Palm Sunday and Holy Week Reflection

Mt. Irenaeus Reflections for Palm Sunday and Holy Week 2010:

Voices from the Mountain and from the Valley

This year, Palm Sunday arrives at a time when many friends of Mt. Irenaeus feel the acute stab of grief at the passing of our beloved brother and friend, Dan Hurley, ofm. Perhaps it is a special blessing that we have the opportunity to grieve our loss during these prayerful days of Holy Week.

We invite you to join us in our remembering and in our contemplation. Let us pray together and teach one another as we walk the journey that leads to the cross and to the exquisite sweetness of Easter morning. Father Lou begins with a reflection rooted in the readings from the Palm Sunday liturgy. Having listened to Father Lou’s gentle teaching, several members of mountain Sojourners offer responses.

Reflections for Palm Sunday, 2010

Lou McCormack, ofm

The readings for Palm Sunday this year are from Isaiah (50:4-7), Paul’s letter to the Phillipians (2: 6-11), and from Luke’s account of the Passion of Jesus (22: 14 – 23: 56).

Palm Sunday (or Passion Sunday since the Gospel is the reading of the passion of Jesus) brings us to the end of our Lenten journey. It is also the threshold of the holiest week in the year for Christians.

Part of our share in the passion of Jesus this year is the absence of our brother Dan Hurley,ofm who died on March 13^th. Dan loved the meaning and memory of Holy Week; he will be with us in a powerful way this Holy Week.

Paul in the letter to the Phillipians encourages us to have the same mind in us that was in Jesus. That mind of Jesus is total self-giving as He became one of us for our salvation. Jesus is the love of God the Father poured out on the earth for all time.

In an attempt to help us enter into the mind of Christ, the evangelists - Luke this year - have told His story. It was their hope that believers could move beyond logic to understand the love that moved Jesus. It was the desire of the evangelists that readers put aside their objections and allow themselves to be taught by this great mystery.

In narrating Jesus’ passion, Luke brings his own insight by repeatedly affirming the Lord’s innocence. Only in Luke does the centurion declare that Jesus was an innocent man, does Pilate issue a triple verdict of “innocent” upon the falsely accused Jesus, and does the trial before Herod get mentioned when Jesus is again declared innocent. Luke shows us through these declarations of innocence that Jesus is the suffering servant of Isaiah who willingly suffered and died, but in the end was vindicated by God in the resurrection.

The passion of Jesus continues today in so many ways and people. We do not open ourselves again to hear the word to mainly engage in some form of sympathetic catharsis. We open ourselves to this living message of love and sacrifice and pain and dying and sin and unjustice so as to be changed by it, graced by it and moved by it to ease the ongoing suffering of the Body of Christ.

Let’s not just weep for Jesus on the way, but give ourselves over to those whose lives continue to be painful. We are called, like Simon of Cyrene, to help alleviate suffering by shouldering some of another person’s cross. Following Jesus means seeking solidarity with the suffering of others and working for their liberation.

Peace and Joy!

Sojourner Reflection for Palm Sunday, 2010

Mike Fenn offers the following memory of Father Dan Hurley:

“I had the great blessing of spending a good amount of time with Father Dan over the past twenty years and I carry many vivid memories in my heart. The one I recall most powerfully now, during our time of grieving, is from this past January when I was sharing evening prayer with him and the rest of the Friar community. Fr. Dan's eyesight had become very poor, yet his desire to open himself to God's word never diminished. There he sat with his glasses on, using a large magnifying glass and holding a psalm book as close to his face as he could. It was as if he was reading for the first time, not wanting to miss a word. Fr. Dan lived his life, as Fr Lou speaks above, listening to Gods message, constantly being changed by it, graced by it, and moved by it.”

Kate Nolan Clemens reflects on the power of service:

Lou's reflections help to focus my thinking and perspective around keeping others in mind and under our care. Jesus sacrificed His life for us... what can we do for others in our daily lives that might lessen the suffering of others? What can we do on a human level that might make even the smallest impact, possibly multiplied by doing it every day? Yesterday was Bona Responds Day. I spent a few hours with one of our sons at a soup kitchen/shelter. We had the humbling experience of witnessing - first-hand - the suffering of our fellow neighbors, the innocent -- so close, yet so very far away from what we know in our own lives. I'm thankful today for so much and glad for the inspiration of the Gospel and Lou's words that help to re-focus us.

Paul Kline responds:

Kate’s story teaches me that service, rooted in humility, can open my eyes and heart to God’s presence in those we are privileged to feed, clothe, and comfort. We are reminded by Father Lou that, as we approach the Gospel with an open heart, we experience a deeper awareness of Jesus’ love for us. Mike’s simple and beautiful story helps us to remember Father Dan Hurley as a man whose hunger to hear God’s voice could not be restrained by the limitations of age or infirmity. We see the humility of our friar-friend at evening prayer and, encouraged by his example and by Father Lou’s teaching, we open ourselves to the simple beauty and power of the stories of Palm Sunday and Holy Week. We see Jesus entering Jerusalem riding a colt - an itinerant preacher with no home, no wealth, and no earthly power. We see Jesus bending low in love for his friends, tenderly washing their feet. We hear the voice of Jesus on the cross offering forgiveness to the criminal who dies next to him. Perhaps we, too, ache with hunger to hear God speak tender words of love and mercy to us? I pray that I am open to hear God’s voice in the words and actions of those I meet this week – and in those moments of silence and contemplation that Holy Week offers to me.

We welcome your voice!

(To share your thoughts, post a comment below on the Mountain's blog or on the Mountain's Facebook Page.)

(Mt. Irenaeus Web Site)

Ash Wednesday Reflection

Br. Kevin Kriso, OFM, and Joe Aini offer their thoughts about Ash Wednesday. You're invited to share your thoughts and reflections.

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READINGS

Reading I: Joel 12: 12-18

Even now, says the LORD, 
return to me with your whole heart, 
with fasting, and weeping, and mourning; 
Rend your hearts, not your garments, 
and return to the LORD, your God. 
For gracious and merciful is he, 
slow to anger, rich in kindness, 
and relenting in punishment. 
Perhaps he will again relent 
and leave behind him a blessing, 
Offerings and libations 
for the LORD, your God.

Blow the trumpet in Zion! 
proclaim a fast, 
call an assembly; 
Gather the people, 
notify the congregation; 
Assemble the elders, 
gather the children 
and the infants at the breast; 
Let the bridegroom quit his room 
and the bride her chamber. 
Between the porch and the altar 
let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep, 
And say, “Spare, O LORD, your people, 
and make not your heritage a reproach, 
with the nations ruling over them! 
Why should they say among the peoples, 
‘Where is their God?’”

Then the LORD was stirred to concern for his land 
and took pity on his people.

Reading II: 2 Corinthians 5:20 – 6:2 
 


Brothers and sisters: 
We are ambassadors for Christ, 
as if God were appealing through us. 
We implore you on behalf of Christ, 
be reconciled to God. 
For our sake he made him to be sin who did not know sin, 
so that we might become the righteousness of God in him.

Working together, then, 
we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain. 
For he says:

In an acceptable time I heard you, 
and on the day of salvation I helped you.

Behold, now is a very acceptable time; 
behold, now is the day of salvation.

Gospel: Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18 


Jesus said to his disciples: 
“Take care not to perform righteous deeds 
in order that people may see them; 
otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father. 
When you give alms, 
do not blow a trumpet before you, 
as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets 
to win the praise of others. 
Amen, I say to you, 
they have received their reward. 
But when you give alms, 
do not let your left hand know what your right is doing, 
so that your almsgiving may be secret. 
And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.

“When you pray, 
do not be like the hypocrites, 
who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners 
so that others may see them. 
Amen, I say to you, 
they have received their reward. 
But when you pray, go to your inner room, 
close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. 
And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.

“When you fast, 
do not look gloomy like the hypocrites. 
They neglect their appearance, 
so that they may appear to others to be fasting. 
Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. 
But when you fast, 
anoint your head and wash your face, 
so that you may not appear to be fasting, 
except to your Father who is hidden. 
And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you.”

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REFLECTIONS

By Brother Kevin Kriso, OFM

At a former ministry of mine, Ash Wednesday was our busiest day of the year. Being in a city, people would line up around the block to get ashes. It was an exciting day. The sheer number and variety of people touched my heart, little babies in strollers, tottering elderly, teenagers with acne, sophisticated office people, police officers, salespeople from department stores, homeless. It was a real cross section of humanity.

As excited and grateful as I was for this day, I was bothered by the question, “Where are they the next day or the next Sunday?” Maybe ten percent of the people who came for ashes also came for the Eucharist later in the week. I wondered why ashes which are described as a “sacramental” (with a small “s”) had a greater pull than the Eucharist which is a Sacrament (with a capital “S”? The Eucharist is, after all, the source and summit of our faith, they very Body and Blood of Christ. Ashes are, quite frankly, just dirt. Yet ashes had the greater power to pull people into Church, even if it was for just one day.

Some easy answers were given. One is to blame the people, “Well their priorities are all messed up.” Another was to blame “liberal” priests and sisters, “The reason for the lack of respect for the Sacrament is that is that these people are not stressing the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist and the importance of obligation.” There is probably some truth in these answers but not the entire truth.

Then someone else made the suggestion that maybe it is because everyone feels they are worthy to receive ashes, but not everyone feels worthy to receive the Eucharist. I think that was a bigger part of the answer. Maybe the way many perceive the message of the Church is that the spiritual life is mainly equated in following rules and laws. When many people measure their own lives against these rules and laws, they find they come up short. Instead of feeling encouraged to try harder, they feel their only option is to “opt out” of Church because they do not “want to be a hypocrite.” Church feels like it is for “holy rollers,” not a “real” flesh and blood person like me. So ashes seem to be an OK thing for real people to receive while the Eucharist is for that theoretical group of people who are “worthy.”

Interestingly enough, Jesus tried very hard to teach that the spiritual walk has more to do with love than rules. But somehow his message does not always come across. Even in the Guidelines for the Reception of the Eucharist it says that reception of the Eucharist is for people who are “properly disposed” to receive the Sacrament and “not conscious of grave sin.” Somehow that is interpreted as “you must be perfect” and the Eucharist is reserved for those who are perfect. Since this feels impossible, people “opt out” of Church. So as it is now, more people receive ashes than the Body and Blood of Christ. That is sad.

Hopefully, ashes can not only be seen as a sign of penance but also as a sign of hope. We can help pull each other up, to rise. We can remind each other that the love of God, not our conduct is what “makes us worthy.” God knows all about us and loves us anyway. Church is not for holy rollers but for people who know they are not perfect and are doing their best. Even after you confess your sins, you will probably end up sinning again. That’s just the way it is. Don’t worry about being a hypocrite. None of us are perfect and as Jesus said, “It is the sick who need the doctor.”

As a friend of mine who is in Alcoholics Anonymous likes to say, “God loves me just as I am. But God also loves me too much to let me stay that way.”

By Joe Aini

"Lord, as I walk through Lent I pray to love you in a more genuine way and to open my heart to what you want from me in this life you have given me. Archbishop Fulton Sheen once said, "Unless we die to a lower life, we'll never rise to a higher life." Lord, although I know you love me for who I am, I pray for the light of your grace to help me move to where you want me to be.

Take my faults and transform them and turn them around to be ways that will lead to my salvation. I feel like I've burrowed myself into a hole of hostility where I brood over the hurts others have inflicted on me. I brood over my own shortcomings, my imperfections and ways I've failed to practice the Christian faith that I love. Change my brooding into forgiveness---toward others as well as toward myself, and transform my hostility to charity. Transform the daily frustrations I experience both at home and at work into patience. And help me to see others in the light of your love. Help me to love you in a new way.

Bless whoever reads these words and, as they read these reflections, renew their love for you so together we can rebuild the Body of Christ in this world. . . . "

(To share your thoughts, post a comment below on the Mountain's blog or on the Mountain's Facebook Page.)

(Mt. Irenaeus Web Site)

Feast of St. Francis

Brother Joe Kotula, OFM, and Paul Kline offer their thoughts about the Feast of St. Francis. You're invited to share your thoughts and reflections.

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READINGS

Sirach 50:1, 3-4, 6-7
The greatest among his brethren, the glory of his people, was SIMON the priest, son of Jochanan, in whose time the house of God was renovated, in whose days the temple was reinforced. In his time the reservoir was dug, the pool with a vastness like the sea's. He protected his people against brigands and strengthened his city against the enemy. Like a star shining among the clouds, like the full moon at the holyday season; Like the sun shining upon the temple, like the rainbow appearing in the cloudy sky.

Galatians 6:14-18
But may I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. For neither does circumcision mean anything, nor does uncircumcision, but only a new creation. Peace and mercy be to all who follow this rule and to the Israel of God. From now on, let no one make troubles for me; for I bear the marks of Jesus on my body. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers and sisters. Amen.

Matthew 11:25-30
At that time Jesus said in reply, "I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike. Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him. Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for your selves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light."

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REFLECTIONS

By Brother Joe Kotula, OFM
St. Francis was a man who kept his eyes on the cross of Jesus Christ. The holy Bible was his road map and he had a strong desire to follow in the footsteps of Jesus and his life reflects that desire. When Francis was approaching his last days he said to his brothers: “I have done what was mine to do; may Christ teach you what you are to do.”

I feel confident that God teaches each of us what we are to do. However, we need to listen deeply to hear God’s call. St. Paul writes to the Galatians: “ All that matters is that one is created anew.” The Mountain mission statement is, “To join with Jesus Christ in making all things new!” How do you and I experience these bold statements? Are we created anew as we live and experience the Mountain culture? St. Francis was created anew as he journeyed through life focused on the cross of Jesus. I would suggest that being created anew is coming to understand that all of life is in God. When we recognize that, we, like Francis, will relate to everything as brothers and sister.

Imagine that!

The first reading beckons us to imagine the pool with the vastness of the sea, a star shining among the clouds, a full moon on a holyday season, the sun shining upon the temple, and a rainbow in the cloudy sky. St. Francis could imagine God’s total presence and so he knew that everything had the same creator as himself. Scripture call us to imagine the wonders of a loving creator.

Finally, Matthew's Gospel tells us “no one knows the Son, but the Father and no one knows the Father but the Son- and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.” I would suggest that St. Francis knew the Father through Jesus and we, too, know God through Jesus.

Imagine that!

Can you accept that? Praise God! Seek and you shall find; knock and the door will be opened. Francis is a model who showed us how loving Jesus reveals God and affects our daily walk. So, as we celebrate the feast of St. Francis may we, too, hear his words ring in our hearts: “I have done what was mine to do; may Christ teach you what you are to do.”

Trust and be not afraid for God has promised so much and God keeps his/her promises.

By Paul Kline
My favorite experiences at the Mountain are morning and evening prayer in Holy Peace Chapel. The serenity of praying with others while, at the same time, being drawn deeper into my own, interior conversation with God helps me to lower my guard and open my heart. During our Franciscan Sojourner weekends, in that most peaceful place, Gospel stories, stories connected with the Franciscan tradition, and stories from our own travels have come alive offering new discoveries about who God is calling us to become as His sons and daughters and how, as a community travelling together, can best serve others.

The feast of Francis provides an opportunity to wonder how we might learn from the remarkable story of his spiritual journey. For me, it is a journey that brought Francis deeper and deeper into radical humility. His journey reveals the freedom and grace that await us when we let go of our attachments to familiar ways of thinking and patterns of living that fail to bring us closer to God’s heart.

Ilia Delio writes that Bonaventure understood humility to be "a self-knowledge grounded in truth, patience with others, simplicity of life, attentive listening to others, courage to overcome temptations, and a compassionate heart." Through humility, we celebrate the holiness of all creation and open ourselves to be shaped by the wisdom and grace present in the insignificant moments of our day. Through humility, the least among us become our greatest teachers.

Humility, I think, helps us to re-focus our eyes and attune our ears to quiet sources of grace where wisdom speaks in a gentle whisper. Francis’ encounters with others and with the world around him powerfully reveal to me a passionate wish, even longing, to meet Jesus in every twist and turn in the road he travelled. He enjoyed, I think, an authentic zeal for experiencing the specialness of each living creature. Falling in love with every unique expression of God’s creation – people, animals, and nature - was also a way of falling in love with God, over and over and over again.

As each new day dawns, we, too, are invited, again and again, to enter into this love story.

(To share your thoughts, post a comment below on the Mountain's blog or on the Mountain's Facebook Page.)

(Mt. Irenaeus Web Site)

Easter Reflection

Br. Kevin Kriso, OFM, and Bridget Walsh share their thoughts about Easter. Please share your reflections below.

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Easter Sunday Readings


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By Br. Kevin Kriso, OFM

A few weeks ago the SBU campus had a three hour “lockdown” drill. A simulated gunman took a class “hostage” in Plassmann Hall. The whole campus had to stay behind locked doors in darkened rooms listening to updates over speaker phones. No traffic was allowed in or out of campus. Emergency service personnel, including a SWAT team walked through their protocol, resolved the situation over a three hour period and afterward deemed the drill “a success.”

Most of us felt very uneasy and creeped out by the “realness” of the drill. While it is important to know what to do in such situations, there was a sick feeling that even here a gunman could take over the campus and a sadness that this is the world in which we live. In a macabre coincidence, just a week and a half later a gunman killed 13 and himself at an immigration service center in Binghamton, NY and other shootings happened in several other locations. That sick feeling and sadness returned again.

Like many people, I had to think to myself, “Why this sudden spate of violence?” The newspapers report that many Americans are “on the edge” in this poor economy. Countries around the world are taking America to task for its poor leadership of the world economy. Many, many people are finding that the identity they cultivated as a home owner and in a good field of employment has vanished. How many more will find themselves in this same situation before until we hit the economic bottom? Are we in for another Great Depression? If so, will people be able to adjust to a new status or will there be ever increasing despair, anger, and violence?

In the Gospel reading for Easter Sunday (Luke 24:13-35), two of Jesus’ very confused disciples are walking along to Emmaus trying to figure out what is going on in the world. They have seen the bottom drop out. As they walked along, they meet up with the risen Jesus but fail to recognize him. Jesus asks them what sort of things they are talking about. They reply “The things that happened to Jesus the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, how our chief priests and rulers handed him over to a sentence of death and crucified him. But we were hoping that he would be the one to redeem Israel…”

The whole point of the story is that they have misplaced their hopes. They had hoped that through mighty deeds Jesus would “redeem” Israel (a word we use to take things out of hock, or pay a fine to have set free). Perhaps they wanted Israel to become the premier nation in the world and replace Rome as the Imperial power. The true answer is that power and wealth are not the road to salvation. Unfortunately, in our country this is where many have placed our hope and have found an identity. However, when the expectations and feelings of entitlement for power and wealth wane, people are left frightened, angry and in despair. Violence easily erupts.

The question the two Emmaus-bound disciples had to answer is the same question we have to answer. Where do we find our power and identity? In a God who puts us in power and control or in a God allows himself to suffer, be abused and killed. Naturally we would like the first God. However, that is not God’s plan. God’s plan is that by putting our hands in God’s and facing things such as abuse, suffering and death and not running from them, we overcome these situations. New life comes when the bottom falls out and this new life may not be what we hoped for, but is what we need.

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By Bridget Walsh

My mother always put her family first and opened her caring heart to everyone she met. She went to mass regularly, volunteered when she could at the local Catholic School and was a Eucharistic Minister. Twelve years ago, she was diagnosed with cancer and it metastasized three years later. Multiple treatments were required for most of the time she had cancer. She had some good days and some really bad ones. There were days that she spent bent over in pain. All she would ask for was her cross to wear around her neck (the cross she received in Lourdes, France) and sit quietly until the pain subsided. On good days, I would ask how she was doing. Her reply would be, “today is a good day.” She always let the good moments carry her through the painful ones. My mother had such a faith in God and it remained with her even through her final days. I see how faith gave her strength and peace in her life; allowing her to really live each day she was given.

As Easter approaches, I think of my mother and how she endured the pain of cancer for so many years. Putting her faith in God, she chose not to be bitter about her life circumstances. She has helped me to understand why Jesus died on the cross not only to save us but to be our example. No matter what happens in life, God will help us to carry our pain. He will give us the strength to not only endure life, but to live with peace and hope. I feel grateful to be left with such an extraordinary example in my life. I have tried to live by her example and have found times of peace with the pain of loss. May this Easter mark a time of hope and closer relationship with God.


(Post a comment below to share your thoughts.)

(Mt. Irenaeus Web Site)

Beginning of Advent Reflection

Chris Novak and Br. Kevin Kriso, OFM, offer their thoughts for the beginning of Advent. Please share your thoughts and reflections.

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Reading 1
Is 63:16b-17, 19b; 64:2-7

You, LORD, are our father,
our redeemer you are named forever.
Why do you let us wander, O LORD, from your ways,
and harden our hearts so that we fear you not?
Return for the sake of your servants,
the tribes of your heritage.
Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down,
with the mountains quaking before you,
while you wrought awesome deeds we could not hope for,
such as they had not heard of from of old.
No ear has ever heard, no eye ever seen, any God but you
doing such deeds for those who wait for him.
Would that you might meet us doing right,
that we were mindful of you in our ways!
Behold, you are angry, and we are sinful;
all of us have become like unclean people,
all our good deeds are like polluted rags;
we have all withered like leaves,
and our guilt carries us away like the wind.
There is none who calls upon your name,
who rouses himself to cling to you;
for you have hidden your face from us
and have delivered us up to our guilt.
Yet, O LORD, you are our father;
we are the clay and you the potter:
we are all the work of your hands


Gospel
Mk 13:33-37

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Be watchful! Be alert!
You do not know when the time will come.
It is like a man traveling abroad.
He leaves home and places his servants in charge,
each with his own work,
and orders the gatekeeper to be on the watch.
Watch, therefore;
you do not know when the Lord of the house is coming,
whether in the evening, or at midnight,
or at cockcrow, or in the morning.
May he not come suddenly and find you sleeping.
What I say to you, I say to all: ‘Watch!’”

By Chris Novak
As the Advent season begins, several ideas and themes come to mind. The readings for the first Sunday of Advent tell us this is a season of waiting and preparing for the birth of Christ. However, simply doing those things isn’t enough. Christ calls us to actively wait and prepare. One of the biggest teachings He gave us was to love one another as we love ourselves. Although we should remember that all year, it seems to be more prevalent during this time of year. Actively waiting and prepares asks us to follow Christ’s example and live our lives for others. I have learned this from watching what my mother does every year at this time.

My mother participates in a community toy drive through a charity organization. Parents of families in low income areas in our community write Christmas letters to the organization, listing items they want to give to their children, but simply cannot afford them. Other people in the community choose one of lists and purchase the items for the children. The parent who wrote the list will receive the items just before Christmas Day and will have gifts to give their children.

We often talk about this time of year being full of commercialism and materialism, and doing something like this can easily fall into those trends. However, looking at the motivation behind the actions can reveal the true meaning of it. I’ve been fortunate enough to always have presents under the tree on Christmas morning. But from what I learned from my parents, the act of giving a gift is more than just getting me something I asked for. It’s about the joy of giving someone a loving and accepting feeling. My mother knows this feeling. When she participates in this program every year, she knows what it’s like as a mother to give her children that feeling and wants other mothers and fathers to experience that feeling too.

Based on her example, I also participated in this program. As an officer in a high school club a few years ago, I suggested we choose a list. Each member of the club was responsible for buying one item on the list and we donated all of them as a group. It made me realize the importance of giving others something I had: the support of a family who could provide for me.

During Advent, we are asked to prepare for Christ’s birth. It’s a good chance for us to examine what we have and what we can give to others. As we prepare, we need to recognize the reason behind our preparing. For me, it’s to more closely follow Christ’s example. His birth marked the beginning of the life we as Christians want to live. Christ lived his life giving to others. Maybe that’s why we give gifts to those we love today. And although material items are fun to give, let’s think about the feelings we want others to have from receiving the gifts we give them.


By Br. Kevin Kriso, OFM
The readings for this First Sunday of Advent also speak to me about active waiting and preparation for the coming of Christ. Isaiah writes, “Would that you might meet us doing right.” And in the Gospel Jesus says “May he not come suddenly and find you asleep.” In other words they are warning us, “Be ready!”

This reminds me of a bumper sticker that was popular years ago. It said, “Jesus is coming soon. Look busy!” For those of us who sometimes slack off in our spiritual lives and practices, it was a funny way for us to get back on track and “get with it!” It is nice to think we will be caught in the act of “doing good” when the day of the Lord arrives. However, with my luck I will be caught reading some silly book and eating potato chips and bacon horseradish dip. But wouldn’t being in a state of “red alert” at all times be exhausting? I mean, we do need to sleep every once in a while.

What is the answer? I think a good metaphor would be that of a good host or hostess. All of us have seen people who seem to effortlessly provide wonderful hospitality. They are always prepared for whatever might happen. This person does not seem to get stressed out that things may or may not turn out right. He or she does not get self-conscious. They focus not on themselves but on meeting the needs of others and genuinely enjoy seeing other people having a good time. They don’t get tired out by their efforts. And if anyone compliments them on their actions, they honestly don’t see that they are doing anything special. For them being hospitable is not the exception in how they live their lives, but the norm.

As Chris described his mom and her quiet witness, I can’t help but think she is one of those people who “gets it.” Going shopping for a poor family is not exhausting for her but fun. She probably can picture in her mind’s eye small children really getting the feeling that they “count” and are loved. Others around her can’t help but catch the spirit. They want to be part of it too. Who knows, maybe on the day of the Lord’s coming Chris’ mom will actually get caught in a department store filling a shopping cart with clothing and toys. And Jesus will smile.

Advent is in its own way a hospitality course. It has many lessons for us. Be ready. Do right. Be prepared. Have fun enjoying others enjoying themselves. Be glad that God used you as a tool to make good things happen for others. Advent also reminds me of a quote from the George Michael song “Praying for Time” in which he chastises those for whom “charity is a coat you wear twice a year.” When charity is a way of life, it is not tiring. It is uplifting. That is why the happiest and holiest people are not those who think less of themselves, but those who think of themselves less.

(Post a comment below to share your thoughts.)

(Mt. Irenaeus Web Site)

Feast of St. Francis

Fr. Dan Riley, OFM, and Mike Fenn offer their thoughts about the Feast of St. Francis. Please share your thoughts and reflections.

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Matthew 11: 25-30

At that time Jesus said in reply, "I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike.

Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.

"Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for your selves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light”

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By Dan Riley, OFM

Reflecting with Mike Fenn I think of how so many of us might consider ourselves clever and well educated. Francis did not see himself that way, but he certainly understood himself as a “child of God.”

Occasionally we might hear someone speak of hoping for or espousing “a new world order,” “a new consciousness.” We roll our eyes, don’t we sometimes not in wonderment, but I would suggest in judgment. Ironically … tragically, the judgment is actually on ourselves.

Jesus, the Christ, is the new consciousness and he has ushered in a whole new world order … truly a wonderment to behold. It is only as a child, “child like,” that we are able to see that we wonder more than worry and behold rather than shut down or close out this most amazing “new.” With all that is going on and the pain within our families and our country, this promise is at our door, invites us to open up the eyes of our hearts.

As Jesus says, “All things have been handed over to me by my Father.” He also instructs us to say, “OUR FATHER!” All of us are children and we have a new life for us to live as we choose not to roll our eyes, but open our eyes to this new order, this new reign, this Kingdom of Jesus Christ.

Even as we might be gripped by a sense of powerlessness or with tragedy in the midst of ourselves, a new hope wants to blossom, a hope only a child could see, a hope we are invited to see as children of the same God. A whole new order wants to break out on the place and the feeling of powerlessness. It is the power of God’s reign which only comes to children, to the child like. I dare say that it is the “plenty” that we only sense when we feel empty. It is the hopelessness that carves at our hearts at times that opens us space for the light to break in.

The reflection of Mike recalls for us now, as brothers and sisters, the risk of believing that there is One who calls us from our labor and our burdens to find rest, the arms of a loving God and in a family of faith. Especially when we feel we carry the burden of the world, Christ asks us “to take my yoke upon you and learn from me.” The One who is “meek and humble” is also the One who empowers us in the conversion of our hearts and the change in our world.

Let us risk, then, seeing as children on this Feast of our little brother Francis and work for it as grown-ups, brother and sisters, who share this re-newed consciousness. Let us step up and step out risking, as a child, to believe that Jesus means each of us when he says, “Come to me … my yoke is easy … my burden light.”

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By Mike Fenn

As I reflected over this reading and what is going on in the world today, I thought about the uncertainty our country faces, and the anxiety that coincides with this. Seemingly the past two national elections couldn’t have been more divisive, yet once again we face polarizing alternatives, with partisans on either side perceiving doom and gloom if their choice doesn’t get elected. In the personal finance sector, there’s been a jolt to the fundamental structure of our economy that my generation has never experienced before. In times like these, I find it impossible not to think about the worst case scenarios, and how I will support my family if those circumstances arise.

It is easy to withdraw and want to insulate ourselves from the risk of the world, taking care of only those we care for the most, while we try to make sense of all this from “the wise and the learned” on Fox News, or CNBC.

Opportunities such as these shared reflections help me break away from this cocooning instinct, and to ask how Francis would behave in such times. We know the world Francis lived in was a time of turmoil as well. The middle class was slowly forming, with the world predominantly made up from the wealthy and the poor.

Yet while Francis chose to turn away from a life of riches, he did not focus on two classes of haves and have-nots, or party affiliations of Democrats and Republicans. Francis followed the words of Christ that taught we all called to be brothers and sisters with one another and nothing more.

If our political and business leaders behaved in this manner, I wonder how much worse off we would be?

In these times of volatility and confusion I find great joy from a God Who implores me that revelation comes from behaving like a child, and great solace from my troubles when Jesus reminds me that “All who labor or are burdened, I will give you rest.”

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(Mt. Irenaeus Web Site)

Feast of St. Irenaeus

Paul Kline and Fr. Dan Riley, OFM, offer us the gift of their reflections for the Feast of St. Irenaeus.

 

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By Paul Kline



I felt just a little anxiety when I was asked to offer a reflection marking the memorial of St. Irenaeus. Truthfully, I know very little about the life and good works of Irenaeus. I thought I might carry out some quick research in order to sound smarter and, perhaps, fool everyone! In the end, however, I decided to put my anxiety aside and wait and listen for where the invitation might lead me.





As a boy, I remember that I loved reading books written for children about the lives of the saints. They seemed very much like the people in my family and in my neighborhood. To me, they were men and women who could be funny, angry, and even silly. They were sometimes smart, sometimes foolish, and often seemed dedicated to shooting themselves in the foot! Many did not seem to be looking for sainthood. They argued with God even as they longed for wisdom and grace.





The stories of their lives were told in such a way that I felt that sainthood was not so far out of reach. It seemed to me that a common feature of their stories was the experience of a moment in their lives – a turning point - when their eyes and hearts were opened and they experienced an overpowering awareness of the miracle they were truly meant to be.





Over the years I have sometimes lost contact with the power and beauty of this lesson from childhood. We are all called to sainthood and to discovering and re-discovering our true self. Grace waits for us in the great and small moments of our lives; each moment offering a window into the miracle of whom we are in the eyes of a loving and merciful God.





Thomas Merton writes:

“The eyes of the saint make all beauty holy and the hands of the saint consecrate everything they touch to the glory of God…the saint is never offended by anything and judges no man’s sin … (the saint)…knows the mercy of God… (and)… brings that mercy to all….”

And so, on the feast of St. Irenaeus, I pray that I might always see, touch, and hold family and friends with the tenderness and love that respects and reveals their holiness. I pray that I may know God’s mercy ever more deeply and be generous in sharing the grace of forgiveness with others. 

 



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By Dan Riley, OFM

The tender, homey truthfulness of Paul's reflection invites me to say more about this early Christian saint, Irenaeus, Bishop and martyr. Irenaeus’ faith grew about a generation after the evangelist St. John and his Gospel of light and peace. The unity, beauty and community unfolding from God through Christ to all creation is amazingly illuminated by Irenaeus in his writings. The harmony he longed for and believed in, we long for and work for today.



Irenaeus defended the Christian faith. As well he is often quoted as saying, “The glory of God is a human person fully alive.” He opened reflections on God's goodness and love, seeing each of us “in Christ” in whom all creation and everyone began and comes to their final beauty and fullness of life.



We chose St. Irenaeus as a patron for our Franciscan Mountain Retreat because of the holy, gentle friar, Fr. Irenaeus, a long time friend of Thomas Merton's and the beloved St. Bonaventure University librarian.



Though many of us have come to say and think of "Old and New Testaments" and sacred scripture, Irenaeus saw and taught a flow of history formed by God as an unfolding covenant over and over again with human kind and all creation. From the prophets to the "Good News" to carrying "News" out to the world there is an out flowing and unfolding God ever creating and holding us ... holding us to love one another.



Let me only add now a little more - from St. Irenaeus - as a close to our sharing here and opening to your own reflection.



In our House of Peace at Mt. Irenaeus, on the wall of our entrance over jackets and sweaters, sneakers and flip flops, we have these lovely words of St. Irenaeus framed. As you reflect on them, my prayer is that all of us may be touched, as Paul Kline prays, “we are all called to sainthood and to discovery and rediscovery of our true self." We are called to be like "soft clay" in the loving hands of our God who holds and shapes us all.

"It is not you that shapes God, it is God that shapes you. If then you

are the work of God, await the hand of the artist who does all things in

due season. Offer God your heart, soft and tractable and keep the form

in which the artist has fashioned you. Let your clay be moist, lest you

grow hard and lose the imprint of God's own fingers!"



- St. Irenaeus of Lyon

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(Mt. Irenaeus Web Site)

Advent Reflection

In the midst of Advent as we prepare for the time of Christ’s arrival, Br. Joe Kotula, OFM, and Holly Schubert offer us the gift of their reflections on reading from this 2nd Sunday of Advent.

If you haven’t met Holly, she is a Bonaventure grad who spent two years living in community with the Mountain Friars. She continues her service as a youth minister in western Pennsylvania. As always please feel free to share your thoughts after reading Br. Joe and Holly’s reflection.

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Reading 1

Is 11:1-10

On that day, a shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse,
and from his roots a bud shall blossom.
The spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him:
a spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
a spirit of counsel and of strength,
a spirit of knowledge and of fear of the LORD,
and his delight shall be the fear of the LORD.
Not by appearance shall he judge,
nor by hearsay shall he decide,
but he shall judge the poor with justice,
and decide aright for the land’s afflicted.
He shall strike the ruthless with the rod of his mouth,
and with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked.
Justice shall be the band around his waist,
and faithfulness a belt upon his hips.
Then the wolf shall be a guest of the lamb,
and the leopard shall lie down with the kid;
the calf and the young lion shall browse together,
with a little child to guide them.
The cow and the bear shall be neighbors,
together their young shall rest;
the lion shall eat hay like the ox.
The baby shall play by the cobra’s den,
and the child lay his hand on the adder’s lair.
There shall be no harm or ruin on all my holy mountain;
for the earth shall be filled with knowledge of the LORD,
as water covers the sea.
On that day, the root of Jesse,
set up as a signal for the nations,
the Gentiles shall seek out,
for his dwelling shall be glorious.

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Reading 2

Rom 15:4-9

Brothers and sisters:
Whatever was written previously was written for our instruction,
that by endurance and by the encouragement of the Scriptures
we might have hope.
May the God of endurance and encouragement
grant you to think in harmony with one another,
in keeping with Christ Jesus,
that with one accord you may with one voice
glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Welcome one another, then, as Christ welcomed you,
for the glory of God.
For I say that Christ became a minister of the circumcised
to show God’s truthfulness,
to confirm the promises to the patriarchs,
but so that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy.
As it is written:
Therefore, I will praise you among the Gentiles
and sing praises to your name.

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Gospel

Mt 3:1-12

John the Baptist appeared, preaching in the desert of Judea
and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!”
It was of him that the prophet Isaiah had spoken when he said:
A voice of one crying out in the desert,
Prepare the way of the Lord,
make straight his paths.
John wore clothing made of camel’s hair
and had a leather belt around his waist.
His food was locusts and wild honey.
At that time Jerusalem, all Judea,
and the whole region around the Jordan
were going out to him
and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River
as they acknowledged their sins.

When he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees
coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers!
Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?
Produce good fruit as evidence of your repentance.
And do not presume to say to yourselves,
‘We have Abraham as our father.’
For I tell you,
God can raise up children to Abraham from these stones.
Even now the ax lies at the root of the trees.
Therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit
will be cut down and thrown into the fire.
I am baptizing you with water, for repentance,
but the one who is coming after me is mightier than I.
I am not worthy to carry his sandals.
He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
His winnowing fan is in his hand.
He will clear his threshing floor
and gather his wheat into his barn,
but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”

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By Joseph Kotula, OFM

Advent is a time of waiting and preparing for the coming of Christ. However, Christ has already come a long time ago. So what are we waiting for? It seems to me that we need to be reflecting on how the Christ event of 2000 years ago affects our daily life today.

The Isaiah reading speaks to us about a great hope, the calf and the lion shall browse together, with a little child to guide them; the baby shall play by the cobra's den, and the child lay his hand on the adder's lair. There shall be no harm or ruin on my holy mountain, for the earth shall be filled with knowledge of the Lord. Are our hearts open enough to believe, in this violent and painful world, that this is God's promise?

The second reading calls us to persevere in our belief. St. Paul also commands us to “Welcome one another, then, as Christ welcomed you, for the glory of God.” We can love because God first loved us. Who do we welcome in our daily lives?

Finally, John the Baptist calls us to repent and turn back to God. It seems to me he is calling us to reflect on our lives and see if we are producing good fruit. What is good fruit? The scriptures would tells us to be forgiving, caring, sharing, thankful, grateful, loving people and when we relate to all of creation in that manner we will produce good fruit.

The Mountain model of remember, reflect and respond can help us to see where we have turned away from God and how we can turn back to God. So as God loved us we might love others and experience the profound reality of Christmas.

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By Holly Schubert

What a powerful image of hope is in the first reading from Isaiah – the stump of Jesse becoming a shoot of new life.

A stump is a tree that is no more. It is something that is dead, gone. But out of what seems to be this absence of life, new life comes. Nature has a great way of expressing something important about who God is, just by acting out its own normal processes of life. What seemed dead and lifeless was the lineage of King David, and the new life and hope that came out of that ancestry was Jesus Christ, the ultimate expression of life overcoming death.

I see hope and repentance as deeply connected here in these passages. Repentance and hope are both a desire or longing for something better than the way things are right now. You might say repentance is hope. I realized I often think of repentance as feeling bad about something, but seeing this connection has helped me to see it differently.

I find myself wondering why so many people flocked to see John the Baptist in the wilderness. I wonder what the appeal was, what drew so many people to him. In a different passage of scripture we hear that some of them may have come because of the spectacle – they wanted to see a good show. But surely a good many of them must have been drawn by that opportunity for repentance – for that longing for things to be different inside of them, in their lives, for that hope that things could be other than the way they were.

The passage of the ax at the tree and the fire burning up the chaff is often seen as a hardcore judgmental passage – that those who don’t measure up are viciously done away with. But I see this passage differently. I see the ax chopping away dead parts of our selves that are no longer productive, I see the chaff as parts of ourselves we want to get rid of and the burning as a welcome, cleansing change. When I long for that change and welcome it, it is repentance, and it’s hopeful.

Advent is a season of hope. It is a longing and a preparation for the light that is coming into the world. We prepare for the coming of that light by realizing that we need it, that we long for it. We want something different – we repent, turn away from, the way things are, looking for something new. We hope for it. And we hope in confidence because we know of God’s goodness, because we know where the story is going, because we know of the child that is coming and the light that He brings.

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(Mt. Irenaeus Web Site)