Category Archives: Uncategorized

Second Cup – Weekend Coffee Share

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deacon coffee mugIf we were having a second cup of coffee, I would tell about this Sunday being an important day in the life of the Catholic Church.  It is Pentecost Sunday, fifty days after Easter, when the Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles, Mother Mary, and the other disciples: “Tongues as of fire appeared, which parted and came to rest on each of them.  All were filled with the Holy Spirit.  They began to express themselves in foreign tongues and make bold proclamation as the Spirit prompted them.” (Acts 2:3-4)  We celebrate the day when the Apostles went out and boldly announced to the world the Good News of Jesus Christ.

If we were having a second cup of coffee, I would tell that I am wearing my red Deacon stole; red symbolizing the fire of the Holy Spirit.  It is a fire that is desperately needed in the Church, to awaken slumbering hearts and souls.  It is desperately needed in my own heart and soul.  We need to open ourselves to experience the love, the awesomeness of God.  And we need to rekindle the fire within ourselves; to be able to go out and give witness, by word and deed, to the love of God.

If we were having a second cup of coffee,  I would tell you the story of a Desert Father, whose was approached by one of his followers.  This person had been faithful to living the Gospel, following his rule of life, and engaging in constant prayer to God.  He asked his spiritual father: “What more did he need to do?”  The Desert Father raised his hands to the sky, and his fingers turned to fire, “If you will, you can become all flame” he said.  May all our hearts become aflame with the power of the Holy Spirit; may that fire spread throughout our communities, our nations, our world.

Well, the cup is empty, and the caffeine is wearing off.  See you next weekend over a warm cuppa.

deacon red stole

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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On Retreat – Weekend Coffee Share

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Campion Retreat Center 2

Campion Retreat Center

If we were having a cup of coffee, I would tell you that last weekend I was at a retreat for Permanent Deacons of the Archdiocese of Boston.  It was held at the Campion Retreat Center in Weston, MA.  The Center is managed by the Society of Jesus, better known at the Jesuits.  It is also where their retirement home is located.  Our retreat master was a Xaverian Brother by the name of Paul Feeney.  When many of us were in formation, he taught the Old Testament class.  For this retreat, he looked at the lives and spiritualities of Dorothy Day and Thomas Merton; two American Catholics, whose names were mentioned by Pope Francis during his address to the joint session of Congress.  Dorothy Day, a Catholic social activist, was a co-founder of the Catholic Worker Movement.  She practiced every day, the Corporal Works of Mercy, feeding the hungry,

79px-Dorothy_Day_1916

Dorothy Day

comforting those in distress, clothing the naked.  But there was more to it than that, she and her followers strove to change society, to make it a place where it “was easy for people to be good.”  Thomas Merton was a Trappist monk, who wrote a spiritual biography in the 1940’s, that continues inspire people.  He was a prolific writer, and a mystic; combining the two, he produced writings that helped guide many into a deeper spiritual life.  He also wrote on matters of peace and justice, that gave support and spiritual sustenance to many Catholic activists, the late Father Daniel Berrigan, SJ, being one of them.

If we were having a cup of coffee, I would tell you that I had planned on writing about this

Thomas Merton

Thomas Merton

sooner.  I packed the old laptop and brought it with me.  Only to find out that Center does not have WiFi available for retreatants.  Just as well, the weekend was suppose to a time of quiet and reflection, a time of sacred reading and prayer.  And I tried to take advantage of the opportunity handed me.  And it was a spiritually refreshing weekend.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you that while I was waiting at the main entrance to be picked up, a horse came galloping by, followed by a dismounted horsewoman, and some bicyclists.  There was a horse show going on down the road; I guess this big fellah had other ideas.  Fortunately, they caught him before he could be struck by a car, or run over a retired Jesuit, out for his morning constitutional.

If we were having a cup of coffee, I would tell that no matter how great a spiritual experience of a retreat may have been, life is waiting for you when you leave.  I have a book entitled “After the Ecstasy, the Laundry.”  For me, it should read, “After the Ecstasy, Monday morning, the commute, the cubicle!”  The challenge of any retreat experience, is to strive to make what you learn, what you experience, a part of your daily life.  That is something I am still struggling with.

Well, the coffee mug is empty, maybe tomorrow I will bring another steaming mug over.  We will see.

A Poll: Time to Hear From You!

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Opinon PollSo I have published 53 posts since I started this blog on WordPress in November, 2014.  I have taken some courses through WordPress’ Blogging University.  I have tried to change my writing style, and the format of this blog.  It is now time to face the music and start asking for some serious feedback.  So, dear reader, please favor me with taking the following poll; there are multiple questions.  Thank you for your time!

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

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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!