A homily in a hundred words (Mark 2:1-12)

Posted on January 16, 2015 by Friar Musings

Sunday the heavens are torn open

Today the roof is torn open

Such are signs of the grace of God pouring into the world

Good friends make an invitation of sorts

Leading you and taking you where you would not necessarily go

Such are signs of the grace of God pouring into your life

The ingenuity of mankind

The presence of Christ

Sins forgiven

Healing at the deepest level

The physical, spiritual, emotional,

Such are the avenues of the grace of God pouring into life

Heavenly portends

Friends coming your way

The presence of Christ

A life forever changed

Musings about Belonging

Posted on January 10, 2015 by Friar Musings

Over the past year I have been meeting with a group of parishioners about the parish. It has been a wide-ranging discussion about the future, our vision, and such things. One of the topics that came up repeatedly was about “belonging.” Our discussion made us ask, “Have we created a home in this parish where people feel welcomed – but more than that – where they belong?” Continue reading →

Night Flowers

Posted on January 3, 2015 by Friar Musings

The nights are painted with the strokes of a platinum moon, the pale warmth of lanterns in the seller’s stalls, and the crimson embers of the charcoal fires

In the faint light are the late night vendors trying to sell the last of their wares; others waiting for the winding down of the day and the return of their husbands or wives or children; still others are lingering for just a moment more in the fading day. Continue reading →

Resolutions for the New Year?

Posted on January 2, 2015 by Friar Musings

I thought it a good idea to say something about resolutions – it is the New Year and it is a bit of a tradition. Short of ideas? Here are some suggestions from Pope Francis.

“Take care of your spiritual life, your relationship with God, because this is the backbone of everything we do and everything we are.”
“Take care of your family life, giving your children and loved ones not just money, but most of all your time, attention and love.”
“Take care of your relationships with others, transforming your faith into life and your words into good works, especially on behalf of the needy.”
“Be careful how you speak, purify your tongue of offensive words, vulgarity and worldly decadence.”
“Heal wounds of the heart with the oil of forgiveness, forgiving those who have hurt us and medicating the wounds we have caused others.”
“Look after your work, doing it with enthusiasm, humility, competence, passion and with a spirit that knows how to thank the Lord.”
“Be careful of envy, lust, hatred and negative feelings that devour our interior peace and transform us into destroyed and destructive people.”
“Watch out for anger that can lead to vengeance; for laziness that leads to existential euthanasia; for pointing the finger at others, which leads to pride; and for complaining continually, which leads to desperation.”
“Take care of brothers and sisters who are weaker … the elderly, the sick, the hungry, the homeless and strangers, because we will be judged on this.”

Continue reading →

Bridges

Posted on January 1, 2015 by Friar Musings

Today is a fusion of things we celebrate. Certainly first and foremost is the Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God. This is also the World Day of Prayer for Peace. …And if that weren’t enough, it is the day we celebrate the start of a New Year – a time when we are ready to resolve so that all things are new, all things can be renewed. Continue reading →

Surprising Words

Posted on December 26, 2014 by Friar Musings

One of my daily emails comes from the good people at Merriam-Webster and their “Word of the Day.” The definitions are good, but it is the etymology of the words that I find fascinating. Who knew “desultory” was connected to the circus.

“The Latin adjective desultorius, the parent of desultory, was used by the ancients to refer to a circus performer (called a desultor) whose trick was to leap from horse to horse without stopping. It makes sense, therefore, that someone or something desultory “jumps” from one thing to another. (Desultor and desultorius, by the way, are derived from the Latin verb salire, which means “to leap.”) A desultory conversation leaps from one topic to another and doesn’t have a distinct point or direction. A desultory student skips from one subject to another without applying serious effort to any one. A desultory comment is a digressive one that jumps away from the topic at hand. And a desultory performance is one resulting from an implied lack of steady, focused effort.” [Merriam Webster]

Just a little something interesting on a Friday afternoon after Christmas.

The Light Shines in the Darkness

Posted on December 26, 2014 by Friar Musings

When I was in Kenya, everyone looked forward to getting their hands on Time Magazine’s Year in Review and Life Magazine’s The Year in Pictures. Given the mail in Kenya we would receive these two magazines, along with the Christmas cards – all about 4-5 weeks after Christmas. I have to admit we would dive into the magazines to see what had happened in the world that somehow never quite made it to the slums where we lived. I always went to the back of the magazines to see what famous person had passed away and to see what other key news there was to glean – oh man!, the Doobie Brother’s broke up! Continue reading →

The Power of Waiting

Posted on December 20, 2014 by Friar Musings

Advent is a season of waiting. Sometimes the goal of our waiting is not exactly clear in our minds; yet we wait. I wait for an idea or at least the seed of an idea for this weekly column. There are times I am just waiting for just a quiet spot within the day, hoping that an idea will surface. It has been a busy day. Plus the production schedule for the bulletin is pushed forward so that our publishing company employees will have time off at Christmas. I am writing this article more than 11 days before you are reading it. Mass, hospital, wedding rehearsal, bulletin – run, Father, run! Continue reading →

Waiting for us

Posted on December 13, 2014 by Friar Musings

There are lots of different ways to wait. Scripture has over 162 verses that describe all sorts and manners of waiting. I suspect you are familiar with a good portion of the different kinds of waiting – after all, we all wait. In the military, the common experience was to “hurry up and wait.” We all wait. It is a common experience, and yet there are differences in waiting. There is a difference between expectant, on the edge-of-your-seat waiting; the patient “it will happen in its own good time and there is nothing I can do about it” waiting; and the waiting of dread, tedium, and despair. I think our “are we ever gonna’ get there waiting” because a flight to Europe can take 8+ hours, would fall on deaf ears for our ancestors who traveled months on boats to reach these distant shores. But things change, the world has sped up. Our culture demands fast food, fast cars, and fast answers. We are accustomed to having a world of information at our fingertips with laptops and smart phones. We expect pills that will immediately take the pain away…yesterday. We are accustomed to getting it now and do not like to wait. Continue reading →

A Joyful Hope

Posted on December 6, 2014 by Friar Musings

Three weeks ago, the first reading for the Sunday mass was Proverbs 31: 10-31, sometimes known as the “Ode to a Worthy Wife,” it describes a woman who is more valuable than pearls; lucky the one who entrusts their heart to her. The same weekend the gospel was the “Parable of the Talents.” I suspect the gospel was the focus of most homilists, as it was the focus of my homily. But the passage from Proverbs did not go unnoticed by me. The reading reminded me of my mom. Continue reading →

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