STORMS/URGING9/30/2020
Memorial of Saint Jerome
It may have been the shouting match that did not pass as a debate or presidential last night that urged me to listen to the sounds of the sea and seek an interior silence. Or perhaps it was the knowledge that St Jerome whom we remember today, shut off all the noise of the world so he could live in the midst of silence and do his translations of the Hebrew and Greek Scriptures, while living in a cave in Bethlehem. Or perhaps it was the reading from the book of Job which speaks about the power and majesty of God, that drew me like a magnet to the water’s edge. God alone stretches out the heavens and treads upon the crests of the sea. God made the Bear and Orion, the Pleiades and the constellations of the south; God does great things past finding out, marvelous things beyond reckoning. Could it be that we are all “on edge” these days, exacerbated by what we witnessed last night and have these urgent longings to find an interior silence in the cave of our hearts? You may notice at the end of the short video that my finger covered the lens and blurred the vision of the beauty, power and majesty of God’s creation. Isn’t that so typical! How often do we blur the vision and lose sight of what really matters? How often do we let the shouts and shots of human bickering drown out the sounds of the sea and the songs of the birds? And if we do let the silence speak, we may find what Job did not at first find. If I appealed to God and he answered my call, I could not believe that he would hearken to my words. And yet, God does…. Just ask St Jerome....
The Jerome Biblical Commentary has been an indispensable resource for preachers, teachers and students of the Bible since its first version was published in 1968. It is dedicated to Saint Jerome who is considered the foremost Scripture scholar in the early centuries of the Church. His translations of the New Testament from Greek to Latin and the Old, from Hebrew to Latin, was an endeavor of such magnitude that it is difficult to imagine how he accomplished it. He must have been a very determined fellow!
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Vision- Airy9/29/2020 Feast of Saints Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, archangels
Angels are usually associated with “visions” and with “light” as we hear in the reading from the book of Revelations on the feast of the Archangels. I think I had a vision this morning as the interplay of the light of the sun and the shadow cast by the clouds, looked like “angels’ wings.” Do you see what I see? The three Archangels we celebrate today have different roles. Michael is a warrior. Gabriel is a messenger. Raphael is a healer. All play their part in revealing God as the Holy One who is Justice, Love and Healing Presence in our world, even when we are unable to “envision” this in our lives. We could surely use the help of the Archangels these days! Here's a link to a children's story I wrote many years ago that, hopefully, will shed some light on how each of us is called to be an "angel" for others. michael_the_unimportant_angel.pdf Do you ever wonder why the Archangels all have masculine names? Angels, we are told, do not have gender and yet they are given gender specific names. When it comes to portraying Angels, I’ve most often been a “gender bender” since I usually have them dancing on pointe! Job-less9/28/2020 Monday of the 26th Week in Ordinary Time
The first reading today is the opening of the Book of Job. The question to ponder is, "What would we be missing. if the Bible were “Job-less?” In other words, "What light does the plight of Job shed on our human condition and our relationship with God?" The underlying question in the Book of Job is “Why is there suffering in the world?” A complementary question is “Why does a just and innocent person suffer?” The Book of Job does not give answers to these questions but rather details one person’s response to pain, loss and overwhelming misfortune. Job holds on for “dear life” to his belief in a just God, even though he rails against God for the injustice he is suffering in his human condition. His “friends” offer explanations and reasons for his suffering which he rejects. The truth is that he is living the mystery of suffering for which there are no answers. Even when he is reduced to silence when God speaks from the whirlwind, there is no explanation or apology given for what he has experienced. Living in the midst of a pandemia as we are, we want to have answers to our questions. “Where is God? Why is God letting so many people suffer? How can God be a good God when there is such suffering in the world?" These questions, of course, are nothing new. They are the same that the Book of Job was grappling with centuries ago. There were not clear answers then and there are none now but we do have the Cross of Christ as a reminder that he, too, had to live the mystery of suffering and surrender himself to the One who could not be apprehended by human consciousness but could be loved with the human heart. Today is Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. It is the holiest day in the Jewish liturgical calendar. It is a day of fasting, prayer and confession of human sinfulness. It is our Christian Lent of 40 days all in one. This day began last evening at Sunset with the Kol Nidre service. The modern composer Max Bruch set the traditional melody of the Kol Nidre chant to a composition for cello and piano. I used its violin transcription in For the Greater Glory of God. The link to the piece is Peter’s lament after his denial. Peter swears “I do not know the man.” Kol Nidre (All Vows) annuls all human vows in recognition of our human weakness and God’s mercy. The piece is danced by Steven Cornwall and the violinist is Adam Vaubel. vimeo.com/265442500#t=3900s Small Change9/27/2020 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time
The leaves are beginning to change. So far the changes are small but very soon they'll be all ablaze with color. Small change is on my mind and that's what I'm preaching about today. You’ve probably heard about the “coin shortage” during the pandemic. “Small change” is hard to come by these days. Banks and stores are short on change. The reasons? There’s plenty of change out there, they say, but people are holding on to their change instead of “exchanging” it. It could be the fear of touch in the pandemic and stores are encouraging credit rather than coins. Bottom line is there’s plenty of change to go around, but people are afraid of change. Can you imagine that? People afraid of change! Today’s scriptures are all about change. Ezekiel is demanding that the people of Israel change their way of thinking about how God looks at the sinner. People are not “fixed” as good or wicked, but rather their actions are what’s important in God’s eyes. The Gospel picks up on the same theme. The first son’s words are “no” but his actions say “yes.” We are not told what brings about this change of mind and heart but something does. Could it be that his love for his father makes him rethink his first response? And the second son? Was he just a people pleaser, saying what he thought his father wanted to hear? Did he ever intend to put his words into action? In St Ignatius’s spiritual exercises, the final meditation on Love has two preludes Love shows itself more in deeds than in words Love consists in a mutual sharing of gifts. If Ignatius is correct and I imagine we’d all agree with the principle that “actions speak louder than words.” Son number 1 is the one who shows his love in action, even if his first response was a “no.” His actions say, Yes.” Son number 2, says what he thinks the father wants to hear but doesn’t follow through. In his interpretation of the parable, Jesus identifies the first son with “tax collectors and prostitutes” (Let’s call them Group 1) They are open to change. And what is it that enables this change? With their eyes fixed on Jesus and knowing they are accepted and loved, they are capable of change. The second son Jesus identifies with the religious leaders who refuse to change. (Let’s call them Group 2) They have a fixed mindset about who is good and who is wicked. Their eyes are fixed on Jesus but not as one who reveals God’s love but one who has no right to speak in God’s name. God’s law is fixed and is unchangeable. Jesus shows no respect for God’s ways. (Remember that this parable comes soon after the cleansing of the temple in Matthew’s Gospel) If psychologist Carol Dweck were analyzing the two groups, she would say Group 2 has a “fixed” mindset. People with a “fixed mindset” defined themselves by their intelligence, personality, talents, moral behaviors. All of these personal qualities are fixed. In other words, “The cards you have been dealt are the ones you have to play with.” You can’t change who you are. For this group, personal failure is not an option. Life is a test. Not a gift. Group 1 has a “growth mindset.” A person is not limited by their personal gifts and traits. They are capable of change. The experience of failure, judgment, criticism can elicit creative responses. Life is a learning experience. It’s a gift. Not a test. There may be a shortage of “change” during this pandemic time but there has been no shortage of CHANGE. The question is how has each of has adapted to all this change? Fixed mindset: resisting the changes necessary. “I won’t wear a mask.” “I’ll do what I’ve always done.” Growth mindset: how can I use my imagination and creativity during this time of change? What’s your mindset during these days of retreat? Is it “fixed” in ways that you think change is not possible or desirable? Have you decided that a “change of mind and heart” is not “in the cards” for you? Or do you have a growth mindset? Despite past failures, struggles, will you let God’s grace open you to change, maybe small change but change in ways that you can “cash” in on. If that’s what you want and desire, listen to St Paul and set your mind on Christ Jesus. Have in you the same attitude that is also in Christ Jesus, Who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Because of this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. What Time is it?9/25/2020 Friday of the 25th Week in OT
How many times a day do you check to see what time it is? These days, if you have a smart watch or other device you can see not only what time it is but what you’ve been doing with your time. You can see what activities you’ve been engaged in, with whom you have been in communication and even what’s happening in time zones across the world. When we think of time, however, we usually think of chronological time; when we will meet, eat, play, sleep etc. The familiar reading from Ecclesiastes is all about “time,” but in another sense. It’s not about duration but donation; how are you using the gift of time? The power of the reading is in the contrasting experiences that each of us has during our lifetimes. A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to uproot the plant. A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to tear down, and a time to build. A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance. A time to scatter stones, and a time to gather them; a time to embrace, and a time to be far from embraces. A time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away. A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to be silent, and a time to speak. A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace. The question this reading elicits in me is “what time is it now?” Living as we do in this pandemic time we have to “be far from embraces.” In fact, in this time of racial injustice, when the fabric of democracy and equal rights for all is being torn down and rent apart, when protesters cannot be silent and politicians war against the people whom they are elected to serve, this passage feels very “timely.” So much of our lives are being uprooted. It’s almost as if every negative human experience that is listed is happening all at once. When will the time come for planting, healing, building, laughing, dancing, gathering, embracing, seeking, keeping, sewing, speaking, love and peace? Is the challenge for us to find the positive experiences in the midst of the negative? Can we seek and find reasons for rejoicing even when the chaos and pain of loss is outweighing our hope and trust in the goodness of God? As it turns out, I’m running “out of time.” We begin another retreat in an hour or so and I need to make preparations. I’m sure I’ll be returning to Ecclesiastes in a later reflection. In the “mean” time, I offer you an image of a sun dial that is on the front of the retreat house which was named "Blighty" by it owners when it was built in MCMMXXI. The sun dial is, of course, a primitive form of telling time, just using the rays of the sun. Those were simpler days! And I share with you as well a photo of the retreat house from 1923 when it was a “Great Gatsby” style, party house. (It became a retreat house in the 1950’s” During it’s almost 100 years, people have had the “time of their lives” here. Those who have come here on retreat beginning in the 1970’s have come to know that the “time of their lives” has everything to do with the God whose love is timeless. All in Vane9/24/2020 Thursday of the 25th Week in OT
Yes, I misspelled “vain” in the expression “all in vain” on purpose. The image of the “weathervane” above should be a giveaway…. The reading from Ecclesiastes might be the most depressing in all of scripture. Vanity of vanities, says Qoheleth, vanity of vanities! All things are vanity! What profit has man from all the labor which he toils at under the sun? From the author’s point of view, everything in life is empty, vain, purposeless. Ever feel like that? I would imagine that many of us have those feelings of uselessness, asking ourselves, “What’s the point of it all? My life will come to an end and who will remember me?” Everything can feel so evanescent. We, too, shall pass. There will come a time when we are no more. As if Qoheleth’s words were not depressing enough! That’s probably why my thoughts turned to other “vain” sounding words, like vane and vein. The Ecclesiastes reading speaks of the changing winds Blowing now toward the south, then toward the north, the wind turns again and again, resuming its rounds. A weathervane points one in the direction the wind is coming and reminds us how quickly the direction can change. Not unlike life! In contrast to the emptiness that Qoheleth speaks of, can we find meaning in the ways the Spirit moves and blows in our lives? Can we be sensitive to those direction changes in our lives and see them as “giveaways” or graces from God? Can our “veins” be filled with a life blood that is Christ’s blood giving purpose and meaning to our brief lives? Can we both acknowledge “temporality” and “eternity” at the same time? Aren’t we asked to trust that somehow our “past, present and future, “ time and eternity” are held in God’s loving embrace? With all the depressing news in the world today, we don’t need to hear Qoheleth’s pessimistic take on life and yet we know that there is a real temptation to life through this lens. What is missing, however, is the U in Qoheleth. Add a U, yourself, and perhaps the scripture will take you in another direction. Just check your “weathervane.” The photo below is of a favorite needlepoint of mine. This shows the weathervane on top of a barn in wintertime. Just a reminder to see the larger picture! If need be....9/23/2020 Surf's Up! from Robert VerEecke on Vimeo.
Wednesday of the 25th Week in OT
The question that this morning’s scripture raises for us is “What do we really need?” Proverbs tells us that all we need is food for the table to satisfy our hunger. As it says, Put falsehood and lying far from me, give me neither poverty nor riches; provide me only with the food I need; Lest, being full, I deny you, saying, “Who is the LORD?” Or, being in want, I steal, and profane the name of my God. In the Gospel, Jesus tells his disciples that they don’t even need the bare essentials for the journey. They should rely on the hospitality and generosity of others. Early this morning, I saw a single surfer “waiting for the next wave.” All he needed was the wave to feel that he was truly alive. With the surf up as it is, he didn’t need to wait long! Is today’s invitation to “simplify” and ask ourselves, “What do we really need to give us a sense of genuine spiritual freedom? Can we truly rely on God’s generosity to give us all the we really need?” Worth the Wave? Surf’s Building, breaking, Cresting, crashing, Tumbling, tunneling, Whipping, wiping Out to sea Surfers Wave watching, Waiting, whiling away time While whetting wants For waves Wet-suited They wait Not bored But board Climbing a-board Catching a-wave Riding a-crest Dreaming a pipe Then, Crash, tumble Wipe out!!!! Crying, Christ! Are you the surf Or the surfer? The wave Or the waiver? The dream Or the dreamer? Missed Prism/ in Earnest!9/22/2020 Tuesday of the 25th Week in OT
Here's the homily I'm giving in at our Masses today. The photo above will make sense when you read it. The title "Missed Prism" In Earnest! you may are may not get. All I'll say is that it's "Wilde!" When I first looked at today’s scriptures, I inwardly groaned. It’s the last full day of your retreat and you have to listen to this? Couldn’t we have something more “uplifting” something that captures the beauty and power of the waves and the surfers waiting to ride them? But looking at the list of proverbs that don’t seem to have any connection to each other, I thought of the star that I have on my windowsill. I hadn’t noticed that when the sun is shining and coming through the window at a particular angle, there are fragments of color on the carpet. It’s the spectrum of color you see through a prism. It was one of the people whom I’m directing who pointed it out to me. When I saw it, I began to turn the star on its axis, and the room, walls, ceiling, carpet was alive with color. What a delight it was to see the light shining through the prism, reflected and refracted all around in a spectrum of color. Hmm, I thought. Could the proverbs we just heard be like the colors of the spectrum? Could we see the scripture as a prism? And if so, what would be the light source? Could it be the difference between the “good” and the “wicked” The good and just person does ….. The wicked does…. Wicked appears 4 times. My favorite is “Haughty eyes and a proud heart.. the tillage of the wicked is sin. (Perhaps it’s because of the gospel we heard the other day about the sower that “tilling” caught my attention.) Seeing the proverbs through the prism of “Good” and “Wicked” reminded me of a poem I wrote for Friday of the First week of Lent. The reading from Ezekiel essentially said that if the “wicked” changed their ways, they should be forgiven. It’s not who you are but what you do that makes a difference. It’s titled “Wicked Good” (That was a popular expression meaning “really good” but when you think about it…. wicked_good.docx I hope during this 8 day retreat you’ve come to know that in God’s eyes your “Wicked Good!” in the sense of really good. Yes we all are a patchwork of “guilt and grace”, a wick’s work of guile and good. But somehow that’s ok. I’m sure that during these 8 days you’ve come to know again the healing power of nature. It is nature’s wizardry that captures our imagination and has the power to heal. Just think of the healing remedies that are in Fr. Campbell’s herb garden right outside this window. I hope you have been like those surfers, waiting patiently for the next wave of God’s love and mercy. And you are able to ride the wave with Jesus on board…. May I dare to say that you are the prism and Christ is the son light that lets your light be reflected and refracted in a spectrum of color that is God’s delight? The photo below is the Herb Garden that our Director, Fr William Campbell tills with great care. Matt Finished9/21/2020 The painting above is the famous "Call of St Matthew" by Caravaggio. Today is the feast of St Matthew and I've been working on a "poem" about the call of Matthew. I just finished it. You could say it's Matt Finished. See if you can figure out what it's all about!
Levi-tation His custom was to rise early in the morn. No night owl, he but desert owl’s hoot would wake him from dreamless sleep. No dreamer, he, when day’s drudgery awaited. His custom table would soon be taxing his patience with queues of the querulous quarreling, questioning, cursing him. And he, accustomed to their disgust and disdain, would return insult with injury, a counter, a tax charged sum for himself to balance the scales of their scorn. Accustomed he was to dreamless sleep lest day’s burdens be night’s as well No rest for the weary, yoked, as he was to table and chair, counting coins with Caesar’s countenance until day’s end. But, dream, he did, Joseph-wise one night. A cloak of many colors, custom made, he wore the weave in dream’s day. A “magi-cal” mantle it was! When worn, a “seer” he becomes, a star in the East he sees “Hee-haw,” he divines, Balaam-like, now His fortune told, wrapped in this mantle of prophetic voices, mingled with Moses’ mountain ascending desert crossing, a face seen, a voice heard, “Come” Command or invitation? And then, an owl’s hooting An Awakening! His custom was to walk a pace, quickening his step, shunning shouts of “Unclean” shoulders cold, avoiding the sinner at all costs This day, though he finds the tables overturned no money changing hands someone is waiting, a face seen a voice heard, once upon a dream his name heard His soul soars, on eagle's wings. He leaves his custom-aerie, And he follows. "Far Out!" "Near Here!"9/20/2020 /matadornetwork.com/read/epic-astrophotography-contest-images/
25th Sunday of the Year Before you start reading today's reflection, click on the link above to see some award winning "astrophotographs." I am grateful for a good friend's sending these to me since they really connect to today's scriptures. These astrophotographs are “far out” in two senses. They are “far out,” as in, an unimaginable distance from “here.” They are also “far out!” Wow! Awesome! Amazing! For the prophet Isaiah in chapter 55, God is “far out” in thought, word and action. As high as the heavens are above the earth, so high are my ways above your ways and my thoughts above your thoughts. When Isaiah would look at the heavens above, he must have thought “It doesn’t get any higher than this!” This is the best way of helping people understand how different God is from us human beings. God’s mercy, compassion, creativity are so far beyond our thoughts, words and actions. I wonder what Isaiah would say today if he saw these photos. Perhaps something like this? As light years away from the earth are the stars, so far beyond your comprehension are my ways and my thoughts beyond your thoughts. In my homily from 2014, I tried to capture the “far out” ways of God. The problem with you, God, is that when we think we’ve figured you out, you elude us. When we think we know who you are, what you want, you throw us another curve ball, you catch us off guard. When we think we can control others, you say “Love one another.” When we think we can exact punishment on others, you say, “Forgive one another” When we think we can war against each other in your name, you say “Peace, my peace I give to you”. When fear cripples us, you say, “Don’t be afraid When despair holds us captive, you say “Be free”. I could go on… Today’s parable is another example of how God’s thoughts are not our thoughts. God’s ways not our ways. Most of us would agree with the workers who have been laboring all day and who resent the fact that others who have not been working receive the same recompense. It’s not fair according to just wage standards. Of course, the parable is not about economic justice or entitlement. It’s about sharing in the ultimate generosity of the landowner, who represents God. It’s about God’s generosity and how really none of us can earn God’s love. It’s all about gift. Do you hear echoes of the prodigal son in this parable? Don’t the workers in the vineyard who have been toiling all day and complaining at the end of the day about their wages sound like the elder brother who resents the share of the father’s love that his younger brother has received? In today’s gospel it’s a day’s wage. In the prodigal it’s an inheritance. And isn’t the message the same? God is prodigal in giving and forgiving. Although Isaiah stresses the distance between “our ways” and God’s, he also urges us to seek God where God is found and call to God who is near. This may elicit the response from us “Far out!” in the sense of wild, strange, and awesome. When you look at the photos of the universe and in awe of what you can only see through the lens of a camera, isn’t it as mind blowing to think that our God is “near” God is “here” with us, in us? In the photo below which I took this morning, you can see the planet Venus as a speck of light. It’s 140,979,885 kilometers from the earth right now. And yet, it seems so near! 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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