Feast of the visitation

"the man who will use his skill and constructive imagination to see how much he can give for a dollar, instead of how little he can give for a dollar, is bound to succeed." These words are spoken by Henry Ford as the last Model T rolled off the assembly line in the late 1920's.



What a mentality. It seems a far cry from today's mentality of greed, in which people try to give as little as possible for the dollar. The give you less and less and charge you more and more.

HOw much can you give for the dollar not how much yo can get for the dollar. What would our society look like if we carried this through and practiced it in our daily lives, seeking to give as much as possible.

IS this not what God gives us in Christ. As we celebrate the Visitation today, we ponder the great mystery of the incarnation. God gives much.

MAry with JEsus conceived in her womb goes to aid her cousin Elizabeth. MAry does not hoard the gift but spreads the wealth and her joy brings joy to others.

As we we hear these words a fresh, "the moment your greeting reached my ear, the infant in my womb leaped for Joy."

What a greeting and what a leap.

This image of John leaping in the womb of Elizabeth after hearing the greeting of the one who carried JEsus in her body is the image for our lives. This is what we are called to do.

Blessed are the feet that bring glad tidings so says the scriptures.

Are our feet blessed? Do we seek to give as much as possible so that others may feel the bang of joy from Christ our Lord through us.

Hope

Sanctify christ as Lord in your hearts. Always be ready to give an explanation for the reason for your hope.

These are the words of St. Peter in the second reading for today.

Hear them again: Sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts. Always be ready to give an explanation for the reason for your hope.

IN church circles, in school, in homes, in places about we often find ourselves discussing the topic of faith and or love.

We talk often about faith as that ascent to God, allowing God to lead.

We also talk often about love; in fact, we seldom tire of speaking or waxing about love.

But we do not speak often about Hope.

Hope is important. It is the power that gets us moving and keeps us moving. It is what keeps us holding on when everything in u wants to let go. It holds us firm when all things fall and crumble around.

What gives you hope? What keeps you moving? What gets you up each morning when the alarm clock rings? What keeps you coming home each day to your family and your children?

This past week we celebrated the end of the school year. And for the teachers it was a celebration.

And part of the closing ceremony we handed out the perfect attendance awards. There were 6 students who received the award.

It the catholic school, the standards are different than public school. In order to get the award in catholic school, yo cannot miss one minute of school. Thin about that. This is no easy task.

But we had 6 students who didn't miss one minute of one hour of one day of school. They received a certificate along with a $20 dollar gift card to walmart.

After it was announced that they would get the gift card to walmart, we had everyone talking about not missing school next year. This was their motivation.

Such is hope, it motivates. SO what is your motivation as you move through life, through lives of others, as you make it down the road.

What is the anchor that holds you firm when everything in you wants to let go.

A few years back our Pope wrote an encyclical to the faithful. This letter to the faithful was entitled, "SPe Salvi" or "saved in Hope."

In this letter the Vicar of Christ wrote to you and I he states that "Christian Faith is hope. It has paved a way to the future. In Christ the dark door of time has been thrown open; the future has been laid bare."

In Christ we can see around the bend; we know what awaits us as the mystery of tomorrow unfolds for each us.

In Christ we have hope and the one who has hope "lives differently" and the one who has hope "has been given the gift of new life."

As he wrote about Hope he also gave several examples of where we encounter hope in our life.

The first place he mentioned was in prayer. The person who prays is a person of hope. Prayer engenders who.

Even when it seems no one is listening to us; even when it seems no one cares; God listens; God cares.

Now we have all been in that place where we think no none is listening to us; we have all been in that place where it seems our words fall on deaf ears. Parents to children and children to parents and spouses to each other. All of us have that experience.


We also have been in that place where we felt no one cares. In our society we often judge usefulness as the standard for care. If yo are useful to me then I care about you.

My almost 90 year old grandmother in te nursing home has mentioned that she feels as if on one cares. Her family dropped her off and forgot about her. She likes the place and enjoys being there, but are sentiment is felt by many.


THis is why prayer is hope engendering. God cares absolutely. Prayer isn't about getting what we want but rather about being purified and stretched to seek the things of the kingdom.

Often times when I speak to people whose life is falling apart and they are ready to give up, i will ask them what their prayer life is like. 90% tell me they have no time to pray.

I tell them going through life without set time for prayer is like trying to use the microwave without it being plugged in. It just doesn't get the job done. Prayer keeps us plugged in for the journey; we tap into the power source that is Christ.

The second setting of Hope the Pope mentioned was that of suffering.

Now this may sound strange. Who goes to suffering to find hope? In fact, most of us try to reduce suffering as much a possible.

Yet as much as we try we can never eliminate suffering. To eliminate suffering would be to eliminate humanity.

Suffering is part of life. We suffer the alarm clock each morning. We suffer our muscles to walk. We suffer our knees to bend in worship.

We can not eliminate suffering but we can choose what to suffer for. We can intentionalize suffering in our life. We can choose to suffer for goodness itself and for truth. When we do this we encounter hope for the journey.

This is where the mentality of "offering it up" comes in. When we offering things up we unite them to the suffering of Christ and we experience his strength for the journey.

Here is an example.

Some years back in my first assignment a man in his mid fifties came and wanted to join the church so that he could receive communion.

SO I invited him to come to RCIA. RCIA was too much for him. HE could not handle it. HE had a mentality of about a 4th grader. He was smart but just could not comprehend as quickly as others. SO we started to meet one on one for about a hour a week.

In our conversations, he informed me that he had a roommate. This particular roommate had schizophrenia. ANd often she would not take her medication. When she did not she became mean and somewhat hateful toward him; she would verbally abuse him as well as throw things. IF was taxing on him.

So I asked him why he let her stay in the house. She wasn't paying for anything so why bother. THis was what he replied.

HE said, "If GOd can suffer for me and for my weakness could I not do the same for others."

Think about that for a moment. If God can suffer for me and for my weakness could I not do the same for others.

Here is a man who had sanctified Christ as Lord of his heart. HEre is a man who knew how to give an explanation for the reason for his hope, for what kept him moving forward in life.

Here is a man who "lived differently" who received the gift of "new life" in Christ.

Be hopeful. Sanctify Christ as Lord in your heart and keep moving.

Philip Neri

Today is the feast of the Apostle of Rome. St Philip Neri of the 16th century.

He spent his life ministering to the parishes in Rome and to the people all about.

Here are the words of Jesus in today's gospel:

"I have told you this so that my joy might be in you and your joy might be complete. This is my commandment love one another as I love you. No one has greater love than this than to lay down his life for one's friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you."


Here are the words of St. Philip Neri:

"My Jesus, my love, all the world is vanity. HE who wishes for anything other than Christ does not know what he wishes. HE who asks for anything other than Christ does not know what he is asking. He who works and not for Christ does not know what he is doing."


When we follow Christ we are following the one who promises to give us lasting joy. And who in this world does not want Joy that is lasting?

Who in this world does not want to experience that deep satisfying embrace of happiness and joy that lingers in the heart long after the circumstances change and change and change some more?

This why Philip Neri says these words: "He who wishes for anything other than Christ does not know what he wishes...HE who works and not for Christ does not know what he is doing."


Anything less than Christ is not true joy, is not true happiness, is not lasting but only fleeting. In our world we have grasped at to often for superficial joy only to be let down time and time again.

Today, examine what you reach for to give you joy and see how often you reach for that other than Christ. Perhaps this is why so many in our society are thrill seekers and adrenaline junkies. They have to keep piling one experience on top of the other and discover that they need more and more.

We are a society of addicts. Yet what would it be like if we were truly committed to Christ.

How would we relate and act if joy was the primary reality in our life.

In truth, joy is not a feeling, it its is not a choice, it is not an experience, it i snot an emotion, it is primarily a presence. Joy is the presence of Christ inhabiting our soul.


In the words of Jesus, "if you keep my commandments, you ill remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and remain in his love."

For Christ, to reman in his love is to be in his presence.

In his commandment, we know where we stand before God; this knowing is what secures our joy complete.


St. Philip Neri pray for us

rapture and dooms day

we are all familiar with the fail prediction of the end of the world this past saturday: 5/21/11.

Here is a billboard that says it all.

hardships

There are many people who desire to follow Christ. There are many people who want what Christ offers. There are many who wake each day ready to experience that love in their hearts and bring that love to others in the world.

And then Hardship comes. The knees begin to get weak. The resolve begins to waver. The mind begins to question. Doubt slowly seeps in and in the midst of such a circumstance faith burns not brighter but cold.

Hardships?

Really! We often suppose something went wrong when hardships come our way. How can this be? How can love invite such tragedy as pain and suffering? Yet is this not what we see in this first reading as we a again open our hearts and minds to the Acts of the Apostles.

Acts 14:19-28

"In those days" it begins and then it proceeds "they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead."

Hardships faced and endured.

"But when the disciples gathered around him, he got up and entered the city."

Paul faced the hardships head on. No whining! No complaining! No tantrums! He got up and went back into the city.

"It is necessary to undergo many hardships to enter the kingdom of God."

Ponder that for a moment. What hardships do you face because of your faith?

Living the gospel is not the path of least resistance; it not all fluff and stuff. It requires a heart refined and a will determined.

We too must learn to "get up" and face it head on.

We must make sure that the hardships we endure are endured for doing right and following Christ.

Hardships are like the old lye soap, course but yet cleansing, paving the way for truth and love to be the cornerstone of our life.

Preparing for the Spirit

Todays gospel gets us stirred up in anticipation of the coming of the Holy spirit, which we celebrate at Pentecost.


Listen to the words of JEsus, "I have told you this while I am with you. The Advocate, the Holy SPirit whom the Father will send in my name he will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you."



Usually in the church there is a Novena of prayers which start nine days before Pentecost to prepare our mind and hearts for that celebration.


This year Pentecost is on June 12th which means we should begin our prayer to the Holy Spirit 9 days prior, which would be June 2nd, Ascension Thursday. According to the Biblical record Jesus Ascended 40 days after Easter and Pentecost was experienced 50 days after Easter. So a Novena is that prayer which enters into the that time of waiting, waiting for the power of God to be made manifest.

Each day you say a prayer invoking the HOly SPirit to come. YOu try to do it at the same time so pick a time in your day when you can truly enter into the prayer, not rushed or hurried.


Here below are a few links with Novenas to the Holy Spirit. MArk your calendar and enter into this time preparing your hearts and mind for the coming of the Spirit.


Novena at EWTN

Here is one at Catholicculture.org

Here is another site you will finds a lot of prayers to the Holy Spirit, just click and scroll

Here is a prayer composed by St. Josemaria Escriva

Come, O Holy Spirit:
enlighten my understanding
to know your commands;
strengthen my heart
against the wiles of the enemy;
inflame my will…
I have heard your voice,
and I don’t want to harden
my heart by resisting,
by saying ‘later…tomorrow.”
Nunc coepi! Now!
Lest there be no tomorrow for me!
O, Spirit of truth and wisdom,
Spirit of understanding and counsel,
Spirit of joy and peace!
I want what you want,
I want it because you want it,
I want it as you want it,
I want it when you want it.

Get your prayer on!

friction: living stones

When i was a young kid, I would often come home somewhat frustrated. I was a thin kid and i came from a large familty. And often times, I would be picked on by my classmates because of this. They would make fun of the fact i had 9 brothers and sisters or the fact i was really thin.

Usually, I wanted to beat some kids.

My dad decided to show me how to handle it. He took me aside at home and told me that he would show me how to fight. He got in a sparring position and raised in hands and in one swell swoop I swung and hit him in the stomach.

HE crumbled in front of me. I was a little scared. But he grabbed me and told me that that wasn't exactly what he had in mind. He really wasn't wanting to show me how to hit someone. That was not what he meant when he told me he was going to teach me how to fight.

What he meant was learning how to deal with tension and adversity in amore subtle way. He informed me that learnig how to fight had little to do with learning how to hit but rather using the tension and friction and allowing it to shape us in a positive way.

Friction and tension will always be present. Hitting seldom solves anything.

This is what St. Peter is talking about int he second reading today.

He tells us that we are called to be "living stones built into a spiritual house...a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own..to announce the praises of Christ."

"Living stones!"

What does this mean?

Peter is drawing from a image that we are not familiar. In order to understand this we have to go all the way back to Peter's time with JEsus.

Jesus often hung around at Capernaum, a village near the sea of gallilee. This was JEsus' home away from home. In this little village there are many homes built of small black stones.

What is unique about these stone homes is that no mortar is used. We are all familiar with brick and mortar. Mortar is that sticky stuff that allows the bricks to stay in place.

But in Peter's time, homes were often built with out mortar. In order to get the stones to stay in place, they would take the stones and rub them together. Using the fiction and the rubbing, the stones would eventually stick togther.

The friction and the tension would be used to create durability and sturdiness.

This process is called making "living stones."

this is what Peter is talking about. As Christians we are called to use the friction and tension we encounter in life to be life giving. This is what it means to be a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation.

Faith changes how we deal with everything.

These moments of friction and tension that often accompanies relationships of all kinds: family, children, spouses, work,s chool, etc, are meant to shape us and bring about a strudy and durable unity.

In the presence of friction, we discover what real charity and real commitment is all about. Growth and change accompanies the process of friction.

This is what we discover in the first reading. Their is tension in the early church. Division and fractions are compalining about being neglecting. the apsotles take that friction and tension and use it to move the early in a new direction establishing the Diaconate, where seven men are chosen into service.

What a marvelous testimony and witness of grace being active. Divisions and diversity bring strength and intensify unity.


We are a race of grace. No longer are we bound by ethnicity, origins, language, financial status but we are bound in Christ. We have one thing in common, we are all differnt and in this difference the sameness of Christ holds us together.

This is what it means to learn to fight in life, in grace; this is how we walk the way, the truth and the life.

So the next time to find tension i your marriage, in your family, in your work place, in yor relationships, stop and think about these living stones and how frictiona and rubbing is necessary for durability and sturdiness and unity.

Use it properly and only then can we truly announce the praises of Christ.