Church of St. Mary at Clinton Heights

There is a maxim in our Church’s moral teaching that presents “authority & power” as the ability to discern or discover what is right and good, and flowing from that knowledge, the ability to bring it about.  In other words, we do not have the authority to decide what is good or rightonly God has such an authorship.  Our authority rests in discovering what is good and right according to the Lord.  Once our discernment allows us to see rightly, we then have the power to exercise the good and that which is right.

Since these are the case, clearly the problems that the prophet Isaiah has with Shebna in our first reading are justified.  Shebna, being given authority and power over King David’s household, abuses these by taking bribes, serving his own, personal interests above those of the realm and its people.  Even Isaiah’s condemnation of Shebna is harsh, because in his selection of Eliakim, Isaiah chooses wrongly in establishing a new “keeper of King David’s keys”.  Yes, even Eliakim abuses his authority and power as did Shebna.  Such is the case of much of our human history, is it not?

If we look at our own earthly rulers, for example, we see the corruption of authority and the abuse of power in establishing laws that are not in keeping with ‘the Good’…and instead they claim the right to establish & decide what is good, what is right.  In other words, they claim authorship that is never ours (see our second reading: Paul praises God who’s knowledge and ways are inscrutable and unsearchable, but ways that are still revealed to us as ‘the Good’).

But thanks be to God who gives us His Son!  In our gospel, Peter, once he professes Jesus as “the Christ, the Son of the living God”, authority is seated within him (keys to the Kingdom of Heaven) and power is thus shared (to loose and to bind).  It is from Peter’s profession of faith, and his living in the midst of God’s own life, that he receives such authority and power.

And so it is for us as well: from our baptism, from our profession of faith, we too are now enabled to exercise authority in discerning and discovering what, in the mind of God, is good and right and true.  Once we see such things, we are then given the power to bring them about in our own day.  We are able, for example, to proclaim with full voice that human life is God’s pure gift to us and it mustin all its varied formsbe respected and reverenced.  We are able, for example, to declare that certain laws against immigrants are truly unjust, not befitting people who live by truth and justice.  We are able, moreover, to proclaim that a troubled economy must never abandon the poor and the vulnerableour sisters and brothers who are so unfortunate in their gifts, who need to be protected and secure, who have no one to care for them except our whole society.  In all of these examples, and many more, we are God’s people when we acknowledge that “Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God” and we then work in our world to fulfill His commands to love and serve the least of our brothers and sisters.

May St. Peter pray for us; may our Church encourage us to know the right and to follow it; and may all God’s people flourish in right authority and power…for good.

God bless you,

Fr. David

Once in contact with Christthe Word made fleshthe Canaanite woman of today’s gospel is convinced of the truth of God’s Word.  Although Jesus does not at first accept the request she makes on behalf of her possessed daughter, still in her conviction and faith, she pleads with the One who is sent by God.  By this encounter, her daughter is healed and, no doubt, this woman’s life is changed from that moment onward.

What has contact with Christ, either in the Eucharist or in our hearing of the Word made flesh, done to you and your daily life?  Have you been convinced yet that God’s power is enough…and His word is true?  For example, when the Lord said to His disciples, “No one has greater love than this, than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends”, have you been so changed as to love in this kind of way: selflessly, fully, generously?

Today, is the Feast of St. Maximilian Kolbe, my absolute favorite saint.  Killed in a concentration camp at Auschwitz in 1941, Maximilian clearly heard Christ’s invitation to love fully by laying his life down for another.  In July of ’41, after the escape of a prisoner, ten men were chosen to be slaughtered in retribution and set as an example of punishment for others contemplating escape.  Although himself not chosen, one of the 10 was a father of young children.  Knowing this, Maximilian offered his own life as a trade so that the young father would be spared.  Happily, the guards took the valuable life of this saintly priest by killing him the following month.  Clearly, once Maximilian experienced Christ in the Eucharist and in God’s living Word, he was absolutely convinced of the Lord’s power and truth…so much so, that he offered the entirety of his livelihood…actually laying down his life as an ultimate gift for another.

Nowin this very hoursince we have come in contact with the living Word of God and have touched the Eucharist, are you convinced that God’s power is enough; that His word is true; that through faith in Him, we might live holy lives?  If not, ask God for such a faith.  If so, thank God for the gift of such a faith.

In either case, may St. Maximilian Kolbe, pray for us!

In our first reading, Queen Jezebel is pursuing Elijah in order to avenge his killing of the prophets of Baal. Elijah is fleeing those who are trying to take his life…and he seeks shelter and protection, as well as the reassurance of the presence of God. And what happens? He isn’t fooled: by magic, Jezebel conjures up wind, then earthquake, then fire in order to trick Elijah from his hiding place, but he waited and listened…and in a still, whispering sound, Elijah discovered that the Lord was near, was with Him. And with the Lord at his side, Elijah comes out from hiding, with confidence and certainty: all will be well.

And in our gospel, we find Peter doubting the care of Christ amidst the powerful storm which threatened to swallow the disciple. Letting the waves and the wind distract him, Peter relies no more on the comforting presence and strength of Jesus, and thus he begins to falter. But the simple gesture of Jesus’ outstretched hand is enough to save the suffering one. If Peter had stayed focused, even in the midst of distractions and challenges to his faith, he would have been blessed, he would not have faltered, nor become fearful.

And so it is for us. In the midst of life’s daily challenges and struggles, we might be tempted to see all of the things that are heaped upon us, and we may be come distracted. Those distractions might be sadness or loneliness, they might be disappointments or fears, they might even be suffering or sickness…or both. But even in the midst of these, if we can continue to seek a fuller perspective, we might catch a glimpse of the One who is our Hope, our Comfort and our Peace. Sure, he may not remove our struggle or suffering, but he will be with us.

This can be difficult to accept, but realize that it is possible. In the 12th century, a nun and abbessBlessed Umiltá of Faenzasuffered cancer, ridicule, isolation and so many other torments, but she was able to keep her mind open to see God. In the midst of what were surely grave persecutions and suffering, sister Umiltá wrote this prayer:

“O Jesus, gentle love, you who are the true and complete peace in every discord, bring peace and concord to every conflict. When you are with me and I feel your power, my heart is merry and leaps with joy, my imagination adorns itself with flowers of great beauty, and my soul dreams in the sweetness of blessed love.

Let my enemies come, who in the world are so numerous, but if I feel myself to be with you, I overthrow them all…. I am like a fish that rests in the sea; when the waves sweep over it and the great tempests assail it, the fish enjoys swimming, because it cannot be captured, and it leaps more nimbly. Thus do I in this world that is a troubled sea: the great currents arrive, and I sail below them, and I take shelter in your bosom, and let them pass by. Then my soul arms itself with two wings so noble and flying so high that no one can see me: I rush then into your arms, O Jesus, up into your heavenly realms. Still I offer invocations to you, so that you may be always near me. Feeling myself with you I have no fear of the raging currents. I even conquer them in navigating, and I come forth from them unharmed. But if I do not possess you, I am like the whale that, when the tide goes out, sits on the sand and is condemned to death, because without the tide, it no longer has the chance to escape.”

May God be present to each of us when storms assail and suffering attacks us…may we see Him in the still whisper…and perceive His gentle, outstretched hand.  Fr. David

In today’s gospel, Christ uses a parable of a sower and seeds landing on all different types of ground.  By using these images, the Lord is establishing the necessary conditions in order for His Word to grow.  And clearly His Word is meant to grow: Isaiah said in our first reading that God provides rain and snow in order to water the earth, thus making it fertile and fruitful…all things achieving the purpose for which He sent it.  In the same way, Christ’s Word is shared so that it can multiply in us.

In Hebrew, the word dabar is translated as “word”, but it’s also translated as “deed” or “action” or “work”.  And so, as Christ looks for His Word to be planted, sown, cultivated and fruitful, He also intends this Word to become living deeds in our lives.  For what reason? …to spread the kingdom of God in our midst…to be evangelizers for ourselves and others; to proclaim that faith is an important value in good person’s lives.

In the last few months, several parishioners have been meeting with me and with Maureen to plan some extensive evangelization events.  Some aren’t so new: our Golf Classic and our Vacation Bible Camp have been opportunities for us to gather with others as we express the fruits of our faith.  Yes, even a golf outing can be a chance for someone to see us and hear us and experience us as Catholics who live by a certain code: the code of our faith.  I assure you, every Wednesday that I’m on the golf course, I regularly have other golfers asking me one thing or another about faith and God…so that even when my game isn’t so fruitful, my happy exchanges with them just might be!  And no matter what our deeds are, no matter what our actions are, they witness and give evidence to the Word that is alive within us: Jesus Christ.

St. Paul tells us in our second reading that we possess the firstfruits of the Spirit: the breath of God which speaks words of peace and love within and around us.  This fruitful breath of God that fills our lungs is given to us so that we might be fertile and fruitful; that we might let this dabarthis word and deedexpress itself in our own daily lives.  If we can let that happen, we will become the evangelizers that we have been called to become.

Returning to the events that are coming up:

• this Thursday, parishioners are invited to take 5 minutes in the morning and in the afternoon to re-connect with God in the context of their busy lives.  Yes our Busy-Persons’ Retreat plants God’s Word in their minds so that they might see actions flowing from that Word in their work…in their busyness.
• Next weekend, for example, going to the Adirondacks for 3 days with folks from our area towns and villages, is a chance for the people of our community to expressby their presence, words and deedsthat they, and we, are people of faith in Jesus.
• In mid-August, we’ll all have a chance to go to a baseball game at Bruno Stadium: there, we will expressby our mere presencethat people of faith also desire to enjoy days of restful fun and sportsmanship.
• On September 11^th, we’re hosting a county-wide memorial of the fateful attack of September 11^th ten years ago.  Our memorial is an offering to all people of goodwill to come and use our place of prayer as their place, too, of prayer and of remembrance.  This demonstrates that we are people who are not merely tolerant of others, but we welcome them to join with us.
• In November, we are planning our first annual Gala & Auction to allow others to experience the fruitfulness of our stewardship.  Yes, we’ll have a grand party together with families and friends of our folks, but in doing so, we’ll also be emboldening our identity as Catholic parishioners from a parish that is so lively, so creative & talented, and so generous.

All of these examples, and many more, must be intended first and foremost by us, as opportunities to hear and remember the Word that is spoken to usthat Word of faithand to then put it into fruitful action within and around us.  If we do so, then we set a solid foundation for our necessary ministry as evangelizers; we give clear evidence that we can be effective ‘witnesses to faith’ in our communities of work, school and around town.  And in so doing, we hear Christ’s dabar and place it into our deeds, thus making the world a fruitful place for ‘faith’.

As you ‘give witness to faith’, as you evangelize this week, may God bless you…Fr. David

PS: I’ll be away on vacation the next two weekends, so I won’t be blogging.  Of course, I may even surprise myself, come in from the beach, and type a bit…but don’t expect it!  Have a great two weeks!

When we hear the word “yoke”, there are just a few images that come to mind: the inside of an egg (of course, the spelling is a bit different); but a kind of wooden beam, as on an ox attached to a plow or on a slave to show his defeat & captivity.  And we have heard this term in that context of slavery within the New Testament haven’t we?  “Do not put upon yourselves the yoke of slavery for a second time…” says St. Paul to the people of Galatia.  And in today’s gospel we hear it again, only this time we are invited to bear a yoke, to let it be placed upon us, as if we would become owned by something.  This calls to mind the season we’re in…the season for weddings!  No not of being owned or enslaved, but something quite different!

Consider the word “yoke” again: it infers a kind of bondage, but in this context it implies a bondage with another…to be coupled, to be united as part of a pair.  In our gospel’s context, Christthe one who frees us from slavery and bondage to sin or temptationis now inviting us to be paired with Him, coupled with Him in a new bond.  And in this bond we no longer find ourselves alone or isolated, but rather we are joined with him and no longer belong to ourselves alone.  Our being yoked with Christ now brings about the new plan of the Father, a plan of redemption.  Jesus doesn’t impose it upon us however, he invites usin freedom and full knowledgeto come to Him who is gentle and filled with compassionate love, to cleave to him as a lover with a beloved.

And considering again this season for weddings, from the word “yoke” comes the Greek word for “spouse” being bound by choice as a result of a proposal.  Today, Christ proposes to us: He asks that we enter into a covenant of love with Him, of humility  and gentleness…that with Him we can become so deeply united that neither of us will ever be alone, that the Father’s plan for our redemption can be brought to fulfillment, that we mayin Himfind rest for ourselves.

Yes, the One who says he is nothing, but instead receives all that He is from the Father’s gracious love, invites us and proposes to us…that we do the same.  That we acknowledge our whole being is God’s blessing to us…and return to Him by clinging to His only Son.

May Christ encourage you, may you accept His proposal to enter into life with Him, this day and always.

God love you.