Standing on the Cornerstone

2nd Week of Lent (F)
Fr. Philip Neri Powell, OP
Our Lady of the Rosary, NOLA

Here's a sentence no servant of God ever wants to hear: “. . .the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that will produce its fruit.” What's worse than living your life as an heir to eternal life only to discover that—in the end—you've been disinherited? When Jesus finishes telling the priests and elders the parable of the tenants, he quotes Ps 118, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.” By rejecting Christ as the cornerstone of their relationship with God, the leaders of God's people reject their inheritance. Their reaction to this prophetic statement? They ain't happy. However, they are more afraid than unhappy—afraid of Jesus' popularity, so they postpone arresting him. They're not worried about losing their eternal inheritance. They're worried about losing their power and prestige among the people. When we think about the demands of following Christ, do we think first of our eternal inheritance, or do we first consider how following him might look to family, friends, neighbors? 

The parable of the tenants retells the history of the Jewish people's stormy relationship with God. We know the story all too well. It tells just like the history of the Church's relationship with God. Lots of disobedience and great moments of heroic virtue. What the parable doesn't include is an explanation for our repeated failures. We can hear greed in the tenants' justification for killing the owner's son. But greed never poisons alone. We can hear a little wrath in the tenants' desire to wound their employer. Some pride and class envy. Why do the priests and elders reject Christ? Why do we so consistently reject making Christ the cornerstone of our lives. Making Christ the cornerstone of our everyday lives means risking one of our most valuable treasures: being a respected player in whatever social game that defines us. Family, friends, co-workers, colleagues, neighbors, fellow parishioners. If I make Christ my cornerstone, will I have buck trends, go against the prevailing attitudes of my peers, and risk losing real prestige for nothing more than a promise of future glory? 

Social psychologists will tell you that there is almost nothing more difficult for an individual to do than go against the crowd. The psychology of the herd is infectious; it takes the single soul into a massed spirit where deliberation and freedom are strangled for the sake of frenzy. But few of us will ever be caught up in that sort of mob. The mobs we belong to are much more subtle and more dangerous: the workplace, the family reunion, movie night with friends, faculty meetings, events where those whose opinions of us we honor gather to socialize and strengthen the bonds of the group. When the opportunity arises, do we choose Christ as our cornerstone; or do we choose our standing in the group? When family, friends, co-workers express their support for the culture of death, do you stand on Christ; or do you back down to save face? When your peers start advocate undermining marriage and the family; or expressing racist opinions; or defaming the Church, do you stand on Christ, or back down? If Christ is to be your cornerstone, then everything you are must find its integrity and strength in Christ, regardless of the consequences. As baptized prophets of the Church, you are sent out to live the truth of the gospel. Even if and especially when it means your prestige must take a beating. When the time comes “remember the marvelous works of the Lord,” most especially the marvelous work of your salvation achieved on the altar of the Cross. 

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Thank You, Papa Benny!

Goodbye, Holy Father! Mille grazie for your ministry to the people of God! 

Rest well. . .you deserve it!

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The Master writes to the Holy Father

Most Holy Father,

I ask you to accept the immense gratitude of the Order of Preachers for the great generosity and beautiful simplicity with which you have exercised your ministry, ‘a humble worker in the Lord’s vineyard’. The Brothers, Nuns, Apostolic Sisters, Lay Dominicans and the entire Dominican Family join me in assuring you of our communion in prayer and thanksgiving. 

On several occasions during your ministry, in the course of your teaching, you evoked some great figures of holiness that God by His grace has given to the Order of Preachers. It was for us a strong invitation to draw anew and constantly from the source of the charism of St. Dominic. 

When you did me the honor of receiving me, you insisted that the Order should deploy its rich tradition of "study and worship" and take its place in the "new evangelization” to which you have invited the Church in continuity with the Second Vatican Council. This reminder, I believe, provides us with the horizon in view of which we are preparing to celebrate, in 2016, the eighth centenary of the confirmation of the Order of Preachers. 

I ask you to assist us with your prayers, that the Lord may grant us the grace always to seeks always to serve the Church and its unity, "totally committed to the evangelization of the Word of God” as it was expressed by Pope Honorius III. 

fr Bruno Cadoré, OP Master of the Order
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Chiacchiera Vaticano

I pay no attention whatsoever to the administrative intrigues of the Vatican. The internal politics of Church governance bores me to near stupidity. However, I ran across an interesting bit in The Vatican Diaries over at Chiesa:

There remains empty, in fact, the position of secretary of the congregation for religious, a dicastery that has yet to draw the conclusions of the thorny and contested apostolic visitation to the American sisters. 

After evaluating the hypothesis of a stars-and-stripes bishop, most recently it seems that thought has been given to the promotion of a religious from the United States, in all probability a Dominican.

This American Dominican bishop is most likely fra. Joseph Augustine Di Noia, OP, who is currently serving in a curia as Vice President of Ecclesia Dei, a Pontifical Commission that oversees the implementation of BXVI's liturgical initiative, Summorum Pontificum.

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Leading the Ecclesial Parade

2nd Week of Lent (W)
Fr. Philip Neri Powell, OP
St. Dominic Church, NOLA

Is there any endeavor more damning of our species' basest instincts for deception, selfishness, and pride than the pursuit of political office? Yes, there is. The pursuit of ecclesiastical office. This is not to say that every secular politician and sacred office holder is a lying, selfish, blowhard. Many who serve us in civil gov't and in the Church do so out of a deeply held sense of duty to the common good and perform their duties honestly, selflessly, and with all humility. Look no further than Pope Benedict XVI for an example of ecclesial leadership rooted in sacrificial service to the Gospel and God's people. For an example of how ecclesial leadership can go wrong, look no further than the sons of Mama Zebedee, James and John. When put upon to elevate these two to high office in his kingdom, Jesus says, “You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the chalice that I am going to drink?” With no idea what this question means; no clue about the implications of what it means to be a leader in the Church, Mama Zebedee's precious boys say, “We can.” Deceitfulness, selfishness, and pride will help you obtain power in the world and the Church. But power alone never makes a leader. 

You have heard it said that leadership is the art of finding a parade and then marching in front of it. Mama Zebedee and her boys look at Jesus and the other disciples, and they see a parade. Her petition to Jesus to give her sons places of honor in his kingdom is her attempt to get in front of the Ecclesial Parade. James and John inadvertently expose their unworthiness for high office by readily accepting the idea that they can “drink the chalice” that Jesus himself must drink. Do these two understand that “drinking the chalice” is Jesus' way of saying “dying a gruesome death for the good of all”? I doubt it. And even if they do understand what it means, Jesus makes it clear that the honors they seek are not his to give. He also makes it clear that there is no reward for servant-sacrifice. To serve is its own reward; therefore, Christian leadership flows from no other source than a willingness to give one's life as a ransom for many. In other words, a Christian leader will be Christ for his/her family, friends, parish, and nation: “. . .whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave.” Just as Christ himself was for us. 

Even if you live under a cypress tree out in the bayou, you cannot escape the media coverage of the upcoming papal conclave. Cast as a secular political drama with “frontrunners,” “dark horse candidates,” and the nauseating chorus of chattering-heads speculating on which millennial-old truths the next pope should change, the conclave is a rare chance for Catholics to watch our leaders carefully. While the magpies on CNN squawk about the shape, size, color, nationality, and ideological preferences of the men who could be pope, Catholics should ask themselves one question about each cardinal: can he, will he drink the chalice that Jesus drank. . .that is, will he serve the Church in truth through sacrifice? Not his ambition, his ideology, his fellow countrymen, or his Vatican buddies. Anyone who dares to lead the Church must be eager to risk being nailed to the Cross, and not just a metaphorical cross but a real cross. . .even if that cross looks like a bullet or a prison cell or a suicide bomber. The Chair of Peter comes with great power. But power alone never makes a leader, especially a leader of Christ's people. “The Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.” 

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The Church has failed Pope Benedict (?)

An excerpt from The Anchoress' "The Pope's Benedict Option" at First Things"

[Pope Benedict] says he is tired, and we can’t doubt it. An introvert’s energy is quickly depleted by social interaction, be it celebratory, diplomatic, or grimly administrative. Spare hours of solitude were unlikely to have brought the pope to full re-charge if passed (as they probably were) in contemplation of the Church’s failure in its primary duty to Christ: demonstrating the gospel to a world sorely in need.

The failure is heard in the shrieks of pain, ignorance, and hatred directed at the Church throughout the chambers of mainstream and social media; it is seen in the faithful priests and laypeople who read one awful headline after another and continue on, but with increasingly slumped shoulders; it stands before the pope’s very eyes, in the form of priests and religious who have served idols and theologies formed within themselves, and in the bishops and cardinals who have handed in their resignations, or who should bow out and won’t.

Particularly damning is Scalia's observation that there are priests and religious who have spent their consecrated lives in service to idols and syncretistic theologies.  

Well worth your time to read the whole thing.

UPDATE:  The Holy Dominican Nuns of Summit, NJ point out in the combox that the article as a whole is about BXVI's decision to enter monastic life after leaving the papacy.  It was not my intention to suggest that The Anchoress' article was principally about how various elements in the Church have failed the holy father.  Mea culpa! 

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Dig two graves. . .

2nd Week of Lent (M)
Fr. Philip Neri Powell, OP
Our Lady of the Rosary, NOLA

History is often written from the carnage caused by vengeance. The tit-for-tat, back and forth violence of revenge erupts from its poisoned cell in the human heart and does its dirty work with the grim self-satisfaction of an executioner. Justified by nothing more than self-righteous anger and a deeply felt wound to our pride, the dark spirit of revenge assures us that the violence we do is not only a good thing but a needful thing. And even the best among us will listen to this reassurance, if only to have our outrage quieted for a time. Our Lord understands the tumults of the human heart, most especially its need for justice. But he urges us to exercise mercy instead. If his admonition to be merciful as the Father is merciful proves inadequate to the task of quelling a need for revenge, then perhaps a more pragmatic promise will do the job: “Forgive and you will be forgiven. . .the measure with which you measure [your forgiveness] will in return be measured out to you.” If for no other reason than spiritual self-preservation: measure your forgiveness in five-gallon buckets. 

Unless you are a living saint, you will likely smile at the sentiments of the 19th century German poet, Heinrich Heine, “We should forgive our enemies, but not before they are hanged.” (Confession: I smiled.) Heine's point seems to be that justice should precede mercy, mercy being a grace best bestowed upon the dead. A faithful follower of Christ will respond to Heine, “When you plan vengeance, start by digging two graves.” Even if you survive a violent outburst of revenge, your soul will be mortally wounded. And its death is now only a matter of neglect. Of course, most of us will never act violently on a need for revenge. Being somewhat cowardly, our preferred modes of vengeance are slander, gossip, detraction, calumny, and petty acts of passive-aggressive mischief. Over time these accumulate like a slow poison, and we commit spiritual suicide. All the virtues we enjoy as followers of Christ are killed off one by one: joy, gratitude, peace, and finally, love. Calling us to the perfection that only he can provide, Christ shows us the way to bandage our hurts and find healing: “Forgive and you will be forgiven. Give and gifts will be given to you.” The greatest grace we can receive is the mercy we give to those who wound us. 

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Signs of the (New York) Times

Now. . .imagine this NYT reporter in a religious habit or a clerical collar and you've got a member of the
Spirit of Vatican Two Peace Bong Drum Circle!  :-)

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BREAKING: there are sinners in the Vatican!

from Catholic Culture:

Reports of a homosexual network of corruption at the Vatican have grabbed the headlines this week. The first thing to remember is that the Church has never been without her own internal power struggles, as high-ranking officials (with or without holiness) seek to gain traction for themselves or the policies they deem important [. . .]

When I heard about this story breaking in some Italian rag, I thought:  "Yea. And?" 

Now, I know that not all Catholics are as world-weary/jaded as I am when it comes to the foibles of human nature. I've been accused of being "too much with St. Augustine" on this issue.

But seriously, the Enemy would be downright stupid not to attack the Vatican.  And we would be dangerously naive to think that the men who serve the Church in the Vatican are free from the kinds of temptations and sins that the rest of us suffer with.  

I remember reading something about the Sons of Zebedee and their Mama jockeying with Jesus for position in the Kingdom. 

I remember reading something about two saints--Peter and Paul--slamming one another over the question of who gets to be saved and how. 

I remember reading something about all of Jesus' best friends freaking out when he got arrested and running like rabbits to hide.

I remember reading something about Peter the Rock denying Christ three times in one night.

And so on. . .

The moral genius of Catholicism is that we can fail over and over again to live up to the ideals of the gospel. . .and it never occurs to us to lower those standards so that our failures earn us cheap blue ribbons for good conduct. We repent, receive God's mercy, and get on with doing what we promised to do. 

To quote a comment I made in the combox below:  "No rational person expects any human institution to be angelic."

That the Church still stands is a testament to the Holy Spirit's protection!

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RIP: fra. Benedict Ashley, OP

R.I.P. Fr. Benedict Ashley, OP.  I knew Fr. Benny in St Louis during my studium years. 

The Church and the Order have lost a great mind.

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Dark clouds over Lent

2nd Sunday of Lent 2013
Fr. Philip Neri Powell, OP
St. Dominic Church, NOLA

Cloud, shadow, and darkness. On this second Sunday in Lent, we are confronted by our ignorance. Just two weeks into our desert pilgrimage and already we are being driven deeper into the truth and the beauty of what we do not know about our God, our incomplete understanding of who God is and what He wills for us. Maybe ignorance isn't the right word here. Maybe we should call our inability to fully experience and know God something like “seeing with one eye closed,” or “touching with a gloved hand,” or “hearing with muffled ears.” We can see, touch, and hear the divine, sure; but it's all done imperfectly, dulled somehow by merely being human; imperfect sensations, giving us imperfect knowledge b/c we are not God. Abram speaks with God. And afterward, “a trance [falls] upon Abram, and a deep, terrifying darkness envelope[s] him.” Peter, James, and John speak with Jesus, Moses, and Elijah. And afterward, “a cloud came and cast a shadow over [the disciples], and they became frightened when they entered the cloud.” Lent is our time to enter the cloud, to walk in the dark, and grow in the shadow. Before we come to know God, even imperfectly, we must know and accept—in all humility—that we are not God. 

That we can grow in the shadows or live in the darkness seems to run counter to everything we've ever been taught about being followers of Christ. We share his light; we thrive under his sun; we harvest the fruits of his sacrifice with the fire of the Spirit. It's the wicked who prosper away from the light, while Christians seek it out. All true. But what is the light we seek? On the mountain, Jesus is transfigured in the presence of Peter, James, and John. He is shown to them shining in God's glory beside Moses and Elijah—the Law and the Prophets. With Moses the Law and Elijah the Prophet, Jesus the Christ stands before his disciples wholly changed, brilliantly radiating a glory that only God Himself can impart. The disciples—as they usually do—misunderstand this moment and offer to build shrines for worship on the mountain. Their ignorance manifests as a dark cloud and from that cloud a voice rings out, “This is my chosen Son; listen to him.” The light we seek is the Chosen Son. And our ignorance is relieved when we listen to the Word he speaks. But before we can listen, we must come to accept that we are not listening. Lent is our time before Easter to enter the dark cloud and confess our disobedience, our failure to listen. 

For centuries, the image of the dark cloud, the menacing shadow has stood as a sign of human ignorance of the divine. Traditional monastic spirituality—the three-fold path of purgation, illumination, and unification—is designed to lead the willing soul through obstacles and temptations and on to the purity that union with God promises. More than anything, however, the dark cloud expresses the individual's view of his/her spiritual condition. Bereft of light, solitary, struggling with sin, abandoned by God, and despairing of hope. This is the Dark Night that St John of the Cross says we must spend before the enlightenment. This is the desert—stripped of all consolation and exposed to the Enemy—the 40 day surrender of Christ to his wilderness. It is silence. With no one to listen to but the Enemy lying to us, tempting us away from the light with treasures that have never been his to give. No one who has ever called on the name of Jesus has failed to fall into darkness, failed to enter a cloud, a shadow. Once you have seen the light, its absence is just that much brighter and your longing to see it again just that much stronger. So, your Lenten cloud is not the enemy; your Lenten shadow is not a hiding place for temptation. They prepare you for the Great Light of Easter! 

When Abram emerges from the “terrifying darkness [that] envelope[s] him,” God seals the first covenant with fire and grants to him descendents as countless as the stars. When Peter, James, and John emerge from their dark cloud on the mountain, a voice from heaven declares, “This is my chosen Son; listen to him.” Having emerged from the other side of their darkness, these faithful men find waiting for them revelations of the divine beyond their imagining. Abram becomes the father of God's chosen people. The disciples become preachers of God's Good News to sinners. Beyond the dark clouds of their human ignorance, these men find their calling, their mission. They find in obedience to God their purpose, their holiness. They are gifted with all that they need to accomplish all that God has asked of them. And so are we. Holiness is not impossible. Living truly righteous lives as followers of Christ is not a ridiculous goal, nor some sort of improbable dream. Abram and the disciples emerge from their darkness by God's will, freely receive their gifts, and then work furiously to finish the job God has given them to do. Their holiness would be impossible if they labored alone in pride, alone in ignorance and disobedience. But they don't.

And neither can we. Can you put a name to your shadow, your dark cloud? What don't you know about your faith that's keeping you from growing in holiness? What or who is holding you back, submerged in darkness, away from Christ's light? Just like Jesus went into the wilderness for 40 days to be tempted by the Enemy, so we too enter our 40 days in the desert to expose ourselves to the worst the Enemy has to offer us. Fasting, praying, giving alms—all of these highlight in turn a portion of our ignorance. Do you know and accept that you are completely dependent on God for everything you have and everything you are? Do you know and accept that God has no need of your prayer and that prayer is meant to bring you humility in gratitude? Do you know and accept that nothing you have and nothing you are belongs to you, and that your generosity (or lack thereof) is a sign of your fidelity to the baptism that made you an heir to the Kingdom? Do you know and accept that all that you know of God and His will for you is a gift, wholly, freely given to you so that you might use this gift to grow closer and closer to Him? If you can name your shadow, your cloud, name what it is that holds you back, do so. And see yourself freed. 

Is it right to think of Lent as a 40 day long darkness? A 40 day long shadow looming over our efforts to grow in holiness? Yes, it is; if we think of the darkness as a wake up call to examine our ignorance of God and His will for us. On this second Sunday of Lent, we are confronted by cloud, shadow, and darkness but there is nothing for us to fear. Abram and the disciples emerge from their dark clouds to receive a revelation. And will we. Why is Lent dark; why is it cast in shadow? Because the future light Easter shines back on us, exposing our flaws and failures and urging us to name them, confess them, and see them dispelled for Christ's sake. We are not God. So all that we know about Him and His will for us is His gift to us. That truth is the foundation stone for a beautiful life built with the tools of sacrificial love and unconditional mercy. We have another few weeks to examine our darkness before the Easter light dawns. Prepare yourself to step up to Christ's empty tomb and receive a revelation; prepare yourself to receive every good gift you will need to flourish as a servant for the least among his children. When Christ speaks to you, listen to him and be freed. 

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Not even the gates of hell. . .

Chair of St. Peter
Fr. Philip Neri Powell, OP
St. Dominic Church, NOLA

In just six days, Feb. 28th, the Chair of St. Peter will be empty, sede vacantes. Our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, will become bishop emeritus of Rome, and he will fly off to Castel Gandolfo to live while his rooms in the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery are being renovated. Until the Conclave is assembled and a new pope is elected, the Chair of Peter will remain empty. There will be no Vicar of Christ on earth, no Servant of the Servants of God to serve as Peter among us. Lest we feel spiritually orphaned, we must remember that though his Chair will be empty for a time, Peter's office remains. The Rock upon which Christ established his Church remains, anchoring God's people in the 21st century to the unchanging apostolic witness of Peter. Jesus asks his disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter responds, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus declares, “. . .you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church. . .” Both the man, Peter, and his profession of faith in Jesus stand under the Church as our rock. “And the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.” 

Like most every other Catholic in the world, I was at once surprised and distressed by Pope Benedict's renunciation of the Petrine office. Why is he resigning? Is he ill? Who will take up this ministry after him? What does it say about the Chair of Peter that a pope would renounce his ministry? I also began to fret about how this news would be spun in our anti-Catholic media. Every lie, every rumor, every scandal would be trotted out and commented upon with the same fulminating bile and willful ignorance that the Church has been subjected to in the last 40 yrs. by our media betters. And just as all this anxiety and catastrophizing was slowly boiling into some serious fear, I remembered something, something perfectly simple and instantly calming: this is Christ's Church. We belong to Christ. Benedict and the next pope—whoever he will be—serve the Church. And the Church serves the mission of Christ. “And the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.” If the denizens of hell cannot defeat the Church, then the potentially precedent-setting resignation of Benedict XVI; nor a less-than-ideal papal successor; nor a bigoted, ignorant media is going to cause much of a dent in the faith of God's people and our determination to preach the Good News of Jesus Christ. 

Our Lord asks his disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” And Simon Peter answered for the group, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” At that moment, the Rock of Christ's Church was set into the bones of the world, and we have been building the house of God ever since. No matter which of the Church's bishops walks out onto that balcony overlooking St. Peter's Square in a month's time; no matter what name he chooses, or where he was born, or how smart or good-looking or athletic or pastoral or fat or old he is, he will be Peter the Rock. That is the guarantee of steadfastness in faith that Christ has given to us. And no matter who sits in Peter's Chair, our baptismal mission doesn't change. We are vowed by the death and resurrection of Christ through the holy water of baptism to preach and teach and live the Good News of God's mercy to sinners. Let nothing and no one shake your foundation in the Church. Let nothing and no one rattle your determination to love as Christ commanded; to grow in holiness through grace; and to use your gifts for the good of the least among us. Upon this rock Christ has built his Church and not even the gates of Hell can touch her. 

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"Domini canes" beg for help!

How much does it cost to create a Dominican friar?

From novice to solemnly professed Dominican friar it costs approx. $250,000. . .

That's one year in the novitiate. . .and between five and seven years in the studium (seminary), including a year working as a deacon away from academic studies.*

The American bishops require that all men proposed for priestly ordination hold the M.Div. degree.  That's a professional ministerial degree that requires academic work in theology, philosophy, scripture, Church history, pastoral theology, several supervised ministry practica, etc.

Getting the M.Div. means four to five years of private Catholic grad school.  While a student, friars are not allowed to earn a salary, so all of their expenses fall to their respective provinces: food, clothing, shelter, insurance, travel, tuition, books, etc.  Everything. It's like having all your grown children back at home!

So. . .we need help!  

Dominicans are mendicant friars, meaning we beg for our living.  Yes, we work too, but the largest portion of our annual budget comes from generous benefactors who want to be part of our preaching charism.  For the Province of St Martin de Porres that means preaching the Gospel in the Protestant South.

Every year we beg for help through the 1216 Campaign. And what better time to consider donating to the Hounds of the Lord (Domini canes) than Lent?

We pray everyday--twice a day--for our benefactors!

*Co-operator brothers generally follow the same academic track as clerical brothers sans those courses required for ordination.

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Courage & Wisdom through Humility

1st Week of Lent (Th)
Fr. Philip Neri Powell, OP
St. Dominic Church, NOLA

Jesus is offering us a pretty good deal! Ask and receive. Knock and the door opens. Seek and we will find. What could be easier? You know there's got to be a catch, right? Of course. And we'll to that soon enough. But first we need to understand the context of this most excellent deal. The early Church Fathers write about this passage from Matthew as if it refers to seeking after the truth of scripture. For example, want to know what wisdom the Book of Esther imparts? Ask for enlightenment and receive it. Knock on the door of the Word and it opens. Seek wisdom and you will find it. For the Fathers, studying scripture is a necessary step in uncovering its wisdom but study alone is not enough. Asking, receiving, knocking, seeking, and finding are all forms of prayer that require us to submit our pride to some healthy humiliation so that God's wisdom can get a foothold in us. What does this sort of prayer look like? Well, speaking of Queen Esther, she prays, “Help me, who am alone and have no help but you, O Lord, my God.” Esther shows us the way to wisdom through prayerful humility. 

Queen Esther is “seized with mortal anguish” b/c she's discovered that her husband, King Xerxes I of Persia, has authorized the slaughter of all her fellow Jews under his rule. Her uncle, Mordecai, asked Esther to intervene with her husband on behalf of the Jews but doing so would mean her death. To prepare herself and her people, Esther asked that all the Jews in the empire fast with her for three days. After this empire-wide, three-day fast, she summons the courage to approach her husband. She prays earnestly to God—this evening's OT reading—the night before she visits the king, “. . .come to help me, an orphan. Put in my mouth persuasive words in the presence of the lion [the king] and turn his heart to hatred for our enemy. . .” Here's what we need to notice about Esther's prayer. First, though she is seeking courage for herself, she is seeking that courage in order to save her people from destruction. Second, her prayer (the longer version) recalls the history of God's relationship with His chosen people and calls on Him to honor His covenant with them. Third, she freely confesses her powerlessness, her need for divine help. And lastly, she accepts fulls responsibility for the outcome of her meeting with the king; in other words, she's expecting no miracles from God, just all the help she needs and no more. 

Now, back to Jesus. Ask and receive. Knock and the door opens. Seek and you will find. This is exactly what Esther does. And God answers her with abundant wisdom and her people are saved. Earlier, I mentioned a catch. Here's the catch. Jesus notes that even the wicked do not give their children a stone when they ask for bread, or a snake if they ask for a fish. He continues, “. . .how much more will your heavenly Father give good things to those who ask him.” There's the catch. For humility in prayer to work as it ought, we must ask for good things. Not just anything we happen to crave, not just anything that we think we might one day want or need, but only those things that we know to be good. Esther asks for the courage she needs to save her people from death. She asks as an orphan child living in a foreign land married to a ruthless king. She freely admits her helplessness and accepts that nothing good will happen unless she takes up the task to see it done. She submits her pride to some healthy, public humiliation and receives all the divine wisdom she needs. Ask, knock, seek in humility and you will find behind every door closed to you the all the wisdom and courage you will ever need. 

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You need faith to read the signs

NB.  After the fifth phone interruption, I just gave up on today's homily and edited an older one. I'm getting even crankier in my dotage.

1st Week of Lent (W)
Fr. Philip N. Powell, OP
St. Dominic Church, NOLA

I was lost in Nice, France. I had decided to take a bus from Villefranche to Nice. When it was time to head back to the cruise ship (where I served as chaplain), I took a bus to the station and waited for the transfer back to Villefranche. And I waited and I waited. Three or four buses stopped but none was mine. I asked a woman at the station how to get back to Villefranche. I should say, I mimed and shouted and grunted and wildly gestured b/c at the time I didn't speak or read French. The poor woman energetically responded to my desperation with what I can only assume was beautiful French. Let’s just say, her gestures were impressive! She repeatedly pointed to the signs on the bus stop and the signs on the street corners and the signs on the many construction barriers along the road. No good. I wandered the Garibaldi area of Nice for an hour or so—illiterate and lost. Finally, I found my bus and made it back to the ship in time. The moral of the story? All the signs in the world will do you no good if you can’t read them. 

Jesus says that no signs will be given to this unfaithful generation. Why is he being so mean about a request for a sign of his identity and power? Why is he being so stubborn all of a sudden?

There are at least two ways of interpreting Jesus’ signs. First, they can be seen as magical events, mysterious tricks that tickle the imagination and satisfy some sort of basic human need for the mystical. Second, the signs can be seen as helps, as divine assistance for and confirmation of our initial trust in Jesus’ word that he is who he says he is. Signs as magical tricks have to be repeated, done again and again, and rarely if ever do they establish anything resembling faith in the human heart. Signs as help for our trust in Jesus’ word require faith first. They cannot confirm in us what does not yet exist in us. 

Looking out over the crowd, Jesus knows that those clamoring for a sign are really clamoring for a circus trick. They will not believe even if he stops the sun and calls angels by the thousands. The only sign he will give them is his death, his three day stay in the grave, and his resurrection. The sign of Jonah. They will either read this sign as a trick, or it will confirm their faith. If they fail to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, they will be condemned by the queen of the south and the Ninevites at the judgment. She came looking for the wisdom of Solomon not knowing that the Messiah had come. How could she? No one believed, so no one witnessed. The Ninevites repented at the sign of Jonah. They believed and were confirmed in their faith. They will judge this evil generation for its stubbornness and willful ignorance. Christ risen from the tomb three days later is a greater sign than Jonah’s three day stay in the belly of the fish. 

Do you clamor after signs? Look for indications that your faith in Christ is justified? Are we running after apparitions or miraculous events or private revelations or internet prophecies to confirm what we already know to be true? Will we be like the Ninevites who hear the Word preached and repent? Or will we be like those of the evil generation and chase after signs to have confirmed what we do not believe in the first place? We are set free in Christ. Do not submit again to the yoke of slavery. The greatest sign of Christ’s fidelity to us—greater than Jonah and Solomon—is the Christian living a holy life of sacrificial witness and service. This is a sign easily read and universally understood. No magic. No tricks. No stage. No drama. Just charity in action—the surest sign that Christ is among his people.

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