What will it take? (Sunday homily)

If the U.S. Supreme Court hadn’t issued the ruling it did on Friday, 
I probably would have taken a different approach in this homily. 
But they did what they did, so I think it needs to be talked about.

First of all, this is a terrible outcome for our country, 
in more ways than one.

The teaching of Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord is crystal-clear. 
People like to say that Jesus never mentioned this issue, 
but that’s simply false. 
Jesus was asked about marriage and divorce, 
and in Matthew Chapter 19, he said the following:

“Have you not read that from the beginning 
the Creator ‘made them male and female’ 
and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother 
and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? 
So they are no longer two, but one flesh. 
Therefore, what God has joined together, 
no human being must separate.”

Now, the Bible says quite a bit more. 
The Apostles – who Jesus gave both authority 
and his own power to teach in his name – have reiterated the point. 
And the Catholic Church has always taught 
the same things about sex and marriage, namely:

 That it is one man and one woman, till death do us part—no remarriage after divorce;
 That sex belongs in marriage—that is, man and woman;
 And that marriage always includes the intention of bringing children into the world, 
        and therefore, marital life must remain open to the gift of life—
        and thus, no artificial means of preventing conception.

Now, of course, no law says the U.S. government 
has to listen to the Bible or the Catholic Church. 
We were not founded on any religious creed. 
So, to be very clear—I am not saying that the courts, 
or the legislatures, are obliged to adopt any specific, Catholic teaching.

No, in making this point up front, 
I want to lay down a very clear statement, without any ambiguity, 
regarding what our Faith teaches us. 
Lots of Catholics seem not to know these things.

This is what Jesus teaches, what the Apostles teach, we believe. 
These are not options, like whether you get a sunroof on your car.
This is what it means to say 
we are the One, Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church. 
We are not the Church of what’s popular in 2015. 

Jesus is our teacher. He is the truth. 
And nothing any court, or legislature, or politician, or opinion poll, 
or marketing expert says, makes any difference.

I said a moment ago this is bad for our country. 
How can standing against the King of Kings be anything else?

Now, of course, some people are saying—many Catholics are saying—
“who cares what the law allows? 
You just said we don’t expect our government 
to adopt our religious doctrines as law. 
So why not allow same-sex marriage? Why not, live-and-let-live?”

Let’s talk about that.

First, to some degree, we do want a live-and-let-live approach. 
That’s what almost everyone wants. 
None of us wants to go into anyone’s home to see who lives there, 
what their relationship is, and so forth. 
If people want to say they are married to each other, 
there’s nothing you or I can do, even if we cared to. 

What was at issue here was what the society as a whole 
is being asked to give validation, and approval, to -- 
a new and fundamentally different understanding of what marriage is. 
And that is no longer, “live and let live.”

Until the Supreme Court gave its ruling, 
each state was finding its own way. 
But the majority of the court decided that wasn’t acceptable: 
everyone had to be forced to accept a new understanding of marriage. 

Second, while a society can have lots of diversity, 
a society really isn’t a society unless it has some common foundations. 
A room full of strangers is not a “society.” 
They might become one, but only as they discover, 
or create, values in common. 
That is the foundation of any cohesive society.

Marriage isn’t just a detail. It is at the foundation, 
because what marriage is, is really about what being human is. 
Earlier I laid out the basics of what our Catholic Faith 
holds about marriage. 
But let’s be clear: what marriage is, isn’t simply a Catholic doctrine.
This is very important to grasp.

Does anyone seriously think that before the Church existed, 
marriage wasn’t already man-plus-woman? 
Do people think Moses invented this idea? 
If you go to India, where most people are Hindu – 
or to Saudi Arabia, where it’s almost 100% Muslim – 
or to southeast Asia, where almost everyone is Buddhist – 
will they say be surprised to hear of man-woman marriage?

Of course not. Every human society, ever, 
before our earliest memories, 
has understood marriage is man-plus-woman. 
Because this isn’t a religious dogma; it’s biology. It’s human experience. 
What Jesus was telling those people 
was that this truth was written by God into human nature itself. 
It’s not for us to rewrite it.

Yes, I think it’s very bad for our country 
to think we can remake human nature. 
And that’s not just bad for our country; it’s bad for all of us. 

This decision sets up an inevitable conflict. 
It’s already been happening 
even before the High Court imposed a redefinition of marriage 
on the entire country. It will get worse.

Within hours of the decision, a host of big companies 
were publishing ads, or sending out twitter messages, 
aligning themselves with this decision. 
This will continue. 
People who don’t agree—meaning faithful Christians, in particular, 
and many of other faiths—will find that they are simply excluded 
from jobs, from promotions, from professions.

Justice Kennedy’s decision equated our refusal to redefine marriage with being a racist. 
I told you weeks ago this would happen. 
Read his decision. He puts it in the same category. 
This is a lie; but when a lie is told often enough, two things happen: 
lots of people come to believe it; 
and lots of other people, out of fear or self-protection, 
stop fighting back.

(Now, I had wanted to say something 
about Pope Francis’ recent encyclical. 
I still haven’t read it. I will as soon as I can.

But there are a couple of points that have been widely quoted. 
Obviously he had a lot to say about respecting and reverencing
the natural environment. 
He’s been quoted as saying, if we slap nature, 
don’t be surprised if nature slaps you back.

When it comes to destroying forests, or polluting the water, 
or not being thoughtful about chemicals we create and use, 
this is clearly true. 

Some years ago, we found out that aerosol products 
were damaging the atmosphere; and if we didn’t stop it, 
it could have led to terrible consequences. 
We did stop using those products, and the situation has improved.

We’re learning similar lessons about how the human body works. 
In recent years, we’re discovering just how very complex, and delicate, 
is the interaction between our own bodies, 
and various life forms—including bacteria—that live inside us. 
We didn’t know how delicate the balance was. We’re learning. 
And we still have a lot more to learn.

Well, Pope Francis, in his encyclical, extended that point 
to respecting the balance and design of the human family. 
Man, woman, mother, father, children.)*

The Court’s decision about marriage didn’t happen in a vacuum. 
Our society has been redefining marriage and family 
for most of the last century. 

We redefined marriage when we allowed no-fault divorce. 
When we accepted promiscuity as normal. 
When, as a society, we embraced contraceptives. 
And when we decided it didn’t matter all that much 
if a child had both parents in the home. 
What the Supreme Court did is only the last nail in the coffin 
to our society’s understanding of what marriage and family are.

Now, I want to say something to the question of what we say to people who have same-sex feelings. What do we say to them?
First, that everyone is God's child; no one is not welcome.
No one is better than anyone else. We are all sinners, begging for God's grace.

Second, it can be a very hard thing to realize you have feelings that others don't, and you can feel very apart. It doesn't help when there are people who bully, and you hear people say some ugly things. It's hard to know who to talk to. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we were the seen as the sort of people someone in that situation would feel free to come and confide in?

Now, when you're feeling very alone with a difficult situation, it is easy to think no one else knows what it's like, and your situation, your trial, is worse than anyone else's. It can happen when you're unemployed; when you have cancer, or when your marriage is breaking up. But when we talk to each other, and support each other, we can find that, while our trial is great, we aren't alone.

I wish I could say there was some easy way to make it all better, but I can't; neither can I do that when someone is facing a terrible illness, or some other crisis. What we do is turn to the Lord, as in the psalm, and ask the Lord to draw close to us.**

The first reading from Wisdom assures us that God’s design for us 
is about life. We don’t always know this, or believe it. 
Sometimes we think God’s ways, God’s laws, 
are just about taking away our choices. 

Sort of like how you and I responded to our parents’ rules 
when we were little. 
And when we ignored their rules, we often found out 
what it was they were protecting us from.

In the years to come, we’re going to find out 
what God was trying to protect us from. We’re already finding out. 
We’ve already made a mess of the family. 
We have a flood of pornography. 
We have young people growing up who don’t even know how to be adults, 
often because the adults in their lives also don’t know how.

They don’t know how to give themselves sacrificially to each other. 
All they’ve been given is lies about sex and what it means.
And it is going to get worse for awhile. Oh yes, we’re going to find out.

In the Gospel, we see a woman who suffered for twelve long years; 
and we see a father whose child is dead. 
Both of them had good reason to give up hope; 
the mourners thought the father was crazy to hope. 
So what? They didn’t reckon on what Jesus could do!

Jesus can do anything. 
The woman and the man fell to their knees and begged him for help. 
What will it take for us to fall to our knees, in repentance and humility, 
and beg for him to save us?

* I omitted this part at some Masses, due to time.
** This part was not written down; so I handled it differently at each Mass.

God save this dishonorable court

The whole world knows, or will soon enough, that the U.S. Supreme Court ruled, today, by a bare 5-4 majority, that the U.S. Constitution compels every state to redefine marriage to include so-called "same-sex marriage."

A lot of folks are saying anodyne things like this from Sen. Lindsey Graham:

I am a proud defender of traditional marriage and believe the people of each state should have the right to determine their marriage laws. However, the Supreme Court has ruled that state bans on gay marriage are unconstitutional, and I will respect the Court’s decision.

Well, I for one do not respect this decision.

I read it, and the dissents, and it is an embarrassing mess. I'm not a constitutional lawyer, but based on this monstrosity, constitutional lawyers are way overrated. I first labeled this ruling "trash," but went back and recast that sentence. Trash denotes a lack of worth, which is what I meant; but trash often is found to have value nonetheless; and if not, is mainly noxious, but otherwise, not all that harmful. This decision will cause terrible harm.

No, I do not respect this ruling. It is completely and utterly undeserving of respect.

Will I obey it? Well, let's see...

-- I can assure you that I will never officiate at any marriage that is not fully in accord with the Catholic Faith. No same-sex marriages from me, anytime.

-- The State of Ohio will now be coerced into recognizing "same sex marriage," and inasmuch as I am a citizen of Ohio, I'm being dragooned into that. Now and always, I withhold my approval to that lie. The State of Ohio, however unwillingly it cooperates with this, does not speak for me.

-- If someone rushes up to tell me that he or she is "married," and points to a spouse of the same sex, I think being polite and friendly is a good policy; but if you press me to find out if I agree, don't be surprised by my candor.

-- And if anyone tries to get me to tip my hat, rhetorically, to the grandeur of the law, or the dignity of the courts, or some such blather, I will try to avoid laughing in your face, but I may fail to restrain myself.

This is, in the words of a Supreme Court justice of an another era, "an exercise of raw judicial power." It will create great mischief. Future generations will be embarrassed by it.

Update, 2 pm, 6/26/15...

A commenter on Father Z's blog posted this from the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith:

In those situations where homosexual unions have been legally recognized or have been given the legal status and rights belonging to marriage, clear and emphatic opposition is a duty. One must refrain from any kind of formal cooperation in the enactment or application of such gravely unjust laws and, as far as possible, from material cooperation on the level of their application. In this area, everyone can exercise the right to conscientious objection. (Emphasis added.)

Help for overcoming porn

While it may seem a hidden, or minor, issue for many, there is a growing problem with porn, primarily on the Internet. It especially affects young men. It's discouraging to learn that a large number of boys begin consuming pornography in their early teens.

I am persuaded by the things I read that this isn't only about sexual morality. Consuming porn hobbles an individual's ability to socialize; and it has to have an effect on how men and women enter into healthy intimacy, including sexual intimacy. If you train your mind to seek and be satisfied only by an unreal, unattainable phantom, of course you're going to be disappointed by boring reality.

There are lots of people who get this, and who want to kick the habit. But they find it very hard to do. I've been doing some reading, and hunting around, for resources that might help.

Here are several I found recently that look promising:

Fight the New Drug

Your Brain on Porn

NoFap

This last one requires some explanation. It's an online forum for mutual support in abstaining from consuming pornography and all that goes with it.

None of these are, that I can see, specifically Catholic or Christian, although there are some spiritual elements here and there. I mention this so that people realize the limitations in what I'm offering. And, if anyone finds anything problematic in these sites, please let me know.

The NoFap forum looks especially promising, precisely because what makes it hard to overcome these habits is the sense of isolation. Who do you talk to about it? What holds you accountable? 

If you're reading this, and this is a problem you face, don't give up hope. I'm praying for you (and I'm not the only one).

Back on the job

I got back to the parish yesterday, but today is my first day "back to work." I had planned to be away today, but -- as I often do -- I decided to come back a day early. Partly because I have a meeting tonight for which I need to prepare, and partly because I was ready to get back at it. (Actually, I got back to it a bit yesterday, but don't tell anyone.) 

Because I'd planned to be away today, I'd arranged for a retired priest to take the morning Mass; so I left that in place. As it happens, the priest from the neighboring parish, who was scheduled to do the Mass at the nursing home today, called me yesterday to see if I would do it; and I was happy to do so. So I did get to sleep in today. After breakfast, and checking some emails, I walked over to the school, where the children of the parish are gathered this week for "Bible Camp." As I walked in, one group was working on some arts-and-crafts project; they were bristling with comments:

"Father, you're back!"

"Why weren't you at Mass today?"

"Mass has been really quick lately!"

"The priest who filled in while you were gone creeped me out!" (It had nothing to do with his fidelity, I was happy to discover; but I'm not sure what the problem was.)

"Where did you go on your vacation?"

The crafts project involved creating a mini-"bible," in which they pasted Scripture verses regarding Abraham, David and Eliakim, all Old Testament figures who foreshadowed Peter, the first pope. "Upon this rock" is the theme, and lots of activities serve to reinforce this. 

In the gym, another group was playing "Glow in the Dark Dodgeball." Someone explained the connection to Saint Peter, but I can't recall it now. And if you're wondering how you have glow-in-the-dark dodgeball, it involves flexible "glowsticks," which have some sort of radiant liquid in them. 

Then, a third group was meeting for lesson-time, in which the Bible lesson was explained. I told the children about visiting Caesarea Philippi, the place where our Savior told Peter, "You are Rock, and upon this rock I will build my church." The city of Caesarea Philippi was situated at the base of a really big rock--i.e., a mountain; at the foot of the mountain were a collection of pagan temples, which were very active when Jesus brought the Apostles there. The point being that Peter (and the Apostles) would be instrumental in building his Church, to replace the error of paganism. And, indeed, today, the pagan shrines are all in ruins.

Well, all that was before noon. After visiting with the children awhile, I came back over here and fiddled some more at the computer (that includes writing this post) while I answered the phones -- the staff is all at Bible Camp. The funny thing is, no one wanted to talk to me! They were all calling about the bulletin, or scheduling a Mass, etc. In a few minutes I'll head over to the nursing home. Then I'll stop at the store for some supplies for the meeting tonight.

Checking in

Sorry for no posts while I have been traveling, but all I had on the road was my iPad, and I find it very clumsy for posting to my blog. I'm back-but-not-back; I have a wedding tomorrow, in Russia, hence a rehearsal tonight. After the wedding, I'm back on the road for a couple of days.

No, I haven't read the Holy Father's new encyclical. I'll get to it when I get back. I have no comment, other than to say everyone should relax. If you think this is the most important thing evah! get a grip; if you think the pope has done something terrible, because it's part of an encyclical after all, likewise, get a grip. When the pope teaches, that's important; and if you think the pope didn't get it quite right? Well, this wasn't a dogmatic definition (hence, infallible), so just relax. That's what I'm doing.

On the Delaware shore

So, in Delaware, is it "shore," like New Jersey, or "beach," or "coast" -- or something else? Anyway, that's where I am, as the sun goes down and it cools off a bit.

Why Delaware? Well, I've never been to these beaches, and it's actually the straightest shot from Ohio. (A fellow looking like Mitt Romney just putt-putted by on a moped. Do you really think it was.... Nah...) It's a funny thing, my coming to the beach. I can't take the sun, so I'll be troweling on sunscreen tomorrow; but I like looking at, and listening to, the ocean.

So, here's my trip so far. Sunday, after three Masses and our Corpus Christi procession (which was outstanding, the best I've ever been part of), I hit the road around 2 pm., heading for Washington, PA. Yesterday, I went from there to Emmitsburg, where I visited the shrine of Mother Seton, then I drove to my cousin's house outside Baltimore. We had a great time, as always. From there to the beach today. I had several messages from home, about things I forgot to explain, but all seems well. I do miss the parish! I'm praying for you every day.

'Thank you, Jesus, for this incredible gift!' (Corpus Christi homily)

This feast of the Body and Blood of Christ 
is obviously a wonderful time to focus on the gift of the Eucharist. 

Last Friday, I visited several home-bound parishioners 
as I always do on the First Friday of the month. 
And I talked to them about how special the gift of the Eucharist is. 
Our fellow Christians, who don’t believe in the Eucharist, 
still believe Jesus is present with us; 
but for them, it’s an abstract presence: he’s here, somewhere. 

But with the Eucharist, we know exactly where Jesus is! 
It’s concrete and tangible. We can see, touch and taste the Eucharist. 
The Eucharist isn’t the only way Jesus is with us; 
but what a wonderful anchor this is for our faith!

So one value to this feast is to help us 
avoid taking this gift of Jesus’ Body and Blood for granted. 
When someone grows up in a well-to-do family with lots of advantages, 
there’s always a danger of not realizing how different life 
is without all those advantages. 

And the same is true for us as Catholics. 
We have such riches in our Faith, in the saints, 
in our many ways to pray, 
in the teaching office held by the pope and the bishops, 
in the sacraments, and above all, 
in the real, true presence of Jesus in the Mass and the Eucharist!

I thought this might be a good time to review 
some of the things that help maintain the prayerfulness at Mass; 
sort of like the father in the well-to-do family 
who wants to make sure 
his children understand the advantages they have:
Let me start with our church. 
If you visit other Catholic churches, you’ll find some odd designs; 
and many that have been whitewashed inside, 
the statues were taken away, 
or the stained glass is just abstract designs. 

This was the trend for a while, but that tide is receding. 
People meant well, but it was just a mistake to take away all the art. 
No, we don’t “need” images of Mary and Joseph and the saints 
in order to believe or to pray. 
But they sure help, don’t they? Especially with children.

But what does the most to make this church prayerful is you. 
Your silence, your desire for reverence, makes all the difference. 
When we have weddings, 
we often have folks visit who act no differently in church 
from how they act with friends in their living room, talking and visiting. 
Nothing is bad about that; but it destroys reverence.

Similarly, I know that you pay attention to how you dress in church. 
It’s not a matter of wearing fancy clothes, 
but of taking care, and not being a distraction. 

When it comes to shorts, shirts without sleeves, and so forth, 
I don’t really want to decide how short is too short. 
But if I showed up in my shorts, you’d be distracted! 
I am so grateful especially for our ushers and readers 
and extraordinary ministers of holy communion who take extra care.

This is a good time to talk about how we receive holy communion. 
You know that there are two options: 
receiving on the tongue, or in the hand. 

What you may not know is that receiving on the tongue 
is the norm in the whole world, outside the U.S. 
It was in this country that a special permission was given 
to receive the Body of Christ in the hand—
but that permission comes with some expectations. 

First, that someone has both hands free. 
So, for example, sometimes someone will come for communion, 
and will be using one hand to hold a child, or to lean on a cane. 
In those cases, if they put out one hand, I’ll whisper, 
“I’ll put it on your tongue.” 
And the reason is that it’s a little dicey managing with one hand, 
and should we really be juggling with the Eucharist?

The other expectation was that in receiving communion with our hands, 
we wouldn’t lessen our reverence for the Body of Christ. 
It’s harder to be casual when you receive on the tongue. 
So to those who wish to receive the Eucharist in the hand, 
how about lifting your hands up high? Make your hand a throne. 

If you were given the privilege of carrying something of immense value – 
of gold and precious stones – would you swing it around in one hand, 
or use both? 
And would you have it down here, like a box of stuff from the attic? 
Or would you lift your hands up high? 

I might also point out that this is practical, 
especially when the person receiving communion is shorter, 
and the person giving communion is taller. 
Speaking as one of those tall people, 
lifting your hands up high really helps. 
And also, it makes it less likely you’ll drop the host 
before putting it in your mouth.

(At all the Masses, I inserted here something about checking your hands, 
if you receive in the hand, for any particles of the Holy Eucharist.)

Now, let me say something to those who follow 
the traditional practice of receiving on the tongue – 
which, I confess, I think is very valuable and meaningful. 
I don’t know how to say this without making you laugh, but—
you really have to do two things to make this work: 
first, you have to open your mouth. 
Some of you think you do, but you don’t! 
And you have to stick out your tongue. 
This is the only time that’s not rude to do.

This next item applies to many of our younger parishioners: 
when you come to communion, however you receive it, you have to stop. 
Be stationary. Parents, you know what I mean. 

And I know, parents, you have a lot to manage, 
but I’d be very grateful if you can help your children 
remember these things, 
especially in lifting up their hands and standing still.

One of the things that changed in my lifetime 
was the switch from kneeling at a communion rail, 
to coming up in a line, standing. 
I don’t think that was a good change 
and I’d be happy to see the older way come back. 

When that change happened, 
the bishops said that if we didn’t kneel, 
we are to make some sign of reverence. 
Most bow their heads, some make the sign of the cross. 
This is how we acknowledge the Lord 
in the Eucharist we are about to receive.

Earlier I described a child whose family is well off, and has so much. 
That really is us. 

Lately our thoughts and prayers have been drawn 
to the plight of Christians in Africa and the Middle East, 
whose churches are being burned, and they are fleeing for their lives. 

Realize what that means: they lose a place 
where the Eucharist is present for them to visit; and they lose the Mass. 
What a price they are paying for their faith! 

Of all the times any of us would want to be able 
to come and kneel before Jesus in the tabernacle, 
and pour out our hearts; 
or to come and eat his Body and drink his Precious Blood – 
and they can’t do that!

So we have a lot to be grateful for. 
As we have our Mass today – 
as we lift up Jesus as our king in the streets of our community – 
we say thank you! 
Thank you, Jesus, for this incredible gift!

Latest cooking enterprise: meatballs

I've been wanting to try my hand at meatballs for some time. Yesterday was the day. I'd been collecting various recipes, and decided this one by Martha Stewart would be worth trying. I didn't use her sauce recipe; instead, I used the Neapolitan Ragu recipe that I've had success with twice now.

First I had to get a few ingredients needed. One was ground veal, which I thought about omitting; but then I'd never know if I'd like it better with. Thankfully, the Krogers in Sidney had some, so I ran over there for that, and some fresh basil and a few other items.

(By the way--sorry for no photos, but my iPad's battery was dead yesterday.)

There were a few things to chop: some bread, which I cut up by hand, as well as some parsley. When I realized the big pile of parsley I tediously chopped was only half what I needed, I remembered the food processor I'd gotten a few weeks ago, and decided to see what it would do with parsley. Why, you may wonder, am I gun-shy with the food processor? A food processor can be handy, but you have to know how to use it right, and that takes some experimentation. This project was already going to be a big mess; and if the processor makes mud of the parsley, now I have an even bigger mess.

The parsley came out fine, Deo gratias, but the onion came out a little uneven; some pieces too roughly cut, others pulverized. The processor didn't like the cheese at all; but when I chopped the cheese down to smaller pieces, it worked better. Unfortunately, I didn't buy enough Parmigiano-Reggiano, so I quickly rummaged in my fridge and found some more cheese, which I think was Pecorino Romano. Who's to know? I had just enough then, with nothing to put on top afterward.

Because I decided to double the quantities, the result was a really huge bowl of wet bits of bread, three kinds of ground meat, three kinds of cheese, and all the other stuff. All of which I now had to knead and mix. I tried, at first, to do it with a bag on my hand, but that didn't work, so I had no choice but to do it with my hands. I'm not squeamish; I just wanted to avoid adding germs.

Ms. Stewart called for giant meatballs, but as I was planning to put these into the sauce, I wanted them to be manageable. So I made them more or less standard size. These I put on a baking sheet and a baking pan, and threw in the oven for about 15 minutes. And -- since I'd doubled the quantities, I still had a fair amount of meat-mixture left over. So, decision-time: do I wait and cook them all in the oven? Or, what about browning the rest in a fry pan? I opted for the latter.

After all, the meatballs didn't need to be completely finished, as they would finish in the sauce. So I poured some olive oil into the fry pan and browned the rest in batches. I did brown some a bit too much -- I was off doing some prep for the sauce -- but oh well.

Then, when I had all my finished meatballs -- both those in the oven and those cooked on top -- I realized I had way more than I needed for the sauce, which was also going to get some Italian sausage, which I'd also browned (that turned out nicely). So I decided to put some of the meatballs into the pan for the sauce, and the rest (after finishing in the oven those that I'd only browned) I put in the freezer for later.

At this point, I simply made the same sauce I've made twice before. The only difference, this time, was that I had some fresh basil. I put all the ingredients in -- the tomatoes, which I crushed by hand, along with some wine as well as the onion, carrot and celery I sauteed, along with the garlic and aforementioned basil -- and all that simmered for several hours. Around 8 pm, after a meeting, I had some of the sauce over some pasta.

Verdict?

The sauce was good, but needs some more time simmering. And a little salt.

The Italian sausage, made by Krogers, was better than the last, but still not seasoned enough for me. I'm going to have to do some more work on this one.

The meatballs? Very good! I'd actually eaten a couple right out of the oven. More oregano would have been good, and maybe a little red pepper.

I've got plenty left over, and I plan to simmer it some more ahead of tomorrow's dinner.

We are the image of the Trinity (Sunday homily)

Today we reflect on the reality of God being a Trinity: 
Three Persons, yet one essence. 

It was God the Son in human flesh – Jesus – who told us about this. 
He told us that Father is God; and that he is God; 
and that there is a relationship of love, total, full love, 
between Father and Son. 
He told us about the Spirit, who is “another Advocate”—
another Person in the Trinity.

So here’s the thing: we believe God is a Trinity, 
first and foremost, because Jesus told us this. 
We believe it, because we believe him.

If you are a parent or a teacher, how do you explain things? 
Maybe you will use a diagram, or an image. 
And God did that too. 
Recall what Genesis says: 
“Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…”

God has given us an image of the Trinity – in us, in human beings.

Notice, first, that in creating humanity, 
he did not create a solitary being. 
No, he created us male and female. 
This is no mere detail. 
It’s completely fundamental to who we are. 

If you think back to science class in school, 
we learned that some of God’s creation 
multiplies simply by splitting apart. One amoeba, two amoebae. 
When you were in school, did you look through a microscope? 

Or maybe you saw a film of the little creatures 
with all the hairy things around them. 
And for all the teachers here, 
I do know that those were called paramecium—plural, paramecia—
and those hairs are called cilia, and it’s how they move. 

God created those, too; but that’s not how God created us to be. 
Instead, he created us so that we would enter into 
an intimate, totally self-giving relationship with each other: 
“male and female he created them.” 
So there’s an insight here about this whole marriage question. 
This isn’t about “hook ups,” but about a unique reality 
baked into the very bone and sinew of human nature.

Human beings are, by our nature, created in relationship. 
A man, a woman; a husband, a wife; a father, a mother—a family! 
When each of us began our lives, 
we began it in relationship—
obviously with our mother, who carries us, but with our father, too. 
And we need that relationship for many years.
First, just to survive; but later, that relationship, which we call family, 
enables us to be happy and healthy and truly human. 
Even much later in life, we still need our family; 
and, as many of us have found, if there is a wound, 
it’s not something that we ever forget.

See what God did? He did indeed create us in his image: 
he created humanity not as a solitary being—all alone—
but as persons-in-relationship. Just like him.

Let’s carry that one more step. 
And this will give us a very practical take-away from this homily.

God in himself—in Three Persons—is complete, and whole; 
God doesn’t need creation, he doesn’t need the universe, 
and he doesn’t need us. 
God chooses—out of generous love—to create us, in order to include us.

If you and I are God’s image, 
then what I just described is part of what we are. 
To be truly who we are—truly human—
we too are called to give and love, 
not out of any necessity, but out of self-gift, out of generosity. 
And we do that for our fellow human beings. 
And what does Jesus tell us to do? 
Love not just your friends and families, but to care for the needy, 
the poor; and to love our enemies, 
and to pray for those who persecute us.

God sends rain on the just and the unjust. 
God died on the Cross, not for the righteous, but for sinners. 
God provides an abundance for all his children, but he relies on us to share it around. 
And God is always ready, at every moment, to forgive his children and welcome them back.

How about you, image-of-God? Do you want to show God to the world? 
Feed the needy, lift the burden from the backs of the oppressed, 
pay a just wage, speak up for those who are oppressed and forgotten, 
and forgive readily, instantly, and generously. 

This is what it means to be the image of God.

Light or darkness, Babylon or Christ? (Pentecost homily)

The readings for Pentecost are different for the Vigil and the Day. 
I don’t expect many of you to do this, but—
ideally we would come to Mass both on the vigil, and on the day. 
I know that’s a lot to ask, but: Pentecost really is that important!

So at the vigil, we hear from Genesis about how early in human history, 
people tried to make a name for themselves 
by building the city of Babel. 
They aren’t interested in God; they don’t seek God’s help.

This is the same city later called Babylon – 
which becomes, in Scripture, 
a symbol of all in the world that demands our loyalty other than God. 
You will remember how King Nebuchadnezzar built a golden statue, 
and the three Hebrew boys, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, refused to worship it, 
and they were thrown into the fiery furnace. 
Babylon always opposes God directly. 
Babylon lives on in our culture and government.

On the day of Pentecost, we hear about 
how the Apostles and the other first Christians, 
including the Mother of Jesus, are gathered in Jerusalem, 
praying for the Holy Spirit. 
So while God frustrates the designs of the city 
that worships itself: Babylon; 
the Father pours out the Holy Spirit 
on the gathering of people who trust in Jesus Christ.

In one sense, Pentecost is a conclusion. 
It’s the completion of what Jesus came to do: 
to bring us from darkness to light, from sin to hope.

But in another sense, it’s not a conclusion but a beginning: 
the beginning of the new creation.

While the color at Mass today is red—
standing for the fire of the Holy Spirit—
there’s a reason why it’ll be green after today. 
Green is the color of things that grow—
like our grass outside, at long last! 

When the universe began, long ago, 
scientists describe that event as “the Big Bang”—
a sudden, intense burst of energy that set everything in motion; 
and billions of years later, 
the force of that is still propelling the galaxies further outward. 
We know, of course, that that “Big Bang” 
was God saying, “Let there be light.” 

Pentecost is the new Creation: 
heavenly power bursting forth upon the first 120 Christians, 
led by Peter—and they all went out in different directions, 
sharing Jesus with the world. 
And that outward movement continues, 1,985 years later.

God’s People faced Babylon long ago; 
Peter and the Church faced Rome, and we face our own Babylon. 
So it will always be 
until Christ completes the New Creation at the end of time.

Now, one of the things that I have noticed about Saint Remy Parish 
is that people know their Faith. 
That doesn’t just happen; 
it’s something that the priests before me, and many of you, 
helping to teach and share, have made happen. 
It’s a strong refuge in stormy times.

But, the truth is that what wins people 
isn’t just knowing the Faith, but living it. 
Faith, hope and love, these three remain—
but the greatest of these is love. 
We need to know our Faith, to be sure; 
but what wins people is when they are convinced we practice it. 
When they see we make sacrifices to live holy lives, 
that we really put God first, and that we really believe in forgiveness—
not just in getting it for ourselves, but even more in giving it to others.

Present-day Babylon tells people 
that Christianity is nothing but rules and empty rituals. 
We tell each other stories to make ourselves feel better. 
We light candles because we’re afraid of the dark. 
But we don’t really have anything to offer. 
Babylon says, worship sex, worship power, worship beauty, 
worship the money you can make, worship yourself—
because that’s all there is.

What Babylon doesn’t say is that man without God really is empty; 
and what begins as the exaltation of man 
ends with concentration camps and piles of bones.

Jesus knew what he was doing when he told the Apostles, 
stay in Jerusalem and pray for the Gift of the Holy Spirit. 
He knew that the task he gave them 
wasn’t going to get done with a pep talk or a few clever phrases. 
They would need the Big Bang of the Holy Spirit filling their lives, 
and driving them outward.

In that regard, nothing’s changed. 
We wonder why we face difficult times; 
people wonder, where did the insanity of our times come from? 
But it’s always been there. 
Jesus knew the power of the spirit of the world. 
That’s why he said, pray for the gift of the Holy Spirit. 

Now, I want to call attention to something I know you’ve noticed: this candle. 
It was so tall when we first lit it at Easter! 
No doubt some of you wonder if someone let it burn all night. 
Why does that crazy Father Fox let it burn down like that? 
It’s not very pretty anymore. You’re right—it’s not.

A candle has but one purpose: it burns to give light. 
The Easter Candle stands for the Light of Christ. 
I wanted to keep it burning during Easter 
not only to remind us both where our light—our power—comes from, 
but also as a reminder of why Jesus came into the world: 
to be spent—used up—for the salvation of souls.

God doesn’t light us with the fire of the Holy Spirit 
so we can quickly put it out, 
and save ourselves for later. 
We’re only going to get so many years in this life. 
When our time ends, will we want to say to Jesus: 
look, I didn't burn my candle, I kept it pretty, I saved it?

I said a moment ago that those who mock us 
claim we’re afraid of the dark. 
In one sense they’re right: there is darkness in the world, 
and it’s growing, and it is something to fear. 
But you and I have the light of Jesus Christ, and we fear nothing!

Light that candle, keep it burning! Burn with the fire of God! 
This is what the Church of God is. This is what you are, O Christian! 
Lift up that light! Lift it up! Let it shine!

Dinner for family

It's funny that a commenter asked, in another thread, for a cooking post -- because it so happens I have company coming tonight, and was planning a post about that.

My sister and her husband are coming over. The plan is pot roast, plus salad, plus some hot rolls (if I don't forget to throw them in the oven). I don't really have any hors d'oeuvres planned, but I have some cheese, crackers, chips and pretzels, and some celery hearts, so that'll do, don't you think?

For dessert? Strawberry shortcake, all home-made.

So, first I prepared the strawberries. All I did was wash them, cut off the green parts, and halve them. Then I add some sugar and a little red wine, and let them sit.

Next, I dredged the roast -- about six pounds -- in a good amount of flour mixed with garlic and pepper, and brown it in butter and olive oil. Meanwhile, I cut up carrots, celery, onions and potatoes, which went in the bottom of the baking pan. On top goes the browned roast. Over all that goes some vegetable stock (no salt for my brother-in-law) and some dry vermouth.

All that gets covered in foil, and into a 300-degree oven. I started it early because the roast wasn't quite thawed, and I set the oven a bit lower than the 325 degrees called for. Do you think that'll work?

After doing the dishes -- always clean up as you go! -- I set the table:

Everything will just cook away all afternoon, while I take care of other business. The shortcakes are easy to make and don't take long to cook, so I'll do that when my guests are here, so they'll be very fresh.

Update, 5/21/15...

Sorry for no followup photos, but I thought it would be bad form to make my sister and brother-in-law wait while I snapped pictures of their dinner!

The roast was pretty good, but a little dry to my taste. I probably left it in too long; next time, I'll use the meat thermometer. The gravy was fantastic! I forgot the salad; and you can't really go wrong with strawberry shortcake.

We had a nice visit. My brother-in-law had never tried Tuaca, an Italian digestivo, but he liked it. And my sister and brother-in-law helped with the dishes, which sure was nice of them!

It was a huge roast -- about 6 pounds -- so I have plenty of leftovers. Hmmm...

The Protohomosexual

This Crisis Magazine article is provocative and profound, about the ideological terms, "heterosexual" and "homosexual," in relation to what true sexuality is.

'Big Dig' update...

It's not a "dig" anymore! See for yourself:

Sorry about the finger in the first shot...

Prepare for the coming persecution (Sunday homily)

This is going to be somber homily. I hesitated in giving this homily; 
but I am convinced it needs to be said, 
and that the time to give this warning is running short.

I’ve been thinking about something 
a lot of us have been thinking about: 
the growing gulf between our Faith, and our society.
And it raises a question: are we facing a time of persecution?

I realize how strong a word that is. 
What is happening in Iraq and Syria and many places in Africa, and elsewhere: that’s persecution. 
Having your church burned down, and being ordered to convert, 
or you will die—that’s persecution.
I’m not talking about that.

But something is coming in our country; it’s already begun.
Something very different from what we’re used to. 
Let’s call it a climate of hostility, 
as opposed to acceptance, which is what we’ve known.

But what’s coming is more than just hostility. 
What’s beginning to happen is coercion. 
And it’s going to get worse, very soon.

Let’s review:

First, we have, for the first time ever, 
our federal government bringing all its power to bear 
to force Catholic institutions to embrace 
that which is morally impossible: 
to promote and provide contraception, sterilization 
and abortion-inducing drugs as part of health insurance. 
Think about that: who would have thought 
that our government would seek to destroy the Little Sisters of the Poor—
and if the sisters lose, 
they won’t be able to operate any longer in this country.
A host of Catholic dioceses, colleges and religious communities 
like the Little Sisters of the Poor 
are locked in a legal battle with the government.

Second, our government, hand-in-hand with big media, 
the entertainment industry, political groups, large corporations – 
in other words, pretty much the entire culture – 
is all united in pushing a new morality about same-sex behavior. 

The catalyst has been the fight over redefining marriage; 
and we all wait to see what the nation’s highest court will rule. 
Isn’t it interesting that almost everyone seems to think 
the Supreme Court will force a new definition of marriage 
on the whole country?

Let’s be very clear: this is far bigger than just marriage. 
As I said, it’s a new morality. 
The military has been forced to accept it. 
The Boy Scouts have been forced to adopt it. 
The organizers of the Saint Patrick’s Day Parade in New York—
a Catholic, religious event—were forced to yield. 
And, by the way, legally, 
that parade is no different from our Corpus Christi procession 
in the streets of Russia.

There are a number of business people—
photographers, bakers, florists and others—
who are being sued, accused of crimes, fined, 
and threatened with the loss of their businesses, 
and with financial ruin—
if they don’t give their own, personal approval to this new morality.

And a few weeks ago, when the U.S. Supreme Court 
was hearing arguments over the question of redefining marriage, 
Justice Alito asked this question: 
“In the Bob Jones case, the Court held 
that a college was not entitled to tax exempt status 
if it opposed inter-racial marriage or inter-racial dating. 
So would the same apply to a university or a college
if it opposed same¬-sex marriage?”

Listen closely to how the  government’s top lawyer responded: 
“It’s certainly going to be an issue. I don't deny that. I don't deny that, Justice Alito.  
It is going to be an issue.”

Understand what that means: 
religious organizations that don’t endorse same-sex marriage 
will lose tax-exempt status.

But here’s the thing. People think this will fall hardest on clergy.
That this will be about whether I’ll be forced to officiate at a wedding 
between two men or two women. 
That’s not the main thing to worry about, 
because if I refuse—and I assure you, I will—
the worst the government is likely to do to me 
is to take away my license to perform marriages. 
Which means, I can still celebrate weddings, 
but they won’t count as legal marriages. 
Couples would have to get legally married somewhere else. 
That won’t be a problem for me—but for the couples. 

Now, if our parish no longer had a tax exemption, it would cost us; 
but I think we could manage. 
Those who donate to the parish would lose a tax-deduction, 
but a lot of us don’t even use that tax-deduction, 
so that won’t hurt as bad as you may think.

No, do you know who is going to be hit the hardest? 
You will. You’re the target. 

When political figures, business owners, 
TV shows and advertising and the rest of the culture 
start calling people who embrace Catholic teaching 
“bigots” and “haters,” that’s aimed at you. 
That’s about making you ashamed to say what you believe, 
to question your beliefs, and ultimately renounce them.

That’s not something any of us have had to endure. 
And I really think this is going to be a brutal shock for a lot of folks.
It’s going to be a rough, rough experience.
The effects and the consequences 
are going to be far worse than anyone realizes. 

It’s like this: you and I, for being faithful Catholics, 
upholding the truth that marriage and family are man-and-woman, 
will be put in the same category as the KKK.
Let that sink in.

And if I’m correct, here are some things 
that we need to brace ourselves for:

There will be a sudden and shocking wave of hostility unleashed.
Remember, this isn’t just a human conflict; this is a spiritual conflict. 
And the real enemy is the devil, 
whose malice we cannot begin to imagine. 
And there are people who harbor contempt for the Catholic Faith, 
but haven’t felt free to let it loose. Soon, they will.
Do you think the media is unfair now? Expect ten times worse.
Does the media worry about being fair to the KKK?

That scrutiny will find rottenness. We’re not perfect.
If there is a bad apple, our enemies will find it; 
and it will be on TV seven days a week, 24 hours a day.

Lots of people won’t be able to take it. 
Look: when we talk about sharing our faith in a friendly context, 
most of us squirm—we’re not comfortable. 
Lots of people will admit they are embarrassed 
to make the sign of the cross in public. 
That’s without any manifest hostility. 

So don’t be surprised when you see people just fall away.

When Islam conquered the Holy Land in the 7th and 8th centuries, 
most people were Christian, but now those in power were not. 
As a result, if you wanted to advance, to do better in business, 
to make something of yourself, it paid to become Muslim. 
And that’s exactly what happened. 
Lots of people just converted—
not because they were threatened with death, 
although that happened—
but simply because they saw greater advantage that way.

So don’t be surprised when people cave in, 
because it means saving their jobs, their businesses, or getting ahead. 

In fact, don’t be surprised by anything you see or hear. 
Prominent Catholics will give in. Priests and bishops will give in. 
When King Henry VIII declared himself head of the Church 
in England—instead of the successor to St. Peter—
only Thomas More and Bishop John Fisher stood up to him. 
Most of the clergy went right along.

Now, I’ve painted it pretty dark. But nothing is set in stone. 
The future can be changed, particularly by our prayers and sacrifices, and by conversions.

But even if it is as bad as I’ve forecast, it won’t all be bad news. 
Let me talk about some of the wonderful things that will happen.

There will be conversions. People will see what is happening, 
and rally to the cause of Jesus Christ.

Those who resist will grow in their faith. 
When you swim against the tide, 
your muscles and endurance grow very strong.

While the Church may become smaller, and certainly poorer, 
she will also grow in holiness, in beauty, and union with Christ.

Many of you have experienced what I’m going to describe.
When you are in trouble, your back is against the wall, 
and you feel very alone—
that’s when you experience the presence of Christ in a wonderful way. 
There is a fusing of heart-to-heart, ours to his. 
And that is a tremendous power and consolation—
knowing Jesus and I are ONE!—there is nothing to match that.

When our Lord spoke about giving us the power of the Holy Spirit, 
that’s what he was talking about. 
And remember—all the words in the readings we heard today, 
were addressed to Christians facing persecution. 
This power is what enables the martyrs to be strong. 
And we saw it, a few months ago, 
when a group of men were lined up on a beach in Libya, and told: 
deny Jesus or you will die. 
And one by one, they proclaimed their faith in Jesus, 
even after they saw the man next to them die. 
That is a power and a peace the world cannot give!

The Church has been persecuted before; in fact, 
that’s pretty much the normal state of the Church. 
The peace and quiet we’ve known is the exception.

Don’t miss the meaning of the Ascension. 
Our task here is to make him known; not to make this world our home. 
Our destination isn’t this world, 
but to follow Jesus Christ into the New Creation.

Jesus did not leave us. Just as he did not leave the Father, 
when he came among us as man, 
so he is not abandoning us as he returns to his throne.

Jesus is here—above all, in the midst of a suffering, crucified Church. 
Jesus’ victory was on the Cross!
So it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

The wrong and right ways to welcome others (Sunday homily)

If we ponder the passages of Scripture we just heard, 
one theme that might stand out – 
it did for me, and I suspect it might for others – 
is one of inclusion: welcoming others into the Family of God. 

Notice how, in the first reading, 
God creates a situation in which not only Peter, but those with him, 
are forced to say, yes God wants to share the Holy Spirit 
with everyone, even those outsiders we call Gentiles.

It’s hard to appreciate how shocking this would have been. 
To Jews in that time, Gentiles were not only foreigners; 
they were “unclean,” unholy. But most of all, they were a threat. 

When Peter and his companions visited the house of Cornelius, 
their whole mindset was shaped by a powerful fact: 
for almost their entire history, 
the Jewish people had always been in mortal peril. 
They experienced only brief respites of peace in their land. 
Otherwise, it was one Gentile nation after another 
that came to conquer and scatter. 

We hear something just as shocking in the Gospel: 
the Lord Jesus says to the Apostles, “you are my friends.” 
This is shocking when we realize 
it is not just a mere man who says this, 
but the Lord God, the Creator, who says this.

A politician will get up and say, “dear friends,” 
but that’s because he wants something! 
But God is not a politician; he needs nothing from us. 
God doesn’t use language in the empty way we often do. 

So when Jesus calls them friends, that’s a powerful statement. 
As I said a moment ago, 
we could call it a statement of welcome or inclusion—
and that’s true—but it’s far more than that.

When we talk about how the Church should welcome or include people, 
here’s where that usually ends up: 
as an argument for the Church not teaching something we teach 
that’s either unpopular, or hard to live up to. 
Almost every day, it seems, 
someone is saying we should change our teaching on marriage, 
or on protecting the unborn, or contraception, and so on and so forth.

Here’s the thing: when people tried this with Jesus, 
he never went for it. 
When Jesus taught about the Eucharist, 
some of his own followers didn’t like it. 
He didn’t back down; and they left. 

People came to him with a question about divorce, 
and his answer was tougher than what any of the rabbis taught. 
They cited Moses, and Jesus actually overruled Moses! 
Moses, he explained, made a concession 
“because of the hardness of your hearts.” 

Of course, people cite how readily Jesus forgave, and it’s true. 
And he commands us to do the exact same thing.
Folks remember him teaching generosity, 
and they remember him eating at the houses of sinners. 
All true. And we are called to do the exact same thing. 

But when it came to what is true and what is good, 
Jesus never budged an inch. 
Notice what we just heard Jesus say: 
“you are my friends if you do what I command you.” 
How could it be otherwise? 

To be friends with someone is to have some things in common; 
and the closer a friendship, the more we have in common. 
The friendship Jesus offers 
isn’t a “hey, howyadoin?” wave of the hand; 
but mind-to-mind, heart-to-heart. 

That’s what the Holy Spirit coming upon Cornelius and his family meant: 
Despite any barriers of language, culture, history or prejudice, 
Jews and Gentiles were now one heart and one mind, in Jesus Christ.

So it’s not the truth that gets set aside for the sake of welcome; 
but those other barriers that get in the way of the truth. 

And that challenge remains for us.

One of the things I’ve talked about, and I will continue to emphasize, 
is that each of us has a task: 
to share Jesus Christ with everyone around us. 
That is the reason this parish is here. 
That was what Jesus told his disciples 
right before he returned to heaven. 
Until this world becomes heaven, that task remains, 
and none of us is exempt. Not a single one of us.

So if we’re Peter, or one of his companions, 
what are the barriers that may get in our way?

We all know that a growing number of Catholics in this country 
are Spanish-speaking – obviously, because of immigration. 
Now, a lot of us aren’t happy 
with how the government is handling that issue; 
and in another setting, 
we can debate what sort of immigration policy we ought to have. 
But meanwhile, we have people God calls friends who are here,
and they need the sacraments; they need Christ.

So, our seminarians are learning Spanish. 
In Sidney, and some of the other parishes, 
Mass in Spanish is being offered. 
My Spanish isn’t great, but I work at it.

Now, a few years ago, I stood up in another pulpit, 
in another parish, and said, 
maybe we ought to think about using some Spanish at Mass, 
in the prayers and hymns, in order to put out the welcome mat. 
I said similar things in a parish meeting. 

The most discouraging response wasn’t the hostility, 
of which there was some. 
No, the worst was the indifference! 
I don’t know how we call ourselves friends of Jesus 
if we are indifferent in matters 
when we know Jesus is anything but indifferent!

Now, in our parish, it’s not a question of Spanish vs. English. 
But that day may come. Will we be willing to change, for Christ’s sake?
Meanwhile, we search our hearts and ask: 
what are the barriers 
that keep us from being effective witnesses to our Faith?

We might think, oh, I’m not smart enough. 
But sharing our Faith doesn’t mean we have to be scholars or experts. 
We really only need to do one thing: 
tell our own story of why we put our faith in Jesus Christ. That’s it.
What does Jesus mean—to me? How has he changed my life? 
Why am I willing to give up anything, even my life, 
if that’s what it takes to keep my friendship with Jesus Christ?

And if we’ve never asked ourselves those questions, then start there. 
In fact, we might even just start with an even more basic question: 
what does it mean to say, Jesus is…my friend? 
Do I have a friendship with Jesus Christ? 

I realize that may feel strange: Jesus is my Lord! 
Yes, but I’ll say it again: 
Jesus never said anything he didn’t mean. 
So when he calls us “friends,” he means it. 

So, there’s your “homework”: find that friendship. Deepen it. 
And then there’s no wondering 
about what you or I have to share with others about our Faith. 

Russia's Big Dig, update...

I was out taking a walk this evening, and visiting some of our families along the way; and so I stopped by the Nine Mile Creek project, aka "the Big Dig."

Here's the latest. Looking upstream (roughly northwest):

And downstream:

One of the workers told me they expect to cover it with dirt in a few days, and then grass I suppose. I'll keep you posted!

Not bearing fruit isn't an option (Sunday homily)

The Lord Jesus’s words seem pretty clear: 
if we want life, we need to be part of the Vine, part of him.

How do we become part of the Vine? 
A few weeks ago, on the Vigil of Easter, 
we had a boy receive baptism, and be confirmed, 
and make his first holy communion. 
He wanted the life of the Vine; and he is part of Jesus now.

The life of the Vine is grace—God’s life, 
which God eagerly gives us day-by-day. 
God gives us his grace in uncountable ways. 
For example, after Mass today, 
Deb Timmerman will be giving away 
some free information about the Holy Rosary. 
A lot of us pray the Rosary, 
but maybe some of us don’t really know much about it. 
Maybe we are afraid to admit that. 

There are lots of great ways to pray: 
reflecting on Scripture, making a holy hour, 
coming to adoration on Thursdays. 

The Rosary is one of the most powerful prayers—
and there have been too many signs and miracles 
associated with the Rosary to ignore. 

It was Pope Pius V, leading Europe in praying the Rosary, 
that saved Christendom at the Battle of Lepanto – 
you’ll have to look that one up! 

At Fatima, in 1917, the Blessed Mother 
promised that praying the Rosary would change the world—
and about 70 years later, the Cold War ended without a shot fired!  

No one has to pray the Rosary, but it’s a wonderful source of God’s life.

The most important sources of God’s grace—his life—
are the sacraments. 
Last Sunday, our second-graders made their first communion. 
One of our children was so eager to receive more of the Life of Jesus, 
he came to daily Mass all week! That’s a powerful example.

In three weeks, on Pentecost, 
we have two men, who are married to Catholics, 
who themselves will become Catholic. 
They became part of the Vine in their baptism years ago; 
but they want all the life Jesus offers, 
which comes through the fullness of the Catholic Faith. 
So they will make a profession of faith, and be confirmed, 
and receive their first Holy Communion. 

Where does the sacrament of penance fit in? 
If you’ve ever tried to grow tomatoes or cucumbers, or other vines, 
you know how easy it is to break a branch. 
It’s still on the vine, but it’s hanging limp. 
And if it’s got a tomato on it, you know you’ll lose that fruit. 

That’s what sin does. We’re the branch; 
and sin bruises that link to the vine. 
Mortal sin breaks it. 
We might still be hanging on the vine, 
but the life that flows between the vine and the branch is cut off.

When it’s a cucumber branch, we break it off and throw it aside. 
But with his Vine, God heals that break: that’s what confession does. 

Of course, that’s just the bare minimum 
of what the sacrament of reconciliation does. 
Frequent confession is a powerful tool to giving us strength, 
to increasing our ability to be holy: to make us fruitful. 
It’s like the boy I mentioned who came to Mass every day, 
to receive Holy Communion. 
No one said he had to; 
he wouldn’t have been a bad Catholic for not doing it. 
But he figured, why not? Why not?!

If Buschurs put a table out front, piled with cuts of beef, 
with a sign that says, “Free!” 
Who’s going to say, “well, I don’t know…maybe later…
only if I’m really hungry…”? Seriously? It’s FREE! 
And yes, I know Buschurs can’t actually give away free meat. 
But God actually can give away free grace, and he does. 
And did I mention it’s FREE? 
And it’s God’s own life, forgiveness of sins, God’s grace, poured into us. 
Life in the vine. It feels so good!

Let me mention other ways we sustain the life of the Vine. 
There are folks who have the idea 
that they can be part of Christ without having any part in anyone else. 
So they don’t really take part in the life of the Church. 
Maybe it’s treating Holy Mass as something that isn’t for them. 
Or it’s folks who think—who actually say—they can be good Catholics 
without heeding the teachings of the Church. 
That’s not being part of the vine; that’s rebelling against it.

It was Jesus who said, he’s the Vine, and we are the branches. 
And he’s also the one who said to the Apostles, 
he who hears me, hears you. 
And, “as the Father sent me, so I send you.” 
The Faith of the Church isn’t a buffet table, 
where we pick and choose what appeals to us. 
It’s a living thing, whole and entire—like a Vine. 

There’s one more aspect of this we can’t ignore. 
When we know what we have—life in Jesus, God’s life flowing into us—
how can we not share it? 
We often ponder and pray about what God’s plan for ourselves: 
what does God want me to do? 
But God has a plan for every single soul he created. 
That means our family members, our neighbors, 
our coworkers, our county, our country, our world. 

Jesus said that the Father wants us to “bear much fruit.” 
What might that be? 
Well, in other parables, Jesus speaks of the harvest—
and he means souls, winning souls for him. 
So while I think the “fruit” means our own lives, 
how can it not also include bringing Jesus others who he wants to give life to?

In the first reading, we saw how Paul was first received. 
That is to say, he wasn’t received. 
People didn’t trust him. Can you blame them? 
They knew he’d persecuted the Church. 
He’d stood by, cheering as the mob murdered Saint Stephen. 

But God inspired Barnabas to reach out to him. Thank God! 
Imagine if Barnabas hadn’t done that? 
Maybe Paul would have given up. 
If someone moves into our community, 
and we don’t make him or her welcome, what then? 
If there are other kids at school, but we avoid them, what then? 
There are so many great things about a small, close community; 
but what can be hard is to be “the new kid.” 
You welcomed me, and I am grateful. 
But then, I invited all of you over to the hall. 
Most new people coming to town, or being hired on at work, 
aren’t going to do that. 
It’s up to us to be a Barnabas—especially if others are shying away: 
that guy’s a little odd; that girl’s not one of us. 

There’s something sobering in what Jesus said about life in the Vine: 
we are supposed to bear fruit. It’s not an option. 
So the question for you to ponder is this: 
what fruit are you going to bring to Jesus this week?

Picture time!

I had a bunch of photos from the past few days, so I'm just going to post them all together. Is that bad?

While in Cincinnati on Friday -- in anticipation of the Deacon Ordination Saturday morning -- I drove by Eden Park. It was a lovely afternoon, and many people were enjoying it. Here's a famous monument, commemorating Cincinnati being a sister city to Rome. By the way -- do you know which famous world leader presented this (remotely) to Cincinnati? The next picture explains it.

While I was snapping the photo of the she-wolf, I heard one guy nearby say, "everyone takes a picture of that!"

Here's why you don't see more pictures...

That was supposed to be a picture of a couple, in wedding attire, having their picture taken.

Here's a view of the mighty Ohio, looking upriver (i.e., east). It's flooded a few weeks ago; and it still looks a little high to me, but I think that's normal for this time of year:

And here's downriver.

Here's last night's dinner, with the Neapolitan Ragu again. I did the recipe a little differently this time. Instead of spare ribs and braciole, I used Italian sausage and some meat balls I bought. A second change involved the tomatoes -- I had bought an Italian brand before, but this was a Kroger brand.

The sauce was quite good, but it needed salt and pepper; and the meats weren't as good. The Italian sausage was too mildly spiced, for one. Next time, I'll get a better sausage, and I may try my hand at meatballs.

Here's an update on Russia's "Big Dig." You can see the workers have built the walls of the channel, and they are preparing to create the cover. A couple of parishioners walked over after Holy Mass with me to see it: a grandpa and his grandson, who just made his first communion on Sunday, and wanted to go to Mass every day this week. Isn't that awesome?

First Communion in Russia (and more!) -- updated with pictures!

It was First Communion Sunday -- and I confess that each year, this fills me with both joy and, yes, some dread. The joy is obvious; why the dread?

In years' past, the other priests I've worked with in my prior parishes and I have agreed the First Communion Mass can often be a "zoo Mass": a lot of irreverence and disruption, due entirely to the adults who are scrambling for seats, angling for a better view, snapping constant photos, and yakking loudly whenever possible. It's not edifying.

This year was the best ever -- and while I am a bit jaded, that's not the main reason. The people of this parish, with the encouragement and good work of my predecessor, have a strong sense of reverence. The church is normally very quiet before and after Mass (I am probably the worst offender, greeting people in the vestibule). For the First Communion Mass, there was some commotion in the back as folks gathered for the group picture beforehand, and some chatting in church before Mass, but far less than I've seen. It helped that someone started the Rosary, as usual, about 20 minutes before. 

Have I mentioned the outstanding altar servers we have? We have a crew of high school boys who love to serve; and whenever we have a "high Mass" (which now is every 9 am Sunday Mass), we have a crew of six to eight who don cassock and surplice, white gloves, and take care of the incense, the torches for the consecration and for communion. We have a battery-operated clicker that triggers the tower bells during the consecration, so that everyone in the village can know the miracle has happened! 

Well, we had our regularly scheduled "high Mass" at 9, and then another crew (one carry-over) for the 11. 

Then there's the special way we distribute Holy Communion to the first communicants. We set up three kneelers, and the child comes up with his parents. Everyone kneels down, and I give the child, then his parents, the Body and Blood at once, by intinction; which means, on the tongue.

This has many advantages:

> The child comes up with his parents; that's easier and very appropriate.

> The child doesn't have to make two stops; again, easier.

> There's far less problem about what communion tastes like: sometimes the children don't like the dryness of the host, or the taste of the Precious Blood. This solves both problems.

> The child is settled; sometimes, when they receive standing, they don't stay still. 

> This teaches the age-old practice of both kneeling and receiving on the tongue. (We only do it this way the first time.)

> It's all very calm and peaceful for the children.

The Mass went about 80 minutes or so -- the church was packed so communion took awhile -- and then we had individual pictures with the 30 or so children. After that, one of the families invited me over, so I joined them for a very nice party. (Another family invited me, but it was later, and I had a conflict. Yet another family invited me, but it was in passing, and I didn't write it down, so I couldn't remember, I'm sorry!)

Later that afternoon, we had our boys' program, the Knights of Saint Remy -- attendance much reduced due to First Communion. I gave a talk on the four cardinal virtues (Justice, Temperance, Fortitude and Prudence), comparing them to parts of the armor a knight might wear. Fortitude was the breastplate that wraps all around, temperance the mouth-guard, justice the sword, and prudence the helmet. After that -- at the end of a very busy weekend that had me in Cincinnati Friday afternoon, for the deacon ordination on Saturday morning, then back to Russia for Mass, then the high school prom (they invite the priest to come! I've never had that anywhere else), then all I just described -- I was pretty tired! But a great weekend; I love being a priest!

Update, April 28...

Here are pictures!

The children entering...

 Here's one to warm Father Z's heart (you have to look closely to see why):

Don't we have a beautiful church? My venerable predecessor did all this.

By the way, we would have had more torches, but we had the "High Mass Crew" at two Masses straight, and a lot of our high school boys had been out at the prom the night before.

Here's the kneeling-intinction method I described. Everything worked like clockwork. It helps (a lot) to have well motivated, well trained altar servers.

These boys are brothers, not twins but they made their First Communion together.

And here you see me in my biretta'ed splendor...