Poverty in this world

"We spend money we don't have on things we don't need to create impressions that won't last on people we don't care about." – Tim Jackson, Prof. Of Sustainable Development, University of Surrey

Professor Jackson certainly has our culture pegged.

I am a product of this culture as much as anyone; being a Franciscan certainly doesn't make me immune to the thrill of excess. I want that new car, the dormer on my house, the prestigious job, more money in the bank to do with what I choose, more ridiculously rich food to shovel down my throat. We're all susceptible to clever advertising, telling us all those things we MUST have..."RIGHT NOW! FOR ONLY 47 EASY PAYMENTS OF $19.99...but WAIT! There's STILL more!!!!"

Part of the Franciscan charism is living in the spirit of evangelical poverty. I had a problem with that when I started my inquiry into the Secular Franciscan Order. Was I supposed to sell my home, live with my family in a tent with sackcloth and ashes, giving every scrap of money or food I was coming across to people who were poor through no choice of their own? No, of course not. The spirit of evangelical poverty does not forbid ownership of goods; it does not frown upon the well-to-do or wealthy either, I was surprised to learn. True evangelical poverty teaches us gratitude, to use goods without being "owned" by them. Poverty reminds us that we are merely temporary stewards of this world, and if we are lucky enough to live comfortably, we ought to share joyfully and without complaint. We must be so grateful for what we have that we can't help but share it with those who don't.

That being said, I have a long way to go. I LIKE my stuff, and I like getting more stuff, a lot of times simply for the sake of having it. And that's OK. Because it allllll about the journey.

Daily Mass Readings
Micah 2:1-5
Psalm 10:1-4,7-8,14
Matthew 12:14-21

Is this bad timing or it it me???

Revised Vatican norms to cover sex abuse, attempted women's ordination

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The Vatican is preparing to update the 2001 norms that deal with priestly sex abuse of minors, in effect codifying practices that have been in place for several years.

At the same time, it will include the "attempted ordination of women" among the list of most serious crimes against church law, or "delicta graviora," sources said...

OK...I understand - if not completely agree with - the Church teaching on the ordination of women. But to equate the seriousness of instances of "attempted" women's ordination with the sexual molestation of children by clergy and religious; I don't know, but does this seem out of whack to anyone else? Women who wish to serve in persona Christi, who feel called to serve so strongly that they seek out ordination. This call to serve (legitimate or not) is a serious crime, "delicta graviora", on the same level as sexual predation of children and mentally impaired adult who cannot defend themselves, by priests?

Really???

And to roll this announcement in with new codification for clerical sexual abuse penalties...bad PR to say the least. The Vatican wants to show the Church and the rest of the world that they are taking action on the abuse scandals. WHY would they roll this classification of women's' ordination in the same announcement, all but guaranteeing to overshadow the action on child abuse??? I don't know, it's as if our bishops are adamant about shooting themselves in their collective feet.

Christ have mercy.

Daily Mass Readings
Hosea 14:2-10
Psalm 51:3-4,8-9,12-14,17
Matthew 10:16-23

A new field

“Sow for yourselves justice, reap the fruit of piety;
Break up for yourselves a new field, for it is time to seek the Lord,
Till He come and rain down justice upon you.”
-Hosea 10

Sometimes when I pray with the daily Mass readings, a verse will strike me. Usually it's a Gospel reading; I'm pretty much a New Testament man. However this time it was Hosea. Break up for ourselves a new field...I've heard many metaphors for starting a new habit, beginning a new course of action, etc. But preparing a stony field to bear fruit is something I'd not considered before.

I'm not really a farmer/gardener...pretty much born with a black thumb. From what I understand, ground that has not been used for farming before needs to go through many processes before it will bear fruit. It takes hard grunt work, like breaking up the ground. It takes proper composting (usually with scraps and castoffs of previous fruits and veggies). It takes precise watering. It takes care. It takes time. And most of all it takes patience before the fruits of our labors are realized. Then the seasons change and we must begin all over again.

It's not enough to break ground, however. We must labor in the fields before the harvest comes in.

Dear Jesus, give us courage to break new ground, the patience to tend the fruits of our labors for our betterment and the betterment of our world, and the perseverance to continue this always. Help us recognize the worth of everything from past harvests that we may "compost" for the future.

Amen.

Daily Mass Readings
Hosea 10:1-3,7-8,12
Psalm 105:2-7
Matthew 10:1-7

The SACRAMENT of Marriage

Too often, we married couples forget that our marriages are Sacraments and Vocations - a way of living our lives to better understand God, who is Love. We are called to this Sacrament every bit as much as priest or religious is called to their respective vocations. We forget this in the midst of vacuuming, fumbling with the remote, trying to get the car fixed, balancing bills into what we need vs. what we want. We forget in the midst of doctor visits, soccer games, meetings, arguments, hilarious comedies, and heart-wrenching tragedy, that God is with us in a very real sense - again, every bit as much as He is present in ordained or consecrated life.

Valerie Shultz, a blogger for AMERICA magazine, weaves this idea of modern marriage as a Sacrament and invitation to God to be in our lives in a real tangible sense into the following article. It was written in 2002, in the context of Pope John Paul II's beatification of a married couple who became celibate after they had their children. Ms. Shultz rightly asks why this was made so prominent in their cause for beatification:

GOD IN THE TANGLED SHEETS

My marriage is not what saints are made of. I concluded this after reading Pope John Paul II’s homily on the occasion of the first-ever beatification of a married couple, Luigi and Maria Beltrame Quattrocchi. Maria and Luigi, an Italian couple who lived in early to mid-20th century, led holy lives. They attended daily Mass, prayed a nightly rosary and raised two priests, a consecrated lay woman and a nun. They devoted their lives to various Catholic organizations. Because the cause for canonization treated the two together, a single miracle attributed to their intercession cleared the way for beatification in October 2001. The prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints considered them together because of “their experience of sanctity, lived together so intimately.” In other words, their marriage made it impossible to separate them.

The part that remains off the record is that, after giving birth to their children, Maria and Luigi stopped having sex....But if marriage is a source of sacramental grace, why are we as a church so uncomfortable about sex?When two people who chose celibacy as a way of becoming closer to God are beatified as a married couple, the message to us married people is mixed. Because we are the ones who are supposed to be having sex! We are allowed and encouraged to have sex. We are the celebration of sex. All of those shoes and backpacks in a pile in my front hall belong to the embodiments of sex. I’m taking a Catholic stand when I say that sex is good.

Of course I am not talking about casual, sporting, movie sex. I’m talking about married sex: user-friendly, loving, unitive, procreative—and also, to be honest, hot, satisfying and the most fun of all earthly pleasures. Married sex may not always be glamorous and candle-lit. But intercourse is the closest one can be to another human being. It is a bond, a sharing, a trust, a deeply intimate human encounter. It is no wonder that the relationship of Christ to the church is modeled on that of a groom and bride: we are to be that connected.

The pope sees the Beltrames as “confirmation that the path of holiness lived together as a couple is possible, beautiful, extraordinarily fruitful, and fundamental for the good of the family, the church and society.” As my children say: totally. We married people are on the path of holiness as surely as anyone else who is following the call of a vocation. While I respect the choice the Beltrames made on their journey to God, I do not believe post-children celibacy is necessary for a marriage to become holier. God can also be in the tangled sheets and tangy sweat on skin.

Is this shocking? It should not be. We are designed for this perfect fit. For biblical proof, I offer the glowing embers from the Song of Songs.

Says the bride:

“Awake, north wind, and come,
south wind;
blow upon my garden that its
perfumes may pour forth,
that my beloved may come to his
garden and enjoy its rare fruits.” (4:16)

Says the bridegroom:
“May I find your breasts like
clusters of grapes on the vine, the
scent of your breath like apricots,
and your whispers like spiced
wine flowing smoothly to we
come my caresses, gliding
down through lips and teeth.” (7:8-9)

The bride and bridegroom sing a delicious, teasing ode to sex, full of juicy and physical imagery, with which any happily married couple would agree. Sex is that good, and we thank God for this gift. Too often we Catholics treat sex as an impediment to the mission of marriage rather than a glorious manifestation and integral piece of that mission. We view sex as a necessary evil, prone to abuse and scandal, rather than a transcendent joy.

...In our house on a typical night, one may not find a rosary in use. But there are bedtime prayers and blessings, hugs and kisses, a spirit of love, the quiet world turning and maybe even the lovemaking of two searching, aging, journeying, married souls. In our house can be found the reach for what is holy—even though there are no resident saints.

And as an aside, for those of you who like a hot romance story, read more of Song of Songs; STEAMY stuff! ;)

Daily Mass Readings
Amos 2:6-10,13-16
Psalm 50:16-23
Matthew 8:18-22

There's something in my eye...

This is a beautiful Gaelic song by Maria McCool. It will bring a lump to your throat and a tear to your eye. Is She a dream? Has She been there all along?

THANK YOU for sharing this, Mother Cait!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfngXJMyoS4

Areir 's me tearnnamh ar neoin
Ar a' dtaobh eile 'en teora seo thios
Do thaobhnaigh an speirbhean im chomhair
Dfhaig taomanac, breote, lag tinn
...Le haon ghean da mein is da clo
Da breithre 's da beol tanai binn
Do leimeas fe dhein dul 'na treo
Is ar Eireann ni neosainn ce hi.

Oh last night in strange fields as I roamed
Such a vision I passed on my way
A young woman so fair to behold
That in seconds my heart was astray
Oh she reached out a welcoming hand
But I knew that it never could be
And before I could kiss her sweet lips
She had vanished forever from me

Amen.

Daily Mass Readings
Sirach 48:1-14
Psalm 97:1-7
Matthew 6:7-15

Rest in Peace, Brother

I went on my first "wake call" for a Hibernian Brother this evening. Ed was in an auto accident earlier this week and died of his injuries. I wasn't going to go - I didn't know Ed all that well. However, our President wanted as many members to go to the wake to represent the Division; Ed was a longtime member and active in the Order. So with an end-of-week sigh, I reluctantly got on my jacket and tie, grabbed my tri-color sash, and went to the funeral parlor.

Ancient Order of Hibernians Division 15 was out in force for our fallen Brother! There were at least 30 Hibernians there, some "fully vested" in kilt and beret, all in the tri-color sashes of Erin. Two vested Hibernians with pikes guarded Brother Ed's casket as the rest of us lined the room. Our President said some words about Ed's devotion to God and his country, how he always had a joke and or a smile for everyone as they came into the Hall. As Ken went on, I couldn't help remembering Ed the day of my Hibernian initiation. After I made my pledge, before everyone cheered and congratulated me, I heard a loud ATTA-BOY! I turned around and there was this white-haired ruddy-cheeked gentleman with a broad grin. It was Ed, and I felt welcomed into the Division from that point on.

The President then led us in prayer and one by one, we prayed for our Brother and paid our respects. I was proud to be in the company of such great men. No, I didn't know Ed all that well. He was my Brother all the same, and I owed it to him to see him off. He would have done the same for me.

Rest Easy Brother Ed - May you enter the Glory of Heaven before the Devil knows you're dead.

Daily Mass Readings
2 Timothy 3:10-17
Psalm 119:157,160,161,165,166,168
Mark 12:35-37

Oddballs

I was just thinking about Deacon Joe, one of my Franciscan brothers I currently have the privilege of being in formation with. In one of our last meetings, Joe was musing a bit on why he loved the fraternity of the Secular Franciscan Order. To paraphrase:

"It's because I'm an oddball when it come to this God business, at least in the eyes of the world. I come here because I enjoy the company of other spiritual oddballs."

I could not have said it better myself. Since I can remember, I've been something of a spiritual oddball myself. From my first CCD classes through today, I've always looked upon my relationship with God with intense awe, to be explored examined and experienced. It's not always felt like a good thing. The world frowns on such a thing. You want irony? I've intensely prayed to God to make His relationship with me LESS important, to make it easier to carry myself in day to day life; in short, praying intently to not want to pray intently. I don't have to do that anymore, as long as I have all the Church-y "weirdos" in my corner. I could be in worse company; St. Francis of Assisi himself was known as "God's Fool"!

Spiritual Oddballs of the world, UNITE!


Memorial of St Charles Lwanga and companions
Daily Mass Readings
2 Timothy 2:8-15
Psalm 25:2-5,8-10,14
Mark 12:28-34