Monsignor Marren’s Desk Archives: 2015-2019

2019201820172015

Pearls of Wisdom, June 23, 2019

Happy Father's Day, June 16, 2019

While Father’s Day is among the holidays of our culture that are not exactly high holy days of the church, nevertheless this holiday gives us reason to pause, to pray, and to reflect on our fathers whom we honor.

It should be noted that the credit for Father’s Day goes to Mrs. Jon Bruce Dodd (Sonora Smart Dodd) of Spokane, Washington. It was Mother’s Day in 1909, Mrs. Dodd was sitting in a church listening to a sermon on Mother’s Day. Her thoughts rolled back not only to her mother, but also to her father William Jackson Smart, who had accomplished the amazing task of being both mother and father to her and her five brothers after his wife died at an early age. She could not help but remember the sacrifices of her father on their eastern Washington farm.

Her idea of Father’s Day was approved by her church and publicized by the YMCA. In 1910, the Mayor of Spokane issued a Father’s Day Proclamation and Governor M.E. Hay set the date for an observance throughout the state. Mrs. Dodd’s suggestions for observing the day included wearing a red rose to indicate a living father and a white rose for a deceased father.

In 1924, President Calvin Coolidge recommended it as a national holiday. During his Presidency, Lyndon Johnson made Father’s Day a holiday, a day of national observance in honor of fathers everywhere, to be celebrated on the third Sunday of June. However, the holiday was not officially recognized until 1972 during the Presidency of Richard Nixon. This is a day that honors all men who have acted as a true father figure in our lives.

Much has been written on and about fathers of what they are and of what they ought to be, and on this Father’s Day I wish to offer you some of the notations and writings that caught my eye:

A small boy’s definition of Father’s Day: “It’s just like Mother’s Day, only you don’t spend as much on the present.” Toronto Star

“An expectant father suddenly stops giving his friends advice on how to raise their children.”

“The old-fashioned father, who was eager to put his shoulder to the wheel, now has a son who can’t wait to put his hands on it.”

The following is taken from a composition on people, written by a little girl: “People are composed of girls and boys and men and women. Boys are no good, until they are grown up and married. My mother is a woman, which is a grown-up girl with children. My father is so nice I think he must have been a girl when he was a boy.”

Finally, Merrill C. Tenney offers us the following:

FATHER’S GIFT
To you, O son of mine, I cannot give
A vast estate of wide and fertile lands;
But I can keep for you, the whilst I live,
Unstained hands.
I have no blazoned scutcheon that insures
Your path to eminence and worldly fame;
But longer than empty heraldry endures
A blameless name.
I have no treasure chest of gold refined,
No hoarded wealth of clinking, glittering pelf;
I give to you my hand, and heart, and mind—
All of myself.
I can exert no mighty influence
To make a place for you in men’s affairs;
But lift to God in secret audience
Unceasing prayers.
I cannot, though I would, be always near
To guard your steps with the parental rod;
I trust your soul to Him who holds you dear,
Your father’s God.

Hand Me Down My Bible, June 9, 2019

A Lesson To Practice, June 2, 2019

They have at this time, I believe, all arrived and in a few months they will be returning to their homeland again. Today we see them on our lakes and ponds and sometimes closer to our homes. They are the Canadian geese. This fall as they begin their journey north, it would be wise for us here in the United States to study their flight pattern and learn the valuable lessons they offer us.

An unknown author who studied these beautiful creatures wrote a reflection on their wisdom and called it simply “The sense of a goose.”

The author writes…..

Next fall, when you see geese heading south for the winter, flying along in “V” formation, you might consider what science has discovered as to why they fly that way. As each bird flaps its wings, it creates uplift for the bird immediately following. By flying in “V” formation, the whole flock adds at least 71 percent greater flying range than if each bird flew on its own.

People who share a common direction and sense of community can get where they are going more quickly and easily, because they are traveling on the thrust of one another.

When a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of trying to go it alone—and quickly gets back into formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the bird in front.

If we have as much sense as a goose, we will stay in formation with those people who are headed the same way we are.

When the head goose gets tired, it rotates back in the wing and another goose flies point.

It is sensible to take turns doing demanding jobs, whether with people or with geese flying south.

Geese honk from behind to encourage those up front to keep up their speed.

What messages do we give when we honk from behind?

Finally, and this is important, when a goose gets sick or is wounded by gunshot and falls out of formation, two other geese fall out with that goose and follow it down to lend help and protection. They stay with the fallen goose until it is able to fly or until it dies; and only then do they launch out on their own, or with another formation to catch up with their group.

If we have the sense of a goose, we will stand by each other like that.

~ Author Unknown

Memory, May 26, 2019

The Little Boy, May 19, 2019

Motherhood, May 12, 2019

I’m not sure what model of education is emphasized today, but when I was growing up it was the three R’s, namely Reading, Writing and Arithmetic. I read a story of a retired naval seaman looking back on his childhood education. His mother had been abandoned by his father, and this instilled in him a rebellious streak. He joined the U.S. Navy intent on being a bachelor, but fell in love and married a younger woman who bore him two sons. “Now,” he said, “I can see that we are a family, but at this time, I can also see that my public education lacked three things: I was never taught how to live, how to die, and how to parent.”

Why is there so much emphasis on the three R’s and so little on L-D-P: living, dying, parenting? Is it fair to leave all this to mothers? Have they not their hands full already?

Ralph Davis spoke of his mother’s upcoming 99th birthday. He told us she was an amazing woman, volunteering her time helping others, and driving safely at the young age of 98 and playing golf at the age of 93, until she injured her shoulder.

Abraham Lincoln said, “All that I am or hope to be I owe to my Mother.”

Ralph’s mom and dad couldn’t have children so first they adopted his sister Carol. Five years later Catholic Social Services called to say a baby boy was available. Ralph’s mom called his dad at work, and without discussion, told him to come home as they were driving to Peoria “to bring home a son!”

Ralph spoke of his own adoption, how much he owes to his mother, and how little she knew of who she was adopting. He described himself as somewhat adventurous and the headaches that this would cause his mom and dad. Like the call his mom received from the sheriff telling her Ralph was in an ambulance being taken to the hospital after becoming entrapped in a quagmire on a class picnic. Calls from emergency rooms that Ralph had broken his leg parachuting in college; or that his car was totaled after he was hit by a train; or when hit by a car on his motorcycle; or a doctor in ICU asking permission to operate after he fell three stories breaking both arms and his face. Ralph’s mom was there again, helping him through a long depression, when his dad passed and he lost his wife to cancer. His mom and dad never failed his sister and himself, and God truly blessed them both when He moved Esther and Davy, his mom and dad, to be their parents.

Ralph said it is his mom who has him believing in guardian angels.

M = For the million things she gave me

O= For all I own belongs to her

T=For the tears she shed to save me

H=For the hand that made a home

E=For her eyes with love light shining

R=For right and right shall always be

Put them all together and they spell Mother. A word that means the world to me!

Holy Mary, May 5, 2019

For several hundred years the month of May has come to be known among Catholics as the month dedicated to Mary, the Mother of God. During this month the Catholic Church honors Mary with a variety of devotions. These devotions of course are at times somewhat baffling to our other Christian denominations, so baffling in fact that they have often accused us of idol worship. #idolatry Of course we do not worship Mary, we simply honor her, meaning we give her a special place of respect and recognize that God Himself first honored her by choosing her to be the Mother of His Son, Jesus, the second person of the Blessed Trinity. As Catholics, we only worship God, meaning we only adore God, that is, making Him number one in our lives.

Mary of course is not the only one that we honor. The fourth commandment calls us to honor our parents, and of course in our secular society, we honor various leaders with plaques and monuments together with a variety of civic holidays. No one would ever say we adore them anymore than people would accuse parents of idol worship with having a variety of modern icons and photos of their children on display around their homes.

Of course in all of this, we sometimes forget that all idols are first formed in our hearts, long before they are ever formed by our lifestyle—idols of greed, lust, power, blasphemy, hedonism, etc. Mk 7:20-23. All such idols are in full display in our world today but absent from Mary. In fact, when she is introduced to us for the first time by the Angel Gabriel, she is described as the one who is highly favored, the one who has found favor with God, and whom the Lord is with.

Is that not what we are all striving for in this life, namely to find favor with God so that the Lord will be with us and we with the Lord? During the month of May, we would do well to study the spirituality of Mary and find out how she did it and ask for her help.

A small little clue to her life of holiness: What are the last words of Mary in the Bible? (Yes, look them up!) They worked for her and they will work for us if we follow them.

A Thought for the Months Ahead, April 28, 2019

The Empty Tomb, April 21, 2019

Today is Easter Sunday and first of all, I wish to welcome all of our visitors. I also wish to take this opportunity to welcome those who usually are not in the habit of coming to church on Sunday and invite you to let this Easter Sunday be the start of a new practice in your life.

On this Easter Sunday we are reminded that no matter how healthy we are, and no matter how beautiful we look, we are all on a common journey toward the grave. That time is a precious gift and we should invest in it wisely.

During this Easter Season, like the early followers of Jesus, we stand in awe before the empty tomb. The empty tomb bears witness to the reality of the one, who though He underwent life’s burdens, sufferings and death, finally triumphed over all three. As we stand there in our mind before the empty tomb, He invites us to rise above our comfort zones and join Him in His life of victory over life’s burdens and death. The Christ of Calvary is now the Christ of Easter. He lives and walks among us, bearing testimony to the gospel He preached and practiced, a gospel later eloquently expressed in the Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi. This prayer continually reminds us of our responsibility in being a co-worker with Jesus, in making His gospel tangible and come alive in our own life, and in the lives of those around us.

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:

where there is hatred, let me sow love;

where there is injury, pardon;

where there is doubt, faith;

where there is despair, hope;

where there is darkness, light;

where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master,

grant that I may not so much seek

to be consoled as to console,

to be understood, as to understand,

to be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive,

it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,

and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

~St. Francis of Assisi

Demarcation, April 14, 2019

Some years ago I joined forty priests for my annual retreat at the Monastery of the Holy Spirit in Conyers. Our retreat master who guided the retreat was really great. All of us on the retreat could not thank him enough for the theme of the retreat he chose “Discipleship in Luke’s Gospel.”

It brought me back to my days in the seminary when I was studying for the priesthood. There I came across a book titled The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German pastor who was executed by the Nazis. He wrote that the deadly enemy of the church was “cheap grace.” One example of what he meant was telling church people they were okay without demanding any real commitment or dedication. The opposite of “cheap grace,” said Benhoeffer, is “costly grace,” which demands us to follow Christ not only to the cross, but onto the cross if necessary.

Discipleship is the line of demarcation that distinguishes us from being an admirer of Christ to being a disciple of Christ. Throughout His life on Earth Jesus had many admirers, but few true followers, yet the invitation He offered was not to admire Him but to take up our cross and follow Him. As we now approach the closing of the Lenten Season and enter Holy week with the celebration of the Passion, the cross stands ever before our eyes reminding us that we devalue the meaning of “disciple” when we try to offer God that which costs little and we fool ourselves in the process.

In the corporate world, we call this reality investment. The truth of the matter is that each day we are investing our lives in something or other. St Paul in a Roman prison facing the reality of his death, wrote that for him to die was to gain, but he prefixed that statement that for him to live was Christ. (Phil:1:2) In other words for St. Paul, the difference between profit and loss is Christ, or as he would put it another way, “I have been crucified with Christ.” (Gal 2:19)

Being truly thankful of the blessings that we have received and true disciples of our calling and not of “cheap grace,” we look forward to the words of His voice, “Well done, my good and faithful servant. Because you have been faithful over a few things, I will place you over many things. Enter into the joy of your Lord.” (Mt 25:21)

The Journey, April 7, 2019

We are now more than half way through the Season of Lent. It is a season that provides us with an opportunity to review our own personal journey of faith, of life. We are, of course, aware of some of the great giants whose lives have become an open book detailing their struggle. We are familiar with St. Patrick and his confessions of how it was while in slavery in Ireland, that he learned how to pray and come to know God rather than in the comfort of his own home during his teenage years. Likewise, we are familiar with The Confessions of St. Augustine; The Seven Storey Mountain by Thomas Merton; and also to mention, the story of the “Prodigal Son,” that it was while feeding with the pigs he came to his senses. But for me at this time, to help you on your own spiritual Journey, I wish to recommend the following book titled, An Interrupted Life. It is diaries and letters of Etty (Esther) Hillesum. The book portrays the transformation of an independent woman who struggles with her attachment to worldly pleasures and sensuality all in the search of meaning and satisfaction in her life.

Etty was born January 15, 1914, in the town of Middelburg the Netherlands, the oldest of three children, into a secular Jewish family. Her family, to say the least, was somewhat dysfunctional, as of course was the world around her. Her writing reflects the inner turmoil she experienced during her young adulthood. At the age of 18, she moved to Amsterdam to study law and we could say was fortunate to encounter Julius Spiers, who encouraged her to read St. Augustine, Dostoevsky and the Bible. There began her long journey of spiritual development, in which she longed to meet the depth of her own interior life and life itself. Or as Shakespeare puts it, “This above all: else to thine own self be true, And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man.”

She refused to be intimidated by the atrocities of the Nazis, instead voluntarily going to the German internment camp for Jews at Westerbork in Holland to serve those there who were under arrest and waiting for the cattle trains to transport them to Auschwitz.

She refuses to become a victim while at the same time recognizing the evil of it all. Going into hiding, she believed, would bring about a death that is postponed of living. She writes, “I have looked our destruction or miserable end straight in the eye and accepted it into my life, and my love of life has not been diminished. I am not bitter or rebellious or in any way discouraged.” In this, she sees good and evil side by side and recognizes them just for what they are, part of life.

In June of 1941, she decides to try meditation to listen to her inner voice, but she finds it not so easy. There is a lot of clutter that has to be gotten rid of first in order for her innermost being to become an empty plain so that something of God, of Love, can enter in. She writes, “There is a deep well inside me and in it God dwells…..There are people who pray with their eyes turned to Heaven. They seek God outside themselves. And there are those who bow their heads and bury their faces in their hands. I think they seek God inside.” She will continue and write, “All that is left is the will to yield myself to God.”

She began writing her diaries in June 1941, and her last entry was in 1943. She says that her greatest spiritual development took place amid the horrible evils she experienced during the two months she worked at Westerbork. Just before she was caught up and bound for Auschwitz, she secretly had given her diaries to a friend so that they would get published.

Let me conclude with a few quotes:

“Kass, all I really want to say is this: “We have so much work to do on ourselves that we shouldn’t even be thinking of hating our so-called enemies… Each of us must turn inwards and destroy in himself all that he thinks he ought to destroy in others. And remember every atom of hate we add to this world makes it still more inhospitable.”

“For once you have begun to walk with God, you need only to keep on walking with Him and life becomes one long stroll.”

“I believe I will never be able to hate any human being for his so-called wickedness, that I shall only hate the evil that is within me, though hate is perhaps putting it too strongly even then. In any case we cannot be lax enough in what we demand of others and strict enough in what we demand of ourselves.”

“God is not accountable to us but we are to Him. I know what may lie ahead for us (at the hands of the Nazis) and yet I find life beautiful and meaningful.”

On November 30, 1943, Etty died in a swirl of Zyklon B gas at Auschwitz, joining the fate of her people, at the age of 29.

The Vineyard, March 31, 2019

Kansas Invocation, March 24, 2019

The year was, I believe, 2008, when minister Joe Wright was asked to open the new session of the Kansas senate with an opening prayer. Everyone, of course, was expecting what I might call the usual platitudes, but what a surprise as the Reverend Joe spoke truth to power with the following prayer:

“Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask Your forgiveness and to seek your direction and Guidance. We know Your Word says, ‘Woe to those who call evil good,’ but that is exactly what we have done.

We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values.

We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare.

We have killed our unborn and called it choice.

We have shot abortionist and called it justifiable.

We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self esteem.

We have abused power and called it politics.

We have coveted our neighbor’s possessions and called it ambition.

We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression.

We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment.

Search us, Oh, God, and know our hearts. Today, cleanse us from every sin and set us free. Amen!”

The response was immediate. A number of legislators walked out during the prayer in protest. However, in the six short weeks following the prayer, Rev. Joe’s church logged more than five thousand phone calls with only forty-seven of them being negative.

Today, I ask some more than ten years later, what is wrong with our legislators. Have they become in conscience both deaf and blind? I ask this because on February 25th of this year, a bill called “Born Alive” was presented to our congress. The bill vouched for the protection of children born alive having survived abortion. The bill state for doctors to do all they could to save the newborn infant, but forty-four democrats voted against the bill and so defeated it. Infanticide is now acceptable in our country. What has become of us?

On January 13, 2018, I wrote an article titled “Did You Know?” indicating this pathway, and to tell the truth, this slope is becoming very slippery unless We the People stop it. Remember, We the People have the power, because it is we who elect our legislators.

Oh, yes, what is the slogan? Ah, yes, healthcare for all, except of course, the survivor babies of abortionists.

Why Not?, March 17, 2019

Lent, March 10, 2019

From One Response to Another, March 3, 2019

From time to time people send me quips and commentary which they find interesting. Recently as I was going through some of my files, I came across one of these. Apparently, a pastor had given a sermon on church support to which one of his parishioners replied. The pastor having read the reply offered his own thoughts. The correspondence, if one may call it that, went like this…

“Dear Pastor,

In response to your recent sermon about church support, I wish to inform you that the present condition of my bank account makes it almost impossible for this middle-aged man to be of much help. My shattered financial condition is due to the federal laws, state laws, county laws, corporation laws, mothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, and outlaws. Through these laws, I am compelled to pay a business tax, an amusement tax, a head tax, a school tax, a gas tax, a light tax, a light tax, a water tax, and a sales tax. Even my brains are taxed.

I am also expected to contribute to every organization or society which the genius of man is capable of bringing to life.

I carry life insurance, property insurance, medical insurance, liability insurance, burglary insurance, accident insurance, business insurance, earthquake insurance, tornado insurance, flood insurance, unemployment insurance, old age insurance and fire insurance.

I have been inspected, expected, disrespected, rejected, dejected, examined and reexamined, informed, reformed, summoned, fined, and compelled – until I provide an inexhaustible supply of money for every known need, desire or hope of the human race.

I can tell you honestly that had not the unexpected happened, I could not have sent this check. The wolf that came to my door has just had pups in my kitchen. I sold them, so here’s the MONEY!”

That reluctant giver’s note, dripping with sarcasm, is very revealing of where his treasure lies. Anything that causes him to part with his money he clearly resents – from paying utility bills, to making charitable contributions, and everything in between. As if to emphasize his number one priority in life, the closing word in that man’s note – MONEY – is printed in large CAPITAL letters. All of which, of course, is in sharp contrast to the manner in which JESUS comes at the subject of money.

“No man can serve two masters,” Jesus says. “You cannot be a slave to God and money both.” You cannot have it both ways. Possessions acquired and possessions desired, both, can pull you away from the one true God who ALONE is the source of your life and the master of your destiny and fulfillment.

But now having read this, I could not help myself rom asking the simple question, “Where do I stand in my support”?

Winners, February 24, 2019

Well, the political races are over and are ready to start off again. The college bowls are also over for another year, and the Patriots have clinched the Super Bowl. In all of these events and many more, the main goal or objective is to win. After all, it’s difficult to imagine, that anyone competes to lose.

Yes, life is full of winners and losers. True we cannot be winners all the time, at least on the secular scale of measurement. Winning is such an important part of our lives and down across the years, many people have commented on this reality of winning.

“The will to win is not nearly as important as the will to prepare to win.” – Bobby Knight (American basketball coach)

“Anyone can win – Unless there happens to be a second entry.” -George Ade (American writer)

“Winning is assessed simply by how you feel about life, and how you feel about life is determined by what your life is about.” – David McNally (professor of History and business at University of Houston)

“Whoever said it’s not whether you win or lose that counts, probably lost.” – Martina Navratilova (considered among the best female tennis players of all time)

On a particular occasion a football coach, who shall remain nameless, as he watched his team get beat game after game, remarked, I’ve been in this game a hundred years, but each time I see new ways to lose that I never knew existed. Then to lighten things up he remarked, “As you all know, we’re not doing too well in our conference. We’re not winning any ball games, but you must admit we are exciting to watch.” With that, he proceeded to expound on the virtues of playing the game with enthusiasm versus the need to win. At the program’s conclusion, a faithful supporter approached the coach and offered this suggestion, “Why don’t you play with a little less hype and win a few games?” (Speakers Source book 1994)

Indeed most people agree with Bear Bryant when he states, “Winning isn’t everything, but it beats anything that comes in second.”

Someone, I don’t know who, attempted to put all these perils of wisdom together writing:

A WINNER ALWAYS HAS A PROGRAM.
A loser always has an excuse
A WINNER SEES AN ANSWER FOR EVERY PROBLEM.
A loser sees a problem in every answer.
A WINNER SAYS: “IT MAY BE DIFFICULT, BUT IT’S POSSIBLE.”
A loser says, “It may be possible, but it’s too difficult.”
A WINNER LISTENS.
A loser just waits until it’s his turn to talk.
A WINNER SAYS “I’M GOOD, BUT NOT AS GOOD AS I COULD BE.”
A loser says, “I’m not as bad as a lot of other people.”
A WINNER FEELS RESPONSIBLE FOR MORE THAN HIS JOB.
A loser says, “I’m not as bad as a lot of other people.”
A WINNER FEELS RESPONSIBLE FOR MORE THAN HIS JOB.
A loser says, “I only work here.”

In conclusion, let me say that winning is important and plays an integral part in human affairs. And now, the question must be asked, winning what?

For me the greatest comment on winning was posed in the following question “What does it profit a man if he wins the whole world and loses his soul?” Mk 8:36

Now that is something worth reflecting on.

It's Not Cupid, February 17, 2019

Originally the Roman calendar had only ten months. In 700 BC, King Numa Pompillius added the months of January and February to the end of the calendar. However in 135 BC, they were moved to the front of the calendar where we have them today.

February takes its name from the Latin Februa, the name of a purification feast held on the 15th of the month. Rome being somewhat leery of evil spirits, and conscious of the need to purify the city for the benefit of health and fertility, held this festival beginning with the sacrifice of animals each year. It was conducted under the watchful eye of a cooperative of priests called Luperci. #brothers of the wolf. The name is probably a derivation of the Latin word Lupus, meaning wolf; an ancient deity who protected herds from wolves and the legendary she-wolf who nursed Romulus and Remus. #Romulus being the founder of Rome.

The Romans attributed the instigation of Lupercalia to the cultural hero Evandor, who was credited with bringing the Olympic Pantheon, Greek laws and alphabet, to Italy where he founded the city of Pallantium; believed to be the future site of Rome sixty years before the Trojan War.

The rise and growing popularity of Christianity in Rome was not welcomed by the powers of Rome. Punishments and persecutions were after its order of the day. Soon instead of animal sacrifice, it was Christians who were sacrificed, at the Lupercalia Festival. It is into this background that we today celebrate St. Valentine’s Day. To be honest, the roots of St. Valentine’s Day is not what anyone in their right mind would call very romantic, yet that’s what the Hallmark and other cards with their cupid and lovebird icons would have you believe.

Yes, the history of Valentine’s Day and the story of the Patron Saint is shrouded in mystery. To start with, we must acknowledge that there are, in fact, several Saints by the name Valentine. However, tradition seems to focus on a priest by the name of Valentine, who was executed under the Roman emperor Claudius II, 270AD. According to legend, it was believed that single men made better soldiers than married ones, so Claudius forbade the marriage of young men. Father Valentine, for his part, believed this order to be a violation of human rights and continued to officiate the marriage of young men. He was arrested and put in jail. While in jail, he befriended his jailer, who had an adopted daughter who was blind. Father Valentine healed the daughter’s blindness and she and all the family became Catholic. Father Valentine then wrote a note to the jailor’s daughter, whom God had healed through his intercession, and signed the note from your Valentine and we know the rest of the story. The emperor of course was not very pleased and had Father Valentine scourged, bludgeoned and finally beheaded.

Towards the end of the 5th century, for Catholics, Saint Valentine’s Day began to replace the Luperacala Festival and by the 14th century it came to be celebrated as a day of romance. But in the beginning ,we should remember that Father Valentine was one who fell in love with God, and gave his life for the same. Reminding us that we who have celebrated his day, should be willing also to follow him in his steps for those we say we love.

Who?, February 10, 2019

Who am I? Who are you? Who are we as Catholics, I mean? How do I define myself? I must be able to do this if I am to grow spiritually and fully as a mature human being. The early fathers of the church had a saying for this to happen. Their primary council in helping a person to becoming, what Matthew Kelly calls the best version of him or herself, was simply, “know thyself”. St. Matthew tells us that Jesus has helped us in answering that question. He tells us “You are the salt of the earth; you are the light of the world.” Mt 5: 13-16

We should notice that salt is of no use unless it is mixed with something. It is only when it is integrated with something else that we come to recognize its gifts. For example, it unlocks the flavor of foods; it can preserve food from decay; and it is an essential ingredient in our bodies to keep us alive. By the same token our beliefs are also useless unless we integrate them into our living. This integration, or living out our beliefs in our daily life, we call faith. Without this activation of our beliefs into real life, there is no faith, or as St. James puts it in his letter of the New Testament, “Faith without good works is dead!” James 2:14

I remember reading somewhere that Catholics who do not put their beliefs into action are like unstricken matchsticks. There is all of this wonderful potential locked up within them asleep. It is only when they are willing to strike the match of their beliefs, that their beliefs will burst into a flame, lighting up the world around them; setting fire to the hearts and souls of the people they meet and at the same time providing them the savory aspects of life.

If as Catholics we remain entombed in our beliefs or fail to integrate and put our beliefs into action or if in the words of Jesus like salt we lose our flavor or put our light under a basket what’s the point of saying what we believe.

The life, the values and the principles by which we live speak far more loudly than the words that come from our lips.

Yes, who am I? Who are you? Who are we?

And You Said, February 3, 2019

Looking At A Clock, January 27, 2019

The names in this story have been omitted in order to protect the innocent, with the exception of the late beloved and wonderful Fr. Edward O’Connor.

You see, many generous people here in Atlanta, sponsored Irish vocations to the priesthood. These vocations on being ordained to the priesthood would now come and work in the Archdiocese of Atlanta. Apparently there was one particular benefactor who was very generous and the Archbishop at that time wished to recognize him with having a dinner in his honor. Fr. Edward O’Connor, being the newest priest to arrive from Ireland, was selected to do the honors of presenting our generous benefactor with a watch engraved with words of gratitude. Fr. O’Connor, having acknowledged how privileged he was and how humble he felt to be given this honor, read the words of gratitude inscribed on the watch and from the accounts that I have been privy to, the rest of the presentation went somewhat like this, “(Fr. O’Connor speaking holding up the watch), I am very honored to present this beautiful watch, but allow me to make sure it works.” Holding it up to his ear, “it’s not working, I think it needs a little wind” says he, but to no avail. Next he taps it on the table still no go. At this time the Archbishop’s face is getting redder and redder wondering who the priest was who purchased this watch. The honoree in the meantime is saying under his breath just give me the watch while the priests down the hall are in pains trying to keep in their laughter from the embarrassment that is taking place at the head table. But Fr. O’Connor is not going to be deterred. He taps and taps the watch even harder, still to no avail. Now he makes a great pronouncement that he is skilled at fixing clocks which by the way was true and that he could fix this watch in no time. Using a knife on the table, he pried open the back of the watch only to have springs and small wheels run all over the table, enough to make two watches. Reluctantly gathering them into his hand and turning toward the honoree he said,” I’m embarrassed to hand you a watch like this, however I am delighted to present you with the real watch; the one that works”, and taking it from his pocket he presents it to the honoree much to the relief of all at the head table. We miss you Fr. O’Connor, but needless to say, you were not invited to do anymore honors.

Well, growing up I remember my brother and I looking at the workings of a clock. I remember there were big cog wheels and small ones; there was the main spring and the delicate hair spring. I noticed some of the cog wheels moved fast; others moved slowly; some moved forward; others moved backward; yet all working together gave the correct time.

Now being much older, I am amazed how much the workings of a clock image our life with its ups and down. Sometimes everything seems to be going right for us, and then again at times it seems just the opposite. I just wonder if St. Paul was looking at the inner workings of a clock when he said “All things work together for good for those who love God.” Rom: 8:28.

A Voice From The Past, January 20, 2019

In November and December 1967 the Canadian Broadcasting System delivered five lectures titled “Conscience for Change”. These were part of a much larger group of what is known as the Massey Lectures broadcast each year and sponsored by the University of Toronto’s Massey College. These five lectures of 1967 were delivered by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. After his assassination, these lectures were published in a book titled the “Trumpet of Conscience.”

While many just focus on what is known as King’s Dream Speech, it is important to keep in mind that he had many more valuable contributions to make together with his Dream Speech.

Here I wish to offer a short excerpt from chapter 3 (youth and social action)…

Mammoth productive facilities with computer minds, cities that engulf the landscape and pierce the clouds, planes that almost outrace time—these are awesome, but they cannot be spiritually inspiring. Nothing in our glittering technology can raise man to new heights, because material growth has been made an end in itself, and, in the absence of moral purpose, man himself becomes smaller as the works of man become bigger.

Another distortion in the technological revolution is that, instead of strengthening democracy at home, it has helped to eviscerate it. Gargantuan industry and government, woven into an intricate computerized mechanism, leave the person outside. The sense of participation is lost, the feeling that ordinary individuals influence important decisions vanishes, and man becomes separated and diminished.

When an individual is no longer a true participant, when he no longer feels a sense of responsibility to his society, the content of democracy is emptied. When culture is degraded and vulgarity enthroned, when the social system does not build security but induces peril, inexorably the individual is impelled to pull away from a soulless society. This process produces alienation—perhaps the most pervasive and insidious development in contemporary society.

Alienation is not confined to our young people, but it is rampant among them. Yet alienation should be foreign to the young. Growth requires connection and trust. Alienation is a form of living death. It is the acid of despair that dissolves society.

During this month when we celebrate the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, and in light of our modern technology with our 5G speed and our 4K and now our 8K and whatever else is coming down the road, is the future these words of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. speak clearly to the hearts and minds of anyone who is willing to listen.

Janus, January 6, 2019

Janus, was a god of Roman mythology, after which we name the month of January. One of his unique features is that he has two faces, one to look back and one to look forward. Human life is always comprised of both of these experiences. We look back, we remember, we celebrate, and hopefully we learn from the past as we look forward to the future.

For example, we have just celebrated the Feast of Christmas. It’s such a wonderful and joyful time of year. We have come to enjoy practically everything about this season, its music, its lights, its entire atmosphere, and it all has to do with celebrating the birth of a child.

One of the more familiar scenes of the Christmas story, is the story of the Bethlehem Innkeeper. “Because there was no room in the Inn,” someone described this Inn as the Inn that missed its chance. There is no indication in the story that the Innkeeper felt any ill will toward the unborn child and his mother. Caesar Augustus had ordered a world census to be taken and Bethlehem, being the city of David, soon became a very busy place. By the time Mary and Joseph arrived, all the lodges were full and so the story states “there was no room for them in the Inn.”

In reading the story, we often wish that matters were otherwise. However we must acknowledge, that the innkeeper did not leave the couple there bereft, rather he gave what was left – namely his stable or cave where he kept his livestock. As I read that scene in the Christmas story, I find myself asking what has become of our world today? What has become of the United States, a country that, without question, is the most generous nation on earth, and yet very sadly, through abortion says to a million of its own children every year, we have no room for your life in our nation. At least the Innkeeper had both empathy and the decency to provide a place for the child to be born. Sure it wasn’t the best place, but it was a place nonetheless, that allowed this new life to be born into our world, a life that we still celebrate today more than two thousand years later.

The Babe in the womb was no less the Jesus, than the Jesus who walked the streets and roads of Judea and Galilee. January 22nd marks the 46th anniversary of the Supreme Court decision which made it legal for Americans to say to their own offspring, we have no room for your life among us. America, you are better than that. This is an opportunity for real leadership, a leadership to do what is right, and not follow the path of convenience, ease, political correctness or otherwise. In short, the innkeeper of Bethlehem is looking pretty good in light of our situation today.

Janus, a god of Roman mythology, was seen as the god of doors and gates, a god who opened the doors and gates to the future, and so we name the month of January after him since this is the month that opens for us the doors and gates of the New Year. In this year of 2019, let us pray that the doors and gates of life to the unborn will also be opened.

New Year, December 30, 2018

The New Year always reminds us of the passing of time. We ring out the old year and welcome the new with a sense of hope for a better future. The making of time reminds us that each of us has a limited amount of time, and none of us are exactly sure how much time we have.

How we spend our time then is very important. It goes without saying, of course, that work plays an important role in the way we invest our time. Work is the basic means by which we make a living and provide for our families.

Did you know that when we come to the spiritual side of our lives we have a great tendency to exaggerate the amount of time we give to spiritual matters. Years ago, the psalmist reflecting on life, prayed the following “Seventy is the sum of our years, eighty if we are strong”. (Ps90:10). Of course, we know, that not all people live until they are seventy, but should they do so, did you know that if from the very day you were born you went to Mass every Sunday for one hour, at the age of seventy, you would have spent only five months in church. If, on the other hand, you not only went to Mass every Sunday for one hour, but you also spent twenty minutes in prayer every day of your life, at the age of seventy, (I know you think you would be sprouting wings) you would have just spent 1 year and three months in worship.

And now, how about our “spare” time? Did you know that some of the great discoveries of history are the result of how people spent their spare time? For example, the father of photography was an army officer. The inventor of the electric motor was a bookbinder; of the telegraph, a portrait painter. The locomotive was invented by a coal miner and the telephone came from the after-school work of a school teacher.

Finally, let us not forget the words of the poet who said, “What is life if full of care; we have no time to stand and stare.” Yes, take time to smell the roses and if there are none around plant some, especially the roses of kindness and love within your family – how about that for a New Year’s resolution!

Like the goodness of the five loaves and two fish, which God divided among the five thousand, may the blessings of the King who so divides them, be upon you, your families, and loved ones in this New Year.

Christmas, December 23, 2018

The Carol and the Author, December 16, 2018

They are not sure where he was born; was it England or was it France? There is so much we do not know about the Catholic priest. We do know that he was hounded out of England because of his Catholic faith. He fled to France and became a refugee with many more exiled English-speaking Catholics. There, he supported himself by teaching music, by calligraphy, illumination, and by the copying of plain chant worship music. As a result of the conflicts with England, many church records were lost, but this Catholic priest began to research and identify historical church music and preserve it for further generations.

During this time in 1743, he penned one of the greatest Christmas Carols of all time, yet over two hundred years would pass before its author would be identified. How this happened still remains a mystery, especially in that it was published at least two times with the priest being credited as its composer.

There were all sorts of legends as to who was the composer. In the 1800’s Saint Bonaventure emerged as the probably author, but later on in the middle 1800’s, the legend began in London that it was a man named by John Redding, who had composed the melody, and while Redding seemed to have taken credit for the writing, #Pride is the number one capital sin, the lyrics we of course penned long before he was even born.

Finally the mystery was solved by Maurice Frost, who in 1946 discovered seven original hand copied manuscripts of the hymn written in Latin bearing the Author’s signature.

Of course by this time, the carol had been translated into several languages including into English by another Catholic priest a convert to Catholicism, Fr. Frederick Oakley.

The carol is continually being sung by all denominations across the world to this day. It is sung by those who don’t know how to sing and the great singers like the American Glee Club. It’s been sung by the Irish tenor John McCormack, and of course, by one of Americas favorite voices Bing Crosby, but today we are happy that the carol and its author are rightly united Adeste Fidelis, “O Come All Ye Faithful” by Fr. John Francis Wade.

Stars and Seekers, December 9, 2018

By Their Fruits, December 2, 2018

When at times I go to one of the local grocery stores, it is interesting to notice, particularly at the fruit displays, how customers examine the particular fruit before they place it in their baskets. Observing them, I come to recognize that all apples are not just the same, and the same can be said for many other fruits you wish to mention.

I mention this, because some of the great philosophers and people of our time have difficulty with Christianity at large. For example, Mahatma Gandhi, though he quoted from the New Testament yet remained a Hindu, saying, “I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.”

Albert Camus recognized that the great thrust of Christianity was love, a love which he struggled to find in the lives of Christians. Two of his famous quotes are as follows:

“Real generosity toward the future lies in giving all to the present.”

“Man is the only creature who refuses to be what he is.”

Last weekend we celebrated the Feast day of Christ the King. Not just a king, but THE KING, the King of Kings, but the question begs, is he my King? After all, none of us have the luxury of living life without having something or someone (or plural) having our allegiance. I know as Catholics, we say that Christ the King has our allegiance, but our world believes that actions speak louder than words. So what do our actions speak to our secular world? Why should anyone join our faith? In fact, many today have gone after other “kings.” I somehow see our modern day Exodus like the disciples on the road to Emmaus as recorded in the last chapter of Luke’s gospel. Hopefully it will for all have similar ending. The challenge really is this. The story is old, of how at one time all the animals got religion, and how the cats became Catholic. The king of the cats decided to go on a Catholic pilgrimage to become a Catholic. He put on his pilgrim clothes and visited Lourdes, Fatima, Assisi, The Vatican, Guadalupe and even Knock, Ireland. On King Cat’s return, King Mouse decided to visit him and congratulate him on his conversion. His mice cabinet advised him against the visit, reminding him King Cat is our enemy. However, King Mouse reminded them, he was an enemy, but now he has had a conversion and it would be rude of him not to visit King Cat and congratulate him on his new-found conversion. On entering King Cat’s palace, he was duly impressed. There was King Cat still dressed in his pilgrim clothes praying at his altar in front of the various icons he had brought back from his pilgrimage. King Mouse moved reverently towards the altar and suddenly King Cat spotted him and pounced on him. But King Mouse was a little fast and quickly scampered back safely to his home palace. His cabinet was delighted to see him and inquired of how the visit went. King Mouse sadly reported that they were right and he was mistaken, telling them that, while King Cat prays like a pilgrim, he still pounces like a cat.

The moral of the story is, and the question I have to ask myself is, that I who live in a secular world while I pray like a Catholic, I live like a….?

An America, November 25, 2018

The midterm elections are over, but who knows, by the time you read this they may still be counting, each claiming every vote must be counted. Ah yes, over the last several months Americans have heard the growing rhetoric for change. Up and down and across the country the politicians and their pundits promise us the change and reform we need. Of course, they do this at every election, and come to think about it, there really is nothing new about the idea or notion of change. It has been around for a long time, phrased differently yes, but the reality is the same. It could easily be argued that one of the greatest calls for change in America came fifty-five years ago when Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., in front of the Washington Monument, gave what we know today as his “Dream Speech.” Yes, he didn’t call it change or reform, he simply said that “I have a dream that….”

In that dream speech he called on America to change, to live out the value of its creed. And so, as we listen to our politicians today, they tell us they have a plan. A dream to change America. A dream to restore hope for a better future; for a better health care system; for better education; for more and better jobs; for better wages; for a better economy; for a better future for our children; for an America, as a country, where you can make it if you try.

These are beautiful and noble dreams. However, we must all realize that as noble and as desirable as they are, they are nonetheless secondary and are simply clichés and are really of no significance until America is prepared to guarantee the very first dream, namely the dream to be born. Yes, to enjoy all those dreams and changes that our politicians are speaking of, our dream and right to be born, must first be guaranteed. We must be honest with ourselves and stop lying to ourselves and recognize that unless we guarantee the right to be born, then we deny all other choices, opportunities and dreams. We deny liberty, equality, freedom, and justice for all. Our promises and words are meant only for some. Without the right and guarantee to be born, we snuff out all other rights including the right of America to say that we are a country where you can make it if you try.

My dear Americans, our politicians are right, this is the time for change; for a new hope; a new American; for us to join together and let the world know that America is a country where to be born is aright and not a privilege; that America is the country where you can make it if you try; a country where your first dream and efforts to be born are guaranteed and so the dreams of all and not to some are guaranteed.

We need to provide body armor for the unborn against the abortionists. We need to give every unborn child the tools to succeed. We must make abortion an abomination to the mind and heart of every decent living American. True we need change, but it must be the right kind of change and equality for all, and not just for some, for an America where you can honestly and truly make it if you try.

I Thank God That, November 18, 2018

Depth of Gratitude, November 11, 2018

This week we celebrate Veteran’s Day. In doing so, I am reminded of a story I once read about a husband and a wife who were attending a memorial service. The memorial service was for a young boy who was killed in the war. During the service, the Chaplin acknowledged a generous gift to the church given by the parents as a memorial to their dear, departed son. The woman who was visiting the memorial service remarked to her husband, “What a beautiful thing to do.” Then she added, “What are we going to give?” “What are you talking about?” replied her husband. “We don’t need to give anything. Our son came back from the war alive.” “That’s what I mean.” said the wife. “They lost a son and are giving a gift of thanks as a memorial to his life. We got our son back alive and you mean we don’t have to give anything?”

Each Sunday, we celebrate the Eucharist. The word Eucharist literally means Thanksgiving. We often call it the Lord’s Day and each week it not only reminds us, but it also provides us with an opportunity to show our depth of gratitude to God.

In our secular world today, this attitude is often drowned out by the noise in the public square, which with its megaphone tells us, “ask what I get out of Mass. And answering the question, “I don’t get anything out of Mass.” But when we come to Mass, we are hopefully not coming to get, but rather to meet someone. Namely, Jesus, the one who gave his life for each of us. He wishes to meet each of us personally in Holy Communion, inviting us to follow in his steps. I know many people feel they don’t have to give anything while others are happy to give what they won’t miss, but in each case, failing to see that the sacrifices made are directly proportional to the depth of our gratitude, and the depth of our love.

That is why we appreciate our veterans, for they are the ones who were, and are, willing to sacrifice all for the Red, White and Blue, #USA.

“Greater love than this no one has that one lay down his/her life for their friends.” Jn 15:13.

Grudges, November 4, 2018

I am sure that many of us are familiar with the Liberty Car Insurance ad we see on TV; “Accident Forgiveness,” they call it. The husband looks at his wife and says, “See liberty doesn’t hold grudges.” Now I’m sure they were not trying to make a theological statement, but that being said, they nevertheless succinctly express the intrinsic relationship between forgiveness and grudges. Simply stated, holding grudges means that one lacks forgiveness and that really is a sad recommendation to anyone who dares to call themselves Christian. Forgiveness is at the very heart of Christianity. Christ entered our world to forgive us for our sins, and this forgiveness points to the great love that God has for us. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son….” Jn 3:16. This Son, Jesus, continually taught the necessity on our part to forgive. To mention a few, we have only to reflect on:

Mt 6:14-15 “If you forgive others their transgressions, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your transgressions.”

Mk 11:25 “When you stand to pray, forgive anyone against whom you have a grievance, so that your heavenly Father may in turn forgive you your transgressions”.

Added to this we have the Our Father, the unforgiving servant, Mt: 21-35, and many more exhortations.

I stated that at the heart of forgiveness is the virtue of love. By love, I mean good will toward all. Today, people speak of unconditional love. Let me state clearly there is no such a thing as unconditional love. There is simply love. John, in his first letter, did not say God is unconditional love, he simply states “…God is love.” 1Jn 4:8. There is no such a thing as unconditional good will, simply stated; there is good will or there is not.

In short, we cannot hold on to our grudges and forgiveness at the same time. We can have one or the other but not both. To put it another way, the problem with our world today – domestic, national and international – is simply lack of goodwill. Oh yes, we rationalize the keeping of our hurts and grudges justifying ourselves just like many of the Pharisees and Sadducees at the time of Jesus, but perhaps there is still time for us to learn from the following.

On May 17th, 1945, a Russian soldier removed a piece of note paper from the dead body of a young girl at Ravensbruck German Concentration Camp, exclusively for women, from 1939-1945, in Northern Germany. Unfortunately, the story of Ravensbruck is not as well-known as the stories of other Nazi camps, much to our shame. In any event, here is what was written on that note paper removed from the body of the young girl.

“O Lord, remember

not only the men and women

Of goodwill, but also those of ill will.

Do not remember

all the suffering they inflicted on us;

remember the fruits we have bought,

thanks to this suffering—

our comradeship, our loyalty,

our humility, our courage,

our generosity, the greatness of heart

which has grown out of all of this.

And when they come to judgment,

let all the fruits that we have borne

be their forgiveness.”

Belonging to a particular church does not guarantee us anything, unless we live out our creed. Nor does belonging to a given church, give us an edge on living out our creed of love and forgiveness.

The young girl above had every good reason to hold on to grudges but she decided not only to let them go, but use them for the benefit of her abusers. So the question now is, what are my reasons? “Love your enemies,” did Jesus really say that?

Passed On, October 28, 2018

The lawnmowers are gradually growing silent and in a very short time instead of mowing lawns we will all be busy raking leaves. I guess that is why some people refer to November as the month of falling leaves. It is during this month of November, that our Catholic faith invites us to visit our own family tree and notice that some of its leaves have fallen too; “Passed on,” we say. They have passed on. It’s a gentle phrase to describe our dear departed, but it’s not the whole story. Passed on to where, I ask? They have to stop somewhere; they just can’t keep passing on.

When we open our Bibles at the second book of Maccabees we read it’s a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead.” Even for those who do not wish to see this book as part of the Bible, the book itself shows that praying for the deceased was a part and parcel of the Jewish culture. Now, of course, if our departed loved ones have gone straight to heaven they have no need of our prayers, for they have already made it, they have already arrived at the destiny for which God created them. But if ,God forbid, they should have gone the other way, namely to Hell, our prayers for them are of no assistance for out of hell there is no redemption, no escape.

So if prayers are to be said as is recommended in the Holy Scriptures, then there must be another “place” or state. There is, we call it Purgatory. It is a place or state of purification where our dear departed are purged or healed of the effects and scars of sin before they enter Heaven. We have fond memories of our departed loved ones, we say they were good people and though at times like us all they failed through human weakness we have experienced the kindness and generosity of their hearts while they were still with us here on earth. Now we say their struggles in this life to be better are over and they have passed on. It is in honest recognition not only of their goodness, but also of their failures at times, to love God totally and fully that we, during this month of November, remember our departed loved ones on their journey toward heaven and we assist them on that journey with our Masses, prayers and sacrifices. In doing this, we are reminded that in death life is changed, not ended, and that while our loved ones have moved beyond our vision they have not moved beyond our love. Prayer is the language of love. Yes, in the words of Sacred Scripture. “It is a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead.”

For your private devotion from a private revelation to St. Gertrude:

St. Gertrude the Great

The life of St. Gertrude the Great was the mystic life of the Cloister…a Benedictine nun. She meditated on the Passion of Christ, which many times brought a flood of tears to her eyes. She did many penances and our Lord appeared to her many times. She had a tender love for the Blessed Virgin Mother and was very devoted to the suffering souls in Purgatory. She was born in Germany in 1256 and died in 1302. Her feast day is November 16.

Our Lord dictated the following prayer to St. Gertrude the Great to release 1,000 Souls from Purgatory each time it is said:

St. Gertrude Prayer

“Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the Masses said throughout the world today, for all the holy souls in Purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal church, those in my own home and with my family. Amen”

Looking for a Book, October 21, 2018

In 1971, after twelve years on the road to the priesthood, I turned, but the road didn’t. Instead of being ordained, I arrived in the United States for the first time. It was a time of discernment for me. Trying my hand at carpentry, I enjoyed one of America’s great cities, namely Chicago, also known as the Windy City. I remember going to the St. Patrick’s Parade. At first, I was amazed at the thousands who had lined the streets waiting to see the parade, but as the parade rolled by, I understood why they came. The parade was magnificent. But on that day, too, I also came to a new understanding why Chicago is often referred to as the Windy City. The wind was blowing and it was bitter cold, and standing at a corner waiting for the parade did not make it any warmer. You see this was St. Patrick’s Day when everyone wants to be Irish and because of this the political winds had calmed down, but as we know nature does not like a vacuum, and so it filled in with its own chill.

Years later, I was reading of another man’s visit to downtown Chicago. Unlike me, who came to see a parade, this man came looking for a book. The place is lined with banks and brokerage houses and all day long bankers and investors hurry in and out of buildings. In the words of Edward Slattery, “Their keen long faces give witness to the seriousness of their work.”

Well, Edward Slattery stepped into one of La Salle Street’s bookstores. He was amazed to see how many books were available in the financial section: How to invest your money (and other people’s) so as to earn more money. But he could not find the book he was looking for, a book that would go beyond making money through investments to a book that would tell him how to invest himself so that he would make something of his life. Edward was looking for something greater than self; something to invest his life in, rather than just self. He had come to realize that no matter how much we invest in self we are still in the end simply left with self.

The gospel of consumerism continually tells us to invest in self and continually betrays us by promising a false sense of happiness and security based on accumulation and comfort. Much of consumerism has self at the center, and sadly today, many people define themselves in terms of what they have, but deep down, each of us knows that we are much more than the accumulated accolades of our world.

To face ourselves honestly we must admit that today far from us being a consumer society we are many times being the ones who are actually consumed. We may not like to admit this but the truth is that we are often the menu on the table.

Good investments always begin with prayer, for good investments always has Christ at the center of life and only in a prayerful life is Christ at the center.

In investments, we want to know how solid or genuine is the stock or company we are about to invest in. By the same token, shouldn’t we make every effort to ensure that as Catholics we are solid and genuine in whom we say we are. How much of our lives is influenced by Christ’s teachings? When people observe us, are they able to see that in our lifestyle we distinguish between real needs and those manufactured by advertisements and commercials.

Edward Slattery was searching for a book on how to invest his life, in short on how to become a good steward. I’m not sure that he ever found one but for us here at All Saints, this weekend of our Ministry Fair provides us with a variety of opportunities for good investments. So, don’t miss out, yes look them over, remember opportunity knocks, inviting your response of “Sign Me Up Lord.”

Special Contribution by All Saints' Parish Council, October 14, 2018

October, October 7, 2018

During this month of October, we celebrate the feast of the Rosary. In fact, October is known as the month of the Holy Rosary. It is a prayer which invites us to reflect on the mysteries of life and faith. It reminds us that we are not alone here on Earth and that Earth itself is not our lasting dwelling place. I know at times looking at the world around us, including ourselves, we sometimes give the impression that we are going to live here forever; and that the planet Earth is the real and lasting city, but as the holy book says, Seventy is the sum of our years, or Eighty if we are strong.” That means it’s October in my life in more ways than one, and very few of us are in the month of January. But it doesn’t matter what month we are in, the important thing is that we take time to reflect on this great gift of life that God has given us.

The Rosary itself presents us with the mysteries of life and death, of joy and sorrow. It reminds us that we are not alone in our journey of faith – that the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, is given to us to aid us on our journey. Over one hundred years ago, in 1917, Our Lady spoke the following words to the three shepherd children of Fatima – Lucia, Jacinta and Francisco.

“I am the Lady of the Rosary. I have come to warn the faithful to amend their lives. They must say the Rosary.

You must say the Rosary every day and say it properly.

It is my Son’s wish that the world be consecrated to my Immaculate Heart. He wishes the faithful to receive Holy Communion on the First Saturday, as on the First Friday, of each month for the triumph of truth and conversion of Russia.

When my Immaculate Heart triumphs, the world will have peace.

To save souls, God desires that devotion to my Immaculate Heart be established in the world.

In the end, my Immaculate Heart will triumph and an era of peace will be given to humanity.

Pray, pray much, and make sacrifices for sinners. Many souls go to Hell because there are none to make sacrifices and to pray for them.”

Our Lady

Fatima, 1917

We may believe the children or not, but now having read this column we cannot deny that we have heard the message.

The Rosary

“With grateful heart I count the beads

Upon my rosary

Thankful for the hours with you

Which God has granted me

Thankful for your kindly way

The thoughtful things you do

And as I count I always pray

That God be good to you”

– Unknown

Per Nostra Culpa, September 30, 2018

Response to Catholic Abuse Crisis by Rev. Msgr. Marren, Pastor

Almost two thousand years ago in an upper room, a group of disciples pledged their allegiance to their Lord and Master, and yet, within hours those same disciples demonstrated betrayal, denial and cowardice. With half-hearted commitment they follower their Lord from a distance, or rather a safe distance, may I say. If today we have learned anything from these accounts it is that in difficult times there is no such a reality as a safe distance. Difficult times fo not call for lukewarm acknowledgements, commitments, or a expedience of a Pontius Pilot. The fact and truth of the matter is that our Catholic Church has had, and has, a problem with sexual abuse, cover ups and other fallouts. Whoever else may have similar problems is beside the point. In short, we must acknowledge that this is out problems and as such we must have the courage and honestly to own it fully. This is vitally important if we are to be sincere in our efforts to resolve this tragedy.

Of course we must acknowledge that there are somethings that we will never be able to resolve fully. What comes to mind immediately is the pain, the injustice, the guilt, the shame and the many other sufferings being experienced on a continual basis by the victims of the sexual abuse, together with the cover ups that have existed at the hands of priests and bishops, and which they believe still continue to this day.

St. John tells us that Judas gave no indication that he was the one who would betray his Lord. Yet John tells us that when Judas left the room to carry out his act of treachery, “it was night.” Jn 13:30. Yes it was night in more ways than one for Judas who would betray his faith and loyalty with the sign of friendship.

The leaders of our Catholic Church, those in position of power to do something must now come to acknowledge that night has descended upon us and we must employ every effort to become what we are called to be, namely “the light of the world.”

Denials, cover ups, pay outs, and looking the other way are undeniably to blame for our current woes. Our people are shaken by the scandals. They are outraged, disgusted and embarrassed that this was allowed to happen. They have come to expect – and rightly so – the best, the finest and the most noble behavior from their priests, religious, bishops and cardinals and we have let them down. True, not all of us are guilty by a long shot, but who’s counting? One of our greatest treasures that we have as clergy is the absolute trust that our people have placed in us to do the right thing and to do no wrong. This trust, to say the least, has been shattered and it is now our primary responsibility to have it restored.

Should we be able to accomplish this in all its fullness, history might well see this time as a period of renaissance in the Catholic Church. But where to begin?

Total transparency, I believe, would be a good starting point. It will not be enough for us to be transparent, but we must be seen and believed to be transparent and totally accountable. If this is to happen, I believe those in authority must pull together an unbiased investigative body of professionals comprising of both laity and religious, of men and women. They must commission them to investigate what, where, when and how this happened, and why to all these children of God who were entrusted to our care. They must investigate what corrective, or lack of corrective actions were taken to protect and support the innocent victims. Our leaders must be willing to open their files to aid the investigative body in their work and let the chips fall where they will. The time for dribble, dribble is over. Having completed their investigative work, they should outline a charter for going forward so that their will not be a repeat of this dark night. It is true that the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People has done a magnificent job in providing a safe environment for our children and young people. Having said that, we are aware that much more remains to be done to ease pain and sufferings of the victims, restoring their lost faith, addressing the cover ups and pay outs which took place and holding all perpetrators accountable. I believe an investigative body would go a long way in pouring some healing balm over these wounds.

Sometimes people ask me what is it like to be a priest in these times. My answer is that I am very happy to be a priest in these times. Sure I would like a bit of fairer weather, but you know it’s easy to be a priest in the sunshine. It takes a little bit more grit in times like these. That being said, I am not only happy being a priest in times like these, but I am happy to be known as a priest. I am not ashamed to wear my priestly uniform and should anyone judge me for the sins of others, I just remind myself of the fact that Jesus my Lord was crucified for the sins of us all.

Finally, the sooner our leaders begin, this or a similar journey of recovery – a journey of truth, honesty, transparency making whatever reparations necessary to the victims to the best of their ability – then the sooner we will become and be seen as the priest, bishops, cardinals and religious we are called to be. In all of our efforts prayer must be a continual part for in the end unless the Lord builds the house we labor in vain.

God grant me the grace
To accept the things I cannot change;
Courage to change the things I can;
And wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
As it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
If I surrender to His Will;
So that I may be reasonably happy in this life
And supremely happy with Him
Forever and ever in the next
Amen

Tap on The Shoulder, September 23, 2018

by Rev. Msgr. Marren, Pastor

Most of us are somewhat familiar with the beautiful story of “Our Town” – a play by Thornton Wilder. The play tells the story of a young girl, Emily, who died and went to Heaven. Yet, despite her being in Heaven, she missed being with her family on earth. After much discussion it was decided that she be allowed to visit her earthly family on her twelfth birthday. However, celestial wisdom had advised Emily that granting her wish to visit her earthly family was not a good idea; that now with celestial experience, life on earth would just not be the same.

The day for the visit arrived and celestial wisdom proved true. Emily was shocked. Her family was caught up in a beehive of activity blinding them to the real meaning and purpose of life. She tried to get their attention but they were unaware of her presence, as she was a spirit. Frustrated in her efforts to try and get them to see what’s important in life, she returns to heaven with the angel who accompanied her saying to him, “They live in a box.” I wonder what type of box do we live in? Jesus told us that one of the reasons He came to earth was that we might have life and have it to the full.

On February 26, 1884, The Princeton, the most powerful warship of its day, was taking members of congress along with other government officials down the Potomac. Along with them was the President of the United States and the Secretaries of State and Navy. For entertainment, the Princeton’s great gun called the Peacemaker was fired. However, at the second discharge the gun burst, killing both Secretary of State and Navy, along with a number of others.

Just before the gun was fired however, Senator Thomas Benton of Missouri was standing near it when a friend tapped him on the shoulder. As Benton turned away to speak to his friend, the Secretary of State Gilmore elbowed his way into the place where Benton was standing. At that moment the gun was fired and Gilmore was killed. Benton was a man of bitter feuds and quarrels but his brush with death brought about a changed man. Writing to Daniel Webster, with whom he had a fierce quarrel, he says,

“It seemed to me, Mr. Webster, as if that touch on my shoulder was the hand of the Almighty stretched down there, drawing me away from what otherwise would have been instantaneous death. That one circumstance has changed the whole current of my thought and life. I feel that I am a different man; and I want, in the first place, to be at peace with all those with whom I have been so sharply at variance.”

Yes, the question now is, what kind of box do we live in? Some people are fortunate to have a tap on the shoulder to help them realize what’s really important in life and what is not. However, none of us can be certain that the tap will come for us to waken us out of our box, to help us realize what’s really important and what is not. In which case, why not look on this reflection as that tap on our shoulder inviting us to change in our lives those things of which we are least proud while we still have time. Living in a box, or in a bubble as we moderns put it, is not healthy. Life is too short and much too important for us to live within the boundaries of such horizons.

Divide et Impera, September 16, 2018

Grandmothers, September 9, 2018

They may be from another generation or from the last century or completely out of touch as far as some are concerned, but for those of us who know they are the best when it comes to grandchildren. They are the best if for no other reason they know where all the mistakes lie from practicing on their own children, so do not brush off the wisdom of grandmothers lightly. Their wisdom comes from many years of experience and it really takes grandchildren to appreciate the importance of that wisdom and the longing for it when it’s absent as it is articulated in the two following writings by children.

“What is a Grandmother”?

A grandmother is a lady who has no children of her own. She likes other people’s little girls.

A grandfather is a man grandmother. He goes for walks with the boys and they talk about fishing

and tractors and things like that. Grandmothers don’t have to do anything except be there. Usually they are fat, but not too fat to tie your shoes. They wear glasses and funny underwear. They can take their teeth and gums out. They don’t have to be smart, only to answer questions like, “Why dogs hate cats and how come God isn’t married”. They don’t talk baby talk like visitors do, because it is hard to understand. When they read to us, they don’t skip or mind if it is the same story again. Everyone should try to have one, especially if you don’t have television, because grammas are the only grown-ups who have got time.”

(Written by a 10 year old girl).

Computer Swallowed Grandma

by Valerie Waite

The computer swallowed grandma.
Yes, honestly it’s true!
She pressed ‘control’ and ‘enter’
And disappeared from view.

It devoured her completely,
The thought just makes me squirm.
She must have caught a virus
Or been eaten by a worm.

I’ve searched through the recycle bin
And files of every kind;
I’ve even used the Internet,
But nothing did I find.

In desperation, I asked Jeeves
My searches to refine.
The reply from him was negative,
Not a thing was found ‘online.’

So, if inside your ‘Inbox,’
My Grandma you should see,
Please ‘Copy,’ ‘Scan’ and ‘Paste’ her
In an email back to me.

Homo Artifex, September 2, 2018

Expectations, August 26, 2018

The story is told of a mother who was a real conservationist and was bicycling with her young son along the sea coast enjoying all nature had to offer. On her way she noticed a sign reading “Naturist Camp for Bikers.” Assuming that the camp had something to do with conservation she rode into the parking lot with her young son and immediately headed for the beach. Contrary to her expectation, she soon realized that in this case Naturist Camp meant Nudist Camp and here are all the bikers cycling along the beach all stark naked when suddenly the 5 year old boy cried out “Look Mommy, they’re not wearing any safety helmets.”

True if you ride a bike you are supposed to wear a safety helmet, that was the child’s expectation, but for the mother they should be wearing a lot more; which brings me to the question, what are your expectations and how real or unreal are they?

First of all, the term expectation has its roots in the Latin term expectare: ex; out and spec tare, to look at, to look forward (from where we get the name spectacles). To live life with a sense of expectation can be healthy or unhealthy depending how realistic our expectations are. Many people live very unhappy lives because of their false expectations about life, but not all expectations are false. Jesus Himself reminds us “watch out, then because you do not know what day your Lord will come.” Mt 24:42 , Mt25:13, 1Thes 5:2.

So we come back to the question what are my expectations, and we all have them. I know we all could list off a host of expectations about our elected officials, both local and otherwise, and what they should do; our education institutions; our churches and of course we cannot leave out our neighbors, yes we have got to talk about them. And now having talked about them and of course them about us – all positive of course – what expectations do I have of myself? How generous and sacrificial are they? If everyone lived and behaved just as I, in work and community, what would it look like?

I remember a great scene out of the movie A Man for all Seasons, Cromwell tells St. Thomas More, “I told the King what he can do,” to which St. Thomas More replied “You should not have told the King what he can do. He already knows what he can do. You should have told him what he ought to do.”

It is not easy to do what we ought to do. Many times we settle for what we like to do, at which time I think we ought to put on some clothes together with the helmets.

Blessing of Unanswered Prayers
– Unknown Confederate Soldier
I asked for strength that I might achieve;
I was made weak that I might learn humbly to obey.
I asked for health that I might do greater things;
I was given infirmity that I might do better things.
I asked for riches that I might be happy;
I was given poverty that I might be wise.
I asked for power that I might have the praise of men;
I was given weakness that I might feel the need of God.
I asked for all things that I might enjoy life;
I was given life that I might enjoy all things.
I got nothing that I had asked for,
but everything that I had hoped for.
Almost despite myself my unspoken prayers were answered;
I am, among all men, most richly blessed.

Discouragement, August 19, 2018

Speaking of discouragement, last Sunday I finished by quoting a poem by David Massey of which many people have asked me about. This week I offer you the poem in the hope that it will help. Most people are either personally or otherwise touched by discouragement at times, from lack of appreciation, failure to get work, the lies we tell ourselves and a host of other reasons. In any event we should remember that in times like these all is not lost, but may well be a blessing in disguise.

The Blessings of a Storm

I did not know His love before,
the way I know it now.
I could not see my need for Him,
my pride would not allow.
I had it all, without a care,
the “self-sufficient lie”.
My path was smooth, my sea was still,
not a cloud was in my sky.

I thought I knew His love for me,
I thought I’d seen His Grace.
I thought I did not need to grow,
I thought I’d found my place.
But soon my way grew rough and dark,
and storm clouds quickly rolled.
The waves began to rock my ship,
my anchor would not hold.

The ship that I had built myself
was made of foolish pride.
It fell apart and left me bare,
nowhere left to hide.
I had no strength, nor faith to face
the trials that lay ahead.
So I simply prayed to Him,
and bowed my weary head.

His loving arms enveloped me,
and then He helped me stand.
He said, “You still must face this storm,
but I will hold your hand”.
So thru the dark and lonely night,
He guided me thru the pain.
I could not see the light of day,
or when the storm might wane.

Yet thru the aches and endless tears,
my faith began to grow.
I could not see it at the time,
but my light began to glow.
I saw God’s love in a brand new light,
His Grace and Mercy too.
For only when all self was gone,
could Jesus’ love shine thru.

It was not easy in the storm,
I sometimes questioned, “Why?”
At times I’d thought, “I can’t go on”,
then I would hurt and doubt and cry.
But Jesus never left my side,
He guided me each day.
Thru the pain and strife, the fire and flood,
He helped me all the way.

And now I see, as never before,
how great His love can be.
How in my weakness, He is strong,
how Jesus cares for me!
He worked it all out for my good,
although the way was rough.
He only sent what I could bear,
and then He cried, “Enough”!

He raised His hand and said, “Be Still”;
He made the storm clouds cease.
He opened up the gates of Joy,
and flooded me with peace.
I see His face, now clearer still,
and I felt His presence strong.
I found a new, His faithfulness:
He never did me wrong.

Now I know more storms will come,
but only for my good.
For pain and tears have helped me grow
as naught else ever could.
I still have so much more to learn,
as Jesus works in me.
If in the storm I’ll love Him more,
then that’s where I want to be.

David Massey

Point of Vision, August 3, 2018

Boundaries, July 29, 2018

Dr. Stuart Walker, now in his late nineties, is regarded as a brilliant sailor of his day, and indeed of any day for that matter one of the world’s leading small boat skippers. He was the first American to win the International 14 Prince of Wales Trophy and his teams have won many of the major prizes in competitive sailing.

Dr. Stuart Walker is also a prolific sailing author. Reading his books is somewhat like sailing itself; you’re going to have to work hard to extract the best out of them. In his book titled Winning he states that “Competitive sailing is one of the few sports in which the players govern themselves. There are no umpires, no field judges, linesmen or referees. Each player determines for himself whether he has complied with the rules and penalizes himself (if) he has failed to comply. The race committee establishes the boundaries of the course, tells the players where to begin and sends them on their way. After that, except for recording the finish, the only time the officials take action is when a player calls them in. In its purest form, competitive sailing is a game of trust and of individual accountability.”

Reading Dr. Stuart’s comments on competitive sailing I was amazed how well they apply to us who see ourselves as Catholics. Like the race committee, Jesus has established the boundaries within which we are to live our lives and each of us must determine for ourselves whether or not we are living within those boundaries. The invitation to live within these boundaries is often referred to as the call to discipleship, the call to love. Since it is an invitation we are always free to accept or to reject it. However, the tragedy in our world today is what Jesus described as “the lukewarm” people neither hot nor cold. Many today who blatantly promote themselves as Catholics, as living within the boundaries, are simply living within the boundaries of their own making not within the boundaries set by Jesus. This pick and choose, this personal ideological rationalization would not be accepted in the sport of competitive sailing neither should we accept it in real life.

Life is not a sport but is a serious and responsible business, like being the best at sailing, life demands dedication, hard work and sacrifice. We strive to live within the boundaries not of our own making but those set down for us in the gospel and the teaching of the Church. In this we are not called to be legislators nor to argue the legislation and neither are we asked for our personal interpretation. Jesus simply asks us to obey and in this He calls us to the most difficult task of all namely to be judge and jury, to be umpire, linesman and referee of our lives in short to be honest. In this He has endowed us with the gifts of respect, trust and individual accountability. Let us pray that we will not fail but that we will prove to be master sailors, on this our voyage of life.

Follow Me, July 22, 2018

Next month I believe Pope Francis will visit Ireland, formally the land of saints and scholars, but a little more about that later. It’s rather difficult to believe that it is thirty-nine years since Pope John Paul II (now Saint), first visited Ireland. How time seems to fly. He was the first Pope to visit Ireland and his visit was among his first foreign trips.

Looking back a hundred and thirty-one years before that historic visit, to the year 1848, Ireland was frantically trying to recover the ravages, a man-made famine of England’s making. But that was not the only thing happening in 1848, there was the man Julius Stowacki. Yes, Julius Stowacki was a Polish patriot but more than that, he was a poet with a prophetic vision. In that year 1848, he penned the following lines pointing to the future:

In an age of discord

God rings the massive bell, a clarion call:

There is an empty throne for a Slavonic Pope.

The sun radiating from his face is a

Beacon for his followers:

Ever-growing throngs and tribes

Will follow him

Towards the Light where is God…

So here he comes, this Slavonic Pope

Brother of the peoples of all nations

He will distribute love as generously as,

Today, the leaders of the world

Distribute their guns.

His spiritual power

will take the whole world in his hands.

In 1979, the Pope greeted the youth of Ireland with the words, “Young people of Ireland, I believe in you. I love you.” The youthful voices burst into song, “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands.”

As the years rolled by Pope John Paul II continued to gather the youth of the world around him. As I reflect on those relatively recent events, the words of Julius Stowacki’s poem written one hundred and seventy years ago came to mind, “In an age of discord”. There is no discord in Jesus Christ and while politicians and talk shows may discuss the bible and theological opinions, Jesus Himself is not an opinion.

In His own words, He is “The Way, the Truth, and the Life”, and anyone committed to the truth hears His voice and that of His Vicar on earth, The Pope.

“He who hears you, hears me” ( LK 10:16). Obviously many people in Ireland according to their recent vote, have gone deaf lately and here in the United States there also seems to be a hearing problem since 1973, though there are signs of some improvement more, than I can say for my native country Ireland; definitely no longer the land of scholars much less saints, but seemingly worshipers at the altar of the golden calf of mammon secularism.

Ah yes, Truth is one, but it takes not only openness to hear it, but also courage and generosity of commitment…..”Follow Me”.

The Great Teachers, July 15, 2018

When Will We Ever Learn, July 8, 2018

The Choice is Ours, July 1, 2018

What Can I Offer The Lord?, June 24, 2018

Fatherhood, June 17, 2018

by Rev. Msgr. Marren, Pastor

Some years ago Philip Lawler wrote an article titled “The Gift of Fatherhood”. The Article opens with this paragraph.

Who was the most creative man in history? Mozart? Shakespeare? Magnificent candidates, certainly. But their achievements in music and in literature pale beside the everyday accomplishments of an ordinary father like me.

Philip Lawler goes on to make the point that for all the genius and creativity of people like Mozart and Shakespeare never the less their works remain just a bunch of marks on a piece of paper until a living human begin breathes life into them. Unlike his own four children tumbling out of bed in the morning, no one could be mistaken: They are very much alive.

The human being is the greatest of all creations and fathers together with their spouse are entrusted the most important responsibility that there is namely of nurturing, supporting and guiding their children to embrace life. Unfortunately today, fathers are often judged by the work they do, the money they make, the positions in the workplace they hold. I ask you to look at the many fathers you know today. What is it you know about them? What is it you want to know about them? The homeruns they hit, the touchdowns they get, the under par they shoot on the golf course? But how do they do when they return home? Are you as concerned about how they do at home as you are about their performance on the playing field? Today, Father’s Day, once again reminds us of what is really important. It reminds us that our profession is not nearly as important as our vocation; for the reality is that if we fail our children in being responsible fathers then we fail period—no matter what else we achieve.

On this Father’s Day and everyday let us pray for all fathers and from James J. Metcalfe, I offer fathers this Father’s Prayer.

Father’s Prayer
O God, look down upon home
With kind and gentle eyes,
And pour Your blessings great and small
Upon our family ties.

Be good to her, my loving wife,
Who is so good to me,
And help me honor You and her
With love and loyalty.

Bestow on us the guiding grace
We need from day to day,
To raise our children properly
At home and church and play.

We trust in you with all our hearts
And offer you our prayers,
Our smiles and tears, our glories and
Our little daily cares.

We thank You, God, for everything
Beneath the stars and sun,
And promise we will always strive,
To help your will be done.

The Answer, June 10, 2018

Incognito, June 3, 2018

Holy Trinity, May 27, 2018

Teachers, May 20, 2018

The Great poet Robert Frost put it:

“There were two roads diverged in the woods

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.”

Sometime ago one of my friends sent me the following: It was titled, “What Teachers Make”, the story goes like this:

One man, a CEO decided to explain the problem with education. He argued, “What’s a kid going to learn from someone who decided his best option in life was to become a teacher?” He reminded the other dinner guests what they say about teachers: “Those who can, do. Those who can’t teach.”

To Stress his point he said to another guest: “You’re a teacher, Bonnie. Be honest. What do you make?” Bonnie, who had a reputation for honesty and frankness replied, “You want to know what I make? (She paused for a second, and then began…) “Well, I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could. I make a C+ feel like the Congressional Medal of Honor. I make kids sit through 40 minutes of class time when their parents can’t make them sit for 5 without an iPod, Game Cube or movie rental.

You want to know what I make. (She paused again and looked at each and every person at the table.) I make kids wonder. I make them question. I make them apologize and mean it. I make them have respect and take responsibility for their actions. I teach them to write and then I make them write. Keyboarding isn’t everything. I make them read, read, read. I make the show all their work in math. They use their God given brain, not the man-made calculator. I make my students from other countries learn everything they need to know in English while preserving their unique cultural identity. I make my classroom a place where all students feel safe. I make my students stand, placing their hand over their heart to say the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag, One Nation Under God, because we live in the United States of America. Finally, I make them understand that if they use the gifts they were given, work hard, and follow their hearts, they can succeed in life. (Bonnie paused one last time then continued.) “Then, when people try to judge me by what I make, with me knowing money isn’t everything, I can hold my head up high and pay no attention because they are ignorant… You want to know what I make? I MAKE A DIFFERENCE! What do you make Mr. CEO?”

Soon the school year will come to an end, accompanied by the excitement of graduations and class proms. But in the midst of all this, I invite parents not to forget to express a word of gratitude to the teachers who have played such an important role in your children’s education. Frequently, parents are heard to boast of their children’s accomplishments but seldom is a word spoken about the role teachers played in making these accomplishments possible. Teaching today is a very difficult calling. In a world of broken relationships, narcissism, and spiritual apathy, teachers are often called to be mother and father, guardian and counselor to the students.

They are not paid a lot for their work, should they fail in their efforts they are not given bonuses and or retirement. They do so without a golden parachute. Yes, at this time of year the least we can do is to write them and offer them a word of appreciation and let them know that their hard work, dedication and efforts have not gone unnoticed. Not only such acknowledgement helps teachers to realize that their sacrifices were all worthwhile and encourages them to do it all over again in the coming year, all in an effort to help and encourage your children to become in the words of Matthew Kelly “The Best Version of Themselves”.

Mothers, May 13, 2018

Last year on Mother’s Day we offered you the thoughts of 2nd graders, but they are not the only ones who have ideas on Mothers.

Andrew Jackson put it this way: There never was a woman like her. She was gently as a dove and brave as a lioness….The memory of my mother and her teachings were after all the only capital I had to start life with, and on that capital I have made my way.

Helen Hunt Jackson says this: The woman who creates and sustains a home, and under whose hands children grow up to be strong and pure men and women is a creator second only to God.

De Witt Talmage put it this way: Mother…that was the bank where we deposited all our hurts and worries.

An eight-year old boy wrote the following essay in school entitled, “What a Mom means to a kid”? “A mother is a person who takes care of her kids and gets their meals, and if she’s not there when you get home from school, you wouldn’t feel like eating anyhow.”

And Yes, how about this, “My Mother’s Bible”… Axelrod shares this story about a magnificent mom: there is a story about four preachers discussing their favorite translations of the Bible. The first one said, “I like the King James Version because of its beautiful English.” Another said, “I like the New American Standard version because it is closer to the original Greek and Hebrew.” The third one replied, “I like the Good News version because it’s so easy to read.” The fourth minister was silent for a moment then said, “I like my mother’s translation best.” The other three men were surprised. They said, “I didn’t know your mother made a translation of the Bible.” “Yes,” he replied. “She translated it into everyday life. And it was the most beautiful and convincing translation I ever saw.”

And finally someone put it this way…

A Mother’s someone special
with an understanding heart.
When others lose their faith in you
that’s just when hers will start.
A Mother’s someone loving
who has the sweetest way
of giving you encouragement
when skies are looking grey.
A Mother’s someone helpful
who will always lend a hand
and smooth things out a little
when they don’t go as you have planned.
A Mother’s someone dearly loved
and that is surely true
of a mother who is all these things
a Mother just like you!

Mary, May 6, 2018

The fifth month of the Gregorian calendar we call the Month of May. There is a lot of debate as to how this came about. Some say it was so named after the goddess Maia, but I ask which goddess was she. Was she the Greek Maia or Maia who was one of the Pleiades? Or was she Maia the mother of Hermes, the messenger of the gods or was she the Roman Maia, who just happened to share the same name with the Greek goddess?

Of course the Latin poet Ovid has a whole different story, not to mention a further story, of how May derived its name from milking cows. As interesting as these stories are, we as Catholics simply dedicate the Month of May to Mary, the Mother of God, and given to us by Jesus to be our Mother also. A helpful way to reflect on Mary might be to reflect on some of the titles the Church has given her over the centuries. We find a long list of those titles in what we call the “Litany of the Blessed Virgin”. One of the titles given to our Lady in that Litany is “Help of Christians”.

One of the great challenges of the Church in every age is the preservation of the Truth. There is hardly a doctrine of the faith that has not been attacked in the course of time. Even now in our time, the Church as a whole is under attack. Persecution has never been completely absent from the Church, but in our own days we are witnessing an intensification of it in forms more cruel and subtle than ever before.

There is that cunning siren call to categorize the pressing issues of the time as political when in fact they are oral issues like for example abortion, same sex marriage, offensive speech (in most cases the truth), and I could go on. “Stop meddling in politics,” they tell the Church when in fact; they are the ones doing the meddling in morality. Just reflect on this, “You shall Love the Lord your God with ALL your heart, with ALL your strength, with ALL your mind and with ALL your soul,” that includes you vote to say that you are personally against it. Voting for it does not cut, it but rather makes you an accessory to the crime. There is no neutral or middle ground. We are either with the truth or against it; we can’t have it both ways. There is no place for the lukewarm.

It is true however that whenever and wherever devotion to Mary increased, betterment of morals also set in. The faithful who are found to be one in their love and devotion to Mary are also found to be one in their love and devotion to Her Divine Son Jesus.

During this month of May, in our struggles with life, whatever their nature, let us not be afraid to call on this great Lady who has earned for herself, because of her work the title “Help of Christians”. The great St. Bernard recognized this, so his prayer to this beautiful Lady was:

The Memorare

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to your protection, implored your help and sought your intercession was left unaided. Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto you, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother. To you I come; before you I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in your mercy hear and answer me. Amen

Everywhere, April 29, 2018

by Rev. Msgr. Marren, Pastor

I remember going to school and learning the Catechism preparing for First Confession and First Communion. Oh, don’t get carried away, for in all honesty, I didn’t learn too much. However, I remember one question in the Catechism, the answer to which always made me wonder. The question: Where is God? The answer: God is everywhere. How can God be everywhere at the same time, I thought to myself, and us not see Him? I just couldn’t figure it out. As I grew older, the answer did not come any easier, in fact more complicated. If God is everywhere, how come people are not conscious of Him?

Fr. Paul Wharton tells the story of a young man who one day approached a saintly hermit with the request, “Show me how I can find God?” “More than anything else in the world,” came the reply. With that, the hermit led the young man through the woods to the shore of a lake. Together they waded into the lake until the water was above both their chests. Then, the holy hermit, placing both his hands on the young man’s head, plunged it beneath the water. The young man struggled desperately, but the hermit did not release him until he was almost drowned.

When they returned to the shore the hermit asked, “Son, when you were under the water what did you want more than anything else in the world?” “Air” replied the young man, without hesitation. “Well then, Youngman,” said the hermit “when you want to find God as much as you wanted air when you were under the water, I promise your eyes will be open to the wonder of God all around you and you will find Him.”

I like that story because it reminds us that the difficulties we encounter of finding and experiencing God in our lives has much more to do with our lack of desire to recognize God in the world around and has very little or in fact nothing to do with God’s presence all around us.

What was this that the psalmist said…Ah yes…

“The heavens proclaim the Glory of God

And the firmament proclaims His handiwork

Day to Day pours forth speech

And Night to Night declares knowledge” (Psalm 191-2)

Potential, April 22, 2018

The Quality Of..., April 8, 2018

by Rev. Msgr. Marren, Pastor

Opening the bible chapter five of the Gospel according to Matthew there we find what has come to be known as the beatitudes. The Fifth one reads “Blessed are the merciful for they will be shown mercy”.

Mercy of course is an attribute of God but it is also a moral virtue by which we show compassion, forgiveness and fidelity. Mercy is in reality better experienced than defined. Many people have written and commented on this moral virtue.

“Among the attributes of God, although they are all equal, mercy shines with even more brilliancy than justice.” ~ Cervantes “We hand folks over to God’s mercy and show none ourselves.” ~ George Eliot

“Hate shuts her soul when dove-eyed mercy pleads.” ~ Charles Sprague

“Who will not mercy unto others show how can he mercy ever hope to have.” ~ Spenser

“To sin because mercy abounds is the devils logic; he that sins because of mercy shall have judgment without mercy.” ~ T. Watson

“Mercy is like a rainbow, which God has set in the clouds; it never shines after it is night. If we refuse mercy here, we shall have justice in eternity.” ~ Jeremy Taylor

“Teach me to feel another’s woe to hide the faults I see, that mercy I to others show, that mercy show to me.” ~ Alexander Pope

“Happy is the soul who has made it her business to collect miseries, to pour on them the oil of mercy and heat them on the fire of love.” ~ St. Bernard

“Mercy is the fulfillment of justice not the abolition. ~ St. Thomas Aquinas “Reason to Rule, but mercy to forgive the first is law, the prerogative.” ~ Dryden

“The quality of mercy is not strained; it droppeth, as the gently rain from heaven upon the place beneath; it is twice blessed; it blesseth him that gives and him that takes: ‘tis mightiest in the mightiest: it becomes the throned monarch better than his crown. Mercy is an attribute to God Himself; and earthly power doth then show likest God’s when mercy seasons justice. Consider this,–that, in the course of justice, none of us should see salvation: We do pray for mercy, and that same prayer doth teach us all to render the deeds of mercy.” ~ Shakespeare

Seek and Find, April 1, 2018

A Time For Us To Tell, March 25, 2018

Lost & Found, March 18, 2018

by Rev. Msgr. Marren, Pastor

Stories of conversion abound aplenty. Some are more inspiring than others, but it would be safe to say that all are interesting. It is not uncommon for those who have traveled down the road of conversion to challenge the people around them, urging them to travel down a similar road. The challenge usually comes in the form of a question like, “Are you saved?” “Have you invited the Lord into your heart?” “Have you found Jesus in your life?”

When I hear such questions, I remember a story that Jack McArdle told of an ordinary man named Sam who, whenever he went to church or a meeting or a revival, always sat in the front row. Well, one day at a revival in the town square, the preacher, using a pick-up truck as his platform, was delivering what we might call a thumping Bible sermon talking about finding the Lord. Sam was there in his usual front seat, staring at the preacher with that vacant look, or was it one of ecstasy? It was difficult to tell. “My dear man,” said the preacher, looking a Sam, “Have you found the Lord?” Sam paused for a moment and then answered, “No, preacher, did you lose him?”

Sam’s answer was right on the mark. The preacher’s question was somewhat silly. In reality God does not get lost. We are the ones who are always getting lost and it is God who is really finding us. Have we never heard of the lost sheep, the lost coin? I have never heard of the lost God. You see God is already in our lives and He is continually pleading with us to recognize His presence and to make a little room and time for Him in the inn of our lives. Of course this can be difficult with all the attractions and noise of the world around us, but it’s important that we take some time out and speak to Him in the silence and depths of our hearts. He is like that peril of great price sitting there waiting to be recognized, waiting there deep in our lives begging for our attention. Hopefully one day each of us will thankfully come to appreciate His great pursuit of us and come to recognize that He is the God who never gives up on finding us. He is the God who is never lost!

Francis Thompson shows our struggle well in his poem “The Hound of Heaven”

I fled Him, down the nights and down the days;

I fled Him, down the arches of the years;

I fled Him, down the labyrinthine ways

Of my own mind; and in the mist of tears

I hid from Him, and under running laughter. ———–

From those strong Feet that followed, followed after.

But with unhurrying chase,

And unperturbéd pace,

Deliberate speed, majestic instancy,

They beat—and a Voice beat

More instant than the Feet—

“All things betray thee, who betrayest Me.” ——

(For, though I knew His love Who followèd,

Yet was I sore adread

Lest, having Him, I must have naught beside.)———

And that is our problem. We drown ourselves in the noise, the laughter, and allurements of the world around us thinking they are going to satisfy us when all the time it’s really like drinking salt water to quench our thirst yet failing to realize that being a true disciple of the Lord we really will lack for nothing. How was this St. Augustine put it? “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rest in you.”

Bellyache, March 11, 2018

A Call to Repentance, March 4, 2018

Make Up Your Mind Honestly, February 25, 2018

by Rev. Msgr. Marren, Pastor

We have begun the season of Lent. As Catholics, we are invited to reflect on our lives and then discern what disciplines we should take on during this season to make us better. The word discipline and disciple are, of course, closely related. In Webster’s Dictionary we see they both come from the same root “discere,” to learn.

Discipline is defined as training expected to produce a specific pattern of behavior, especially moral or mental improvement. A disciple is defined as one who believes and helps disseminate the teachings of a Master. For us, that Master is Christ.

So as we enter into this season of Lent, it might be well for us to reflect on how we discern within ourselves what disciplines we take on during this Lenten Season and examine carefully how we believe they will help us to become better. The disciplines of course carry the full range of those things that we may choose to do or at the same time those things which we choose to give up. No matter how we choose we should keep in mind that our choice is going to call for effort.

Sadly, today we live in a world that would want us to believe that we can accomplish anything with little or no effort. For example how often do we see advertised all sorts of machines…..just ten minutes workout a day and you will be fit, healthy and lose multiple pounds of weight. Next thing I feel that they will be telling us that all this can be accomplished by just simply looking at the machine. Let us be real and acknowledge that whatever discipline we embrace will carry with it the essential reality of the cross.

The cross not only invites us but also confronts us to have the courage to acknowledge the truth. The truth states that this is such a reality as right and wrong, and that right and wrong is not determined by poles, but by the laws of God.

In this season of Lent as Disciples of Christ, we should come to recognize that the yardstick measurement of majority rules or by being politically correct simply does not measure us. As a congressman once replied when asked about his attitude toward whiskey, “If you mean the demon drink that poisons the mind, pollutes the body, desecrates family life, and inflames sinners, then I’m against it. But if you mean the elixir of Christmas cheer, the shield against winter chill, the taxable potion that puts needed funds into public coffers to comfort little crippled children, then I’m for it. This is my position, and I will not compromise.”

The season of Lent calls us to a little clearer discernment than the congressman, and for greater decision making.

Angels without Wings, February 18, 2018

by Rev. Msgr. Marren, Pastor

Over the past few weeks if we have been watching the news we cannot but be somewhat shocked and alarmed with the recent train accidents. Even our Congress passengers did not escape Amtrack crashing into a truck. Yes uninvited and without warning, tragedy can enter our life at any time.

In her book, “Angels without Wings”, Jane Vonnegut Yarmolinsky, writes about the tragic death of her brother-in-law who died in a freak train accident. Thirty six hours after his death, his wife would die of cancer, leaving three small children without parents. Jane writes of her quiet moments following the double tragedy and the new responsibility she and her husband Carl were facing. Here is what she writes:

During the hour I sat by the pond, my thoughts slowly evolved, changing from a confrontation with death to a confrontation with the lives ahead…Young lives had been broken. They needed to be mended. I would do what I could.

I had no idea where this energy was going to come from to do all the things that needed to be done, to meet the gaping emotional needs created by the double tragedy. But suddenly I did have the energy, and I found myself doing those things without even questioning the rightness of it. Many years went by before I could identify the source of the energy, could put a name to it. I had simply come face to face with agape…ultimate…unconditional love.. Simply good will toward others.

You can’t just love in the abstract, any more than you can paint a picture in the air. No, you need five boys and two girls and one husband, three dogs, two cats, two birds, lots and lots of friends, and much, much more…

Now that you have offered your good wishes and Happy Valentines to each other, what does it really all mean? People like Jane and Carl are strong reminders of what the real St. Valentine is all about. The saint stands for much more than a wish or a card. We are called to live a life of total commitment seeking the best and always good will toward family and neighbors alike.

For What it Takes, February 11, 2018

by Rev. Msgr. Marren, Pastor

A few weeks ago we saw the Georgia Bulldogs battle the Alabama Crimson Tide for the National Championship. As I watched the game my mind rolled back to the time when in Athens I served as an assistant pastor and also to 1983 when I was to leave Athenian Bulldog Country and take up my new appointment as Parochial Vicar at St Thomas More Parish in Decatur, Georgia.

Now I know that St. Thomas More never heard of the bulldogs at least the Athenian ones. But having said that, I am sure you will agree that St. Thomas More proved himself to be a great and faithful Hound of Heaven for the Catholic Church against Henry VIII of England.

Throughout history, people great and small have responded to the Lord’s invitation of loving God through the love and service of neighbor. And so it was with one small boy in 1983, the year I went to St. Thomas More Parish.

The boy was just ten years of age, and one evening as he was watching television, a news story about what had come to be known as Philadelphia’s “vent people” came on the screen. The “vent people” was the name given to the homeless who huddled around the warm building vents on cold nights in downtown Philadelphia. The young boy was so moved by the story that he wanted to witness it firsthand. When his family agreed to take him, the young boy brought along a pillow and a blanket for good measure.

Witnessing the story firsthand, the young boy took the pillow and the blanket and handed it to one of the homeless men, for which he received the response, not thank you, but “God bless you.” The young boy was so moved by the response, that there and then he began his mission of collecting food and clothing, bringing them into the city every night.

The young boy’s work did not go unnoticed. Others soon joined him and today there stands at 1624 Poplar Street in Philadelphia what known as Trevor’s Place, started by a ten-year-old boy in the 4th grade by the name of Trevor Ferrell. Their mission is simple, “to help families achieve independence by offering a home for the present and hope for the future through comprehensive programs for children and adults which empower them for success.”

As of today, thousands have been helped through the courage and dedication of one little boy. He did not have a lot when he began his work, he didn’t have a plan, and as far as the pillow and the blanket, they were not his either, they belonged to his parents. Yet he had the one thing that mattered, namely the correct attitude, the willingness to do something, and the generosity and sacrifice required to put that willingness into action. In this he also opened the eyes of his many neighbors, letting them know that they too could become part of the solutions, and that not having a lot does not mean that you don’t have what it takes and that having a lot does not necessarily mean or guarantee that you will become part of the solution.

Wonders, February 4, 2018

Our Time, January 21, 2018

by Rev. Msgr. Marren, Pastor

We have just celebrated the birth of Christ, but the real question is how will this celebration translate into our everyday lives in the year 2018? Someone once described a cynic as “one who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing.” The description of course was first used by Oscar Wilde in describing modern society.

Later, Alvin Toffler, in his book Future Shock would describe modern society as the throw away society. And there have been other descriptions of our society. It has been described as the age of sellout in which everything is for sale. Honesty, integrity, and even people themselves are all for sale for money and power.

This may seem to be somewhat of an exaggeration of our times, however for us who have just celebrated the birth of our Savior, we believe there is enough truth in these statements to get us to pause and ask ourselves, where do we stand in the midst of it all?

Whether or not we live in an age of sellout, fallout, blowout or bailout, this is nevertheless our age; this is our time into which we who call ourselves catholic disciples of Christ are called upon by the One whose birth we have just celebrated to be a light to the world, a light shining in the darkness. Yes, this is our year, our opportunity to be and to add a preserving quality to our times, to be in the words of Jesus Himself, “The salt of the Earth.”

Did You Know?, January 14, 2018

by Rev. Msgr. Marren, Pastor

The Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution states in part, “nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” The fact that the law does not protect children in the womb from abortion is rooted in the words of the 1973 Roe V. Wade decision, “the word person as used in the Fourteenth Amendment does not include the unborn.”

But did you know that in a decision handed down eight months before Roe V. Wade person head was also discussed in relation to protecting the environment? In that decision, Sierra Club v. Morton, Justice Douglas argued in the following words, “The ordinary corporation is a ‘person’ for purposes of the ad judicatory process…So it should be as respects valleys, alpine meadows, rivers, lakes, estuaries, beaches, ridges, groves of trees, swampland, or even air that feels the destructive pressures of modern technology and modern life…With all respect, the problem is to make certain that the inanimate objects, which are the very core of America’s beauty, have spokesmen before they are destroyed…The voice of the inanimate object, therefore, should not be stilled…That is why these environmental issues should be tendered by the inanimate object itself. Then there will be assurances that all of the forms of life which it represents will stand before the court- the pileated woodpecker as well as the coyote and bear, the lemmings as well as the trout in the streams. Those inarticulate members of the ecological group cannot speak…But those people who have so frequented the place as to know its values and wonders will be able to speak for the ecological community that as I see it is the issue “standing” in the present case and controversy.

Now how about the child in the womb who cannot speak? DNA shows the child to be a human being, the child has human DNA NOT potential human DNA. Who sees the value of the unborn human being child? Where is the support of human rights? I mention this simply to say that if the inanimate, the bear, the woodpecker and so on deserves protection under the word person, why not the child in the womb?

Eight months later Justice Douglas later ruled with the majority in Roe v. Wade that “the word person…does not include the unborn.” The arbitrariness of this decision carries with it frightening and horrific implications about the power of government.

The support of Roe v. Wade is not just what the media would have us believe, a pro-choice issue. Rather to support Row v. Wade is to acknowledge that the government has the power to say who is a person and who is not. Giving a government that power, I ask who is to limit the power of government as to who it declares a person or otherwise.

Supporters of Roe v. Wade, just by their support, acknowledge that government has the power to declare who is a person and who is not. Could the government ever declare your teenager a non-person? Could the government ever declare me a non-person? The answer is yes, and those who say no do not understand the full implications of Roe v. Wade.

There are those who say government should not be involved in this issue. But the fact is government is involved (and involved in over their heads may I add). I agree government should back off; and acknowledge that it does not have the power or qualification to determine who is a person and who is not. However, it should also recognize that it has both the duty and obligation to protect all innocent human life; within its jurisdiction and the life in the womb, call it by any name you wish, there is no denying that it is human and as such it not only deserves but has the right to the full protection of our government.

Did You Know?, January 14, 2018

by Rev. Msgr. Marren, Pastor

But did you know that in a decision handed down eight months before Roe V. Wade person head was also discussed in relation to protecting the environment? In that decision, Sierra Club v. Morton, Justice Douglas argued in the following words, “The ordinary corporation is a ‘person’ for purposes of the ad judicatory process So it should be as respects valleys, alpine meadows, rivers, lakes, estuaries, beaches, ridges, groves of trees, swampland, or even air that feels the destructive pressures of modern technology and modern life With all respect, the problem is to make certain that the inanimate objects, which are the very core of America’s beauty, have spokesmen before they are destroyed The voice of the inanimate object, therefore, should not be stilled That is why these environmental issues should be tendered by the inanimate object itself. Then there will be assurances that all of the forms of life which it represents will stand before the court- the pileated woodpecker as well as the coyote and bear, the lemmings as well as the trout in the streams. Those inarticulate members of the ecological group cannot speak But those people who have so frequented the place as to know its values and wonders will be able to speak for the ecological community that as I see it is the issue “standing” in the present case and controversy.

Eight months later Justice Douglas later ruled with the majority in Roe v. Wade that “the word person does not include the unborn.” The arbitrariness of this decision carries with it frightening and horrific implications about the power of government.

Stars, January 7, 2018

Happy New Year, December 31, 2017

Behind the Music, December 24, 2017

by Rev. Msgr. Hugh Marren, Pastor

This week we celebrate the Feast of Christmas.

Of all the festive days of the year, we might say that Christmas is the brightest and the most gladsome. It’s a time for joy and happiness. We have learned to love virtually everything about it, its music, its lights, the giving and receiving of gifts, the companionship of friends and the warmth of home and family life.

Yes, we have come a long way from the celebration of the first Christmas. Except for the Angels singing in the countryside, there was little music to be heard. The child Jesus was not born into a welcoming society. There was no red carpet or welcoming committee to greet Him. There wasn’t even an open door through which He might enter and take shelter. There simply was NO ROOM.

The joy and happiness which we experience has definitely been forged in the crucible of hardship and sufferings, but we seldom reflect on this side of the story, as we join in the festivities of the Season. And so often, too, is the music and carols we enjoy at this time of the year.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, named after his mother’s brother Henry Wadsworth, was the second of eight children and is one of America’s greatest poets. As a young man, he was known to be very studious. Having graduated from Bowdoin College in 1825, he decided to travel to Europe to study French, Spanish, and Italian. While in Spain, he learned that his favorite sister, Elizabeth, had died of tuberculosis at the age of twenty.

Having returned from Europe, he married a childhood friend by the name of Mary Storer Potter in 1831. By 1834 Longfellow is seen as one of the country’s most respected scholars. Everything seemed to be going his way. He was offered and had accepted a professorship at Harvard, yet in November 1835, his world would fall apart with the tragic death of his wife at the age of twenty-two. Deeply saddened by her death he writes, “One thought occupies me night and day… She is dead…She is dead! All day I am weary and sad.”

In an effort to deal with his loss he poured himself into his work of teaching and writing. He began to date Frances Appleton, whom he married in 1843. Together they had six children. The good life seemed to have returned, publishing such classics as the Song of Hiawatha and Evangeline. Both fame and fortune had found him but it was not to last.

In 1861 Frances was to die tragically in a fire and Longfellow nearly lost his own life trying to save her. He was burned so much over his own body; he could not even attend her funeral. Devastated by her death he worried he would go insane and begged not to be sent to an asylum and noted he was “inwardly bleeding to death”. But before he could regain himself that same year the Civil War broke out tearing the nation apart. Longfellow hated war.

His son Charles hopped aboard a train to join President Lincoln’s Army. Wounded in battle, he was taken to Washington where his father joined him. As Longfellow tended his son’s injuries, he saw many other wounded soldiers and visited with families who had lost loved ones and asked the question, “Where is Peace?” Picking up his pen on December 25th, he gives vent to his feelings in the plaintive carol that we have come to know as “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day”.

In the beginning of the carol the poet, out of his own suffering, feels like dropping his head in despair but then he hears the Christmas bells and their triumphant pealing stirs his faith and reminds him that:

‘God is not dead, nor doth He sleep!

The wrong shall fail;

The right prevail.

With peace on earth, good will to men!’

Yes today like Christmas itself, we enjoy the carol but behind it is a life of suffering both personal and family together with that of our Nation. Happy Christmas to All!

Rush Rush Rush, December 17, 2017

Deadlines, December 10, 2017

by Rev. Msgr. Hugh Marren, Pastor

Ten years ago it was just 10 o’clock on a Thursday morning and Jacki, the parish secretary, informs me that on account of the Christmas season, tomorrow is the deadline if I wish to write something for the parish bulletin. Some years ago, Garret Keizer wrote an article “Deadlines” for the Christian Century. In the article, he gives deadlines what I might call a very positive review.

Louis Armstrong, the great jazz musician, is reported to have said, “Never mind creativity, man, just give me a deadline”. For him, the deadlines did not diminish inspiration, they were inspiration.

Our life, of course, in many ways, is a series of deadlines. Presently it is Christmas shopping, for the students it’s a term paper; shortly, it will be credit card bills, IRS tax filings, and of course, school and college registration.

Deadlines force us to choose, sparing us from languishing in Limbo forever. They spare us from both procrastination and from our own conceived ideas of perfectionism. With more time, we might have done better, but then again we might not, but that does not matter now, the deadline is fast approaching and we either do or else we die from our indecisiveness.

Advent confronts us with the most important deadline, namely that of recognizing the importance of Jesus in our lives. Yes, it is very easy for us to become so busy shopping for Christmas in celebrating the birth of Jesus, that we forget the Jesus whose birthday we are celebrating.

On the very first Christmas, Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, He was part of their town, He was part of their time, He was part of their country, He was part of their history, but, except for the shepherds and a few people, He was never part of the people’s lives. The people simply missed Him, not because they were bad, but simply because they were looking for someone or something else. Advent assures us that God is with us, He is Emmanuel;

I hope we don’t lose Him in the malls.

Praise Mary, December 3, 2017

by Rev. Msgr. Marren, Pastor

As we prepare to celebrate the Christmas Season, we cannot but notice the role of Mary in making this season a reality for the first time. Putting herself at the service of God, she gave birth to Jesus, the One whose birthday we celebrate at Christmas. In this action, she has pointed out to all Christians our mission in life. First, allow Christ to be born in each of us personally, and secondly, give birth to Christ in the lives of those who do not yet know Him.

Throughout the centuries, the Church has honored Mary with many titles for her fidelity to God and she is honored by millions throughout the world under various names and titles. During this month of December, we celebrate her Immaculate Conception, and also her feast day under the title of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

In the “Litany of the Blessed Virgin”, we find a long list of the titles given to her across the centuries. One of the titles given to her that has always caught my eye is the title, “Help of Christians”.

One of the great challenges of the Church in every age is the preservation of the Truth. There is hardly a doctrine of the faith that has not been attacked in the course of time. Persecution has never been completely absent from the Church. In our own time we are presently witnessing an intensification in forms more subtle than ever before. For example, the reluctance to acknowledge that some actions are morally wrong, no matter who says otherwise. There is such a reality as sin, and not just mistakes. And, in order for me to say “it is my right” then what I claim to be my right must be right in the first place and not wrong. I can never claim that which is morally wrong to be my right, period.

Across the centuries, it has become strikingly apparent that whenever or wherever devotion to Mary increased, betterment of morals set in. The faithful who are found to be one in their love and devotion to Mary are also found to be one in their love and adoration of Her Divine Son Jesus, whose birth we celebrate at Christmas.

Mary, Help of Christians, Pray For Us

Playing in the Sand, November 26, 2017

Thanksgiving, November 19, 2017

Freedom Isn't Free, November 12, 2017

Values to Live By, November 5, 2018

The Search, October 29, 2017

The Great Teacher, October 22, 2017

Image, October 15, 2017

by Rev. Msgr. Hugh Marren, Pastor

In 1978, I was an assistant pastor at Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church on Briarcliff Road. There we had a youth group called ACTION. The synonym stood for Active Catholic Teenagers In Our Neighborhood. I still keep in touch with a number of them and their children. I remember on one occasion we gave them the following group exercise. “Write down for us your idea of God.” Of course, I was not expecting any great theological insights but wondering how many of the biblical images like the Good Shepard, the Salt of the Earth, etc., they would remember or at least would be somewhat included in their ideas of God.

What I received however quite surprised me. Instead of packaging their ideas in biblical language, they presented their ideas in the advertising images of the world around them. I was so amazed at their answers that I kept their answer paper and I know I still have it in my files. However, when I looked for it, to once again see their answers, I failed to find it – no one is perfect – but I do plan to find it with a more thorough search.

However after all these years, somewhat forty of them, I still remember some of their answers. They ran like this:

God is like a Ford. He has a better idea.

God is like a Coke. He adds life.

There were a few more that I cannot remember right at the moment but I mention this because today we live in the world of advertising where image is almost everything. Image sells. Image is how people perceive the product; it’s the wrapping paper, the logo. Companies spend billions of dollars to discover and project the right image in order to attract people to their product. Since people are by nature social, we are also by nature attracted to something or other.

It is this fact of our being attracted to something that lies behind the big machine of advertising. Another fact is that we are all projecting some sort of image both as individuals and as a parish. In light of this knowledge suppose someone were to ask you to come up with an idea or a slogan for All Saints. What would it be? For me I like the slogan “The Right Choice.” No I did not come up with that on my own, I have borrowed it from AT & T, but let’s pray it fits!

Enough, October 8, 2017

Portrait, October 1, 2017

Too Much, September 24, 2017

The Earth is the Lord's, September 17, 2017

by Rev. Msgr. Hugh Marren, Pastor

There are some people who dispute that statement and there are others who see the Lord as some kind of micro or Nano manager.

The fact, of course, is that when the Lord created the universe, He saw that it was good and pronounced it so. He did not declare it to be perfect, but simply to be good. In the creation of the human species he empowered them with the gift of free will and the grace to choose good over evil. Did God create evil? The answer is NO! Evil is a reality but its existence is not of the same dimension as good. Evil is simply the absence of good just as darkness is the absence of light. We do not measure darkness but light. Only God is good and evil is simply the absence of God.

When God created the human species with the gift of free will and the grace to choose Him over self, we know what happened. Now of course there are many who do not believe this and believe that our world would be better off without God, period.

Noreen Strelow relates the following story…

One day a group of scientists got together and decided that man had come a long way and no longer needed God. They picked one scientist to go and tell Him that they were done with Him.

The scientist walked up to God and said, “God, we’ve decided that we no longer need you. We’re to the point that we can clone people and do many miraculous things, so why don’t you just go on and get lost.”

God listened patiently to the man and after the scientist was done talking, God said, “Very well! How about this? Let’s have a man-making contest.”

The man replied, “Okay, great!”

But God added, “Now we’re going to do this just like I did back in the old days with Adam.”

The scientist said, “Sure, no problem.” He bent down and grabbed himself a handful of dirt.

God just looked at him and said, “No, no, no. Go get your own dirt!” (Aumamen)

Yes I still believe that “the earth is the Lord’s and its fullness there of”, and He still offers us the same invitation as He did those so many years ago.

“Seek you first the Kingdom of God and his Righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you” Mt 6:33-34. But remember, it’s an invitation and as such it is open ended to a yes or a no. God forces no one so let us make the wise choices, after all, we too are His so choose the Lord first.

Life: A Brief Review, September 10, 2017

Something To Talk About, September 3, 2017

Big Picture, August 27, 2017

Where Are You, August 20, 2017

Living Gospels, August 13, 2017

Let Your Light, August 6, 2017

by Rev. Msgr. Hugh Marren, Pastor

It’s not double jeopardy but Nick Fawcett offers us the following:

Quiz: Who is?

He earned the title “Defender of the Faith” yet led the English Catholic Church away from Rome.
Some say he never actually lived. He had a sword called Excalibur and is associated with a Round Table.
He was originally from Holland, married Mary and sounds like he ruled over fruit.
He was King of Denmark and Norway. He went on a pilgrimage to Rome in 1027 and he tried to turn back the sea.
He went away on several crusades. He left his brother in charge of the country. He was known as the “Lionhearted”.
He was King of England and was known for his personal piety and love of justice. A Shakespearean play is named after him.
He was the second Stuart king of England and Scotland. During his reign a civil war started. He was eventually beheaded.
He ruled an ancient civilization and was known as “the Great.” His father who was ruler before him had the same name.
Blamed for the “Great Fire of Rome,” he was eventually forced to commit suicide.
He suffered from various disabilities but as emperor of Rome he annexed Britain to the Roman Empire. He was eventually poisoned.
He was the King of Israel.
He was famed for his wisdom and oversaw the building of the temple in Jerusalem.
He was appointed King by the Romans. His father of the same name is known for the slaughter of children.
He rode into Jerusalem on a donkey and was crucified as “King of the Jews.”

All of these rulers have one thing in common with the exception of Jesus. They all ruled over earthly kingdoms and enjoyed the various trappings of government. Yet Jesus was born as King yet His kingdom was not of this world. As King in his own words and actions He told us He came to serve and to give His life for others.

Today and everyday He offers us the invitation to truly become His disciples and let His light shine through our lives.

HIDE NOT YOUR LIGHT
Hide not your light, but hold it high
That others who are passing by
May see your light, and thus may know
You walk with Jesus as you go.
Hide not your light because it’s small;
‘Tis better than no light at all.
Hold it on high! Its little glow
May help more than you’ll ever know.
Hide not your light! The world has need
Of Christian love and kindly deed.
Hold it on high that others, too,
May see your faith and walk with you.

(Author: Clara M. Bode)

ANSWERS:
(1)Henry VIII (2) Arthur (3) William III of Orange (4) Canute (5) Richard I (6) Henry V (7) Charles I (8) Rameses II (9) Nero (10) Claudius (11) Saul (12) Soloman (13) Herod ( 14) Jesus

Discipleship, July 30, 2017

by Rev. Msgr. Hugh Marren, Pastor

A disciple is a person who after freely enrolling him or herself in the school of a teacher, embraces the teacher’s philosophy and manifests that philosophy in the lifestyle they live.
Jesus himself was very careful to point out to His would-be disciples the cost of being His disciple. He reminded those who wanted to become His disciples that they would have to accept his complete Lordship over their lives, that there could be no room for two masters, and that unless we were ready to pick up the Cross (to die to self) daily and follow Him, we were not fit to be His disciples.

For Jesus, discipleship then is a daily journey; it is not a one -time decision, but a countless number of decisions which we make day in and day out of our lives. Each decision either promotes and advances the Kingdome of God or advances the Kingdom of self. There is no neutral ground.

Advancing the Kingdom of God never comes cheap; there is always a high cost to pay, and that is why the Cross bears a prominent place in our faith. Sometimes that cost can be very perilous.

In 1990 Rabbi Harold Schulweis (founder of the Jewish foundation for Christian Rescuers), on 60 Minutes shared some such stories. He wants Jewish communities to know that some people did care and fought in peril to their own lives to resist the Holocaust.

There was Jan and Anna Polhalski who hid a Jewish family of five in their home for five hundred days during the war because Anna said hiding Jews from the Nazis “was the Catholic thing to do.” A community of Bulgarian nuns saved hundreds of Jewish children from certain death by hiding them in their convent. And there is the story of Anne Frank and her family. But the question now is: What is my story; what is your story?

Each of us calls ourselves disciples of Christ but what is the cost of that discipleship? We are either advancing the Kingdom of God or not. If I am not advancing the Kingdom of God, then I must ask myself, whose Kingdom am I advancing? Remember, there is no neutral ground; I am advancing something.

It Happened In The Garden, July 23, 2017

by Rev. Msgr. Hugh Marren, Pastor

What happened in the garden and in what garden? You know the garden, the most famous garden in literature or at least among the most famous gardens in literature; the Garden of Eden where Adam ate the forbidden fruit. Oh yes he sure got us all into a proper mess. What was he thinking of, only of himself and his appetite. How could he do this to us? Just think of it and all he had, but of course that’s not the way Adam sees it.

Nick Fawcett, a very creative writer, has Adam responding to us and our accusations.

(The Unfolding story)
”Don’t blame me, it wasn’t my fault! All right, I did wrong –
I can see that now, looking back- but at the time there seemed no harm in it, certainly nothing to get steamed up about.
Just one tiny fruit, that’s all it was, So why the fuss?
It wasn’t my idea either, that’s what makes it worse – it was that wretched woman,
the one God supposedly gave me for company. Some help she turned out to be!
‘Go on,’ she said, ‘just one bite. It won’t hurt.’ I tried to refuse, honestly,
but she wouldn’t take no for an answer, teasing,
tempting,
sulking,
pleading,
Until at last, against my better judgment, I gave in, anything for a bit of peace.
yes, I should have been stronger, I can’t quibble with that
I was pushed into it,
a victim of circumstance,
caught up in a web outside my own making. Not that it was all down to Eve –
no, it’s God I ultimately blame.
What was he thinking of,
putting that tree there in the first place?
There was no need, surely?
We had enough and more than enough,
So why put temptation in our way? He must have known the risks –
probably even saw our fall coming-
so what chance did we have,
what hope of sticking to the straight and narrow?…….”

And on and on it goes we have heard it all before and have had the experience from what I might call both sides; the receiver and the giver; those who do and fail to do of that echoing refrain “Oh excuses, excuses, excuses.”

Of course we don’t call them excuses we call them reasons. Oh the lies we tell ourselves. There is an old Italian proverb that states “Any excuse will serve when one has not a mind to do a thing!” At this time before reading further it might help us if we would take a minute to read Lk 9: 57-62, and reflect on my reasons/excuses for my standing on the sidelines.

Who is at the center of the picture or of my decision? Moi? Life is not just about me, me, me.
John Powell, in one of his books “Through the Seasons of the Heart” writes “There’s an old Christian tradition that God sends each person into this world with a special message to deliver, a special song to sing for others, a special act of love to bestow. No one else can speak my message, can sing my song or offer my act of love. This is my responsibility; this is entrusted to me.”

You are important. You are somebody. You have a mission. You may not be on the media charts, but remember you are on God’s charts. He is depending on you to deliver the message, sing the song and bestow that special act of love, and please, no excuses.

Perseverance, July 16, 2017

by Rev. Msgr. Hugh Marren, Pastor

When things go wrong as they sometimes will,
When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit
Rest if you must but don’t you quit!
– from “Keep Going” by Edgar A. Guest

Years ago when the poet penned those lines he was giving advice to people who in modern times we say, were having what we call a “bad hair day” or more.

I remember a story of a family. The husband was out of town on business and a big storm blew in at home closing all the schools. The wife was home with a six month old child who needed some comforting, while her other three children now home from school and could not go out to play, were creating chaos in the house. Mothers, you know what I mean. But what was this poor mother to do on her own. She had a bright idea, being a strong woman of faith, she called the prayer line only to get a busy signal. It was not a good hair day other than the consolation that the neighbors were also having some trouble of their own.

Have you noticed that when you call on God, you never get a busy signal? He always takes and listens to your call, and then often puts you on hold for some time.

Today the challenges of life are many, but one of the most difficult challenges facing many people today is their lack of self-esteem. For a variety of reasons, they have come to doubt their self-worth. The fact of the matter is that each and every person is of great value. Each of us has some talent to offer society. Some have more talents than others, but none of us has a monopoly, and our world is not so rich that it can afford to say, “I don’t need you.”

Sometimes our world is slow in recognizing our talents, and in an age of quick results this can often mislead us into believing that we have no talent. What each of us needs at times is perseverance. The prize does not always belong to the swift.

There once was a young freelance artist who tried to sell his sketches to a variety of newspapers. None of them, however, showed any interest. One by one they turned him down. Some questioned his ability, while one Kansas City editor told him he had no talent. But the young artist did not lose faith in himself or his ability. He kept trying to sell his work and got a job making publicity sketches for churches.

He rented a garage for his workplace and at the same time continued to produce some freelance drawings in the hope of selling some. However, his most frequent visitors at this time were only the mice. But one of them must have been rather cute, for he inspired him to create the cartoon character we know today as Mickey Mouse, and the young artist we know as Walt Disney.

When Jesus was talking to His disciples, He was aware that one of the major temptations in life is for people to loose heart and give up on themselves. This is especially true in our time as we live in an age of quick results and an ever faster and faster society. But some things cannot be rushed, and life still must be lived one second at a time. So, Jesus reminds us of this reality when He says, “Pray without losing heart.” Perseverance is an essential key to life.

Or in the words of the poet Edgar A. Guest…..

Success is failure turned inside out,
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems afar.
So stick to the flight when you’re hardest hit,
It’s when things seem worst that you must not quit.

Noise, July 2, 2017

by Rev. Msgr. Hugh Marren, Pastor

One of the major challenges in our lives is to move beyond the noise that impairs our judgments and decisions. This noise comes in a variety of packaging. We hear it each day on the various talk shows as the champions of politics, sports, industries – or you name it – enter their particular arenas to do battle. As we witness these champions battling, it may be well for us to keep the lesson of the following story in mind.

Yes, stories like jokes sometimes have a way of their own. You have the Polish Joke, the Jewish joke, the Scottish joke, and by the time it sails across the channel, it becomes the Irish joke. Well, I’m not sure where this story was born, but at the moment it’s claiming Irish citizenship. Sorry for the divergence. Where were we? Oh, yes, removing the noise from our lives that impairs our judgments.

Well, the story goes Mary Murphy and Brigid Flannagan were great friends going to school. After each got married, they lost touch with each other, as is often the case. However, some thirty years later, they chanced to meet at a school reunion and talked about old times and their children.

“Tell me Brigid, how is your son Patrick doing?” “Oh, the poor misfortunate” replied Mary, “God Bless him, the poor, poor lad. The marriage, you know. He is a great boy, I want you to know, but he married just a no good girl. She’s as lazy as the day is long, won’t do a tap of work, won’t cook a meal or wash a dish, just lazes about all day watching that stupid television, doesn’t get up out of bed until after noon, my poor, poor boy Patrick has to even bring her breakfast in bed. Oh, god, forgive me for talking about them. How is Bridie, your girl?” inquired Mary.

“Ah, now that’s a different story. I think she’s the luckiest girl in the world. I’m so proud she’s my daughter. She’s got the best husband anyone could wish for. He’s a proper angel. He won’t let her do a thing in the house; I mean he dotes on her all the time. He has servants that do all the cooking, washing, and cleaning, in fact, he loves her so much that he brings her breakfast every morning in bed before he goes to work. She can sleep as long as she wants and relax all day. He’s just a wonderful husband to her, a real God send.”

Do you hear the noise, and that is only one slice of the pie not to mention some of the other slices like gossip, innuendos, fake news, bigotry, political correctness, animosity, greed, half-truths and on we go. It seems that from where I stand there is a lot more than greenhouse gas polluting and heating up our world atmosphere and a lot more toxic. But what can we do? For starters we strive not to be a contributing factor and then pray for our world to return to a real sense of sanity. Goodwill toward each other! Or how was this the angels put it “Glory to God in the highest and peace on earth to men of good will” LK 2:14.

Thought Process, June 25, 2017

by Rev. Msgr. Hugh Marren, Pastor

We all like to hear children’s stories. They often have a very amusing twist to them like Tommy, when he asked the teacher, “Should someone be punished for something they haven’t done?” “No, of course not,” said the teacher. “Good,” said Tommy, “because I haven’t done my homework.”

Speaking of homework, I remember a story of a sixth grader who went to her mother and asked her,

“What’s the difference between potential and actual?” The mother thought for a moment and then replied, “Go ask your dad, ask your brother, and ask your sister what they would do if they found a million dollars lost and no one knew that they had found it. Would they turn it in, or keep it?”

The young girl decided to ask her older brother first. “Would I turn it in? You must be kidding! That would pay for my college and set me up in business. Anyhow, it’s probably drug money, of course I’d keep it.”

The sixth grader writes down the answer and now goes to her sister. “Of course I’d keep it, silly. What do you think I’d do? It’s probably a bribe or a payoff that got lost anyway. I’d shop ‘til I’d drop and then I’d bank the rest. I’d be set for life.”

The student writes down the answer and now asks her Dad. “Let me tell you, child,” said her dad, “only two types of people lose a million dollars. The first types are fools, and fools should not have a million dollars, it’s not good for them. The second type who loses a million dollars are those who can afford it and they don’t need it, so this is what I’d do with the money. I’d do up the house, put you kids through college and then would have something left over for my retirement.”

The girl writes down the answer and now shows all three answers to her mom. “Now,” said the mom, “you see the difference between potential and actual? Potentially, we are an honest family, but actually, you and I live with three conniving thieves.” (The Jokesmith)

The power to rationalize is a wonderful gift that God has given to us, but the story of the sixth grader points out that it is easy for us to deceive ourselves in the use of this gift. Our tendency is to justify our ego-centric, self-indulgent behavior. We use the blame game, the time game, and many other types of games, but in the end the naked truth is we are only fooling ourselves so that we can live with our own narcissism and self-centeredness. However in all this we should remember that the Lord sees into the secrets of our heart (Ps: 42:22) and bestows His blessings on the clean of hear (Mt 5:8).

Veni Vidi Vici, June 18. 2017

by Rev. Msgr. Hugh Marren, Pastor

Veni Vidi Vici (I came; I saw; I conquered). This Latin phrase is popularly attributed to Julius Caesar, who apparently used it in a letter to the Roman Senate around 47BC after he had achieved a swift victory at the battle of Zela in Asia Minor (now Turkey).

I think about this phrase as I listen to the continual conversation on the topic of education across the United States. This topic is debated in the homes, in the public square and in the public arena. The discussions run from the cost of education to improving education in our schools and colleges and of course who should pay for it. From my perspective, I believe that this topic of education will continue to find its place on the debating platform for many years to come.

I remember about eight or nine years ago Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft and presently one of the wealthiest people in the world, gave a speech at a high school about the eleven things they did not learn at school. In this he joined a host of others who have written in the same vein trying to get the attention of our young minds and set them on the right road in books like “Dumbing down America,” by Charlotte Thomson and “Dumbing down Our Kids,” by Charles J. Sykes.

Bill Gates talked about how feel good politically correct teachings have created a generation of kids with no concept of reality and how this concept, or lack thereof, set them up for failure in the real world. I feel confident that he would also have something to say about our safe spaces taking place on college and university campuses. I now offer his insights on the real world as Mr. Gates offered them to those students in the hope that our students today may reflect on them over the summer and in the fall be better prepared to continue their education for the real world:

Rule 1: Life is not fair – get used to it!

Rule 2: The world won’t care about your selfesteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.

Rule 3: You will NOT make $60,000 a year right out of high school. You won’t be vice-president with a car phone until you earn both.

Rule 4: If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss.

Rule 5: Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your Grandparents had a different word for burger flipping: they called it opportunity.

Rule 6: If you mess up, it’s not your parents’ fault, so don’t whine about your mistakes, learn from them.

Rule 7: Before you were born, your parents weren’t as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you thought you are. So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parent’s generation, try delousing the closet in your own room.

Rule 8: Your school may have done away with the winners and losers, but life HAS NOT. In some schools, they have abolished failing grades and they give you as MANY TIMES as you want to get the right answer. This doesn’t bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.

Rule 9: Life is not divided into semesters. You don’t get summers off and very few employers are interested in helping you FIND YOURSELF. Do that on your own time.

Rule 10: Television is NOT real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.

Rule 11: Be nice to nerds. Chances are you’ll end up working for one.

In closing let me say you may agree or disagree with Bill Gates but in the real world, in the world of business and entrepreneurship Bill Gates can honestly say in the words of the Ancient Warrior Veni Vidi,Vici and to ignore his advice maybe at our own peril.

Choice of the Lord, June 11, 2017

by Rev. Msgr. Hugh Marren, Pastor

Matthew Kelly has now become a well-known speaker and author. In his series Passion and Purpose, he constantly stresses the importance of each of us becoming the best version of ourselves. He emphasizes that it is never too early nor is it too late for us to embark upon this journey.

Of course the fact of the matter is that none of us have the privilege of living in what I might call
a neutral zone. Each day, each of us is becoming some version of ourselves; if we are not journeying towards the best version of ourselves then we are traveling in the other direction, the worst version of ourselves. Sorry, there is no standing still and remaining in the same place – in short we are either using our time, talents, and treasure wisely or not. Failing to use them wisely means we use them unwisely, which by any stretch of the imagination is not the best version of ourselves.

Becoming the best version of ourselves is not always easy, such living and choice making does not always fall within our comfort zone. However, becoming the best version of ourselves is the greatest gift we can give to ourselves and to the world in which we live.

I came across the following reflection some time ago. I do not know who the author is, but I found it helpful to me on this my journey of becoming the best version of myself. Hope you will find it likewise.

Prayers Can’t be Answered Unless They are Prayed
Life without a purpose is barren indeed
There can’t be a harvest unless you plant seeds. There can’t be attainment unless there’s a goal, And a man’s but a robot unless there’s a soul.
If we send no ship out, no ship will come in,
And unless there’s a contest, nobody can win. For games can’t be won unless they are played, And prayers can’t be answered unless they are prayed…
So whatever is wrong with your life today,
You’ll find a solution if you kneel down and pray. Not just for pleasure, enjoyment and health,
Not just for honors and prestige and wealth But pray for a purpose to make life worth living And pray for the joy of unselfish giving,
For great is your gladness and rich your reward When you make your life’s purpose the choice of the Lord.

Today's Special, June 4, 2017

by Rev. Msgr. Hugh Marren, Pastor

Today we frequently hear of the news media using sound bytes to convey the news. But often what is conveyed is not the news but rather a small glimpse of a much larger picture conveying not just the truth, but the whole truth of course. While the terminology of sound bytes is relatively new, the concept itself is not that new.

In former times the concept of the sound byte was the gleaning of wisdom to guide people in the living of their lives. These perils of wisdom are often known to us today under their common title- proverbs. We find these proverbs in both sacred and secular writings.

For example:

“By wisdom is a house built, by understanding is it made firm” (Proverbs 24:3).

“Answer not the fool according to his folly lest you too become like him” (Proverbs 26:4).

“Walk with wise men and you will become wise but the companion of fools will fare badly” (Proverbs 13:20).

In the secular writings E. S. McKenzie offers us the following:

“Watch out for temptation, the more you see it, the better it looks”.

“Most people who flee from temptation usually leave a forwarding address”.

“Inflation and dieting go hand in hand. Inflation is when you can’t have your cake and dieting is when you can’t eat it.”

And of course there is an Irish proverb which now brings me to the point of this column. It says, “If you can keep your head while all around you is losing theirs then you definitely don’t understand the situation,” Hal Reach.

The question is, do we understand the situation? What situation, you might ask? Well for quite some time now Western Europe, much of North America, Australia, and some Asian countries have been seen as consumer societies. But is this true? I agree it appears to be that way, but perhaps on a little further reflection we may come to realize that we, far from being the consumer, we are actually the ones being consumed.

Yes through the power of multi-media formats, the captains of industry by mass marketing have finally convinced us that in order to be “normal” we must have this, that and the other and we must have more, more, and more of what they are profiteering. They have convinced us that in order to be, I must have. To paraphrase Descartes in modern terms, he would say “I have, therefore I am.”

My dear people, we are not a consumer society; the fact of the matter is we are the main course, we are on the plate. I know this may be humiliating to admit but remember the captains of the corporate world are at the dining table and they are appeasing their appetites at our expense. Its past time we wake up and humbly acknowledge the truth that our lives need to be salted. Yes, pass me the salt (wisdom) please!

The Difference, May 28, 2017

by Rev. Msgr. Hugh Marren, Pastor

Traveling down life’s highway of faith can be, and is on many occasions, very difficult. In fact in Matthew’s gospel, Jesus indicates that the highway to destruction has quite a lot more lanes than the highway to life. He further indicates that the highway to destruction is a lot more traveled, (Mt 7:13-14).

Well that as it may be, I believe most of us feel inspired to do better with the way we live when, for example, we read about the lives of great people especially the saints. Believers and non-believers alike acknowledge and admire the work and life of people like St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta, St. John Paul II, St. Therese of Lisieux, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Edith Stein, and of course St. Patrick, and I could go on and on. On reading and reflecting on the lives of such people we can often find ourselves asking the question, “What is it that motivates these people to make such sacrifices in the service of others? What is it that drives them onwards making such a difference between their lives and ours?”

Well, I read a story once that might help us to understand this difference. The story is about a certain dog called Speedy who was a great runner and loved to boast to his neighborly dogs about his ability. But one day, however, he was chasing this rabbit and the rabbit got away. To say the least, it was a terrible embarrassment to the dog’s pride. Naturally, it led to a great deal of ridicule from the other dogs because of all the boasting he had done.

Still Speedy had a ready explanation for his defeat. He said, “You must remember that the rabbit was running for his life, while I was only running for my dinner.” (Voicing Publications) Ah, yes – I can see how it would make a difference on whether we are working for what we might call our next “dinner” or eternal life.

“Do not work for food that perishes but for food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him the Father, God, has set his seal.” (Jn 6:27)

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth…. But store up treasures in heaven…. For where your treasure is there also will your heart be.” (Mt 6: 19-21)

“Do you not know that the runners in the stadium all run in the race, but only one wins the prize? Run so as to win.” (1 Cor 9:24)

The Good Ole Days, May 21, 2017

by Rev. Msgr. Hugh Marren, Pastor

Do you remember the good old days? Well if you don’t or are too young to have experienced them, I feel sure that you have heard someone refer to them. What was so good about these days? I tried to do a little research on these bygone days and what it was that people desired about them. I found that for the most part people believed that life was somewhat better then, than it is now, but of course that can be said about any generation when we look at life with a selective memory. In any event, these days are behind us and can no longer really touch us so we can look back on them or hear people speak of them with nostalgia, but I am not sure how many of us would wish to go back to them and give up our iPhones and PlayStations of today.

As we to come to the end of another school year, please offer a word of gratitude to our teachers for their work during the year. Life has always been tough on our teachers even in the “good old days.” These were the days when teachers were for the most part expected to be women, and how about this contract from 1922:

1922 Teacher’s Contract – $75 Per Month

Miss _________ agrees:

1. Not to get married. This contract becomes null and void immediately if the teacher marries.
2. Not to have company with men.
3. To be at home between the hours of 8:00 PM and 6:00 AM.
4. Not to loiter downtown in ice cream stores.
5. Not to leave town any time without the permission of the Chairman of the Trustees.
6. Not to smoke cigarettes. This contract becomes null and void immediately if teacher is found smoking.
7. Not to drink beer, wine or whiskey. This contract becomes null and void immediately if the teacher is found drinking beer, wine or whiskey.
8. Not to ride in a carriage or automobile with any man except her brother or father.
9. Not to dress in bright colors.
10. Not to dye her hair.
11. To wear dresses more than two inches above the ankles.
12. To wear at least two petticoats.
13. To keep the schoolroom clean: (a) to sweep the classroom floor at least once daily; (b) to scrub the classroom floor at least once weekly with soap and hot water; and (c) to start the fire at 7:00 am so that the room will be warm at 8:00 am when the children arrive.
14.Not to wear face powder, mascara or to paint lips.

Ah the good old days .
Can’t wait for you all to sign up.
The contracts are ready!

Lessons From Mom, May 14, 2017

Finish The Course, May 7, 2017

by Rev. Msgr. Hugh Marren, Pastor

Today, we know him for his music and the enjoyment it brings to millions around the world. However, to know him only for his music and not for his courage and perseverance is simply to have but a paper smile of the man behind the music.

In an effort to discourage him from this “unprofitable trade” (music), his father once threatened to cut off the child’s fingers if he persisted with the foolishness of being a musician. But the child persevered and his name spread far and wide, but all was not over. Jealousy of his genius arose in the hearts of those less gifted than his own and there sprang up a conspiracy to bring him down – from what his detractors regarded as his “undeserved power and fortune”. A hailstorm of abusive articles and pamphlets were showered upon him. They attacked his operas and vilified his oratorios.

On the nights on which he produced his operas, they deliberately arranged all sorts of distractions, from card games to cock fights. His publisher pillaged his works, making himself rich. But he kept on fighting despite his bad health and misfortunes. His right side had become paralyzed and his money was all gone. His creditors threatened him with imprisonment, his orchestra had been thrown out into the street after rehearsal and the next day a concert audience jeered at his music.

Back in his room, he found himself alone, weary, depressed, and sick of soul. For a brief moment he thought of himself as a failure and that nothing remained but to give up the fight. Suddenly, his silence was interrupted by a knock on the door.

A friend had come with a manuscript for an oratorio and asked him to write the music. At first, he refused, but catching one word as he opened the script and read the opening pages, he changed his mind and accepted, asking the Lord to help him. He started the work and completed it within three weeks, declaring, “I have never been so happy as I am now”.

The work was first performed in Dublin, Ireland, and “The Halleluiah Chorus” reechoed throughout the concert hall. The audience rose to its feet to pay generous tribute to the masterpiece of a composer who just a few weeks before was thinking of himself as a failure. Today, we know the work as “Handel’s Messiah” and the composer as George Frideric Handel.

Don’t Quit
by John Greenleaf Whittier

When things go wrong as they sometimes will,
When the road you’re trudging seems all up hill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest if you must, but don’t you quit.
Life is strange with its twists and turns
As every one of us sometimes learns
And many a failure comes about
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don’t give up though the pace seems slow—
You may succeed with another blow.
Success is failure turned inside out—
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell just how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far;
So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit—
It’s when things seem worst that you must not quit.

This poem is in the public domain.

Plus Ultra, April 30, 2017

by Rev. Msgr. Hugh Marren, Pastor

For the people of the ancient world, the sea was a fearful boundary whose horizons marked the very edges of the earth. Ancient sailors sailed close to the shores, moving form landing to landing. It was believed that the world ended somewhere out past Gibraltar. Indeed, the Royal motto plainly said, “Ne Plus Ultra,” meaning, “there is no more beyond here.” But, of course, Christopher Columbus proved the motto meaningless.

As the rhyme goes, “In fourteen hundred and ninety-two, Columbus sailed the ocean blue.” Yes, he sailed the ocean blue, discovered a whole new world and lived to tell the tale without falling off the face of the earth.

The motto, “there is no more beyond here” no longer made any sense. However, someone made what we might call an insightful recommendation to Queen Isabella, suggesting that she simply drop the first word, “Ne” from the old motto, leaving just the two words: “plus ultra” – there is plenty more beyond—as the new motto. What a beautiful motto for us during this Easter Season when we celebrate Christ’s victory over death and the grave. Yes, we celebrate Christ rising to New Life, a new life which He offers to us, a new life which can now be yours and mine, provided of course, we have the courage not to allow our sailings to be limited by the horizons of planet earth. Let us not be like those sailors of ancient times, sailing from landing to landing, yet never sailing beyond the frontiers of what they could see. Columbus could not see the new world, but because he was willing to take the first step as it were, he discovered there was plenty more beyond the security of “safe” landings.

In the Resurrection, Jesus is telling us there is plenty more life beyond the grave, a life so wonderful that He tells us: Eyes have not seen, ears have not heard, nor has it entered into our minds what wonderful things God has prepared for those who love Him.

Yes, there is plenty more beyond if we are willing to take the first step and begin our new journey of life with Jesus, a life not defined by the perishable and passing things of earth, but a life that sets its sights beyond self and the horizons of planet earth.

“I am the Resurrection and the Life, says the Lord. Everyone who believes in me even if he dies shall live.” (Jn 11:25)

“Follow me.” “Plus Ultra.”

The Old Pastor, April 23, 2017

by Rev. Msgr. Hugh Marren, Pastor

Life is full of stories, those of our own and those that we hear along the way. Along the way, I heard the following story. In the words of a famous pastor, all my stories are true but some are more true than others.

It is a story of an old pastor (definitely not myself) training his assistant. The pastor asked the assistant to join him on a counseling session between husband and wife. First the pastor decided to listen to the wife’s side of the story, and after listening to her story for about a half an hour, he patted her on the shoulder and said to her, “You are so right, you are so right.”

He then called the husband into his conference room and now listened to his side of the story for another half hour, at the end of which he went over to the husband and patted him on the shoulder and said, “You are so right, you are so right.”

By now the assistant was totally confused and when the husband and wife had left, he confronted the pastor and said, “Excuse me, but first you told the wife that she was right and then you told the husband that he also was right, and they both can’t be right.

The old pastor went over to his assistant, patted him on the shoulder and said, “You are so right, you are so right.”

As the old pastor made his way from his office, he felt as if he had been through the closing arguments in a court of law; each requiring their pound of flesh without any reconciliation.

So to all of you spouses and beyond who want to be so right it might be well to learn from the old pastor and instead of arguing the point to death just say to your spouse “You are so right dear, you are so right.”

If you think this is ridiculous and nothing short of a naïve pastor’s advice, let me say “You are so right, you are so right.”

“The quality of mercy is not strained; it droppeth as the gently rain from heaven upon the place beneath; it is twice blessed; it blesseth him that gives and him that takes: ‘tis mightiest in the mightiest: it becomes the throned monarch better than his crown. Mercy is an attribute to God Himself; and earthly power doth then show likest God’s when mercy seasons justice. Consider this, –that, in the course of justice, none of us should see salvation: we do pray for mercy, and that same prayer doth teach us all to render the deeds of mercy.”

– Shakespeare

And They're Off!, April 16, 2017

by Rev. Msgr. Hugh Marren, Pastor

One of the world’s most famous steeplechases is undoubtedly the Irish Grand National. Twice around the circuit, for a distance of approximately four and a half miles, the horses are tested not only for speed and stamina, but also for their jumping ability and, most importantly, the skill of both jockey and horse to keep out of trouble.

With some thirty jumps comprising of fences, ditches, combinations and turns, there is plenty of room to stumble along the way. Each leg of the course brings its own unique challenge that tests the skills and abilities of both horse and jockey.

The year was 1967 and I was in major seminary studying philosophy. We decided to have a little in-house wager on who was going to win the Grand National. The arrangement of the wager was simple. All students put a few pounds (dollars in U.S. Currency) in the kitty. The names of the students were put into one basket and the names of the horses into another basket. As the name of a student was drawn, so also was the name of a horse to match.

I drew the name Foinavon. I’d never heard of him, for that matter I never heard of any of the names. I was almost totally ignorant about horse-racing, but I did know that the Grand National was a horse race and I also knew a fellow classmate, Finbar, who followed what they called the form of the horses.

I went to find Finbar to find out about the form of the horse that I had drawn and my chances of winning. The news was not good. Of the last three races he had entered, he only finished one of them, and in that one he came in last. My remark to Finbar on hearing the news was “sure I would have a better chance with a donkey in the race”. “You might,” said Finbar. “Is there any chance of him winning at all?” I asked. “Well,” he said, “if all the horses fell and he didn’t, you probably would have a chance of winning”. “But sure that’s no chance,” I said.

“And they’re off” the voice came over the radio. I listened intently as the announcers broadcasted the race, not even a mention of Foinavon. I looked at Finbar and asked, “Why don’t they mention my horse?” “He must have scratched just before the race,” said Finbar.

Suddenly, a rider-less horse cuts across the Grand National runners as they come to fence seven on the bend. The result is disastrous, there is a huge pile-up on the course, not a jockey is left riding. They are all on the ground with their horses bumping into each other. All except, of course, Foinavon and his jockey; they are so far back that they are nowhere near the pile-up; they see it all before them and with the skill of a surgeon and the speed of a tortoise, they clear fence number seven and go on to win the Grand National at odds of one hundred to one. The owner of Foinavon was not even at the race. His comment was “I never expected him to win; he is the laziest horse I ever owned”. Well, that may be, but Foinavon did win the Grand National and is honored to this day by having fence number seven named after him.

Well just over a year ago with the Iowa caucuses, the political horse race for the future president of the United States, began in earnest. The words of the Grand National broadcaster came back to my ears “And they’re off”, and what a “Grand National” for the president this turned out to be. With its ups and downs, its twists and turns, its news and fake news, its WikiLeaks and server peaks- for the runners and even the pollsters they were falling at the jumps. “Is there a Foinavon in the race,” I asked myself.

And in all of this how well I remembered the story of the Irish grandmother when asked by her grandchild, “grandma, grandma”. “Yes child?” “Do all fairytales begin with Once upon a time?” “No my child, some begin with, ‘Once I am elected.’ ”

The political horse race is now over and like the Irish Grand National of 1967, it produced, to say the least, sore losers and an unlikely winner, but a true winner none the less. The weeks following this race have left a lot to be desired but remember America, it’s your character that’s on the line for the world.

It is now past time for all parties, Democratic, Republican and Independents to stand proudly beside the winners. We need to let the world know that here in the USA we recognize the democratic process not only by our words but also by our nonpartisan support over the next four years. Otherwise, we run the risk of fulfilling the words of Jesus Himself “ A kingdom divided against itself cannot stand and a household divided against itself cannot stand” and in my own words neither can a country, even if it is the USA.

Articles on Catholic Schools

Monsignor’s Desk – Fall 2015, Issue 2

Monsignor’s Desk – Fall 2015, Issue 3

Monsignor’s Desk – Fall 2015, Issue 4

Monsignor’s Desk – Fall 2015, Issue 5

Monsignor’s Desk – Fall 2015, Issue 6

Monsignor’s Desk – Fall 2015, Issue 7

Monsignor Marren’s Desk Archives: 2015-2019

The Rosary

Articles on Catholic Schools

Click to read Monsignor Marren’s Desk Archives 2020-2023