All Souls are Called to be All Saints

300px-All Saints painting by Fra Angelico

Deacon Tom writes ©

"All Souls Are Called to be Saints"

The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls)

Celebration of the Feast of All Souls had its origin in the Benedictine Monastery in Cluny, France. In 998 A.D. Odilo, the Abbot, instructed his men to pray for the souls of the dead on the day after All Saints Day when the Church honored its Saints. This practice was quickly embraced by the faithful and by the 13^th century had spread to Rome. By the 14 century it was a universal feast of the church. Today we celebrate what is officially known as, “The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed”, commonly known as “All Souls” day.

The arranging of All Saints Day and All Souls Day back to back gives us a great opportunity to reflect on our lives in light of our Christian vocation and our individual mortality. As we recall the lives of those who have gone before us, we can’t help but know that one day we will follow in their footsteps. What kind of life do we want to live? What spiritual legacy and witness do we want to leave? What did we learn from the lives of the Saints and the holy people have gone before us?  Do you see the wisdom of connecting the Feasts of All Saints and All Souls?  To make the relationship between these two feasts practical, we have to overcome a general misperception that the Feast of All Saints is only about paying homage to the great saints, the likes of St. Francis, St Augustine, St. Thomas or St. Peter. The Feast of All Saints encompasses a much wider vision.

 

Just after converting to Catholicism, Thomas Merton was asked by a friend what he wanted to be, now that he was Catholic. “I don’t know, I suppose I just want to be a good Catholic”, Merton replied. His friend came back with, “What you should say is that you want to be a saint!” Merton was dumbfounded. “How do you expect me to become a saint?” Merton asked him. To which his friend said: “All that is necessary to be a saint is to want to be one. Don’t you trust that God can make you what He created you to be, Thomas”?  Merton was silent.

These words must have taken root in Merton’s heart. For he would go on to become one of the great spiritual thinkers and writers of the last century, and, in the eyes of many, he was indeed a saint.

It’s good to recall these words of wisdom imparted to Merton by his friend because they speak so simply and profoundly to our calling as Catholic Christians. We should want to be saints. And to be a saint, all we need is to want to be a saint.

The Church elevates the lives of the Saints to give us a good example of ordinary people who have attainted extraordinary holiness.  These men and women have dedicated their lives to being witnesses of the faith through sacrifice, service, and prayer. Often they suffered great pain, rejection, torture, and, all too often, even death in professing their love and devotion to God. It is right that they be honored and their intercessions sought by the faithful throughout the ages.

At the same time, our church also recognizes the ordinary acts of courage and dedication on the part of those living the faith day in and day out… that is, the “All Souls”. We believe in the “Communion of Saints”, that body of believers who, in addition to those “major” Saints, have professed their faith in God by their daily perseverance and their constant prayers. Included in this group are our family, loved ones, and friends, all those people who got up every day, took care of their families, and lived a good life, struggled to do the right thing…one day at a time. When things were good, they were faithful…When things were bad…they were faithful. In remaining faithful in good times and in bad, they handed on to us the legacy of our faith, our Catholic “Tradition”.

As we remember our loved ones and those who have gone before us and their sacrifice, their witness encourages us to imitate the good example they gave us. We call them to mind now as they share their reward for hearing and responding to their call to be saints.  We turn to them that they may ask God to help us answer our call to holiness so we may join them when our pilgrimage on earth comes to an end.  

Enjoy the day!

Deacon Tom  

The Road to Recovery

Deacon Tom writes ©

"The Road to Recovery"

Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

Today’s reading from the Book of Exodus challenges us to reflect on our own deeply personal family experiences and learn from them. In that reading, God cautioned the Jewish people to remember what it was like when they were foreigners and living in a society where they were strangers, unwelcome, exploited, and abused. God wanted them to remember their past and how they were mistreated, so that once they had power and influence, once they were restored and came into their own, they would not victimize and abuse others who were weak and powerless and who lived among them. What a timely message for us today with the diversity of opinions on how to resolve the illegal immigration problem or how best to improve the quality of life for those living on the margins of society.

No matter what difficulties we face, individually or as a society, Jesus’ centermost teaching contained in today’s gospel provides the solution. “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind…AND, you shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 

We can reasonably disagree as to the right course of action in providing a solution to the problem of illegal immigration or how we are to care for our less fortunate neighbors living among us but rest assure, the name calling, the violence, and other visible signs of our anger show how little regard we have for these two “greatest” commandments of God. If this problem is to be solved, it must be done in ways that reflect the inherent dignity of the human person. This is the basis for all the social justice teachings of our uniquely Catholic church. Indeed, the social justice teachings of our church are a distinguishing characteristic of our Catholic faith. They have their roots in the Mosaic Law that go all the way back to the Book of Deuteronomy that Christ cites for us today in the gospel.

We will not find permanent solutions to the problems we face or that plague our country and our world: war, hunger, disease, violence, poverty, greed, corruption, drug and alcohol addiction, other forms of escapism, yes, these so called social sins, until we begin to recognize the root cause of these horrific conditions…the lack of justice. Without justice, there is no peace, no prosperity, and no respect for one another. Jesus gave us the cure. It was the same cure given to and ignored by our ancestors. Perhaps it is time to consider the medicine - loving God and loving each other. Or, we can continue our journey along the same path and, in our collective delusion, believe that we are indeed on the road to recovery, until the next crisis brings us to our knees.

Enjoy the day!

Deacon Tom 

For Great is the Lord

William Blake's "The Ancient of Days" - http://en. wikipedia.org/wiki

Deacon Tom writes ©

“For Great is the Lord" - PS 96:4

Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

Have you ever had this experience: you were in a jam and needed some help, but all your friends, all the “go to” people in your life were busy with other important things and they couldn’t help you out?  Then, someone you never thought of comes to the rescue. Wow, you are totally amazed at how things worked out. You just know that God somehow had something to do with sending help during your time of need. 

The story of the liberation of the Hebrew Nation from captivity in Babylon at the hands of the Persian King Cyrus is a genuine sign of God using outside help in getting His plan accomplished in an amazing and awesome way. The Jews were in a hopeless situation; they were being held captive away from their home; their temple lay in ruin; their way of life altered forever. So they thought. Then Cyrus, the king of the Persians, defeats the Babylonians and comes to their aid. In 538 B.C. he issued an edict allowing the return of all the Hebrews to Jerusalem. Better yet, he ordered the rebuilding of the Temple and provided that the Israelites be given a royal subsidy from his treasury. He directed that the sacred vessels seized by the Babylonians when they destroyed the Temple should be sent back with the released captives. Finally, he urged all Israelites to contribute to the restoration of public worship. Isaiah tells how God took Cyrus’ right hand and led him, “subduing nations before him…opening doors before him and leaving the gates unbarred.”

We are often anxious and fearful when we confront many of the problems and difficulties in our lives, problems with our relationships, with our kids, our boss, or even fears of losing our jobs or our health. We struggle with forgiving those who have hurt us; we struggle with addictions and all sorts of impossible situations. Some even struggle with the teachings of our church. We ask ourselves, “How am I going to get through this?”  Or, “Where can I turn for help?” 

It’s always darkest before the dawn, they say. I am sure the Jews held captive in Babylon felt this way. But then God, who is the master of doing the impossible, comes to their rescue and turns their tears into laughter. Isaiah tells us today to keep the faith. There is no struggle or difficulty God cannot overcome!  There is no struggle or difficulty of ours that God does not want to overcome. We need to give our cares to God and wait faithfully, prayerfully, hopefully, and patiently for Him to come to our rescue while doing the best we can with the situation at hand.

Enjoy the Day!

Deacon Tom 

Guess who's coming to dinner?

The Institution of the Eucharist by Nicolas Poussin, 1640

 Deacon Tom Writes ©

“Guess who’s coming to dinner?”

Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

Jesus uses the story of a king who invites his subjects to the wedding banquet for his son and the people reject his invitation outright.  What an insult!  The King’s outrage is understandable. And so is his desire to have a banquet in honor of his son’s wedding.

The chief priests and elders of the Jews knew they were the ones Jesus was talking about and they certainly didn’t like the way the story ended. Jesus says how the King sent his servants out to the highways and byways and brought in others to celebrate this joyful occasion.

It’s interesting that history seems to be repeating itself. Every Sunday we are invited to celebrate a special Eucharistic banquet in honor of God’s Son, Jesus. It is a standing invitation to come and celebrate and to be one with each other and God.  We gather together to give thanks to God for sending His Son into our world and freeing us from sin and death….AND giving us Eternal life….but so many people today are just too busy, too tired, too involved with other interests, or simply not interested….too spent perhaps …to respond to this invitation.

I think it’s by invitation and example that those who come to Mass on a regular basis can help others to see how important it is to center our lives around this most holy banquet. We as Catholics know how important the Eucharist is to our lives, spiritual and temporal, for it is within the context of these sacred mysteries that we are renewed and strengthen for all that life throws at us. If our lives reflect the presence of Christ, others will notice the inner peace and joy in our lives and that may spark some interest for them. If others see that there is a connection between what we receive from the Eucharist and what we are able to give to our jobs, to our families - running the kids around to soccer practice, religious ed. classes and piano lessons, doing the shopping and chores – and to the community, they may want to find the source of that strength and peace for themselves.  As they say… “Imitation is the best form of flattery”.

The banquet is prepared, the table is set, and we all have our standing invitation that also says to bring a friend. Do you have someone in mind that is searching for some inner peace and joy that you would like to bring along?  Invite them and leave the rest to Jesus.

Enjoy the day!

Deacon Tom             

God Be In My Head

Montréal God resting after creation. jpg

Deacon Tom Writes ©

“God be in my head”

Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

The gospel for today sets the stage for Jesus’ death.  The parable of the wicked tenants who kill the servants sent by the owner of the vineyard to collect the rent and then kill the landowner’s son who was also sent by the owner foreshadow the events that will claim Jesus’ life. Jesus tells the crowd that God’s plans will not be stifled by those of man. His being rejected by the Jewish authorities allows a furthering of God’s Kingdom. For… “The stone rejected by the builders will become the cornerstone”. God’s plan of salvation is mysteriously broadened so that others may join in the task of bringing about that bountiful harvest the Kingdom of God will produce.

Jesus showed us by word and example how to live in the Kingdom of God. To follow Him we must think and act like He did.  That is the way by which we become productive members of His Kingdom. A question we might ask ourselves is, “How do we know if we are bearing fruit for the kingdom”?  One way is to set aside a few minutes at the end of the day and review the events from a spiritual perspective.   This is one of the spiritual exercises of St. Ignatius. It goes like this: 

1)  Give thanks to God for all that we have.

2)  Ask God for the grace to know our sins and to avoid them in the future.

3)  Reflect on the events of the day to see where we served God or where we have neglected Him.

4)  Ask God to pardon our faults.

5)  Ask God for the grace to be more like Him.  

If we do this exercise on a regular basis, we are sure to grow spiritually and that growth will produce a harvest worthy of the kingdom.

As we grow in the love of God, we are able to surrender our thoughts and desires to Him and allow Him to fill us with His thoughts and desires. The prayer below goes back to the late 1400s to early 1500s and it calls to mind our need to surrender ourselves entirely so that his thoughts may become ours.

God be in my head and in my understanding;


God be in my eyes and in my looking;


God be in my mouth and in my speaking;


God be in my heart and in my thinking;


God be at my end and at my departing.


Amen

These words, with some alteration, are from the Sarum Primer of 1514, which was a book of prayers and Christian worship resources in the Roman Catholic Church that was collected by the clergy at Salisbury Cathedral in the south central part of England. It was published in 1514 in the “Book of Hours” (Cambridge) and republished as the “Sarum Primer” in Salisbury in 1558. (“Sarum” is the abbreviation for Sarisburium, the Latin word for Salisbury, which was and is both a city and a diocese in England.) 1

May God open our minds and hearts so that we can do our part in bringing forth the His Kingdom.

Enjoy the day!

Tom

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