The diaspora, "a group of people who live outside the area in which they had lived for a long time or in which their ancestors lived." For many reasons, Catholics have experienced separation from the place where they grew up, where their ancestors lived. They live in the diaspora. The ministry of Catholics in the Diaspora is focused on reaching out to these members of the family of faith, a community that is one with the great cloud of believers. Please journey with us.
Alleluia! He Is Risen! Have a wonderful day celebrating the day of our rebirth, the amazing day of our salvation. Welcome the newly baptised in the life, death, resurrection and glory of Jesus. Special blessings on my dear friend, Christopher. Take a moment to read this compelling sermon by Pope Francis. Are we Peter? Alleluia! Peace! Owen
I have been unable to move from the images of Pope Francis in the midst of the refugees celebrating the liturgy of Holy Thursday. The simplicity of the ritual, the clarity of message, the lack of theological and doctrinal discourse did not distract from the clarion call to be present to those at the margins. As the reserved hosts were removed from the assembly with nary a swing of the thurible without pomp and procession, the reality of the transformational, sacramental grace of the eucharistic commnity was in clear focus. They story was told in the eyes of those present. I am not sure they understood a lick of Italian. It is not important. The expression of the eyes of the men and woman clearly expressed their depth of pain and experience of welcoming love. I remember these "eyes" from my experience in the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Working with what we lovingly called "those old time heroin addicts" and the many variants of the fringe people we saw daily, taught me many things about these eyes. Rich or poor, housed or homeless, I saw these same eyes as we reached out to attempt to meet them in their many places of brokenness. I can never forget them. Now I see these "eyes" on the faces of those in places not regularly identified as "the fringe." Brokenness, alienation, fear, terror and grief have taken hold in our world and drive all of us into a life that looks ever inward for solutions and comfort. In these most holy days, Jesus teaches us the our happiness and healing is found in service to each other. A healthy interior life is essential. Jesus did spend 40 days in the desert. He now teaches us that this is not enough. The seeming modern obsession with a nearly narcissistic self completion blinds us. When we can have the courage to step outside the protective mote of "pomp and circumstance"in our lives and serve, we will live. Imperfectly, I join Father Francis is emptying the mote and being open to the grace that comes from the margins of my life and others, with the life of the "yes" to Jesus.
Hosanna to the Son of David: blessed be the King that comethin the name of the Lord; Hosanna! Thou that sittest in the highest heavens; Hosanna in excelsis Deo!
Palm Sunday and Holy Week.There is so much written about these sacred days. It is awkward to bring
my thoughts forward for sharing.I will
and must as I stay true to my struggles as a Catholic in the Diaspora.These are the days when we all should feel most
welcome in the community of faith. I do not. They
are the days that define our faith and bring our baptismal mandate into focus.
It is painful to be apart.These are days filled with prayers and rituals I know so well. I have
lived them, led them and prayed them my entire life.
As I read the lectionary selections for today, I was again stunned
by how powerful and beautiful the passion account of Luke really is.Uninterrupted by pseudo theatrics, the story
is my story and the story of my baptismal entry into the “life, death and
resurrection” of Jesus.I am relieved to
not have the story interrupted by endless fracturing of the text between
various “players”.This may have been
the best, right solution for a musical setting of the story which, as it was, a
precursor of the oratorio and opera; a miracle / mystery play of sorts. Why has it persisted into modern times?
My single greatest objection to this format is simple. The
congregation is relegated to the position of shouting “Crucify him.”Wait a minute. I did not crucify, Jesus.I am crucified WITH Jesus.
The crucifixion is a result of the “happy fault… necessary
fault of Adam…..to ransom a slave God gave His Son.” Paul teaches us clearly
that by baptism we are one with Jesus in the crucifixion and by baptism gain
our place in heaven.Why do we hold
onto to this archaic representation in word and ritual that keeps the People of
God the wrong place, denying their baptismal right and holding the blame for
crucifying Jesus?
Of course, in our life, we sin.We turn away from God’s love. We do not love ourselves,
as we should in order to love our neighbor. We do not live and proclaim the kingdom. However, our sins do not condemn Jesus to die. Only God the Father could ask Jesus to die; a death that could only come of Jesus’ own free will. This is so in order to free us from the sin of Adam in
the Garden.
Wouldn't it be a somewhat more genuine approach to have
share the banquet and, then as a family, recount the story of our salvation as
a story, carefully told as you would share the most tender moments of your family
heritage with the children of the household?
In truth, we sing “Hosanna to the Son of David” throughout
this week. It does not end with the reading from the book of Isaiah. We walk with Jesus expressing our deepest gratitude for him being one among
us and willingly, in a most human moment, saying yes to God the Father for our
salvation. This is the reason Jesus came to live as one with us. In this he
knew our struggle to say, “Yes.”We die
too with him as do we rise and sit in the highest heaven. "Hosanna in the Highest."
Like as the hart desireth the waterbrooks: so longeth my soul after thee, O God.
My soul is athirst for God, yea, even for the living God: when shall I come to appear before the presence of God?
My tears have been my meat day and night: while they daily say unto me, Where is now thy God?
(repeat: Like as the hart desireth the waterbrooks: so longeth my soul after thee, O God. When shall I come to appear before the presence of God?)
(Psalm 42:1-3)
I come to this point in lent and the yearning for connection with the great Love of the Universe becomes overwhelming. I look around and see brokenness, the stealth and not so stealth political pandering to fear, frustration with the end of civil society (whatever that is/was), destruction in the name of hegemonic purity, and all out greed at every level. I mean, can we talk about the desert?
Much has been written about the prodigal son, the Holy Year of Mercy and the Pope Francis’ call to the sacrament of reconciliation. Why does it fall short? Why are we not reconciled and finding the promised peace?
I wonder if our focus on reconciliation with the ultimate source of Mercy is incomplete. We read of the father welcoming the errant, prodigal son. We are told in the Sacrament of Reconciliation that our sins are forgiven and we are again wiped free some sin. Somehow, the longing is not reduced.
The Sacrament of Reconciliation is a sacrament of action. It is not passive. The healing grace of this intense encounter with the Divine, charges us with action. It is not enough to say, “Well, that is over. I am wiped clean and can get on with my life,” or “I went to confession and now I am ready for communion.” I rather think that, now reconciled with G-d, we must go forth and live into reconciliation with the world and ourselves. Are we willing to be the father in the story of the prodigal son and heal the rifts in our lives?
Are we willing to heal and forgive the chasm that divides our heart, to forgive our personal failings and make peace with your darkest, most wounded self? As the reading from Origen is quoted in the Office of Readings, “Do not let the night and mist of ignorance steal upon you. “ Alas, we do. It is from this unspoken place that the Prince of Darkness takes hold and craftily hides our eyes from seeing, holds us back from living in the presence of G-d.
Reconciliation is an active process and the practice of this sacrament in the early church reminds us that we are reconciled with G-d in the community. In my view, this cannot be fulfilled until we embrace our internal longing of healing and wholeness. We “love G-d” and we “love our neighbor as our self.”
The baptism journey is a vision quest of longing to love ourselves enough that we can love our neighbor without projections of our darkness that bring to life our deepest fears. As Origen continued in today’s selection, “So that you may always enjoy the light of knowledge, keep always in the daylight of faith, hold fast always to the light of love and peace. I’ll let you know how I do with this overwhelming quest.
+++++++++
A side note for my friends and musical purists; finding a recording of this transcendent work by Herbert Howells was amazingly difficult. In most recordings the organ is barely audible. As a result, the rich harmonic texture that is evocative of the best of the US jazz/blues tradition is lost. Other conductors move too quickly to allow these colors to settle and become an impressionist painting. This is to my ear, the best of the lot. Unfortunately, the “fade” as an ending is not true to the original. You win some and you lose some.
he was carried away by angels to
the bosom of Abraham. Luke 16:22
Earlier this week a strange
convergence occurred.This line from
Luke appeared in the lectionary text on the same day I completed viewing the
Showtime series, “The Borgias”and saw the film “Spotlight.There is much to be said about the
juxtaposition of these two media events and the historical content they
portray. This is for another day. Today, I share my reflection on the the greater whole of the three and the important message they bring
to the Lenten season.
The “bosom of Abraham,” that most
cherished place at the table of eternal love.This is place of rest, peace, and endless delight in the courts of the
G-d of Hosts.It is our promised
inheritance as the baptized People of G-d.
I cannot see these words or think
of this spiritual without reliving cherished remembrances of my dad and me, an
awestruck 4 year old, sitting at the piano singing this, my favorite in the
“Fireside Book of Folk Songs.As only a
four year only can insist, we sang it again and again.Occasionally, Joshua fit the Battle of
Jericho provided contrast. Growing up is tough and the loss of innocence
painful.Those experiences of safety
fade as we become acquainted with the world around us. Sometimes this
transition is seamless. On occasion, it is very painful.
“The Borgias” and “Spotlight” each
expose the rawness of this unwelcomed assault.Old and
young alike are subject to the excruciating pain of innocence lost, what was
the hoped for place of safety became the locus of deception.How does this happen?
African innocents asked the same
question as their parents and tribal leaders sold them into slavery. The locus
of safety, the haven of care was shattered. How could this happen?
Yet, through it all, these African
slaves continue to teach us the lesson that can only be known to those who hold
the promise of the bosom of Abraham. It
is joy that carries the day. The ever-present
joy of knowing that by faith we are promised a special place at the table of
the eternal banquet. G-d holds those who
violently shatter innocence, betray trust, to account. By baptism we live into the joy of knowing
that the Kingdom of Heaven is ours and with Lazarus, we will thirst no more.
No room for sadness in this celebration. Rejoice in this season of renewal.
Rocka my soul in the bosom of Abraham
Oh, rock o’my Soul.
I may be weak, rocka my soul, but thou art strong, rock o'my soul.
I'm leaning on, leaning on, I'm leaning on his mighty arm.
Oh, rocka my
Rock o'my soul in the bosom of Abraham
Oh, rocka my Soul.
My soul is fed, rocka my soul, my soul is free, rocka my soul,
I'm going home, going home, I'm going home, to live with thee
You were beaming at lunch yesterday. It was an unexpected treat to spend time with you on the spur of the moment. I am always excited hear about your life and all that you do.
When you told me about your journey as a Catechumen, I was excited and oddly proud. I was immediately a little envious of my friends whose work it is to guide this process for so many. Yes, the Romans have worked for centuries to have answers and justification for its many positions in life and faith. They do provide an anchor and clarity that many other traditions do not. There is a real power in the ritual and comfort in the structure.
I am sorry for what came next. I was awash with my woundedness, despair, feelings of rejection, and rage. Hearing that you are being introduced to a the weak piety passed off as teaching wrenched my gut. It is not even accurate articulation of the Catechism. I will spare you a long discourse on sacrament.
Forgive me, my friend, for casting a pallor on your joy. This was no mere projection. It was all out explosion. I am genuinely thrilled that you are continuing your journey and are so excited. I wish that I could be with you in that holiest of nights and share your joy.
My lunch with you was a moment of grace. Lesson: It is not all about me. It is truly about the enduring love of the One who made us and continues to love us even as we are broken open, who blesses us with pilgrims on the road to Emmaus. Thanks for your generous spirit and being the vessel of my 2016 Transfiguration, hitting me over the head with the message, 'Listen to Him.'
Christopher, you were and are a Christ-bearer. Welcome to the community of faith.
I look forward to lent if for nothing else but for the
Office of Readings. I read the Exodus
story with the excitement and imagination of a young boy. It is an adventure
story packed with magical events and intriguing plots all woven around quite a
cast of villains and heroes. I have an entire 21st century mini-series
using the plot worked out in my mind. Someday.
This year as I read about the plagues, the hard hearts of
Pharaoh and the Israelites, the trepidation of Moses and the interventions of
G-d, I am focused on the emergence the zika virus.As amazingly set to music by Handel, we hear
again, “He spake the word and there came all manner of flies…..and the locusts
came without number….”
Did the pestilence have to come?Certainly not.Had the whole lot been open to G-d’s
insistent call, the story would have been so very different.Flip to another culture and another time and
reread Oedipus.Same message. Different
format. Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. Translated to our
time, in this context: Power, greed, narcissism embolden us to believe we can
control the expression of G-d.
One of my favorite classes to teach it the “Politics of
Green.”It is a hybrid course thatis based in political ecology. There are many Pharaohs building pyramids in
our time. How long will politics and
economic theory drive the agenda that is leading the world to destruction?What are today’s plagues?Zika is the latest of several I can easily
name:Coal slurry in the Elk River, West
Virginia; autism; HIV; cancer clusters; destruction of the Amazon rainforest, The
Bhopal Disaster.We manipulate food
sources without regard for the longitudinal impact of the genetic
modifications.When do we melt our hard
hearts and see that creation is a precious gift? This can only happen when we turn toward and see the face G-d.
Here the Catholic in the Diaspora can join easily with the
voice of Pope Francis. Laudato
Sicall us all to account.This document cries out with a clarion call
to change the heart of stone and awake to the destruction we have wrought on
our earth and upon each other.
On each day of creation, G-d saw that it was good. “The
earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.”Do we believe it is good enough?
