Doxology

To the one who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you unblemished and exultant,
in the presence of his glory, to the only God, our saviour, through Jesus Christ our Lord be glory, majesty, power, and authority from ages past, now, and for ages to come. Amen (Jude 1:24-25)

After a safe journey home, i give thanks. That i may walk without willingly faltering in the refinement of my faith, for the love of God and love of all, i give thanks.

Deo gratias.

Magnificat

Magnificat anima mea Dominum,

et exsultavit spiritus meus in Deo salvatore meo (Roman Catholic form)

My soul doth magnify the Lord.

And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. (Douay-Rheims):

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,

my spirit rejoices in God my Savior (ELLC)

However translated, Mary's exclamation is joyous. In all i say or do, my soul, that which is of God, life, in union, shares with the Creator. Acts of compassion on my part reveal His hand. That i live and breath in this life reveals His power. That we stand united through the Holy Spirit reveals our majesty. And when i serve the Lord, i know true joy here and now. Thus the magnification works both ways, I serve Him and He illuminates me.

Mary and Elizabeth said 'Yes' to the Lord.

I pray that i can always say 'Yes' to the Lord: in stillness, in emptiness of pride, i listen and am ready to say 'Here i am Lord, your servant is listening'.

Deo gratias.

Intense Love or A Satisfying Knowledge of God

Therefore I tell you, all that you ask for in prayer, believe that you will receive it and it shall be yours.
When you stand to pray, forgive anyone against whom you have a grievance, so that your heavenly Father may in turn forgive you your transgressions (Mk 11:26)

Sound advice today from the Christ. It reminds me of something a wise man might tell his grandson, some great truth he had found through his years of life experience. He could tell him a lot of other stuff too, about money, women and power, but he knows that the wheel must be discovered once again: each generation, each individual seems to need to go these rites of passage itself. Don't be deceived by the world; there is more here and now than we can ever hope for, so believe! Prayer is powerful. Forgiveness is powerful. Of all that a man does in his lifetime, this matters most.


Therefore be serious and sober-minded so that you will be able to pray. Above all, let your love for one another be intense, because love covers a multitude of sins. Be hospitable to one another without complaining. As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another (1 Pt 4:7-10)

Another old man in the family, great uncle Pete, builds on granddad's wisdom. With mindful living let our love be intense: don't be shallow or Selfish, stay focused and vigilant on the narrow path of goodness. Good, practical advice for strayed children, wayward youths, confused nephews and distracted nieces. I especially enjoy his encouragement of us to share our toys and serve one another.

Today we have a memorial for St. Justin, whose tale reminds me of Siddhartha Gautama's years in the wilderness before he found enlightenment and stayed to share his gift with open arms and of a middle aged man adrift for years dabbling here and there in his efforts to find Truth at the heart of life and love.

The Jesuits of Ireland relate: "In the opening of the Dialogue Justin relates his vain search among the Stoics, Peripatetics, and Pythagoreans for a satisfying knowledge of God; his finding in the ideas of Plato ways to attain the contemplation of the Godhead; and his meeting on the seashore with an elderly man who told him that only by divine revelation could blessedness be attained, that the prophets had conveyed this revelation to humanity and their words had been fulfilled. Through his own studies he became convinced of the truth of their teachings. And the daily life of Christians and the courage of the martyrs convinced him that the accusations thrown against them were false." (Sacred Space) Thus he found his truth in Christianity.

The Truth is everywhere, me thinks. Choose your vehicle and stick to it with love and wisdom. Despite all the nonsense and troubles, all the deviations and threats, all the personal attacks and grief, there is the power of prayer, the power of forgiveness and the power of love to cover sin, spread joy, illuminate the Way, touch the Ultimate and make life truly worth living for all mankind here and now.

Deo gratias.

On Wilting Flowers or Impermanence

All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flower of the field; the grass withers, and the flower wilt (1 Pt 1:24)

This wonderful teaching of Buddhist anicca, or impermanence, is not meant to inspire terror or hopelessness, rather to state the obvious and allow men to wake up from their involved worldly lives of clinging and aversion. It seems this teaching from St. Peter is also a quotation from the prophet Isaiah (40:6-8), but is also found in Job and Sirach and used again in the New Testament of James, warning the rich that all that has made them rich, all to which they cling and guard, shall pass:

for he will pass away “like the flower of the field.” For the sun comes up with its scorching heat and dries up the grass, its flower droops, and the beauty of its appearance vanishes. So will the rich person fade away in the midst of his pursuits. (Jas 1:10-11)

If all material things pass away, rise and fall, many people see this as doom and gloom. Rightly so! We loose all the things we love, however, we cannot 'loose' love. Love is with us and in us. It is our nature, even if we refuse it, ignore it, neglect it.

 the word of the Lord remains forever (1 Pt 1:25)

The Word is life and love and light through out the cosmos and beyond time. The Word became flesh for us in the Christ, His son Jesus, who lived a life as a man and taught to all who had ears the message of Love. This Love is present in all mankind through His spirit, the Holy Spirit. We are intimately bound to the Word, indeed, we live and breathe and can reach out to all brothers in the service of Love, if we so choose. Though our bodies be like grass, temporal, mortal, bound to the cycle of birth and death, integrated in the ecology of the Earth, we are more. We always have been more. We can shine and know holiness, gaze upon the face of God if we are fully awake, fully aware, fully dedicated to this goal. All we have to do is open our eyes and use our ears to hear in the service of God and mankind as disciples of charity, apostles of Love.

P.S. while flowers wilt and we are advised not to cling to them, smelling them is sweet and smiling at their frail, temporary beauty with a whispered 'thanks' can do no harm.

Deo gratias.

On Being Holy or I Suppose It's Time To Be Holier

do not act in compliance with the desires of your former ignorance but, as he who called you is holy,
be holy yourselves in every aspect of your conduct, for it is written, Be holy because I am holy (1 Pt 1:14-16)


From my position in Ontario, Canada i am following the new cardinal Collins' outcry against the government's proposal to allow 'Gay-Straight Alliances' at all schools, including the Catholic. What's in a name? He doesn't accept the name of a school club which through the initiative of students could be formed to fight bullying. Which teacher would supervise this club, he asks with a note of being scandalized? He would prefer to regulate a solution to bullying himself, preferably then with another name. And probably another emphasis, i'll add.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church formally 'diagnoses' homosexuality as 'intrinsically disordered', just as someone born with a birth defect, a handicap or say, schizophrenia (a mental disorder occurring after birth). These are sick people, whose illness 'under no circumstances can be approved' the formal teaching states. A 'Gay-Straight Alliance' might then suggest approval? Though singled out and not approved, the homosexual person, however, 'must be accepted with respect, compassion and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided' the CCC goes on to say. We love the person but hate the disorder, i paraphrase. So too, there are then situations that might allow for 'just discrimination'? Such as purposefully and methodically keeping these children in the dark realm of confusion, self-hate, suffering and never letting them forget that they are disordered, sick and without approval. A bizarre message, indeed, hate them, pity them, tolerate them, but never accept them. Nay, any link or alliance between gay and straight must be severed, all doors must be shut lest approval be shown, as though the disease be contagious. Society used to do this with cripples and crazies, mongoloids and retards, tormented, mocked, locked away at home, a shame to family and a burden to society: politically incorrect now to even so state and consider such things, no?

Reading the Gospels i come across a Jesus who heals, has time to cast out demons and who invites publicans and prostitutes to his table. He lets them know that they are intrinsically good, that God loves them and invites them to change their lives (to be more like children, sober, holy) in the service to the Lord of Love and in the service of our neighbours. Love is inclusive. Love is letting the light shine in. Love is teaching through example.

But i digress. The Catholic Schools of Ontario demand self-regulation. I am also following the mess that the Vatican currently is in, called 'Vatileaks'. Corruption at all levels, cronyism, nepotism, power struggles in the curia, mismanagement and a bid to make their finances transparent, these 'sins' have cast a long shadows over the house of our Pope. And reflecting on a spring season of Church sex scandals come to light and long overdue public admissions and repentance, me thinks, self-regulation might not be the best antidote to the problems.

Therefore, gird up the loins of your mind, live soberly (1 Pt 1:13)

Whether gay or straight, layman banker or Vatican banker, school official or cardinal, we might all benefit from real, transparent acts of sobriety and acts motivated by and grounded in the grace of God. We all sin. We all need each other. We all might give our behaviour more attention. We all might accuse others less, hold our mouths and not cast that stone. What kind of Christianity do we want to see a millennium from now? What message would be ringing sound and true through out society? What kind of behaviour are we teaching by example to our children? May Love be our guide, the Lord's grace our hope and His mercy our foundation.

Deo gratias.

Live By the Spirit and say 'Yes'!

At Pentecost we are asked, just as St. Paul asked, to 'live by the Spirit'. This is were the hard part of faith begins. In Buddhism many Westerners like to sit and mediate a bit, show a bit of mindfulness or even read books by the Dalai Lama and call themselves Buddhists: most Asian Buddhist laypeople let the monks meditate and think that all their 'sin' will be wiped away by the merits gained by supporting them and their meditation. This reminds me of many Catholics i know, namely letting someone else do the leg-work with holiness so that they don't have to change their ways and that sins can merely be bought off. Even typing this, the holes in this wisdom are glaring. No, me thinks, we are asked to lead a holy life because we, each one of us, are meant to become holy! Central to Buddhism's Noble Eightfold Path, which is in short the way one can lead a moral life, is leading a life suitable to calming the mind and thus preparing the mind for enlightenment. Christians too are asked to lead a suitable life in the cultivation of enlightenment. Why lead a holy life?

To live by the Spirit is for me very similar. The priest today told how he was often asked 'if he had received the Spirit'. He had, at baptism, confirmation and at each communion, he answered, but he went on to say that having received the Spirit is different than living in the Spirit. St. Paul says pretty much the same when he encourages us to lead a moral life:

Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified their flesh with its passions and desires.
If we live in the Spirit, let us also follow the Spirit (Gal 5:25)

Because we have free will, each one of us has to do the work of walking the Way. That's how free will works. We have to choose to reduce our load of sin by correcting our thoughts, words and actions. We have to choose to be vigilant at each step lest we fall. Persevere in our efforts to get back up and start again. Humble enough to accept God's forgiveness and know that falling is an endearing human quality. Brave enough to face the storms of life and the consequences of our actions. Yet we are never alone when we walk the Way with the Spirit, the Son and the Father: with him and in him and through him, we say before communion. Joy is our reward. Re-union with God is our reward. Knowing the face of Love, enlightenment, is our reward. Experiencing Ultimate Truth is our reward. Why am i hesitating and procrastinating, me thinks?

At mass we were told that the Holy Spirit invites us, compels us, directs us and challenges us to not only become disciples of the Way, but to become apostles. Apostles! The priest truly meant what he was saying: God has shown us through the Resurrection that death has been conquered and through the Ascension that He has exploded into the cosmos; that fear of death can be released and that He is everywhere we look, from sun and stars to flowers and bees; that we all share equally in God's Love and are able to become apostles of Love just as his Son lived His life on Earth.

I smiled. That's what the Holy Spirit is, an invitation to Love as Jesus loved, as God taught us to love, dropping the Self-interest that separates us from Creation and dropping the fears that keep us cowered back and on the defensive, so that we can open our hearts and say 'Yes' just as St. Mary answered His call. In fact we celebrate the Holy Spirit on this holy day, but each day and each moment the Holy Spirit can lead us to the threshold of True Reality, true Love. Will we say 'Yes'? While we shrink back into our private hell of cold isolation, survival of the fittest individual and easily muttered 'No'? Each  moment we can say 'Yes' and transform our lives, the lives of others and this world through Love. With God's grace we can always step up to the new life offered and make a difference. A prayer: Please God, if i may ask but for one gift of you, let it be faith so that i might choose You above the world, that i may say 'Yes' instead of sinking back into 'No', that i might finally understand why I AM and act upon it to honour your name and love my neighbour and use the holy flame and light of your Holy Spirit to burn away the deadwood of sin, thus lightening my load, lightening my mind and lightening this world as a beacon for others so that my 'Yes' will be worthy of your faith in me. Amen.

The priest also told an anecdote about a little boy who had visited a Catholic church and beheld the huge stained glassed windows and images of saints which suddenly were filled with radiant sunlight. Impressed, when he got home he told his mother that he had seen many saints and described them as 'people who let the light shine through them'. Enlightened. We are invited to become people who let the light shine through them, to become that which we all truly are, namely beings of light and love. How? By living in and following the Spirit of Love.

Deo gratias.