“The Holy Innocents” Painting by Ronald Raab, CSC Image published by World Library, 2018
Our soul has been rescued like a bird from the fowler’s snare. Psalm 124
Who are the children silenced, abused, accused, trafficked or forbidden today?
“John bent down at the tomb” Painting: Ronald Raab, CSC
Dear John,
I have read your story hundreds of times.
Early this morning, I read it and your encounter
With Jesus began to enter me.
You laid your head upon his breast at dinner.
You stood at the foot of the cross with his mother.
You listened to Mary Magdalene.
You ran to find out for yourself.
You hesitated to enter the dark tomb.
You did not halt because you were afraid to see him dead.
You stood still because you believed the empty space would heal every place in you.
You did not peer in because you genuinely understood his intimacy.
You stopped because you knew you would be loved into someone new.
You put your hand on the rock that had been rolled away.
Your watery eyes could not take in the moment in early daylight.
Your heartbeat quickened.
Your breathing shortened with delight and anticipation.
Then your heart led you in.
Then your eyes focused on emptiness.
Then your longing was fulfilled.
In the emptiness of the space, you understood he would never leave you.
In the empty tomb, genuine love was born and it was too much to grasp.
(My letter to John today before dawn. Based on today’s gospel.)
“Merry Christmas” 2019 Painting by: Ronald Raab, CSC
I inherited Dad’s round shoulders
I inherited Dad’s round shoulders
that barely filled his army jacket
when his 117-pound body became adult.
Later, he shouldered our family,
Wearing a sleeveless butcher’s apron
tucked around his identity.
He hung up his bloodied uniform after Christmas,
wiping sawdust from his leather shoes
for an afternoon of family visits.
He wrapped fresh hams for his five sisters
As peace offerings, knowing he could not
bear the burden of sibling conflicts.
My father, my mother, and I drove a few cold miles,
tires crunching a path on side streets.
As we pulled up to each family hearth,
the uncles welcomed us at the door,
inviting us in and receiving our heavy coats,
draping them on wooden hangers in the hall closet,
placing our damp hats and gloves on the radiator.
Being the youngest of twenty-four cousins,
I was the only child overhearing
my aunts and uncles recalling a wartime Christmas–
and, now, tales of broad athletic shoulders
of each of their budding adult children.
In each of the sisters’ homes, an aunt passed around
a white platter as fragile as parchment
that presented homemade, walnut fudge
and coconut cookies. Colored tree lights and candles
along with lipstick grins chased away
the gray of late Sunday afternoon.
After exchanging gifts and weaving family stories
into a warm shawl, my uncle fetched our belongings
and opened my mother’s coat, bearing the hint of Estee Lauder.
She slid one arm inside each silk-lined sleeve.
He offered my father his wool trench coat.
My uncle butlered my jacket for each arm. I punched
each sleeve. He tucked the coat up
around my small shoulders. He handed me
my stocking cap and knitted mittens
and patted my back with assurance and farewell.
I felt grown up, bursting out of my clothes
because of encouraging hands upon my shoulders,
belonging among my family that carried the world.
Merry Christmas! Blessings to you and your loved ones.
Peace on Earth,
Fr. Ron
“Christmas Blessings” Painting by Ronald Raab CSC 2019
May we welcome and embrace the Incarnation, the Eternal Light.
Christmas Blessings and Peace on this Christmas Eve.
Peace,
Ron
“Holy Family” Painting by: Ronald Raab, CSC 2018
Prayer based on today’s gospel, Matthew 1:18-24
Jesus, our awaited Savior,
Your human family began in great conflict.
Mary, your mother, was pregnant out of wedlock.
Joseph bore the responsibility of divorcing her.
They were anxious about their identity in God.
They wanted to keep the law but they listened to an angel.
We are no different today.
Our identities have grown into political battles.
Our families carry these identities to holiday tables.
We struggle to find the meaning of brother and sister.
Help us focus on true and beautiful human connection.
Help our families not implode in fear.
Help us speak wisdom this week around hectic tables.
Reveal in our divisions the unity of love and faith.
Release us from worry.
Release us from intolerance and blame.
Joseph received an angel’s assurance that his fear was useless.
Send us an angel’s word this week as we gather around favorite foods.
Give us grace to listen to the pain of those we love.
Give us patience to enjoy our differences and our common humanity.
Help us speak with tenderness as we enjoy a newborn child and grieve a grandparent.
Send us an angel to change hatred into empathy.
This week reveals our greatest desires.
We come to know that God-is-with-us.
Real family love is revealed in our humility.
Faith opens a new door to life beyond our own.
God’s love sets a new table so we may feast upon forgiveness.
May grace come and our divisions cease in the promise of Christ Jesus.
Amen
Fourth Sunday of Advent
December 22, 2019
Let us pray for our common dreams of justice and peace within our world, our families and in our own hearts.
We pray to the Lord.
Let us pray for immigrants, people in prisons, families who have lost their homes, and parents who remain jobless.
We pray to the Lord.
Let us pray for an openness to do God’s will, for fidelity to God’s plan for integrity and hope.
We pray to the Lord.
Let us pray for our family reunions this coming Christmas, for the beauty of companionship and the love that is shared around our common tables.
We pray to the Lord.
Let us pray for our Universal Church and for our government leaders and for our common dreams to respect every human being.
We pray to the Lord.
Let us pray for our loved ones who rest in Christ Jesus, in the promise of Kingdom glory. In this Mass…
We pray to the Lord.
“The Angel of the Lord” Painting by Ronald Raab, CSC 2016
December 22, 2019
Dear Believers in Hope,
Young families inspire me. I really don’t know how families make ends meet. Patience must come with the holy vocation of raising children. Overriding fear must also be part of the vows in marriage and bringing new life into our world. God-with-us is not just a pious phrase when parents are given such responsibility for a rambunctious toddler. God is so evident within young families. I see this more clearly as we get even closer to Christmas.
Christmas is near. Now the Advent liturgy takes a turn. The ancient prophets of Isaiah and John the Baptist have been quieted. The prophet that is now center stage is Mary. The focus of this very short last week of Advent is the anticipation of birth. The pregnancy of Mary and the decision making of Joseph show us how to anticipate the birth of the Savior even within our own lives.
We are all waiting to celebrate hope born within our human lives. Recently, a friend and I were speaking about the radical presence of Mary in the scriptures. My friend said that she would probably not be Mary’s friend if she met her. She said that Mary’s strength would be more than she could handle! I found her impression of Mary to be very provocative. In her strength, Mary births hope for us all. I think she might be correct because we have so taken the complex humanity out of Mary and have made her live on pedestals rather than in our hearts.
Joseph dominates this scene from Matthew 1:18-24. I can’t imagine his fear. Mary is pregnant and he is so worried about how his family and culture will view her. Joseph is the father of dreams. God speaks so clearly within him. Once again, I admire the gift of this young family to work through their fear and come to the conclusion that both are truly called to bring Jesus into the world.
“Do not be afraid.” This phrase becomes the most sacred of all Christmas greetings. This phrase should be in the front of every Hallmark greeting card for Christmas. To carry responsibilities of children, employment, food and housing are no easy tasks. Yet, this is exactly where we find Christmas. Emmanuel lies deeply within our human experiences. The Word-made-flesh opens our eyes to truly view the dignity of human life. We remain in God. We cannot be afraid to follow God’s invitation to discover the beauty and richness of God within our human experiences.
So as we celebrate Christmas, don’t be afraid to draw closer to Christ Jesus. Jesus is within us, within our human foibles and in the beauty of our children. Hearts are places in which we celebrate the Messiah. Choices and decisions for hope birth the brilliance of love in the world. Beauty speaks loudly in a dark world that God is here. Don’t be afraid to pray, to find Jesus within your fragile heart.
Continue to dream big. Dream well beyond the ordinary. Dream that wars end and violence recedes. Dream that people may raise children with compassion and tenderness and respect. Dream that lives may mend from despair and ill health. Dream that housing and food may be plentiful for all families. Dream that the every aspect of our lives may discover the presence of God-is-with-us. Dream for the old to fade away and dream for the new to emerge.
Thank you for your presence and prayer in our three parish communities here in Colorado. Thank you for your faith and your service within the Church. Thank you for believing in love. Thank you for financially supporting the mission of our churches but also the various needs throughout the year. Please know of my prayer in this sacred week of Christmas. Enjoy the family tables and all the sacred spaces of conversation and family gatherings. Love changes everything.
Peace to every household and to every heart,
Fr. Ron
Here is my latest article from Pastoral Liturgy Magazine from Liturgy Training Publications, Chicago, IL.
CLICK HERE to read my latest article in The Priest Magazine. My new column appears every other month in The Priest Magazine.
“Saint Andre Bessette” Painting by: Ronald Raab, CSC originally published by World Library Publications, Chicago, IL. Original art from Sacred Heart Church, Colorado Springs, CO.
“Our Ancestors in Faith” Drawing Ronald Raab, CSC 2016
O God,
You birth hope within us through our ancestors in faith
And in our heritage of the Holy Spirit.
Waters of baptism are thicker than blood,
And the gift of the Spirit’s breath opens life beyond our human limits.
We have inherited love beyond measure,
And we wait for the Second Coming of your Son.
Teach us once again that your tenderness reaches
Beyond any human power or national border or possession.
Show us that your love wins
Beyond our threats of war and violence,
Beyond our bullets and our hatred.
Help us sink deeply into faith
Our real identity that is your love where
The waters of peace and justice flow through us
And where we are washed clean.
Amen
