As a Franciscan friar my habitus of prayer consists of community prayer and private prayer. And as a priest, the celebration of Mass. In some ways they form an anchor for the day and for life. And I do not always feel like showing up. But I do – because I promised. And showing up becomes the gateway to noticing “people and things” that would otherwise likely be unnoticed – and in the noticing then naturally fold into the reason, the moment, and the wonder of prayer.
Earlier today on David Lose’s blog, he commented on something he had heard about organized religion’s distinction between the ordained and the laity – it was rather like wizards and muggles. At this point I am assuming a familiarity with the Harry Potter series of books. David Lose took the thought in one direction, my thoughts wandered a different direction. Continue reading
I think anyone who is involved in pastoral ministry or ministries of service – inside or outside the home – knows that there days that are less rewarding than others – and days when you wondered why you got out of bed. There are those days when we tried to bring to bear some of the talents, gifts and abilities that we were given to be instruments of God’s compassion – and the days is unrewarding or even filled with some form of suffering, persecution or disappointment. If we are truly wise, then we will recognize that our role is to live as Christ lived. Nothing more, nothing less. Continue reading
Every group, community, organization, parish – and any gathering of human beings – has its stories that look to a “golden age.” When I served in the Navy, it’s was the tales of “iron men and wooden ships – aaaaargh!” As a Franciscan friar our provincial stories include the Paul Bunyan-like tales of Fr. Tex Dooley OFM in Bolivia who tamed a mountain and built a road. Here in the parish in Tampa it is the stories of the Jesuit missionaries who rode out from Tampa across central and south Florida establishing missions and churches from Tampa to Key West. In the Catholic Church we have the stories of the saints, martyrs, missionaries and holy people. It is good to tell the stories. But… Continue reading
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) posted this today on the role and responsibility of the “in-the-pew” Catholic to become morally engaged in the political milieu: “The duty of the politically-engaged Catholic isn’t just to take sides in the political debate, but to transform it.”
Catholics Vote: Political Engagement is Every Catholic’s Duty.
One of the “offices” (role, duty, responsibility) of a Catholic bishop is the teaching office. The Bishop of St. Petersburg (FL), Most Reverend Robert Lynch – the first episcopal blogger as it happens – has well exercised that office on his blog. I recommend it as a starting point on one’s own reflection on the upcoming election. You can find his blog “Promises, Promises” here.
“….what I have attempted to do above is to take the issues which the body of bishops in the United States have lifted up as constitutive for conscience formation today and apply them for myself. I only ask you to do the same in forming your conscience and decisions. I do not wish to tell you for whom to vote or how to vote, but rather, in an area of human reasoning and judgment, only explain how I see these issues when I consider how to cast my vote.”
A sense of humor goes a long way these days. It is good to see that Cardinal Dolan possesses a certain sense of improv
“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” “… forgive, and you will be forgiven; give” And more…. This is our story as Christians…and it turns out it’s true. We knew this, of course, but it is not the dominant story of our age. We are surrounded by an alternative story, the dominant story, that insists that the path to happiness comes from buying things, getting things, having things for ourselves. Perhaps this video can shed a bit of nuance on the question:
One of the axioms of life in my family is that we are convinced our mother understood the deep and true nature of Thanksgiving turkey stuffing. All other efforts to match my mother’s culinary masterpiece are vain attempts at best and heretically sacrilegious at worst. And it is not just questions about stuffing that vex us – think about the local, never-ending debates here in Tampa about what constitutes a Cuban sandwich – and that is before we even get to the question of which one is the best. We might be willing to compromise our positions on turkey stuffing and Cuban sandwiches – but what about religion? Religion and what constitutes right and true religion is as troubling a question – and that is before we consider what that religion demands of us. And woe to us if we lose our way on the question of Religion. Continue reading
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