The need for a Daniel

Fin the first reading today we have one of the central stories from the Old Testament that we should all know. The main characters are Daniel and Sussana. 

Sussana is a woman of exemplary faith who goes out to bathe in her garden which would have been a normal thing in the time. Two old men who have hidden away try and trap her into sleeping with them. She says no and so they denounce her for having been with some young man. 

They know the law. Dt 19: 15 requires a minimum of two witnesses. The two men lie. The two men lie but are discovered when questioned separately. In accord with Dt. 19:19 the two men are condemned to the punishment they tried to inflict on her. 

In this story we see demonstrated basic principles of justice that we hold to this day. Susanna has a right to protect her good name. An accusation alone is no enough to convict. Sussana has a right to a trial. She has the right of defense. The presumption is that she is innocent. There must be some evidence and testimony. 

These are basic human rights that must be always and everywhere defended. Unfortunately, in our zeal to put the abuse crisis behind us, we as a Church have too often set aside the rights of those accused. In truly medieval fashion the dead have been accused and convicted without trial or evidence.  

On this day we pray for God to send forth that same Spirit that he stirred up in Daniel. It is possible for us to cleanse the Church of the scourge of abuse without abandoning our belief in the basic principles of justice. 

Rejoice, Be joyful, exult

Yes today is that Sunday, the Sunday when we break out the Rose (often pink) Vestment. 

In the entrance antiphon we are told to rejoice, to be joyful, and to exult. It all seems absolutely inappropriate given what we are living through at this moment. 

Preparing to celebrate for the first time in my 30 years of priesthood mess without a congregation I was walking through the entire missile and got stuck in the Creed.

We believe in one God the father Almighty Creator of heaven and earth of all things visible and invisible.

Someone was telling me yesterday that there was a priest online saying that this was all the creation of the devil to destroy the Church. The problem with that theory is that the devil cannot create. Only God can create. We humans can manufacture. We take a tree and transform it into toilet paper but we cannot create the tree. 

In the gospel today the people assume that the man being born blind is a bad thing, that it must be punishment for sin. They cannot see the truth. Jesus proclaims that what they perceive as a curse is actually for the Glory of God. As a person born with a disability this gospel has had a profound affect in my life. It took me years to see it as a blessing and not a curse. 

The truth is that we are all born blind. We see only a tiny fragment of the universe. And yet, we claim to know so much. 

If I say the word bacteria, you think bad.  And yet,  they are an essential part of our world , of our bodies. If you killed all of the bacteria in your body you would die. 

Do we know why viruses exist? No. That is a part of the mystery. We may never know in this world. And we should pay no attention to those who offer facile answers to such a complex question

What we do know is this :

St John tells us: God is love.

St. Paul tells us : All things work together for good for those who love God. 

Just as the salvation of the world came through the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, we are going to see the glory of God through this virus. 

Look around we can already see it. People coming together and helping one another. Who would have ever imagined our government offering humanitarian aid to Iran.  We as a church are seeking new creative ways of spreading the good news of Jesus Christ. 

we are people of Faith, Hope, and Love 

We can in fact Rejoice, because we know that God is always with us. We know that out of every Good Friday comes Easter

How firm is my faith

In the first reading today from the Book of the Prophet Hosea we hear,

What can I do with you, Ephraim? What can I do with you, Judah? Your piety is like a morning cloud, like the dew that early passes away. 

Church as we knew it has been put on an indefinite hold. We can no longer come together and celebrate the Liturgy, as a Church. Some of our members have already lost their jobs, others are afraid they will be next, all of us are trying not to panic. 

It is moments like this that we need to remember that we are part of a Church that has been around for two millennia. We have been through this before and we have been through much worse. And our history shows that every time the Church has Gone through an event such as this we have come in it stronger. 

We are the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church established on the day of Pentecost by the Holy Spirit with Jesus Christ as our Head. No power on earth can destroy us. 

Many times in our history the Faithful have been scattered to the four winds, forced to hide away, unable to come together to celebrate the sacraments. The prophet Hosea says of the people of his day that their piety is like a morning cloud or the dew, it passes away. In times of crisis personal piety, popular piety has been the glue that has bound us together. 

I would encourage each of you to grab hold of two thing: your Bible and your Rosary. 

In those moments of anxiety, nothing will calm you more than the rhythm of the Rosary, as you repeat those words allow yourself you be immersed in prayer. 

With your Bible, follow along with the readings of the Lenten Season available on the Bishops’ website. Or you can pick a book of the Bible a gospel such as Matthew would be my recommendation, and simply begin to read. 

We, the Church, have survived many times before and we absolutely will survive this. We will call on the Holy Spirit to show us how we can help our brothers and sisters in need and continue to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ. This our faith and it sits on the firmest of foundations. 

St. Joseph, Husband of Mary

Today the Church takes a pause in the middle of Lent to turn our attention to Joseph. In terms of the historical person, we know almost nothing. And yet, he is the model for all men. While he not the biological father of Jesus, he carries out all of the other duties of a father. Today is a day to pray for all men, especially those who are fathers.

Many of our men work countless hours in order that they may provide for there families. So often in these true Christians fathers we see examples of quite selflessness.  I remember today my own father who was the ultimate introvert. Day after day he went to work in the local textile mill, and came home exhausted. He was not one to say “I love you” but showed his love through small gestures. 

Sadly, there are other men for whom we must pray, men who are merely biological fathers.  Let us today offer prayers that these men will come to understand and embrace the true meaning of fatherhood. 

Lastly, let us pray for all the men who are the truest copies of St. Joseph, foster fathers and other men who care for the children of others. One of our greatest cultural errors is that we think of child care as something maternal. Children need paternal love as well.

Today let us pray for all fathers as we celebrate St. Joseph 

Real St. Patrick’s Day

On any normal St. Patrick’s Day people all over the US, much more that in Ireland, would be throwing on something green and thinking about where they are going to eat, and drink, often way too much.  Little if any of it had anything to do with the saint. 

This year, as we are forced to abandon the gluttony, our best choice is to replace it with prayer and reflection. Time to sit down and actually read something about the life of St. Patrick.  And as we pray, include a prayer of St. Patrick.

Christ be with me, Christ within me

Christ behind me, Christ before me

Christ beside me, Christ to win me

Christ to comfort me and restore me.

Christ beneath me, Christ above me

Christ in quiet, Christ in danger

Christ in hearts of all that love me

Christ in mouth of friend or stranger.

The Simplicity of God’s Mercy

In the first reading today, we encounter Naaman, the leper who goes to Elisha searching for a cure. 

The instructions he receives are simple: go and bathe seven times in the Jordan. 

Elisha does not wave his arms and jump around or demand that Naaman do anything complicated. Naaman is angry. He expects more. 

Some people can look at the sacrament of Penance and think, “It’s too easy. A person confessed to a priest, says a couple of prayers, and all is forgiven?” And our answer is “Yes!”, because that is the God we believe in, a God who loves us so much that he has provided a simple path to the forgiveness of our sin.

In this Lenten Season, let us turn to God. Let us accept the gift. In this time when we cannot do many other things, we can still go to our priests and bishops and individually receive the Sacrament of Penance.