MED-I-TATE, MED-I-TATE . . . Reflective Prayer in the Classroom

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I never thought I’d see a religious education class end with half a dozen 10-year-old boys pounding fists on their table, feet stomping rhythmically, chanting their demand for . . . meditative prayer. You can blame Loyola Press.

The backstory: In 2007 our parish and several others in the area adopted the Finding God textbook series.  Loyola Press sent down presenters for our deanery’s catechist formation day that year, and for several years after.  One of the highlights of the morning keynote presentation was always time spent in meditative prayer.

The prayer leader walked us through the process of settling down and connecting with God, proposed some prayer conversation-starters, then gave us time to silently speak with Jesus and to listen to Him. Loyola Press’s 3-Minute-Retreat Page teaches you how it works.  Go give one a try — we learn to pray by praying!

What is meditative prayer? You might be getting nervous now — this isn’t one of those woozy new-age things, is it?  Absolutely not.  What we’re talking about here is quiet time spent in personal reflection, connecting with God one-on-one.  The Rosary is a classic example of a guided reflection: We can take each mystery, put ourselves into the scene, and just look and see what God has to show us there.  Lectio Divina is meditative prayer focused on the words of scripture.

In our fifth grade class, we’ve done meditations built around the words of the Apostle’s Creed, the Way of the Cross, the words of a prayer on CD (I use Hide Me In Your Wounds by John C. Hathaway), or time spent listening to a prayerful hymn.  Our text book includes a prayer service at the end of each chapter, and sometimes I’ve used that, either verbatim or as a jumping-off point.

How does it work in the classroom?  We start the class with short opening prayers, and then teach a regular lesson.  At the end of class, we clean-up.  Then the kids each pick a spot to sit down, relax, and pray.  We light candles and turn off the overhead lights.  And then we pray.

We had to work through a few glitches.  At the start of the year, we had to be both solemn and reassuring — many students had never prayed this way, and were worried, skeptical, or inclined to make fun of the whole thing. I’ve had background-music CD’s that inspired more giggles than prayers.   I discovered there’s a real knack for reading the body-language of the class, and closing the prayer before anyone gets restless and ends the session of their own initiative.

I’ve used meditative prayer with all ages, but not with all students.  We’ve incorporated reflective prayer into our vacation Bible school programs, where classes are mixed-ages from kindergarten to teens.  Even the littlest children can enjoy and appreciate time to close the eyes, turn on the imagination, and spend time with Jesus.

But I’ve also had groups of students that didn’t seem ready for settled-down, silent prayer.  A physically-active meditation, such as saying a decade of the Rosary or Chaplet of Divine Mercy worked well for those students.

How about you?  What kind of prayer do you use in the classroom?  Is there something you’d like to try in the coming year?  What resources have you found helpful?  I’d love to hear from you.

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Fine Art 9: Ravenna Encore

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During our Genesis classes in September I threw together a handout to accompany discussion of the Hospitality of Abraham, Abraham’s sacrifice, Cain & Abel, and Melchizedek. Today was the last class of the year, and the last of three on the Mass. Part of the Mass-class fun is having the kids connect all the Bible stuff they learned this year to what happens or is said at Mass.

In past years when we got to this bit-

“Look with favor on these offerings and accept them as once you accepted the gifts of your servant Abel, the sacrifice of Abraham, our father in faith, and the bread and wine offered by your priest Melchizedech.”

-I’d just read it out of the Missalette and we’d discuss. But this year I edited the earlier handout to make another handout, like so:

——————————————————————————————————————

“Be pleased to look upon these offerings with a serene and kindly countenance,
and to accept them, as once you were pleased to accept the gifts of your servant Abel the just,the sacrifice of Abraham, our father in faith, and the offering of your high priest Melchizedek,a holy sacrifice, a spotless victim.”

These two mosaics flank the altar in San Vitale church in Ravenna, Italy

————————————————————————————————–

Class was much better with the handout. The kids remembered the pictures and were able to explain them in Genesis terms. Then we read the quote and they sorted out why Abel, Abraham, and Melchizedek matter at this point in the Mass.  I reminded them that these two mosaics are to the immediate right and left of San Vitale’s altar; wouldn’t it be great to hear that bit of the Mass while being able to see the relevant Bible stories on the walls?

All the kids took the handout home (they can leave them on the desk if they don’t want them). The parents will probably see it, and their children may catechize them a bit. (Equipping the children to teach their parents is a constant motivation in Wednesday Sunday School.)

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Pitchers 12: Holy Tornado

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The April 11 class introduced the Mass and covered the Liturgy of the Word; it was a straightforward lesson plan. The April 18 class is the first of two on the Liturgy of the Eucharist, which are way more dynamic. Lots of drawing accompanied our progress through the Missalette. Kids love to think big and draw conclusions; they were so adept at integrating Bible stuff they’d learned this year into the Mass that I think it was the best class I’ve ever had in 11 years of catechizing. Everything we discussed has been covered in older posts; this one will stick to the graphics, and skip most of reading and discussion.

The board from April 18:

1. Recap of the word Liturgy/ Leitourgos, the People’s Work. It matters that we have to provide the bread and wine; Jesus won’t make his Body & Blood out of wheat & grape juice.

2. Referring to the Missalette, we start with God’s gifts to us of wheat & grapes. We do the “work of human hands” and transform them into bread and wine. This offering isn’t a valuable enough sacrifice to atone for our sins, so we ask God “that it may become for us the Body and Blood of your most beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.” [Body & Blood were later erased.]

3. So there is People-work and also…God-work. Yes. And if there is worship on Earth, then there might also be…worship in Heaven? Yes. In fact there’s a bit of Revelations that my Bible calls the “Vision of Heavenly Worship,” so let’s have a look at that.

4. I read and draw: “I was caught up in spirit. A throne was there in heaven, and on the throne sat one whose appearance sparkled like jasper and carnelian.” Who’s on the throne? Jesus! No! God! Which flavor? God the Father! Yes. “Around the throne was a halo as brilliant as an emerald. Surrounding the throne I saw twenty-four other thrones on which twenty-four elders sat, dressed in white garments and with gold crowns on their heads.” Remember from the Greek word for elder we get the word...priest. Yes.  How many per side? 12? Yes, but I’m not drawing all of them. Tell me about what 12s might be right around the throne…12 apostles! Yes, and…Israel had some sons…Israel’s 12 sons! Not just the sons, the descendants too…the 12 tribes! Yes. Both Old and New Testaments, and Old and New…Covenants? Yes.

“In the center and around the throne, there were four living creatures covered with eyes in front and in back…each of them with six wings. Here’s one of them, usually in art they’re are shown as a head with 6 wings. Six-winged creatures are usually Seraphim, fiery ones, kind of like Cherubim, the near ones.”

“Day and night they do not stop exclaiming:

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God almighty,

who was, and who is, and who is to come.”

Where’ve you heard that before? At Mass! Yes. “[T]he twenty-four elders fall down before the one who sits on the throne and worship him, who lives forever and ever.” There it is, Heavenly Worship. “Then I saw standing in the midst of the throne and the four living creatures and the elders, a Lamb that seemed to have been slain.” There ya go, blood’n'everything. Why’s the Lamb bloody? ‘Cause he was crucified. Yes.

“[The four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each of the elders held a harp and gold bowls filled with incense, which are the prayers of the holy ones." Here's the incense going up. And if they have harps what are they doing? Playing them. I mean besides that. Singing? Yes. "They sang a new hymn."

5. So all that's going on in Heaven, a lot like what we do on Earth. We sing hymns, and burn incense. And this is...the altar. Yes, and it's also...a table. Yes, thank you...why? 'Cause we eat the Last Supper! Yes. This guy is...the priest, and he's offering...Body'n' Blood! Not yet! It's still bread'n'wine. [More reading & discussing Eucharistic Prayer 1] The arrow from Earth to the Father passes through the Lamb to show we don’t go straight to the Father. This will matter next week, when we see the Lamb is both our High Priest and the Offering.

6. To help understand the Consecration, we look at my all-time favorite handout:

I draw a tornado to introduce the idea of Heaven and Earth being connected for a short time. That goes well with the swirly stuff above which I call the Holy Tornado. Now I go back to drawing 5, and add a Holy Tornado to connect Heaven and Earth. I also add an altar in heaven behind the Lamb, per: “command that these gifts be borne by the hands of your holy Angel to your altar on high.”

7. Our planet with worldwide Masses going on 24/7, and Holy Tornadoes continuously connecting Heaven to Earth. “For from the rising of the sun to its setting my name is great among the nations, and in every place incense is offered to my name, and a pure offering.”

8. As usual, someone asks if it’s really Jesus’ Body & Blood. I draw the Food Pyramid. We look at each of the miracles 1 through 5; the kids agree they were real miracles, not symbolic. Then the Pyramid is capped with the Last Supper miracle. Would this make sense:

a. Old Testament miracles 1-3, mediated by regular sinful humans, produce real miraculous food.

b. In the New Testament, Jesus himself works two real food miracles. (Yes, wine is food. Don’t argue.)

c. Then at the Last Supper he just does something symbolic? No way.

The horizontal line separates the top miracle from miracles 1-5, which had only physical significance. This emphasizes that the Last Supper miracle had a spiritual component the others lacked: “Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died; this is the bread that comes down from heaven so that one may eat it and not die.”

The next class is the last class of the year in which we wrap up the Liturgy of the Eucharist with special attention to Jesus acting as the High Priest per Leviticus and the Epistle to the Hebrews; and how that role fits into the liturgy in a Catholic church.

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One for Reading, One for Offering, One for Both

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The April 11 class covered the Mass up through the Homily. The introductory first 30 minutes looked at some key parts of Acts 3-5:

Acts 3:1 Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer…  [Being Jews, the apostles still go to the Temple.]

2 And a man lame from birth was being carried, whom they laid daily at that gate of the temple which is called Beautiful to ask alms of those who entered the temple. [Who does this sound like? The blind man! Yes, or? The paralyzed man. Yes, and then? Jesus will heal him! No, Jesus is in heaven. The apostles! Well, an apostle, which one? Peter! Yes, the #1 apostle. Who was also...the first pope. Yes.]

6 But Peter said, “I have no silver and gold, but I give you what I have; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” 7 And he took him by the right hand and raised him up; and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. 9 And all the people saw him walking and praising God… 11 While he clung to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them in the portico called Solomons, astounded. [The people are getting all cranked up like they would when Jesus did this sort of thing. And who is going to get aggravated? The Pharisees. Yes, and? The High Priest? Yes, the Temple staff.]

Acts 4:1 And as they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came upon them, annoyed [aggravated!] because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. 3 And they arrested them and put them in custody… [That didn't take long.]

5 On the morrow their rulers and elders and scribes were gathered together in Jerusalem, 6 with Annas the high priest and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family. [There you go, all the aggravated bigshots!]

13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they wondered; and they recognized that they had been with Jesus. [Uh-oh...killing Jesus was supposed to fix this problem. Now it's worse!]

14 But seeing the man that had been healed standing beside them, they had nothing to say in opposition. “What shall we do with these men? For that a notable sign has been performed through them is manifest to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. 17 But in order that it may spread no further among the people, let us warn them to speak no more to any one in this name.” 18 So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. [So, do you think the apostles agreed to shut up about Jesus? No! Right!]

Acts 5:12 Now many signs and wonders were done among the people by the hands of the apostles. And they were all together in Solomon’s Portico. [Back at the Temple again.]

14 And more than ever believers were added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women, 15 so that they even carried out the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and pallets, that as Peter came by at least his shadow might overshadow some of them. [I like how Peter's shadow 'overshadows' people to heal them. Tell me about some other overshadowing y'all know. The Holy Spirit overshadowed Mary. Yes, good. Who told her? Umm...Gabriel! Yes. Another overshadowing?  The angels' wings over the Ark? Yes, the cherubims' wings. Any more? Remember the Shekhinah? The cloud over the Tent! Yes. Now Peter mediates God's power such that he can overshadow, too.]

17 But the high priest rose up and all who were with him, that is, the party of the Sadducees, and filled with jealousy 18 they arrested the apostles and put them in the common prison. [Now they are past just talking tough.]

19 But at night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out and said, 20 “Go and stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this Life.” [Now who else did God tell to 'Go and stand in the temple and speak to the people'? Jesus? Well, Jesus did that without being told. But who did God tell...no guesses, that's ok: Jeremiah.]

[The next day]…the captain with the officers went and brought them, but without violence, for they were afraid of being stoned by the people. 27 And the high priest questioned them, 28 saying, “We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and you intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.” 29 But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.” 33 When they heard this they were enraged and wanted to kill them. [Who are you reminded of? Jesus! Yes.]

[After] they had called in the apostles, they beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. [The Temple staff is aggravated enough now that the apostles may be beaten up or thrown into prison or even killed if they keep blabbing about Jesus in the Temple or synagogues.]

All of that intro is to show the kids that the New Covenant Jewish Christians aren’t going be accepted by the wider Old Covenant Jewish community, and wind up going their separate way. They were used to attending Synagogue on Saturday, where they’d read or hear Scripture, pray, sing Psalms and hymns, and listen to the Rabbi comment on the readings. On Sundays at people’s houses they’d remember Easter, the Last Supper,  and Jesus’ sacrifice. But that pattern has to change.

“OK, let’s draw a picture of the Temple…here’s the courtyard where Isaiah, Jeremiah, Jesus and the Apostles would annoy the Levites. But the Christians aren’t welcome there anymore; they’re too annoying. And here’s a Synagogue. Christians can’t go there anymore either. But that’s fine, they have a New Covenant and a new Lamb anyway. So what do Christians do when peoples’ houses become too small for the congregation? They build a church? Yes. Here ya go. So over here are the Old Covenant buildings, and the church is…the New Covenant building. Yes. And what happens in a Catholic church is the New Covenant version of what happened the Old Covenant synagogues and the Temple. So- what happens in a Catholic church? Funerals? I mean on Sundays. Mass. Yes. The Mass combines the synagogue and the Temple.

“What happens in a synagogue? They read and sing? Yes, and pray; and then the Rabbi…juggles? No, he talks about stuff. Yes, usually he would comment on the readings. And do we do that in church? Yes. Right, in the first half of the Mass.

“And at the Temple? People sacrifice?  Yes, usually…a…Lamb! Yes, remind me though: what happens to the Lamb first? They kill it. Yes, then? They offer it. Yes. At Mass we don’t kill the Lamb though, we just…offer it? Yes, like Jesus offered himself at…the Last Supper! Yes, good. That’s the second half of the Mass.

One for reading, one for offering, one for both.

“Now that we know the Old Covenant background, let’s see how the New Covenant Mass works. Instead of using the Bible we’ll discuss bits from this Missal. So what’s the first thing that happens at Mass? The priest comes in! No! We sing! No! The bell rings! Yes……..”

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Moving the Stone

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Late last month, I brought my car to a Chevy dealership for some routine servicing. As I got out of the car, I was greeted by an employee who said he had a question for me. He wanted to know how the stone was moved away from the tomb. His reference of course was to Jesus’ tomb. I told him that the moved stone signaled the Resurrection had occurred.

In today’s gospel, Saint John describes for us how Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early in the morning – while it was still dark. (cf. Jn 20:1) Despite the darkness, she saw that the stone was removed from the tomb. (cf. Jn 20:1)

The moved stone is not insignificant, I contend. It is interesting to note, for example, that when the Risen Lord appears to the apostles in the upper room, He passes right through the locked doors. (cf. Jn 20:19) He obviously could have done the same with the stone at His burial place – pass right through it. Nevertheless, our text says only that the stone was removed.

We can figure on two reasons for the stone in front of the sepulcher. One is given by the Pharisees and chief priests: “that the grave be secured . . . lest his disciples come and steal him.” (Matt 27:64) The other reason of course has to do with health. Like Lazarus who had been dead for four days, there would be a stench. (cf. Jn 11:39)

We have no way of knowing the precise dimensions of the stone at Jesus’ tomb. Nevertheless, we can presume it was very large and that it would require a team of men, perhaps even having to use an animal with ropes to re-locate the stone.

A very large stone imposes restrictions, it inhibits you from moving about freely and functions just as bars do in a prison. You are confined to a prescribed place and there you remain until someone removes the impediment.

A very large stone at the entrance to Jesus’ tomb was put there by men – sinful men, you and me. And there is only One who can move it and that is God. The scribes and Pharisees were right: “[O]nly God can forgive sins.” (Mk 2:7) But they were wrong about Jesus: He is not a blasphemer. (cf. Mk 14:64)

The Son not only forgives our sins, He has also conquered death. When Jesus first said that He has overcome death, many of His listeners did not accept it and they walked away in protest. (cf. Jn 6:66) The apostles, though, remained with the Lord on this occasion because they knew Jesus had the words of eternal life. (cf. Jn 6:68)

Jesus has the words of eternal life because He is eternal life. (cf. Jn 11:25) If anyone eats the Lord’s flesh and drinks His blood, the Lord will raise him up. (cf. Jn 6:54) The Eucharist is thus the gateway to eternal life, and no stone – however large – can keep the forgiven sons and daughters of God from delighting in the risen life of Christ.

He who knew no sin was made sin for us, says Saint Paul in the New Testament. (cf. 2 Cor. 5:21) With this expression, the apostle describes what Jesus does to make us righteous before God. (cf. 2 Cor. 5:21) Making use of a similar irony and paradox, Saint Peter proclaims in a post-Resurrection confession of faith. “He is the stone rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone.” (Acts 4:11)

We have built for death and we have used stones of mortality by our sinning. Jesus has reversed this pattern by His Resurrection. In Him, the destroyed temple (cf. Jn 2:19) has been astonishingly re-made. Our bodies, in imitation of His, can be gloriously transformed. (cf. Phil 3:21) In the Risen Lord, we have become temples of the Holy Spirit.

This Easter, Christ comes to us, a living stone. (cf. 1 Pt 2:4) Here, at this Eucharist, like at our Baptism, we are being built into a spiritual house. (cf. 1 Pt 2:5) In the household of God (cf. Eph 2:19), all that we are and all that we do is inexorably related to the Holy Eucharist. It is the Lord’s sacramental presence which forms and shapes us inwardly, ratifying our identity as the sons and daughters of our heavenly Father before any other allegiance.

“In my Father’s house,” Jesus tells the apostles at the First Eucharist, “there are many dwelling places.” (Jn 14:2) Even if we bristle under the Father’s headship and throw off the easy yoke of our dwelling with God (cf. Matt 11:30), our status as sons and daughters remains intact because of what Jesus accomplished through the sacrifice of His life upon the altar of the Cross. He has reconciled us with the Father, sealing the covenant in His blood. It is the memorial of the Lord’s passion and Resurrection, the Holy Eucharist, which guarantees our access to the richness of the Father’s mercy. (cf. Eph 2:4)

Who, then, would ever want to stay away from such a splendid thing as the Eucharist? We could stay away if we prefer isolation and withdrawal over union and intimacy and fear and loneliness over trust and solitude. The Risen Lord, though, has conferred a matchless power on union, intimacy, trust and solitude and defeated the enemies of isolation, withdrawal, fear and loneliness. This great movement in history began when the stone was moved out of the way on that first Easter Sunday.

Praised be the Risen Christ!

Solemnity of the Resurrection
Acts 10:34a,37-43; Col 3:1-4; Jn 20:1-9
April 8, 2012

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The Power of the Passion

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Stripped down to its barest essentials, power is the ability to put an idea into practice. To be sure, how we exercise power is an important matter, but first we must know what it is before we wield it.

In the ancient world, there was no better concrete expression of power than the Roman Empire. The Romans had the best schools and the most learned teachers. Their armies, which marched all over the known world at the time, scored victory after victory and subdued every foe. Roman engineering feats – bridges, great buildings and the like – were the envy of those seeking some permanent reminder of achievement. All of these things testified to Rome’s power, but perhaps nothing was more emblematic of Roman power than the law.

Long after Roman schools had passed out of existence, long after Roman armies had stopped conquering enemies and long after their buildings had been reduced to rubble, the power of Rome was still being felt through the law. The Romans had been notable for developing a system of law that sought justice over caprice, and planted the concept of giving each person his due everywhere they went. History shows that material and physical accomplishments can be leveled to dust quickly, but not so the longing and passion we have for justice.

Early in the passion account of Saint John, Jesus appears before Pontius Pilate, the personification of Roman law, to answer the charge that He is a king. (cf. Jn 18:33-38). Jesus links kingship with the truth in His reply to Pilate, acknowledging that the reason He came into the world is to testify to the truth. (cf. Jn 18:37) Pilate is mystified, however. “What is truth?” he muses. (cf. Jn 18:38) It is not enough for the Roman authority in Palestine to be cavalier in his attitude about the truth, he even says in reference to Jesus: “I find no guilt in him.” (Jn 18:38) Not finding guilt in Jesus, Pilate still – amazingly – does not treat Jesus justly. Instead, he acts on the Jewish custom of releasing a prisoner at Passover, allowing the guilty Barabbas to be spared over the innocent Jesus. (cf. Jn 18:39)

In Christ, One Who is innocent and blameless in every way is condemned to death. (cf. Jn 19:16) What then can we say of power in the case of Jesus? It has been grossly misused against Him. It has been utterly debased, placed at the service of falsehood and compromise. Honor and integrity have been sacrificed in favor of cowardice and pusillanimity.

Holy Week always brings into sharp focus the central mysteries of our Christian faith. From Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday, the Church invites us to witness to and share in the rites by which we claim salvation in Christ. It would be a mistake, however, if through our witness and participation we did not stop to consider this week what is the true meaning of power in our lives.

For some of us, power is found in always getting our own way. We unfailingly manipulate situations so that we always come out on top – we won’t tolerate any other outcome at home, at work, or wherever we may find ourselves. We relish the feeling of having it “one up” on those around us. For others among us, power is in calculating how to make the most number of people dependent on us, thereby satisfying our need to be needed. There is enormous ego pleasure in knowing we are indispensible to others. For still others, power is in being above the fray, detached, and untainted by the vicissitudes of life.

Holy Week shows us a beaten and dejected Savior. Bearing our infirmities and laying upon Himself our guilt (cf. Is 53:4,6), He challenges us to shake off our false notions of power – whatever they may be and in whatever form they may take. Power is not in what I cling to and what I hold on to; it is in how I empty myself, as Saint Paul indicates for us in today’s second reading. (cf. Phil 2:6-7) The Lord’s obedience unto death (cf. Phil 2:8) is the real power at work in His life and in our lives too – if only we allow it to be so.

Let us be alert to the Lord’s power here at this Eucharist. May it cleanse us of our sins and make us the new creations promised by the Resurrection!

Palm Sunday Homily
April 1, 2012

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3 Little Pigs & Bottled God

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A Gracious Plenty

Last week I was pleasantly shocked to discover that the 2011-12 catechetical year is running about 1/2 class ahead of schedule. We have 4 more classes: one on Revelations, and three on the Mass. In case you’re wondering, there’s no end-of-year party. The last class is a regular class, and the kids are a bit pleased with themselves that they don’t need to be coddled with entertainment.

Tonight’s class first recapped the transition from the Church in Acts to the present day, and how the Catholic Church maintains the visible hierarchy established in Acts. The rest of the period treats the Epistles, which kids find deadly dull. I don’t blame them. After all the acting out and storytelling of the Gospels & Acts, the Epistles are dry toast. To make them bearable to the young’uns I deal in little soundbites which have particular resonance for Catholics. The extra time meant I could pick more than the usual 3 or 4 excerpts.

1.  “For no other foundation can any one lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if any one builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw– 13 each man’s work will become manifest; for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. 14 If the work which any man has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. 15 If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.” [1Cor 3]

The kids figured out the Purgatory relevance, as usual. But this year I had a little epiphany. As I was writing “gold, silver, diamonds, wood, hay, straw” on the board, out of the blue I said, “Hey, who knows the Three Little Pigs?” So we started with the kids telling the story of the Three Pigs and their houses. That intro perked them up a bit and energized the discussion.

2. “I remind you to stir into flame the gift of God that is within you through the laying on of my hands.” [2Tim 1:6]

Paul likens Timothy’s gifts to those the Apostles received at Pentecost; and because Confirmation approaches, I take every opportunity to show that laying hands makes a difference.

3. “I preferred to do nothing without your consent in order that your goodness might not be by compulsion but of your own free will.” [Philemon 14]

I turn this short Epistle into the story of Onesimus the Runaway Slave & Paul’s Intercession. The kids discuss why true charity must be freely given. I remind them that parents nevertheless require their children to act charitably with their bodies in order to train their souls in the habits of virtue.

4. “..we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we have not a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.” [Heb 4:14-15]

Sounds too intellectual for 12-year-olds, but we pump it up with a sketch of the Meeting Tent. The kids recall the details, especially the High Priest (a sinner) behind the veil. Remembering that God instructed Moses to build an imitation of the Sanctuary in Heaven, they see that sinless Jesus is now in that sanctuary doing the High Priest job perfectly. So the Hebrews can forget about the Temple and the Ark in Jerusalem, just as Jeremiah foretold: “…when you have multiplied and increased in the land, in those days, says the LORD, they shall no more say, “The ark of the covenant of the LORD.” It shall not come to mind, or be remembered, or missed; it shall not be made again.”

5. “…we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us…” [Heb 12:1]

The kids tell me about the saints and angels in the “cloud,” and I tell them to imagine the saints at Mass with us all around the walls of the church. We compare the Tortoise and the Hare story to Paul’s encouragement to persevere in the race: you can’t lay back and say you’re saved. You have to keep doing good ’til the end.

6. “What does it profit, my brethren, if a man says he has faith but has not works? Can his faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is ill-clad and in lack of daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what does it profit? 17 So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead. 18 But some one will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I by my works will show you my faith…Do you want to be shown, you shallow man, that faith apart from works is barren? You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by works. For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so faith apart from works is dead…[James 2]

The kids well know Jesus’ attention to good works. This is just some icing on the body-soul-faith-works concept that they’ve seen a dozen times or more this year.

7. “Always be prepared to make a defense to any one who calls you to account for the hope that is in you, yet do it with gentleness and reverence” [1Pet 3]

I tell the kids that I want them to be able to this, i.e., answer questions about being Catholic Christians without getting into arguments. I give a few examples from my own life to show it’s not something to fear, but something to anticipate and prepare for. We consider the adults in RCIA class, and how many of them are now becoming Catholic because a Catholic had answered their questions.

8. “This is he who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ, not with the water only but with the water and the blood. 7 And the Spirit is the witness, because the Spirit is the truth. 8 There are three witnesses, the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree.” [1John 5]

The kids tell me about ritual sprinkling of blood and water, and how blood and water flowed from Jesus’ side. I help them to connect all that to the fusing of the Spirit, the blood of Christ’s sacrifice, and the cleansing water in Baptism.

Toward the end of class there were some digressions. One child asked this question, which I hear at least once each year: “If I love my dog and can’t be happy without him, will I have him in Heaven even if animals don’t go to Heaven?” I did the usual cartoon of a dog and its owner, with arrows of God’s goodness flowing from Heaven, through the dog, into the person. If you’re in Heaven getting all of God’s goodness directly from God, you don’t need a dog to mediate it. You won’t miss your dog.

Kids are never really satisfied with that explanation, which adults seem fine with. So I launched into this off-the-cuff analogy:

Pretend we all live in the middle of the Sahara desert. The desert is all we’ve ever seen. Every day you get a 2-liter bottle of water, which is enough to meet your needs. But we’re going to move from the desert to a houseboat on a Great Lake, name one for me…Superior? Good, we’re going to live on Lake Superior. How big is it? Well, it’s real big. Yes, Lake Superior’s about the size of South Carolina. It’s so big that you can’t see any land from the middle. For all you can tell, the water goes on forever.

How much water is in a 2-liter bottle? Umm…2-liters?  Yes. How much more water is in Lake Superior? A billion times more?  Yes, maybe even more…a billion billion! Yes, it’s practically an infinite amount of water; I can’t imagine water from horizon to horizon, ’cause I’ve only seen water in a bottle. But before we leave I get nervous. I say, “Make sure you take your water bottles!” What would you say? We won’t need them anymore!  But that’s how we get our water, we have to have them! But you can have all the water you want by jumping in the lake!  No, I have to have my water bottle to have the water! No you can have all you want without the bottle! It’s a lake! It’s made out of water!

So what’s my problem? You can’t imagine that much water. Yes. Well, heaven is like that. We can’t imagine that much God. God is all around you and in you, like you’re a fish in Lake Superior. In Heaven, God’s goodness won’t come to you through your dog, or your parents, or even through communion at Mass. You’ll get God straight from God. Yes, what? I still want my dog in Heaven. Well…wait and see.

Class over!

By the way, the kids love it when I’m obtuse and they have to correct me.

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The Deeper Meaning of Wealth

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On a cool autumn night more than thirty years ago, the words of today’s gospel rang out in Yankee Stadium. They were proclaimed in the House that Ruth built as Pope John Paul II celebrated Mass. Commenting on this passage from Saint Luke, the Holy Father said then:

“We cannot stand idly by, enjoying our own riches and freedom, if, in any place, the Lazarus of the twentieth century stands at our doors. In the light of the parable . . . riches and freedom mean a special responsibility. Riches and freedom mean a special obligation.” (Homily at Yankee Stadium)

The appropriateness of the parable of the rich man and Lazarus for proclamation during the pontiff’s first pastoral visit to our country could scarcely be questioned. The United States was then and continues now to be the most affluent nation in the history of the world. Millions and millions of people have become materially rich in America. Even more people have known an unparalleled political freedom here.

In the view of some, the pilgrim Pope had come to the shores of America to afflict the comfortable. To others, he was preaching the Gospel of a preferential option for the poor. To those who accept Michael Harrington’s analysis, the Pope was exposing the other America.

The other America, of course, is poverty, the other side of wealth. There is no getting away from the fact that there are two sides. In today’s gospel, Our Lord indicates that following death, both the rich man and Lazarus are separated by a great chasm. (cf. Lk 16:26) It prevents anyone from crossing from one side to the other. (cf. Lk 16:26)

It is clear from the text that one side is heaven and the other is hell. One side is in the bosom of Abraham (cf. Lk 16:22) and the other is a place of torment. (cf. Lk 16:28) The rich man has brought this judgment upon himself because he failed to attend to the needs of the poor man Lazarus lying at his door. (cf. Lk 16:20) He preferred during his earthly life to dine sumptuously every day. (cf. Lk 16:19)

Jesus teaches that the judgment of the nations will be based on the corporal works of mercy. “I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, a stranger and you gave me no welcome, naked and you gave me no clothing, ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.” (Matt 25:42-43) It is the Lord whom we disregard when we neglect the least ones. (cf. Matt 25:45)

In his homily of thirty years ago, the Pope also said that the Church cannot limit herself to the social fruitfulness of the Gospel. “Along the road that leads the Church to man,” he stated, “she does not offer . . . only the earthly fruits of the Gospel; she brings to man – to every human person – his very source: Jesus Christ.” (Homily at Yankee Stadium)

We all recognize Lent as the season of re-committing ourselves to a care of the poor among us. And certainly we must bear in mind the very serious words of Our Lord that our judgment and salvation hinge on assisting those who are materially deprived. Let us not forget, though, the words of the Pope. The Church is to bring us to Jesus Christ. This is why we evangelize; this is why we catechize; this is why we form men and women in discipleship; this is why we share in the sacramental life.

One of the troubling tendencies pastorally is the widespread acceptance that religion now is just helping people. There is a growing horizontalism which considers prayer and the interior life irrelevant before the main task we have of improving the conditions of the planet. I don’t think this is unrelated to the indifference there is to religious and spiritual doctrine in the midst of the world’s diversity and pluralism. Since there are so many competing ideas about God and there is a reluctance to say which ones are right, it is best to stick with just helping people and the rest will take care of itself.

Pope John Paul II’s successor, Benedict XVI has visited the United States, too, and even before his visit nearly four years ago, he spoke to this problem in his first encyclical, Deus Caritas Est (2005). He wrote then that “it is time to re-affirm the importance of prayer in the face of the activism and the growing secularization of many Christians engaged in charitable work. Clearly, the Christian who prays does not claim to be able to change God’s plans or correct what he has foreseen. Rather, he seeks an encounter with the Father of Jesus Christ.” (DCE, 37)

To encounter the Father of Jesus Christ is the purpose of priestly formation now. As seminarians, you ought to be engaged in the very serious work now of developing capacities and aptitudes for knowing God in the often subtle ways He touches our hearts. For this is what you will be helping others to do later on in your priestly ministries.

We all need to listen to Moses and the prophets. (cf. Lk 16:31) Even more than that, we all need to listen to the One who has risen from the dead. (cf. Lk 16:31) The Eucharist is the bridge connecting one side to the other. It connects the rich and the free with the poor and obedient Christ. We rise here with Him, having found the deeper meaning of wealth under the easy yoke of the Cross. Our trust, the prophet Jeremiah reminds us today, is not in human beings. (Jer 17:5) It is in the Lord, he says. (cf. Jer 17:7) So, too, is our hope. (cf. Jer 17:7)
Praised be Jesus Christ!

Thursday of the Second Week of Lent
Jer 17:5-10; Lk 16:19-31
(Homily to seminarians, presented on March 8, 2012)

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The Apostles’ Crab

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Ready…set…CRAB! Yaaaah! Arrrgghhh!
.

Some highlights from the March 7 class, the Resurrection through Paul’s commission. The Bible wants to tell the story, so I let it. All verses were already highlighted in my lecture Bible. I didn’t flip back to actually read the John da Baptis’ quote, that’s something we covered a few months ago.  The kids just needed to hear it on the fly this time. Otherwise readings are from the last bit of Luke, the last bit of John, and Acts starting at Chapter 1. Almost no flipping back & forth. Easy.

On Easter morning Mary Magdalene didn’t recognize the resurrected Jesus:

“… she turned round and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom do you seek?” Supposing him to be the gardener [?!], she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him…”

The apostles didn’t recognize Jesus either:

“That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem,  and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were kept from recognizing him.”

and

“Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the beach; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus.”  Of course if I were freed from the consequences of Sin, you might not recognize me right away either.

On Easter evening, the Apostles were scared:

Who’s there?
.

“On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them…he breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive [an extra dose of] the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”

Jesus is establishing what sacrament? Confession? Yes, good.

Over the next 40 days, Jesus pops in and out of spacetime to visit occasionally with the apostles; they are still a bit vague about Scripture and prophecy and all that stuff. Jesus helps them out :

“O foolish men, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?”  And beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.”

and

“These are my words which I spoke to you, while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and the psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures…”

Regardless, the apostles remain unclear about the Messiah business. Still expecting a David:

“Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” Poor guys need some direction.

And they’re at loose ends. Some return to their old jobs:

“Simon Peter, Thomas…the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together. Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat; but that night they caught nothing.”

But John da Baptis’ had foretold:

“…he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.” Huh…that might be motivating.

Before ascending, Jesus & Peter orally re-establish Peter’s contract to be the #1 person in charge of the flock:

Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” A second time he said to him, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” 17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” And he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.”

Jesus ascends to heaven, and won’t return until the Second Coming. Peter starts taking charge in Jesus’ absence, figures out the apostles need to replace dead Judas:

“Peter stood up among the brethren (the company of persons was in all about a hundred and twenty), and said… “one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us–one of these men must become with us a witness to his resurrection.”

So if an apostle dies…you make another one! Yes. Peter quotes King David to reinforce the idea that being an apostle is a kind of office:

“his bishoprick let another take.”

They tentatively pick two disciples, Barsabbas and Matthias.  But the the apostles lack a certain confidence, and leave the final choice to the Holy Spirit:

“And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias; and he was enrolled with the eleven apostles.” What’s “casting lots”? Like rolling dice? Yes, or flipping a coin.

As soon as there are 12 apostles again, they all get yet another extra dose of the Holy Spirit:

“When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly a sound came from heaven like the rush of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire, distributed and resting on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues…”

The apostles were FIRED UP! like so:

 they ain’t scared no more
.

“Hey, do you boys know what a crab pose is…what bodybuilders do? Me! Me too! Good…nobody else? Can y’all do a crab? Yes! OK y’all two get up here. Don’t crab ’til I tell ya. Now after the apostles got their third dose of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, did they continue to lock themselves up and hide? No! So what did they do instead? They went everywhere & told people about Jesus! That’s right…they were fearless, they went all over the place spreading the Gospel and  setting up the Church. All but John were martyred, so they were way-tough guys. Now you two are gonna show everyone how tough and fearless and motivated and fired-up the apostles were. Ready…set…CRAB! Yaaaah! Arrrgghhh! Great job! Just look at these super apostles! OK…that’s enough crabbing…y’all can sit down now.”

Saul the Christian-hater is personally visited by Jesus, but that doesn’t prepare him to do anything. Instead he’s blinded. His sight is restored by an authorized Christian doing what? Touching his eyes! Great guess, but no! Laying hands on him! Yes! Are y’all surprised? No! Smarties.

“The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” (Who said that to God in the Old Testament? Samuel! Yes! How many times? Three! Yes!)  And the Lord said to him, “…inquire…for a man of Tarsus named Saul; for behold, he is praying, and he has seen a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.” So Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came, has sent me that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized.”

Saul and Barnabas are “set apart” like Samuel and Samson and John:

“Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon… Lucius of Cyrene …and Saul. 2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” What sort of Catholic persons are set apart today for special work? Priests? Yes, and…nuns?  Yes, good.”

The “prophets and teachers” lay hands on Saul and Barnabas:

“Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off.” Hey, guess what a bishop does when he makes a man into a priest? Lays his hands on his head? Yes, good.

Only after this laying of hands is Saul now known as Paul. He has a new name like who else? Abraham & Sarah. Yes, and …Isaac! No, but you mean Jacob. His name was changed to…starts with an ‘I‘ like Isaac…Israel! Yes, and…Peter! Yes, which means…rock, yes, or…stone. Yes, like the cornerstone. And in Spanish? Piedra. Yes. Pedro is the piedra.

That’s it for tonight. Next week we’ll see how the apostles and Paul continued to spread and organize the Church.

Praised be Jesus Christ!

Now and Forever!

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Faithful Unto the Madness of the Cross

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Growing up, we get advice all the time and from many different quarters, too. Some of the advice is good, and some of it is, well, not so good. A piece of good advice is to defer a decision until the emotion of the moment has passed. If we postpone a decision from the time when emotions are running high until later when we are calm, it increases the likelihood of a better quality of decision and a more favorable outcome for us.

I am thinking of two examples which support the eminently trustworthy advice of holding off a decision until after the emotion has passed. The first concerns an athlete, one who has not played for several consecutive games – he’s not left the bench, he’s not left the dugout. In a fit of frustration, he takes himself to the coach or manager’s office and announces that he is quitting. After he has handed in his uniform and is away from the team, a few of his former teammates go down with injuries. The opportunity to get off the bench or out of the dugout had finally come, but it is missed. A hasty, imprudent decision had seen to that missed opportunity. The second concerns an employee who has been trying for a promotion. After not getting it, he informs his boss that he is resigning his position. Weeks later – on the sidelines and without a regular paycheck – the unemployed man learns that another position had opened up in the company, a job more attractive than the last one and one for which he is even better qualified. It too was a missed opportunity. And, once again, a hasty, imprudent decision was responsible.

We ought not to let our emotions get the better of us. But, obviously, they sometimes do. We usually regard these situations in life – when our emotions are running high – as not having much potential for placing us in communion with the Lord or deepening our communion with Him. But perhaps then we underestimate them.

God is able to use the immediacy of events in our lives to elicit from us a commitment of heroic proportions. The immediacy of our lives includes upheaval and turmoil, conditions  created by events in which we are caught up to one degree or another. The immediacy of our lives includes conflict and anxiety, antithetical to the serenity and peace we normally associate with right dispositions for prayer.

The first reading at mass today comes from the Book of Esther, an Old Testament book which we are not accustomed to hearing from with any regularity at the liturgy. It concerns, not surprisingly, a certain Queen Esther. She is a genuinely remarkable figure, having succeeded with her uncle Mordecai in staving off Jewish destruction at the hands of Israel’s enemies. Queen Esther is thus rightly praised as a deliverer of the Chosen People. Yet, despite her exalted status as a queen, she still exhibits a very common touch in her reaction to things.

The sacred author describes her as being “seized with mortal anguish.” (Est C:12) We might liken this reaction of hers to being at our wit’s end, utterly distressed and distraught. Given this interior state, we are amazed that she still “has recourse to the Lord.” (Est C:12) We are told further that she lays prostrate with her handmaids all day long and prays to God. (cf. Est C:14) She begs the Lord for assistance as she laments being left all alone. (cf. Est C:14) She knows of course that the Lord will not leave her an orphan. (cf. Est C:23) And Yahweh does indeed vindicate Queen Esther’s faith with a victory over Israel’s enemies, resulting in the Feast of Purim which continues to be observed in our own time by pious Jews.

We started our Lenten journey this year as we do every year with an invitation to pray. (cf. Matt 6:6-8) Accompanying the injunctions to fast and to give alms, our prayer this holy season is to strengthen our communion with Christ and fortify us for the scandal of the Cross. When it comes to prayer, we acknowledge that certain interior dispositions are properly salutary. Who doesn’t want to be recollected in advance?  Who doesn’t want to be serene in the Lord’s presence? But do these conditions always prevail in our hearts and minds? Most assuredly, they do not.
This week at the liturgy, we have already listened to a few texts pertaining to the prayer of Christ’s disciples. On Tuesday, the gospel revealed Jesus teaching the disciples to pray, going so far as to indicate words that please God. We ought, He said, to address God as “Our Father.” (cf. Matt 6:9) As the Lord forgives us our trespasses, Jesus instructed, so must we forgive those who have trespassed against us. (cf. Matt 6:12) And we cannot overlook the gospel of this mass when Jesus says, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” (Matt 7:7) While we realize that petition is certainly not the only kind of prayer there is, it remains an esteemed part of our patrimony of prayer. Why else would we approach the God of fullness if not to request from Him the good things that He surely wants to give us? (cf. Matt 7:11)

As important as these passages are, by far the most effective teaching that Jesus gives on prayer is the example of His own prayer. On the eve of His passion, while in the Garden of Gethsemane, Saint Luke records how Jesus prayed, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me.” (cf. Lk 22:42) There is no mistaking that this moment is full of emotion for Jesus – heart-wrenching emotion, for sure. And, clearly, Jesus cannot put off a decision on His mission to a more serene time, a less dispassionate moment. Yet, in the turbulence and turmoil of His passion, Jesus still prays, “not my will but yours be done.” (Lk 22:42)

In conflict and upheaval, Jesus’ communion with the Father in the Holy Spirit is not undercut. This is the challenge presented to us: In the conflict and upheaval of our lives, will our communion with the Lord be weakened or severed? Or, will the immediacy of heavily emotional moments find us being faithful unto the madness of the Cross on the model of the Master?

Thursday of the First Week of Lent
Esther C: 12; 14-16; 23-25; Matt 7:7-12
March 1, 2012

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