“Ask, seek, knock” Painting: Ronald Raab, CSC

Gospel Mt 7:7-12

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Ask and it will be given to you;
seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds;
and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
Which one of you would hand his son a stone
when he asked for a loaf of bread,
or a snake when he asked for a fish?
If you then, who are wicked,
know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will your heavenly Father give good things
to those who ask him.

“Do to others whatever you would have them do to you.
This is the law and the prophets.”

“A heart contrite and humbled” Finger Painting: Ronald Raab,CSC

Responsorial PsalmPS 51:3-4, 12-13, 18-19

R. (19b) A heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.
Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness;
in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense.
Thoroughly wash me from my guilt
and of my sin cleanse me.
R. A heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.
A clean heart create for me, O God,
and a steadfast spirit renew within me.
Cast me not out from your presence,
and your Holy Spirit take not from me.
R. A heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.
For you are not pleased with sacrifices;
should I offer a burnt offering, you would not accept it.
My sacrifice, O God, is a contrite spirit;
a heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.
R. A heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.

I wrote this poem as part of a class exercise in October, 2016. It expresses a scene from second grade and my creative life.

Coloring

My thumb and forefinger pinch

A second-grade orange-red crayon

On sky-blue construction paper.

An Army of Crayola-Crayons forms security on my desk

To guard my inner life against boring expectations from beyond my workspace

Telling me that I should ignore my secret colors and design.

A rainbow of crayon soldiers protect my imagination

As they decrease in size on the rough paper.

The multicolored shades of my imagination

Overtake the black and white extremists of spelling and math.

My innocence shades the course-blue territory

With exciting hues of exploration.

I risk discovering outside the lines

Tracing from my instincts

Chaffing against my Catholic purity

And the finger pointing from my teacher.

The extra-fat-grease-stick Army stands at attention

Protecting me during Friday art class

So I may breathe

After the predictable cafeteria aromas of creamed-corn

And lukewarm fish sticks begin to fade.

Held up in my citadel of lines and shading

My orange-red crayon Warrior

Falls onto the floor

And rolls down the aisle

Far from my command and reach.

Just then our principal yanks open the door

Her black and white dress and veil swirl with authority.

Sister paces down the aisle

Like a General from the gray world

Stepping on my orange-red Combatant

And the color drains out.

A soldier is down!

The enemy of practical gray overtakes my plans.

I cannot surrender to those who want me inside the lines.

I wonder where I fit living with an orange-red imagination

And a soft sky-blue world inside me?

“What you did for the least brothers, you did for me” Painting: Ronald Raab, CSC

Prayer: (Raab)

Gracious God, you give us an opportunity to move beyond our selfishness and ignorance by stepping into the mystery of people’s stories. You invite us and even give us salvation by serving people who are naked and thirsty. Keep us humble, call us to serve and guide us safely to your healing face. Amen

“The Temptation of Christ” Painting: Ronald Raab, CSC

This painting depicts Jesus’ temptation in the desert. Jesus is turned away from the sun, the source of light. He faces the darkness. He is juggling the non-figurative evil that he faces. He is facing ultimately the truth of his life so that his life will become a source of healing for us all. The devil does not win, evil is resisted. Deserts bring life in Christ Jesus.

Click here for the parish bulletin

Dear Believers in Jesus,

Deserts abound. Not just hot, lonely and seemingly lifeless landscapes, but interior deserts as well. These deserts are difficult to escape. Sickness. Old age. Loneliness. Shame. Loss. Regret. Sinfulness. Broken relationships. Addiction. Fear. Revenge. Unworthiness. Greed. Lust. Self-sufficiency. These inner deserts are not easily changed or managed. These deserts capture our attention in the days of Lent.

On Ash Wednesday, we all streamed to the altar step and our human bodies were marked with the Sign of Salvation. Ashes blended together in the form of a cross were smeared on our greasy foreheads. On that day, we became unmistakable in our repentance and in our belief. This was the beginning of our Lenten entrance into a forty-day desert.

In today’s gospel (Matthew 4:1-11), Jesus enters the desert landscape. Why? He needed to face his fear. He had to encounter the darkness that can only rise up in solitude. He had to explore his relationship with evil. He had to overcome temptation. His entrance into the desert of conversion enables us to enter into our restlessness, worldly wealth and self-serving power. He had to tell us that all darkness, sin, evil and fear are overcome in his life and love. His message is not lost among the blowing sands, the hot sky, the open terrain, and the torturous sun. However, his message is easily lost among our inner deserts of isolation and pain.

“Lent,” means springtime. Lent is a time for inner renewal. Lent is a time when we are asked to face again the heat of our sin and division. Lent is a forty-day experience of prayer, fasting and almsgiving so that we can renew our baptismal connection in Christ Jesus at Easter. Lent is a time when we need to restore our relationships. We need conversion, change and hope. We cling to the love Jesus has for us because of his own journey into solitude. Deserts change people. Deserts form our hearts when we are confronted with our own lack-luster judgments and artificial pride. Deserts can bloom with hope and lead us to springtime.

Here are some ideas to consider for your Lent: Spend some time this Lenten season and pray for the people who are seeking baptism, confirmation and the Eucharist within the Catholic Church. Pray for not only our folks, but for those throughout the world who are preparing during this Lenten season. Keep a journal about your spiritual insights, the questions of your heart and how God is both loving you and calling you deeper into his healing. Examine your relationships and be honest about whom you need to forgive or who needs to forgive you. Practice a greater spiritual honesty about your life. Talk to others about how they pray. Learn about things you usually avoid such as racism, mental illness or the reality of human trafficking. Read what Pope Francis has to say. Read the daily scriptures with zeal and hope.

With hope and promise about our lives,

Fr. Ron

On the Margins from Mater Dei Radio, Portland, OR

First Sunday of Lent, March 5, 2017

Click here to listen to this weekend’s On the Margins

Deserts are real, both external and internal. We know them and live in them daily. Deserts transform if we are there, really there.

I taped a series of simple reflections on Mater Dei Radio based on the Psalms for the Friday’s of Lent. My seven minute reflection is in the Morning Drive section of the website with the date of February 27. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN

Responsorial Psalm Ps 51:3-4, 5-6ab, 18-19

R. (19b) A heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.
Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness;
in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense.
Thoroughly wash me from my guilt
and of my sin cleanse me.
R. A heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.
For I acknowledge my offense,
and my sin is before me always:
“Against you only have I sinned,
and done what is evil in your sight.”
R. A heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.
For you are not pleased with sacrifices;
should I offer a burnt offering, you would not accept it.
My sacrifice, O God, is a contrite spirit;
a heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.
R. A heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.

“Have Mercy on Me..” Sketch: Ronald Raab, CSC

Gospel Lk 9:22-25

Jesus said to his disciples:
“The Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected
by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes,
and be killed and on the third day be raised.”

Then he said to all,
“If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself
and take up his cross daily and follow me.
For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it,
but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.
What profit is there for one to gain the whole world
yet lose or forfeit himself?”

Prayer: (Raab)
Jesus, help me take up:

The violence that roars in my heart,

The lack of peace that makes a home in my soul,

The self-hatred that reveals itself on my lips,

The lack of forgiveness between those I love and myself,

The hatred in our world vision,

The guns, the knives, the weapons that our children carry,

The disgrace we carry among our families,

The wars, the loathing, the violence, and aggression of nations,

The sin of our lives and of our relationships,

Redeem our crosses, the heavy burdens we carry.

Ash Wednesday 2017, Charcoal Drawing: Ronald Raab, CSC

Responsorial Psalm Ps 51:3-4, 5-6ab, 12-13, 14 and 17

R. (see 3a) Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness;
in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense.
Thoroughly wash me from my guilt
and of my sin cleanse me.
R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
For I acknowledge my offense,
and my sin is before me always:
“Against you only have I sinned,
and done what is evil in your sight.”
R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
A clean heart create for me, O God,
and a steadfast spirit renew within me.
Cast me not out from your presence,
and your Holy Spirit take not from me.
R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
Give me back the joy of your salvation,
and a willing spirit sustain in me.
O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth shall proclaim your praise.
R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.

PRAYER: 

To you, O God, we turn, to discover our lives in the depth of your love for us. Let not our weariness or sin or doubt, remove us from your loving presence. Eliminate the obstacles that keep us from seeing you. Lift up our heads and help us turn our gaze toward your loving face. Let not our eyes be cast down from shame or guilt. Wipe the tears of loneliness, worry, regret and fear from our eyes and cheeks. Look us straight in our eyes and into our souls. Listen to our voices proclaim our praise only for you. Amen  (Raab)

Holly Conlon is teaching a class on poetry in our parish. Today is the last day for this series of four classes. This was my first poem from class a couple of weeks ago using a scene from our life experience. 

Pink and Perseverance 

The dark Indiana soil received my mother’s body today

As our spirits mingled among the soft July breezes and the thick grass.

My family piled up our memories at her grave’s edge

Along with the arrangements of white lilies and roses.

Mom sewed a white chasuble with blue trim for my ordination many years ago

I draped it over the casket feeling her prayers imbedded in every stitch.

Somewhere beyond the dirt grave God will receive it from her own hands.

After leading the songs and prayers over the casket

I invited my family to imitate her favorite gesture of farewell.

Each of us waved goodbye to her with both hands in the air.

That prayer fluttered across the cemetery releasing peace.

I closed the ritual book and felt serenity and relief.

Suddenly from out of the crowd

An African American woman wearing a red dress

Grasped my right hand and held it tightly to her bosom.

She whispered to me the surprise; she was a seer.

Her cheeks were tearstained and her smile soul-deep

As she spoke close to my face that she felt my mother’s passing.

My mother not yet in her grave spoke to her

That the white flowers I gave her were sweetly appreciated.

She wanted to remind me that her favorite color was pink.

With blood rushing to my face I stood in silence

And waited for more of mother’s words.

The woman who had sung above the gathered crowd during our prayer

Spoke to me in the most beautiful voice my heart has heard.

The seer spoke from her soulful knowing that Mom wants me to

Persevere in my priesthood.

The beautiful seer in red strolled through the mourners nearly unnoticed

And drove away without telling me her name.

I waved goodbye with both hands

Standing silently at the edge of Mom’s grave

Treasuring the moment of white, pink and red.

Ronald Patrick Raab, CSC