“The Cross of Christ is the sacrament of the true and prophetic altar on which, through the host of salvation the offering of human nature is celebrated.” (from St. Leo the Great, Oration 55,3)

As we move closer to Holy Week we move closer to the Cross of Christ. It is a natural progression and one that is a true and joyful blessing for each of us. Fr. Ronald Rolheiser, in his book “The Passion and the Cross” remind us that at the center of the quote from St. Leo the Great, the passion and the cross are not about the physical suffering of Jesus but the transformative trust in a relationship of love with God, who is our Father.
This continues to be our passion we follow through out the 40 days of Lent in the sometimes painful and lonely growth that comes from our discipline of fasting, prayer and giving of alms. It is a moment of trust and opening our hearts to the sacrificial grace and love we are called to participate in through giving and receiving. Wonderful and beautiful thoughts…but how does it work in the world we are called to participate in as transformative disciples of love?
Okay, let’s thinks about his and break it down a little.
The Cross of Christ is a sacrament: “it is important to recognize that the Sacraments have a visible and invisible reality, a reality open to all human senses but grasped in its God-given depths with the eyes of faith.” (p 168 US Catholic Catechism for Adults) in other words, a sacrament shows a reality that is hidden. God’s love of the cross, the obedience to love on the cross is the reality that is offered, a love not hidden in darkness but on display to the whole world. We are challenged to live the same obedience to love in following the will of God in our daily life…that carrying the cross thing.
The Cross of Christ is true: It is not deceptive or a lie. It shows God’s gift of love. Bishop Robert Barron in his video series “Catholicism” states that looking on the cross of Jesus, if we truly see with the eyes of faith we see a man consumed in joyfulness because Jesus has done the will of his Father. It is the joyful obedience to follow him because it brings lasting peace.
The Cross of Christ is a prophetic altar: prophetic words change lives and the altar, in our Catholic liturgies, is were lives are changed, transformed and made new each and every Eucharistic celebration. When we choose to place our lives on the altar with Jesus, we embrace the cross and become living prophetic word sent into the world.
The Cross of Christ is salvation: forgiveness flows from the cross. We know we cannot forgive and be forgiven alone, Jesus reaches out to us from the cross and seeks to gather us as one. He speaks words of forgiveness and mercy from his pierced heart as we come and drink from his thirst for our presence with him.
Humanity is celebrated by the offering of the Cross of Christ: “I will see the image of God in everyone whom I meet. And I will love them as Jesus loves each one of us. In this is to be found the great secret of charity.” (from “Before the Altar” by Concepcion Cabrera de Armida) When we see God on the cross in this great passion of love then we are able to see our true humanity and seek out the suffering brothers and sisters in the works of mercy Jesus calls us to be and live each and every day.
It is really very simple if we begin to practice virtue daily in our lives but it is also the most difficult act of love you and I will ever participate in because it requires to the full and complete self-donation Jesus offers to us from the cross and invites us to imitate.
God Bless
Fr. Mark

Earlier this week I was on retreat (yes, retreat again) with our 8th Grade graduating class. It is always a blessing to share some time with our children from our parish school and recognizing the gifts these wonderful young people share as they talk about their faith and pray together for each other and the world.
One of the activities they were asked to do was to write a letter to their future self, next year, which they will receive. Of course we should all look forward to who we wish to become, what we wish to do, how we accomplish the ultimate goal which is always heaven and holiness.
Adults continually do this with work, family and play. I talk with families who have vacation and plans laid out sometimes years in advance. High school students who have goals of college and career well into the future. And, of course, shorter term wishes by the children who look forward to camps in the summer of presents at Christmas.
But what happens when life interrupts our plans, goals and wishes? What happens within our lives and especially our relationships with family, friends and God?
These are important questions because life is always full of interruptions. Plans are great but as the famous saying goes…we make plans and God laughs. He laughs not because he doesn’t want us to succeed or be happy, he laughs because he knows us and knows plans are always waiting for the next interruption to occur.
In my own life I can go down a long list of plans that have been interrupted by many things. We can start in high school. I wanted to be a Marine. I did become a Marine but during the time I was serving I found out that being a Marine wasn’t my dream…I wasn’t called to serve above the four years of my enlistment. The plan of being a Marine was interrupted by reality. In college I wanted to study German. I did go to Germany, and the University of Constance, for a year but I soon discovered that my language ability was not great and I enjoyed the beer tasting as much as the learning of language. After graduating Holy Names College (now Holy Names University) I was at a loss of what to do…I really didn’t have a plan or focus…and this is where interruptions and God happen…I went to New Mexico to work for a summer at a wilderness camp and stayed two years as a teacher…which led me to seek a teaching credential…be employed at St. Lawrence the Martyr Middle School in Santa Clara…which challenged me to grow in my faith as I talked, taught and learned with my sixth grade classes and their parents…ending with finally hearing and accepting the call to priesthood.
I know that at times of being lost, if we have our hearts open to God’s gentle voice, we are able to hear the plan God has for each of us. And don’t get me wrong, I continued to try and plan out God’s plan for me over and over again…being frustrated with God, angry with God but always in conversation with God knowing that in my call to serve God as a priest, just as we are all called in our proper vocations, we find peace, joy and happiness in the life we are called to live.
Our Sunday Gospel and Reflection remind us of this truth, of seeing and hearing the presence of God within our lives. It is the faith based hope that goes beyond the ordinary and mundane into the glorious and eternal life with God. Our true goal is to align hour hearts with God’s goal for us….and sometimes the only way to find this goal is to become lost and then listen for the gentle whisper of love.
God bless
Fr. mark

This weekend I will be away on a Worldwide Marriage Encounter weekend celebrating the joy of God’s call for man and woman to live in grace filled and joyous relations within the sacramental blessing of our Catholic tradition.
Our reading, this Sunday of the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4:5-42) is a wonderful reflection on Christian conversion, hope and relationship with Jesus Christ. It is also a blessing to reflect on our sacramental life, especially the life of husband and wife as we sit and listen to the words Jesus speaks and the responses of the woman.
When we thirst, as the woman at the well thirsts, it is only satisfied in the plan God has designed for us, especially the design of the sacramental marriage of man and woman. The thirst of life is satisfied in the union of love with God as He is united to the couple in the unity of marriage.

Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen shares this wisdom with the Church, “The basis of unity is the fact that in this bond two persons are joined together so as to become “one flesh.” this inviolable bond according to our Divine Savior…The unity of two in one flesh is not just biological, as it is in animals, Rather, it has a spiritual and psychic quality understood by few.” (“Three to Get Marriage” p 123-24) We are reminded that made in the image and likeness of God we choose to seek unity and to seek it within the exclusive and holy relationship of spousal care. It the call to holiness by which our thirst is given a direction to be satisfied with not simply the earthly desire but the ultimate goal heavenly love.

St. Pope John Paul II continues this understanding proclaiming the divine love and the sacramental love given and shared is the life giving water energizing and bringing hope into our family relationships. He writes, “This communion is rooted in the natural bonds of flesh and blood and grows to it specifically human perfection with the establishment and maturing of the still deeper and richer bonds of the spirit. The love that animates the interpersonal relationships of the different members of the family constitutes the interior strength that shapes and animates the family communion and community.” ( Familiaris Consortio #21) It is the reality of a maturing love, a love growing and deepening in the vital gifts of sharing faith through acts of charity, forgiveness and mercy, receiving and giving in the joys and sadness of life.
The United States Bishops in their catechesis on marriage help us to see, as noted above, the unity with God, a life of faith draws us deeper into eternal life and love of marriage, where the permanent bond shared in life is sustained in embracing the cross of Jesus Christ in the divine “yes” echoing in the marital vows of love. They write, “No mortal can satisfy all our longings. Real marital unity is based on God’s covenant, a covenant which welcomes erotic desire, but which even more fundamentally commits mean and women to each other in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer. Christian marriage is not a romantic audition or a conditional arrangement “until further notice.” A so-called trial marriage.” (Love is Our Mission #58) It is in the passionate bond, where the hopes and dreams of life are shared and fulfilled that grace in built upon and the image and reality of the Most Holy Trinity shines forth in life.
Finally, Pope Frances shares with us this beautiful and powerful understanding of marriage, where marital love goes beyond the passions of the moment and deepens into the friendship which supports the growth of holiness in the spouse. He notes, “After the love that unites us to God, conjugal love is the ‘greatest form of friendship.’ It is a union possessing all the traits of a good friendship: concern for the good of the other, reciprocity, intimacy, warmth, stability and the resemblance born of a shared life. Marriage joins to all this an indissoluble exclusivity expressed in the stable commitment to share and safe tougher the whole of life.” (Amoris Laetitia #123) It is a friendship that endures through the vows prayed and shared built upon in the enduring love of God.

God bless

Lent is a time of great spiritual work…but we can and do at expect too much of Lenten spiritual growth at times. Many people, me included bite off more than we can chew. At least that is my tendency. We try to do too much, fail and then can become afraid of picking up the pieces and beginning again.
I had the pleasure (painful as it was) to watch the Golden State Warriors lose the other night to the Boston Celtics. Their 4th quarter was simply awful. You may or may not know that one of their four all stars is injured and since his injury they have played, to put it kindly, not so well. In many ways it looks like the remaining three all stars are doing too much and dropping the things that they do well because of this. It is a very natural tendency and something that the world encourages us to do…take on more, multitask and grab as much as possible. We do this at work and play. We are encouraged to keep our children scheduled and booked solid in the desire to impress some future high school or university admissions department. We can do this as families with busy schedules that separate and divide us throughout the days. Jesus reminds us, this is not the way to holiness.
Mathew Kelly, in “Rediscover Jesus” in Chapter 18 shares with us how we get out of balance and how the lifestyle of the world can lead us away from the unity of relationship with God and others. The simple fault is we begin to prioritize things (objects) above people (subjects) which isn’t new…happens all the time in my life. It isn’t that God doesn’t want us to be successful or have nice things in our life. God desires that we live in abundance and generosity. What is different, of course, is the abundance and generosity God desires is one of sharing and sacrifice with others. It is not simply the accumulation of “stuff”, “honors” or “experiences” to be filed away or to fill an empty nook in our life, rather it is the entering into the blessings of love and truth that offer us experiences of sharing life and love. It is the joy of entering into loving relationships that bear great fruit in our life and in the life of those we touch.
Our reflection this Friday is about “Excusing our bad habits” (p 11) which leads to the “AHA” moment of Sunday (p 13). During Lent we are encouraged to look at those parts of our life that do not produce joy and blessing, the “bad habits” that often have built slowly over the years but now have become anchors holding us apart from the love of life and the blessings of relationship. We are encouraged to not bite off too much but rather make a plan, a diet from the bad habits leading us towards the “aha” of this is how God invites me into joy. Because we cannot simply remove the “bad habit” without replacing it with the virtuous activity, the work of mercy, the blessing of love filling the void left by sin with the love of God’s truth and grace.
After this first full week of Lent, we may wish to reevaluate our resolutions and ask the question, “Is what I am offering God in prayer, fasting and alms this Lent bringing me closer to God?” and if not, then “What must I change?”
This change often means letting go of the extra and going back to the basic. Not trying to do more, but doing what we are called to do with greater intentionality and love with those around us. It is to embrace God’s plan, God’s grace, God’s joy and share it in the sacrificial love of life.
In the end, when we follow the path God has called us to follow, we live and find true peace and joy in our hearts. It is a path of generosity and love.
God Bless
Fr. Mark

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yZsjKuL3kQ&feature=youtu.be

“Praying is stretching a hand toward the Infinite! It is a loving dialogue between our own impoverishment and the greatness of God. Our meager words, silence, and abandonment, and meditation rise and go to the heavens. God will never hold back his hand when we turn to him with a sincere heart, with our limitations, and with our journey of faith.” (Origen, Prayer 33,1) from “Lent and Easter with the Church Fathers (p5)

Origen, a priest of the early Church, shares with us this peace of Lenten wisdom and hope in a God who is always present and wishes to be with us. If we take the image of the outstretched hand, it is a sign of hopefulness to many. We can think of how many times throughout the day we stretch out our hand towards others: to give, to receive, to thank, to greet, to help, to be helped, to pray, to bless, to protect, to console…..
We understand the power of the out stretched moment because it is truly an exchange of life, sometimes simple and at other times profound but always a connection of grace found in the human experience.
Our Gospel this Sunday, (Mt 4:1-11) is the story of Jesus’ temptation in the desert. In the story Satan, in his three temptation, wants Jesus to stretch out his hand towards him, and thereby deny his relationship with God. In each response Jesus gives to Satan he points back to his Heavenly Father. Stretching out his hand towards truth, compassion, justice, mercy and love. This is the center of Origen’s thought above.
We can see how this can work in our own lives, especially during this season of fasting, praying and giving of alms.
Fasting is not simply an interior exercise where we feel hunger or abstain from eating certain foods. Fasting is choosing to be in communion with those who do not share the abundance we have in our own life. It is not simply abundance of goods or food but also the abundance of peace and freedom so many people do not have but long for with hopefulness. It is our hand outstretched in the quest for justice.
Praying, too, is not only a spiritual exercise removed from the day to day reality of life. Prayer, united with fasting, helps us to enter into the communion we share as sons and daughters of the living God. Prayer places us in the heart of a greater community united in purpose and direction of gratitude for the blessing of life. It is our hand outstretched in the desire for oneness.
Giving of alms is more than the sharing of our treasure, time or talent, it is, united with prayer and fasting, the donation of our very self. We first and foremost share the alms of who we are with God and then this blessings flows forth from our lives to those around us. It is our hand outstretched in sacrificial love.
Jesus speaks to each of us with these words, “I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.” (Jn 15:15) To stretch out our hand is to acknowledge the other as worthy of love and of friendship. This changes everything. Our Lenten discipline of prayer, fasting and alms giving become acts of friendship with Jesus and with each person we meet. It is truly an act of love.
Matthew Kelly reminds us of this truth in “Resisting Happiness” when he writes, “Your friendship with others is not to be taken lightly. You are changing the direction of your friends’ lives, for better or for worse. Sooner or later, we all rise or fall to the level of our friendships.”(p155)
Friendship changes each persons life.
Jesus wants to change your life this Lent with his friendship. Whose life are you changing this Lent with your friendship?
God Bless
Fr. Mark