Oh Little Town of Bethlehem

As  I look out my window and see the hills of buildings here in Bethlehem I think of that morning, after the birth of our Lord, when Mary and Joseph started planning their next move to Egypt so they could escape Herod's massacre of all infant boys (Matthew 2:13-16).  I too will be leaving Bethlehem, in about two weeks, and traveling in the footsteps of our Lord.  While Egypt is not one of the stops my seminary classmates and I will be making we will be traveling to Nazareth, Galilee, and then Jerusalem.  We are making a pilgrimage, much like the one Mary and Joseph made from Nazareth to Bethlehem to Egypt back to Nazareth and then Jesus' pilgrimage from Nathareth to Jerusalem.  During my pilgrimage it is my intention to write at least one blog a week as a way to reflect on my pilgrimage.  My seminary brothers are keeping a daily blog that you can follow here if you wish.  

One week has past since landing here in the city of David. I would have to say that the main theme that has stuck out to me this week has been the awesome spiritual tradition of our faith, specifically the monastic tradition, both East and West.  Almost every site that we visited this week either had or currently has a monastery.  When we visited Masada, an ancient fortress built by Herod the Great around 37BC, and since then many people have taken pocession of it for various reasons including an ancient Byzantine Monastery dating back to the 4th century.  This mountain was in the middle of nowhere, next to the dead sea, and it was so peaceful and quiet.  No wonder Monks went there for peace and solitude to reflect on our Lord.  As I stood in the ruins of this monastery I could feel the monks still praying on our behalf to the Blessed Trinity.  

This week we also visited Mar Saba, an ancient Monastery built in the 5th century, and the beauty of this place was breathtaking.  Even though the Lord is not calling me to monastic life I could definitely be a monk there.  Just knowing, and in the case of Mar Saba seeing, monks praying for the world is a beautiful thing.  These holy men don't leave their monastery, have no connected to the outside world at all, don't have any luxuries, and they are joyful and filled with the Love of Jesus Christ.  This is a Love I wish to cultivate in my own heart and God willing this pilgrimage is a time where I can start this cultivation.  

Please, keep my brother and I in your prayers as we continue traveling to various Holy sites and walking in the footsteps of Jesus.  Be assured of my prayers for you.

Assumption of Mary into Heaven

It has come to my attention that there are many Catholics who don’t really understand the importance of our upcoming Solemnity, and Holy Day of Obligation, celebrating the Assumption of Mary into Heaven. It’s easy for me to understand the confusion behind the importance of this feast day because I too used to question its importance. Don’t get me wrong…I love Mary and I want to celebrate her as often as I can…but why make this day obligatory? Don’t we have enough obligatory Mary feasts? To take this a step further, it seems that this feast of Mary’s assumption, although important, doesn't compare to her Immaculate Conception or her role as Mother of God. So why is this day obligatory to celebrate?!

     As always, it is important to look at the big picture of our liturgical life and rich Traditions. It’s fitting that we celebrate Mary’s Immaculate Conception just before Christmas (December 8) because it assists us in understanding the mystery of the Incarnation (God becoming Man). We also can’t argue the logic in celebrating Mary as Mother of God just after Christmas (January 1). This is where we need to see the big picture; Mary was immaculately conceived without sin, totally giving herself to God and led to her fiat, accepting her new role as Mother of God. Mary was intimately united to God as both a beloved daughter and his Mother and these roles were lived out in her total commitment and acceptance of Gods will, as well as, giving birth to and raising the second person of the Blessed Trinity, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Because Mary lived her life in accordance with Gods will, and became the Mother of God, she was graced with the blessing of being assumed into Heaven, body and soul, to live with her Son and be crowned Queen of Heaven.

     I do not want this blog post to become a theological debate over the question of "did Mary die or fall asleep?" The question at hand is why this day is obligatory to celebrate. The answer is because it completes Mary's mission and vocation as Mother of God and model disciple. Mary is proof that when Christ promised a resurrection of the dead and eternal life in Heaven, for those who follow the New Law (Jesus Christ), that Christ wasn't kidding. The Blessed Virgin Mary is the model disciple, our natures solitary boast, and because of her choice to follow the will of God she was rewarded with everlasting glory! We are obligated to celebrate this great feast because it reminds us of our own future resurrection day when our bodies will rise from their graves and enter the eternal glory of Heaven!

     It's my prayer that all Catholics will spend this day in prayer asking for our Queens intercession and protection that we can faithfully follow the will of God and grow closer to her Son. Only by taking up the Cross of Jesus Christ and following the will of our Father in Heaven will we be able to enter the new and eternal Jerusalem. Have a Blessed Feast Day!

Mary, assumed into Heaven, Pray for Us!

Experiencing the Wounds of Christ

                After naming this particular blog post I see an unwarranted pun…trust me it’s not intended and you should understand by the end of the post.  This summer I have the opportunity to gain experience in a very specific ministry known has hospital chaplaincy.  Part of our seminary training here in the U.S.A (and I’m sure other countries as well) is taking part in a hospital chaplaincy internship.  Most diocese’s take advantage of a nationwide program called Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE).  This is a program designed to train hospital chaplains and involves a very rigorous certification process (praise Jesus we are not required to be certified).  Chaplains who are CPE certified are held to a prestigious level and take precedence in hiring (most hospitals require at least some CPE training).  For this reason many Bishops make good use of this resource to assist their future priests. 

       My CPE site is right here in Chicago at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn.  This is a very busy hospital due to our level one trauma center, top doctors in multiple areas of medicine, our children’s hospital, and our prime placement on Chicago’s Southwest side.  Christ Medical Center is a great hospital with a wonderful staff who truly care for each patient and work hard to keep people alive.  I must admit that I am very impressed by all the doctors, technicians, nurses, security, secretaries, maintenance, etc. and how well we all work as a team for our patients.  However, because this is a busy hospital, full of sick and suffering patients, the chaplains have a lot of work to do and people to minister to.  I have seen more pain and suffering in this hospital than I have ever wanted to witness.  From gunshot victims to car accidents, domestic violence to failed burglaries, kids making mistakes to children drowning in pools, cancer patients to strokes, I have seen it all and ministered to these people and/or their families…and it isn’t easy. 

                Amid all the suffering, pain, exhaustion, depression, and sadness that I have witnessed I have also witnessed a profound love of God.  I can honestly say that most of my patients love God very much and don’t blame him for their suffering.  As a matter of fact they grow closer to God through their suffering.  I have witnessed this for not only my Christian patients but also non-Christians.  These people seek prayer and feel its benefits even if their prayers don’t seem to have been answered.  My Catholic patients I've visited trust in redemptive suffering, where one unites their pains to Christ on the Cross for the salvation of their soul or others, and which St. John Paul the Great wrote about in his Apostolic Letter, Salvifici Doloris (on the Christian meaning of Human Suffering).  These patients have, in a way, proven to me that God exists.  I have not been questioning Gods existence at all but these patients who love God amid their terrible pain and suffering are just more proof that God is present and real.  Much like the Apostle, St. Thomas, who needed to touch the wounds of Christ, I feel that I am touching those wounds when I interact and pray with these holy men and women.  I should be ministering to them; however, they are ministering to me and I feel God speaking to me through them.  I hope that they feel God speaking to them through me. 

While hospital chaplaincy is not my vocation within priesthood I have a new respect for hospital chaplains.  This is not an easy ministry and it is certainly not for the faint of heart.  These brave men and women are willing to sit, talk, pray, and even be silent with many different people who experiencing terrible pains and suffering.  Their main concern is the comfort of the patient and then we focus on the family.  This is one of the most selfless ministries I have been a part of.  Please say a prayer for full time hospital chaplains and their families and please keep my brothers and me in your prayers as our summer chaplain internships come to a close.  And always keep the suffering members of the Body of Christ in your daily prayers that, if God wills them to come home, they may be welcomed into his Heavenly Kingdom.  

My review of NOAH

Last night I saw the newest biblical epic out in theatre's...NOAH.  I went into the film hearing many negative reviews on the films theology and overall quality.  I tried my best to keep an open mind so that I can make my own decision on the film.  I am very happy to say that I liked it and enjoyed myself a great deal!  The over two hour film felt like one hour.  The story moved pretty quick and kept my interest.  I enjoyed it very much.  I am writing this blog on the film in response to the negative reviews I've read.

 A word on the inaccuracy of the movie compared with Sacred Scripture.  The creators of this film definitely took their liberties with the story and added a lot of new plot points, and even characters, who are not mentioned in the original.  Is this something we should be concerned about?  Not at all!  The story of Noah is made up anyway in Sacred Scripture.  It was taken from a collection of myths (similar to that of the Epic of Gilgamesh) and fit to help the writers of Sacred Scripture make God relatable to the people of their time.  Noah is the BC version of the New Evangelization.  Because of this historical fact no good Catholic should fear seeing this movie; however, fundamentalist Protestants will have a hard time given their literal interpretation of their bible. 

On the tree-hugging, human killing, bad father character of Noah all I have to say in response to these critiques is to look at the whole picture and not just the one character.   In the film we have, of course, Noah who is the son of Lamech (correct in Scripture) and has evil cousins who are from the blood line of Cain, who killed Able (not correct in Scripture).  Our main antagonist is Tubal-Cain (Uncle of Noah) who is a King and whose family line has destroyed the land they live in.  All the food has been eaten, trees are cut down, animals killed, and all of God’s creation is being destroyed by the glutinous materialism of Tubal-Cain and his kingdom.  Noah, on the other hand, has a great love and devotion to God’s creation.  Noah doesn't kill animals for food, he only takes plant food that his family needs to survive, and tries to re-plant seeds in hopes Gods creation will come back.

It must be known that BOTH NOAH AND TUBAL-CAIN ARE TRYING TO DO GODS WILL!  Both men share their own view on God’s creation: Tubal-Cain focuses on humanity being created in the image and likeness of God and humanity has dominion over the whole created world while Noah focuses on all of creation being made good in Gods eyes and since humanity turned away from God (the fall of Adam and Eve) we no longer deserve to share in Gods good creation.  None of this (in terms of character and story) are true in Sacred Scripture; however, we are made in the image and likeness of God (Gen 1:27) and all of God’s creation is made Good (Gen 1).  So who's right and who's wrong?  They are both correct; however they look at it as an "either, or" situation when it's really a "both, and!"

In the movie universe Noah is the less of the two evils and God chooses him to carry out His plan.  Noah does make many bad decisions with his family and others but in the end Noah is just trying to do God’s will, which isn't always easy to figure out.  Love, obviously, wins in the end.  Noah realizes that man is created good just like the plants and animals.  Noah sees God's image and likeness in his family which gives him hope for the new creation to come after the flood. 

There are so many great themes in this film!  It's a great witness to what it means to be a beloved child of God, we get a better understanding of us being made in God’s image and likeness, and we are challenged to be the good stewards of creation that God created us to be.  Yes, God gave man dominion over the planet but not as a Lordship, as Tubal-Cain understood it, but as a ministry, as Noah understood it in this film.  Nothing, not even our own bodies, belong to us.  Everything will eventually go back to God who gave it to us out of Love in the first place.  How do you take care of this precious gift God gave us?  NOAH challenges us to look at our relationship with God and see if it's healthy, good, holy, and orthodox. 

Go and see this film!  It's great!  Even if you don't like the production quality (it's ok) you will still leave with a better understanding of yourself as a beloved child of God and hopefully asking yourself how you can be a better person and how you can make your relationship with God stronger.  

Half Gaelic Half Garlic

          A long time ago I saw a t-shirt that said “Half Gaelic Half Garlic.”  I regret never purchasing that shirt since I am half Italian and half Irish but I make up for it by telling people that phrase every time I’m asked about my families heritage.  Needless to say, for all of us graced with both Irish and Italian parents this week is the one of the best in our whole year!  Both major patrons celebrated just days apart!  All the ham, corned beef, cabbage, potatoes, and soda bread you can eat on one day, fish, desserts, coffee, and pasta on the other day and of course more wine, whiskey, and beer than you know what to do with!  It’s a great week!  But how should one really celebrate these two major feast days?  In the United States only one of them is a Solemnity but both should be given solemn respect.  I offer this reflection to those of us who want to celebrate but also remember what we are celebrating.

St. Patrick, who wasn't even Irish, came to Ireland as a humble Bishop being sent by Pope Celestine (patron Saint of my home parish).  St. Patrick had one goal: to spread the faith and convert hearts to Jesus Christ.  He did this by ordaining many priests and sending them out to baptize the country in Christ’s name!  This was both a great idea and a bad idea…these priests were baptizing everyone…even if they didn’t want to be baptized and it didn't matter if the people had any knowledge (a good number didn’t) of the faith they were being baptized into.  But St. Patrick knew the power of baptism and he wanted to save the whole country!  St. Patrick was a major evangelist!  He taught the faith as often as he could.  His most famous teaching is on the Trinity where he used a shamrock as a visual aid.  St. Patrick loved Jesus Christ, he loved the Church, and he loved the people of Ireland so much that he did what he could to save their souls. 

So, how should we celebrate such an evangelical saint? 

1.   Go to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass! St. Patrick loved Jesus Christ and he was a Bishop who celebrated the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass daily.  Everyone who is Irish (which apparently is everyone on St. Patrick’s Day) should go to mass as the perfect means of celebrating this great saint!

2.   Evangelize!  Share your faith!  St. Patrick was an evangelist!  Instead of posting pictures on your Facebook’s with you drunk as a skunk in a green shirt…post a picture of you praying the rosary or of your parish when you go to mass!  Tell people that you’re Catholic and love Jesus rather than “kiss me I’m Irish.”

3.   Baptize!  I think the ultimate way to celebrate St. Patrick is to baptize someone.  Of course, this can only be done by an ordained minister, unless there is an emergency of death with no ordained minister around, but one great idea is to renew your baptismal promises with your family as your prayer before you eat dinner!

 

St. Joseph, the foster father of Jesus, is a great saint, a humble man, a model of chastity (especially for men), and a model of fatherhood!  I’m not sure how St. Joseph became the patron of Italy or where such popular Italian devotion to St. Joseph came from but none the less many great Italian traditions come from celebrating this great saint!  Across the world this day is celebrated in the Church as a solemnity (as important as a Sunday) although it is not a holy day of obligation.  We don’t know much about Joseph, which shows his great humility, but we do know that he remained chaste through his marriage with the Blessed Mother, that he took care of the Holy Family by migrating them to Egypt for protection, he was tradesmen (carpenter), and he was fully obedient to the will of God. 

Italians celebrate this great feast in beautiful ways that we should all do:

1.   Go to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass!  It’s rightfully a solemnity and what better way to celebrate the foster father of Jesus Christ than to receive Christ in the Eucharist?!  Go to Mass!

2.   Abstain from meat.  This is a great Italian tradition that reminds us to be as humble as St. Joseph.  An easy way to deny ourselves is to abstain from meat. 

3.   Give to the poor!  St. Joseph was a man of charity.  He gave up his whole life to take care of Mary and Jesus.  What will you give up to take care of others?  What self gift will you make?  You can throw in a couple extra bucks in the poor box, donate to a local food pantry, volunteer at a homeless shelter, etc.  Charity is a great way to honor St. Joseph. 

          These are just some simple suggestions to celebrate the feasts of these two holy, humble, and amazing men who followed God’s will and fell in love with Jesus Christ.  Don’t feel the need to get drunk as a skunk or over eat on the pasta.  Use these two beautiful feast days to grow closer to God, build up the Body of Christ (the Church), and convert your heart to the Sacred Heart of Jesus (a popular Irish and Italian devotion).  

The Difference Vows Make

About four weeks ago a came across this article written by a man of faith who argues that two people should never stop dating even when they are married.  He of course meant dating each other, not other people, in that the couple should continue going on dates, dressing up, trying to impress each other, and keep the romance alive.  He says “…in any relationship, communication and the action of constant pursuit is key.”  While I agree with him 100% I do wish he spent more time in the article explaining the intrinsic difference between dating/ courtship and marriage.  That is what I will do in this short article.

First I want to make it clear that when I use the term courtship I am speaking of a man and woman who are not married but are exclusively seeing each other in a romantic relationship.  I am using this (some may think older) term to save us all from confusion from using the term “dating.”  Because a married couple can, and should, go out on dates as the author from the above mentioned article states.

So, what is the difference between courtship and marriage?  There are two main differences: a secular and a religious (Catholic) difference – of course the Catholic also includes the secular.  The secular difference is the vow’s the couple makes to each other when they are married.  The man and woman both promise to love and honor each other in sickness, health, good, bad, rain, shine, etc. for as long as they both shall live.  Catholic couples also vow to accept children lovingly from God and to raise them in the true Church of Christ (the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church).  These vows are a big deal because you are promising your whole self to another human being until one of you die.  That’s a big commitment!  In courtship you should be faithful and respectful to your significant other (boyfriend or girlfriend) but you are free to end the relationship at any time.  In marriage you promise to stick with your spouse no matter how hard the storm may be. 

 

The second difference, which is the Catholic one, is that in marriage you and your spouse form a communion of persons.  Reciprocity is inherent to human existence.  Man and woman were created to be self-giving and the most beautiful, and vulnerable, way to give of yourself to another person is through the conjugal act (sex).  The Second Vatican Council says it beautifully this way: “The body has a ‘spousal’ meaning because the human person is a creature that God willed for his own sake and that, at the same time, cannot fully find himself except through the gift of self.” (Gaudium et Spes, 24:3)  It is in the Sacrament of Marriage that we are able to be that self-gift to the person we love more than anything else in the world.  It is a self-gift that we don’t give to anyone but to the person we love the most which is why this self-gift is reserved for the sacrament of marriage.

Courtship is meant to prepare a couple for

marriage by helping you see if you can still love that person no matter their flaws.  Courtship does not take the place of marriage!  Courtship is a time that should be used to grow in friendship (because you should already be friends), grow closer, and become romantic with each other.  The best way to enter into a courtship, and marriage, is with a friend.  Friends make the best significant others and also the best spouses.  John Gottman (founder of the Gottman Institute) agrees with data to support it.  Couples who are friends first have healthier and happier marriages. 

Courtship and Marriage are two totally different relationships.  Courtship is a time to find your future spouse and prepare for a lifetime commitment and marriage is when you make that commitment (by making a full and beautiful self-gift) and live it out the rest of your life.  While you’re married you should still work at romancing and pursuing your spouse, but marriage and courtship are not the same thing.  As long as you are friends first, respect each other, and understand the importance of the self-gift we make in marriage, you will spend many beautiful years with your loved one. 

St. Valentine, Pray for Us!

FYI...It's still Christmas!!!

Even though radio stations have stopped playing Christmas music, people are throwing away their trees, the "happy holidays" have turned into "happy new year," and stores have replaced their Christmas decorations with Valentines day decorations...we are still in the midst of Christmas.

It's really very logical how the whole season works...we start with Advent where we prepare for Christmas and then on the 25th we celebrate Christmas! But Christmas lasts longer than 24 hours. The Christmas season lasts until the Baptism of The Lord (this year takes place on January 12).  Our beautiful tradition and calendar is filled with feasts that keep us in the Christmas spirit such as today as we celebrate the feast of the Holy Family.  On January 1st we will celebrate Mary, the Mother of God, which is a Holy Day of Obligation.  January 3 we celebrate the most Holy Name of Jesus and next Sunday we celebrate the feast if the Epiphany when the three Kings came to pay homage to the Christ child. Finally, the following week, we celebrate the Baptism of Christ.

So let us use these beautiful celebrations to assist us in continuing the great celebration of the King of Kings lowering himself to a small child, born in a stable, to suffer and die for our salvation from sin and death.  The best way to continue these celebrations, as always, is by attending mass and praying with your friends and family together asking for the Christ child to enter your hearts and conform you to his most Sacred Heart.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!