Pilgrimage to Italy Wrap-up

During my recent pilgrimage to Italy, I had hoped to give more timely reports. However, I had two problems: first, I did not have internet access as often or consistently as I hoped; second, when I did, the photos uploaded very slowly.

We were on the go; generally up around 6:30 or 7 am each day, and the only good time to post was on the bus; but the Internet connection phased in and out. By the time dinner wrapped up, it was usually 9 pm or even later; I should have done my posts then, but I kept hoping for better prospects the following day.

Some of this will be repetitive, sorry! But if I don't get all this done today, I never will.

Our first pilgrimage visit was Monte Cassino, where St. Benedict founded his first monastery, and where he and his sister, St. Scholastica, are buried. Here is the high altar:

And here is a monument, beneath that altar, marking the remains -- which are in a crypt below; we had Mass there; but I didn't take pictures, sorry!

Some art from the monastery:

A statue of Charlemagne that caught my eye. The courtyard had statues of kings on one side, and popes on the other.

A view of a cemetery near the monastery, where are buried many brave Poles who helped win a terrible battle here in World War II. The Allies struggled hard to dislodge the Nazis from this mountain; in the process the monastery was bombed by the Allies.

These next three photos are a poor man's panorama of the Bay of Sorrento:

This is the Cathedral in Amalfi where St. Andrew's remains are venerated.

People who received healings prayed for would bring silver items as expressions of thanks. The votive offerings are in the shape of the body part that was healed. There were many more display cases of such offerings.

Here we are taking a boat across to the Isle of Capri.

Here is a view of the walking path up to where we were, followed by several other pics of Capri.

By the way, if you are wondering about other things we saw, what this shows is that I am not a very good picture-taker. 

This floor was in a church in Capri -- at least, I think that's where it was! It depicts Eden and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Bad. Curiously, it does not seem to take into account the Tree of Life, but perhaps I am missing something. No one is allowed to walk on the floor; note the boards around the perimeter. Obviously this church is not used very often.

Here is Padre Saint Pio's school in his home town:

A view from Pietrelcina, where young Pio grew up:

After Mass in the parish church -- where Saint Pio offered his first Mass -- I went out for lunch; I launched out on my own (but was joined by several fellow pilgrims later). I asked someone to point me toward something "authentic"; and in the restaurant, I asked for something typical of the region. That resulted in the following two dishes. This was a kind of potato pancake, with pork meat and mushrooms in a kind of stew, with tomatoes, as you can see. It was very tasty; but if you think all Italian food is highly spiced, you would be mistaken; this was very mild (but not bland).

This was pumpkin ravioli. It was good; but not my favorite thing.

After our visit to Pietrelcina, we drove over to the Adriatic Coast, to Sanctuary of Monte Sant'Angelo sul Gargano. This church is built over a cave, where the Archangel appeared a really long time ago. (If it seems like this post is being written in haste, you are correct. I started it around 10:30 am; it is now 2:19 pm; lots of coming and going on my first day back in the office; I am not going to let this post remain unfinished today!)  There is a thing about the "Sword of St. Michael," that connects to this place; look it up and form your own opinion.

Here's the grotto. We had Mass in the sanctuary to the right.

Here's the altar where I wanted to offer Mass:

This again was Monte Sant'Angelo:

Here is one of the more memorable meals. The dish to the right was called Pancotto Montanaro. I went crazy for this. Just now I typed that name into the search engine, hoping I would find out more about it. No luck! If anyone has any information, I'd like to hear more. I'd like to recreate this dish, if possible.

This was a meal we had in Lanciano, where we had Mass in the presence of a famous Eucharistic miracle. Unawares, we arrived at this restaurant before it actually was open for business, but the staff graciously took care of us. This was a seafood pasta:

That restaurant:

There was a second Eucharistic miracle in Lanciano -- who knew? A local pointed us in the right direction. This is the church...

Here is a shrine to the miracle. We could only look in through a plexiglass window.

This, I believe, is the church where the second miracle occurred:

This is a memorial to the war dead in Lanciano:

OK, now we're in Rome. I took even fewer pictures, sorry! This is from the Church of the Gesu, which is the Jesuit "mother church" in Rome. They have something special they do at 5:30 pm every day, about which Father Stechschulte was rather cryptic. It was called the "Baroque Machine."

Well, here's what happens. All attention is given to the tomb of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus (i.e., Jesuits); a narration is given -- in Italian -- during which different portions of the elaborate tomb are lit. I am guessing the narration included some brief information about St. Ignatius, but mostly it sounded like scripture passages or prayers.

The climax comes when the portrait of St. Ignatius is drawn down, to reveal a statue of the saint. Here is a before and after:

Here is the ceiling of the Gesu. No photo can do it justice.

One day we took a trip out of Rome to Civita di Bagnoregio. The town is atop a steep hill, reachable only by a narrow footpath which donkeys can navigate; but also really small police cars. The Wikipedia page linked above tells the story.

Here's the town square:

Here is the wild boar I ate. Delicious!

This was the papal audience. Everyone is looking to see where the popemobile was...

And here's the pope:

OK, those are all the photos I have. It was a wonderful trip!

'Ask, ask and keep asking!' (Sunday homily)

As you know, I just returned from being away almost two weeks.
Some people called it a vacation; but as I told someone the other day,
My idea of a vacation is that I sleep late and take it easy.

But on the pilgrimage I made to parts of Italy, Rome above all,
The group did not take it easy. 
We were up early; we had Holy Mass every day;
And we walked a lot, including on the Appian Way, 
the very same road Saint Peter and Paul used to enter Rome.

The first reading describes the return of God’s People
Back to their homeland, the land God promised them,
from the faraway places to which they had been driven 
by war and persecution.
It refers to blind and lame people making the journey;
Mothers with children in their arms.

They did not have planes and buses. 
They journeyed across hundreds of miles, mostly on foot.
In other words, they had to want it; really want it.

Meanwhile, in the Gospel, blind Bartimaeus hears Jesus coming.
He cries out, Son of David, help me! 
They try to silence him, but he only shouted all the more.
Bartimaeus really wanted it.

Every day you and I get out of bed. We go through our morning rituals. 
Then many of us to school, or work, or our chores at home.

Why do we do it? 
I don’t particularly enjoy brushing my teeth every day; 
but I do like actually having teeth – so I take care of them!

You may not enjoy school; so your parents supply the desire.
That is, they tell you, “you’re going; end of discussion.”

The point I am making is that with the things we do in life, 
sometimes the desire, the motivation, comes easy, 
other times not so much. But they don’t happen without it.

Our students who compete so well in sports; 
that doesn’t happen only on the strength of a little effort, 
a small helping of desire.

When all we have is just a little bit of want-to, 
the result is a list of things we wish we’d done, but we never do.

Changes we wish we’d made in our lives.
Places we wish we’d gone; 
people we wish we’d gotten to know, or stayed in touch with; 
ways we wish we’d made ourselves better – 
and we could have done it, you know?
But, well, we never got around to it.

I have lots of those regrets; and they are the worst things to have.

So my question is, are there things on that list for you?
Things you want to do, or to change, but oh! 
You just can’t find enough motivation 
and stick-to-it-tive-ness to see it through?
One of the things many, many people find discouraging 
is that they trip over the same sins over and over again.
You aren’t alone! Everyone struggles with this!

And St. Terese, the Little Flower, made a great point about this, 
because this bothered her, too.
She realized that if God took away these sins too quickly, 
then she would be tempted to spiritual pride; 
and that was a far greater danger!

However frustrating it is, facing those same sins again and again 
teaches us that you and I cannot save ourselves.
Even more important is the getting back up, again and again.
That teaches us perseverance.

So, let’s get back to those things we know we ought to tackle, 
Those changes, those habits, those resolves, 
that we never get around to.
How often people will say, “Oh, if only I had enough motivation.”

The answer is, that comes from Jesus Christ.
That’s what the second reading is about: He came to our rescue.

So I’m going to propose something very simple; ridiculously simple.
Are you ready?
If you have a vice you can’t break, or a project you can’t get going; 
or you want to begin a new habit, but you can’t get started…

Ask Jesus to give you the desire.
Ask for it!

Are you prepared to go to Jesus and confess that you are weak?
Absurdly weak, flat-on-your-back weak? You can’t do it! But he can.
It is very humbling, even humiliating, to do that; 
But it is the necessary starting point. 

Ask, ask, and keep asking!
Be like Bartimaeus and cry out all the louder.

Coming home tomorrow

It has been a wonderful trip. I am sorry not to update more often, but we have been on yhe go, so opportunities to write posts and upload photos have been too few. Up early everyday and out and about. Back late and a need for bed. For some reason, photos have loadec very slowly -- and those are the best thing.

Today we were at St. Peters Basilica. Very busy. I have seen it bevore, so I wasnt disappointed by the hustle and bustle. I did go to confession. A Chinese priest, all business. I like that.

Then we could go up to the the top, but that involves lots of stair-climbing, and I have done it, and I was weary from much walking on torturous Roman conblestones,so I only went as far as the elevator. That enabled me to have coffee on the roof of St Peters. After a while, I went down tothe street for a sandwich, then we met up to head for Santa Maria Sopra Minerva for Mass. After that, and some walking - always walking, walking, walking - Fr. Stechschulte and I were ready to head back to the hotel. But we did pause for one last gelato.

After some much needed quiet and rest at the hotel...

But wait, there was a delightful "interruption." There is an Italian military base next door to the hotel. So after I get into my room, and open the windows for fresh air, and change out of my clothes, preparing for a much desired shower, I hear drhms and marching music. It goes on and on. I look over, and the soldiers next door are in fancy uniform a d marching and singing, swords flashing and all! I really cant see that well, but I get a glimpse. I wanted to find a way to get closer, but my feet hurt and I really needed to rest. So I lay on the bed and heard all the pomp and circumstance in the background.

Then we gathered in the lobby for the bus ride to our farewell dinner. So much fun. I sat next to Emmanuele, our bus driver. He zpoke a few words of English, I know a few words of ItLian, plus I add in a few more words of Spanish, plus lots of guesses a d gesturing, and we got along fine. He told me the food we had was true Roman: prosciutto and salami to start, plus foccacia, then for the primo, caccia e pepe, and a kind of fettucini alfredo; then saltimbocca with fried potatoes; then insalata mista, then por la dolce, a nice cake. Then espresso! We had everything but the digestivo, which I could have gotten afterward in the hotel bar, but I knew I needed to get to bed.

The dinner also included a couple of singers presenting opera songs and otber Italian music, like O Sole Mio and Santa Lucia. A song from Carmen featured some mummery from the diva, stroking the heads of several of the men. That got raucous responses. After all this, Fr. Stechschulte presented some amusing awards. It was all a lot of fun.

We will arrive, God willing, in Columbus around 10:30 pm tomorrow night, which means I hope to be in my much-missed bed around 12:30. I enjoyed this immensely. I love Italy. This was a fun group. But I love home, too. I prayed every day for my family and my parish.

Next: Lanciano and Rome

It's about 9 am local time, and we are on the bus from San Giovanni to Lanciano. We will have Holy Mass there around ten am with yours truly as celebrant and homilist. We came down out of the mountains where Padre St. Pio's monastery was located, into a great, flat plain, bounded by mountains on many sides. It is all good farmland; many of the fields are freshly plowed. We have seen a few cows and goats; no chicken houses such as are common around our area, nor pig farms. The crops around here are often fruit trees and many, many olive groves. Also what may be wheat, and certainly hay. Of the other crops I can only offer an ignorant guess so I will refrain; Wikipedia is likely a better source. Just to our right is a quarry now in sight.

Lanciano is the site of a famous Eucharistic miracle. I will attempt to take, and then post, some pictures later. Now I must prepare something for Mass.

With Padre St. Pio

I'm writing this on Saturday afternoon, after a wonderful day. I was a little tired and broke off from the group while they toured San Giovanni Rotundo; but mainly, I just wanted some time by myself and in quiet. It gave me a chance to catch up with my adventures here. 

Yesterday we went to Pietrelcina, the birthplace of Padre Saint Pio. Sorry I didn't take many pictures. Pietrelcina (am I spelling this right? no time to check, the battery is fading) is a small town, crowded on a hillside amongst many farms. Padre Pio's family lived in an odd arrangement; one part of their home was at one address, with other rooms a few doors down! The street is maybe 30 feet wide. Why so crowded? Remember, from the time of the disintegration of the Roman Empire until the end of the Second World War, Italy has known little peace. Dozens of kingdoms and empires picked at her; only in the 1870s did Italy become a united people once more. So for all those centuries, they looked out on the far horizon with constant uncertainty. In contrast, Americans have rarely, and then only briefly, had to hide behind walled settlements.

Anyway, here is the school in Pietrelcina. 

Here is a view of the farms surrounding.

After Mass -- sorry, no pictures, but I was the celebrant! -- we all went off for lunch. I have learned to be adventurous with food, particularly in Italy, where it is almost always so good. So in the street, I approached some gentlemen sitting on a bench, asking guidance on a 'ristorante autentico, non touristico!" After some dickering among themselves, one led me to a particular place. There, I asked the waiter to pick the dish for me. I explained, in broken Italian, I wanted something particular to the region. This was the first plate:

I don't know what it was called, sorry, but it was a kind of potato fritatta, or potato pancake, topped by mushrooms and pork and tomatoes. Mild in flavor, but delicious! Then came this:

It turned out to be pumpkin ravioli!

Sorry for not many details, but my battery is down to 20%. So from Pietrelcina we proceeded to San Giovanni Rotundo, where Padre Pio spent his priesthood. We visited the very modern, very large church here. Not so good, sorry. But we prayed at his tomb, wonderful! No pictures.

Today we went to Mont San Angelo on the coast. More pictures! This shrine is ancient, a site where St. Michael appeared long ago. Here is the church, outside, then inside.

We had Mass at the altar to the right. The whole thing is a cave, and filled with people coming and going. Here is the altar I wanted to use for Mass (with Father Barry Stechshulte of Holy Rosary in St. Mary, the leader of this pilgrimage):

Here is a lovely view of the coast, shrouded in mist:

After this, lunch again. Here are several dishes we ordered. Pizza, Insalata Caprese, and a local dish -- the name is written elsewhere, I can't take time to look it up -- but it was a local dish from Puglia, the region we were in. Again, I invited the waiter to choose; this is what he recommended. It was amazing! Fava beans, cabbage, fennel flowers, bay leaves, pork cheek and potatoes, stewed for three hours. So good!

Perhaps, now that I am caught up, I will have time to post more elevating reports. I have many thoughts I am not writing down, many wonderful experiences. But I am working with my tablet, on my lap in my room, with the battery fading, and I must pray evening prayer. Ciao for now!

A Amalfi e Capri

A little time, a little wifi, let's try to post some pictures...

Ok, I am updating this many hours later. Wifi is a challenge with mountains and a bus! These pictures are not Pietrelcina, but Amalfi. We visited a church where the remains of Saint Andrew the Apostle are venerated. Many have come here for healing, and they leave objects of silver behind as expressions of gratitude:

There were many more of such tokens on display. Here is the church; we had Holy Mass here. You can't tell here, but the altar was cut away and moved forward. The tabernacle was left adrift. It was very awkwardly done.

Here are some views of the stunning Amalfi coast. The best comparison I can make for Americans is the California coast.

Next are pictures from Capri. Sorry, I am playing catch-up so very little commentary. This is a pic of the huge mountain, with a trail chiseled into it.

Sorry, I don't remember what we are looking at here!

This church, on Capri -- whose name I cannot recall as I type this one handed on my tablet -- is famous for a beautiful floor. So beautiful you cannot walk on it!

Here is a view from the balcony, hard to get to:

Ok, I think these are out of order. This is from the boatride around the island.

My next post will pick up on Friday's adventures.

Monte Cassino & Sorrento

The wifi is wonky and blogging via my tablet is awkward, but doing all this on a bus while traversing the Appennine Mountains is a wonder. So I will do my best to give some pictures and commentary.

Well...no pictures. I have tried several times over the day to upload pics but no dice. We are driving across the center of Italy, which is farmland of rolling hills. We saw an odd woman walking along the interstate in the middle of the road, with a cheap plastic chair slung on her arm, and her clothing was somewhat...minimal. we had some humorous commentary, till someone suggested she was, well, a prostitute! I hadn't considered the possibility.

Of more elevated matters: we visited lovely places in Monte Cassino -- where Saints Benedict and scholastica (brother and sister) are buried -- Sorrento, Amalfi and the Isle of Capri, where the lecherous Emperor Tiberius lived the last ten years of his reign. This morning we departed that region and made for Pietrelcina, birthplace of Padre Pio, whose examp,e of sanctity is so needed today. We had Mass on the very altar where he offered his first Mass. Now we are headed for San Giovanni Rotundo, where he was so active, and we will venerate his body. All are well and we are on time. No sprains, upset stomachs or hurt feelings that I know of. The food and wine and dolci -- desserts -- are plentiful.

OK, NOW AT HOTEL, AND I will post some pictures from Tuesday. Very slow to upload. This is along the road. I don't remember just where!

Charlemagne:

At Monte Cassino:

The high altar. We did not have Mass here, but in crypt below.

The marker for the saints' remains. More to come...

The only wealth we take to heaven (Sunday homily)

This Gospel passage – this meeting between 
Jesus and the rich young man – 
reminds us that there is only one form of wealth 
that we can take with us after we die.

It is certainly not money. We will leave it all behind.
Money will mean nothing in the next life.
Nor is it fame. 
Rich people and politicians have streets, buildings and monuments named for them, but guess what? They still end up forgotten. 

The only wealth we can take with us is other people.
That’s why the most beautiful work any person can accomplish 
is to be a parent, to bring new life into the world. 
We can do this both in the natural sense, and in the spiritual sense.
Notice Jesus talks about those who give up family and children 
will “receive a hundred times more.” 

If I had raised a family, perhaps I would have matched my parents’ seven children. Maybe even more.

But as a priest, I have baptized hundreds of babies.
Probably married about two hundred or so couples so far.
Heard many thousands of confessions.
I take a special interest in our schoolchildren – you are all dear to me! 
Jesus has kept his promise, and given me children a hundred-fold!

So if you ever wonder what difference you can make as a priest, 
perhaps this gives you some idea.

But why stop there?
Parents, as beautiful as it is to cooperate with God and each other 
and bring new life into the world, 
you realize that your next task is to bring them into the next world, into God’s Kingdom.

This you promised when you brought them to be baptized, 
before God and before all the saints in heaven.
This is the purpose of the family, which we call “the domestic church.”
And the purpose of this parish family of Saint Remy is to help you.

My point being that it isn’t just a priest who begets spiritual life.
Every Christian is called to this. Every single one of us.

So if you ever wonder what difference you can make, 
or what the point of your life is; 
If you ever think, I’m too young, I’m not smart enough, 
I am past my prime, I am old and infirm;
What is the point of me being here?

Then I remind you: you are here to share eternal life with others.
Think how great your joy will be to arrive in heaven, 
and see those faces of people you helped get there?

And if you want to think in terms of self-interest:
Who do you think will be praying for you while in purgatory?
Both those ahead of you – who you helped to heaven – 
and those behind you, who are following your example?

The Bible says the heavenly Jerusalem will be a city of gold.
But what is gold to God is not a rock in the ground, but people!
God can have all the gold and silver and diamonds he wants, 
just by wishing it. But God the Son came to earth, 
and shed his blood, for people. He thirsts for souls.
We human beings – for all our failings and depravity – 
are the treasure God values above all. 

When I was a young man, I was away from the Catholic Church. 
But it was this insight that led me to realize 
that the mindset so common today – that population is a “problem,” 
and that there are “too many people” – 
is completely and totally anti-God, anti-Bible, and anti-Christian.

God never says, there are too many people. We humans say that.
This world is full of abundance – 
And yet greater wonders waiting to be discovered.
The reason there is poverty is not for lack of resources,
But because of corrupt and misguided government, 
and because of human selfishness.

To reiterate: people are the one great treasure there is.
This is what God cares about most; therefore, people – 
their needs, their dignity and their eternal salvation – 
must be our most important concern.

So, to our schoolchildren: think about this.
If people matter most of all, then that means you matter most of all!
You are of infinite value; you may not think so, but God thinks so!

And this also means that it matters so much how we treat each other.
School can be a time you make life-long friendships.
But it can also be a time of meanness and bullying – 
and that can have effects for a lifetime, too.

There were kids who bullied me in school; 
and there were times I was mean to others, 
or joined in laughter at their expense; 
or failed to do anything when someone was being mistreated.

If I could go back in time and change one thing, 
How I handled those things is something I would change.

High school students: you can be a powerful influence for good, 
just by setting an example treating people with decency, 
and stopping others from being thugs and bullies.
You will never regret being that kind of leader.

Making a difference in another person’s life is the best way to live.
And just think about what it will be like to arrive in heaven,
and to look around and see it filled with people you helped get there.
That is the best and only way to be truly rich.

The great delusion of our age (Sunday homily)

The ancient words from the birth of man ring true 
down to this present hour: “It is not good for man to be alone”: 
Humanity is made for community. 
How obvious this may seem; and yet the hallmark of our time 
is the determination to eradicate this truth wherever possible.

So much of what is wrong in our times is rooted in the false notion 
that each of us can live as we like, create life our own way 
and ultimately recreate ourselves no longer in God’s image, but our own. 

Today is “Respect Life Sunday” 
and there are so many things we could talk about. 
So many rejections of God’s gift of life. 
Certainly in the earliest stages; we know that well. 
But also the rejection of life less than perfect; throw it away! 

And there is a growing movement 
to respond to people who are suffering, 
not with care and companionship, but only death. 
“Here is a pill. Now go away forever.”

We find a powerful lesson here: when human beings shout at God, 
“Your Creation does not suit our desires; we can do it better!” 
The result is not beauty but parody. 

Consider how people deliberately poison themselves, 
so they no longer give life 
(added at all Masses:) -- which is what contraception is --
or, they mutilate themselves to sustain the illusion
that they are no longer the male or the female they were born as, 
but something else. 
In the end, you and I cannot replace God’s gift of life; 
we can only flee from it. 
From sunshine, to twilight, and finally darkness.

When Adam and Eve sinned, they fled from each other and from God. 
Today, how many people flee from each other, 
from a true human encounter! 
Instead of spending time with others, 
each goes to our own electronic device, each to our own world.

Otherwise decent people go online and what happens?
They become anonymous score-settlers, spewing rage at each other.
In real life, no one gets away with that very long. 
But online, we can be “free” to use one another like a Kleenex, 
to be thrown away. 

Do you realize how common it has become 
for people of all ages – including teenagers – 
to share very personal pictures of themselves online with strangers? 
Doesn’t this expose the crushing loneliness of our time?
So many people, in so many ways, are crying out the words of Genesis: 
“It is not good to be alone.” 

Is family life idyllic? Of course not. 
Building a marriage and raising a family 
are the two hardest tasks there are. 
No family is perfect, and no parent gets everything right. 

(Added at 9 am Mass:)

Some people are not cut out for marriage. Some do not have the ability
to enter into relationship with the opposite sex.
This is a cross for them; and they too, say, we don't want to be alone.
But creating a parody of marriage with two men or two women,
which is incapable of creating life, is not the answer.
Not everyone will necessarily enter into marriage,
but no one should ever left alone.

Learning to live with others, to love people not in the abstract, 
but right here and now, is hard work. 
No wonder so many eagerly seek solace in fantasy on the Internet. 
Fake is so much easier. Even so, it remains fake. 
A parody without life or hope.

It infuriates modern man that the choices he demands 
are not on offer. How dare reality not be what we dictate? 

If you want to see the options presented in pictures, 
first imagine an image of a mother, a father, 
surrounded by children and grandchildren, friends and neighbors. 

Perhaps they are eating; or working; or even suffering; 
nevertheless, they are together. 
It is not without pain or cost; but it is also a scene of love and life – 
which in the world God gives us, is all a package deal.

But what does the alternative look like? 
See a man or a woman, sitting alone in the dark, 
with gaze locked on a computer screen, 
with perhaps one hand tapping at the keys, search for what? Love? 

Perhaps, but more often than not, finding only a substitute, 
a parody of love. And trying again the next day, and the day after that.
The Gospel makes clear what God thinks about divorce and remarriage. 
We Catholics are reproached constantly for today’s Gospel. 
How dare we say that marriage is for life, 
and that no court on earth can untie the bond God creates in marriage? 
 
But these are not our words, but Jesus Christ’s.
Even so, Jesus said these words, not as a weapon, but as healing truth. So should it be with us.

Divorce is a trauma, and no one knows that better 
than those who have been through it. 
The spouses and children who have been through divorce 
are walking wounded who we embrace and do all we can to help heal. 
They don’t need condemnation but companionship.

If you have been through a divorce, the mere fact of a divorce 
does not separate you from the Catholic Faith! 
It does not* mean you cannot receive Holy Communion. 
If you have questions, please come talk to me. We will speak privately. 

Obviously, a new attempt at marriage, after divorce, is a problem. 
But what about an annulment? I can only give an over-simplified answer; 
there is more to say than I can say now. 

But to give a simple summary, an annulment is a determination 
that a couple attempted marriage, in good faith; 
and yet something essential was lacking. 
An annulment is not a dissolution of a genuine marriage. 
As Jesus said, that is impossible! 

Rather, it is the discovery that what appeared 
to be a genuine marriage, turned out not to be. 
If you want to know more about this – 
especially if this affects you personally – please call me. 

Here is the Gospel, the Good News 
that each of us and those around us need: 
You and I will never realize our humanity and our purpose 
alone and apart from others. 

Each of us came into this world in a family, 
the fruit of love between a father and a mother. 
And this in turn shows us that we were created 
to be in relationship with, in love with, 
not only each other, but above all with God.

(Added at 9 am Mass:) 
God who is our Father; and we are brought to him by Jesus, our brother!

Many people today, all around us, are turned away from each other, 
and from God – from the God who is real. 
Instead, they are turned into themselves, 
to the god and to the reality they wish existed, 
but for all their willpower, can never bring to life. 

This is the great delusion of our modern age, 
and it is hard to tell how much longer it will go on. 
Perhaps it will go on for quite a while; 
or maybe it will come crashing down sooner than we dare hope. 

In the meantime, Christ invites us to true life, 
in the Creation of his making – not ours.
Our daily task is to share that invitation to all who are ready 
to step from twilight loneliness into the blazing light Sun of human love. 
(Changed at all Masses.)

* corrected.

Detachment: what it is, how we gain it and why we need it (Sunday homily)

Flannery O'Connor

This homily is going to be all about one concept, one virtue.
That is something called “detachment.”

What do I mean by “detachment”?

I mean that freedom that comes from 
not being overly concerned with stuff, material things; 
or with pleasure, or food, or with success, 
or with the opinions of other people, or with having our own way.

In the second reading, St. James tells us: 
you have conflict because of your passions, because of greed and envy.
You want things too much, or in the wrong way.

Detachment is learning to dial down those passions and wants.

In the Gospel, Jesus confronts the Apostles 
over their longing for importance, for being admired and respected.
He puts a child in front of them and says, 
learn how to slow down, and pay attention to a child. 
That takes great patience and a certain lowliness.

I admit I have changed very few diapers, 
but I am very confident that when we think of heroic greatness, 
changing diapers is not the first thing we think of; or second, or tenth!

In other words, Jesus is telling them to learn to be detached 
from their dreams of glory and grandeur. 
Because if they don’t, they can never be his disciples. 
His disciples, Jesus told them, would take up the very same cross 
and go to the same crucifixion as he would. 
That was an image of shame, not glory – at least as they could grasp it.

Detachment means freedom. What you own, owns you.
What do we call it when someone is married, has a family, 
and builds a business? That he is “tied down.” 
Detachment is being free of these things.
That freedom means the ability to say “yes” 
where otherwise the answer would be “no.”
“Yes” to others; “yes” to opportunities for ourselves. “Yes” to God.

There’s a reason why young people are more likely 
to drop everything and go off on adventures and missions.
So much less to lose. They aren’t tied down yet.
And when we get that faraway look, longing to be young at heart, 
isn’t that part of recall fondly? That freedom? That detachment?

Let me add here that this is why all this talk 
of ordaining married men to be priests 
is not going to be the great solution people think.

I was 35 when I decided to enter the seminary. 
I had a good job and I owned a house. 
That was hard enough to leave behind.
What if I’d been married, and had a couple of young children?

So how do we gain this virtue of detachment?
Well, there are several ways it happens.
One path is that of suffering. Pain. Crisis. Loss.
Many of us have been there: 
nothing can so narrow our sense of what truly matters, 
as when we are in trouble, or someone we love is.

Another – and I am not recommending this – is the path of humiliation.
I think of Chuck Colson, who worked for President Nixon, 
a powerful man. Then he got caught up in the Watergate scandal. 
He went to jail. He was disgraced.

But in that abasement, he found God and he found his vocation.
He spent the rest of his life as an advocate for prison reform.
He changed a lot of peoples’ lives and brought about a lot of good.
But only after being detached from his pride and position 
all that he thought his life was about.

Now, we don’t want either of those paths, 
but we may get them nonetheless.
There is, however, a third path that we choose; and our Faith, 
and Jesus himself, have always told us to take this course.
It is the way of voluntary self-denial and penance.

You and I do this for six weeks of Lent. 
That’s the reason we give up things like 
candy and beer and video games. 
So that we don’t love them too much.

But where did we get the idea that we only need to do this in Lent?
Every Friday is supposed to be a day of penance. 
For Christians, penance is a feature of everyday life.
That’s what our parents meant by “offer it up.”
And, parents, I know you live this, 
when you rarely get a hot meal or a full night’s sleep. 
In addition to those dirty diapers!

Underneath all this is something else, and that is grace.
Grace is the help God gives us – in uncountable, constant ways – 
to help us grow in holiness, to help us become like him.
To become a saint, which is what God has planned for each of us.

Bishop Binzer told me something once I never forgot, 
and I have found to be true:
Be grateful for those people who drive you nuts, 
because they are helping you get to heaven.

We might also keep in mind something I learned 
from the great American author Flannery O’Connor, 
who wrote strange stories about bizarre people, 
and often times her stories were dark and violent.
She explained once that all her stories were about grace!
God’s grace!

The point she was making is that God’s grace, which will save us, 
isn’t necessarily something pretty or pleasant.
So it was for Chuck Colson, as I mentioned;
Or for Flannery O’Connor herself, who suffered terribly 
from chronic illness and died fairly young.
Or, of course, with the Cross itself that Jesus took up freely.

Nothing pretty, nothing charming. 
Totally frightening. Often overwhelming.
You and I don’t really know why this is the way it happens;
But…this is the way it happens.
To be free of what attracts and delights us in the world, 
as good as it all is – and it is all very good! –
But to be free: of the fear of pain, of death, of loss;
To be detached from stuff and pleasure, to be able to let go of it all:

Is to have hands and heart free to grasp and hold and possess 
the one thing, the only thing, worth having, 
that makes everything else worthwhile:
And that is Jesus Christ! 
Praised be Jesus Christ! Now and forever, amen!

What explains why so many of the bishops act the way they do?*

* And priests too!

What does the name of Mary mean? (Holy Name of Mary)

I did a little research on this today. 
There is quite a lot written about this – not surprising, 
since it is the name of the loveliest and most beloved woman in history, 
the greatest woman in history, 
the woman who changed history completely!

What may be surprising, however, is how widely the debate ranges.

One theory is that it comes from a word meaning “bitter” – 
but why would Anna and Joachim give their gift from God such a name?

Another theory is that it means “drop of the ocean,” 
which is a dazzling thought; and through a copyist error, 
this turned into Stella Maris, which means “Star of the sea.” 

This mistake happened early, so we have reams 
of poems and tributes to our Lady as the Star of the Sea 
and churches under this title. 
As a result, I feel almost a cad to call it into question!
In any case, I am not saying there’s anything wrong 
with referring to the mother of the Lord as Stella Maris. 
I like it; you like it, and I feel very confident Jesus does too!

Then I discovered this.

According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, 
the name may come from the word Mara, meaning “well fed one.” 

How odd! But the article went on to say that people of that time 
would “consider the idea of being well nourished 
as synonymous with beauty and bodily perfection, so that … 
Mary means therefore The beautiful or The perfect one.”

“The beautiful or the perfect one” – how fitting, 
as she is the one predestined by God to be full of grace, 
without stain of sin!
The ark of the new covenant! The seat of divine wisdom!

How Jesus heals us and our Church (Sunday homily)

The past few weeks, I’ve touched on some bad news we’re all taking in. 
And I was hoping to take a different direction this week.
But I couldn’t help thinking about all that discouragement 
as I read these words in the first reading:

“Thus says the Lord: Say to those whose hearts are frightened:
Be strong, fear not!” 

We’re going to get through this.

But I thought about how much damage these scandals do.
And how many people are just laughing and mocking our Faith!
And I asked myself, how will people know Jesus is here?
How will they know this is God’s Church?

And it dawned on me:
They will know – not because of the sign in front of the church;
Not because of our history, important as that is;
Not because our church is pretty, 
or because we have sharp arguments for Catholicism 
that we learned from someone on the Internet.

No; they will know Christ is in our midst 
when they see the “eyes of the blind” being opened,
and deaf ears cleared, and those who are mute singing for joy.

In other words, maybe for the time being,
our focus isn’t on the Church; 
but on Jesus Christ!

Or, to put it another way: maybe for a while, 
it will be less about the words people hear us speak, 
and much more about the lives they see us live.

If there is blindness in our leaders – and there is – 
You and I aren’t going to fix it ourselves. 
If the voice of the Church is mute, because we’ve lost our credibility, 
only Jesus Christ is going to be able to heal that.

There’s a detail in the Gospel that maybe you noticed. 
It says, Jesus looked up to heaven, and he groaned!
Or it could be that he sighed. Why would Jesus react this way?

He’s feeling the weight of doubt and fear in the crowd;
The darkness and sin that hold so many captive.
All these things that need to be healed.
He feels the heaviness of all the lives
who need to be reconciled to God.

He knows that weight – he will carry it on Good Friday 
and it will knock him to the ground three times – 
but three times he gets back up and finishes his journey to the Cross. 
He sees it through.

Jesus knows the weight that is on your heart, on mine.
He knows; he feels it. 
Some of us need our eyes opened so we’ll see 
what we really don’t want to see – but we know it’s there.
The sin you and I aren’t quite ready to leave behind.
The help we are too proud to seek out.

Many of us have yet to find the words 
to speak to family, or fellow students at school, or coworkers:
Words of forgiveness, of apology, of reconciliation, of kindness.
If you ask, Jesus will loose your tongue and you will speak freely.
Ask, and the Holy Spirit will supply the courage.

So in other words, with the Church facing wounds and shame, 
what will lift our hearts? What will be light for us and others?

The healing I just described – and more beside – active in our midst. 
When folks see that, they will know we are Christians.

And if you can’t see any way to be part of this…
If you can’t identify anyone around you who needs any kind of healing,
and you can’t think of any way you can help make it happen…
If you can’t find one single person who needs Christ’s love,
Both in words and in deeds…

Then may I suggest that it might be you who needs to cry out to Jesus:
Lay your hands on me, Lord! Open my eyes, Lord! 
Help me to see how I can be healing to another!

What am I cooking?

Here are some ingredients. I'm beginning work on a dinner for tomorrow night.

What do you think I'm up to?

Update, 9/8/18, 10:30 am...

Two hints:

1) All the ingredients are not shown.

2) Do not assume it's all for one dish...

More hints to come.

Update, 12:06 pm...

Here are more hints:

Why is this bread still sitting out? Did it sit out all night?

Are those potatoes? Here's the meat again -- plus a newly revealed ingredient (it was in the freezer before)...

Here are my marked-up and dog-eared directions:

If you can decipher my notes, I'll tell you that I'm actually a bit ahead of schedule...

Update, 3 pm...

I am definitely ahead of schedule. I have just major one task before I head over for confessions and Mass.

Meanwhile, here are more photographic clues. Could these be basil leaves?

What will I do with these raisins?

Something cooking (cooling, actually) on the stove...

I better get back to work!

One more update before I go over for confessions. Just a few minutes ago, I combined the bread, bourbon-soaked raisins and the milk-cream-egg-sugar mixture. (Also some sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla.) Now it goes into the fridge; I won't bake it till the main course comes out of the oven. This is my first time making this: I don't know if it's a bad idea to have it soak for 3 hours, but I don't have much choice.

Have you figured it out? I've shown you something of every dish I'm going to serve tonight. Hint: with the exception of the last item, I've made all the other things, some recently.

OK, there's the 3:30 pm bell! Got to go!

Update -- postmortem:

Sorry, no pictures, but when it all came ready, I wasn't taking time to snap photos!

Some of you guessed some of the items. Here's the full menu from last night:

Aperitivo: assorted olives, cheese and nuts with drinks
Antipasto: Caprese salad; i.e., fresh tomato slices, with buffalo mozzarella and fresh basil.
Primo: Beef Wellington
Contorno: Mashed potatoes
Dulce: Bread pudding with whipped cream

Also coffee and digestivos followed, in the proper Italian way. (Well, not quite: I had coffee with the dessert, not after.)

How did everything turn out, you ask?

The Caprese salad had two challenges. The tomatoes weren't sliced neatly, and the basil wilted faster than I thought it would, but it all worked and tasted really good. Assembling five salads was a trick -- that is, I did them individually.

The Beef Wellington turned out well. I still have to figure out how to avoid the extra pastry on the ends; although that is pretty tasty, especially the next day, heated up and buttered for breakfast.

I put too much cream in the potatoes, and I wish I'd kept the pudding in the oven another ten minutes. The next time I make bread pudding (this was my first time), I'll add more bourbon and maybe use either brown sugar or maple syrup. Also, maybe sprinkle sugar over it before baking. But it turned out really well. Everyone had a good time.

Our Lady of the Tomatoes

By the way, that isn't an official title of our Lady; but it is what I thought of when I saw the tomatoes sitting in front of her. There were several more there last week.

I snapped this photo yesterday morning. Later in the day I made a special trip to the store to get some buffalo mozzarella, which is perfect for Insalata Caprese. But the store had two kinds: buffalo and burrata, the latter being made with cream instead of milk. So I bought both. I'd had the buffalo before, so I tried the burrata when I made the following:

That is Insalata Caprese. It is very easy and very good. All you do is slice a good tomato (I peel off the skin), and then layer it with slices of the buffalo mozzarella and some fresh basil leaves, which I picked up as well. Over this drizzle olive oil and sprinkle with fresh pepper and salt. I laid all this on some Boston lettuce, but I didn't eat that. I thought that would look better. After having both the buffalo and the burrata, I prefer the buffalo.

I'm having some folks over for dinner Saturday and I'm thinking of making the salad for them. I'll have to get more basil and buffalo. I'm not sold on my presentation, above; maybe I'll put the basil on top.

The other way I like to prepare a fresh tomato is to slice it, and then dress it with olive oil, red wine vinegar, basil, pepper and salt. This is so good, and when I've eaten the tomato I drink the dressing. No need for lettuce.

'Time to roll up our sleeves and get to work.' (Sunday homily)

Listening to these readings, 
you’d think Moses, the Apostle James, and the Lord Jesus 
were all talking about the troubles we’re facing these days as Catholics!

Moses said: God gave you beautiful laws and truths, 
that all the world will envy, because of their wisdom.

And that is true. The Ten Commandments, 
the words of the prophets 
and the light of Christ’s teaching 
all shine in our Catholic Faith.

Unfortunately, some people, including some in positions of authority, 
have obscured this beauty by their crimes and neglect.

Maybe if some of our bishops and the cardinals and officials in Rome 
had been more concerned about being clean on the inside, 
being truly holy, we’d be better off. 
But like the Pharisees in the Gospel, 
they were only worried about appearances.

OK, so now that things are being cracked open a little, 
people are making accusations, and it’s all pretty upsetting. 
None of us wants to see this in the headlines.
None of us wants to think badly of the Holy Father.

But it’s out there, so let’s talk about it.

Let me share some things that may give you some encouragement.

For one, the report that came out about two weeks ago, 
from Pennsylvania, which was filled with accounts of horrible crimes,
was about things that happened more than 20 years ago. 
That is not to excuse any of it; 
but you should know that there is accountability for priests today 
that wasn’t true then. 

Second, you need to know that men who are admitted to the seminary 
these days undergo pretty intense scrutiny. 
This has been true for at least 20 years.

And third, you deserve to know that priests, deacons, seminarians,
parish employees and parish volunteers all live under 
very specific requirements of accountability.

Still, with all these accusations flying back and forth – going all the way to Rome – 
and wondering what other shoes may drop –
itt’s alarming and dispiriting. So what do you and I do?

This week I touched base with a number of seminarians, 
including the three from this parish. 
I wanted to know how they were bearing up.

They said they are doing fine.
Almost to a man, they saw this as a sign to redouble their commitment. 
To persevere, because the Church needs holy priests. 

I told them we’re praying for them. They know it. They are grateful.
But they are not discouraged.
They know there is a big job; perhaps even bigger than they realized.
The Church has wounds – someone has to tend them.
People need to know who Jesus is. That hasn’t changed.
Who will tell them? Rather, who will show them?

That’s not just my job, you know. It’s not just the seminarians’ job.

Every single one of us is a member of the Body of Christ.
What St. James said in the second reading, he says to everyone here:
“Welcome the Word” that is in your hearts: that is, Jesus Christ!

And notice how he tells us to show the world the face of Jesus:
“Care for widows and orphans in their affliction”…
And keep yourself “unstained by the world.”

I know a lot of Catholics are asking: what should I do?
The Apostle James just told you what to do.
It’s time to roll up our sleeves and get to work.
How? I’ve already mentioned, the other week, 
the need to write Archbishop Schnurr. 
Let him know what’s in your heart.

And, like our seminarians, see this as a time to grow in holiness.
The Church never needed lukewarm believers, but oh boy, 
we sure don’t need that now. We need more saints.
How? Do what St. James said, that’s how.

However unsettling news reports may be, don’t let it get to you.
The rottenness has to be rooted out. It’s not pleasant.
I believe Jesus will purify his Church. 
My job and yours is to let him work through us.