Parish Priest: Fr Mike Delaney
Mob: 0417 279 437; mdelaney@netspace.net.au
Mob: 0417 279 437; mdelaney@netspace.net.au
Assistant Priest: Fr Alexander Obiorah
Mob: 0447 478 297; alexchuksobi@yahoo.co.uk
Mob: 0447 478 297; alexchuksobi@yahoo.co.uk
Postal Address: PO Box 362
Parish Office:
90 Stewart Street
(Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 10am - 3pm)
(Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 10am - 3pm)
Secretary: Annie Davies / Anne Fisher
Pastoral Council Chair: Mary Davies
Pastoral Council Chair: Mary Davies
Parish Mass Times: mlcpmasstimes.blogspot.com.au
Weekly Homily Podcast: podomatic.com/mikedelaney
Parish Magazine: mlcathparishnewsletter.blogspot.com.au
Archdiocesan Website: www.hobart.catholic.org.au for news, information and details of other Parishes.
Weekday Masses 7th - 10th July, 2015
Tuesday: 9:30am - Penguin
Wednesday: 9:30am - Latrobe
Thursday: 10:30am - Eliza Purton, 12noon - Devonport
Friday: 9:30am -
Ulverstone
Next Weekend 11th & 12th July, 2015
Saturday Vigil: 6:00pm Penguin & Devonport
Sunday Mass: 8:30am Port Sorell
9:00am Ulverstone
10:30am Devonport
11:00am
Sheffield
5:00pm Latrobe
Eucharistic Adoration:
Devonport: Every Friday 10am - 12noon, concluding with Stations of the Cross and Angelus
Devonport: Benediction with Adoration - first Friday of each month.
Prayer Groups:
Charismatic Renewal – Devonport Emmaus House Thursdays commencing 7.30pm
Christian Meditation - Devonport, Emmaus House Wednesdays 7pm.
Ministry Rosters 11th & 12th July, 2015
Devonport:
Readers Vigil:
M Gaffney, M Gerrand, H Lim 10:30am:
E Petts, K Douglas
Ministers of Communion: Vigil:
B & B
Windebank, T Bird, J Kelly, T Muir,
Beau Windebank
10:30am: J DiPietro, S Riley, B Schrader, F Sly, M Mahoney, M
Sherriff
Cleaners 10th July: B
Paul, D Atkins, V Riley
17th July:
G & R O’Rourke, M & R Youd
Piety Shop 11th July:
R Baker 12th July: P Piccolo Flowers: A O’Connor
Ulverstone:
Reader: S Willoughby
Ministers of Communion: M Byrne, D Griffin, K Foster, R
Locket
Cleaners: V
Ferguson, E Cox Flowers: M Byrne Hospitality: S & T Johnstone
Penguin:
Greeters: A Landers, P Ravaillion Commentator: J
Barker
Readers:
Y Downes, T
Clayton
Procession: Kiely Family Ministers of Communion: M Hiscutt, M Murray
Liturgy:
Pine Road Setting Up: T Clayton
Care of Church: M Murray, E Nickols
Latrobe:
Reader: P Cottrell Ministers of Communion: I Campbell, Z Smith
Procession: Cottrell Family Music: Jenny
Port Sorell:
Readers: L Post, G Duff Ministers of Communion: T Jeffries, D Leaman
Cleaners/Flowers/Prepare: A Holloway, B Lee
Your prayers are asked for the sick:
Fr Terry Southerwood, Yvonne Harvey, Maryanne Doherty, Joy Carter, Reg Hinkley & …
Let us pray for those who have died recently:
Paul Mulcahy, Terry Charlesworth, Leslie Constable, Kath Bennett, Anne Morton, Moira Rhodes, Eva Zvatora,
Fr Paul Campbell ofm and Pat Malone.
Let us pray for those whose anniversary occurs about this time: 1st – 7th July:
Hedley Stubbs, Norma & John Ellings, Ellen Joyce, Mary Woodcock, Pamela Withers, Laurance Gibbons, Maud Powell, John Cochrane, Marcella Rech, Marjorie Parissons, Jean Dynan, Margaret McCormack and Geoffrey Jamieson.
May they rest in peace
Scripture Readings
This Week - 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year B
First Reading: Ezekiel 2:2-5
Responsorial Psalm:
Responsorial Psalm:
(R.) Our eyes are fixed on the Lord, pleading for his
mercy.
Second Reading: 2 Corinthians 12:7-10
Gospel Acclamation:
Gospel Acclamation:
Alleluia, alleluia!
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me; he sent me to bring Good
News to the poor. Alleluia!
GOSPEL: Mark 6:1-6
PREGO REFLECTION ON TODAY'S GOSPEL:
As always, I begin my prayer slowly. I become aware of being in the presence of the carpenter, who is son of Mary but Son of God as well. I read the Gospel slowly, allowing its sounds and images to touch me.Using my imagination, I see Jesus teaching in the synagogue.Does he seem at home? How are the crowd with him?
I listen to what they say of him. In what way does their astonishment of him strike me?
Typically, people marvel at what he does and says, but here they take offence. Jesus appears to be surprised by their lack of acceptance of him.
I look to Jesus as he responds.How does he deal with this rejection? How do I deal with rejection in my life?
I think of times when, perhaps, I have judged others according to where they come from, their type of occupation or their family background.
Do I sometimes think I know Christ when I only know something about him?
Who is Jesus, Son of God, for me? And, today, does he find faith in me?
I conclude my prayer in the company of Christ who knows what it is to have his work limited, who understands amazement and surprise and who has felt the pain of rejection from those closest to him.
Readings Next Week: 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time
First Reading: Amos 7:12-15; Second Reading: Ephesians 1:3-14;
Gospel: Mark 6:7-13
WEEKLY RAMBLINGS:
The month of July is a month when many of the priests who have worked in the Church in Tasmania (prior to the mid 70’s and later) celebrate their anniversary of Ordination. This month (23rd) Fr Denis Allen, a former assistant priest in Devonport, celebrates 50 years of priesthood. Fr Terry Yard celebrated his 49th anniversary last Sunday (28th June), Fr Graeme Howard will celebrate 53 years on 19th, Frs Terry Southerwood & John Williams 53 years on 20th, Fr Peter O’Loughlin 49 years on 22nd and Fr Smiley 44 years on 30th. Please remember these men and those who have gone before in your prayers during this month. Details of us (younger men) and our anniversary dates will be available next month.
You will notice elsewhere in the Bulletin this weekend that Anthony Onyirioha will be ordained a Deacon at The Church of Christ the Priest, Kingston Channel Parish, on Sunday evening. Anthony is from Nigeria and has spent some time in the Seminary in Victoria as well as working in the Cathedral and Kingston Channel Parishes over the past few years. Fr Alex will be travelling down to concelebrate the Mass with the Archbishop and priests, mainly of the southern region, for this special occasion in the life of the Tasmanian Church. Please pray for Anthony and for his future ministry amongst the people of Tasmania.
Last week I mentioned that I had been involved in a large number of funerals since my arrival in the Mersey Leven Parish. Some of those were the funerals of people I had got to know because I had been involved with them much earlier through the celebration of the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick. The reason that I mention the Anointing of the Sick is because many still think of the Sacraments as the Last Rites – for some it might be but for many it is a source of healing and peace during their illness and in many cases it can become the opportunity for Fr Alex or myself to journey with a parishioner during this time. Please contact us, with the person’s permission, with the details of anyone seeking to receive the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick to allow us the privilege of journeying with them.
Until next week, please take care on the roads and in your homes.
NATIONAL ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER
SUNDAY 5TH JULY,
‘WE ALL STAND ON SACRED GROUND’
Today marks the day that all Catholics from all over Australia come together to celebrate and acknowledge the Traditional Owners who have walked upon and cared for this land for thousands of years and acknowledge the continued deep spiritual attachment and relationship that Indigenous people bring to the Catholic Church in Australia.
Holy Father, God of Love, You are the Creator of this land and of all good things.
Our hope is in you because you gave your son Jesus to reconcile the world to you.
We pray for your strength and grace to forgive, accept and love one another,
As you love us and forgive and accept us in the sacrifice of your Son.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Faith Story
NATSICC Counsellor Shirley Quaresimin (nee AhChee)
I would like to think that my faith journey began the day I was
born into a loving family and extended family. I learnt from an early age that
family was the most important part of culture, sharing, caring and giving.
My journey begins with my mother Marjory Watson, who was born at
Noonkanbah in the Kimberley in 1914 on the Fitzroy River of the Nyikina tribe.
My mother was taken away and sent to Beagle Bay mission on the Peninsula 80kms
from Broome where Sisters of Saint John of God and the German Pallottine
Fathers and Brothers who ran the mission.
Mum did not talk much of what happened but said she loved the
Sisters and Fathers to bits. She went about her learning and loved religion.
Mum was baptised there. She missed her family deeply though during that time.
On her return to Derby she worked as a housekeeper before
marrying my Dad which lasted 53 years before Dad died. Mum always had in the
corner of the room statues of Jesus, Mary, Joseph and the Saints. This was
where prayers and the Rosary were said.
Our place became a place where Bishop Raible, Sisters and
Priests would come as there was no church or presbytery in Derby in the early
years. They were always welcomed in our home. I remember Bishop Raible would
play our old Pianoia.
In 1954 the first Catholic school opened in Derby. I was 8 years
old and one of 20 students that attended the school. The school was situated at
the back of the old corrugated iron church. Sister Ignatius was our first
teacher and besides doing school work we would spend time cleaning and
polishing the brass. For me it was a time where I could be with God to talk to
and feel his love and that I was special. I wish that all kids could have that
opportunity to experience of belonging.
That’s where the scripture classes began and the understanding
about being a Catholic meant. Beside my parents the Sisters of St. John of God
and the Pallottine Fathers played a part in developing my faith journey. The
Sisters prepared us for life, to have the ability to be part of church and for
young Aboriginal girls a message/creed for living.
Moving to Perth and wanting my children to have the same
experience of my faith journey, I turned up to the local church to find I was
the only Aboriginal person there. But my trust in God and the love He had for
us kept us going. I was commissioned as a Catechist for the Archdiocese of
Perth and Special Minister of the Eucharist. I taught scripture to after-school
children at my then church parish for ten years. When you let the love and
trust of God into your life everything falls into place.
The passion for Catholic Aboriginal Education and equality led
me to join the Catholic Education Office and they gave me the opportunity to
keep pursuing and learning and building on my faith journey. At this time I
joined the Aboriginal Catholic Ministry in the 1980s which I became Chairperson
and part of NATSICC. Being part of NATSICC led me to meet so many Aboriginal
people also passionate about their faith. I was there when the elders wrote the
Aboriginal prayer. It is still very emotional for me to have experienced such
devotion by our elders.
At St. Joseph’s House of Spirituality in Baulkham Hills I had
the chance to spend time with the Josephite Sisters. It taught me so much more
about faith and spirituality, the love of the Bible. Living with 90 nuns, 2
priests and a Brother was strange for me. My highlight was doing a street
retreat which took place in Sydney meeting Mum Shirley Smith. I worked
alongside her visiting the juvenile centres. We went one Sunday to the park to
pray when I met the only Aboriginal man. He asked me where I came from and I
offered him a sandwich. He replied; “he had eaten at the Salvos and would take
me for a feed”. I thanked him and said no thanks. Did I meet God that day? I
like to think I did because after that I did not see another Aboriginal person.
I went to Ireland and Rome for the Beautification of Edmund
Rice. My faith journey took me to another level to see Pope John Paul and
thousands of Catholics.
I was lucky and grateful to have had my Grandmother Emily in my
life as she taught me how to understand my Aboriginal spirituality and Catholic
faith. She was also a Catholic but did not lose her own Spirituality.
I have respect for my humble beginnings from the early teaching
from a loving family. It taught me to be respectful to your elders, honesty,
love, courtesy and to be grateful for what you have.
On the day you are born God sets a path and it’s up to us what
path we want our journey to take. I believe what I have achieved through my
life has been my faith in God and those early teachings. I hope that I have
been a role model for all the children and people I have met along the way.
I have taken a full circle after a long time away from NATSICC
and now I am back on NATSICC, God has a plan, it’s not over yet. I am so proud
to be working with such dedicated people who ensure Catholic Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander people have a voice in the Church. Remember what Pope
John Paul II said in Alice Springs; until the ABORIGINAL people of Australia
have made their contribution to the church, it will not be the church God wants
it to be.
I thank my five children and husband for letting me pursue my
faith journey through life and having them by my side.
“Halt at the Crossroads
…… Ask Yourselves which is the way…….
……. Take the Risk
……. Walk the way
……. And You will find Rest”
Jeremiah 6:16
SEA SUNDAY APPEAL LEAVING COLLECTION – 12TH JULY, 2015
Next weekend the theme for Sea Sunday for 2015 will be “The Stella Maris Global Family”. On Sea Sunday as a Catholic Church we would like to express our appreciation to the seafarers in general for their fundamental contribution to the international trade. This year in particular, we would like to recognise the great humanitarian effort done by the crews or merchant vessels that without hesitation, sometimes risking their own life, have engaged in many rescuing operations saving thousands of migrant lives. Our gratitude goes to all the chaplains and volunteers of the Apostleship of the Sea for their daily commitment in serving the people of the sea; their presence in the docks is the sign of the Church in their midst and shows the compassionate and merciful face of Christ.
Please support the Leaving Collection which will be taken up next weekend!
(St Vincent de Paul Leaving Collection will be this weekend)
CWL ULVERSTONE: Next meeting Friday 10th July, 2pm at Sacred Heart Church.
MT ST VINCENT AUXILIARY:
Will be holding a Craft and Cake Stall at Sacred Heart Church, Ulverstone, after Mass Sunday 19th July. Your support will be gratefully appreciated.
CATHOLIC CHARISMATIC RENEWAL STATE CONFERENCE 2015:
Is being conducted at the Emmanuel Retreat Centre, 123
Abbott St, Launceston 7:30 pm Friday
7th August to 1.00 pm Sunday 9th August. The theme “Expectant Faith is not believing God
can – it is knowing He Will”. Guest presenters: Fr Mark Freeman VG, Fr Graeme Howard, Fr Alexander Obiorah and Maureen O’Halloran. Application
forms with details including accommodation and daily attendance costs are
included on Church notice boards. Please contact Celestine Whiteley on 6424:2043
if you wish to attend.
MACKILLOP
HILL SPIRITUALITY CENTRE WILLIAM ST, FORTH
Getting more out of the Sunday Gospel
An invitation to explore ways of tuning in to what the
Gospel is inviting you to be.
Each Sunday’s Gospel speaks to each of us in a different
way. What is the Gospel saying to you?
Presented by Richard and
Belinda Chapman.
Thursday 23rd July 7.30pm –
9.00pm. Cost: $15.00/Donation.
Bookings: Phone 6428:3095
MACKILLOP HILL LIBRARY:
William St, Forth. Opening Times: 9.00am to 5.00pm Monday to Friday. Don’t forget to collect your flyer today listing suggested books and DVD selections for July. Flyers are available at the church door. Further information: Phone: 6428:3095 email: mackillophill.forth@sosj.org.au
SACRED
HEART CHURCH ROSTERS:
Rosters are now being prepared
for Sacred Heart Church. Please let Barbara O’Rourke 6428:2723 know as soon as
possible if you are interested in taking on a role within the Church or if you
are unable to continue on the roster.
FOOTY POINTS MARGIN TICKETS:
Round 13 – Richmond won by 18 points. Winners; Zillah Jones (again!!), Julie McBain, Michelle Rose.
Thursday Nights OLOL Hall D’port. Eyes down 7.30pm –
Callers 9th July Tony Ryan & Alan Luxton.
SOLEMNITY OF OUR LADY OF MOUNT CARMEL:
Sung Mass will be celebrated at the Carmelite Monastery, 7 Cambridge St., Launceston, on Thursday July 16th 9.30am. The Celebrant and Homilist will be Fr Greg Chee, OCD. There will be an opportunity to be enrolled in the Brown Scapular during Mass (scapulars will be available at the Monastery). A Novena of Masses and Prayers will take place between July 7th – 15th - Intentions may be sent to Mother Prioress. Morning Tea will be available after Mass. All are welcome
Mersey Leven Parish congratulates
Mr Anthony Chidi Onyirioha
on his Ordination to the Diaconate
on his Ordination to the Diaconate
Sunday 5th July, 2015
at Christ the Priest Catholic Church, Kingston.
at Christ the Priest Catholic Church, Kingston.
St Benedict was discovered by a group of monks who prevailed upon him to become their spiritual leader. His regime soon became too much for the lukewarm monks so they plotted to poison him. Gregory recounts the tale of Benedict's rescue; when he blessed the pitcher of poisoned wine, it broke into many pieces.
St Benedict left the wayward monks and established 12 monasteries with 12 monks each in the area south of Rome. Later, perhaps in 529, he moved to Monte Cassino, about southeast of Rome; there he destroyed the pagan temple dedicated to Apollo and built his premier monastery. It was there too that he wrote the Rule for the monastery of Monte Cassino though he envisioned that it could be used elsewhere.
The 38 short chapters of the Second Book of Dialogues contain accounts of St Benedict's life and miracles. Some chapters recount his ability to read other persons' minds; other chapters tell of his miraculous works (eg, making water flow from rocks, sending a disciple to walk on the water, making oil continue to flow from a flask.) The miracle stories echo the events of certain prophets of Israel as well as happenings in the life of Jesus. The message is clear: St Benedict's holiness mirrors the saints and prophets of old and God has not abandoned his people; he continues to bless them with holy persons.
Meme of the week
Does your parish have bingo? If so, you might know someone who is as keen on it as the woman in this picture.
Does your parish have bingo? If so, you might know someone who is as keen on it as the woman in this picture.
____________________________________________
THE GOD OF OUR DESIRES
An article by Fr Ron Rolheiser. The original can be found here
What lies deepest inside authentic faith is the
truth that God is the object of all human desire, no matter how earthy and
unholy that desire might seem at times. This implies that everything we desire
is contained in God. We see this expressed in the Psalms, which tell us that
God is the object of our desires, and in Jesus, who tells us that it is in God
that our deepest hungers and thirsts will be satiated. And so we pray, without
perhaps ever really being conscious of what we are saying: My soul longs for
you in the night. You, Lord, alone, can fill my heart. You, O Lord, are my all.
But is it really God that we are longing for in the night and aching for in our
desires?
Do we really believe that God is the real object of
our desires? When we look at all that is beautiful, full of life, attractive,
sexually alluring, and pleasurable on earth, do we really think and believe
that this is contained in an infinitely richer way inside of God and inside the
life into which God invites us? Do we really believe that the joys of heaven
will surpass the pleasures of earth and that, already in this world, the
pleasures of virtue trump the sensations of sin? Do we really believe that faith will give us
what we desire?
It would seem not. We, and most everyone else, struggle
to turn our attention towards God. We find religious practice and prayer more
of a disruption to life than an entry into it, more a duty than an offer, more
an asceticism than a joy, and more as something that has us missing out on life
than entering into its depths. In most of us, if we are honest, there is a
secret envy of those who recklessly plumb sacred energy for their own pleasure,
that is, we doggedly do our duty in committing ourselves to something higher,
but, like the Older Brother of the Prodigal Son, we mostly serve God out of
obligation and are bitter about the fact that many others do not. This side of
eternity, virtue often envies sin and, truth be told, this is particularly true
regarding sexuality.
But partly this is natural and a sign of health,
given that the brute reality of our physicality and the pressures of the
present moment naturally impose themselves on us in a way that can make the
things of God and spirit seem abstract and unreal. That is simply the human
condition and God, no doubt, understands. You would have to be a true mystic to
be above this.
However it can be helpful to tease out more
explicitly something we profess in faith, namely, that all that we find
attractive, beautiful, irresistible, erotic, and pleasurable here on earth is
found, even more fully, inside of its source, God. God is better looking than
any movie star. God is more intelligent than the brightest scientist or
philosopher. God is more witty and funny than the best of our comedians. God is
more creative than any artist, writer, or innovator in history. God is more
sophisticated than the most-learned person on earth. God is more exuberant than
any young person. God is more popular than any rock star. And, not least, God
is more erotic and sexually attractive than any woman, man, or sexual image on
earth. We don’t ordinarily think that or believe this about God, but those
statements are as much dogma as are the strictest church-doctrines on record.
Everything that is alluring on earth is inside of God, in even a richer form,
since God is its author.
However that does not take away the power of
earthly things to allure, nor should it. Countless things can overwhelm us with
their stunning reality: a beautiful person, a sunset, a piece of music, a work
of art, youthful exuberance, a baby’s innocence, someone’s wit, feelings of
intimacy, feelings of nostalgia, a glass of wine on the right evening, a
stirring in our sexuality, or, most deeply of all, an inchoate sense of the
uniqueness and preciousness of our own lives. We need to honor those things and
thank God for the gift, even as we make ourselves aware that all of this is
found more-richly inside of God and that we lose nothing when virtue, religion,
and commitment ask us to sacrifice these things for something higher. Jesus,
himself, promises that whatever we give up for what is higher will be given
back to us one hundredfold.
Knowing this, we should live our lives fully
enjoying what is earthy and earthly. The beauties and pleasures of this life
are a gift from God, meant to be enjoyed. But, by being aware of their source,
we can also then be free enough to accept the very real limits that life puts
on our desires. And, better still, we need not fear death since what we lose
will be trumped one-hundredfold by what we gain.
_________________________________________
The Franciscan
Genius: Integration of the Negative
A series of reflections by Fr Richard Rohr. You can subscribe to these daily email reflections here
Wilfulness to
Willingness
Franciscan theologian Bonaventure (1217-1274) saw God as
"a circle whose center is everywhere and whose circumference is
nowhere." You fall into this Wholeness--which will actually hold you--when
you stop denying or excluding things, even the dark parts of yourself. This
mystery of including the negative was probably best taught by St. Thérèse of
Lisieux (1873-1897), a Carmelite nun who became the youngest, least educated,
and most quickly made Doctor of the Church. I think she was really Franciscan;
she just didn't know it! She was simply an authentic Christian. [1]
Thérèse rediscovered the same thing that Francis did: We
don't come to God by eliminating our imperfection, but by rejoicing in it
because it makes us aware of our need for God's mercy and love and it keeps us
humble. She called this her "Little Way," a way which everyone can
follow. Brother Joe Schmidt describes Thérèse's method as "the way of
being aware of your need for love, willing to give yourself to God's loving
embrace like a child abandons itself with confidence and love into the arms of
its loving parent, and then freely sharing love with others in creative good
works of peace and justice. It is the willingness to be the person God calls
you to be."[2]
Thérèse once told her sister, Celine, who was upset with her
own faults, "If you are willing to bear serenely the trial of being
displeasing to yourself, then you will be a pleasant place of shelter for
Jesus." If you observe yourself, you will see how hard it is to be
"displeasing" to yourself, and that this is the initial emotional
snag that sends you into terribly bad moods without even realizing the origins
of these moods. So to resolve this common problem, both Francis and Thérèse
teach you to let go of the very need to "think well of yourself" to
begin with! That is your ego talking, not God, they would say. Only those who
have surrendered their foundational egocentricity can do this, of course.
Psychiatrist and writer Scott Peck once told me that Thérèse's quote was
"sheer religious genius" because it made the usual posturing of
religion well-nigh impossible. [3]
References:
[1] Richard Rohr, adapted from Franciscan Mysticism: I Am
That Which I Am Seeking (Center for Action and Contemplation), disc 1 (CD, MP3
download).
[2] Joseph F. Schmidt, FSC, Everything Is Grace: The Life
and Way of Thérèse of Lisieux (The Word Among Us Press: 2007), 21.
[3] Richard Rohr, adapted from Eager to Love: The
Alternative Way of Francis of Assisi (Franciscan Media: 2014), 111-112.
True Perfection Is the
Ability to Include Imperfection
Facing our shadow self and our addictions is almost the
heart of modern psychiatry and therapy. Religion had best catch up with the
other disciplines and relearn the absolute centrality of what should have been
its own original message, but we got into "sin management" instead of
the healing ministry that we see so clearly in Jesus. Too often, qualities like
honest self-knowledge, shadow work, spiritual direction, many therapies, and
tools like the Myers-Briggs typology or Enneagram are dismissed with hostility
and fear by many fervent believers. It makes me wonder, "Is their Christ
really that small and insecure?" They disdain such work as "mere
psychology." A true believer is never grounded in fear. If honest
self-knowledge is not good and important, then Job, Jesus, the desert fathers
and mothers, Augustine, the Philokalia, Hildegard, Thomas Aquinas, John of the
Cross, and Teresa of Ávila were on the wrong track. Fr. Thomas Keating calls
contemplation "the divine therapy." Surely it was God's way to offer
healing to people who existed before modern behavioral sciences, and to the
poor in every age who cannot afford a therapist.
We all have our biases, and all we can do is be aware of
them and account for them. There is no such thing as a totally bias-free
position, as even good scientists now admit. As a "One" on the
Enneagram--the type that strives for the ideal and the perfect--I know the
necessary healing power of integrating the negative in my own life. Without it,
I can find something to change in almost everything! It is really a horrible way
to live. You can imagine, then, why I deeply love Francis of Assisi and Thérèse
of Lisieux, who both taught the integration of imperfection so beautifully.
They saved me! They both realized that any upward-bound spirituality is only
spiritual careerism and well disguised narcissism. Their way was the way down,
not up, and they learned this, quite simply, from Jesus. The amazing thing is
that so many Christians did not; that is what happens when you too quickly make
Jesus into a God to be worshipped instead of Someone to follow.
In a spirituality of imperfection, we have a universal basis
for how God "saves" humanity, and perhaps also a clear naming of what
God saves us from--which is mainly from ourselves and our own feared and
rejected "unworthiness." We find it hard to love imperfect things so
we imagine God is just as small as we are. One of the most helpful pieces of
advice I ever received from Francis is found in the seventh chapter of the Rule
of the Friars Minor. Here he tells us not to be surprised or upset by the sins
or mistakes of others (and I would add, by our own sins and mistakes) because,
he says, "such anger and annoyance make it difficult to be
charitable." His analysis is that simple, that hard, and that true. If we
expect or need things (including ourselves) to be perfect or even "to our
liking," we have created a certain plan for a very unhappy life.
Adapted from Eager to Love: The Alternative Way of Francis
of Assisi, pp. 106, 110
Nothing Is
Excluded
Francis of Assisi, like Jesus, refused to exclude things
from the garden of grace; there is no exclusionary instinct in either of
them--except toward exclusion itself! This is at the heart of the Gospel and
Franciscan spirituality. Francis had a genius for not eliminating the negative,
but instead using it, learning from it, and thus incorporating it. He goes to
the edge and the bottom of society, he kisses the leper, he loves the poor, he
wears patches on the outside of his habit so that everybody will know that this
is what he is like on the inside. He doesn't hide from his shadow self, but
advertises it. So much of religion has taught us to deny or hide our shadow,
which forces us into a fatal split from foundational reality. If we begin by
distinguishing between the "holy people" and the "unholy
people," we end up with what we have now, which is largely an exclusionary
religion. We don't have a strong passion about what we are for, but we just
know what we are against, what is wrong, what we must not do, and who is sinful.
I really wish that was not an overstatement.
Franciscan spirituality puts a big exclamation point behind
Jesus' words, "The last will be first and the first will be last"
(Matthew 20:16, Luke 13:30), and Paul's, "When I am weak, then I am
strong" (2 Corinthians 12:10). Upside-downness is at the heart of our
message, always prompting us to look more deeply and broadly at things. This
opens our eyes to recognize God's self-giving at the far edges where most of us
cannot or will not see God, such as other religions, any who are defined as
outsider or sinner, and even to the farthest edge of our seeing, toward those
who fight us and oppose us--our so-called enemies. Truth, love, and beauty are
often found at the lowest, weakest, and most concrete possible levels, like in a
frog, a fugitive, or what others might call a "freak."
You have to participate in God's perfect freedom to be able
to see this way! You must grow up to your full stature to find the full stature
of God (Ephesians 4:13). Small souls are incapable of knowing a great God, and
great souls are never satisfied with a small or stingy God. You have to become
fully conscious yourself, and then all things will be beautiful. To hate, to
fear, or to dismiss is to have fallen into a temporary unconsciousness. Many live
their whole lives unconscious.
Just as we grow by ultimately accepting and forgiving our
own failures, conscious people, like Jesus and Pope Francis, are able to say
about others, "Who am I to judge?" (Luke 12:14). That's quite the
opposite of religion as exclusion! In my fourteen years as a jail chaplain, I
met people who had done things that are wrong, sinful, immoral, or
"bad"; and yet when I drew close to a particular life, I found that
the human heart was most often either sincere, mistaken, or afraid. Inside of
that frame they sought apparent good but not the true good. It did make them do
some stupid things, for which they are now suffering because evil is its own
punishment. But, in fact, the human heart has a kind of tenderness, sweetness,
and littleness when you draw close to it, even in its fragility and fear.
Remember, sisters and brothers, Jesus is really saying that we are punished by
our sins rather than for our sins. Human sin, failure, and imperfection is
something to be wept over and pitied, not something to be abhorred or hated.
None of us know the wounds that every human being carries
and why they do the things they do. As the Jewish philosopher, Philo of
Alexandria, stated, "Be kind to all, because everyone is fighting a great
battle.
Adapted from Franciscan Mysticism: I Am That Which I Am
Seeking, disc 1 (CD, MP3 download), and Eager to Love: The Alternative Way of
Francis of Assisi, pp. 11-13
Franciscan
Poverty
Franciscan mysticism is especially poised and prepared to
lead people not only to inner experience, but to the possibility of daily and
regular experience in the depth and beauty of the ordinary. Franciscan
spirituality can do this precisely because it incorporates the seeming negative
and moves our life to its hard edges, thus making things like failure, tragedy,
and suffering the quickest doorways to the encounter of God. All can now enter
if they are honest about their "poverty," which is a central theme
for Francis.
Poverty for Francis is not just a life of simplicity,
humility, restraint, or even lack. Poverty is the freedom to recognize that
myself--by itself--is powerless and ineffective. This is not a low self-image
but a very liberating and utterly honest self-image. In his Gospel, John puts
it quite honestly when he says that a branch that does not abide in a Higher
Power "is withered and useless" (John 15:6). The transformed self,
living in union, no longer lives in shame or denial of its weakness, but even
lives with rejoicing because it does not need to pretend that it is any more
than it actually is--which is now, ironically, more than enough!
Paul understood this kind of joy. God revealed to him, "My
grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness." This
gave Paul the courage to write, "I will rather boast most gladly of my
weaknesses, in order that the power of Christ may dwell with me. Therefore, I
am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and constraints,
for the sake of Christ; for when I am weak, then I am strong" (2 Corinthians
12:9-10).
There is nothing that God cannot and will not use to bring
us to divine union--even sin. That is the full glory, effectiveness, and
universality of the Gospel in its simple and clear splendor. In short, Francis
democratizes the whole spiritual journey, and lets us know that it is available
outside of monasteries, celibacy, moral heroics, or any false asceticism. This
has not always been obvious in most Christian (or non-Christian) spirituality.
Surely, this is why G.K. Chesterton called Francis "the world's one quite
sincere democrat." The Gospel sense of "poverty of spirit"
(Matthew 5:3) is the first necessary Beatitude because it allows us to join the
whole human race in a willing and honest way. All pedestals are henceforth
unnecessary.
Adapted from Eager to Love: The Alternative Way of Francis
of Assisi, pp. 14-15, 71
Losing Is Winning
We don't come to God by doing it right. Please believe me on
this. We come to God by doing it wrong. Any guide of souls knows this to be
true. If we come to God by being perfect, no one is going to come to God. This
absolutely levels the playing field. Our failures open our hearts of stone and
move the rigid mind space toward understanding and patience. It is in doing it
wrong, being rejected, and experiencing pain that we are lead to total reliance
upon God. I wish it were not true. But all I know at this point in my journey
is that God has let me do just about everything wrong, so I could fully
experience how God can do everything so utterly right. I don't know how else I
could know that so fully in my gut.
This is why Christianity has as its central symbol of
transformation a naked, bleeding man who is the picture of failing, losing, and
dying . . . and who is really winning--and revealing the secret pattern to
those who will join him there. Everyone wins because if there's one thing we
all have in common, if we're honest, it's our weakness and powerlessness in
one--but usually many--areas of our lives. There's a broken, wounded part
inside each of us.
In a world where imperfection seems to be everywhere, the
humble and honest have a huge head start in spiritual matters and can first and
always find God in their simple lives. Jesus says, using the present tense,
"To the poor in spirit the kingdom of heaven belongs" (Matthew 5:3).
It is a now experience, not a later reward.
Entering the spiritual journey through the so-called
negative, or what seems like the back door, takes all elitism out of
spirituality, which is its most common temptation. We are not to be rewarded
for our virtue later; virtue is its own reward--now--for both me and for
others. The usual claims which appeal to our ego self ("I am an advanced
person") are of no use whatsoever and are actually revealed as much of the
problem. The quickest ticket to heaven, enlightenment, or salvation is calmly
acknowledged littleness. Then you have nothing to prove, to protect, or to
promote. You are already at home base. Our conscious need for daily mercy is
our only real boarding pass for heaven. The ego does not like that very much,
but the soul fully understands.
Adapted from The Art of Letting Go: Living the Wisdom of
Saint Francis, disc 6 (CD); Sermon on the Mount, disc 5 (CD); and
Eager to Love: The Alternative Way of Francis of Assisi, pp. 105, 107
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