Advent Icons

     An ICON is an image of the sacred.  Those of our friends from the Churches of the East are very familiar with icons.  Rather than statues they celebrate these stylized images into the holy.

     There are two primary icons for the great season of Advent.  The first is the image of Mary presented to us as an Advent reminder that ALL are called to the Son of Mary, that ALL are equal in the eyes of God, that ALL are pregnant with hope and anticipation of salvation and new life, and that the message of the Christ is not reserved for a few but meant for ALL.  She is an invitation to life.

     In early December we celebrated the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the womb of her mother, Saint Anne.  She was chosen and prepared for her mission of giving flesh to the Son of God by being conceived without the burden and stain of Original Sin.  She was given the gift of holiness before her Son won that gift for us.  Our holiness rests in our YES to his invitation to accept the redemption that he won for us and the grace to walk in the way of holiness.  Her YES did not protect her from sin but allowed her to be strong in the resistance of temptation and to walk confidently along the path of holiness.

     On the 12th we looked to the patroness of all of the Americas in the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe.  This feast celebrating the appearance of Mary as a young native girl with child to Juan Diego, a convert to Christianity, was an important moment in God's plan.  The fact that she appeared to a peasant, a native of the place and not the ruling class or the upper crust was shocking.  The fact that her image was that of a native person rather than that of a Spanish maiden was even more shocking.  That fact that she is carrying her child in her womb was unexpected.  All of this happened in the 1500's in Mexico and led countless peoples to embrace Our Lady of Guadalupe and her Son, Jesus.

     And now within a week we will hear the story and see the image of a young mother giving birth to her first-born son in humble surroundings in Bethlehem of Judea.  That image of Mary with Joseph and the child, Jesus, is the featured image - primary icon - of Mary.

     The other primary icon of Advent is our friend, John, the son of Elizabeth and Zachariah, the one called the Baptist.  He too points the way and makes known the savior.  He too calls us to repentance and a change of heart so that we might live in Christ.  He too is an invitation to life.

     Advent is a time of realizing who we are in Christ, of realizing the need for repentance and conversion, and a time of hearing in our own lives and becoming for others "an invitation to life".  Thank God for these two tremendous icons of Advent.

The straight path

     This fourth day of December has the Church celebrating the memorial of Saint John Damascene, a priest and Doctor of the Church.  He was born in Damascus at the end of the seventh century.  He was born of a Christian family and was a learned philosopher and theologian.  He became a monk and then was ordained a priest and lived near Jerusalem.

     It is reported that he prayed:

"Lord, do not let my heart lean either to the right or to the left, but let your good Spirit guide me along the straight path."

     The most accurate GPS navigation of our lives is found in the Holy Spirit.  Knowing that fact and being open to the Spirit is the first step at arriving at our destiny.  Having driven in some areas of northern West Virginia (not on the interstates) I know that the route from point A to point B can be confusing and very round-a-bout.  No offense to our west Virginia neighbors.

      Our path to the Lord can also carry us in the most indirect of ways.  That it is why it is important to seek the help of the Spirit of the Lord so that our paths remain straight and the way smooth.  We hear that description in the Scriptures (in fact on this coming Sunday) where we are called to prepare for the coming of the Lord and for our journey to him by leveling  every mountain and filling in every valley … we must pave the rough road and straighten every curve … so that nothing, NOTHING, will impede our progress.

     John Damascene knew this and offered this simple prayer … which could be our own.  Prepare ye the way of the Lord.

Now is the acceptable time

     On this Monday of the First Week of Advent I would like to borrow the words of Saint Charles Borromeo that is found in a pastoral letter from the saint that is a part of the Office of Readings for today.  They give us a good introduction to this Advent season.

     "Beloved, now is the acceptable time spoken of by the Spirit, the day of salvation, peace and reconciliation: the great season of Advent.  This is the time eagerly awaited by the patriarchs and prophets, the time that holy Simeon rejoiced at last to see.  This is the season that the Church has always celebrated with special solemnity.  We too should always observe it with faith and love, offering praise and thanksgiving to the Father for the mercy and love he has shown us in this mystery.  In his infinite love for us, though we were sinners, he sent his only Son to free us from the tyranny of Satan, to summon us to heaven, to welcome us into its innermost recesses, to show us truth itself, to train us in right conduct, to plant within us the seed of virtue, to enrich us with the treasures of his grace, and to make us children of God and heirs of eternal life."

     In these beginning days of this season of anticipation, we join with the prayer of the Church in seeking the warmth of the Father's love and the light of his Word.  We ask for the strength to grow in love and rejoice in his presence.

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     Word has been received of the death of Monsignor Michael Dylag, a retired priest of the Diocese of Greensburg.  Msgr. Dylag died on Saturday at his home in Waterford, Michigan, at the age of 80.

      Msgr. Dylag, originally from Cleveland, was ordained for Greensburg on the 15th of May in 1960 at Blessed Sacrament Cathedral.  He served for eleven years in parishes in the diocese before taking up special assignments at the Orchard Lake Schools (College & Seminary) in Michigan, and at the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center in Washington.

     Msgr. Dylag met the future Pope John Paul II in 1969 and they developed a longtime friendship that saw him visit the Holy Father often in Rome for private dinners and conversation.  He also met many other dignitaries over the years, including former President George H. W. Bush, whose service of transfer to Washington for burial is on TV even as I post this.

     I did not know Mike well, having met him only a few times during my priesthood, but the stories about him and the stories that he told reveal him as an interesting, talented and unique individual.

     We trust that the Lord will grant him Eternal Rest and joy in the Kingdom that he preached.

Advent

       Today we begin a new liturgical year with the First Sunday of Advent.  The collect prayer for today's liturgy prays:

Grant you faithful, we pray, almighty God,

the resolve to run forth to meet your Christ

with righteous deeds at his coming, 

so that, gathered at his right hand,

they may be worthy to possess the heavenly Kingdom.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,

who lives and reigns with you

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, forever and ever.

The following is the Scriptural Reflection for our website at the diocese - dioceseofgreensburg.org - that I prepared for this weekend.  I thought that I would also share it here.

     This is the time of the year when girls and boys are writing their letters to Santa with their list of things that they want for Christmas.  They have been told by their parents that if they have been god throughout the year, Santa will visit them on Christmas eve and bring them their hearts desire.  They rely upon this treasured promise.

     I remember my Mom trying to get me to eat my vegetables at mealtime.  She would promise that if I cleaned my plate, including the vegetables, I would get dessert.  I must confess that Mom was not very successful because even today vegetables are not often found on my plate.  I also found that despite the conditions to her promise, the dessert usually found its way before me.

     We are children and men and women whose lives are filled with promises.  We know that those promises are not always made good in our lives and so we are skeptical of their truthfulness.  But we also know that when a promise made to us or by us is fulfilled that we are blessed.

     We begin a new Church Year this weekend.  The First Sunday of Advent renews our desire to draw closer to the Lord as we seek his deepening presence in our lives.  And that relationship with its blessings is the promise given us - not in the magical hope for Christmas gifts or the efforts to have you eat your vegetables or the desire to achieve success - but in the more important, life-giving moment of attaining the truth and celebrating the life that is eternal.

     We are Children of the Promise.  We have been chosen by the Creator to share in his life.  We have been called by him to walk in his love.  We have been gifted by him to share ourselves with others in order to make strong his Kingdom.

     Jeremiah today reminds us that "The days are coming says the Lord when I will fulfill the promise that I made …".  That promise involves the coming of the "just shoot" from David's line, the One who will establish the reign of God, the anointed Messiah who will save his people from themselves and from their sins and restore them to the glory and dignity that is theirs by right - as Children of God, heirs of the Kingdom, Children of the Promise.

     We still await the fulfillment of the promise and we do so with renewed hope.  Like Saint Paul to the Thessalonians we exhort each other to seek from the Lord an increase in love for God and for one another … to be strong of heart … to be blameless in holiness before our God and Father … and to conduct ourselves to please God. 

     No amount of broken promises, no experiences of empty words, no amount of waiting should keep us from moving forward in the season of anticipation toward the heart of the promise - the coming of our Messiah and Lord, Jesus Christ, in this moment of grace and blessing.

     Journey well in these weeks of Advent toward Emmanuel.

Random Thoughts

     Here are some random thoughts that have been on my mind of late.

     Thanksgiving Day is now in the past.  I went home to my sister Janie's place, for a few days.  We went out to dinner on Wednesday evening with our cousin, Ted, and enjoyed a great dinner at Ruby Tuesdays followed by a Blizzard at Dairy Queen.  On Thanksgiving Day Janie and I attended Mass at Saint Therese Church at 9am.  It was the only Mass in the city of Uniontown and was a joint venture of the four parishes.  A good crowd, a great liturgy, and five priests: the two assigned to the parishes plus three of us retired guys.  Janie prepared an outstanding dinner later that day.  I returned on Friday afternoon to our priests' residence.

     The weekend involved preparing for my live radio program on our local Catholic station WAOB FM (106.7).  The station broadcasts a daily program at 8:00pm on the scriptures for the upcoming day.  The program is entitled: "Drawing life giving waters from Jacob's well" and involves the reading of four chapters of Scripture with three reflections on each reading followed by a minutes of silence between each.   It is a form of "lectio divina", and I try to do about four programs a month as my share in the mission of spreading the Good News.  Prep takes awhile … and I worked Friday eve and Saturday morn to be ready.
     I filled in at the Church of Saint Paul in Greensburg for the Sacrament of Reconciliation at 3:00pm followed by the Christ the King liturgy at 4:30pm.  The people there are very warm and welcoming, and my experience as presider was uplifting.
    After that was a quick bite to eat, and then the program at the studio in Latrobe.   A busy but fulfilling day for a retired pastor.

     The Church Year ended with the celebration of the Solemnity of Christ the King.  In my homily I spotlighted two brave individuals of the 1920's who witnessed to the Lordship and the Kingship of Jesus Christ with their lives during the Cristeros War in Mexico.  I remember hearing the inspiring story of Blessed Father Miguel Pro who faced a firing squad by bravely standing with arms outstretched in the form of a Cross and proclaiming loudly "Viva Cristo Rey!" - "Long Live Christ the King!"   He was denied a Christian burial but it was reported that 40,000 people lined the path to his place of burial, and another 20,000 were waiting at the cemetery.  The government was not happy with the attention and devotion of the faithful.
     The other individual was just canonized a Saint of the Church in 2016.  His name is Saint Jose Sanchez del Rio who was tortured and put to death at the age of 14, never giving in to denying his faith and his Lord.  He also died with words of forgiveness for his tormentors and with the words "Viva Cristo Rey!" on his lips.  His story was told in the recent movie "For Greater Glory" - about that moment in history.

     And now we are winding down this liturgical year with this thirty-fourth week in Ordinary Time, and await the First Sunday of Advent this coming Sunday.  How time flies.

A surprise act of kindness

     Yesterday as I was returning from my hour long live program of scriptural reflections (lectio divina) on our local Catholic radio station WAOB [We Are One Body] 106.7 FM, I stopped at the local Eat & Park restaurant for a sandwich, fries and dessert.  It was late (9pm) and I had my trusty Nook with me so that I could read my latest James Patterson novel while eating alone.  I enjoyed the meal and the quiet, and as I was preparing to leave, a gentleman from the next table (there were two couples at the table) stopped me and said: "Let me have your check."  I said thanks but that wasn't necessary, but he insisted.  So I thanked him profusely, told them all "God bless you!", and with a grateful heart headed for home.  He even met me at the door and offered to hold the door for me as I backed out with my walker.  I am certain that he did not know that I was a priest - which made this act of kindness even more random and appreciated.  I did note that these four joined hands to pray before eating their meal … I overheard comments about church and the sermon, so I presume that they were people of faith sharing God's blessings.  I was blessed … and I am grateful to them and to so many who have touched my life over the years with their generosity.  It was a great way to begin this Thanksgiving week.

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     Sadly our Diocesan family said a prayerful farewell to Father Micah Kozoil, one of our priests who just retired from active parish ministry this Summer.  Father Micah's funeral liturgy was celebrated this morning at Saint Aloysius Church in Dunbar, where he served as pastor until his retirement.   Father Micah served the Diocese and the Church for many years in a dedicated and committed ministry as shepherd.  He will be missed.

     Father Micah was ordained to the priesthood for the Benedictine Community at Saint Vincent Archabbey in Latrobe in 1976 and served as a professor of mathematics at the college.  His vocational journey led him to join the Diocesan Community of the Diocese of Greensburg, where he was incardinated in 1994, serving in numerous parishes over these years.  He was a gentle soul who shared his faith and cultural traditions with those that he met.

       May Father Micah Rest In Peace!

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     And on a final note for today … yesterday on facebook a friend of mine commented that he thinks that I have given up posting on "Journey Thoughts".  I may have slowed down a bit, but I have not given up.  So hang in there, dear friend, Mike Bates!

Responsible remembering

     At the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in the year of Our Lord 1918 an Armistice was signed which brought to an end the hostility of the 1st World War.  Today marks the 100th anniversary of that moment when the fighting stopped and the eyes of all were directed toward world peace.

     That date has been recognized by various nations in many ways - Armistice Day … Remembrance Day … and in our nation as Veterans Day.  It has become a day of remembering, of honoring and hopefully of recommitment to the goal of peace on earth.

     World War I was the first major world conflict.  It was described as the "great war", the "war to end all wars".  The devastation through combat, with advancing weapons, and with the use of biological weapons caused all to have second thoughts as to the future of warfare.  There had been wars and conflicts probably from the beginning of time - and the magnitude of this war seemed to be a pinnacle of man's inhumanity to man - but the lesson was not learned.   It was not long before a greater war encompassed the entire world with staggering statistics that made WWI pale in comparison.  And wars have continued to this day, despite the resolve of many and the cries for peace.  We are incapable of bringing about peace because we do not know or possess the source of peace - Jesus Christ.

 This year's Remembrance Day Observance at the Tower of London

had 10,000 lights surrounding the Tower

The Remembrance Day Observance in 2014 had thousands of red

poppies surrounding the Tower.  The poppy is the

symbol of the fields of Flanders where many died

     Today is a day of remembering the tragic reality of war within the hearts of humanity.  Today is also a day of remembering those who stepped forward to lay their lives on the line for a common good, to serve their nations and the greater quest for peace and justice for all, not only in that "great war" but in all such struggles.   Today is a day of honoring their service and their sacrifice.   Today is also a day to resolve to renew our effort to bring about a lasting peace that is rooted in love and respect, a love and respect that we, as people of Faith, have already experienced in our relationship with God.   Saint Pope Paul VI in the early 60's visited the UN and spoke passionate words:  "War never again!  Never again war!"  The world listened but did not hear. The world leaders thought about it for a moment but dismissed it as a "pipe dream".  That "pipe dream" can only become a reality when we turn our hearts toward the Lord and are immersed in his love.  So today is a day of prayer for peace in the hearts of men and women and in the responsibilities embrassed by the world community.

     Remember … Honor … Pray … Serve the cause of peace.