Mr. President, you are correct, but not.

On Sunday evening, most of the major TV networks cut to a live feed of the speech given by President Obama at the Memorial Service for the victims of last Friday’s tragic shooting.  In his remarks, nicely accented with Scripture, he stated that “surely we can do better than this,” referring to the need to take better care of our children.  As his speech came to a close, he read the names of the children who had been killed.  Slowly and deliberately, each name spoke of a future snuffed out by the senseless and aggressive act of violence which has left us all with saddened hearts.  

As I sat after the speech, reflecting on what had been said, I couldn’t help but see a blatant contradiction between the President’s words and his actions.  While he is not directly connected to the death of children, there is today, a push to attain abortifacient drugs and medications to end “unwanted” pregnancies.  As I thought about the words of the President, I was moved to think about the countless innocent who are daily massacred.  Nameless and forgotten, they are brought to a state of dismay as their lives are ended without ever having received even a blink from the same people who so eloquently call for our doing “better.”  The reality is that as we gather more and more, four times in his presidency, to mourn tragic events such as last Friday’s or like in Aurora, CO, we gather with authentic and real grief.  In all of this, however, we must come to terms with a radical truth that many of us have missed, as Pope John Paul II warned some years ago, we have become a culture of death.  As such, life is something that happens but death is a norm that can be chosen, even if we still cringe at gross events such as what we witnessed last Friday.  In truth, we have become a society that accepts death and promotes it through social and legal justifications, “I’m just not ready to have this child.” Or “He deserves to die, he’s a monster!”  More and more the message of life, the message Christ Himself offered, is pushed aside and relegated to the quiet comfort of our homes and churches, and even they aren’t as sacred as once before.  In our time, we have become a people who have willfully chosen to turn away from God, choosing for ourselves false idols that bring temporary comfort and pleasure, but which ultimately lead to our own destruction, pockets of which, we see more unashamedly in events such as those at Newtown.  In his speech, President Obama said that our “first task: caring for our children. It's our first job. If we don't get that right, we don't get anything right. That's how, as a society, we will be judged. And by that measure, can we truly say, as a nation, that we're meeting our obligations? Can we honestly say that we're doing enough to keep our children — all of them — safe from harm?"  Good question Mr. President, and looking at your mandates and your record, the answer is No.  May we become people of life, that together, in the Life that is given to us by Christ, we may not only safeguard our children, but also pass on to them a truly safe life in which death is no longer part of our choices.  Mr President, lead us in working toward a world where Scripture isn’t just a passing story, but a reality in which we all live!  Lord Jesus, come. As always, God bless you, and know that I love you.  Fr. Ricky

A Funeral Homily

Death has a particular way of inflicting itself upon us.  When we least expect it, even after a long infirmity, it seems to creep up on us as if a fog creeping in the morning, or a sandstorm ominously approaching from far away.  Death enters, and life is forever changed.  For those who continue living, death has the innate ability to shake us to the core, whether because it reminds us of our own mortality, or because it makes us experience the loss of a dear beloved person.  Whatever it does, death has that not so subtle way of imposing itself upon us, and in a certain way, when death arrives, it takes not only the life of those we love, it forever makes the lives of the living, different.  

Something else that death manages to do when it entangles us in its grasp, is to test our faith and sometimes, to alter our hopes, it is capable of making a dent in our lives that is sometimes not overcome, or it burns memories into our minds of those last moments, or what I should have done differently, regrets are created and at times, because of those memories, we mourn.  Death has a way of doing that quite well. 

And then, just as we believe ourselves to have overcome the shadow of death, maybe a year or two later, we all of a sudden remember it once again, as we remind ourselves that I need to tell dad about this or that thing, only to realize that dad, is gone.  Death is here.

But as Christians, we come together at times of death, and yes, while our faith may be tested by the loss we have experienced, or as our hopes may be altered or changed because of the void in our lives, St. Paul reminds us that after all have passed away, of faith, hope and love, only love remains.  As Christians then, we gather at times of death not only because we must, but because in Christ, and in His love, we have glimpsed the power of His transformative life.  Upon taking Christ into our lives, and as we become heralds of Love having taken on Flesh, we are reminded that while faith and hope may pass, or while the tomb may pretend to contain them as it did Jesus, or as it will all of us, even there, in the cold silence of the dark tomb, love will call upon us, love will call us beyond death, Love will call us to Himself and in Him, we will live! We shall have the life that we shared here on earth, a life that we glimpsed through the sacraments and a life that is felt now, in the love we have for each other.  Because as we gather today, we not only come to celebrate life, we come to acknowledge the life we now share in each other, through Christ.  

We come and recall that in the gentle hug of friend, or the warm hand of our neighbor we experience the touch of Christ, the same Christ whose voice we pray, that those who have preceded us will hear and respond to, the Christ who in his great love has come to each and every one of us.  Christ who in His own victory from the dead, reminds us that our hope is not in vain nor our faith empty, but rather fulfilled in his love in which we are strengthened for the journey, one in which we encounter God’s love on a daily basis, through those around us and in our selves, a journey which will one day appear to give into the cool grip of death, but in reality a journey in which we, through the great love of Christ, will be transformed as our life is changed, not ended.  

And so, we gather here today, and we continue walking into tomorrow, knowing that while there will be sorrow at times, as people as we sit in an empty room for the first time, or maybe six months down the road or at his birthday, we will continue walking with Christ and sharing in his life, trying to understand that in every step, as we await our friend death, we will not fear, but rejoice, because beyond death, God calls us into life.  And so we live, we celebrate and we change, for we too will not end, but be changed, and together, with all the Saints and angels, we will rejoice in Him who is our life.  

As always, know that you are loved,  God bless you and Peace to you! Fr. Ricky

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It feels as though only yesterday we were being bombarded by the different political ads and propaganda!  Vote for me!  Vote for me!  I promise this, I promise that, no new taxes!  Since Thanksgiving, we went from political ads to store ads and great bargains!  Black Friday came early followed by Small Business Saturday, Sunday, Cyber Monday, Giving Tuesday and this and that thing.  Now, we hear on the radio and on TV about the "fiscal cliff,"  a new Boogie Man-esque ordeal that threatens to bring chaos into our midst.  No matter what, the more we stand and listen to this or that thing, and then throw in the dark readings we have been having in our Masses, there is plenty of room to become scared and really worried about what is really happening in our world today.  The apocalyptic readings, attached with some crazy preacher's words of woe can easily send anyone into a fear that may seem inescapable.  At the base of all this, however, there is something that we are invited to consider during this time of Advent.  In all the chaos and noise of this season and this time, we are invited to enter a period of reflection and preparation.  It's not just about the Christmas gifts and decorations, or about the things we will get or do for the holidays, instead, it is about coming to a place of quiet where we are able to sit with Christ and reacquaint ourselves with the one light that transcends all things, His infinite Love!  It is this love that is represented in the lights and glimmer of the ornaments, the hopefulness of the green tree and the merriment of our carols and songs are gentle reminders that it is His Love that calls us to new life, and in celebrating the birth of Christ, we celebrate not only the birth of our Savior, but indeed, the fact that in Jesus, Love Takes on Flesh.  He comes to each and every one of us and invites us to be part of his love, and in that same love, we are brought to new life.  In the simple and vulnerable love of Jesus, we are invited to enter into relationship with God, no longer hidden behind the curtain in the Temple, but now dwelling in our midst.  He, the Bread of Life, is born and is handed to each of us to accept or deny.  He is placed in a manger, a feeding trough, and it's up to us to either accept His life-giving love, or to get lost in the hustle and bustle, and the chaos of life.   In Christ, we are invited to enter a place of reflection and holiness where we strive to become Saints, not just a place where we get by in obeying obligations and fulfilling duties.  Just as a baby enters the life of his family in a most vulernable state, so too does Jesus come into our midst, not as the mighty warrior that had long been expected, but as the baby that we can either choose or not.  Today, as we enter Advent, we are brought to remember that the end will come, but it is up to us whether or not we will hear His voice when He calls, or will we be lost in the chatter of the world.  Its our choice, but in Advent, let us take time to prepare ourselves to celebrate the Birth of Love, not just because we have to, but because we know this love and we love Him.  As always, may God bless you and know that you are loved.  Fr. Ricky

The end is nigh!!!

I was recently saddened by a wedding that I celebrated.  The event itself is not what made me sad, instead, it was the guests.  First of all, I must note that the celebration was outside of mass, and although it still made it difficult, I was at least glad that Jesus didn't have to be present for this, at least not in Eucharistic form.  Getting back to my feelings, I was struck by the lack of participation of the people at the wedding, more particularly, I was saddened by the cell phone usage, the chatter between folks and the ceaseless murmuring between people throughout the celebration.  It almost seemed as though these folks believed that I couldn't see them.  In all of this though, I wasn't so much saddened by the fact that these folks had no interest in the celebration at hand, I was struck by what they proclaimed to me in their lack of interest.  In some ways, the small crowd gathered for this couple was representative of a far greater reality that is affecting more and more of us.  We live our lives unexamined, (here I refer back to the old philosophical maxim, "the unexamined life is not worth living")  We go about our days doing this or doing that, but how often do we stop to become aware of what it is that we are doing, or even more, who it is that we are becoming.  In these last few days, the readings at mass have been rather stark and maybe "end of days ish" this isn't for not reason,  the fact of the matter is that when John was writing his Revelations, the Christian community was undergoing a major reality check.  Only a few years after Christ's Resurrection, the Way was being persecuted like crazy.  All these good folks were all of a sudden having to face the reality of death, and I don't mean a theatrical or movie death, but a real "getting up close and personal with lions" death.  It was an intense period and being Christian was more than just being Baptized, going through CCD to do first Communion and then Confirmation, it was a time when becoming Christian was a life choice, one that could literally cost us our life.  Thankfully, we no longer have to face some of those harsh decisions today, (although persecution still exists).  With this in mind, however, and as we enter the Advent season, maybe we can take some time out of our busy days and reconnect with Him who entered our world not as a migthy conquerer, or a valiant leader, but as a vulnerable infant.  Maybe it's time that we take a moment and face ourselves as we examine our lives and more profoundly, our Christian self.  Who am I in God? How do I live out my faith?  What are my fears?  How is Christ preset in my heart?  What do I need to do to welcome Him?  These are but a few of the questions we must ask ourselves, as the first purple candle begins to illumine our darkness, let come to know Him so that as we celebrate the end of this season, we may not only rejoice in the gift that is Christ, but also celebrate with our lives.  As always, know that you are loved.  God bless you.  Fr Ricky

"in the clouds..."

No, the title does not represent my usual state of mind, instead, it is taken from this Sunday's Gospel: "and they will see the 'Son of Man coming in the clouds' with great power and glory." (Mk 13:24-32) (http://usccb.org/bible/readings/111812.cfm)  I was particularly struck by this simple and often overlooked phrase because last night, Friday night, I was having to go get some fuel for my car before heading out to hear confessions.  The day had been pretty busy and somewhat difficult but I hadn't yet been able to sit long enough to process all the events that had taken place within the last twenty four hours.  So here I went, off to the Shell station on I-20.  As I was going there from St. Ann's, I took Garfield street.  Part of me looked ahead to the intersection where Garfield meets the train tracks.  There, where only a day before, such tragedy had struck.  For those not aware of what happened: (http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/train-parade-float-accident-in-midland-leaves-4-dead-16-hurt/2012/11/16/2885963c-2ff3-11e2-af17-67abba0676e2_story.html).  Anyway, as I was driving to the gas station, I noticed that the train, which had been eerily still since the accident, was gone.  Somewhat relieved, I decided to continue on my route to the station.  As I approached, however, I noticed that the parade float, an 18 wheeler adapted with chairs for the Veterans and their spouses to sit on, was still there.  As I got closer, I noticed that wreckers had arrived on the scene and that the vehicle was being removed.  For some reason, perhaps because of the lack of processing, I became emotional at seeing everything there.  Because the street was still closed, I had to take an alternate route.  As I went I eventually was able to cross the tracks.  It was at that moment that I looked out my window into the sunset.  As I looked West, I was mesmerized by an array of clouds and sunlight that blanketed the sky.  It was a spectacular sight that filled me with great peace and joy.  What had a few moments before been a somber reminder of a tragedy, was quickly turned into a celebration of God's love.  This is not to say that what happened should be celebrated, on the contrary, mourning and grieving are very necessary, but in that process of expressing the pain of loss, it is also significant that as Christians, we come together not out of necessity or tragedy, but out of love. Here, the beautiful sunset proclaimed to all the glory and wonder of God, even as this scene of devastation was being cleaned up.  Here, the gentle clouds combined with the radiant dying light of the evening sun to produce a reminder of the Glory of God whose love and majesty remain with us even when we are too busy focused on the scenes of our own lives.  This amazing display was a reminder that in the love of God, Christ comes to each of us and invites us, not to avoid the pain that our lives may have, but to recognize something greater than those difficulties we face, the life that is found in Him!  I was so busy focusing on the scene, the memories, my emotion, that I hadn't noticed what was going on above me.  There, in the clouds, was the radiant splendor of God's love.  And isn't that what God invites us to as His beloved children?  A celebration of the life that is found in Him, even in the midst of woe.  There, just beyond the tomb, there is the light that calls us to Himself, a light which calls us out of the tomb and into life, a light that shone all around us last night here in Midland, even as we continue to mourn and grieve.  A light that reminds us that through the waters of Baptism, and because of His death and resurrection, for those who believe, life is changed not ended.  For that, I cannot help but praise Him.  As always, know that you are loved.  God bless you.  Fr. Ricky

Zombies are real, but it's not what I expected!

And now, for a little self-revelation...(not that writing a blog isn't pretty revealing)  For some time now, I have luxuriated in cultivating an irrational fear of ZOMBIES!  As silly as it seems, I have become fearful of these fictional creations and have even done zombie checks or considered zombie escape routes, you know, the usual stuff.  As I have fed these fears by watching such shows as The Walking Dead and The Jersey Shore (not really... Bazinga!), I have slowly created imaginary scenarios in which, I usually don't come out triumphant.  Either way, I recognize that the fear of Zombies is both irrational and a luxury of which I can pretend to partake.  This fear, however, is completely fictional, it is more of a hobby than an actual phobia or fear, it is something that takes up my time as I go from one meeting to another or from one event to the next.  Recently though, I have come face to face with the Zombie Apocalypse  and it's nothing like I thought it would be.  To begin, this particular zombie was not trying to eat my brains, nor was he after a bite of flesh, instead, the zombie that sat in my office was someone that I had known for many years.  A person that I have grown to admire and respect, a person whose family seemed perfect and in tact, and yet, here he was, right in front of me, my old friend, and yet, a zombie.  In between bouts of lucidity, my friend pleaded with me to help him escape the horror which he was living, and yet, in the next breath, the zombie manifested itself desperate not for flesh, or brains, but for the next hit.  Right before my eyes, I saw the horrible effects of this monster that possess my friend, pushing him down and revealing itself for what it is, a soul-less, self centered zombie that pursued its next hit with the ferocity of a fictional zombie running after a real life remnant of the human race.  As I sat there, slowly realizing what I was witnessing, I didn't know what to do.  The Zombie Apocalypse was happening right in my office and I had no idea how to respond!  Zombies aside, and fears aside, I quickly turned to Christ and the Holy Spirit to guide me in this time.  With the calmness of someone moving away from a zombie, I started to breathe slowly and in a measured fashion, and although he was right across from my desk, it wasn't my brain but my heart that went out to him.  Here, in front of me, was a modern day leper, a child of God who had gone astray.  Just a few weeks ago I proclaimed and preached about my good friend Bartimeus, and now, here he was, not in the midst of a crowd, but in the midst of the zombie, the drug, the addiction.  Here he sat, right in front of me calling out "HAVE PITY ON ME!"
As much as would like to say that I sprang into action like a Christ-like zombie fighting warrior, I have to admit that for the first time, I didn't know what to do, or how to pretend that I knew what to do.  At this moment, my friend was in true need of help and this zombie could see right through anything I could through its way.  This morning, as I sit and write this post, I am humbled at the call to help this young man, and while I cannot know where he will end up, I pray that in the little that I have been able to offer, he will find the peace he needs.  He has agreed to enter a rehab program, but what then?  I have offered to continue walking with him throughout this ordeal, and in Christ, I hope that the damage that has been created, both in him and in his family, will find the healing that is necessary.  Unfortunately, like in the movies, this zombie has damaged everything around it, and reconstruction  will be difficult, but in the end, I guess that in Christ, even the darkness of the zombie apocalypse or of the tomb, can be overcome.  And also in Christ, I and in truth, we are called upon to fight this apocolypse that is happening in so many of our homes.  I don't have the solution, but I can't help but believe, because I have experienced it myself, that ultimately, it will take great love anc courage which can only come from Christ, to battle not only this apocolypse, but all those that are so easily taking over many of those we love.  Pray for me as I do for you.
As always, know that you are loved.  God bless you.   Fr. Rick

No one mourns the wicked...

I saw a picture today of a dear friend of mine in her Halloween costume, and she was all green!  Seeing the picture, I was reminded of the Wicked Witch in the Wizard of Oz.  Seeing her, reminded me of the song from the recent Broadway musical "Wicked." The song states: No one mourns the wicked... no one cries because their gone, no one lays a lily on their grave...  As I hum this or sing out the parts I remember, I think of the day we celebrate today, All Souls Day, Dia de los Muertos, or Undas.  It is a day in which we gather to commemorate those whose lives have ended.  It is also a day to take some time and pray for those whose lives were less than stellar, those who died alone or abandoned, and quite frankly, all the dead.  It is a time to take a moment for reflection on our own mortality and to remember that as children of God, through the waters of Baptism, we are each granted eternal life, but we also recognize that because of the choices we make in our free will, some will have to face a time of purging as we prepare to join the Heavenly choirs.  Today, we call upon God to grant eternal rest upon the dead, and to let perpetual light shine upon them.  We celebrate and remember that one day, we too will need the prayers of the living as we journey beyond this life and that perhaps, as we pray for all the dead, even the wicked become participants in the mercy of God where life is found.  May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in Peace.  As always, I love you, God bless you and Memento Mori.  Fr. Rick