Liberal Education: The Institute for Catholic Liberal Education

by Andrew Seeley

"Every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house, who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old." 

Readers must frequently be tempted to throw up their hands in despair over the state of education today. How can we reinvigorate our culture with a sense of what is True, Beautiful and Good when our schools seem determined to douse the light of wonder that is natural to young people? It kills me everytime I see a bright, chatty kid I met during his little league years come out of junior high school seemingly without a spark of interest in life. The Left wants to undermine any connection of the young to our traditions; the Right wants to test them into conformity with the existing corporate and bureaucratic system. Very few place any importance on developing the hearts and minds of the young by connecting them to riches of our Western tradition.

Christopher Dawson saw the problem facing Western civilization through the loss of commitment to liberal education. Yet he also saw a great hope for change through developments in the Catholic parochial system, as he pointed out in The Crisis of Western Education.

...As education reaches a certain point of development, it opens up new and wider cultural horizons. It ceases to be a utilitarian parochial effort for the maintenance of a minimum standard of religious instruction and becomes the gateway to the wider kingdom of Catholic culture which has two thousand years of tradition behind it and is literally world-wide in its extent and scope.

The Catholic Church embraced classical education in the early Middle Ages, incorporating it into monastic, ecclesiastical and, eventually, secular life. In one form or another, from the Benedictine monasteries to the medieval universities to the Jesuit’s Ratio Studiorum, Liberal Education has traditionally been the core of Catholic education. The goals of classical education – perfecting the natural powers of the mind while embracing and developing a tradition – coalesced perfectly with the incarnational, traditional and pilgrimmatic understanding of Christian life.

Gospel Reflection-"Do you now believe?"

By Winston Elliott III

John 16: 29 - 33
29 His disciples said, "Ah, now you are speaking plainly, not in any figure! 30 Now we know that you know all things, and need none to question you; by this we believe that you came from God." 31 Jesus answered them, "Do you now believe? 32 The hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, every man to his home, and will leave me alone; yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me. 33 I have said this to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."

Father of Christ, all-seeing, hear our prayers; Look kindly on your servant’s solemn song. He turns his footsteps down a godly path, Who knows, while living, the ingenerate God, And Christ, the king who bans all mortal ills. Once, out of pity for our hard-pressed race, Freely conforming to the Father’s will, He changed his form, taking our mortal frame. Though he was God immortal, freeing us all. From Tartarus’s bondage by his blood. Come now, refresh this soul of yours with words—Pure, godly sayings from this sacred book; Gaze here upon the servants of your Truth Proclaiming life in voices echoing heaven! St Gregory the Theologian. (Gregory of Nazianzus, 168-169)

"Now you are speaking plainly, not in any figure." Are the disciples really turning the corner? Are they finally beginning to comprehend who Jesus truly is? Are they saying this in response to Jesus saying in 16 "A little while, and you will see me no more; again a little while and you will see me"? Is this speaking plainly? I'm not convinced that they truly understand any better who Jesus is at the Last Supper than they have at anytime during their three years with Jesus. The disciples go on to say: "Now we know that you know all things...by this we believe that you came from God." And yet just moments before they exclaim in verses 17 & 18 "what is this he says to us...what does he mean." They believe. But they need help with their unbelief. Don't we all? 

At this point in the story they must be mystified. Just seconds ago they made a strong statement of faith, "we know that you know all things...by this we believe that you came from God," and Jesus responds with:"Do you now believe?" This looks like the Jesus equivalent of "really?" And then it gets worse for our role models in faith. Jesus warns the disciples that things are  going to get very ugly. He tells them that "the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, every man to his home, and will leave me alone." Not only will they run and hide but they will abandon Jesus. They will leave their friend, their teacher, who "came from God," behind. They will leave him alone. Do they really believe? How strong is their faith?

Thankfully Jesus does not leave the disciples, or us, in this state of unrest. First he explains that he is never alone "for the Father is with me."  Jesus has never left the community of love, the Blessed Trinity. With him in us and us in him we never have to be alone. Sometimes we, like the disciples, scatter to our homes. These homes are often full of distractions, pains, and troubles. He may be alluding to our "homes" in sin. The sins we turn to when we turn away from Jesus. But, what if we stay "home" with Jesus, in good times and bad?  Jesus answers this when he says: "I have said this to you, that in me you may have peace." He has come that we may have peace. He does not say that the world will be peaceful. He does not say you will not suffer or face trials and tribulations. No. He says: "In me you may have peace." We may have peace in him in a world that is never peaceful. Let us turn to him and find peace in a world of strife. No Jesus is not left alone. And neither are we. We are joined with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We are joined with the community of faithful believers. What is the important point to remember? "In the world you have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."

Lord, we thank you for we believe that you never leave us alone. That you are with us until the end of the age. Like your disciples we believe. Help us in  our unbelief. With your grace we may grow in faith and love. With your grace we may share your love with all creation. Father, Son and Holy Spirit thank you for showing us your community of love and for letting us join with you. Teach us to love as You love. Amen.


Mary, our Hope, Seat of Wisdom, pray for us.

The Life of Faith-Romano Guardini

O God, creator and Father of life, you have given us temporal life that we may grow and perfect ourselves in it. You have placed it in our hands that we may lead it righteously, and you will in time demand an account of how we used it. But you have also given us another life, which awakens at the hour ordained by your mercy before the proof of your revelation. It comes from eternity, and is created in us by the Holy Spirit, giver of life. This life also you have placed in our hands. We may keep it intact, but we may also squander it; we may take pains to see that it grows and matures, but also neglect it and let it fall into ruin. And a time will come when you will demand an account of how we have used it.

Let me know always, O Lord, that this sacred life is within me. Let me stay aware that it is more real than all temporal life. Grant that I feel it's divine preciousness, which holds the ultimate meaning of our experience.

Give me great seriousness in all the concerns faith. Teach me to see what it needs to exist and to be faithful. Let me know its strength but also its weakness. If with the passing of time my feeling should change, and with it the human form though not the divine content of my faith, then teach me to understand this change. Grant that in the tests that it will bring I may stand firm, so that my faith may constantly gain stature and maturity, as you, O ruler of all life, have so ordained it.

Amen.
(From Prayers from Theology by Romano Guardini)

Encounter with Christ by Barbara J. Elliott

Fr. David & Fr. Bruce Noble

by Barbara J. Elliott

I had never been in a hospice before, although several people had encouraged me to go and serve there.  It just didn’t seem like my calling.  Why go to serve the dying, when I can work among the living to equip them for a better life?  It all seemed so depressing. 

There was no one more surprised than I when I found myself walking into a hospice in Houston one spring evening, laden with flowers, fresh raspberries, sushi and champagne to visit Fr. David Noble. He was succumbing after a valiant struggle against cancer. I learned that afternoon from his twin, Fr. Bruce, that shortly after arriving at the hospice, the patient had expressed a hankering for salmon.  And I knew from experience that a drop of bubbly would be welcome, having quaffed several with the Australian priests on a number of occasions. 

Instead of the dreary, weepy atmosphere I anticipated, I walked into a celebration, replete with balloons, a chocolate cake, and cheerful guests bursting out of the hospice room. The nurse had to push her way through the well-wishers to get to the patient.  And while chemotherapy and cancer had made Fr. David visibly weaker, he was the soul of wit and wisdom he had been over the decade I had known him.  This was a celebration of life, in the company of people who loved these identical priests.  Their separation from one another, or from us, was unimaginable. 

Cutting small bites of salmon and spearing them to Fr. David was a joyful task for me.  As I fed him a piece, I remembered the times he had put the Eucharistic Lord into my mouth at Mass.  I helped him lift his head to sip from the champagne flute. 

The love among these two priests and the people who had become their friends was palpable. They had served for years as hospital chaplains and leaders of Marriage Encounters all over the world. These men who had served were now being served, in an ellipse of love returning.  We ate, drank, and prayed, then two young opera singers with angelic voices gave an impromptu performance of Ave Maria to conclude the celebration.

When I returned two evenings later, Fr. David had weakened significantly. He could no longer speak or drink from a cup.  The twin priests had been scheduled to speak at a gala that evening, but Fr. Bruce had been persuaded by cooler heads to forego the grand public goodbye for his brother, leave him in bed, and go alone.  I promised to stay with Fr. David while all the others would be gone. 

In that time by his bedside, as Fr. David drifted in and out of morphine sleep, I took his hand and stroked the top of his head, where hair had been only days before. Is it wrong to be this familiar with a defenseless priest, I wondered, even if he is an old friend? I decided I would treat him like a father, since indeed, he was one.  I poured out prayer in waves of love that transcended words, interceding for the path of his soul and the strengthening of his brother who would be left behind.  Being able to adjust Fr. David’s sheets and pillow to make him comfortable was almost a relief, so great was the desire to do something, anything, to help.  I watched and waited, grateful for the silence to pray, and even more so for the joy of just being there as a presence of love.    

As people began to arrive after the benefit, the nurse posted me as the guard while she completed her work.  One parishioner had brought a rare port from Australia, along with beautiful small glasses – her best, she said, because she knew Fr. David appreciated them.  This was her flask of finest perfume, poured out for the alter Christus while he was still among us.

As the group came into the room, I was surprised at the somber mood and hushed tones.  An inexplicable joy welled up in me as I stood by the bed with a lollipop sponge, putting drops of water, then port, onto Fr. David’s tongue. As the friends came forward one by one to say a few words to him, I hugged the ones who were wiping away tears. I found myself thinking, “We know where he is going now – how can we not be joyful for him?“ but didn’t say it, because it sounds like one of the sappy things annoyingly pious people would say.  But somehow the joy and love that was welling up in me was brimming over into embraces for the others grieving.  And it seemed perfectly normal at that moment, although I had never been in that situation.   I stayed to help Fr. Bruce put sheets on the rollaway bed, so he could spend the night in the room.  We both knew that his brother was close to entering the next realm.

As I got into my car in the dark, I had a sudden jolt of turning a corner in time.  I was at the foot of the cross, touching the feet of Jesus.  As his body was taken down, I was wiping it with a cloth.  Then he was alive again. I heard his words in an interior silvery resonance:  “Whatever you have done for the least of these, you have done to me.” 

And in a split-second encounter I finally understood what Mother Teresa meant when she said she touched the body of Christ in the distressing disguise of the poorest of the poor.  As she washed the bodies of dying men and women, laid them in fresh sheets, and gave them a drink of water, in some mystical way she was touching the body of Christ himself.

I touched Christ’s body. I sat there stunned.

Saint Augstine on our Lord's Ascension

(Sermo de Ascensione Domini, Mai 98, 1-2: PLS 2, 494-495)

Today our Lord Jesus Christ ascended into heaven; let our hearts ascend with him. Listen to the words of the Apostle: If you have risen with Christ, set your hearts on the things that are above where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God; seek the things that are above, not the things that are on earth. For just as he remained with us even after his ascension, so we too are already in heaven with him, even though what is promised us has not yet been fulfilled in our bodies.

Christ is now exalted above the heavens, but he still suffers on earth all the pain that we, the members of his body, have to bear. He showed this when he cried out from above:Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? and when he said: I was hungry and you gave me food.

Why do we on earth not strive to find rest with him in heaven even now, through the faith, hope and love that unites us to him? While in heaven he is also with us; and we while on earth are with him. He is here with us by his divinity, his power and his love. We cannot be in heaven, as he is on earth, by divinity, but in him, we can be there by love.

He did not leave heaven when he came down to us; nor did he withdraw from us when he went up again into heaven. The fact that he was in heaven even while he was on earth is borne out by his own statement: No one has ever ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man, who is in heaven.

These words are explained by our oneness with Christ, for he is our head and we are his body. No one ascended into heaven except Christ because we also are Christ: he is the Son of Man by his union with us, and we by our union with him are the sons of God. So the Apostle says: Just as the human body, which has many members, is a unity, because all the different members make one body, so is it also with Christ. He too has many members, but one body.

Out of compassion for us he descended from heaven, and although he ascended alone, we also ascend, because we are in him by grace. Thus, no one but Christ descended and no one but Christ ascended; not because there is no distinction between the head and the body, but because the body as a unity cannot be separated from the head.

On the Ascension and Presence of Jesus Christ

On the Ascension from Insight Scoop, by Carl Olson

 

First, here is a short excerpt from "The Ascension: The Beginning of a New Nearness," from Images of Hope: Meditations on Major Feasts (Ignatius, 2006):

You are surely familiar with all those precious, naïve images in which only the feet of Jesus are visible, sticking out of the cloud, at the heads of the apostles. The cloud, for its part, is a dark circle on the perimeter; on the inside, however, blazing light. It occurs to me that precisely in the apparent naïveté of this representation something very deep comes into view. All we see of Christ in the time of history are his feet and the cloud. His feet—what are they?

We are reminded, first of all, of a peculiar sentence from the Resurrection account in Matthew's Gospel, where it is said that the women held onto the feet of the Risen Lord and worshipped him. As the Risen One, he towers over earthly proportions. We can still only touch his feet; and we touch them in adoration. Here we could reflect that we come as worshippers, following his trail, close to his footsteps. Praying, we go to him; praying, we touch him, even if in this world, so to speak, always only from below, only from afar, always only on the trail of his earthly steps. At the same time it becomes clear that we do not find the footprints of Christ when we look only below, when we measure only footprints and want to subsume faith in the obvious. The Lord is movement toward above, and only in moving ourselves, in looking up and ascending, do we recognize him.

When we read the Church Fathers something important is added. The correct ascent of man occurs precisely where he learns, in humbly turning toward his neighbor, to bow very deeply, down to his feet, down to the gesture of the washing of feet. It is precisely humility, which can bow low, that carries man upward. This is the dynamic of ascent that the feast of the Ascension wants to teach us.

And this from "The Threefold Presence of Christ", from You Crown the Year With Your Goodness: Sermons Throught the Liturgical Year (Ignatius, 1989), by Fr. Hans Urs von Balthasar:

[Christ's] disappearance from the world begins with his Passion and ends with his Ascension. For since he was laid in the tomb, no worldly person, no one who lacks the Spirit of Christ, has seen him anymore. His coming to us, however, starts on Easter morning, where he meets one disciple after another; it continues throughout the Forty Days and is brought to its fulfillment at Pentecost, when he pours out his Spirit over the Church and thus fills her with his own innermost being. It is not that his presence changes into his absence; what changes is the mode of his presence. ...

As Catholics we can try to view this new presence from three angles: from God's point of view, from Christ's point of view and from the Church's point of view. ...

The Lord shares in God's mode of presence, but he is not only God, he is also man for all eternity, with a human body and a human soul. Now this humanity explicitly participates in the new mode of his presence and indwelling. And this is the really astonishing and baffling thing: that this finite soul and this limited body can share in the limitless omnipresence and intimacy of God. His wisdom and love have brought this miracle about: it is called "Eucharist". It is not only a spiritual being-together in which the parties think of one another, nor is it simply the kind of presence whereby man is in God: it is an indwelling of the divine-human being of Christ, soul and body, in the whole person, body in body and soul in soul. "He who eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood abides in me and I in him." ...

[Christ] is with us not only as God, not only as the eucharistic God-man, but also, essentially, as Church. What we mean by "Church" comes into being as a result of his Eucharist, from the outpouring of his Spirit; the Church lives in the power of his being-with-us all the days, to the end of the world. ...

Love is heaven on earth. Only thus is the mystery of the Ascension complete, in which the Son comes to us so that we may be where he is. He is with God, and God is love. And if we love, says John, we are with God and in God.

Finally, from my article, "The Image of Man Has Been Raised Up: On the Feast of the Ascension of the Lord":

At the Ascension the crucified, risen Son of God returns to His Father. Having descended to dusty earth, He now returns to heavenly glory. Having conquered death, He ascends to eternal life. But He returns to the right hand of the Father not just as the Word, but as the Incarnate Word. The doors of heaven are now open and humanity can now approach the throne room of God, the way having been paved by the life, death, and resurrection of the God-man. Pentecost, finally, is the manifestation of the God-man's Church, which is both human and divine. The Church was revealed to the world on that day—fifty days after Easter—by the power of the Holy Spirit.

All of this theology is nice enough, but what does it mean for us? It means the Feast of the Ascension is a celebration of salvation won. The Catholic Encyclopedia notes that "in the Eastern Church this feast was known as analepsis, the taking up, and also as the episozomene, the salvation, denoting that by ascending into His glory Christ completed the work of our redemption." The tendency is often to think of the Resurrection as the culmination of Jesus' salvific work, but it is the Ascension that places the final stamp of approval on the sacrificial and victorious work of our Savior. This is beautifully expressed in the first chapter of Paul's epistle to the Ephesians:

May the eyes of your hearts be enlightened, that you may know what is the hope that belongs to his call, what are the riches of glory in his inheritance among the holy ones, and what is the surpassing greatness of his power for us who believe, in accord with the exercise of his great might: which he worked in Christ, raising him from the dead and seating him at his right hand in the heavens ... (Eph. 1:17-20).

Now that the Incarnate Son of God has ascended into heaven and sits in the throne room of God, mankind can follow. United to the Son through baptism and deepening communion with Him through reception of the Holy Eucharist and the other sacraments, the hope of heaven is ours.

"The ascension of Christ is our elevation," declared Leo the Great in a sermon on the Ascension, "Hope for the body is also invited where the glory of the Head preceded us. Let us exult, dearly beloved, with worthy joy and be glad with a holy thanksgiving. Today we not only are established as possessors of paradise, but we have even penetrated the heights of the heavens in Christ." Where the sin of the first Adam closed the gates of Paradise, the righteousness of the new Adam has opened them wide.

Read the entire piece.

Gospel Reflection-Speaking Plainly of the Father

by Winston Elliott III

John 16:23b-28

23 In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask anything of the Father, he will give it to you in my name. 24 Hitherto you have asked nothing in my name; ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full. 25 "I have said this to you in figures; the hour is coming when I shall no longer speak to you in figures but tell you plainly of the Father. 26 In that day you will ask in my name; and I do not say to you that I shall pray the Father for you; 27 for the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from the Father. 28 I came from the Father and have come into the world; again, I am leaving the world and going to the Father."

"O Lord Jesus Christ,  open the eyes of my heart, that I may hear Your word and understand and do Your will, for I am a sojourner upon the earth. Hide not Your commandments from me, but open my eyes, that I may perceive the wonders of Your law. Speak unto me the hidden and secret things of Your wisdom. On You do I set my hope, O my God, that You shall enlighten my mind and understanding with the light of Your knowledge, not only to cherish those things which are written, but to do them; that in reading the lives and sayings of the saints I may not sin, but that such may serve for my restoration, enlightenment and sanctification, for the salvation of my soul, and the inheritance of life everlasting. For You are the enlightenment of those who lie in darkness, and from You comes every good deed and every gift.  Amen." (St. John Chrysostom)

Jesus is preparing the Apostles for His death on the cross. They do not know this of course.  But now Jesus is speaking of "that day." Is "that day" a reference to the three days He will be away from His disciples before the resurrection? Is He preparing them for when He will ascend to heaven? He doesn't explain. They, as usual, don't understand what He is telling them. They love Him as a friend and teacher but they do not understand His truth and nature. Not yet. But, Jesus admits that up until this time he has been speaking to them in "figures." But, the hour is coming when He will tell them "plainly of the Father." He will  set their hearts on fire on the road to Emmaus. And again in the Upper Room. Then once more by the Sea of Tiberias when He stood on the beach and called out "...children, have you any fish?" Within moments of hauling in the fish Peter is in the water swimming to His beloved Teacher. And finally on the mountain immediately before His ascension. But was that the end of "speaking plainly of the Father?"

No, for the Father and the Son sent the Holy Spirit. So Jesus, in unity with the Father and the Spirit spoke to the Apostles after His ascension. And He continues to speak to us today. The Word of God speaks of the Holy Trinity to us in His word, in the Holy Spirit and in the sacraments of His Church. Why is so much effort expended on our behalf? We who are slow to listen and slow to love. According to Jesus it is because "the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from the Father." So simple. So beautiful and so mysterious. Without Divine Grace we can't begin to understand such Love. But, with it we can begin to love as God loves us. Jesus, who "came from the Father...into the world..." is "leaving the world and going to the Father." But in His love for us He never leaves us alone. We are welcome in the Holy Community of the Blessed Trinity. How amazing and how wonderful is so great a gift? Thank you Lord.  

"For in the sacred books, the Father who is in heaven meets His children with great love and speaks with them; and the force and power in the word of God is so great that it stands as the support and energy of the Church, the strength of faith for her sons, the food of the soul, the pure and everlasting source of spiritual life." Dei Verbum 21 (Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation)

Clarity in Religious Practice-Romano Guardini

O God, you bear all creation over the abyss of nothingness and infuse it with your power, so that it moves and lives. You have given a spark of clarity to all things, for only from you, the Father of light, do they receive their truth and their worth.

All things are moved by your breath and filled with your mystery. Each thing guides the spirit of man beyond itself to a being higher than itself, and allows man's heart to sense a power that does not come from his own resources.

Thus, pictures and concepts of the divine originate everywhere among peoples and individuals. Frequently they hold a deep meaning that moves the heart and promises goodness, but they also may hold evil and confusion that lead to error.

And so I beseech you to open my heart to the mystery that everywhere declares itself; but guard it also from the seduction to which it may give rise. Make my conscience secure, that at all times it may call the good good and the evil evil. Enlighten my mind so that it may distinguish that which leads to you, the true Holy One, and that which leads away from you into error and deceit.

Amen.

(From Prayers from Theology by Romano Guardini)

Gospel Reflection-Are our Hearts Full of Joy?

by Winston Elliott III

John 16:20-23
20 'In all truth I tell you, you will be weeping and wailing while the world will rejoice; you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn to joy. 21 A woman in childbirth suffers, because her time has come; but when she has given birth to the child she forgets the suffering in her joy that a human being has been born into the world. 22 So it is with you: you are sad now, but I shall see you again, and your hearts will be full of joy, and that joy no one shall take from you. 23 When that day comes, you will not ask me any questions. In all truth I tell you, anything you ask from the Father he will grant in my name.
  
"Creator of all things, true source of light and wisdom, lofty origin of all being, graciously let a ray of your brilliance penetrate into the darkness of my understanding and take from me the double darkness in which I have been born, an obscurity of both sin and ignorance." Amen. 

With the assistance of this prayer from Thomas Aquinas I am hopefully better prepared to reflect on this challenging passage from the Gospel of St. John. Jesus warns His friends that"...you will be weeping and wailing while the world will rejoice..." Times seem to be good for the disciples of Jesus. The crowds have welcomed Jesus. Much good teaching and numerous miracles have been experienced. But, here at the end of the Last Supper, Jesus' words are troubling. What is this about wailing and weeping while the world rejoices? They are enjoying fellowship with Jesus, and with each other, and Jesus is saying "you will be sorrowful." Aren't we like the disciples? For we don't know what is yet to come and we celebrate today when tomorrow will bring suffering. We cannot read the signs of the times. We hear Jesus' words but we often tune out the references to suffering and hardship. But Jesus never leaves us in despair. For he reminds the disciples, and us, that after the pain of childbirth the mother "...forgets the suffering in her joy that a human being has been born into the world." 

The story is about to move from the Upper Room to the garden where Judas' betrayal will be completed with a kiss. The disciples don't know this and I'm confident they are puzzled by Jesus' words. There is soon to be great sorrow, with Jesus' suffering and death on the cross. The disciples will desert Him and go into hiding. And yet all is not lost. Jesus has said that in a short time they won't see Him but they will see Him again. And He has also told them of the Comforter who is soon to come. Jesus follows his words of warning with words of hope: "...but I shall see you again, and your hearts will be full of joy, and that joy no one shall take from you." Yes, the resurrected Lord will be with the disciples again and they will be full of joy. But what about us? Are our hearts full of joy? We have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, the Holy Spirit is with us and with Him we should have "joy no one shall take from you." Do we have the joy of the mother when, after the suffering of childbirth, she sees her newborn child? Yes, we have the resurrected Jesus. We have the Holy Spirit. But, do we have Joy?

"When that day comes, you will not ask me any questions. In all truth I tell you, anything you ask from the Father he will grant in my name." Does Jesus speak here of our days on earth or when we meet Him in His Father's house? It seems "the day" has not come for me for I still ask Him many questions and what I ask of the Father is not always granted. I believe that in this final sentence of today's Gospel Jesus is alluding to the time when we join Him in Heaven. This passage seems to address both our times of suffering here and our joyfully anticipated reunion with Jesus in Heaven. Jesus often seems to speak in "both/and" mode as opposed to "either/or." Of course we wish it were easier to understand His teachings. We should pray to the Holy Spirit to increase our understanding of the Word of God and His words. And that our Joy may be complete.

I close with the rest of the prayer of Thomas Aquinas which began this reflection. Creator God, Three in One "...give me a sharp sense of understanding, a retentive memory, and the ability to grasp things correctly and fundamentally. Grant me the talent of being exact in my explanations, and the ability to express myself with thoroughness and charm. Point out the beginning, direct the progress, and help in completion; through Christ our Lord. Amen"

Blessed Mary, Our Lady of Walsingham, pray for us.

‘Tis the season for commencements

by Andrew Seeley

‘Tis the season for commencements: collegiate, high school, elementary school, even kindergarten. Some are silly, some cute, some respectful, some tedious, some beautiful. On Saturday, I was blessed to attend one which, more than anything, was deeply joyful. The school was St. Augustine’s Academy in Ventura, California, which combined high school graduation with eighth grade promotion. From the hugs given by seniors to the eighth graders as they symbolically handed them their certificates to the evident affection and pride expressed by graduates, teachers and administrators, I couldn’t help but wish that I could say to a relativistic world, “This is all we want for you – love God, strive for goodness, excellence and self-control, sprinkle charity over all, and you can have joy!” When I returned home, I read this reflection of Pope Benedict’s, inspired by the daily reading from the Acts of the Apostles ("There was great joy in that city."):

"We are deeply impressed again and again by this expression, which in essence communicates a sense of hope, as if saying: It is possible! It is possible for humanity to know true joy, because wherever the Gospel arrives, life flourishes, just as an arid terrain that, irrigated by rain, is immediately verdant."

The first senior address expressed it all. Delivered by a beautiful, natural, confident young woman, in whose face shone mirth and gladness as she spoke wisely, seriously, and, above all, joyfully, her speech moved us deeply. The perfect blend of heart and head spoke more powerfully than any possible advertisement for the intellectual and moral strength of the school community in which she was nurtured.

Why don’t we as a society turn to such models, desiring to discover the secret of their success so that it might be shared with the young throughout the land? Alas, such models are too rare; many have never even heard that this is possible, so they never look. Others might hear people like me shouting, “Here is the real deal!” But not experiencing it for themselves, their impoverished imaginations twist all they hear and return our offer with sneering and mockery. Finally, the daunting commitment to the life of faith and discipline that makes such joy possible makes many turn away.

Gospel Reflection-Would this be the Day?

by Winston Elliott III

Mt 28:16-20 
16 Meanwhile the eleven disciples set out for Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had arranged to meet them. 17 When they saw him they fell down before him, though some hesitated. 18 Jesus came up and spoke to them. He said, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go, therefore, make disciples of all nations; baptise them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teach them to observe all the commands I gave you. And look, I am with you always; yes, to the end of time.'

 Alleluia! Come, let us worship Christ the Lord as he ascends into heaven. Alleluia! Today is the Solemnity of the Ascension of our Lord. 

Would this be the day? Jesus has told the disciples that He must leave them, but that He will send them the Spirit, the Counselor who will guide them with wisdom and truth. They know that Jesus must leave them. But, while rejoicing at His resurrection are they perhaps still sad that He will leave? As a young boy who loved his father with a great passion I frequently would stand at the front door as my father left for work. I would watch him get into his truck and drive off. In my small world leaving for work meant leaving my world. What if he didn't return? Some days I would not rise early enough to hug him and kiss him before he left. On those days I would go to the door, perhaps seeing his truck pull out, I was too late. My fear that he would not return, compounded by the lack of a warm goodbye and expression of my love for him, would leave me weeping at the door. Were some of the disciples weeping when their master, their teacher and friend left them? Was knowing that Jesus was sending them the Spirit a great enough consolation that within those tears of loss that they could focus on the joy of the Ascension and the coming of the Comforter?

"When they saw him they fell down before him, though some hesitated." We aren't told why they hesitated. We just know that they did. Would you and I hesitate? Is it because we still doubt that He is who He says He is? Is it possible that some of the hesitation is because they are anticipating what comes next? Jesus is leaving. They will be left behind. Yes, the Spirit is coming. But they may be thinking, what comes next? What will we do now? Jesus speaks words of consolation: "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me." Don't worry. I have the authority to give you a new mission, a purpose in life. Now get ready. Here it comes. "Go, therefore, make disciples of all nations; baptise them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit..." The mission is given. The Lord has spoken and the disciples are given their orders. "Go and make disciples of all the nations..." Not just preach and make converts. Make disciples. Disciples don't only believe they strive to follow Jesus' commands. True disciples center their lives, all that they do, on Jesus. Their world is transformed so that they view culture, economics, politics and family life through the lens of Christ. Jesus commands that His disciples go to all the nations "and teach them to observe all the commands I gave you." This is our task as disciples of Jesus. Who are we teaching? Or are we waiting for someone else to respond to the "Great Commission?" 

Lord we know that you said: "And look, I am with you always; yes, to the end of time." Thank you for staying with us. Still we are often weak and wounded disciples who hesitate. Sometimes we are lonely and just want to draw near to You. Please don't leave us at the door thinking that You have left and we didn't get to tell You that we adore You. Remind us that You are with us till the end of time. Holy Spirit, be our comforter. Strengthen us so that we may respond to the great commission with a resounding Yes. Guide us to serve the Blessed Trinity in all that we do. Teach us the fullness of truth so that we may make disciples of all nations in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Blessed Virgin Mary, our Lady of Walsingham, pray for us.

Gospel Reflection-Uncomfortable Truth

by Winston Elliott III

John 16:12-15
12 I still have many things to say to you but they would be too much for you to bear now.13 However, when the Spirit of truth comes he will lead you to the complete truth, since he will not be speaking of his own accord, but will say only what he has been told; and he will reveal to you the things to come.14 He will glorify me, since all he reveals to you will be taken from what is mine.15 Everything the Father has is mine; that is why I said: all he reveals to you will be taken from what is mine.

The disciples are more than a bit confused and disturbed. They were prepared for what they thought would be a pleasant supper with Jesus before the start of the festival of Passover. Then Jesus washed their feet. What was that about? He told them about serving one another, but He was Lord and Master so why wash their feet? Then He spoke of betrayal and soon after Judas left in a hurry.  Later He talked about being hated by the world and coming persecutions. And now Jesus speaks of the Paraclete, the Spirit of Truth. Who is the Spirit of Truth? Hasn't Jesus been telling them the Truth for three years? This is not the nice supper with the Teacher the disciples had expected.

"I still have many things to say to you but they would be too much for you to bear now." We are like the disciples aren't we? The Lord has many things to say to us but we are not prepared, not strong enough, to hear His words. Or, perhaps even more disturbing, we are afraid if we listen to closely to His teaching we may have to change our lives.  Maybe sometimes Jesus is too honest for us. He holds up a mirror and the image we find there is not pretty. How can we face the truth about the world and ourselves? Jesus gives us the answer. The Spirit of Truth is coming and He will "lead you to the complete truth...and he will reveal to you the things to come." The complete truth is available to us in the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth. Jesus tell us that all that the Spirit "reveals to you will be taken from what is mine." So the Holy Spirit reveals to us the fullness of the truth that Jesus has been teaching. The truth of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit is not three truths. Jesus makes clear that there is complete unity of purpose and truth in the community of the Blessed Trinity. "Everything the Father has is mine; that is why I said: all he {the Spirit of Truth} reveals to you will be taken from what is mine." Are we ready for the Three in One Creator, a Triune community of Truth? No. And yet, Jesus has told us, the Spirit will guide us to truth and reveal the things to come. People get ready because, ready or not, the Spirit is with us. The Spirit of truth is here. Let us greet Him with open arms and prepared hearts. When the truth makes us the most uncomfortable, that is when we most need to implore the Holy Spirit to come to our aid. We can't handle the truth. Not by ourselves.

Holy Spirit, like the disciples we are often hardheaded, sometimes hardhearted. We want the truth but we still fear the truth. We beseech You to fill us with Your truth and give us the grace to accept it. Show us how to love as You, the Father and the Son love. Come Holy Spirit, fill us with your love, your truth and your light. In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Mary, our Hope, Seat of Wisdom, pray for us. Amen.

Today's Gospel Reflection-Does Yes lead to Joy?

by Winston Elliott III

Luke 1:39-56
39 Mary set out at that time and went as quickly as she could into the hill country to a town in Judah. 40 She went into Zechariah's house and greeted Elizabeth. 41 Now it happened that as soon as Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the child leapt in her womb and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 She gave a loud cry and said, 'Of all women you are the most blessed, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. 43 Why should I be honoured with a visit from the mother of my Lord? 44 Look, the moment your greeting reached my ears, the child in my womb leapt for joy. 45 Yes, blessed is she who believed that the promise made her by the Lord would be fulfilled.' 46 And Mary said: My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord 47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour; 48 because he has looked upon the humiliation of his servant. Yes, from now onwards all generations will call me blessed, 49 for the Almighty has done great things for me. Holy is his name, 50 and his faithful love extends age after age to those who fear him. 51 He has used the power of his arm, he has routed the arrogant of heart. 52 He has pulled down princes from their thrones and raised high the lowly. 53 He has filled the starving with good things, sent the rich away empty. 54 He has come to the help of Israel his servant, mindful of his faithful love 55 -according to the promise he made to our ancestors -- of his mercy to Abraham and to his descendants for ever. 56 Mary stayed with her some three months and then went home.

I write this on the Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary who at the news of the pregnancy of her cousin Elizabeth immediately sets off "into the hill country to a town in Judah." From her love of her cousin, and prompted no doubt by the Holy Spirit, Mary takes what is believed to be a four day journey into the hills. It must have been a strenuous walk for a pregnant teenage girl. Imagine the scene. Arriving tired she most likely wishes for  a chance to rest and freshen up. But, she is greeted with another in a series of awe inspiring moments in her life. For Elizabeth greets her with "Of all women you are the most blessed, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. Why should I be honoured with a visit from the mother of my Lord?" What an amazingly powerful greeting packed with theological punch. The most blessed of all women, all women in all of time. First the angel Gabriel with the startling news of the Annunciation and now Elizabeth. Was Mary still reeling from Gabriel's message? Perhaps she already was experiencing the inner peace of those blessed ones who respond to God with a resounding Yes. Mary's fiat is a joy for her and a gift to us. But, let's not pass over the rest of Elizabeth's greeting: "Yes, blessed is she who believed that the promise made her by the Lord would be fulfilled." Mary is saluted not only for being the Theotokos, the Mother of our Lord. She is our marvelous inspiration for she believes the "promise made by the Lord would be fulfilled." What an incredible faith. Do we have such a faith? Have we asked the Lord to pour forth His grace upon us so that we may have the faith that Mary has? The faith that both comes from and leads to believing His promises to us will be fulfilled?

What would we do with a faith as strong as Mary's? I think I know. You see it is revealed to us in the words of Elizabeth. Here's what will happen to us if we allow ourselves to fully live the Annunciation, Mary's fiat, Elizabeth's greeting, and our Mother's marvelous Magnificat. Lean in, listen closely, this is where it gets good: "Look, the moment your greeting reached my ears, the child in my womb leapt for joy." John leapt for joy. Even in the confinement of Elizabeth's womb, John leapt for joy. Will we leap for joy? Just stand up for a moment. Give it a go. Just start with a little leap. We should leap you know. I think Jesus would appreciate a leap. Mary, our Mother, would smile at our leaps. Maybe you have been a Christian your whole life. Maybe you are a convert like me.  It doesn't matter how long you have believed the promises of our Lord would be fulfilled. It matters that you believe what Mary believed. And then you say Yes. Mary says "the Almighty has done great things for me." Hasn't He done great things for us too? Now, how about that leap?

O Lord God, Blessed Father, Son and Holy Spirit hear my prayer.  Give me the grace to say Yes. Let it be done unto me according to Your Word. Teach me to leap for joy. For You are Love, Joy, Truth, Beauty and Goodness. And You offer everything to me. I want to say Yes. Yes. Yes. A thousand times Yes. With Your grace, even in my weakness, please help me to say Yes. This day and every day, Yes.

Mary, Mother of God, Bearer of the Son, our Mother. Thank you for your Yes. Pray for us Mother. Especially today. Pray that we may learn to leap.

Joy of Joys! Dedication of the new Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham

First Holy Mass at the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham!

On May 28, 2011 the new Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham was dedicated in Houston. Thank you Blessed Mother for guiding our parish and for Your Yes which brought us the gift of Your Son. (More photos here.)

Cardinal DiNardo gives the Homily at the Mass of Dedication

Prayer for the intercession of Our Lady of Walsingham 

O blessed Virgin Mary, Our Lady of Walsingham, Mother of God and our most gentle Queen and Mother, look down in mercy upon us, our parish, our country, our homes, and our families, and upon all who greatly hope and trust in your prayers.  By you it was that Jesus, our Savior and hope, was given to the world; and he has given you to us that we may hope still more. Plead for us your children, whom you did receive and accept at the foot of the Cross, O sorrowful Mother. Intercede for our separated brethren, that with us in the one true fold they may be united to the Chief Shepherd, the Vicar of your Son. Pray for us all, dear Mother, that by faith fruitful in good works we all may be made worthy to see and praise God, together with you in our heavenly home. Amen.

Our Lady of Walsingham, pray for us.

On Mourning, Broken Families and our Earthly Pilgrimage

It is troubling to watch good Catholic families in pain, job loss, separation, divorce.The Faith is not a bullet proof defense from our broken world full of broken pilgrim souls in a society which has forgotten God. When I first became Catholic I thought you would be safe if you went to daily Mass and were obedient. How foolish of me. A childish hope in a temporal salvation. How much I didn't know, and still don't. Our Lord's tears would flood the world I fear.

O that it be easier or that we were stronger Lord. Please immerse us in Your Grace. I know I wasn't seeking a journey, but a safe home. That is yet to come as in this world of toil and troubles peace is only to be found in spiritual union with the Blessed Trinity. The safe is home is not yet. And yet it is here in our hearts, in our souls, in the Blessed Sacrament. O Lord I need you so for I am broken and weak. In my brokenness I need you more than in my strength. Thank you Lord. For I need you all the time. I weep Lord. Bathe me in Your love. Nothing less will bring me home.

Blessed Mother of us All, pray for wounded families that they may be healed. That we may see the loving community of the Holy Trinity as our inspiration, our strength and our refuge. Amen.