What is an Angel? Angels are one of those things that Theologians can debate with the average, good hearted, un-churched Christian. There are those who believe in Angels, but not really in God. From the Catholic perspective, an Angel is kind of an abstract thing. They are created beings, yet not Divine. They are that “unseen” part of the Creed that Christians recite very Sunday. They are our helpers along the way, that guide us, and protect us. Today is the Feast of the Archangels, Gabriel, Michael, and Raphael. Saturday marks the feast of the Guardian Angels. it’s a very…angelic week. What do Angels have to do with our daily lives?
They are invisible creatures who concern themselves with out safety, and have served as God’s messengers throughout history. The ancient Roman poet, Lucretius, once said of Angels; “We are each of us Angels with only one wing, and we can only fly by embracing one another.” He may be onto something.
This is a view of religion that many people have. I know folks who would never worship in a Church of any kind, but would fight til the death about the existence of Angels. I am ok with that. I am MORE then ok with that. For me, I have found my Spiritual home in a situation that is structured, with Liturgy, etc. However there are some people where that’s not their thing, and it never has been, but they would defend an Angel, and in fact even the existence of God. Beyond that, the way they live their lives could PROVE the existence of God to any Saint or Theologian.
I know a woman who from a very young age, always maintained a solid belief in Angels. An ardent belief! I never heard her talk about Church, aside from Christmas and Easter, but she was adamant about Angels. This same woman was always an Angel in my life, according to Lucretius’ definition. She was always there ready to put her arm around someone, and help them fly. She pulled me out of many dark moments in my youth, and I am sure will always do so for many people throughout their lives.
You see, we believe that God is Hope, Love, Life, and Truth. These are all qualities the Angels defended. So although there is no Theological backing to Lucretius’ quote, there is some real life backing, a lot of it in fact. How many times in our lives, do people lift us up out of darkness, and although the person themselves in tangible, the lifting they do is not tangibly visible.
Sometimes we are lifted up by the kind words of others. In my own life I think back to the nights I spent on a persons couch when there was no other option, or in their guest room. I think of the nights a kind person took me to dinner, knowing that I couldn’t afford to take myself. I think of the look in my ex’s eyes when they told me they loved me before I went to sleep at night, and how that look deleted any pain that was in my heart and gave me a good night’s rest. I think of those times when I was in a bad place, and just being in the company of someone I loved, who I knew loved me, changed everything. You see sometimes that’s all it takes, is the knowledge that we are loved, it doesn’t even require a hug, or a touch, or a spoken word.
Let’s all try to be the second wing to a potential angel. Lets recognize when someone else is our second wing. Another wonderful quote about Angels reads; “When angels visit us, we do not hear the rustle of wings, nor feel the feathery touch of the breast of a dove; but we know their presence by the love they create in our hearts.” God Bless all the Angels in my life =)
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
The Sitcom of Life
It’s not often that I update my blog at this hour of the night, but I’ve been thinking a lot today. You see the last couple of weeks I’ve been under a lot of stress, and when I’m stressed the most helpful thing I find is spending time watching old Episodes of sappy TV shows, like teen soaps (particularly, 90210). The theme all these shows have in common is the concept of “life is good”. We watch these characters go through these horrible experiences, and yet everything turns out ok in the end.
We all know that’s not life…but sometimes, maybe it is. Tonight after a dreadfully dead night at work, I left feeling very stressed. When it comes to stress, one thing will kick it off, and then everything else just follows, and by the end of it all I feel like is a looser who has nothing going for him. I think it’s the Portuguese in me. I went out after work for one drink with the boss. During which time I saw some amazing things.
I saw an old friend, who has moved away and came home for a week to visit, and we shared in a few old memories, which yielded laughter, a lot of laughter. I re-connected, though briefly, with a friend who hasn’t moved but I haven’t seen in a while. And I saw two people who I know who used to be quite close, who were re-connecting for the first time in a long while. In addition to all these wonderful things, I managed to have a Priestly experience, yes even at 12:30 in the morning, while I was minding my own business heading home.
You see the bottom line sometimes in life is that when we are in the pits, we have to open our eyes to the world around us. Sometimes it’s hard to see life outside of the bubble we live in, until we peer into someone else’s bubble. Maybe that’s why teen soaps are such a success…because we get to peer into other people’s lives, who we have come to know quite well, and see how their drama ends in happiness. We know that’s not the hand of cards that life deals us, but it gives us a glisten of hope while we are watching them.
If we judge our lives on the day to day experiences that we go through, we are doomed to end our days in darkness. If we only evaluate our successes and failures in light of the situation we currently find ourselves in, we will inevitably find ourselves depressed, and alone. If however, we look at our lives in light of the bigger picture, the successes and failures of years before, and really step out of our bubble, and look at the full picture, we may realize that life isn’t all that bad.
The old saying really is true, “If you spend your whole life with one foot in the past, and one foot in the future, you are shi**ing on the present.” Truer words were never spoken. Let’s not waste the present. Let’s step out of our private bubbles, where we have found such comfort in being miserable and depressed, and look at the bigger picture. Let’s watch the whole Season, before we judge one character on the “Sitcom of Life”, because life really is a Sitcom, or a Soap Opera. Characters come and go, old friends make guest appearances in key episodes, and sometimes, in those Series Finales, all the pieces fall into place, and sometimes the way those pieces fit together, remains a mystery. . . That’s what happens when God is the Screen-writer.
We all know that’s not life…but sometimes, maybe it is. Tonight after a dreadfully dead night at work, I left feeling very stressed. When it comes to stress, one thing will kick it off, and then everything else just follows, and by the end of it all I feel like is a looser who has nothing going for him. I think it’s the Portuguese in me. I went out after work for one drink with the boss. During which time I saw some amazing things.
I saw an old friend, who has moved away and came home for a week to visit, and we shared in a few old memories, which yielded laughter, a lot of laughter. I re-connected, though briefly, with a friend who hasn’t moved but I haven’t seen in a while. And I saw two people who I know who used to be quite close, who were re-connecting for the first time in a long while. In addition to all these wonderful things, I managed to have a Priestly experience, yes even at 12:30 in the morning, while I was minding my own business heading home.
You see the bottom line sometimes in life is that when we are in the pits, we have to open our eyes to the world around us. Sometimes it’s hard to see life outside of the bubble we live in, until we peer into someone else’s bubble. Maybe that’s why teen soaps are such a success…because we get to peer into other people’s lives, who we have come to know quite well, and see how their drama ends in happiness. We know that’s not the hand of cards that life deals us, but it gives us a glisten of hope while we are watching them.
If we judge our lives on the day to day experiences that we go through, we are doomed to end our days in darkness. If we only evaluate our successes and failures in light of the situation we currently find ourselves in, we will inevitably find ourselves depressed, and alone. If however, we look at our lives in light of the bigger picture, the successes and failures of years before, and really step out of our bubble, and look at the full picture, we may realize that life isn’t all that bad.
The old saying really is true, “If you spend your whole life with one foot in the past, and one foot in the future, you are shi**ing on the present.” Truer words were never spoken. Let’s not waste the present. Let’s step out of our private bubbles, where we have found such comfort in being miserable and depressed, and look at the bigger picture. Let’s watch the whole Season, before we judge one character on the “Sitcom of Life”, because life really is a Sitcom, or a Soap Opera. Characters come and go, old friends make guest appearances in key episodes, and sometimes, in those Series Finales, all the pieces fall into place, and sometimes the way those pieces fit together, remains a mystery. . . That’s what happens when God is the Screen-writer.
There Is A Season, Turn, Turn, Turn
It’s so hard to believe that September is already almost over, and October is right around the corner. I love the Autumn, the promise of change, the crisp New England air, and I am looking forward to the opening of the new Parish, Saint Therese. While we work out a few different options for our location, I am optimistic that we will begin in just a few short weeks.
If you think about it, the Autumn really summarizes life in general, because its so filled with uncertainty. The season expresses the same uncertainty, one day it rains, the next day its cold, the next day its warm, and one morning we are driving down 95 and realize that the leaves had managed to changed while we were pre-occupied with the rest of life.
So much change so quickly is frustrating, also just like life. The Restaurant business in Rhode Island is coming out of its slow season. The students are all coming back, everyone has finished their summer plans, and people are socializing in the city again. Bartenders and Servers who staff the establishments downtown, are looking back on a summer of wonderful memories, and a mountain of unpaid and past due bills. We look forward to the promise of a busy fall, try to save money for Christmas, and before we know the summer is back once again. Every step is dependent on something else.
That’s what life is like for everyone if you really think about it. We have all these plans, and those plans coming to fruition are dependent on something beyond our control. That new car is dependent on that raise they we are “supposed to get”. That Romantic ski weekend we are trying to book for February is dependent on still being with that person when the time comes. We put our faith in something uncertain, but if those things fall through, we have to turn to plan B.
In the First Reading at Mass today we hear the cries of Job. Job was a good and upright man, who had a life filled with many blessings. One by one those blessings are taken away, Job remains faithful however to His Lord, seeing it all as a test of faith. With each loss he would say, “Well, I may have lost ‘this‘, but at least I still have ‘that‘.” Then he would loose “that” too. His friends and those around him mock him for that faith. Finally, in today’s readings he shouts “Curse the day on which I was born!” He reaches the point where he has absolutely nothing left, and finally breaks his silence in a moment of frustration. Job’s faith is rewarded, and all his previous blessings, including his health are multiplied.
You see through all the changes and the frustrations of this life, eventually things will fall into place. . . The place God wants them. Eventually that promotion will come, if it’s His will. Eventually all our dating attempts will pay off and we will meet the person God has in mind for us. Eventually that job will come through, that opportunity will arise, eventually that seemingly endless period of waiting that we are in will come to an end.
In the meanwhile, let’s be more like Job, and when we experience one negative change, let’s remember the blessings we still do have. As the season changes, let’s take note of the leaves changing, rather then noticing it after the fact. Let’s enjoy the crisp air of the new season. Let’s be patient with life’s constant shifts and changes. Dealing with the challenges we can’t handle is tough enough, let’s avoid creating situations that we can avoid.
If you think about it, the Autumn really summarizes life in general, because its so filled with uncertainty. The season expresses the same uncertainty, one day it rains, the next day its cold, the next day its warm, and one morning we are driving down 95 and realize that the leaves had managed to changed while we were pre-occupied with the rest of life.
So much change so quickly is frustrating, also just like life. The Restaurant business in Rhode Island is coming out of its slow season. The students are all coming back, everyone has finished their summer plans, and people are socializing in the city again. Bartenders and Servers who staff the establishments downtown, are looking back on a summer of wonderful memories, and a mountain of unpaid and past due bills. We look forward to the promise of a busy fall, try to save money for Christmas, and before we know the summer is back once again. Every step is dependent on something else.
That’s what life is like for everyone if you really think about it. We have all these plans, and those plans coming to fruition are dependent on something beyond our control. That new car is dependent on that raise they we are “supposed to get”. That Romantic ski weekend we are trying to book for February is dependent on still being with that person when the time comes. We put our faith in something uncertain, but if those things fall through, we have to turn to plan B.
In the First Reading at Mass today we hear the cries of Job. Job was a good and upright man, who had a life filled with many blessings. One by one those blessings are taken away, Job remains faithful however to His Lord, seeing it all as a test of faith. With each loss he would say, “Well, I may have lost ‘this‘, but at least I still have ‘that‘.” Then he would loose “that” too. His friends and those around him mock him for that faith. Finally, in today’s readings he shouts “Curse the day on which I was born!” He reaches the point where he has absolutely nothing left, and finally breaks his silence in a moment of frustration. Job’s faith is rewarded, and all his previous blessings, including his health are multiplied.
You see through all the changes and the frustrations of this life, eventually things will fall into place. . . The place God wants them. Eventually that promotion will come, if it’s His will. Eventually all our dating attempts will pay off and we will meet the person God has in mind for us. Eventually that job will come through, that opportunity will arise, eventually that seemingly endless period of waiting that we are in will come to an end.
In the meanwhile, let’s be more like Job, and when we experience one negative change, let’s remember the blessings we still do have. As the season changes, let’s take note of the leaves changing, rather then noticing it after the fact. Let’s enjoy the crisp air of the new season. Let’s be patient with life’s constant shifts and changes. Dealing with the challenges we can’t handle is tough enough, let’s avoid creating situations that we can avoid.
Friday, September 24, 2010
Erections Under Our Gowns?
Well it has certainly been a while since an update to this Blog. Things have been very hectic in life lately, forming a new Parish, as the Independent Catholic Movement continues to grow in Rhode Island, I am blessed to be a part of it. That growth yields much work. Today, in a particular way I am especially grateful to be a part of the Independent Catholic Movement in light of the CNN program slated to come on Sunday regarding what Cardinal Ratzinger, now Benedict XVI, knew during the clergy sex scandal in the Roman Catholic Church.
http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2010/09/24/sex-abuse-victim-learns-of-pope’s-role/
The article speaks of a man, Matt McCormick, who was in the seventh grade when it all began. He speaks of how it started with his Parish Priest, Fr. Campbell, made his first move on Matt when he put his hand on his thigh in the car on the way home from a baseball game, and just “left it there”. This incident was only the beginning, and what followed was years of increased sexual assault on this young man. McCormick was an Altar Boy, and the interview reads as follows:
“Before performing his duties as an altar server, McCormick and other boys were fondled by Campbell in a room just steps away from the altar.
“He thought it would be funny if we went out with erections under our gowns,” McCormick said.”
Campbell (who I refuse to call ‘Father’) thought that it would be ‘funny’, to molest a pre-pubescent boy, and then with those same hands, confect the Eucharist. The lips that committed the most grievous sin imaginable, would then kiss the Altar, and speak the words of consecration, and confect the Eucharist, the living and total true presence of Christ. Cardinal Ratzinger refused to have the Priest defrocked.
Thanks be to God for the Independent Catholic Movement. I think that it is a hilarity, that this same man, speaks out against Gay Marriage, that for a man to marry another man, or a woman to marry another woman, destroys the sanctity of the institution of marriage. Does the molestation of boys not destroy the sanctity of the Eucharist? As a Priest, this touches the very depths of my heart, as it should any Priest. The celebration of the Eucharist, which we participate in every Sunday, or everyday, unworthily, is so tarnished by such activity
The reality of it is, we are the Church. And the Church currently stands in a negative light, so what are we going to do about it? The North American Old Catholic Church made it’s choice quite clear. We have an institution that protects the safety of children. We have an institution that values the love that is shared between two people of the same gender. We acknowledge that sometimes love deserves a second chance, and a second try at Marriage is not sinful, but rather an expression of love, and a chance to heal. I find it the epitome of hierocracy for the Roman Church to identify so many forms of love as sinful, while the sexual act is being used as such a disastrous weapon.
Perhaps its time as Catholics, that we take a good long look at what we profess. Perhaps its time that we evaluate what is going on behind the closed Sacristy doors, and worse yet, what is going on at the desks of Bishops and Cardinals across this planet, who have turned the other way when this information reaches them.
There are countless good and holy men who serve the Church as Priests, and whose work is not advertised on the Six O’Clock news, or celebrated with CNN Special Reports. However that does not change the fact that it is the Institution that has caused such deep damage. It is the institution that moves these men from Parish to Parish. It is the institution that for so many years refused to acknowledge the pain and suffering of so many young people. It is that same institution that has the nerve to stand there and say that the love between two men or two women is sinful.
I pray that one day the one Church of Jesus Christ can stand united. I fear that will not happen until we are all rejoicing in His presence in Heaven, however in the meanwhile it is incumbent upon all Clergy, of every denomination, to think twice before you talk. It is our responsibility to safeguard our children, because they are the future. It is also upon us to pray for these men; the monsters who did this, and the monsters who covered it up. I have been blessed to be friends with many good, and holy priests, whose example is one I can only feebly attempt to live up to. Unfortunately, it only takes one apple to spoil to bunch. It only takes one hand to destroy a young child’s identity, and it only takes one hand to sign on the dotted line, and ignore the problem. That same hand is raised to give a blessing, confect the Eucharist, anoint the sick, to Baptize, and absolve sins.
As members of the Baptized, we share in the Priesthood of Jesus Christ. The Chrism which we were anointed on that day as babies makes us responsible. It requires us as members of the Body of Christ to act. So the question on the table is, what will you do?
http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2010/09/24/sex-abuse-victim-learns-of-pope’s-role/
The article speaks of a man, Matt McCormick, who was in the seventh grade when it all began. He speaks of how it started with his Parish Priest, Fr. Campbell, made his first move on Matt when he put his hand on his thigh in the car on the way home from a baseball game, and just “left it there”. This incident was only the beginning, and what followed was years of increased sexual assault on this young man. McCormick was an Altar Boy, and the interview reads as follows:
“Before performing his duties as an altar server, McCormick and other boys were fondled by Campbell in a room just steps away from the altar.
“He thought it would be funny if we went out with erections under our gowns,” McCormick said.”
Campbell (who I refuse to call ‘Father’) thought that it would be ‘funny’, to molest a pre-pubescent boy, and then with those same hands, confect the Eucharist. The lips that committed the most grievous sin imaginable, would then kiss the Altar, and speak the words of consecration, and confect the Eucharist, the living and total true presence of Christ. Cardinal Ratzinger refused to have the Priest defrocked.
Thanks be to God for the Independent Catholic Movement. I think that it is a hilarity, that this same man, speaks out against Gay Marriage, that for a man to marry another man, or a woman to marry another woman, destroys the sanctity of the institution of marriage. Does the molestation of boys not destroy the sanctity of the Eucharist? As a Priest, this touches the very depths of my heart, as it should any Priest. The celebration of the Eucharist, which we participate in every Sunday, or everyday, unworthily, is so tarnished by such activity
The reality of it is, we are the Church. And the Church currently stands in a negative light, so what are we going to do about it? The North American Old Catholic Church made it’s choice quite clear. We have an institution that protects the safety of children. We have an institution that values the love that is shared between two people of the same gender. We acknowledge that sometimes love deserves a second chance, and a second try at Marriage is not sinful, but rather an expression of love, and a chance to heal. I find it the epitome of hierocracy for the Roman Church to identify so many forms of love as sinful, while the sexual act is being used as such a disastrous weapon.
Perhaps its time as Catholics, that we take a good long look at what we profess. Perhaps its time that we evaluate what is going on behind the closed Sacristy doors, and worse yet, what is going on at the desks of Bishops and Cardinals across this planet, who have turned the other way when this information reaches them.
There are countless good and holy men who serve the Church as Priests, and whose work is not advertised on the Six O’Clock news, or celebrated with CNN Special Reports. However that does not change the fact that it is the Institution that has caused such deep damage. It is the institution that moves these men from Parish to Parish. It is the institution that for so many years refused to acknowledge the pain and suffering of so many young people. It is that same institution that has the nerve to stand there and say that the love between two men or two women is sinful.
I pray that one day the one Church of Jesus Christ can stand united. I fear that will not happen until we are all rejoicing in His presence in Heaven, however in the meanwhile it is incumbent upon all Clergy, of every denomination, to think twice before you talk. It is our responsibility to safeguard our children, because they are the future. It is also upon us to pray for these men; the monsters who did this, and the monsters who covered it up. I have been blessed to be friends with many good, and holy priests, whose example is one I can only feebly attempt to live up to. Unfortunately, it only takes one apple to spoil to bunch. It only takes one hand to destroy a young child’s identity, and it only takes one hand to sign on the dotted line, and ignore the problem. That same hand is raised to give a blessing, confect the Eucharist, anoint the sick, to Baptize, and absolve sins.
As members of the Baptized, we share in the Priesthood of Jesus Christ. The Chrism which we were anointed on that day as babies makes us responsible. It requires us as members of the Body of Christ to act. So the question on the table is, what will you do?
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