Life Support (2021-06-27, Sunday -13th)

 [__ver-02__]  

Homily – June 27, 2021   13^th Sunday (Year B)

 ● Wisdom 1:13-15, 2:23-24 ●  Psalm 30- ●  ● 2 Corinthians 8:7,9,13-15 ● + Mark 5:21-43 ●

Title: Life Support

 

[__01__]    It seems to go without stating– though I will state this anyway – that the many nurses, technicians, physicians and physician’s assistants and health-care team members at all levels – made heroic sacrifices during the COVID pandemic, as did first responders, those who clean the hospital and many essential workers.

          They not only “introduced” caregiving to the needy but sometimes “invented” new approaches, as they say on Star Trek, they went boldly where no one had gone before. Carpenters and construction workers were also involved, building or renovating new spaces to provide COVID rooms and wards with the technology and machines needed.

          Our world, in the height of the pandemic, was on “life support” with many of us fearing we could end up on life support.

          We mourn our loved ones who have died and even mourn for those whom we did not know personally, because every life created by God is precious. We continue to pray for all places and people afflicted by the pandemic. God, come to our assistance!

 

[__01-new__]    In 1927, a baby boy named Sidney Poitier was born in Miami. This baby Sidney Poiter would grow up to be the Academy Award winning actor and civic leader and diplomat, Sidney Poitier.

          He was on life support because his birth came 2 months early / premature, 2 months before his mother’s “due date”.

          Now, in 2021, it is not unusual for a child born at 28 weeks or 7 months to survive and even thrive, but medical science was less advanced in 1927 – nearly a century ago - and Sidney Poitier was not expected to survive. He spent 3 months in the hospital.

          The circumstances of birth tell us something about our own mortality and fragility.

          Sidney Poitier was fortunate to survive. But, on some level, all of us were once very young, fragile, dependent on our parents and very much blessed by the God and by others to survive and live. Given the dependency of a baby on his or parents, we were all on “life support”,

 

[__02__]     A man in the Gospel is determined that his daughter will live, and that her life will not be taken.  He wants life support.

His name is Jairus.  Given that his proper “BOLDFACED”name is recorded in the Gospel, we can gather he was someone of importance.

          His name is remembered and he comes to Jesus saying, “My daughter is at the point of death. Please, come lay your hands on her so that she may get well and live.”  (Mark 5:23)

 

[__03__]    Jairus, a devout Jewish man and synagogue official, had heard of Jesus as a healer and miracle worker.

          Jairus’ demeanor of faith and confidence CONTRASTS with the crowd’s dismissal and forgetfulness of who Jesus is. The crowd told Jairus to just … give it up already…. “Your daughter has died. Why trouble the teacher any longer?” 

(Mark 5: 35)

          The crowd does not credit Jesus with the ability to support the girl’s life.

[__04__]    When we read the Gospel, we are called to put ourselves into the setting, into the action, and imagine ourselves there, perhaps as a member of the crowd on the street.  What CREDIT would we give to Jesus, to God?

Have we ever said or implied… “well … don’t bother Jesus or God with something..” ?

          Have we ever said or implied:

·        God doesn’t hear my prayer. God doesn’t listen to or care about my prayer…

·        God hears the prayers of other people, more important people. I have to remind myself to fight against this attitude ..and to remember what is written in the 34^th psalm:  The Lord hears the cry of the poor…. You are that poor person. I am that poor person. We are making our cry heard.

[__05_-OMIT Sect. 05?_]     

The appearance and prestige of Jairus may make it even easier for us to think that the Lord does not hear the cry of the poor.

          After all, Jairus is remembered by name. He is a leader of the community. He is, so to say, an “A-List” person meaning he probably has his own parking space, maybe a garage too. If there is a “corporate ladder” in the synagogue, he is near the top.

          And, he gets what he wants…

 

[__06__]   Then, we read of the woman in the crowd, the woman with the hemorrhage, for whom nothing is going right. She could use some “life support” or at least what we commonly say is  “affordable health care”

          This woman would be a statistic at St. Barnabas or Mountainside as “medically indigent”.

          This woman was not on anyone’s A-list. Yet, she was healed and has faith.

          Sidney Poitier was not on anyone’s A-list when he was born. His parents were farmers in the Bahamas and had come to Miami to sell their produce (tomatoes) when his mother had to go the hospital for labor and delivery.

 

[__07__]     Right now, you or I might be praying for a healing, intervention or miracle. We might wonder – where is Jesus? Why will he not come and lay his hands on my spouse, my child, my mother or father, or brother or sister or friend?

          We may feel forgotten.

          The miracle episodes in the Gospel are meant not to draw attention to the miracle but to God who intervenes and draws attention to Jesus who meets us in life and in death.

         

[__08__]     In this regard, the miracles are not just about “getting better”, but they are about LIFE SUPPORT.  We might imagine that the woman the little girl have gone from fragility to fitness in a moment.

          We might even think then that the miracles are about survival of the fittest who are also the most faithful.

          But, the miracles are not given to us to teach us simply how to get better and live.

          The miracles are also a lesson that we are not in charge of our own living and dying and therefore to have faith in God who is.

          St. Paul wrote, “in life and in death, we are the Lord’s….”  (____)

          [PAUSE]

[__09__]     What about parents – real life parents – who are faced with the serious illness or health concerns of their own children?

          They endure tremendous trauma and anxiety, surely wishing that they could trade places with a child in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit or at the imaging / CAT scan machine. Imagine having a child on life support !

          They would give up their lives for their children and I have witnessed great faith in parents who have cared for children who are sick and also for children who have died.

          These mothers and father and families recognize what Jesus is teaching us through the miracles that we have both a body with MORTALITY …. And a soul with IMMORTALITY.

          And, we are created and loved by God.

          And, each of us, regardless of our current medical chart or profile or abilty to afford the co-pay, we are called to a correct understanding of both our MORTALITY and IMMORTALITY.

 

[__10__]     I noticed that actor Sidney Poiter showed up on several separate websites that I consulted when I did my earlier Google search for “famous people who were born prematurely”

          Sidney Poitier is remembered then not just for how he lived but for how he came into this world.

          Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI (B16)  wrote that it is beneficial for us

to recognize not only our fragility in and vulnerability in our physical bodies and all things that can harm us physically. Yes, there is a delta variant of COVID, but we also pray for healing of our soul and spirit and for God’s mercy for our sins.

          Admitting our need for God’s mercy and forgiveness is also a move from an inward focus on self to an outward focus on our own sanity and goodness.

          Turning back to God whether at 4:15 to 5 pm on a Saturday for confession or any other time – I am around !! – is a way for us to claim God’s mercy and also to be healed of whatever may be toxic or troubling. Jesus is not only personal Physician those in the Gospel.  He is ours too. There is no co-pay!

          B16 wrote from “The Theology of Death” in Dogma and Preaching:

This is paraphrased from:

[Source: Benedict XVI, Dogma and Preaching, “On the Theology of Death, Section 2(b) New Testament”, San Francisco: Ignatius Press, p. 250]

“for you and me, everything depends on correctly grasping the dying movement in our lives [which is not just about avoiding COVID] but rather recognizing that there are little humiliations and also major failures (of health, of physical or mental ability, death of loved ones) and once we recognize DEATH as a reality, we also recognize not that we imprisoned by our conditions but that we are truly free and we can be reborn.  [In other words, we can change]  That’s what it means to be a Christian" 

.... and also to recognize that Jesus has arrived here – for life support -- not only in this church or at Jairus’ house, but also at your house.”

 [__11__]     

 

[__12__]     

The Boat. Drill. Distress. Direction (2021-06-20, Sunday -12)

Homily – June 20, 2021  /   12^th Sunday (Year B)  

● Job 38:1, 8-11  ●  Psalm 107- ●  2 Corinthians 5:14-17 ● + Mark 4:35-41 ●

Title: The Boat. Drill. Distress. Direction.

[__00__]    Why are you terrified?

I was a little bit terrified the first time I encountered this gospel because it was my very first weekend here as a priest after my ordination as a priest and my seminary studies. I remember that this middle-of-June weekend, priests are often assigned to new parishes. This gospel comes up at this time of year. I remember that this “Calming of the Storm”was the [Gospel].

 

[__01__]    I only recently became aware of this, there are maritime laws (i.e., rules of the water for boats) about what happens if a boat is in distress.  That is, boats (vessels) on the water have a responsibility to rescue another boat in trouble.

          There was a law passed in 1974, for the whole world, officially stating that for “Safety of Life at Sea” that any boat (ship) learning of persons in distress should proceed with all speed to their assistance.

           

[__02__]     One example of a ship proceeding to rescue those in distress was called the Carpathia. In the North Atlantic Ocean on April 15, 1912, the Carpathia – which no one had ever heard of and most people have since forgotten – was thrust into the limelight and spotlight because of a distress call from the much more famous and much larger Titanic. The Titanic had just collided with its iceberg.

          Another thing…just in case you did not know, the Titanic cruise ship was a real-life event and not just a movie. I once heard that some people born after 1912… were not really sure if this was a true event. I’m sure you are aware, but just checking. The Titanic was not just a movie but there was an iceberg… Not a good combination. Titanic was in trouble.

          The “rescuing” ship was also a cruise ship and was absolutely full with 700 souls, 700 passengers on board.  Yet, through adeptness and perseverance of the crew, the rescue ship pulled in 705 Titanic survivors. The crew of the Carpathia was celebrated and received medals. Of course, fewer people remember the Carpathia. I did not either and had to look this up.

          Meanwhile, for the Titanic, not only will the ship and iceberg never be forgotten, but its heart will go on,  and on ….thanks to Celine Dion, Kate Winslet, Leonardo DiCaprio, and many, many Academy Awards and accolades.

         

[__03__]    The rescuers had heard and were responding to a call. This was there way, to obey the call. There was no other way for them, though it surely must have thrown off their prior timetable. That’s what often happens when we try to do what is right. There is a lesson in here to obeying, obeying God and God’s word. The difficulties sometimes that we find in that. It’s difficult for the disciples.  

 

 [__04__]     The disciples are on board, on the water on the Sea of Galilee, with Jesus when a storm picks up, and kicks up.

          Imagine one of the recent thunderstorms or torrential downpours we have received…but probably much worse. Also, they were all wet.

          I’d like to touch on 3 things which we encounter and experience when we are on a boat – or also – in an airplane.

          There is the DRILL, the DISTRESS, the DIRECTION.

         

 

[__05__]     [1^st “DRILL”]

          When we are on a boat – or in an airplane – one of the very first things we have to participate in is the safety protocol explanation. The safety protocol explanation that we surely hope we will never have to use or remember.

          Some of us have, perhaps, even taken a nap during this explanation, or looked at our phones, or read a book.  Also, if we have heard the instructions before we tend to tune out because we already, so to say, “know the drill”.

          Nevertheless, there is a drill and something special to know about being on board a vessel such as a ship or airplane.

          While Jesus was asleep on a cushion near the stern of the boat and the disciples are very much awake, but it was the reverse sometime earlier. While Jesus had been teaching them or showing them that he is their – and our – Lord and Savior – were they asleep? Was I asleep or not listening?

 

[2^nd   “DISTRESS”]

          There is distress on the boat. The disciples, to their credit, do believe that Jesus can get them out of this trouble and distress. Their call out to him is both a Profession of Faith and Prayer of the Faithful.

          But, when the storm is ended it’s not just time to put up their feet and say “thanks be to God”, but also to recognize they are being sent out – you and I are being sent out on mission.

          In a moment of distress, I myself may have a tendency to say too much in feeling desperate or troubled. And, while it is important for all us to have people to confide in, sometimes the thorn or splinter that I want removed may get pushed in ever deeper as I complain.

          Or, to continue our nautical example, I may go overboard!

__quotes___

          St. Francis de Sales writes:

“Anxiety and fear do not provide solace for our pain but aggravate it, leading us to a kind of breakdown in courage and strength because it appears that our pain has no possible remedy."  (In IV 11)

"Just as internal revolutions and troubles can cause the ruin of a state, so an anxious and troubled heart no longer has the strength to resist the assaults of the enemy." (In IV 11)”

 

[__06__]  Then the question becomes – for me, perhaps for you, why – under stress or in distress – do we have so little faith?

          These are difficult questions, because sometimes what is troubling us is not that the actual distress of the situation, but perhaps something else entirely.

          Perhaps, what is troubling us is a family relationship in crisis, or a financial difficulty, or a health concern. It is at that moment when we need God and God’s prayer. We are called to pray.

          The moment of distress becomes a trigger that may cause us to want to, as they say in the Navy, abandon ship. Or, we become very concerned – I may become very concerned about how this distress is going to affect me individually.

          The disciples – while they might be easily “labeled” as worriers … as we know, usually a “label” does not tell the whole story.

          On a positive note, they recognize – together that they are all affected. It is not just one – but all of them together – crying out to Jesus for help. And, this episode affirms that Jesus comes as a ransom for the many, i.e., as rescuer for the many who call upon him. That’s you, me.

          There are many calling out to Jesus.

 

[__07__]     So, we are also called to be “on board” in our faith journey.

          Our faith invites to consider that we have also been “drilled”, we have been taught and experienced God’s goodness in our lives. While I am not nearly where I need to be in my own faith journey, I am grateful for the gifts God has given me in the priesthood, teaching me about trusting that – as we read in Romans 8:28 – all things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to his purpose. This applies not only to the pleasures of life, but also the inconveniences, tragedies, distresses.

          Yes, it is true, sometimes, we may forget the DRILL, or we may not realize that we know the DRILL and then we need help to get through the DISTRESS.

 

[__08__]     At such a time, we need DIRECTION.  In the midst of a crisis, there may be little that we can do to change our circumstances.

          In the case of the Titanic passenger rescue by a much smaller ship, the captain of the much smaller could not change the circumstances, but could make the very best of what his resources were.

          And, this is often what we do in an act of faith. We not only ask for God’s help, but we also cooperate with his help.

          Jesus calms the storm to give his disciples the message not that Jesus can control the weather, but that he is the Lord of life and death.  Each day, in our faith journey, we are preparing not only so that we can survive today’s thunderstorm or flood, but so that we will be ready to meet Jesus when we die.

          Also, Jesus is calming the storm not only to enable the 12 Apostles to be secure, but also so that the can go on to be help others to be rescued if not from storminess, then from sinfulness and brokenness.

          The captain of the ship that rescued the Titanic had a much smaller, simpler, humbler boat.  While the Titanic was a luxury liner for many wealthy passengers, the rescue boat was a simpler boat carrying Hungarian immigrants.

          The captain of the rescue boat was only 42 years old and had been captain for only 3 months.

          With the captain were 700 passengers, 150 of them elderly American tourists and most of the rest former emigrants making a visit home.

          After reaching the place where the iceberg was and the Titanic was, the rescue ship had nearly double the passengers.

          We pray for faith and to cooperate with God’s will not only so that we will be saved, but so that the whole world may now the God’s ways, in terms of his DRILL and lessons for his, in times of real DISTRESS, and in the DIRECTION of God’s mercy, so that we all may be saved.

[__fin__]     

Church on Sunday (2021-06-13, Sunday 11th)

 Homily – June 13, 2021  11^th Sunday (Year B)

● Ezekiel 17:22-24  ●  Psalm 92 ● ● 2 Corinthians 5:6-10 ● + Mark 4:26-34 ●

 

Title: Church on Sunday

 

[__01__]     Many years ago, my parents took us on our very last – final – family vacation together. This was in in the mid-1990’s.

I say it was our FINAL vacation because we were all getting older, bigger…I was an adult at this point – almost 30 (thirty). That’s old !

And, soon there some of us would be married, I would later be in the seminary, etc. Spoiler alert: I became a Catholic priest.

This particular vacation was the last time it was just my 2 parents + the 4 of us together.  My parents paid for the whole thing. That was sweet!

But, given that some of us were officially “adults”, we also had to choose to be there.   1 of my siblings and I were not living with my parents at the time …. On the one hand, there was both RICHNESS and LUXURY to be there. It was a vacation. But, given that I also had to consciously schedule this… because my parents were not running my life at that moment, there was also a RESPONSIBILITY on my part.

Nevertheless, I was glad to be there.

[__02__]      Another thing about that trip was that we all looked forward to it and we talked about what we would do …at the beach… we were going to rent bicycles at the beach too.

[__03__]       Recently, we were told and reminded about the obligation and responsibility for us as Catholics to attend Sunday Mass.

          Why is this even a thing?

          Did something happen?

          Well, you know, there was this global worldwide lockdown and COVID-19 pandemic.

          The Archbishop of Newark and all Archbishops of U.S. closed churches and also suspended our obligation to attend Sunday Mass.

And encouraged us to pray from our homes, and with the feast of Corpus Christi, resume Sunday Mass as an obligation.

 

[__03__]      That word “obligation” may not seem to be adequate to express what is happening at Sunday Mass. But, I suggest it’s helpful because we usually see value in keeping up our “obligations” and not opting out.  Very familiar to us is the obligation to receive an education whether at school, in a private school or public school or to be home-schooled.

          There is no “opting out” of education and we see the value in it.

          Where is the VALUE in Sunday Mass, in church ?

 

[1^st PRESENCE]  This is primary, that  Mass/church is the location where we receive the Body and Blood of our Lord and acknowledge that he laid down his life for our sins.

          Now,  because the prayers of the Mass at Communion time – everything that happens after the readings / homily are so similar from week to week, we may not focus on them. We see “variety” in the readings and homily but maybe not what is changing in the Liturgy of the Eucharist.

          While Jesus’ Body and Blood Soul and Divinity are not changing, you and I are changing, constantly.

          So, the priest offers the Mass also as continuation of the Gospel, the most important words of all:

          “Take this all of you and it, for this is my body given up for you.”

          The priest is called to apply this to himself and to help you to apply this to your life. You also – in sacrifice and love – give up your strength, your energy, your body, for others.

          We rely on God’s grace to do this. As we prayed in the recent feast of the Sacred Heart:

          “May this Sacrament of charity, O Lord, make us fervent with the fire of holy love so that drawn always to your Son, we may see Him in our neighbor.”

          So, the PRESENCE of God in church reminds us of his PRESENCE everywhere. The value of PRESENCE.

 

[2^nd  PROTEST] 

The value of PROTEST.

There are may protests happening these days. And, the Sabbath – observation of Sunday – is our PROTEST, but it is a protest of a different kind.

          That is, it provides a break in the action and a protest against the burden of our work and the worship of money (CCC 2172, Nehemiah 13:15-22, 2 Chronicles 36:21)

          You might say, but I do not need the value of church because I do not worship money, I don’t care that much about material things. I live a very simple life.  I also would like to think that I have this “simplicity” figured out, but I find that I have to re-visit and consider what are my values constantly.

          Nevertheless, maybe you have it figured out. All the more reason that we need you at the protest. We need you here. The value of PROTEST.

 

[3^rd PATTERN] 

The value of PATTERN.

Sunday Mass / church does call us to follow a certain pattern and we might find it very difficult to it into this pattern.

          I am very grateful to our many parishioners and volunteers who try to make you comfortable here whether you come to church with children, with your family, on your own.

          The pattern of weekly church may not be possible for families with very young children or family members who require ongoing attention.  For you, Sunday Mass is not an obligation.

          On the other hand, Church/Mass are also opportunities to teach our children about the value of being at rest and at prayer – TOGETHER.

And, just as we might prepare for an important TEST or GAME or MEAL or TRIP several days ahead of time, I invite you to prepare yourself and your children with prayers, petitions and thoughts several days and how you talk to each other…. indeed every day.

The value of PATTERN.

 

[4th PUBLICITY] 

The value of publicity.

          Our church / Mass has a public and social value.  Your attendance at church brings the Good News not only of Jesus Christ because you learn something here.

          It brings the Good News that Sunday is precious, that time is precious and that freedom is precious.

No one makes you come to church, but by your public witness, you are affirming to all of West Orange and all the world of the value of FREEDOM and of RELIGIOUS FREEDOM.

          The value of PUBLICITY.

 

 [__04__]     I also must do this myself and admit that I do not always get this right in

          This is part of a sermon addressed to priests by St. Charles Borromeo.

          It is a message – especially to priests and deacons – and I think summarizes  the aspects of PRESENCE – PROTEST – PATTERN – PUBLICITY --

“I admit that we are all weak, but if we want help, the Lord God has given us the means to find it easily. One priest may wish to lead a good, holy life, as he knows he should. He may wish to be chaste and to reflect heavenly virtues in the way he lives. Yet he does not resolve to use suitable means, such as penance, prayer, and the avoidance of evil discussions and harmful and dangerous friendships. Another priest complains that as soon as he comes into church to pray the office or celebrate Mass, a thousand thoughts fill his mind and distract him from God. But what was he doing in the sacristy before he came out for the office or for Mass? How did he prepare? What means did he use to collect his thoughts and remain collected? ”

 

[__05__]     And the last family vacation we ever took reminded me of this.

          On all of our family vacations, we always we went to church on Sunday. This was expected, we knew it was going to happen …and that trip in the mid-1990’s was no different. We went to church on Sunday, August 13.  But then 2 days later was the holy day of obligation – August 15 and the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

          We knew that my mother would want us to go to mass for the holy day . None of wanted to go to mass that day. It was a beautiful sunny day, we wanted to ride on bikes or go to the beach or sleep late.

          My father didn’t want to go. This was before I was in the seminary or a priest. I didn't want to go either. So scandalous for me to say, perhaps.

          It was on. We were going.

And has everything was wrong in church that day. 1^st of all, it was actually super crowded and only some of us got seats.

          I think the church was air conditioned but was a very hot day, et cetera et cetera.

And as soon as we left the church and got in the car afterwards, we were  complaining about the experience to each other. Sometimes that what happens when

Mass is only experienced as an obligation.

          But, while, it was the

the time, the most onerous of obligations and disruptive of our vacation, it was also the most memorable of any meditation, the

most powerful of any prayer as we went to Mass together.

I remember the priest saying Mass was definitely not, as we say, at his best …. At the top of his game that day.   Sometimes, I am not at the top of my game!

I try to remember the pray for him, to pray for my family, to pray for  you.

Sunday Mass  and prayer before the Blessed Sacrament does not happen simply because I am ready, because you are ready.

Mass is going to start and continue even without you, even without my “readiness” or preparation.

But, it’s so much better when we are here together.

[__fin__]     

Corpus Christi (Sunday 2021-06-06)

Homily – June 6, 2021,  (ver. 6, 11:30 am Mass)

Corpus Christi   ● Exodus 24:3-8  ●  Psalm 116 ●   Hebrews 9:11-15 ● + Mark 14:12-16, 22-26 ●

 [__01__]     In the very first Holy Communion and Corpus Christi mentioned in the Gospel today, the disciples are told to go and prepare the Passover supper at a location they have never seen. Jesus does not write down the address.      

          Rather, they are told to find in the midst of the town a man carrying a water jar and that he would lead them to the Upper Room.

          Even Jesus is not explicit with his own disciples. One reason is that he knew he was already being “stalked” , not stalked online, or trolled in the media, but rather stalked by Judas Iscariot his betrayer. Jesus wants to make sure he is not arrested before Passover, thus he keeps the Last Supper address a secret until the last possible moment.

          Otherwise, Judas might betray him too soon.

          Jesus gives us the Eucharist not to produce a sensation and sense in us right away, but rather to give us the sensibility to search for him, to listen to him, to know of a life beyond this world, not in another country, but in another kingdom.

          Also, while Jesus and his ways have a way of making us unsettled and uncomfortable – at times – they are also given to us to help us to grow.

          He is our sacrament, our treasure.

          In this way, his sacrament is the key to our journey, to make our own search engine work.

 

[__02__]     Sometimes, though, being Jesus’ disciples or trying to be, we might feel a bit unsure of what we are giving and what we are going to get…

          I am guilty of this … even now, sometimes, reluctant to do my best or to be cheerful and patient..because I am not sure what I am going to get out of it.  While I am willing to promote some positive changes, I want to know what the payback will be… But, is this really the way to look at things?

 

[__03__]    On the day of my ordination as a priest, a day on which I should have been thinking only about God and goodness…. Even on that day, I was measuring / evaluating my schedule very carefully.  It was on a Saturday morning at the Cathedral in Newark, I recall that I was feeling both enthusiastic and a bit self-conscious about the whole big solemnity and celebratory atmosphere of the affair.  I arrived at the cathedral about 45 minutes before the Mass was to begin…and that made me the absolute last one to arrive among my classmates. I seem to recall the Archbishop’s assistant secretary giving me, as we say, a “look” … as to why I was not 90 minutes as the other candidates for ordination were. Fortunately, neither he nor the Archbishop are at the cathedral anymore!

          Part of my “arrival time” had do with my own understanding that I would be at the cathedral for several hours… and, I told others about this., I had sent invitations to family and friends and was pleased that many had responded enthusiastically that they would come to the cathedral – I myself never had any interest in attending a priesthood ordination prior to the seminary…and it took me one or two years in the seminary before I was even very interested in the whole ritual. I also knew – from experience – that the Mass of Priesthood ordination was 3 hours long.

          In the invitation, I included a note to tell everyone about these 180 minutes of Catholic worship. It did not deter them, or maybe it did.

          Here is the story.  On the sidewalk outside the cathedral, I bumped into some of my cousins and a family friend. One of my cousins said to the friend – Ray, you know, I’m surprised you’re here … you know, this Mass is 3 hours long.  The look on his face was priceless and he was immediately calling out for his wife to ask why he was not told this.

He stayed for the whole Mass… we laughed about it later.

          I was a bit self-conscious, but it brought into focus that my ministry as a priest did not exist then – nor does it exist know – in a time-space continuum in a galaxy far far away…but rather exists with and for the people in the church, also the people on the sidewalk … and even for those who do not come to church.

          We exist as a parish family to celebrate Corpus Christi, to put our trust in God, not only for those who are here but also for those who are not here, or those who one day will be here.

[__04__]    I bring this up because the disciples in the Gospel reading may be feeling a bit strange, weirdly self-conscious about what exactly they are being asked to do, in order to prepare the Passover meal for Jesus.

          This is Corpus Christi Sunday and a moment for us to recall explicitly Jesu’s gift to us of his Body and Blood, and also of how this reveals not only his love for us, but also invites us to love him in return to love those whom he loves, and to know better and more completely the dignity and value of even the person who seems insignificant or the person who makes us uncomfortable or anxious, the person who make us wonder – what am I going to get out of this? What’s in it for me?

          Why me?

          The question in such a case is not ..”why me”… but “why not me?”

[__05__] I’d like to conclude with this example of priestly sacrifice and what “foolishness” transformed to wisdom:

Vietnam priest/bishop

I read this on CATHOLIC.ORG.

          I think this was written several years BEFORE the coronavirus and COVID-19 and “sheltering in place”

What would happen if you were in a prolonged situation where you did not have the regular availability of a priest? What would happen if even Sunday Mass was no longer accessible?

Many of our brothers and sisters throughout the world experience these kinds of terrible situations. One example can be found in the life and Catholic priesthood of  Francis Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan.

Francis was a Catholic priest from Vietnam. He was ordained a priest, became a bishop/AB in 1975, and later a cardinal. Only a few months after his appointment as bishop, he was arrested and imprisoned by the Vietnamese government / police for 13 years. 9 of those 13 years were spent in solitary confinement!

In year 2000, JP2 invited him give “meditations” at a Lenten retreat in Rome  / Vatican. Father Nguyen (now Cardinal Nguyen) gave what he called his "Testimony of Hope".

In one meditations, Cardinal Francis Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan, movingly describes what it was like – in prison - not to have the Eucharist readily available and what he had to do to celebrate Mass and how this happened without others physical present.

"When I was arrested by the police, I had to leave immediately with empty hands. The next day, I was permitted to write to my people (parishioners) in order to ask for the most necessary things: clothes, toothpaste. I wrote – in a kind of secret code of my religious wish -- , 'Please send me a little wine as medicine for my stomachache.' The faithful [people] understood right away.

They sent me a small bottle of wine with a label that read, 'medicine for stomachaches.' But it was not for stomachaches but for Mass. They also sent some Communion hosts, which they hid in a flashlight for protection against the humidity. The police asked me, 'You have stomachaches? Yes. Here's some medicine for you.'

I will never be able to express my great joy! Every day, with three drops of wine and a drop of water in the palm of my hand, I would celebrate Mass. This was my altar, and this was my cathedral! It was true medicine for soul and body, 'Medicine of immortality, remedy so as not to die but to have life always in Jesus', as St. Ignatius of Antioch says.

Each time I celebrated the Mass, I had the opportunity to extend my hands and nail myself to the cross with Jesus, to drink with him the bitter chalice. Each day in reciting the words of consecration, I confirmed with all my heart and soul a new pact, and eternal pact between Jesus and me through his blood mixed with mine. Those were the most beautiful Masses of my life!" (p. 131)            [__fin__]