Merry Christmas!

...And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. (Luke 2:9-12).

A very blessed and merry Christmas to all who visit this Blog. May the joy that comes with the Christ-child be born in your heart this year!

Our Prescient Pope

Recently, Dr. Robert Moynihan, editor of Inside the Vatican magazine (a unique and informative publication regarding the various goings-on in the universal church), sent out an e-mail that contained the text of a lecture given by Pope Benedict XVI (then simply Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger) at Cambridge University in 1988.

The title of that 1988 lecture was “Consumer Materialism and Christian Hope” and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in learning more about the thought of our dear Pope. For the purpose of this blog entry, however, I just wanted to post a quote from the lecture that struck me as particularly relevant today.

Regarding the “moral imperative” (i.e., the natural law, or that principle inside all of us that compels us to act rightly, and which we so often ignore!), he stated:

… the moral imperative is not man’s imprisonment from which he must make his escape in order to finally be able to do as he wants. The moral imperative constitute’s man’s dignity and if he gets rid of it he does not become freer. Rather, he has stepped back into the world of mere devices, of things. If there is no longer an imperative to which he can and should respond in freedom, then actually there is no range for freedom anymore.… Morality is not man’s prison; it is rather the divine in him.

(Emphasis mine).

Amen! Praise God!

Theophilos

"Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things which have been accomplished among us, just as they were delivered to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and minsters of the word, it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilos, that you may know the truth concerning the things of which you have been informed." (Luke 1:1-4)

Those words, which begin the Gospel According to Luke, also act as the springboard for the imagination of Canadian author and artist, Michael D. O'Brien, for his recent novel Theophilos, a fictional account regarding the man to whom St. Luke addressed his Gospel narrative.

In the novel, which makes excellent use of the historical settings of Crete and Judea in the late first century, Theophilos is a physician and agnostic, and the uncle/stepfather of "Loukas" (St. Luke). Out of concern for Loukas, Theophilos sets out on a journey to "save" his nephew/son from the clutches of the followers of the "Christos." Along the way, Theophilos comes into contact with many individuals connected with the early Christian community and develops a new appreciation for the nascent Christian faith.

I was particularly impressed with the unique mixture of history and fiction that Mr. O'Brien used to bring so many ancient figures to life. From well-known biblical figures, such as Lazarus and the woman at the well, to secular figures, such as the Roman historian Josephus, Mr. O'Brien presents a vast array of characters, each providing a different perspective on the impact (or perceived lack thereof) of Jesus.

Interestingly, although the novel is set nearly 2,000 years ago, the struggles of Theophilos as he comes to grips with the reality of Jesus are timeless. Many of the (ultimately futile) arguments that Theophilos puts forth against Christ and his followers are the same protestations that modern men and women put forth as they struggle to justify their own inability to deal with the truth of Christ.

Simply put, the novel is magnificent. I thoroughly enjoyed it and recommend it to anyone looking for a thought-provoking, entertaining, moving and, ultimately, enlightening read.

Saint Martha

St. Martha was the sister of Lazarus and a good friend of Jesus. It was her feast day last Thursday (July 29th). At Mass that day, I noticed that there are two possible Gospel readings on her feast day.

The first option, which is perhaps the more well-known passage, is from the Gospel of Luke (Lk 10:38-42), and relates the story of Jesus' visit to Martha's home in Bethany. This passage contains the memorable response from Jesus to Martha after Martha came to Jesus "complaining" that her sister, Mary, was not helping to serve the guests, but rather was sitting at the feet of the Lord, listening to him speak. In response to Martha's "gripe", Jesus says:

Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.

To me, Jesus' response is an important reminder that, although one must be active and tend to the necessary tasks of daily life, there is also a need to simply sit at the feet of the Lord -- in prayer, at Mass, at Eucharistic Adoration -- and listen. We must find time to sit and let Jesus speak to our hearts and hang on his every word. In fact, our Lord suggests that this contemplative sort of activity is "the better part." Interesting.

* * * * *

The second passage is from the Gospel of John (Jn 11:19-27) and occurs just after Martha's brother, Lazarus, has died. Jesus has been summoned to Bethany because of the death of his friend and Martha meets him on the way. This is their conversation:

Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you."

Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise."

Martha said to him, "I know he will rise, in the resurrection on the last day."

Jesus told her, "I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and anyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"

She said to him, "Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world."

This exchange between Jesus and Martha, particularly Martha's inspired insight that Jesus is the Christ, suggests that although Martha was a whirlwind of activity when we met her in Luke's Gospel, she also learned a thing or two at the feet of Jesus!

Putting these two Gospel passages together, I come up with the following conclusion: Contemplative prayer, or a contemplative life, which is represented by Martha's sister, Mary, sitting at Jesus' feet in the Gospel of Luke, is an important and perhaps even "better" way of life for a Christian. However, as we see in the passage from John's Gospel, just because one has chosen a more "active" part in life does not mean that the fruit of contemplation is wholly lost. Martha's insight that Jesus is "the Christ" suggests that she, too, has come to an understanding of the deep truths of our faith. In that regard, I think that St. Martha represents many of us who find our way to Jesus through the activities of our lives, who meet Jesus in our "doing" before we meet him in contemplation.

Either way, I think it is safe to say that Jesus wants each of us to come to know him as the Christ and whether we follow a path of action or contemplation, or perhaps a combination of both, as long as our path leads us to the truth about Jesus, it will be a path worth travelling.

Praise God!

Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Happy Solemnity of the Sacred Heart!

The readings for Mass this year (Year C) were all related to the image of Our Lord as Good Shepherd. The readings really spoke to me today- an important reminder in these crazy times that God always takes care of his people!

The first reading from Ezekial 34:11-16 was very profound: "Thus says the Lord God: I myself will look after and tend my sheep. . . . I will rescue them from every place where they were scattered when it was cloudy and dark . . . I myself will give them rest, says the Lord God. The lost I will seek out, the strayed I will bring back, the injured I will bind up, the sick I will heal." Awesome!

The Gospel (Luke 15:3-7) was also very rich today. It was the parable regarding the shepherd who leaves the ninety-nine sheep behind in search of the one lost sheep and greatly rejoices at finding that one lost lamb. Our Lord sums it up, "I tell you, in just the same way there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need of repentance."

As I was reflecting on these passages, I realized that each one of us, in some way, is the one lost sheep; and, just like in the Gospel parable, our Good Shepherd, Christ, intently seeks us. We are uniquely loved and uniquely precious to our dear Lord, who longs to hold each one of us in his Sacred Heart! Never forget that!

Sacred Heart of Jesus, source of all consolation, have mercy on us!

Hitting the Links

Today, I added links to three of my favorite websites over on the right hand side of the web page. Each of them has been helpful to me in my journey to the Lord and I am hopeful that they will prove helpful to the people that visit this site.

They are:

1. The Mother of God Forum- a lovely place for faith-filled discussion on a myriad of topics related to the Blessed Mother, the Catholic Faith and our strange times.

2. The Pelianito Blog- a blessed and inspiring site from a Canadian "mystic" who hears Our Lord speaking to her through the words of Scripture and shares her inspired thoughts/messages with the world.

3. Mark Mallett's Blog- a true prophet of our times, Mark is a talented musician, a husband and a father. He writes periodically about a variety of subjects related to the faith, but most often about these unique times in which we find ourselves. Mark also has a webcast, Embracing Hope, that is beautiful and inspired.

I would encourage anyone reading this to check out those websites! Again, you can find the links in the right hand column of this web page, just under the picture and profile information.

Praise God!

Random Thoughts on the Annunciation

I realize that it is Palm Sunday today, and so my thoughts are a few days late (and a few dollars short!). But, on Thursday, which was the Feast of the Annunciation, I was thinking quite a bit about Mary's humility -- her "littleness"-- and I wanted to put those thoughts down.

First, during the homily at Mass on Thursday morning, the priest related something that Thomas Merton once wrote about Mary, that "the greatest thing about her is how little we know about her." That struck me as something worth pondering.

So I pondered... and as I did, I thought about that young woman in Nazareth all those years ago. And how "insignificant" she was in the greater world. Yet, in her "yes" to God, she changed the shape of history!

Mary's fiat was a bit like a small pebble that is thrown into a pool of water. It barely makes a splash when it enters, and yet the ripples from the pebble spread to the far reaches of the pool. Mary's humble submission to the will of God has a profound effect on the world even today.

I find that comforting- particularly when I feel like I am struggling in anonymity, doing nothing "important" other than quietly living out my vocation as a husband and father. But when I look at Mary, I realize that I do not have to make a "big splash" to achieve great things. None of us do. All we have to do is humbly say "yes" to God in whatever task He places before us. Then, we too can change the world.

Loves of His Life

The other day, I was grabbing a cup of coffee at a local shop when a disabled woman came in and placed an order. She was difficult to understand (I think a speech impediment was part of her disability) and I could see the clerk struggling to get what she was saying. Eventually, it became clear that she wanted a smaller straw than the one she had been provided. Unfortunately, no smaller straws were available and this woman left-- strawless.

I watched as she left the coffee shop and walked over to a waiting taxi cab. The driver got out and came around to open the door for her. He was a strange looking fellow, to say the least, with a large wool hat on his head, and mumbling to himself as he came around the rear of his cab. The two of them made quite a pair!

Anyway, as I watched these two individuals, a thought popped into my head-- "Lost sheep of the House of Israel." And that got me thinking...

In a way, we are all "lost sheep" to a certain degree, wandering around in the wilderness of this world. Yet, lost though we may be, we can take comfort in the fact that we are loved. Not just loved, but loved uniquely.

Yes- you see, God loves each of us uniquely and individually. We are-- each one of us-- the loves of His life. We are, to Him, the pearls of great price. He is the Good Shepherd, and each one of us "sheep" is uniquely precious in His sight.

So, don't be too hard on yourself... and don't be too hard on others. Remember, we are all little lambs in the flock of the Lord.

Praise God!!

The Church Militant

Slowly, slowly marching on-
heads bowed in prayer,
hearts filled with song-
through the dark valley proceeding.

Events quicken, the valley erupts
yet the column continues onward,
led by the Lady in Blue.

Jesus, we trust in you.
Jesus, we trust in you.
Jesus, we trust in you.

All the way to the Cross...
and beyond.

Pick-A-Saint

This year, I was introduced to a Catholic New Year's tradition involving the Saints. Apparently, this is something that even Saint Maria Faustina did with her fellow sisters!

Anyhow, the way it goes is that you take a bunch of Saints' names on little pieces of paper and toss them in a hat or bowl. On New Year's Day, each person in the family says a quick prayer and reaches into the bowl to pick a Saint for the year. Then, the idea is to establish a relationship with your new patron as the year progresses. Some say that, even though we do the physical picking of the name, it is the Saint that chooses us!

I thought it was a neat idea and so on January 1st, my family put together a big bowl of Saints and got to choosing. The four of us came out with a pretty impressive list of patrons and we all look forward to getting to know our newfound patrons throughout 2010.

Our new family Saints are:

1. Saint Anthony of Padua
2. Saint Dominic Savio
3. Saint Joseph
4. Saint Jerome

I encourage anyone who stumbles across this Blog to put this little tradition into practice. We can learn so much from our brothers and sisters in Heaven (the "Church Triumphant") and I think that they are just itching for an opportunity to help us.

Praise God!