Unshakable faith

     Much of the nation is in the grips of a tremendously bitter cold spell, some with snow and ice, others with frigid Arctic cold and wind chill factors well below 0 degrees.  I don't want to speak too soon, but we in our area of South Western Pennsylvania have been spared the worst (so far).  But it is still "cold as hell!"  That is a strange phrase, since hell is often depicted as fire and purification, but actually hell would be also be cold - in the sense of devoid of love and companionship and support and human and divine warmth.  Anyway, so cold that we cancelled our Mass for the morning tomorrow because of wind chill factors predicted at being -20 to - 40 degrees.  We don't cancel often.

     Our weekday Masses in this week between the Feast of the Epiphany and the Baptism of the Lord have their own prayers.  This morning I prayed the wrong Collect Prayer (the one before the Solemnity rather than the one for after the Feast).  I realized the fact too late to change, but in fact I like the prayer before better.

     That prayer asks the Lord to grant his people "unshakable strength in faith" that we may be "freed from present trials and given a place in abiding gladness."  In a world that constantly seeks to belittle or undermine faith in God and the exercise of that faith, we truly need renewed strength and determination to remain on course.  And in a world filled with trials of every magnitude we need freedom and peace, comfort and "abiding gladness".  In that way we may stand as witnesses of Gospel Truth and heralds of moral standards, and may be a beacon of hope to a fallen world.

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Prayers requested:

     I have heard of the death of my former Seminary Rector, scripture professor and a priest of the Sacred Heart Province of the Third Order Regular Franciscans in Loretto, Pa - Father Roland Faley, T.O.R.  When I receive his obit, I will share the info.  May he rest in peace.

A papal trip

     Pope Francis today announced that he plans on making a papal trip to the Holy Land toward the end of May of this year.  There was speculation that such a trip was in the works.  He will be visiting Amman, Jordan, Bethlehem and Jerusalem, and while visiting these holy sites in pilgrimage, he will also seek to strengthen ecumenical ties with the Orthodox and other Christians, show unity with our Jewish and Palestinian sisters and brothers, and draw attention to the plight of Christians in that part of the world.

     The announcement and experience of a papal trip is rather commonplace these days.  John Paul II raised travel to new heights in his long papacy.  But aside from a few short trips in Italy, the first real papal trip was taken by Pope Paul VI fifty years ago yesterday and today when he made a quick, fifty-seven hour trip to the Holy Land visiting Amman, Jordan and Nazareth and the Lake of Tiberias before returning to Jerusalem and Bethlehem.  I remember the powerful pictures in Life Magazine of the Holy Father at the water's edge and the image of Athenagorus, the Patriarch of Constantinople and Pope Paul VI meeting and embracing after centuries of division between the two Churches and a "lifting" of the mutual excommunications that had existed.  This was a monumental moment in the life of the Church, and Pope Francis' visit in May will honor that moment with his own presence in that land called Holy by so many children of Abraham.

     I remember in gratitude the beginning of those papal trips that Pope Paul VI initiated, including visits to the UN in New York and Mass at Yankee Stadium among others.  It brings Peter to the world family, and this is good.

A significant day

     January 4th marks the date of the death of Mother Elizabeth Ann Seton in 1821 in Emmittsburg, Maryland.  Raised to the altar as a Saint of the Church in 1975, she serves as the patron of our parish family.  We celebrated that recognition at our liturgy this evening at 4:00 pm with our choir joining with our various musicians and a church full of faithful to celebrate another great feast, that of the Epiphany of Our Lord.  Saint Elizabeth Ann Bayley Seton, born in New York in 1774, was an educated woman of prominent family who was many things: wife, mother, widow, educator, convert to Catholicism, foundress of a Religious Congregation of women and the first native born saint from the United States.  We are honored to bear her name as a parish and to have a relationship through three Sisters who live within the parish with the Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill in Greensburg.

     This weekend the Church celebrates the Feast of the Epiphany, the coming of the magi, the wise men, the three kings.  They represent all of those who search for the truth, who look for the meaning of life, whose life is a quest for the divine.  They came from the East and recognized in the helpless child a king for the nations.  They were satisfied in seeing and in believing that a light had dawned.  It was truly an epiphany, a revelation.  But the greatest revelation that this feast represents is our awareness that God's love is inclusive and calls all people to share in the divine life.  The only restrictions and limitations come from us - from our sinfulness and hardness of heart.  On God's part - all are welcome.

     Today also marks the date of my installation as pastor of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish by Bishop Lawrence Brandt in 2008.  In these five years I have been truly blessed with the shepherding of these good people and the love and concern that they have for me.  The installation took place of the Feast of the Epiphany which fell on the feast of Mother Seton.  A year later on the Epiphany I caught the edge of the step in the sanctuary and took a very public and less than graceful tumble on the way back from the tabernacle.  The next year I lost my balance and fell in the garage between Masses.  Needless to say, I am being extra careful this weekend!

     So this date, its feasts and my history intertwine beautifully into a tapestry of memories.  As always, God is good. 

Holy Name memories

     Today is the feast of the Most Holy Name of Jesus.  It is a celebration of the Name above every other name, the Name shared with us by God, and the realization that there is no other name to be invoked but the Name of the Only-Begotten Son of God.  Some people love to casually "drop names".  We are invited to "not so casually" honor this Name.  In honoring his Name, we rejoice in the knowledge that with his Name written in our hearts, our names are written in heaven.

     A number of the parishes in which I served over the years have had active Holy Name Societies.  These groups trace their modern history to the 1300's and Blessed John of Vercelli.  It is usually a men's organization that meets to support the parish, pledge loyalty to the Church, receive Holy Communion and pledge to honor the Name of Jesus and to live a life of witness.

     In one of those parishes there was a good family man who was a Holy Name member.  Monthly he joined his brothers in attending Mass and reciting the Holy Name Pledge publicly.  He also owned a newspaper stand in town.  Nothing wrong with that, except that, giving in to the wants of his customers and the demands of business, there were magazine's and similar items of a questionable moral character under the counter in his establishment.  Everyone knew this.  I remember a certain "in your face" lady from the parish who confronted this gentleman on a number of occasions about this seeming contradiction - a pledge and witness on Sunday and something very different during the week.  Needless to say she did not make headway with him.  And needless to say he was not a happy camper to be so challenged.

     Without judgement being made, how important is it to meet the real challenge of being a witness?  We witness to Jesus, who bears the Name that saves, and we seek the protection of its power in our lives.

Good and kind friends.

     Yesterday's post about praying for your priests brought a comment (I don't get many of them) from someone with the moniker "tinkerbell" who asked - "Do any of our priests need more than just our prayers?  I always wonder if those without family have been adopted by parishioners, especially during the holidays?"

     I would like to affirm from my experiences that there are many good and generous people out there - parishioners and friends - who do care for their priests in a multitude of way in addition to prayer. 

     First, though, I must tell you of a longtime prayer partner of mine who "adopted" me years ago and prays for me daily and shares her wishes and Christian love through greetings at the holidays.  She is a Carmelite Tertiary (Third Order member) from North Huntingdon who, at the invitation of her group, selected me as her prayer companion.  I will withhold her name (she would be embarrassed to be identified) but not my deep and abiding gratitude for her faithfulness in prayer and her love for priests.

     Secondly I also acknowledge the countless people who are friends and who remember me in their thoughts and prayers.  This is not just a generic thing, but a personal spiritual friendship that sustains my priesthood.

     Third, there are so many kindnesses shown to priests in a variety of concrete ways, from invitations to people's homes to gifts to  picking up the tab for dinner (it happened on New Year's day at Bob Evans by a young man that knew I was a priest).  We are blessed beyond our deserving.

     And fourth, in my experiences, I have often found generous people who are there in my need.  In Belle Vernon there was a family whose home I could stop by without an invitation to visit (and to  get a great lunch as well as a relaxing visit).  There was a family in Scottdale when I was there as an assistant, when things were tough at the rectory, who made me feel at home at almost anytime.  I spent many hours watching TV with them and simply "chilling out".  I think (I hope) most priests can recount similar experiences.  And I have spoken of Dolfi's restaurant in Masontown whose the owner, Greg, and staff took good care of me as we developed great friendships ... many a long hour, much great food, rich conversations and verbal jousting, and awesome memories.

     So to answer "tinkerbell", people do respond to our needs, they care about their priests, because the Church is full of good and kind friends.

Pray for your priests

     As we enter into this new year, a request and a reminder comes from these pages to "pray for priests".  It is a selfish request on my part as the need for prayer continues to make itself known each day, but it is also a needed request for the strength and vitality of the Church.  For while the Church is made up of all of the baptized faithful, the health and vitality of her shepherds is extremely important for the good of all.

     We are blessed with a Holy Father in Pope Francis that is refreshing and inspiring to many as he draws our attention to the poor and lowly who share the journey together with us.  Pray for him and the important work that he does.

     Pray for our local bishop, Lawrence E. Brandt.  Bishop Brandt has been with us for about eight years now, and is approaching his 75th birthday this Spring, which means his letter of retirement will be submitted to Rome.  Pray for our chief shepherd in this local Church, and for the wisdom and guidance of the Holy Spirit in the selection of his successor.

     Pray for priests everywhere, especially your local parish priests, who face challenges that are very different than the ones present when I was ordained forty years ago.

 



     And pray for the priests who serve in the parishes and ministries of the Diocese of Greensburg.  It is said in some corners that we are an unhappy and despondent group.  I have included the group picture from our recent Convocation in October, and as you can see from the smiles (which we were not forced to show), we are far from unhappy and discontented.  We have our concerns and worries, but the blessings of God abound and the service to the Church is one of those great blessings.  Yet, we are an aging population, and are in need of your prayerful support.

    And thank you for your loyalty to the Family of God and to her shepherds throughout the years.  We pray for you always.

The Quest

     Since Pope Paul VI designated January 1st as a Day of Prayer for Peace, the Church has been focusing on and praying for peace at the beginning of each new year.  The effort arises from the dark and destructive effects of sin in the human condition that leads to hatred and violence, war and injustice, a lack of respect for human life and most especially a rejection of the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ.  There has even been harm done in the name of the Prince of Peace.  And on this day when we honor the woman who gave him to us, the woman who has been entrusted to us as our mother, as we honor Mary, we once again accept the quest to seek peace.  We are her children because we are the children of God.  As Matthew reminds us in the Beatitudes, the children of God are known as peacemakers.

     What came to mind today, though, is the story of Don Quixote, the Man of La Mancha, who accepts a noble quest to establish noble qualities in man that were lost.  He sets out on his quest, mocked and ignored, seeking that "impossible dream".  He is willing to "march into hell for a heavenly cause".  There are times when we feel a little like the man of La Mancha in our quest for a change of heart within individuals and societies.  There are times when our efforts and our prayers for peace may seem like an "impossible dream".  But unlike this fictional character, who followed his imagination as he tilted at windmills, we follow a Lord and Savior who IS peace, who BRINGS peace through his sacrifice, and who invites us TO BE peacemakers - not in make-believe or as searchers of the impossible - but as agents of change and a source of transforming strength and power.  We must witness to Christ Jesus ... we must stand for those who are warred upon ... we must protect the innocent.  We must renew our prayers for peace and our efforts to broker peace, for the very future of this world.  And if we suffer or are ridiculed for this, then remember the last words of the song "The Impossible Dream" ---

"And the world will be better for this

that one man, scorned and covered with scars

still strove with his last once of courage

to reach the unreachable star."