Wednesday Morning Connection

For Sunday, November 1, 2009

Solemnity of All Saints
Revelation 7:2-4, 9-14
1 John 3:1-3
Matthew 5:1-12a

Fra Angelico -- The Forerunners of Christ with Saints and Martyrs

We honor the saints because they inspire us to holiness. The more famous ones have slipped into popular culture, even if all the facts of their lives aren’t known, or if only a part of their story is remembered. Ask most people about Mary Magdalene, and they’ll recount their understanding of her as a woman of ill repute, something totally inconsistent with the portrayal of her in John’s Gospel. Often forgotten is Mary’s greatest act of witness. She was the first to proclaim the risen Lord, and so bears the title of Apostle to the apostles.

Many religious people think of St. Anthony as the saint to whom you pray to recover something that is lost. Less remembered is the fact of Anthony’s eloquent preaching which captivated and converted his listeners.

Francis of Assisi is popular with everyone. My elderly non-Catholic neighbor has a statue of him in her garden because she likes birds, and as she’ll tell me, “He liked birds, too.” But Francis also gave up everything to be married to Lady Poverty, unconcerned about what to eat or what to wear, because God feeds the birds of the air and clothes the lilies of the field. But the fullness of his story (so often forgotten) includes the stigmata, wearing on his own body the mark of Christ’s crucifixion.

Of poor Joseph, the spouse of Mary, we know almost nothing. There are more apocryphal tales than biblical witness about this man. And now, in the midst of the modern-day housing crisis, he suffers the indignity of having his image buried (sometimes upside down) in hopes of achieving a quick sale of a family home. Maybe being a saint isn’t such a great gig after all!

What seems to be a thread in every holy life is the ability to bring something good out of sinful human nature. It is this cooperation with God’s grace that in some way seems to be the hallmark of every saint. They take to heart the words of the John in his first letter when he writes, “See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God” (3:1).

One child of God that continues to provide inspiration even though she is gone is Elena Desserich. At the age of 5 she was diagnosed with pediatric brain cancer. As the cancer spread, first ending her ability to speak, then her eyesight, then her mobility, Elena started hiding notes all over the house, notes that said, “I love you Mom Dad Grace [Elena's younger sister].” Elena’s parents, Brooke and Keith, kept finding the notes after Elena died-a reminder of her presence and the inspiration she gave to the community of Cincinnati as she battled cancer. A five minute video from WCPO Channel 9 in Cincinnati tells the story of Elena’s incredible love (http://www.wcpo.com/mediacenter/local.aspx?videoId=25833@wcpo.dayport.com&navCatId=23).

The simple notes of six-year old Elena Desserich, and of her response to the trials of childhood cancer, motivated the creation of the foundation, The Cure Starts Now, which today helps children everywhere in their fight against cancer. The story of her final 135 days is told in the book, Notes Left Behind. This week, a hard-cover edition of the book with reproductions of Elena’s private messages that she secretly hid around her home will be released in bookstores and on Kindle (http://www.notesleftbehind.com/).

The saints inspire us. They give us hope. They remind us of “what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God” even when the trials may be incredibly burdensome. In some ways, the saints themselves are notes left behind to remind us of God’s incredible love, addressed not just to Mom, Dad, Grace, but to us all.

Paul Michaels

Prayer

God of holiness and love,
your goodness is mirrored in the saints
who inspire us by their lives.
Watch over and protect your people
through the intercession of the saints.
May we live according to your will
and come to enjoy the blessed vision of your glory.
Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, forever and ever.
Amen.

Notices

THE CURE STARTS NOW
There are many groups that work to find a cure for cancer. One of them is The Cure Starts Now (http://www.thecurestartsnow.org/).

CATHOLIC NEAR EAST WELFARE ASSOCIATION
For more than 75 years, CNEWA has provided education, health care, relief services, and pastoral support in the Near East. This papal agency works quietly, often behind the scenes, to assist in places where others may not be able to go. To learn more visit: http://www.cnewa.org.

CATHOLIC CAMPAIGN FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
This collection will be taken up in many dioceses the weekend of November 21-22. For more information about CCHD visit: http://www.usccb.org/cchd/. Liturgical Publications Inc (LPi) has clip art and announcements from the USSCB for use in parish bulletins and newsletters. To learn how your parish can receive free access to these materials, click here.

Sunday, June 6, 2009

The Most Holy Trinity
Deuteronomy 4:32-34, 39-40
Romans 8:14-17
Matthew 28:16-20

The Trinity by Andrei Rublev (ca. 1410) in Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow

The promise at the end of this weekend’s gospel must have been consoling to Matthew’s community in the first century. Those early Christians–rooted in Judaism but now cast away from that anchor and struggling to understand how Gentile believers fit in–probably took comfort in hearing the words, “I am with you always, until the end of the age.” Painted on the lips of Jesus by the first-century evangelist, the promise that the risen Lord is with believers challenged by persecution and uncertainty certainly provided a final hope at the end of the day.

There are plenty of events that can challenge hope every single day. The big ones make it into the news–on television, on the radio, in newspapers, and on web sites. Just in the last few days we’ve heard of a lost plane (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/03/world/europe/03plane.html?hp), murders at an army recruiting station (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/03/us/03recruit.html?ref=us), and the bankruptcy of what was once the largest automobile manufacturer in the world (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/02/business/02uaw.html?ref=business).

Events like these leave us shaking our heads and wondering what will be next. But even these national and international events can pale next to the grief and horror ignited by a small, hopelessly tragic event. On Sunday evening police at Beachy Head, East Sussex spotted two bodies at the bottom of the cliff. On Monday, when they recovered the bodies, they also found two rucksacks, one containing the body of 5 year-old Sam Puttick and the other filled with toys. Sam had died four days earlier of meningitis, and apparently his parents, Neil and Kazumi, were so distraught that they took Sam’s body and threw themselves off the cliff taking their own lives. (See the full story at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/sussex/8079123.stm.)

We won’t know what Neil and Kazumi Puttick were thinking as they jumped. We can only imagine that they may have felt there was no hope. As one friend said about them, “Their life was Sam and without him their life did not mean anything to them.”

It is unlikely that Matthew, the evangelist, could have dreamed of the large-scale tragedies of the present day. Airplanes, guns, and automobiles would have all been beyond his imagination. But the loss of a child, or the death of a friend, would have been within his experience. In the face of loss and death, Matthew could still write the words of Jesus, “I am with you always, until the end of the age.”

The feast of the Holy Trinity may seem a bit esoteric, maybe even somewhat philosophical. But as believers, we stand together in hope on this day, ready to reach out to those who may despair. We can profess our belief that God is here-always and forever.

Paul Michaels

Prayer

Loving God,
your Son promised to be with us
to the end of time.
May your Spirit give us hope,
and may your abiding presence give us peace.
Be with your people as we serve you day by day.
Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, forever and ever.
Amen.

Notices

YEAR FOR PRIESTS
June 19, 2009 begins the Year for Priests, called by Pope Benedict XVI honoring the 150th anniversary of the death of St. John Mary Vianney. Some initial resources are available on the USCCB Web site at: http://usccb.org/yearforpriests/index.shtml. Included on the Web site are prayers in English and Spanish that can be used in the year ahead.

FATHER’S DAY
As they did on Mother’s Day, many parishes will plan to offer a blessing to fathers on June 21. The Book of Blessings contains the appropriate texts. Don’t forget to announce the upcoming blessing in your church bulletin and alert dads to any special events on that day.

For Sunday, May 10, 2009

5th Sunday of Easter
Acts 9:26-31
1 John 3:18-24
John 15:1-8

After the long and arduous task of head-pruning, vine growers anxiously await the first indications of bud swell. On a grape vine, the new buds are protected through the winter dormancy by a hard scale that covers the tender bud. As the weather warms, the scale cracks open and the first signs of bud swell indicate that the sap has begun to run. This first swell is no more than a small bump on the vine, a light brown fuzzy indication that the vine is finally entering a new season of production. By the time the buds enter full swell, vine growers know that they can expect a given vine to produce, provided that the weather is seasonable throughout the summer and fall.

Bud swell doesn’t assure that any given season will be productive, but it does give the first indication, and in that sense offers hope to the vine grower.

Even though it seemed to be a reasonably mild winter around here, bud swell has been a long time coming this spring. I’m just beginning to see the fuzzy buds on some vines, while others are just entering into the scale-crack that heralds the renewed life in the dormant vines. It has been taking a long time to break winter’s hold and have spring come into its own.

It seems to be much the same with the global economy. A deep recession has gripped the world, and it is not easy to break out of it. But just like the beginning of bud swell on the grape vines in my back yard, it seems that there are emerging some hopeful signs of a thaw. Federal Reserve chair Ben Bernanke seemed more optimistic on Tuesday, predicting the beginning of a fragile recovery by the end of this year (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/06/business/economy/06fed.html?hp). And even in this downturn, with the loss of millions of jobs, employers are still hiring millions as well (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/06/business/economy/06hire.html?hp). Just like bud swell on the grape vines, there is some hope.

We know that the economy will not recover quickly. The first signs of the grape vines breaking out in spring do not indicate a prolific harvest-only the hope of one!

It is the same in the Christian life. Baptism is like that bud swell on the vine-there is great hope that the new life in Christ will bear great fruit! But it is only a hope. The men and women baptized at the Easter Vigil, and all the infants baptized in these fifty days of Easter, are signs of hope, just budding forth into new life. But to bring that life of Christ to fruit takes care and tending.

Just like Barnabas shepherded Saul through the Jerusalem church and off to Tarsus so that he could continue to exercise his ministry and speak boldly in the name of Jesus, we need to shepherd the newly baptized in the Christian life. Now that they’re grafted onto the vine of Christ, they need to be tended to, so that they can bear good fruit. After the rush of excitement in becoming a new member begins to be tempered by the exigencies of life, it is necessary for us to help the newly baptized find a place in the community in which they can grow to full stature.

The economy still needs tending to by politicians, regulators, businessmen, and many others to ensure that we come through these difficult straits to calm waters and prosperity. Likewise the newly baptized-indeed all of us from time to time-need the support of the community of faith to ensure that we are being the best Christians we can be. Bud swell only indicates the possibility of a fruitful harvest. Baptism opens the door to the promise of a holy life. But a lot of growth needs to take place over time-with the support of the church and the guidance of Christ-to ensure a harvest of love.

Paul Michaels

Prayer

Eternal God,
you give life and growth to your church
through the death and resurrection of your Son.
Strengthen all who are joined to Christ.
May our love bear witness to the truth of our faith.
May our faith lead others to know the fullness of your love.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God forever and ever.
Amen.

Notices

ADD A COMMENT
You can add a comment to get a discussion going about this blog post. Just click on the “COMMENT” link at the end of this post. Your comment will be visible as soon as it is reviewed by the moderator.

CATHOLIC COMMUNICATION CAMPAIGN
Many dioceses will be taking up this collection the weekend of May 16-17. You can learn more at: http://www.usccb.org/ccc/.

KEEPING EASTER FOR FIFTY DAYS
Now in the fourth week, you may want to catch everyone off guard by wishing them “Happy Easter” at the introduction to Mass. It doesn’t hurt to remind people that we celebrate this baptismal season for fifty days. Use the Rite of Sprinkling with Holy Water at Sunday Masses throughout the Easter season to keep the baptismal spirit alive.

The Easter Season offers a great opportunity to use a solemn blessing. After a week or two people fall into the rhythm of the multiple “Amens.” The Easter blessing is #7 in the Solemn Blessings section of the Sacramentary.

Sunday, April 12, 2009

Easter Sunday: The Resurrection of the Lord

At the Vigil
Genesis 1:1-2:2
Genesis 22:1-18
Exodus 14:15-15:1
Isaiah 54:5-14
Isaiah 55:1-11
Baruch 3:9-15, 32-4:4
Ezekiel 36:16-17a, 18-28
Romans 6:3-11
Mark 16:1-7

On the Day
Acts 10:34a, 37-43
Colossians 3:1-4 or 1 Corinthians 5:6b-8
John 20:1-9 or Mark 16:1-7

At the beginning of Holy Week the earthquake struck the Italian town of L’Aquila. The deadly quake killed more than 200 people, left 50,000 homeless, and saw rescuers still trying to save 50-60 people who were buried in the rubble. Photos from the scene show the devastation: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/07/world/europe/07italy.html?_r=1&hp. Almost in mockery of the traditional Easter symbol, the cupola of the 18th-century Santa Maria del Suffragio church cracked open like an eggshell, exposing the stucco patterns inside the dome. People were clawing through the debris by hand in a desperate attempt to find survivors.

A resident of L’Aquila, Guido Mariani, described his experience: “I was left for three hours under the rubble. I wasn’t able to free myself. Luckily two beams prevented the wall from collapsing around me. The rescue teams arrived after more than three hours. This is a city that is full of barracks but it was citizens who pulled me out with their bare hands. I was shouting for help. I could hear my mobile phone ringing but I could not get to it. Finally there was a small opening, hands reached out, they grabbed me and I got out.”

Videos of the damage and rescue efforts can be seen on the BBC Web site at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7986727.stm.

Aftershocks continued to plague the region on Tuesday, making rescue efforts more difficult. But still, amazing stories were coming to light. Ninety-eight year-old Maria D’Antuono was saved from her home, having spent thirty hours under the rubble. She was in good health when she was found Tuesday morning, and told rescuers, “I worked, I knitted,” while she was waiting to be extracted from her ruined house in the village of Tempera http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article6051410.ece.

Unless we’re in an earthquake zone, it is unlikely that any of us risks being buried alive. For many of those killed in Italy, death may have come quickly, since the quake came in the night when many were in bed. But some may have lingered and struggled in their stone tombs, even as they heard people trying to save them.

The promise that Jesus offers is that the stone-cold tomb is not the end. Hewn out of the rock, his sepulcher was not the final trap. Death could not hold him, and the stone rolled across the tomb could not contain the Author of all life.

The people of L’Aquila will grieve the loss of their loved ones even as they recall the death of Jesus on the cross. The hope they will have is the same as ours: death is not the end. Christ’s resurrection is hope for our own. He is alive, and we live in him who is Alpha and Omega, beginning and end, the one whom no tomb can contain.

Paul Michaels

Prayer

Living God,
through the power of his resurrection
your Son brought life to those who dwelt in the darkness.
May his light shine on all baptized in his name.
May our faith be strong
and our love eternal.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God forever and ever.
Amen.

Notices

HOME MISSIONS APPEAL
Many dioceses in the United States will take up the annual Home Missions Appeal the weekend of April 25-26. For great information and an interactive map that shows how grants are used throughout the country visit: http://www.usccb.org/hm/.

KEEPING EASTER FOR FIFTY DAYS
The “Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy” (Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, 2001) offers concrete suggestions for parishes on ways to keep the spirit of Easter alive throughout the fifty days. An excerpt can be found on the USCCB Web site at: http://www.usccb.org/liturgy/easter.shtml.

For Sunday, March 29, 2009

5th Sunday of Lent
Jeremiah 31:31-34
Hebrews 5:7-9
John 12:20-33

Or for the Scrutinies:
Ezekiel 37:12-14
Romans 8:8-11
John 11:1-45

Anyone looking for grim news during these last weeks of Lent doesn’t have to look very far. Just pick up the paper.

“Trade Barriers Rise as Recession’s Grip Tightens,” read the headline on the New York Times webpage Monday. (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/23/world/23trade.html?hp). A writer in the Washington Post described the conditions in the country right now as “A Recession Only Steinbeck Could Love,” with a nod to the dustbowl of “The Grapes of Wrath.” (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/20/AR2009032001778.html?hpid=opinionsbox1). If that wasn’t dispiriting enough, the Boston Globe looked at the economic crisis through the empty corridors of an ailing shopping mall struggling to stay open (http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2009/03/22/ailing_malls_shopping_for_a_new_identity/). The article described a less-than-alluring shopping experience in a mall that was “pocked with empty storefronts like missing teeth.”

Add to that the simmering populist rage over big bonuses going to AIG workers — “Extortion,” is the word Democratic congressman Barney Frank used on “Face the Nation” Sunday - and you have a country whose nerves seem to be at the breaking point. (http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2009/03/22/politics/politicalhotsheet/entry4882484.shtml)

If there is any solace in this Bad News, there is the Good News: we are not alone. After you put down the paper and read those headlines, you can pick up this Sunday’s gospel and read this disarming remark from the savior of the world: “I am troubled now. Yet, what should I say?”

Those are the words of an anxious Messiah facing the last days of his earthly life, confronting a passion that most of us could never even imagine, let alone endure.

The letter to the Hebrews puts Christ’s death even more explicitly: “He offered prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears.”

But in the midst of his misery, when all seemed lost, Christ abandoned himself to his father - surrendering to his will.

Sometimes, that kind of surrender is all we are capable of. And often, that is enough.

The psalmist prays: “A clean heart create for me, O God, and a steadfast spirit renew within me.” How could we ask for anything more than a “steadfast spirit” during our own individual passions — the struggles that threaten to overwhelm us, the heartache that haunts us? Even Christ was not immune.

Indeed, in the gospel for the Third Scrutiny, from John, we hear the account of the raising of Lazarus - and are startled, once again, to encounter these simple words: “Jesus wept.”

This weekend, we are given poignant reminders of Jesus’ own humanity. We take consolation in knowing that Christ suffers with us.

And we hold on to this enduring truth: that the God who raised Lazarus, and who raised His own son, can also raise our hearts - and our hopes.

That is the promise of the resurrection soon to come.

Greg Kandra

Prayer

Father of all mercies,
hear our cries as we raise our voices to you;
Give us the perseverance of a steadfast spirit,
the grace of an unwavering trust,
and the hope of an abiding faith,
so that we may be able to surrender our hearts to your divine will,
and dwell in your peace.
We ask this in union with your Holy Spirit,
through Christ, our Lord.
Amen.

Notices

FIFTH WEEK’S ORB COUNTRY — Ghana
With some of the recent headlines, we’ve become fearful of peanut butter products in this country. But this week’s recipe from Operation Rice Bowl gives us a chance to understand what a staple peanuts are for many people in Africa. Try the “Groundnut Stew” and see how you like it. There is a story and a video about Ghana on the ORB web site at: http://orb.crs.org/features/ghana/index.cfm.

Invite parishioners to learn more about Ghana by trying its food at home with the recipe of the week or at a “Rice Bowl” dinner in the parish or school. Donate the money collected to CRS. Use your imagination to “Pray, Fast, Learn, and Give” this Lent.

VIA CRUCIS
Looking for something special for the Way of the Cross during Holy Week? The meditations from previous year’s celebrations in the Coliseum are available on the Vatican web site. Consider adapting a version for local use by adding song and communal prayer. You’ll find nine different English versions (and eight in Spanish) at: http://www.vatican.va/news_services/liturgy/documents/index_via-crucis_en.html.

LENT ON THE VATICAN WEB SITE
A special page offers Stations of the Cross, sacred music, and live television. Go to: http://www.vatican.va/liturgical_year/lent/2009/index_lent2009_en.html.