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.
Friday, June 7, 2013
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Palm Sunday. March 24, 2013 Assisi
The beauty, simplicity and even pageantry of the Liturgy swept me up in its spirit. The palms were from olive trees and were blessed by the bishop of Assisi in front of the Church of Santa Maria , which was formerly the temple dedicated to the goddess Minerva. The building predates Christ.
We then processed up to the cathedral of San Rufino where the Mass was celebrated. Even though I didn't understand the language , the events of the Passion surfaced in my mind and the words, "forgive them Father they know not what they do." A life that lacks prayer and reflection is a life in which we become oblivious to our actions and demeanor. Much if the pain and suffering in life occurs because we "know not what we do." We often fail to think through decisions and plans, acting on impulse or with little thought.
Jesus knew exactly what HE was doing, by accepting the way of rejection and suffering on his shoulders. His Cross IS very heavy for it "carries" each one of us.
I use the present tense: the crucifixion is happening every moment because the event transcends time and place. The cross if Christ is very much "alive" in the suffering of the poor, the ill, the alienated , the despised and rejected , the abused
and neglected and in all of us whose lives are empty and seem to lack meaning. Every human being who lived, is living or will is with Christ in His Heart on that cross. Mercy and forgiveness are the balm that begins the slow process of transformation that breath Easter.
I write this in the lower basilica at the tomb of st. Francis. A beautiful quiet place to reflect on the Passion and Holy Week. The countless numbers of people are passing me by, pausing at the massive rock tomb, saying a prayer. Each one has a "story" that weaves in and out of Passion and Resurrection. Each one if us can become so oblivious to the Mystery out very lives were immersed in when we were baptized. And so we know not what we do....
Francis spoke to me in prayer a few days ago saying "Peace, brother," an Easter message to be lived and passed on. Buen camino. Francesco.
The photos are from the procession and tomb
We then processed up to the cathedral of San Rufino where the Mass was celebrated. Even though I didn't understand the language , the events of the Passion surfaced in my mind and the words, "forgive them Father they know not what they do." A life that lacks prayer and reflection is a life in which we become oblivious to our actions and demeanor. Much if the pain and suffering in life occurs because we "know not what we do." We often fail to think through decisions and plans, acting on impulse or with little thought.
Jesus knew exactly what HE was doing, by accepting the way of rejection and suffering on his shoulders. His Cross IS very heavy for it "carries" each one of us.
I use the present tense: the crucifixion is happening every moment because the event transcends time and place. The cross if Christ is very much "alive" in the suffering of the poor, the ill, the alienated , the despised and rejected , the abused
and neglected and in all of us whose lives are empty and seem to lack meaning. Every human being who lived, is living or will is with Christ in His Heart on that cross. Mercy and forgiveness are the balm that begins the slow process of transformation that breath Easter.
I write this in the lower basilica at the tomb of st. Francis. A beautiful quiet place to reflect on the Passion and Holy Week. The countless numbers of people are passing me by, pausing at the massive rock tomb, saying a prayer. Each one has a "story" that weaves in and out of Passion and Resurrection. Each one if us can become so oblivious to the Mystery out very lives were immersed in when we were baptized. And so we know not what we do....
Francis spoke to me in prayer a few days ago saying "Peace, brother," an Easter message to be lived and passed on. Buen camino. Francesco.
The photos are from the procession and tomb
Saturday, March 23, 2013
Sant Rufino: The Church of St. Francis' Baptism
In October of 1182, Francis was baptized in the baptismal font, shown in attached photo. Who could possibly my have known that when that to y baby was immersed in the waters of baptism, his destiny would one of humble greatness. Talk about an oxymoron! Francis, himself, said that he was destined for greatness.
His life began by being immersed in the waters of Christ's death and resurrection and his life marked a gradual transformation into being one with Christ in a way never l known before or seen since.
Francis ended his life by being so configured to Christ, in his deep love for Christ's Passion, that he was " marked" or pierced by the five wounds of the crucifixion : the Stigmata. As he lie dying he asked to be stripped completely naked and be placed on the bare earth which he loved so much. The softness of the dirt eased his tremendous pain. He died during the evening of October 3/4 on the bare earth just in his mid forties.
When you see Francis , you see Christ. The message if Francis: we are ALL called to mirror Christ. This can only happen by a reckless, lavish, and foolish Love.
But Love can be very painful, as you all know through your own experience. It demands a complete emptying of the self, allowing one to be wounded and "pierced" in spirit. To be configured to Christ means surrendering to God's work as the Sculptor, chiseling away at all that disfigures us and the work of art we are meant to become.
But the JOY, the absolute joy and ecstasy to allow this to happen and live freely in true freedom as a child of God. Francis showed us a way that can never be duplicated , nor should it. God has different plans and a different sculpture for each one of us.
Easter is the great Promise that we will emerge from God's artistic and divine touch as a New Creation. Christ. Risen. Alive. Forever. With ALL!!
Blessed Easter.
Buen camino. Francesco.
His life began by being immersed in the waters of Christ's death and resurrection and his life marked a gradual transformation into being one with Christ in a way never l known before or seen since.
Francis ended his life by being so configured to Christ, in his deep love for Christ's Passion, that he was " marked" or pierced by the five wounds of the crucifixion : the Stigmata. As he lie dying he asked to be stripped completely naked and be placed on the bare earth which he loved so much. The softness of the dirt eased his tremendous pain. He died during the evening of October 3/4 on the bare earth just in his mid forties.
When you see Francis , you see Christ. The message if Francis: we are ALL called to mirror Christ. This can only happen by a reckless, lavish, and foolish Love.
But Love can be very painful, as you all know through your own experience. It demands a complete emptying of the self, allowing one to be wounded and "pierced" in spirit. To be configured to Christ means surrendering to God's work as the Sculptor, chiseling away at all that disfigures us and the work of art we are meant to become.
But the JOY, the absolute joy and ecstasy to allow this to happen and live freely in true freedom as a child of God. Francis showed us a way that can never be duplicated , nor should it. God has different plans and a different sculpture for each one of us.
Easter is the great Promise that we will emerge from God's artistic and divine touch as a New Creation. Christ. Risen. Alive. Forever. With ALL!!
Blessed Easter.
Buen camino. Francesco.
Friday, March 22, 2013
Scenes from Assisi: Where Heaven and Earth Kiss. March 22, 2013
The gospel today reflects the growing tension between Jesus and the religious leaders. It all books down to this: they have a deep problem with Jesus NOT because he does many marvelous acts and reached out to the poor but because he identifies himself with God the Father.
Blasphemy!! To believe that Jesus was a great prophet and a holy man in whom God worked miracles us fairly easy. To believe he is also God, here is where the problem begins and ends. It remains so even today.
I write this little homily sitting outside San Pietro, a small church in Assisi. As I have already mentioned , the presence of Francis is palpable. Francis became another Christ, receiving the Stigmata, which are the five wounds of Christ on his hands, feet and side precisely because he BELIEVED in the core of his being that Jesus was the Christ , the Son of the Living God.
Assisi, for me, is the most spiritual place I have ever been to. Yes, to use a phrase from the psalms, heaven and earth "embrace" here, but I would say "kiss " because of the deep intimacy encountered here. God IS our Lover. Once again, just read the Song of Songs in the Old Testament.
And he gave us the gift of Eucharist, the Sacred Meal that transforms bread and wine into his Body and Blood. We feed on his Presence and this Food draws us into the Trinity. We , too, are transformed , no less than Francis , if we allow, into Christ, Bread for the Poor.
When following Francis and being in Assisi it is so easy to believe that Christ is in the Father and the Father is in Him. And the love between them is the Spirit.
You are all in my prayers. Buen camino. Padre Francesco
Blasphemy!! To believe that Jesus was a great prophet and a holy man in whom God worked miracles us fairly easy. To believe he is also God, here is where the problem begins and ends. It remains so even today.
I write this little homily sitting outside San Pietro, a small church in Assisi. As I have already mentioned , the presence of Francis is palpable. Francis became another Christ, receiving the Stigmata, which are the five wounds of Christ on his hands, feet and side precisely because he BELIEVED in the core of his being that Jesus was the Christ , the Son of the Living God.
Assisi, for me, is the most spiritual place I have ever been to. Yes, to use a phrase from the psalms, heaven and earth "embrace" here, but I would say "kiss " because of the deep intimacy encountered here. God IS our Lover. Once again, just read the Song of Songs in the Old Testament.
And he gave us the gift of Eucharist, the Sacred Meal that transforms bread and wine into his Body and Blood. We feed on his Presence and this Food draws us into the Trinity. We , too, are transformed , no less than Francis , if we allow, into Christ, Bread for the Poor.
When following Francis and being in Assisi it is so easy to believe that Christ is in the Father and the Father is in Him. And the love between them is the Spirit.
You are all in my prayers. Buen camino. Padre Francesco
Thursday, March 21, 2013
Relics of St. Francis. March 21,2013
While walking through Assisi I know that Francis is leading me, or perhaps following me to support me when I stumble. When leaving the main road through the town, one enters a labyrinth of tiny streets and cul de sacs. When walking a labyrinth one journeys toward the center, who is God. In Assisi, these labyrinths always lead to the main road, "the way."
I make my way to the lower basilica to pray before the relics if st Francis : his tunic, habit, slippers, cincture or cord , the actual written rule of Francis, a portion if his actual ashes. These tangible objects simply remind me that Francis walked these same pathways I am walking. Francis is real. The labyrinths he walked led him to follow Christ is the most radical way.
In falling more in love with Christ I have felt closer to Francis as ever. I love this'd saint , this man, this follower of Christ.
Whole my name may be the same God does not me or anyone else to be Francis or Clare or Teresa. One of each of these great saints is enough. God needs YOU to become the saint that he wants you to become. Francis and Teresa and all the rest of the recognized, canonized saints are guides and intercessors. There are countless more saints. YOU are one of them.
Francis, Teresa, Ignatious, John of the Cross are my personal guides. Without them I would be lost. This great Communion of Saints is one of the greatest Treasures of the Catholic faith. We need these holy men and women to remind us that the "Way" of Jesus is truly possible.
In today's gospel, the leaders just couldn't see in and through the humanity of Jesus the One sent by the Father. Can you blame them? After all,he did look ordinary and came from an ordinary family. What was missing for these leaders was a softened heart to "see" things, people and the world in an entire new light. "If today you hear his voice harden not your
hearts, " says the psalmist.
A question we must all ask , "what is the condition of my spiritual heart...is it soft so God can enter,reshape and refashion, or is it hard, making it impossible for God to transform?
Francis is giving me the courage to ask the question. The answer....
Buen camino. Francesco
I make my way to the lower basilica to pray before the relics if st Francis : his tunic, habit, slippers, cincture or cord , the actual written rule of Francis, a portion if his actual ashes. These tangible objects simply remind me that Francis walked these same pathways I am walking. Francis is real. The labyrinths he walked led him to follow Christ is the most radical way.
In falling more in love with Christ I have felt closer to Francis as ever. I love this'd saint , this man, this follower of Christ.
Whole my name may be the same God does not me or anyone else to be Francis or Clare or Teresa. One of each of these great saints is enough. God needs YOU to become the saint that he wants you to become. Francis and Teresa and all the rest of the recognized, canonized saints are guides and intercessors. There are countless more saints. YOU are one of them.
Francis, Teresa, Ignatious, John of the Cross are my personal guides. Without them I would be lost. This great Communion of Saints is one of the greatest Treasures of the Catholic faith. We need these holy men and women to remind us that the "Way" of Jesus is truly possible.
In today's gospel, the leaders just couldn't see in and through the humanity of Jesus the One sent by the Father. Can you blame them? After all,he did look ordinary and came from an ordinary family. What was missing for these leaders was a softened heart to "see" things, people and the world in an entire new light. "If today you hear his voice harden not your
hearts, " says the psalmist.
A question we must all ask , "what is the condition of my spiritual heart...is it soft so God can enter,reshape and refashion, or is it hard, making it impossible for God to transform?
Francis is giving me the courage to ask the question. The answer....
Buen camino. Francesco
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Assisi
I would everyone to know that I will be spending a week of prayer by myself on Assisi starting on march 20. I want to use this time to pray for other, for YOU and any special intention. I can't be any closer to you than while in prayer.
Assisi had been for me a special place where heaven and earth embrace. The presence of Francis us tangible and intimate. Praying here comes quoted naturally.
If you would like me to pray for a special
need, let me know through this blog or let dean know so that he can email me your request. As Isaiah said in today 's first reading, "remember not the events of the past; the things of long ago consider not. See I am doing something new! Now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?"
It is only when rooted in a life of prayer that we are able to "perceive" that God is indeed doing something new through our own lives. Buen camino. Padre Francesco.
Assisi had been for me a special place where heaven and earth embrace. The presence of Francis us tangible and intimate. Praying here comes quoted naturally.
If you would like me to pray for a special
need, let me know through this blog or let dean know so that he can email me your request. As Isaiah said in today 's first reading, "remember not the events of the past; the things of long ago consider not. See I am doing something new! Now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?"
It is only when rooted in a life of prayer that we are able to "perceive" that God is indeed doing something new through our own lives. Buen camino. Padre Francesco.
Throwing Stones. March 17, 2013
We frequently look to the woman caught in adultery and feel deep anger at the manner in which she is treated. And the image of Jesus embracing her in her alienation and loving her is compelling and beautiful. But sometimes we fail to focus on those with the stones in clenched fists ready to pounce on a woman caught in adultery.
I decided to put myself in the minds of those men with the stones. What was the "mindset" which would cause them to want to kill another human being simply for sinning in an obviously sexual manner?
Granite, their actions were rooted in the Law which mandated that a woman caught in adultery should be stoned. And where was the man? Of course the Law was grounded in a belief that women were inferior to men, much better seen in subservience to men.
We hear this gospel proclaimed and we rightfully cringe at the inequality that is being displayed. But let's focus on the mindset of the men holding or clenching the stones.
Their first inclination was to exclude the woman by taking her away from her community and isolating her in a particular interpretation of the Law. They were right; she is wrong. They are righteous and pure; she is a terrible sinner and impure. I can't help but believe that their " mindset" is alive and well in our own enlightened , 21st century mentality. We clench our fists around invisible stones of judgement. And can we throw them.
The current discourse in religion and politics has much stone throwing on all sides and by very smart people. We do what has been done since time immemorial : we demonized the one with whom we disagree by casting or throwing stones, so that we discredit and even demonize the "opponent." We want to exclude no less than those angry men in the gospel. Our methods are not physically violent but they are very damaging, and some might even say they are psychologically violent.
Jesus makes a simple comment that must ring true in our own ears today: if you have never sinned, go and cast the first stone. With that one sentence, our fists open up, the "stone" falls down and we take our place next to that woman writing with her finger in the dry dust of the earth.
Buen camino. Padre Francis
I decided to put myself in the minds of those men with the stones. What was the "mindset" which would cause them to want to kill another human being simply for sinning in an obviously sexual manner?
Granite, their actions were rooted in the Law which mandated that a woman caught in adultery should be stoned. And where was the man? Of course the Law was grounded in a belief that women were inferior to men, much better seen in subservience to men.
We hear this gospel proclaimed and we rightfully cringe at the inequality that is being displayed. But let's focus on the mindset of the men holding or clenching the stones.
Their first inclination was to exclude the woman by taking her away from her community and isolating her in a particular interpretation of the Law. They were right; she is wrong. They are righteous and pure; she is a terrible sinner and impure. I can't help but believe that their " mindset" is alive and well in our own enlightened , 21st century mentality. We clench our fists around invisible stones of judgement. And can we throw them.
The current discourse in religion and politics has much stone throwing on all sides and by very smart people. We do what has been done since time immemorial : we demonized the one with whom we disagree by casting or throwing stones, so that we discredit and even demonize the "opponent." We want to exclude no less than those angry men in the gospel. Our methods are not physically violent but they are very damaging, and some might even say they are psychologically violent.
Jesus makes a simple comment that must ring true in our own ears today: if you have never sinned, go and cast the first stone. With that one sentence, our fists open up, the "stone" falls down and we take our place next to that woman writing with her finger in the dry dust of the earth.
Buen camino. Padre Francis
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