Can We Talk? No, Really...Can We Have A Graced Conversation?

Easter Season has come and gone, we are ready to celebrate Pentecost, we are in our third month of living in pandemic times, with perhaps a slow opening promised somewhere on a near horizon…

We are forced to confront our human realities still in ordinary time. 

Our country is in turmoil yet again, over another example of brutality over the death of our brother George Floyd. Jesus’ words to the leaders of his day seem particularly poignant to me: “Are you not mislead because you do not know scripture or the power of God?” (Wed. 6/3 readings for daily Mass)

If we take a moment to be honest with ourselves, let those words sink in, isn’t this the root of all our human suffering still today? We don’t know who God is, or trust God’s ability to lead us to life and wholeness. 

We are indeed misled, heck, we’re lost, if we are not rooted in God’s word.

We can get sucked into all sorts of nonsensical arguments like “whose wife will she be in paradise” or if wearing a face covering infringes on my civil rights, or  how oppressed people react when pushed too far…

Should we not rather be concentrating on the truth-

If we believe that the Holy Spirit brings gifts of truth and wisdom and courage … and we hear St Paul’s words that we must let the grace of God burn like a flame in our hearts …

Why are we, at times,  ashamed of this grace, and of this faith that we have been given…

As people of faith, what are we called to do in this moment of unrest? How are we called to stand with our brothers and sisters who are beaten down, having the very breath of life choked out of them, because of the color of their skin?

Honestly, I don’t know the answer for me, let alone, for anyone else. What I do know, is that I can’t be afraid to enter into the conversation. 

I have to ask questions and listen to other points of view. I have to be willing to learn from others who have a different experience and perspective from my own. I have to be open to where the challenge may come from, be it a conversation in a faith sharing group, my young niece, or a comment on facebook that makes me uncomfortable. 

I’m starting to understand that the things that make me uncomfortable are the clues God gives me to see where I need to grow a bit more. Can you acknowledge what part of these horrible stories make you uneasy? 

The disciples and friends of Jesus spent 50 days secluded pretty much in that upper room…doing who knows what…waiting for the courage to go out and begin to share the story of who Jesus was and how he changed their lives. When the re entered their society, their words and actions changed the world!

We have spent something like 90 days in our homes…and as we begin to open our doors and enter into society again…something as terrible as the murder of Mr Floyd occurs. What is wrong with us?  And, honestly my sisters and brothers, what is wrong with us if we are not heartbroken by this tragedy? After 90 days of solitude, time we could have used for growth and prayer…are we ready to change our world? Don't we want our world to be better? 

I know we are not all given to public displays, or civil action, but still…?

If we are not all somehow saddened by the death of our brother, than I do think our hearts are hardened. We are indeed misled, we do not know a thing about our God, who weeps at the death of another one of his children. 

So, maybe the thing is, we need to be honest with ourselves. In our heart of hearts, where is God in the midst of all of this, and where are we? Do we believe that all persons are loved by God regardless of the color of their skin? If we say we believe that, than what, really, in God’s name, are we doing? 

All I know for sure, is that we need to keep talking to one another, asking the Holy Spirit to guide our minds and hearts to ways of peace and understanding. Eternal rest grant George Floyd and our  hearts and prayers for his family.

As Spring Deepens

In a few weeks we will mark the Feast of Pentecost; the coming of the Holy Spirit. Our readings this weekend are preparing us for this great celebration, often called the birthday of the church. I must admit, I often feel like the Holy Spirit gets short shrift when I am praying. Ironically enough, I do believe it is because of the Spirit that I am able to pray at all. Perhaps I just take the presence of the Spirit of God in my life for granted, and for that I am both sorry and humbled.

In John's Gospel this Sunday Jesus introduces the idea that he will send his Spirit to remain with us, as a permanent connection to him and the Father. Very often I find myself confused by the Gospel of John and this passage is one that trips me up every time. "I'm in him, he's in me, we're in you..."leaves me shaking my head and trying to get oriented to who is the object of what sentence!

Praying with folks this week, (NAFSCC: North American Forum on Small Christian Communities) I heard something from our colleague Diane in Florida that helped me understand this gospel a bit more. The idea that in my very bones, in my DNA...I'm a person of faith, in this case, Catholic...that underneath everything, deeper than I know, is my connection to the God who called me before I was born. Maybe this was something like what Jesus was trying to explain, that the connection between him, the Father and the Spirit, is in his very DNA...and he was trying to share that with his friends, as a way of giving them the comfort of knowing that they would not be alone. I can wrap my brain around that idea. Thanks Diane.

I find hope and a challenge in a line from Peter in the second reading: "Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope"...many times I find myself tongue tied when someone asks me about my faith. Or worse, I find myself embarrassed to admit I strive to live a life of faith. Why would I be shy about acknowledging that I strive to live with Christ as the center of my life? Even as an adult I can still succumb to unspoken peer pressure. That's a tough thing to admit, which is why the challenge of this passage will stay with me for awhile I hope.

How do these readings touch you this year, as we enter into week 8 or 9 of living through this Pandemic season? What are you praying with or thinking about as spring deepens and we still try to follow remain at home instructions? Are you blossoming in the light the Easter Gospels and finding time for quiet and prayer? Are you being nourished by new ways to connect with loved ones? How will you ask the Holy Spirit to guide and strengthen you when we arrive at Pentecost in two weeks?

I hope for each of us, that this strange season of being homebound is fertile ground for the Spirit of God to nurture new growth in us, that will sustain us in ways we can't yet imagine, when we are able to move out into our cities and world once more. May we learn to hold on to the things we value most when we are free to move about again. I pray one of those truths may be, that we know we are connected to God in the most intimate way possible, through the very breath of His Spirit in us.

What's Going On In Your Home?

"Let yourselves be built into a spiritual home" We hear these words in 1Peter Ch 2 this weekend, as the intro to our second reading. I've been reading and talking a lot with folks about the virtues and drawbacks of our present virtual, digital Mass reality these days of pandemic. As part of my parish responsibilities include religious education, especially for our families, I am thinking about our youngsters and how they might be understanding their participation in church today.

On the one hand, I am hearing, how very convenient it is to roll out of (or over in) bed and into digital Mass or confirmation class, while still in comfy clothes and 'bedhead'. I agree, not having to commute to church to be present at Mass IS indeed so much easier, on some level.

On the other hand, we say we are really missing that human connection, greeting one another in real time, seeing each others faces and smiles, or sleepy faces and knowing we have made an effort to be physically together, because we get something out of being community around our family eucharistic table once more.

From what we're hearing from the experts it looks like the safest way to think about our future church may indeed be a situation of both/and. We may be able to be present to one another in smaller groups for worship, we may also need to learn how to share our faith in a very conscientious way in our homes.

Parents, you are already performing a herculean task of being parent, teacher, wage earner, chef and everything else that goes into keeping your children happy, healthy, and safe at home. It is with a cautious breath that we ask you to remember those words you heard at your child's baptism, that it is in the family where our children first learn building blocks of our faith. That parents are indeed the first teachers of the faith for their little ones. We speak of a 'Domestic Church' in our tradition, and today these words are more real, more important that ever before.

Given our present reality, for the time being, and the foreseeable future, your home is the church your family will know best. How are you sharing faith with your children? How are you making Sundays different from the other 6 days of the homebound weeks? How are you and your family accepting the invitation to be built into a spiritual home? How can we at church help you do this more successfully?

These past few months, my admiration for all parents at home has exploded as I see the innumerable things you do every darn day. I know you are women and men of deep seated faith, you don't even know how good you are. I'm here to tell you that you are amazing, loving and kind and you got this!

Come what may, as we move into our new normal, together we can help build our domestic home churches and help one another share our faith, that gift we hold most dear, with our children. They will learn that our homes are a place where we learn about how much God loves us by the care we share with one another. They will also learn that our parish church is the place where we gather together with our larger family to celebrate and support one another, to break bread and share in the very Body and Blood of Jesus.

One last thing, maybe if you're at a loss as to how or where to step deliberately into the idea of being domestic church. Ask each other one simple question around the dinner table tonight, and each night going forward, at dinnertime, or at bedtime: Where/How did you find God in your life today? I promise you, once you get the hang of it, your kids may amaze you.