Author Archives: Deacon Jonathan Jones

Laudato Si’ is Out; And it is Shaking Things Up!

Posted on by

Laudato Si 2On June 18th, the Vatican officially released Pope Francis’ encyclical on the environment:  “Laudato Si’.”  Truth be told, I have not actually read the document myself; I am basing my own observations on the analysis and commentary of others, whose opinions I trust.  Chief among them is John Allen, Jr. of Crux who has done some analysis on the encyclical.

The theological analysis of the document I have; comes from Father Dan Horan OFM, of Dating God, who gives a Franciscan perspective on the encyclical.  The other comes from Jay Michaelson, of Religion News Service.  He brings out some of the theological points in the document that he considers truly radical.

As a Franciscan, the theological points that grabbed my attention were found in Chapter 2: “Human life is grounded in three fundamental and closely intertwined relationships: with God, with our neighbors, and with the earth itself.”  And in Chapter 3: “Our ‘dominion’ over the universe should be understood more properly in the sense of responsible stewardship.”  To Western ears these statements may seem very strange, but they are not new.  If one was to get beyond the image of St. Francis of Assisi as a statue holding a birdbath, one can see a Francis who knew that because of his intimate relationship with God, he had to have an intimate relationship with all people, and all creation.  Joined intimately with Christ, through the Gospels, through the Eucharist, and prayer, he was fully open to, and accepted the reality that he shared a kinship with all people, with all creatures, with everything that exists.

Francis passed this realization on to his followers, through his words and his actions.  Sadly, some of his children did not realize the depth of his teaching, but in recent times, we are finally beginning to get the point.  In our Secular Franciscan Rule, we have Article 18: “Moreover they should respect all creatures, animate and inanimate, which bear the imprint of the Most High, and they should strive to move from the temptation of exploiting creation to the Franciscan concept of universal kinship.”

It is this idea of “universal kinship” that Pope Francis is calling on the world, on all of us, to realize, and to act on.  It is a call to change our way of life, that is abusing our earth, and live in ways that will enhance our planet.

I do plan to read this encyclical myself, and hopefully I will be able share my own insights with you soon.  Pace e Bene!

Countdown to the “Eco Encyclical”

Posted on by

Canticle of the SunIn anticipation of the release this morning (5:00 AM EST) of Pope Francis papal encyclical on the environment; the “Canticle of the Sun” by St. Francis of Assisi:

Most high, all powerful, all good Lord!

All praise is Yours, all glory, all honor, and all blessing.

To You, alone, Most High, do they belong.
No mortal lips are worthy to pronounce Your name.

Be praised, my Lord, through all Your creatures,
especially through my lord Brother Sun,
who brings the day; and You give light through him.
And he is beautiful and radiant in all his splendor!
Of You, Most High, he bears the likeness.

Be praised, my Lord, through Sister Moon and the stars;
in the heavens You have made them bright, precious and beautiful.

Be praised, my Lord, through Brothers Wind and Air,
and clouds and storms, and all the weather,
through which You give Your creatures sustenance.

Be praised, my Lord, through Sister Water;
she is very useful, and humble, and precious, and pure.

Be praised, my Lord, through Brother Fire,
through whom You brighten the night.
He is beautiful and cheerful, and powerful and strong.

Be praised, my Lord, through our sister Mother Earth,
who feeds us and rules us,
and produces various fruits with colored flowers and herbs.

Be praised, my Lord, through those who forgive for love of You;
through those who endure sickness and trial.

Happy those who endure in peace,
for by You, Most High, they will be crowned.

Be praised, my Lord, through our sister Bodily Death,
from whose embrace no living person can escape.
Woe to those who die in mortal sin!
Happy those she finds doing Your most holy will.
The second death can do no harm to them.

Praise and bless my Lord, and give thanks,
and serve Him with great humility.

Reflection on Last Weekend’s Retreat

Posted on by

As I have posted previously, members of the Diaconate classes ordained in 2012, 2013, and 2014, are required to come together for a jointEnders Island Chapel retreat.  This year’s retreat was held at Saint Edmund’s Retreat Center, on Enders Island, Mystic, CT.  Our retreat director was Father William Murphy, who is on the staff of St. Pope John XXIII National Seminary, MA.

Some random thoughts from the retreat:

The Church’s primary message, received from Jesus Christ, what we Deacons are to proclaim by our words and actions: God loves us, God cares for us.

No matter what matter troubles afflict us, no matter what anxieties there are in our lives, “we are being held in God’s arms, we are safe!”

In the Book of Exodus, we see the Hebrews threatened by Pharaoh’s army, God tells them to stand firm, and not to be afraid, and He will save them.  God is also telling us to stand firm in the face of pain and suffering we may be experiencing; He will be there to help us.  God wants us bring all thing to Him, our joys and our fears.  In the Gospels, Jesus promises that He will be there to help us with our burdens.

As Deacons, we are to be witnesses of the Love of God.  When we proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ, by the words we speak to others, by the care we give to others, we are witnessing to God’s love.  When we help to raise people up from their burdens, we are witnessing to the love and hope that comes to us through Jesus Christ.

I know that for some these words may sound hollow; I will admit that at times the road ahead right now looks dark threatening.  But I also know that God cares for me, and is trying to help me, right here, right now, if only I just open my heart and soul to his Presence.  I trust in the words of Jesus, when today, He promises to be with me, and will be with me till the end of the agEnders Chapel JFJe.

This is the truth all of us Christians, especially we ministers of His Word must witness to, at every moment of every day.

A task Father gave to us Deacons was to remember the words from our Ordination and live them: “receive the Gospel of Jesus Christ whose heralds you have become.  Believe what you read, teach what you believe, and practice what you teach.”

The retreat was definitely a time to practice deeper prayer, to be more present and open to my God.  The challenge now is carrying that experience forward into my daily life. Enders Island 3

End of Retreat -Packing Up

Posted on by

Enders Is ChapelIt is Sunday, and our Deacon weekend retreat at Enders Island is coming to an end.  The day’s were filled with conferences, times for silent reflection and prayer.  I will be honest, I have not felt like writing and sharing on this blog, for which I am apologize.  Even this post will be brief, because, first all the laptop is being particularly cranky now; and I have to pack it it soon, and it needs time to cool down.

Just let me say it has been a very refreshing retreat, a challenging retreat, a prayerful retreat, and a retreat full of good fellowship.  The day I spent gazing at the sea; the evenings looking up at a star filled night.  Once is reminded of the beauty, and awesomeness of God, who created all this, and yet still cares for each one us, who loves each one of us.

More later.

Howdy!!…….One More Time!

Posted on by

My modified profileHowdy, my name is Jonathan Francis Jones. I am a 62 year old man, who is happily married, a Roman Catholic, a Secular Franciscan, and an ordained Permanent Deacon.  Oh, and as of January, 2015, I have been unemployed.  This is my second go-round with Blogging 101; but to all of you newbies, allow me to reintroduce myself.

Ever since I was a kid in elementary school, I felt that God was calling me to some sort of service.  After high school, I entered the Catholic seminary for the Archdiocese of Boston, and spent eight years in studies.  I felt the need to take a leave of absence for a year to sort some things out.  I spent the year with an ecumenical organization called: “A Christian Ministry in the National Parks.”  It recruits theology students, and other college students, to go out into the country’s national parks, lead Sunday worship services, Bible studies and other activities.  I spent the summer in Yellowstone National Park, leading Sunday services at Old Faithful Inn; and washing dishes the rest of the time.  The Fall and Winter of that year, I was in Texas, at Big Bend National Park, right on the Rio Grande River.  My “earn my keep” job was being a night watchman; after which, on Sunday morning, I lead 2 worship services.  It was in the midst of all this natural beauty that I began to sense the Holy Spirit drawing me to testing a calling to be a Franciscan friar.  I spent at year and half in formation, when I came to discern that maybe I was meant to go down a different road.

So I found myself working in the Mutual Fund industry, servicing customers, but I was still felt being called to be a follower of St. Francis of Assisi.  Fortunately, the Franciscan movement has a lay branch, the Secular Franciscan Order.   I became a professed member in 1988, coincidently, the same year I married my beautiful, wonderful wife, Peg.  I remained active in the Church, as a member of my parish choir, and as a reader during the Sunday Mass.  I continued my life of prayer and service, still feeling called to go deeper.  I, along with my wife, entered the formation program for the Permanent Diaconate.  In September, 2012, I, along with my fellow classmates, were ordained as Deacons.  Peg, with the other wives, gave me the vestments I was to wear.  I have been assigned to several parishes in Beverly, Massachusetts, serving the people there I whatever way I can.

While, still in the Diaconal formation program, I felt called to blog; yes, called!  As I surfed the Web, I came across blogs that I really enjoyed, some that infuriated me, and others that confused me to no end.  One day, during 2009, in a downtown Boston bookstore, I found a book: “The Huffington Post Complete Guide to Blogging.”  I bought it, read it cover to cover.  I felt God calling me to share my faith experience with others, to try my hand at being an electronic evangelizer.  At the same time, I wanted to share my own observations of what is happening in my community, my Church, and my world.  So in 2009, I started my first blog, on Google’s Blogger, I would later move to WordPress.

I am hoping that through my random scribbles, I can inform, get people thinking, and in some small way, share the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Dear Holy Father!

Posted on by

Pope FrancisDear Holy Father:

What are we Catholics are hoping for in the pews?  St. Pope John XXIII declared his reason for calling the Second Vatican Council:  “I want to throw open the windows of the Church so that we can see out and the people can see in.”  Many of us believe that those windows were not opened enough; others hold that after the Council, those windows were shut!  In the stale air of a closed Church the clergy sexual abuse scandal became possible; and the various financial scandals involving the Vatican Bank came about more easily.  Some of the national Churches, the local dioceses; the Spirit was being stifled because of micromanaging from the Vatican Curia.

So when you were elected as our new Pope, it sent a shockwave through the Church.  From the get-go, you showed that you were going to be a very unusual Pontiff; you paid your own hotel bill, you chose not to live in the Apostolic Palace.  You have reached out to Cardinals from outside the Curia to set up a special council to advise you on reforming the bureaucracy.  You have established a commission to deal with the child abuse scandal.  You have begun to clean up the Church’s financial institutions.  You have encouraged the bishops to speak freely at the Synod of the Family, and sought input from the worldwide laity.

So what more are we looking for?  What I am looking is for more concrete action to back up your inspiring words.  I am looking for more bishops to be held accountable for their failure to act in defense of children.  I am looking for the laity to have more of a voice on who is appointed to shepherd us in our dioceses.  And I am looking for all Catholics to have more of a say in how our parishes and dioceses function.  I would like to the national conferences of bishops allowed to have more authority to speak on and to act on issues that concern the Church and country; and not have the Curia always second guessing them.  I would to see theologians have more freedom to” push the envelope,” when examining matters of faith, doctrine, and the world.  And open discussion, transparent disciplinary actions, should they go “off the rails.”

What I am looking for, Holy Father, what I am hoping for, is that the windows of the Church will once again be open wide, let the Spirit blow in, and set the Church on fire for Christ.  And if it scatters again the accumulated dust of ages; if it again shakes the structures of the Church; Holy Father, would that be such a bad thing?

Dear Leader

Can We Linger for Awhile?

Posted on by

TabernacleKissing your feet with all the love I am capable of, I beg you to show the greatest possible reverence and honor for the most holy Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ through whom all things, whether on earth or in the heavens, have been brought to peace and reconciled with Almighty God (cf. Col 1:20). (St. Francis of Assisi, Letter to a General Chapter. Omnibus of Sources)

Times that I have lingered. Before I continue on, a point of information for those who are not Catholic. The Church teaches, and Catholics believe that Jesus Christ is truly present, and remains present in the Bread and Wine, the moment the priest repeats Jesus’ words: “Take and eat; this is my body,” and “Drink from it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant,…” (Matt 26: 26-28) At the end of the distribution of Communion, any remaining consecrated Wine is consumed; any remaining consecrated Hosts are placed in a container, called a ciborium, and placed in a tabernacle.
As a Deacon, I assist at two Masses on Sunday morning. After the first Mass, I get everything set up for second Mass. One of my responsibilities is to check the ciborium, to see if I need to set out more unconsecrated hosts for Communion. I open the tabernacle; look into the ciborium, then close the tabernacle. It is at that moment that I may just stand there, because I am aware of a Presence, of Christ’s Presence. I cannot describe the experience, I just know, and that I do not want to leave the spot. Eventually, after a few minutes, the Lord lets me go, and I go on with my work.
I believe that God is always asking us to linger for just a moment, and be open to His Presence. Sometimes, we stop and open our minds and hearts; sometimes we let the anxieties, the cares, and the distractions of this world get in the way. We rush about, here and there, doing this or that. If Christ was to knock on the door of our heart, would we linger?
Linger

State of My Year!

Posted on by

“Answer when I call, my saving God.2015 calendar

In my troubles, you cleared a way;

Show me favor, hear my prayer.

Know that the Lord works wonders for the faithful;

the Lord hears when I call out.

Tremble and do not sin;

upon your beds ponder in silence.

Offer fitting sacrifice

And trust in the Lord.

Many say, ‘May we see better times!

Lord, show us the light of your face!’

But you have given my heart more joy

than they have when grain and wine abound.

In peace I shall both lie down and sleep

For you alone, Lord, make me secure.”

(Psalm 4: 2, 4-9)

WordPress.com has a blog that offers a “Daily Prompt,” to help bloggers come up with ideas for a post.  The one for May 19th, 2015, was “State of Your Year.”  I am responding to it today.

What is the “State of My Year?”  One could say it has been a mixed year so far, full of ups and downs.  In January, I was laid off from my job.  And I have found that the world of job searching, has changed a lot since I was last laid off from a position, over twenty years ago.  Before, it was printing up a stack of resumes, getting a pile of envelopes, rolls of stamps, and mailing those resumes to potential employers, with a well crafted cover letter.  Now, everything is online, job boards, recruiting agencies, even the company’s human resource department, it is all online.  You are either uploading your resume to an application website, or e-mailing it as an attachment.  There is rarely a telephone number, let alone the name of a person you can call to follow-up with.  I applied online dozens of times over the past four and a half months.  No takers yet; a least a few companies sent response e-mails.  Now my previous employer provided me with a very generous severance package, but that will soon be coming to an end.  Things may be getting a little tight soon.  Am I worried?  Yes, I am.  Am I in despair?  No, I am not!

The reason why is reflected in the above Pslam, I trust in the love of my God, and His care for me, and my loved ones.  It does not mean that I expect some miracle (though that would be very nice.)  But I know that in my experience of the Father’s presence in my life, I am not alone.  I know that whatever the burden I may be carrying, Jesus is helping me the load.  That no matter how dark or stormy it may get, the Holy Spirit is within me, bringing light, bringing hope, and bringing peace.  And I know that through others, God is helping through this difficult time.

One of the highlights of this year came at the Easter Vigil, where I assisted as one of the Deacons.  The church was almost pitch black, when the Pastor lit the fire, and lighted the Easter Candle.  As my fellow Deacon and I process down the main aisle, the flame was shared with the congregation, each person lighting their candle.  The church had hundreds points of light, which dispelled the darkness.  I was given the role of chanting a great Easter hymn, “The Exsultet!”  I had practiced singing this hymn, with varying degrees of success.  But now, in that pulpit, as looked out into the church, I began to chant: “Exult, let them exult, the host of heaven…Be glad, let earth be glad as glory floods her, ablaze with light from her eternal King,…knowing an end to gloom and darkness.”

The Easter story, the Easter season speaks of hope, speaks of the love of God, which dispels all anxiety, all fear, and all darkness.  Soon Christians will celebrate Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came in tongues of flame, into the hearts of the disciples in Jerusalem, and into our hearts today.

I do not know what the rest of this year will bring, but I know we will get through it okay.

State of Your Year

A Different Type of Cardinal

Posted on by

Cardinal Sean Weed WhackerThe Boston Pilot reported that on May 11th, 2015,Cardinal Sean O’Malley OFM CAP, Archbishop of Boston, joined staff members of the Archdiocesan Pastoral Center, at St. Mary of the Angels Parish in the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston.  They were participating in Parish Service Week, where Pastoral Center employees spend the day at an inner city parish, helping to spruce up the parish grounds.  It is an opportunity for the staff to have contact with the urban parishes; get a sense of what is happening on the local level, and see what their needs are.  Cardinal Sean, after some instruction, went to town with a weed whacker, clearing the over growth around the parish buildings and yards.  He even cleared the brush around a statue of St. Francis of Assisi

Pope Francis has stated that he expects bishops and pastors to have the smell of their sheep.  It seems that Cardinal Sean is trying to live up to that expectation.  It is one of the reasons I have a great deal of respect for my fellow Franciscan.