Tag: Franciscan

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Magnificat anima mea, Dominum

Hail Mary, full of grace.
The Lord is with you
Blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners,
now and at the hour of our death.
Amen.

How often have I prayed those words and then felt a peace and closeness that is beyond all understanding. Today as I moved boxes helping a co-worker whose son is in Baghdad I felt those words fill my head and heart. I’ve been at a few Marian shrines lately and just last week we had the Feast of the Assumption. Everyday Christians around the world pray the Divine Office and invoke the name, memory and intercession of the Mother of Jesus.

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,(Magnificat anima mea, Dominum) my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour;
he has looked with favour on his lowly servant.

From this day all generations will call me blessed;
the Almighty has done great things for me and holy is his name.

He has mercy on those who fear him,
from generation to generation.

He has shown strength with his arm
and has scattered the proud in their conceit,

Casting down the mighty from their thrones
and lifting up the lowly.

He has filled the hungry with good things
and sent the rich away empty.

He has come to the aid of his servant Israel,
to remember his promise of mercy,

The promise made to our ancestors,
to Abraham and his children for ever.

For St. Francis of Assisi Mary was the Mother, Advocate and Queen. May she intercede for us always and bring us the Peace of Christ.

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Biblical Justice

Franciscans are called to live the Gospel going from “Gospel to life and life to the Gospel.” In the Old Testament justice meant fidelity to the bonds of relationship. In the Old Testament the evidence of your love of God and neighbor was how you treated the widow, the orphan, and the foreigner in your midst. The Jews had been foreigners in Egypt and this was key to their right relationship with God. In the Gospel of Luke Jesus describes our relationship to our neighbor and gives us a fabulous story about the Samaritan man who was neighbor to a man beaten and left for dead along the road. In the Gospel of Matthew in the twenty-fifth chapter Jesus gives his only description of the final judgement. It too is about taking care of the most vulnerable among us.

Today in our country there is a situation involving immigration. There are no easy answers. It’s a nuanced argument that is once again being used by clever politicians to divide us. The United States Catholic bishops have taken a position that closely aligns itself with the church’s teachings which of course are drawn from the Gospel. Pundits are spinning their stories as I suppose they have done all through history. The real issue boils down to economics. In our country the emphasis in statehouses and in our national capitol is one of money. People have no real value according to the government except as they might provide tax revenue. In the days after September 11th I was shocked at how soon the dialogue switched from the victims of this tragedy to the impact this was having on our financial markets. The immigration issue is being framed the same way. We’re not concerned with the immigrants unless they can help our economy. With the exception of Native Americans the rest of us came here as immigrants. My ancestors came here from Ireland, Scotland and Wales. My great-grandmother never became a citizen. Today we’d call her an illegal alien. Grandma Owens had seven children each of whom had children. All of them became American citizens. America used to be beautiful and used to be a beacon of democracy. The image of the Statue of Liberty and the famous quote emblazoned at the base of the statue by the child of Jewish immigrants.

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.

“Keep ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she
with silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

Some in our country want to post the Ten Commandments in public places. Commandments written in stone have little effect unless they are written in the hearts of the people. ““When an alien resides with you in your land, you shall not oppress the alien. The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizenamong you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt.”
-Leviticus 19:33-34. Peace.

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All creation is shouting for joy..

Today began with a trip to Mt. Irenaeus for Mass. That’s my routine on most Sundays. First a trip to the grocery store to pick up some brunch items to share after Mass and then a forty minute trip to the Mountain. Fr. Bob was the celebrant today. At Mt. Irenaeus all the homilies are interactive. The celebrant offers his reflections and that is followed by a chance to share what is on our own hearts with respect to the homily or the readings or what is moving in us today. Today was day rich in imagery and exchange about purging ourselves of the idols that block us from relation with God. The gospel was about Jesus driving the money changers from the temple. The story is familiar but today the reflections were especially meaningful to me.

Following a tasty brunch our Partners in Ministry team assembled for a couple of hours discussing the Incarnation in Franciscan spirituality and how we carry the fruits of that incarnation into our daily lives and how we share it with a world that desperately needs to hear that message. Our animators of the discussion today did an artful job of sharing their insights. One of the metaphors Anita shared was about “blood and water” and how as Jesus died blood and water came from him and that when a mother gives birth to a child there is a release of blood and water. We were all struck by the poignancy of this observation. We began to discuss at length these holy symbols which draw us to the Mystical Christ.

Last night I was reading a piece entitled Maya and Sacrament in Bede Griffiths. After reading it and reflecting on today’s discussion and sharing I thought how much this means to me. All around me I am surrounded by the evidence of the Incarnation. In fact it is shouting to me if I have ears to hear it. It is in the snowy ground around me, in the air I breathe, in my family at the supper table. There are some lyrics to a song that I like that say, “The heavens are telling the glory of God, and all creation is shouting for joy! Come dance in the forest, come play in the fields. And sing, sing to the glory of the Lord!” The song proclaims the incarnation. I am brother and sister to all creation just as St. Francis proclaimed. All that is created is created by God and for his glory.

What a different relationship I have and a change of attitude when I have the eyes to see and the ears to hear that all that is created is brother and sister to me. There can be no duality. It is not part of God’s creation. St. Augustine described the nature of God “as a circle whose center was everywhere, but whose circumference was nowhere.” Peace.

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Danta De

I begin this day listening to Danta De, classic sacred music of Ireland. It’s beautiful music taken from the Irish Hymnal of 1928. It’s a CD available from AveMaria Press. Listening to this beautiful music, drinking some tea and eating a honey and peanut butter sandwich made from Monk’s bread while reading from “Work of God” a book of Benedictine prayer. I purchased the book of Benedictine prayer on one of my many visits to Abbey of the Genesee. I’ve read other presentations of the Divine Office, but I like this one because it’s easier for me to follow. I don’t sit and do formal morning and evening prayers everyday. I get myself too busy. I should take more time. This week is winter break and I have time to spend more time praying the Divine Office.

Each morning I say a short prayer before the crucifix and offer myself to God to do with me as he might. I asked to be relieved of the bondage of self that I might better do his will. I ask him to take away my difficulties that victory over them might bear witness to those that I might help of his power, his love and his way of life. I ask for knowledge of his will for me today and the power to carry it out.

Tomorrow I’m traveling to Mt. Saviour Monastery for a couple of days in their loving care. Yesterday I spent some time setting up a computer for my friend Fr. Dan Hurley, OFM at Mt. Irenaeus. Hurles as we affectionately call him is 85 and suffering from macular degeneration. I tried to make the print on the computer screen large enough for him to read. I love him. He’s my image of God, a kindly gentle fellow, who loves us all and is patient beyond measure. I wish I knew more about how to help him see. He has trouble seeing the Lectionary at Mass. Yesterday after trying to help Fr. Dan I spent time in Holy Peace Chapel looking east over the hills of Allegany County. The sky was a lovely blue and sunlight streamed into the chapel.

This week I’ll probably spend time every day visiting monasteries and convents. It’s one of the things I like to do. I’ll be praying for our children and their success in college and for my lovely wife. Thank God for the gift of love. Peace.