Pastor's Desk Archive (October 2008)

What Kind of Catholics Do We Want To Be? (10/5/2008)
How Good To Be Home! (10/12/2008)
Giving To God What Belongs To God (10/19/2008)
Guidance & Dancing (10/26/2008)

What Kind of Catholics Do We Want To Be? (10/5/2008)

I would hope we all believe in aspiring to be our best in all our endeavors including the living of our Catholic faith. Surely, we can all agree that God offers each of us the grace to realize this ambition above all others. God is not only always on our side, but he also has the power to make all things work out for the best. But grace offered is not the same as grace accepted nor grace sought. While we cannot earn or work our way into God’s kingdom, we do have an indispensable role to play in becoming the kind of faithful Catholics who can make a difference in our families, in our parish, in our workplaces, in our schools, and even in the world.

Our role involves the practice of piety, study, and action. Piety refers to the visible or external expressions of our love for God. When we are seeking to keep the Great Commandment, it can be seen in our prayers, devotions, and public worship (in our listening to God’s word, in our bowing and genuflecting, in our singing, etc). Praying the Rosary is a time honored expression of piety that has enriched the life of countless Catholics over the centuries. Praying in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament allows those who do so to draw closer to Christ. Without piety, faith is confined to one’s head and seldom ventures into one’s heart.

Whatever kind of experiences we have had with schooling, we certainly know that without Study we are doomed to shallow lives. The principal focus of study for Catholics is all that God has revealed to us through Scripture and Tradition. Reading and meditating on scripture passages—a little at a time—can give us great insights into the ingredients of a life devoted to the knowledge, service, and love of God. But the Bible alone is not enough. It is neither a blueprint nor a self-explanatory guide. We also need the input of the experience and wisdom of the Church down through the ages. There are all kinds of circumstances and situations that were never envisioned in biblical times (how about stem cells for starters). Participation in programs like Journey of Faith and Growing the Faith of Grownups can be of great help.

Finally, we come to Action. Living the Christian life is all about taking the actions of love. As St. Paul said, “in the end only three things will matter: faith, hope, and love. And the greatest of these is love.” Piety and study will help us to live in a fit spiritual condition that expresses itself in a thousand different acts of love. Among them are acts of patience and kindness, courage and perseverance. For spouses it involves all the different ways in which they are faithful to their promises to love one another until death do them part. For children it involves obedience and respect. For parishioners it means hospitality and looking for Jesus in the faces of strangers.

If this sounds like a huge challenge, that’s exactly what it is. But rising to this challenge will mean the difference between a life of doubt, fear, and uncertainty and a life buoyed by the belief that in all things God is pulling for us. Thank you, Lord!

back to top...

How Good To Be Home! (10/12/2008)

I had a wonderful time visiting with my family in Boston, but I’m very happy to be back home again with my St. Andrew’s family! My niece’s wedding went very well according to the bride and groom and the members of their families. I got to see so many of the Feehily-St. Martin clan there. It was held in a resort hotel on a bluff high above Newport Bay. Talk about picturesque! Another highlight was a visit with my godmother (Aunt “Mimmy”), my uncle Walter, and my cousin Clare and her family. They put on a wonderful seafood feast for me every time I’m home and this one was exceptional—finished up with warm Toll House cookies straight from the oven. Perhaps the most moving highlight of the trip was the Mass I celebrated with family members for all of our faithful departed at the parish church in which I celebrated my first Mass back in 1973. Since I was last home I had an uncle, an aunt, and my cousin’s wife who died. We had a wonderful visit afterwards in the parish hall. The weather was mostly sunny and a little on the cool side, though there was one rainy weekend. This was the first time that I was in Boston when the Red Sox were having playoff games. I’m glad I didn’t have tickets because it was quite cold on both nights. I stayed up for the five hour game they lost in the 12th inning, but went to bed with them leading the night before I had to get up real early to get to the airport. My brother left me a note to let me know they had won in the 9th inning to proceed to the next level. Go, Red Sox!

I got back on Tuesday and headed right off to the Jesuit Retreat House north of Dallas for the annual priests’ retreat. It was preached by Archbishop John Quinn—the first archbishop of OKC—who ordained me a priest 35 years ago. It was so good to see and hear him again. He is an excellent preacher and teacher, so his conferences were very well received. One of the best signs of a successful retreat is when nearly all the priests remain through the last talk on Thursday. The chapel was packed. Archbishop Beltran was also present along with about fifty of our priests. Archbishop Quinn retired as the archbishop of San Francisco quite a few years ago and has been writing, teaching, and preaching retreats every since. His book on “The Reform of the Papacy” was well received when it was published about 15 years ago. Anyway, I’m back well rested and spiritually refreshed. Thanks for your prayers while I was away—and always.

back to top...

Giving To God What Belongs To God (10/19/2008)

Today’s gospel features a confrontation between Jesus and some cunning Pharisees who tried to trip Him up on His own words. Disingenuously, they seek His opinion about the payment of taxes to the Roman oppressors. Upon being shown the coin bearing the image of the Roman Emperor (Caesar), Jesus responds with a saying that has been quoted innumerable times ever since: “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”

So what is the importance of this statement? It is certainly not about the lawfulness of paying taxes. That’s an interesting matter, but that was not the real focus of what Jesus said. The evangelist includes this saying of Jesus in his gospel because it contains an important teaching for all who would be His faithful disciples: We are called to give to God all that we have and all that we are. More than fifteen hundred years later, a soldier who became one of Christ’s most ardent disciples, Ignatius of Loyola (founder of the Jesuits), put it this way:

Take Lord, receive all I have and possess;
My memory, understanding, my entire will.
Give me only Your love and Your grace,
That’s enough for me. Your love and
Your grace are enough for me.

So what explains our hesitation or fear of giving more of ourselves to God—without Whose love and grace we are literally doomed? There are many answers to this vexing questions, and yours may be as valid as mine, but I think the biggest factor is the powerful negative forces at work within the popular culture. We aren’t encouraged to give and to give, but to spend and to spend. The government sees the economy falling on tough times and sends us checks in the hopes that we can spend our way out of it. The banking system upon which all have become dependent moves towards collapse and the government sets aside $700,000,000,000 of money that we don’t really have and puts our children’s, children’s, children in hock in hopes of bailing them out. In the meantime, the restaurants are still full of people eating out and the movies full of people seeking entertainment to distract us from our woes. Go figure.

In the meantime, we struggle to motivate more people to involve themselves in the life of Christ and His Church. Some may be seen looking at their watches on Sunday morning in fear of having to give more time than is “necessary” to worship God. Many folks come and go from Mass without having much to say to anyone—even to me. I guess they’re in a hurry to get on to the next thing. What’s that about? All that we have and all that we are belongs to God. Are we acting like people who want to spend eternity with Him.

back to top...

Guidance & Dancing (10/26/2008)

Someone sent this to me in an email and I thought it was worth sharing with you. As a person who gives guidance for a living and loves to dance I was particularly struck by it. Hope you enjoy it.

When I meditated on the word Guidance I kept seeing 'dance' at the end of the word. I remember reading that doing God's will is a lot like dancing.

When two people try to lead, nothing feels right. The movement doesn't flow with the music, and everything is quite uncomfortable and jerky. When one person realizes that, and lets the other lead, both bodies begin to flow with the music. One gives gentle cues, perhaps with a nudge to the back or by pressing lightly in one direction or another. It's as if the two become one body, moving beautifully.

Dancing takes surrender, willingness, and attentiveness from one person and gentle guidance and skill from the other. My eyes drew back to the word Guidance. When I saw 'G': I thought of God, followed by 'U' and 'I'. 'God, 'U' and 'I' dance.' God, you, and I dance.

As I lowered my head, I became willing to trust that I would get guidance about my life. Once again, I became willing to let God lead.

My prayer for you today is that God's blessings and mercies will be upon you on this and every day. May you abide in God, as God abides in you. Dance together with God, trusting God to lead and to guide you through each season of your life. This prayer is powerful and there are no strings attached. Are you sharing with others the good things that God is doing for you in your life? It’s a great habit to acquire. Interceding in prayer is one of the best gifts we can receive. There is no cost but a lot of rewards; so let's continue to pray for one another.

And I Hope You Dance!

back to top...