“Love is the guarantee that the life of the Spirit is growing in us. Love is the sign of the Holy Spirit at work in the Church and in the world.” -Thomas Merton.
Excerpt from Fr. Rich’s 25th Anniversary Homily:
It was on Pentecost Sunday, 25 years ago that I first celebrated Mass, and it is with great joy and gratitude, that today, I give thanks to God for sustaining me in the faith for a quarter of a century. I am grateful to each and every one of you; those present in the church this day; those who could not be here, but are here in spirit and prayer; and those who have been commended to God’s care in glory.
The prelude music set the tone for this Mass of Thanksgiving, marking the 25th Silver Anniversary of my Ordination to the Priesthood: “Surely the Presence of the Lord is in This Place” by Nanny Wolfe, “How Beautiful” by Twila Paris and “Grace Alone” by Scott Wesley Brown and Jeff Nelson. These songs of faith stir the assembly of believers as we gather in God’s house, opening our hearts to His word and to receive His Body and Blood. It was resoundingly, that we were met with our opening song: “All Are Welcome!” by Marty Haugen.
‘Hospitality’ and ‘welcome’ was always a hallmark of Jewish prayer and faith. So, I welcome all of you, from near and far, family and friends, young and old. I offer a special welcome to my 92 year old godmother, Aunt Jo, who traveled with my cousin, Sandy Lewis from Salem, OH to be here today. As Aunt Jo stood as a sponsor in Baptism for me, 51 years later, she continues to ‘fan the flame of faith’ in my heart through her faith, joy and love.
There are 3 gifts I would like everyone to take home from this special occasion:
1. A prayer card that includes a picture of my patron saint, St. Richard of Chichester, (1197-1253), and my favorite prayer on the back: “Thank you, Lord Jesus Christ for all the benefits and blessings which you have given me, for all the pains and insults which you have bore for me. Merciful Friend, Brother and Redeemer, may I know you more clearly, love you more dearly, and follow you more nearly, day by day.”
2. A bulletin, which includes pictures from my journey of faith. My classmates from 1988 were recently on retreat at St. Paul Seminary (May 5-8, 2013). I took a walk with each one of them and spent time with them. The late Bishop John Bernard McDowell, (who confirmed me and ordained me a Deacon), would often say when one marks a jubilee or anniversary: “We need to congratulate, commend and give thanks to those who have ‘made it’ and persevered!” “The Church is like a great ship; being pounded by the waves of life’s different stresses. Our duty is not to abandon the ship, but to keep her on course.” -St. Boniface
3. A worship aid containing pictures, poems, prayers and songs, which convey and communicate the story of my life. May you take these home as small gift and souvenir of this day.
When I walked into church this morning, I heard the song, “Yes, Jesus Loves Me” playing. Many times I heard those same lyrics sung in our home by our Presbyterian father. I know that Mom is smiling upon us now, and her spirit rests upon us today! After I opened the doors to the church, I lit a vigil candle at the Pieta statue (faithfulness forever). I am grateful for all the pilgrims of faith who have made this journey. The Church has been here long before us and will be here long after us. What a gift the Church is, as we celebrate her birthday today. It is our birthday as well, through the gift of the Holy Spirit, given to those who believe.
I received an early 25th Anniversary gift to attend the 2nd round playoff game against the Ottawa Senators. I brought along a friend, who remarked that he didn’t want me to ‘clog the system’ by slowing us down as we went through all the different check points at the Consol Energy Center. He said, “Take out your cell phone, your glasses, binoculars, coins and keys. Then we will get through this with flying colors!” As the security agents scanned us, they said, “Enjoy the game!” We advanced to second level, where there is a dynamic attraction featuring touch screen panels, enabling fans to view the biographies, stats, photos and videos that pay tribute to prominent coaches, players and great moments of the Penguins’ history.
Being a passionate Pens fan, I sometimes wonder if I’ve attended more games than celebrated Masses! After all, my Pennsylvania license plate is a personal plate from Mount St. Mary Seminary, of which I am an alumni (class of 1988). I waited 2 1/2 years to get the number “66” on my plate (Pens’ player, Mario Lemieux’s number). Penguin photos also adorn my entire office at the rectory. As we went to our seats, the ticket takers scanned our tickets and gave us a towel and a program for the game. We went to the concession stands, then went to find our seats, only to find that we were 16 rows behind the Ottawa Senator goalie! It was a perfect view! Seven minutes prior to the start of the game, they dimmed the lights and played captions of great moments from past Penguin games. Then Jeff Jimmerson sang the Canadian and US National Anthems. With fans cheering, towels waving and all shouting, the excitement was breath-taking. My friend exclaimed, “If you can’t get into the spirit here, there’s something wrong!”
Recently I read a book, “Holy Goals for Body and Soul” co-written by Bishop Thomas John Paprocki and his brother, Joe Paprocki. Fr. Thomas is a priest from Chicago (ordained in 1978), and was made Auxilliary Bishop in 2003. In 2010, he became Bishop of Springfield, IL. Bishop Paprocki is both a civil and canon lawyer and has run 18 marathons. He was a goalie for an amateur hockey league called, “Masters Hockey League” and also played goalie for practices with the Chicago Blackhawks and the Columbus Blue Jackets of the NHL. He is currently the Episcopal Advisor for “Catholic Athletes for Christ”. He is one of 7 boys and his younger brother John was active in pastoral ministry for over 30 years and also a best-selling author. In the book, they note that there are 8 steps connecting sports with God and faith:
1. Fear: 365 times in the Bible it says: “Do not fear.” I have read that there are over 750 fears that beset the human journey. We have nothing to fear, as Jesus rose from the dead!
2. Frustration: No life is without frustrations, whether big or small.
3. Failure: There are a lot more losers than winners. How do we deal with failure? Despite our own failures, God invites us to celebrate His victory.
4. Fortitude: This is a virtue that gives us strength to face the challenges in life.
5. Faith: To win in life, we must have faith in God, and the many gifts He’s given us to share with others. People who place faith in God are never disappointed.
6. Family: It is the first ‘team’ and first ‘unit’, that we play with and work with. Family lasts a lifetime. The epitome of family life is the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph.
7. Friendship: Abe Lincoln said, “The better part of one’s life consists of friendships.”
8. Fun: Are we having fun yet? Laughter is the best medicine!
St. Paul, the athlete summed it up best: “Whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God. (1 Cor 10: 31)
