Holy Spirit, Holy Gifts

"Holy Spirit of Truth, You are the Reward of the saints, the Comforter of souls, Light in the darkness, Riches to the poor, Treasure to lovers, Food for the hungry, Comfort to those who are wondering; to sum up, You are the One in whom all treasures are contained.” — St. Mary Magdelene di Pazzi

I recall during my days as hospital chaplain at Mercy (1996-2000), that I was called to the room to anoint a dying brother priest and listen to his confession. He was in his mid-fifties and had been through countless physical trials: a six-by-pass surgery, amputation of both legs, diabetes, kidney failure, dialysis, hearing loss, poor vision, and many other complications. I had visited him many, many times. After listening to his confession and anointing him that day, I asked him, “Is there any regret that you have in your life?” I was struck by his candor and humility when he replied, “I regret that I am not closer to Jesus at this point of my life as I should have been or I could have been.”

He died shortly after and I attended his funeral. His family was ever-so grateful and the following week they came to see me at Mercy and gave me many things from his wardrobe (namely clerical shirts, suits and pants.) They mentioned that I was about the same size as he and would I accept them in his sacred memory. I was touched by this gesture and still to this day, every time I wear a garment of his, feel his gentle spirit with me.

Today, the fiftieth day of Easter, the Church celebrates the feast of Pentecost, the day on which the Holy Spirit, or Paraclete, descended upon the Apostles and Mary. “Paraclete” literally means, “He who is called to one’s side” (Latin, “ad vocatus”). “Advocate” comes from this root and means consoler and healer. Pentecost was originally one of the three great Jewish feasts, one in which the Jews traveled in pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Pentecost (Greek, “the fiftieth day”) also called “Weeks” or “Shavuot” came fifty days after Passover, and celebrated the Spring grain harvest and the offering of the first fruits. Later it became the day of celebration in remembrance of God’s giving of the Law or Torah on Mt. Sinai.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us: “On the day of Pentecost, when the seven weeks of Easter had come to an end, Christ’s Passover is fulfilled in the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, manifested, given, and communicated as a divine Person; Of His fullness, Christ, the Lord, pours out the Holy Spirit in abundance” (731). We recall this event in the third glorious mystery, the Descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles. Thus Pentecost is the Church’s Birthday; a time of renewal, re-creation and re-commitment to sharing the gifts we have been given for the gift of mission and ministry.

The best way we show our appreciation for the gifts God has given to us is to receive them graciously and to use them generously. If your gift is to sing, then sing. If your gift is to preach, then preach. If your gift is to work with the youth, be a good example. If your gift is to be a missionary, serve the poor. If your gift is computers, make good use of technology. If your gift is to listen, everyone has a story to share. If your gift is to write, share your wisdom. If your gift is to heal, soothe another’s hurt. If your gift is to build, create something beautiful. If your gift is to teach, inspire others. If your gift is to sew, cover another with love. If your gift is to coach, bring out the best in others. If your gift is to pray, be a prayer warrior. If your gift is to forgive, show the importance of letting go. If your gift is to be a friend, give the world a smile. If your gift is to volunteer, serve others joyfully. If your gift is to flip a burger, pour a drink or spin a wheel, serve at our festival!

It is important to discern the gifts that God has given to us and it is important that we don’t stay for any length of time out of our gifted area like a fish out of water. The Catechism tells us, “The Holy Spirit, whom Christ the Head pours out on His members, builds, animates and sanctifies the Church” (747).

It is easy to spot a person who is filled with spirit. School spirit, team spirit, family spirit, work spirit, community spirit, patriotic spirit, etc. — all are examples of acting with passion. As we journey through life our spirits can be extinguished and dampened by darkness and sin. The coals of our devotedness to piety, charity, gentleness, self-control and the fruits of the Holy Spirit, need to be rekindled anew. As followers of Christ, the Lord sends forth the Holy Spirit so that God’s people will be set on fire for Him, and use our gifts and talents for the good of everyone in order to give honor and glory to God.

The embers of our passion must be set aglow through a vital life of prayer, sacrifice and service. The heart of our ministry and mission and message must be the explosive power that the Holy Spirit unites us, heals divisions and curbs our self-centered tendencies to work, to build and to grow as His holy people. Never underestimate the power of the Spirit to breathe new life into our heats and souls!

Come Holy Spirit

Replace the tension within us with a holy relaxation.

Replace the turbulence within us with a sacred calm.

Replace the anxiety with us with a quiet confidence.

Replace the fear within us with a strong faith.

Replace the bitterness within us with the sweetness of grace.

Replace the darkness within us with a gentle light.

Replace the coldness within us with a loving warmth.

Replace the night within us with your day.

Replace the winter within us with your spring.

Straighten our crookedness, fill our emptiness.

Dull the edge of our pride, sharpen the edge of our humility.

Light the fires of your love. Quench the flames of our lust.

Let us see ourselves, as you see us,

That we may see you, as you have promised.

And be fortunate according to your word.

Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God!

— Author unknown

Priesthood: Not Just for Sunday

“God poured out the Holy Spirit abundantly on us through Jesus Christ our savior, so that by His grace we might be put right with God and come into possession of the eternal life we hope for.”

— Titus 3:6-7

Sunday, May 6, while I was recuperating from surgery in the hospital, was a Sunday like none other. Normally I’m opening the doors of the church, turning on lights, setting things out for Mass and looking forward to preaching to God’s people and see them gather for worship in His house. But on this Sunday, the fifth day of my stay in the hospital, the sting of the pain and the suffering that I was experiencing was penetrated by the Lord’s Day. I awoke to watch the 6:00 AM shut-in Mass on WPXI. The Mass was offered by Fr. Michael Decewicz from Juan Diego Parish in Sharpsburg, PA. I longed to view this Mass and watching it made me think of the importance of this Mass for those who are hospitalized, in nursing homes or homebound, which I will be offer on June 10 for the feast of the Most Sacred Body and Blood of Christ, along with our organist Ginny Ambrose and our choir from the parish.

Then I viewed Dr. Charles Stanley and the charismatic evangelist Joel Osteen from Lakewood Church in Houston, TX. After this I tuned into the 8:00 AM Mass at St. Paul Cathedral with the rector Fr. Don Brier as celebrant. Although this was a different Sunday in nature it had its own beauty. A new Eucharistic minister from St. James Parish who has served for three months, Betsy, came in to give me Holy Communion. It seemed to be the culmination of the stay in the hospital as she shared with me her passion and new-found excitement in the pastoral care setting of a hospital. She mentioned her ministry brought untold graces into her own faith journey and that she found bringing Jesus to those unable to be present at Mass ever so rewarding. When I told her I was the priest of St. Joseph, she asked if I would offer the prayer to which I said, “Jesus, Great Physician of our mind, bodies, hearts and spirits, give us strength and courage to do Your will and be an instrument of Your healing presence to one another. I thank you for sending this servant, Betsy, to minister to me in my time of need. And I thank you for the grace and healing of this Holy Eucharist.”

It was not too long after that two doctors came in to say, “Father, are you ready to be discharged?” Although I knew I was not coming back home to the parish house as yet, I was glad to be on my way out of there. I didn’t care how many pain killers I had to take or steps of the mountain I had to climb to the road to recovery. I was just relieved to be released on the Lord’s Day and will never forget the sunshine of God’s grace in my darkest hour.

On Monday, May 21, I celebrate the 24th anniversary of my ordination to the priesthood. I was ordained by the then-Bishop Donald Wuerl, the 11th Bishop of Pittsburgh. In anticipation for this I revisited and re-read the book by Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan entitled "Priests for the Third Millennium." As the former rector of North American College in Rome, he offers seminary talks expanded for priestly service. The cardinal’s passion and joy are contagious. As the late Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen said, “The crisis in the priesthood is not one of identity but one of faith.” Without a deep and mature faith we run the risk of trying futilely to seek meaning in other things: bottles, golf clubs, stocks, cars, travel, promotion, ambition. In the words of Pope Paul VI, “When a man says yes to the priesthood, that yes is forever” to continue to fight the good fight, to remain faithful to persevere in the midst of confusion, doubt and frustration. In our spiritual journey there are hills and valleys. And the key to holiness is not to lose hope in the dark valleys. When in the hospital I thought of Bishop Zubik who had to undergo back surgery twice in a relatively short period and gave the "thumbs-up" as he was looking toward a more promising future.

A priest is not called “reverend” nor “doctor” nor “vicar” nor “canon” but “father,” and father is an identity that is based on being, not function. Thus we retain our priestly identity wherever we go and whatever we do and our lives must let the light of Christ shine through us in all that we think, say and do. Priesthood is not a job, an occupation, a profession or a function, but a radical configuration of one’s life to Jesus Christ. The legendary Fr. Theodore Hesburgh, the president of Notre Dame for 35 years, believed that if you want to be faithful to your vocation, then be faithful to daily Mass. Be faithful to daily prayer of the Liturgy of the Hours. Be faithful to spiritual direction. Be faithful to daily spiritual reading. Be faithful to regular use of the sacrament of Penance. Be faithful to your vows of obedience, respect and chastity. Be faithful to simplicity of life, devotion to the Blessed Mother and the saints and a well balanced human formation. Fr. Hesburgh believed in a simple three-word prayer that served him well for many years, “Come, Holy Spirit.”

Cardinal Dolan reiterates the importance for priests to be men of integrity, sincerity, truth, character, reliability, transparency, chastity, confidentiality, charity and fairness. We must strive for inner serenity and purity of heart so that what we profess and how we live, meaning our external actions and our internal convictions are in order. Thus one is a well-integrated person and is at peace with His God, himself and others.

In his chapter on priestly zeal, Cardinal Dolan reminds us to have the zest of the apostles on Pentecost morning, meaning: be excited, eager and raring to go — have nerve, energy, drive and not be tepid, lack-luster or couch-potato disciples. One needs to have the great arena for the fight for souls in a parish. He reminds us of the importance of priests being on fire with zeal as he quotes Pope John Paul II at his Holy Thursday, 1979 address to priests, “The only priest who proves necessary to people, is the priest who is conscious of the meaning of his priesthood: the priest who believes profoundly, who professes his faith with courage, who prays fervently, who teaches with deep conviction, who serves with zeal, who puts into practice in his own life the program of the beatitudes, and who knows how to love disinterestedly, who is close to everyone, and especially to those who are most in need.” I’m glad to be back in the saddle at St. Joseph to serve as your priest.

A Mother’s Love: the Best Medicine

I wanted to let you know that I whispered a prayer or two for you today. You crossed my mind so many times and I asked the angels to be near you. I whispered a prayer for God to stand by your side — loving, protecting and guiding you. Know that you’re in my heart and that I whispered a prayer or two for you.

— Ellen M. DuBois

As I share these thoughts with you I’m sure you will read them before you will see me. I wish to sincerely thank each and every one of you for the countless measures of love that you extended to me during my recent surgery at Sewickley Valley Hospital and time of need. Your love was manifested in so many ways, through the gift of flowers, cards, well wishes and prayers and goodies. I realized that many people traveled some distances to the hospital but were unable to see me in my room, as the doctor had me off limits for visitation. However, the nurses gave me the names of all the people who came; I am very grateful to all. I especially thank the people who wrote their name and greetings on a card at last weekend’s Masses to extend their measure of love.

My surgery took one hour and forty minutes and was performed by Dr. Michael Felix. A benign growth was removed in my large intestine. (Thank God.) The doctor said that the surgery was the easiest one he had in two weeks, going without a glitch, and he was well pleased. Unfortunately, however, for over three days, I experienced a high temperature of 103.5, and the doctor was quite concerned about the etiology or cause of this fever. So on Friday, May 4, under the direction of the infectious control doctor, Bruce Chamovit, MD, I underwent a battery of more tests -- CAT scan, chest x-ray, Doppler for blood clots in the legs, tests for C Diff -- to get to the root of the extraordinarily high temperature. All the tests came out negative.

After that stormy Friday of going from room to room to room for endless tests in a state of increasing weakness, a knock came to my door. A nurse said, “There is a very special visitor who would love to see you if you are up to it.” Since I had good results from those tests, I was starting to feel more confident and hopeful. Who could be here? Lo and behold, the nurse said it was the bishop. The bishop entered my room with leg extended in a wheel chair. He said, “I heard there was a priest from the Diocese of Pittsburgh on the fifth floor and I had to see you before I left. Although I am not your bishop, I am a bishop. My name is Bishop Lawrence Brandt,” bishop of our neighboring Diocese of Greensburg.

We had a lively and joyful exchange of about an hour. I told him that I should have been at the Great Hall at the Seminary that night with Archabbot Douglas Nowicki OSB, and Fr. Timothy S. Whalen, and that I guessed God had other plans so that I could meet him instead. I was so very grateful for his pastoral visit, kindness and sensitivity. Bishop Brandt told me that he studied in Rome and was the bishop of Greensburg for eight years and was 73 years old. He was originally a priest from the Diocese of Erie. He came into my room with his leg extended because he had just undergone a knee replacement by Dr. Thomas. He said his recuperation time would be 6-7 weeks. During our visit, we covered a gamut of topics from the main figure-head of the American Church, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, to the number of vocations in our respective dioceses, to New Evangelization efforts and initiatives, to the challenges and promises that we hope for in serving God’s people more zealously, joyfully and faithfully. It didn’t take long in the conversation to find out that Bishop Brandt was a seasoned traveler and that he had been on the committee of the US Conference of Bishops for religious liberty with Bishop Zubik. I told him that we share the common ground of not only faith, but of having surgery on the same day, May 1, Feast of St. Joseph the Worker.

Bishop Brandt spoke of his 104-year-old mother who lived with him for 25 years and who was now living in St. Anne’s Home in Greensburg. He said her favorite show is Dancing with the Stars. Then we went on to the topic of the great gift and the most powerful influence in the world — a mother’s love.

As we celebrate Mother’s Day today, we honor our mothers and the special place they hold in our lives, whether our natural or adopted mothers, or another who assumes that role. As we receive love from the school of our mothers, we give love to others. There is no greater earthly example of God’s unconditional, sacrificing, nurturing and life-giving love than that of a faithful mother. Our God, like our mothers, loved us first before we could respond. Our moms know us intimately and have loved us unconditionally through childbirth pains, through infant helplessness and through the challenges and struggles that emerge from childhood, through adolescence and in to adulthood. Like the Lord, our mom is always the one we can count on to provide the constancy of God’s love, supports, counsel, faith and a listening ear. We thank God for our mothers, whose lives are the sign and reflection of God’s incredible love. Good mothers not only tell us how to live but to show us the way.

The most important preparation for my hospital stay, beyond the host of tests and pre-ops and all he duties for the parish, was to take a lengthy amount of time to get that fitting card and send it off to my mother. (It is estimated that 133,000,000 cards are sent on this most beloved holiday.)

St. Theresa of Avilla, a great mystic of the Carmelite order and profound spiritual teacher (1515-1582), writes about her mother dying when she was 12 years old. She said, “When I began to understand what I had lost, I went, afflicted, before an image of Our Lady and besought her with my many tears to be my Mother.” As our conversation come to a close, I knelt down and asked for Bishop Brandt’s blessing. I remember him praying that the Blessed Mother, our patron St. Joseph, and my patron St. Richard would heal, strengthen and protect me with God’s love. A constant question of the doctors and nurses was, “What is your level of pain now? 0 — no pain, 3 — mild pain, 7 — moderate pain, 10 — severe pain.” I am happy to say the numbers are going in the right direction. A loving family, a loving circle of friends, a loving faith community are signs of Christ’s victorious presence.

Time Out: Bearing Fruit through Suffering

“Keep yourself in training for a godly life. Physical exercise has some value, but spiritual exercise is valuable in every way, because it promises life, both for the present and for the future.”

- 1 Timothy 4: 7-8

When I was 33 years old, the age Jesus suffered and died, I decided to train rigorously for my first and only Pittsburgh Marathon which took place on May 7, 1995. At age 50, instead of running in the Pittsburgh Marathon (taking place today, May 6, 2012), I will be running to Heritage Valley Sewickley Hospital for surgery. Three days after my birthday, I went for a prescreening colonoscopy only to receive a positive result which set me on the course for more testing. Ten days later I was sent back to the hospital for a CT abdomen/pelvis exam, which once again indicated a positive finding. Two weeks later, at the hospital again, an MRI gave a third positive result and indicated that there was a 2.8 cm low density mass along the menial wall of the cecum. The mass would have to come out. My oldest brother Dave, a doctor in Minnesota, assured me that this is not a dangerous nor difficult surgery but a dramatic one since it is happening to me. Dr. Michael Felix, a surgeon at Sewickley Hospital, will perform the procedure on Tuesday, May 1, Feast of St. Joseph the Worker. The doctor informed me that I would be hospitalized 3-5 days and would have a follow up visit 7-10 days later. I will be recuperating at a friend’s house following surgery. I am happy that Fr. Harry Bielewecz, a 1974 graduate of our St. Joseph School, has got me covered here at the parish.

After six weeks of apprehension and uncertainty, I was at first disappointed and disillusioned at the initial prognosis. Then, in the face of an imminent surgery, I was surprised. And now I am grateful for the doctor’s confidence and reassurance which has alleviated any of my exaggerated fears. During a conference with Dr. Felix, he said it was important that we stay on top of the situation in order to keep in check any further complications which could develop later. I told the doctor I felt this is the same, too, in the spiritual life: unless we keep our spiritual house in order, it can easily fall into a state of deterioration. I was moved by the personal touch and concern of Dr. Felix and delighted when he said he treats everyone the same way.

I think sometimes God gives us "time outs" in life for a reason. Like most of us, we don’t like red lights which make us stop and yellow flashing lights which make us slow down with caution and yield. We prefer instead to race through life on green: go, go, go. But when illness or suffering strikes us, it makes us all too often experience the harsh reality of pain on earth. No life is immune or exempt from this cross. Suffering ever reminds us that we are human. It teaches us that in our body we are on earth.

I learned though this experience that in an accelerated society which can be very depersonalizing and dehumanizing at times, it is important to develop healthy interpersonal relationship where no person becomes a faceless or nameless number, since we are all created in the image and likeness of God.

This Fifth Sunday of Easter could be called “Fruity Sunday." In our Gospel of John 15, as the vine draws nutrients from the ground, so we draw our strength from Christ. Jesus tells us that whoever remains in Him will bear much fruit. To bear the cross is to bear fruit. To be fruitful, and to “bear much fruit” or fruit in plenty, we must sow seeds of faithfulness. What are your favorite fruits? Grapes, cherry, banana, orange, apple, peach, lemon, cantelope, watermelon? On the Internet, there is a list of 152 fruits starting with “acai” and ending with “ziziphus mauritiana.” But Jesus is more interested in fruits of the Spirit rather than fruits growing on a tree.

I recall as a child playing stickball in three families’ yards. In one, Mr. Opal grew a peach tree. He said he enjoyed peaches his entire life long. Peach cobbler, peach pie and the simple the fruit of the peach. He had never planted a seed in his life so he thanked the previous owner for having planted the peach tree there in order that his family could enjoy its fruits. If our lives are grafted to Christ and rooted in Christ, we grow abundantly in the spiritual life. But like any tree, in order for more fruit to grow, we must be pruned and cut back. In St. Paul’s letter to the Galatians (5: 22-23), he notes the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self–control. To the degree that we are sowing these seeds in our life as Christ’s disciples, we remain in Him and He in us.

What a great joy it is for the Church to extend its leaf of the table to welcome 15 First Holy Communion children at the Noon Mass this Sunday as they receive Jesus in the Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist, traditionally called First Holy Communion. At our Pre-Cana Class last week, at which 57 couples attended, a 31 year-old man named Chad McMillen, a First Communicant of mine from a generation past, recalled the day and thanked me for bringing Jesus to Him 24 years ago. The next day I told 7-year old Zachary Jozwiak, a First Communicant of this present generation, that I was sorry I would not be there for his big day, but had a friend, Fr. Harry, who was better, and that he was the bus driver when I was in the seminary. Not only did Fr. Harry drive the bus safely, but he served us well. I know he will serve our children well on their special day.

Right before the 4:00 PM Vigil last week, with 400 people packed into our church, with all the presenting couples and 57 attending couples, I raced to the rectory to get my mail. Lo and behold, I found a complimentary copy of my favorite author, Sr. Melanie Svoboda, SND, entitled "When the Blue Heron Flies." Her poem entitled “No Matter What” anointed the assembly:

No matter how far you’ve strayed, God will find you.

No matter how deep your anguish, God will comfort you.

No matter how serious your illness, God will heal you.

No matter how grave your sin, God will forgive you.

No matter how low you have fallen, God will raise you up.

No matter how weak you are, God will give you strength.

No matter how stubborn your will, God will urge you forward.

No matter how cold your heart, God will warm you.

No matter what, God will keep on loving.