Are You Rich?

Chapters 11 and 12 in the Gospel of Luke might rightly be called parables of the snarky siblings. Last week we heard Martha complaining about her sister, this week we here "someone in the crowd" complaining because his brother wouldn't share his inheritance. Makes me realize there truly is nothing new under the sun for sure. Human nature really doesn't change much does it?

Jesus goes on to tell a parable about a rich man who was happy with all his stuff and wanted to protect it well. That might seem pretty responsible to us. Surely we are to be good stewards of the gifts God has blessed us with.

I think the point of the story is that we sometimes forget who and what are the real gifts that we have been given. In the case of Sunday's parable, the man was more concerned about his harvested grain and other goods than about any other things in his life.

What are those other things? Relationships. God. Family. Friends. Care for our part of the world we live in. Being good and helpful to others. Laughter and love. Are these not the most important 'things' in life? If we are lucky enough to be well off, are we happy and free enough to share our blessings? I am so grateful for all the friends I know who are incredibly generous. They are such good examples to me of how I want to live.

Jesus ends the parable by having the voice of God say to the rich man: "You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you....what happens to all those things you thought so important?"

For very personal reasons this Gospel hits home with me particularly hard. Recently a man I was just coming to know as both family and friend, passed away unexpectedly in his sleep. Those who love him most are beyond sad and lost. His passing is felt deeply by so many who knew him and were proud to be his friend.

In many ways, he was a rich man. He had really just rebuild a home for his retirement. It was to be a place of peace and joy for him. As he lay in his bed in this tranquil space, God called him home.

However, unlike the man in the parable, Gary was a man who was 'rich in what matters to God'. Gary was a man of faith, a man who adored his family and friends and shared his life and his blessings freely. I am honored to have known him for the short time I did.

I know with certitude that unlike the man in this weekend's Gospel who heard such sad words from God, I know, without a doubt, Gary was received with open arms, and the words we all long to hear: "Well done, good and faithful servant"!

So when I pray with this scripture this weekend, I ask Gary to help me be more generous with the gifts I've been given, and I hope to live a life,  'rich in what matters to God'. What about you? Are you rich?

"Better..."

This weekend we will hear again the Gospel story of Martha and Mary...

This story caused quite a ruckus among my RCIA team this past week. Much discussion over why Jesus would praise Mary over Martha. After all, Martha was doing all she could to make Jesus feel at home. So many of us work hard to be the perfect hosts, that we were a bit offended by Jesus' choice for the sister who sits there seemingly doing nothing...

I tried best I could to defend Jesus in this story...and Martha does come across with a bit of a snarky attitude...
But my team pointed out, the Scripture does say that Mary has chosen the 'better' part and it would not be taken from her...

I am pondering what does 'better' mean in this case?

Maybe it doesn't mean that she's right and Martha's wrong...

Could it mean that while hospitality requires both active work and a welcoming heart, what might be 'better' for us, is to, when we can, take the time to just listen to what Jesus is saying to us. That idea of centering ourselves in the God who loves us.

I think about what Sundays are like when you are busy in a parish. We do as much as possible to make sure folks feel welcome. We set lemonade stands on the street. We warmly greet folks at the doors. It is not often on a Sunday when, as a person involved in ministry, you might, we might, actually remember who calls us together for worship. It takes some actual effort to quiet ourselves down in the midst of all the folks and actually pray. Much the same way, when we're having company over our homes and trying so hard to be the consummate host, we may get carried away with the details and miss the opportunity to spend quality time with our guests.

Martha was doing a fabulous job. It sounds like she exhausted herself getting ready for a visit from Jesus. In hindsight, I wonder if she wished she had done things differently that day?

Mary, chose to take her place as a disciple and listen to what was going on right in front of her. She was paying attention to this moment with Jesus, and she didn't let anyone disturb that, not even a snarky older sister.

I'm guessing there must have been more than a bit of sibling jealousy there, and if this Gospel raises your blood pressure the way it did for my friends this week, I'm thinking that could be because we all recognize, whether we want to or not, the kernel of truth in the story: we say we want Jesus to be the center of our lives but it's too easy to let so many other inconsequential things get in the way.

May this re telling of the story of Martha and Mary gently remind us to take the time, as often as we can, to sit at the feet of the Lord and listen to what he wants to share with us in love. For in truth, isn't the best hospitality we can offer another to listen to them with all our heartfelt attention? What is Jesus trying to say to you this week?

Where Have Three Months Gone?

With humble apologies for disappearing from our site, I'd like to try and jump back into blogging weekly.

I've been spending a lot of time lately thinking about justice, mercy and forgiveness. My starting place is always gratitude that God is in charge of judging our actions and intent, not me...because I trust God is way more merciful than human little me would be.

The story of the Good Samaritan we hear this week combined with today's gospel of the naming of the disciples (and their instructions to go to 'the lost sheep of Israel') highlights for me the immensity of God's mercy.

Who were those lost sheep of Israel?
Did the priest and the levite repent over their failure to help the poor man beaten on the side of the road?
Do I repent when I fail to do good for another? When I 'cross the road' to avoid someone in need what does God think of  me then?

When I close my eyes or my heart to the plight of another, or when I can't listen to the news anymore-isn't that the same as crossing over to the other side?

The story of the Good Samaritan tells us quite clearly, as Jesus' followers we are called to see the pain of the stranger on the road with us, and we are called to figure out how to help alleviate that pain. We are supposed to do this as individuals, and as a society as well. There's no waffling on this point.

Justice means that there are consequences for our actions. That causes me to pause and reflect seriously on what I'm doing in the here and now...how am I helping or hurting those around me?

Mercy means that when I fall short in my actions, when I neglect to do what I should for my sister or brother, God may take pity on me and not treat me in a like manner.

Forgiveness...ahhh, forgiveness. St Vincent de Paul is quoted as saying "It is only for your love, your love alone that the poor will forgive you the bread  you give them."  One day we will all have to answer for the times we crossed the road won't we? I pray it's not to late to open my eyes and see what's going on in front of me. I pray I have the courage to act as kindly as that Good Samaritan.

WE ARE the Disciples!

Here we are at another Holy Week and I find myself reflecting on who WE are as DISCIPLES of Jesus.

We know that the original 12 disciples, and all those unnamed followers in those earliest days, well, some were strong and faithful to the end, and others, eh, not so much. There's some comfort in knowing that we're not alone in the struggle to be faithful to our Lord and Savior.

How are you living your life as a disciple of Christ? What are you reflecting on as this Holy Week begins? How did you do with your Lenten practices? Did these 40 days help you draw closer to Jesus?

What do disciples DO anyway?
They must do more than fish, right?

Disciples listen, to the Lord first, to hear what God's will is...
Disciples act in accordance with the will of God...

What do you think God is asking of you these days?

How can you best use your gifts, as a disciple, to help others know the love of God?
Can we help you discover this in the parish?
Are you called to make others feel at home here? Are you called to proclaim the word of God, or assist in bringing Jesus in the Eucharist to others?
Are you called to share your faith as a teacher or companion to someone just beginning their journey of faith?
Are you called to be the warm smile that helps a stranger feel at home with us when they walk through the doors?
We each have gifts to share with one another. May this Holy Week help you discover or discern more deeply, what gifts you have that you would like to share with others.

Disciples look to see the needs of the world around them and act to meet that need.

A great example of this would be the way our parish family and our Facebook friends acted in concert these last few weeks to collect supplies and create our Easter gift bags for our homeless neighbors. Your generosity was overwhelming. Your goodness will bring a bit of happiness to those folks we will meet on the street in the next week. Please know how grateful we are for your kindness. This has been an incredible life lesson for our children in learning what they can actually do to help those who are less fortunate then themselves. We will place these gift bags at the doors of the church during the holy days ... if you would like to take a bag to share with one you may meet on the way home from church, please feel free.

Yesterday, Palm Sunday, we processed from the park to the church waving palm branches and singing Hosanna. The sound of your voices preceded you into church and gave me goosebumps. What I saw were hundreds of you, proud of your faith, your community and your God, and your joyful willingness to witness to that at the very crossroads of our neighborhoods: the Upper East Side and East Harlem. I was and continue to be so proud of who we are as a parish family. Thank you for helping me pray this week. I hope I can do the same for you.

May we learn more deeply this week, what it truly means to be a disciple of Jesus in our world today, and may we be joyful witnesses to the love of Christ in this time and place.

Happy Easter.

Make a Friend at Frank's Cafe!!

We know we are all called to welcome one another at church. We know it's not just the 'job' of the folks who greet you at the front door. One of my favorite moments at Mass is right at the very beginning when we are invited to say 'Hi' to the folks sitting nearby, the folks we will be praying with for the next hour or so. I just love how the noise level rises in the church as folks greet one another. Then after a few minutes, we all settle in for some good prayer. It speaks to me of what we are really about...joyful community, family connections, trying week after week to share the love of Christ with one another. I do believe at St Francis we do this well.

For the last few months we have been rebranding the downstairs parish hall as "FRANK'S CAFE". So far, this new project has been going well, and more folks come down each Sunday to see what's going on down there. Thank you to the folks who keep bringing bakery goods for the table, (we will always say YES to whatever YOU want to bring to the table!) Thanks to to one special family for the donation of couches. To the friend who was passing by and donated the high top tables, much thanks to you too! We are grateful for all the gifts folks have shared with the parish.

So here's the challenge now, for each of us. It's fun to come downstairs, grab a cup of coffee and catch up with our friends. It's a great time to catch one of the staff to ask a question, or plan a meeting.
Do you notice that person sitting by herself over there with her cup of coffee? Can you see that there's a new couple by the couch and they don't look like they know anyone else? What could YOU do in that moment?

Ok, yes, we all live in NY, but at church we can be brave enough to leave our 'subway persona' aside and go over to that new person or couple and introduce yourself! One of my nieces when she was little went up to someone at a party where she didn't know a soul and simply said: "Hi, I'm Nadina, I'm 7...who are you?" I was amazed at her ability to reach out to someone else, and when I'm feeling shy, I often pray for that kind of grace...

For when we think about it, if we were the new person sitting alone, wouldn't we want someone to come say hello? Church is the perfect place to practice a bit of extroverted welcoming behavior. Don't go crazy...just check and see if there's anyone by themselves and invite them into the conversation you're already having with your friends. We have such interesting parishioners that I guarantee whoever you say hi to is going to be someone you will be happy to have met.

This weekend, in Cycle A, our Gospel is about the healing of the man born blind. Let's challenge ourselves to be a bit better these days at not being blind...at really looking and seeing one another and keeping an eye out for the stranger, so we can make them feel welcome at our St Francis de Sales home. (Everywhere else too!)

How Will You Celebrate Today?

Happy St Patrick's Day!

Whether you are Irish or not, I hope just the thought of St Patrick's day gives you a reason to smile. It might be the sea of green that we will see this weekend, your love of Irish soda bread, sugar cookies bathed in green sugar, coffee with whipped cream (and a little something extra perhaps?), parades, fun music, and general merriment. Any one of those things is enough of a cause for late winter joy.

Even as a full blooded Italian I love to celebrate this day. I often think I'm Irish by "friendship", so many of my dearest friends both now and when I was younger are of the Irish persuasion. When I finally got to visit Ireland a few years ago I discovered for myself what I've always heard was true, folks on the Emerald Isle are some of the kindest, most welcoming people I've ever met.

A word about St Patrick. Whatever is true or whatever is legend, surely he is an example for us of superb evangelization.  He brought Christianity to a people who had not yet known who Jesus Christ was. He used simple tools he found around him to teach great lessons of faith. He lived with and worked with the people he came to teach. He is a missionary par excellence!

What does the story of St Patrick teach us today?
Do we accept people where they are?
Are we proud of our faith and are we willing to acknowledge what and who we believe in?

As we move into our second week of Lent, may St Patrick be an inspiration for us to find God in the simple moments of life all around us.  Be it all the stars in the heavens, or the transforming power of love and friendship,  God is with us always, in big and small ways. May we have the eyes to see!

Making a Joyful Noise

We're well into the cycle of ordinary time in our church year and I love the freedom that gives me to relax and breath in the goodness of the day to day. Whether the days be sunny and warm, or icy cold there's always something I can find on my walk to be grateful for. I'll admit though I prefer the sunny and warm mornings!

On Sundays, ordinary time calls us to sing our hearts out. Soon enough we'll enter the somber, reflective Lenten season. For now, I want to rejoice. We do that well at St Francis, in how we greet each other, how we sing, how we pray, how we share coffee and donuts in our newly named "Frank's Cafe" in the parish hall.

A famous actor once said that he never wanted to work with children or animals. When I watch our little ones on Sunday mornings, how they dance and respond to the music of our choir...I understand better what he meant. Our preachers have a daunting task in front of them each week because our little piano player and music lovers steal the show each week. Their joy is contagious.  When was the last time you let the glory of God's love for you just ooze out your very pores? How can we not get caught up in praise when we recognize all the good God has done for us?

What is an appropriate response to such joy? I think our responses are to sing louder, (maybe not better, but surely with even more heart!), to smile more, to engage with those around me in my pew...to pray more deeply and with a sureness of purpose. This God we love is real and all around us. We encounter God each day, but in such a special way on Sundays when we come to worship TOGETHER! In the Word, In Eucharist and IN EACH OTHER  God makes Godself present to us in such magnificent joy.  How can we not smile at one another.

This Sunday when you come to church, let the glory of God's love for you fill your heart, your eyes, your face, your voice....and come ready to celebrate. If you need an example of how to celebrate, just watch the little ones by the choir...they'll teach you everything you need to know!

Peace and good to each of you!

"Good Job, Mom!"

We all know that a word of gratitude or a compliment goes a very long way. We have made it through the crush of the holidays and slid maybe not so gently into our new year. We made it! And so we begin again, with 2019 open before us waiting to see what wonders God will put in our path.

The title of today's blog refers to a comment that one of our parishioners received from a person living on the street. She and her kids had been a part of our Christmas project where we put together gift bags for our homeless neighbors to be distributed over the holy days. As she and her son and daughter offered this gift to one gentleman, with an explanation that it came from their parish community, the gentleman offered her these complimentary words as a thank you for this gift: "Good Job Mom!"  What a beautiful way to say thank you. And yes, GOOD JOB to all our parents here who are doing such a praise worthy effort at raising good, holy and caring young people. We are honored to be a part of that process.

We all need and want to continue to learn how to better live out our faith. A new year is a great time to 'set an intention' for how we want to be attentive to some area of growth in our own lives. Today I suggest that one of our intentions may be to live lives more aware of those who have less than we.
Catholic Social Teaching impels us to look beyond ourselves and to work for the good of others around us.

Here are some ideas, some events going on at St Francis that might be an inspiration to you:

Jan. 12 STILL WE GROW-An Immersive Theater Experience to Fight Human Trafficking 6 & 8 pm

Jan. 14 BOOK CLUB discussion Strength to Love by Dr Martin Luther King jr. 8pm

Jan. 24 Feast of St Francis de Sales--champion of spirituality for all people--
Jan. 27  FEAST DAY POT LUCK BRUNCH  12 noon....what will you bring to the table?

Jan. 29  Ecumenical Prayer hosted by SFDS with Brick Presbyterian and Church of the Living Hope. 6:30 pm at St Francis. Come pray with your neighbors and build peace in our community.

Jan. 31 Inaugural Pop-Up Theology @ Frank's Cafe; A conversation with Dr. Brenna Moore, Professor from Fordham University Department of Theology: Catholic Resistance to Nazism, 1930's 40's: What can we learn today?

I know sometimes the whole "new years resolution thing" can feel like it has defeated me before I even begin. Maybe it's just a difference in wording but the idea of 'setting an intention' feels more accessible to me. I don't feel like I've failed before I've even begun. As we move into the New Year, what are your hopes and dreams for yourself and for those you love? What are your deepest desires for the good of our church and of our world? Perhaps our prayer today is to find the first small step to begin to move into the direction of our future filled with whatever God has in store for us. God bless each of us as we begin our journey into 2019.  Wishing you much peace!