Endings and Beginnings

Endings and Beginnings

Gospel for the Feast of Pentecost: John 20.10-23

Where does the time go? It seems that we had just begun the Easter season and here we are at the end- the glorious feast of Pentecost!

The time has surely slipped by. If you have been a follower of this blog, you'll have noticed the gap- my last post was May 5th! I have to admit that the beautiful change in the season, and all the work on the acreage has kept me away from writing, but certainly not from reflecting. The groaning of creation as we have finally ended winter's cold heralds rebirth and recreation.

And so it was with the Apostles. Huddled in the upper room and shivering from the cold of despair and hopelessness, their Lord comes to them! He "stood among them" offering his peace- the peace the world cannot give. 

He breathes upon them the breath of new life. The breath of the Holy Spirit.

Fear ends. Hope springs forth. And the Church begins!!

We celebrate we prayer, praise and song, calling for an end to our own despair and hopelessness, as we call on the Holy Spirit to "renew the face of the earth."

It is a new beginning for us. "As the Father has sent me, so I send you."

As parents, teachers, and communities of faith, we are summoned by Christ to end our isolation and selfishness, and enter into a new life of community and self-giving. Above all, we are to share our faith with all, especially our children.

Let us begin today, modeling for others the joy and peace that comes from a life in the Trinity. Let us work for justice and peace in our homes and in our world. For as the Holy Spirit set upon the apostles, so we through our baptism have inherited a new life.

Let us begin, with the power of the Spirit, to "renew the face of the earth".

Ending this blog, and beginning a new one in the fall.

Thanks to all who have read and commented on my blog for the past couple of years. I hope it has helped to deepen your life in Christ as we reflected together on the Sunday Gospels, and how it impacts our daily lives. 

Come September I will be starting a new blog with a new theme. I'm calling it "Growing Forward" which was the theme  Alberta Catholic School Trustees' Catholic Education Symposium this year. I have written a document on the symposium for them, but I would like to use the blog to expand on some of the key issues in Catholic education, and on Catholic educational leadership in particular. The address will be mikemarien@blogspot.com. Hope you can join in the conversation, and share the blogspot with others who would be interested in imagining the future of Catholic education in Alberta.

Blessings and Peace

Michael

Burning Hearts

Burning Hearts

"Were not our hearts burning within us, while he was talking with us on the road, while he was opening the Scriptures to us?" Luke 24.32

Gospel for the 3rd Sunday of Easter: Luke 24.13-35

It has been a couple of weeks since I last posted- so much going on for this "retired" guy! I first want to wish you all a blessed Easter, and no I'm not late!! We are still in Easter feasting as disciples, as the Church continues to celebrate all the way to June 8th, the feast of Pentecost! If you notice, we are in the third week OF Easter, not the third Sunday AFTER it! So teachers and parents, remind your children that we are still in Easter- pray with Alleluias, give them chocolate (which should be one of the precepts of the Church!) read the Easter Gospel stories together, and most importantly, share your story of faith!

Of all the Easter stories in the Gospels, the one this past Sunday is my all-time favorite- indeed, it is my favorite Gospel story, period! The title of my blog refers to disciples on a school bus- students, teachers, parents, administrators, trustees- all moving toward an encounter with Jesus in our Catholic schools. The story of the two disciples is our story of our journey of faith. 

Click on the link above and read the account prayerfully. Then consider this story as your own. Here are some reflections to guide you:

Luke 24. 13,14.The story begins with sadness, desperation and hopelessness. So these two disciples (not just one, as the journey is always communal) are trying to get away from the pain, and escape to Emmaus, a place known at the time for distraction and amusement, kind of like West Edmonton mall. Through their pain, they try to make sense of their lives, but are finding it difficult.  

When in your life did you encounter despair, and loneliness? How did you cope? What distracts you on your journey of faith?

24.15-18.

 Then they encounter a stranger on the road who inquires about their journey. It is Jesus, though they do not recognize him. Is it because he is a new, glorified creation? Perhaps. I think it is more likely that they are so consumed with grief, and their own loneliness, that they can't see the presence of Christ in their midst. But the stranger asks the right questions. He gets them to tell their story from their perspective.   

Who have been the mentors of faith in your life? Who do you go to when you need spiritual advice? With whom do you share your story?

24. 25-27

Here is a rather uncomfortable part of the story. Jesus tells them that they have been "foolish" and "slow of heart" for not connecting their story with the story of salvation found in the Scriptures. At first glance, we would consider admonition as not the best teaching method! However, the disciples at this point need the wake-up call that Scripture provides, if they would move from their self-pity and look at the big picture of REDEMPTION. It is why we read the Old Testament every week (except during Easter)- we are not listening old stories with no connection to us- we encounter the living God in them.  

How often do you read and pray the Scriptures? Do you just read the Gospels? How might you become more familiar with the accounts of the Old Testament?

24.29

Through this journey of faith, the disciples now yearn for an authentic encounter and relationship with Christ, and so they urge the stranger to stay. What is beautiful here is that they are concerned about his safety, "because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over". They have move beyond themselves.  

Think about the times when you put others needs ahead of your own. How are these times and encounter with the risen Lord?

24.30-32.

 The climax of the story- they finally recognize Jesus in the breaking of the bread- the Eucharistic moment, when Jesus is blessed, broken and shared. He disappears from their sight, but they are no longer in despair.  

How are you blessed broken and shared for others in your life as a Christian?

24.33 

 This is a part of the story that rarely gets talked about in homilies, but is so incredibly important. "That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem".  WHAT????? But isn't it getting dark??? They could be attacked by thieves! Surely it would make sense to go tomorrow! And going back to Jerusalem? As disciples, that is risking their very lives!!!

Exactly.

What do you risk as being a true disciple of Jesus Christ? What holds you back? What gives you the courage to press on to your "Jerusalem".

May the Lord Jesus Christ continue to be with you on your journey, whether you walk along the road.

Or take the school bus...          

Three Days

Three Days

What can be said about the three most holy days, the Triduum, in our lives as Christians?

They must be lived and experienced in community.

As Catholics, it is the high point of our liturgical year.

On Holy Thursday,  we come together to celebrate the institution of Holy Orders (the sacrament of ordination into the priesthood) and the Eucharist "the source and summit" of our life in Jesus Christ. The theme of service and discipleship is uppermost in our minds, as the priest washes the feet of his parishioners (remember last year when Pope Francis washed the feet of prisoners- what a model for us all!). We end the evening with Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament  symbolizing our waiting with Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane.

Liturgy. Sacrament. Symbol. Community. Service.

On Good Friday we come together in Word and symbol, to commemorate the Passion and Death of Jesus. Notice that there is no greeting or blessing at the beginning- just as there was no final blessing at the end of Holy Thursday. The Triduum is all one liturgical celebration. On Friday we hear the Passion, venerate the Cross, and receive Communion that was reserved from Holy Thursday- again, it is all one liturgy, so we don't have "Mass" again.

Holy Saturday is a day of quite reflection and expectation. Jesus has descended to the dead, experiencing fully the reality of death and alienation from the Father. But for us, we wait as the women waited at the tomb. We wait for new life. 

And then at the Holy Saturday Vigil, we are brought together to experience our very salvation.The Blessing of the fire, the entry into the darkened Church with Paschal Candle,  and the candles we hold while the Exultet is sung, all symbolize the Light that has shone in the darkness! Through the Word, we hear the high points of our salvation history.

And we proclaim the Good News Matthew 28.1-10

 We welcome in new Catholics this night, as they are baptized, confirmed and receiving Eucharist.  

And we too experience the glory of the Risen Christ in Eucharist

Liturgy. Sacrament. Symbol. Community. Service.

This is who we are and whose we are. Celebrate the Paschal Mystery by entering into the Triduum.

 

Love Unbound

Love Unbound

"Unbind him, and let him go..."

Gospel for the 5th Sunday of Lent: John 11.1-45 (click on the link to read the passage)

Like the two weeks of Gospels we encountered previously, the Church prepares us for our holiest of days with the most powerful reminders of who God is. God who is love, knows no boundaries as he reaches for us, as witnessed in the story of the woman at the well. God, who is love, brings us "out of darkness into his own wonderful light", as we encountered last week in the healing of the man born blind.

And now the raising of his friend, Lazarus.

Take a look at the icon I selected for this blog. For those of you unfamiliar with Byzantine iconography, just a quick note. Icons are "doors to the sacred", inspiring prayer and meditation. They are not meant to portray the "earthly" world, so you will not see any vivid "realism" in the portrayal of the figures or the scene itself. You will find many icons portraying the same scene, ones which figure prominently in the liturgical life of the Eastern Church. 

So, in this case, "Lazarus Sunday" is celebrated in the Eastern Church, and many Byzantine churches will have and icon such as the one above. As you read the Gospel, allow your eyes to settle on the icon at various points in your reading, meditating on the scene.

John 11. 1-45 is in itself an icon, in terms of the depth and breath of its meaning for us as disciples. Let's reflect on just two.

"Jesus began to weep" (John 11.35)

 

The crowd around Jesus sees him weeping and thinks two things: either Jesus weeps for the loss of his friend Lazarus, or he is weeping because he could of healed him if he arrived sooner.

The crowd misses the point. Do we miss it as well?

Read verse 33. When he saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed.

Emmanuel, the "God with us" is also the "God for us". He weeps, not for the single friend, or for himself, but for the community. THIS IS THE GOD WHO SUFFERS WITH US!!  As a Christian, this is at the heart of our faith and hope- God loves us so much that he will suffer with us, he will weep for us!

And that would be enough...

And then we enter Holy Week when we see that God's love knows no bounds.

"Unbind him, and let him go" (John 11.44)

As powerful as the Line "Lazarus, come out!" is, I think  John 11.44 is even more so. Consider what Jesus says to his apostles elsewhere in the Gospels:

Whatever you bind on earth shall bound in heaven, whatever you loose on earth, shall be loosed in heaven" (Matt 16.18-20)

Jesus' command to unbind Lazarus seems obvious- I mean, of course they would take off his bandages now that he is alive!!

But that's not why Jesus says it.

 Lazarus has been freed from sin.

Through our life in Christ we have been freed from sin. We are no longer "bound" by it!

 And notice it is through the community, the Church, that Jesus commands the unbinding!

As you prepare for Holy Week, avail yourself of the love Christ has for you through the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

Encounter Love Unbound. 

 

 

Blindfolds

Blindfolds

Gospel for the Fourth Sunday of Lent: John 9. 1-41

When you were young, did you ever play games that required a blindfold? The most common was Pin the Tail on the Donkey. In these days of hyper-safety do we use Velcro instead of pins? Anyway, there was fun in the dark, knowing of course that blindfold would soon come off. But anytime we put blindfolds on there is confusion, distortion, anxiety... darkness.

Sunday's Gospel account of the man born blind, like any of the "signs" in John's Gospel is meant to be a "sign" for us.  It is a story of the early Christian church, and it is our story of the journey of faith and conversion, especially in this Lenten season.

Please take the time now to read and reflect upon this amazing story:

John 9.1-41 

Here are some key points to ponder:

• Unlike most of the healing stories in the Gospels, The man born blind does not come to Jesus and ask to be healed. It is Jesus who goes to him. (9.1-8). To hear the call of the Lord is the first step to conversion
• The blind man is sent to a place called "Sent" (Siloam) and is to "wash in the pool", an obvious reference to Baptism,
• The journey of faith is a process and not instantaneous. The man born blind is asked by his neighbors, "How were your eyes opened?" he responds, "The man called Jesus..."  When he is asked again by the Pharisees, he then says Jesus "is a prophet". Once he is kicked out of the synagogue and encounters Jesus again. Jesus asks him "Do you believe in the Son of Man". The blind man asks "who is he"? When Jesus says " the one with whom you are speaking," the man finally responds, "Lord, I believe." 
• As we have heard, this journey is not without suffering- rejection by neighbors, by parents, by powerful authorities, by the community- at least when he was blind, he wasn't rejected! But in the end, the man has become a new person, with a vision of the Kingdom of God, and life in the Trinity through the Son, Jesus Christ.
• The other characters in the story- the neighbors, the parents and the Pharisees, serve as a warning to us as disciples about "blindfolds"
• The neighbors are blinded by their perception that people cannot change so drastically. How many times have we hurt others through gossip, lies, and slander, because we have a skewed perception of who they are? Does past history and hurt prevent us from moving on? For teachers, do we find ourselves saying " that kid will never change", or "That class has always been like that." Time to remove the blindfold of hopelessness, and see with a vision of hope.
• The parents of the man born blind react in fear of themselves being rejected, and distance themselves from their son, and the Son of God. How much does fear play a role in our unwillingness to be witnesses to the Good News of Jesus? Are we afraid of letting people know who we really are? Time to remove the blindfold of fear and see with a vision of courageous witness.

• The Pharisees just don't get it. They have been blinded by their own need for power- the power to be right, to be in control, to be greater than others. The end of the chapter says it all - "Surely we are not blind are we?" Jesus said to them, "if you were blind, you would not have sin, but now that you say "we see", your sin remains. The fact that they cannot admit to their blindness keeps them in sin. And so we must ask ourselves, how well have we responded to the call of conversion? Have we availed ourselves of the Sacrament of Reconciliation? Does our pride and ego stand in the way of living a life in Christ"? Time to remove the blindfold of sin and humbly ask for forgiveness and mercy. 

Lent is our time to remove our blindfolds. Ask God to help you restore your vision as a loving disciple.

Ebb and Flow

Ebb and Flow

"The one who drinks of the water I will give will never be thirsty"

Gospel for the Third Sunday of Lent: John 4.5-42

Today we heard the encounter of Jesus with the Samaritan woman. Please click on the link above and prayerfully read the passage from John's Gospel. 

For me, this is encounter reveals the depth of God's mercy made flesh in Jesus Christ. All barriers that were prominent in Jesus' time were broken by that mercy:

• the cultural barrier of a man in conversation with a woman alone;
• A Jew speaking to a Samaritan;
• the religious barrier of where one must worship

What is striking about the conversation is that it is the Samaritan woman who brings up the barriers, but Jesus continues to move the dialogue deeper. "Living water" is beyond culture, religious ritual or gender inequality.

Jesus is offering her living water. He offers her new life.

And in the ebb and flow of the conversation Jesus doesn't give up. Even when she doesn't get it. ("Sir give me this water, so that I may never be thirsty, or have to keep coming to draw water...)

Finally, the woman admits to faith that the Messiah is coming, one who "will proclaim all things to us". At that moment, Jesus reveals to her that he is the Messiah.
She drops everything and runs home to proclaim the news, news that she herself does not fully understand. ("He can't be the Messiah, can he?") 

This is the ebb and flow of conversion.
Like the Samaritan woman, we put up our barriers, mostly ones that are propped up by selfishness and ego, that keeps us from freely submitting to God's mercy.
Maybe we feel we don't deserve the living water that is life in Christ. Maybe we feel we are too far gone.
But God, in his infinite love, knows the ebb and flow of our hearts. And he is there for us, waiting for us to return again to him.

And that is why, as Catholics, we celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation, especially at this time during Lent. In the Archdiocese of Edmonton, we had a day of Confession last Tuesday. And there will be celebrations of Reconciliation is all the parishes in the coming weeks as well. Take time to celebrate this sacrament.
Consider the ebb and flow of your spiritual life during Lent. And prepare to drink of the living water, a new life in Christ, this Easter!
 
  

Mountain View

Mountain View

"This is my Son, the Beloved, with him I am well pleased; listen to him!"

Gospel for the Second Sunday of Lent: Matthew 17.1-9

Some of my most memorable holidays have been in our beautiful mountain parks. As a casual hiker, there is nothing more spectacular than gaining a little altitude and admiring a scenic vista atop a mountain. The air is crisp, and you breathe deeply, taking in the scent of cedar and pine. High up, there is the sound of the wind through the valleys; or perhaps a wondrous silence. You look to the horizon, and like Peter in today's Gospel you can help but say, 

 "It is good to be here" 

Sometimes we can experience the "mountain view" in our spiritual lives as well. I'm thinking now of friends and former colleagues who are just returning from the Religious Education Conference in Anaheim, California. I have attended that conference five times, and every time I would come away feeling alive in faith and spiritual wholeness. And the people- over 35,000 Catholics praying, attending workshops, and sharing their faith! It's the "mountain view", the same one we can experience attending a World Youth Day, or a parish retreat, a 50th wedding anniversary or an Easter Vigil. Your soul says

 "It is good to be here" 

But there's a problem.

We have to get off the mountain sometime. 

We come back to "reality".

This is something of what happens to Peter, James and John, when they get a "mountain view" to end all mountain views- Jesus- "his face shone like the sun and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him"  Their appearance reminds us of the pillars of the Old Covenant - the Law and the Prophets-basking in the glory of the New Covenant, Jesus. Peter clearly doesn't get what is being revealed, all he knows is what he feels- that this is what heaven must be like...

And he doesn't want it to end...

He decides that they will stay on the mountain, who knows for how long???

"While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said ' This is my Son, the Beloved, with him I am well pleased; listen to him!'"

NOW, Peter, James and John are "overcome with fear". But seeing Moses, Elijah, and a transfigured Jesus didn't frighten them???? 

Was it the sound of God's voice? Certainly. Moses himself had the same reaction when he encountered the Lord on Mount Sinai.

But I think there was more to it than that.

The Father has told the disciples to listen to Jesus. What does that mean???

It means "take up your cross and follow me." 

It means "give up your possessions and follow me." It means "lose your life to save it."  

It means " Eat this bread, drink this cup, and do this remembrance of me."

It means "Come, let us go to Jerusalem"

For us as disciples, when we truly listen to Jesus, we may be overcome with fear!!

 But Jesus tells them on the mountain, as he would tell them after the Resurrection,

Be not afraid

Every "mountain view" in our spiritual journey will ultimately lead us to hear the call to conversion, which is at the heart of our Lenten journey to Easter.

And conversion is not easy. In fact, it's scary.

 With open hearts, we can hear another call, another voice.

The voice of Jesus who says

"Be not afraid"

And we can go down from the mountain, with a new view.

A view of ourselves as a new creation. 

 

Lead us not into temptation....

Lead us not into Temptation...

Gospel for the First Sunday of Lent: Matthew 4. 1-11

As Christians, our core prayer for over two thousand years has been the "Our Father", the prayer Jesus himself taught us. Yet have you ever thought deeply about the petition, "lead us not into temptation"? Does it seem strange that we should be asking God to keep temptation away? Wouldn't God do this out of his love for us? 

The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains that the Greek verb is a little tricky to translate- the Greek means both "do not allow us to enter into temptation", and "do not let us yield to temptation". The Catechism goes on to say that "we ask him not to allow us to take the way that leads to sin. We are engaged in a battle 'between flesh and spirit'; this petition implores the Spirit of discernment and strength".

The battle is very real; and we can look to Christ Jesus as the model for resisting temptation. And by looking at today's readings, we can deepen our resolve to avoid sin and turn to God.

With the Genesis account of the fall of Adam and Eve, (Genesis 2. 7-9, 16-18, 25; 3.1-7) we are witnesses to the first temptation- to be like God and be without Him. We recognize this sin of origin to be one that is inherently lacking in trust of a loving and faithful Creator. The union was breached, and sin entered the world.

The second reading from Paul's letter to the Romans (5.12-19) beautifully unites the story of the Fall with the story of our Redemption in Jesus Christ: "For just as one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous." 

 And so we come to the account of Jesus' fast in the wilderness. He has come, remember, right after his baptism in the Jordan, and is now preparing for his mission. Satan arrives and offers three temptations. There have been countless interpretations of the meaning of these three, and one of the best I've come across is by Richard Rohr, OFM, in a Lenten Anthology God For Us.  Fr. Rohr explains them this way:
The three temptations here in Matthew are the universal temptations to three abuses of power:
1) the misuse of social or cultural power (turning stones into bread in a way that would be spectacular and draw attention to himself);
2) the misuse of religious power (to stand on the parapet of the temple and to quote scripture for his own purposes);
3) the misuse of political or dominative power (looking down at all the kingdoms of this world from a high mountain position)
Throughout the temptations, Jesus reveals himself as the "new Adam", obedient to the Father's will. He comes out of the wilderness, abiding in this Love.

 For us... The temptations of Jesus are our temptations as well. To abuse whatever power we have: as spouses, parents, teachers, managers, workers, religious... whatever our vocation, we can misuse our power, or throw our power away (another misuse!). If we allow our egos and desires to get in the way, we fall into the great temptation of being our own god. During this Lent, take time to reflect on how you may be tempted to misuse the power and gifts given to you. And pray fervently to the Father that He will
... lead us not into temptation.

Lent: "Spring Training"

Lent: "Spring Training"

Gospel Reading for Ash Wednesday: Matthew 6.1-6; 16-18

When I was at the ACSTA's Symposium on Catholic education two weekends ago, I had the privilege of being at a table with Bishop Fred Henry of Calgary. Before the sessions started we were chatting about how can we best bring the Good News to people of today. Bishop Henry told me about an interview he had with a reporter, who didn't get why we "do Lent" (as an aside, the reporter told Bishop Henry that he was a Catholic!).

Bishop Henry said something like this:

"Look at it this way. It's just like spring training. Every year, the ball teams go down to the Southern USA with a few extra pounds, some rusty skills and some bad habits. Spring training gets them ready to be the best they can be for the season ahead.

That's what Lent does- by following the disciplines of Lent, we become better prepared disciples to celebrate the glory of the Death and Resurrection of Jesus. It gives our bodies, minds and souls a "spring training"

What a great metaphor for Lent! Thank you Bishop Henry!

So what are these "disciplines" of Lent?

There are a lot of excellent resources that explain why them. I suggest you read this article that I found from the National Catholic Register. It gets at the heart of the three disciplines: Praying, Fasting, and Giving Alms.

The three disciplines have been around way before the time of Jesus, and simply put, they help remind us of our own weaknesses and sinfulness. By fasting, we are reminded that we are not controlled by our own desires, and we have the capacity to give up a "good" for a "greater good"- life in God. We intensify or increase our prayer time, reminding us that to live in God's love, we need to listen to His voice. Finally we decrease our material wealth, and our egoism, by giving of our time, talent and treasure to those less fortunate than we. We are stewards of our wealth, not owners- giving reminds us of that.

In the Ash Wednesday Gospel, the "kick-off" to our spring training (oops, I mixed sports metaphors here!!), Jesus gives us an important warning- the disciplines are meant to put a hold on our pride and ego, not intensify it. Unlike spring training camp, where the sports media watch every move, the Lenten disciplines are a call to humility- to be loud and proud about the disciplines is, as Jesus says, what the hypocrites do. 

It is a delicate balance- on the one hand, you should explain what you are doing during Lent to children and other seekers as a way of sharing your faith, but on the other hand you don't want to trumpet your efforts. So be "pure and humble of heart" and you can't go wrong.

Some considerations as you begin your lenten journey:

Here are some tips to think about for a great spring training:

1. If you pray only in the morning, or at night, do both.

2. Pray, out loud, a blessing before each meal. Here are some great prayers before meals.

3. If you give something up for Lent, and "break" your promise, don't give up! Start again the next day

4. Find a book on spirituality, prayer, the life of a saint etc. and read from it every day.

5. Read the Gospel reading of the day during Lent. At this site, you can get it e-mailed every day.

6. If you have ab I-pod, I phone etc., try "Pray as You Go."

7. Go to confession. This year, the Archdiocese of Edmonton's Day of Confessions is March 18th. Check you local parish for the times

8. Also check your parish for extra prayer events. At my parish we'll be having the Stations of the Cross every Friday, followed by a Fish Fry put on by the Knights of Columbus. Prayer and Fellowship- doesn't get better than that!

9. Besides giving up food, why not try to "fast" from impatience? Gossip? Worry? These are tough, but the three disciplines will help.

10. Above all, journey this Lent with a joyful and humble heart.

Happy Spring Training!

The Spirit of Communion

The Spirit of Communion

"...but I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven..." Matt. 5.44

Gospel Reading for the 7th Sunday of OT: Matt 5. 38-48

(Note: while most of these posts are inclusive to the Christian community at large, the reflection below is of particular interests to teachers, parents, trustees and all those committed to Catholic education)

This past Friday night and Saturday I was blessed to attend the Catholic Education Symposium sponsored by The Alberta Catholic Trustee's Association. I have been also been tasked to summarize the findings and created a guide that can be used for school boards across the province. My first task will be to bring together all the comments, ideas and strategies that came out of the discussions from the 200+ delegates.

So on Sunday, I took a step back and allowed Sabbath to enter in before I begin. And as it always does, being fed by Word and Eucharist connected powerfully to what I had just experienced.

One of the keynote speakers at the Symposium was Archbishop Michael Miller from Vancouver, who presented to us the "five marks" of Catholic school identity. He neatly summarized the key points found in the documents of the Sacred Congregation of Catholic Education. ( To read about the five marks go to http://www.catholiceducation.org/articles/education/ed0395.htm)

One of the marks that identifies a school as Catholic is a spirituality of communion. This has a multiple layers of meaning:

• The Catholic school is a community first, and an institution second
• Human dignity and desire for the common good are core values
• The Catholic school goes beyond collaboration, team-work and co-operation- since we live a spirituality of communion, we are connected to each others as children of God, and live in the love of the ultimate communion of Persons- the Trinity.

So, when we read this section of the Sermon on the Mount from Matthew's Gospel, we can recognize right away that Jesus is asking us to enter into that very life of the Trinity. It has no room for revenge, retaliation and hatred. There is only room for love.

This is our core curriculum. This is what we mean by "faith permeation". All teachers, no matter what grade or area of subject specialty, are called to teach the Gospel of love.

Always. Every Day. No need to have "Random Acts of Kindness Week" if we are living and teaching Matthew 5. No need for Anti-bullying campaigns if we live and teach the Gospel of love.

Of course we struggle to be "perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect". But I don't think Jesus is setting before us an impossible task.
 
It is an invitation. An invitation to enter into the life of the Trinity. To enter into spiritual communion. To love our enemies. To do good to those who harm us.

To be children of God once again.

For this week: Consider how you can reach out to those who have caused you pain - a student, a co-worker, a family member. First, pray for them. Then do good towards them in word or action. Do not expect kindness in return. Continue to pray for them.
 

Drive-Through Morality

Drive-Through Morality

Gospel for the 6th Sunday of Ordinary Time: Matthew 5.17-37


Every day we are faced with choices. There are the everyday routine choices of what to eat, what to wear, what route to take to work and so forth.
We are also faced every day with choices to act morally- is what I say or do today going to be an act of creation and love, or of hate and destruction, in my life, in the lives of who I encounter, and in my life in God?

So many choices. And often, we make decisions about our moral life as if we are going to a drive-through (or "thru" as it is misspelled at McDonald's. Don't get me started...)

What I mean is we can easily believe and follow certain teachings of the Church, and then neglect or outright refused to accept others. Then we go further by teaching our children, our friends, and our students our version of the what it means to be a Catholic. We run the danger of giving half-truths about our faith, especially about our morality.

 This is nothing new, but we'll come back to this.

Hearing today's Gospel from Matthew at Mass this morning got me thinking about what it must have been like to be a devout Jew during the time of Christ. So many laws, and so many interpreters of the law! It's no surprise when we hear Jesus being questioned about the Law- which was the most important? Which ones should be ignored? How should we interpret the Law? Can we get rid of some of it?

So again, Jesus surprised, and no doubt disturbed, some of the disciples when he showed his absolute love for the Law. For it was in the Law that the people could learn to encounter and love their God. It was not about legal wrangling and making excuses. It was about LOVE. Living the moral life is simply living in God's love. Totally and without excuse.

So we hear Jesus say that it's not enough to refrain from murder- you must avoid anger, insult and slander.

It's not enough to avoid adultery- you must also break free from lustful thoughts.

And don't expect that your offerings at the altar are pleasing to God if you haven't reconciled with those who have "something against you".

It reminds me of how the Catechism of the Catholic Church breaks open the whole of our Christian morality by showing its roots in the Ten Commandments.

Here's and example of what I mean. Far too often, we think, "hey I'm OK, I'm not breaking the commandments". And although we may not have. for example, physically killed anyone, how many times have we killed someone's spirit with cruel sarcasm, gossip or innuendo? 

Maybe as Lenten project this year, you could read, and pray with, Part Three of The Catechism entitled "Life in Christ". It's a really great help in shedding light into some of our dark corners.

It will also curb our propensity to pick and choose a drive-through morality. 
I'm not saying that we should not listened to our conscience, but if we are to be true to ourselves, we need to have an informed conscience.
That means that if we disagree with something that the Church teaches on morality, we must find out exactly what it does teach. Go to the source, not the media's interpretations of what the Church teaches. 
And don't forget to ask the Holy Spirit for wisdom and discernment.

Because a drive-through morality is not the "righteousness" that Jesus refers to when he says:
"Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." Matt 5.20

For this week
Is there a particular moral teaching of the Church with which you struggle? Go to the Catechism and read what it says about it. And read Chapter Three article 1 on "The Moral Law". It will help give you the "big picture" on our Catholic Christian morality.

 

Virtual Salt, Digital Light

Virtual Salt, Digital Light

"You are the salt of the earth... ...You are the light of the world..."

Gospel for the 5th Sunday of Ordinary Time:
Matthew: 5.13-16

The exhortations of Jesus to his disciples (US!!!) to be "salt of the earth" and "light of the world" are eternal metaphors for our Christian lives. It is a call to each and every one of us to renew our commitment to the announcing the Good News.

As individuals, and as a Church, being "salt and light" is all about how we communicate within our culture. I would therefore give the blog reflection over to His Holiness, Pope Francis. Here is an excerpt from his homily on the 48th World Communications Day, January 24, 2014:

As I have frequently observed, if a choice has to be made between a bruised Church which goes out to the streets, and a Church suffering from self-absorption, I certainly prefer the first. Those "streets" are the world where people live and where they can be reached, both effectively and affectively. The digital highway is one of them, a street teeming with people who are often hurting, men and women looking for salvation or hope.

By means of the Internet, the Christian message can reach "to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8).Keeping the doors of our churches open also means keeping them open in the digital environment so that people, whatever their situation in life, can enter, and so that the Gospel can go out and reach everyone. We are called to show that the Church is the home of all. Are we capable of communicating the image of such a Church? Communication is a means of expressing the missionary vocation of the entire Church; today social networks are one way to experience this call to discover the beauty of faith, the beauty of encountering Christ. In the area of communications too, we need a Church capable of bringing warmth and stirring hearts... 
For the full transcript, go to  http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/francesco/messages/communications/documents/papa-francesco_20140124_messaggio-comunicazioni-sociali_en.html

For this week...
Think about how you use Facebook, Twitter and all digital media in the classroom or in your home. Are there ways that you can be "salt and light" through them?

Light one Candle

Light One Candle

"...a light for revelation to the Gentiles

and for the glory to your people Israel..." Luke 2.32

Gospel for the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord: Luke 2.22-39

Although the lights and decorations are packed away, and carols have long since disappeared from our lips and our IPods, there something distinctively "Christmas-y" about today's Gospel... Mary and Joseph present the infant Jesus as was the custom...

The story seems a little out of place. I mean, if we are trying to construct a chronology from Sunday to Sunday, what are we doing re-introducing the infant Jesus? Wasn't it three weeks ago that we celebrated the Baptism of Jesus, following it up with John the Baptist's proclamation, and then Jesus beginning his adult ministry?

Why are we "going back"??

It makes profound sense, not from a "narrative" sense, but from a "thematic" one.

It is all about the revelation of Jesus and the gift he is to the world.

In Jesus' baptism, God Himself reveals that " this is my Beloved Son with whom I am well pleased..." 

John the Baptist "reveals" Jesus as the "Lamb of God", a foretaste of the victory over sin and death through the blood of the Cross...

Last week, Jesus "reveals" himself as the one who "proclaims the good news of the Kingdom"- God's reign has come!

And this week, in the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple, Simeon "reveals" Jesus as the "light of the world" "...a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for the glory to your people Israel..."

So as we continue in the "ordinary time" to reflect on the mission, ministry, teaching, and preaching of Jesus, we keep in mind what has been revealed to us:

Jesus as Son of God

Jesus as Lamb of God

Jesus as The Reign of God

Jesus as Light of the World.

For this week:

 If you are a teacher or parent, light a candle this week with your children, reminding them (and you) that Jesus is the "light of the world". It is also a tradition in some countries to make crepes on this day. To learn more about Candlemas, go to http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/common/candlemas

Have a great week!