Soulful Muse

What do Ashley, Brittany, and Heather all have in common? None have a patron saint! How sad to be stuck with made-up names instead of the potential modeling of those who witnessed the love and mercy of God. (How they got baptized is beyond me.)

And then, there is our lives. Lived often in ambivalence (choosing between “this and that” and choosing “that” when it should have been “this.” In faith how often are we unsure of our relationship with the Trinity. How often are we hesitant to take that faithful plunge into surrender rather than holding tightly on our pride and control. There is also in our lives glorious occasions with endearing and enduring friendships, satisfying work (“labors of love,” we call them), moments of pure peace even if the next day brings confusion and discord. The miracle of this life is that it is full of those contrasting Beatitudes. Monday we’re thirsty for knowledge and Tuesday we find an inspiring book to read.

Speaking of holding things in common, what do all the saints hold in common? Indeed, the saints hold the same ups and downs that we waver between. What makes them saints, as you all know, is the balance they found in their lives – living with sin but practicing and perfecting charity, selfless love with a solid eye staring upwards.

In other words, they did it. What makes any saint story interesting is their “ups and downs.” If there were no “downs” then their saintly life would never be saintly. They would only be perfect people doing perfect things. That’s not the human adventure. And, certainly not ours. It is through their overcoming obstacles, making mistakes and correcting them, and a whole litany of the Beatitudes opposites.

Just as we have, every saint has a story to tell. Unfortunately, some of them are fictional (but still with an important tale to be told), others exaggerated for the sake of impact, still others horrifying and still others humbling. Just like ours.

However, a caveat. It gets monotonous after a while but almost every saint came from a wealthy family. (So much for our reaching.) I guess it shows a giving up or giving in to the call from God. Renounce the big bucks, beg (never borrow) and slowly God will beckon you to do great things in the name of God.

But the true wealth of any saint is the powerful, potent message found in his/her story. The Catholic Church has a saint in charge of covering every profession, illness, condition, situation and more. I guess the Church thought God has enough on His mind.

So continue to live your story against the background of those ancient and contemporary saintly stories. They have the ability to influence and guide your spiritual life. They have the witness to show us the Godly path to walk.

To Ashley, Brittany, and Heather? Good luck being on your own.

“Smell Like Sheep”

The Holy Father writes, that a faith community is one “who are involved and supportive, who bear fruit and rejoice. (please note the St. Catherine word this year, “joy.”) “…the Lord has taken the initiative, he has love us first and therefore we can move forward, boldly take the initiative, go out to others, seek those who have fallen away, stand at the crossroads and welcome the outcast. Such a community has endless desire to show mercy, the fruit of its own experience of the power of the Father’s infinite mercy.”

A faith community “gets involved by words and deed in people’s daily lives; it bridges distance…it embraces human life, touching the suffering flesh of Christ in others.”

A faith community “is also supportive, standing by people at every step of the way.” There is no stranger in a faith community, there is only a fellow traveler with a different story to tell than your own.

Here’s my new Pope’s phrase that I now love. A faith community “take on ‘the smell of sheep’ and the sheep are willing to hear their voice.”

Sheep smelling is not one of my strengths No seminary class was offered to me. (I would have tested out!) It may not be their smell but it’s the look in their eyes. I guess it traditionally means to help bear one another burdens. That doesn’t mean to solve or take away another’s woes and concerns. Many times it’s a listening ear, a caring eye, a silent tongue, an open heart attempting to “smell” what another presently “smells” like.

It may not be a comfortable image for us folks but the imagery “smells” right to me. “This just doesn’t smell right” or “Your dinner smells delicious.” Both statements are full of potency. One of need the other of gratitude.

We are a faith community. How hurridely we return to our cars. How uncomfortable we are introducing ourselves to the person seated next to us during the Masses’ duration. A handshake only does it? Could you “smell” the other’s concerns, both in the person’s joys and doubts?

Let’s try to “smell” one another on a deeper level. It’s not found in the armpits, it is living in the heart and soul.

“Remembering, Celebrating, Believing”

Since Friday night wasn’t a school night, TV watching became extra special. 6:30, channel 2, CBS, “Wild, Wild West,” 7:30, “Hogan’s Heroes,” 8:00, “Gomer Pyle,” 8:30, “Mr. Roberts” which I didn’t care for so that was a break. Switch to channel 5 at 9:00 on NBC for “Man from U.N.C.L.E. A fun night whether watching it at home at my grandmother’s house. Today, I can’t remember a password I created for a website a week ago.

(“I Remember”)

I can still smell the Este Lauder of the my mother and my father’s cheap Garcia Vega cigars. (Available exclusively at Walgreens!) I think we’d all agree that it’s the small and sometimes silly things best remembered. The special family dinners when the “good dishes” were used. Having a meal in Port Washington when I surprisedly discover that at the table is three generations of brother and sister. Moving the black and white on the front yard on a warm, summer night. (Why? I have no idea.) And, every Advent, my dad would assemble the four letters spelling “Noel” mounted on the front of our house. One year he wanted to spell “Leon,” just to see if anyone would notice. We talked him out of it.

One memory triggers another. Another memory may moisten the eyes a bit. It is all good to remember. Even those trying and difficult times.

We remember to remember every day but especially today – we remember.

(“We Celebrate”)

My folks died years apart but both occurred in July. Separated by four days, my sister and I pledged to fast the middle two. We only lasted one day but the remembering by celebrating was a good intention. Being asked to preside and preach at a funeral of a high school classmate. I told the story of visiting him and telling him that my dad died. He said, “Why didn’t you tell me, I would have come.” I replied, “You didn’t tell me when your parents passed away.” I told the congregation, “That’s called male bonding.”

Remembering to celebrate. Birthdays, anniversaries, death days. At my ordination, it’s 5:00 and Archbishop Cousins says, “Where’s the mother?” She decided to walk around the block before the service began. Celebrating by remembering.

We celebrate memories every day but especially today – we celebrate.

(“We Believe”)

I think we’d all agree that faith is a tricky thing. Some days it’s crystal clear facing us right in the face and the next day we feel doubtful and hesitant toward prayer or faith. The best part is our resolution. We want to believe. We need to believe. How anyone can live life without this gift of faith is beyond my comprehension.

I love when people say to me, “I have a serious question,” or “I’m having trouble believing in…” In a nice way, I say, “Wonderful.” Which means they’re taking faith seriously and not for granted as in “hook, line, and sinker.” You question without always receiving answers. But through the questioning there slowly appears clues. Hints of understanding. New insights about ancient beliefs. It’s like peeking through the closet at Christmastime to see how many gifts have your name on them.

The Benediction song written by Thomas Aquinas is the best sentence for me in all of Christendom. It says to me, “To what you don’t understand, let go of it and it may come to you in many different ways.” It says that “Faith is not a puzzle where all the pieces fit together.” It says that “Faith is not factual facts.” The keywords for our life’s journeys about any doubts and wonderings? “Trust,” “hope” and “perseverance”. Aquinas wrote, “What senses fail to fathom, let us grasp through faith’s consent.” Once more, “What senses fail to fathom, let us grasp through faith’s consent.”

6:30 on a Wednesday night, I finished writing. Turned off the laptop. Sitting back, I look out my kitchen bay window and see many blueish, black clouds as night descends.

I turn my laptop back on and continue writing because I saw one star. Only one on this Fall night. I stare at the star thinking about what I just wrote for you to hear. Is this worthy enough to be heard? There’s always more to be said. I hope that my memories may trigger yours. The star then disappeared because it was either an airplane or a dark cloud was blocking it. Yes. It was a cloud and the star reappeared. The cloud moved on and the star shined again in the darkness of that early night. Memories can do that to us. But never, ever ignore those feelings behind those memories when past lives connect, once again, to our lives.

Remembering, Celebrating, Believing. Performed every day but especially today. (Pause)

Please stand.

(Full song sung)

On behalf of the Church, family, and friends – we offer you a blessing during this happy honoring your twentieth wedding anniversary.

In gratitude for God blessing you all these years, we turn to Him in humble gratitude and thanksgiving.
Thankful for the gift of love that unites this mutual life. Thankful for when the two of you met and that one of you took the initiative to make this union real and lifelong.

In joyful times, we hope that you both savored them and kept pieces of that joy tucked away in a safe place for future memories. We hope that your marriage strengthened the personal commitments of those around you. (For whether we like it or not, we witness commitment, dedication and perseverance for all to see and believe.)

God created marriage as a sacrament to unite man and woman together in a union that is similar to the relationship between Christ and the Church – in other words, it is inseparable, it is one and it lasts a lifetime.

I hope that you are now able to finish each other’s sentences (even if the other person doesn’t like it), I hope you have likes and dislikes figured out after twenty years of shared life. I hope that in retelling stories to friends and you change things around that the other doesn’t correct you but simply smiles at how one story can have so many different endings.

Happy times? Get real. Anyone can enjoy times that are “happy.” There’s no maturity or faith in being “happy.” If there’s a virtue that permeates all times of life especially in marriage (of which I am an expert, I have two cats), it is joy. Regardless of what happens to you in life or what you throw at life, joy will see you through. Why? Because it comes not from ourselves but it is divinely available for its largess in appreciation, gratitude, patience, acceptance, and even resignation. It is not grounded in the “here and now” but experienced with your Tri-partners – Father, Son, and Spirit. And, like golf, we make it a foursome adding Mary who treasured all things in her heart, good or bad, that joy may “proclaim the goodness of the Lord” to see us through all of life. You two have chosen to do it together. Or, was there also a dollop of Divine intervention?

We pray that in troubling and difficult times that you sought God’s advice as well as the advice of each other. If the troubles were individual, we hope that you experienced them together and solved or treated them together. We pray that during troubling times you two were able to find that joy that you tucked away and kept safe.

Life is full of ups and downs, twists and turns. We pray that life’s road was made a little easier and smoother because you had a shoulder to lean upon, a friend who told you that “It’s okay” even when it wasn’t, a confidant who helped you carry your burdens and worries, doubts, and anxieties.

Twenty years ago you turned to each other and said “I do” without knowing what “I do” did. Now you know. You’ve lived it and now again witness that commitment to the Church. And we pray that what you both said twenty years ago that that echo may lead you through all your years ahead. And even better than that, that your years may resonate into the eternal kingdom promised us by Jesus Christ.

My eighth-grade nun told us, kids, often, “A place for everything and everything in its place.” Being thirteen years old, we thought that meant keeping underwear in one drawer and socks in another. Not bad advice.

Being older it takes on new meaning but continuing to talk about socks. My male cat decided to play hide and seek with my socks. He must have seen me take one off and the movement was all he needed to see. Never taken in pairs which I would prefer. Just one here and one there. Supposedly hidden, but I found most of his hiding places. If it didn’t entertain him so much, I’d be frustrated. If it didn’t help us, then it’d be futile.

Missteps. Mistakes. Wrongdoings. Wrong words said out loud. Once done, none can be undone. It needs a safe place to reside to continue and hopefully improve our lives. So keeping the “sock,” so to speak, lingering and haunting us, doesn’t help anyone, especially ourselves. The damage or discord happened. We learn and become better persons from those two “M’s” and two “W’s”.

Here’s the cat part. We need to put those errors in judgment somewhere. Closet? Too obvious. Under the bed? More sleepless nights. In the trash? Too literal. Our favorite psalm provides the answer both for our mental and spiritual wellbeing. We eat with them. “You set a table before me in the sight of my foes,” says number 23. By knowing they are staring right at us while eating meatloaf, a baked potato with cream corn (my favorite meal, by the way), we take away their power to preoccupy or hurt us. What better place to learn more about ourselves and our behavior than having it all in front of us.

We all know we are sinful people, hence the “M’s” and “W’s”. We also forget that we are grace-filled people relying on our faith to see us work on our ever-growing lives through these “socks”. Sister was right about keeping our clothes clean and accessible. As adults, Psalm 23 does the same thing for Christian grownups.

P.S. Please don’t say anything if you see me with two unmatching socks. Owen, the cat, knows where the missing match is hidden.

It’s got to be possibly the best question posed in the Bible. Oh wait, I’m wrong once again. It is the absolute best question recorded in the Bible. And, it’s asked by Jesus Christ.

“What do you wish me to do for you?” Unfortunately, the question seems to get lost while being distracted by hearing the jealousy of those two apostles. “I want to sit on His right!” “You always want to sit on His right side?” Sounds like the Smothers Brothers; except this time it’s James and John. Dumb and Dumber, anyone?

However, it’s the question asked our whole lifetimes. “What do you wish me to do for you?” So very often, we only think it’s what Jesus wants us to do for him. We ask the reverse question so that we can get that prize, that reward, that comeuppance for living this difficult journey of life. Prize, reward, comeuppance. Three terribly wrong words to summarize our lives. It seems to be only about life after instead of a well lived life here.

(yelling upward) ‘I want a Lamborghini…red…winter ready!’ I attended a Prayer Shawl gathering. They all have busily maneuvering hands moving a thin colorful thread forward and back carrying a tool never allowed on an airplane. Well, we got talking about death as only older adults tend to do. One said, “I want to go quickly.” Another offered, “I want two weeks notice.” I wouldn’t mind either if that were my response to the Jesus question.

“What do you wish me to do for you?” The most unanswerable question of our lives. Would it be about ourselves or someone else? The Holy Spirit gives us the answers for both you and then for the them’s in your lives.

Jesus? An inner Divine strength and a spiritual resolve that originates beyond me but slowly lives and builds up within me to handle any situation. “Fortitude.”

Jesus? A gentle breathing that steadies random emotions allowing time to peacefully enter my mind and soul. Those emotions are then consumed like food. Digested and offered for our spiritual reflections. “Patience.”

Jesus? All our conversations offer golden tidbits from others to help us along. Some comments may be canned sentiments that quickly evaporate when considered. Then there are those that pierce the soul and call us to a deeper introspection than we’ve known before. Those are the comments for us to ponder deeply. “Counsel.”

The Son of God asks each of us, “What do you wish me to do for you?” I’ve mentioned three of the Holy Spirit’s seven. They are all called gifts for a reason. Freely given to us through our faith. They are profoundly the only genuine inquires toward that Jesus question.

Repeat the Jesus question every morning and before your eyes close.

“What do you wish me to do for you?” Jesus asks, “What do you wish me to do for you?”

Joy. Peace. Harmony. Unity.

Elusive words? Only heard in church? Or, no longer mere words but authentic feelings living and breathing within our hearts and souls. Feelings that cannot be kept silent or only kept to ourselves. In words and attitudes that need to be boldly witnessed and shared. The old joke about the beginning of TV’s Evening News after hearing “Good evening,” is the only “good” you will hear; complete with drug ads that you’re happy you don’t need.

“It’s a beautiful day today” is responded with “It’s gonna rain tomorrow” is one of my favorite, dividing Wisconsin exchanges.

St. Catherine has held up “joy” as a theme for the year. Moments of joy, joyful times with family and friends, joy filled musical Masses, even the joy of a funeral in sending love back to God. We need a theme for next year to help carry us, together as a parish, through a new year.

In the Broadway show, “Into the Woods,” the witch sings, “You’re so nice. You’re not good, you’re not bad, You’re just nice. I’m not good, I’m not nice, I’m just right. I’m the witch. You’re the world.”

I’m guilty of overusing “nice.” “Nice day.” “Nice outfit.” “Nice car.” Surely a compliment but hardly touching one’s fragile heart.

Revelations doesn’t mince words with, “So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will vomit you out of My mouth.” And, there you have it.

It’s risky by proclaiming and projecting joy. Weird, baffling looks. “How many drinks did he have!” How often we pray for peace, publicly or privately, but can cause discord in one sentence or phrase. We pride our inner selves toward others with confrontations, contradictions and corrections.

The Incarnation of Jesus Christ means that the living God lives within us. And, there you have it.

Please correct me when I mindlessly say to you, “Have a nice day.” Upon hearing that, my dad sarcastically wanted to respond, “Now I have to change my plans.”

Sometimes in the ministry of Jesus, he’s a standup comedian. He just doesn’t gets the laughs from us because we’re in church. Just like my attempts at humor seem to be only quietly received.

Sometime comedian Jesus gives us the punchlines that punches us right into our hearts if not even deeper within our souls.

And now, here’s the serious humor.

Jesus says, “A guy who can’t hear walks into a bar. On top of that his speech isn’t Christian and barely human. What’s the guy to do? The bartender doesn’t know sign language and the deaf guy really wants a drink. Point to the tap beer or the liquor bottle? Play charades for a half hour? He’s thirsty. The guy who can’t hear and whose speech is garbled.

“One thing leads to another,” so the saying goes. Jesus says, “One thing leads to the other thing.” You can only get to the other thing until you address the first thing. AA isn’t only about not drinking any more, it’s about honestly exploring your life with the power of your “Higher Power,” however you define that. Stop taking recreational drugs doesn’t make your life now healthy and whole. (By the way, what a dumb phrase. There’s nothing “recreational” about drug abuse.)

“Recompense” and “vindication,” Isaiah tells us. The first is repayment and the second is victory, freedom. Our faith answers and provides both. Repayment is powerfully bringing us back to the truths of our lives through faith. Coupled with sincere prayers and a genuine emptying of ourselves, repayment and vindication is ours.

The guy in the bar could hear. He wasn’t deaf. And here’s the Jesus joke. The guy couldn’t hear, ponder or contemplate what he was saying. Muffled, jaded speech full of anger and self importance. Playing Charades was just his failed human charade. A coverup, a camouflage as we all can be or do in our lives.

So, what happens? His soul decides that the soul will not bear hearing anymore of his silly words, his wrong actions and his destructive behaviors. All those selfish, self important, protective words that includes no one else but himself. So the soul says, “Enough of this!” The soul shuts down and closes his ears, apparently the only living saving part of his body. Closed down until his speech becomes life giving, healthy and whole.

Listening to the soul, Jesus tells the soul to reopen the guy’s ears. So, the soul, his religious breath (and our religious breath), complies. Done so to repay and vindicate the new words that hopefully will come from the guy’s mouth.

And there’s the punchline from our sometime comedian, Jesus Christ. Laughter, optional.

“You can’t tell a book by its cover.” So the saying goes. But, so we go the opposite way with our judgments and evaluations of every thing and, unfortunately, every one.

Moses clearly tells his folks what is necessary to stay firm to God’s commandments. Yet, he fails the first commandment and misses out on entering the “Promised Land.” Poor guy. If he only listened to his own words. He lost trusting God with the trust God entrusted with him. Like Moses, forget about the other nine commandments. We just can’t seem to get beyond number one!

We all have the same dilemma working that out in our lives. It’s the risky trust of using the material things of life and then attempting to make them divine. What is of human choice and decision, and what is of divine intervention. That intervention is the saving salvation of our lives. We may decide one way, but it may not be how God wants us to behave.

“Ad Déum qui laetíficat juventútem méam. Suscípiat Dóminus sacrifícium de mánibus túis,
ad laúdem et glóriam nóminis súi.” Those are the prayers the altar boy said while you all sat there. Human or Divine?

Remember the “communion rail?” (There’s a term we no longer hear about.) The host is given by only the priest along with a long prayer repeated for each, individual person. As a grade school altar boy holding the paten (a flat metal object just in case the host dropped before reaching the tongue), I would slightly touch the necks of those students I didn’t like. Human or divine? You decide.

Vatican II thought the communion rail was too personal of a reception when we are the Body of Christ. Processing in line shows us walking together to receive who we collectively are. The Body of Christ, together.

And, I really miss women wearing their hats and white gloves in church. (My tongue is in my cheek.) I remember an Alexian Village resident who approached me and declared, “I hate Vatican II.” I waited for some theological argument but he continued, “I sold women’s hats.” Store closed and he went to work for Sears. Human or divine?

About the book. The cover or the content? We all know the answer, but how often do we love to dwell and remain on the cover. It’s so much easier. It’s so much more convenient. It’s so much us.

The Baptism none of us remembers becomes the unfolding of faith’s mysteries throughout our lives. How can the human and divine become one? To say easy answer, we’d all say “the Mass.” But it’s the Mass that’s lived out there. And it’s the Mass actively living within us. Is making the divine our daily human activity? After our silly human three-second summation of the another’s cover, does it seem that we supposedly divined the person’s content? Deep down inside us we know the proper attitude and behavior for our lives. All lives are complete with many plots (complete with twists and turns to keep us reading), a myriad of colorful characters, lots of drama, numerous disappointments, and grand, glorious resolutions. Like any good book contains. And all the beautiful and dark colors each page presents to us about the mingling of the divine with the human. Just like when the priest mingles the water and wine at the beginning of the Offertory.

Lofty? Unreal? Pie-in-the-sky? Not really. It’s admitting our frail human lives and transforming them into the divine as best we can. If not divine, then at least divine-like. Two points for effort. That’s what Jesus taught us and that’s what he lived for.

I’m working in my south-side parish. Parish Council meets at night and we often go out to eat afterward. 9:00 pm. Patty Melt. Manhattan. Smoking. (We could smoke in restaurants back then.) I’m wearing a roman collar … back then. Toward the end of our meal, a stranger leaves and drops a note next to me. She writes that St. Paul says that “your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit.” Then, something like “How embarrassing you are.” Taken back, I look at the back of her note, and it’s a bank deposit slip with her name and address on it.

The next day I write to her and quote what we heard today, “What comes out of our mouths is more important than what enters it.” Then I wrote, “Now that we exchanged Bible quotes, why don’t we meet and talk.” I never heard from her.

Do we humanly divine both ourselves and others? That’s called idolatry. Do we divinely humanize ourselves and others? That’s called Jesus Christ.

Frank Sinatra had four of them. Not to be outdone, Elizabeth Taylor beats Frank by doubling hers.

Who are these people? Who are we? Relational as we social beings tend to be. Some more relational then others.

I have friends who proved that “third time is a charm” is true when it comes to marriage.

Relationships.

You can’t say that your Catholic and then just stay home. When we say we’re a “practicing Catholic,” we know what you mean. I, however, am not a practicing Catholic. I’m not practicing, I know what I’m doing.

In this religion thing, it’s all about relationships. You enter Church, kneel for a quiet time before Mass with a prayer or two. You’ve now acknowledged your relationship with your Creator. We then sing about God and the other two (now there’s a firm relationship), what each did and does for us and how we can strengthen those relationships with those three up there through our relations with each other. Now that’s a lot of relating in one sentence. That’s a lot of relating our whole lives.

Joshua offers a choice, either stay on the toilet or get off of it. He says either worship the God who created you or go back to worshipping the gods that you’ve created. A choice. Jesus offers his followers the same ultimatum. He says, “Always look for something and someone greater than yourself and will find me, my Father and the Holy Spirit.” Jesus lost followers that day. Lost to either confusion, selfishness or ignorance. Peter admits, “Where else would I go?” Yes, indeed, where else can you experience the holy and sacred relationship like the One, True God gives us.

And here’s another “yes,” there will be disagreements and discord. Yet, another “yes,” there will always be our honoring of the one selfless sacrifice that illustrates the sacrifices we need to make in our many relationships.

You know, if you only relate to people who agree with you, then you have gotten off the toilet all right. But now your only staring at yourself in the bathroom mirror. Stuck in the bathroom.

Continue to prayer for all your relationships; those good ones, those not so good, those indifferent and the special ones you’re passionate about. Because that’s been God’s plan the whole time.

All right. The suspense is over.

Frank Sinatra: Barbato, Gardner, Farrow, Marx.
Elizabeth Taylor: Hilton, Wilding, Todd, Fisher, Burton, Burton, Warner, Fortensky.

“Relational Liz” ought to be her name. Conrad Hilton Jr., eight months; Michael Wilding, five years; Mike Todd, one year – but at least he died; Eddie Fisher, five years; Richard Burton, ten years, then less year; John Warner, six years; Larry Fortensky, five years.

Who was she? Who are we? Joyful, discouraged, happy, sad, doubtful, alone, content, abandoned, complete?

Not to completely disparage Ms. Taylor…at different times in our lives, doesn’t that sound a lot like our relationship with God and His two friends up there?