The Rainbow and the Cross. June 17, 2013

I am sitting in my room on the third floor of the rectory watching nature suddenly displaying its diversity... Right before my eyes. Dark, black clouds filled the sky and emptied their contents of liquid pelting the rooftops, only to have the sunlight piercing the sky from the West creating a beautiful rainbow that slowly disappeared in the clouds being carried away by the breeze. Sun, clouds, rain , rainbow , wind...all within two minutes of gazing.

But note : from my view, the rainbow ended on top of the old school building surrounding the cement cross that sits on the roof. What a magnificent scene if nature 's ever changing beauty. This all happened as I was praying the Scriptures for this Sunday' s gospel, in which Jesus us predicting his passion , death and resurrection. God was clearly working with me.

The rainbow that enveloped the cross represents the main colors that " color" our world. The rainbow has become a symbol of the covenant that God made with the Human Family through Noah; the rainbow has come to represent the diversity in the Human Family; the rainbow is a symbol of hope and promise for people if all cultures. The cross on top of our old school building was absorbed in these beautiful rich and natural colors.

How appropriate , for the Cross of Christ embraces ALL people's and cultures at all times: past, present and future. On the Cross was crucified the One who embodied Love in all its forms and colors.
The end of the rainbow was far better from my vantage point, for the rainbow ended not in a pot of gold, but in the Cross of resurrected Love.
Buen camino. Padre.

Encounter on the El. June II, 2013

I was waiting for the southbound brown line at Wellington after visiting a parishioner at Illinois Masonic. A worker from CTA was on the platform cleaning things up and picking up debris. We started to talk about why I was there on a Sunday and he opened up about his family and job. He was intrigued when untold him I was the pastor of st Teresa of Avila since he thought he knew all the churches in Lincoln park but somehow missed out on set. Teresa's. So he boarded the train to find out where this church was on armitage.
Seeing the little church he made it clear he wanted to come back. this happened about two weeks ago. This morning I was setting up the church for a funeral. I left the church to get a cup of coffee and when I returned, there was a man kneeling in front of the altar praying. I saw him as he began to stand up....he was the man I met on the El. I forgot to ask him his name, so he remains nameless in my memory. But the encounter I will never forget not his face.

The woman in this Sunday's gospel who suddenly shows up during a dinner hosted by Simon a leading Pharisee; Jesus was the guest of honor. The woman had a reputation and she sought out Jesus to be healed and forgiven. She wanted to be set free. Simon just couldn't see the woman as Jesus saw her.

If only we can learn to see with different eyes...the eyes of faith...the eyes of Christ. We would never reduce a human being to a sinful situation or a reputation. I'm certain found out her name. Faces and names belong together. To call someone by name is a sign of care and intimacy.

My encounter with the man whose name I forgot had an impact on me and I hope on him too. In a brief time spent together we talked about faith and doubts and how religion fits in with the equation, if it even does. I felt free when I left this encounter. I felt grounded in God's Presence when I encountered him in the church this morning. He smiled at me and told me the next time he comes to St. Teresa's it will be for Sunday Mass. I was so surprised he was there that I never asked him his name.
I hope and pray he returns. I want to finally know his name.
Burn casino. Padre

Outsider. June 7, 2013

The word which haunts me after praying over the readings for this weekends liturgy is "outsider." Two widows lose their sons...both are transformed into outsiders since they didn't have a male protector. St. Paul becomes an outsider after his conversion, both from fellow Jews and Christians. Misunderstood.
Elijah restores the widow' son through repeated gestures and pleas; Jesus restores the widow's son with a simple gesture and word, "Rise." Nothing mire us needed from the One who restores, calls to life, welcomes the "outsider" within the reality of Love.
The message: we are to go to those on the outside and make them insiders through the divine Love pulsing in our spirits.
I am reading the diaries if Dorothy Day, the one who chose to follow God's call to reach out to the outsider. Sounds beautiful and gospel and so it is. But she relates the loneliness in her life and the difficulties if such a life. The " odors" of the poor can be difficult at times to breath in. Odors of the outsider. Dorothy chose to live shoulder to shoulder with the outsider. Perhaps her greatest "duty of delight" ( a phrase she loved) was to be the outsider.
We live to create outsiders: liberals turn conservatives into outsiders; conservatives turn liberals into outsiders; people "on the other side if the tracks" , people of different belief and color become outsiders; even the Boy Scouts struggle with who's in and who's out.
The church is at her best when she loves the people who are the outsiders to embrace their status as sons and daughters of God, a status that pushes the boundaries of Christ's Body to include the outsider.
The pilgrimage continues.