This weekend on Sunday afternoon I went back to the old apartment to claim the last of my things. I brought Deacon Chris with me with hopes that he would help me in the discernment process of what can stay and what can go. Despite his insistence that if I “haven’t used it in the last month at the new house, you don’t need to keep it”, I still managed to haul two car loads of things back to Pawtucket. In the midst of all the sifting through stuff I found myself walking down memory lane, and when the room was cleared out, I stood for a moment and sort of looked around.
I couldn’t help but be filled with mixed emotions while taking it all in. I thought about when I first moved into the place. I was so excited to be starting in “my first apartment”. It was the first time I was living in my own place, and not renting a room in someone else’s home. I thought about all the ups and downs through the years. I came across old letters from ex’s that made their way into the “memory box”. I found tickets from movies, concerts, and plays that I went to with special people. I found an empty wine bottle that has traveled with me for about 5 or 6 years. I found a pumpkin carving kit, old engraved dog tags, a Transformer, and many other miscellaneous trinkets and tokens that I held onto as special memories from special events along life’s journey. Why do we keep this stuff???
We keep this stuff because it’s significant to us in some way. They certainly are not reminders of days I wish I could return to. Some of them are reminders of lessons I had to learn in life the hard way. Some of them are reminders of lessons that I continue to learn to this day. Some of them are reminders of people, who for better or worse; make me the person I am today.
In the Gospel on Sunday Jesus is asked a very pointed question “which one of the commandments is the greatest?” Jesus’ answer is one that has certainly gone down in history;
"You shall love the Lord, your God,with all your heart,with all your soul,and with all your mind.This is the greatest and the first commandment.The second is like it:You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments."
In this very clear statement, Jesus makes it very clear that our relationship with one another is intrinsically linked with our relationship with God. The statement presupposes that we already love ourselves, and that we must love our neighbor in like manner. This love is just as significant – and in fact linked to – our love for God.
That’s how we end up with all this “stuff” over the years, because the people in our lives, and the memories that come with them are linked to the Divine. These people that God puts in our path along the way who leave an impression on our hearts are there for a reason. That’s why we hold onto all that stuff…that’s why we have memory boxes. That’s why even after sifting through all the leftover stuff in my apartment, and throwing away countless bags of trash, I still managed to fill two cars with what remained! Those items are things that are point towards something much deeper, something much more significant. The love that has been shown to me along the way from the people and memories attached to those items, were reminders of the love of God Himself.
From the outsider’s perspective, I think many would ask “why would you save that”, or “why would you want to remember them?” I mentioned that Jesus’ words presupposed that we love ourselves. There were definitely periods of life where I did not love myself, and hence the love I had for others was equally as flawed. The relationships I tried to maintain while I was under the influence of alcohol were all people who will no doubt be counted one day among the Saints. The love they showed for me despite my inability to rightly love in return is undoubtedly a testimony to the divine nature of love.
So now it is a new day, and as some of these trinkets and memories find their new home on a shelf at the new house I look upon them with a smile. That’s because I do love myself now. I love my flawed, broken, simple self. I can say that because I know that my God loves me, and He knows that each and every day I give it my all…because that’s all we can do. I know for a fact that He loves me, because attached to each and every one of those trinkets and nick-knacks is one of my “neighbors” who lived that message of Jesus in their heart, and loved me…for the mess I was.
From the outsider’s perspective I’m a pack-rat. From my perspective, I’m a lucky guy, who’s been blessed throughout my life with people who have contributed to who I am today – weather they intended to or not. I think the important lesson to be learned is that’s why it’s so important to love our neighbor – because maybe they don’t love themselves, maybe they feel alone, maybe no one understands them. So love your neighbor…they may be depending on it.
Monday, October 24, 2011
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
The First Day of School
“When day came, he called his disciples to himself, and from them he chose Twelve, whom he also named Apostles: Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called a Zealot, and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.” Luke 6:13-16
Today is the first day of school. This is a day that brings with it different feelings for different students. Those feelings vary with age, maturity, grade level, and academic situation. I remember the thrill of my first day of High School, looking forward to meeting new friends- and after a summer of updating my wardrobe, upgrading my hair style to something I considered more fashionable, and putting aside my glasses in favor of blindness – I was ready. I don’t think I cared very much about the classroom lessons that would come my way. I certainly had hopes each year of doing well in school, but I will freely admit that finding myself ranked among “the cool” was always a goal with each September.
As I got older this experience would change, but in many ways stayed the same. In Seminary with each new assignment came an opportunity to meet new people, and build a support system that was stronger than the year before. I remember the first night of my last assignment in Omaha, Nebraska. The Director of the Program had scheduled a welcome reception for all the seminarians a local bar/grill. The evening was open bar, courtesy of the program’s budget, and around 10:30 the Rector walked by the bar to inform the group of us who were sitting there that he was about to close the tab. We were welcome to stay, but we were on our own. When last call rolled around, the four of us were still sitting there, now facing a tab of our own, two very full ashtrays, and thanks to the haze the alcohol had provided over our judgment we had no doubt shared about ourselves far more then we needed to. I remember clearly one of the Seminarians turning and saying; “Well I know who I’m gonna hang out with this Semester – we are clearly the only ones who can hang.”
Even as adults our social circles are a key part of our daily life experience. We try to socialize with people who we can relate to, who understand us, and who are in some way in the same boat. The old saying “misery loves company” often comes into play.
Jesus knew the importance of friendship, as so early on in His ministry, He selected from among the many who were following Him with curiosity, 12 men who would be by His side over the next 3 years. Instead of building bonds over drinks and cigarettes, He would build bonds with these men by sharing with them the gift of Salvation. They would travel together, lodge together, eat together, cry and laugh together. Although Jesus is God, He was fully human in His earthly existence and knew the ups and downs that come along with friendship. No doubt His awareness of these feelings is why the Evangelist chose to set Judas aside in the description of the band of 12 men as being the one “who became a traitor”.
As I look back over the history of my own life I certainly see many friends who lasted for various lengths of time. We all can do that. We all have the friends like Judas, who would turn out to not be the most faithful…however also like Judas, their betrayal would turn out to be the catalyst for something greater. We have those few friends that have stayed by our side through thick and thin, like John, who found himself to be the only friend still standing at the foot of the Cross. Of course in our human experience we have those friends like Peter and the other Apostles, who despite claiming all the faith and fidelity in the world fail so often, yet after every fall brush themselves off, and continue to walk down the road of life’s journey right by our side.
In the last year or two I have come to learn a lot about friendship. Priorities in life change along the way, and sometimes friends can’t understand that. Like my experience in Omaha, I think we all find ourselves waiting to see who is going to be “able to hang”, who’s still going to be there at the many “last calls” that life brings our way. As we get older we change our definition of the word friend. We come to realize that what defines someone as a friend isn’t the one who pays the tab at the end of the night. It’s not a relationship that is defined by something like Facebook, which can be terminated with something as simple as the click of a mouse.
The Apostles didn’t always understand Jesus, they didn’t always agree with Him, and they certainly had their share of quarrels among them; but in the end they provided a definition of friendship that would stand the test of time. On Good Friday as Jesus was arrested and crucified, all but one ran and turned their back on Jesus when He needed them most. As Jesus hung on the cross and looked down so that He could commend the mother He was leaving behind to the care of one of His friends, all he found was John.
The happy life they had shared traveling, and talking about God and His love for them had come to an end. In what seemed like a moment, things changed, and all of a sudden it wasn't easy being friends with Jesus. The rubber had hit the road, and for this band of friends turning and running was the chosen course of action in response to all the false testimony, drama, and possible pain. The real betrayal of Judas is that when he realized the results of his betrayal, he took his own life, in an act of selfishness that was based on the thought that Jesus would never forgive him for what he’d done. The others realized they demonstrated a lack of faith in their friend, and so they would go on to give their lives for Him, and His Gospel.
The story of Jesus and his Apostles shows us that love and friendship is about giving, not taking. It proves that we all drop the ball as friends, but if it’s real it’s never to late to fix it. That’s how real friendship is defined and demonstrated; with generosity- generosity in love, giving, and forgiving. The depth of these things can never be expressed gathered at a bar, or on a Facebook wall, and history may not always record them rightly, but an accurate testimony is kept forever engraved on our hearts.
Today is the first day of school. This is a day that brings with it different feelings for different students. Those feelings vary with age, maturity, grade level, and academic situation. I remember the thrill of my first day of High School, looking forward to meeting new friends- and after a summer of updating my wardrobe, upgrading my hair style to something I considered more fashionable, and putting aside my glasses in favor of blindness – I was ready. I don’t think I cared very much about the classroom lessons that would come my way. I certainly had hopes each year of doing well in school, but I will freely admit that finding myself ranked among “the cool” was always a goal with each September.
As I got older this experience would change, but in many ways stayed the same. In Seminary with each new assignment came an opportunity to meet new people, and build a support system that was stronger than the year before. I remember the first night of my last assignment in Omaha, Nebraska. The Director of the Program had scheduled a welcome reception for all the seminarians a local bar/grill. The evening was open bar, courtesy of the program’s budget, and around 10:30 the Rector walked by the bar to inform the group of us who were sitting there that he was about to close the tab. We were welcome to stay, but we were on our own. When last call rolled around, the four of us were still sitting there, now facing a tab of our own, two very full ashtrays, and thanks to the haze the alcohol had provided over our judgment we had no doubt shared about ourselves far more then we needed to. I remember clearly one of the Seminarians turning and saying; “Well I know who I’m gonna hang out with this Semester – we are clearly the only ones who can hang.”
Even as adults our social circles are a key part of our daily life experience. We try to socialize with people who we can relate to, who understand us, and who are in some way in the same boat. The old saying “misery loves company” often comes into play.
Jesus knew the importance of friendship, as so early on in His ministry, He selected from among the many who were following Him with curiosity, 12 men who would be by His side over the next 3 years. Instead of building bonds over drinks and cigarettes, He would build bonds with these men by sharing with them the gift of Salvation. They would travel together, lodge together, eat together, cry and laugh together. Although Jesus is God, He was fully human in His earthly existence and knew the ups and downs that come along with friendship. No doubt His awareness of these feelings is why the Evangelist chose to set Judas aside in the description of the band of 12 men as being the one “who became a traitor”.
As I look back over the history of my own life I certainly see many friends who lasted for various lengths of time. We all can do that. We all have the friends like Judas, who would turn out to not be the most faithful…however also like Judas, their betrayal would turn out to be the catalyst for something greater. We have those few friends that have stayed by our side through thick and thin, like John, who found himself to be the only friend still standing at the foot of the Cross. Of course in our human experience we have those friends like Peter and the other Apostles, who despite claiming all the faith and fidelity in the world fail so often, yet after every fall brush themselves off, and continue to walk down the road of life’s journey right by our side.
In the last year or two I have come to learn a lot about friendship. Priorities in life change along the way, and sometimes friends can’t understand that. Like my experience in Omaha, I think we all find ourselves waiting to see who is going to be “able to hang”, who’s still going to be there at the many “last calls” that life brings our way. As we get older we change our definition of the word friend. We come to realize that what defines someone as a friend isn’t the one who pays the tab at the end of the night. It’s not a relationship that is defined by something like Facebook, which can be terminated with something as simple as the click of a mouse.
The Apostles didn’t always understand Jesus, they didn’t always agree with Him, and they certainly had their share of quarrels among them; but in the end they provided a definition of friendship that would stand the test of time. On Good Friday as Jesus was arrested and crucified, all but one ran and turned their back on Jesus when He needed them most. As Jesus hung on the cross and looked down so that He could commend the mother He was leaving behind to the care of one of His friends, all he found was John.
The happy life they had shared traveling, and talking about God and His love for them had come to an end. In what seemed like a moment, things changed, and all of a sudden it wasn't easy being friends with Jesus. The rubber had hit the road, and for this band of friends turning and running was the chosen course of action in response to all the false testimony, drama, and possible pain. The real betrayal of Judas is that when he realized the results of his betrayal, he took his own life, in an act of selfishness that was based on the thought that Jesus would never forgive him for what he’d done. The others realized they demonstrated a lack of faith in their friend, and so they would go on to give their lives for Him, and His Gospel.
The story of Jesus and his Apostles shows us that love and friendship is about giving, not taking. It proves that we all drop the ball as friends, but if it’s real it’s never to late to fix it. That’s how real friendship is defined and demonstrated; with generosity- generosity in love, giving, and forgiving. The depth of these things can never be expressed gathered at a bar, or on a Facebook wall, and history may not always record them rightly, but an accurate testimony is kept forever engraved on our hearts.
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Unless You Become Like Children...
“Amen, I say to you; unless you turn and become like children,
you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven”
- Matthew 18:3
I went to bed with a lot on my mind last night.
you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven”
- Matthew 18:3
I went to bed with a lot on my mind last night.
There was all the usual stuff like the Parish, and my work as a priest; How am I doing? Am I missing anything? Are we welcoming enough? Are the bills paid?
There was the usual stuff like work; Did I turn everything off when I left? Did I remember to save that slideshow I was working on? Was the advice I gave that youth helpful?
There was the stuff particular to that day; When will he ever learn to forgive, and stop carrying such anger in his heart? Will she ever be relieved of the ongoing addition of burden in this life, or will she have to wait until paradise to enjoy the freedom of peace?
We all go to bed with a whole world that continues to turn in the universe of our minds. That world contains worries about life, love, pain, bills, stress, relief, and the list goes on. It’s a miracle we get any rest at all during the five – eight hours we lay in rest at night. Then this morning I read today’s Gospel, with the above words from Jesus, “unless you become like children, you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven.”
A child has a certain innocence that we lose as we get older. The first time our heart gets broken, we become more guarded with our feelings, and the more it happens, the stronger that guard becomes. We get our first financial responsibility; maybe a cell phone, or a car payment, and it serves as the first of many bills to juggle in our heads. We learn how to worry about other people, people who invite us into their lives; friends, lovers, family, and co workers. We learn about gossip and the harm it can cause in our lives and the damage it can bring to a community. The lessons life teaches are often hard, and can only be learned through the shedding of more than one tear. If we were to stop for a moment and think back, especially on a sunny day like today, to life as a child playing in a yard on a summer’s day – we remember a life that was very different.
As a child when we got up in the morning, we were eager. Eager to enjoy the weather, eager to see our friends from the neighborhood, eager to see what discoveries of the world were in store for us today. Somewhere along the line we lose all that.
Children have such open hearts that are free from the damage of such pain and suffering. A child has never endured heartbreak, received a letter from a collections agent, dealt with car problems, or lost sleep due to worry and concern. That’s why Jesus advises us to become like little children; it’s for our own sanity!
A child forgives before receiving an apology, and loves without prejudice. A child plays a game of basketball alone, but in the amazing world of their imagination, they may be a member of a full team of players, competing against another team. They may fill the role of a point guard, a forward, or a center. As this NBA Championship game plays out in their imagination and they run around the court full of such energy they don’t even for a moment consider that an onlooker may think them crazy, because they only see a child, playing basketball all alone.
As adults we can’t even begin to imagine participating in such silliness. We would worry about others seeing us and think we had gone mad. We don’t have time with the responsibilities of life that occupy us. Perhaps even if we had the time, and the care-free attitude to do so, we are so affected by our life experience that the concept of a team that works together without malice, or the drive of an individual ego is so absurd- the only place it can exist is in the imagination of a child.
That’s the challenge of life. How do we reclaim that childlike passion that we can do anything we set our mind to? How do we see past the stress, and see all the blessings? How do we free our hearts of the pain and anger we carry so that we can live the lives of good and upright people that we are called to? How do we find the courage to let our hearts be open to someone else, risking the pain and suffering we have learned from in the past?
It’s a risk. It’s a risk to become like little children, but the reward is worth it. The reward of Paradise to be certain, but the reward we receive right here in the world we live in. The reward of love, happiness, freedom from grudges, or maybe, just maybe – even a good night’s sleep.
Friday, July 22, 2011
Sometimes We All Need A Good Cry
When’s the last time you had a good cry? There is something healthy about crying I have decided. It’s a cleansing experience. What makes us cry? We cry when we are in pain, physical or emotional. We cry when we are overwhelmed with happiness, and we cry when we are overwhelmed with sorrow.
Some contemporary empirical research would argue that sometimes we cry simply because we need hug. This modern research explains how a part of our humanity is our connection with others, our natural drive for community. Crying is a part of an expression of desire to connect to that community, a need to recharge, which is perhaps why so often our tears tend to slow, if not completely stop, when they are met with an embrace from someone we love.
Today is the Feast of Mary Magdalene. Mary was one of Christ’s followers while He was on this earth. Everyone seems to have their own take on this woman. Some tradition simply speaks of her colorful past from before meeting Jesus, some say she was a prostitute, and a movie produced in the late 90’s claimed she was a source of sexual temptation for Christ even as He hung on the Cross. Whatever her history was, the morning of the Resurrection, we know that she arrived at the tomb with two of the Apostles, and upon discovering that the tomb was empty, the apostles ran to tell the others, while Mary stood and cried. She cried because in that moment all she needed was Jesus. It was bad enough He was dead, so He wouldn’t be able to hear her, comfort her, or advise her as He previously had, but now even His body is gone. All she wanted and needed was a few moments with the only person who ever REALLY knew her. The result; she sees the Risen Jesus, who stands before her and asks why she is “seeking the living among the dead”.
I think we are in many ways a lot like Mary Magdalene. We go through our daily lives doing the best that we can, we are good people who pay our bills, go to work to make an honest days pay, we seek companionship in friends and lovers, we try to save for the future, and strive to reach our goals. In the meanwhile everyone else seems to have their own take on us. People construct their own opinions, and like the historians who wrote extensive pieces justifying their opinions on Mary Magdalene, when our name comes up in others’ conversation people promulgate the opinion they have constructed. History records its own many variations of our story; none of which ever seem to capture the real story of us.
I had the honor of presiding over a funeral yesterday for a man who was with his partner for 33 years. As the new widower stood at the casket of his beloved, he put his hand on the hand of the deceased and as a tear rolled down his cheek he offered a silent goodbye to the person with whom so much had been shared over the course of three decades. I was reminded in that moment of the scene a few days earlier in his Hospice Care Facility, as he who is now deceased lay on his bed, with tubes connected to his nose, breathing his final days breath. His partner held his hand that day too, as he said to me, “Father we had our ups and downs, but we always worked through it. I am just so grateful.”
I know I have those moments, we all have them. We all face those moments where for whatever reason, and in response to sometimes unknown stimulus, we get that feeling inside of us that says, “no one understands me.” We have moments where we feel so upset, and if only someone could live inside of our heads for just a minute, and feel what we feel, and look at life through our eyes they would completely understand our pain – but when asked to put it into words we can’t, or when we try, it doesn’t communicate to the person who is listening. That’s because often life’s burden is so personal, that if given the opportunity to allow someone else to help us carry it, we wouldn’t even know how to distribute the weight to those who were willing to help. There is no sense in trying, because each of our individual crosses is fashioned for no other shoulder but our own.
The lesson of Mary Magdalene is that there are going to be times that we run to the tomb and find it empty. There are going to be those moments when we are going to turn to that which strengthens us and be unable to find it, for the Christian that strength is Jesus Christ, and there will be times where even He will be seemingly absent. In Mary’s case the Risen Christ was hidden in the form of who she thought was the groundskeeper. Where is Christ hidden waiting for us? I can’t answer that question, for each of us it is different. What I do know is that for Mary step one was a good cry, then she was able to recognize the Risen Lord. So when we feel the tears coming, we need to let them flow. Allow yourself a good cry. Then after it’s over, embrace that feeling of release, that consolation that we find somewhere deep inside of us when its over, that sense of relief as though those tears were each weights that were adding to life’s burden.
Enjoy your next good cry, it’s God’s way of cleansing the heart and soul, so that like Mary, we can see the Risen Christ among us, and hear Him when inquires; “Why do you seek the living among the dead?”
Some contemporary empirical research would argue that sometimes we cry simply because we need hug. This modern research explains how a part of our humanity is our connection with others, our natural drive for community. Crying is a part of an expression of desire to connect to that community, a need to recharge, which is perhaps why so often our tears tend to slow, if not completely stop, when they are met with an embrace from someone we love.
Today is the Feast of Mary Magdalene. Mary was one of Christ’s followers while He was on this earth. Everyone seems to have their own take on this woman. Some tradition simply speaks of her colorful past from before meeting Jesus, some say she was a prostitute, and a movie produced in the late 90’s claimed she was a source of sexual temptation for Christ even as He hung on the Cross. Whatever her history was, the morning of the Resurrection, we know that she arrived at the tomb with two of the Apostles, and upon discovering that the tomb was empty, the apostles ran to tell the others, while Mary stood and cried. She cried because in that moment all she needed was Jesus. It was bad enough He was dead, so He wouldn’t be able to hear her, comfort her, or advise her as He previously had, but now even His body is gone. All she wanted and needed was a few moments with the only person who ever REALLY knew her. The result; she sees the Risen Jesus, who stands before her and asks why she is “seeking the living among the dead”.
I think we are in many ways a lot like Mary Magdalene. We go through our daily lives doing the best that we can, we are good people who pay our bills, go to work to make an honest days pay, we seek companionship in friends and lovers, we try to save for the future, and strive to reach our goals. In the meanwhile everyone else seems to have their own take on us. People construct their own opinions, and like the historians who wrote extensive pieces justifying their opinions on Mary Magdalene, when our name comes up in others’ conversation people promulgate the opinion they have constructed. History records its own many variations of our story; none of which ever seem to capture the real story of us.
I had the honor of presiding over a funeral yesterday for a man who was with his partner for 33 years. As the new widower stood at the casket of his beloved, he put his hand on the hand of the deceased and as a tear rolled down his cheek he offered a silent goodbye to the person with whom so much had been shared over the course of three decades. I was reminded in that moment of the scene a few days earlier in his Hospice Care Facility, as he who is now deceased lay on his bed, with tubes connected to his nose, breathing his final days breath. His partner held his hand that day too, as he said to me, “Father we had our ups and downs, but we always worked through it. I am just so grateful.”
I know I have those moments, we all have them. We all face those moments where for whatever reason, and in response to sometimes unknown stimulus, we get that feeling inside of us that says, “no one understands me.” We have moments where we feel so upset, and if only someone could live inside of our heads for just a minute, and feel what we feel, and look at life through our eyes they would completely understand our pain – but when asked to put it into words we can’t, or when we try, it doesn’t communicate to the person who is listening. That’s because often life’s burden is so personal, that if given the opportunity to allow someone else to help us carry it, we wouldn’t even know how to distribute the weight to those who were willing to help. There is no sense in trying, because each of our individual crosses is fashioned for no other shoulder but our own.
The lesson of Mary Magdalene is that there are going to be times that we run to the tomb and find it empty. There are going to be those moments when we are going to turn to that which strengthens us and be unable to find it, for the Christian that strength is Jesus Christ, and there will be times where even He will be seemingly absent. In Mary’s case the Risen Christ was hidden in the form of who she thought was the groundskeeper. Where is Christ hidden waiting for us? I can’t answer that question, for each of us it is different. What I do know is that for Mary step one was a good cry, then she was able to recognize the Risen Lord. So when we feel the tears coming, we need to let them flow. Allow yourself a good cry. Then after it’s over, embrace that feeling of release, that consolation that we find somewhere deep inside of us when its over, that sense of relief as though those tears were each weights that were adding to life’s burden.
Enjoy your next good cry, it’s God’s way of cleansing the heart and soul, so that like Mary, we can see the Risen Christ among us, and hear Him when inquires; “Why do you seek the living among the dead?”
Monday, July 4, 2011
Oh Say Does That Star Spangled Banner Yet Wave
The Fourth of July is my favorite holiday – bar none. When I was growing up, we didn’t really do a WHOLE lot for the big day. My dad’s birthday is the day after, and my best friend’s birthday is the day before. We usually had a family cookout somewhere near the day, and did the whole fireworks thing. My best friend would have his Birthday Party every year, and the Fourth of July burned itself into my memory as a time of celebration.
When I was in the summer after my first year of Seminary, Father Bert Richman, my Pastor, inspiration, and very dear friend was called home to the God who made him. He closed his eyes to this world, on July 3, the same day as that friend’s birthday (who was also good friends with Fr. Bert). For me, in that moment, the Fourth of July stopped being a cause to celebrate.
The next year, as I grew further and further away from those things of my youth I made friends with someone new, who introduced me to the world of the Fourth of July Bristol style. He allowed me a glimpse each year on July 3rd and 4th into a world of nonstop cookouts, the Parade, Fireworks, and the town of Bristol in a whole new light. Who knew that the laws of the State that applied everywhere else stopped applying on those days.
After leaving Seminary I found myself again growing further and further away from the world I knew, as my priorities changed yet again, but with it came a certain emptiness on the Fourth of July. A day that had formerly been about friends and family had become a day that only reminded me of the reality that my life was a mess, and if I was going to make something of it, I had to do something soon.
This year the Fourth of July really touched me. I had the pleasure of officiating at the Marriage of two Military personnel, who due to their service to this Nation had been forced to reschedule the event multiple times. At the Parish Mass on Sunday we celebrated the great gift of Freedom. The true freedom that is only found in Christ – and the debt of gratitude we owe to our military for establishing, and defending our freedom to worship and grow with Christ however we find most suitable. I thought to myself tonight, while watching the fireworks that I had the joy and honor of being engaged in ministry all weekend long – and the freedom to do so is only possible because of the service and sacrifice of so many in our Armed Forces, and indeed even the hard work of our fore fathers who set that wheel in motion.
I thought about my own life. I thought about how all the things about the Fourth of July that I have loved through the years as they have come and gone have been a testimony to who I am, and key in making me the person I am today. Maybe that’s why we as Americans relate so well to the Fourth of July. It’s the epitome of American optimism.
The Star Spangled Banner tells the story of the American Flag flying proud the day after a long battle. We go through life fighting to stay a step ahead. We try to stay a step ahead of the bills, our boss, our family, our friends. We try to keep our head above water, and when Summer comes we grasp at the opportunity to embrace a well deserved rest. The Fourth of July comes, and we gather with friends and family and watch fireworks, and hear the Star Spangled Banner in the background and we cant help but feel proud, and grateful. We are proud of ourselves for being survivors, and proud that we live in a Nation of such opportunity. We are grateful for the successes we have seen in our own lives, and grateful for the success of those before us that provided the possibilities that are available to us. Despite everything, after the long night’s battle…the flag was still there. We too will make it through the long dark nights filled with “rockets red glare”, and “bombs bursting in air”. We too will “give proof through the night”.
So my friends as this Fourth of July comes to its close all I can really say, is “God Bless America”.
When I was in the summer after my first year of Seminary, Father Bert Richman, my Pastor, inspiration, and very dear friend was called home to the God who made him. He closed his eyes to this world, on July 3, the same day as that friend’s birthday (who was also good friends with Fr. Bert). For me, in that moment, the Fourth of July stopped being a cause to celebrate.
The next year, as I grew further and further away from those things of my youth I made friends with someone new, who introduced me to the world of the Fourth of July Bristol style. He allowed me a glimpse each year on July 3rd and 4th into a world of nonstop cookouts, the Parade, Fireworks, and the town of Bristol in a whole new light. Who knew that the laws of the State that applied everywhere else stopped applying on those days.
After leaving Seminary I found myself again growing further and further away from the world I knew, as my priorities changed yet again, but with it came a certain emptiness on the Fourth of July. A day that had formerly been about friends and family had become a day that only reminded me of the reality that my life was a mess, and if I was going to make something of it, I had to do something soon.
This year the Fourth of July really touched me. I had the pleasure of officiating at the Marriage of two Military personnel, who due to their service to this Nation had been forced to reschedule the event multiple times. At the Parish Mass on Sunday we celebrated the great gift of Freedom. The true freedom that is only found in Christ – and the debt of gratitude we owe to our military for establishing, and defending our freedom to worship and grow with Christ however we find most suitable. I thought to myself tonight, while watching the fireworks that I had the joy and honor of being engaged in ministry all weekend long – and the freedom to do so is only possible because of the service and sacrifice of so many in our Armed Forces, and indeed even the hard work of our fore fathers who set that wheel in motion.
I thought about my own life. I thought about how all the things about the Fourth of July that I have loved through the years as they have come and gone have been a testimony to who I am, and key in making me the person I am today. Maybe that’s why we as Americans relate so well to the Fourth of July. It’s the epitome of American optimism.
The Star Spangled Banner tells the story of the American Flag flying proud the day after a long battle. We go through life fighting to stay a step ahead. We try to stay a step ahead of the bills, our boss, our family, our friends. We try to keep our head above water, and when Summer comes we grasp at the opportunity to embrace a well deserved rest. The Fourth of July comes, and we gather with friends and family and watch fireworks, and hear the Star Spangled Banner in the background and we cant help but feel proud, and grateful. We are proud of ourselves for being survivors, and proud that we live in a Nation of such opportunity. We are grateful for the successes we have seen in our own lives, and grateful for the success of those before us that provided the possibilities that are available to us. Despite everything, after the long night’s battle…the flag was still there. We too will make it through the long dark nights filled with “rockets red glare”, and “bombs bursting in air”. We too will “give proof through the night”.
So my friends as this Fourth of July comes to its close all I can really say, is “God Bless America”.
Sunday, July 3, 2011
True Freedom
Homily from Sunday, July 3,2011
________________________
The story is told of an elderly priest who had taken up his residence at a local Parish upon his retirement. Adjacent to the Parish was the Parish school, where he would frequently go and visit the classes. On one occasion he wandered into a History class, and asked the kids if they were able to name the 50 states. The class struggled to come up with about 35 or 40 of them, and the old priest shook his head and said, “when I was your age, we would have had no problem naming every state.”
To which one young man replied, without missing a beat, “Father that’s not fair, when you were our age, there were a lot less of them.”
I think that many of us here present are from a generation that placed a heavy value on things like history and social studies. We learned the States and Capitols. We learned things like the text of the Gettysburg Address, the Preamble of the Constitution, and the opening lines of the Declaration of Independence, and in fact with the help of Schoolhouse Rock, we even learned the process of signing a Bill into a Law.
The sad reality is, that in 2009 when surveyed less than 50 percent of students could identify the origin of the sentence, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal” as being from the Declaration of Independence. In fact, when asked to match it with the appropriate historical document, many even claimed that it was taken from the Communist Manifesto. That’s why days like the Fourth of July are so important. Young people will sit and watch the events from Bristol broadcast on television tomorrow, and see the bands, floats, and the many participants dressed as Uncle Sam, George Washington, and so many others, and they will receive a visual, albeit not terribly accurate, lesson in American History. Celebrations of the Fourth of July ensure that the words of people like Ronald Regan don’t come to pass when he said, “I'm warning of an eradication of the American memory that could result, ultimately, in an erosion of the American spirit”.
The core of our American values is freedom, and this idea that all men and women are created equal. The freedom to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness is the American dream that we hear quoted so often by so many people. In the political arena we hear about so many people who are fighting for these rights. Immigration, same sex marriage, abortion, and so many other political entanglements are fought over with each side arguing their interpretation of the words “freedom” and “equality”.
Jesus gives us in this weekend’s Gospel the true definition of freedom, which may come as a bit of a surprise when we first read it. He says, “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for your selves; for my yoke is easy, and my burden light."
A yoke is a symbol of submission. A yoke with a plow was attached to oxen. Farmers used the oxen to plow their fields. So Jesus is telling us that in finding rest, in finding freedom, we do not cast away everything, he is saying that taking on HIS yoke is an easy burden. He is saying that in being submissive to HIM instead of the world, we will find rest, we will find true freedom.
It’s freedom because submission to unjust authority is oppression. Living a Christian life entails taking on burdens and responsibilities, but the yoke of Jesus is far easier to bear than the yoke of sin and guilt. The yoke of Jesus is far easier to bear then the yoke of the world, of work, of earthly respect and rank. Christ promises that true happiness will be ours in heaven, where the yoke of this world will matter no more, and where the only thing that will matter is him, where HIS yoke, will be the only one to bear. This must be, then true freedom, submission to Christ.
America cast off the yoke of England, an unjust authority. Those early free states then came together, and formed a union. A union that was dedicated to this idea that all were created equal, and that all deserved the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. This freedom they found was not free, rather it came at a great price. It came at the price of many lives, and since 1776 there have been the loss of so many more lives, given to defend that freedom, given so that we could have the freedom to gather here this morning and celebrate these Sacred Mysteries, given so that we could gather in the same building as men and women of a different faith as they worship the same God differently two flights of stairs away, given so that no matter what the law says about things like civil rights, immigration, taxes, government spending, or any other thing - we can come here, and take comfort in the only freedom that matters, the only true freedom, the only yoke we have any interest in bearing.
The freedom promised in bearing the Yoke of Jesus also comes at its own price. It comes with its own responsibilities, sacrifices, losses and gains. So now its our turn. Countless lives have been given in the name of this ‘Great American Experiment’. Countless lives have been given so that you and I can have the freedom to enter into our experience of God however we want, so that we can experience the freedom Jesus has to offer in the way that suits us best, in short; men and women have died so that we can have the freedom to pick up that yoke. Don’t we owe it then, to do our part, and pick it up? The greatest gratitude we can show, is to lay down our lives to Jesus Christ, and bring to fulfillment the freedom whose foundation was laid centuries ago with the proud declaration, “We the people of the United States..”
God Bless You
And May God Bless America
________________________
The story is told of an elderly priest who had taken up his residence at a local Parish upon his retirement. Adjacent to the Parish was the Parish school, where he would frequently go and visit the classes. On one occasion he wandered into a History class, and asked the kids if they were able to name the 50 states. The class struggled to come up with about 35 or 40 of them, and the old priest shook his head and said, “when I was your age, we would have had no problem naming every state.”
To which one young man replied, without missing a beat, “Father that’s not fair, when you were our age, there were a lot less of them.”
I think that many of us here present are from a generation that placed a heavy value on things like history and social studies. We learned the States and Capitols. We learned things like the text of the Gettysburg Address, the Preamble of the Constitution, and the opening lines of the Declaration of Independence, and in fact with the help of Schoolhouse Rock, we even learned the process of signing a Bill into a Law.
The sad reality is, that in 2009 when surveyed less than 50 percent of students could identify the origin of the sentence, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal” as being from the Declaration of Independence. In fact, when asked to match it with the appropriate historical document, many even claimed that it was taken from the Communist Manifesto. That’s why days like the Fourth of July are so important. Young people will sit and watch the events from Bristol broadcast on television tomorrow, and see the bands, floats, and the many participants dressed as Uncle Sam, George Washington, and so many others, and they will receive a visual, albeit not terribly accurate, lesson in American History. Celebrations of the Fourth of July ensure that the words of people like Ronald Regan don’t come to pass when he said, “I'm warning of an eradication of the American memory that could result, ultimately, in an erosion of the American spirit”.
The core of our American values is freedom, and this idea that all men and women are created equal. The freedom to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness is the American dream that we hear quoted so often by so many people. In the political arena we hear about so many people who are fighting for these rights. Immigration, same sex marriage, abortion, and so many other political entanglements are fought over with each side arguing their interpretation of the words “freedom” and “equality”.
Jesus gives us in this weekend’s Gospel the true definition of freedom, which may come as a bit of a surprise when we first read it. He says, “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for your selves; for my yoke is easy, and my burden light."
A yoke is a symbol of submission. A yoke with a plow was attached to oxen. Farmers used the oxen to plow their fields. So Jesus is telling us that in finding rest, in finding freedom, we do not cast away everything, he is saying that taking on HIS yoke is an easy burden. He is saying that in being submissive to HIM instead of the world, we will find rest, we will find true freedom.
It’s freedom because submission to unjust authority is oppression. Living a Christian life entails taking on burdens and responsibilities, but the yoke of Jesus is far easier to bear than the yoke of sin and guilt. The yoke of Jesus is far easier to bear then the yoke of the world, of work, of earthly respect and rank. Christ promises that true happiness will be ours in heaven, where the yoke of this world will matter no more, and where the only thing that will matter is him, where HIS yoke, will be the only one to bear. This must be, then true freedom, submission to Christ.
America cast off the yoke of England, an unjust authority. Those early free states then came together, and formed a union. A union that was dedicated to this idea that all were created equal, and that all deserved the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. This freedom they found was not free, rather it came at a great price. It came at the price of many lives, and since 1776 there have been the loss of so many more lives, given to defend that freedom, given so that we could have the freedom to gather here this morning and celebrate these Sacred Mysteries, given so that we could gather in the same building as men and women of a different faith as they worship the same God differently two flights of stairs away, given so that no matter what the law says about things like civil rights, immigration, taxes, government spending, or any other thing - we can come here, and take comfort in the only freedom that matters, the only true freedom, the only yoke we have any interest in bearing.
The freedom promised in bearing the Yoke of Jesus also comes at its own price. It comes with its own responsibilities, sacrifices, losses and gains. So now its our turn. Countless lives have been given in the name of this ‘Great American Experiment’. Countless lives have been given so that you and I can have the freedom to enter into our experience of God however we want, so that we can experience the freedom Jesus has to offer in the way that suits us best, in short; men and women have died so that we can have the freedom to pick up that yoke. Don’t we owe it then, to do our part, and pick it up? The greatest gratitude we can show, is to lay down our lives to Jesus Christ, and bring to fulfillment the freedom whose foundation was laid centuries ago with the proud declaration, “We the people of the United States..”
God Bless You
And May God Bless America
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Simplistic Ignorance
It must be a Thursday; it’s usually on Thursday that I peruse the local Catholic Press, the Rhode Island Catholic. This week’s issue had a story that managed to make my blood completely boil, and now that I’ve hit the ripe age of 30, that can’t be good for my health.
I understand that the topic of Same Sex Marriage has been covered from every possible angle, but I only really get heated when someone in a public forum claims to be talking about same sex marriage, but in actuality is only promoting their own ignorance. This week's RI Catholic Article features Chris Plante, Executive Director of the National Organization for Marriage in RI (NOM). The Diocese of Providence has collaborated with NOM in their "ministry to defend Marriage" during this battle in Rhode Island for Marriage Equality. If you want to argue about same sex marriage, then argue about same sex marriage - don't simply spout your simplistic ignorance.
“If marriage is redefined to include two persons of the same gender, there is no way to stop further redefinitions as different individuals see fit, such as marriage to several people in polygamy, to siblings or cousins, or even to animals,” Plante said. “A lawyer will be right beside them to justify their idea based on the legalization of gay marriage. Marriage is between a man and a woman, or it is nothing.”
Well Mr. Plante, let's not get ridiculous. Frankly I find your ridiculous comparison insulting. The irony is; in actuality the LGBTQ Community simply wants the same right that is already afforded to two Cousins in the State of Rhode Island.
I respect the Diocese for standing up for a Theology that they believe in. Weather I agree with it or not is a non issue. However, when the discussion goes from talking about Theological points to outright bigotry and ignorance, and the Diocese in sponsoring those talks, is sponsoring bigotry and ignorance.
In another interview on March 3, 2011 Plante is venting about how same sex marriage will destroy families. How it will force good and upright people like him to teach their children that same sex marriage is ok. He goes on to say that; “What homosexual marriage boils down to is an effort by two adults to have their relationships justified by the government. It turns children into accessories.” He goes on, “children become accessories to fulfill the whims and desires of two adults”. What the hell does that mean Mr. Plante? There is no mistaken context here either. I invite you to watch his testimony to ignorance for yourself. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8-QsWQCGiM&feature=player_embedded#at=15) .
Is the marriage between a man and a woman supposed to be the universal and objective testimony to quality child rearing? So the 26 percent of young people who are thrown out of their homes when they “come out” to their parents in the State of RI are being treated with great dignity? It sounds to me like children are already being treated like they are something that can just be tossed aside, or disregarded when no longer convenient, and ironically, it’s happening around this very issue.
Don’t try to use this issue to talk about protecting children and families, because justified ignorance and bigotry (just like this) is exactly what is currently affecting children and destroying families.
In his interview that the link above will take you to, Plante is sharing his disgust at a children’s book, which depicts a Prince choosing his life partner. All the princesses are brought in, and the prince is not interested in any of them. It’s not until the other prince comes to the room, when he finds love. The book ends with the two kissing. As you can imagine Plante is horrified at the idea of a second grader reading this book.
What about the second grader who identifies with the story in that book? We don’t think about him do we? What about the young person who sits in desks in classrooms everyday and listens to stories, TV shows, movies, and stories about boys falling in love with girls, and at every moment of life in the society that he lives in he is reminded that he is different. What about the young person who is so scared of becoming a part of the 26 percent, they take their own life before they run the risk? What about the young person who is so tired of feeling so different from the prince in most books that he/she takes their own life. What about them Mr. Plante? What about the LGBT youth, who face bigotry and ignorance everyday because of who they are, because of an attraction that they feel, and they turn to substance abuse, they become depressed, they skip school to avoid being bullied
“In 1996 the homosexual agenda really came onto the scene in Rhode Island, and a lot of our non discrimination, accommodation, homosexual adoption laws came onto the books.” Plante sites this as the beginning of the story. He points this out as the first visible movement of the LGBTQ community that would eventually lead to the push for marriage equality. The homosexual “agenda”. Imagine the audacity of the gays to not want to be discriminated against. Imagine the horror that a woman doesn’t want to be refused employment because of who she is sexually attracted to. Imagine!
The article from the RI Catholic goes on to quote Plante further; “We often hear that ‘all gays want is to be left to live their own lives’. But that is not true. They want homosexual marriage legalized, and that would affect our freedom of religion and of conscience.” No Mr. Plante, it really wouldn’t. It would affect your “freedom to hate” which is what you are doing. That article and that interview do not talk about the pros and cons of passing piece of legislature. They are an expression of your own hatred and ignorance, which you are carrying in the public view on the back of a piece of legislature, and which is funded by the Diocese of Providence, and frankly: It Makes Me Sick.
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