Just grateful to be alive, grateful for my family - my wife, my children. Grateful for you, my Risen Christ and the gift of vocation you have given me, even if I am unsure what that wholly entails!
I look past my primary vocation of husband and father so many times that I forget it is a vocation at all. It is sacramental and holy, and I have to try not to take it for granted. It is the the day-to-day that I can become most intimate with you, my Brother Jesus. I must do better to hear the whispers, instead of trying to tune in to thunderclaps that may not come.
Francis and Clare help to to hear!
Pax,
Thomas
Daily Mass Readings
Memorial of Saint Athanasius
Acts 9:31-42
Psalm 116:12-13, 14-15, 16-17
John 6:60-69
Monday, May 4, 2009
Friday, March 6, 2009
Another step...
Last night on the spur of the moment, I decided to "give up" my beard for at least the remainder of Lent.
It wasn't easy shaving, let me tell you. I had been growing it out for almost 2 months. I loved to groom it, to shape it, to play around with it absentmindedly. I looked at it in the mirror every chance I got. I was very proud of it. And all that is why it had to go.
I spent more time fiddling around with that thing than taking care of the house, playing with my kids, spending quality time with my wife (who hated it, by the by). It became a source of ridiculous obsession, of self-absorption, which is exactly what someone like me ought to be avoiding, especially during Lent.
The time I spent grooming my lovely beard will be better spent.
Daily Mass Readings
Ezekial 18:21-28
Psalm 130:1-8
Matthew 5:20-26
It wasn't easy shaving, let me tell you. I had been growing it out for almost 2 months. I loved to groom it, to shape it, to play around with it absentmindedly. I looked at it in the mirror every chance I got. I was very proud of it. And all that is why it had to go.
I spent more time fiddling around with that thing than taking care of the house, playing with my kids, spending quality time with my wife (who hated it, by the by). It became a source of ridiculous obsession, of self-absorption, which is exactly what someone like me ought to be avoiding, especially during Lent.
The time I spent grooming my lovely beard will be better spent.
Daily Mass Readings
Ezekial 18:21-28
Psalm 130:1-8
Matthew 5:20-26
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Taking some steps...
One of the things we're called to do during Lent is to sacrifice. Give up "the good stuff" for 40 days and become more Christ-like. What good, however, does it do us if we don't fill our perceived void with something good for someone else?
Our parish is having its annual Lenten Mission. There are presentations by various parish and diocesan personnel, to be discussed in small groups the following evening. Our Adult DRE asked if I would facilitate one of these faith sharing groups. "Perfect!", I thought. "I will be able to share my vast store of theological, philosophical, and pastoral knowledge with some of the 'flock' and bring them to a better place with God! Just what I need. Just what the parish needs!" Alright, maybe I was not THAT snotty about it, but sometimes my ego does enjoy hearing it self bellow. Anyway, I told Diane I'd do it and met with her this evening.
When I found out what would be involved, my bellow died with a whimper.
In the folder of materials Diane gave me was a list of what a facilitator in this type of group is not. The facilitator is not to teach, preach, moralize, solve problems, or theologize...you know, all the things I envisioned myself doing when I was first asked. The group facilitator is to encourage the spiritual growth of the group, to encourage the group to share their faith, to listen well, and be affirming. The group is not there for my take on the previous night's presentation - they are there to faithfully explore how God was speaking to them through the presentation, how it affected them, how they think it affects the parish community. My job is to guide the process...and pretty much shut up, with my giant ego in check.
Perhaps the sacrifice I am being called to this Lent is just that...to let other people do the talking and listen for a change. I need to strive to be more understanding than to be understood. I've centered my spiritual walk almost exclusively on myself for the past couple of years. And perhaps that is precisely the problem. It is in giving that we receive, in loving that we are loved...all that good stuff in the Prayer of St. Francis. Perhaps I ought to try to put that prayer into practice instead of merely reciting the words.
Amen, indeed.
Pax et Bonum,
Tom
Daily Mass Readings
Isaiah 55:10-11
Psalm 34:4-7, 16-19
Matthew 6:7-15
Our parish is having its annual Lenten Mission. There are presentations by various parish and diocesan personnel, to be discussed in small groups the following evening. Our Adult DRE asked if I would facilitate one of these faith sharing groups. "Perfect!", I thought. "I will be able to share my vast store of theological, philosophical, and pastoral knowledge with some of the 'flock' and bring them to a better place with God! Just what I need. Just what the parish needs!" Alright, maybe I was not THAT snotty about it, but sometimes my ego does enjoy hearing it self bellow. Anyway, I told Diane I'd do it and met with her this evening.
When I found out what would be involved, my bellow died with a whimper.
In the folder of materials Diane gave me was a list of what a facilitator in this type of group is not. The facilitator is not to teach, preach, moralize, solve problems, or theologize...you know, all the things I envisioned myself doing when I was first asked. The group facilitator is to encourage the spiritual growth of the group, to encourage the group to share their faith, to listen well, and be affirming. The group is not there for my take on the previous night's presentation - they are there to faithfully explore how God was speaking to them through the presentation, how it affected them, how they think it affects the parish community. My job is to guide the process...and pretty much shut up, with my giant ego in check.
Perhaps the sacrifice I am being called to this Lent is just that...to let other people do the talking and listen for a change. I need to strive to be more understanding than to be understood. I've centered my spiritual walk almost exclusively on myself for the past couple of years. And perhaps that is precisely the problem. It is in giving that we receive, in loving that we are loved...all that good stuff in the Prayer of St. Francis. Perhaps I ought to try to put that prayer into practice instead of merely reciting the words.
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.Where there is hatred, let me sow love;where there is injury,pardon;where there is doubt, faith;where there is despair, hope;where there is darkness, light;and where there is sadness, joy.O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;to be understood as to understand;to be loved as to love.For it is in giving that we receive;it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Amen, indeed.
Pax et Bonum,
Tom
Daily Mass Readings
Isaiah 55:10-11
Psalm 34:4-7, 16-19
Matthew 6:7-15
Saturday, February 21, 2009
The "Good" War?
The war in Iraq, in my eyes, has been quite easy to judge as far as morality goes: it was and is wrong. America invaded under false pretenses, there were no WMD's to be found, and let's face it, we wanted that oil! We've stayed far long after we were wanted or needed, and through our occupation, we've spawned a terrorist movement that never before existed in Iraq. Easy - The Iraq war is wrong. All the newspapers said so, all the pundits and talking heads on TV said so, even FOX news admitted it after awhile. It is easy to speak in opposition against something when you have a lot of company.
What of the war in Afghanistan, though? What of our other war?
Well - that's the "good" war isn't it? Afghanistan is the country where bin Laden is hiding, and where the Taliban operates from. That's where women have to wear burkas and men must wear their beards a certain length. That's the country where everyone hates Americans, where they celebrate the 9/11 attacks, isn't it? We must...
We must, what?
What specifically are we fighting for in Afghanistan. What is the good end we hope to achieve? Remove the Taliban from power, you say? We accomplished that on perhaps the third day of the bombing campaign almost 8 years ago. "Get" bin Laden, perhaps? Perhaps. But what will we do with him once we get him? Kill him outright, thereby creating a martyr figure far more dangerous than a frail, disavowed Saudi hiding in a cave? Put him on the world stage for a highly publicized trial that will showcase his jihad for al Qaeda and al Qaeda wanna-bes worldwide? Is it for humanitarian reasons? No. If we measured humanitarian aid by sheer numbers who need it, we ought to have our armies in the Sudan (but that's another blog).
It's none of that, really. We wish to exact revenge for the 9/11 attacks. Period.
After that day, we as Americans were forced to admit the vulnerability of our country. We were made to be afraid. And someone would pay, by God.
How specifically do we exact this revenge by turning our mighty weapons against a people who can't bake bread? How does lobbing cruise missiles at remote Afghan villages in the dirt, hoping we hit something, honor our fallen citizens? How can we as human beings justify the killing of innocents, simply because it was done to us first? How can we accept "collateral damage" when the vast majority of the casualties are just that? How do we fight a just war against a lawless enemy, with no home base, no accountability, no real military assets, and most importantly, no fear of our superior military or the consequences of war against us?
The Cold War stayed cold because of the threat of mutually assured destruction. America continues a Cold War mentality against an enemy that does not fear destruction. I heard an analogy at the beginning of the War on Terror that is incredibly apt, although it was dismissed at the time. Fighting against this enemy is like fighting a nest of wasps with a well-made baseball bat: You'll handily destroy the nest, sure, but then what? You're enveloped by thousands of ill-tempered, freshly homeless stinging insects. You'll swing and may even swap a few...but that won't matter much when you're covered in stings and full of the accumulated poison.
My point is simple. War is outdated. War no longer works. War succeeds in ironically emboldening and perpetuating that which it hopes to end. In the words of Gandhi, "An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind." If we really wish this war to end, what we can we do, really? Do we continue our "destroy-the-nest" tactic that will slowly deteriorate our troops with thousands of accumulated stings? Or perhaps - we give our enemies less of a reason to be our enemies.
The Gospel is a good place to start.
"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God"
- Matthew 5:9
Furthermore, there is a group of families - families of 9/11 victims - who have admirably found the true strength to turn the other cheek. They are n=known as The September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows, and they have a fairly comprehensive blueprint aimed at ending the war and keeping the peace in Afghanistan. The bullet points of their recommendations are:
1. Set a swift timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. and NATO military forces, to be substituted by U.N. forces for short-term security.
2. Immediately cease air strikes on targets in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
3. Support negotiations between all parties involved in the conflict, including Afghan women leaders.
4. Reform humanitarian aid and reconstruction funding efforts to prioritize Afghan organizations over foreign contractors. Ensure that funded projects address the needs and requests of Afghans and are not simply pet projects of foreign donors.
5. Invest in long-term aid that increases self-reliance such as sustainable agriculture efforts.
6. Immediately discontinue the use of Provincial Reconstruction Teams, which are costly, inefficient, and have militarized the aid process.
7. Standardize, increase, and publicly document compensation to Afghan families and communities affected by U.S. military actions.
8. Sign the treaty to ban cluster bombs, pay for cluster bomb and landmine cleanup in Afghanistan, and pledge never to use these weapons again.
(Thanks to John Dear's column at National Catholic Reporter)
Please visit the September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows' website and see these steps detailed, with more of their ideas on peaceful activism here:
http://www.peacefultomorrows.org/
Pax et Bonum,
Thomas
Daily Mass Readings
Hebrews 11:1-7
Psalms 145:2-5, 10-11
Mark 9:2-13
What of the war in Afghanistan, though? What of our other war?
Well - that's the "good" war isn't it? Afghanistan is the country where bin Laden is hiding, and where the Taliban operates from. That's where women have to wear burkas and men must wear their beards a certain length. That's the country where everyone hates Americans, where they celebrate the 9/11 attacks, isn't it? We must...
We must, what?
What specifically are we fighting for in Afghanistan. What is the good end we hope to achieve? Remove the Taliban from power, you say? We accomplished that on perhaps the third day of the bombing campaign almost 8 years ago. "Get" bin Laden, perhaps? Perhaps. But what will we do with him once we get him? Kill him outright, thereby creating a martyr figure far more dangerous than a frail, disavowed Saudi hiding in a cave? Put him on the world stage for a highly publicized trial that will showcase his jihad for al Qaeda and al Qaeda wanna-bes worldwide? Is it for humanitarian reasons? No. If we measured humanitarian aid by sheer numbers who need it, we ought to have our armies in the Sudan (but that's another blog).
It's none of that, really. We wish to exact revenge for the 9/11 attacks. Period.
After that day, we as Americans were forced to admit the vulnerability of our country. We were made to be afraid. And someone would pay, by God.
How specifically do we exact this revenge by turning our mighty weapons against a people who can't bake bread? How does lobbing cruise missiles at remote Afghan villages in the dirt, hoping we hit something, honor our fallen citizens? How can we as human beings justify the killing of innocents, simply because it was done to us first? How can we accept "collateral damage" when the vast majority of the casualties are just that? How do we fight a just war against a lawless enemy, with no home base, no accountability, no real military assets, and most importantly, no fear of our superior military or the consequences of war against us?
The Cold War stayed cold because of the threat of mutually assured destruction. America continues a Cold War mentality against an enemy that does not fear destruction. I heard an analogy at the beginning of the War on Terror that is incredibly apt, although it was dismissed at the time. Fighting against this enemy is like fighting a nest of wasps with a well-made baseball bat: You'll handily destroy the nest, sure, but then what? You're enveloped by thousands of ill-tempered, freshly homeless stinging insects. You'll swing and may even swap a few...but that won't matter much when you're covered in stings and full of the accumulated poison.
My point is simple. War is outdated. War no longer works. War succeeds in ironically emboldening and perpetuating that which it hopes to end. In the words of Gandhi, "An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind." If we really wish this war to end, what we can we do, really? Do we continue our "destroy-the-nest" tactic that will slowly deteriorate our troops with thousands of accumulated stings? Or perhaps - we give our enemies less of a reason to be our enemies.
The Gospel is a good place to start.
"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God"
- Matthew 5:9
Furthermore, there is a group of families - families of 9/11 victims - who have admirably found the true strength to turn the other cheek. They are n=known as The September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows, and they have a fairly comprehensive blueprint aimed at ending the war and keeping the peace in Afghanistan. The bullet points of their recommendations are:
1. Set a swift timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. and NATO military forces, to be substituted by U.N. forces for short-term security.
2. Immediately cease air strikes on targets in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
3. Support negotiations between all parties involved in the conflict, including Afghan women leaders.
4. Reform humanitarian aid and reconstruction funding efforts to prioritize Afghan organizations over foreign contractors. Ensure that funded projects address the needs and requests of Afghans and are not simply pet projects of foreign donors.
5. Invest in long-term aid that increases self-reliance such as sustainable agriculture efforts.
6. Immediately discontinue the use of Provincial Reconstruction Teams, which are costly, inefficient, and have militarized the aid process.
7. Standardize, increase, and publicly document compensation to Afghan families and communities affected by U.S. military actions.
8. Sign the treaty to ban cluster bombs, pay for cluster bomb and landmine cleanup in Afghanistan, and pledge never to use these weapons again.
(Thanks to John Dear's column at National Catholic Reporter)
Please visit the September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows' website and see these steps detailed, with more of their ideas on peaceful activism here:
http://www.peacefultomorrows.org/
Pax et Bonum,
Thomas
Daily Mass Readings
Hebrews 11:1-7
Psalms 145:2-5, 10-11
Mark 9:2-13
Monday, February 16, 2009
Christ as Sacrament
Jesus Christ...The Word Made Flesh.
I guess that's why Catholic Christianity speaks the truth to me. There have been times in the past where I have despaired, and considered leaving the Church. Funny though, I never considered another Christian denomination. As far as understanding God, I need that sacrament - something I can touch, taste and feel. Catholicism has an intensely physical faith - The Word Made Flesh is all around us in the context of Church. To quote Fr. Vin Ritchie, our former associate pastor at St. Bernard's , Jesus is the purest expression of Love in human terms - something we can experience, something we can relate to, as beings of a spiritual and physical nature.
From, the physicality of Christ healing the blind man with mud and spit, to healing the deaf man by thrusting His fingers into the man's ears, to the comfort and satiation of a meal, to the violent death on the cross, to St. Thomas thrusting his hands into the Risen Christ's wounds, our faith is intensely physical. It is brought to fruition in the context of the Greatest Sacrament of the Eucharist, where the sacrifice of the cross is made spiritually and physically present to the faithful. No other Christian faith I have seen celebrates both the physical in-the-world aspect of Christ who dwelt in our midst, as well as the mystical Christ who is and always has been One with God.
Sometimes, I get frustrated with what I see as deficiencies in the Church. I see the abuse scandals and the cover-up, a sometimes out of touch and unfeeling hierarchy, doctrines that seem out of touch with the spiritual needs of modern mankind. I get angry knowing my Godson was baptized by a priest who turned out to be an abuser. I get angry in the knowledge that the priests who touched my life most dramatically, who began my love affair with the Church in the first place, both had to leave the priesthood because they fell in love with women. I get angry at the ham-handed way the Pastoral Formation Institute (a 2 year college level course for lay leadership in the diocese) was dismantled and the faithful staff who had worked so hard to build it and get their accreditation were summarily dismissed - it seems as if the current administration in our diocese wished to officially invalidate the profound spiritual experiences I and my classmates had. I sometimes long for that Super-Church* - pure, spiritual, impeccable: a Church within which I would never have to wrestle with the angels, there would be no doubt.
However, the very things that gets me angry about the Church are the things that will not allow me to leave her. The Sacramental Church IS her sinners and saints, her rich and poor, her doubters, her traitors, and heroes. Is my Godson any less baptized because he had a scoundrel that presided over his initial baptismal Sacrament? No. Are the men who led me to life and light in the Church when I was growing up any less the priests today when they were back then? No. Are the profound spiritual experiences I and my classmates had in PFI any less valid because the bishop changed up the program? Again, no.
I am a member of Christ's mystical Body, whether I always know it or not, whether I always like it or not. God knows I am not who I would have chosen for such a thing. As a Catholic Christian who follows the way of St. Francis, I am to strive to live my life in that Gospel context. I will fail from time to time, sometimes, willfully. The comfort is that from the Pope to every lay man and woman in the pews wrestles with the angels. If we all strive to live the Gospel life as we are called to do, we can rebuild and be the Church we are meant to be.
I guess that's why Catholic Christianity speaks the truth to me. There have been times in the past where I have despaired, and considered leaving the Church. Funny though, I never considered another Christian denomination. As far as understanding God, I need that sacrament - something I can touch, taste and feel. Catholicism has an intensely physical faith - The Word Made Flesh is all around us in the context of Church. To quote Fr. Vin Ritchie, our former associate pastor at St. Bernard's , Jesus is the purest expression of Love in human terms - something we can experience, something we can relate to, as beings of a spiritual and physical nature.
From, the physicality of Christ healing the blind man with mud and spit, to healing the deaf man by thrusting His fingers into the man's ears, to the comfort and satiation of a meal, to the violent death on the cross, to St. Thomas thrusting his hands into the Risen Christ's wounds, our faith is intensely physical. It is brought to fruition in the context of the Greatest Sacrament of the Eucharist, where the sacrifice of the cross is made spiritually and physically present to the faithful. No other Christian faith I have seen celebrates both the physical in-the-world aspect of Christ who dwelt in our midst, as well as the mystical Christ who is and always has been One with God.
Sometimes, I get frustrated with what I see as deficiencies in the Church. I see the abuse scandals and the cover-up, a sometimes out of touch and unfeeling hierarchy, doctrines that seem out of touch with the spiritual needs of modern mankind. I get angry knowing my Godson was baptized by a priest who turned out to be an abuser. I get angry in the knowledge that the priests who touched my life most dramatically, who began my love affair with the Church in the first place, both had to leave the priesthood because they fell in love with women. I get angry at the ham-handed way the Pastoral Formation Institute (a 2 year college level course for lay leadership in the diocese) was dismantled and the faithful staff who had worked so hard to build it and get their accreditation were summarily dismissed - it seems as if the current administration in our diocese wished to officially invalidate the profound spiritual experiences I and my classmates had. I sometimes long for that Super-Church* - pure, spiritual, impeccable: a Church within which I would never have to wrestle with the angels, there would be no doubt.
However, the very things that gets me angry about the Church are the things that will not allow me to leave her. The Sacramental Church IS her sinners and saints, her rich and poor, her doubters, her traitors, and heroes. Is my Godson any less baptized because he had a scoundrel that presided over his initial baptismal Sacrament? No. Are the men who led me to life and light in the Church when I was growing up any less the priests today when they were back then? No. Are the profound spiritual experiences I and my classmates had in PFI any less valid because the bishop changed up the program? Again, no.
I am a member of Christ's mystical Body, whether I always know it or not, whether I always like it or not. God knows I am not who I would have chosen for such a thing. As a Catholic Christian who follows the way of St. Francis, I am to strive to live my life in that Gospel context. I will fail from time to time, sometimes, willfully. The comfort is that from the Pope to every lay man and woman in the pews wrestles with the angels. If we all strive to live the Gospel life as we are called to do, we can rebuild and be the Church we are meant to be.
Daily Mass Reading
Genesis 4:1-15, 25
Psalms 50:1,8, 16-17, 20-21
Mark 8:11-13
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
An Introduction...and a gripe
Greetings all! My name's Tom and I am a husband and a father of 2 wondrous boys. I am a practicing Catholic (albeit one who struggles with some of my Church's more conservative teachings), and currently in formation to be professed a Secular Franciscan. I began this blog to document my continuing spiritual journey; my days of jubilee as well as my wrestlings with the angels. Also, I hope this blog will serve as the backdrop for a book I am planning on.
Now to my gripe.
My parish is hosting a "Contemporary Christian" band called The Paul Paoli Band. Normally I have no problem with such things...I enjoy John Michael Talbot, Fr. Stan Fortuna, 7 Sorrows, among others. The PPB is a non-Catholic Christian band which I pretty much don't have any problem with that either. I've heard some of their music; it's standard Christian pop, not great, not offensive to anyone (anyone who's not Christian, anyway). One of the links on PPB's website gave me pause, however. It was a link to Jews for Jesus.
Jews for Jesus are a group formed a few decades ago that keep all the trappings of Judaism - Torah scrolls, yarmulkes, temple, menorahs, Passover, etc. However, they considered themselves "completed Jews" in that they believe Jesus (Yeshua) as the Messiah. They are largely funded by various evangelical Protestant denominations (some say 'created by') specifically to target conventional Jews for conversion to "complete Judaism" (read: Christianity). Some of you may have seen these clowns during one of their summer "missions" in the NYC subways. They also evangelize in Jewish neighborhoods and outside synagogues across the country. As Catholic Christians, we are NOT to evangelize to Jews. Pope John Paul II made that abundantly clear on numerous occasions; he called Jews "our elder brothers in faith". To give a microphone in a Catholic parish to someone who supports JFJ, a group that uses morally questionable techniques to convert people of other faiths might be, to me, morally questionable. If this band stick to the content of its songs, I don't see much of a problem. But a band that finds the Jews for Jesus important enough to link to on their websites playing in my church concerns me.
More on this soon - thinking of running this by some of my "peeps" in parish administration.
Pax,
Tom
Daily Readings
Genesis 2:4b-9, 15-17
Psalm 104:1-2a, 27-30
Mark 7:14-23
Now to my gripe.
My parish is hosting a "Contemporary Christian" band called The Paul Paoli Band. Normally I have no problem with such things...I enjoy John Michael Talbot, Fr. Stan Fortuna, 7 Sorrows, among others. The PPB is a non-Catholic Christian band which I pretty much don't have any problem with that either. I've heard some of their music; it's standard Christian pop, not great, not offensive to anyone (anyone who's not Christian, anyway). One of the links on PPB's website gave me pause, however. It was a link to Jews for Jesus.
Jews for Jesus are a group formed a few decades ago that keep all the trappings of Judaism - Torah scrolls, yarmulkes, temple, menorahs, Passover, etc. However, they considered themselves "completed Jews" in that they believe Jesus (Yeshua) as the Messiah. They are largely funded by various evangelical Protestant denominations (some say 'created by') specifically to target conventional Jews for conversion to "complete Judaism" (read: Christianity). Some of you may have seen these clowns during one of their summer "missions" in the NYC subways. They also evangelize in Jewish neighborhoods and outside synagogues across the country. As Catholic Christians, we are NOT to evangelize to Jews. Pope John Paul II made that abundantly clear on numerous occasions; he called Jews "our elder brothers in faith". To give a microphone in a Catholic parish to someone who supports JFJ, a group that uses morally questionable techniques to convert people of other faiths might be, to me, morally questionable. If this band stick to the content of its songs, I don't see much of a problem. But a band that finds the Jews for Jesus important enough to link to on their websites playing in my church concerns me.
More on this soon - thinking of running this by some of my "peeps" in parish administration.
Pax,
Tom
Daily Readings
Genesis 2:4b-9, 15-17
Psalm 104:1-2a, 27-30
Mark 7:14-23
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