http://acapuchinjourney.blogspot.com/2012/05/your-word-is-true.html

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Your Word Is True

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Sat, 19 May 2012 14:49:00 +0000

http://newsandals.blogspot.com/2012/05/saturday-morning-in-jersey.html

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Saturday Morning in Jersey

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Sat, 19 May 2012 14:17:00 +0000

About to sit down with the Office and say my prayers with the Labrador at my side.  She is a good prayer companion.

Mixing between Chernow's Washington and H.U. von Balthasar's Cosmic Liturgy.  Both thick, both worth thought.

Whenever I'm home, I recall the first paragraph of Gaudium et Spes:

The joys and the hopes, the griefs and the anxieties of the men of this age, especially those who are poor or in any way afflicted, these are the joys and hopes, the griefs and anxieties of the followers of Christ. Indeed, nothing genuinely human fails to raise an echo in their hearts. For theirs is a community composed of men. United in Christ, they are led by the Holy Spirit in their journey to the Kingdom of their Father and they have welcomed the news of salvation which is meant for every man. That is why this community realizes that it is truly linked with mankind and its history by the deepest of bonds.

After just a few days in Jersey, moving between the porch on the back of my house to the local bakery and gas station, I recall both the deep call that I felt within my soul to religious life and the way it still resonates as well as how different this call is from the majority of other fine souls in this town.

Yet, there is a connection, a deep call to participate deeply in the griefs and anxieties of those I meet, by uniting them with Christ.  Indeed, we are on a journey together.

http://friarminor.blogspot.com/2012/05/comfort-in-ruin.html

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Comfort in Ruin

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Sat, 19 May 2012 13:18:00 +0000

In various places I saw this week the announcement from the Canadian bishops' conference regarding bishop Raymond Lahey having been dismissed from the clerical state. (Read the whole thing here.)  Lahey, you will recall, was caught with child pornography at the Ottawa airport.

The bishops' announcement details the effects of the penalty: "loss of the rights and duties attached to the clerical state, except for the obligation of celibacy; prohibition of the exercise of any ministry, except as provided for by Canon 976 of the Code of Canon Law in those cases involving danger of death; loss of all offices and functions and of all delegated power, as well as prohibition of the use of clerical attire."

But it's the next sentence that struck me the most: "Lahey has accepted the Decree of Dismissal, which also requires him to pray the Liturgy of the Hours in reparation for the harm and the scandal he has caused, and for the sanctification of clergy."

I find that very comforting.

Even I should make a complete ruin of the vocation God has given me in his mercy, and even if I should become such a wicked priest as to require my dismissal from the clerical state, I will still have the Liturgy of the Hours and the privilege of praying it for the Church and the world. Even if I should make such a mess of the vows of my religious profession and the promises of my ordinations, that promise I made to pray the Hours on the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary in 2006 will always be with me. Even if I should die and go to hell, it will be my last joy to tell the devil that it was the privilege of this ruined soul to pray his breviary up to that moment.

One doesn't just all of a sudden have a laptop full of child pornography. I'm guessing that on the way to such a thing there are various moments when one might notice the destructive and abusive descent he was making. But anyone who is a sinner knows the power of concupiscence and denial in this regard.

So as I was praying the Office of Readings and Morning Prayer today, it was one of my intentions to pray for those who were abused in the production of the images on Lahey's laptop. And I pray also that all the victims of sexual abuse by priests would forgive me for praying for them without knowing what else to do about the sicknesses in the clergy at the root of their victimization. And I hope that Lahey, according to his decree of dismissal, is praying for me.

http://littleportionhermitage.blogspot.com/2012/05/one-of-most-wonderful-things-about.html

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Sat, 19 May 2012 08:35:00 +0000

http://newsandals.blogspot.com/2012/05/on-empty-show.html

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On the Empty Show

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Fri, 18 May 2012 13:50:00 +0000

A favorite whipping boy person (inclusiveness, right?) of many in the Church right now is the Third Roman Missal.  The out and out talk about rebellion -- refusal to abide by the new translations -- has largely died down.  I myself am growing accustomed to the new prayers.  And, as I expected (at least in my case) I'm actually growing to love new parts of the mass.  What caught me most especially in recent days was the Preface for the Ascension.  Beautiful.

But, this isn't a post about that.  Instead, I wanted to focus on something that caused no small bit of laughter on Easter.

In the renewal of baptismal vows, the people are asked to reject Satan, his works and his empty show.  I'll admit, I chuckled.  "Empty show."  How innovative.  Shame on me for not picking up the scriptural reference.

On Tuesday, the office of readings offers this bit of wisdom from the second chapter of the First Letter of John (1 Jn. 2:16):

Carnal allurements, enticements for the eye, the life of empty show -- all these are from the world.  And the world with its seductions is passing away but the man who does God's will endures forever. 

Interesting.  A clear reference.  But, then we turn to the current NAB translation and find this:

For all that is in the world, sensual lust, enticement for the eyes, and a pretentious life, is not from the Father but is from the world.

I'll need to spend some time with the Vulgate (and, gasp, perhaps check out the Greek), but it seems as if the talk of Satan's empty show finds a root in Scripture.

And what's more, when you think about it, isn't his show quite empty?

http://newsandals.blogspot.com/2012/05/on-vacation.html

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On Vacation

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Fri, 18 May 2012 13:34:00 +0000

Home on vacation.

Attempting to respond to emails while petting the dog.  One-handed emails are not my forte.

A brief list of things to do today: errands that will numb the mind.

On a bright note, planning on getting in a run and then beginning Ron Chernow's biography on George Washington.

Indeed, life is good.

http://friarminor.blogspot.com/2012/05/liturgical-kludgery-utility-of-paper.html

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Liturgical Kludgery: The Utility of Paper Clips

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Fri, 18 May 2012 13:22:00 +0000

Paper clips are very versatile. Since they can can be had in different colors, they are eminently useful for liturgical kludges.

Here a rubric red (apologies for the redundancy) paper clip affixes the rarely heard nuptial hanc igitur to the Roman Canon:

For a portable photocopy of the Exsultet, a paper clip of Easter white:






















And when the zipper pull on my everyday alb broke after six years of dutiful service, the same baptismal paper clip stepped in to keep things running. Dealba me, Domine.

http://littleportionhermitage.blogspot.com/2012/05/for-such-is-power-of-great-minds-such.html

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Fri, 18 May 2012 09:07:00 +0000

http://friarminor.blogspot.com/2012/05/near-and-far.html

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Near and Far

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Thu, 17 May 2012 12:48:00 +0000

I have been fortunate in my Christian life to have lived most of it--so far--in regions that have preserved the Ascension on its proper day. In most places, today is Thursday of the sixth week of Easter, a novelty of a liturgical day unknown to our ancestors in the faith.

I remember that it was the vigil of Ascension in 1992 when I first walked down to the church where I would be baptized and introduced myself to the pastor and the permanent deacon. My 'convert instructions' proceeded quickly from there--I had already journeyed through a sort of pre-catechumenate with the priest on campus--and I would be baptized on the other side of that summer on the feast that was then called the Beheading of John the Baptist.

I have always loved Ascension day. It seems to hold within itself the coincidences of opposites that make up the fruitfulness of the Christian mystery. In its curious mash-up of the chronologies and pneumatologies of the gospel traditions surrounding the Resurrection, we pray through the good news that Jesus' departure assures his abiding Presence among us, and are reminded that his descent into our humanity is the occasion of our ascent from the misery and frustration of selfishness and sin. A period marked by the apostles' privileged experience of the Risen Lord in little Galilee ends so that the Spirit who is his Presence may begin to be handed on to the whole world.

In prayer we experience a reflection of these mysteries in the little mirror of our soul. Who is this God to whom we pray, or this Spirit who prays in us? As no-thing, he seems to be more of an absence than a presence, he who is the Light so bright that our minds and hearts only see him as darkness. Indeed, it is the apparent inaccessibility of God that continues to draw us into the mystery. And so we continue in our interior striving after the adorable Mystery that is God Most High, with the striving that is the only true rest. The opposites that frame and enable our rational thought begin to coincide, a sign of our own ascension above ourselves, of our new freedom in Christ.

http://littleportionhermitage.blogspot.com/2012/05/in-resurrected-and-ascended-lord-our.html

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Thu, 17 May 2012 09:35:00 +0000

http://friarminor.blogspot.com/2012/05/cloud-of-witnesses.html

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Cloud of Witnesses

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Wed, 16 May 2012 13:09:00 +0000

Today my devout hope is to make my final visit to the Italian consulate, emerging with my visa. The letter partly pictured below will accomplish this. That the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin, the Secretariat of State of the Holy See, and the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life--and one would hope, in the midst of their agreement, the Holy Spirit--have blessed by their seals my summons to Rome is supposed to convince the Republic of Italy to permit me entrance.

http://blog.beafranciscan.org/2012/05/15/the-blessing-of-friends/

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The Blessing of Friends

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Tue, 15 May 2012 17:41:21 +0000

By Fr. John Anglin, OFM The following reflection on Franciscan life and the importance of friendships with lay people was posted on April 29 on Fr. John’s blog, The Wandering Friar. I thought that I would take a different turn in my blog posting and give you another glimpse into my life. As a Franciscan Friar, community life is vitally important to [...]

http://newsandals.blogspot.com/2012/05/after-more-than-month.html

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After More Than a Month

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Tue, 15 May 2012 12:45:00 +0000

These pages have been blank for more than a month.  The end of year took up most of my time: papers, exams, final projects at the parish.  Now they're all past.  Almost.

http://littleportionhermitage.blogspot.com/2012/05/whole-church-all-of-us-are-sent-into.html

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Tue, 15 May 2012 09:27:00 +0000

http://littleportionhermitage.blogspot.com/2012/05/world-does-not-consist-of-100-percent.html

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Mon, 14 May 2012 09:07:00 +0000

http://littleportionhermitage.blogspot.com/2012/05/we-must-stand-up-when-kingdom-is.html

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Sun, 13 May 2012 09:37:00 +0000

http://littleportionhermitage.blogspot.com/2012/05/eucharist-is-heart-of-christian.html

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Sat, 12 May 2012 09:18:00 +0000

http://friarminor.blogspot.com/2012/05/layers-and-locations.html

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Layers and Locations

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Fri, 11 May 2012 13:33:00 +0000

I had an amazing transition-time dream last night. Like a lot of my dreams it took the form of an adventure. There were curious but telling locations: a dark intersection at night, a celebratory event with friars, a hospital that turned out to be dedicated to St. Francis, Newhallville (a neighborhood near where I grew up), and the home of a high school classmate. Between these there were various means of transportation: walking with the GPS on my phone malfunctioning and a ride each in a soccer-mom van and a dumb waiter. Some of the friars were in the dream, as well as other people I haven't seen or thought about in ages.

In one part of the dream I was cooking. It was like one of the afternoons when it's my turn to prepare the friars' supper. The funny part was that people kept bringing me new ingredients. Since the new items I kept receiving were of very high quality, and also to be polite, I had to keep revising the meal in order to include them in the dish. It got to be very challenging. Isn't that a rich image of the spiritual life? God gives us increasingly rare and beautiful graces, and we are left with the challenge of integrating these into the whole of our journey with all of its weeds and wheat, thereby forever arriving at a new grasp of ourselves and who we are before and in God.

The dream reminded me of some truths about people and places in the journey. Because of God's eternity, and because our spiritual lives are nothing but our participation in the mystery of God, our spirituality is somehow simultaneous over the whole of life. When we enter into a new relationship, for example, we bring into it everyone else to whom we have related. This is why we are all such blessed messes of true love and destructive pathology in all of our relationships. Salvation is the process by which each relationship becomes ever more chaste and charitable, with new ones starting at a better baseline. Places exert a similar influence; the places we have been have formed us, and we bring them into the new places we settle. I guess that's why religious life-options like the monastic vow of stability or the mendicant life of itinerancy are so spiritually potent.

In my prayer today I'm just thanking God for everyone and each place I take with me into this new life.

http://littleportionhermitage.blogspot.com/2012/05/love-expands-you.html

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Fri, 11 May 2012 10:16:00 +0000

http://blog.beafranciscan.org/2012/05/10/washington-theological-union-graduation-today/

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Washington Theological Union Graduation Today

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Thu, 10 May 2012 21:08:59 +0000

Brothers Dan Horan, OFM, and Steve DeWitt, OFM, graduated from Washington Theological Union in Washington, D.C., on May 4. Below, Dan shares his thoughts on this special occasion. Today I will graduate (again) from the Washington Theological Union. Two years ago, I completed an M.A. in Systematic Theology from the WTU and then taught for [...]

http://friarminor.blogspot.com/2012/05/slow-posting.html

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Slow Posting

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Thu, 10 May 2012 13:11:00 +0000

Posting has been slow this week. I guess I'm somewhat preoccupied since hearing that my move and transition is coming up so quickly. There are so many things to think about: all the loose ends I need to tie up here in States before I go, planning my flight, deciding what I need to bring and what I need to get over taking along, trying to communicate with my new community, etc.

Not the least of these preoccupying things has been the last two mornings I've spent at the Italian consulate here in Boston, trying to apply for the visa per motivi religiosi, tipo 'D', per lunga durata. To my surprise, I think I have succeeded in this task as of yesterday afternoon, despite not yet having an original copy of the letter bearing the seal of the Vatican secretariat of state. What the secretary of state of the Holy See has to do with the Republic of Italy allowing the Capuchins to invite me to live and work for the Order in Rome I'm not sure, but I suppose this is exactly the sort of holy mystery that may be revealed to me in this new ministry as secretary for the English language.

If anything, my mornings at the consulate have shown me how simple my life really is. Overhearing the various and often tense conversations between the seekers of visas and the consular staff, I heard about all kinds of elaborate travel, complex international work, intricate finances, bi-continental marriages, the repatriation of mortal remains, etc. Last night I suggested to the formation staff that the student friars could be sent to the consulate on visa application days for the sake of learning multicultural sensitivities. The interactions between American applicants and the Italian staff did not always look to me like successful multicultural encounters, if you ascertain my meaning.

So, thanks for your prayers. More adventures to come.

http://littleportionhermitage.blogspot.com/2012/05/days-in-which-we-live-now-require.html

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Thu, 10 May 2012 10:04:00 +0000

http://littleportionhermitage.blogspot.com/2012/05/prayer-of-jesus-that-we-be-one-as-he.html

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Wed, 09 May 2012 10:56:00 +0000

http://blog.beafranciscan.org/2012/05/08/the-end-as-we-know-it/

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The End As We Know It

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Tue, 08 May 2012 18:27:49 +0000

By Casey Cole After nearly nine months of attending workshops, meeting friars, ministering, praying, reflecting, and so on and so forth, the postulancy year is just about over… Well, with the exception of the final three months we have yet to complete. With all the goodbyes we’ve said over the past few days, and the [...]

http://littleportionhermitage.blogspot.com/2012/05/it-is-no-exaggeration-to-say-that.html

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Tue, 08 May 2012 10:20:00 +0000

http://friarminor.blogspot.com/2012/05/apis-mater.html

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Apis Mater

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Mon, 07 May 2012 15:00:00 +0000

This little candle nub used to be about two feet long.

It was one of the beeswax baptismal candles prepared for the clergy at the Easter Vigil of our cathedral here in Boston. One of the friars brought one back for me that night. I've been burning it as a prayer candle in my room. I was hoping that it would make it to Pentecost, but it wasn't to be.

Prayer consumes. Prayer immolates. In offering the Paschal Candle to God at the Easter Vigil, it was presented as "the work of bees and of your servants' hands." There's the logic of the incarnation; the Word of God having become flesh in Christ renders creation fit to be transformed through immolating sacrifice to God. My little Easter candle was consumed in its work as a symbol accompanying my moments of prayer. The substance of bread and wine, as both created matter and a product of human work, is immolated in the Sacrifice of the Mass so as to re-present the one Sacrifice such that we might receive its victory over sin and death into our bodies and our lives.

This is the paschal mystery. In his own high priestly sacrifice, Jesus Christ carries in himself a disfigured creation that it might be transfigured in his victory. Abandoning ourselves to the immolation of the same Sacrifice, we find ourselves reborn for the great Easter slogan: sursum sunt quaerite, "seek the things that are above."

http://littleportionhermitage.blogspot.com/2012/05/at-eucharistic-table-we-are-offered.html

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Mon, 07 May 2012 09:44:00 +0000

http://friarminor.blogspot.com/2012/05/letter-of-obedience.html

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Letter of Obedience

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Sun, 06 May 2012 23:04:00 +0000

There you have it.

http://littleportionhermitage.blogspot.com/2012/05/what-do-i-desire-what-do-i-want-why-do.html

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Sun, 06 May 2012 09:23:00 +0000

http://friarminor.blogspot.com/2012/05/updates-on-my-transition.html

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Updates on my Transition

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Fri, 04 May 2012 13:17:00 +0000

The latest plan has me moving to Italy toward the end of this month. That's a little sooner that I had most recently anticipated, but I can be ready. After arriving in Rome and having a few things taken care of, I am to go to Assisi to take courses in Italian. Eventually, perhaps with other stops beforehand, I am to take up the ministry of secretary for the English language at our Capuchin general curia.

Right now I'm supposed to wait for a letter of obedience from Rome. Once I receive it, I am to take it to the Italian consulate to apply for a visa for "motivi religiosi". May it be so for everything I do!

Of course I hope to keep blogging through and after this transition, but I'll have to see. One never knows about time, permission, and connectivity going into a new assignment, and of course the things that the brothers have actually asked me to do have to come first. Nevertheless, some of the brothers who work in the general ministry are bloggers: General definitors Br. Mark and Br. Carlos blog at Just a Brother and Artesano de Dios respectively, and Br. Helmut, secretary for the missions, blogs his ministry at Ad Gentes OFMCap. Maybe there are others.

So perhaps I can have some hope that my rants and ramblings here at a minor friar can join this august group. One of my classmates in religion once accused me of joining religious life just for the stories (along the lines of Jerry Seinfeld's dentist Dr. Whatley, who was accused to converting to Judaism "just for the jokes"). No doubt there's some truth in that observation, but grace builds on nature, no?

In any case, thank you for the charity of your prayer.

http://littleportionhermitage.blogspot.com/2012/05/prayer-is-my-total-faith-in-god-as-my.html

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Fri, 04 May 2012 09:31:00 +0000

http://blog.beafranciscan.org/2012/05/03/my-vocation-story/

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My Vocation Story

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Thu, 03 May 2012 18:16:14 +0000

By Stephen DeWitt, OFM I first got a glimpse of what it means to be Franciscan through my parents who have been members of the Secular Franciscan Order for almost 30 years. From them I learned who St. Francis was and began to know and love the ideals by which he lived his life. During my [...]

http://friarminor.blogspot.com/2012/05/is-that-you-st-james.html

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Is That You, St. James?

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Thu, 03 May 2012 12:37:00 +0000

Today being the feast of the apostles Philip and James, it's a Roman Canon day according to my 'Plan for the minimum use of Eucharistic Prayer I,' which I recommend to all of my brother priests as a means of recovering this venerable prayer from having been (in some places) marginalized in the modern Roman liturgy.

Thinking about this last night was the occasion of thinking on something I had never noticed. Even after almost twenty years as a Catholic and almost five as a priest, I still make personal discoveries in the liturgy. Some of this comes from the shallowness of my own prayer and spirituality, but it also comes the amazing richness of the liturgy.

Today it was St. James in the Roman Canon. Both the apostles James are commemorated in the Canon, but I had never thought of which was which. It's fairly obvious with just a thoughtful look: the first James comes right before John, suggesting that this one is James the Greater, the brother of John. The second James is next to Philip, matching the liturgical association they have on this feast, and so is James the Less. Of course it's all as easy as the first being James the Greater and the second being James the Less, but my point is that I had never thought about it before. If I had prayed as far as the Jameses, I was probably looking ahead in anxiety as I hoped to get through the tongue-tying middle of Lini, Cleti, Clementis, Xysti, Cornelii, Cypriani, Laurentii, Chrysogoni/Linus, Cletus, Clement, Sixtus, Cornelius, Cyprian, Lawrence, Chrysogonus.

I have always been fascinated by the more or less insoluble question of whether or not James the Less was the same James who was bishop of Jerusalem. Whoever designed the last parish I worked in seemed to think so; the twelve apostles (with Paul replacing Judas, sorry Matthias) were painted at the tops of the columns, and James had a very nice miter on.

There are also two Peters in the Roman Canon.

One can read about the saints of the Canon in lots of places, but because it is such a useful and attractive site, I suggest the article posted at Sancta Missa.

http://littleportionhermitage.blogspot.com/2012/05/peace-our-lord-came-to-bring-was.html

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Thu, 03 May 2012 09:24:00 +0000

http://littleportionhermitage.blogspot.com/2012/05/truly-matters-in-world-are-in-bad-state.html

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Wed, 02 May 2012 08:48:00 +0000

http://littleportionhermitage.blogspot.com/2012/05/evil-has-no-substance-of-its-own-but-is.html

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Tue, 01 May 2012 19:21:00 +0000

http://friarminor.blogspot.com/2012/05/baker-on-ochino.html

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Baker on Ochino

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Tue, 01 May 2012 13:03:00 +0000

As I've mentioned a couple of times, one of my delights these days has been finally getting around to reading Dom Augustine Baker. Most recently, I was amused and surprised to find in his Sancta Sophia a take on early Capuchin history. Baker adduces our own Bernard Ochino as a negative example in his discussion of the necessity of prayer in the ministry of being a religious superior. Ochino, of course, is famous for apostatizing to Calvinism during his term as vicar general of the nascent Capuchin reform. After wandering through various Protestantisms and pastorates and starting a family that would eventually die of a plague in Poland, Ochino himself died in obscurity somewhere in Moravia.

"A fearful example of the mischief following the neglect of internal prayer in a superior, we find in Bernardine Ochinus, a superior in a most strict order, who was a famous zealous preacher, and, as might be judged by outward appearance, of more than ordinary sanctity; yet withal, to comply with those outward employments, a great neglecter of internal conventual recollections. And when he was sometimes charitably admonished of such his tepidity, his ordinary answer was: Do you not know that he who is always in a good action is always in prayer? Which saying of his had been true, if such good actions had been performed in virtue of prayer, and by grace obtained thereby, for then they had been virtually prayers; whereas actions, though in themselves never so good, if they want that purity of intention which is only to be had by pure prayer, are in God's esteem of little or no value,--the principal motives of them being no other than such as corrupt nature is likely to suggest. Ochinus, therefore, continuing in the same neglect, was by one of his brethren prophetically warned that he must expect some terrible issue thereof, in these words: Cave ne te ordo evomat, that is, Take heed that our order be not hereafter constrained to vomit thee out of it. The which unhappily fell out; for notwithstanding all his other specious qualities and endowments, he, first forsaking God, was afterwards forsaken by Him, and became a wretched Antitrinitarian apostate. And it is very probable that the greatest part of the apostates of these times (such I mean as have formerly lived in religious orders) do owe their apostasy and perdition to no other cause so much as to such neglect and apostasy first from prayer; the which holy exercise if they had continued, they would never have been weary of their habit first and afterward of their faith."

As an old Jesuit retreat master once said to us, "I used to tell myself that my life was prayer. And it might have been true, had I been praying." As the oft-repeated and variously attributed saying goes, when a priest or religious gets himself into trouble, the first question you ask is, "When did you stop praying your breviary?"

http://blog.beafranciscan.org/2012/04/30/franciscan-influences-appreciating-hospitality-laughter-and-lessons/

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Franciscan Influences: Appreciating Hospitality, Laughter and Lessons

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Mon, 30 Apr 2012 22:57:34 +0000

Below is the 15th in a series of essays by Holy Name Province’s partners-in-ministry. It appeared in the April 25 issue of HNP Today, the Province’s biweekly e-newsletter. In the essay, Robert Hazlett, long-time director of a community center founded by St. Francis of Assisi Parish, describes the style and the services of Franciscan friars [...]

http://friarminor.blogspot.com/2012/04/cardinal-or-headbanger.html

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The Cardinal or the Headbanger?

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Mon, 30 Apr 2012 20:09:00 +0000

Partly because they're sweet in their excitement for me in my coming transfer to Rome, and partly because they like to make fun of my long history of rocky relationships with spiritual directors, the brothers have been suggesting to me whom I might ask to be my spiritual director once I get to my new assignment. Two candidates have emerged:

First, Raymond Cardinal Burke:

No doubt the brothers thought of His Eminence because I share some of his opinions, but also because I am currently under the care of one of his seminary classmates.

Second, our Capuchin brother Cesare Bonizzi, sometime frontman of Fratello Metallo:




The real compliment in all this is the recognition of the sublime synthesis that is my particular vocation, and I'm sure that's what the brothers mean to say by their suggestions.

http://friarminor.blogspot.com/2012/04/thinking-inside-box.html

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Thinking Inside The Box

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Mon, 30 Apr 2012 11:56:00 +0000

To have an integrity as a religious person, one must be engaged in a continual struggle against the tendency of religion to domesticate God. Part of giving oneself to a life in community is the willingness to take up the sacrifice and difficulty of doing this not just against the background of one's own distraction and sin, but the cocktail of the collective distraction and sin of a group of Christians.

As if that weren't enough metaphors for one day, in reflecting on this I've been playing with another one: the box.

Religion is like a box into which we are supposed to put ourselves. It is a set of boundaries and definitions, practices and behaviors revealed by the Holy Spirit and built up by sacred tradition. Placing ourselves in this box helps us to hold on to the salvation we have received by providing practices that keep us mindful of the economies of grace around us and of the ways God wills us to be useful for the salvation of others. The boundaries and limits of the box help us to avoid the errors and confusions that lead us back to our former way of life, that we may be daily delivered from the misery of the vain way of life bequeathed to us by the legacy of brutality that is original sin, the vana conversatione a patribus tradita. (1 Peter 1:18. I love that phrase; it's one my favorite Easter slogans.)

Things turn around all too easily, however. Religion becomes not the box into which we put ourselves for our safety and in order to remain attentive to God, but the box into which we put God in order to domesticate him and protect ourselves from him. We can  use religion to make God into a safe and intelligible commodity, perhaps a nice resource that we as religious people are privileged to possess and even share with others (aren't we nice!) or a bean-counting judge who is happy with us and unhappy with everyone else. Or perhaps he is unhappy with us too! That's something one notices a lot as a confessor; how easily an idea of God is instrumentalized by human self-hate. Or we think that because we are religious people, we know exactly what God wants and what is expected of us. Perhaps this makes us into Pharisees, but sometimes it also makes us domesticate God by making him the nice and 'pastoral' mascot of our relativism, protecting ourselves from the discomfort and political incorrectness of ever having to say that anybody else is wrong or that their behavior is unacceptable.

The world and the flesh, in their infantile arrogance, want a God who can be safely stored and who will not challenge their rule over our lives. Of course the world and the flesh are wily; they will help us to think that we are being 'stretched' and 'challenged' even when we are growing ever more safe and comfortable with ourselves and the 'God' we have put in a pretty box.

Let us put ourselves in the box instead, the box of true religion that is God's means of freeing us for the salvation of our brothers and sisters.

http://littleportionhermitage.blogspot.com/2012/04/however-what-is-so-wonderfully-amazing.html

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Mon, 30 Apr 2012 09:44:00 +0000

http://friarminor.blogspot.com/2012/04/der-osterhase.html

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Der Osterhase

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Sun, 29 Apr 2012 11:50:00 +0000

I saw this over at WDTPRS and couldn't resist the re-post.

Now, this is not as bad as it looks. Not that my German is good enough to really tell what's going on, but it seems like the Easter Bunny's speech is devout enough, and my best guess is that he is invited to speak after Communion instead of giving the homily, which would be inappropriate. (Bunnies are not valid matter for ordination.) Also, he doesn't give out candy until after the blessing and dismissal, revealing that he respects the integrity of the Mass and the communion fast.

http://littleportionhermitage.blogspot.com/2012/04/it-is-my-hope-that-local-churches-and.html

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Sun, 29 Apr 2012 10:27:00 +0000

http://livingfranciscan.blogspot.com/2012/04/free-at-last.html

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Free At Last

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Sun, 29 Apr 2012 01:15:00 +0000

Free at Last was an eye-opening half day on Human Trafficking in Minnesota.  Most startling was the FBI statistic ranking Minnesota as 13th in trafficking of children.  Children from all social classes are at risk.  Rich children have as much access to internet as anyone, though families in poverty are at higher risk with parents sometimes selling daughters -- the average age of entry into trafficking for sex is 8 to 11 years old. 

A large problem is the stigma of being a victim, a "prostitute."  With our values and priorities selling and purchasing sex carries less shame than being sold for sex.  Young girls are damaged for life and fear speaking up because of shame.  Parents need to learn the signs of abuse and realize "it can happen in our family."  Religious families are not exempt:  one 10 year old was invited by a 14 year old to a "prayer group" where she was gang raped a block and a half from home.  Shame and fear kept the secret.  One therapist told me that 80% of her drug addicted clients were sexually abused as children.

Interim St. Cloud Chief of Police, Richard Wilson, discussed the difficulty of prosecuting crimes of trafficking either for sex or labor because of the many agencies involved.  Usually perpetrators are working in multiple states and sometimes across national borders.  Homeland Security, Drug and Alcohol agencies may also be involved and the investigations are long.  It is important for law enforcement personnel to develop trusting relationships with communities and for friends and family members to report any suspicious activitity to intervene on behalf of victims.

Human trafficking is based on economics.  A pimp with 5 girls doing 15 $100.00  'tricks' a day can make $7,500.00 a day.  They have ways of keeping their girls loyal to them.  Minnesota has a higher than average level of income and there are more buyers available here.  Our port city of Duluth serves users on incoming ships.  There is no stigma on the users.  "Boys will be boys!" 

How much longer will we take it???   Free At Last was a program sponsored by Hands Across the World in St. Cloud, MN to begin the dialog and to educate.    Multiple local organizations partnered to make this possible.  I pray it will make a large difference.

http://littleportionhermitage.blogspot.com/2012/04/late-have-i-loved-you-o-beauty-ever.html

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Sat, 28 Apr 2012 09:34:00 +0000

http://blog.beafranciscan.org/2012/04/27/a-life-to-share/

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A Life to Share

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Fri, 27 Apr 2012 17:53:19 +0000

By Casey Cole Celibacy can be a bit of a deal breaker. Ask any young Catholic man or woman, active in their faith, why they are not considering some form of consecrated life, and I can almost guarantee that celibacy is one of the reasons. “I really want to get married,” you might hear. From [...]

http://friarminor.blogspot.com/2012/04/rayos-de-oscuridad.html

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Rayos de Oscuridad

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Fri, 27 Apr 2012 13:02:00 +0000

The conversion of St. Paul, as it comes to us in the version of Acts 9 in the first reading for Mass today, had me thinking about conversion. The play of light and darkness, of seeing and blindness, it really resonates with me.

The light and the voice aren't overwhelming for Saul in the midst of the experience; he is able to converse with the Lord. But afterwards he finds himself blinded. He must be helped to get where the Lord had told him to go, he has to pray and be prayed over, and only then do the scales fall from his eyes, leaving him free for the mission of Jesus Christ.

I think that this process is going on all the time in the spiritual life. Many times we see the light and hear the voice. At the same time, however, we are always being struck blind by the brightness that has found us. In our own prayer and in the prayer of others for us, ever deeper and harder scalings fall from our eyes. Indeed, the new vision that comes from such scales falling is often itself the occasion for a new blinding by the Light.

It is one of the ways the communion of saints operates in this life; we are always Paul who needs to be led by the hand and prayed over, and we are always Ananais who prays over others that they may see to embrace the mission to which God calls them. Each of us is praying Ananias for each of us who is blinded Paul.

http://littleportionhermitage.blogspot.com/2012/04/go-forth-in-peace-for-you-have-followed.html

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Fri, 27 Apr 2012 09:48:00 +0000

http://friarminor.blogspot.com/2012/04/on-way-rejoicing.html

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On The Way Rejoicing

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Thu, 26 Apr 2012 12:38:00 +0000

I love the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch as it comes to us in the first reading for Mass today. (Acts 8:26-40) It's just such a mysterious story. Why was an Ethiopian making a pilgrimage to Jerusalem? If he was a eunuch in the physical sense, would he have been allowed to visit the Temple? (See Deuteronomy 23:2) Where did he get a copy of Isaiah? Was he reading in Hebrew or Greek?

We don't know these things for sure. For me this is a reminder that in any encounter with another person, and in a ministerial encounter especially, we come into the presence of an ongoing work of the Holy Spirit, a creative work that was going on before we got there, and will continue when we are gone. Each person is a particular journey that the Holy Spirit is creating in the world, and to which we may become present for a shorter or longer time. Ministry, then, is just reverence for the operations of grace in another, and perhaps some assistance in naming them and taking the next steps that God reveals, if and only if we ourselves have been given the grace of such a ministry.

I also love how the Spirit disappears Philip after the eunuch's baptism. Letting go is so important in ministry. There's always the temptation to make disciples for ourselves rather than for the Lord. Some disciples cling to teachers because personalities are easier to follow than the living God, but this is a failure in courage. Some teachers cling to the work of grace in their disciples as if it were partly their own possession, but this is a failure in chastity. Whenever the economies of grace invite us into reverence and care for the work of the Holy Spirit in another, there will come a point when we are called to let go and thereby confess that the salvation we have served in another is God's work and not our own.

http://littleportionhermitage.blogspot.com/2012/04/at-its-very-center-of-christianity-is.html

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Thu, 26 Apr 2012 10:19:00 +0000

http://friarminor.blogspot.com/2012/04/deepest-sadness-greatest-danger.html

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The Deepest Sadness, the Greatest Danger

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Wed, 25 Apr 2012 12:49:00 +0000

In my current state of being between assignments, I've been able to get to several books I had meant to read but never did. One of the books I'm in now is Dom Augustine Baker's Sancta Sophia, which has already shown up in a couple of posts. It's one of those books that I'm so grateful to have finally got around to reading. Sometimes I think this is an operation of grace; the Holy Spirit means for us to read a certain book at a certain moment in the journey, and makes it happen just that way.

Another book I had meant to read but never got to until now is Peter Steinfels' A People Adrift: The Crisis of the Roman Catholic Church in America. Whether you agree with Steinfels or not, it's an important book. Though still fairly recent (2003), it's a little jarring how dated it already feels, given certain events in the Church: the election of Benedict XVI, Summorum pontificum, the election of Timothy Dolan as president of the USCCB, etc.

I'm enjoying the book, particularly in its communication of a love and reverence for the whole of Catholic experience in the United States. As a convert without a family history in the Church, that's something good for me to sense and feel, and to hold in reverence.

What grabbed me for a post today, however, was a little line in the section in which Steinfels is correcting nostalgia for the liturgy before the reforms following Vatican II, as if this were a time of universal reverence and awe before the mystery of God. As an effective strategy for doing this, Steinfels describes the experience of being an altar boy in the days before the Mass of Paul VI: "Other priests quickly communicated to the altar boys a smug familiarity with all things sacred, a kind of authorized irreverence in which we were privileged to share." (177)

How that speaks to my experience! Not that I was ever an altar boy, but I have received the same initiation: 'Here you go, brother, accept this false liberation to which you are now entitled by being admitted to our little club. It will only end in sadness and is ultimately ordered to your damnation, but for now let me admit you to this happy irreverence that frees you from worrying about God and lets you relax and be yourself.' Boo.

I remember in one place I lived we had a public chapel where there was adoration of the Blessed Sacrament each weekday afternoon. I would often spend some time praying with the odd assortment (one has to admit) of folks who would come. One day when I was going to the chapel one of the priests asked me bemusedly if I was on my way to join those who spent their afternoons "quietly screaming at the wafer."

That comment hit me so hard that I could hardly pray for a couple of days. It's bad enough that a priest was making light of the real presence of Christ in the sacred species. In a way, though, I was even more bothered by the way he was mocking the prayer and piety of the people. Fine, maybe adoration isn't your thing, or not the way you pray. Maybe you even think it's contrary to the spirit of the reformed liturgy. (You're wrong, but that's not the point.) But none of this grants permission to treat the grace of prayer in someone--as imperfect and confused as it is in any of us--as an inside joke on which we build our own rotten and fleshly communion.

It just goes to show how vigilant and cautious we have to be in any of our disagreements and conflicts. The world, the flesh, and the devil get into them so easily.

When we invite each other into the false liberation of the "smug familiarity" and "authorized irreverence" for the things of God, it won't be long before we are also trying to build our rotten solidarity on irreverence for persons and their experience. And the incarnation has rendered all irreverence for the human person a sacrilege.

http://littleportionhermitage.blogspot.com/2012/04/forgiveness-is-name-of-love-practiced.html

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Wed, 25 Apr 2012 10:32:00 +0000

http://friarminor.blogspot.com/2012/04/coming-martyrdom.html

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The Coming Martyrdom

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Tue, 24 Apr 2012 12:04:00 +0000

Today is the feast of St. Fidelis of Sigmaringen, one of the great Capuchin saints. He was martyred in 1622, which was the founding year of the Propaganda Fide (now the Congregation of the Evangelization of Peoples) and thus became its proto-martyr.

Since I was blessed to have my turn to preach at the community Mass today, I was reflecting a little on martyrdom. It can seem like something far away, from another time or place. But this sense is false. I think of old Fr. Zygmund, who made such an impression on me with his personal knowledge of those Capuchins now numbered among the 108 Martyrs of World War II. Of course I also think of the current conflicts between the faith and our leaders here in the United States. Perhaps martyrdom isn't far behind. More and more one hears the sobering quote from Cardinal George: "I expect to die in bed, my successor will die in prison and his successor will die a martyr in the public square."

Anyone who wants to live a devout life needs to accept the possibility of martyrdom. It might be the vocation which God wills for us in the end. The thing is, however, that we might not know this until the last days--or even hours--of our earthly lives. We must be prepared. This is part of the reason we try to practice charity and penance now, so that we might be ready to accept the vocation to martyrdom when it comes.

Around the time St. Fidelis was giving his final sermon, supporters recommended to  him that he run away. They knew he was in danger. No doubt these were good and devout people, and their recommendation was the fruit of a 'pastoral' and 'balanced' discernment. It was his prior life of charity, penance, and mortification that enabled Fidelis to overcome the prudence of the flesh and the 'pastoral sense' of this world at that moment, and to suffer the fullness of his own configuration to Christ crucified which constitutes him as our heavenly patron in the propagation of the faith.

By lives of prayer, charity, and penance, may we too make ourselves willing and available for the coming martyrdom, if it be God's will for us in the end.

St. Fidelis of Sigmaringen, proto-martyr of the Propaganda Fide, pray for us.

http://littleportionhermitage.blogspot.com/2012/04/consult-not-your-fears-but-your-hopes.html

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Tue, 24 Apr 2012 08:35:00 +0000

http://blog.beafranciscan.org/2012/04/23/climate-change-and-the-catholic-franciscan-tradition/

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Climate Change and the Catholic-Franciscan Tradition

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Mon, 23 Apr 2012 20:38:11 +0000

Earth Day was Sunday, April 22. In honor of this occasion, the following is a reflection on global warming and its consequences by Br. Stephen DeWitt, OFM, from his blog, “Thoughts From Chaos: A Franciscan Commentary on Social Justice.” One of the featured articles in the March 23, 2012, issue of Commonweal magazine is Richard Miller’s piece [...]

http://friarminor.blogspot.com/2012/04/joys-and-dubia-for-giles-of-assisi.html

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Joys and Dubia for Giles of Assisi

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Mon, 23 Apr 2012 15:01:00 +0000

For the last year and a half or so, I've been going on Monday mornings to offer Mass at the local Poor Clare monastery. It's been a great joy. One of my favorite little things is that their liturgical calendar is sometimes slightly different than ours. We follow the Capuchin Ordo, of course, but the nuns seem to follow the Ordo of the Leonine friars. I enjoy this because sometimes there is a Franciscan saint who seems to have fallen off of our calendar, but who nevertheless appears in the liturgical calendar I step into when I visit the Poor Clares.

Today is a good example, the feast of Blessed Giles of Assisi. I don't know why he seems to be absent from our calendar; Giles was one of the first companions of Francis and one of the great characters of the early Franciscan movement. One even speaks of an 'aegidian' strand in the Franciscan tradition ('Giles' being English for 'Aegidius.')

Whatever one wants to assert about the origin of Giles's so-called Golden Sayings, they're certainly interesting and challenging. Here are a couple of my favorites:

On the spiritual struggle: "A certain person said to him: 'I am frequently tempted with a most grievous temptation, and I have often asked God that he would take it away from me, and He does not take it away.' The holy Brother Giles replied to him: 'The better any king arms his soldiers with armor, the more he wishes that they should fight valiantly.'"

On preaching: "Many not knowing how to swim have gone into the water to aid those that were drowning, and they themselves have been lost with those that were perishing: first there was one evil and then there were two."

So it was a joy to be able to offer the Mass of Brother Giles this morning at the Poor Clares.


This does, however, raise a liturgical dubium. What is to be done about the proper orations? Bl. Giles has a full Mass formulary in the 1974 Roman-Franciscan Sacramentary, the liturgical book that was our parallel to the now superseded American English Sacramentary. There isn't, or isn't yet, any Roman-Franciscan Missal for the new translation.

It seems to me that there are three possible courses of action:

First, since no legitimate new translations of Mass formularies for propers of saints particular to the Franciscan calendar have yet appeared, one might presume that the ones attached to the old translation of the Mass are still in effect and licit for liturgical use. Therefore, one might use the old Roman-Franciscan Sacramentary for the proper orations but use the new Roman Missal for the rest of the Mass. Clumsy as it is to have two books on the altar, this is the solution I have decided upon. I admit that some of my choice derives from just liking the prayers themselves, such as when the Collect for Giles today speaks of the "heights of exalted contemplation."

On the other hand, a stricter view of things might suggest that the old prayers, in the style of the old translation, have gone out with the rest of the old book, and that the new Commons ought to be used for the Masses of saints who don't have, or don't yet have, proper prayers in the new translation.

Finally, the whole trouble might be avoided simply by celebrating Mass in the Extraordinary Form on Franciscan feast days, according to the 1962 Missale Romano-Seraphicum. But this won't help with poor Br. Giles, who doesn't appear therein, even though he was beatified in 1777. Perhaps his recovery into some calendars is the result of more recent Franciscan scholars providing for us an awareness of his importance. If anyone out there has a 1942 Missale Romano-Seraphicum, I would be interested to know if the feast of Bl. Giles is in there.

In any case, do pray for us, Brother.

http://littleportionhermitage.blogspot.com/2012/04/world-you-are-inheriting-is-world-which.html

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Mon, 23 Apr 2012 08:30:00 +0000

http://blog.beafranciscan.org/2012/04/19/a-day-in-the-life-of-a-friar-life-in-the-hood-part-2/

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A Day in the Life of a Friar: Life in the “Hood” (Part 2)

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Thu, 19 Apr 2012 19:37:46 +0000

The following is a continuation of a reflection entitled, “A Day in the Life of a Friar: Life in the ‘Hood,’” by Br. Fred Dilger, OFM. Click here to read Part 1. Evening Tradition: Service and Fraternity My main ministry is serving our guests, which really means being there for them in whatever ways they need [...]

http://friarminor.blogspot.com/2012/04/ranty-ramble-on-cdf-to-lcwr.html

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Ranty Ramble on the CDF to the LCWR

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Thu, 19 Apr 2012 12:12:00 +0000

Reading the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith's "doctrinal assessment" of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, I found it to be an encouraging document. Many of the concerns it notes are issues that have been troubling to me at times in my own experience of religious life: a "diminution of the fundamental Christological center," a sense of moving beyond the Church or even Jesus Christ, and a presumption of dissent from the Church's teachings on the sacraments and sexuality.

When I was first in religious life I found such things terribly confusing. In my innocence I had presumed that Catholic teaching would be a given in Catholic religious life. I learned, with much anguished confusion, that this wasn't always the case. My confusion was so bad that it contributed to my having to leave my first entrance to religious life after a year and a half.

After that, I confess that I gave in a little bit. My first experiences of religious life had taught me to disregard my instincts somewhat. In my second attempt at religious life, I think I sometimes conformed to the madness in order to have this vocation that I wanted. In studying for ordination, I'm sure I many times said and wrote the politically correct thing instead of the right thing. When we were made daily to recite texts from a feminist prayer book, I probably should have been praying Morning and Evening Prayer from some proper edition of the Liturgy of the Hours on my own, but I wasn't.

It's taken me a while to recover my senses again, but I think I have, more or less, and I'm grateful to God and to many who have given me good example.

But as we are grateful for a document such as this, and pray for our bishops in such difficult and delicate ministries, we have to be very careful. In praying through all this a scene from the past came into my heart. It was during the days when I was discerning my return to religious life. I had gone to spend time in the house of temporary vows of a certain community. On the same day I arrived to hang out and pray and observe for a few days, the brothers in formation were just returning from some workshop. That evening at recreation their fun was the unmerciful mocking of the woman who had been the presenter. The guy who was the ringleader in this, utterly self-righteous in his orthodoxy, kept repeating with derision how this presenter described herself. I can't remember the whole thing, but I do remember that it ended with 'ecofeminist process theologian.' Pompous, yes, but the way these guys were mocking this person, it really turned me off.

The devil is very happy for us to be right, so long as he can use our rightness for his own ends. And many times we fail to take seriously how good he is at doing just that.

I write this post from a room in a building that used to be a convent of the Sisters of St. Joseph. They taught in the building across the street. It used to be a school, but now the school is closed and the building is mostly empty and unused. The sisters who prayed and slept in this room where I sit today probably worked harder for those kids than I have ever worked for anything. They were the force of one of the most glorious and successful movements of social uplift that human civilization has ever seen, the Catholic school system in the growing United States.

As a religious, am I part of anything that could compare with that?

Or am I, and mainstream male religious life in general, more concerned with my comfort, security, and lifestyle expectations than with the mission of Jesus Christ? May that thought pierce my conscience each time I find myself watching TV with a beer and box of Cheez-Its in the room where sisters would have labored at laundry either before or after a long day of teaching and service.

Therefore, and on this day when we celebrate the anniversary of the election of our holy father Benedict XVI, let us be grateful for a Church that is recovering her bearings in the truth of her faith, but let us also let God heal us from the lukewarmness and decadence that keeps us from letting God make something of it.

http://friarminor.blogspot.com/2012/04/dark-night-of-meatloaf.html

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The Dark Night of the Meatloaf

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Wed, 18 Apr 2012 23:12:00 +0000

From the friary kitchen:

Friar 1: "This looks good!"

Friar 2: "It fell apart a little."

Friar 1: "Still looks good!"

Friar 2: "I didn't put enough breadcrumbs, so when I took it out of the form, it fell apart."

Friar 1: "I had the same problem with my spirituality."

Friar 2: "Not enough breadcrumbs?"

Friar 1: "When it came out of the form, it fell apart."

http://friarminor.blogspot.com/2012/04/blessed-between.html

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The Blessed Between

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Wed, 18 Apr 2012 12:26:00 +0000

This past Sunday was my last Mass at the parish where I have been going since last year. Leaving this little 'help out' has thrown me deeper into the liminal space, the in-between time, that first crashed open when I got the call about the Rome job back in September and realized that I wouldn't be finishing the doctoral program at BC.

At the Mass one of the songs was Dan Schutte's Blest Be The Lord.

Music hooks itself into memory so deeply. For example, I can't hear the Beastie Boys' Ill Communication album without being taken back to another very liminal period, the six weeks or so in between my graduation from college and my first entrance into religious life. Though I have no desire to do so, if I were to listen to the albums House of Pain or the Red Hot Chili Peppers' Mother's Milk, I would certainly be taken right back to the cheap pool hall at University College Galway where I spent so many afternoons in the spring of 1993. Those were the only two records they had, and they alternated loudly and continuously. But a game of 8-Ball was only 35p, so what do you want?

Of course I would rather have a Graduale romanum or a Liber usualis in my hand than an OCP hymnal and even though Blest Be The Lord is pretty hokey, at least it's a psalm. But in any case it sure takes me back. At the Saturday vigil Mass at Harkness Chapel on the campus of Connecticut College, Blest Be the Lord was in very heavy rotation back in the fall of 1992 when I was a new Catholic. It will probably always remind me of the sense and feel of my neophyte days.

Hearing and singing this song at Mass on Sunday has stuck with me during this week. It has come into prayer as the gratitude for the way a liminal time, in its concentration of endings and beginnings, brings back the clarity and innocence of early inspirations. Grace uses the peculiar openness of the time to re-member the journey of self and the salvation God delights and desires to give.

http://blog.beafranciscan.org/2012/04/17/a-day-in-the-life-of-a-friar-life-in-the-hood-part-1/

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A Day in the Life of a Friar: Life in the “Hood” (Part 1)

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Tue, 17 Apr 2012 18:04:34 +0000

The following is Part 1 of a reflection entitled, “A Day in the Life of a Friar: Life in the ‘Hood,’” by Br. Fred Dilger, OFM. My day begins early. As one of six friars assigned to Philadelphia’s St. Francis Inn, I am the guy who turns on the lights, starts up the coffee and [...]

http://friarminor.blogspot.com/2012/04/on-being-unreasonable-person.html

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On Being an Unreasonable Person

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Tue, 17 Apr 2012 12:04:00 +0000

One of the most dangerous things in community life is the idea that I'm a reasonable person. Of course it is true that salvation, at least in this life, consists in becoming reasonable. The only-begotten Word, the logos of God, who is Reason and Wisdom, became man so that my injured and sick humanity might be renovated in the divine Reasonableness.

As St. Paul says in St. Jerome's translation, being transformed in mind rather than conformed to this age is our rationabile obsequium, our 'rational' service. In Paul's Greek, it is λογικὴν λατρείαν, our 'logical' worship. To become rational, logical people in the logos, is our happiness and freedom and salvation. (Romans 12:2)

But this salvation is a work in process. A brother might have grown from the unreasonableness of his infancy to have become reasonable in some areas; he might be a reasonably good preacher or liturgical presider, or a reasonably good friend or listener or cook or cleaner, but most of us are not yet saints and remain unreasonable and immature in various ways. Often these can be blind spots or eccentricities or family of origin roles of which we are in denial or don't even notice, and this makes it all the easier to notice and get worked up by the annoying craziness of others while simultaneously forgetting how much unreasonableness the rest of the community puts up with from us ourselves.

Of course this is an application of the Lord's advice to notice the wooden beams in our own eyes before we are solicitous to remove the speck from the eye of our brother. The world, the flesh, and the devil are all eager to help us make excuses for our own faults and sins, so long as we deny any excuse or benefit of the doubt to others.

When I forget that I too am still an unreasonable person, I remove from myself the protection of remembering how much pointless idiosyncrasy and maladaptive eccentricity I am forgiven on a daily basis, and the world, the flesh, and the devil will have an easier time tricking me into condemning my unreasonable brother or sister.

http://friarminor.blogspot.com/2012/04/on-discretion-and-troubling.html

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On Discretion and Troubling Conversations

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Mon, 16 Apr 2012 16:04:00 +0000

I've had a couple of similar experiences lately that have troubled my conscience. Each was a conversation with an older women who had assisted at a Mass I was celebrating.

In one conversation the woman, on hearing that I was to be transferred to Rome, offered her condolences and encouraged me to "straighten them out over there." The Pope and the hierarchy were "out of touch," she said, as she also explained to me that one of the great virtues of Catholics in the United States was that we "didn't feel obliged to follow every dumb edict that comes from Rome."

In the other conversation, the woman complimented me on my daily Mass homilies and said that I was "right up there" with the "woman priest" whose 'Mass' she attended on Sundays. She went on to explain to me how liberating it felt to have "Mass" with a "woman priest." This wasn't a Protestant thing either, she went on to explain, her priest was a real Catholic priest.

Both times I just listened and tried to be polite. I didn't challenge any of it. I guess doing so is according to some of my instincts; part of me thinks it would be disrespectful to issue uninvited challenges to those who are older than me, especially when they are folks who were probably doing all kinds of good work and parish service before I was a even a Christian, and probably before I was born.

On the other hand, I'm a priest, an ordained minister in the church and a steward of the Church's teaching and sacramental mysteries. In that sense, do I sin in the second case if I don't encourage my interlocutor to attend an actual Sunday Mass? Her confusion probably mitigates her guilt with regard to the Sunday obligation. But if I'm just polite and thus passively encouraging, am I not complicit? Should I not confess and ask absolution for failing to even try to plant a gentle seed of correction? In some sense, am I not now the guilty party in her absence from Sunday Mass?

There are so many situations like this in ministry and community life. It's so hard to know when you should challenge and when the better part of gentleness invites you not to. And since they all have to be discerned in an instant, I know I need to pray for the gift of that discretion ahead of time.

http://friarminor.blogspot.com/2012/04/god-is-bigger-elvis.html

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God Is the Bigger Elvis

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Sat, 14 Apr 2012 13:48:00 +0000

In the quiet of a Friday afternoon yesterday, I finally got around to seeing Rebecca Cammisa's God Is the Bigger Elvis, the short film about Dolores Hart which came to everyone's attention when it was nominated for an Academy Award this past year.

I appreciated several aspects of the little documentary. Most simply, as a Connecticutian myself, I had always been curious about the Abbey of Regina Laudis, but had never visited or known much about it.

On a deeper level, though, I was grateful for the way the film treats of the religious vocation in an individual life. In addition to the story of Dolores herself, the vocation stories of a couple of other nuns are touched upon as well. There's a reverence about the treatment, in the sense that a religious vocation is, on the one hand, something for which no apology needs to be made. On the other hand, the film communicates well that the experience of vocation touches upon certain intimacies and mystery that defy being shared with an audience.

I also appreciated how religious life is displayed in all of its unglamorous plainness. I was reminded of the Trappist who told me that his favorite aspect of Philip Gröning's Into Great Silence was that it showed the monks with unsightly nose and ear hair. "Religious life is not so pretty as it usually seems in the movies, brother." (Of course I also loved seeing the Abbey liturgy. The sisters were praying in Latin (according to the spirit of Vatican II)  and were shown receiving Holy Communion by intinction--and I mean the right way, on the tongue and without illicit self-communication.)

Most of all, the film made me reflect on celibacy. In it one meets Dolores's former fiancé, with whom she broke up in order to enter the Abbey. He is even shown making a visit. Almost fifty years later he admits that he isn't over Dolores, and doesn't appear to have ever married. The whole business sits at the awkward intersection of sweet and sad. Anyone in professional ministry will have their boundary buzzers go off during these scenes, but perhaps it reminds us that boundaries are often messier than what our textbooks taught us.

Even though I reflect on it from time, I don't blog on it because I don't have anything solid to say, but the film certainly convinced me even more that female and male celibacy are somewhat different things. Maybe some readers have thoughts on that.

Maybe I missed it, but one thing I was surprised to miss was a mention of Dolores having played St. Clare in Francis of Assisi (1961).

God Is the Bigger Elvis is really worth a look if you have a chance.

http://blog.beafranciscan.org/2012/04/13/the-brothers-that-god-gave-me/

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The Brothers That God Gave Me

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Fri, 13 Apr 2012 15:00:37 +0000

By Fr. Mike Johnson, OFM Last week I was helping out at nearby St Michael’s Church, and I was preaching on the Gospel where the four men bring their paralytic friend to Jesus. When they find the door is blocked, they rip off the roof and lower him down. Jesus is so moved by their [...]

http://newsandals.blogspot.com/2012/04/thoughts-on-creation.html

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Thoughts on Creation

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Thu, 05 Apr 2012 19:02:00 +0000

(Or, taking Genesis, the Fall and God's goodness seriously)
[to a former work camp student of mine in reply to her questions about the Fall]

--


Did I miss anything?

http://newsandals.blogspot.com/2012/04/on-hope.html

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On Hope

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Thu, 05 Apr 2012 00:15:00 +0000

Some might call this overly pious, but I think the wonderful, sainted Brigid of Kildare gets this one correct:

http://newsandals.blogspot.com/2012/04/where-blog-is-going.html

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Where the Blog is Going

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Tue, 03 Apr 2012 12:13:00 +0000

In May of 2008, I started putting my fingers to keys in keeping friends and family abreast of where I found myself in my Capuchin journey.  Today, in April 2012, I find the fire of my vocation burning no less brightly.  Differently, certainly; but less brightly, no.  In fact, I have become more and more convinced that the Lord calls me to live as a Capuchin.  In fact, this time of Lent has been a series of privileged encounters with the Lord, as he has stripped away, slowly but surely all the natural origins of my vocation.  He has, then, left me solely with the desire for him and nothing more.

What does this have to do with anything?

Well, as you may have noticed, posting has been incredibly light lately.  School and ministry (and, oh yeah, prayer) have been keeping me on my toes and the blog has been the item in my life which has received short shrift.  I'm hoping, however, to recommit myself to the blog and do some new and interesting things on it.

To be pithy, the pages here are a work in progress, much the same as their author.

http://livingfranciscan.blogspot.com/2012/03/what-is-new-life.html

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What Is New Life

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Sat, 24 Mar 2012 22:25:00 +0000

Everyone is talking about the resurrection taking place outdoors now with green grass in March and even the lilacs budding! Sister Carol brought some apple tree branches into our meditation chapel and we are enjoying blossoms. The willow tree looks so green and the tulips are 6 inches high. I love the predictability of the seasons -- they do make their statements faithfully every year -- even though they don't necessarily follow any of our calendars.

http://newsandals.blogspot.com/2012/03/christological-significance-of-mark.html

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The Christological Significance of Mark 12:28-34

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Mon, 19 Mar 2012 17:16:00 +0000

This past Friday we heard the account of Jesus' interaction with the understanding scribe.  

http://newsandals.blogspot.com/2012/03/great-canons-of-trent.html

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Great Canons of Trent

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Mon, 19 Mar 2012 12:54:00 +0000

Or, decrees from Councils that make me stop and reflect upon my own vocational praxis.

          Chapter IV, Fourteenth Session:

And since, though the habit does not make the monk, it is necessary nevertheless that clerics always wear a dress conformable to their order, that by the propriety of their outward apparel they may show forth the inward uprightness of their morals, yet to such a degree have the contempt of religious and the boldness of some grown in these days, that esteeming but little their own dignity and the clerical honor, they even wear in the public the dress of laymen, setting their feet in different paths, one of things divine, the other of the flesh.

The Canons and Decrees of Trent, p.110, ed. HJ Schroeder, OP

http://newsandals.blogspot.com/2012/03/good-bye-facebook.html

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Good-Bye, Facebook

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Mon, 19 Mar 2012 11:54:00 +0000

As some of you may have noted -- as did a commenter -- I've deleted my facebook account.  A few of the other brothers have done so lately; I'm just following in their footsteps it seems.

I'm still trying to decide exactly why I made such a decision.  When I figure it all out, I figure I'll get something up here about it.  In the meantime, I've got nothing but free time on my hands.

http://newsandals.blogspot.com/2012/03/nationalism-and-saints.html

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Nationalism and the Saints

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Mon, 19 Mar 2012 02:59:00 +0000

I spent the entire day at the parishes in South Boston.  Today, as many of you likely know, is the day after St. Patrick's.  The Sunday after St. Patrick's Day, to be precise.  Thus, as a matter of course, the famous parade in honor of the Patron Saint of Ireland made its way through South Boston, down West and East Broadway and past St. Brigid's.  The pastor always hosts an open house on the day of the parade and great fun was had by all involved.

http://newsandals.blogspot.com/2012/03/makes-me-thirsty.html

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Makes Me Thirsty

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Sat, 17 Mar 2012 18:37:00 +0000

http://newsandals.blogspot.com/2012/03/foray-into-troubled-waters.html

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A Foray into Troubled Waters

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Sat, 17 Mar 2012 14:55:00 +0000

This week's question in a class of mine:

•  For ordination candidates: What are the major theological questions that arise with regard to lay ecclesial ministry?
•  For lay ecclesial ministry candidates: What are the major theological questions that arise with regard to ordained ministry?

http://newsandals.blogspot.com/2012/03/whoa-whoa-whoa-i-still-have-blog.html

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Thu, 08 Mar 2012 18:01:00 +0000

Whoa, whoa, whoa, I still have a blog.  And I'm still alive.

Some deeper posts coming soon.

We'll see where they take me.

http://franciscanblog.blogspot.com/2012/03/trivia-on-secular-franciscan-order-ofs.html

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Trivia on the Secular Franciscan Order (OFS)

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Tue, 06 Mar 2012 07:21:00 +0000

http://newsandals.blogspot.com/2012/02/new-prayers.html

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New Prayers

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Mon, 27 Feb 2012 02:35:00 +0000

This evening for Confirmation class, part of the lesson consisted of me moving through a few prayers from the Confirmation liturgy with the students.

I figured it appropriate to use the prayers from the new missal.

And without making an ideological statement here or endorsement of any of the procedures used in a positive or negative fashion in the translation, I loudly profess: they were pretty darn good.  The two options for the collect of Confirmation mass explicated clear and concise theology.  The prayer after communion, though a bit thick, hit just the right notes as well.

Collect


Grant, we prayer, almighty and merciful God, 
that the Holy Spirit, coming near
and dwelling graciously within us, 
may make of us a perfect temple of his glory.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.


or


Fulfill for us your gracious promise, O Lord, we pray
so that by his coming 
the Holy Spirit may make us witnesses  before the world
to the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, 
one God, for ever and ever.




Prayer after Communion
Accompany with your blessing
from this day forward, O Lord, 
those who have been anointed with the Holy Spirit
and nourished by the Sacrament of your Son,
so that, with all trials overcome,
they may gladden your Church by their holiness
and, through their works and their charity,
foster her growth in the world.
Through Christ our Lord.

http://livingfranciscan.blogspot.com/2012/02/joy-in-pain.html

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Joy in Pain?

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Sat, 25 Feb 2012 21:58:00 +0000

This week Bill Moyers interviewed poet, Christian Wiman, who held us spell-bound as he shared his experience of deepening faith since receiving a fatal diagnosis. ". . . faith is folded into change, is the mutable and messy process of our lives rather than any fixed, mental product," he said. My current experience of being with family as my niece lives into her third week on a ventilator, opened me to hear Christian's description of how God's Incarnate life with us is terrible in pain as well as in exquisite joy. "We grieve the reality of our loss, not the loss of our reality." "This is why," Christian continues, "even in moments of joy, part of that joy is the seams of ore that are our sorrow." "For many people God is simply a gauze applied to the wound of not knowing, when in fact that wound has bled into every part of the world, is bleeding now in a way that is life if we acknowledge it, death if we don't." "Christ is contingency." (Those are challenging words.) "Christ's life is right now," not by any necessity other than who he is and who we are.

http://newsandals.blogspot.com/2012/02/optimism-that-is-spring-training.html

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The Optimism That is Spring Training

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Mon, 20 Feb 2012 14:54:00 +0000

“You’re damn right. … You know what? Jose’s not here. The first time I hear someone say, ‘Oh, Jose would have caught that ball,’ we’ve got problems. … So our payroll’s down. How many guys here care what our payroll is? … I truly believe, in my heart, we’re going to surprise a lot of people. I’m not saying we’re going to win a championship. I’m just saying we’re going to be better than people think we’re going to be.”

http://livingfranciscan.blogspot.com/2012/02/more-on-gratitude.html

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More on Gratitude

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Fri, 17 Feb 2012 14:49:00 +0000

Here is the poem I had sent to June.
It doesn't fit into what she was looking for.
So, I can share it with you:
Thank you God,
for the seed of gratitude which
an innocuously tiny act of kindness
planted in my heart.
Sown so secretly, by surprise
it rooted beneath my awareness.
Now, a tree of thanks spreads
limbs of potential
for a harvest of friendship.

Gratitude is, indeed, a very powerful gift with infinite potential.

http://newsandals.blogspot.com/2012/02/kid-8.html

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The Kid, #8

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Fri, 17 Feb 2012 01:21:00 +0000

So, Gary Carter has passed away from cancer at the age of 57.

I admit, that the death of Number 8 has hit me a bit harder than I thought it would.  And it's not because I really got a chance to see Carter play.

But I've watched this clip a million times:



And it still gives me goose bumps.  Carter hits one out at the Old Shea, my absolute favorite ballpark to watch a a game.  And Bob Murphy, rest in peace, calls the play-by-play and is confused on whether it gets out or not -- perfect.

I know by heart the single in Game Six in '86 that kept the Mets season alive.  I know that they called him the Kid -- that he was tough and confident, bordering on cocky and arrogant.  I know he had some pop in his bat and had a reputation for clutch hitting.  I know all these things because people have told me, because I've watched it on video.

But you see, Gary Carter is the same age as my parents, one of whom is a cancer survivor.  And so, in a way, the passing of someone I don't know hits closer to home.

And what's more (and as some of you already know), my father for as long as I remember, calls me "Kid."  It's always been a baseball thing.


Me toeing the rubber: Come on kid, throw strikes.
Me at the plate: Come on Kid, two to get loose, one to produce.
Me swinging at a pitch up and away (I loved those): Kid, that one could have broken your nose.

I don't know if there's a connection between my father calling me "Kid" and it being Carter's nickname.  I've never asked.  And it really doesn't matter.

What I do know is that I'm sitting in my room right now getting emotionally involved in this post, thinking about my history playing ball, how much joy it brought me and how I tried to play the game in much the way Carter seemed to always play the game.  I'm recalling how much I miss the game, how I'll become all depressed when the weather gets warm and I'm not able to get onto a field for infield practice.  I'm remembering how my dad always hit fungoes at me harder than all the other infielders, because he knew I needed to work harder than everybody to keep an edge.

I remember all these things about Carter and about myself.  But you know, until my last game, I played with the joy of a child, the joy of a kid.  So did Carter.

And so, from one Kid to another: Touch 'em all, Gary.

http://newsandals.blogspot.com/2012/02/t-o-praise-of-god-and-honor-of.html

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Thu, 16 Feb 2012 13:53:00 +0000

"To the praise of God, and the honor of the Apostolic See
receive the red biretta, the sign of the cardinal's dignity;
and know that you must be willing to conduct yourselves with fortitude
even to the shedding of your blood:
for the growth of the Christian faith,
the peace and tranquility of the People of God,
and the freedom and spread of the Holy Roman Church."

http://newsandals.blogspot.com/2012/02/joseph-ratzinger-ftw.html

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Joseph Ratzinger, FTW

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Tue, 14 Feb 2012 00:24:00 +0000

We can also note, according to these witnesses, the anchoring of a person in the Church is not something which death disrupts or destroys.  Even when they have crossed over the threshold of the world beyond, human beings can still carry each other and bear each others' burdens.  They can still give to each other, suffer for each other, and receive from each other.  More clearly at Alexandria than in the Western tradition, this conviction rests on the Pauline-Johannine belief that the real frontier runs not between earthly life and not-life, but between being with Christ, on the one hand, and, on the other, being without him or against him.  The decisive step is taken in baptism: while the fundamental option of the baptismal candidate becomes definitively established with death, its full development and purification may have to await a moment beyond death, when we make our way through the judging fire of Christ's intimate presence in the companionable embrace of the family of the Church. 

Joseph Ratzinger, Eschatology, p. 227

(emphasis added) 

http://newsandals.blogspot.com/2012/02/sacramental-theology.html

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Sacramental Theology

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Sat, 11 Feb 2012 18:10:00 +0000

A recent paper submission:

Far from doing “anything” or somethings, the sacraments of the Church do, in actuality, everything.  Yet, at the same time, without the response of those participating in the sacraments themselves, they might be thought (incorrectly, yet not unreasonably) to do nothing.  Sacraments make present the grace of Christ in a profound and visible way through the symbols employed therein.  They also manifest the unity symbolized by those gathered to celebrate the sacrament.  More finely: they symbolize and make present Christ and the unity of the Body of Christ (Power, esp. 474).  In this configuration, the presence of Christ in a sacrament claims an objective status; while the desired unity and the changes required from participants tend toward subjectivity.

Any formulation of the sacraments must attempt to explain the tension between these two realities.  Even in the final estimation, however, such a difficulty cannot be worked out to a satisfactory end.  Kelleher, echoing Chauvet, points out that these intricacies actually find their convergence in the ecclesial subject, the Church (192).  Here one finds a sensible synthesis of the objective and subjective – the unmerited actions of God and human response, mediated through the Church’s ritual/symbolic actions in the sacraments. This realization builds upon Irwin’s plea for an “either/or” sacramentality that recognizes both the graced nature of the world as well as its inherent need for renewal through the saving actions of Christ (Irwin, 204).

Such a model admits the grace “produced” in the sacraments requires a receiver to achieve its true goal (Chauvet).  Simultaneously, the free gifting of the sacraments mirror God’s overwhelming beneficence in all things and thus give us both the model and means for attempting to manifest these same divine characteristics. In the final consideration, recognition of the mystery involved in the sacraments preserves the objectivity of the gift given, while also recognizing the particularity necessary in each human subject to receive the same gift.  

http://newsandals.blogspot.com/2012/02/paul-vi-love.html

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Paul VI Love

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Thu, 09 Feb 2012 00:38:00 +0000

http://newsandals.blogspot.com/2012/02/theological-education-schematics.html

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Theological Education Schematics

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Thu, 09 Feb 2012 00:14:00 +0000

I've been receiving religious instruction since I was three years old.  I'm now twenty-seven years.  Thus far, I've identified what I think to be three models of religious instruction.  The below configuration is not exclusive, as there may be other means of education that I have neither experienced nor remembered.  Also, the models presented in this schema are not rigid; that is to say, one model may bleed into another at a time.  I intend the models to be heuristic.  They do not, in of themselves, connote positive or negative values as such.  At one time or another, one model may be more appropriate than others, yet standing alone, with all things being equal, one does not possess greater or lesser value than another.


Model #1: Catechetical
This model is perhaps the most simple.  It relies upon a dissemination of information from one subject to another, usually taking the form of a teacher articulating facts in the presence of students.  The students are judged through tests which measure whether or not they have assimilated what is considered to be the minimum amount of material necessary deemed for competence.

Model #2: Speculative
This model is perhaps the most fluid.  It assumes that certain basic catechetical standards have been met.  Speculative theology as a teaching tool is based largely in induction.  It takes experiential knowledge or theological principles and submits them to an entire series of speculations.  It is the most value neutral of the models in actual practice, since there is little control over the conclusions to be reached.  This type of instruction is primarily concerned with concepts and methods such that these are the entry points into insight.

Model #3: Socialization
This model might be considered a hybrid of the first two.  It brings the facts of a particular subject to bear in such a way that consensus on a model, sometimes preconceived, is reached.  The goals of this educational model are three-fold: 1) there is a transmission of facts and/or principles, conceived or presented in a repeated pattern by the instructor; 2) these same facts are arranged in such a manner as to achieve a desired result: bringing the learning subject into a "community" of sorts that collectively holds these agreed upon truths and thus acts upon other ideas accordingly; 3) the learning subject gains the ability to use the set of facts learned in order to pursue speculative theology in an effort to discover further information which matches with the facts or principles taught (1) and the conclusions desired in (2).  Failure to do so requires an reworking of the previously agreed upon facts and/or principles.



That's what I have so far.  Discussion and comments welcome.  I'm sure that this is only a start, and thus highly incomplete.  In other words, I invite the hounds of Model #2 to be released on the above material.

http://newsandals.blogspot.com/2012/02/comment-of-day.html

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Comment of the Day

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Tue, 07 Feb 2012 14:53:00 +0000

From Jesuit. (No word on whether or not I need a disparity of cult note to publish this.)

...Your post seems to indicate that God is the only source of desires and that all of our desires are, at least, permitted by God if not caused by God. According to Ignatian spirituality this is not the case. Our desires emerge from a complex interaction of the free self, the good spirit, and the evil spirit. The promise that God will give us the desires of our heart follows on the imperative that we delight ourselves in God (Ps 37). There are certainly disordered desires and incompletely discerned desires that plague us all the time. These desires might not be fulfilled, and possibly should not be fulfilled. For instance, a man might have a mighty and holy desire to marry a certain woman, but unless the desire is reciprocated the reality will not, and should not, be fulfilled. Another example, a man might have a strong and holy desire to become a priest, but he cannot discern this on his own. Like marriage, the decision of a man to be a priest is a common discernment between him and the Church. Since it is not in his power to make himself a priest, he can only discern his side of the equation. The desire to be a priest can emerge from many places, but the discernment to be a priest is a process guided by the holy spirit acting in the realm of possibility and community. Desires have to be discerned if they are to be translated into action or attended with expectation. The existential angst that emerges from disordered, incomplete, and difficult to discern desires is a natural part of the finitude of our human existence, and accepting that fact might be part of our true freedom. New spiritual growth comes when we abandon the project of perfect control and utter self-transcendence and delight in God with a simple kind of joy that can purify and rightly order our desires. We can only trust that our desires flow from God when we are confident that we are delighting in God--the absolute horizon who orients and grants eternal perspective to our desires. 

http://newsandals.blogspot.com/2012/02/developing-theology-of-god.html

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Developing a Theology of God

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Tue, 07 Feb 2012 11:30:00 +0000

Excerpt of an email from a friend to me:

So my question for you is: are you saying that God wouldn't give a person the desire for something impossible? Or is nothing impossible because God wouldn't let you desire it if it were?

Or is that question irrelevant because you're only talking about desires "implanted" in people by God? If so, then what's the difference between that desire and any other, if we're all products of his creation?

These questions are, it should go without saying, great ones.  They cut right to the heart of what it means to be a believer in God.  Indeed, these questions are all the more important for a Christian, and a Catholic no less, because they point to the nub of all theology: the mediation of God's revelation.  Of course, for Catholics, this mediation is found in complete fullness in the person of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

Before answering these questions, one may recall the old Scholastic exercise: Could God make a square circle?  The conflict is summed thusly: God can do anything; but, the question then runs, could God do what is against the nature of things (that God has made)?  The answer, it seems, is "no."  At the same time, what is missing from this debate is a bit of intellectual honesty.  For in all reality, how can we know the nature of things better than the Creator?

So, with that bit of epistemic honesty noted and applied, we may continue.

My response to the above questions would run something like this:

The Spirit of God would not call us to be something impossible in a final, irrevocable way.  Such a calling would be capricious and uncharitable, dooming a creation of this same God to constant existential misery.  Yet, at the same time, it cannot be said that that which we believe ourselves called may not, at some or most or close to all times, appear to be impossible.  

Especially helpful in this matter is that the old Thomistic adage that "grace builds upon nature."  If we are to understand grace as the gratuitous self-giving of God's self in his only Son, and the experiences gained therein, we can see this gratuitous giving as building upon what we already are.  More simply, Christ helps us to become something that otherwise we would not be.  This is what makes the Christian different from his or her fellow co-religionists.  Because this thing called grace builds upon our nature, each individual human is an unrepeatable act of God, wherein his or her life and subsequent salvation is, in fact, also unique and unrepeatable. 

Because of this, one might correctly allow that God might permit unrealistic desires into one's consciousness for any number of reasons, provided that in the final accounting such desires do not do permanent harm to one's soul.  Yet at the same time, one might also allow that God uses these same desires to bring us closer to him.  

In summary, we find that God would not call us to something ultimately existentially destructive because it would be against his nature.  At the same time, God builds our own desires and appetites so that we may ultimately reach our salvation in him.  Thus, all good and holy desires comes from God, yet one must allow for some desires that seem not to be from God as being from him and some desires that seem to be from God as originating from other sources.

Inadequate, I know.  But it's the old college try.

 

 

http://newsandals.blogspot.com/2012/02/on-coughlin-and-my-old-man.html

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On Coughlin and My Old Man

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Mon, 06 Feb 2012 23:36:00 +0000

I've always liked Tom Coughlin, but until last night, I wasn't sure why.

Growing up, I found myself intrigued by the expansion Jacksonville Jaguars, built to win "now," as opposed to their newly birthed counterparts, the Carolina Panthers.  The Jags had a left-handed quarterback with some mobility, Mark Brunell, and a coach that didn't take any prisoners, Tom Coughlin.  Both of these men, as stock characters of sorts, intrigued me.  I've always liked Coughlin.

I (think I) remember that soon after the Giants hired Tom Coughlin, he manged to get a whole bunch of players upset.  He was too tough, too demanding.  He instituted these meetings and asked the players to be here or there earlier than they had been required to be in the past.  And the media railed.  I've always liked Coughlin.


And then Coughlin allegedly got kinder and gentler.  So, a few years ago, there went Eli Manning (who had problems of his own) and Tom, never wavering, winning the biggest game of their respective lives against the Goliaths of football, replete with the Darth Vader of Coaching, the guy who was meaner than Coughlin but could get away with it.

A not-so-flashy coach defeats Bill Belichick.  Eli Manning has the game of his life.  Giants win the Super Bowl. I've always liked Coughlin.

I found myself in almost the same place last night.  Sitting on a couch.  Fourth quarter.  Giants down.  Eli with the ball.  Coughlin with his trademark glare.  Gone were the questions over whether Eli could be considered elite.  Gone were Coughlin's detractors who whispered whether he had "lost the team" after a few terrible losses this season.

Eli to Manningham in one of the best money throw and catches you'll ever see.

Bradshaw up the middle.  Touchdown.  Down goes Goliath.  Again.

There stood Coughlin on the podium after the game, giving the credit to his guys, the players he had supposedly lost during the season.  Same steely eyes.  Some measured voice.  I've always liked Coughlin.

But why?

Last night, as I watched Coughlin coached I realized why I liked him.  I thought it was great when he got upset over the non-pass interference call.  I thought it was great how quickly he calmed down again.  I loved it when he put his hands on his hips with that, "you got to be kidding me" look.  I loved the consistent clap, rap-rap-rap, that he always does, urging his guys on.  I've always liked Coughlin.

I realized I like Tom Coughlin because he reminds me of my dad.  I realized that I loved the way Coughlin supported Eli because that's the same way my dad supported me.

I've always loved my dad.

http://acapuchinjourney.blogspot.com/2012/02/defense-for-religion.html

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The Defense For Religion

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Sun, 05 Feb 2012 22:17:00 +0000

http://livingfranciscan.blogspot.com/2012/01/week-of-gratitude-thoughts.html

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A Week of Gratitude Thoughts

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Sun, 29 Jan 2012 23:28:00 +0000

Or, a week of thoughts about gratitude. This week I received an invitation to write a prayer of gratitude.


This prayer would be for possible inclusion in a book author, June Cotner, is preparing. June previously published a book of "Graces." We sometimes page through that book before a meal to find a grace prayer that might open new doors of awareness of the gifts which surround us.

As I am thinking about gratitude, I am more aware than ever of interactions that arouse grateful feelings in my heart. I notice that when I'm busy doing whatever I think is so important, I let kind words pass right by! Today, for example, another guest said some very lovely words about her stay at Clare's Well. Instead of, "Yes, I know what you mean," I made myself really listen to her. This might not sound like much, but it was quite profound for me. I saw her and heard her on a level that I usually let pass under my conscious radar. I noticed not only her gratitude, but also mine. What a lovely, lovely shared moment I almost missed.

http://acapuchinjourney.blogspot.com/2012/01/fishers-of-people_21.html

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Fishers of People

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Sat, 21 Jan 2012 18:13:00 +0000

http://livingfranciscan.blogspot.com/2012/01/bonding-through-retreat.html

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Bonding Through Retreat

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Thu, 19 Jan 2012 17:29:00 +0000

Here are women who would lay down


their lives for each other, and


for you, too.

http://vocationstory.blogspot.com/2012/01/graphic-design-blog.html

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Graphic Design Blog

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Sat, 14 Jan 2012 17:39:00 +0000

I'm taking a Graphic Design course this semester to fulfill an Art credit for school. I chose graphic design because I wanted to be able to compliment the web design and development work that I already do. After two classes, I already see how this class is going to be a great experience and an opportunity for me to pretend to be an artist!

Rather than using paint, clay, or wood for my art medium, this art class has us working exclusively on the computer. Using Adobe Illustrator along with a graphic tablet, my art project involve drawing things onto the computer. For only the first week of this class, I have to say that it is a blast! I've never considered myself much of an artist (I still spend hours trying to decide if I like my web templates!) but this medium is a lot of fun to work with.

Rather than turning in homework on paper, all work is published to a blog. The blog, for those interested, is listed here: http://cg-s12-vmartinez.blogspot.com.

http://acapuchinjourney.blogspot.com/2012/01/call-to-discipleship.html

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The Call To Discipleship

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Sat, 14 Jan 2012 15:21:00 +0000

http://vocationstory.blogspot.com/2012/01/whats-up-for-2012.html

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What's Up for 2012

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Sun, 01 Jan 2012 21:34:00 +0000

So the champagne's been drunk and the New Year is here. The other obvious question is:

What's your new year's resolution?

I usually never remember mine...it's hard enough to remember the goals I have to complete for the week! However a past Spiritual Director once told me that times of change and renewal are the best times to make new habits. "New wine belongs in new wineskins," was the underlying theme, and there's some truth to that for me. So, hoping to make "changes" rather than just "resolutions," here's a few goals I've set for the new year.

1. Consistent Blogging - It's the bane of any blogger: over a period of time, it gets hard to write and maintain a blog. Blogging is a habit that is built and sustained...and is maintained when I'm away from the computer. Post-novitiate formation really conflicted with my blogging habit...so I'm hoping that, being settled into school here in Chicago, I can build that blogging skill again.


2. Template Change - Whether it's the vocation blog for my province, my own personal website, or even stuff I've done in school, my blog has become outdated when compared to the other work I do. There is a huge need for web developers, graphic designers, and copywriters who are willing to work with religious or non-profit organizations...still building and maintaining websites with Front Page. Redoing my blog here will not only help me sharpen my skills, but it may encourage me to blog even more.


3. Time Management - With school, ministry, house chores, homework, and everything else that's going on my life, there's a need to make sure I have time to be present to everything. Sometimes that means cutting out the things that waste time. But currently, I'm focused on using my time wiser. Working in front of a computer screen can get a lot of things done, unless I get distracted by cats climbing Christmas trees. Web development and independent learning require a huge amount of discipline and time management when in front of the computer, and it's easy to get distracted. I'm hoping to work on that this year.

http://acapuchinjourney.blogspot.com/2011/12/born-of-christ.html

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The Birth of Christ

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Sat, 31 Dec 2011 18:22:00 +0000

http://vocationstory.blogspot.com/2011/12/genesis-one-code.html

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The Genesis One Code

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Sat, 24 Dec 2011 17:07:00 +0000

The Genesis One Code. Daniel Friedmann.
New York: Park East, 2011. 231 pp.

This month I had the opportunity to preview The Genesis One Code by Daniel Friedmann. As a student of both religion and science, it was a wonderful opportunity for me to read and critique the work of someone who'd found a way to interpret science and faith as disciplines that can point towards a common truth.

The Genesis One Code focuses on cosmology as told by the scientific community as well as through his own faith. This is an initial problem for people of different disciplines: the evidence towards an old universe conflicts with the 6-day creation narrative of the Abrahamic tradition. While these two approaches towards the creation of the universe appear to be incongruent, the focus of Friedmann's book is to show that, indeed, both the scientific evidence and the 1st chapter of Genesis point to a common truth: scientific findings regarding the age of the universe are in agreement with Genesis that the world is 13.75 billion years old (plus/minus .13 billion years).

This is a strong claim, however Friedmann shows that he is familiar with the both approaches. One of the things I enjoyed about the book is that it did not present one side to be more "correct" than the other...an approach that would have easily imbalanced a highly volatile thesis. Rather, the author systematically approaches both disciplines, explains the history and thought behind both, and provides a mechanism of thought that seemingly unifies the fields of science and religion.

I say "seemingly" because Friedmann's methodology raises some questions. The author does well to illuminate his sources as well as explain their importance to the discussion, especially when discussing the entirety of Jewish Law. However the use of these various sources does not make Friedmann's conclusion necessary. Rather, it can be argued that the presentation of the religious material confirms the scientific approach rather than independently arriving at that same conclusion. For example, if scientific knowledge later showed how the universe was 23 billion years old, it's possible that Friedmann's religious interpretation of Creation could be altered to fit that number as well.

Whether or not other readers agree or disagree, the value of The Genesis One Code goes beyond validating one's beliefs. I found it rather appropriate that the book's introduction should include a quote by Pope Pius XII:

It would seem that present-day science, with one sweep back across the centuries, has succeeded in bearing witness to the august instant of the primordial Fiat Lux, when along with matter, there burst forth from nothing a sea of light and radiation, and the elements split and churned and formed into millions of galaxies.

As Catholic Christians, we are invited to see science as something that compliments our faith, not to see it as something that contradicts it. It is, for some, a hard part of our Catholic faith. This has been especially troubling throughout the Church's history as it dealt with advances in science...a point that Friedmann makes in his book.

This is where, in my reading, the book has the most value. Daniel Friedmann, when presented with contradictions between science and religion, chose to learn both rather than picking one and dismissing the other. Friedmann presents an understandable description of the cosmology of the universe, including the Big Bang Theory as well as the Theory of Evolution. Both are not fully explained, however I found myself learning more about the structure of these theories as well as the science behind both. Similarly, the author explains the depth of the understanding of Genesis from the Judaic perspective. It is clear from the book that the author has taken time to educate himself in both areas of study. Genesis One is a framework not just to look at our beginnings, but provides an example of incorporating science and faith towards a common goal.

Genesis One is a unique read in that part of the book reads like a science text while the other reads like a Raymond Brown text...bombarded with references and various interpretations of religious thought. Thankfully, the author provides timelines and visual aids to help readers synthesize the data. If you are looking for a spiritually stimulating book, this might not be your choice. However if you are looking to read something that will increase your knowledge as well as make you think about your own viewpoints, this is the book for you. I also recommend this book for Catholics who, although have no "official" teaching on the Evolution and Big Bang Theories, are encouraged to come to their own positions that compliment faith and science. The Genesis One Code will provide an insight towards thinking of religion and science as complimentary disciplines that can both lead humanity to understanding the truth.

Image: tungphoto

http://livingfranciscan.blogspot.com/2011/12/preparing-for-christmas.html

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Preparing for Christmas

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Wed, 14 Dec 2011 03:17:00 +0000

Sisters Carol and Paula have been at it: decorating Clare's Well living room. The new LED lights on our "tree" reflect in the windows and on the ceiling adding new dimensions of beauty for the corner of plants that we have traditionally grouped together to make up our tree the last twenty-some years. The mantel crib set is new this year. It is a gift Carol purchased from artistsans in Nicaragua when she was there on one of the mission trips she and a group make to Father Teddy Niehaus' parish down there each January.

http://acapuchinjourney.blogspot.com/2011/12/repentance-and-spirit.html

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Repentance And The Spirit.

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Sat, 03 Dec 2011 17:31:00 +0000

http://acapuchinjourney.blogspot.com/2011/12/advent-fast.html

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The Advent Fast

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Fri, 02 Dec 2011 18:12:00 +0000

http://acapuchinjourney.blogspot.com/2011/11/using-new-translation.html

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Using The New Translation

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Thu, 10 Nov 2011 18:21:00 +0000

http://livingfranciscan.blogspot.com/2011/11/even-trees-take-time-to-go-within.html

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Call of the Cellar

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Mon, 07 Nov 2011 15:31:00 +0000

We have used short meditative readings on the nature of the season of fall before our meals these days. The season's natural movement is from outer activities to inner reflection and renewal. I notice our trees -- how can I help but notice! Their leaves are very much underfoot all over our yard even though we've had one significant picking-up-leaves-day. Letting go of showy productions, tree energy retreats to rest. Walking out of doors today, I feel the trees calling me to follow their example.

As sunlight is lessened in our northern hemisphere, I pray to own my own and the Divine light within. I'm happy to let go of harvesting and canning -- filling the cellar shelves -- and to take hold of more time to be in my own inner cellar. I pray with growing gratitude and praise for the earthy quiet of this restful, waiting, trusting soul space.

http://acapuchinjourney.blogspot.com/2011/11/gospel-mt-251-13-jesus-told-his.html

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Sat, 05 Nov 2011 15:58:00 +0000

http://acapuchinjourney.blogspot.com/2011/10/ego-deflating-proposition.html

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An Ego Deflating Proposition

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Sun, 30 Oct 2011 16:51:00 +0000

Being both a religious and a priest I must admit the readings this Sunday have a way of making me feel a little uncomfortable. Yet, this is why we need the gospels and the readings from the Hebrew bible.  They keep us accountable when our own accountant has lost touch with reality.

http://acapuchinjourney.blogspot.com/2011/10/back-in-sattle-again.html

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Back In The Saddle Again

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Fri, 28 Oct 2011 01:17:00 +0000

http://franciscanblog.blogspot.com/2011/10/prayer-based-on-letter-of-saint-clare.html

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PRAYER BASED ON THE LETTER OF SAINT CLARE TO BLESSED AGNES

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Mon, 10 Oct 2011 02:06:00 +0000

http://livingfranciscan.blogspot.com/2011/10/we-celebrated-francis.html

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Associate Franciscan Life Group Celebrated Francis

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Thu, 06 Oct 2011 19:39:00 +0000

http://vocationstory.blogspot.com/2011/09/messages-on-digital-ocean.html

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Messages on the Digital Ocean

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Sat, 01 Oct 2011 01:19:00 +0000

Managing the insights and posts of the friars at the Midwest Capuchins blog gives me the opportunity to reflect on our effect to others through such an immense medium. The Web is a virtual sea (double-meaning intended) of information. It can sustain us, it can be a place of enjoyment and leisure, and it can be trechorous and harmful if someone is not careful. Yet for all of that, we are given the task of crafting our own vessels of insight and reflection to be cast among the vastness of the digital ocean. Like the proverbial message in a bottle, we offer a piece of who we are and hit the "Publish" button, never really knowing who will find our words.

Perhaps this is why I was struck by this story on allvoices.com about a man who's been sending messages in bottles for the past 15 years. He says that he's heard back from many of the bottles he's sent out...as people have responded with personal stories, DVD's, and other aspects of their life.

http://vocationstory.blogspot.com/2011/09/steve-jobs-his-gift-to-church.html

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Steve Jobs & His Gift to the Church

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Mon, 05 Sep 2011 17:55:00 +0000

I saw this article posted by Faith, a fellow Catholic blogger. It's an intriguing article by Jesuit Michael Kelly on the resignation of Steve Jobs from Apple, the impact of Jobs' innovation on global communication, and how that technology has been embraced by the Church. I found the article to be a good read and an opportunity to think about the role of social media in the Church.

Fr. Michael Kelly SJ, writing at eurekastreet.com.au, discusses the influences that Steve Jobs has had on the world and how the even the Church has embraced his technological revolutions. Fr. Michael credits Jobs and Apple for:

Perhaps the most important part of Fr. Michael's article focuses on the Church's response to these transformations. Fr. Michael says:

...the creation of a vibrant, participative and interactive community — something in which Steve Jobs and Apple played a key role — is just what Vatican II envisaged for the Church.

Was Jobs and Apple a blessing or a curse for the Church? I'll let you decide.

Read the article here.

http://vocationstory.blogspot.com/2011/08/i-know-what-you-did-last-summer.html

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I Know What You Did Last Summer

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Tue, 16 Aug 2011 13:43:00 +0000

It seems like only yesterday that I finished my last exam and the end of school. But with the next semester of St. Xavier University less than a week away, it's good to look back at my summer placement in Detroit and the blessings I've received from being at those ministries.

...to comfort the afflicted - My main ministry in Detroit was working at the Solanus Casey Center. While I was able to use my tech skills to help out with a few tasks, the main job of this ministry was to be open, to listen, and to be present as people came to the center...both with their stories of wonder and their personal struggles. While taking the role of porter has long been considered the lowest "rung on the ladder," as Capuchins we have great respect for the role, as seen in St. Conrad of Parzham and Venerable Solanus Casey. Sometimes people would come in with their worries, only looking for someone listen - to know that another human being cared about their struggle. In those moments, I had to realize that I couldn't help, rather just allow myself to be a vessel through with the Spirit could provide healing.

The Healing Service was another part of this ministry. Each Wednesday at the Solanus Center, people come from all over to experience this blessing of healing and seek the intersession of Fr. Solanus. To be face-to-face with people in their struggles, offering everything up to God, is a powerful experience. By witnessing their faith, I've been able to grow in my own.

...to instruct the uninformed - One of the opportunities I wanted to partake in was to spend time at our retreat house in Washington, MI. The Capuchin Retreat Center is a beautiful 95-acre area that provides a getaway as well as instruction for people looking to disengage from the bustle of everyday life. I don't think many people think about "retreat work" when they discern their vocation. Most think about direct service, youth ministry, or being pastor of a parish. After getting experience in retreat ministry, I've seen how valueable it is to people's spiritual needs.



I experienced several retreats, and was always suprised to listen to the presenters. Each had their own different style, their own way of approaching a topic. But whether they were discussing Franciscan Theology or giving a story from their life in the Order, they had a way of enlightening people that was both unassuming and connected. It's one thing to be preached at it's another to be engaged with. I was shown great examples of how we as Capuchins excel in this area.

...to visit the prisoners - A big reason I joined the Capuchins was witnessing how Ray Stadmeyer accompanied 5 ex-convicts though the R.O.P.E. program and started a business off of their baking. So I was excited about the opportunity to visit On The Rise Bakery run by the Capuchin Soup Kitchen...not just about the pastries, but to reconnect with an experience that drew me into Capuchin life.

Listening to Edward's story, between cutting cookies and making pineapple upside-down cake, I was reminded of why I chose to be here. Edward's future and health, something he rarely thought of before, were owed to the Capuchins. Each day he looked at the world with joy, positivity, and thanks to God for being where he was. And while he thanked the Capuchins unceasingly for his deliverance from crime, drugs, and violence, the Bro. Ray is quick to remind that it is by following the Gospel that the Capuchins do what we do.

...to bury the dead - While living at St. Bonaventure Monestary last summer, brother Malcolm Maloney passes away after medical complications. During my time there, I witnessed how Malcolm's health deteriorated. For many people, it's not something that we would choose to be around consistently.

However living at St. Bonaventures, with Malcolm's blood-brother Joe also there, it was wonderful to see how friar came together to support Malcolm and Joe, and to be present to the needs as Malcolm's life faded away. And in the end, Malcolm's passing was remembered as a celebration of his gifts and his vibrant personality that stuck in the minds and hearts of those who attended his funeral.

These days, my prayer is filled with these experience - constantly reflecting on where God was present. I thank God for the wonderful summer, the experiences of these past few months, and I am thankful for each day that I get to be a friar.

(I wonder what I get to do next summer!)

http://acapuchinjourney.blogspot.com/2011/08/end.html

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taking a break from blogging

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Sun, 14 Aug 2011 01:28:00 +0000

http://acapuchinjourney.blogspot.com/2011/08/storms-of-life.html

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The Storms of Life

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Mon, 08 Aug 2011 01:26:00 +0000

http://livingfranciscan.blogspot.com/2011/08/identity.html

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IDENTITY

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Sat, 06 Aug 2011 00:30:00 +0000

http://vocationstory.blogspot.com/2011/07/feeding-spirit-time-at-on-rise-bakery.html

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Feeding the Spirit: Time at On the Rise Bakery

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Mon, 25 Jul 2011 13:54:00 +0000

Last Tuesday I had the chance to work at one of our more unique ministries: the bakery. On the Rise Bakery opened in 2009 as an extension of the R.O.P.E. program - sponsored by the Capuchin Soup Kitchen in Detroit. The program provides a place for men, coming out of prison, to deal with issues of substance abuse, anger management, and the life skills to succeed in the world.

I first learned about the R.O.P.E. program when I was a candidate visiting Detroit. I found it inspiring to see these men being spiritually fed by the Capuchins and our commitment to the poor. What started as a side-project in one of the soup kitchens has now become a business enterprise that provides employment for these ex-felons who, because of the job market, might never get the work experience to succeed after prison.

Remembering the inspiration I felt by this program, I was eager to participate in the day-to-day operations of the bakery. The bakery runs 6 days a week - a large part of their business comes from special orders and sales at various parishes in the Detroit area. Because of the demand, the bakery runs 3 shifts...giving the men experience of a 40 hour work week. Initially I thought the work would be simple. I was obviously wrong!

My first task Tuesday morning was unloading a pallet of 50 lb. bags of flour, sugar, and other various supplies. While the lifting was hard work, Ed (the head baker and graduate of the R.O.P.E. program) reminded me that he usually unloads the pallet by himself.

The day was filled with hard work and it wasn't always cool (especially with the big oven). However Ed let us know that our presence helped him get more done. He took the time to share part of his journey and his experience of being in the R.O.P.E. program.

"There are no words that can completely say how much the Capuchins mean to me," he told us. "You are all angels to me."

Spending time at the bakery Tuesday reminded me that there are powerful experiences that remind me of my vocation. As I continue to discern and be formed as a friar, it's important for me to reconnect with those experiences...thereby continuously renewing my desire to be a Capuchin. And that something as simple as baking bread is a reminder of how we can encounter God and feed the spirit of others.

http://acapuchinjourney.blogspot.com/2011/07/new-assigments.html

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New Assigments

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Thu, 21 Jul 2011 17:24:00 +0000

Outside of the main church.  This walk leads to the St. Therese of Lisieux chapel.

Inside of St. Therese of Lisieux chapel

Inside of St. Alphonsus chapel

The back of the church

The Parish Hall



http://acapuchinjourney.blogspot.com/2011/07/gospel-mt-1324-43-jesus-proposed.html

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Weeds Among The Wheat

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Sat, 16 Jul 2011 16:00:00 +0000

http://vocationstory.blogspot.com/2011/07/wearing-habit-social-experiment.html

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Wearing the Habit: A Social Experiment

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Wed, 13 Jul 2011 11:07:00 +0000

For my Intro to Communications class at SXU, I was asked to team with another classmate and conduct a test of nonverbal reaction to a specific event. The experiment was simple. In a semi-controlled setting, use one or more nonverbal expressions and record the reactions of the sample. The project was an introductory look at doing field research as well as preparing the documentation.

My partner and I thought about what to do an experiment on. One group did theirs on eating chips in a "quiet area" of the school, another did theirs on body positioning in an elevator. After brainstorming ideas for a bit, we came to the obvious decision: reactions of students when I wear my habit to school.

What follows is the form, experiment, and findings of one friar's experience of wearing a religious habit to a Catholic university.


Our experiment was one in which was used the ethnographic method by putting ourselves into the environment, carrying out the function, and recording the reactions of nonverbal cues and gestures made by students. In the following paper we will break down our research question, the setting of the experiment, the behavioral “norms” when addressing our situation, hypothesis, method, sample, data table and records, analysis, and of course the conclusion.

Research Questions: In a Catholic institution, how will people react to seeing a student, normally seen in casual clothing, wearing a religious habit. Will the reaction be positive, negative, or indifferent? Will people visually engage the student or avert their gaze?

Hypothesis: We believe that students will be caught making indecisive eye contact with the student friar, then turn away quickly (gaze aversion) when the friar (Vito) returns eye contact. We believe that most reactions nonverbally will be expressed through eyebrow movements and eye motions rather than a sort of actual body placement or head reaction. The reason we believe this will be the case is because some people will not be used to that type of clothing in their everyday life or a classroom, so there nonverbal reactions should consist of uncertainty, shock, and tentativity.

Setting: The experiment was conducted in a classroom setting. The class consisted of about 25 students (13 girls and 12 males) along with a male professor; the class was an undergraduate philosophy at a Catholic Institution in Chicago, Ill. (St. Xavier University). The normal attire for the classroom was "casual," consisting of jeans, sweatpants, t-shirts, hoodies, polos, etc. There is no specific dress code for the class.

Behavioral Norms: There are specific patterns or "norms" that exist in the context of a college classroom, specifically with regards to first entering the classroom. We based these “norms” on someone who is socially confident, outgoing, and would be considered socially amiable.

1. Make and/or eye contact with others in the classroom.
2. Maintain a sitting posture that is toward the "front" of the classroom (facing the professor and the whiteboard.)
3.Body placement that encourages open communication with the professor and possibly others.
4. Do not ignore classmates by head movements or other nonverbal cues.
5. Do not give negative body movements towards others.
6. Do not judge others negatively by eye movements (rolling of the eyes).
7. Do not stare at someone for a long time with a blank face or check someone’s entire body out.
8. Should not address someone with negative facial expressions.
9. Stay away from negative or rude eyebrow movements.
10. If looking at someone without them knowing, do not turn your entire body to the individual.

Method: Two students at St. Xavier University conducted the experiment on 11 other students (6 males and 5 females) along with a professor (male) to record nonverbal reactions of a student wearing a religious habit. While the professor was aware of Vito's status as a friar, the students were not and none had ever seen Vito wearing his habit to class. Since the experiment would take place in the context of class, our ethnographic study entailed one person to serve as an active participant wearing the religious habit (Vito) while another recorded the reactions of students. The method of our experiment was for Vito (who is a friar) to wear his Friar habit into our Philosophy classroom. We entered the classroom 5 minutes before the start time to get a clean sample of the students and professor as they saw Vito. No advance notice was to the class regarding this test. We wanted to record people’s instinctive nonverbal reactions without them knowing we were recording data. We sat in our normal seats in the back of the classroom which allowed for us to get vital reactions because people tended to naturally look into the back of the classroom when walking to their seats. The way we recorded data was simply formulating a chart in a spiral notebook that included each person we tested in the left side of the chart, their gender, and whether they reacted with a gaze aversion, positively, negatively, or indifferent. Vito  faced the front of the classroom with welcoming eye contact so students would only react to the nonverbal message of the religious habit...thereby isolating the variable for the experiment. Only an experimental group was used since we had reasonable data to predict how students would react to Vito when not in his habit.

Data:

Subjects/People	M/F (Male/Female)	Gaze Aversion, Positive, Negative, Indifferent, and Reactions
P1	M	Positive reaction, smiled when making eye contact.
P2	M	Gaze aversion, Positive reaction, smiled when making eye contact.
P3	F	Indifferent, little to no eye contact with any facial expressions or cues.
P4	F	Gaze Aversion, eye contact but looked away quick didn’t want to be caught looking. Physically turned her body around during class and starred. Shocked.
P5	M	Positive reaction, smiled when making eye contact.
P6	F	Indifferent reaction with a lot of starring, taken back expression of eyebrows.
P7	F	Indifferent, not much eye contact.
P8	F	Negative stare.
P9	M	Gaze aversion, stared. Eye contact when Vito was not looking.
P10 (class sit-in, not a student in the class.)	M	Positive, but visibly stared. Shocked.
P11	F	Gaze aversion, but would continuously stare occasionally.
P12 (professor)	M	Stared way more than normal when coming into the classroom and looking at Vito. Uneasy.

Analysis: After conducting our experiment we found that 33% (4 out of 12 people) were caught in gaze aversion, turning away when they made eye contact with Vito. In the gazing we recorded a lot of focused eye contact with uncommitted body involvement - a nonverbal cue of confusion. This was our leading result, followed closely by indifferent nonverbal cues which was 25% (3 out of 12 people).  These people did not have any extra eye contact when seeing Vito than normal.

When eye contact was returned and received  positively(3 out of 12 people), people either smiled (female) or nodded their head (male). One person was recorded as a negative reaction which is .08% (1 out of 12 people). Her cues were negative body placement and the arching of her eyebrows.The female student displayed visible apprehensiveness from the eye contact with Vito in his religious habit, but because of the randomness of the sample, it is inconclusive as to actual reason for the reaction.

The last person recorded (.08%) was the professor. The professor noticeably stared at Vito at the beginning and throughout the class...even showing body movement (leaning back) when seeing Vito. Three times during the class, the professor displayed trouble finishing an audible thought - at each time the professor was caught staring at Vito.

Conclusion: In our conclusion, the experiment proved our hypothesis in which students, when coming across someone in a different style of clothing outside the “norm,”will react in a nonverbal sense of awkwardness and uncertainty. In an attempt to process the clothing, the students averted their eyes whenever they made eye contact with the test subject. Other aspects of the experiment worth noting:

• None in the test sample (including the professor) asked about the habit Vito was wearing
• Only the professor asked about the habit in subsequent classes
• The language and topics of discussion by those sitting around Vito noticeably changed after the experiment. 

Future Questions: How would this test have resulted at a secular institution, or a different religious institution? How would the test have taken place in another part of the country where Catholic religious garb is known more or less? How would the students have reacted if they'd not experienced Vito in "normal" clothing, but first saw Vito only in a religious habit? How powerful is the nonverbal message of religious clothing in the classroom setting to other students and to the professor?

While this little class experiment is a far cry from a published research article, I think it gives others a unique insight into what it is like wearing the habit. We earned an A on the project.

http://vocationstory.blogspot.com/2011/07/mozillas-mark-up-changing-world.html

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Mozilla's Mark Up: Changing the World

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Mon, 11 Jul 2011 17:26:00 +0000

For years, Mozilla has worked to provide free and open access on the Web for people around the globe. Even as a non-profit organization, the Mozilla Project (as they call themselves) has provided sound applications without cost to the users - most notably the Firefox web browser.

 In a field where competition and profit-making are so prevalent, how is Mozilla able to operate and compete with other developers? While reading The Mozilla Manifesto, it's clear that their focus is not on making money, but allowing open access to the Web for all:

The Mozilla project is a global community of people who believe that openness, innovation, and opportunity are key to the continued health of the Internet. We have worked together since 1998 to ensure that the Internet is developed in a way that benefits everyone.

It's a unique approach to software development and life altogether. Quite often we are worried about what we need as individuals, what will provide us with security, information, and the tools needed to survive in this world. Mozilla's approach is that the Internet is a resource for all people to use. Think of the idea: the sharing of ideas and resources for the improvement of humanity...its a concept that is truly Gospel avant garde.

Mozilla's recent project is called Mark Up. In their own words, they express the idea behind this unique project:

The Web is an integral part of modern life.
It is an educator, a communicator, an entertainer, an inspirer, a collaboration of all our creative efforts.
It sparks movements and enables us to share our ideas, our thoughts, our dreams.

The Web is our creation.
We are all contributors, the ones who use the Web every day.
And all the comments and uploads we make add up to something bigger.
This is why we believe that the Web must remain open and accessible to all.

Mark Up is a celebration of that freedom.
Each person's mark is an individual expression on a continuous line symbolizing solidarity.
It is a declaration and a chance to show your support for a people's Web.

I'm reminded of Einstein's thoughts on the cosmic religious...the indescribable pursuit for oneness with the universe and all Creation. While Mozilla doesn't claim to be a religious group, the pursuit of unifying ideal, be it for the Web or for the Kingdom, gives me endless opportunity to reflect on the nature of technology and how it impacts our lives.

So, being filled with the oneness of the Spirit and the pursuit of the Greater Good, I could think of only one word to add to the Mark Up project:

"Agape"

originally posted at Midwest Capuchins Blog

http://acapuchinjourney.blogspot.com/2011/07/sower-sunday.html

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The Sower Sunday

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Sun, 10 Jul 2011 15:36:00 +0000

"The human heart is not built in a day.  It takes a lifetime to make a human heart. It takes all: birth and learning how to talk, making wishes, living with hope, dreaming dreams. The human heart is nourished with yearning for tomorrow, with poetry and devotion, with contemplation and the incessant thought of home.


The human heart prays; it strives to find a faithful lover; it does not love until it dies in fidelity
for the mystery of another life.  The human heart suffers or else it does not grow; it exhausts itself or else it is empty; it waits and hopes at dawn and dusk, in darkness and daylight."


God is faithful in sending us the word of life, let us be faithful in keeping our hearts ready to do the work required to receive the word.

http://franciscanblog.blogspot.com/2011/07/story.html

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A Story...

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Tue, 05 Jul 2011 02:12:00 +0000

http://acapuchinjourney.blogspot.com/2011/07/my-yoke-is-easy-my-burden-light.html

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My Yoke is Easy, My Burden Light

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Mon, 04 Jul 2011 13:48:00 +0000

At that time Jesus exclaimed: “I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to little ones.  Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will.  All things have been handed over to me by my Father.  No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.”

“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.”



Revaluation…it more than just a word.  It is an event which happens every day.  The news the world reveals is often the kinds of revelations we dread learning about the most: violent crimes, terrorism, scandal and corruption.  President Nixon used to call the five O’clock news. "the five O’clock blues.”

In the gospel today, we learn another, more important, form of revaluation: Divine Revaluation and we learn that Jesus is the exclusive revelation of God.  That is why Jesus says, “come to me” and “learn of me” because trying to know and understand God should be easy; God wants us to know who He is, and when we look at Jesus we hit the bulls eye.

Most of us learn from an early age that if we want something in this world it will not simply be given to us. 
We have to work hard to get good grades in school, we know that making a living will come by the sweet of our brow, not by the seat of our paints.  The American dream will happen only if we work hard, strive to achieve, and think only to succeed.
 
Yet, many people have worked hard, and fail.  There are plenty of people who have played by the rules
and have gotten nothing for it.  There are those in life who have tried, and tried, and tried to make life work only to experience bitter disappointment.

Where do we go when things are at their worst?  Who do we turn to when we have so many hurts and disappointments?  Does God really care if He lets so many bad things happen to us to begin with?  For those who’ve had heavy burdens placed on their backs, Jesus has an invitation to take his yoke upon our shoulders instead.

The scholar William Barclay writes, "There is a legend that Jesus made the best ox-yokes in all of Galilee, and that from all over the country men came to him to buy the best yoke that skill could make.  In those days, as now, shops had their signs above the door; and it has been suggested the sign above the door of the Carpenter’s shop in Nazareth may well have been, “My yokes fit well.”

The life Christ has for us is not meant to burden us to exhaustion; Jesus does not set us up for failure; God's name is not disappointment - our task will be measured to fit us.  Whatever God sends us is made to fit our needs and our abilities exactly, and when we find that our burdens have been lifted and new life is experienced, then we respond by making the burdens of others lighter.

http://acapuchinjourney.blogspot.com/2011/06/prayers-for-catholics-in-belfast.html

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Prayers for Catholics in Belfast

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Thu, 23 Jun 2011 13:04:00 +0000

It may seem strange that Northern Ireland is experiencing troubles again, but I don't think  it is a return to the violent days of decades ago.  Although a lot of people will think Protestants and Catholics are at it again, the reality is much more complicated and political in nature.  Since it is a very sensitive political issue, I will keep this post short by only requesting that we pray for our persecuted Catholic brothers and sisters in Northern Ireland and the Short Strand enclave in which they live.  I believe the unionist will never be able to persecute Catholics for a long duration because the internet exposes them and their deeds to the whole world.  Yet, the internet can not pray for our persecuted Catholic brothers and sisters, only we can do that.  Pray for the peace of Ireland.

http://livingfranciscan.blogspot.com/2011/06/celebrating-franciscan-style.html

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Celebrating Franciscan Style

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Mon, 20 Jun 2011 15:30:00 +0000

http://acapuchinjourney.blogspot.com/2011/06/mind-of-christ-7th-sunday-of-easter.html

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The Mind of Christ (7th Sunday of Easter)

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Sun, 05 Jun 2011 14:26:00 +0000

http://acapuchinjourney.blogspot.com/2011/06/nothing-like-rainbow.html

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Nothing like a Rainbow

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Fri, 03 Jun 2011 01:37:00 +0000

I finally got the big fish which I had on one of my hooks on a number of ocations, but this time, he didn't get away.  A fifteen inch Rainbow trout.  Thank you Lord!

http://acapuchinjourney.blogspot.com/2011/06/ascension.html

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The Ascension

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Thu, 02 Jun 2011 13:20:00 +0000

http://acapuchinjourney.blogspot.com/2011/05/feast-day-of-st-jeanne-darc-may-30th.html

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The Freedom Saint!

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Mon, 30 May 2011 01:59:00 +0000

http://livingfranciscan.blogspot.com/2011/05/is-rhubarb-franciscan.html

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Is Rhubarb Franciscan?

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Sat, 28 May 2011 21:29:00 +0000

http://vocationstory.blogspot.com/2011/05/midwest-capuchins-blog-site.html

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Midwest Capuchins Blog Site

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Mon, 23 May 2011 16:17:00 +0000

This week marks the release of the new blog site for the Capuchin Franciscans of St. Joseph province. For the past few months I've worked with our Vocations Director  Fr. Bill Hugo, OFM Cap. on a social media project to help build a web presence for the Province while also providing more information, experiences, and events. The overall goal: to allow everyone to get a better glimpse about our Order, how we live, and how we live out our Franciscan charism.

http://livingfranciscan.blogspot.com/2011/05/i-knew-this-would-happen-someday.html

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I Knew This Would Happen Someday!

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Sat, 21 May 2011 20:19:00 +0000

Here I am, following myself. I thought I was signing on to follow someone else who is following this blog, and it turns out, I'm following our own. I wonder if this is how a dog feels chasing her own tail? This is not a good trait for a Franciscan. . . though it does encourage humility and a reminder of the need to be watchful.

We are gathering this weekend to celebrate the 80th birthday of our Sister Rose Mae Rausch. Rose Mae is one of our community treasures - a leader in all things good and beautiful. What a pleasure to be associated with her. You don't see her running around in circles. Her eye is on the goal. I recommend her blog: franciscanthinplaces.blogspot.com

On the other end of the age spectrum, we have little friends who delight us when they come to see our chickens at Clare's Well Retreat Farm. Here they are, presenting the eggs they gathered in our barn. There is no pretense in how they feel about having their photo taken. Such unvarnished expressions! They share this with S. Rose Mae - not that she pouts - but you always know where she stands on matters of concern to her. She is a wonderfully transparent human being. Happy Birthday, Rose Mae!


.

http://vocationstory.blogspot.com/2011/05/further-exploration-for-blogging.html

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Further Exploration for Blogging

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Sun, 08 May 2011 19:23:00 +0000

In the wake of the Blogmeet that took place on May 2 in Rome, there have been several areas to reflect and pray on when incorporating the blogosphere into the Catholic faith. The meeting touched on some very important points, however there is further encouragement to look at areas of growth for this type of ministry. As a friar in formation with the Capuchins, I have a list of important thoughts when it comes to blogging about the Church.
As I've blogged over the years and have started to incorporate other friars into this special ministry, there are areas of exploration that affect clergy and religious. While this is not a comprehensive list, this is a list of topics that I reflect on with regards to blogging as a faith tool:

http://vocationstory.blogspot.com/2011/05/results-of-vatican-blogger-conference.html

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Results of The Vatican Blogger Conference 2011

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Thu, 05 May 2011 16:31:00 +0000

While not able to attend the meeting this year, I've still had the opportunity to look at a lot of the information and discussion that took place during the May 2nd meeting.

The Ironic Catholic Blog has a beautiful write-up about the events from Monday, and Rome Reports News Agency sent me the piece they put together for the event.

The Ironic Catholic goes over several important points that were discussed at the meeting. I will badly summerize them for you, so I highly recommend that you stop by her site to get the full picture:

• While the conference sought to bring together people from different regions who blog on different parts of the Catholic faith, there are possible cultural differences in how people blog around the world. 
• Is there a way for bloggers to help evangelize and spread the faith in parts of the world that are hostile to religious thought?
• Blogging as a Catholic is not meant to serve ourselves or our own beliefs, but to be a way to reach out to others...even in times of confrontation.
• A set of ethical standards or possibly "commandments" to guide bloggers in their communication with the world.

http://acapuchinjourney.blogspot.com/2011/05/seeing-lord.html

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Seeing the Lord

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Mon, 02 May 2011 01:54:00 +0000

http://vocationstory.blogspot.com/2011/04/obedience-of-religious-life-why-im-not.html

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The Obedience of Religious Life: Why I'm Not Currently On A Plane to Rome

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Sun, 01 May 2011 02:43:00 +0000

Sometimes the life of a religious friar means that you have to turn down great opportunities, even when they come from Rome. 

http://livingfranciscan.blogspot.com/2011/04/transforming-tension-choosing-love.html

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Transforming Tension, Choosing Love

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Tue, 26 Apr 2011 18:55:00 +0000

This Living Franciscan post is written by Michelle L'Allier, OSF


Holy Week is filled with the unexpected: from the jubilation of Palm Sunday to the suffering and death of Jesus on Good Friday; from the darkness of waiting and uncertainty of Holy Saturday to the joy of Easter Resurrection. In Mathew’s Passion narrative, we hear Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet, not as I will, but as you will.” Jesus, fully human as well as fully divine, transformed his anguish into acceptance. Ronald Rolheiser speaks of Jesus purifying sin and tension by absorbing and transforming it…taking in hatred, holding it, transforming it, and giving back love…taking in fear, holding it, transforming it, and giving back freedom.

We as Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls are on our own journey of transformation. This blog post began long before Holy Week when I was walking on the Sacred Path at Clare’s Well (shown above), remembering the Legislative Session of our Delegate Assembly. This is once-every-five years gathering is a time when we come together as Franciscan Sisters to consider in a spirit of prayer God’s call and our response to the needs of the times. At our February Legislative Session we wrestled with the opportunities and challenges we face as we consider our limited resources, wide-ranging experiences and rich spiritual heritage. Blessed with faith and gifted companions for the journey, we vision and plan together for the future with hope. At our February meeting we also affirmed our call to continued conversation of community life in the 21st Century and to explore forms of governance that more fully reflect values of collegiality and shared responsibility.

Earlier this month we had the Election Session of our Delegate Assembly during which we elected a new Leadership Team. We listened to the movements of God’s Spirit in our midst and in our own hearts and chose a team of four Sisters who will be entrusted with leading us as a community for the next five years. Of this time, Jan described a metaphor of the kitchen  for our community, the hearth of the home is where we prepare food to nourish one another and others; it is where we sip from comforting and at times contentious cups of coffee, all the while staying at the table. It is a pertinent image for these times. Whether considering choices regarding the future of a community such as ours or perhaps significant personal and family decisions, or whether it means moving forward in the midst of a polarized political climate, the model of listening deeply and staying at the table until tension is transformed is an example of fidelity to love.

May we in this Holy Week follow Jesus as he shows us the way to absorb, purify and transform tension and sin rather than simply transmit them.

http://vocationstory.blogspot.com/2011/04/website-projects.html

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Website Projects

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Wed, 20 Apr 2011 05:25:00 +0000

While its hard to find time to blog these days, especially with the end of classes coming soon, it's not because I've stopped focusing on web development. In actuality, I've built several websites since January, both for school and others. Here's a look at some of the projects I've worked on, as well as a rumor about an upcoming blog for the St. Joseph province of Capuchin Franciscans.

Communication blog at 1communicationspot.wordpress.com

http://livingfranciscan.blogspot.com/2011/04/how-is-it-in-your-kitchen.html

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How is it in your kitchen?

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Mon, 11 Apr 2011 00:45:00 +0000

http://vocationstory.blogspot.com/2011/04/bridge-or-barrier-more-reactions-to.html

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Bridge or Barrier: More Reactions to Wearing the Habit to School

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Sat, 09 Apr 2011 21:32:00 +0000

"Hey, aren't you the friar guy?"

This was the question posed to me while walking the halls at college. I continue to wear my habit to SXU on Fridays and while most students just look and stare, others are beginning to ask questions about it.

Perhaps what surprised me the most about this encounter was the he approached me on a day when I wasn't wearing my habit.
It was a good opportunity to explain who I was as a Capuchin. "I'm also a student-friar," I told him. I explained the need for me and the other post-novices at the college to understand our identities in the world, in a setting like college, and how that all fits in to our commitment to live Capuchin life.

"So how come you sometimes wear it and sometimes not?"

 The decision to wear my habit at school took a bit of discernment. One of the growing tendencies, much like this student, was the amount of discussion that took place when I wasn't wearing my habit as opposed to when I did. It was clear that the habit was a representation and a witness of who I was as a Capuchin, but it was somehow a barrier for people to approach me.

"When I'm a student, people talk to me," I answered. "We can talk, share info, and even collaborate on homework or commiserate about a hard test or a tough professor. When I put my habit on, my role here changes because people see me different."

I told him how people stare, but don't talk. People change their tone of voice and how they speak. People are curious, but are intimidated and don't ask questions until I take the habit off.

We had a great conversation and we even acknowledge each other in the hallway. When I look back at this event, I ponder how people react to me when I wear the habit. While I want to be able to witness the decision to live a vowed life, I also want to be able to interact with students, engage in conversation, and even share a laugh or bemoan a bad test with my classmates. Can an article of clothing be a witness and a barrier?

More and more students are starting to ask about my life as a Capuchin friar. Personally I think it's a great thing. I'm still trying to understand how the habit either encourages or impedes questions from others.

http://livingfranciscan.blogspot.com/2011/03/i-thought-of-st-francis-today.html

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I Thought of St. Francis Today

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Thu, 31 Mar 2011 21:10:00 +0000

There is hardly a day goes by that I don't think of Francis -- living with Franciscan Sisters brings many reasons to remember him. Our shared prayer includes readings either from his writings or from someone writing about him. Living in the beauty of rural Minnesota is another way of connecting with this saint's unique appreciation of the natural and wild. Another attribute of Francis is his faithfulness. Once he turned his face toward God, he never turned back. Speaking of faithfulness, the return of spring speaks to me of fidelity - God's and Earth's. No matter how long winter is and how deep the snow, I know spring will come again. And, sure enough, it has. It's here! This gift of seasons cycling around with such predictability and refreshment brings a certain recovery of that spiritual ability to see and hear what Francis (and Clare) saw in their ecstacy when they considered the wonder of God incarnate on Earth. God is faithful. My heart feels more joy than it has since January. The trees are full of noisy off-key red-winged black birds and Francis is right there playing his two-stick violin with them.

http://acapuchinjourney.blogspot.com/2011/03/jacobs-well.html

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Jacob's Well

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Sat, 26 Mar 2011 13:34:00 +0000

http://acapuchinjourney.blogspot.com/2011/03/catch-22.html

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The Catch-22

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Fri, 18 Mar 2011 14:09:00 +0000

Jeanne has taken her mission to the point where France itself has benefited. She has sent the English running in all directions. Every town has either opened its gates or has been subjected to the will of the French troops.

http://franciscanblog.blogspot.com/2011/03/lenten-reflection.html

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Lenten Reflection

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Thu, 17 Mar 2011 07:15:00 +0000

http://livingfranciscan.blogspot.com/2011/03/hungry-for-light.html

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Hungry for Light?

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Mon, 14 Mar 2011 22:15:00 +0000

I don't know if anyone has noticed, but this blog hasn't been updated for a long time. My excuse is low energy and some negative feelings about winter: this winter has been exceptionally dark. The lack of light, the many days in a row of overcast skies would put me in the poor house if my living depended on writing.

Have any of you also been hungry for light? You know how we sometimes say things are as different as night from day? Night's not so bad. Night is supposed to be dark. The lack of light in daytime is something else.

St. Francis sang a Canticle to the Creatures, beginning with gratitude for Brother Sun. He must have longed to see light even more than I do: he was blind when he wrote:

http://franciscanblog.blogspot.com/2011/02/praying-psalms.html

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PRAYING THE PSALMS

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Tue, 22 Feb 2011 04:32:00 +0000

http://livingfranciscan.blogspot.com/2011/02/deep-bonds-help-navigate.html

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Deep Bonds Help Navigate

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Thu, 17 Feb 2011 21:42:00 +0000

Change is both exciting and terrifying. I experienced both feelings during our delegate assembly meetings in Little Falls last week. Our Franciscan Community forsees a future marked by fewer members and fewer material resources. We've been preparing for these changes; this meeting helps us continue to prepare for them. We understand being small and poor is not a bad outlook for Franciscans following Christ. The trust in the assembly room was tangible even though we don't have all the answers.

One resource I became more deeply aware of as I looked over the gathered congregation in our chapel is just how powerful is the gift of our relationship with each other: these women are as truly sister to me as are my own blood family members. We are siblings in the best sense of the word. Our history is filled with shared experiences of life, death and finding the way through previous large changes. I know we can count on our relationship with each other to help us faithfully navigate the changes yet to come.

http://vocationstory.blogspot.com/2011/02/trenta-and-some-other-food-abominations.html

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The Trenta and Some other Food Abominations

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Thu, 10 Feb 2011 19:53:00 +0000

Most people have already heard that on May 3, Starbucks will offer a Trenta size 31 ounce cup for coffee. The human stomach only holds 900mL; the Trenta will max it out at 917mL. But what you probably didn't know is that there are other horrible things for your body, too.

http://vocationstory.blogspot.com/2011/02/understanding-confession-app-for-iphone.html

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Understanding the Confession App for the iPhone

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Wed, 09 Feb 2011 05:20:00 +0000

As people continue to explore the sacred nature of technology, a recent iPhone app has made a lot of buzz in the news. The Confession App released last week claims to be the "perfect aid to every penitent." What is the Confession app exactly, and how can it benefit Catholics?

We'll take a look at exactly what the Confession app is...and more importantly what it isn't.







First, the iPhone app is not a substitute. Absolution can only be given the way it has been in the past. The app doesn't change that.

Image from engadget.com

The application is a guide to help people make a good Examination of Conscience before going to Confession. The application also allows people to write down a list of their sins so they can confess them once they're talking with their confessor. Last (but not least) the application has the entire Rite printed out so that it is easy to follow, all the way down to the Rite of Contrition.

Many of you who go to confession regularly are probably thinking: "I already do that!" I'm pretty good at sinning, so when I do have to go to confession, I have to write down a long list as well. But the app is geared for people who are unfamiliar or wary of going to confession. The appeal of the app is that it reaches out to people who are estranged or have drifted away from the Church. The hope is that an app like this can make it easier for people to encounter the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

While endorsements can be helpful, they've also created a slew of headlines that tend to trivialize a time that can be healing and life-giving for people. Bishop Kevin Rhodes, recently installed bishop of Fort Wayne, IN, has given his support to this app. Fr. Edward Beck CP, a contributor to ABC News, has also given his endorcement of the application, saying: "I think this app may be a boon for the sacrament." Unfortunately I had to wade through many articles entitled: "Forgiveness via iPhone" and other attention-getters. More about the Church's endorcement can be found at the iTunes Store here.

As a friar trying to bridge the gap between technology and faith, I'm still on the fence on this application. I agree with the makers that Pope Benedict has called us to enter into dialogue with technology to spread the Gospel, and making Reconciliation easier for people is definitely one way to do it. I also think that, once all the rhetorical headlines are torn down, the app can be a tool for people to discuss the actual Sacrament to others who might not understand. Technology offers a lot of gifts, and I am always willing to use technology to further the Message of Jesus.

However, from my experience, introducing new technology into traditional rites is a tricky business. Using a phone in a prayer space, even if only to check your schedule, is still considered to be disrespectful. Clicking away on your iPad while others are waiting in line at the confessional can be seen as rude, annoying, or disturbing. Pastors already deal with parishoners who text during Mass as well. Typing your sins away or scrolling through them in the confessional is not likely to be taken well.

That doesn't mean that the Confession app doesn't have its place, or that it can't be integrated. I just feel, in my humble opinion, that discretion is the best idea when using this tool. From personal experience I've found that if you go into Confession, sit face-to-face with the confessor, and explain that you haven't confessed in a long time, a good confessor will welcome you back and give you some tips on how to better incorporate the Sacrament into your life.

http://livingfranciscan.blogspot.com/2011/02/journey-into-god.html

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The Journey Into God

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Sat, 05 Feb 2011 15:55:00 +0000

I was privileged to spend a week of solitude in retreat the end of January. An annual (at least) spiritual retreat is one of the perks of being a Franciscan Sister. For my guide and nourishment for prayer this year, I took notes and a book from a previous retreat I had made with Josepf Raischl and Andre Cirino, both of whom are Franciscan. Their book, The Journey into God, is based on St. Bonaventure's work, The Journey of the Human Person into God. Joseph and Andre provide reflections and exercises which are very helpful in unpacking the depth of wisdom Bonaventure shares.

The Journey takes the one desiring God from the signs of Goodness and Beauty in creation, through those mirrors of God found in our own memory, intellect and desires, and beyond through what we might know of Grace, Truth, Being in contemplation. I am grateful for the time to be with God in this way.

http://vocationstory.blogspot.com/2011/02/blizzard-2011.html

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Blizzard 2011

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Wed, 02 Feb 2011 04:54:00 +0000

Around noon today, we were informed that the university would be closed until Thursday. 3PM was the expected time for the storm to hit, dropping an expected 24+ inches of snow on the city. Since then, I've steadily watched the snow build outside our friary window.


We got home from school as the snow began to fall. One of the other friars was already warming up the snowblower, preparing for a long day of clearning the sidewalks and parking lot. It was only a steady flow of snow, but even the news stations said the Stevenson Parkway was running 3 hours late.

I grabbed a quick picture of Bro. Jerry before he headed out for some necessities. Even around 4:30 the snow wasn't as heavy as it is now. But to prepare, Jerry was heading out in case the power went out. (Currently there is no electricy in St. Agnes Friary, the other student friary across the block.)

As the night progresses, the storm gets steadily worse. There is lightening with the blizzard, and the snow is up to the bumpers of the cars (as of 9:30 PM). After dinner we heard a car in the alley spinning its wheels. Five of us ran outside to get a minivan unstuck, pushing it all the way back to the street.

By 6PM people knew what was coming. Just going outside was a chore, and watching the vehicles slowly move by let us know how bad it was getting. This is a video taken from someone downtown. It's interesting to note that Lake Shore Drive is blocked off because the 12-16 foot waves go over the barrier and turn half of LSD into a sheet of ice.



But I'm still here, the lights are still on, and I'm still arranging the furniture in my new room here at the friary. There's talk of building a snowfort and doing all the things we used to do when we had "snow days" as kids. In the end, we may just spend a lot of time trying to dig ourselves out of the friary and make sure that no one else is trapped or without necessities.

Stay safe and warm, everyone!



Prayers of safety and thanks to the Chicago photographers braving the weather to capture the amazing images of this event. www.flickr.com

http://vocationstory.blogspot.com/2011/01/and-so-storm-begins.html

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...and So the Storm Begins

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Tue, 01 Feb 2011 04:54:00 +0000

We've heard about it on the news since Sunday. It's been on every radio station from Milwaukee to Chicago all of Monday. Friars stopped by our friary and told us of how it had already started in the outlying areas such as Benton Harbor, MI. Meetings and schools were already being closed before a single snowflake fell.

But at 9PM, the impending snowstorm finally arrived. I could hear the wind howling outside my room as I tried to get it clean before the carpet cleaners get here tomorrow.

This picture is of Damen and Archer Ave. at around 9 PM. The were already getting snowy but the roads were still drivable. It's 11 PM and the snow's still coming.

Will the storm be as bad as everyone's predicted? Will I be snowed in and not go to school tomorrow? Will my room stay clean after the people come and clean the carpets?

I'll have more pictures for tomorrow.

http://vocationstory.blogspot.com/2011/01/update-from-school.html

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Update from School

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Fri, 28 Jan 2011 15:24:00 +0000

The first few weeks of the spring semester are under way, and I'm already realizing that my courses aren't as intense as the previous semester. I don't know if I've just gotten accustomed to the whole "college life" again or if the content of my classes is different, but I do notice a difference in the semesters. Only a few weeks in I'm confident I'll be able to do well this semester as well.


Here's a quick breakdown of my classes:

Logic and Argument: This is a common class for most people who are working on their Philosophy. I should mention that while I am still pursuing a Computer Science Major, my adult status allows me to forego some of the usual class requirements. Since I am also working on taking Theology at the Catholic Theological Union here in Chicago, I've been approved for a Philosophy major as well.

Philosophy of Economics: This is a special topics class that fulfills one of the Electives that I need to take in the Philosophy major. The class is very interesting in that it looks at property, money, value, and labor from philosophical perspectives. For a Capuchin Franciscan who's founder was keen on the economic stratification of his time, the class is very appropriate for my life.

Perspectives on Human Communication: Along with my Computer Science I'm taking several communication classes as well. Whether it's to help my preaching skills or to aid me in working with others in the IT/IS field, there's a lot in the area of communications that will be helpful as I continue my formation as a friar.

Mass Communication This is a foundational seminar that's offered to adult students. It's only half a semester long, and it's entirely online. That makes the focus of the class evident, as the purpose is to look at the current media market and be able to view critically the messages, technology, and even the institutions that control mass media in our world today.

System Analysis and Design: This is a computer course, however systems analysts can be found in all areas of project management. The course has less to do with computers and more to do with strategic planning, cost anaylsis and feasibility, and project management. The ability to thoughtfully plan a project is almost as important as being able to code it, so this class has really been insightful to me. I find I'm already using it in my dealings with others already!

Those are my current courses. They seem easy now, but my hope is that they stay manageable as the semester progresses.

http://livingfranciscan.blogspot.com/2011/01/from-s-carmen-barsody-living-faithfully.html

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F a i t h f u l Fools - S Carmen Barsody

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Thu, 20 Jan 2011 17:06:00 +0000

There are times I wish Kay and I would have kept the newsprint that hung on the wall in her office in early 1998 out of which came forth our name, Faithful Fools Street Ministry, and our mission statement, (which S Jan published in her previous blog.)

After walking the streets of the Tenderloin each day and sharing stories of what brought us to this place and time, we'd head back up the hill to Kay's office at the Unitarian Universalist Church and make notes on newsprint of the people, places, poems, books, beliefs, observations and longings that had come to us as we walked and talked, and encountered people throughout the day. In a magical sort of way our name and our mission statement formed itself on the newspring.

We set out as a Unitarian Universalist Minister and a Catholic Franciscan Sister aspiring to be Faithful Fools. We had both come to a place in our lives where we longed to be faithful to a way of being and seeing in the world. Our many and varied experiences in life led us to one, simple truth - we are all human. No amount of wealth or education, nor any particulr place or religion protects us from suffering or assures us of joy. We have an unabashed belief that everyone has the potential to change and be changed and the work is for a lifetime.

Faithfulness is required for us to accompany a person through deep-seated and unimaginable pain. The patience and compassion we need must be in direct proportion to the amount we allot to ourselves through a lifetime of failed attempts to change our own unhealthy behaviors and ignorant ways of thinking.

To be faithful requires that I walk with a mirror ever before me and practice constant reflection. When judgments or frustrations arise I often say to myself, "you who have never sinned throw the first stone." I've discovered over time that it ultimately takes less energy to put down the stones than to repeatedly hurl them. It is a greater gift to someone to patiently stand still and be a witness rather than to throw stones toward something or someone I ultimately know little about.

Almost 13 years of walking the streets with many Faithful Fools may not have changed the world, but lives have been changed, including my own. Faithfulness has meant never giving up on anyone or anything. If I were to name one gift I have received it is that my mind and heart have been enlarged, and my love has increased so as to have room for the vastness of human experience, and for this I am grateful.
(reprinted from Fools Fables, Annual Edition 2010-2011 with permission)

http://vocationstory.blogspot.com/2011/01/pain-of-facing-oneself.html

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The Pain of Facing Oneself

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Thu, 13 Jan 2011 05:25:00 +0000

Thanks to the advent of digital technology, my actual talk was able to be recorded and uploaded to the Web in a matter of minutes. It's intriguing, especially since my focus for participating in Communication classes is to further enhance my understanding of human communication and how they will eventually relate to digital technology and the message of the Church. So part of this project was actually cool: it presented me with the reality of what is capable with modern technology, and that a person's manifesto or simple introduction can be quickly uploaded onto the Web with little difficulty. (I had the ability to RSS this actual talk, however since other classmates were involved with this project, I decided it was best to limit the internet exposure to only me.)

But there is a pain in watching one's self give an impromptu delivery, even if it's in front of a few classmates. And it's magnified when you have to sit down, watch it, and then reflect on  your performance. This is part of my homework that is due on Friday.

Looking at my strengths, I have no fear of talking in front of a group of people, regardless of the size. It's taken me a while to get to that point, but after giving so many talks and being asked to discuss my vocation with numerous groups and people, I don't get shy about being in front of an audience anymore. I am also able to feed off of the audience. If they laugh at a joke, I know I'm doing well. If no one is looking at me, I know I need to work harder at getting/keeping their attention.

And of course, there are areas where I could use work: I tend to use "uhh" and "umm" a lot, especially when I'm trying to complete a thought. The number of these sounds increases with the lack of preparation for a given event. For a graded speech, I usually go over the speech numerous times, with the Powerpoint going at the same time, to ensure I'm giving a seemless presentation. For a quick introduction speech, I sorta winged it...and you could tell by the number of "umm's." I'm also very comfortable in front of large groups: I think I was the only one not fiddling with their hands or holding on to something for security. I don't know if that's good or that's bad, but from this picture I look like I'm talking about something non-chalant; I don't look like someone who's being graded on their performance.

This class will present numerous challenges and opportunities for me, especially since the orations are only part of the class. On the syllabus, part of our grade will involve work on the Web - an area where I feel I have a comfortable head-start.

So after dislocating a shoulder, I'm pretty sure that having to watch myself give a speech was more painful than having the doctor reset the joint.

http://livingfranciscan.blogspot.com/2011/01/fools-fables.html

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Fools Fables

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Tue, 11 Jan 2011 19:16:00 +0000

I just read the latest edition of Fools Fables published by our friends, Faithful Fools. I was very moved to read the many reflections on faithfulness. Coming from them, this quality has depth and significance beyond the ordinary. Sister Carmen and Rev. Kay have been walking soul to soul with men and women of the tenderloin since 1998, at least. Sister Susan has been with them many years. Carmen reminded us of their mission statement:

http://livingfranciscan.blogspot.com/2010/12/merry-christmas-to-all.html

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Merry Christmas to All

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Fri, 24 Dec 2010 22:59:00 +0000

http://vocationstory.blogspot.com/2010/12/digital-nativity.html

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The Digital Nativity

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Thu, 16 Dec 2010 15:03:00 +0000

One of the popular videos circulating the Web this Christmas is The Digital Nativity. It tells the story of the birth of Jesus through the lens of social networking, mobile internet, and the power of Google.



Personally I find the video to be insightful. As we evolve, so does our method of communication. For a digital friar like myself, I'm always interested in how people express their faith through technological means.

Enjoy!

http://vocationstory.blogspot.com/2010/12/first-semester-of-school-take-2.html

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First Semester of School (Take 2)

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Thu, 16 Dec 2010 08:55:00 +0000

Every once in a while, God gives us a mulligan, or a "do over."

Years after leaving Wabash College, I've felt that I misused the time and funds that were given to me to pursue a higher education. Seventeen years later I finished my first semester of school with straight A's. There's more to this than just bragging about my grades (although I'm sure there's some pride in it!), it's about getting the chance to do things the right way, and see how the Order has allowed me to mature, assess my gifts and strengths, and revisit an important part of my life: being a college student.




The last time I attended a four-year institution was when I lived in Crawfordsville, IN and attended Wabash College. Wabash is tough school; any graduate will happily tell you how they "made it through." There was a sense of pride in attending Wabash, because of test scores, grades, and my essays. Not only was I able to go to such a good school, but I earned a full-ride.

But like most first-year college students, I didn't do well. It wasn't that the classes were too hard; rather I was like most college freshmen - retaking courses I took in high school. My first semester was Music, Spanish, Calculus, and History of Christianity...and the last class was the only class I hadn't experienced already. Rather than seeing my schedule as an opportunity to get a good jump on school, I found it to be a waste of time. I ended up leaving Wabash out of academic probation.

People often tell me: "Many people have that experience with college." While I might not have had the maturity to properly handle higher education, I've never tried to make excuses for my time at Wabash. I was given an opportunity and people paid for me to have that opportunity. I spent many years wishing to have the time back...knowing I'd do things a lot differently.

Seventeen years later I've finished my first semester of college at St. Xavier University, able to do things the way I should have done years ago. And while I would have been a better student had I done this when I was "of the world," by returning to college as a Capuchin friar has prepared me for this moment, as well as for learning at the Master's level.

The first two years of Religious Formation had plenty of schooling. There are books to read, there are classes on every part of religious life. There are presentations on the life of St. Francis, understanding different Papal Encyclicals, discussing Liturgy and prayer...the list goes on. There's plenty of learning in both Postulancy and Novitiate as well as encouragement towards continuous learning. Being in religious formation also gives me the time to study. Working full time and having a family makes it tough for adults to return to school; it can be almost impossible to be a full-time student. Being part of a religious community gives me the time and space to learn and do my best in school. Being here at the friary is a lot different than the dorms at Wabash!

So my first semseter at SXU was much like my first semester at Wabash: I found myself taking a lot of classes I'd taken before. This time, I took the opportunity to get good grades while re-integrating myself back into school. There was plenty of homework, lots of papers and plenty of books to read. But I decided to put school first this time around, even when it meant not blogging for about a month or two. And I've been rewarded with my first good grades as a college student.

I return to school on the 15th of January. While I'm happy to be on break, there's a part of me that wants to hurry up and complete all my school. Maybe it's because I want to somehow erase that feeling of wastefulness from years ago. Maybe it's because I'm 35 and I'm starting ask the dreaded question: "How much time do I have left?" Either way, the opportunity to redo my college experience is a dream come true.

http://vocationstory.blogspot.com/2010/12/getting-what-you-pay-for-with.html

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Getting What you Pay For with Liturgical Music

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Mon, 13 Dec 2010 16:26:00 +0000

A new president gets to appoint an entirely new cabinet when he's elected, but a parish priest is "stuck" with the same choir director as before. This is the topic of Fr. Z's, blog - a lead I got from @4catholics.

I can sympathize with some of the things that he brings up, but there are a few points left out that reflect the reality of running a parish-especially when it comes to paid staff and the church's available funds. This is true especially in urban and/or poor parishes. It's unfortunate that musicians can be out of sync with the presider (and the congregation), but from a friar who regularly attends Mass at poor and minority parishes, it is only a "problem" for parishes that can afford another Music Director.


Most of our priests are in poor parishes in Chicago, Milwaukee, and Detroit. Because of the ethnic focus of our Order, these parishes are mostly Latino or African-American. That often leaves them with less available funds than a suburban parish. An inner-city parish can bring in $2000 a weekend in gifts, while a suburban parish can bring in $22,000. In spite of this disparity, a poor parish still attempts to offer services such as RCIA, retreats, youth groups, CCD, and marriage encounters...but using volunteers instead of paid staff. Many of the Capuchin parishes couldn't offer the services we do without the devoted and gracious assistance of parishioners who volunteer their time. We always attempt to foster and show gratitude for their participation in the church community.

While I praise the commitment of volunteers, that doesn't mean I'm against paid church staff. I know many men and women who have attended school and gotten degrees to help in the management of parishes. These are highly qualified people, and like anyone else, they should be paid for their skill. Whether they are a youth minister, pastoral associate, secretary, or music director, all these roles require a skill set that most priests would gladly pay for. Even janitors and grounds keeping are needs not often considered. And if a parish cannot afford these services, they must seek volunteers or do the tasks themselves.

Church singers and musicians are no different. Choir directors and organists have a specific skill set. (Choir directors have a special place in my heart, because they deal with the personalities, egos, and preferences of a group of singers.) Choir directors and musicians can make $35-50k a year, all depending on their skill. In African-American Catholic parishes, the choir director can make more than the priest. Music is an important part of worship and liturgy, and these realities of running a parish influence how I look at the "problem" of religious music today.

Fr. Mike Bertram OFM Cap. leads the musicians during the Liturgy of First Vows at St. Francis Parish in Milwaukee.

Churches that I attend have musicians that volunteer to participate and share their gifts with the parish...sometimes at all the Masses. Whether they are singers, organists, guitarists (like myself), or violinists, they participate in the Liturgy and fill a role that the parish cannot readily afford. There are great musicians that volunteer, and there are people like me who are just trying to fill a need. Either way, their gifts and their commitment are appreciated and are a blessing to the entire community.

So when I attend a Mass where the music is a little boring, or the cantor is a little off, or the song choice is not to my liking, I'm inclined to be thankful for the willingness of someone who desires to share their gift. More times than not, these people are just trying to fill a role, and will happily take any assistance that is offered. As someone who sometimes does the "fill in," my focus is to be relevant to the Mass and Liturgical calendar and to use music that is appropriate.

When you're at Mass next Sunday, and you hear Taste and See and think "Why don't they ever pick other music?" find out more about the music in your parish. Your music director may be working as a volunteer or for a very low salary to fill a need in your church. And if you have the gift of music and are willing to commit, you may be able to be to help change the music.

Trackbacked from here

http://livingfranciscan.blogspot.com/2010/12/st-cloud-franciscan-life-group.html

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St. Cloud Franciscan Life Group

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Sat, 11 Dec 2010 01:09:00 +0000

http://franciscanblog.blogspot.com/2010/12/franciscan-christmas.html

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Franciscan Christmas

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Tue, 07 Dec 2010 02:57:00 +0000

http://livingfranciscan.blogspot.com/2010/11/o-rising-dawn.html

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O Rising Dawn

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Sun, 28 Nov 2010 21:13:00 +0000

I welcome this season. It is filled with hope, beautiful scripture readings and symbols. The rising dawn is just one such soul-enhancing symbol. From a prayer space in my room I can see the sunrise. (Yes, I look out the window during prayer.) This sunrise on the first Sunday of Advent in 2010 spoke to me once more of the fidelity of God. I know I can count on both.

Advent calls me (you too?) to pay attention. God's work, like ours, is daily and never done. Advent (the Christian world's name for the weeks of preparation to celebrate the birth of Jesus) is a clarion call to us to give more of ourselves in response to God's consistent, "faithful as the dawn" presence. Hard as it can be, I must admit I need to be stripped of some damaged aspects of my life and redone in painstakingly small steps -- all this to be not simply restored but more so to be advanced in integrity to fully live the years to come.

http://livingfranciscan.blogspot.com/2010/11/threatened-by-buckthorn.html

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Threatened by Buckthorn?

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Sun, 07 Nov 2010 20:42:00 +0000

Those pretty green bushes with the pretty red berries out in our woods? A threat to the forest and its natural habitats? Yes, says the DNR, "Buckthorn forms an impenetrable layer of vegetation and shades out other plants that would grow on the forest floor. Buckthorn degrades wildlife habitats and lacks natural controls such as insects or disease that would curb its growth."

Friends from Camp Friendship were the first to alert us to the invasive plants, which by now are well established along the Sacred Path leading to Sabbath Pond at Clare's Well. We would like to pass this alert on to you. If you also have these plants around the edges of your property, you might want to contact your department of natural resources to learn what you can do about it.

The first thing Clare's Well staff did about the buckthorn was to accept the offer of a local youth hockey team to come on a Saturday morning and spend their October community service hours with us. With the help of borrowed brush wrenches, 15 young hockey players rooted out a good number of the problem plants. Several adults including Richard Wagner and his chain saw assisted the boys. This is a huge task! As Sister Carolyn Law says, "If you pull 100 a day, you might be rid of them in 5 years." We intend to keep at it for the sake of our precious forest.

http://franciscanblog.blogspot.com/2010/10/profession-as-secular-franciscan.html

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Profession as a Secular Franciscan

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Thu, 14 Oct 2010 01:58:00 +0000

Finally last September 25, 2010, I, together with two brothers and two sisters, made my solemn profession as a Secular Franciscan. The road to being a Franciscan has truly begun.

http://vocationstory.blogspot.com/2010/10/working-for-equilibrium.html

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Working for Equilibrium

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Fri, 01 Oct 2010 17:10:00 +0000

I've been in chicago for a few months now, and a student at St. Xavier for over a month. I've cooked a few times already, lead prayer a few times, and had the chance to visit my ministry at St. Lawrence Seminary in Mt. Calvary, WI. Living with all these responsibilities has caused me to do a lot of juggling. As I continue to work towards a balance or equilibrium in my life, I recognize that sometimes when you learn to juggle, sometimes you drop the ball.





Today, for example, I didn't write my Christology paper for the readings. I read the 3 chapters that were assigned, but when comparing the writing aspect with the Discrete Math & Rhetoric homework and the Computer Science exam I'm preparing for, the Christology paper was the lowest priority. We're given 5 "freebie's" throughout the semester, so there was no penalty.

The paper is an example of the concessions I now make with my life, both in education as well as in my personal life. Usually Thursdays are reserved for watching "Battlestar Galactica" with a few of the guys. (I know it's an older show, we rarely have time to watch TV programming when it's aired) Yesterday I had to pass on BG so I could attend a study group for my CS exam. Last week I skipped my Math homework to study for a different exam. Last weekend I was only able to study for one class as I was in St. Lawrence working at my ministry.

The need to find a sense of balance is huge; juggling so many things requires a firm stability and an awareness of everything that's going on. I've already talked with my advisor, and have been faced with the reality that I won't be able to give 100% to everything I want to do. I have to make choices, sacrifices, and focus on what's important. (something I've already had to do.)

As the year continues, I hope to find a better grasp of this balance.

http://franciscanblog.blogspot.com/2010/09/thoughts-on-secular-franciscan-order.html

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Thoughts on the Secular Franciscan Order

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Mon, 13 Sep 2010 02:38:00 +0000

http://franciscanblog.blogspot.com/2010/08/true-devotion-to-saint-francis.html

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True Devotion to Saint Francis

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Wed, 25 Aug 2010 04:41:00 +0000

True devotion to Saint Francis must not strive to attain nor merely admire the spirit of the Poverello and his way of life. True devotion to Saint Francis involves loving what the saint loved with his form of love and the purpose of his he love for it.

Historical sources on the life of Saint Francis clearly indicate this preeminent love in the heart of Saint Francis. On the morning of February 24, 1208 A.D. at the Portziuncula, outside Assisi, he declared: ‘This is what I want; this is what I long for with all my heart.’

The Saint said this as a reaction to a passage of scripture that the priest had explained to him at the Mass in honor of Saint Matthias, the Apostle – our Lord sending out the Apostles and establishing the apostolic life of mendicancy.

This form of life was the essential hallmark of the spirituality and religious consecration of the Poor Man of Assisi. This is the key to his life and love of Christ Crucified.

It follows then, that true devotion to Saint Francis necessitates the essential adoption of the evangelical life of mendicancy in all its rigor and simplicity, not because Saint Francis lived it, but because Christ taught it.

Such devotion requires, then, nothing less that a return to and resolute observance of the precepts of the Rule of Saint Francis. This is the form of life that the Saint wanted expressly to hand down to his children as a perpetual inheritance and heritage. This Rule embodies simply and rigorously the principles of the life that Christ taught to the Apostles.

To be a true son of Saint Francis is to be an observer of the Rule. One who finds the essence and form of his life, vocation, and charism, not in the constitutions or statutes or customs and practices of the Franciscan community to which he may belong; but rather, one who finds essence and form of his consecrated life and vocation; indeed of his very identity and destiny in the Rule of Saint Francis, and holds this to be the very day to day discipline that guides his personal life and apostolate.

http://franciscanblog.blogspot.com/2010/08/true-devotion.html

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True Devotion

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Wed, 11 Aug 2010 01:51:00 +0000

The word ‘devotion’ is derived from the Latin verb ‘devovere’, meaning ‘to consecrate’. Devotion is nothing more than fidelity and resoluteness in the following of Christ after an admirable example.

The devoted follower is one who has consecrated his entire life to discipleship. While a devotee of a saint is often associated with one who invokes his patron saint in his daily prayers and frequents celebrations, churches, and chapels in the saint's honor, the devoted follower, the devoted disciple, is someone much more. For him, the imitation of the saint is the fundamental character of his existence, the foundation of his identity and the key to his personal destiny in Christ.

One can imitate a saint by incorporating the saint’s behavior, ideals, habits, customs, and virtues into his life. However, this form of devotion moves only on the material level. True devotion to a Saint requires a formal union of heart and mind with the Saint. There is no greater imitation than for the disciple to become one with his teacher. Our Lord Jesus Christ taught this kind of devotion when He said of His own disciples, ‘No disciple is greater than his Master; a disciple should rejoice to be like his Master.’

True devotion then, to a Saint must transcend material devotion. For such a devotion fails to incorporate the truth in Christ that the Saints are means not ends to imitation of Christ Jesus, the One Teacher of all. To truly imitate a Saint then, is to make the desire, wisdom, and resoluteness that was his to follow and imitate Christ, one's own. In such a manner, devotion to a Saint is transfigured into authentic Christian life and perfection.

http://franciscanblog.blogspot.com/2010/07/true-franciscan.html

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THE TRUE FRANCISCAN

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Mon, 26 Jul 2010 02:05:00 +0000

After having spoken at length concerning what Franciscan spirituality is, let us find out who is a true Franciscan.

http://franciscanblog.blogspot.com/2010/07/franciscan-labor-work-and-study.html

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FRANCISCAN LABOR -- WORK AND STUDY

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Mon, 12 Jul 2010 05:42:00 +0000

Saint Francis desired that these times be spent in manual labor in order to avoid idleness, but always in such way as to forestall any danger to our life of prayer and contemplation. In the Holy Rule, our Seraphic Father directs: ‘Let the friars work faithfully and devotedly so that, having done away with idleness, the enemy of the soul, they do not extinguish in themselves the spirit of holy prayer and devotion, to which all temporal things should be subservient.''

http://franciscanblog.blogspot.com/2010/06/contemplation-and-activity-part-ii.html

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Contemplation and Activity Part II

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Mon, 28 Jun 2010 07:28:00 +0000

We say this because all of the Franciscan's work and all his love will be directed to God, since he sees Christ Himself in his brethren. Hence his apostolate draws him deeper into the contemplative life, and he daily grows closer and closer to the one goal of all souls – union with God by love. It is well to note that when the contemplative life becomes rather difficult in the midst of external activity, it is best and often necessary, to observe days of recollection, in order to foster a greater union with God.

http://franciscanblog.blogspot.com/2010/06/prayer-and-contemplation-ii.html

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Prayer and Contemplation II

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Wed, 16 Jun 2010 01:58:00 +0000

http://franciscanblog.blogspot.com/2010/06/contemplation-and-activity-part-i.html

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CONTEMPLATION AND ACTIVITY Part I

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Wed, 09 Jun 2010 01:25:00 +0000

As we continue our discussion of Franciscan prayer, the question arises: ‘Exactly what effect does prayer have on the Franciscan life?’ The answer is simple. As we have already seen, Saint Francis desired that his sons should practice continuous prayer, with the result that the Franciscan life is eminently contemplative. But the love of our brethren in Christ, Who desires the perfection and completion of His Mystical Body, makes our life also an active form of religious life. This activity finds its outlet in the exercise of the Apostolate. The life of the Franciscan, therefore, is not first of all active and then contemplative; but rather, our activity is the result of the abundance of our contemplation.

Contemplation is the source of love, and love inflames souls with zeal for the Apostolate. Thus contemplation and prayer occupy the first place in Franciscan spirituality. This is so because our way of life is entirely supernatural and we must look to God for all things, trusting neither in our own strength, nor in mere human means. Moreover, there is a mutual reciprocity between the Franciscan contemplative life and apostolic works. For, just as the former leads to the active ministry, so also does the Apostolate lead to contemplation; which should bring the Franciscan into a closer union with God.

http://franciscanblog.blogspot.com/2010/06/habit-of-prayer-part-ii.html

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Habit of Prayer Part II

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Wed, 02 Jun 2010 01:48:00 +0000

Saint Bonaventure says: ‘Francis firmly enjoined that the grace of prayer should be desired above all things by every religious man. He believed that no man can progress in the service of God without it, and he exhorted the friars, by every means in his power, to seek this grace.''

How wonderful is Franciscan prayer! It seeks the union of love; it is indeed the exercise of that very union of love. But in addition to this, the purpose of Franciscan prayer is to honor and glorify Almighty God. We Franciscans need look no further than our Seraphic Father to find out how this is done. In his ‘Canticle of Brother Sun,’ Saint Francis gives us the key to the hymns of praise that he would have all creatures sing to their Creator.

Concerning this Canticle, he says: ‘I wish to formulate a new hymn to the Lord, for His glory, for my consolation, and for the edification of my neighbor. It is to be based on His creatures which we use daily, without which we cannot live, through which the human race so often offends its Creator, and for which we are continually ungrateful. God has generously given us these creatures, yet we do not praise our Creator and Giver of all good things as we should.'' By means of this Canticle of Brother Sun, our Seraphic Patriarch wished all his sons to become ‘priests of creation,’ singing the praises of God on behalf of all created things. He wished them to lead an intimate life with God and all creatures in a union of love. We know that ‘only one thing is necessary’: to love and thus to live in union with God who is Charity, Unity, and Love.

http://franciscanblog.blogspot.com/2010/05/habit-of-prayer-part-i.html

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THE HABIT OF PRAYER (Part I)

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Tue, 18 May 2010 07:37:00 +0000

The only way to lead this life of divine love, in which all are made one in perfect Franciscan joy, is to cultivate intensely the life of prayer and contemplation. This is not a prayer that is performed only at a scheduled time; it is the type of prayer that characterized our Seraphic Father.

Saint Francis lived habitually in God and appeared a ‘living prayer.’ Celano tells us: ‘Thus he directed every thought and affection as one prayer which he addressed to the Lord, not so much like one praying, but as a living prayer.’ Such prayer implies a complete union with Almighty God, not only at the time appointed for prayer, but also during the course of the entire day.

Hence the admonition of Our Blessed Lord is fulfilled: ‘that they must always pray.'' Moreover, the supernatural life demands this habit of prayer, and consequently it is a requirement of our own Franciscan life and spirit. In his first rule Saint Francis shows us how complete our union with God must be: ‘In that Holy Charity which is God, I ask all the friars, both superiors and subjects, after they have put aside all burdens, anxieties, or worries, to serve, love, adore and honor the Lord God with a clean heart in whatever way they are best able. Our Lord Himself desires this above all things. And let us always fashion in ourselves a dwelling place and mansion for Him, Who is the Almighty Lord, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.''

http://franciscanblog.blogspot.com/2010/05/charity-part-ii.html

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Charity Part II

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Wed, 05 May 2010 03:27:00 +0000

There were chaste embraces, tender affection, fraternal kisses, pleasant conversations, modest laughing, cheerful countenances, guileless eyes, humble spirits, peaceful words, gentle answers and proposals, ready compliance and willing hands. Indeed, since they despised all earthly things and never exclusively considered their own interests, they were filled with a love for everyone, freely giving themselves so that they might aid their brethren in every possible way.’

This is Franciscan charity that, according to the words of Saint John, turns community life into a paradise: ‘No one has ever seen God.’ But ‘if we love one another, God abides in us and His love is perfected in us.’

This is the charity which unites all of the brethren into one, thus fulfilling Our Divine Lord's prayer: ‘That all may be one!’ Franciscan charity is the supernatural bond uniting all in the one spirit of love. It is infinitely above all human love, yet it is the greatest human love. Our Seraphic Father urges us to espouse it by reminding us: ‘If a mother nourishes and loves her son according to the flesh, how much more diligently should one love and minister to his spiritual brother!’

Moreover, Seraphic love is the source of all Franciscan perfection, for, by means of it, God and our brothers are loved in the Holy Spirit. Hence Francis might say to us in all truth: ‘Love and this suffices!’ For he who truly loves God, his brothers, and all creatures in God, is perfectly poor. This is true because no one can love to such a degree unless he is detached from all things for God's sake, who must be loved completely and above all else.

He who possesses true love is likewise already chaste and obedient, enjoying full freedom of spirit. We say this because he who is desirous only of Infinite Love will not allow himself to be held back by any lower passion; he will not be shackled by any bond of creatures. Finally, the life of the Franciscan who loves truly is already filled with perfect joy, for this is the reward of love and the complete crucifixion of one's nature: by which he has actually arrived at Infinite Love – the highest joy and happiness.

http://franciscanblog.blogspot.com/2010/04/franciscan-charity-part-i.html

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FRANCISCAN CHARITY (Part I)

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Thu, 15 Apr 2010 02:03:00 +0000

Now we shall speak of Franciscan charity that embraces all creatures, especially our fellow men. The very first place in our Franciscan hearts should be occupied by ‘those who are of the household of faith,'' our own brethren who, with us, constitute one family, an intimate unity. What a marvelous example of charity and unity we can find in the first Franciscans and the first Christian communities! Their only law was the new commandment of Our Lord: ‘Love one another as I have loved you!’
Thomas of Celano tells us: ‘A noble structure was built on the foundation of a true and constant charity. Upon it the living stones, gathered from all parts of the world, were fashioned into a dwelling place of the Holy Spirit. How the ardor of charity glowed in the new disciples of Christ! How great was their love for their holy community, and how this love continued to grow in them! When they chanced to come together or met somewhere on the road, there was always evidence of spiritual affection, which also sowed in the hearts of others the seed of true affection. This love was based upon a complete dedication to true love.

http://franciscanblog.blogspot.com/2010/04/franciscan-poverty-part-ii.html

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Franciscan Poverty part II

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Thu, 08 Apr 2010 02:09:00 +0000

Pope Pius XII



The following are the words from Pius XII regarding our observance of holy poverty. ‘Poverty is so necessary and so much a part of the evangelical doctrine, that a Christian has very little regard for his salvation, if he does not at least hold this virtue in high esteem and divert his desires from worldly interests. Hence it is necessary that there be in the Church those, who distinguished by their observance of poverty, act as beacons leading and reminding others to practice it. These souls are you Franciscans, provided that you do not deviate from your ancient and venerable rule. Strive therefore, to preserve a becoming poverty in your houses and possessions… Be poor in your garb and your manner of life. Work therefore, to become exceedingly rich, by the grace of God, in those things which are true riches, and which engender virtue in those who are willing. And pour out these riches upon others with a generous hand.''

From what we have already said concerning poverty as a condition for perfect love of God, perhaps one would be led to believe that the Franciscan life is one devoid of all affection for creatures, and that our days must be passed in the frigid air of a false detachment. It is quite the opposite.

Poverty denotes the fullness of true love. But love of the Infinite God, which is man's only true happiness, does not exclude a right love of creatures. Rather, it includes it, since ‘he who abides in love abides in God and God in him.’ Love of creatures therefore, is not only consistent with Franciscan spirituality, but a sign of it. By a correct love of creatures we direct all our love ultimately to God, and hence nothing is detracted from the love due to Him, if we love all things in and for God. Thus poverty is truly the correct guide to loving all creatures in the right way, because by it we abandon all things for the love of God. We then acquire the correct perspective toward creatures, loving them not for themselves, but because of God and in God who is present in them.

http://franciscanblog.blogspot.com/2010/03/franciscan-poverty-part-i.html

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FRANCISCAN POVERTY (part I)

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Mon, 29 Mar 2010 03:05:00 +0000

Francis loved the poverty that he saw in Christ and in His Blessed Mother, but he saw it only as a condition for the infinite love that occupied his every desire. He realized so well that only Christ, God alone, is worthy of infinite love; and on the other hand, he knew that we poor mortals are incapable of loving infinitely and completely. But Francis conceived a way out of this dilemma.

Perfect poverty is the answer to perfect love in so far as a creature is able to love perfectly. We must withdraw our hearts from the attachment to all other love, and give them to Almighty God by complete poverty. Such poverty entails the surrender of every material thing, and even more; namely, the uprooting of all vanity and pride by perfect simplicity and humility. It also requires the renunciation of oneself and one's own will in perfect obedience. How necessary then, is poverty, if the love of God, which demands absolute detachment, cannot be attained without it!

It is therefore especially true in the case of the Franciscan that poverty must be a characteristically Franciscan virtue and must be outstanding in us.

http://franciscanblog.blogspot.com/2010/03/mary-and-eucharist.html

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MARY AND THE EUCHARIST

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Mon, 15 Mar 2010 01:39:00 +0000

In his Christ–centered spirituality, the Franciscan is co–crucified in his own humanity with Christ,thus enabling him to live supernaturally and divinely in Him. There follows quite naturally from this Christ–centered spirit, the traditional Franciscan attachment to the Holy Mother of Jesus.
In his devotion to the Mother of Christ, the Franciscan, who is united with and transformed into Christ,makes Mary his own Mother. How can it be otherwise, for it was Mary who begot Christ, and hence it is Mary who has given the True Life to the Franciscan.

Mary is our Mother because she is the Mother of the Head of the Mystical Body, of which we are members.She is the one Mother of the One Christ. Francis ‘embraced the Mother of Jesus with an indescribable love,because she made the Lord of Majesty our brother.’ Moreover, how great should be the Franciscan's love for the Most Holy Eucharist! Is not the Sacred Host upon our altars the corporeal presence of our Beloved Christ,who is the life of our life, the Host offered upon the cross, for love of us, in union with whom is our entire perfection and our entire love?

‘Francis was on fire with love for the Sacrament of the Body of the Lord with every fiber of his being, holding Its dignity and right to our devoted love, in greatest awe.’

http://franciscanblog.blogspot.com/2010/03/necessity-of-mortification.html

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NECESSITY OF MORTIFICATION

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Mon, 08 Mar 2010 04:27:00 +0000

The devotion of the Franciscan toward Christ crucified expresses the deep compassion that he has for the Savior in the greatest manifestation of His love. But the true meaning of this devotedness has a deeper purpose than merely compassion.
The Franciscan devotion to Christ crucified indicates a desire for one's own crucifixion, so that dying with Christ, we may live with Him, through Him, and in Him, in a new supernatural mode of life. To what avail would one weep over the death of Jesus, unless he dies with Him in a union of love? The Seraphic Doctor, Saint Bonaventure, admonishes us to bear our cross joyfully if we would be loyal followers
of Christ. ‘The true lover of God and disciple of Christ, who desires to be conformed perfectly with the Savior of all mankind Who was crucified for him, ought to pursue this union with great zeal. Then he shall be able to bear the Cross of Christ wherever he goes, both in mind and in body; and the words of the Apostle shall be verified in him.''

http://franciscanblog.blogspot.com/2010/02/poverty-with-love.html

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POVERTY WITH LOVE

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Mon, 01 Mar 2010 07:20:00 +0000

First and foremost in the heart of our Seraphic Father and all us is the love of Christ crucified. This love, however, has to be aided with a love for poverty for it to grow and mature. Hence we say that poverty together with love, constitute the essence of Franciscan spirituality. These elements cannot be separated because love of Christ cannot exist alone without poverty, and on the other hand, poverty alone is merely a negative virtue, a means, not an end. The purpose of our life is love, and thus poverty has no value except it be united with love.

We know that Saint Francis denied himself all things so that his entire love might be given to Love itself, and he did this ‘with his whole heart and soul, and with his whole strength.’ He realized that if he were in any way to give himself to a love other than the love of God, he would fall far short of his goal. Perfect Love will not allow itself to be divided.

Is the love of Christ and identification with Him, rightly called Christ–centered spirituality, the ultimate end of our endeavors as Franciscans? It is not, but only the proximate means to the ultimate end, the love of Infinite Love.

‘I am the way,’ Christ has told us. He was and is the way to the Father in the unity of Infinite Love.

What, then, constitutes Christ–centered Franciscan spirituality?

It is a combination of poverty and love, the means by which a Franciscan strives for a union with Infinite Love. By the detachment of oneself in all things, and by love of Christ crucified, he is transformed into Christ. In Christ, the Franciscan acquires His perfection, and he lives Christ's life. But this is done for one purpose only: that by loving Christ, he may be enabled to love the Father, and thus participate in a union with Infinite Love.

Saint Francis prays, ‘I beseech You O Lord, that the fiery and sweet strength of Holy Love, may absorb my mind from all things which are under Heaven, so that I may die for love of You Love, as You did demeaned Yourself to die for love of my love.’

Our Seraphic Father directed his love to the Incarnate and Crucified Love, so that this Love might lead him to the end he sought so tirelessly. ‘Through Him, with Him, and in Him,’ the Franciscan must work to acquire a participation in His life -- in the bosom of the Trinity, in the unity of Infinite Love. Then the heart, created for Infinite Love, may take its rest, for it has fulfilled its destiny. ‘You alone are Good, all Good, the Highest Good, the Lord God, living and true, You are charity, Love.’

http://franciscanblog.blogspot.com/2010/02/goal-union-with-christ-crucified.html

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GOAL – UNION WITH CHRIST CRUCIFIED

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Tue, 16 Feb 2010 03:20:00 +0000

Although each type of spirituality must abide by the teaching found in the Holy Gospel, it is the manner in which Saint Francis lived the Gospel that differentiates his spirituality from others. For him, the Gospel is simply Christ and His life. Indeed, the evangelical doctrine is nothing but the life of Christ, for Christ first acted and then proceeded to teach. Hence the spirituality of the Franciscan must center about the contemplation of Christ crucified.

As Saint Francis contemplated on Christ, his heart was filled with love and he desired nothing else but to become one with his Beloved. This is the result of a love that unites the lover and the Beloved; and this is the goal of every true Franciscan.

A Franciscan to be in union with the Christ crucified will only be effected when he possesses Christ Himself, and with Christ, the virtues of Christ. He becomes one with Christ by imitation of Him, transformation into Him, and identification with Him, so that he may exclaim with Saint Paul: ‘It is now no longer I that live, but Christ lives in me.’

This is the truly supernatural life. This is the Christian perfection to which we are called – the perfection of Christ in us! When the ‘old man’ is dead to himself, he makes way for the ‘new man,’ i.e., for Christ living in us, so that the mystical Christ may become one in all.

The words of Saint Paul found in the office of the Stigmata of Saint Francis, provides an excellent description of Franciscan spirituality. ‘With Christ I am nailed to the cross. It is now no longer I that live, but Christ lives in me.’ Saint Francis, inspired by love, lived these words. We as his followers, must also live them.

The love of Francis for Christ crucified is a response to the love for us that Christ expressed on the Cross, and it is the source of Francis' self–crucifixion by mortification, poverty, and humility. For, since the foundation of Franciscan spirituality is the love of Christ and, through that love, union with Him, this crucifixion must be undergone. It is only by crucifixion of the self through mortification, humility, and poverty, that one is transformed into Christ. This transformation into the likeness of Christ, or conformity with Christ, cannot be secured except through the destruction of the ‘old man’ in us, so that we may live as new men in Christ.