Peace be with you

Life these past few months has been very different than what I am used to. If someone had asked me at the beginning of the year how I expected 2020 to play out, of all the scenarios that I could imagine, never would I have mentioned anything about quarantine. The phrase "social distancing" would not have come up in that conversation.

When I speak to people about what's going on I get the sense that there is no small amount of fear rolled into these past few months - and not without good reason. There is something to be feared; especially if you are in one of the high risk groups or are close to someone that is.

So here we are locked away from others for fear of something that we have no control over and the harm it can inflict. (Read this weeks Gospel here) Oddly, this is one of those kinds of situations that our Lord makes Himself known to us. He comes in when the doors are locked, because barriers are no obstacle for Jesus. He says to us "Peace be with you" in spite of the conditions that instill fear in us - He gives us the gift of the Holy Spirit, and He sends us out into the world.

Even when we are prevented from being with one another, He is among us, and we are in relationship.

Soon, we will begin to emerge from this isolation. Slowly, we will attempt to regain some sense of normalcy. Surely, when that happens, things will be different - and it may take some time before we won't have to stand in lines keeping sure to remain six feet apart from each other just to buy a roll of toilet paper. But perhaps we ourselves will be different too; perhaps we ought to be a little different.

May the Lord come to you in this time of isolation and bless you; may you feel His peace descend upon you and yours, and may we - each of us - go forth from this place of isolation and be what we are called to be: The Church, filled with the Holy Spirit.

                                            + Theophilus

The Ascension – Looking Beyond

5.24.20.Gospel

At times, it seems impossible to look ahead & beyond some situations.  Today we are deep into uncharted territories of quarantine and uncertainty.  Doubt & uncertainty occupy much of our days and can easily creep into our minds.  Let us examine the disciples in this reading.  After  all they have seen along their amazing journey, some of the eleven still “doubted.”  (MT 28: 17-18) It always amazes me how some still had doubts while traveling with Jesus.  Certainly, that would never be me, right Lord?  Never me, Lord!  But what about Peter’s denial?  Am I above even Peter in believing that I would respond any differently than those standing with an ascending Christ?

Prior to this scene, the disciples followed our Master. When He spoke, they hung on His every word.  They shared food, laughter and watched Him perform miracles.  For the most part, they appeared loyal to Him.  Yes, there were times when they spoke behind His back (LK 10: 46-48), questioned His resurrection promise (JN: 25-26) and made assumptions that were incorrect (MT 47-50);  yet here they were watching Him ascend to heaven to rejoin God!  What I always struggle with is Jesus’ unwavering belief in these doubting-disciples who were soon-to-be apostles.  He constantly looked beyond their faults, doubts & weaknesses. Unaware, this group had left behind the role of being students and were soon to become holy messengers, great teachers of the faith & eventual saints.

How extremely easy it is to judge others. For me, I must admit that it seems too much to “look beyond” a disappointment or hurt someone has done to me.  Betrayal hurts: disappointment upsets me & promises broken cannot be tolerated.  Right?  But wait a minute.  Is that what Jesus is trying to teach me?  Perhaps Jesus is challenging us to go the extra mile, to look beyond what we know for now?  What about you?  Do you struggle sometimes with believing in the risen Christ? I regret putting this to paper, but I have my moments when I too, question the existence and presence of God (despite the signs given to me throughout my life).    

But deep within myself, the truth is that “I do believe.”  It is an intimate, silent calling; a desire to find God and bring others to Him also.  That is my goal now.  My every thought and prayer are invested into this.  But sadly, I too stand sometimes stand with these disciples who watched their friend ascend to heaven before their very eyes and question what I have come to known as the truth.  God help my disbelief & teach me to look beyond myself.  Rescue this misfit from his own devices. Pray for a recovery and be safe my friends.  The Pilgrim.

A Commandment of Love

 A family friend was taking care of his dying sister, who was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer. She was a single woman, never married with no children. All she had was her brothers and sisters. They all promised to help her in her sickness. Everyone said,”If you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask, I’ll be there for you.” Family members promised to take time off from work, rearrange their schedules to help with with hospice. It was going to be hard work, dedication and sacrifice. As time went by, family members gave excuses in not helping. Only one brother placed his life on hold to help his dying sister. Tension began to rise as people continued with empty promises. Finally, after shear exhaustion and frustration building, the fights begin again. Words were exchanged, the dying sister begins to yell out: “ Don’t tell me you love me, show me that you love me.

  Today in the Gospel of John(14:15-21), Jesus talks about the Holy Spirit, whom he calls the Spirit of Truth. This gospel talks about how Jesus continues to deliver his “Farewell Discourse,” preparing his disciples for his departure and their receipt of the Holy Spirit. Jesus then says to his disciples “ If you Love me, you will keep my Commandments.” We as Catholics read that line and say, “ of course Jesus, I Love you.” Here, we have made a promise to Love our God with all of our heart, mind and soul.” If we live the Commandments, then Jesus promises the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is an advocate to be with us always, the Spirit of Truth, whom the world has rejected, because it neither see’s nor knows him. Jesus promises, “ I will not leave you orphans. I will come to you.”

 The words of my dying parents will always be etched in my heart and soul. I was blessed to say I love you mom and dad, as they were dying. The comment of the dying woman was profound, it hit my soul when I first heard it. “ Don’t tell me you love me, show me that you love me.” Jesus gives a Commandment to Love. Not a promise to Love, not a vow to Love, but a Commandment of Divine Rule. A law that must be obeyed, especially one handed by God.

 The gospel begins and ends with Love. Love always wins. “ If you love me...and whoever loves me will be loved by the Father, and I will love him and reveal myself to him.”  It is my prayer that I can keep God’s commandment of Love. By keeping promises, vows and commandments, we are telling the Father that Love conquers sin and death. Author M. Scott Peck said,”The more I love, the more I grow, the more I shall become.”

Come Holy Spirit, pray for us.

St. Bernard of Clairvaux

Do you know?

This weeks Gospel John 14: 1- 12 Jesus is speaking with the disciples and comforting them. Through this reading he reassures them that he is who he says he is. Jesus says “Do not let your heart be troubled. Trust in God, trust also in me”.  The disciples were filled with questions and weren’t 100 percent clear  how their lives were going to to be changed now that Jesus had arrived.  Doesn’t that seem a little familiar?    Jesus has entered your life and now you have more questions... Not being sure how life is going to turn out.. Those seem to be very common challenges that many Christians face.  In the Gospel Jesus explains that there is nothing to fear. 

Today, we as people all over the globe, are facing a series of challenges that nobody was prepared for.  There is confusion, fear, anxiety and enormous uncertainty. There is uncertainty about the the global economy, the spread of a virus, rising death toll , plus the question of the amount of time we will all be living socially distant. Personally, these times are may call for social distancing from other people but I think there is an decrease in the space we have kept from Jesus.  I say this because, in these very uncertain  times, there is one thing that is certain.   Jesus is certain and, more certain than ever. As Christians we know who Jesus is. We know him and we know the father. Just as he told the disciples in this reading. “ If you know me, you will  know my Father too. From this moment you know him and have seen him.”   It’s that simple and straightforward.  If you know Jesus then you know the father.  Now, I ask you. What does it mean to KNOW Jesus?  To me, knowing Jesus means to have a deep connection, understanding and faith that Jesus is a part of every single minute of your life. The good minutes and the bad. Yes there will be moments where you're  overwhelmed by the magnitude of a problem and that’s fine.  Even the disciples, who were actually standing in the presence of Jesus had weak moments. 

 Jesus was very clear when he said “I am the Way; I am Truth and Life.”Simply put, when you're a Christian there is always one answer to every challenge, Jesus. Complete trust and faith in Jesus is the way to having the courage to deal with the tough times and the wisdom to enjoy the easier more pleasant times in life.   I believe that  Jesus is the only way if you truly want to live a complete life.  To live with Jesus at the center of your life means to live a life that has meaning. A meaning that is far greater than the materialistic nonsense that so many of us are caught  up in.  Jesus is the way to living a life filled with love and peace. Is Jesus at the center of your life? Is he your way through the tough times?  If he isn’t, he can be. Just have faith. 

Abbondanza

This week’s Gospel reading is John 10:1-10. The last phrase is “A thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy; I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly.” In Italian, the language of my ancestors, the word for abundance is “abbondanza”. My grandparents used it as a word wishing abundance, joy, and celebration.

I know that many of us are feeling that we are not in a time of abundance. Many of us are truly in a place of loss. Loss of income. A feeling of impotence. A time of isolation. A time of mourning. For people in that condition, we should pray and offer whatever help we can. Unfortunately, our present circumstances are limiting even how we help and comfort each other.

But I want to offer prayers and turn our thoughts to those who never know abundance, and to think about how we speak and think. In some way, the more well-to-do countries are saying to the world, “Look at our plight. We are suffering from rampant disease. We are becoming poorer. We are experience death in an indiscriminate and unjust way, and there is little help.”

However, that has long been the plight of the much of the world. I am not saying that our losses are not real losses. Individuals and their families are suffering, and that is horrible. But as a country, perhaps we are reacting in a way that demonstrates our failure to think of the poorer nations and what they have experienced for many, many years.

This is a time to think of the suffering that has engulfed the poorer countries for decades, centuries, millennia. Maybe our mission in the future will be to make sure as much of the world as possible experiences abbondanza.

             - - The Older Brother