Thoughts From Fr. Mark

“God sees things in you that you don’t see in yourself.” (p 53 “Rediscover Jesus”)
What do we see when we look in the mirror? We often look most closely at the flaws that are readily apparent or we look vainly at only the beauty and ignore those parts that are not pleasing. When we look beyond the outward, the physical and immediate, we are called to look deeper. In our spiritual journey, when we seek to see how God sees, we can, just as we do with the outward, look critically and seek only the flaws (the sins) in our life or we desire only to see the good and discount the things we need to work on and correct as we, in our vanity, believe we are good enough.
We are reminded that God sees us as we are. He sees our sins. He sees our blessings. He sees our victories and our defeats. He sees all of this and yet beyond all of this into the goodness and holiness in which He created us to be and “sees things in you that you don’t see in yourself.”
God sees in pure love. God invites us to see in this same pure love as we look into the mirror of our soul where we are called to reflect the light and the love of God. Pope Benedict XVI reminds us that this seeing of pure love is the natural call to experience the divine. “No longer is it a question, then, of a “commandment” imposed from without and calling for the impossible, but rather of a freely-bestowed experience of love from within, a love which by its very nature must then be shared with others. Love grows through love. Love is “divine” because it comes from God and unites us to God; through this unifying process it makes us a “we” which transcends our divisions and makes us one, until in the end God is “all in all”” (1 Cor 15:28). (#18 Deus Caritas Est)
In Lent we respond to this deep calling to be in union with another through God. This is the calling of each vocation to be joined in love and hope. But we also must know, looking into our soul, the need for reconciliation and forgiveness in all our relationships. God seeks to heal, to unite, to join in the eternity of love where sin is conquered and robbed of its power. This deep need for self-reflection draws us closer to the cross where we in vulnerable love know God sees all and to allow others to glimpse into our desire to be blessed and loved were Thomas à Kempis notes, “It is often good for us to have others know our faults and rebuke them for it gives us greater humility. When a man humbles himself because of his faults, he easily placates those about him and readily appeases those who are angry with him.” (Book 2 #3, “The Imitation of Christ”)
When we learn to see ourselves as God sees, to love as God loves, we open our hearts to his graciousness, “If your heart were right, then every created thing would be a mirror of life for you and a book of holy teaching…If there be joy in the world, the pure of heart certainly posses it; and if their be anguish and affliction anywhere, an evil conscience knows it too well.” (Book 2 #4, “The Imitation of Christ”) Because when we see as God sees then we see the blessings even when it is surrounded by hurt and sin…trusting in the power of the Cross of Jesus Christ.
God Bless
Fr. Mark

As we begin our Lenten season I offer you this quote from Archbishop Charles Chaput where he writes, “Sinners hide among the saints, and saints among the sinners. Only God knows the truth of each person. And only he can winnow the wheat from the chaff at the end of time. Meanwhile the two cities interpenetrate and overlap. That leaves Christians with the task of seeking to live their faith well in a fallen world.” (p. 13 “Strangers in a Strange Land”)
Archbishop Chaput is commenting on St. Augustine of Hippo’s work “City of God” and the difficult question of sin and why Christians continue to sin even knowing the love of God and the blessing of mercy. When I first read this book last year I had underlined this quote and later made a small version that has been sitting on the table in my prayer space which helps me to do my nightly examen as I prepare for bed. I use it because it reminds me that I am called to be a saint but sadly I continue to be a sinner. And while it try to hide my sins among some saintly qualities I also know God sees my totality and calls me to seek repentance and healing…to live my faith well in a fallen world. And so, to live my Lenten life well…I should seek
To not take God for granted. It is easy to rely on God’s mercy in a bad way where the sin of laxity and presumption of grace interpenetrates they virtues leading us to goodness and holiness. It is where we are challenged to be honest with ourselves and recognize where we can get better and what we need to do to get there. A roadmap of prayer and discipline to follow out of love of God and for the other in our lives.
To seek the good in the other. It always seems far simpler to remember faults more than blessings. We often notice our neighbors for what they have done wrong rather than the gifts they have shared. As Christians we are called to do the opposite to seek the good and draw forth the better from each other. Parents do this quite naturally as they form their children to be good moral participants in the life of the family. They praise the real and the good within their children seeking to guide them closer to God through union in the family. But to seek the good in others we are also called to recognize the good within ourselves…to permit the grace and blessing of God to interpenetrate our sins and hurts…in other words to “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”
To share in gratitude. We are reminded by St. Paul that Jesus “though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped.” (Phil 2:6) Gratitude is the act of hopefulness and thanksgiving where we see our lives as gifts and blessings we are called to share. In gratitude for God’s gift of life and the gift of his Son, Jesus Christ, who offers us forgiveness and mercy we share this blessing with everyone we encounter.
To become a saint. “If you don’t behave as you believe, you will end by believing as you behave.” (Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen) To be a saint isn’t a luxury it is a necessity if we truly believe what we say we believe. We know by personal experience how actions often speak louder than words and the example we set are in truth more important than the homilies we preach to one another in life. We are reminded time and again how we are saints in progress and we must through reflection and conversation with others determine which direction our progress is heading. Because if it isn’t towards the good, the holy, the graced, then it isn’t towards God and that’s not a good thing.
We are invited to daily conversion in renewing our relationship with God. Be courageous, be a saint!

God bless,
Fr. Mark

Monday March 18th 2nd week of Lent

It was a crazy weekend and I am sorry for not getting out the daily blog. Generosity as we see in Chapter 11 is a wonderful gift to share because if we do not share our generosity then it quickly becomes the greed and grasping of “never enough”. In choosing to be generous we are choosing the abundance of love rather than the scarcity. It all begins with love of God and then follows the many loves that we have. Generosity is also linked to prudence, the wise use of the treasures God has given to us. Living and choosing prudent generosity is calculating how much or how little I can share, that again leads to greed and grasping, but to see the need in front and respond as Jesus would, with our full self. It fres us from selfishness and leads us into true fruitful relationships of love. As Matthew Kelly writes…”the Gospel liberates us from selfishness by inspiring us to be generous.” (58) How are generously living the Gospel Today? and “How is god inviting you to become more generous?”(59) If you wish to share, please comment. God Bless

Chapter 6 Tuesday 12 March 2019

Matthew Kelly continues to explore the theme of “Who is this Jesus guy?” noting that each of us must answer this question from our own personal relationship with Jesus. To “know” Jesus we must look with eyes of hope and faith into the moments and events in our lives. For example: in talking with parents seeking to share their faith with adult children who are doubting or not practicing we often talk about how they experience God and to share how this effects the way they live their lives. Jesus isn’t a God of convenience rather he desires a relationship with us that is daily, fruitful and full of life. A little video from Bishop Robert Barron https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UG77k-xLpz8

Chapter 5 (Monday 11 March 2019)

Mt. 16:13-20 In the Gospel of Matthew we hear this wonderful conversation between Jesus and his disciples where he asks “Who do you say that I am?” ending with the declaration by St. Peter. We also know that St Peter will then deny Jesus but return again to him because he “knows” the Lord. This too is our Lenten call..to return to Jesus because we know him and want to know him better. I would encourage you to go the following link at formed.org and listen to Dr. Scott Hahn’s talk entitled “The Fourth Cup” where he shares his insights on “Christ’s Paschal Sacrifice on the Cross” https://formed.org/listen/56ba021b084df3e40bdf0b72.

If you do not have the parish code please go to our parish website or look in our weekly bulletin for the code for your free subscription. http://www.stlucy-campbell.org/

( Sunday 10 March 2019)

Sorry I missed my post yesterday. It was a busy day at the parish with our Confirmation Retreat, Confession for our Vietnamese Religious education children and then Mass. As I noted in the video, Sunday is a day to look back at the previous weeks readings and take time to understand the lessons and hear God’s voice calling us to a deeper relation with Jesus Christ. Yesterday at the Confirmation retreat one of the ideas I hope the young people took away was from a Pentecost homily by Pope Francis where he reminded us we are called to “unity in our diversity.” Yes, Jesus is the way to heaven, but just as the twelve Apostles were each unique in the calling, we too must understand our “uniqueness” as a gift from God in getting to know Jesus better. If all are friends were exactly the same our life would be poorer for it. Today we are reminded Jesus wants our gifts, our unique gifts to be given and shared, to be grown in the abundance of God’s love.

Please, if you wish share your thoughts in the comment section below.

Thursday after Ash Wednesday #2

We are invited into a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ…don’t be afraid to open your heart, to share your fears, to celebrate your joys with Jesus this day. We are asked, How would we describe Jesus? Take time to write it down, share it as a family or with friends…look deeper than just the outward. God Bless.

Share your answer in the comments if you wish.

It’s a beautiful day in Hawaii. As many of you read this I will be doing a little work in Hawaii with Worldwide Marriage Encounter and while I write this in the airplane on the way, the weather app tells me it will be in the mid 70’s every day….slightly cloudy and breezy…in other words Hawaiian weather.
I’m not a great traveler…I don’t like flying too much and the double blessing of flying over water is not my cup of tea and yet I appreciate the gift of rapid nature of getting from one place to another that air travel gives us. I also appreciate the forced seclusion of the flight…no texts, no emails, no phone calls…just the quiet giving me the opportunity to read, reflect on the words and then continue. It is a forced discipline I wish I could follow more readily in the comfort of the rectory.
Archbishop Fulton Sheen in a short essay on love reminded us that there are two types of love: the love of an egoist and the love of sacrificial life. (I’m sorry that haven’t brought the book with me so I have to do a little of this my memory.) The Egoist in Archbishop Sheen’s understanding is one who grasps at love only for what it can give her/him, using the other person for satisfaction and solely an object of desire never the subject of gift. The alternative…sacrificial love…desires to serve the other and offer dignity and trust in giving without the need of recompense in seeing the other as equal and fully alive. It is here we see the gift of love in the example of Jesus Christ.
This gift of love is what we will be offered beginning next Wednesday…Ash Wednesday…as we begin our Lenten journey as we fast, pray and give alms. It is in the act of sacrificial love that we are able to grow in the spiritual good that comes from our Lenten discipline. Often time we can fall into some forms of laziness and expect God to do all the work of Lent.
For example, I know some people who choose to use their Lenten “fast” as a quick weight loss plan. There is nothing wrong with loosing a little weight during Lent (I sure could loose a few) but when this becomes the only good or the main focus then we can fail to allow God to enter the dark spaces of our lives that our fasting is meant to empty and be healed. It is in the offering of our lives to God, in sacrificial love where we allow our fast to become an act of love towards the other in God.
We see the same thing prayer where we add time or repetition without a direction or intention to the good of others. Our prayer should become an act of love towards the person(s) or intention offered.
And of course in almsgiving we see how our acts of service, our financial gifts need to be focused caring for the other. All to often we can begin to expect a “reward” for our good work and our financial gifts where the egoism of love begins to take over our hearts and spiritual work. Almsgiving is a true donation of self…the giving unfettered from the desire for return.
Please begin to prepare for Lent…don’t let it sneak up on you without asking God what you are called to share this Lenten season.
See you in the Eucharist.
God Bless
Fr. Mark

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

The temptation of interruption is a sin I battle with constantly.

“The fruit of silence is prayer, the fruit of prayer is faith, the fruit of faith is love, the fruit of love is service and the fruit of service is peace.”

― Mother Theresa,

When I returned from retreat a few weeks ago one of the first things I did was to buy a wristwatch. It was one of the spiritual insights I received during the retreat…I needed to buy a watch. Why? Simply put, by the third day of the retreat I was discovering a deepening prayer and a quiet that went beyond the silence of the retreat and absence of the daily “work” of ministry. It was a memory of prayer I had had before but a prayer that had gone missing recently.
What was the difference? It was the wristwatch…or the lack of one. Like many people I had begun using the ever-present cellphone as my go to time keeper. It seemed easier to just look at the cellphone face and see that it was 1:49 p.m. just as easily as it was to look at my wrist and see its was 1:49 p.m. but there was something more.
I know that many of you have guessed already but the little insight was how often I looked at my cellphone…even if for just a second…as an interruption and distraction in my daily life. On retreat, because the cellphone was sitting quietly on the closet shelf throughout the day and night I quickly found myself slipping into the remembered habit of not seeking the interruption or distraction of the cellphone, especially in prayer, throughout the day.
Sadly, coming off of retreat, the old temptations began to place themselves in front of me…yes, I had my watch on during my Holy Hour in the morning…but what if I got a call, a text, a Twitter beep or one of a hundred different distracted excuses for just interrupting my prayer time to check and make sure I hadn’t missed anything important. It is the lie that I tell myself as I seek to avoid God’s call to silence.
One of the oldest understandings of our hearing the voice of God is in the silence of life. In 1 Kings 19:11-13 we hear these words of blessing, “The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by. Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?””
We know this innately in our souls, when we are quiet we are better able to see the blessings of life like the image of grandparents sitting quietly as their grandchildren scamper about in joy and seeing in the quiet of their hearts grace and hope flow forth in their lives. We hear it when we sit looking out on a vista of great beauty contemplating the grandeur of creation. We feel it as the man and woman stare deeply into the eyes of the other recognizing the blossoming of love.
I’m still working on it…staring deeply into the Eucharistic presence of God, quieting my soul to hear the powerful whisper of blessing. Going off, as Jesus does, into the community of Trinitarian love, to be quiet and know the presence of our Father.
God Bless,
Fr. Mark