Deep Dive7/31/2023 Feast of St Ignatius of Loyola
I just returned from a liturgy for today’s feast with our Campion community. I was reflecting on the wealth of experience of the Jesuits gathered for this celebration of Ignatius. If it weren’t for his life, none of us would be here today at Campion. In his homily, Fr. Collins mentioned that after years of being “on the move” as a pilgrim to the Holy Land, Spain, France, Italy, he spent the final 15 years of his life “tied to a desk” doing administration. He must have needed a great deal of humility to give himself freely and generously to the situation in which he found himself. As you know, the dynamic of the Exercises is always asking for a particular grace in prayer. The grace that I’m asking for is a share in Ignatius’ humility in order to be able to accept and embrace generously where I find myself these days. Am I being asked to take a “deep dive” into the Trinitarian mystery that Ignatius lived so fully? (When I acted the role of Ignatius in "For the Greater Glory" I had to take a "deep dive" to connect with his experience of writing the Exercises.) And what about you? Any “deep dives” you might need or want to take? As usual I share with you some of the creative work I’ve done over the years related to Ignatius. I was reading the “cannonball” story I wrote two years ago and am sharing it with you again. I also share the contemplation on Love and Ignatius’ dance to “Take Lord and Receive” from “For the Greater Glory” vimeo.com/265442500#t=4500s iÑu.pdf
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The Long Haul7/30/2023 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time
The photo above is of fishing boats moored in RockHarbor, Orleans. With the references to the "haul of fish" in the Gospel, I thought it was appropriate. The homily I will give today is pretty short since I’m still dealing with the sinus issues. It’s written very specifically for this Jesus community who will be celebrating the feast of St Ignatius tomorrow. I’m going to attach a homily that I gave at St Ignatius parish in 2011 that you may enjoy reading. Also, it’s three years ago on this Sunday that I wrote the poem “Undertow” as I grieved with my friend, Fatima, who had lost her “pearl of great price” in the sudden death of her 22-year-old son. I will attach it as well. Bingo! That’s the word that came to mind when I prayed about the scriptures for today. How perfect to hear these readings on the Sunday before we celebrate the feast of our founder, Ignatius of Loyola. We could think of them as a prelude to our liturgical celebration tomorrow. They are filled with Ignatian themes. Solomon asks for the gift of a discerning heart. Paul reminds us that “all things work for good for those who love God.” Another phrasing of “finding God in all things. And the Gospel of the parable of the hidden treasure and the pearl of great price. In the Spiritual Exercises we “ask for the grace” to know, love and serve Christ? Isn’t that the treasure and the pearl of great price we long for? Isn’t that we as Jesuits say is “worth it all?” Bingo! I tried to find when the last time was that the 30th of July coincided with the 17th Sunday of the Year, Cycle A. I went back as far as 1996 without success. I gave up my search so let’s leave it at that and just enjoy the coincidence of these readings preparing us for Ignatius day. When I first read the Gospel, I was going to choose the second option which is just the parable of the treasure and the pearl, but when I thought about it, I realized that the third parable is a about the haul of the net thrown into the sea. Since most of us have been Jesuits for the ‘long haul’ 40, 50, 60, 70 years, I wondered if that parable might also have something to say to us on the day before we celebrate Ignatius. What came to mind was how our lives have been filled with consolations and desolations. In his recent book, “Seeing with the Heart,” Kevin O’Brien saves “discernment” for the final chapter. Although we have been steeped in the experience of discernment all our Jesuit lives, I was struck with how O’Brien describes it. “ in the Spiritual Exercises, St. Ignatius presents God as dwelling and laboring in creation for our good. This is a movement of divine love. In the Christian tradition, the divine in-dwelling and loving activity of in God in creation is the Holy Spirit. Out of love, God communicates with us through what God has created, both in the world around us and in our interior life. Discernment helps us notice and interpret God’s self-communication so that we can respond in a way that is “in sync” with God’s gracious outreach. By coming to know and love Jesus, Christians pray to have a discerning heart like Jesus, who was completely in sync with God’s desire for us.” P.160 On this day before the feast of St Ignatius, can we ask, as Solomon does, for a “discerning heart” that gives us the freedom to let go and throw away those experiences of desolation that keep us from knowing God’s unconditional love for us? Can we bring to mind a lifetime of consolations and recognize them as the pearls of great price and the treasures in the field? Bingo! 17th_sunday_2011.doc undertow.docx On July 30th 1966, 57 years ago today, I walked through the doors of St Andrew on Hudson to begin my Jesuit journey. (It's now the Culinary Institute of America.) Despite some very dark times and many desolations, I'm focusing on gratitude for the graces and consolations I have received over these years, especially through the wonderful people who have blessed me with their friendship and care. Breezeway7/27/2023 Thursday of the 16th Week in OT
There must be a certain irony in my thinking of a “breezeway” this morning when my breathing is anything but easy and all the passages are blogged. Oh for a breezeway, an easy way of breathing in air! How much we take for granted when things are working well. We don’t even give a thought to something as essential to life as breathing. The Psalm today invites us to reflect on what we may take for granted and respond to God’s goodness with “praise.” Which one of us doesn’t appreciate hearing words of praise? Good work! Nice job! Well-done! Is it in our human nature to give and receive praise? If we are made in the image and likeness of God, I hope it is. For some of us giving and receiving praise comes naturally and spontaneously as the air we breathe. For others it may be given begrudgingly or received reluctantly, like when the airways are blocked. But what is praise? That is the question that’s been on my mind this morning, especially hearing the psalm for today’s liturgy. “Offer to God a sacrifice of praise.” Ordinarily when we think of praising someone, it’s because of his/her accomplishments. When we praise God, it is most likely for what God has done; the beauty and majesty of creation, the gifts of this world. Sometimes it’s difficult to praise God for creating us, given human cruelty and the harm we inflict on others and on this creation. But we also give praise to God for who God is, source of life, beauty and love. We praise God for the loving kindness and mercy that God shows to us. We especially praise God for God’s own self-sacrifice in Jesus Christ. “Offer to God a sacrifice of praise.” Could the sacrifice of praise that God desires be more than a litany of God’s “accomplishments?” Good Work, God! Nice job, God! Well done, God! Could the sacrifice of praise that God desires be simply the gift or ourselves? Could the sacrifice of praise be simply a return of love for all that God has given us? When we are overwhelmed by the world’s woes and our personal losses, praise does not come easily to our lips. It feels as if God is responsible for the mess of our world and our messy lives. Praising God’s goodness comes begrudgingly, if at all. Then it may be time to look again at God’s creation and contemplate its beauty. Then it may be time to focus on some person’s goodness, kindness and generosity of spirit. Then, realizing that the beauty of God’s creation and the goodness of that person is a mere glimmer of God’s beauty and Goodness, a sacrifice of praise may come freely and without reservation from a heart filled with gratitude. Even though I’m struggling to find an easy breeze way, I would be remiss not to offer praise and thanks for the nurses, the surgeon, the assistants, all those folks who took care of me on Tuesday. I’m just hoping that soon I’ll be able to breathe naturally again! Memorial of Sts. Joachim and Anne
I always love to post my grandparents wedding picture on the day when we remember the grandparents of Jesus. Their names are not mentioned in the Bible but their stories are told in the “Protevangelium of James (2nd Century) and a 3rd Century apocryphal source. Too bad they didn’t have “ancestry.com” in those days! My eldest brother has spent a great deal of time researching our family. My grandparents, William Roggy and Augusta Wachter, both were born in Alsace-Lorraine. My grandfather’s family were originally, Anabaptists, (present day Amish in the US an Canada.) It so interesting to know where we came from! Since I am recovering from sinus surgery which I am told went well but will take a week before they can “unpack” what the surgeon did, I expect to be using some of my former reflections. I hope you don’t mind. I think there is always something you can glean from them. Wednesday of the 16th Week in OT Whining and Dining With all the whining that the Israelites are doing in the desert, the title I used for these readings two years ago bears repeating. But I couldn’t resist adding, “What’s the manna with you?” since God’s response to their whines is feeding them with manna and quail. This is what I wrote two years ago. When I was thinking yesterday afternoon of a title for today’s reflection, a smile came across my face. The story of the Israelites' whining about their trek through the desert and God’s feeding them with manna and quail made me think of the common expression ‘wine and dine” and give it another meaning. Sometimes when you are feeling the weight of the world and its brokenness and you have no answers to the question “WHY?” and you are tired of WHY-NING, someone invites you to dinner, or prepares a home-cooked meal for you (More than manna and quail). It’s no surprise that when there is a death in the family, neighbors bring “comfort” food. Sometimes the only response to the heart-breaking “whys” of life area the words, “Take and Eat, Take and Drink. This is for you.” The manna and the quail in the Exodus story are meant to be much more than bodily nourishment. It’s meant to be “soul-food.” God is hearing the cries, complaints, whines of the people, responding not with answers to the “whys” but giving them what they need to continue the journey. So if you’re why-ning today, perhaps there will be some version of “manna and quail” appearing and you may say to yourself “What’s the manna with me?” July 26th 2023 That’s what I wrote two/four years ago. Yesterday I had one of those “manna and quail” experiences. Monday was the birthday of a dear friend who I haven’t heard from in months. They have been going through some difficult personal times and have chosen to restrict communications with many friends. I didn’t expect to hear from them but I had been praying to God and my friend JA, asking for just a simple message responding to my birthday greetings, saying that they were “hanging in there” Nothing came on Monday, but on Tuesday after I returned from my surgery, I received a message from my friend. I can’t tell you how overjoyed I was. I was so starved for an answer, and there it was “in a Manna of speaking” And that’s a “Quail of a Tale!” Shell, We Dance7/24/2023 Feast of St James, Apostle
Today is the feast of St James. Also known by his Spanish name, Santiago, he is most famously associated with the City of Compostela and the Camino or pilgrimage way. Everyone whom I know that has walked the Camino has been transformed by the experience. There is something very fitting about the choice of the scripture for today from Paul’s letter to the Corinthians for a celebration of the feast of James/Santiago: Brothers and sisters: We hold this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing power may be of God and not from us. We are afflicted in every way, but not constrained; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our body. The symbol of the Camino is a scallop shell. One interpretation of its meaning is that its lines represent the different routes that pilgrims follow from all over the world, all walking trails leading to one point, the tomb of Santiago de Compostela. I understand that the shell was of practical use as well. “Scallop shells were a handy and light replacement for a bowl so the pilgrims could use them to hold food and drink for their long journey.” Caminoways.com The scallop shell is another kind of “earthen vessel.” It is no wonder that a shell is often used in the baptismal ritual, holding the water of life that will be poured over the head of the person to be baptized. Over the past year, the fragility of life, symbolized by our bodies as “earthen vessels” has hit home for so many of us who have grieved the sudden and unexpected loss of a loved one or heard of the diagnosis of serious illness that a friend has received. That is why the words of St Paul that remind us that are always “carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus.” Three years ago, this feast coincided with the heart-breaking news that a wonderful woman whom I had baptized, Fatima, had lost her 22 year old son unexpectedly. As it happens, I had baptized her using the “Santiago Shell” I wrote the poem “Undertow” comparing her suffering with Mary the Mother of Jesus. I share it again today on this feast of St James. undertow.docx I recently shared with you a dance that I created for my dear friend, Carol Faherty, when she "came back" after a harrowing ordeal with cancer. I entitled the piece ComeBack. The piece wove together the story of the “empty tomb” and Mary’s encounter with the Risen Jesus. With Carol’s dancing after her battle with cancer, the theme of Resurrection and “coming back from death” was ever more powerful. What I had forgotten was that the music I used was Loreena McKennit’s SANTIAGO, which was inspired by her visit to Compostela. (A friend who lives in Austria saw the video and SHAZAMED the music. He told me that its title was SANTIAGO.) Small world? vimeo.com/346158176 I am undergoing some sinus surgery this morning and am posting very early since I have to be at the hospital by 6am. I’m hoping that after the surgery, I’ll be able to hear and breathe better! An Obstacle Course7/24/2023 Monday of the 16th Week in OT
Today is my annual outing with friends on one of the most beautiful golf courses I have ever played. Although my game has improved over the years, I’m still challenged every time I play. Some of the challenges come from the obstacles on the course like sand traps, or water holes. But I’ve come to realize that the biggest obstacles are within me. I have to learn to get out of the way of myself, relax, enjoy and not try so hard. And yes, there is a connection with the Exodus reading today, which is all about “obstacles and obstinacy.” And, of course, there is the great water hole which is the Red Sea which God parts for the Israelites, and the sands of the desert that will trap them for 40 years! This is what I wrote two years ago. Did you know there was a language named “Obish?” I learned to speak this “language” when I was a young boy. It was a kind of jibberish that was created by inserting “ob” before each vowel. Only if you knew the secret, would you be able to understand someone who was speaking, trying to obfuscate the meaning of the words for those who were not “in the know.” The memory of “Obish” came to me this morning as I read about the “obstinacy” of Pharaoh in the reading from Exodus. This led me to think of the “obstacle” facing the Israelites in the Red Sea and their “objections” to Moses. Why did you do this to us? Why did you bring us out of Egypt? Did we not tell you this in Egypt, when we said, ‘Leave us alone. Let us serve the Egyptians’? Far better for us to be the slaves of the Egyptians than to die in the desert.” And then, there is the “obtuseness” of the scribes and Pharisees as the demand a sign from Jesus in today’s Gospel. All these words that use the Latin preposition “ob” which means “against” suggest resistance to something or someone “getting in the way.” Another meaning of the preposition “ob” is “towards.” (How can one syllable mean “toward” and “against”?) When we are “obliged” to someone we are “bound toward” them. Is there an invitation today to “get out of the way” and not be an obstacle to others by one’s obstinacy? Will we let God remove the obstacles in our lives? Will we trust that God wants to do that for us? Not Your Garden Variety7/23/2023 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Yesterday, I posted a reflection on the Feast of Mary Magdalene with photos of flowers from beautiful Cape Gardens. With all the horticultural images in the Gospel today, I’m continuing the “garden” theme. Mary’s encounter with the Risen Jesus was no “garden variety.” In other words, it was not your ordinary, run of the mill encounter between two persons. It was for her a heart-stopping, once in a lifetime revelation. Her beloved was with her again but in a way that was anything but “ordinary!” At the end of my retreat, I shared with you a powerful experience of prayer that was definitely not your “garden variety.” It left me reeling, dizzy, and disoriented. It all began with an “about face.” Since then, I’ve been thinking of the words, “Sometimes an “about face” is what is called for.” Yesterday, when I read how Mary turned around and away from the tomb, I thought of her “about face” and what came from it. So I began to write some verses. As I did, I began to wonder what the Risen Jesus was doing in the garden. Was he weeding, trimming trees, pruning vines, burnishing bushes? (polishing leaves so they would shine) The Risen Jesus was noted for doing “ordinary” things when he appeared to his disciples; eating with them, cooking them breakfast. I’m sure that that Jesus’ gardening skills were on my mind as I had been pruning wisteria vines and there was someone outside the door trimming trees and bushes. About Face Sometimes an “about face” is what is called for. You do not know what’s behind you, unless you turn around to see. Face to face with an empty tomb, a mirror held up to the void within, She cannot see, streaks of tears streaming, eyes gleaning a whereabouts of the beloved, nowhere to be found. And suddenly, an “about face,” a turning point for her, Face to face but unfamiliar, still, a gardener? Someone’s Pruning, pinching, Plucking weeds Trimming trees, Burnishing bushes. Is he still about his Father’s business? She sees and hedges her bets, Questions, “where and why” A voice familiar Calls her name, Effaces doubt, Allays her fears, She longs to touch, cling, have and hold. She cannot void the joy of being face to face again. I think there may be another verse to follow about my own “about face.” Not sure yet. I’m also including “A New Brew” which is a poem I wrote for this Sunday three years ago. It was written especially for the 30 day retreatants who had finished the second week of the Exercises. I include it here. a_new_brew.docx A Feast for the "Ayes"7/22/2023 Feast of Mary Magdalene
I usually don’t post on Saturdays, but since today is a special feast, I thought I would. Three days ago I had a “feast for my eyes” seeing the flowers blooming in gardens on the Cape. I associate Mary Magdalen with the garden where she encountered the Risen Jesus when she did an “about face” and turned to see him, even though she did not recognize him. I hope these flowers will be a "feast for your eyes" since today is a "feast for the 'ayes' (Mary's yeses.) It was only seven years ago that Mary of Magdala’s day in the liturgical calendar was raised from a “memorial” to a “feast.” It was Pope Francis that elevated her stature and gave her the “official” title, “Apostle to the Apostles.” Mary has her rightful place as she is the first witness to the Resurrection. She “feasts her eyes” on the vision of her beloved Jesus who appears to her as the Risen One in the garden outside the tomb. This morning, as I reflected on Mary of Nazareth’s “Yes” to the invitation to give birth to God’s beloved son who will be named Jesus, I was thinking about Mary of Magdala’s “yes” to her beloved friend at the foot of the Cross and in the garden. From the depth of her grief at Cross and Tomb, she was able to say “Yes” to the one who had healed her, loved her, and transformed her grief at his death into the joy of his rising. The gospel today is a “feast for our eyes and ears as it was for Mary of Magdala. You may have already read my story “Justus” in which Mary of Magdala plays a central role. I share it with you on her feast day. justus.pdf A Blue Umbrella7/21/2023 A Blue Umbrella
Friday of the 15th Week in OT I’m writing this reflection on a beautiful Cape Cod Day, sitting outside under a navy blue umbrella. This is no ordinary table umbrella. Over many years it has come to be more than just a protection from the sun, or a decorative piece, it has come to symbolize the season of summer and links each year with memory of meals “al fresco,” breakfasts of bacon and eggs, pancakes, fresh fruit, blueberry muffins, lunches of “prosciutto y melone” or Captain Frosty’s fish sandwiches, dinners of grilled fish, or tenderloins with Tony’s garlic roasted potatoes. How many meals have I shared with friends under this “canopy?” How can something as simple as a “navy blue umbrella” hold so much meaning? (My friend JA took this photo of me under the blue umbrella in 2003, twenty years ago!) Meals may be on my mind this morning since both scripture readings are about meals. The first is the scripture from Exodus describing the Passover meal. This is the same text that is read at our Holy Thursday liturgy each year. Lamb is on the menu for this meal but it is so much more. It symbolizes the life; body and blood of this Israelite community who is waiting for deliverance. If you have participated in a Passover seder, you know that each element of food and drink is symbolic. It is much more than nourishment for the body. It is elemental in the way in which it unites each person around the table with each other. The Gospel describes a “take-out” meal for the disciples. It’s on the run, not at a table, but Jesus reminds the Pharisees that what is most important is not the “law” but human hunger that needs to be satisfied, no matter the day of the week. Is there a “navy blue umbrella” in your own life? Is there some powerful symbol of union with friends, sharing a meal? Is it a dining room table, or a breakfast nook? Do you have a “canopy” that protects you from the elements? I hope today is an invitation to reflect on the power of symbols in your life. I had planned to share with you the two Exodus poems that I wrote four years ago when we heard these readings. Since “canopy” was on my mind today, I wanted to share them again with you. I had thought the Hebrew word, “Kanaph” may have been the origin for “canopy.” It actually refers to the “wings” of a bird. You’ll find out where “canopy” does originate from at the end of this reflection. Dove-Tale (July 2019) I’m not sure where this reflection is coming from. There are no doves in the Passover story.. We hear the same text on Holy Thursday. You would think the lamb would be the focus of the reflection rather than a dove. But the theme of “free as a bird” continues to engage my imagination. I’m not sure how, but I know that the story of Elohim Eagle will “dovetail” with today’s “dove-tale.” The dove plays a central role in imagining God’s protection and care. ‘ebrah’ the word for "feathers" and ‘kanaph’ a "flapping of wings" are used to describe God as a refuge and shelter, like a mother/father dove protecting their young in the nest. Eema Yonah, mother-dove, Abba Yonah, father-dove, Divining, daring dreams For their newly borne, Hatching hopes for their dove-child Cooing, calling her by name, Yo-ha-nah, HA! Yon-ah, Yohanah, gift of God! Precious dove-let it be! Dovening, davening forward and back Praying dove-like Dove divine, all doves excelling You come from an ancient dove-line Bringing Shalom, Noah knew your great-great-great and so on And on until now. Now-Yohanah You shall be Peace for a people in fear and flight, You shall pass over them and they will see Signs and wonders A pillar of cloud by day ‘Ebrah for the Hebrew people You will be God’s Kanaph –a canopy As we, Eema and Abba Yonah Are for Yo-ha-nah Dovetail Elohim Eagle Yohanah Dove Strange bird fellows One preying One praying (How can two words sound the same and be so opposite?) The Grand Interlocutor. Interlocking lives, Dovetailing, Weighing in on the way out Exodus, Elects an eagle Desires a dove to lead the flight With freedom the outcome Coming out the free way. Elohim calls to other Eagles, Now a convocation Yohanah coos to other doves Now a flight of doves flying, The Grand Interlocutor speaks Elohim/Yohanah Lead the exodus Be for them A pillar of cloud by day A pillar of fire by night Humans being short-sighted Do not see the pillar of cloud for what it is A flight of doves by day Do not see the pillar of fire A convocation of eagles by moon night Strange bird fellows Lives dovetailing Two as One, chosen, elected, sent The Grand Interlocutor will say The Doves have done it! The Eagles have landed! (When I wrote “Dovetail” it happened to be the 50th anniversary of the “Eagle” landing on the Moon.) By the way, did you know that the word “canopy” comes from the Greek word for “mosquito?” A “canopy” was originally a mosquito net over one’s bed to keep one “mosquito-free.” Who knew? I didn’t. After posting the photo of the dove, I looked again at the photo of me above. Notice any similarities? AuthorAs an ordained Catholic priest for 45 years and a member of the Jesuits for 57 years, I've had a great deal of "spiritual" experience! This is a place where I can continue to share my thoughts about God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit and what it means to live the "mystery of God." Categories |
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