06:00

The Vatican Insider reports here some interesting news: a new commission will be established in the coming weeks that will be part of the Congregation for Divine Worship.

The new group will be called the "Liturgical art and sacred music commission".

The article quotes the Pope saying that the work of this commission is "very urgent."

Moyra Doorly has an interesting book on why so many might consider this work so important. The book is No Place for God: The Denial of Transcendence in Modern Church Architecture.

I inclined to agree with her. While it's true different things appeal to different people and different spiritualities, there are some things that do not seem to reflect at all the sacred things that go on inside--and the church building and music ought to be likewise sacred.

Here's a quote from her book. She's quite direct: "The modern age has witnessed the construction of the most banal and uninspiring churches in history....Today's churches no longer point to a transcendent God, a God who inspires awe, reverence and wonder."

It sure will be interesting to see how this new commission will go about its work. I'm sure things will be gradually and prudently done.

Here's an interesting paragraph from the article referenced above:

It is worth remembering, in fact, that the abuse of the liturgy that has gone on in recent decades, becoming common practice, is committed against the laws established by Paul VI’s liturgical reform. It is not therefore the reform that needs to be amended; rather, further study into the sense of the liturgy and its proper celebration is needed and must be salvaged in some cases. It is for this reason that the Congregation for Divine Worship intends to promote the training of priests, clerics and catechists, starting from the bare basics. By following the example and teaching of Benedict XVI, the Congregation aims to revive a sense of the sacredness and mystery of the liturgy.

Read the thing in full here.

I'll be interested to see how everything unfolds.

In related news, only a FEW DAYS until the New Roman Missal will be released!!!! Can't wait!

mk

I'm an uncle!!

2011-11-21T22:15:00.004-06:00

...as of Saturday, November 19th at 12:08am!

Here he is:

Adam Michael Keucher

Because I like commas and don't like my foods mixing

2011-11-20T23:28:00.001-06:00

NCYC recap

2011-11-20T23:25:00.000-06:00

Please pardon the lack of posts in days recent.

Together with 25,000 other folks, I have been in downtown Indianapolis these past few days at the National Catholic Youth Conference, otherwise known as NCYC.

Pope Benedict just last week in Albania said that the "search for truth needs unity." NCYC was a unified search for truth. And I think a good deal of it the youth found.

Talk about an awesome experience.

The event kicked off Thursday night, but before it did, everyone--or, those who could fit--from around Indiana went to Mass at the beautiful St. John's across from the Convention Center.

I spent my first day, Friday, directing the mob of people from the stadium to the convention center. I spent Saturday working the merchandising booth, preventing food smugglers, working a confession room, serving Masses, and simply being there talking with the kids.

I got a chance to talk with a lot of the kids there, and they were, by and large, happy. I wonder if the happiness I noticed in them stemmed from their search for something--a search that was for once, here at NCYC, successful--simply because here at NCYC, they found a God who wanted to find his way into their lives.

It seems to me that NCYC was in many ways a communal journey of discovery.

Pope Benedict said recently to youth at the World Youth Day: "Be satisfied with nothing but Christ."

Over these days, I think many kids discovered that Christ does satisfy completely--and their tears and laughs and prayers prove it to me.

Bp. Coyne, in the closing homily, said it well in his Christ the Kind homily: our call is to love Christ the King fully, in authentically loving others.

There is sacrifice involved in this love to be sure, but love makes the sacrifices easy, because, as he said it, "how can love be heavy?"

Let's take a lesson from the book these kids opened this weekend when they realized the simple truth that Christ the King brings happiness that overflows.

"Hell is being alone with yourself for eternity"

2011-11-16T03:14:00.000-06:00

Read the best definition I've ever seen of hell the other day in Tony Hendra's Father Joe, and I think it went like this: "Hell is being alone with yourself for eternity."

That ought to be enough to make anyone shape up!

mk

Thinking about those talents

2011-11-16T02:33:00.000-06:00

Here is the Pope on last Sunday's Gospel about the talents:

Indeed, the servant who had hidden his talent and failed to make it increase in worth, had calculated badly. He behaved as if his master were never to return, as if there would never be a day on which he would be asked to account for his actions. With this parable Jesus wanted to teach his disciples to make good use of their gifts: God calls every person and offers talents to all, at the same time entrusting each one with a mission to carry out. It would be foolish to presume that these gifts are an entitlement, just as failing to use them would mean failing to achieve one's purpose in life.

I remember some of Fr. Charlie's homilies well.

I'm thinking now of the one in which he asked everyone to close his/her eyes and imagine the Lord sitting next to them in the silence and solitude of an empty church. Then, he said, imagine the Lord asking, "So, what have you done with the gifts I've given you? Your money? Talents? And the people I've put in your life?"

Makes you think...

Archabbot Justin preached on Sunday here and pointed out that the guy from the Gospel given five talents and the guy given ten--each of whom doubles his gifts--share the same reward: "Come, share your master's joy."

Perhaps the guy with five talents wondered why he had not been given ten. Who knows, but he certainly doesn't seem concerned too about it. He is not lost in comparing and envying his brother with the ten. He accepts his five and takes care of business.

Likewise, the guy with the ten doesn't shove what he has in the faces of the guy given the five talents and the guy given the one talent. He takes his ten talents and takes care of business.

What we do see is that the guy given only the one talent feels it so inadequate that he decides to hide it away. His reward is no reward at all, but a punishment, and even the talent he was given is taken away.

As the Pope says, we must be careful not to see all we have as cause for entitlement. We must also be careful not to undervalue what we have, lest we neglect our mission--whatever that may be.

mk

Talking with God makes our skin shine

2011-11-15T22:05:00.003-06:00

Exodus 34:29-30 reads like this:

29 When Moses came down from Mount Sinai, with the two tables of the testimony in his hand as he came down from the mountain, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God. 30 And when Aaron and all the people of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to come near him.

A couple things strike me.

First, Moses is on a mountain. As so many in history have done, he climbed a mountain that he might reach God. Interesting to consider our own mountains that we're called to climb.

Second, Moses talks with God on the mountain.

Third, Moses comes back down, bringing the good news of the testimony with him.

Fourth, Moses' face is shining because he had just talked with God.

Fifth, Moses does not know his face is shining; he wasn't concerned his appearance.

Sixth, folks are "afraid" to talk to Moses since he seems so God-like.

Lots of things to reflect on here...
mk

Everybody, Somebody, Nobody, and Anybody

2011-11-14T15:56:00.000-06:00

This is cool:

Once upon a time there were four people: Their names were Everybody, Somebody, Nobody, and Anybody. Whenever there was an important job to do Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it. When Nobody did it, Everybody got angry because it was Everybody’s job. Everybody thought Somebody would do it, but Nobody realized that Nobody would do it. So consequently Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done in the first place.

mk

Trees

2011-11-13T18:46:00.004-06:00

The Office of Readings today dealt a lot with trees.

Ps 1 says the righteous man is "like a tree that is planted beside the flowing waters". Its psalm prayer reads: "Lord, you are the fullness of life of holiness and of joy. Fill our days and night with the love of your wisdom, that we may bear fruit in the beauty of holiness, like a tree watered by running streams."

The First Reading (Joel 2:21–3:5) says we should fear not, rejoice, and excult, for "the tree bears its fruit, the fig tree and the vine give their yield."

St. Augustine in the Second Reading likens us humans with trees as he quotes the psalm: "All the trees of the forest will exult before the face of the Lord, for he has come, he has come to judge the earth."

If we're like trees, the message is clear: stay nearby the life-giving waters and all will be well.

Of course, we get dry often, as Ps 63 from Sun Wk 1 Morning Prayer says:

O God, you are my God, for you I long;
for you my soul is thirsting.
My body pines for you
like a dry, weary land without water.
So I gaze on you in the sanctuary
to see your strength and your glory.

And that thirst is a good thing.

The trouble is when we forget we're thirsty.

We're trees, and we need to thirst for that water lest we die.

The more we're plugged into the water, the better we'll survive, and the more beautiful our fruit--or our leaves.

Speaking of the beauty trees are capable of producing, take a look at this pic from St. Meinrad:

Lord, you are the fullness of life of holiness and of joy. Fill our days and night with the love of your wisdom, that we may bear fruit in the beauty of holiness, like a tree watered by running streams.
m
k

"I met a knight upon the road"

2011-11-11T20:29:00.002-06:00

The following poem, "Martin of Tours," was written by Charles L. O’Donnell, former president of Notre Dame.

“As I today was wayfaring”—
Holy, Holy, Holy!—low—
Said Christ in heaven’s evening—
The Holies yet more hushed and slow—
“I met a knight upon the road;
A plumed charger he bestrode.

“He saw the beggar that was I—
Holy, Holy, Holy I—long—
Head and foot one beggary—
Holy, Holy, Holy!—song—
One that shivered in the cold
While his horse trailed cloth of gold.

“Down he leaped, his sword outdrawn—
Holy, Holy, Holy!—swells—
Cleaved his cloak, laid half upon—
Holy! now a peal of bells—
Shoulders that the cross had spanned;
And I think he kissed my hand.

“Then he passed the road along,
Holy, Holy, Holy!—laud—
Caroling a knightly song—
Holy! in the face of God.
Yea, Father, by Thy sovereign name,
Begging is a goodly game.”

St. Martin of Tours, patron of the poor, horsemen, soldiers, geese, alcoholics, parishes

2011-11-11T20:24:00.003-06:00

Sometimes it's good to pull out posts from the archives. The text below is from an entry I posted two years ago on Nov. 11.

One interesting way to learn about how we can attain holiness is to look at the lives of the saints. One way to do this is to look at what they are patrons of, and to see if we can't find out why.

Today Holy Mother Church celebrates the feast of St. Martin of Tours, who is the patron saint of reformed alcoholics, the poor, beggars, horsemen, geese, innkeepers, soldiers, and wine growers and makers.

Let's see if we can find some information as to why St. Martin is patron of these people and things, one by one.

What an interesting life to study and to use as an example!

The Poor/Beggars: One famous story is told that while Martin was in the military, he was doing nightly rounds in France one cold day in the winter. He encountered a poor, naked beggar who was literally freezing to death. Martin had nothing to give the man, except the clothes on his own back. Martin gave freely, offered his best to the beggar, and went on his way. That night he dreamed that he had clothed Christ himself.
Horsemen/Innkeepers: Logically, we learn from the story above that Martin was a hospitable man; he gave of himself for others. We are meant to learn something from this, that we ought to always help when we can and treat others as we would Christ. Horsemen and innkeepers are in a special position to benefit from this lesson.

Every year, a celebration in the basilica near Tours takes place. It is in Tours after all where St Martin's remains are. In countries from Germany to the Netherlands to Austria and to Switzerland, processions take place that culminate on this day. They are typically led by a 'St Martin' on a horse.
Soldiers: Martin joined the army when he was 15. He fought for three years, until he converted three years later. While the Church teaches that there are times when defense may well be called for (She is particular about when and how), Martin couldn't reconcile his faith with his actions in the military. How fitting that today, Veteran's Day, ended up being his feast day. We might offer a prayer for those who have served our country and those now serving us.

Martin is known as a "soldier saint" because after leaving the military, he took on the ultimate fight against evil. We, as the Church Militant, are reminded today that we share in this battle.
Geese: The goose is a symbol often associated with Martin. After Martin had finished his time in the army, he went on to Gaul to found a monastery, the first one in Gaul. He led this monastic community for ten years and many sought him out, recognizing in him holiness and proximity to Christ.

When the bishop of Tours died, the people choose Martin to be their next bishop. (The process was different in those days). Martin didn't want the job; he thought there were other, more qualified folks for this important position. So he hid!

The problem: he had a pet goose, and it kept honking, so that people knew exactly where Martin was. They found him and he became bishop of Tours in 371...reluctantly.

Thus, it is customary in the Church to eat a goose on St. Martin's feast day and throughout winter.
Reformed Alcoholics/Wine makers and growers: St. Martin is patron saint of alcoholics and wine makers because of the German date of winecorking which coincides with St. Martin's feast day.
Parishes: There are more parishes in the world with St. Martin as their patron saint than any other saint. I don't think he is officially the patron of parishes, but he might as well be. Many say it was Martin who came up with the idea of dividing settlements into parishes of the Church.

Let's ask for St. Martin's prayers in these, his "specialties"!

mk

Race for Vocations: May 5, 2012

2011-11-11T14:07:00.003-06:00

It's time to sign up for the annual Race for Vocations! Will take place May 5, 2012.

Sign up here on the One America 500 site for the race itself, and then sign up here on the ArchIndy site to be part of the Race for Vocations team!

This is the fifth annual run, and Fr. Rick Nagel says we're hoping for 500 participants this year. So sign up now!!

Enough faith

2011-11-10T13:25:00.001-06:00

I keep thinking back to the Gospel from the other day when the apostles cry out, "Lord, increase our faith." Lk 17:1-6

Dcn Wessman, who preached that day, wondered if perhaps the apostles felt a bit dissatisfied with the Lord's answer: "If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it would obey you."

They wanted more faith, but Jesus tells them to let not their hearts be troubled, for what they have, little though it is, is sufficient.

All we need is a little. Probably a good thing--since that's often all we people seem to have.

Of course it's healthy to want more. And we should. That's why we echo the prayer of the apostles.

But there's wisdom in the Lord's answer, naturally.

On Monday night, I went to the Crazy Buffet in Evansville for dinner. My fortune cookie read: "He for whom enough is enough, will always have enough."

I thought right back to the Gospel reading.

He for whom enough faith is enough faith, will always have enough faith.

Good lesson.

mk

Between Heaven and Mirth

2011-11-10T13:15:00.002-06:00

The Colbert Report recently had on the show Fr. James Martin, SJ, chaplain of the Colbert Nation.

He spoke about the role of humor in Christianity, which he outlines in his book, Between Heaven and Mirth. Sounds like a good read.

Here's a clip from the show:

The Colbert Report
Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,Video Archive

Interesting that Elizabeth Duffy just wrote a column about the never-ending pleasure-chase our society is hellbent on pursuing, yet the chase puts us in lands far away from laughter and joy.

mk

From the second reading in the Office of Readings today

2011-11-10T11:11:00.002-06:00

"For all, regenerated in Christ, are made kings by the sign of the cross; they are consecrated priests by the oil of the Holy Spirit, so that beyond the special service of our ministry as priests, all spiritual and mature Christians know that they are a royal race and are sharers in the office of the priesthood. For what is more king-like than to find yourself ruler over your body after having surrendered your soul to God? And what is more priestly than to promise the Lord a pure conscience and to offer him in love unblemished victims on the altar of one’s heart?"

From a sermon by Saint Leo the Great, The minister of a special calling

mk

Gratitude

2011-11-07T16:06:00.003-06:00

Sr. Lisa over at her blog echoes the psalmist today: "How can I repay the LORD for all the great good done for me?" (Psalm 116:12)

Fr. Denis' most recent rector's conference began with the same question.

A good question indeed!

One we'd do well to ask daily.

mk

Responsibility

2011-11-07T13:32:00.003-06:00

St. Charles School Principal Alec Mayer reflected last week about the virtue of responsibility:

Responsibility and its many forms is something that we deal with every day. We have a responsibility to come to work, teach our children, follow the rules, etc. Every decision or idea comes with responsibility.

However, in today’s society, we have added the word personal to make the phrase, personal responsibility. I find myself telling my son or daughter, you are responsible for your actions. You are responsible for cleaning your room. You, you, you… Are we really just responsible for ourselves? I imagine many of you are thinking “No.” I think, with the help of society today, we have forgotten about responsibility to others.

Good point.

I think it happens often that we overemphasize "personal responsibility" at the expense of responsibility to others.

I'm reminded of something Mother Teresa once said. She explained her belief that every single problem between people in the world--in families, parishes, schools, nations--occurs because we human beings forget that we belong to each other.

That belonging carries with it great responsibilities, and they aren't just personal.

mk

Just one example of why I pray the psalm prayers in the LOTH

2011-11-07T13:23:00.003-06:00

There is often debate about whether the psalm prayers at the end of many psalms in the Liturgy of the Hours need to be prayed, should be prayed, or ought to be omitted.

I'm no expert, but I think the second option is best: they should be prayed. They are not necessary but they are not useless.

The Divine Office has been prayed for a very long time. But the psalm prayers we pray now were added not that long ago when the thing was translated into the English version we now use here.

I think there's wisdom to the school of thought that says, "Since they're in the book, pray them." So I do.

And I'm glad I do. I read recently they were added to give the psalm a Christological focus.

They do a great job of highlighting themes in each psalm.

I love this one from today's Midday Prayer, at the end of Ps. 82: "You are always true to your word, Father. Look down from heaven and put an end to our foolishness. Save us from groundless fears and help us to please you with undivided heart."

God is faithful, he comes down to man, puts and end to our foolishness, saves us from fears, and helps us please him with undivided heart.

Some good themes pointed out there!

mk

Around the blogosphere

2011-11-07T12:45:00.004-06:00

Buffalo parish discovers hidden letters to God from children - at Corpus Christi Parish
"I will wait for you" by Official P4CM Poet JANETTE - it will be good to keep this in the retreat toolbox
Gentleness with Self - the Digitalnun does it again. If I were told I could follow only one blog, this would be the one
USA Today's Catholic Cheap Shot of the Day
The Broken Splice Blog on Tree of Life
Holy Rosary in Indy, before and after

Everyday God

2011-11-07T10:43:00.001-06:00

Thanks to Sr. Nicolette Etienne, OSB, for sharing this:

Prejudice and Fear

2011-11-06T21:15:00.001-06:00

From the Digitalnun:

Last night I listened to part of the World Service and learned that another Catholic church in Nigeria had been burned to the ground by Islamist extremists. It reminded me that when I last saw Mother Charles of Enugu (a Benedictine community of nuns) she remarked, very quietly, that she was expecting her community to be martyred. Expected it! I think we in the west sometimes forget that our fear of a terrorist attack, though real, is light years removed from the daily reality of many Christians in Africa, India and the Middle East.
As the fireworks burned and blazed last night in memory of 5 November, I couldn’t help reflecting that very little has changed in over four hundred years. The name of the enemy may have changed, but we continue to be afraid of the ‘other’. Whether we live in Nigeria or New Jersey, London or Lagos, we feel our vulnerability. The only difference is that we in the west have security forces which devote considerable time and energy to trying to keep us safe, irrespective of our opinions and beliefs. Perhaps today we could remember all those who don’t enjoy that kind of security, who fear the corruption of police or army and who live with an ever-present fear of being bombed or butchered by their fellow citizens.

mk

Confirmation retreat photo

2011-11-06T14:39:00.007-06:00

I return to St Charles many times throughout the year for a variety of things, but this is one of the highlights for me each year.

I pray this retreat was a fruitful experience for at least some of the "yoots" below.

And yes, there were goldfish again this year!

mk

Feast of St. Martin de Porres

2011-11-03T22:41:00.003-05:00

Today the Church celebrates the feast of the first Black American saint, St. Martin de Porres.

Here's this from Whispers:

Closer to home, meanwhile, today's memorial is widely held as the patronal feast of the US church's 3 million strong African-American bloc -- a community that often doesn't get the spotlight it deserves... especially considering that, on their own, there are at least a million more Black Catholics on these shores than the entire national membership of the Episcopal church.

At least one million more Black Catholics here than the entire population of Episcopalians...wow.

St. Martin was a lay brother of the Dominican Order with a servant's heart.

In fact, he is often shown in picture and statue with a broom because he believed even mundane tasks to be holy. Even sweeping a floor is holy work.

Saint Martin de Porres: Pray for us!
mk

All Souls Day

2011-11-02T21:56:00.001-05:00

"During these days we visit the cemetery to pray for our dear departed ones; we go to visit them, as it were, in order to express our affection for them once more, to feel them still close to us; and in so doing, we also remember an article of the Creed: In the communion of saints there is a close bond between us who still journey on this earth and so many brothers and sisters who have already reached eternity."

-Pope Benedict XVI in his General Audience Address Wednesday

Different kinds of saints, and aints

2011-11-01T22:39:00.000-05:00

Fr Dwight Longenecker has a good book out there about two very different kinds of saints: St Benedict and St Therese. Here's a link to it.

He summarizes the book this way: "St Therese is the little child. St Benedict the wise old man. The first shows us the way of simplicity and innocence unspoiled. The second shows us the way of simplicity and innocence re-attained. Both saints advocate finding God within the everyday tasks of life, and both show us how to attain holiness by being true to who we are and where God has placed us at this time."

Looks like a good read.

So we remember all kinds of saints today and are inspired, especially by JP II, that one day we might be among their number, even while realizing in a healthy way--a very healthy way--that there are both "saints and aints". To be in the former category after our death takes hard work, a focused and strong will, and most of all, openness to grace.

There are different types of saints, yes, but also different kinds of aints--the compromisers, minimalists, deniers, complacent, indifferent, etc.

Doesn't matter what kind of saint we strive to be, so long as we realize that there ARE aints and that being one of them aint going to work!

mk

The grace it takes for weak, fallible, crotchety creatures to reach sainthood

2011-11-01T22:35:00.001-05:00

The digitalnun, as always, has some beautiful words about the day:

The communion of saints is something I never tire of meditating on. The thought that you and I are saints by virtue of our membership of the Church is always uplifting. Weak, fallible, crotchety creatures that we are, there is something about us that is infinitely more important than the sum of our failures. Add to that our fellowship with the saints in heaven, and you can see why the Church regards the Solemnity of All Saints as one of the most important feasts of the year. With the celebration of All Souls tomorrow, this great feast of the Church will be complete: the Church in heaven, the Church on earth and the Church in purgatory, awaiting the resurrection.

mk