Recently I attended the second annual diocesan “Night of Hope” dinner in Phoenix. This celebration brought together people throughout the diocese to celebrate our Catholic schools. It was a grand affair with all the refinements of fine dinning. Everyone dressed up in their “Sunday best.”
Truthfully everyone dressed up better than their “Sunday best.”
This dinner reminded me of my first formal dinner. Growing up in a small town in Maine precluded me from fine dining; it just wasn’t the way for most people from Maine. People from the “Big City” (aka Boston) had fine dinning but not us “down-to-earth” people or so the story went.
At this first dinner there was the mandatory center piece which was very, very nice though we couldn’t see over, through, or around it; there were more knives, forks, and spoons than I had ever seen while the portions were so small I was left wondering when the main meal would be served.
I sat at the table feeling totally out of place and ill prepared for the evening. Fortunately, the rector of the seminary sat directly across from me and knew me well enough to see the panic of not knowing what do; he also had the discretion to silently show me which utensil to take up with each course of the meal.
Though I was ill prepared and not quite sure of what to do or when, that night was truly memorable because all the stops were pulled out to make the evening special; it made a lasting impression.
As great as that evening and meal was it pales in comparison to the ultimate feast we celebrate each weekend. The Church has always maintained and encouraged our exterior actions to match the reality of faith we celebrate at every liturgy-especially the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
On the altar this weekend you probably noticed a new altar cross and candles. Perhaps you were wondering why the change?
The Church specifies that the sacred celebration of the Eucharist be carried out on an altar, always with a corporal (cloth), a cross (with corpus), and candles on or near the altar due to the festive and sacred nature of the celebration (General Instructions of the Roman Missal #297,304,306,307,308).
Our sanctuary, the elevated area beneath the altar, is a small space that is well decorated to enhance our sense of this special place. The placement of the altar candles and altar cross now catches our attention and reminds us of the sacred purpose of the altar. The altar is more than just a table; it is the place where Jesus, both offers the sacrifice as the High Priest, and is himself offered as the sacrifice, for our salvation.
The view of the people and the priest is a bit more obstructed, but not obstructed without thought by the Church. The altar is that special place where Heaven and Earth truly meet. The presence of Jesus’s crucified body on the Cross is the visible sign of God’s love revealed to His people.
Just as the center piece of a table during a formal dinner can be seen as a nuisance or obstacle so too can someone see the altar cross as a nuisance or obstacle. For those of us with the eyes to see, and the grace to ponder the mystery of Christ crucified, the altar cross and candles can serve to draw us into a deeper appreciation for the gift and mystery of God’s love.
The Cross has been an obstacle for many people and a source of consolation to vast numbers of others throughout history. As we ponder the wonders of God’s love, it is my hope that each of us will come to a deeper appreciation and respect for the altar of sacrifice and develop a greater respect for the gift we celebrate each day during the mass.
What a great joy it will be when we can one day celebrate with all the angels and saints at the heavenly banquet of the Lamb, and may each of us be found well prepared and appropriately dressed for the Heavenly Host- our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
People are often surprised to discover that the priest who just finished celebrating Mass had a prior life; yet, most people have a natural curiosity about the priest and are too afraid to ask.
I was amazed when I arrived at the Mount Angel Seminary in 1995 at just how many men had successful professional careers before hearing God’s call. Medical Doctors, Lawyers, Bankers, Heavy Equipment Operators, Civil Engineers, Physicists, Musicians, Computer Software Designers, Butchers (think meat counter) and even former IRS Tax Agents were present when I arrived at the seminary. All of a sudden, being a former Air Force Target Intelligence Analyst (think war planner) was not so unusual; maybe God really could be calling me to the priesthood.
This wasn’t exactly a bunch of losers who couldn’t make a living in the real world. They were all professionals who chose to let go of their previous way and standard of living once they heard the voice of Christ saying, “Come follow me.”
Marriage? Actually, there were a fair number of us who were dating when we first heard Christ’s call; imagine being the girlfriend watching her boyfriend approach her and hear him say, “there’s something I have to do.” Silence.
Most of the men in the seminary had plans for marriage; they had a desire to be married and a strong desire for children, but they had a love for the Lord that far exceeded any other love, “Come follow me” rang in their ears.
Seminarians come from differing sized families, some very large, others very small; some families more Catholic then others. Christ's call to "follow me" leaves even the best of families with the strongest identity as catholics searching for answers as their son departs for the seminary.
It’s not unusual for a man to hear painful off-the-cuff comments made by others when his decision to pursue the priesthood becomes public. Each of us experience some form of extreme reaction from our family, friends, and neighbors; these range from exuberance to disbelief; I’ll never forget that in a span of thirty seconds I was slapped on the back out of joy by a friend and then immediately have a woman pass by saying, “What a waste!” And, these comments were made by people who went to mass daily.
Sometimes men get so caught up in the journey to the seminary and veer from the road less travelled because of their struggles. Doubts enter. Second guessing occurs. New and tempting offers are presented; it’s not unusual for a past love to re-emerge. “Come follow me” still rings in our ears; how committed are we? The Lord always asks, “Are you willing to pick up your cross and follow me?”
If the thought of entering the seminary doesn’t scare a man off then usually the call to sacrifice does. However, prayer, fasting, and almsgiving coupled with the Eucharist and Reconciliation provides the necessary grace to stay the course. The application process itself can be grueling; at the time I applied, we all needed to fill out an application but mine was over 22 pages long, single spaced, and type written; this from a guy who had never written a paper of more than five pages long in his life. There were multiple meetings with the vocation director, a journey to the psychologist to make sure I wasn’t nuts, full dental and medical exams, a security check, and then the interview board meeting! Once the board was through a recommendation was sent to the bishop who pondered the application. Eventually, I received the phone call (actually it was only two hours later when it usually took 3-4 weeks at that time) from the vocation director that I had been accepted. Then, it was time to meet the bishop. Meet the bishop? One on one? Talk about nervous.
Does every man who enters the seminary become a priest? No. For some, their journey to the seminary ultimately leads them to another sacrament-marriage, others are called to be single; yes, being single is also a good and noble vocation. In either case, the men who left the seminary don’t have to look back and think “what if” later because they gave God the first shot. Other times, like for myself, men enter the seminary only to leave after a few months or years because it just wasn’t time; their vocational calling needed some more time to mature and be nurtured elsewhere. And yes, some even return to the seminary at a later date.
In my case, I departed for the seminary full of zeal only leave the seminary after my first semester. My heart longed for marriage and the professors and students were all too human for me, and all too filled with sin. Yet, even after I left, I kept hearing the words, “Come follow me.” What I learned very quickly is that God doesn’t choose the ready-made man for priesthood; he chooses the unpolished one, and like a stone, He throws you into the polishing machine, called a seminary, to take off some of the jagged edges.
No matter how many reasons a man might have not to be a priest, it only takes one reason to be called to priesthood: Jesus saying, “Come follow me.”
Here’s a shout out to the world of the iPhone-- Catholic Style.
Did you know that Apple recently did the amazing?
Someone created an application and uploaded it to itunes that provided pornography; no doubt hoping to cash in on others addictions.
However, once Apple discovered what had happened, they immediately pulled the application and stated that iTunes would remain porn free. Kudos to Apple for keeping its application base porn free.
Looking over the smiling fidgeting faces of children and seeing their keen awareness that you have taken an interest in their well-being often fills a priest with a renewed vigor and hope that faith is alive and well. In a moment of unguarded frankness, priests will often say how much visiting a school brightens their day, and I, as a priest, completely agree with my brother priests.
Honesty, frankness, sincerity, and a genuine interest in the faith contributes greatly to building up the kingdom of God. Celebrating the sacraments of the Church with that same liveliness transcends, spills-over, and energizes the Church in a way that makes us proud to be Catholics and deepens our desire to come to Church.
Typically however, many of our celebrations, though not all, reflect a painful disinterest, lack of understanding, and unwillingness to invest the time and effort needed to realize the splendor of the celebration taking place. Sadly, many of the people coming on Sundays leave disappointed and unfulfilled; sometimes those who leave are actually angry at their presider for giving either a homily that was too long, or rambling, and uninformative; sometimes we get all three. The people look to the presider for a reason to believe, they look to the priest for a reason to hope, and they look to the priest to show a personal investment in the celebration of the Mass that reflects its importance.
I often ask myself these questions, “Does the manner in which I celebrate the mass, as a priest, reflect the great dignity of the Lord’s Day?” “Do I make the necessary investment reflecting the belief and faith of the Church? A day, so holy, that God has deemed it an obligation?”
Obligation.
Wow, if ever there was a word that defines our common attitude, it is the word obligation.
Too often, obligation, is spoken and received as a “dirty word” and an “inconvenience.”
Excuses abound for poor celebrations and a lack of attendance. None of them reflect the honesty, frankness, sincerity, and genuine interest seen in those fidgeting young souls who many believe do not understand what we celebrate. Jesus reminds us to become like little children if we seek the Father, but what does he mean?
Perhaps the Lord is suggesting to us that we have become “too busy.” This applies to the priests and to the laity (generally speaking, those who sit in the pews during our celebration of the mass) alike.
“I’m too busy,” is often used as a reason to not attend mass let alone to join in its active celebration. “Father, you just don’t understand; I have so much going on and if I don’t get this done things will fall apart.”
“Things will fall apart,” how true!
“Things will fall apart.”
Let’s face it, "too busy" leads us to being overwhelmed, which lead us to exhaustion and eventually to fall apart or collapse. Most of us in the western world are on the verge of collapsing physically, but what we fail to recognize is that those who have given up going to mass on Sunday have already collapsed spiritually and are on the verge of a death that is eternal.
“Did you just say ‘eternal death?’” Yes, I did.
“How dare you.”
“How dare I not.”
If I don’t then I fail to be compassionate. “Compassion” means to suffer with; to suffer with another person, and as Pope Benedict reminds, has its roots in the word “consolatio” - consolation.
No one wants to remain in a “funk” or spiritual “dead zone.” No Catholic wants to come to mass on Sunday and be bored- not even the priest.
Honesty, frankness, sincerity, and genuine interest are essential in providing a quality experience at Church on Sunday, but they are not the essential element! Belief and Faith are.
“Belief” is the willingness to choose to accept that which is offered as true. In the case of the sacraments, we could say “belief” is the willingness to accept that which is offered as true and holy by God. “Faith” is the willingness to accept that which has been revealed by God but is not completely comprehended by an individual.
The irony today, is that those of us who are on the verge of collapse because we are overburdened and lack energy are in fact, fertile ground for spiritual renewal. Often, hardships and stress force us to get back to the basics by evaluating what is most important in life. Taking care of the basics provides us structure and stability, and repeatedly committing ourselves to building on a basic foundation allows us to begin to grow as a human, and especially as a member of the body of Christ.
Any effective counsellor must help the person who is suffering to overcome a disordered attachment to “excuses” in order for a person to identify reasons for their suffering. But this is not enough, identifying the reasons for their suffering only gets a person part of the way to becoming whole again. True healing requires the counsellor to not only help the person see the causes of their suffering but true healing requires the afflicted person to appropriate, or embrace, a remedy for their pain.
This spiritual apathy that we sometimes experience on Sundays, or maybe continually experience depending on where you worship, is caused because our commitment to living the faith is under duress or has been damaged by sin, either ours or the sins committed by another. In short, this spiritual apathy has been caused because our relationship with God has been allowed to take a back seat to daily life.
Our daily lives are out of order because our spiritual lives are out of order.
Cleaning up the temple of the Holy Spirit will lead us to an orderly life, think confession, though not a life free of suffering. Going to Confession and giving the Lord His day are the keys to enjoying a vibrant faith.
St. John of the Cross tells us,
"One human thought alone is worth more than the entire world, hence God alone is worthy of it."
If this is so, and I believe it is, if our time is so valuable, then isn’t God alone worthy of it?”
How compassionate is God that He would oblige us to be consoled by participating in the Lord’s Day. Now that should bring smiles to us all.
May the Lord, when He comes, find an abundance of faith in us and in our celebration of the Lord's Day.
On the altar this weekend you probably noticed a new altar cross and candles. Perhaps you were wondering why the change?
I was amazed when I arrived at the Mount Angel Seminary in 1995 at just how many men had successful professional careers before hearing God’s call. Medical Doctors, Lawyers, Bankers, Heavy Equipment Operators, Civil Engineers, Physicists, Musicians, Computer Software Designers, Butchers (think meat counter) and even former IRS Tax Agents were present when I arrived at the seminary. All of a sudden, being a former Air Force Target Intelligence Analyst (think war planner) was not so unusual; maybe God really could be calling me to the priesthood. 
Looking over the smiling fidgeting faces of children and seeing their keen awareness that you have taken an interest in their well-being often fills a priest with a renewed vigor and hope that faith is alive and well. In a moment of unguarded frankness, priests will often say how much visiting a school brightens their day, and I, as a priest, completely agree with my brother priests.