Goals for Summer 2014

Sunday's readings can be found here.

This summer will mark three full years for me as pastor of St. Leo’s in Centerville and St. Thomas More in Hilltop Lakes.  The last two summers have been marked by a slower pace and a focus on Faith Formation planning and youth retreats.  However, Summer 2014 will be marked by a faster pace and more work.  

In Centerville, with the loss of our educational building due to the supercell winds back in March, we are in the expedited process of obtaining approval from the Diocese of Tyler to build a hall with classrooms.  Without this building, it will be extremely difficult to provide Faith Formation for 70-80 children next school year.  The plan that the building committee and I have come up with is a 50’x50’, two-story, metal building: Upstairs will be classrooms and downstairs will be the meeting hall.  Due to a poorly-planned city sewer line that runs diagonally through our property, we have a limited area on which we can build.  The decision has been made to place the building closest to the church in order to encourage fellowship after Sunday Mass.  A licensed architect has worked on this project extensively and has addressed the difficulty of accessibility to the second story: A wheelchair lift will be installed in order to accommodate the needs of the handicap.  The Bishop is aware of our need, and the CFO of the Diocese has assured me that we will have the support we need to build.  Currently, we have almost $42,000 in savings with nearly $19,000 coming from our insurance claim for the building we lost.  An up-to-date financial statement is enclosed in St. Leo’s bulletin.

In Hilltop Lakes, it has been six months since we paid off our new church.  Donations from the building fund continue to come in (we have $13,000 in savings), and we are close to having all the money to purchase custom statues from Italy to go in the two niches.  The building committee and I are working with David Patterson (the same architect who designed the church) to make sure the plan for a new hall will complement the church and serve the needs of our small community.  We should have something to present to the whole community during the summer.  You will receive an up-to-date financial statement soon.

On several Saturdays over the course of the next four months, I will be teaching an advanced course on fundamental moral theology to the Daughters of Divine Hope, a group of nuns established in the Diocese a few years ago.  They will be driving to St. Leo’s in order to attend this class.  I will open it up to our catechists and to some people interested in going deeper in their knowledge of the Church’s moral tradition, but I am trying to keep the setting intimate so the sisters can ask questions and be engaged at a deeper level.  I am also assisting the Diocese’s director of vocations (and good friend of mine), Fr. Justin Braun, in organizing a retreat for young men at the end of June.  In July, I will attend a Theology of the Body conference in Philadelphia.  The good news is that my new secretary, Mrs. Zulma Cuevas, will be in the office at St. Leo’s Tuesday-Friday, 8:30am-5:00pm.  She is bilingual and assists me with bookkeeping and other administrative tasks.  Let us keep each other in prayer this (busy) summer.

Margaret E. Patterson November 11, 1929 – May 13, 2014

Sunday's Readings: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/051814.cfm

One thing she could not stand – the thing that she really disliked the most – was when you recognized her publicly for the good she had done.  If Margaret Patterson received some public praise, her eyes would get big and she would give that classic glance of disapproval.  [Well, Margaret, you are going to have to endure a little bit of recognition.]  In a funeral homily (sermon), the Catholic Church asks priests not to eulogize the beloved deceased but rather to preach the mystery of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and how it relates to the new life of the individual believer.  However, since Margaret was such a good friend and a sort of mother to me (especially when I first arrived to Centerville and Hilltop Lakes), I cannot help but reflect on how I was inspired by her life and love.

The Lord is kind and merciful (Ps 103).  This is the responsorial psalm we sang today.  It is also the essence of the good news of Jesus Christ, that is, that God – the Trinity – is a kind and merciful God.  Margaret believed this, and that is why she was so generous with her time and treasure – not just with her family – but with the Church, Catholic Charities, and those who needed her.  St. Paul in Romans 6:3-9 tells us how our baptism is death to sin so we can rise to new life in Jesus Christ.  Our old self is crucified with Christ so that we can live the new life of grace.  Once again, this is the good news of Jesus Christ: redemption from sin.  Margaret had a bit of “Catholic guilt” – never feeling worthy of God’s mercy – but trusting in it nonetheless.  She believed in God’s mercy, especially as He chooses to show it through the Sacrament of Reconciliation.  But the one belief for which she had the most passion and devotion is the mystery of the Most Blessed Sacrament – the Eucharist – that Jesus Christ changes bread and wine into His own living Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity at every Mass.  Jesus in John 6 tells us plainly, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world” (Jn 6:51).  The Catholic Church has always taken Jesus at His word, that is, He is not speaking figuratively.  Otherwise, His disciples would not have left him (see Jn 6:66).

Margaret believed in this mystery of Our Lord so ardently that it shaped her whole life, her whole family, and her whole parish.  She prayed and worked hard for decades for this beautiful church to be built here in Hilltop Lakes, and as a special favor from God, she lived to see it built and furnished.  She believed that God deserves the very best, and this beautiful church stands as a witness to our belief in the Real Presence.  When I celebrate Mass and when I preside at Adoration – at St. Leo’s or at St. Thomas More – I still see her in that front left pew looking intently at Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament.  Her faith and love for the Eucharist inspired me as a priest.  Towards the end, Margaret told me she loved me every time I visited her at the Manor or at the Isle.  I know she loved her late husband, J.R., her siblings, her children, her grandchildren, and she loved this community — but most of all she loved the Lord in the Eucharist.  “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day” (Jn 6:58).  Her body is physically present here, but her soul will always be present with us most especially at each Mass, through the Communion of Saints; and we know the Lord will raise her on the last day.  We love you Margaret, we will miss you, and we will pray for your happy repose.  Pray for us, and help us to trust, like you did, that the Lord is kind and merciful.

Good Shepherds and their Good Mothers

On occasion, the holiday on the secular calendar aligns nicely with the feast on the Catholic liturgical calendar.  This Sunday, everyone (hopefully!) will be honoring their mothers with flowers and chocolates — but most importantly with the treasure of their time, either in person or by phone.  In the Catholic Church this Sunday, we celebrate “Good Shepherd Sunday.”  In John 10, Jesus calls Himself the Good Shepherd.  He is linking Himself to Psalm 23 and Isaiah 40 – to Yahweh – the divine Shepherd of Israel.  So, what does this have to do with Mother’s Day?

Jesus Christ, the Chief Shepherd, chooses human shepherds – priests – to guide His flock.  Like the Chief Shepherd Himself, priests are not angels but are born of women.  The Good Shepherd has a deep love for His mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary.  The early life of Jesus was nurtured by Our Lady in the home at Nazareth.  She did all the things mothers do for their children: fed Him, cleaned Him, taught Him, held Him, comforted Him, played with Him, listened to Him, and prayed with Him.  (Jesus was the perfect child, so at least she did not have to discipline Him.)  Being a mother is hard work – especially if your son is the divine Savior of the world – but the role of every mother is of eternal value for each child.  And even when the child is an adult, a mother never stops being a mother.  Our Lady is an example for all mothers of union with her Child in the joyful and sorrowful events of His adult life.

Most priests I know have close relationships with their mothers.  In imitation of Our Lord, we honor, respect, and love our mothers.  My own mother, Jo Beth, died almost nine years ago when I was still in seminary.  She was not a Catholic Christian, but loved our Lord and encouraged me to pursue the Catholic priesthood if that was what God was calling me to do.  I am grateful for the personality traits I got from my mom and her example of kindness to people whom world considers insignificant.  Thankfully, I have a stepmom, Shane, who loves me like a son and has never tried to downplay the role of my deceased mother.  She had the most significant role in my family’s conversion to the Catholic faith and has been there for me through my life’s milestones.  I am grateful for the love of my living grandmothers, too: “Mema” (Betty, my mom’s mom in Ft. Worth); “Grammy” (Irene, Shane’s mom in Gilmer); and “MeMe” (Kaye, Shane’s stepmom in Natchitoches, LA).  Since my years in seminary and now as a priest, I have many “mothers” who have supported me through the years.  They love when I visit them, cook for me and give me a place to rest (you know who you are :-).  As a pastor, I also have many “mothers” in the parish who cook for me, check up on me, and encourage me to be a holy priest (you know who you are, too ;-).  I thank all mothers on this Mother’s Day and Good Shepherd Sunday.  Thank you for your gift of life; thank you for your sacrificial love for us, your natural and spiritual children; and thank you for praying to the Good Shepherd for us human shepherds and helping us to be the men we are called to be.

My Book Review of Rebuilt: Awakening the Faithful, Reaching the Lost, Making Church Matter

Last year at a SW Deanery meeting in Palestine, Fr. Peter McGrath (pastor of St. Francis of Tejas in Crockett) mentioned that he had given his pastoral council members homework: to read a new book on renewing parish life called Rebuilt by Fr. Michael White and Tom Corcoran.  I thought, “Hmm. . . Homework for the pastoral council. That sounds like a good idea!”  So I looked into the book, got some feedback from different sources, and decided to order the book for the members of my pastoral and finance councils in Centerville and Hilltop Lakes.  I read the book over my vacation this past week and wanted to give a personal and pastoral review to my parishioners.

Rebuilt (Ave Maria Press, 2013) is a book is about how a priest (Fr. White) and his lay associate (Mr. Corcoran) have worked since the late 90s in renewing Nativity Parish in the Archdiocese of Baltimore.  Fr. White describes the history of the parish, its strengths and weaknesses, and its steady decline — even after he had been pastor for five years!  He speaks of his mistakes – both in diagnosing the problems as well as solving them – and he speaks of how his vision and approach completely changed after encountering Pastor Rick Warren of Saddleback Church in CA.  Fr. White began to focus on how to make his church as welcoming as “mega” and Evangelical churches are; he began to put resources into lively worship music, more preparation into his homilies, and more effort into developing teams and small groups to facilitate true fellowship and ministry; he worked to make sure there were age-appropriate services of worship so that the needs of the whole family got met on Sundays; he made evangelization and outreach the main priorities for his parish; and money problems disappeared (fundraisers were no longer needed).  The concept he references often in this book is moving parishioners from being “consumers” (I like to use the term “pew warmers”) to being “disciples” (a very Biblical concept).  In Rebuilt, he is honest about the challenges, criticisms and even some failures of implementing these changes.  However, his hard work and vision for his parish have seen remarkable success: a Sunday attendance that went from 1,400 now to 4,000 (and growing!).  God has certainly blessed him and his parish.

Fr. White has received both praise and criticism from many different perspectives in the Catholic Church today.  (He kinda opened himself up to that when he and Tom Corcoran decided to publish a book promoting what worked for Nativity Parish, but I nevertheless admire his courage and discipline to do so.)  Overall, I commend Fr. White’s zeal to incorporate the good that Evangelicals are doing into the Catholic context (coming from a Baptist background myself, I can relate); I appreciate his doctrinal and moral orthodoxy (he does not believe in “watering” down Catholicism); and I could not agree more about the need for priests to prepare well for Sunday homilies (and to preach on themes that are continuous).  I disagree, though, with a few points.  I do not think contemporary music is as essential to the liturgical experience as he claims, and I feel he ignores some of the theological problems that the lyrics (and kind of music) that some hymns/songs pose to the Catholic faith.  (I believe the hymnal is a theological textbook and should be chosen with serious discernment by the pastor.)  I also feel that it is important to keep the family together at Mass rather than separating them.  Finally, I take issue – not with his concept – but with his use of the word “ministry.”  Traditionally in the Catholic Church, “ministry” refers to what the ordained do/offer (extraordinary ministry relates to the sacred liturgy); “apostolate” refers to social outreach and other services in/of the parish.  Sadly, the word “apostolate” has been almost absent from church vocabulary for several decades, but I believe these distinctions avoid confusion as regards the role of the clergy and that of the consecrated religious and lay faithful.

Divine Mercy: The Good News of the Catholic Church

One of the most attractive qualities of Christianity is our emphasis on the infinite mercy of our God.  No matter what a person has done, no matter how grave the sin or the injustice, no matter how low the person has sunk — our belief is that God always offers a hand to sinners.  This hand is the venerable hand of Jesus Christ our Lord, and He extends His mercy to us by means of the Catholic Church, most particularly by way of the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

However, when the Catholic Church speaks about the moral issues of our day — that abortion is gravely evil; that there is no such thing as “gay marriage”; that birth control and “morning after” pills are not healthcare — the Catholic Church is accused by the mainstream media as being intolerant, judgmental, hypocritical, fanatical.  We as Catholics are told to stay out of politics and to keep our morals to ourselves.  However, if you recall last year when the liberal minister of St. John Episcopal Church in Washington D.C. delivered a sermon to President Obama and his family on Easter Sunday, what did he do?  He brought politics into his church, but it was "ok" because of what he said: “Captains of the religious right [like Catholic bishops and priests, and Evangelical pastors?] are always calling us back . . . for blacks in the back of the bus, women back in the kitchen, gays back in the closet, and immigrants back on their side of the border.”  Despite being an egregiously slanderous characterization of Christian conservative values, very few in the mainstream media sought to criticize this liberal minister.  The President declined to comment when asked about his feelings on the sermon.

Unfortunately, because many in the media have such a bias against the Catholic Church (as well as against Evangelical Christians), they pervert our stances on sensitive moral issues of the day.  We as Catholics believe in racial equality (nuns and priests marched side-by-side with civil rights activists in the 1960s), and the Church's criticism of the President's policies has nothing to do with his skin color.  We believe in helping women in crisis pregnancies (e.g., the Gabriel Project) as well as providing ministry to women who have had abortions (e.g., Project Rachel).  We believe that a person is defined by being a son or daughter of God – not by his/her sexual orientation – and that a person who struggles with same-sex attraction can still live a holy life and have healthy relationships in chastity.  And we believe in the dignity of the immigrant regardless of documentation.  The Church is here to offer ministry to immigrants and to help them establish themselves lawfully in a new country with the hope of living a decent standard of life.

Divine Mercy Sunday (April 27) is a wonderful reminder, that despite denigration from left-wing bigots, the Church continues to be Christ’s gentle instrument of reconciling sinners.  In Christ, we always have a second chance no matter what we have done.  He instituted the Sacrament of Reconciliation to forgive our sins so we can begin a new life in Him.  Our message as Catholic Christians is not a message of condemnation, but of redemption and renewal.  The Divine Mercy of Jesus Christ gives us great hope in the midst our struggles, and is good news to all of us who are sinners.

Top 11 Reasons Why I’m Catholic

Sixteen years ago, I was “welcomed home” to the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil at St. Mary’s Parish in Longview, Texas.  Before that time, I had attended a few churches – mainly Baptist – with my friends in Tyler.  I am thankful for the Bible verses and stories I learned during this formational time on my journey home, but I am especially thankful to have been introduced to Jesus Christ through these Christian communities.  Becoming Catholic helped me to put the pieces all together: where the NT comes from; how we get to know and love Jesus; why He instituted the sacraments; what we need to do to be saved and how we need to live this salvation.

The event of the Bodily Resurrection of Jesus Christ that we celebrate on Easter Sunday is an opportunity for all — not just converts, but all the baptized — to reflect on the great gift of what it is to be a Christian.  By our baptism, we share in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ; we are made adopted sons and daughters of the Father; we are cleansed of sin and receive the infusion of grace into our souls by the Holy Spirit; and we are made members of Christ’s Body, the Church.  For us as Catholics, the Catholic Church is the Church of the NT — not just a religion founded by someone’s interpretation of the NT.  And while many non-Catholic Christians have sincere faith in and love for Our Lord, no other church can be historically traced  back to Jesus Christ Himself.

Because many who attend Easter Sunday Mass may not be regulars and may not even be Catholics, I would like to offer my personal “Top 10 11 Reasons” why I am a Catholic Christian:

1) The Eucharist.  A personal relationship with Jesus Christ cannot be any more personal than receiving His living Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity.

2) The New Testament.  The Catholic Church was the only Church around when the gospels and epistles were written.  The Pope and Bishops approved the canon of the NT in the 4th and 5th Centuries.  We have 2,000 years of Scripture commentary by the early Church Fathers, popes, scholastics and saints.

3) Unchanging Doctrine and Morals.  There is NT and early Church evidence of all Catholic teachings.  In particular, the Catholic Church is the only church that never changed Christ’s teaching against divorce and artificial contraception.

4) The Blessed Virgin Mary.  The first and greatest disciple, the human mother of the Second Person of the Trinity, our mother as those united to her divine Son; she constantly intercedes for us in heaven.

5) Ways to Pray.  Lectio Divina, the Rosary, devotions, Adoration, prayers written by the saints, oral and silent prayer, contemplation.  There are as many ways to pray in the Catholic tradition as there are kinds of people.

6) Beautiful Art & Architecture.  Beauty reflects God.  Arguably the most beautiful images and buildings in the world have been created in the Catholic tradition.

7) The Papacy.  Francis, Benedict XVI, John Paul II (to name a few recents).  When these men speak or act, the whole world pays attention.

8) The Saints.  Mother Teresa, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Thomas More, St. Joan of Arc (to name a few).  They show us Jesus in dark times.

9) Education, Healthcare, Scientific Method, Free-Market Economics, Natural Law Ethics.  The monastic tradition and religious orders of the Catholic Church were responsible for pioneering these services and ideas.

10) Confession.  Jesus working through His priests helps us to be accountable for our compromises with the devil.

11) Culture.  Meatless Fridays, chant and classical music, the Latin language, Italian multi-course meals with lots of wine, great books and movies, bingo (need I say more?); 2,000 years of Christ inundating culture.

If I’d have been there, I’d have been there

“Holy Week begins with Passion Sunday, more popularly known as Palm Sunday, because this day first celebrates the regal entrance of Our Lord into Jerusalem, where he will face his bitter Passion for us sinners. The re-enactment of his entry into the Holy City is expressed through the sacramental of blessed palm or olive branches, carried by the ‘children of the Hebrews’. The ‘palms’ may literally be portions of a type of palm or olive branches or fronds or leaves taken from a local tree. In some places it is customary to use small crosses woven of palm fronds” (Msgr. Peter J. Elliott, Ceremonies of the Liturgical Year according to the Modern Roman Rite, San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2002, p. 69).

My brothers and sisters, I ask that you make Holy Week a sacred time.  Turn off your television this week, turn off the radio, refrain from doing unnecessary shopping, and pray!  If you are able, please make an effort to go to Holy Thursday Mass of the Lord’s Supper, Good Friday Commemoration of the Lord’s Passion, and Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday.  These sacred liturgies, in all their solemnity and grandeur, unite us to saving events that happened 2,000 years ago, and they become present here and now.  

A good priest-friend of mine, Fr. Anthony McLaughlin, used to preach on Palm Sunday, “If I’d have been there, I’d have been there . . . .”  In other words, if I had been present 2,000 years ago, I would not have deserted Jesus like so many of His disciples.  Fr. McLaughlin’s point was that, if this is true, then it would be hypocritical to miss Holy Week liturgies.  If I really would have been there for Jesus, then I should show Him my solidarity with Him by being present to Him at Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Vigil liturgies!  

The Raising of Lazarus

The Fifth Sunday of Lent (April 6) begins the last phase of this sacred season, a period traditionally known as Passiontide.  “The custom of veiling crosses and images in these last two weeks of Lent has much to commend it in terms of religious psychology, because it helps us to concentrate on the great essentials of Christ’s work of Redemption. . . . [A] pastor may choose to restore this wise practice in his own parish. . . . Crosses are unveiled after the Good Friday ceremonies. All other images are unveiled, without any ceremony, just before the Easter Vigil begins” (Msgr. Peter J. Elliott, Ceremonies of the Liturgical Year according to the Modern Roman Rite, San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2002, pp. 67-68).

The gospel passage for this Sunday is a veiling and unveiling of the resurrection power of Jesus Christ.  The “Raising of Lazarus” is the miracle which Jesus works for his recently deceased friend, Lazarus (John 11:1-45; Lectionary: cycle A).  The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament by Curtis Mitch and Scott Hahn (Ignatius Press: San Francisco, 2010) offers some enlightening commentary on this messianic miracle of our Lord.  “The raising of Lazarus is the sixth of seven ‘signs’ that Jesus performs in John (12:18), giving emphatic support to his claim to give ‘life’ (5:25-29; 6:40). There is a dark side to this episode as well, as it provokes Jewish opposition that will precipitate Jesus’ death (11:45-53). Similar miracles are recorded in [other] gospels, such as the raising of Jairus’ daughter (Mk 5:21-43) and the raising of the widow’s son from Nain (Lk 7:11-17; CCC 994).”

When Jesus is informed of Lazarus’ serious infirmity, He waits two days in the same place before going to Bethany.  “The delay of Jesus proves fatal for Lazarus. This period of waiting is not a mistake or miscalculation, but part of his plan to generate faith in the disciples (11:15, 42). Raising the dead to new life will have a more profound effect on them than raising the sick to health.”  Consequently, the sisters of poor Lazarus grieve his loss.  When our Lord arrives at Bethany, Martha asks Jesus His reason for delay and yet affirms her belief in Lazarus’ future bodily resurrection.  Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die” (Jn 11:25-26).  “Jesus places all hopes for a future resurrection upon himself. He possesses the absolute sovereignty over life and death that was always believed to be the sole prerogative of Yahweh (1 Sam 2:6; Wis 16:13; CCC 994)”.

On the way to Lazarus’ tomb to work this great miracle, the gospel records that Jesus wept (Jn 11:35) – not tears of despair – but of love and sympathy for Lazarus and the sorrow of his family.  Jesus in His sacred humanity experienced all human emotions, including grief for the death his dear friend (CCC 478).  Subsequently, He works a miracle that causes many to believe in him (Jn 11:45).  Not everyone was pleased, though.  This miracle led to the conspiracy of the Sanhedrin to have Jesus condemned.  And we will experience with our Lord next week these events as they are made present in the liturgical celebrations of Palm Sunday, Holy Week and the Easter Triduum.

Joy in the Cross by Fr. Francis Fernandez

Rejoice, Jerusalem, and all who love her. Be joyful, all who were in mourning; exult and be satisfied at her consoling breast (Is 66:10-11) . . . we sing in the Antiphon of today’s Mass.  Joy is essentially a Christian characteristic, and in this liturgical season the Church does not fail to remind us that it should be present at every moment of our lives.  There is a joy proper to the hope of Advent, then the joy of Christmas itself, so lively and warm.  And as the year advances there is the joy of increasing closeness to the risen Christ.  But today, as we approach the end of Lent, we meditate on the joy of the Cross.  It is one and the same joy as that of being united to Christ:  only in him can each of us say truthfully with St. Paul: He loved me and gave himself up for me (Gal2:20).  This should be the source of our greatest happiness, as well as the source of our strength and support.  Should we have the misfortune to encounter sorrow, undergo suffering, experience misunderstanding, or even to fall into sin, how quickly will our thoughts turn to the One who always loves us and who, with his infinite love as God, overcomes in every trial, fills our emptiness, forgives all our sins, and eagerly impels us towards a new path that is safe and joyful (John Paul II, Address; March 1, 1980).

This Sunday (March 30) is traditionally called Lætare Sunday from the opening words of the Entrance Antiphon [in Latin].  The strictness of the Lenten liturgy is interrupted on this Sunday with words that speak to us of joy.  Today, rose-colored vestments, if they are available, are permitted in place of purple (GIRM, 308), and the altar can be decked with flowers as on no other day in Lent (Ceremonial of Bishops, 48).  In this way the Church wishes to remind us that joy is perfectly compatible with mortification and pain.  It is sadness and not penance which is opposed to happiness.  Taking part to the utmost in this liturgical season which reaches its climax in the Passion, and hence in the suffering, we realize that approaching the Cross also means that the moment of our Redemption is coming ever closer.  In this way, the Church and each of her children are filled with joy.

The mortifications we do during these days should not cast a shadow over our interior joy.  Rather, it ought to increase it, because our Redemption is near at hand; the pouring out of love for mankind, which is the Passion, is coming and the joy of Easter will soon be upon us.  We therefore feel the need to be very closely united to Our Lord, so that our lives too may reflect once more the suffering He underwent for our sakes, as well as experiencing great happiness in the attainment of the glory and joy of the Resurrection through his Passion and his Cross.

From Fr. Francis Fernandez, In Conversation with God: Daily Meditations Volume Two: Lent and Eastertide (New York: Scepter Publishers Inc., 2010), pp. 157-8).

The Meaning of Christ’s Meeting with the Samaritan Woman

On the Third Sunday of Lent, (March 23), the liturgy of the word often contains the gospel passage of Christ and the Samaritan woman (John 4:5-42; always in Lectionary: Cycle A).  The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament by Curtis Mitch and Scott Hahn (Ignatius Press: San Francisco, 2010) offers some helpful insights into this pivotal event in Christ’s public ministry.  The gospel recounts Christ stopping to rest at Jacob’s well in a Samaritan village called Sychar at around noontime.  “The setting recalls the marital arrangements described in the Pentateuch. As the wives of Isaac (Gen 24:10-67), Jacob (Gen 29:1-30), and Moses (Ex 2:15-21) were first encountered at a well, so Jesus is the divine bridegroom in search of believers to be his covenant bride.”

“Centuries of animosity between Jews and Samaritans loom in the background of this episode. It began with the devastation of northern Palestine by Assyria in the eighth century B.C., when masses of Israelites were deported out of the land and foreign peoples were forcibly resettled in the region (2 Kings 17:6, 24-41). According to the Jews of southern Palestine, the remaining Israelites (Samaritans) had defiled themselves by assimilating the practices of these pagan peoples and intermarrying with them. The enmity between Jews and Samaritans was very much alive in NT times, and both groups took steps to avoid interaction with one another, especially in matters of food and drink.”  This explains the puzzlement of the Samaritan woman when Christ asks her for a drink.  Our Lord responds, “If you knew the gift of God and who is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him and he would have given you living water” (John 4:10).  Jesus is speaking of the life and vitality of the Spirit (John 7:38-39; CCC 728, 2560).  Christian tradition associates water with baptismal waters, which lead to “eternal life” (John 4:14).

In their dialogue, Christ manifests to the Samaritan woman His divine knowledge of her five husbands.  “The woman’s personal life parallels the historical experience of the Samaritan people. According to 2 Kings 17:24-31, the five foreign tribes who intermarried with the northern Israelites (Samaritans) introduced five male deities into their religion. These idols were individually addressed as Baal, a Hebrew word meaning ‘lord’ or ‘husband’. The prophets denounced Israel for serving these gods, calling such worship infidelity to its true covenant spouse, Yahweh. Hope was kept alive, however, that God would show mercy to these Israelites and become their everlasting husband in the bonds of a New Covenant (Hos 2:16-20). This day has dawned in the ministry of Jesus, the divine bridegroom (3:29), who has come to save the Samaritans from a lifetime of struggles with five pagan ‘husbands.’”  The acceptance of Jesus as the Messiah by the Samaritans is a prelude to the universal mission of the Church to baptize all nations, beginning with Israel and those peoples historically related to the Jews, and then the whole earth.

A Glimpse into Heaven

Every Second Sunday of Lent, we hear a gospel passage about the Transfiguration of the Lord on Mount Tabor.  The apostles – Peter, James, and John – get a glimpse at the future glory of Jesus.  This gospel accounts that the face of Jesus changed in appearance and His clothes turned dazzling white.  He is seen with Moses and Elijah, two Old Testament saints who represent the Law and the Prophets.  The voice of Father is heard and the Holy Spirit is represented by a thick cloud.  In the Transfiguration, we are getting a preview of heaven — the goal of our lives.

So, what is heaven?  Heaven is being with God, the Most Holy Trinity for all eternity, surrounded by Our Lady and all the saints, and the holy angels.  Heaven is seeing Jesus face-to-face — the Beatific Vision – and being united with Him perfectly forever.  We will [hopefully] see many of our lost loved ones.  We will not be sad, we will not suffer, and we cannot sin.  St. Paul says, What eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, and what has not entered the human heart, what God has prepared for those who love him (1 Cor 2:9).  The best memory we have, the best feeling of which we can conceive, the happiest we can ever remember being — heaven will be better than even these things.

In the meantime, we are here on earth with our eyes set on heaven.  The closest we will truly get to heaven on earth is the holy Mass.  As with the Transfiguration, the holy Mass is a glimpse of what heaven will be like.  In heaven, we will sing with the heavenly choirs in adoration of Almighty God.  In the Mass, we sing our responses and our voices join the chants and hymns of the Church.  In heaven, we will worship Jesus face-to-face.  In the Mass, we worship His presence under the veil of a sacrament.  In heaven, we are united to Jesus perfectly.  In the Mass, we are united to Jesus through holy Communion.

We might ask ourselves on this Sunday of the Transfiguration (March 16): Do I really see the Mass as a foretaste of heaven?  If I am bored or uninterested, why?  Am I the problem?  Do I desire eagerly to be with Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament constantly?  Is Jesus’ presence in the Eucharist truly my light and my salvation?

Liturgical Characteristics of the Season of Lent by Msgr. Peter J. Elliott

The distinctive English word “Lent” is derived from the Anglo-Saxon word for “spring”, which appropriately coincides with the great forty-day fast, common to both East and West at least since the fourth century.  Notwithstanding the fact that autumn occurs at this time in the Southern Hemisphere, the English word has the advantage over the Latin words based on “quadraginta” or “forty” because it calls to mind the new life, growth, hope and change that should characterize this time of prayer, penance and conversion, this season of initiation into the grace life of the Church.

In these forty days, Mother Church vests herself simply in violet.  Her sacred halls are bare, and much of her gracious music is muted.  Flowers at her altars and shrines are set aside, and, at the end of the season, the lamps will be extinguished, the bells will fall silent and her altars will be stripped.  But this is her true springtime, when her children grow in grace, in ways often imperceptible, subtle and varied.  Lent thus reminds us that the great graces are given by God, not when our senses perceive them or when our hearts are full of consolations, but in the silence and the stillness of “the night”.

A certain austerity should thus characterize the setting of the Lenten liturgy.  Simpler candlesticks may well be placed on or around the altar.  Flowers are not used to adorn the altar from Ash Wednesday until the Gloria at the Easter Vigil, except for Lætare Sunday, solemnities and feast days (cf. GIRM, no. 305).  It would be best to exclude them entirely from the church, even at popular shrines, during the whole penitential season.  The organ and other instruments are to be used only to sustain singing.  The Te Deum and the Gloria are sung or said on solemnities or feasts, but not on the Sundays of Lent.  “Alleluia” is never sung or said on any day until the Easter Vigil, and  hymns that include this praise should be excluded.

From Msgr. Peter J. Elliott, Ceremonies of the Liturgical Year according to the Modern Roman Rite (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2002), pp. 53-54.

Thou Shalt Not Kill

After giving the Beatitudes and presenting to us our mission to be salt of the earth and light of the world, Jesus begins to give his teaching on what ‘salt’ and ‘light’ mean concretely in the moral life.  But before He does so, He prefaces His moral teaching with “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill” (Mt 5:17).  Therefore, the moral precepts that He preaches in the Sermon on the Mount should not be seen in discontinuity with the Old Testament.  The Ten Commandments were specific, divine-positive promulgations of the natural law.  Our Lord’s intention in reviewing the Commandments is to clarify that mere external observance of the Law is simply not enough.  Jesus’ New Law of love is the law that must be written on each believer’s heart.

“You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, ‘You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you. . .” (Mt 5:21).  “By speaking in the first person (‘but I say to you’) Jesus shows that His authority is above that of Moses and the prophets; that is to say, he has divine authority. No mere man could claim such authority” (The Navarre Bible Commentary).  The point that our Lord is making is that murder results from uncontrolled anger and revenge.  It is inevitable in this life that we will get frustrated with one another every so often, and even that some people will hurt us — sometimes deeply hurt us.  However, when we let that anger simmer in our hearts; when we are unwilling to forgive; when we resort to nasty words and hateful insults — Jesus is telling us that we are not only murdering that person in our hearts, we are killing ourselves both spiritually and emotionally.

 Our Lord Jesus Christ instructs us that, despite countless injustices, we must have a heart of mercy, which reflects the Beatitudes of meekness and joy in the face of persecution.  A heart of mercy signifies a positive attitude towards life.  “Every human life, from the moment of conception until death, is sacred because the human person has been willed for its own sake in the image and likeness of the living and holy God” (CCC 2319; Gn 1:27).  Rather than being obsessed with the hot-button moral issues that face us today, we emphasize that all human life is sacred because it reflects the Creator Himself.  “Precisely for this reason God will severely judge every violation of the commandment ‘You shall not kill,’ the commandment which is at the basis of all life together in society” (Evangelium Vitæ, 53).

In this Sunday’s Mass, (February 16) I will carefully but directly preach our Lord’s teaching on the virtue of chastity (Mt 5:27-30).  Our Lady of Fatima said “More souls go to hell because of sins of the flesh than for any other reason.”  So, the sins against the Sixth and Ninth Commandments need to be properly addressed in light of our Lord’s teaching in the Sermon on the Mount.  Sunday Mass, when everyone is present, is a perfect place to do just that.