Pairs pare pears, père!12/31/2023 Here’s the homily I will preach this morning. On this day, I always post the photo I took 5 years ago on December 31st, the seventh day of Christmas when I saw seven swans-a-swimming!
Feast of the Holy Family Since today’s date is 1-2-3-1-2-3, I thought I should follow Walter Burghardt’s instruction on homilies and have three points.
Did you notice how many pairs are in today’s Gospel of the Presentation? A pair of turtledoves A pair of pigeons A pair of parents (Mary and Joseph) A pair of prophets (Simeon and Anna,) What could the significance of these pairs be in this Gospel? Could it be that “a pair” usually means “completion” (like the number 40) One shoe, one glove, one sock isn’t enough. It takes two…. The Gospel of the Presentation has this sense of “completion.” “When the days were completed for their purification according to the law of Moses,” In the pairing of Mary and Joseph as parents of the child, there is a sense of the completion of God’s desire for the infant Jesus to be raised in a loving home. Simeon and Anna both have a sense of completion, as they recognize the long-awaited Messiah, held in their arms. Their long lives are complete. The pairs of turtledoves or pigeons complete the obligation of the Mosaic law.
And here's a link to the choreography for Twelve Days of Christmas. vimeo.com/115554146 - t=750s The New Year's message is thanks to Claranne and Tom Merlo.
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Christmas Stollen12/30/2023 The 6th Day in the Octave of Christmas
What does Bourbon-soaked fruit cake from Gethsemane Abbey have in common with Christmas Stollen? Yes, they are both Christmas cakes and they both contain fruit, but for me this morning there is so much more that they have to offer. I have been reading Parker J. Palmer’s book, “On the Brink of Everything: Grace, Gravity and Growing Old.” Is it any wonder that the title of the book captured my attention? I found it on the bookshelf of my friend JA’s library. Could this be the “elf on the shelf” or better, “self on the shelf?” In his essay “Contemplative by Catastrophe” Palmer describes his discovery of the writings of Thomas Merton who captivates him with the recollections of his spiritual journey. He is so moved by Merton that he thinks he should join the Abbey at Gethsemane. Only problem is that he’s a committed Quaker with a wife and three children. So, instead of enlisting in the monastery, he buys a “bourbon soaked fruit cake” from the Abbey. He goes on to say how a few slices of that fruitcake lead him in on a contemplative journey. Palmer’s allusion to “fruitcake” reminded me of a poem that I wrote at Christmas time during the pandemic. It’s called “ Christmas Stollen” and reading it this morning, brought a smile to my face and a few tears to my eyes. Although it references the pandemic, it could apply to any Christmas season when the Grinch takes over and steals Christmas joy. It could be a week of bleak days. It could be the continuing grief one feels because of the absence of a loved one. It could be anything at all that makes you wonder if there’s any reason for rejoicing. As you see in the poem, all I needed was a single “l” to change “stolen” to “stollen.” I hope your reading it will bring a smile on this day which is still bleak and gray without sunlight. I owe the joy that I feel today to a “bourbon-soaked fruitcake. And yes, I know that I’m a bit of a “fruitcake” as well! Christmas Stollen Was this Christmas stolen? It certainly seems so! Was the Grinch up to no good with Noel a no-go? With grrs, groans and gripes who else covid be, but the Grinch who trumps Scrooge In his inhumanity? Give Grinch an inch and he takes your smile. So how was your Christmas? Less joyful, more wile? While I ponder this question, now brooding on loss, this season once golden now appearing as dross. Weighed down with such sadness with grrs, groans and grief heart’s empty cavity belying belief I look in the mirror the reflection I see? The Grinch who stole Christmas grinning at me. He sneers and he snickers, his sneer pierces through, my heart and soul, saying, “It’s me within you.” I fluster and bluster crying, how can this be? How send the Grinch packing and letting me be? And then I remembered A spelling, two “els.” Change stolen to stollen, Christ tolling the bells! Look inside the stollen and see what you find, let these fruits remind you of the spiritual kind Peace, love and patience, to name just a few, good, gentle and faithful who was there for you? This Christmas was stollen, A smile breaking through, A grin changing heartbreak, Hope’s promise anew. Out for a Walk12/29/2023
The 5th day in the Octave of Christmas
I should entitle this reflection “In the bleak mid-winter,” since this Christmas week has been really bleak. Gray skies, rain, fog and not a snow flake in sight! On days when it wasn’t raining, I would go for a walk to visit the farm nearby and see those Christmas animals that always capture my imagination. What captured my imagination in the scriptures today was this verse from the letter of John: This is the way we may know that we are in union with him: whoever claims to abide in him ought to walk just as he walked. What stopped me in my tracks were the words “just as he walked.” I began to think about how Jesus walked. What was his “gait”? Yes, we speak of Jesus as the “gate” but what about his “gait”? I imagine him with a long stride, especially in Mark’s Gospel where he always seems to be in a hurry. He is so passionate about the preaching of the Kingdom that he takes great strides while taking in strides the opposition to his vision. Had Jesus lived into old age, his gait would have been more tentative, as any of us who must be so careful when we walk. I, for one, can’t imagine “striding” anywhere! So how do we walk “just as Jesus walked,” especially when we are not a thirty-year-old! And does our passion for the preaching the Good News die down as our gait becomes more of a shuffle than a stride? And speaking of walking, I share with you the story I wrote about a young shepherd who couldn’t walk but learns to fly! It’s The First Noel. The Gospel today is the Presentation of the Child Jesus in the temple. That’s why I share with you a photo of a statue of Mary who looks like she’s dancing as she holds the child in her arms. It was sent to me by my friend Magdalena Richter. The First Noel.m4v from Robert VerEecke on Vimeo. All the Rage12/28/2023 Feast of the Holy Innocents
I’m an avid solver of the NY Times Sunday Crossword Puzzle. It usually takes me the week to solve it since I only devote a certain amount of time to it each day. This week I had made good progress on solving but was stumped by one cluster of interlocking words. I simply couldn’t arrive at the answers. Until this morning. The word “Rage” was on my mind because of what I had written last year on this Feast of the Holy Innocents. Well, lo and behold! The word “rage” was the answer I was searching for and unlocked the answers. The clue was: “What transforms Bruce Banner in the Hulk.” Not being very familiar with Marvel comics, I didn’t know the answer and went to Wikipedia to find out. After reading the entry, I still wasn’t sure. But when I saw the first two letters of the word which were “r” and “a” I realized the answer was “rage.” What are the odds that the word I was searching for was the same word I’d be reflecting on for the Feast of the Holy Innocents? Very odd? Or very God….. I felt invited to seek to understand my “rage” at personal injustice as well as the injustice done to so many “holy innocents,” initially in the attack on Israel and the horrific reprisals slaughtering thousands of innocents. Here's last year’s reflection on “rage.” I expect that “rage” will be “all the rage” with me today. Today strikes another “minor” chord in this Christmas week which we expect to be filled with “comfort and joy” as we hear the story of the Holy Innocents. Speaking of “minor chords,” I’ve been listening to the Coventry Carol this morning. It’s one of the saddest, most melancholic of Christmas carols. It was originally part of the Mystery Play Cycle in Medieval times. The line from the song that is “jingling” in my mind this morning is “Herod the king in his raging…” In the Matthean narrative, it’s Herod’s rage, fury, madness that is the cause of such unspeakable cruelty. What a contrast with the Lucan narrative of Angels song to the shepherds, “Glory to God in the Highest and Peace to God’s people on earth!” As you may know, Matthew is intent on having his community see Jesus as the “new” Moses. He uses the story of Pharaoh in his rage and fury ordering the Jewish mid-wives to kill the new-born boys. Moses is saved from the slaughter as is the newborn child, Jesus. I confess that as I reread the story of Herod and his rage, I was thinking of Vladimir Putin who although he projects calm and calculation in his war against the Ukrainian people, I’m assuming that rage and fury are the feelings withing this cruel human being. Pharoah, Herod, Hitler, Putin, the list of cruel, merciless men, ensnared by their lust for power, is encyclopedic. Then, thinking of the innocent children waiting at our borders who are “ensnared” by violence and cruelty in their home countries as well as our own immigration policies, I can’t help but turn to God with some questions? “Why can’t You put an end to this suffering? Where are you these days when our world is ensnared by “foul-ers” like Putin and so many other leaders whose rage and fury destroy innocent lives? What good is your promise of peace and joy when there is so much rage within and without? (This year I add Benjamin Netanyahu and Yahya Sinwar to the list of Herod-like, raging leaders.) And so I turned to today’s psalm for some comfort, not joy, but comfort….. (7) Our soul has been rescued like a bird from the fowler’s snare. Had not the LORD been with us-- When men rose up against us, then would they have swallowed us alive, When their fury was inflamed against us. R. Our soul has been rescued like a bird from the fowler’s snare. Then would the waters have overwhelmed us; The torrent would have swept over us; over us then would have swept the raging waters. R. Our soul has been rescued like a bird from the fowler’s snare. Broken was the snare, and we were freed. Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth. R. Our soul has been rescued like a bird from the fowler’s snare. Joy did come, however, when I thought about how the Coventry Carol was part of a Medieval Mystery play. It reminded me of the second act of A Dancer’s Christmas which always took place in Medieval/Renaissance times. The link here shows a Bishop and his cronies who disapprove of dancing caught in the “snares” of the innocent people of the town, especially the children! https://vimeo.com/61032238 - t=2280s I chose the photos of "red" skies today since "red" is the color associated with anger and rage. St John Tells (and writes)12/27/2023 IMG_0350 from Robert VerEecke on Vimeo.
Wreathing Round12/26/2023 Feast of St Stephen, the first Martyr
When I first thought about writing a reflection for this feast of St Stephen, I wondered how I would transition from the peace, joy and light of Christmas day. Then I read in the Office of Readings a sermon by Saint Fulgentius of Ruspe. (I had never heard of him. He was a Bishop in Northern Africa and a friend of St Augustine.) He sees Stephen’s martyrdom as an expression of his selfless love for God and his persecutors, most of all Saul, who was complicit in his death. I quote the final paragraphs of the sermon. "Love, indeed, is the source of all good things; it is an impregnable defense,-- and the way that leads to heaven. Whoever walk in love can neither go astray nor be afraid: love guides them, protects them, and brings them to their journey's end. "My friends, Christ made love the stairway that would enable all Christians to climb to heaven. Hold fast to it, therefore, in all sincerity, give one another practical proof of it, and by your progress in it, make your ascent together." What a beautiful image! Love is the stairway that leads to heaven! Another beautiful image at this time of the year is the “wreath.” Three years ago I wrote this: Since the name Stephen means “wreath or crown of glory I rewrote the first verse of the song “Good King Wendeslas.” On the Feast of Stephen (sung to the tune of Good King Wenceslas) Just this morning I went out On the feast of Stephen When some snow lay on the ground Since it is the season. What I noticed while I walked Wreaths adorning doorways Did you know that “Stephen” means wreath or crown of glory? When I first read the scriptures for the Feast of St Stephen, I inwardly groaned, wondering how I could continue to write about Christmas joy and peace when there is such hate and violence in the readings of the day. Yes, Stephen was stoned for his profession of faith and is the first martyr but the day after Christmas? Then, I read that Stephen’s name in Greek means “Wreathe or Crown.” Wreathes play a lovely role in Advent and Christmas. As you can see from the photos and the song above, the feast of St Stephen invited me to reflect on wreathes and Christ “wreathing round.” As this year comes to an end, I’m thinking of the people that I hope will be wreathed around with Christ’s love and light and who have wreathed me around with their love. I’d invite you to do the same, on the feast of Stephen. T'was, T'is, Twill12/24/2023 Christmas Eve and Day
T’was the night before Christmas….. T’is the season to be jolly….. T’will??????? I can’t help thinking back to what “t’was” in years gone by in my celebration of Christmas. I remember especially the Christmas liturgies at St. Ignatius and St Francis Xavier with the beautiful dancing. I’m including some links to what “t’was” at the Midnight Mass in 2007 at St Ignatius. Good Christian Friends Rejoice Silent Night (Maresa D'Amore Morrison soloist) Angels We Have Heard on Hign The photos of the chapel above and below are of the Chapel at Campion. It's my “T’is.” It’s my present and I have to say how much I miss the “t’was,” not only the liturgical celebrations, but the festive celebrations with friends on Christmas eve and day. I’m trying to find ways to understand how my “present” is as much gift as those past times. For many of us who have lost loved ones or are grieving some other loss, or just the suffering in the world, it’s not easy to live in the present with the longing for a return to the past. But perhaps there’s wisdom in the “Twill of time” That’s without the apostrophe. Twill is a woven fabric. Is there wisdom in weaving the “t’was and the “t’is” into a twill fabric of love and gratitude and that opens us up to the future that God desires for us? What twill be, t’will be….. Third Time's A Charm12/24/2023 4th Sunday of Advent
Since this is the third time we will hear the Annunciation Gospel, we may think that it may be “too much.” Or, we can think of the expression, “third time’s a charm” and let ourselves be charmed by the beauty and simplicity of this story. And it really is “too much” when you consider that what the Gospel tells us is that God has chosen to dwell for a time in Mary’s womb and let the Eternal Spirit of God become matter. How can this be? This is really “too much!” But will we let ourselves be charmed by God’s desire to choose a dwelling place in Mary and with us for all eternity? I’m also including a beautiful homily my friend Fr. JA Loftus preached on this Sunday in 2014. /uploads/8/4/8/1/8481096/4th_sunday_in_advent_2014.pdf I hope to post again later in the day for Christmas Eve Speechless12/23/2023 Saturday of the 3rd Week of Advent
Come, Emmanuel, come to save us! Did you know that the name “Malachi” means “Messenger?” The reading today from Malachi is filled with “messengers.” Lo, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me; And suddenly there will come to the temple the LORD whom you seek, And the messenger of the covenant whom you desire. And, of course, the Greek word for “messenger” is “angelos” or Angel. The Angel/ messenger Gabriel is the one chosen to speak to Zechariah and Mary of God’s marvels in their lives. Zechariah, as you know, was more questioning and Mary, just more curious. She was able to trust that God could do something “inconceivable” in her. “and the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son and call him Emmanuel, God with us.” The Gospel today relates a powerful moment of “unsealing” the lips of Zechariah. His lips have been sealed since he doubted the word of the messenger, Gabriel. Unable to speak, he would have used gestures or the written word to communicate. In this moment, he uses a tablet to assent to the name that will be given his son. And after months of silence, he speaks some of the most beautiful words in the scriptures. Zechariah his father, filled with the Holy Spirit, prophesied, saying: “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; for he has come to his people and set them free. He has raised up for us a mighty Savior, born of the house of his servant David. Through his prophets he promised of old that he would save us from our enemies, from the hands of all who hate us. He promised to show mercy to our ancestors and to remember his holy covenant. This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham: to set us free from the hand of our enemies, free to worship him without fear, holy and righteous in his sight all the days of our life. You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way, to give his people knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of their sins. In the tender compassion of our God the dawn from on high shall break upon us, to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, and to guide our feet into the way of peace.” Question for reflection: Are there ways in which you are an “angelos” or messenger to others? How has Advent been a season of “light” for you, illuminating the lives of others? How has God reached out to you with “tender compassion?” What would a colloquy with Zechariah be like? How would he encourage you to trust God, knowing that there will be times when you are left speechless? I chose the photo of Jamie Huggins dancing in an evening prayer. Jamie is the dancer who played the role of Zechariah in the video that I shared earlier this week. I think the photo captures the kind of awe that Zechariah must have felt when his tongue was finally loosed and he was able to sing God's praises. In the Fine Print12/22/2023 Friday of the 3rd Week of Advent O King of the nations, come and bring us peace! I've gotten to the age where I need "readers" to see regular print. Fine print is even more of a challenge for my old and tired eyes. I was thinking of finding God in the "fine print" these days. The scriptures today sing with the voices of Hannah and Mary as each proclaims the greatness of God in their lives. To “magnify” of course means to enlarge, as when you look through a magnifying glass. Everything looks so much larger. All that seems to be magnified these days is the number of people suffering. How do you sing God’s praises and “magnify” the Lord when there is so much personal loss and pain? Just as yesterday the invitation was to reach deep down and find “joy” within, today’s invitation is to ask God to “magnify” our hearts and minds so that we might be in solidarity with those who are suffering. That is what Hannah and Mary’s Magnificat is really about. God is turning the tables on the proud and mighty and lifting up the humble and lowly. What would your “magnifying glass” be these days? What are the small things that need some magnification so you can see and know that God is with you? How do you find God in the "fine print?" Colloquy: Speak to God as one friend speaks to another. Ask for the grace to see with a “wide-angle” lens so that your spirit may magnify the good in your life during these challenging days. The “O” antiphon for today seems appropriate as we all pray for peace in the Ukraine and the Middle East. This morning I was watching choreography I had done in 2015 for Christmas Reflections. As I “reflected” on the movement that I created to the Wexford Carol for the “Irish” section of the performance, my spirit “magnified” the Lord in gratitude for the beautiful dance, the dancers and the story of the Incarnation which reminds us of how God is enfleshed in each of our lives. Here's the link: https://vimeo.com/149612973 - t=2220s 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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