Homily: 5th Sunday of Lent Year B

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Homily: Second Sunday of Lent, Year B

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Welcome to New Readers

Some of you may have heard me on "The Catholic's Next Door" (heard Monday through Friday on The Catholic Channel on Sirius Satellite Radio) talking about my use of Twitter in my ministry. So if you are stopping in because you heard me on the show, welcome!

Fasting

Pope Benedict, in his message for Lent focused on fasting. He says that “it seems abundantly clear that fasting represents an important ascetical practice, a spiritual arm to do battle against every possible disordered attachment to ourselves. Freely chosen detachment from the pleasure of food and other material goods helps the disciple of Christ to control the appetites of nature, weakened by original sin, whose negative effects impact the entire human person.”

Since fasting is the focus Pope Benedict has chosen for Lent, I thought it might be good to see what St. Benedict has to say on the topic. He addresses the topic in Chapter 41 of the Holy Rule which is entitled “At What Hours the Meals Should be Taken” St Benedict says:

From Pentecost throughout the summer, unless the monks have work in the fields let them fast on Wednesdays and Fridays until the ninth hour; on the other days let them dine at the sixth hour.

…

From the Ides of September until the beginning of Lent let them always take their dinner at the ninth hour.

In Lent until Easter let them dine in the evening.

In this passage we have described what many religious orders observe as part of their rule. They fast begin their fasting on the Feast of the Triumph of the Holy Cross on the Ides of September and end it at Easter. There would be the lesser fast (the fast from the middle of September until Lent) and the great fast (from the beginning of Lent until Easter).

Fasting traditionally has meant only taking on meal a day, this is the kind of fast that St. Benedict is talking about in this passage from the Holy Rule. The only difference between the lesser fast and the great fast in the Holy Rule is when the meal is taken. During the times of the lesser Fast, the meal is taken at ninth hour (three in the afternoon). During the great fast the meal would be taken in the evening, yet before dark.

The first quotation also shows us that for St. Benedict, fasting is not just for Lent. He also has the monks fasting on Wednesdays and Fridays from Pentecost throughout the summer.

So what does this mean for us, and how might we apply it to our lives? I think that the first thing we can glean from this is that St. Benedict feels that fasting in necessary in that it helps us to grow in holiness through self denial. He knew that monks, like all of us, are in need of training oneself in the fine art of saying no to ourselves, something that fasting teaches us in a hurry.

We also learn that he is of the opinion that fasting should be something not just reserved for Lent, but is something that we can profit from at other times of the year as well, even though it may not be as severe.

If we are ambitious in spiritual matters, and if it is prudent, we might consider only taking one meal every day during Lent. For some of us, like myself, who are more attached to food, this might be quite a struggle, and so we might not want to take on so much. Maybe we could stick to only taking on meal in the evening on Wednesdays and Fridays.

St. Benedict is very balanced and prudent and is always clear that these sorts of things are to always done under the guidance of the Abbot, or the Father of the monastery, and that they should help us to save our souls and the souls of others. We too would be wise to discuss our penances and mortifications with someone who is wiser than us so that we don’t fall into spiritual pride or incur physical harm.

Homily: Ash Wednesday

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Ash Wednesday

The last post stated that it is my hope to take a chapter of a book, a article, or some writings of the Saints and comment upon it, and now it is time to begin.

One of my favorite spiritual works is The Holy Rule of St. Benedict. I grew up with Benedictine Monks from Blue Cloud Abbey as pastors of my parish, and the Monastery was only a few miles away from my home town. This, of course, gave rise to curiosity about what sort of life monks lead. I spent alot of time at the Abbey, including working a few summers there. During that time I came to love the Holy Rule. It is very practical, straightforward, and applicable to the daily life of a priest like myself, or the life of an average layperson. So naturally I would like to share it with you. We won't go through the entire Rule, only some choice selections.

Since tomorrow is the first day of Lent I thought we might turn to Chapter 49: On the Observance of Lent.

Although the life of a monk ought to have about it at all times the character of a Lenten observance, yet since few have the virtue for that, we therefore urge that during the actual days of Lent the brethren keep their lives most pure and at the same time wash away during these holy days all the negligences of other times. And this will be worthily done if we restrain ourselves from all vices and give ourselves up to prayer with tears, to reading, to compunction of heart and to abstinence.

During these days, therefore, let us increase somewhat the usual burden of our service, as by private prayers and by abstinence in food and drink. Thus everyone of his own will may offer God "with joy of the Holy Spirit" (1 Thess. 1:6) something above the measure required of him. From his body, that is, he may withhold some food, drink, sleep, talking and jesting; and with the joy of spiritual desire he may look forward to holy Easter.

Let each one, however, suggest to his Abbot what it is that he wants to offer, and let it be done with his blessing and approval. For anything done without the permission of the spiritual father will be imputed to presumption and vainglory and will merit no reward. Therefore let everything be done with the Abbot's approval.

There are a number of things here which are applicable to our observance of Lent. I will touch on two of them.

First, St. Benedict counsels the brethren to joyfully offer something above what is required during this holy season. Sometimes it is easy to do only what is required during Lent. We don't break any rules; we fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday and we abstain from meat on Fridays. We might even give up candy. But St. Benedict urges us to do more than the bare minimum during Lent as an act of love for God and as a way to "wash away during these holy days all the negligences of other times." For him, and hopefully for us, Lent is a time of greater generosity and courage in the spiritual life than normal.

Second, he encourages a level of accountability regarding our Lenten resolutions. He says that the monk should share with the Abbot, or Father of the monastery, what he intends to do. This does two things, it makes sure that the monk doesn't take on too much, and also to provide some accountability. This would be good advise for us as well. During Lent we want to be generous in our penances and good works, but we also do not want to do so much that it takes us away from the duties of our state in life or cause us to not perform them well. So before taking on our penances and good works we might consider sharing them with another person. Hopefully we will share them with someone wiser than us, who can give us good and honest advise. That person can also keep us honest about our progress.

Both of these things are certainly applicable to monks and nuns, but also to all of us who seek to grow in holiness.

Let us keep each other in prayer during this holy season.

A Proposal

After hearing the comments here, on facebook and twitter, and in person, it seems as though this blog is of some use to people. So here is a proposal that I would like some feedback on: I will post most of my homilies in audio format, which you would also be able to download and listen to via itunes. I will also endeavor to post something two or three times a week. I am thinking that it should be something spiritual, along the lines of what Fr. S. is doing at Clerical Reform. His blog is geared more toward priests, but I hope to be a bit more broad than that. Fr. S. usually goes through a chapter of a book, an article, or some writitings of a saint bit by bit and adds his commentary as he goes along.

So what do you think? Does it sound like a good idea to you, or would you like something different? Please let me know in the comments, on twitter, on facebook, or in person.

Anybody Still Out There?

Well, if you haven't already abandoned reading my blog for lack of posts, here is a question for you. What would be most useful to you for me to write about? Current events? Sprituality? Saints? Posted homilies (if you want homilies do you want them in audio or written form)? Anything else?

I think there are so many blogs out there that do a very fine job, and sometimes I think that there is really nothing left for me to say.

You can also follow me on twitter (Padredana) and on facebook (Fr. Christensen).

Let me know your thoughts, and if there is a positive response maybe I will do more writing.

Quite Thought Provoking

Merry Christmas

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

"Who is like the Lord our God, who is seated on high, who looks far down upon the heavens and the earth?" This is what Israel sings in one of the Psalms (113 [112], 5ff.), praising God’s grandeur as well as his loving closeness to humanity. God dwells on high, yet he stoops down to us… God is infinitely great, and far, far above us. This is our first experience of him. The distance seems infinite. The Creator of the universe, the one who guides all things, is very far from us: or so he seems at the beginning. But then comes the surprising realization: The One who has no equal, who "is seated on high", looks down upon us. He stoops down. He sees us, and he sees me. God’s looking down is much more than simply seeing from above. God’s looking is active. The fact that he sees me, that he looks at me, transforms me and the world around me. The Psalm tells us this in the following verse: "He raises the poor from the dust…" In looking down, he raises me up, he takes me gently by the hand and helps me – me! – to rise from depths towards the heights. "God stoops down". This is a prophetic word. That night in Bethlehem, it took on a completely new meaning. God’s stooping down became real in a way previously inconceivable. He stoops down – he himself comes down as a child to the lowly stable, the symbol of all humanity’s neediness and forsakenness. God truly comes down. He becomes a child and puts himself in the state of complete dependence typical of a newborn child. The Creator who holds all things in his hands, on whom we all depend, makes himself small and in need of human love. God is in the stable. In the Old Testament the Temple was considered almost as God’s footstool; the sacred ark was the place in which he was mysteriously present in the midst of men and women. Above the temple, hidden, stood the cloud of God’s glory. Now it stands above the stable. God is in the cloud of the poverty of a homeless child: an impenetrable cloud, and yet – a cloud of glory! How, indeed, could his love for humanity, his solicitude for us, have appeared greater and more pure? The cloud of hiddenness, the cloud of the poverty of a child totally in need of love, is at the same time the cloud of glory. For nothing can be more sublime, nothing greater than the love which thus stoops down, descends, becomes dependent. The glory of the true God becomes visible when the eyes of our hearts are opened before the stable of Bethlehem.

Saint Luke’s account of the Christmas story, which we have just heard in the Gospel, tells us that God first raised the veil of his hiddenness to people of very lowly status, people who were looked down upon by society at large – to shepherds looking after their flocks in the fields around Bethlehem. Luke tells us that they were "keeping watch". This phrase reminds us of a central theme of Jesus’s message, which insistently bids us to keep watch, even to the Agony in the Garden – the command to stay awake, to recognize the Lord’s coming, and to be prepared. Here too the expression seems to imply more than simply being physically awake during the night hour. The shepherds were truly "watchful" people, with a lively sense of God and of his closeness. They were waiting for God, and were not resigned to his apparent remoteness from their everyday lives. To a watchful heart, the news of great joy can be proclaimed: for you this night the Saviour is born. Only a watchful heart is able to believe the message. Only a watchful heart can instil the courage to set out to find God in the form of a baby in a stable. Let us ask the Lord to help us, too, to become a "watchful" people.

Saint Luke tells us, moreover, that the shepherds themselves were "surrounded" by the glory of God, by the cloud of light. They found themselves caught up in the glory that shone around them. Enveloped by the holy cloud, they heard the angels’ song of praise: "Glory to God in the highest heavens and peace on earth to people of his good will". And who are these people of his good will if not the poor, the watchful, the expectant, those who hope in God’s goodness and seek him, looking to him from afar?

The Fathers of the Church offer a remarkable commentary on the song that the angels sang to greet the Redeemer. Until that moment – the Fathers say – the angels had known God in the grandeur of the universe, in the reason and the beauty of the cosmos that come from him and are a reflection of him. They had heard, so to speak, creation’s silent song of praise and had transformed it into celestial music. But now something new had happened, something that astounded them. The One of whom the universe speaks, the God who sustains all things and bears them in his hands – he himself had entered into human history, he had become someone who acts and suffers within history. From the joyful amazement that this unimaginable event called forth, from God’s new and further way of making himself known – say the Fathers – a new song was born, one verse of which the Christmas Gospel has preserved for us: "Glory to God in the highest heavens and peace to his people on earth". We might say that, following the structure of Hebrew poetry, the two halves of this double verse say essentially the same thing, but from a different perspective. God’s glory is in the highest heavens, but his high state is now found in the stable – what was lowly has now become sublime. God’s glory is on the earth, it is the glory of humility and love. And even more: the glory of God is peace. Wherever he is, there is peace. He is present wherever human beings do not attempt, apart from him, and even violently, to turn earth into heaven. He is with those of watchful hearts; with the humble and those who meet him at the level of his own "height", the height of humility and love. To these people he gives his peace, so that through them, peace can enter this world.

The medieval theologian William of Saint Thierry once said that God – from the time of Adam – saw that his grandeur provoked resistance in man, that we felt limited in our own being and threatened in our freedom. Therefore God chose a new way. He became a child. He made himself dependent and weak, in need of our love. Now – this God who has become a child says to us – you can no longer fear me, you can only love me.

With these thoughts, we draw near this night to the child of Bethlehem – to the God who for our sake chose to become a child. In every child we see something of the Child of Bethlehem. Every child asks for our love. This night, then, let us think especially of those children who are denied the love of their parents. Let us think of those street children who do not have the blessing of a family home, of those children who are brutally exploited as soldiers and made instruments of violence, instead of messengers of reconciliation and peace. Let us think of those children who are victims of the industry of pornography and every other appalling form of abuse, and thus are traumatized in the depths of their soul. The Child of Bethlehem summons us once again to do everything in our power to put an end to the suffering of these children; to do everything possible to make the light of Bethlehem touch the heart of every man and woman. Only through the conversion of hearts, only through a change in the depths of our hearts can the cause of all this evil be overcome, only thus can the power of the evil one be defeated. Only if people change will the world change; and in order to change, people need the light that comes from God, the light which so unexpectedly entered into our night.

And speaking of the Child of Bethlehem, let us think also of the place named Bethlehem, of the land in which Jesus lived, and which he loved so deeply. And let us pray that peace will be established there, that hatred and violence will cease. Let us pray for mutual understanding, that hearts will be opened, so that borders can be opened. Let us pray that peace will descend there, the peace of which the angels sang that night.

In Psalm 96 [95], Israel, and the Church, praises God’s grandeur manifested in creation. All creatures are called to join in this song of praise, and so the Psalm also contains the invitation: "Let all the trees of the wood sing for joy before the Lord, for he comes" (v. 12ff.). The Church reads this Psalm as a prophecy and also as a task. The coming of God to Bethlehem took place in silence. Only the shepherds keeping watch were, for a moment, surrounded by the light-filled radiance of his presence and could listen to something of that new song, born of the wonder and joy of the angels at God’s coming. This silent coming of God’s glory continues throughout the centuries. Wherever there is faith, wherever his word is proclaimed and heard, there God gathers people together and gives himself to them in his Body; he makes them his Body. God "comes". And in this way our hearts are awakened. The new song of the angels becomes the song of all those who, throughout the centuries, sing ever anew of God’s coming as a child – and rejoice deep in their hearts. And the trees of the wood go out to him and exult. The tree in Saint Peter’s Square speaks of him, it wants to reflect his splendour and to say: Yes, he has come, and the trees of the wood acclaim him. The trees in the cities and in our homes should be something more than a festive custom: they point to the One who is the reason for our joy – the God who for our sake became a child. In the end, this song of praise, at the deepest level, speaks of him who is the very tree of new-found life. Through faith in him we receive life. In the Sacrament of the Eucharist he gives himself to us – he gives us a life that reaches into eternity. At this hour we join in creation’s song of praise, and our praise is at the same time a prayer: Yes, Lord, help us to see something of the splendour of your glory. And grant peace on earth. Make us men and women of your peace. Amen.

-Pope Benedict XVI, Midnight Mass Homily

Come Lord Jesus!

"Finally, a last point that perhaps seems a little difficult for us. St. Paul in the conclusion of his Second Letter to the Corinthians repeats and also puts on the lips of the Corinthians, a prayer originating in the first Christian communities of the area of Palestine: Maranà, thà!, which literally means, 'Our Lord, come!' (16:22). It was the prayer of the first Christian community and the last book of the New Testament, Revelation, also closes with this prayer: 'Come Lord!'

"Can we also pray like this? It seems to me that for us today, in our lives, in our world, it is difficult to sincerely pray so that this world perishes, so that the new Jerusalem comes, so that the final judgment and Christ the judge come. I think that if we don't dare to sincerely pray like this for many reasons, nevertheless in a just and correct way we can also say with the first Christians: 'Come, Lord Jesus.'

"Certainly, we don't want the end of the world to come now. But, on the other hand, we want this unjust world to end. We also want the world to be deeply changed, the civilization of love to begin, a world of justice and peace, without violence, without hunger, to arrive. We all want this -- and how can it happen without the presence of Christ? Without the presence of Christ, a just and renewed world will never really arrive. And though in another way, totally and deeply, we too can and should say, with great urgency and in the circumstances of our time, Come, Lord! Come to your world, in the way that you know. Come where there is injustice and violence. Come to the refugee camps, in Darfur and in North Kivu, in so many places in the world. Come where drugs dominate. Come, too, among those rich people who have forgotten you and who live only for themselves. Come where you are not known. Come to your world and renew the world of today. Come also to our hearts. Come and renew our lives. Come to our hearts so that we ourselves can be light of God, your presence."In this sense, let us pray with St. Paul: Maranà, thà! Come, Lord Jesus! And let us pray that Christ may be really present today in our world, and that he may renew it."

--Pope Benedict XVI
General Audience [fulltext]
12 November 2008

Strong Words for the New Administration

I think this is strong, firm, and certainly true. I wonder how the Administration and other Politicians will respond.


STATEMENT of the President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

“If the Lord does not build the house, in vain do its builders labor; if the Lord does not watch over the city, in vain does the watchman keep vigil.” (Psalm 127, vs. 1)

The Bishops of the Catholic Church in the United States welcome this moment of historic transition and look forward to working with President-elect Obama and the members of the new Congress for the common good of all. Because of the Church’s history and the scope of her ministries in this country, we want to continue our work for economic justice and opportunity for all; our efforts to reform laws around immigration and the situation of the undocumented; our provision of better education and adequate health care for all, especially for women and children; our desire to safeguard religious freedom and foster peace at home and abroad. The Church is intent on doing good and will continue to cooperate gladly with the government and all others working for these goods.

The fundamental good is life itself, a gift from God and our parents. A good state protects the lives of all. Legal protection for those members of the human family waiting to be born in this country was removed when the Supreme Court decided Roe vs. Wade in 1973. This was bad law. The danger the Bishops see at this moment is that a bad court decision will be enshrined in bad legislation that is more radical than the 1973 Supreme Court decision itself.

In the last Congress, a Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) was introduced that would, if brought forward in the same form today, outlaw any “interference” in providing abortion at will. It would deprive the American people in all fifty states of the freedom they now have to enact modest restraints and regulations on the abortion industry. FOCA would coerce all Americans into subsidizing and promoting abortion with their tax dollars. It would counteract any and all sincere efforts by government and others of good will to reduce the number of abortions in our country.
Parental notification and informed consent precautions would be outlawed, as would be laws banning procedures such as partial-birth abortion and protecting infants born alive after a failed abortion. Abortion clinics would be deregulated. The Hyde Amendment restricting the federal funding of abortions would be abrogated. FOCA would have lethal consequences for prenatal human life.

FOCA would have an equally destructive effect on the freedom of conscience of doctors, nurses and health care workers whose personal convictions do not permit them to cooperate in the private killing of unborn children. It would threaten Catholic health care institutions and Catholic Charities. It would be an evil law that would further divide our country, and the Church should be intent on opposing evil.

On this issue, the legal protection of the unborn, the bishops are of one mind with Catholics and others of good will. They are also pastors who have listened to women whose lives have been diminished because they believed they had no choice but to abort a baby. Abortion is a medical procedure that kills, and the psychological and spiritual consequences are written in the sorrow and depression of many women and men. The bishops are single-minded because they are, first of all, single-hearted.

The recent election was principally decided out of concern for the economy, for the loss of jobs and homes and financial security for families, here and around the world. If the election is misinterpreted ideologically as a referendum on abortion, the unity desired by President-elect Obama and all Americans at this moment of crisis will be impossible to achieve. Abortion kills not only unborn children; it destroys constitutional order and the common good, which is assured only when the life of every human being is legally protected. Aggressively pro-abortion policies, legislation and executive orders will permanently alienate tens of millions of Americans, and would be seen by many as an attack on the free exercise of their religion.

This statement is written at the request and direction of all the Bishops, who also want to thank all those in politics who work with good will to protect the lives of the most vulnerable among us. Those in public life do so, sometimes, at the cost of great sacrifice to themselves and their families; and we are grateful. We express again our great desire to work with all those who cherish the common good of our nation. The common good is not the sum total of individual desires and interests; it is achieved in the working out of a common life based upon good reason and good will for all.

Our prayers accompany President-elect Obama and his family and those who are cooperating with him to assure a smooth transition in government. Many issues demand immediate attention on the part of our elected “watchman.” (Psalm 127) May God bless him and our country.