The 'N' Word

The cross is the enduring symbol of Christianity.  It is on the cross that our Lord, Jesus suffered and died.  It is from the cross that He rose up to new life.  In His body on the cross is our redemption from sin.  On the empty cross is our resurrection to new life.  It is the cross that gives us hope.  It is the cross where we find God’s love.  It is the cross around which the Shepherd gathers His sheep.  We are one in Christ in the cross.  The cross, a symbol of suffering and shame became the symbol of glory and triumph where the love of God was made visible in the sacrifice of his Son for the redemption of his people and the gift of Life Eternal in the Kingdom of Heaven.


Today, another symbol has emerged for Christians everywhere.  It is a symbol of hate, a symbol of intolerance, a symbol of destruction; assigned to Christians everywhere.  It is the symbol formed by the letter ‘N’ in Arabic, pronounced ‘nun’; standing for Nazarene, a derogatory term used by Islamic militants for Christians.  It is spray-painted on the homes, businesses and property of Christians under the control of ISIS in Iraq and Syria. 

Our sisters and brothers, believers in the Truth, the Way and the Life, Jesus Christ have this symbol spray-painted on their property; identifying them as Christians who are then threatened, robbed and murdered.  They are forced at gun point out of their homes, churches and lands, denied livelihoods: their property confiscated, girls and women raped, children abused, all beaten, shot and killed in a cleansing of the countryside of all that is Christian.  Churches are burned and torn down, religious shrines desecrated, graveyards plowed under, monasteries demolished – almost 2,000 years of Christian presence eradicated.  The action and intent of these Islamic militants is the complete erasure of Christianity – a holocaust, reminiscent of the Nazi treatment of Jews whose property was marked with the Star of David.

These suffering sisters and brothers of ours, martyrs for their faith in Christ, cry out to us in Jesus’ name.  They plead to God for relief of their suffering, rescue from their plight and refuge from their oppressors.  Jesus calls us to minister to their needs; giving them aid and comfort, treating them with compassion and mercy, loving them as we are loved, children of God.

In this new symbol of hate and oppression Christians stand together in support of those who suffer and in defiance toward all oppressors.  By this new symbol of hate and oppression we are fortified by the Holy Spirit with courage and strength to bring the Word to all nations.  For this symbol of hate and oppression is countered by the Cross, the symbol of God’s love and mercy through His Son, Jesus Christ in who’s crucified Body we are one.

Peace,
Deacon Don

Mother of Mercy - Pray for Us

One more day!  We have only one more day before our bishop arrives to celebrate mass with us.  The occasion?  The naming of our new parish – Mother of Mercy.

Mother of Mercy parish is a gathering together of four communities – two churches that closed for a variety of reasons, including buildings that were no longer habitable – Our Lady of Providence and St. Peter Claver and the two Churches with beautiful, but aging buildings, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel and Holy Spirit.  This is the final – on paper – step in merging of these four distinct Churches into one new community of the faithful.

In reality, the merging together into one group of followers of the Way, is only in its infancy.  With three predominant languages - English, Spanish and Creole, defined cultural distinctions, - Haitian, South and Central American, old European (Italian, Irish and others) and African-American and differing worship practices (the Mass, may be the Mass everywhere, but our approach to it certainly has diverse local traditions) and separate world needs – immigrant, retired, youth, poor, wealthy and diminishing middle-class, etc., the most encompassing description of us that can be said of people of the new Mother of Mercy parish is that we are all Catholics.

When you come down to it – that is the best description of all.  We are one – holy – catholic and apostolic – One Body in the One Lord, Jesus Christ.

Hail Holy Queen,

Mother of Mercy,

Our life, our sweetness, and our hope.

To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve.

To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping

In this valley of tears.

Turn then, most gracious advocate,

Thine eyes of mercy towards us.

And after this, our exile,

Show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

O clement O loving O sweet Virgin Mary.

V. Pray for us, oh holy Mother of God. 

R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. 

RETREAT!

I spent most of last weekend on retreat. Each year deacons are required to experience a retreat to renew spiritual batteries, revisit old acquaintances and connect with fellow clergy. I went kicking and whining all the way to The Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa in Doylestown, PA.

I usually make my retreat at San Alphonso in Long Branch, but there were too many church event things I wanted to attend during the work week this year and I only have so much vacation time.  So, an additional four day vacation to attend a priests and deacons retreat was off the table this year.  I look forward to going again next year, if only because attending retreat at San Alphonso allows me to sleep in my own bed each night instead of the medieval torture rack found in the cells of most monasteries.

I hadn’t been to the Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa since I was ordained.  The diocese uses The Shrine for many of their formation retreats for those who are hoping to become priests and deacons.  It is a beautiful place set on a hillside in rural Pennsylvania.  The views are marvelous, especially in the evening and early morning.  There is plenty of room for quiet contemplation and prayer and this past weekend the weather was the BEST!

The Shrine offers a wonderful opportunity for quiet thoughts and contemplations, a prerequisite for discerning a vocation.  One is able to find a quiet spot to pray or snooze; searching for an inner peace that seems to escape most of us in the hectic pace of life – both in the parish and in our personal lives.  To help achieve this blissful state I strongly suggest leaving your cell phone, iPad and/or laptop home or at least locked in the car for the weekend.

My fears and dread of attending retreat at The Shrine with a bunch of my fellow DoT deacons came up (or down) to my expectations.  Deacon John, whom I haven’t seen in several years, was there with his bag of stories – always entertaining and usually thought provoking.  When listening to John one should have a notepad for the homiletic ideas that sprout from his life stories.  Good fellowship and camaraderie abounded with most of my other fellow deacons (even those who fouled the air with their cigarette and cigar smoke outside the main doorway – ugh!).  Several fellows I didn’t get an opportunity to meet (though I really would like to meet the fellow who stayed in the cell above mine, who’s evening habit of clog dancing was a challenge!).

If you’ve stayed with me this long I now come to the highlight of the retreat.  Capuchin Fr. Remo, our retreat master.  Resplendent in his brown Franciscan habit, draped rosary and hood (called a capuche, henceforth the title Capuchin – wow, learn something new every day!), Fr. Remo is a humble man who brought alive for me, at least, the memories of our call to the diaconate.  He reminded us (all of us, clergy, religious and lay) of God’s call to each of us and the gifts we are given to enable us to give life to that call – in service to God and one another.  No matter what our station or role in life is, we serve the Lord in loving one another and bringing the love we receive from Him to each brother and sister.

Fr. Remo also reminded us of our need to be in communion with God and with the Church, His holy people.  God’s love for us surpasses anything we understand and He desires us to be in close union with Him always.  His love and mercy is all we need and restores us to life – abundantly.

So, after all my reluctance, the Holy Spirit (who always knows best) finally penetrated my stubborn heart by knocking me down; sitting on me, saying “Listen up, my child! You need to hear and understand this!”

Next year, I’ll be back at San Alphonso, or wherever the Spirit leads me.  No matter where I am I look to the Spirit to guide and protect me; always leading me back to greener pastures with the voice of the Good Shepherd.  And when I am found, I am scooped up in His arms and embraced with the love I need and desire.

Come Holy Spirit, come!

Pentecost Sunday

Three members of our Christian community will complete their sacraments of initiation into the Catholic Church at Holy Spirit Church this Sunday.  Daniel, Eulysis and Amy, after having spent time in study and prayer will receive the Holy Spirit as the Apostles did in that upper room after Jesus rose into heaven.

While, tongues, as of fire, may not be visible coming upon their heads (but do we not just hope that they do appear!), they will be filled with the Spirit of the Father and the Son.  Each will be given the power of the Spirit to bring the Good News of Salvation to the world through word and action in living the Christian life.  

As their guide and protector, the Spirit will give them the confidence, strength and peace to live as disciples in the world, but also as guide and protector, the Spirit will help them resist the temptations of the evil-one, so they may not be of this world, but live in Christ in this world.

Let us congratulate Daniel, Eulysis and Amy and welcome them into the fullness of discipleship. And let us too be reminded of how the Holy Spirit dwells in each one of us; giving us the courage and strength, love and peace to live truly as disciples of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

Peace,
Deacon Don

Praise the Lord! The Power of Prayer

A quick note - 

Meriam Ibrahim Ishag - the Sudanese Christian woman who was condemned to receive a 100 lashes and then be executed will be released from prison, the Sudanese government has announced.  No mention was made in the government's statement of the disposition of her sentence for marrying a Christian man in this predominantly Muslim country.  

While in prison Meriam gave birth to a daughter.  Her sentence was to be carried out when the child reached 2 years of age.

We thank the Lord for hearing the prayers of His people and changing the hearts of Meriam's tormentors.  Let us continue to pray for all people of faith who suffer persecution and for those who have been martyred for love of God.

"This Church"

There is a parish not too far from here where the pastor prefaces each Sunday mass with, “Welcome to the house of the Church of The Holy Angels” (not the actual name).  I always thought this a curious statement until I realized the point he was making: This building is where the people of this community gather, but it is not the church. It is the people who are Church, where they gather is just a building.  We are Church no matter where we are, in an auditorium, in the school gym or, as in my early Church experience, worshipping together in a public school cafeteria because we were a new community just being established.

In Mark’s gospel Jesus speaks of the two ‘churches’- the one a physical building and the other metaphysical, 

"We heard Him say, 'I will destroy this temple made with (human) hands, and in three days I will build another made without hands.'" Mark 14: 58.  

Jesus is our center, we are Church in Him.  Jesus established His Church in us, not in a building.  We are the temples in which He dwells; where the Holy Spirit with the Father and Son reside.  We are a living Church.

We cannot contain God within the confines of a building.  A building is not ‘holy’, but it is where holiness dwells; dwelling within its people who gather to worship in communion with God and one another.  We are Church, not inside these four walls and behind these beautiful windows which are monumental symbols of our love for God, but Church in our love for God reflected in our love for one another.  We are Church to the whole world.  We recognize God in one another, not in the façade of a building.  Our community and fellowship with all the children of God is our Church.  As this community is Church in our town or city, we are all Church in this diocese, in this country, in this world.  We are connected, as Church, to all our brothers and sisters in and through Jesus Christ. 

We are pilgrims on a journey, passing through this life and these buildings in just a moment in time.  It is in the kingdom of God where we will dwell for all eternity.  Our desire is in rejoicing in the embrace of God for eternity, not in leaving a marker of our earthly existence.  As we hear in Matthew 6: 19,

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth . . .”

In these buildings we gather to worship God (the first of the two greatest commandments) and to love one another, in our journey to the gates of heaven (the second commandment).  Be Church with one another: gather, pray, worship, work and love - for the kingdom of God is at hand.

Peace,

Deacon Don

"Building Saints Since the Beginning of Time" Friday 5.23.14

There is much going on this week.  Planning of the Liturgy for the merger mass with Bishop O'Connell on June 29, the last training session on multiculturalism in the Church from the diocese (held at our wonderful St. Peter Claver facility) and catechetical sessions with our candidates for the Sacrament of Confirmation on Pentecost (June 8).

Our parish is alive and very active, but as usual - while the harvest is plenty, the workers are few.  We could always use more members of the communities to share the joy of being Church.  We are called to share the gifts we each receive from God with one another, to build up the Body of Christ and help bring one another into the peace of God's kingdom.  We could hang a sign out on the front of every church, "Building Saints Since the Beginning of Time."

'Jack would be a dull boy' if all he did was work, so I direct your attention to the Dinner Dance scheduled for May 31st.  What's not to love - Good Food - Laughs - Fellowship - Great Music and Dancing! So come out and share the joy of community with one another and the bounty of God's grace.

One last item - I direct your attention to an article on the Catholic channel at Patheos (www.patheos.com/Catholic.html) entitled, "Influential Ugandan Nun Shine Light on Sacred Tradition of Black Catholic Women."  This is a very informative and interesting article on the struggles of Black women religious (which has been going on since at least the 5th century!) and how this movement is re-emerging and influencing the Catholic Church and transforming the world.  Do yourself a favor and read this.

Peace,
Deacon Don