February 21st has been a hard day for me the last several years. In 2011 I received the telephone call from Mom that my younger brother, Mitch, had died. It has been a stark reality that has faced me and my family ever since. The Catholic Church, in its daily prayers, has the Office for the Dead that I have prayed for my brother on his anniversary since that sad day. The prayers, scripture and readings always give me comfort and strength.
In the second reading we are given a letter from St. Braulio (+651) a bishop of the early Church he writes, “Oh death! You separate those who are joined to each other in marriage. You harshly and cruelly divide those whom friendship unites. But your power is broken. Your heinous yoke has been destroyed by the one who sternly threatened you when Hosea cried out: “Oh Death! I shall be your death.” And with the words of the apostle we, too, deride you: “Oh Death! Where is your victory? Oh death! Where is your sting!””
Death is not a fun subject to write about and yet, for a Christian, it is a hopeful theme to dwell upon because of the victory of Jesus Christ. We all recognize in death the ending of something important but we also see in it the gift of life and the blessing of life eternal promised through the Cross of Jesus Christ. It is the promise found in the simple prayer a priest prays during the Mass as he dips his fingers in water and says, “Lord, wash away my iniquities, and cleanse me of my sins.”
It is the cruelty of separation that is often the hardest part of death for many people. I often hear in the voices of those mourning the desire to say one more things, to ask for forgiveness, to share a blessing or to simply say, “I love you” a final time. It rings very true to me each and every time these thoughts are shared because they are the same thoughts that tumbled about in my heart and head asking: When had I last told him that i loved him?
Which gets me to the question I ask myself daily and ask others from time to time…Are you ready to die? It is not a morbid question but one of hope and love because if I am “ready” then I have prepared myself through the gift of loving my neighbor and reconciling with my brother in love.
One of the greatest gifts of our faith is the Night Prayers in the Divine Office (The Liturgy of the Hours) which gives us a primer for a happy death. The prayers and readings remind us nightly of the need to be at peace with God and our neighbor…to not go to rest the with curse of sin on our hearts. It is a call for daily reflection and the seeking of mercy and forgiveness, which by the way, God freely dispenses and generously offers to us in love.
“But your power is broken.” St. Braulio reminds us that the gift of eternal life is the gift of Jesus Christ who has conquered sin and death and when we unite our lives to his in the offering of mercy, reconciliation and peace, where we are united in acts of generosity and love, then the power of earthly death is washed away and we know the sadness we feel is that of unifying love.
I was reminded of this gift once more a few weeks ago, when praying the last rites for a woman surrounded by dozens of children, grand and great-grand children, by family both of blood and friendship, how a gentle peace settled upon us all and the grace of the Holy Spirit filled the room as she took her final breath on earth. It is a blessing that amazes me each and every time God offers it to His family.
I can say, ultimately in the end…I miss you Mitch…rest in the joy and peace of Christ…and I will see you when God calls me home…

God bless
Fr. Mark

Every once in a while the brain gets frozen and nothing seem to move it so I just start writing about almost anything and then from that an idea takes hold…seeking an idea, a thought, a pattern in the words to discover what God may be asking of me this day. It’s called the hot pen (or hot keyboard) and sometimes it works…scribble scribble Mr. Frog.
Many years ago I read an essay about writing and the lost art of cursive writing, when writing manuscripts or even short essays, and how it was changing both writer and editor. The thesis was basically, because of computers and their unique ability to delete, move and wipe away previous thoughts, the writer and editor had lost the ability to see the pattern of change in the writing. Add to this the cold uniformed letters of the computer screen and print out obliterated the emotion and feeling of words scribbled hurriedly or wrote with slow burning passion from the composition and editing of a piece of writing. In other words; the computer which can be a good thing brings the unintended consequences of bad into a process of love and of passion.
I read that essay almost 20 years ago (it’s funny how certain things stick in your mind) but it always comes up when I see something written about how the electronic communication adversely affects our human relationships and how social media allows us to sanitize our interactions and only allow the final draft to be seen, filtered or deleted as we search for the unity of love which God desires each of us to live.
““This one, at last, is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; this one shall be called ‘woman,’ for out of ‘her man’ this one has been taken.” That is why a man leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife, and the two of them become one flesh. The man and his wife were both naked, yet they felt no shame.” (Gen 2:23-25)
The last sentence of this beautiful passage that calls forth the unity of God desire for our human relations reminds us of a great intimacy formed in the bond of marriage between husband and wife. In an age where each image is airbrushed, photoshopped, filtered and our words are edited and perfected in an endless revision of what we are told is good, to be simply naked in front of the beloved is a revelation from God. Because it is not only the physical nakedness but the emotional and spiritual nakedness before the eyes of the beloved spouse where the revelation of love grows greater, stronger and fuller.
The great Archbishop Venerable Fulton J. Sheen shares this wisdom, “The body is also the means by which we enter into communion with one another: verbally, through words, which are broken fragments of the Eternal Word; physically, by the assistance of our neighbor in the common tasks of daily life, culture, and civilization; artistically, in the dance, the theater, and the arts: sexually, by reducing duality to unity, which is the mission of love; religiously, by adding force to prayer in outward symbols, such as bye kneeling to express the humble attitude of the soul before God.” (p 93 “Three to Get Married”)

Archbishop Sheen reminds us through the body we allow blessings to flow and the story of life to unfold with the corrections, the hurts, the sufferings as well as the blessings, the triumphs and the joys shining forth to tell the great story of life and love. It is in the offering of sacramental marital love that the spouse is able to stand before the other in blessing rather than shame because the gift of love is a non-edited gift of life.
God’s invitation for us is to “scribble scribble” through life not hiding behind the “deleting” of fear but rather celebrating the joy of the love and life wrote in the cursive breath of love in and through our loving God.
God Bless
Fr. Mark

The past few weeks I have had the great joy and blessing of a visit from my mother. It has become a yearly grace as she escapes from the cold Idaho winter to visit those of us who live in slightly warmer climates. It is cold here in California but our low 30’s at night are nothing to compare to the teens of winter. (In fact as I write this letter my brother, Morris, sent a text where the temp was on the negative side of zero at home in Idaho)
One of the things that become very apparent each visit is that I am still her son, her child and thus am called to an obedience of love that respects this relationship. Even as she and I both age…her at 83 and I at 57 the relationship of mother and son still exists in a very profound way. It is a love that has been built, nurtured, tried and strengthened through the many moments of life: good, bad, ugly and beautiful.

“”Blessed are the poor in spirit.” The Beatitudes reveal an order of happiness and grace, of beauty and peace. Jesus celebrates the joy of the poor, to whom the Kingdom already belongs: The Word speaks of voluntary humility as “poverty in spirit”; the Apostle gives an example of God’s poverty when he says: “For your sakes he became poor.”” (CCC #2546)

It is the humility of spirit in which our relationships are strengthened and made whole. Dietrich von Hildebrand in his little book “Humility: Wellspring of Virtue” writes, “Humility is closely connected with that holy freedom in which we acquire the proper perspective in relation to our own person, regarding ourselves no longer with our own eyes but in the light of God.” (p 49) The spiritual journey in seeing ourselves as sons and daughters of God also opens our eyes to the being of a son and daughter in this world. “Holy freedom” in our spiritual life allows us to seek God in our own way, guided by the Church, entrusted to the mission of God’s people by being as St. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 12 “we are one body but many parts.”
In much the same way parents and children discover a holy freedom when they grow into the holy person, the saint, God has called them to be in their family. We naturally take on different roles within the familial body that when working as one we grow more deeply into a holiness of love and respect. This isn’t easy…perhaps the understatement of the year. Because of sin we can often find ourselves at odds, being hurt and alienated from one another. This is a reality that finds its way into every family.
This is why the nurturing of humility: the holy freedom, the poverty in spirit, the voluntary choosing of being one with others brings us together as one body. if as von Hildebrand entitles his book, humility is the wellspring of all virtue, then the virtues of fortitude and hope move us naturally to the gift of reconciliation and peace in the family. Once again, this isn’t easy…but possible with the help of our heavenly Father. It is when we are able to seek the good of the other, even in the midst of sin that love begins to overcome death. It is a choice we are invited each day to choose.
Does my mom, during her visits, get on my nerves? Yes…but then I am called to go back to the wellspring of virtue and recall the love a mother, the blessings of a mother, the gift of a mother our God has shared and give thanks and listen to God’s whisper of love in the presence of my mother.
GodBless
Fr. Mark

“God calls men to serve him in spirit and in truth. Consequently they are bound to him in conscience but not coerced. God has regard for the dignity of the human person which he himself created; the human person is to be guided by his own judgement and to enjoy freedom. This fact received its fullest manifestation in Christ Jesus in whom God revealed himself and his ways in a perfect manner. For Christ, who is our master and Lord and at the same time is meek and humble of heart, acted patiently in attracting and inviting his disciples.” (Dignitatis Humanae #11)
The above quote from the “Declaration on Religious Liberty” (Dignitatis Humanae) from the Second Vatican Council is a reminder of God’s invitation to follow him in freedom. But it is a freedom that is founded on a truth which is the dignity of the human person created in the image and likeness of God…a dignity extended to all people…a dignity that cannot be erased. This came to mind this past week as our country became embroiled in so many arguments about dignity, respect and the truth of life.
I have read with sadness and shame the decision of the government of New York to remove many protections for children in the womb and the discussion to do the same in Virginia and several other states. It is important to note as Catholic Christians we have an understanding of natural law which informs how we look at the world and understand our duty as sisters and brothers in the larger community.
“Through our human reason, we can come to understand the true purpose of the created order. The natural law is thus our rational apprehension of the divine plan. I expresses our human dignity and is the foundation of our basic human rites and duties…Because the natural law is rooted in God’s plan found in human nature, it applies to all people in all places and at all times. While situations may vary greatly, the natural law is unchangeable.” (p 327 from United States Catholic Catechism for Adults)
What is “spirit and truth” in our lives? We may understand it in our call to be faithful and reasonable in how we live our lives. We are always called to look to the greater, the good and the holy as a path to seek other in society. Serving God, in spirit and truth, following the example of Jesus’ obedient love is the ideal. We are called to be hope filled and joy filled people who see the same in others even when they are different. This invitation to see others in this way comes through and invitation to love where we are not coerced into believing but invited through an act of conscience to enter into a relationship. For me, this is the key…to be in relationship. It is hard to dehumanize another person when we seek to see them in love, in relationship, in the dignity of life.
Yet, we are called to be guided by our judgement where a well formed conscience leads us to truth and life. This is where the living in the image and having a personal relationship with Jesus focuses our conscience. In this we are obligated to know the person of Jesus through Sacred Scripture and tradition and prayerful conversation with God.
“However, in forming their consciences the faithful must pay careful attention to the sacred and certain teaching of the Church. For the Catholic Church is by the will of Christ the teacher or truth. It is her duty to proclaim and teach with authority the truth which is Christ and, at the same time, to declare and confirm by her authority the principles of the moral order which spring from human nature itself.” (Dignitatis Humanae #14)
Each of us is called to be seek to face of God in each person no matter how young (even in the womb) or how old. We seek the face of God always, even when we look in the mirror.
God Bless
Fr. Mark