Ordinary Time 26

“... to make dreams come into reality, it takes an awful lot of determination, dedication, self-discipline and effort.”

- Jesse Owens

Following the 10:00 AM Mass on Catechetical Sunday last week, a catechist asked me if I was going to run in the Great Race this Sunday, September 26. The Great Race was established in 1977 as a 10K stretch by the late Mayor Richard Caliguiri. Reflecting on the over 14,000 participants, both runners and walkers, who will take to the streets of Pittsburgh, I remembered 15 years ago at the age of 33 when I ran my first (and only) marathon on May 7, 1995. I recalled taking instruction to run the 26.2 mile marathon with the proper conditioning, clothing, diet and accessories. Our instructor exhorted us that no matter where we were on the course, to take whatever is offered on any mile mark — whether water, Gatorade, banana, orange, popsicle or ice — because this will keep fuel in the tank and give energy to get to the end. In my office I have a small picture of that most memorable day -- I finished! I also have a large picture in my office of a solitary athlete running on an autumn morning with the caption:

“THE ESSENCE OF RUNNING — Running is a road to self-awareness and self-reliance. You can push yourself to extremes and learn the harsh reality of your physical and mental limitations, or coast quietly down a solitary path watching the earth spin beneath your feet. But when you are through, exhilarated and exhausted, and at least for a moment, everything seems right with the world.”

Although I will not participate in the Great Race, I do plan to run in the beautiful mountains of West Virginia as the priests of the Diocese of Pittsburgh are away from September 27-30 at Oglebay Resort and Conference Center in Wheeling, WV. The theme for this triennial convocation is "Co-Responsible for Communion and Mission." 85% of the active priests in our diocese will attend. It is a wonderful time to be away in the autumn setting of West Virginia, called together by Bishop Zubik along with our brother priests to strengthen the bonds of fraternity, support, encouragement and prayer. We have the opportunity to rest and relax (physically), to recollect and regenerate (intellectually), to renew and recommit (spiritually) through a methodology of appreciative inquiry and dialogue, (a growth in human formation). Keynote speakers include:

• Fr. John Cecero, SJ, Associate Professor in Psychology at Fordham University, Rector of the Jesuit Community and Director of the Center for Spirituality and Mental Health speaking on “Flourishing in the Priesthood” and “Shepherding in Communion”
• Bishop Richard Malone of Portland, Maine, speaking on “Pastoral Co-Responsibility”
• Kerry A. Robinson, Executive Director of the National Leadership Roundtable on Church Management, speaking on “Living in the World of Possibility”

There also will be various workshops on Parish Pastoral Councils, Pope John Paul II’s Theology of the Body, Charisms of the Holy Spirit, NFP & Marriage Ministry and Financial Planning for Retirement. There are sessions for priests to share their personal life-experiences in small groups. The Sacrament of Reconciliation, a Holy Hour and an open forum with Bishop Zubik along with uplifting prayer services and invigorating Liturgies will be shared. A new priest photo book will be compiled as well.

This is the 7th multi-day convocation. It is a great water-hole to gather every three years as an entire presbyterate to reflect on making the Church Alive in Pittsburgh. The previous convocation topics in Oglebay were

• 1992 - A Shepherd’s Care
• 1995 - Called by Name
• 1998 - As One Who Serves: Leadership in the Church Today
• 2001 - Called to Proclaim the Gospel to All: Renewing Sunday Preaching
• 2004 - The Many Dimensions of Priestly Ministry: A Healthy and Holy Priesthood
• 2007 - The Priest as Evangelist and the Evangelizing Parish

I am at mile 22.5 marker in my priesthood. I am grateful for these Oglebay experiences that always bring new promise and possibilities to serving God’s people. The greatest gift we can bestow on another is seeking and striving to be happy, healthy and holy. St. Paul spurs us every step of the journey as He writes in 2 Timothy 4:7, “I have done my best in the race. I have run the full distance. And I have kept the Faith.”

Prayer for the Success of the Clergy Convocation

Heavenly Father, Your Son, Jesus Christ, came among us as one who serves and taught us how to serve one another in the Church and in the world. Our Lord Jesus Christ, as Head of the Church, in turn instituted the ordained priesthood so that certain men might serve in his name and in his person in the midst of the community. We are grateful for the many gifts our priests bring to us; for drawing us together in worship, visiting us in our home, comforting us in sickness, showing us compassion, blessing our marriage, baptizing our children, supporting us in bereavement, challenging us to grow in our Catholic faith, motivating us to take the initiative to reach out and support the poor, and encouraging us to work for the salvation of souls and the building up of the kingdom of God.

Bless Bishop Zubik and all our priests as they begin the triennial multi-day convocation. Open their hearts and minds to the important theme they are reflecting upon. Advance our priests’ appreciation for the communion between laity and priests, and deepen our unity and complementarity in service to the Church’s mission of reconciliation. Help these, our brothers in Christ, to cherish their time away together in the peaceful and pastoral setting of Oglebay, West Virginia.

God our Father, we ask you to bless our priests and confirm them in their calling. Give them the gifts they need to continue to respond with generosity and a joyful heart. We offer this prayer for our priests through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Ordinary Time 25

“Children not only get their names, their food and clothing from their parents; they get their characters, their morals and their habits.”

- Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, 1895-1979

On Saturday, September 11, I had a Christian funeral Liturgy of Thanksgiving for Brigid "Marie" Burke who was born on January 29, 1912 and died in her own home on September 7 -- just shy of 99! When we went to our St. Joseph Cemetery after the Liturgy, her son John asked if her grandson Chad from Florida could offer a few words. I thought his sincere, humble, real and kind words were most memorable. He said:

I thank you Grandma, for walking me through the rain, ice and snow and holding on to my hand as you took me to St. Joseph School. I thank you for taking me to church and making sure I received the sacraments to help me along in my faith. I thank you for taking the time to say prayers with me that focused me on God in my daily life. I thank you for helping to raise me and teach me right from wrong. And even when my life would take a bad turn I know your steady, tender and compassionate ways would see me through. I thank you for teaching me the greatest lessons in life: to always be honest, truthful, respectful, appreciative and faithful.

As he extended his right hand over her casket in profound gratitude, the mourners were deeply touched and comforted through this gracious gesture of goodness. It was fitting that the Irish blessing was on her prayer card from the funeral home which read:

May the road rise to meet you. May the wind be always at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face. May the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of His hand. Amen.

This Sunday, we celebrate Catechetical Sunday and I extend my generous thanks and prayers for all who serve the Church as catechists. I thank most especially all grandparents, Godparents and parents whose irreplaceable example is the foundation of later knowledge, virtue and holiness. I’m grateful for all my brother priests and deacons and all religious sisters whose dedication to the service of the Church has served as a banner of hope for others’ lives. I am grateful to our dedicated teachers here at St. Joseph Catholic School and to the catechists of our religious education and sacramental preparation programs -- for your loving faith, example, devotion and commitment. I pray that your own faith will be strengthened and increased by sharing it with others as we celebrate this year’s theme for Catechetical Sunday, “Marriage, Sacrament of Enduring Love."

My parents were married at St. George Church in Lisbon, OH on August 3, 1946 and Dad was called home to the Lord on February 8, 1986. My father was Presbyterian and attended First Presbyterian Church downtown near the former Gimbels on Sixth Street for fifty years. A month prior to his death he converted to the Catholic faith and asked for the pastor of St. Simon and Jude Church in Scott Twp., Fr. Thomas F. Carey, to hear his confession and anoint him. Dad wanted his death to unite the family, not divide it. I feel so deeply blessed and grateful to have such mentor and model parents along my faith journey. Dad would often remark that his grandfather was a religious man. A little over six years ago I placed Mom into the Little Sisters of the Poor Home on Benton Avenue in the North Side. I recall a question asked in the interviewing process, “What is your greatest accomplishment in life?” And Mom humbly and simply said, “Raising a family of seven children and teaching second graders to prepare for the Sacrament of Reconciliation and First Holy Communion for 27 years.” Faith examples make a big difference in one’s life and are never forgotten.

Catechist’s Prayer

Great Teacher, how can it be September already?
It seems just yesterday that my last class ended.
You know how busy and filled with rush my days are,
How often I run without remembering your nearness.
Keep me more faithful to those quiet times with you
And more alert to your presence amid my activities.

As I anticipate teaching another class this year,
There’s a part of me that’s fearful and anxious,
Doubting that I’ve faith enough to be the one to share it.
Take that doubt, Companion of Love, and change it.
Help me to see that I do believe, that my faith is deep,
If I but take the time to touch it with prayerful reflection.

There’s a part of me that’s uncertain and concerned,
Wondering if my hard work will be worth the effort.
How will I know if my ministry has made a difference?
Take this concern from my troubled heart, Peaceful One.
Help me to recognize that you never leave me.
It is your compassionate presence dwelling within me
That will call to young hearts and lead them home to you.
You will do so in a way that may never be known to me.

Divine Life-Giver, when I become tired and drained,
Be the energy and aliveness that I need.
Grant me the grace of enthusiasm,
So the love I have for you will shine through me.
Most of all, Sacred Echo of Happiness, be joy in me.
Do not let me give in to the demon of discouragement.
Rather, remind me often that I am your instrument,
Blessed with the gift of wanting to share my faith
And privileged to be in communion with your loved ones.

I need only to open my shaky heart to you.
I need only to surrender my spirit in trust.
I need only to cry out to you in prayer.
You will be there, you will hear my needs.
You will walk with me each step of the way,
Touching all those who are entrusted to my care.

- Sr. Joyce Rupp, "Out of the Ordinary"

A View From The Pew

(The following is a guest post from Ginny Ambrose, Director of Music Ministries at St. Joseph.)

Recently I had the opportunity to visit a beach community for vacation. Since my time away included a weekend, I naturally sought out the nearest Catholic church to attend Sunday Mass. I was in luck! Just around the corner from where I was staying was a beautiful church with an architecture that reflected a Spanish mission style. I was excited to enter such a beautiful building and couldn’t wait for the 10:00 AM Mass to begin. The organ swelled, the people stood and the procession began toward the altar. I picked up my hymnal and began to sing as well as my morning voice could. To my surprise not many sang around me. In fact, some even turned to stare. Bashful, and now embarrassed, I felt my voice quiver, and losing all confidence, I ceased my singing. Even though I’d always thought of myself as an active participant in the Mass, the stares were just too much for me to endure. The Mass went on much the same way, with little or no participation from the pews.

I looked around at the gorgeous stained glass, the burning candles, the wonderful homilist and wondered where the life was in this building. I thought about the verse in the song, Christ Be Our Light: “...make us your building, sheltering others, walls made of living stone.”

Maybe it was the fact that the congregation may have been vacationers, maybe strangers to this church themselves…. Whatever the reason, they had decided to remain spectators rather than participants. I thought about our dear parish of St. Joseph. I’ve always thought our congregation was such an alive one -- singing and praying their hearts out! I wondered if any of you ever had an experience like I had, even in our own pews. It made me think about the courage it must take to proclaim the faith even though those around us may not be so inspired. My "view from the pew" was a learning experience for me. There are those who hide their faith from the rest of the world and there are those who proudly proclaim it, praying and singing no matter how they sound. Which are you?

Ordinary Time 24

I vividly recall when I arrived at St. Joseph Parish in July of 2008 a parishioner at the 10:00 AM Mass told me she arrives at 9:30 AM in order to sit in the last pew in church! (Isn’t it interesting we come early to get the last.) She then went on to say she has been sitting in this same pew for 53 years. For the last two weekends as she and her daughter were on a trip to Italy, those two seats have been vacant in church. I guess “pew protocol” is once you’ve been long enough -- it’s like you have squatter’s rights. No one’s going to argue with you. As a parish priest we take comfort in seeing people sitting in their same spot week after week. Just like everyone in a family sits at their spot at the kitchen table, so too, at the house of God everyone gathers at the Lord’s table. But there are no assigned pews; the only passport to entry is that we are a sinner.

Jesus invites us to His table of forgiveness because we are precious and valuable. God’s grace finds us and brings us home and gives sinners new life. In the epistle of St. James it states, “The person who brings a sinner back to his way will save his soul from death and will cancel a multitude of sins” (James 5:20). Jesus is not content just to love the human race as a whole. Jesus loves each of us as an individual. He desires that none ever be lost.

We are more important to God than we can possibly imagine. We often think of the Prodigal Son but we don’t usually think of a Prodigal God. The dictionary defines the word “prodigal” as “recklessly extravagant” and “lavishly abundant”. The shepherd leaves 99 to seek the one, thus recklessly extravagant. A woman holds a party for friends and neighbors over one found coin -- lavishly abundant. And a father welcomes back a son -- all showing that God is lavish, extravagant and profuse in love for each one of us. Our God is a God of unlimited mercy, grace and forgiveness; always open to seeking and finding the lost.

Each Sunday celebration is a homecoming to reclaim our chosen identity as God’s children.

Ordinary Time 23

"We must go to God in His way; we shall only be saints in the measure wherein we adapt ourselves to the divine plan.”

- Blessed Columba Marmion

On September 5th, 13 years ago, Mother Teresa of Calcutta died. She was widely regarded as a living saint. Her simplicity, sincerity, smallness and smile radiated the globe over with the face of Christ’s light. She was the recipient of countless awards including the 1979 Nobel Peace Prize. Her congregation, the Missionaries of Charity, encompasses 594 homes in 123 countries today. There are more than 3600 sisters, nearly 380 brothers, 13 priests and countless coworkers all committed to living her spirit throughout the world. On the "fast-track" to beatification, she was named “Blessed” Mother Teresa Calcutta in 2003 and most likely will be canonized within the next few years.

She was born the youngest of 3 children of Albanian parents and her birth name was Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu. She grew up in a multi-ethnic, multi-faith town of Skopje where her father was a successful business man. Her childhood was a happy one. Making her first Holy Communion at the age of five, she was graced with a profound love of souls, a special gift from God that would characterize her entire life. She set sail for India in 1928 and chose the name “Teresa” as her religious name, taken after St. Theresa of Lisieux, the Little Flower, who believed that the way to holiness comes through fidelity in small things and spoke of the immense power of suffering to win God’s grace for others. Mother Teresa would often pray, “Jesus, it is for you and for souls.”

In 2007, a new book called "Come Be My Light: the Private Writings of the Saint of Calcutta" detailed Mother Teresa’s relentless surrender to God’s will despite doubts, dry spells in prayer and "dark nights of the soul". A mature spiritual person must experience suffering and pain to be brought into clearer light. Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta saw life as a prism:

Life is an opportunity, benefit from it.
Life is beauty, admire it.
Life is bliss, taste it.
Life is a dream, realize it.
Life is a challenge, meet it.
Life is a duty, complete it.
Life is a game, play it.
Life is promise, fulfill it.
Life is sorrow, overcome it.
Life is a song, sing it.
Life is a struggle, accept it.
Life is a tragedy, confront it.
Life is an adventure, dare it.
Life is luck, make it.
Life is too precious, do not destroy it.
Life is life, fight for it!

She also espoused the following ten commandments for viewing life and service to people each new day:

1. People are unreasonable, illogical and self-centered. Love them anyway.
2. If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Do good anyway.
3. If you are successful, you will make friends and true enemies. Succeed anyway.
4. The good you do today, will be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway.
5. Honesty and transparency make you vulnerable. Be honest and transparent anyway.
6. What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight. Build anyway.
7. People really need help but may attack you if you really help them. Help people anyway.
8. Give the world the best you have, and you will get kicked in the teeth. Give the world your best anyway.
9. If you choose to live a life of communion with your people, making them the first priority in your life, you will be judged old-fashioned. Live with your people anyway.
10. When you openly proclaim your love for your people, you will be dismissed as hopelessly idealistic. Proclaim your love anyway.

On this 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Jesus clearly spells out the cost of discipleship. At first He may seem too idealistic, too other-worldly, and too harsh for us to take Him too seriously. However, Jesus does not "arm-twist" us to follow Him. He does not cajole, bribe, "brow-beat" or "sugar-coat" the message to be His follower. He tells us from the onset that it will cost us everything!

Jesus is the teacher/leader and we are the pupils, "the learners." He reminds us that we cannot be casual, comfortable and convenient disciples. Jesus reminds us that there is a ‘"hree-fold requirement" of discipleship:

1) ”If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.”
2) “Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.”
3) “Everyone of you who does not renounce all of his possessions cannot be my disciple.”

The path to discipleship demands a 100% total commitment for the long haul. Following Christ may cost us some natural biological relationships and natural friendships as well as some material comforts and pleasures that we all desire. A follower of Jesus must be prepared to carry his/her cross by making a conscious and willing commitment to Him and His Gospel. Jesus is simply saying we must love Him above all else! Jesus is very clear that nothing, absolutely nothing, can stand between us and following Him. Perhaps we think the cost of discipleship is too high or too demanding. However, Jesus knew it would be hard but He promised to help us. God does not ask to do something without giving us the grace to do it!

As we celebrate Labor Day in our country this Monday, September 6, let us ask the Lord to bless the work of our minds, hearts, hands and lives as seek to do His daily will.