HOLY FAMILY SUNDAY: Homily

During the last few hours of the year 2006, after an Advent and Christmas celebrations, I would like to draw attention to one of the major persons in the history of Jesus’ life. We heard much about John, the Baptizer, about Mary and about Jesus. Today, a history lesson about another important person sent by the Father, can help us deepen our appreciation of and, perhaps, devotion to, Joseph.
Many of the pseudo gospels that appeared during and after his life, have produced a number of outrageous and seemingly incorrect historical facts about the man. One such is a writing that maintained that Joseph was about ninety years old when he married Mary. Imagine his doing carpentry work at that age!
The facts that the Church relies on are found in initial chapters of Matthew and Luke. He was portrayed as a "righteous" man. He often received his marching orders in dreams. He was Mary’s husband. He traveled to Egypt – most likely to Alexandria, Egypt. On return he settled his family in Nazareth. We know also that when Jesus was twelve years old, Joseph was still alive. It is presumed that Joseph was dead when Jesus was crucified because Jesus entrusted his mother to John.
Dedication and devotion to Joseph was not an early beginner. It took a few centuries for a better understanding of the man and gifts he brings. The first mention about him after the death of Jesus occurs in the 5th century. So three hundred years before his place and work were recognized as avenues to the Father. It was in the Coptic Church (eventually divided by a schism into the Orthodox Coptic and the Coptic Catholic) that Joseph was first mentioned.
The Roman Rite did not dedicate a church to Joseph until 1129. Then there was another hiatus. Not until the 1300s and 1400s did devotion to Joseph begin to grow. The Carmelite and Dominican Orders of priests and religious sisters and brothers fostered devotion to Joseph. St. Teresa of Avila was well known for her devotion to St. Joseph. Another three hundred years and Joseph’s name began to appear on some church calendars.
In the nineteenth century devotion to Joseph grew rapidly. Especially devoted to the working man, this saint became a favorite of the new working classes that were growing as cities industrialized.
Not until 1847 did a feast honoring Joseph make it to the Church’s universal calendar of saints.
In 1870 St. Joseph became the Patron of the Universal Church through the strong efforts of Blessed Pius IX.
Pope Pius XII added the feast of St. Joseph the Worker on May 1st of each year. Blessed John XXIII added Joseph’s name to the 1st Eucharistic Prayer, the Roman Canon, as it is formally titled. Venerable John Paul II was baptized Karol Josef Woytila and our current Pope, is, by name, Joseph Ratzinger.
Beyond all this history, what does Joseph offer. With the little information we have about him, we can see that there are three virtues that dominated his life: DEVOTION, COMPASSION and OBEDIENCE.
In Matthew we learn that Joseph was a "righteous" man — he was devoted to his Jewish faith. Again in Matthew we read how Joseph handled the unexpected pregnancy of Mary. Here and elsewhere Joseph demonstrated a genuine compassion. Lastly, Joseph was a model of obedience. The few times an angel appeared in his dreams. Joseph immediately carried out what he was called upon to do.
Let Joseph be a model for all of us — perhaps with renewed devotion. He may well be the missing link in many families who find life a challenge.
I owe thanks to Paul S. Siebenand of Liturgical Press for having put the historical data together. It made preparing this message so much easier.
Michelangelo's painting of the Holy Family.

Georgetown Grads: Rev. Timonty S. Healy, SJ

Today in the anniversary of the 1992 death of Father Tim Healy, SJ who served as President at Georgetown University. Well known in the academic world as well as "inside the beltway" for his candor and robust leadership at Hoyaville. After his G-town service, Tim accepted the position of leadership at the NY Library in downtown Manhattan. He suffered a death-dealing heart attack at Newark airport, returning from holiday vacation.

SCHOOL PARENTS TAKE NOTE

Just when you thought the loved one would be returning to the classroom after the almost two full weeks of Christmas vacation, the Archdiocesan Catholic Schools Office announced that the return to classes would be postponed for a day. The students will return on Wednesay, January 3rd. The reason: the National Day of Mourning for President Gerald Ford and all the events that will be taking place throughout the city.

But, but, but not so for the parish staff: the commander-in-chief is continuing with the scheduled return to the office. The necessary carpet removal project in the school library and the first floor parish offices is completed. Now the massive mound of mail and trying to reconnect all of the computer wires will require a day.

New Termine Stazione Name in Rome

Today there was a formal "rededication" of the Stazione Termini, the famous railroad station in Rome. The new name is Stazione Termini Giovanni Paulo Secundo is the new name, honoring in another way, Pope John Paul II.

Greetings from "B16" as he has come to be known in many European papers. This is is formal apprearance on the loggia of the loggia on the front of St. Peter's Basilica on Christmas morning.

So, here is our Holy Father, extenind his ffiahful, his Chrsitmas blessing.

DAILY REFLECTION: John the Evangelist, December 27, 2006

Titian's John the Evangelist on the Island of Patmos where the apostle had been exiled and where he wrote the Book of Revelations. At the National Gallery in Washington, DC.

Today's feast honors the disciple Jesus loved. The feast day is not so much about John as it is about fellowship, about community and about the eternal nature of God: always the way of one who loves someone else -- focus on the loved one rather than self.

Today's scripture readings are to be found at Readings. Click on the Readings tab.

In the first reading, John's first letter, we find an invitation for anyone who strives to be in communion with those who knew the man Jesus: "so that you too may have fellowship with us." It is a fellowship that joins us with the Father as well as Jesus.

For me, John's writing in this letter -- as well as the words from St. Augustine in the Office of Readings, a part of the Liturgy of the Hours, the "official" prayer of the Church -- brings me to a moment of consideration of God's eternal nature. John also intends "to proclaim (to you) the eternal life that was with the Father ...." It seems good, it seems spiritually healthy, to take time on occasion to feast on the meaning of the reality so challenging to the human mind and heart in our modern culture: there always was a God, an eternal God. This God cannot be "was." He is. He is the "I am." What a wonderful exercise: imagine, as best as you can, what it means not to have a starting point. That is difficult for the finite, human mind. Something existing without a beginning? Even our words manifest our need to have a time and place for everything: imagine never beginning but always being, without a starting point or date! That's our God. That's the God of John the Evangelist.

This is the eternal God that John invites us to know along with himself and the others who came to know, to see and to touch in the person of Jesus Christ. Is there any wonder that John would author a gospel so different from Matthew, Mark and Luke, the Synoptics (with eyes)? John always endeavors to join us to the eternal not simply alone but with the community of believers. John cam to believe there is a partnership among believers with the eternal Father.

Today's feast and readings calls us to remember that our fellowship, our sense of community joins us with believers in far away places as well as with those who are our neighbors. In a way, these communal bonds join us with those who believe in the God who spoke the Word of life and made that Word visible in the person of Jesus Christ BUT who feel a separation from our Church. Is this feast not, then, a call to continue John's work of proclamation to reunite what is separated from the fullness of the complete joy mentioned in the first reading?

Saddam: Execution within 30 Days

Just a few moments ago, the appeals court in Iraq announced its decision. The execution must be carried out within 30 days.

Now we await the consequences. Surely the hierarchy will speak out against the death penalty. What will the US Armed Forces experience as a result?

DAILY REFLECTION: St. Stephen's Day, December 26, 2006

St. Stephen – Proto-martyr
Can you recall the different times this late Fall and Winter when one day the temperatures were in the seventies and the next morning you awoke to the middle thirties? Almost unbelievable change ... until you walked outside ... and bavoom ... the cold hits you squarely in your face.
The feast day of yesterday and of today is similar to that. Yesterday, we basked in the sunshine of the greatest gift God has ever given the world. Today we are hit squarely what it can cost to be a follower of Jesus Christ, the wonderful gift from God to us.
For the last three weeks I have been writing and speaking out God’s intention for us and the purpose He has given us in our lives at any given time. Looking at the martyrdom of St. Stephen, his being stoned to death, we encounter a man who gave his life for the one who sacrificed his life for Stephen.
Today we go from unwrapping to repackaging: from the special joy of the birth of Jesus to putting that away for a while, yet again, and now returning to the ordinary. Yet, as we know, there is nothing ordinary about our ordinary life as followers of Jesus. It is difficult, I believe to think about martyrdom. It is not something we would expect to encounter in our country. But accepting in an adult manner the reality of our Baptism and Confirmation, we know deep within our hearts, in that placeless place, that there are daily martyrdoms we are called upon to live in our lives ... simply by following the Commandments, following what the Catholic Church teaches us and calls us to follow.
Think of the major concerns that we have in our Church vis-a-vis our societal ways. Moral issues in the medical field ... they are here every day not just during presidential campaigns. Economic issues in our world: the ever-increasing numbers of poor matched only by the great increases in wealth in an ever-smaller segment of society. In our Church, how do we confront those who feel alienated from the Church? How do we labor to understand why they feel alienated? How can we help bring them back to the Church? Yes, there are many martyrdoms out there if we respond as Stephen did with his words: Yes, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit."

The painting is the work of Annibale Carraci. Completed in 1604, it can be seen in the Louvre, Paris, France.

Christmas Peace and Joy

To each of you I extend heartfelt Christmas greetings and a promise to remember all of you again when I join Monsignor Duffy, concelebrating the morning Mass today.

Recently I have had several conversations with Rocco Palmo, the young adult Catholic who produces Whispers in the Loggia. Those conversations and emails have noted what a blessing this blog has been for me. Rocco is responsible. When I told him that I have always had a desire to write, he was direct: Go for it. Start your own blog.

These have been unique days for me and my siblings. On the 23rd our mother would have been 87. As I mentioned in an earlier posting, this is our first year without a parent. My sister, in her goodness, scheduled a Christmas party for us with many of our friends who knew our Mom as well as many of her children's college friends. Today another sibling, my brother Bill, is hosting all of us at his home for a Christmas dinner. The "gang" were the ones who took over the half of the first two pews in our west transept for the Children's Christmas liturgy yesterday evening.

Someone asked me about my family. This is the kind of day for sharing that information. We are six: five boys and one girl. Don't feel sorry for my sister: she can take on all of us at any one time. There are seventeen, yes, seventeen grandchildren if you consider it from Mom's Christmas gift list or seventeen nephews and nieces if you consider it from my perspective. They range in age from the mid-thirties to the youngest who is in the first grade. Between the six of us siblings there is 22 years!!! So, we will have a good time this afternoon: teasing one another, laughing, telling stories about Mom and Dad, sharing dreams and worries as well all are growing older (and hopefully wiser), and chowing down on the ham and turkey that brother Bill actually cooked himself "over the hot stove" for all of us.

To you and to you family I send my greetings for a wonderful Christmas holiday season. You are in my prayers. And, speaking of prayers, please pray for one of our parishioners, a collegiate. Home on a visit, he shared with me that he is discerning a religious vocation. Wonderful, wonderful. Please remember him in your prayers and especially when you hear one of the intentions for vocations. I know he would be most thankful to you for your concern.

Someone asked a brother priest: What did you ask Santa Claus for Christmas? Without any hesitation he replied: December 26th!!!!

May this Christmas be special for all of you.

Fr. Milt

Santa Picture!!!

Thank you to those who picked out the character that I picked out from a list of Santa pictures on Googles collection of Santa pictures. I did not recognize the individual. Surely he is not the image I wish to portray to anyone let alone our young people. However, thanks to the technology of the internet, a new and more traditional picture of the good old boy appears in the posting for the Children's homily posting.

PARISH OFFICE SCHEDULE

The offices of the parish will remain closed until January 2nd. There is a reason for this lengthy closing. Due to necessary work that had to be completed at a time when the staff and students would be out of the building, in consultation with the Principal and staff, the Christmas holidays seemed to be the best time for the repairs to be made.

A staff member will answer the main phone line voice mail several times a day. Please leave a voice mail informing the person answering the tape machine the staff member to whom you wish the message directed. To leave a message dial the parish number, 202-337-4835, and select extension 10, the parish secretary's phone. Leave you message there.

As always, if there is a genuine emergency, Dial 6, after you have dialed the parish number and to reach Msgr. Duffy, dial 23; to reach Fr. Jordan, Dial 72.
to reach Fr. Leo, dial 21.

Thank you for your patience during this necessary work and closure of the offices.

Again, we wish you a Merry Christmas and the Blessings of the Christ Child.

Fr. Jordan

CHRISTMAS WEEKEND MASS SCHEDULE

Sunday, December 24th

1. 8:00 AM Mass for the 4th Sunday of Advent, Msgr. Duffy
2. 10:30 AM Mass for the 4th Sunday of Advent, Fr. Jordan
3. Croatian Mass postponed until Midnight, Fr. Ivan/Fr. Damir
4. 4:30 PM Vigil of Christmas Mass for Children, Fr. Jordan

6:00 PM MASS WILL NOT BE CELEBRATED THIS EVENING

1. 8:30 PM Christmas Carols precedes the Mass
2. 9:00 PM "Midnight" Mass, Fr. Leo

Monday, December 25th

1. Midnight Croatian Christmas Carols followed by Mass in Croatian
2. 9:00 AM, Christmas Morning Mass, Msgr. Duffy

And to all a good night!

CHILDREN'S CHRISTMAS VIGIL MASS

Christmas Vigil Mass
Mass for and with Children
Good afternoon. Again I say that I am delighted to see so many young people with us today ... and, of course, the parents who have brought them here to learn more about Jesus as we celebrate again his birthday.
On Christmas we are celebrating something that is so difficult to really understand. To understand what it means for God to become a human being is very difficult even for us adults.
You know how amazing and mysterious it is when a magician performs acts of magic. Have you ever seen a magician show you a hat that has nothing in it and then, after saying a few words, is able to pull a rabbit, a real, alive rabbit, out of the hat? You think you know how he did it? But are you really sure? If I invited a blind student to describe for us what an elephant is, could he do it? Yes and no. Yes, if he could touch it and feel it. No, if he had no way of feeling or touching it. You would have to describe the elephant for the student, wouldn’t you? You might say that an elephant is a large animal. The elephant has a trunk for a nose. But the blind person only knows the word "trunk" to mean a large suitcase. The blind student was give a small suitcase and told that a trunk is big suitcase. Or the blind person was told that a trunk is something that is a part of an automobile. The back area where people store things in their cars ... like trunks. See how difficult it really is to understand something which is so different especially if we have not seen it before.
That is what is happening to us today. We say that the birthday of the little baby we call Jesus is very special because this Jesus baby is not an ordinary baby. What is he? He is God. Then we ask ourselves what is this God? Do we really know? Some of us might say "Oh, yeah, God is Jesus." True. We know that Jesus was born just like you and me. Two arms, two legs, two eyes. He could speak. Eventually he could walk. But, but, but: don’t forget we said he was God who came to be a person.
As God, Jesus came to us but where from? Where was his home. Somewhere where none of us, even our parents, have never visited ... and we hope they don’t visit there too soon.
What I want you to know today is that it is impossible for us to really understand who and what God is with our human minds. The only way we have some idea about what our God is comes to us because we can learn something about Jesus.
This is why we have Christmas: to get an idea about what and who God is. At Christmas what is the main thing that all of us do? Well, when we are young, we get ready to receive gifts from Santa Claus and from our family and friends. As we grow older, Christmas becomes more about giving gifts than getting them.
What the birthday of Jesus is about is that God, the Father in heaven, is giving all of us a very special gift. What is that gift? It is the gift of his son, Jesus. God is giving us his son to help us.
God’s gift to us, the baby Jesus, was the very first time we had a Christmas. And that happened over 2000 years ago. Before that people did not have a time of the year when they celebrated the birthday of Jesus. So, with the birthday of Jesus, people came to know that this Jesus is a special gift to each of us from God our Father in heaven.
Because God was so good to us, Jesus, his son, acted like his Father. As he grew older and did his work — remember what he did? He was a teacher. For three years he walked around his neighborhood telling people about his Father and how good his Father is. What Jesus was telling them was how important it is to be like his Father. And what is that? At Christmas we are reminded of the answer: it is all about giving gifts. First of all giving something of ourselves: help other people when then need help; it means being good to other people. Jesus taught his students that they should be like the Father who gave them Jesus.
One thing we must remember: if Jesus had not been given to us as a special gift, would we have had anything like Santa Claus?
Santa Claus is someone who is like God: a special person who goes around the world bringing gifts to others who have been good. Santa Claus became for all of us a reminder that Christmas is really about what God wanted us to know: that Christmas is about Jesus being born, Jesus being God our Father’s very special gift to us.
Sometimes older kids will try telling you that Santa Claus isn’t real. Well, let me tell you this. As long as you give gifts to other people, as long as you are kind to people, you are doing what God did. He gave us Jesus, a very special gift. We cannot forget that. So, we have Santa Claus, especially at your age, to remind us that to be a good person, we have to be people who give to other people. We have to be unselfish. We have to love others. We have to be kind to others. So, don’t ever think Santa Claus isn’t real. Santa Claus teaches us what Jesus taught us: caring about other people is so very important. And we will always need Santa Claus for young people like you ... so that you can begin to get some idea of how good God is to us.

SUNDAY REFLECTION: December 24, 2006

Fourth Sunday of Advent – 2006
May the peace of the Christ Child be with you today!
Of significance in the reading from St. Paul and the gospel of St. Luke in today’s Eucharistic Liturgy is the emphasis on doing the will of God. Writing to the Hebrews, Paul presents words of Jesus, his response to the Father’s will: "Behold, I come to do your will, O God." Luke, through the dialog between Mary and Elizabeth, reminds us how the virgin girl believed that what was spoken to her by the Lord would be fulfilled.
The will of God for me, for you, indeed for every person ever created by the all-good God is, I would suggest, almost as challenging for to us as it was to Mary and the man Jesus.
These days of Christmas do bring many to spending some time in prayer in a church or quiet space, especially those who have felt alienated from our Church. But for all of us it is a time when our hearts seem to be fertile ground for the Holy Spirit. It is my prayer today that my words might help you as well as myself in taking a look at God’s will in our lives.
You and I, we were in the mind of God forever. Then there was a time when, along with our parents, He created us. Forever in His mind there was also a purpose for us to live out in our lives. Think with me on this: we are infinite spiritual beings. We always were in God’s mind before our birth and will continue either with or separated from God forever after our deaths. Then we can easily say that we are here on this earth "disguised as a temporary human being" seeking to live out our purpose.
Our greatest joy comes when we are fulfilling that God-given purpose. In doing so we are so much in line with the will of God. Mindful of this consequence, that is trying to live out God’s will for us, I want to suggest one of several reasons why there is so much happiness and joy in our world at Christmas.
Imagine for just a moment that you were one part of the triune God. You would have known that the Father’s will would be for you to become a human being. It would be a decision not simply to become a human being for a short time but to accept all that would happen during those years. Fully accepting the will of the Father, your life would radiate joy and happiness because you would have the unique sense that you were doing exactly what God the Father willed for you. This is the reason for Christmas joy: we are touched by the perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ who took on the fulfillment of the Father’s will in his human life.
Now let’s go back to thinking about God’s will. This is what I know about myself: God’s will is not always easy to discern even in prayer and adoration. So often that difficulty can be traced to a blocking created by over-activism. If I do not find the time to separate myself from the duties and other day-to-day activities for some time with God, I will not be able to understand fully what it is that I am intended to be, to do.
Then, when we do find the time to listen to God, to give room in our hearts to the prompting of the Holy Spirit, we will on occasion find ourselves face-to-face with God’s will that might not be exactly what our ego-driven needs appreciate or expect. At times we are called to genuine sacrifice either called to give up something or someone we believe we truly want or need. At other times we might be called to begin something that could be frightening, marked by questions, a la the experience of Mary. Nevertheless, we have the example of Jesus and Mary to help us fortify our response to God’s will for us.
So, I urge you to separate yourselves from the hubbub of these holidays ahead for a little time of reflection on God’s will for you especially as you begin thinking about those trappings that are part of the January first decorations: our new year’s resolutions. When was the last time you seriously asked yourself about your understanding of God’s will for you? Could you write without hesitation what God’s will is for you at this moment in your life? Few, I suspect, truly understand what God wants in their lives. Perhaps the frustration, the loneliness, the emptiness that haunts so many folks today can be related to individuals not simply failing to live out God’s purpose for themselves but because they do not even know what God’s will is for them.
To know God’s will anyone of us must visit that placeless place within our very being where we put ourselves in touch with the Creator God. There, usually in quiet, God will speak. God will make clear what His will is for you. Then you pray like you have never prayed before: "I come to do your will O God! Give me the strength I need to live out your will."
December 23, 2006

DAILY REFLECTION: Wednesday, December 20, 2006

Today's first Reading contains these words from Isaiah: "Therefore the Lord will give you this sign...." Isaiah wrote these words to give a sign to King Ahaz (a 7th century BC King). Now we, most familiar with New Testament ways of understanding, believe the words we meant to speak of Mary and Jesus.

Historically, these words a sign given to the king and his people as a guarantee for the continuation of King David's lineage. The words would be a reminder to the king and the people that Yahweh had not abandoned them during the war they were fighting.

Signs point to or indicate something other than themselves. Along our interstate highways we see signs that guide us to hotel accommodations, restaurants, gas stations, etc. However, signs of something else are not always as clear as highway signs. This is so true when we are confronting challenges that bring us beyond ourselves.

What are the signs for us, for example, when we are confronting crises in our personal lives, in our community life, or in our national history. If we look, we will find signs of God's presence, God's intention. If you recall all that happened on "9/11." Surely God was not present in the initiators of the disaster. He could not be in their evil deeds. He is all good.

Look, however, beyond the tragedy. Look at all the goodness that the evil prompted: the bravery of firefighters, police and transit officers, emergency personnel; the outpouring of millions of dollars from people who knew no one killed, injured or forced to suffer loss of loved ones or property; the care given families who lost a father, a mother, a son or daughter, or a sibling; the love in those who gave burial places for the dead; and the care of those who comforted those who were searching for victims.

In any crisis, any difficult moments of our lives, we must look, we have to discern the presence of God to find a meaning, to come upon a solution.

DAILY REFLECTION: Tuesday, December 19, 2006

As I have mentioned before, in reading through Dr. Wayne Dyer's Intention, I have found myself with a deeper understanding of the psalms that I read each morning in the Office of Readings from the Office of the Hours (the Breviary used by priests and others). If you look at today's responsorial psalm, Readings and click onto Readings, you may be able to see where my mind and heart are going.

In these few verses, albeit a description we feel is directed at a much earlier generation, we can find much that speaks to you and me today. I believe that the psalmist understood that God is the Source of all intention. He intended the stars to shine at night, the sun to offer warmth after the coolness of darkness and so on. To "rescue me from the hands of the enemy," I am sure, is understood to relate to the devil. Yet, think this way for a moment or two. What are the hands of the enemy? Consider this thought: the hands of the enemy are all those things or persons who distract me from the intention that God had for me. Those evil hands might well be those ego-driven actions that keep me from fulfilling the real purpose in my life. Furthermore, jumping from the psalm to our present world, might we not ask ourselves this question: is not the negativity we sense so often in society, in our offices, in our families nothing but a sign that alignment with God's intention in the purpose of our lives been lost or minimized?

DAILY REFLECTION: Monday, December 18, 2006

Sorry to be late. The first reading Jeremiah is speaking about a frequently used theme in Old Testament writings: the Exodus theme. He proclaims a new exodus. We have to see beyond the Old Testament story. Exodus occurs in our lives so many times, perhaps even in one day. In the gospel today, we read that Joseph is called a righteous man. Why? Because he was one who made an exodus from the law. Remember according to the Jewish law he was obligated to expose Mary. He was to make her pregnancy known and thereby subject her to stoning. There was another event, the very Advent event, that few think of as an exodus. Jesus, son of God, leaving his Father to come among us, to save us, to bring us back to his Father. Consider your life. Are there exodus themes? I am willing to say there most likely are. Did you ever change career? Did you experience a marriage that failed? Have you buried both your parents? How about those alienated Catholics I mentioned in Sunday's homily? Isn't their departure from the Church a kind of exodus? Are we going to bring them home? Just as Jesus came to bring us home to the Father? Play with the exodus theme. You will find it in many corners of your life.

I invite you to check out the story about a truly successful priest of God, the newly appointed Archbishop of Toronto in Canada. In a lengthy conversation with the editor of Whispers, I learned much about a member of the hierarchy that I would love to know. Click on to Whispers to read the story. An inspiring story for a Sunday afternoon or evening especially if you have lost interest in the local football team and their game in Tampa. Thanks to Rocco (Whispers) for sharing an uplifting story. Whispers

SUNDAY REFLECTION: December 17, 2006

May the peace of Jesus Christ be with you this morning.

"What should we do?" The question put before John the Baptist by those he called to repentance is a question that men and women have been asking for centuries. According to Luke’s recollection, John cited the tax collector and the soldier. To the one he said just be honest, do the job you were called to fulfill. To the other he said don’t use your position to gain for yourself.

For the last several weeks, during the hours I have spent with many of you in the adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament, particularly in the early morning hours when silence is strong, I have joined the chorus of centuries asking the Son of God the same question. The books I have been reading and the psalms and other scripture readings from the Breviary and the Mass have brought me to question. "What should I do for you, for this parish, for the Archdiocese of Washington and for any who seek to know the Lord in a more intimate way than is the current practice."

Quite frankly, let me tell you this: quiet and prayer before the Lord in the quiet of early morning hours is dangerous. Surely not because of any threat to my well-being but because freed from the ordinary distractions of the day I find it difficult not to listen to God’s voice in my heart.

So what does a Pastor say to God in quiet and what does he think God is saying in return? Well, let me go back to the question: What should I do for our parish?

From the notes that I write during those times of prayer these are the thoughts that seem to have come through loud and clear to me. I heard the words of John ... prepare the way of the Lord. Prepare the way of the Lord. What could this mean?

I felt my heart being tugged ... tugged away from the usual responses that I would have made to the question of what I should do. What I experience one morning was the genuine pain of several conversations with parishioners and non-parishioners who believe they have been hurt by the institutional church, some bishops, some pastors and some fellow Catholics.

What I realized is this: there is a large number of Catholics in our Washington DC community who are alienated from the Church over such issues as homosexuality, Catholics caught in invalid marriages, the role of women in our Church, adults now dealing with childhood abuse by priests. These are major issues. These are the hot button issues of our times. And there are more. All of this in hearts where enmity or indifference has pushed out love, affection and friendship.

Then the "what should we do" question seemed to explode. These are people of God. These area men and women who deep within their hearts and souls feel driven not from God but from their Church. And who is there, where is there in our Archdiocese a genuine reaching out to welcome them? These are men and women who were created by the same God that made me, the same God that made you. And where are they? Why are they not coming to our churches?

For me the answer to the question put before John for myself, and hopefully our parish, is that we have to be what Jesus was to people who seemed to be different. He was welcoming. He dined with those the official religion of his time deemed to be sinners.

As we come nearer to the birth of Jesus Christ, I honestly feel that we, as parishioners have to ask the question "What are to do to live out our baptismal promises?" I know this much for myself. These final days of preparing for the Lord will be a time of examination of my heart. I will be searching my soul to determine what I should do to bring those who are hurt, those who are alienated back to our Church, back to the Church that Jesus Christ gave to all of us. We are, all of us, sinners, are we not? Doesn’t it seem, then, that we have much to share with one another. We all rely on God’s graces, God’s gifts as the power that will allow us to be the source for all the alienated of the same goodness that God showers on us.

Let me close with these words of Zephaniah: The Lord is in your midst, ... in your midst is a mighty savior.... he will rejoice over you with gladness, and renew you in his love." If I believe these words, then I know that reaching out to others is what Jesus calls me and all of us to do. As St. Paul writes: Your kindness should be known to all.

DAILY REFLECION: for Saturday, December 16, 2006

Elijah is one of the prophets who had extremely strong "decisive moments" in his lifetime. Sirach's words might bring to mind the decisive moments in your lifetime. For some it is marriage, for others ordination or solemn profession. Then there are the days when a loved one dies, there is the loss of a job, an unwed daughter tells that she is pregnant, a son says the he knows he is gay. These are decisive moments in our lives. Any one of these events surely forces us to confront reality as never before. We cannot walk away without trying to decide how our lives are changed in one of those "decisive moments." The day my mother died was one of those moments: in just a few words "Mom just died" suddenly, along with my siblings, I was now an orphan. Mom and Dad were together again. We were without them. This brought all the Jordan siblings to confront the question: "What is God doing in our lives?"

During these days of Advent as we make ready for the re-celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, it is a time for us to look at what God is doing with us in our lives. Each time we have "moments" that are significant, we might be able to say that have experienced "a day of the Lord."

So, with on thea day we begin the nine days (novena) prior to the birthday of Jesus Christ, we have a time to look more intensely at our own days, our own moments with the Lord. Do you know what He has been trying to get through to you in those moments? It pays well to quietly look at those moments ... even days, weeks, months or years later. If we learn how to discern those moments, and can act on those moments we guarantee peace and happiness.

DAILY REFLECTION: December 14, 2006

Today the Church puts before us another announcer of God's presence among. Not John the Baptist but the saint known as John of the Cross. Why that name? This man who felt so connected to God, realizing who he himself was and what it was that God wanted him to do with and in his life, came to see that the light of God shines out to us in so many ways. In the cross, in suffering, John saw and avenue to encounter the love of God. His message was that the love of God for us strips away whatever human failures there might be in us so that God can love us all the more. What this 16th century Carmelite teaches us is that having the love of God within our hearts and being aware of that love is what really matters in our world, in our lives. As we prepare to celebrate the redemptive gift of Jesus Christ and his birth into our world, is not this feast yet another invitation from God to us? An invitation to reconnect to the intention God has for us in our own creation, our own lives. In A Course in Miracles you will find this thought: I am perfect and whole as I was created. If you give some thought to this sentence, you might begin to sense how wonderful is the world we live in, how marvelous are the people in our communities we live and work in regardless of the difference of opinons we carry. Isn't the running around that we believe we have to do during these pre-Christmas days little nothing but a part of our mind and heart trying to separate us from our connection to the creative God who made us perfect and whole as he intended us to be? Isn't all that running around simply allowing distractions to divide us for being in the presence of the God who made us, separating us from something of the divine that is within us because we are created by the divine God? St. John of the Cross would see the running around as our avoiding the love of God, blocking the love of God from stripping away that which really hinders my relationshiop with the God who made me perfect and whole. Let this feast day, let this saint be an announcer to you: be connected, be in alignment with God's intention for you. Be what he wanted you to be.

DAILY REFLECTION: December 13, 2006

Obviously from a dramatization about the life of St. Lucy, the young lady "sports" a crown of candles. This is how St. Lucy is sometimes depicted. The reason for the candles: Lucy's name means "light." Her life was for many a life seemingly wasted because she would not bend from her promise of virginity to Christ. When she refused to allow her body to be violated by some of the soldiers during the later days of the Christian persecutions, she was murdered. The example of her fidelity was considered a light to all Christians.

For us today, we may not be called up to be a light through martyrdom, nonetheless we are lights to others especially during the pre-Christmas days. Today, at Grand Oaks, the assisted living residence associated with Sibley Hospital, I was reminded of the many ways we can be lights to others. Our young third and fourth graders prepared little Christmas stockings for the men and women who come to the weekly Mass celebrated there. How many times during this season are we invited to be a light? Quite a few, I believe.

St. Lucy enlighten our hearts and minds through your intercession for us that, like yourself, we might be faithful to our baptismal vows and that, like Jesus, we might be a light to others, bringing them the love and care that God has enabled us to bring.

Many who attended Georgetown University or made a retreat at the Loyola Retreat House in Southern Maryland may recognize the priest pictured here. Fr. J. Donald Freeze, a native of Baltimore, died on Sunday. I am posting the obituary prepare by the Maryland Province of the Jesuits.

Maryland) Rev. James Donald Freeze, SJ, 74, died on Sunday, December 10, 2006, at Manresa Hall, Merion Station, Pa. He was a Jesuit for 56 years and a priest for 43 years.
Father Freeze was born in Baltimore, Md., on September 15, 1932. Following graduation from Loyola Blakefield in Towson, Md., he entered the Society of Jesus at the Novitiate of St. Isaac Jogues, Wernersville, Pa. on July 30, 1950. After taking his First Vows on July 31, 1952, he pursued junior college studies at Wernersville, Pa., from 1952 to 1954 and then was sent to pursue a master’s degree in philosophy at Weston College, Weston, Mass. from 1954 to 1957.
From 1957 to 1960, Father Freeze taught Latin and French at St. Joseph’s Preparatory School, Philadelphia, Pa. After three years teaching, he studied theology at the University of Innsbruck in Austria from 1960 to 1964 and was ordained at Innsbruck in Holy Trinity Church by Bishop Paul Rusch on July 25, 1963. Father Freeze has a special year of spiritual enrichment at Maison la Columbiere, Paray-le-Monial, France from 1964 to 1965 and made his Final Profession in the Society of Jesus at Wheeling College, Wheeling, WV. on February 2, 1968.
Father Freeze began his priestly ministry at Wheeling College, where he taught metaphysics and psychology (1965 to 1969) and was chairman of the Philosophy Department while pursuing graduate studies in philosophy at Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, Pa. (1969-1970). Residing in the Jesuit Community at Georgetown University, Father Freeze spent his sabbatical year (1970-1971) preparing his dissertation in philosophy at Duquesne University. He remained at Georgetown University until 1991, where he served as assistant academic dean (1971-1974), assistant executive vice-president for academic affairs (1974-1991) and executive vice president for academic affairs and provost of the university (1979-1991). He then became director of the Georgetown University Program in Florence, Italy until 1992.
On his return to the United States, Father Freeze was appointed superior and director of the Loyola Retreat House in Faulkner, Md. (1992-1997) and then assigned treasurer of the Maryland Province of the Society of Jesus (1997-2002) and superior of the Colombiere Jesuit Community, Baltimore, Md. (1999 to 2002). Following a sabbatical year at Old St. Joseph’s Church, Philadelphia, Pa., where he also served as vocation promoter, Father Freeze, due to failing health, was transferred to Manresa Hall, Merion Station, Pa. in 2003, where he died.
Considered a visionary administrator, Father Freeze served on numerous councils, boards and committees, especially during his time at Georgetown University. He was committed to excellence and to always seeking how things could be improved.
Leo O’Donovan, SJ, former Georgetown president who worked closely with Father Freeze, said he was admired by students, faculty and colleagues on the campus.
“Among the many achievements in Don's life, surely his outstanding service as Executive Vice President of the Main Campus at Georgetown University hold a special place,” says Father O’Donovan. “For many years under Tim Healy and then most generously during my own first years at the university, Don was a model of efficiency, dedication and generosity. He worked long, hard, happy hours and was contagiously enthusiastic about everything he did. Beautiful stories can also be told about his love for Villa Le Balze in Florence, where he spent an immensely well-deserved sabbatical after leaving the university.”

Saints of God, come to his aid!
Hasten to meet him angels of the Lord!
Receive his soul and present him to God the Most High.

Eternal rest grant unto him O Lord,
And let perpetual light shine upon him.
May he rest in peace. Amen.

DAILY REFLECTION: Guadalupe

Today Mexico celebrates --- this is their feast day. We hear about it often. Do you know the story? It makes the day more meaningful. The year is 1531. An Indian, Juan Diego, was making his way to Saturday devotions in a nearby town. He nears a hill, Tepeyac Hill. He hears his name being called: "Juanito, Juan Dieguito." He climbed the hill. It was the virgin Mary. "Go to the Bishop of Mexico and make known what I greatly desire." She had told him: a church on this place. Juan met with Bishop Juan de Zumarraga, a Franciscan. "Come another time, and I will listen at leisure." A first failure to "hear." So Juan returned to Tepeyac and met the Lady again. He told her he could not convince the Bishop. Mary should ask someone more intelligent to meet the Bishop.

Mary asked him to go again, the next day, Sunday, and tell the Bishop that "I, the every virgin holy Mary, Mother of God, am the one who personally sent you." Episcopal disbelief continued, asking Juan to come back with a "sign." A second failure to trust Mary's message.

The next day, Monday: Juan did not go to Tepeyac. Word came Monday evening that an uncle, Juan Bernardino, was seriously ill and had asked Juan to go to Mexico City to bring a priest to hear his confession.

Tuesday morning: Juan heads to Mexico City, going around the other side of the Tepeyac Hill. He did not want to be detained by the Heavenly Lady. But like all mothers, she was there to meet him. Mary reaffirmed her care and concern for Juan. Furthermore, she told him "Do not let your uncle's illness distress you. It is certain that he has already been cured." She directed him to the top of Tepeyac Hill where he would find a variety of flowers. He was to cut some and bring them to her. You can imagine that this was one maternal chore that was not ignored but done swiftly. At the top, despite the seasonal frosts that had ruined flowers, many Castilian roses were abloom. Juan cut a collection of roses, placed them in his tilma (mantle) and brought them to Mary. She told him to take the flowers to the Bishop. These would be the sign that the Franciscan sought.

Juan went to the Bishop and presented the roses with an account of what had happened. As he opened the tilma, the roses fell to the ground and immediately an image of Mary appeared on the material ... just as it is today in the shrine of Tepeyac. Obviously the Bishop listened.

Empress of the Americas!

Ready for tomorrow's major Mexican feast ... Our Lady of Guadalupe ... or the Empress of the Americas ... as she is called in Mexico? Check out my friend's good article ... in Whispers in the Loggia.

Turkey: The Pope's Visit

Father Raymond J. deSouza reprinted a very interesting article that appeared at the time of the recent papal visit to Turkey. I am reproducing the article here because it may help us understand further the complicated world that seems so far away from us.

Originally Published in the National Post on Thursday, November 30, 2006Pope Benedict XVI planned his visit to Turkey as an ecumenical Christian encounter with Patriarch Bartholomew I, the titular head of Orthodoxy. The inflamed reaction to his Regensburg lecture in September turned the trip into an encounter with the world of Islam. And there is a third dimension – the encounter of religious faith with the aggressive secularism of the Turkish state.
The primary purpose of the trip is the least remarkable. Like Pope Paul VI in 1967 and John Paul II in 1979, Benedict visits the Patriarch of Constantinople to work toward Christian unity. John Paul sincerely believed that unity between Catholics and Orthodox was imminent; that turned out not to be case, but relations between Rome and Constantinople are so warm that such visits, once historic, are now routine.Anything but routine is the Islamic dimension of the trip. Tuesday, the Pope’s first day in Turkey, was devoted to the Turkish state and the question of Islam. Benedict reversed his earlier opposition to Turkey entering the European Union, granting a (weak) endorsement. The irony is that it is unlikely that Turkey will join the EU anytime soon. Despite all protestations to the contrary, after the bombings in Madrid and London, violence in the Netherlands and frequent rioting in France, there is little enthusiasm in Europe for including 70 million poor Muslims in the EU. That may not be fair to the Turks, but nevertheless it is widely expected that any timetable for joining will soon be set aside.As for the encounter between Christianity and Islam, Benedict reiterated the main point he made in Regensburg, namely that violence in the name of religion can never be justified. Yesterday he mentioned by name Andrea Santoro, the Catholic priest killed in Trabzon, Turkey, by an Islamist terrorist during the Danish cartoon crisis last February. His many words of esteem for Muslims likely made more clear the argument he advanced at Regensburg – namely that all believers, Christian or Muslim, need recourse to reason to purify faith of the corruption that can lead to violence. It is an argument that should be welcome in Turkey, where Muslims themselves have suffered Islamist violence.Surely one of the most curious meetings in the modern history of the papacy took place Tuesday, when Benedict met with Ali Bardakoglu, president of the state-run religious affairs department. Dr. Bardakoglu, a government official speaking on behalf of Islam in an officially secular state, instructed the Pope on the virtues of Islam, and further admonished him not to waste time in discussing the “theology of religions.” Ignoring the incongruity of the state religious bureaucracy instructing religious leaders to stay out of religious questions, Benedict gently insisted upon “freedom of religion, institutionally guaranteed and effectively respected in practice, both for individuals and communities.”Such broad religious liberty the Turkish state does not offer, as it pursues a rigid secularism that limits both Islamic and Christian activities.Bartholomew himself faces limitations upon his ministry, and the Pope’s visit is in part an act of solidarity with a fellow Christian pastor under duress. Benedict’s argument is that not only is religious freedom a human right, but that suppression of religion altogether can only pose a long-term problem for the development of Turkish society. Anti-religious ideas and policies often produce a reactionary religious extremism. Turkish politics is dealing precisely with such potential problems today.Today, Benedict will visit the great Hagia Sophia in Istanbul. For over 1,000 years, the great Byzantine Church of Holy Wisdom stood as the seat of the Christendom’s second city – Constantinople. Even today, Bartholomew’s official title is Archbishop of Constantinople and New Rome. Constantinople was a great Christian city until the Ottoman conquest of 1453, at which time the Hagia Sophia was turned into a mosque – an act equal to the conversion of St. Peter’s in Rome or St. Paul’s in London to a mosque. Then in 1935, in an act of cultural violence against a millennium and a half of history, the Turkish state secularized the Hagia Sophia, turning it into a museum. Pope Paul VI prayed on his knees in the Hagia Sophia in 1967, causing discomfort to his secular hosts. John Paul refrained from any act of worship in 1979.When I visited the Hagia Sophia some years ago, I of course prayed – a small, and likely unnoticed act of defiance against state-enforced secularism in a place devoted for 1,600 years to the worship of God. Benedict will likely not do so today, lest he inflame the perpetually flammable, but he will carefully make the argument that bad religious ideas cannot be answered by anti-religious ideas; bad religious ideas must be answered by good religious ideas.Turkey today is wresting with great questions of cultural identity, brought to the surface by the European question, and the role of religion, as explicitly Islamic parties demand a greater role in Turkish public life. The vagaries of history have also entrusted to Turkish custody the second great city of Christendom, and the enduring, tiny Christian communities that keep that reality alive. All of this belongs to Turkey’s noble history, argues Benedict, and cannot be addressed justly without acknowledging the rich cultural patrimony of the Turks, marked by both Christianity and Islam.It’s an argument that needs to be heard, and strangely enough, it is an argument that perhaps can be made more explicitly by Benedict than others. That is the service he intends his Turkish trip to provide.

A Catholic's View on Yoga: Georgetown Grad

Reading through the Catholic World News, I discovered an interesting article from the Orlando, Florida newpaper. The article features an interview with a prominent young Catholic man, graduate of Georgetown and Harvard, who became a yoga student while studying "just up the road" from our parish. The gentleman, Richard Galentino, is the director of Catholic Volunteers of Florida, has even written a book about how he was able to incorporate the rosary into his yoga! If you care to read the interesting article, the website is http://www.orlandosentinel.com/features/lifestyle/orl-galentino06dec11,0,6042323.story?coll=orl-home-lifestyle Enjoy the read! The picture is enlarged a little, causing some distortion, but allowing you to see the title of Galentino's book.

EXCOMMUNICATION: Call to Action, Nebraska

We do not hear too often about an excommunication. Well, recently the Cardinal Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, apparently speaking on behalf of the Holy See, has confirmed an American Bishop's decision to excommunicate members of the dissident group Call to Action.

The group, according to Cardinal Re, is "causing damage to the Church of Christ. This group and its membership were, in March, 1996, excommunicated by Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz of Lincoln, Nebraska. He took the action because he described the group as "totally incompatible with the Catholic faith." In a recent letter to the Bishop, Cardinal Re indicated that the findings of the Holy See were that the actions taken were "properly taken." The Cardinal indicated that the views of the groups were unacceptable from a doctrinal and disciplinary standpoint. The Cardinal wrote: "Thus to be a member of this Association or to support it, is irreconcilable with a coherent living of the Catholic faith."

Perhaps a response now could be, "Let the healing begin," in the Diocese of Lincoln where the excommunication is in force ... but in no other place at this time.

From its website, Call to Action's mission statement includes the following phrase which, no doubt, caused great concern for the Ordinary in Lincoln as well as the authorities in Rome. "An independent national organization of over 25,000 people and 53 local chapters, CTA believes that the Spirit of God is at work in the whole Church, not just in appointed leaders."

The Nebraska Chapter published an official document on December 8, 2006. It stated that the Chapter would appeal the decision to the Holy See. Among the efforts of the Chapter, according to the press release, are advocating for women's rights in the Church, allowing young girls to be altar servers, and working to assist children who are victims of abuse.

Again, "Let the healing begin, folks and Church authorities."

BEST SELLER --- Christmas Gift Possibility??

Since its publication in July, 2006, the new "Catechism for Adults" has become a national best seller with more than 100,000 copies sold throughout the USA. It might be considered as a possible Christmas gift. The following is an excerpt from the USCCB's website and an article about the catechism.

The United States Catholic Catechism for Adults was the first official catechism produced by the Catholic bishops of the United States since the creation of the well-known Baltimore Catechism in the 19th century. Unlike the earlier catechism, with its questions and answers that became familiar to generations of Catholics, this catechism is in narrative format and does not require rote memorization. Instead, it promotes a command of Catholic faith and practice through a more accessible writing style and numerous new features. Each chapter opens with a story about a saint, a biblical figure, or an exemplary Catholic, most of them American, to invite reflection and to demonstrate the contribution of American Catholics to society. Although it is geared to adults, including college age and young adults, a number of youth ministry leaders have noted that it is proving to be a useful tool for older teenagers as well.

DAILY REFLECTION: Monday, December 11, 2006

Advent is our time of rejoicing! What? That's a new twist, isn't it? As we await the celebration of Christmas Day, are we not reminded throughout the season of Advent that the gift of God in the person of his son, Jesus Christ, is the gift of our redemption. So, indeed we should be rejoicing during these days of waiting and anticipation. Take the time today to recall this gift and thank the Lord. Try to remember, when you can, that the more frequently you align yourself with the Lord, the more you will find the joy and peace that is your gift.

Santa's Breakfast Visit to OLV School

We surely want to thank our neighbors on MacArthur Boulevard. The manager and owners added to the menu for us ... not seafood the waffle makers and the mix.

Tired of eating and waiting in line to speak to Santa Claus, some of the youngest who came to have a good and exciting time, receive some "artistic counseling" from one of our eighth graders.

One of your marvelous eighth graders who was helping the younger set in some craft work. Surely this is one of the gifts that our older students are to the younger students.

Yesterday was another special day at Our Lady of Victory School. Many of our students came back to school on Saturday to have breakfast with Santa. The food was terrific ... not too often that Santa can get waffles, bacon and eggs, muffins, doughnuts, fruits, juices etc. Many thanks to the parents and older students who helped make the day so very special for our younger students.

Sunday Homily: December 11, 2006

Second Sunday of Advent --- 2006

Today one of the major players in the pre-Christmas liturgies is put before us. God did not, He could not, have his Son, his holy love, come on the scene without some announcement. There was an Announcer: "There was a man sent from God, whose name was John" (Jn: 1:6). Has there ever been a world leader who arrived with a more compelling advance man? I think not. Here was the man, dressed like a caveman, a belly not from candies and cookies but from the fulness of grasshoppers and honey. Out of the desert came this man. To hear his words was to listen to a heart afire; to be challenged by a voice that echoed like a two-edge sword. Even his message was compelling: "Someone is coming. Someone is coming. Someone is coming." Remember Stephen Schwartz’s Godspell? "Prepare ye the way of the Lord." Maybe that tune will bounce through your heads for the remainder of the evening.

This is the real purpose of Advent: PREPARATION, EXPECTATION, ANTICIPATION. From last weekend until Christmas morning.

The story of John, baptizing and announcing, is very much what we should experience in Advent. It is a time of delaying, resting in the seasoning of reflection, quiet and prayer ... even in the midst of a busy "got a lot to do" mentality that dominates the days of Advent.

John’s call, however, was different. It was not "Get you cards done, get the gifts bought, wrap your treasures." Rather, John called out a simple word: Repent! John was trying to instill in the hearts of his listeners that the One coming would bring about a change in everything. Even some thoughts about who God is will be upset in his preaching. Of especial importance for John was that God was caring more than ever about how they lived their lives.

John’s call to repentance was indeed a call to change our way of living, a true metanoia. Repentance is more than contrition. Rather it is the act of stretching beyond the boundaries of what we normally think or feel to a new way of thinking. A true change of heart. A brother priest has explained repentance as "an invitation to a complete change of perspective, a ‘forward-looking’ vision of hope.

From whenever God was, He created everything, everyone with an intention, even before it or they came to be. In the eternal mind of God we were intended by God to be what we are today. You, who might be reading these words on OLV Happenings, God intended for you to be what He has called you to be. We can live peacefully, joyfully in that realization and that intention or we can live in ways that call for repentance, for reconciliation with our creator God. We try to live each day with the hope that we are aligned with the God-intention that brought us into the world. Yet, aware of human weakness, we face our God seeking forgiveness, mindful of the redemptive gift of the Child of Christmas. That is our forward-looking vision of hope.

John had a major role in God’s plan for salvation. He was to be what we have come to know him to be. He was an announcer. He was something of a rebel ... challenging some of the established practices of Judaism to a new understanding of life and faith. Surely he could have lived differently. He accepted God’s call. He tried to live as God intended him to live.

Today, as we draw closer to the celebration of God’s gift to us, His redeeming gift of Jesus, our brother, we might take a few moments to reflect upon what we think it is that God intended for us. How was He using us to be His announcers in our reality? How do we announce the presence of God in the way we live?

That is the Lenten challenge for all of us. It is in a special way the challenge for the parishioners of our parish: How are you, a religious community in Washington, DC, how are you to announce the presence of God, His intention for Our Lady of Victory Parish?

Do you remember Ed McMahon? Johnny Carson’s announcer? "Heeeeeeeers Johnnnnnnnny." Everything you, as a parish, do for one another, for the community, especially for the marginalized in our society, is exactly the same: Your care for the poor, your openness to people of different faiths, to men and women of differing sexual orientations, to the people of different nationalities — all of this is your way of saying loudly and clearly and with genuine hope, Heeeeeeeers Jesus Christ, living among us today!

PM Blair and Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor

After British Prime Minister Tony Blair said that Church leaders need to “face up to reality” regarding condoms and AIDS, the country’s ranking Catholic prelate has fired back.

Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor of Westminster told a BBC interviewer that the distribution of condoms has failed to stem the spread of AIDS in Africa. He disclosed that some African bishops have complained to him that “their dioceses are flooded with condoms,” yet the disease continues to spread.

In an earlier interview broadcast by MTV, Prime Minister Blair-- who is widely believed to be considering conversion to the Catholic Church-- said that it is “silly” to believe that moralistic solutions will curb the epidemic in Africa, and argued that, rather than “being prissy about it,” world leaders should encourage people who are sexually active to use condoms. That approach is endangered, he said, “if we have a sort of blanket ban from the religious hierarchy saying it’s wrong to do it.”

Celibacy: The Hardball Pitch That Continues

Celibacy. Celibacy. Celibacy. Today’s world of communications brings instant publication of statements. (Soon thoughts might not be safe!) The newly appointed Prefect of the Congregation for Clergy, Cardinal Claudio Hummes, landed in Rome having stirred the pot prior to his arrival. Albeit out of full context, let me post several of the statements His Eminence has had to make in the recent few weeks.

1] Dec 1st: "Celibacy is a discipline, not a dogma of the Church.... the absence of priestly vocations could cause the Church to discuss the ordination of married men." This statement was made in Brazil prior to the Cardinal’s departure for Rome and his new life ... and way of making statements.

2]Dec 4th: In Rome, the former Franciscan issued a "statement of clarification" through the Vatican press office: the norm of celibacy "is very ancient and based on solid tradition and strong reasoning–both of a theologico-spiritual and practical pastoral nature–which has been confirmed by the popes as well."

3] Before leaving Sao Paulo: "The Church is an institution that changes when it is necessary to change." At the same press conference with the local Folho de Sao Paulo, he indicated that priestly shortages might prompt Church leaders to "discuss whether it is necessary to reconsider the celibacy norm." He reiterated that the ban on priestly marriages is not a dogma issue, citing the fact that several of the Apostles were married men.

As you can imagine, zucettas (the "beany" that clerics can wear but seem to be the "sign" of episcopal presence) were spinning in Rome and elsewhere. The President of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts (a council exists for almost every "hot spot") , Cardinal Julian Herranza, acknowledged that celibacy is not a "defined dogma" but that it is "a most ancient tradition, becoming law already in the early centuries" of the Church’s history. He also noted that the discipline was endorsed firmly by Vatican II documents.

It can be said that Cardinal Hummes is discovering very quickly that there is no softball around the Piazza San Pietro. Hardball is the name of the game. There is an adage that most priests sometimes, laughingly, reiterate in circumstances that seem to work in some places and not others: "the farther you are from headquarters, the less care you use in choosing your words or actions." Perhaps Sao Paulo was far enough away. In Rome, do as the Romans!

An interesting thought or observations: this is not the first of the recent appointments by Pope Benedict XVI to find himself in "hot print." Even the renowned mind and mouth of the Pontiff himself, has stirred up much anger and protest from the Muslim world. A question comes to my feeble mind: Is the selection of the new leadership team of the Pope determined with the awareness of the "thinking" the new appointments bring with them? Conservatives has quietly groused that former CDF (Congregation for the Defense of the Faith) Prefect, Cardinal Ratzinger, has not been the hatchet man many expected. Can we ask if the new appointees are being brought to the Holy See with special expectations? Interesting ... at least for my mind.

DAILY REFLECTION: December 5, 2006

Isaiah (11:1-10) brings the root of Jesse image to us again. The picture is from a Google collection of images for Root of Jesse. In his writings, Isaiah puts before us the ideal king of Israel. This king would come from Jesse, the father of King David.

Ideal leadership is exercised by one who is open to the ever-creating Spirit of God. This kind of leader attracts followers because of his/her gifts of wisdom, understanding, counsel, strength and knowledge. Most specially, leadership of this magnitude is marked by the exercise of justice. It is the kind of justice that leads to the idyllic scene painted by Isaiah in the final verses of this reading: wolf and lamb, calf and young lion, cow and bear, baby and cobra --- these "natural enemies" shall live on the mountain of the Lord where this kind of leadership occurs.

So, for you and me, what can we take from this writing? Again, go back to the invitation of Sunday's readings. We are call, "Come, come to the mountain of the Lord." We are invited to be leaders in so many circumstances each day: at work, at home, at lunch, at dinner, with family, with friends, with colleagues. If we focus upon our relationship with the Lord during the days of Advent, we can open our horizons to the very ideals Isaiah puts forth for a good king: justice, peace and harmony. Is there anyone of us who could not incorporate more of each of these virtues into our interaction with colleages, family and friends?

DAILY REFLECTION: December 4, 2006

The word we need to keep in mind today: "come." It is a word of the Advent days. "Come to the Christmas party!" "Come by the house during the holidays!" In the Isaiah reading for today we read "Come, let us climb the Lord's mountain, to the house of the God of Jacob...." The word is one of invitation. So, I believe, we need to ask what the Lord is inviting us to this Advent season. Perhaps to our nation there is the invitation to turn our weapons of war into instruments of peace and growth ... especially in Iraq and Lebanon, in Palestine and Israel, in the various parts of Africa where there is great strife. Perhaps it is an invitation from God to right our own lives order is needed. Perhaps it is the invitation to deepen our relationship with our God, with Jesus. Perhaps it is an invitation to evaluate how we deal with those who are closest to us: spouses, children, relatives, employees or employers. Perhaps it is an invitation to consider how we respect those who have different points of view ... it is so easy to point fingers at nations who are involved in a large-scale conflict. How about how we deal with those around us, those we encounter every day? Yes, it is some much easier to fault the wrongs of those who are distant. I say to all, "Come, let us climb whatever mountain it is that Jesus is inviting you to climb during this season of Advent.

Prayers Answered

Yesterday, Friday, to my surprise, a gentleman who called me two weeks ago, came to speak about assuming the position of Maintenance Technician, succeeding Mr. Martin L'Etoile. After conversations with Mrs. Martinez, the principal of the parish school, and two other staff members, I was delighted to hear the gentleman, Mr. John Tomko, tell me he would like to accept our offer.

Mr. Tomko, lives in Maryland. He is dedicated to his faith. He is a man truly concerned for others. Usually, each Saturday, he works with a group of Sisters who have little help to maintain the convent they call home.

Mr. Tomko is a journeyman in the carpenter's union, is qualified in electrical and plumbing work. At one time in his life he worked with children on a Navajo reservation.

John will hit the deck, running, on Monday afternoon after fulfilling all the Archdiocesan requirements related to the Child Protection programs all employees and volunteers who are around our school children must complete.

Welcome, John. Thank you, Lord, for hearing our prayers.

1st Sunday of Advent: Homily

Some have asked to have copies of my homilies. The following is what I have prepared as some of the thoughts I will attempt to express during the homilies at the 5:15 pm and the 10:30 am Masses this weekend.
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The peace of the Lord be with you. Once again we begin the season of Advent. Okay For you, I hope, this is indeed a special time, this season of Advent. I know for most of us it is a time of hustle and bustle that easily wears us now. To say that Advent can raise us up above the stress that December always brings may seem to you to be the statements of someone who isn’t raising children or managing a household. Today I would like to refute that belief. If we take just a little time, we can allow the specialness of the season of Advent to touch our hearts, to enliven our spirit and to bring us a genuine sense of calm and peace.
We know that Christmas day is a time for children as well as the child in each of our hearts. I think as well we might say that the season of the year we call Advent is a time for children. A sign of this reality is easily found in all of commercial publications we have been receiving in the mail recently. What is the first thing in those commercial publications? Of course it is the section about children’s toys and gifts. Even before Thanksgiving, to the chagrin of some, but to the great joy of young children the toy is and gifts of Christmas appear in department stores, on television commercials and in the catalogs that we received at home. Well can I remember spending most of December and the later part of November scanning the catalogs over and over again. It was an exciting time. It was a time when my heart and I’m sure the hearts of most of you were filled with great expectation and great hope. We had to have ready everything that was necessary for the arrival of old Saint Nick or, as we call him, Santa Claus.
And as we grew older, it was almost painful to realize that Santa Claus truly cared more for children than for us adults. Perhaps, as we grew older, we came to believe more than ever before those famous lines “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.”
Take the time to talk with a young child about their thoughts these days. As soon as they begin to share their thoughts about the upcoming visit of Santa Claus, look at their face and eyes. Bright, wide and filled with excitement: this is what you see. Think back to your own childhood. Think back to the wishes and hopes that you held in your heart during these days of Advent. What is it that makes this month before Christmas so special? Was it not the experience of hoping and knowing that Santa Claus would come and visit you in the quiet and darkness of Christmas Eve, quietly sneaking into your home, eating the cookies and drinking the glass of milk, and hopefully leaving many, many presents. That Christmas Eve night could not come quickly enough. How difficult it was to sleep well the closer Christmas eve came.
Well then, what should Advent time be for us adults? How can this season of preparation for Christmas, the birth of Jesus Christ, be for us adults a time that can be as exciting and hope filled as it is for our children?
These days of Advent are actually a time for us to page through the catalogs that God sends to us every day. During these days of Advent we should be paging through the catalogs of all that God has done for us and told us that he does do for us through his son, Jesus Christ, and the gift of the Holy Spirit. We know that Jesus, the giver of the gift of new life, has come, some 2000 years ago. We know as well that he brings us the gift of new life every day.
With just a little effort I truly believe that we can stir up within our own hearts a similar excitement that our children experience awaiting the coming of Santa Claus. In the Gospel reading for today’s liturgy, we read thoughts that are perplexing and frightening. What Luke is seeking to teach us, what Jesus says time and time again, is so very simple. His message on December 25 is the same today, tomorrow, in January and February–every day of our lives: we are a blessed people because Jesus Christ is our Redeemer.
During a season when we think so often not only of ourselves but others who are unable to enjoy fully the season of Christmas, we should rejoice every day with the awareness that our salvation is God’s gift to us. It is a gift freely given time and time again. As adults, it is a challenge for us to unwrap that gift with the same excitement and enthusiasm as our children tear open the gifts of Christmas. Our salvation is not something we earn. We should want to unwrap that gift every day ... and we can do that. It is not difficult.
As you unwrap the gift of your salvation each day, it is a time to have serious talks with God about our lives. Advent is a time for us to put the God-presents in order. Advent is a time for us to bring ourselves to the sacrament of reconciliation, to gain for ourselves a genuine peace of soul.
The sacrament of reconciliation is for all of us a remarkable opportunity to remind ourselves that our lives have not always been perfect. As difficult as it may be, Advent is also a time for us to come before our God as sinners. Again, as we page through the divine catalogs that God sends us, we should be making ourselves ready to give God a special gift: the gift of accepting his call to us to be reconciled, to be forgiven.
Let us use the example of the excitement of our children during the pre-Christmas days to be the key that opens up for us the very positive experience that forgiveness can give to us.