Thoughts From Fr. Mark

Where in the world is West Bend Iowa and why would anyone visit it? Who is Fr. Paul Dobberstein and why is anyone interested in a priest who died the 1954?

These are two questions I would have asked several months ago. Here are my answers now. In West Bend Iowa at the parish of Sts. Peter and Paul is one of the most amazing grottos I have ever seen that was dreamed of and constructed by Fr. Paul Dobberstein. I will certainly attach some photos I took while visiting The Shrine of the Grotto of the Redemption as it is known.

I wrote a little last week about my trip across the United States to South Bend Indiana and Notre Dame University and on my way home I stopped at some interesting places but this one was unscheduled. When I planned by daily drive I would look through nearby towns that I would pass by to see if they have any interesting things to see. When I look around for something interesting near the wolds largest gnome in Ames Iowa and then to my next stop which was “The Worlds Largest Ball of Twine” in Cawker City Kansas the only thing popping up which I thought would be interesting was this grotto.
At first I balked at going to West Bend Iowa because it was not exactly on “the way” but needed to have a big detour to get there. Even the morning of my visit, as I was thinking about the extra miles and time it would take to get to this little out of the way town I almost decided to do something else but, thanks be to God, I didn’t make that terrible decision.
What I found was amazing, filled my heart with joy and, believe me, was so beautiful the pictures I attach do not do this grotto justice.
You can check out the link I will post below to read more about the story.
I only relate this story as a way we can understand the spiritual journey, “the way” to follow Jesus. In my spiritual journey I cannot count the number of detours that have produced great fruit. How many side stops became touchstones of grace and blessing. And most notable the various out of “the way” stops that I tried to avoid that have deepened and enriched my life of faith.

Sometimes we can become so laser focused on an objective, we loose sight of the journey between the beginning and the end. We want to find the most efficient and least complicated pathway without realizing the richness of the roadside diner as compared to a fast-food restaurant.

Seventeen years later I cannot imagine how my priesthood would be different if I did not accept the invitation to celebrate Mass with a group of sisters (Eucharistic Missionaries of the Most Holy Trinity MESST) that have now become friends, spiritual companions and who I am honored to serve as chaplain.
Or how in my first year at St. Catherine of Alexandria parish serving with a priest from Ghana Africa, (Fr. Paul Mensah), would have enriched my priesthood with a journey to his home and the eye opening experience of the joy of the Church and the great need for education to the poor of the out of the way places in our world.
Lastly, how a group of parishioners at St. Lucy introduced me to a team from the St. John Paul II Healing Center. How I thought I could just let them do their presentation and I would be “just” a gracious host. But in prayer and with the Holy Spirit, “the way” with and to Jesus Christ became much clearer through this experience.

And I could give examples for days but these three, connect with the journey to see a giant gnome and a large ball of twine..but what was between became the greatest grace of all.
God Bless
Fr. Mark

http://www.westbendgrotto.com

And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day. (Genesis 1:31)

I was talking with someone earlier this week and the topic of our summer vacations came up. I explained my vacation and studies trip this summer and he was surprised that I chose to drive from California, to Idaho, to Indiana and then back to Santa Clara. My response was that there was so much to see, the beauty of the earth and the joy, the profoundness and the silliness of our human endeavors too.
Sitting in a car and driving down interstate highways as well as smaller state roads gives you appreciation of both God’s work and the creative genius of the human spirit. I have begun to appreciate more and more the travel and process of getting to a place rather than my youthful…put the car in drive and don’t stop until you get where you are going. Of course this takes time…which we can often lack in our busy schedules…but it is something to be taken seriously in using our time wisely to enjoy and give honor to the beauty surrounding us.

I have found that even in the place I grew up, central Idaho, I missed a lot in my youth. My brother took me on a small ride to a place where he is working on building a house. It was a beautiful journey and one that I had never been on and roads I had not traveled even though it was less than an hour from where I grew up. Seeing things with new eyes and taking time to rest in the beauty is important for each of us and human beings made in the image and likeness of God.
Because the spiritual life can be very similar to these journeys that we take and seeing new things in familiar places. I was reminded of this in visiting and driving through some of the small midwestern towns with their beautiful churches and at times bumping into a parishioner who, in kindness and hospitality, would often show off “their parish” with pride to a strange Californian priest wandering through.

This stop was a reminder of how in the our prayer life something will pop up into our minds or a prayer will come into our hearts and if we rush by thinking. “Oh that is a pretty prayer” without stopping, getting off our routine treadmill and seeking to enter into a conversation with God we miss a beauty that is irreplaceable and will swiftly fall into the jumble of life and be forgotten.
It is also a reminder of taking time to laugh and smile with God and discover the deeper joys of prayer in service of his people. Like the world’s largest Garden Gnome in Ames Iowa.

Stopping to see this wonder of the world only to discover an artist creating sculptures of scrap metal. Searching out and spending time in joyous blessings leads to greater and more profound discoveries of God’s presence, beauty and wonder in our lives and in the world.
Last but not least is giving thanks…each morning, each night and in each encounter to give thanks to God for the the gift of life. Once more, this moment of thanks stops you in your tracks…it pauses your mind to take notice and give glory to God…this is the wonder of life.
God Bless
Fr. Mark

YouTube posts.

Sometimes it is just really hard to begin once you have stopped. It has been months since my last posting of thoughts and reflections and each time I sit down in front of the computer screen to write about something…excuses begin to enter into my mind and distractions begin be discovered and another day will pass.
I shared this part of my spiritual journey a couple of weeks ago during a homily. How, the soccer (football) season in England, begins on television at 4:30 a.m. and the choices this invites me to make. The first choice is to get out our bed. I am usually awake at this time so this is not to hard. The second choice is at 5:00 a.m. I normally go over to the church and spend my Holy Hour in front of the tabernacle in prayer. The decision to step away from the television and the ease of watching the game rather than walking over to the church to pray is a temptation that can be hard to resist…especially when I am texting my older brother in conversation about the game being played. I know that the right choice is and most of the time I choose to spend the best part of my day with God and trust in the games that are being played later in the day.

I write this little story because, If I don’t go over at 5:00 a.m. then all my “plans” of doing it later in the day fall to dust as I get busy and find other distractions to hold me away from this vital and important moment of prayer.
This same thing happens when I write…in making the transition from St. Lucy Parish to St. Lawrence the Martyr Parish almost a year ago I lost the tempo, space and “normal time” to write. The routine disappeared and I discovered distractions are much easier to follow than the work of writing.
It is not that I didn’t have good intentions. I have a small note book full of ideas to write about. I have several dozen “beginnings” saved on the computer where I didn’t complete what I had begun.
Therefore on this day of 16 August 2022 I am making a new commitment to put forward weekly posts for two very small reasons.
It makes me think about where God is in my life at this moment. It is not that this isn’t on my mind often, rather it is the intentionality of forming my thoughts and prayers around a singular idea about the presence of God in a focused way. In a way it is reminding me to be renewed each day and moment and be unafraid to share these thought and prayers with others.
It organizes my life. Routine in prayer and service is so very important. I talk about how I need to schedule my prayer…to schedule celebrations of Mass…and to take time in personal and emotional growth in a structured manner. Writing is one of the ways I do this and my growth in all these senses has been lessened over the past six months of not taking the time to write these posts.
So there it is…I will have a post ready for this Friday August 19 and with God’s grace and a little perseverance on my part I will succeed.

God Bless
Fr. Mark

It is a blessing to continue to walk with Venerable Fulton Sheen in listening to his wisdom. Here are some thoughts from a few of the quotes from the first two weeks of February.

February 8: “Council involving right and wrong should never be sought from a man who does not say his prayers.“
Why would Bishop Sheen say this? Surely it simply isn’t because he is a Catholic Bishop? I think a yes and no is the best answer. As Christians we believe there is a Divine wisdom that informs the soul of each person and this wisdom is grown through a knowledge of Jesus Christ and God’s plan of redemption and salvation. But it also means that the person looks to something greater than their own desires and whims. And as we see in the quote below, this something greater is founded in love of neighbor…love of the other where the good for all is the highest good.

February 4: “Love is the key to the mystery. Love by its very nature is not selfish, but generous. It seeks not its own, but the good of others. The measure of love is not the pleasures it gives – that is the way the world judges it – but the joy and peace it can purchase for others.”
As we mature in a relationship….our prayers to God…the selfish desire for love begins to disappear and the unitive aspect of love begins to grow deeper and more completely in all relationships. The infatuation of love which often consumes the young heart and twist the desire of mutual and joyous affection into a placing of the other on the pedestal of worship must through generosity seek to honor and dignity of the other to become true love where joy and peace reign.

February 10: “Grace does not work like a penny in a slot machine. Grace will move you only when you want it to move you, and only when you let it move you. The supernatural order supposes the freedom of the natural order, but it does not destroy it.”
The actions of love and salvation don’t happen without the buy-in of our call to find our true self. There is a natural desire in the heart of every person to the unity of love. It cannot be demanded upon command but is the participation of two in the perpetual covenant of love. The mutual love, the “supernatural order” of love invites the equal and mutual participation in the covenant of marriage but also in submitting to the will of God in binding hearts to the Most Sacred Heart of his Son in the great act of sacrificial love.

February 6: “You cannot always depend on prayers to be answered the way you want them to be answered but you can always depend on God. God, the loving Father often denies us those things which in the end would prove harmful to us. Every boy wants a revolver at age four, and no father yet has ever granted that request. Why should we think God is less wise? Someday we will thank God not only for what he gave us, but also for that which he refused.”

The passions of the moment, the desire to move God and His grace to bend to our will can become the one-sided conversation of prayer that too often happens in our lives. Bishop Sheen reminds us of how prayer must be a conversation of listening and speaking and then listening more. God whispers…the world shouts and screams. God is patient…the world demands immediate and complete attention. God is gentle…the world is harsh. The world is not bad…but we, as Christian disciples, are called to bring the virtues, the works of mercy and the movement of love into the world where God’s persistent love slowly changes our hearts and the heart of the world.

February 13: “A divine trick has been played on the human heart as if a violin teacher gave his pupil an instrument with one string missing. God kept a part of man’s heart in Heaven, so that discontent would drive him back again to Him Who is Eternal Life, All-Knowing Truth and the Abiding Ecstasy of Love.”

St. Augustine of Hippo wrote in speaking of our desire for God’s presence in our life, “Our hearts are restless until the rest in You.” This is the “divine trick” of love but it is also found in the blessing of unitive love between people. The agape love of seeking the best in a brother or sister, to desire the best for a friend, to draw out the best of a spouse or child in sacrificial and gracious love. In my own “yes” to love in the vocation of priesthood I know the peace of resting in the heart of God’s love because my heart was restless until I answered with my true and complete“yes” to the invitation to love and life.

I hope you are all continuing to enjoy “The Wisdom of Fulton Sheen”

God Bless
Fr. Mark.

In marriage the sacramental gift of love is united to the graces given in each Sacrament received and is especially transformed in the gift of Eucharistic love, the gift of self to one another as man and woman. Cardinal Kasper writes, “The Christian faith does not find its orientation in a system of intellectual propositions. Its point of references is always a concrete person, namely, Jesus Christ. People found this intolerable and irritating: how can this man, who we know to be the son of Joseph and his mother we know, make such a claim, presenting himself as the Son of God? The Gospel tells us that they “murmured.” Later on, Paul was to write that the message of the cross was a scandal to the Jews and a folly to the Gentiles (1 Cor 1:23).” (P 49 “Sacrament of Unity” Walter Cardinal Kasper) The point of reference, the person of Jesus Christ, is also the point of reference in any marriage and in reality to each and every Sacrament we participate in during our life of discipleship.

Marriage is not an intellectual proposition. It is a relationship formed between and man and a woman with the desire for an eternity of love. A lifelong commitment to service and sacrifice, to love and blessing seen in the covenant between God and His people brought into the living reality of the two becoming one. And yes, I know that some will say this is “an intellectual proposition” on its own, but in reality it is an act of faith where the cross becomes a shared gift and sacrifice where walking along is no longer a possibility but where the marriage walks with Jesus and takes up the cross to follow him.
When we proclaim in the vows of sacramental love the truth of God’s plan for a lifelong covenant between the man and the woman the world does begin to murmur the doubts, fears and the scandal of the audacity of such a gift. But, the claim comes with the promise of grace shared and given in the presence of Jesus Christ. The world may doubt the praise but we join together in faith…the world my fear the sacrifice but we embrace the gift…the world my shout at the scandal but we rejoice and are glad in the truth of God that His Kingdom is present in the joy we share.
“When a man and a woman in marriage mutually give and receive each other in the unity of “one flesh “, the logic of the sincere gift of self becomes a part of their life. Without this, marriage would be empty; where as a community of persons, built on this logic, becomes a communion of parents.” (“The Civilization of Love” Pope Saint John Paul II) The free will of the mutual gift of one to the other relies on the loving sacrifice where we are called to empty ourselves to grow ever greater in receiving the other. The “murmuring” of doubt and fear above become the murmuring of love between the couple in becoming one in the hope of grace. The receiving of one to the other and through the other is the recognition of the joyful unity of trinity.

In marriage the sacramental gift of love is united to the graces given in each Sacrament received and is especially transformed in the gift of Eucharistic love, the gift of self to one another as man and woman. Cardinal Kasper writes, “The Christian faith does not find its orientation in a system of intellectual propositions. Its point of references is always a concrete person, namely, Jesus Christ. People found this intolerable and irritating: how can this man, who we know to be the son of Joseph and his mother we know, make such a claim, presenting himself as the Son of God? The Gospel tells us that they “murmured.” Later on, Paul was to write that the message of the cross was a scandal to the Jews and a folly to the Gentiles (1 Cor 1:23).” (P 49 “Sacrament of Unity” Walter Cardinal Kasper) The point of reference, the person of Jesus Christ, is also the point of reference in any marriage and in reality to each and every Sacrament we participate in during our life of discipleship.
Marriage is not an intellectual proposition. It is a relationship formed between and man and a woman with the desire for an eternity of love. A lifelong commitment to service and sacrifice, to love and blessing seen in the covenant between God and His people brought into the living reality of the two becoming one. And yes, I know that some will say this is “an intellectual proposition” on its own, but in reality it is an act of faith where the cross becomes a shared gift and sacrifice where walking alone is no longer a possibility but where the marriage walks with Jesus and takes up the cross to follow him.

When we proclaim in the vows of sacramental love the truth of God’s plan for a lifelong covenant between the man and the woman the world begins to murmur the doubts, fears and the scandal of the audacity of such a gift. But, the claim comes with the promise of grace shared and given in the presence of Jesus Christ. The world may doubt the praise but we join together in faith…the world my fear the sacrifice but we embrace the gift…the world my shout at the scandal of eternal love but we rejoice and are glad in the truth of God that His Kingdom is present in the joy we share.
“When a man and a woman in marriage mutually give and receive each other in the unity of “one flesh “, the logic of the sincere gift of self becomes a part of their life. Without this, marriage would be empty; where as a community of persons, built on this logic, becomes a communion of parents.” (“The Civilization of Love” Pope Saint John Paul II) The free will of the mutual gift of one to the other relies on the loving sacrifice where we are called to empty ourselves to grow ever greater in receiving the other. The “murmuring” of doubt and fear above become the murmuring of love between the couple in becoming one in flesh in the hope of joyful grace. The receiving of one to the other and through the other is the recognition of the joyful unity of trinitarian love within the marital embrace. If we return once more to the reality of the person of Jesus Christ alive and within the embrace of love we begin to experience the joyfulness of love and how the sacrificial blessing have their foundation in the gift of of the cross that becomes the invitation to gracious love.. It is the movement of grace and peace that fills the lifelong unity with the daily experiences, the small moments and the little acts of intentional gifts of shared life.
It is not to say there is never disappointment, heartache or sufferings in the marital life, but in the sacramental decision of covenantal love, we know there is more and even these moments deepen the unity of familial grace.
“The natural dynamisms of love—affection, love in a strict sense, and sexuality—are seized by the power of Jesus Christ, bridegroom of the church, and are opened to the depths of the nuptial mystery.” (P. 80–81 “The Nuptial Mystery” Angelo Cardinal Scola) Love truly is a mystery and each word that is spoken reflects the personal encounter between two people reflecting the glorious love God has shared with us through His son our Lord Jesus Christ. We are seized by the power of love. It is allowing our hearts and souls to be seized by God and by the other which the thickness of loves seeps ever deeper into our heart. Each moment of shared love is an intimate act of offering, sacrificing and emptying to be filled to the greater in taking our heart and placing in the heart of the beloved. Jesus reminds us in the Eucharistic sacrifice to “do this in remembrance of me” (Lk 22:19) to be broken and shared in love, we too are called in the sacramental gift of love to do this: to be broken, to be shared, to live the fullness of love.
God Bless
Fr. Mark

Fr. Mark

“Dear families, you too should be fearless, ever ready to give witness to the hope that is in you (cf. 1 Pet 3:15), since the Good Shepherd has put that hope in your hearts through the Gospel. You should be ready to follow Christ towards the pastures of life, which he himself has prepared through the Paschal Mystery of his Death and Resurrection. Do not be afraid of the risks! God’s strength is always far more powerful than your difficulties!” (#18 “The Bridegroom is With You” Pope St. John Paul II)

Our Holy Father reminds us of the dynamic and fruitful blessings of marriage and family even when we endure heartache and suffering in the relations. He offers to ideas to ponder where marriage and family are a “challenging mosaic” and must be filled with “missionary creativity” in the sacramental gift of life. Each family is different and faces different challenges and blessings…the “challenging mosaic” is an understanding of how our hopes and dreams begin to conform to the loving of another deeply, intimately and fully where we strip bare the facade of worldly desires and allow ourselves to be exposed in complete love. It is the mosaic of children with their unique and holy gifts. We also recognize within the family is the classroom of faith and from faith comes the forgiveness and reconciliation practiced in Christian charity.

This week we are celebrating National Marriage Week and the Church rejoices in the gift of marriage and the wonder of family flowing forth from this gift. We also recognize the challenge of marriage and the wounds and hurts that can come from this intimate relationship where the baring of the soul and the opening of our hearts to another can leave us vulnerable and open to great suffering. Yet, as Pope St. John Paul II reminds us we are called to be fearless in following the vocation of relationship and love offered to us.
One of these great mysteries is how we live in this unity of love. In my ministry in Worldwide Marriage Encounter I have seen the grace of God work with such powerful blessing in the married couples who choose to hear and be with each other in hope that my heart also breaks to recieve the grace and blessings as a priest in relationship with my bride the Church.

It is in the challenges of our brokenness and hurt where we discover the grace of God’s healing mercy within our relationship in sacramental love. We prepare ourselves for this sacrifice by offering and receiving the blessing of love. It is in the recognition of a sacrificial love, where suffering will be present side-by-side with joy that we begin to see and know the depth and truth of God’s love for us through the cross of His Son, Jesus Christ.
Pope Francis reminds us that no family is without the need for healing, “I thank God that many families, which are far from considering themselves perfect, live in love, fulfill their calling and keep moving forward, even if they fall many times along the way. The Synod’s reflections show us that there is no stereotype of the ideal family, but rather a challenging mosaic made up of many different realities, with all their joys, hopes and problems. The situations that concern us are challenges. We should not be trapped into wasting our energy in doleful laments, but rather seek new forms of missionary creativity. In every situation that presents itself, “the Church is conscious of the need to offer a word of truth and hope… The great values of marriage and the Christian family correspond to a yearning that is part and parcel of human existence”. If we see any number of problems, these should be, as the Bishops of Colombia have said, a summons to “revive our hope and to make it the source of prophetic visions, transformative actions and creative forms of charity”.” (#57 Amoris Laetitia: The Joy of Love, Pope Francis)

St. John Paul II shares this wisdom, “The love of spouses and parents has the capacity to cure these kinds of wounds, provided the dangers alluded to do not deprive it of its regenerative force, which is so beneficial and wholesome a thing for human communities. This capacity depends on the divine grace of forgiveness and reconciliation, which always ensures the spiritual energy to begin anew. For this very reason family members need to encounter Christ in the Church through the wonderful Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation.” (#14 “The Bridegroom is With You” Pope St. John Paul II) The decision to love is discovered in the first decision to accept and love the other in who they are: the good, the bad, the joy and the sorrow. It is awakening the willingness to communicate who we are, even when we are not at our best…even when we sin. God calls us to be healers in relationship. We cannot be in relationships unless we share the gift with God and our spouse, children and entire family.
As we celebrate National Marriage Week, let us take time to renew our marriage and seek God’s divine mercy in our relationships of love.
God bless
Fr. Mark.

“There are two ways of waking up in the morning. One is to say, “good morning, God” and the other is to say, “good God, morning”!” (January 20)

Each time I read and ponder the above quote from Bishop Fulton Sheen is smile inside. When I awake in the morning one of my first cogent thoughts is the greeting…”good morning, God!” The reality of the day might then begin to sink in as my thoughts race towards the work and business of the day where the second phrase may come to mind. Happily for me, although I don’t always show it, I am a fairly positive and optimistic person. I seek to find my trust in the will of God working with Him and through Him in my call to the priesthood.
I am also a realist in the knowing of my own faults and failings and that of my bride the Church. To be optimistic in our care for one another doesn’t preclude the knowledge and experience of how messed up things can be. But is an optimism and joy coming from a relationship of love with a God who is merciful and seeks us to come to him.
Which brings us to….

“Love begins at home, and it is not how much we do… But how much love we put in that action.” (January 26) Bishop Sheen reminds us that we are called to love not just in words but in the actions in our life. It is in some ways the phrase we hear at times…it is not about how much time you spend with a person it is what you do during this time together.
Our modern age calls us to distraction. There is not one of us who is not affected by distraction. It may be the television, the cell phone, the tablet, or the noise surrounding us daily in our lives. Are we paying attention to the person in front of us? Are we listening with both ears? Do we choose to love by being present?
God asks us to be present. In our prayer we seek to lessen the distractions be opening our ears and eyes of our soul to hear him speak. We know in faith…God is present always and everywhere. If love begins at home, then our home is the Church and we visit in attentive joy and blessing. It isn’t the big things but the small graces we share and family…or as St. Theresa of Calcutta put the same thought in different words, “We can do no great things, only small things with great love.”

“Love cannot remain by itself – it has no meaning. Love has to be put into action, and that action is service.” (January 27)

The quote follows the one above reminding us of the call to relationship. One of the greatest joys I have learned through my ministry in Worldwide Marriage Encounter, is the call of service of husband and wife. This often goes against the cultural independence where we are called to “do what makes you happy” and finds so many of us searching for momentary pleasure rather than the abiding peace and joy that comes through the sacrificial service of our family, friends and yes, even our enemies.
St. Paul shares this bit of wisdom in his First Letter to the Corinthians where he writes, “If I speak in human and angelic tongues but do not have love, I am a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal” (13:1) Service and care for others is an active gift of self. Husband and wife choose to share who they are to the fullest extent. Yes, many times, as perfectly as we desire and yet we find the abiding peace, joy and love when we move away from the egoistic and selfish action and embrace God’s call to sacrificial love.

“Because God is full of life, I imagine each morning Almighty God says to the sun, “Do it again;” and every evening to the moon and the stars, “Do it again;” and every springtime to the daisies, “Do it again;” and every time a child is born into the world asking for a curtain call, that the heart of God might once more ring out in the heart of the babe.” (January 30)

I remember watching a friend with his child. He was lying on the ground and holding his little boy above him. It was one of those great and joyous moments where he was tossing his son into the air and catching him. The squeals of delight from the little guy filled everyone with happiness and life. His wife warned him that his son had just finished eating and to be careful….but the warning went unheeded as the exuberance of the moment took hold in him as father of this joyous bundle of love….and then it happened in the middle of a squeal of joy…a steam of food came out and onto the father who said something not so filled with joy and….
I think what Bishop Sheen is trying to remind us is that, God, like my friend, will toss the child in joy tomorrow. God will look at the messiness, the failings, the hurt of the world and will…to put a book end on this post…sing out “Good Morning, World” and great each one of us by name. Calling us into a life of hope, joy and love where our faith intersects with his gift of life.

God Bless
Fr. Mark

(All quotes from “The Wisdom of Fulton Sheen”)

Obedience can be a difficult and troubling concept for us as human beings. We see the seeds of disobedience even in the youngest children as they seek to learn and navigate the gift of free will in their lives. Obedience, as a virtue, is the invitation in following the will of God in our lives and grow in the path of holiness. Obedience to both God and worldly authority will often conflict and we must, as Christians, learn to seek to follow the obedience to God’s love and turn away from that which lures us away from God.
St. Joseph, as a model of obedience, as described in “The Month of St. Joseph” by Archbishop M. de Langalerie reminds us of this path to follow both civil and Godly obedience. As he describes it, “Every Christian should render implicit obedience to the commands of God and his Church… Saint Joseph obeyed the mandate of the emperor Augustus in going to Bethlehem; but he had in view an authority far superior to that of a worldly prince, for he recognize the will of God in the command of his earthly ruler.” (P. 91) We are reminded that like St. Joseph we must love God before all else and in doing so will discern his will even in the commands of the world. To follow these commands, as long as they have no conflict with the moral good of God’s will allows us to bring holiness into the life we live.

In the Second Vatican Council document “Lumen Gentium: Dogmatic Constitution on the Church” we are called, as a Church and as individuals to become a mirror of Jesus Christ. This is true for each member, both young and old, “For all their works, prayers and apostolic endeavors, their ordinary married and family life, their daily occupations, their physical and mental relaxation, if carried out in the Spirit, and even the hardships of life, if patiently borne—all these become “spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ”. Together with the offering of the Lord’s body, they are most fittingly offered in the celebration of the Eucharist. Thus, as those everywhere who adore in holy activity, the laity consecrate the world itself to God.” (LG #34)
Obedience too God’s will finds itself in the seemingly mundane works of life. And while Joseph was called through the census to make a journey, as difficult and arduous as it may have been with a pregnant wife, as first and foremost an offering of sacrifice to God while obeying the law of the time.
We too are called to make these spiritual, and sometimes physical journeys, as an act of obedience where, with faith and trust, we see the hope of the will of God being accomplished in a myriad of different ways. In this we are drawn and in turn draw others into the blessing of God’s presence in the Eucharist as the source of life and the fulfillment of Gods promise of love.
“Each individual layman must stand before the world as a witness to the resurrection and life of the Lord Jesus and a symbol of the living God. All the laity as a community and each one according to his ability must nourish the world with spiritual fruits. They must diffuse in the world that spirit which animates the poor, the meek, the peace makers—whom the Lord in the Gospel proclaimed as blessed. In a word, “Christians must be to the world what the soul is to the body.” (LG #38) Why are the Sacraments so very important? The gift of God’s grace, flowing through the Sacraments, allows us to do the work we must do as followers of Jesus Christ. Our prayer life, which seeks union in the sacramental life of the Church invites us into a more intimate relationship with God.

When I began my first teaching job in New Mexico one of the first things I learned was the need to pray. To pray before, during and after the day. I fell in love with the daily Mass with the missionaries before school began. I loved to take time in prayer before the children came through the door and after they left the door. I was given the example of a prayer life that infused the day with the knowing presence of God and something I hope I passed on to all my students. It wasn’t that prayer made the day less full of the struggles of teaching sixth grade but it did place the power of the Holy Spirit in those moments of struggle, conflict and hurt that pass through the life of both student and teacher.
The obedience to God in prayer and to the curriculum of the school day brought life and purpose to the work . As St. Joseph did in his first act of obedience in taking Mary into his home, “The merit of one act of obedience may be extended to a series of acts and serve to consecrate them all to God; sometimes one act devotes in entire life to God.” (P. 92)
We often miss how hard that first act of loving obedience was in the live of St. Joseph. He was heartbroken at the news of the pregnancy and yet, in trusting the greater plan of God, he was able to act in love towards God and Mary by accepting his new role. Did St. Joseph know the outcome? No, but he chose to trust as we are called to do because in the obedience of love, the trust in our call to mission we find the treasure in the field or the pearl beyond price in the market. (M 13:44-46) And in this discovery are we willing to go and sell all that we have to obtain this treasure of faith and trust in Jesus Christ.
This is who we are called to be, disciples obedient to the will of God in doing our work in the world, caring for the poor, the broken and the undesired in the world, to bring hope and joy in the world through following first and foremost the commandments of God’s invitation to love.
God Bless
Fr. Mark

“The Scripture assures us that he (Saint Joseph) executed the orders of God at the instant that they were made clear to him… What a source of grace is opened for us if we submit properly to the will of those authorized by our heavenly Father to command us! Love was the motive and principle of obedience of Saint Joseph.” (P. 92)

The followers of Christ are called by God, not because of their works, but according to His own purpose and grace. They are justified in the Lord Jesus, because in the baptism of faith they truly become sons of God and sharers in the divine nature. In this way they are really made holy. Then too, by God’s gift, they must hold on to and complete in their lives this holiness they have received…They must follow in His footsteps and conform themselves to His image seeking the will of the Father in all things. They must devote themselves with all their being to the glory of God and the service of their neighbor. In this way, the holiness of the People of God will grow into an abundant harvest of good, as is admirably shown by the life of so many saints in Church history. #40

Society of Sinners

“Oh the glory of the Church, its uniqueness, is that it lives perpetually on the vitality and realism of its own repentance, its contrition, and its plea for God’s help and forgiveness.

Let us not claim moral virtue for church members or for the Church.

Let us rather glory in the fact that the Church is a society of sinners who claim no virtue but humbly rest their broken and burden lives upon the grace which God has eternally revealed in Christ Jesus.”

By Charles Clayton Morrison

Poetry often brings forth beauty in a few brief words as the poet crafts images that are seemingly impossible from the blunt words of normal speech by arranging and forming a beauty and truth beyond the mere words on the paper. The “Society of Sinners” helps us form such an image of the Church, at once beautiful but also full of the reality of who we are as a people, sinners and yet redeemed in Jesus Christ.
This short poem came to mind as I was looking at some of the material for the Universal Synod begun by our Holy Father Pope Francis. He has asked the Church to look outward and inward and seek to discover where the movement of the Holy Spirit is guiding our Church in this age. The temptation I have, as do many, is to see the Church and the holy people of God in one of two ways and in truth both of these are of worldly origin and not the reality of God’s vision and blessing upon his people.
Charles Péguy describes it perfectly when he writes how the world seeks to divide us into the camps of the “perfect” and the “irredeemable” where the people placed in these places are of our choosing and not God’s choice. He writes,

“There are two formations, there are two extractions, there are two families of saints in heaven. God’s Saints come out of two different schools.The school of the righteous and the school of the sinner.
The wavering school of sin.Fortunately in both cases God is the schoolmaster.”

(Charles Péguy, “The Portal of the Mystery of Hope” p. 87)
It is as the prophet Isaiah writes, “and as a bridegroom rejoices in his bride so shall your God rejoice in you.” (Is 62:5)

The temptation is to fear the warts and wrinkles of the Church will somehow diminish Her mission of the salvation of souls and the call to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ. The defensiveness can be to “claim moral virtue” abandoning the self introspection needed to “humbly rest their broken and burdened lives upon” Jesus Christ. Or on the other hand fall into the despair and hopelessness of other side fear where grace is muted and the vision of redemption is seen dripping from the stingy and miserly closed fist rather than the open hand of generosity and blessing. Where sin is the master and God is placed into a corner to be brought out only on rare occasions. When we are able to see, as Péguy notes, the Church as “the wavering school of sin” we understand how God calls us to the humbleness of trust in His will is the sign of faith needed to enter into a fuller conversation needed in the Synod process.
Pope Benedict XVI shared this pearl of wisdom, “The purpose of the Church’s turning toward the world cannot be to dispense with the scandal of the cross, but exclusively to render its nakedness accessible anew.” (Joseph Ratzinger) Many people, I included, have some trepidation about the synod process but I also have great trust in the power of the wisdom of the Holy Spirit to lead us closer to the cross of Jesus Christ in proclaiming the good news of forgiveness and reconciliation. It is, as the poem above notes, a time to practice the grace of being “a society of sinners who claim not virtue but humbly rest” in the blessing of God’s grace. If we choose not to be afraid of the warts and failures of call to discipleship and rather on the reality choosing to seek the good and joyful of God’s grace and peace in the midst of the world wishing to divide and destroy the unity our faith calls us to live, then we truly become the Church God creates us to be..
“The Church may be ugly, the singing may be out of tune, the priest corrupt and the faithful inattentive. In a sense that is of no importance. It is as with a geometrician who draws a figure to illustrate a proof if the lines are not straight and the circles are not round it is of no importance. Religious things are pure by right, theoretically, hypothetically, by convention. Therefore their purity is unconditioned. No stain can sully it.” (Simone Weil, “Waiting for God” p 139–140)
God Bless
Fr. Mark