Listen to “On the Margins”. This broadcast comes from Mater Dei Radio 88.3. Jesus use the blind man to image a new vision from baptism. He new exactly what he wanted, “Master, I want to see.” We are in need of a new vision of seeing the reality of people’s lives. From his blindness, he knew who Jesus was. Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time, October 25, 2015.
Stream live On The Margins on KBVM 88.3FM on Saturdays at 3:45pm and Sundays at 8am.
Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you. (Psalm 33)
Rather, who ever wishes to be great among you will be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you will be slave of all. (Mark 10)
Fr. Frank Quinlivan, CSC, a missionary from Bangladesh, preached at the weekend Masses last weekend at Sacred Heart Church. Frank served as master of novices for six years beginning in 1984. I have known Frank since 1974 and he is still a spiritual mentor for me and for dozens of Holy Cross religious throughout the world. I am so glad he came back to Colorado Springs for the first time in 24 years. We collected over $6,400 for our missionary efforts.
Listen to “On the Margins”. This broadcast comes from Mater Dei Radio 88.3. The disciples had given up everything to follow Jesus. They wanted a place of honor. Jesus teaches us all how to serve, how to live for other people. Twenty-Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time, October 18, 2015.
Stream live On The Margins on KBVM 88.3FM on Saturdays at 3:45pm and Sundays at 8am.
All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation by our God. (Psalm 98)
I prayed, and prudence was given me; I pleaded, and the spirit of wisdom came to me. I preferred her to the scepter and throne, and deemed riches nothing in comparison with her, nor did I liken any priceless gem to her; because all gold, in view of her is a little sand, and before her, silver is to be accounted mire… (Wisdom 7)
Jesus, looking at the young man, loved him and said to him, “You are lacking in one thing. Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then follow me.” (Mark 10)
Listen to “On the Margins”. This broadcast comes from Mater Dei Radio 88.3. Jesus invites the young man to go beyond the rules. He must give all in order to follow Christ. We live dependent on God and we are called to live that message for other people. God provides for people and we are grateful. Twenty-Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time, October 11, 2015.
Stream live On The Margins on KBVM 88.3FM on Saturdays at 3:45pm and Sundays at 8am.
Click here for the printed version in our parish bulletin
Dear Followers of Jesus,
I was deeply inspired during Pope Francis’ visit to the United States. His humble presence stirred my own faith in Jesus and enlivened my leadership as a pastor. Translating faith in Jesus’ passion, death and resurrection to our modern world is never easy. However, affirming the life of all people is how we live our faith in our families and in the marketplace.
A couple of weeks ago, I spoke at Saint Peter’s Church as part of a panel on the subject of human trafficking. The link from sex and labor trafficking to issues of poverty, addiction and mental illness is very real in El Paso County and beyond. These issues must be the foundation on which we affirm all life during this month of October.
My experiences of poverty have shaped my faith and my awareness of people struggling to survive. For me, even the issue of abortion must be seen from the perspective of poverty to understand why women make the decision for abortion in the first place.
In Portland, our parish welcomed 150 people each morning for food, clothing, and the basic needs of life. We estimated that 85% of the men who walked through our doors had been sexually abused as children—and 100% of the women. Imagine the raw trauma of being continually abused from as early as four or five years old, of beginning life stripped of all dignity and self-worth. People growing up in poverty, with little education or hope, numb the pain of abuse with alcohol and drugs, and then mental illness takes over.
When a woman must sell her body just to eat and have a place to spend the night, abortion becomes a survival option. In our Portland neighborhood, many of the women huddled together at night under the lights outside our building, sleeping in the cold and rain to keep from being raped or having their belongings stolen. Prostitutes, both women and men, would have sex in dumpsters in exchange for a six-pack of beer, to make it through another morning of their heroin addictions. These are the people arrested for sitting on the sidewalks or for screaming out in the night. These are the people whom we blame for not having jobs; for being mentally ill; for not being like ourselves. These are the people who roam the streets in Portland—and in Colorado Springs.
These issues are essential for us to consider when we pray for the dignity of life. When we avow life we acknowledge all of it, not just the parts that are comfortable and confirm our own life view. As believers in Jesus, our role is to befriend the sinner; to avail people of the mercy of God; to offer comfort and healing for people we neglect…and to not judge people by our own prejudice. We have to offer hope and dignity to women who have had abortions, and to all who struggle with desperate choices. We must give people a chance to not only survive but to thrive.
We live our faith in the world by learning the real issues people face each day in order to survive.
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Below are the seven elements of Catholic Social Teaching from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. To ground us in the dignity of life, I hope that you will pray with each one during this month of October.
Life and Dignity of the Human Person
Every human person is created in the image and likeness of God. Therefore, every person’s life and dignity must be respected and supported from conception through natural death.
Call to Family, Community and Participation
The human person is not only sacred, but social. How we organize our society—socially, economically, legally and politically—directly affects human dignity and the ability of every human person to grow in community. Marriage and family, the foundations for social life, should be strengthened and supported.
Solidarity
We are one human family. We are our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers, wherever they may be. Loving our neighbor has global dimensions. At the core of the virtue of solidarity is the pursuit of justice and peace.
Dignity of Work
The economy must serve people, not the other way around. Work is more than a way to make a living; it is a form of continuing participation in God’s creation. To uphold the dignity of work, the basic rights of workers must be respected—the right to productive work, to fair and livable wages, and to organize and join a union.
Rights and Responsibilities
Every person has a fundamental right to life—the right that makes all other rights possible. Each person also has a right to the conditions for living a decent life—food, health care, housing, education and employment. We have a corresponding duty to secure and respect these rights for others and to fulfill our responsibilities to our families, to each other and to our larger society.
Option for the Poor and Vulnerable
Scripture teaches that God has a special concern for the poor and vulnerable. The church calls on all of us to put the needs of the poor and vulnerable first. This preferential option for the poor and vulnerable should be reflected in both our daily lives and public policies.
Care for God’s Creation
The world that God created has been entrusted to all of us. Our stewardship of the earth is a form of participation in God’s act of creating and sustaining the world.
Let’s continue to learn more about how the Church calls us to support people, from conception until death.
Blessings and peace,
Fr. Ron
This past week the Church celebrated the Archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael. On Friday we celebrated the Holy Guardian Angels.
We all long to know that we are cared for, that things will work out in the end. We are receive the messages from angels that new things will happen for the good, that we are protected, loved and cared for as individuals. Even though we know nothing about angels, we cannot see them or touch them, the idea of these Godly creatures are fascinating to the human spirit.
Life is pretty messy and surprisingly difficult. Sometimes we may feel so incredibly distant from God and even from those we love. We turn to the creatures of spirit that in the scriptures have shown the world mercy, protection and have been a voice of fearlessness.
We reflect this week on our closeness to God, how God cares for us and how we are given a new chance when things do not turn out as we had planned.
Jesus said, “See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven always look upon the face of my heavenly Father.” (Matthew 18)
My monthly column called “Bridgework”. This column for October is titled, “Camouflage Christmas”
Camouflage Christmas
We celebrated five Masses on Christmas Eve in my first year at Sacred Heart Church (Tri-Community) in Colorado Springs. I remember well that my heart carried much grief that first Christmas after leaving downtown Portland where I was part of a community that cared for people living on the streets and who suffer from mental illness and long-term addictions. I left behind something very familiar where I witnessed every day the miracles of hope being born in such poverty.
I welcomed parishioners and visitors into the simple stucco church of Sacred Heart that night. I extended my hand in welcome and I am sure people felt in my handshake the shivering grief of loss that night. The crowds at each Mass seemed overwhelming to me because I was visualizing the contrast of a small group of folks gathering in the urban chapel in Portland. I was not sure why people came to our church on Christmas Eve, what they were expecting from God and me. I was not sure of how to speak about such a mystery to families. I was at a loss to make God real for people who gather one night a year with profound cultural expectations about Christmas.
Just before the third Mass of the evening at Sacred Heart, I took my post at the door. I noticed an older gentleman walk up the steps of the entrance. His wife wearing an oversized wool coat was slow to take the stairs and remained tightly next to her husband’s side. I extended my hand to him and he politely received my greeting. I welcomed his wife but she did not respond. The husband quickly took her hand and led her into the church.
I stared at the couple and I realized that the woman wrapped in wool was suffering from some form of dementia. The husband’s quick gesture to take her hand was his way of not only keeping her safe but also his way of keeping her illness a secret or at bay for at least one more Christmas Eve. I felt my heart open as I realized that these people coming to Eucharist on Christmas Eve are no different from any community. We are all suffering on such a silent night with deep expectations that life, family and even our bodies are to be perfect given society’s expectations about what Christmas means.
On that Christmas Eve in my new role as pastor, I realized that suffering on Christmas Eve is so often camouflaged. Family relationships are tender and hidden behind the exhausted faces of parents. The loss of family life for the elderly is so veiled behind the quiet presence of grandparents in the second pew. On Christmas Eve, young parents cover their anger about the fact that their marriage may not survive another year.
As I ponder the gospels of the Christmas season, I am aware again that Jesus is born in camouflage among people who did not have room for him. Among the animals during the nighttime, the Savior brought hope. Jesus still runs after the lost, the forsaken and hope abounds when we finally become aware that God is among us for real. Even when we try to hide our human needs, God breaks through our lonely hearts. Christmas is for those who believe that they cannot make it through one more night in pain.
The shepherds got word that God was born in the camouflage of straw and darkness. Even Kings followed a star to find their way through the darkness where another King was born among people in poverty. Our Savior still makes his home among those bundled in wool to protect themselves from the cold and the exposure of their disease. Jesus even strips us of our grief when we finally trust again that we cannot control the past or fix people in the present.
Mary the Mother of God models for us a life of fidelity and it is at Christmas that we all wish we could make our home in the mercy of her Son. Mary helps us all become aware that love abounds in the limitless mercy of God. I want Mary to hold the hands of those whose bodies are growing weaker and whose lives are shattered by disbelief that God could be born in their pain.
On Christmas Eve, my desire is for all ministers of the Eucharist to know that God’s mercy is revealed among the lost, the lonely and weak. There is no hiding from the God who desires to be among the fray. Our ministries must help people find their way up stairs of our churches and into the rituals that will expose love among them.
On Christmas Eve, the Mass is more that gold cups, elaborate decorations and perfect music. On this night we help unveil the mystery that is often camouflaged among the poinsettias and artificial trees. Our ministry especially on Christmas Eve is not a performance of perfection, but a rich and deep belief that God is being revealed among the quiet desperation of people who struggle to make it up the stairs of our churches.
Broken But Not Divided 