Purposeful Joy at Mass

Unlike most priests, I do not have a place where I offer Mass each Sunday. Instead, I’m often on the road, and thus I’m provided with the opportunity to worship and pray with many different parishes throughout the Erie Diocese and beyond.

This week, I was blessed to be with the good people of St. Paul parish in Erie. St. Paul’s is in the heart of Erie’s Little Italy neighborhood (in fact, the “Little Italy” historical marker is right in their parking lot) and the architecture and beauty of the church building reflects the Italian heritage of the parishioners.

But beyond the beauty of the church, I noticed a beauty in the people. Old or young, there was a sense of purpose in those who gathered for Mass. And more profoundly, there was a sense of joy.

Isn’t that the way it should always be when we come to church for Mass? Shouldn’t we always walk through the church doors with a “purposeful joy?”

Especially in young people, but in the not so young as well, there can be a feeling of tired resignation when Sunday morning rolls around: A sort of “I know I have to go to church but I don’t really want to” attitude. And there are legitimate reasons which foster such an attitude. Maybe we are just plain tired. Maybe the problems of life are weighing heavily upon us. Maybe God seems a million miles away.

But – and this is a big “but” – God doesn’t expect us to come to Mass with all our problems resolved. Instead, he longs for us to come as we are: Tired, distracted, burdened, broken. Jesus invites us to carry those things up the center aisle of the church, drop them on top of the altar, and then collapse into a pew. Why? Because then he will take those burdens and struggles, bless them with his sacred hands, offer them to the Father in sacrifice, and beg God’s blessing upon us.

That was the “purposeful joy” I sensed in the parishioners of St. Paul. No doubt, many were tired. For sure, many were burdened. But they came to Mass knowing that there they would find Jesus. The Jesus who said to the leper in this Sunday’s gospel: “I do will that you be healed.” And the same Jesus, present most eminently in the Holy Eucharist, who said to the people of St. Paul parish this Sunday morning, “I do will that you be healed, too.”

St. Jean Marie Vianney once said that if we truly understood the Mass we would die – not out of fear – but out of love. Jesus Christ awaits us at each and every Mass. In his love, he desires to lift our burdens onto his own shoulders. He wants us to be healed. Those seem like pretty convincing reasons to attend each Mass with a “purposeful joy.”

Be assured of my prayers,

Fr. Steve

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Run to the Light

I would imagine that every priest has a unique method for applying Ash Wednesday ashes. I, of course, following the dictates of my obsessive-compulsive personality, like to trace a small, distinct cross on each forehead. Others use the large, black smudge technique. In Europe they favor sprinkling the ashes directly on top of a person’s head. And my all time favorite ash application memory comes compliments of Fr. Jeff Lucas. When we were done applying ashes at a high school Mass one time, a smiling Fr. Lucas had ashes all over his hands, his arms, the floor – everywhere. He looked like he had been working in a coal mine. The kids in his line definitely knew that Lent had arrived!

And so indeed for you and me, Lent has arrived once again. But what does that mean?

The Church’s Ash Wednesday liturgy opens with this prayer: “Father in heaven, the light of your truth bestows sight to the darkness of sinful eyes. May this season of repentance bring us the blessing of your forgiveness and the gift of your light. Grant this through Christ our Lord.”

So let’s see what that prayer is saying:

1) We are sinners.
2) Our sin darkens the eyes of our hearts and makes it tough to find our way.
3) Repentance – turning away from sin and back to God – is needed.
4) Repentance brings the blessing of God’s forgiveness.
5) Forgiveness dispels the darkness and allows God’s light to shine.
6) Walking in that light is a gift beyond compare.

Jesus told us that he is the Light. Unlike in the movie, Poltergeist, when that creepy woman screamed, “Run from the light!” we want to run to the light! We want to run to the outstretched and loving arms of Jesus himself!

So let’s do it.

Let’s dust off those Lenten tools of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Let’s break out that bible we got at TEC or as a first communion gift and really read it. Let’s go to confession – this week. Let’s get up early to attend Mass or to pray. Let’s make our self-denial of chocolate or the radio a true offering to God. And let’s love each other no matter how hard it is to do.

In other words . . . this Lent . . . let’s run to the Light!

Be assured of my prayers,

Fr. Steve

Topic: Run to the Light

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You Are Loved

I was talking to a good friend some time back. His son – great kid – was being forced to deal with some ridiculous stuff at school. My friend was worried. Would there be a negative impact on his son? Clearly, any good father would share that worry. But from my vantage point, that was the key point. My friend is a good father! He loves his son – and all his children – totally and without reserve. And his children know they are loved! They know dad will always be there for them. So whatever struggles may come into their life, they are prepared to handle them. Because when we know that we are loved . . . even the greatest burdens are within our capacity to handle.

This is such a foundational truth of the Christian Faith. We are loved! God, the Creator and Sustainer of the universe, the One who transcends time and history, whose power is incalculable . . . that God loves us! And we are not talking about some sentimental, gushy, greeting card love here. This isn’t Air Supply love (although Air Supply was certainly one of the shining lights of ’80s pop music). This is: “I love you so much that I’m willing to be crucified for you” love. This is the love of Jesus Christ.

Do you know Christ’s love? If so, please get down on your knees tonight and thank Him. For you have a gift that is worth more than the greatest treasure. Are you struggling to know Christ’s love? If so, you are not alone. Many people, many Christians even, find it difficult to believe that a God so good could love them. After all, we are often far from good. We sin, we hurt others, we mess up in sometimes terrible ways. But that is the wonder of this all. God doesn’t love us because we are easy to love, he loves us simply because we are his sons and daughters!

Please take time to ponder this: God knows everything about you. He knows your sins. He is aware of your faults. But He loves you despite everything which may lead you to believe that you are unlovable. God’s love is without condition or compromise. It can’t be earned and it can’t be lost. For Love is the very name of God.

Sure, life is tough. And admittedly, it can be extremely hard to feel God’s love in the midst of life’s turmoil. But God cannot lie. He loves you. And He sent his only Son to prove it. So let’s pray for each other. Let’s pray that no matter what, we will each know that we are loved by an incredible God. And let’s make his job easier by loving one another as well.

Be assured of my prayers,

Fr. Steve

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Miracle on the Hudson

February 2, 2009

Our newest national hero is a worthy one: aircraft pilot Chesley B. Sullenberger. Captain Sully, as you recall, successfully ditched a commercial airliner in the Hudson River last month, saving all aboard. The media has described that day as the “Miracle on the Hudson.” I cannot disagree with their assessment. For no one to be seriously hurt when a large, powerless aircraft crash lands in a narrow strip of congested water in the heart of New York City – that’s a miracle in my book. Yep, God still works them.

But as amazing as Captain Sully’s flying skills were that day, there is something else he did that cements him as a hero. When the passengers had been evacuated, and Sully was the last person on that flooding aircraft, he went back into the cabin – twice! – to ensure that everyone had made it out. Only then did he himself board a rescue boat.

Having been the captain of a vessel myself (I’ll save stories of my time in the Coast Guard for another day), I know well what it means to have responsibility for the lives of others. Captain Sully bore that responsibility with courage. And he clearly was willing to sacrifice his own safety – even his life if necessary – to ensure the salvation of those under his care.

So change focus with me here. Is there someone else who was willing to offer his life for those in his care? Yes, of course – Jesus!

Captain Sully went back into that flooding aircraft because he couldn’t bear the thought of losing one of his passengers. Yet it’s even more so with Christ. He can’t stand the thought of losing one of us! That’s why no matter how many times we experience “crashes” in our lives – stupid decisions, sinful behavior, failures to love – Jesus keeps coming back to look for us. “What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them would not leave the ninety-nine in the desert and go after the lost one until he finds it? (Luke 15:4)” Actually, very few of us. Most would say – hey, 99 out of 100 is not so bad, the heck with the stupid lost one! But not Jesus. When we are lost, we can be sure that he is seeking us. And when he finds us, when we return to his loving embrace, he doesn’t ground us or take our phone away. He simply says: Welcome home.

What happened on the Hudson that cold January day was indeed a miracle. But when Jesus takes us back after we’ve turned our back on his love . . . well, that’s not a miracle . . . it’s simply God doing what he does best. And we call that Divine Mercy.

Be assured of my prayers,

Fr. Steve

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