A Mysterious Me

I received this little reflection by Fr. Solanus Maria Benfatti, CFR in an email several years back, before I was even a priest myself. It gave me much to reflect upon then and it strikes me even more now that I can relate to it firsthand. This vocation is a beautiful one and I thank God for it each day that I too have been called to have a 'front row seat' to the powerful hand of God at work in the hearts of His beloved children.

For sure, Pope Benedict's recent comment to the priests of Poland registers with me: "The greatness of Christ's priesthood can make us tremble." To feel very small, hugely humbled by the thing is a common experience for me. Very common. And yet, I frequently forget that I am a priest of only four months. Sometimes it almost seems that I've been doing this forever.At times I listen to myself in the confessional and I wonder whom this person is that is speaking, and just how he knows the things he thinks and says. I want to ask him from where he has come, because it seems as if from nowhere, like Melchisedech. I'm glad this man from nowhere has come along, because he sure is good for me. They say the priesthood is for others, but it's hard for one's faith not to be changed by the faith of others. Front row seats are hard to beat. The first time someone thirty years your senior lavishes gratitude on you for lifting a burden they've carried for years the same number; The first telephone call of thanksgiving you get from someone who had been an anonymous penitent in a far away place, now changed forever; The first time someone grabs you on the subway and says, "I realized I would never make it in time for confessions at such-and-such church and so I prayed to find a priest"; right then you know that you were made for this, and that your own salvation somehow depends on it. Fulton Sheen once called a book Those Mysterious Priests. I understand the title now. Because it is indeed a mystery, a very strange thing, the priesthood. That I am a priest is an additional mystery, though. It's at once foreign and familiar. It's everything I thought it would be and nothing I could have ever known. It's something to shrink from, but what I could never do without. And it's me. A mysterious me.

Mardi Gras with the MC's

Today I had the joy of going with some friends to join the Missionaries of Charity at St. Agnes Parish in preparing and serving food for the poor and homeless downtown. We got there a bit early and found that the meal for the day was pizza, which required little prep work. We prepared it quickly and then the sisters began showing us other jobs that could be done - two people mopped a hallway, another took out recyclables, another prepared the tables. So there I was standing in the hallway next to the sister waiting for her to give me a chore to help with. Fully expecting to receive a task of mopping, sweeping or some other form of manual labor, I asked, "Sister, what can I do?". She looked at me for a second, turned around and opened the chapel door, turned back to me and said, "Father, you can pray." For half a second I felt like I had just been given a break.  Everyone else was doing various tasks around the place and there I was simply sitting with Jesus. As I sat there, though, I began to think that maybe that little sister might have had a dozen other things that could have been done but that she felt it most fitting that I do what I've been consecrated to do and offer one of the greatest gifts I can by interceding on their behalf. And so I prayed. Maybe she was just taking it easy on me since it was my first time there in a long while, who knows. But in that moment, I came to realize a bit more clearly just what it is that others see in me and expect of me as a priest of Jesus Christ. And so I pray...

Missions and Exiles

Readings for Saturday, October 1/ Feast of St. Therese of Lisieux:
Baruch 4:5-12, 27-29
Psalm 69:33-37
Luke 10:17-24

As we celebrate the feast of St. Therese of Lisieux today, I find it interesting that the first reading is about the Israelites being exiled. "You were sold to the nations not for your destruction....he who has brought disaster upon you will, in saving you, bring you back enduring joy." What beautiful words spoken to our ancient ancestors in the faith. In their exile they felt abandoned by God and yet in the midst of that feeling of abandonment and sorrow, they are assured that the Lord is at work with something much greater. Through their exile, the people of Israel were sent out to be enlivened in their faith, renewed in their commitment to the Lord of Lords and to shine like the sun before the pagan nations. Their suffering brought them back enduring joy, with others having known the Lord more deeply because of their trials. 

St. Therese, though a cloistered nun, is actually patroness of missionaries because she spent her life praying for others, especially those seeking to bring the gospel to lost souls. And yet in the connection with the reading from Baruch, it seems that she too endured great trials that ultimately led her to her eternal home, where she is enduring great joy herself with the angels and saint, beholding God for eternity. And yet in the midst of her trials, she too, like the Israelites, shined like the sun with the peace and love of Christ. Dear Little Flower, shower us with your prayers this day and continue to reflect the light of Christ toward our souls.

The Food of Judgment

This morning in the Office of Readings from the Liturgy of the Hours (more on that HERE), I came across an interesting couple of sentences. In a sermon 'On Pastors' by St. Augustine, we hear him telling us of the Lord: "With judgment he feeds those whom he, being judged himself, redeemed. Therefore, he himself feeds his sheep with judgment."

I've read this passage probably six or eight times in the course of my priestly formation in seminary and yet never did I catch that last line. As I thought about it, I realized that when I think of being fed by the Lord then I see it as a positive thing since I know that He would not feed me that which is harmful or does not satisfy. And yet Our Lord feeds us judgment. Trying to grasp this connection, I then came to understand that judgment, for me, is often viewed in a negative light - as a condemning action. And yet judgment can be positive. To be found innocent when standing before a jury of earthly peers often brings one to tears of joy and great excitement. How much greater would be my joy on that last day if Our Lord were to look upon me with all the saints and angels of Heaven beside Him and judge me worthy to enter that Heavenly Banquet? What wonderful food that would be.

Reflection

Readings for Friday, August 5/ Dedication of Major Basilica, St. Mary Major in Rome:
Deuteronomy 4:32-40
Psalm 77:12-16, 21
Matthew 16:24-28

I couldn't help but be struck by the first reading today. Talking about the great things the Lord has done for His people Israel, our ancestors in faith, he says this: "For love of your fathers he chose their descendants

and personally led you out of Egypt by his great power, driving out of your way nations greater and mightier than you, so as to bring you in and to make their land your heritage, as it is today. This is why you must now know, and fix in your heart, that the LORD is God in the heavens above and on earth below, and that there is no other."

The Lord PERSONALLY led them out of Egypt; He showed them His love and for that reason they ought to know and hold that He is God. Because of His personal love. Does this thought make you pause in wonder as it does me?

The Name

Readings for Friday, July 22/ St. Mary Magdalene:
Exodus 20:1-17
Psalm 19:8-11
John 20:1-2,11-18

Today we celebrate the life of St. Mary Madgalene, that great saint who experienced a powerful conversion and spent the rest of her life seeking after Our Lord. What a wonderful witness we have of faithfulness and longing for God in the gospel passage today. Mary is there early in the morning to pray at the tomb and to be with the body of Christ. And there she finds His body is not there and tells the others. She then remains at the tomb and is searching and weeping. The love that burns in her heart is so strong that she does not give up seeking when the others had already gone away or never even come at all. She remains. And for this, the Lord rewards her seeking as He calls out to her. Unclear at first of who it is, she pleads with Our Lord to tell her where the body has gone. And then that beautiful one-word sentence that pierces to the heart: "Mary." With the sound of her name, she realizes Who it is that calls her and she rejoices at His presence there with her. Like the sheep who know the voice of the shepherd, Mary knows the One who calls her then and she has the joy of proclaiming to others that truth of His Resurrection from the dead. May the Lord grant us the same grace, to hear Him call our names and allow us cry out with joy and bring news of His New Life to those around us.

Falling Away

Readings for Monday, May 30:

Acts 16:11-15

Psalm 149:1-6,9

John 15:26-16:4

As we read this Gospel passage we find those beautiful words - 'so that you may not fall away.' Christ speaks to us this phrase to give us peace and to show us that He loves us. In the original context of the scriptures, Christ is warning the Apostles of all that is to come and the sufferings they will endure. For us today, though, the Lord speaks the same consoling words. He tells of the Advocate, the Spirit, who descends upon us and of the persecutions we too are called to undergo. With His words He speaks a message of love, caring enough to speak these words that they and we might not fall away. And the message itself - that we not fall away but always remain in Him - is one of great consolation. Grant Lord that His desire might be fulfilled in us.

Sheep and Shepherds

Readings for Sunday, May 15:
Acts 2:14, 36-41
Psalm 23:1-6
1 Peter 2:20-25
John 10:1-10

This weekend we celebrate Good Shepherd Sunday, so called because we ready the section of St. John's gospel wherein Christ speaks of Himself as shepherd and gate. In the Office of Readings from the Liturgy of the Hours this morning, we read the beautiful words of St. Gregory the Great:

"No matter what obstacles we encounter, we must not allow them to turn us aside from the joy of that heavenly feast. Anyone who is determined to reach his destination is not deterred by the roughness of the road that leads to it. Nor must we allow the charm of success to seduce us, or we shall be like a foolish traveler who is so distracted by the pleasant meadows through which he is passing that he forgets where he is going. "

He reminds us that in this life we are all bound to encounter countless trials and difficulties that will push us to leave The Way - Jesus Christ - and that there will also be things of such great appeal to us - be it fame or fortune - that will make us want to cease walking and simply stay there. In both of these we are reminded that we are meant to remain where we are but we are a people destined for eternal glory with God in Heaven. If we open the ears of our heart to the voice of the Good Shepherd who calls us each in our own way and strive to remain on that path, we will be sure to receive that blessed reward of a room in the Heavenly House of God. May we always seek after the shepherd who calls us and be protected from the evil one who seeks to blot out His voice.

Mercy and Such

These past few days have seen an incredible series of events. In the secular world we have all been stunned by the tragic tornadoes that tore through Alabama and neighboring states killing hundreds and the announcement that Osama Bin Laden has been confirmed dead. In the Catholic world we have been filled with an unexplainable joy as we celebrated the feast of Divine Mercy, Beatification of Pope John Paul II and the beginning of the month of May, in which we honor the Blessed Mother. And as I reflect upon these things I can't help but see that hand of God at work. It cannot be but divine providence to have Pope John Paul II be beatified on Divine Mercy Sunday (a feast he instituted universally) and on the first day of the month devoted to Our Lady, to whom he had consecrated his entire life and ministry. Intersecting with this beautiful work of God, we have these two other events that consume our secular media. In the wake of these tornadoes we can only entrust the dead to the mercy of God and to seek his mercy on those who remain, entrusting themselves to His paternal care and consolation. And as we all hear that joyful shouts of so many Americans that Bin Laden has been killed, we must also remember that we ought not to rejoice in death, but in life. I pray that before his death, as unlikely at it may seem, he was converted to the Lord Jesus. And if not, I pray - and we all must - that the Lord Jesus show him His infinite mercy. Reflecting on this, I can't help but recall that famous quote "There, but for the grace of God, go I." Earlier tonight I was visiting with a couple of brother seminarians and I mentioned an old song that I used to listen to. One of then hadn't heard it before and so I pulled it up online and he was surprised to hear the type of music that it was - electronic heavy metal. I passingly mentioned that it was from my time before conversion. To this he responded, "Well, I'm glad for your conversion." As he spoke this I couldn't help but feel in my heart that joyful, peaceful response, "Me too." I know personally the grace of conversion that can come from the prayers of those who are faithful and so I think it fitting to pray for those who not yet part of the fold. You never know the power that a prayer can have, especially through Our Lady, whose intercession is powerful beyond our understanding, to Our Lord who is longing to pour out His mercy upon each of us. 

Good Friday Reflection

Below is the reflection I gave immediately preceding the Stations of the Cross at Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Church in Baton Rouge on Good Friday:

“It was our infirmities that he bore, our sufferings that he endured, while we thought of him as stricken, as one smitten by God and afflicted. But he was pierced for our offenses and crushed for our sins; upon him was the chastisement that makes us whole, by his stripes we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:4-5)

As we come to pray these Stations of the Cross, we step back from the normal activities of our daily lives and walk with the Lord Jesus in His suffering and death. We accompany Him Who accompanies us at every moment and see in His Passion the revelation of God’s love for us and His desire to heal our wounds.

In the petitions from Morning Prayer in the Liturgy of the Hours we encounter today a beautiful prayer: “Christ our Savior, on the cross you embraced all time with your outstretched arms, unite God’s scattered children in your kingdom of salvation.” With arms outstretched He embraced all time.

Sometimes it can be hard for us to remember that Jesus was both fully God and fully man. We can tend to focus on one more than the other, but this beautiful prayer reminds us that while Jesus was suffering as a man on the Cross, He was still acting as God in calling to mind all of creation history. And not just on the Cross did He do this, but all throughout His life – and especially during the sufferings of His Passion and Death.

With every false word uttered against Him at His trial, Jesus looked all throughout history to those who suffered persecution and injustice. And looking at them, He poured forth the grace to be persecuted not alone, but in union with Him. As Jesus was beaten and scourged by the Roman guards, He looked all through history to those who suffered abuse and chastisement. And looking at them, He enabled them to hope in a better time to come. With every step that he took on the way to Calvary, he saw those who work and toil only to come up short and He offers the gift of a heavenly riches. Every time Christ fell to the ground under the weight of the Cross and yet rose again to continue the journey, He looked upon those whose sins are such a heavy burden and gives the grace of courage and perseverance to journey in the path of holiness. And as He reached the top of that Blessed Hill, stripped of His clothes, His companions, and His glory, He stretched out His arms and offered Himself up on the Altar of the Cross so that all of us, while we were and are still sinners, might be redeemed and able to enter into that Heavenly Banquet that awaits the righteous.

All of this is done out of absolute love for us, as a whole and as individuals. As those sacred arms were stretched out and nailed to the Cross, the Lord redeemed all of humanity, but He also redeemed all of our lives – each one individually, purposefully, lovingly.

It is part of the human condition to suffer, but that does not mean that the Lord desires us to suffer. Rather, He seeks to have that suffering healed and redeemed. Let us reflect for a moment on the person of the Good Samaritan who encounters the man beaten and left for dead on the side of the road. The Good Samaritan is one who encounters a person to whom he has no obligations, to whom he has no connection, and yet out of love for the injured one, he takes the man, washes him off and binds up his wounds, carries him to an inn and pays the prices for the man to stay there to heal. Is this not a sign of what Jesus himself did for us on the Cross? Did He not look upon us, to whom He had not true obligation to offer Himself up, and out of love reach out to us to heal the wounds of our souls? So often we are like that man left for dead. Each of us has suffered wounds in our life. Maybe they was inflicted on us by someone else. Maybe it was a wound of rejection or of a misunderstanding. Maybe it was a wound of our apparent unworthiness or some wound that inflict upon ourselves. In the end, each of us has something in our heart, something in our soul, that longs for the Lord to reach out and bind it up with His healing touch.

As we pray these Stations of the Cross, contemplating the great suffering of Our Lord and the incredible gift of love He offers, let us also open our hearts to Him. Let us pray that the Precious Blood of Jesus, which poured forth from His many wounds, would wash our souls clean and heal us of the afflictions which we suffer.

Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Wounds of Our Lord Jesus Christ to heal those of our souls. Amen. 

I AM

Readings for Thursday, April 14:
Genesis 17:3-9
Psalm 105:4-9
John 8:51-59

It has often been said that Jesus never claimed that He was God and that this was just something that later Christian writers decided, that it wasn't really a foundational belief of the followers of Jesus. Today's gospel passage is a direct contradiction to that claim. According to the sources that we have - gospels and historical texts from that time period - Jesus never stood up and said the phrase "I am God." However, He did utter many phrases that the people of the day would have taken to mean just that. 

In the midst of this ordinary dispute about following Abraham, the Jews are shocked to hear Jesus' claim to have seen Abraham. In reaction to this apparently foolish claim, they mock the Lord and point out that He is still just a veritable youth. Here the Lord responds: "Before Abraham came to be, I AM." It seems an odd statement in English, but 'I AM' was the name that the Jews new God by. In this simple exchange Jesus acknowledges the fact that although He is a man of only 30 years of age, but that He is also God. We can see that the Jewish people clearly understand that Jesus essentially just said "I am God" because they pick up stones to stone him to death, an appropriate punishment for blasphemy. Interesting, eh? :)

Witnesses of Faith

Readings for Wednesday, April 13/Commemoration of St. Martin I:
Daniel 3:14-20,91-92,95
Daniel 3:52-56
John 8:31-42

In today's readings we find the beautiful story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego who, told to abandon the Jewish faith, stand firm in faith and are thus condemned to be burned alive. The words we find on their lips in response to this sentence are a beautiful testament to their faith in the God of Israel: "If our God whom we serve, can save us from the white-hot furnace and from your hands, O king, may he save us! But even if he will not, know O king, that we will not serve your god or worship the golden statue that you set up." Se deep is their faith in the Lord that they will serve him even if he does not preserve or rescue them from the suffering they would soon endure. It is fitting that today is also the commemoration of Pope St. Martin I, who led the Christian faithful from four years in the 7th Century. As Pope of the Catholic Church, he was arrested and hauled off to a foreign land, where he suffered many 'public indignities' and trials. In a surviving letter from that time he writes of how he was so quickly cast aside and forgotten by his closest friends and family. And yet in that time he remained faithful to the Lord and prayed for Christian unity and for his persecutors up until his death. God grant that we too may have such faith.

Encounter

Readings for March 27, Third Sunday of Lent:
Exodus 17:3-7
Psalm 95:1-2,6-9
Romans 5:1-2,5-8
John 4:5-42

This gospel passage is so rich with meaning that it could easily be the basis of an entire book. But since I'm not specializing in writing books here, this will be significantly shorter and much more narrowly focused. As I read this, especially in this season of Lent, the thing that sticks out to me is the process of conversion that the woman undergoes. To begin with she is shocked at the whole experience, given that this Jewish man is speaking to her, a Samaritan woman; this shouldn't be happening to begin with. It speaks a bit to the experience many have at first realizing that the Lord has reached out to them personally. Like Peter, who fell to his knees and exclaimed "Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!", we too can be shocked that the Lord comes to us. But as yet she does not fully understand that Jesus is the Christ. Through their conversation they begin to go deeper and deeper. This models the way which we ought to be with the Lord in our own conversation of prayer with Him Who reaches out to us each day. And after much confusion on the woman's part because of the Lord's veiled speech, she finally comes to hear those blessed words that He is the Christ and it is then that she is able to be a true witness to the people of her town. Because of her witness the people of her town go to meet Jesus and their lives too are forever changed by the encounter.

During this season of Lent we are called to enter into the desert with the Lord and to be purified by His love through out fasting, prayer, and almsgiving. In having this encounter with Christ we are to be like the woman who has this intimate and powerful experience with the Lord which compels her to tell everyone about Him. May these remaining weeks of Lent see that experience taking place in our hearts compelling us to go out and proclaim His greatness as well.

On Fire

Readings for Sunday, March 20/ Second Sunday of Lent:
Genesis 12:1-4
Psalm 33:4-5,18-20,22
2 Timothy 1:8-10
Matthew 17:1-9

One of my favorite bands since I was a teenager has been Blindside, a Christian hardcore band from Sweden. If you understand the words they're screaming, you can actually find a beautiful and deep message. One such message from them is in the song 'King of the Closet,' whose chorus is "I'm a vampire. I'm afraid the light will set me on fire." On the surface it seems rather odd, and yet if we look into it and see it in it's context, we come to see that it is the singer's way of saying that he is not worthy to enter into the presence of the Lord - the light - and that the fire that will ensue will be the purging from his soul of all that is not of God, a purging that he still may not be entirely ready to endure. If we are honest with ourselves, I think most of us can relate because we all have our 'pet sins' that we cling to. In the story of the Transfiguration of the Lord, we are then called to into into the light and be set aflame. 

In the Old Testament we have the story of Moses ascending Mount Sinai where the Shekinah cloud descends upon him and he speaks face to face with God. When he comes down from the mountain his face - reflecting the light of the Lord - is so radiant that he has to cover it for the sake of the Israelites. He entered the light and was purified by that cleansing fire and stood before the people as a a genuine reflection of the Lord Himself. In our gospel passage today from Matthew, we see a similar story. But this time the Lord goes up on the Mountain and doesn't become radiant on account of anything outside Himself, rather the glory that is contained in Him is finally manifested to those three blessed Apostles. They have the gift of seeing the Lord in glory to strengthen their faith and to affirm the fact that He is divine - God from God, Light from Light. When they see this great mystery and hear the voice of the Father - they immediately fall prostrate on the ground. What struck me today is that when the Lord comes to them and says "Rise, do not be afraid," the gospel writer says simply "they saw no one else but Jesus alone."Sure, this is a way of saying that Moses and Elijah had disappeared, but it is also a way of say that they were wholly focused on Christ. In the presence of the Light, a portion of their impurity was burned away and they became more pure, more single-hearted, more focused on Christ. Pray that we too might have the strength to step out of our darkness into the Light, where we too will be cleansed and see no one else but Jesus alone. 

Humble Joseph

About a year ago I decided to foster my devotion to Saint Joseph a bit more. I thought it fitting since he's the patron my home diocese, Baton Rouge, and the spouse of the Blessed Mother. So I went out and bought a book with reflections on his life taken from private revelations. One of the things that the author spoke about immediately was the humility of Joseph and the humble but vital role he played in our own story of salvation by caring for Mary during her pregnancy, providing for the infant Christ, and raising the Son of God as his own son. And with all of that he is mentioned only a few times in the whole of the scriptures. And yet it is rather fitting that he, like the Blessed Mother, would prefer to be in the background with the Lord in the spotlight. I began to pray with this aspect of the foster-father of Christ and went to leave the chapel when I looked up and noticed that statue of St. Joseph in the back our of chapel. It is a beautiful white marble (at least it looks like it) statue that is quietly tucked away a bit out of sight - you focus on the high altar, to the exclusion of the statues to the left and right as you enter. It struck me because for nearly three years I had been going in that chapel multiple times a day for Mass, community prayer and personal prayer and yet I had never really thought about his being there. And as I realized that he had been there the whole time though I was unaware, I realized that although I hadn't really had a great devotion to him he surely had been interceding for me - another foster-son whom he has been humbly guiding toward holiness and manhood. What a great example we have in him. 

O Humble Joseph, pray for us!

Listen to Him

Readings for Saturday, February 19:
Hebrews 11:1-7
Psalm 145:2-5,10-11
Mark 9:2-13

It is interesting to hear on this quiet Saturday morning the reading of the Transfiguration of Christ. I was actually struck by this fact because we typically celebrate the feast of the Transfiguration with lots of music and ceremony. But today, one this simple Saturday morning, we hear the words of Saint Mark speaking again that great mystery. As I listened again to that gospel passage we have heard numerous times I was struck by the voice of the Father: This is my Beloved Son. Listen to Him." Eight simple words and yet the message is so deep. This is emphasized in Saint Matthew's gospel in that the Father cuts off Saint Peter, who is still speaking about the tents, and utters these words (Mt 17:5). With that extra little detail we begin to grasp the necessity for each of us to spend time simply sitting with the Lord, listening to Him speak to our hearts. If we are too busy with work, even good works, we miss this blessed opportunity.

To reflect a bit, recall that this reading and line of 'Listen to Him' are read on a Saturday, the day on which we traditionally honor the Blessed Virgin Mary, who at the wedding at Cana spoke the words to the servants, "Do whatever He tells you" (Jn 2:5). The question then is 'How can we do what He tells us if we do not take the time to listen?' Blessed indeed would we be if only we spent some quiet time before the Lord listening to the words He seeks to speak to our hearts. 

Lord Jesus, speak to us and give us the grace to hear.

From Inside

Readings for Wednesday, February 9:

Genesis 2:4-9, 15-17

Psalm 104:1-2, 27-30

Mark 7:14-23

"Nothing that enters one from outside can defile that person; but the things that come out from within are what defile." As we hear in this portion of the gospel, the Lord is speaking to the Jews about ritual cleansing and purity. The Jews of Christ's day believed that certain foods were unable to be eaten because they would make you unclean and that there were certain ceremonies for doing things to ensure 'cleanness' of one's self and thus the ability to enter the Temple to worship. What the Lord points out to his listeners is that the truth is not what goes in the body but rather what comes out of it that is important. As with the body, so also with the soul.

I'm sure each of us has experiences at least weekly if not daily things that frustrate us, that try us, or that sometimes almost break us. Those are the times to recall this gospel passage that we hear today. Sure, bad things happen but the more important part of things is our reaction to them. I find it interesting that today we also hear the story of God placing Adam in the Garden of Eden to have dominion over it, that same garden which contains the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. There, Adam will soon be faced with an outside disturbance from the serpent, Satan, and he is forced to make a response. And from his heart will issue that response of pride and self-exaltation. For us who read these two scripture passages side by side today, we hear the Church and the Lord reminding us of the importance of the response to things that may come at us throughout our days. May the Lord give us the grace to choose well and respond according to His most holy will.

Great Indeed!

Readings for Monday, February 7:

Genesis 1:1-19

Psalm 104:1-2,5-6,10,12,24,35,36

Mark 6:53-56

I sometimes wonder if we really value the Book of Psalms enough. After all, it is the only book of the entire Bible, the gospels included, that is read at every Mass throughout the year. While the gospels certainly provide us with the beautiful story of the Life of Jesus Christ, the psalms provide for us the words to really pray with Christ. They encompass every human emotion somewhere in the book and often have a way of speaking the words that our hearts feel and yet are unable to voice.

In the responsorial psalm today, we hear the words of Psalm 104 being spoken in our midst and the challenge is to make those words our own and to make the sentiments behind them our own - the Lord is great! We begin by speaking to our soul: Bless the Lord my soul! And our soul responds, 'O Lord, my God, you are great indeed!' This is what the Lord wants us to experience - His greatness. The fact that He has made all creation out of nothing and has set order to the universe, as we heard in the reading from Genesis. He made all of these things and for what? I would suggest the answer ought to be 'for whom?' And I would further suggest that answer would be 'For you and for me.' He made all creation to sustain us and give us joy, but most of all to help us to see His glory in a small way now so as to prepare us for all that is to come. So why not take a moment today and make these words of the Psalm our own and simply let our soul bless the Lord?

Different Angles

The Presentation by Rembrandt

Readings for Wednesday, February 2/ Feast of the Presentation:

Malachi 3:1-4

Psalm 24:7-10

Hebrews 2:14-18

Luke 2:22-40

Happy Candlemas Day! Happy Feast of the Presentation of the Lord! Happy Feast of the Meeting of Jesus, Simeon and Anna! Happy Feast of the Purification of Mary! Happy Feast of Simeon the Old Man! 

Believe it or not, those are all proper names of the feast that we celebrate today. They apply to different places and different times but all speak to the same exact event, just from a different angle. As this notable feast neared, I was trying to think of what I could write about and I had more ideas come to mind that I have proper names listed above. At first I was a bit frustrated but as I sat with this list of names I began to see the beauty and depth of the faith and the scriptures, that each name approaches from a different angle and shows for a different element of the life of faith. 

As we contemplate this scripture passage, it would greatly benefit us to reflect on it and find who we are in the story. There are many figures to relate with - Jesus, Mary, Joseph, Simeon, and Anna. Or consider the fact that there were very likely others around for this ceremony. Where do we fit? Where do I fit? Are there things in my life, or maybe my life as a whole, that need to be presented to the Father and consecrated to Him and Jesus was offered and consecrated? Do we hear the words of Simeon foretelling Mary's own future suffering speaking to some suffering in our life today? Are we being called to simply trust and listen for the voice of the Lord as Joseph was? Is there a place in our lives where we are full of rejoicing as Simeon and Anna at the sight of the Christ? Are we like those unnamed souls gathered in the Temple that day, who are simply caught up in wonder at the things unveiling before their eyes? 

These questions are only the surface though, for much more remains to be unveiled as we begin to really pray with the words of Sacred Scripture. We need only spend the time with Lord to begin to see and understand it.

Becoming Like Children

A Painting of Jesus with Children
by Nicholas Maes

(Optional) Readings for Monday, January 31/ Memorial of St. John Bosco:
Philippians 4:4-9
Psalm 31:20-24
Matthew 18:1-5

Today at the seminary we read the proper readings for St. John Bosco, which are those indicated above. They are different from the ones that are ordinarily read, so if the reflection is totally different from what you read or heard, there is a reason. In the opening passage of this reading from Saint Matthew's gospel today, we hear the story of Jesus calling us to humble ourselves and become like children. As I heard it proclaimed I could not help but think of the book I recently finished reading, The Context of Holiness by Fr. Marc Foley, OCD. In it he reflected on this aspect of being childlike and he made that point that when a child really wants or needs something, they let you know. A hungry child will ask for food. A sleepy child will tell you by their attitude that they are sleepy. It doesn't exactly seem like what we usually call humility, but I think it illustrates the deepest meaning of humility. Humility is nothing other than acknowledging that which is true. In a spiritual sense we remain humble by recalling our nothingness and simultaneously our giftedness and the fact that we are loved so deeply by God. So with children, they recognize the truth of the situation - hunger, tiredness, thirst, etc - and bring it to the attention of those who care for them. As children of God, sons and daughters of the Father, we are invited by the Lord to come before Him and to acknowledge that we are in need of things as well, that we have deficiencies, that we have gifts that are in need of use, and that He is the One who can really bring us fulfillment. He is the one to satisfy all of our needs and desires.