Group pic

The Dominican friars of St Martin de Porres (USA)! 

(Well, those who came to the recent assembly in St Louis anyway. . .)

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No Bobbing and Weaving!

Justin Martyr 
Fr. Philip Neri Powell, OP 
St. Dominic Church, NOLA 

The Pharisees and scribes—finally fed up with Jesus' teaching and disruptive behavior—ask Jesus a straightforward question: “By what authority are you doing these things?” “These things” includes using a whip to clear the temple area of moneychangers. Why would his enemies care by what authority he causes a near-riot in the temple? It would seem that Jesus' behavior alone is enough to discredit him in the eyes of the crowd. So, why ask about his authority? There is a long history among God's people of prophets being sent to straighten out the messes caused by the ruling religious elite. The Pharisees and scribes do want to discredit Jesus on religious grounds, but they also want to make sure that he's not a real God-sent prophet. They both want to know and do want to know who he is. This ambivalence leaves them teetering btw action and inaction, btw their religious power and the anger of the crowd. When challenged by Jesus with a simple question, the elites fall back on a time-honored political dodge. They answer, “We don't know.” They do know! But they don't answer b/c the consequences of doing so are just too much to bear. For us, “we don't know” is never an answer to the question of Jesus' identity. He is the Christ. Then, now, always. 

The Pharisees and scribes claim not to know whether or not John's baptism is of divine origin. Maybe they don't know, strictly speaking, but they do have an opinion on the question. But because they are afraid of the crowd and even more afraid of who Jesus might be, they claim ignorance. This is a dodge pure and simple. You can almost hear the groaning and jeering of the crowd when they start to bob and weave. We can guess is Jesus is pleased with this dodge b/c he's not yet ready to fully reveal his identity. Their “we don't know” allows him to dodge their original question, thus preserving the Messianic secret for a while longer. That secret—that Jesus is the Messiah—has long since been revealed, so we cannot honestly say, “We don't know by what authority Jesus did all those things.” By what authority did he teach, preach, heal, admonish; by what authority did he choose the apostles, commission them, send them out; by what authority did he establish the Church, invest her with his own authority, and preserve her from error? We can't say that we don't know. We can't safely dodge these questions. There's no crowd waiting to riot if we answer incorrectly, but there is the sin of deceit and the possibility of scandal if we start to bob and weave.

If Jesus is who he says he is—and he is—then certain truths follow naturally from this single truth. If Jesus is the Christ—and he is—then the Church is his body working in the world; Francis is the successor to Peter and Christ's steward on earth; the Church mediates divine grace to her members; all the baptized are each a priest, a prophet, and a king; the Eucharist is true food and true drink, and so on. In other words, the truth of everything we believe about ourselves as Christians rests on the question of Jesus' true identity. So, why would we ever hesitate to loudly proclaim that Jesus is the Christ? Like the Pharisees and scribes, we face popular pressure; threats to our own identity; threats to our need for control; pressure from elite factions of our country and culture; we may even feel pressure from within the Church to bob and weave when applying the Gospel to contemporary problems. Remember the Pharisees and scribes: they are ambivalent, teetering btw truth and fiction, left dangling with nothing but their naked pride showing. Our yes must yes and our no must be no. There is no maybe in preaching the Good News. Either Jesus is who he says he is or he isn't. If he isn't the Christ, then why are you here? If he is, then shout that Good News from the rooftops and make known the saving power of God! 

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Perilous Sensibilities

[. . .]

[Theological modernism] was little more than the result of a rather puerile desire of Christians, especially clergymen and theologians, to avoid being counter-cultural, to retain the same status and “relevance” in a secular age as had been accorded them in a Catholic age. Therefore, by the mid-20th century, Modernism had become the quasi-spiritual and theological doorway through which a profound secularization entered into the Church, as Catholics at every level embraced the opportunity to reinterpret their faith and values in ways which made them more compatible with the larger surrounding culture—a culture which was no longer shaped in any significant way by the Faith.

 

The result was a rapid shift in Catholic sensibilities, beginning with a rejection of authority in favor of the zeitgeist (spirit of the times or cultural spirit). Where in 1930 parishioners would likely have been shocked if their priest undermined or contradicted a clear statement of the Holy See, in 1980 parishioners could very easily be moved to applaud the courage and vision such a contradiction seemed to them to embody. This broad infection of secularization in the Church led to countless abuses in preaching, in the liturgy, in catechetics, in theology classes, and even in social action and politics. In fact, as both the attitude of relativism and the power of the State grew during the same period, Catholics began to see things more and more in merely political terms. Every disagreement was understood to be essentially a partisan struggle.

In some universities and religious communities, these attitudes continue unabated even now that dioceses and parishes have begun to heal. Efforts by the Holy See to correct the wayward are a perfect example. The Holy See inevitably speaks in terms of the objective and absolute truths Divinely revealed through Jesus Christ, and the Holy See is inevitably dismissed as a bunch of old, celibate, white European males making a power grab for a party whose relevance has long since vanished from the world stage.

[. . .]

Read the whole thing.

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Healing becomes discipleship

8th Week OT (Th) 
Fr. Philip Neri Powell, OP 
St. Dominic Church, NOLA 

Bartimaeus' blindness is healed, so naturally we assume that this gospel story is about a miraculous cure. In fact, Bartimaeus' healing is a story about discipleship, a story about being healed so that discipleship is possible. We know this b/c the Greek tells us much more than our English translation can. Mark tells us that Bartimaeus is sitting by the “roadside begging.” The Greek work for “roadside” is hodon. Once his blindness is healed, Mark tells us that Bartimaeus follows Jesus “on the way.” The Greek here is hodo. In other words, Bartimaeus, blind and pitiful, is sitting along side the way begging. Jesus comes along the way, heals Bartimaeus' blindness, and now he, once blind, follows Jesus on the Way, both enlightened and sighted. Other than the miraculous cure, what changes btw Bartimaeus begging beside the way and Bartimaeus following along behind Jesus on the way? Our Lord asks the blind man, “What can I do for you?” He answers, “Master, I want to see.” In his compassion, Jesus says, “Go your way; your faith has saved you.” What “way” does Bartimaeus choose? He chooses the Way of Christ. 

After healing Bartimaeus, Jesus tells the once blind man to “go your way.” His eyes are open now. He can “see” the truth. He can choose his own way and live life w/o begging. With all the options available to him, he chooses Christ as his way, the truth, and the life, giving his own life to the ministry of Christ by following him. So, yes, this is a story with a miraculous healing, but it is fundamentally a story about how a blind man comes to see by faith and answers the call to discipleship as a student of Christ. Like Bartimaeus, we are all called to discipleship. Every one of us hears a call to be a student learning at the feet of a Master. The question is: who do we choose as our teacher? The options are legion. We can be students of our rapidly collapsing Enlightenment culture; students of material science and the nihilism it imposes; students of our disordered passions and instincts; students of the created world, giving ourselves over to made-things rather than their Maker. We will learn from a Master, someone or something will teach us. The only question is: who will we choose to learn from? And make no mistake, we choose our teachers. We choose to submit ourselves to the lessons we learn. Bartimaeus chooses Christ with good reason. Why have you chosen Christ? What are your good reasons? 

We don't have to think too hard to understand why Bartimaeus chooses Christ as his teacher. Jesus tells his disciples to call the blind man over to him. They say to Bartimaeus, “Take courage; get up, Jesus is calling you.” But how did Jesus even notice the poor beggar in the first place? Over the racket of the crowd, Jesus hears the man calling him repeatedly, “Jesus, son of David, have pity on me.” Bartimaeus calls out to Jesus for compassion. Jesus calls Bartimaeus to discipleship by healing his blindness. That's a good reason to make Christ your way, your truth, and your life. What's your good reason? Why do we need a good reason to follow Christ? What's wrong with saying, “It's my choice! I don't need a reason”? For someone, you and I will become a teacher. You and I will be chosen as someone to follow. If we follow Christ, then we will naturally lead to Christ those who look to us for instruction. If we're to point to Christ as the Master, and not ourselves as some sort of guru, then we need a reason to be walking his Way. If we are no longer blind to the truth, who healed us and how? Make yourselves ready to give reasons for your faith. “As the rising sun is clear to all, so the glory of the Lord fills all his works. . .” You are among His most beautiful works. How will you reveal His glory if asked for the reason why? 

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Francis and Liberation Theology

The pope cares for the poor and calls upon all Christians to assist them.  

This must mean that our Holy Father embraces liberation theology, right?  I mean, only leftists really care for the poor!

Wrong.

So is Pope Francis a closet liberation theologian, or someone with strong sympathies for the school of thought? It’s a question that’s been raised many times since Jorge Mario Bergoglio’s election to the papacy in March. Most recently, the New York Times weighed in on the subject. While discussing the tone adopted by Bergoglio since becoming pope, the NYT article claimed that Francis has “an affinity for liberation theology.” “Francis’s speeches,” the article argues, “draw clearly on the themes of liberation theology.” It also suggested that “Francis studied with an Argentine Jesuit priest who was a proponent of liberation theology.”

I’m afraid, however, that if one looks at Francis’s pre-pontifical writings, a rather different picture emerges. Certainly Bergoglio is a man who has always been concerned about those in genuine material need. But orthodox Christianity didn’t need to wait for liberation theology in order to articulate deep concern for the materially poor and to remind those with power and resources that they have concrete obligations to the less fortunate. From the very beginning, it was a message that pervaded the Gospels and the Church’s subsequent life.

Read the whole thing.
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Calling All Catholic Education Nerds!

Next semester I will teaching a course at Notre Dame Seminary called, "Teaching and Preaching the Word of God."

The course is designed to teach seminarians who to teach the faith to children/teens/adults. 

The General Directory of Catechesis and the USCCB's United States Catholic Catechism for Adults will feature prominently, but we still need a good book or two on theory/method in faith formation pedagogy.

Any suggestions?

P.S. Thomas Groome's work has been mentioned as a possibility. . .but I'm pretty sure his stuff (or some really bad uses of his stuff) has been partly responsibile for the collapse of good faith formation in the last 40 yrs.

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A Servant Church Needs All of God's Gifts

8th Week OT (W) 
Fr. Philip Neri Powell, OP 
St. Dominic Church, NOLA 

 We do well to start this day in prayer, praying with Sirach, “Come to our aid, O God of the universe, look upon us, show us the light of your mercies. . .Give new signs and work new wonders. . .Give evidence of your deeds of old; fulfill the prophecies spoken in your name, Reward those who have hoped in you. . .Hear the prayer of your servants. . .and lead us in the way of justice. . .” This is a prayer for restoration, a prayer for renewal and strength. All that the Lord has to give is given but the Church has yet to receive all of His gifts. Our Lord has given us aid, light, mercy signs, wonders, hope, prophecies fulfilled, and abundant justice. And like James and John who assure Christ that they can follow him into suffering and death, we have assured ourselves that we are open to receiving all of God's gifts. But are we open to all that God has to give us? Our Holy Father, Francis, has repeatedly urged us to transform ourselves into a “servant Church,” echoing Christ who teaches his disciples, “. . .whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all.” 

If we will be open to receiving all of God's gifts—not just the ones we see as personally advantageous—we will be slaves to all. We are given divine gifts for one purpose: to use freely for the benefit of others. And in using these gifts for others, we are perfected in His love. What are your divine gifts? First, you are alive. As a follower of Christ, your life belongs to God. Every breath, every heartbeat, every second of your existence is His. Second, you are a rational creature, meaning that you are made by God to think, to reason, to deliberate. By this gift you are freed from the prison of instinct and disordered passion. This allows you to use the gift of life to order your heart and mind toward service. Third, just as you were made by God to reason, you are re-made in Christ to love. Joined to Christ in baptism, you are a member of his living Body on Earth, a sacrament of human flesh and bone that presents God's mercy to the world. And, finally, because you are re-made in Christ to love, you can become Christ for others, re-making others in his love. If Christ came to serve not to be served, then those of us who hope to grow in Christ's perfection must serve. And to do this, we must be open to receiving all of God's gifts and using them for the good of all. 

When Pope Francis urges us to transform ourselves into a “servant Church,” he is not urging us to strengthen the social services division of Catholic Church, Inc. He's not calling on us to set up a new bureaucracy dedicated to handing out grants to aid organizations or funding new social programs. The Servant Church that he has in mind drinks from the same chalice that Christ drinks from: the chalice of individual sacrificial love, personal service for the good of the many. Each of us is called up to serve, personally serve, in the world united to the Body. This isn't about works-salvation; we're not racking up Heaven Points to redeem later. The spiritual rewards of slave-servitude to others are immediate. Every use of our gifts—whatever those individual gifts may be—sharpens and polishes God's love in us, and His glory shines out from us all the more, drawing in all those who are starving for His mercy and His word. Our Lord has given us aid, light, signs, wonders, hope, prophecies fulfilled, and abundant justice. Are hoarding these gifts? Socking them away for a rainy day? Or are you busy about the Lord's work, imitating Christ in sacrificial love, slaving away at loving others into the Body? “Come to our aid, O God of the universe, look upon us, show us the light of your mercies!”

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God provides a way back

8th Week OT (M) 
Fr. Philip Neri Powell, OP 
St. Dominic Church, NOLA 

For those of us who are lost, held captive to sin, and living in darkness, there is a way to be found, freed, and brought into the light. Sirach assures us, “To the penitent God provides a way back, he encourages those who are losing hope and has chosen for them the lot of truth.” God provides, encourages, and chooses. He provides the means for returning to Him. He encourages the weakened heart. He chooses truth and makes truth an inheritance. For whom does God provide, encourage, and choose? The penitent. Those who repent, those who turn from sin and disobedience and return to Him in contrition. Repentance is not a condition for mercy. There are no conditions for the gift of mercy. However, what good is mercy if it is not freely received? To receive God's mercy, to be open to making mercy work in the life of a sinner, the sinner must take what is given. But we cannot take a divine gift and put it to work in a soul that has turned away from God. So, we must repent, turn again toward God and His rule. Think for a moment: what prevents you from turning again toward God? What weighs you down, holds you under the thumb of sin? 

The rich young man—a figure both sympathetic and tragic—asks Jesus, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus recites the Ten Commandments, knowing already that the man follows the Law dutifully. The man says, “Teacher, all of these I have observed from my youth.” Though he has followed the Law since he was a child, the man is still lost, living in darkness. And even though he's living in darkness, he longs to be brought into the light. This tells us that sin can never completely destroy our desire for eternal life, our hope of salvation. Mark tells us, “Jesus, looking at him, loved him. . .” Despite his sin, despite his attachment to things, Jesus loves him. Thus, Christ is the means that God provides for us to return to Him. Christ is the encouragement that God provides to strengthen our sin-weakened hearts. Christ is the choice that God makes for us to live in truth. The man is kneeling before Jesus the Teacher and he's asking to be taught. So, Jesus teaches, “You are lacking in one thing. Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” The man lacks for nothing in this world except the will to leave the world for heaven. 

What's weighing him down? What's holding him under the thumb of sin? Stuff can't keep us from God—money, cars, gadgets. These are things. Made things. They are all as light as smoke. The burden holding the man down is the value he attaches to these thing. But even “value” is an abstract concept; it's a made thing of the mind. Like an idol, “value” reflects the one who made it. The man turns away from Christ b/c he has invested his worth, his sense of self in the passing stuff of creation. Whether he knows it or not, he worships a god of his own making, and looks to that false god to save him. When Jesus tells him to go sell everything he has and give it all to the poor, he's not just telling the man to impoverish himself, he's telling him to abandon a false religion, to destroy an idol he himself has made. In effect, Jesus is saying, “If you want eternal life, then you must worship only the One who is eternal.” Giving up his idol means giving up everything that has defined him, given him purpose and hope. He walks away. But Sirach assures us, “To the penitent God provides a way back, he encourages those who are losing hope and has chosen for them the lot of truth.”

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Bad Trinitarian Analogies

My thanks to Tom of Disputations for bringing this to my attention:

 

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St Philip Neri

 Happy Feast Day to all the Philip Neri's of the world! 

(I hope my beard will be that glorious one day. . .)

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In the face of Mystery, we wait. . .

Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity 2013 
Fr. Philip Neri Powell, OP 
St. Dominic Church/Our Lady of the Rosary, NOLA 

 If we were to wonder about the fundamental difference between scientists and believers, we could say that scientists work to expose the mysteries of the universe by use of reason alone, while believers—Christian believers—work along side mystery in reason and wonder to expose themselves to God and His handiwork. Scientists hope to learn more about the universe for the sheer delight of gaining practical knowledge. Believers hope to learn more about creation so that their joy may be complete by growing closer to their Creator. The fundamental difference btw science and faith hinges on mystery. For science, a mystery is a problem is to be solved. For faith, mystery is a truth not yet revealed. What we share with science is the alluring power of Not Yet, the seduction of knowing just enough to keep us motivated to learn more. When Jesus says, “I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now,” scientists hear a challenge but believers hear a promise. The promise of the coming of the Holy Spirit is fulfilled at Pentecost. And with the coming of the Holy Spirit, God reveals the central mystery of the faith: He is Three in One. 

How to describe this essential mystery? We could say that the Trinity is like a single drop of water in three forms: fluid, frozen, vaporous. But the Trinity is Three in One simultaneously, while a drop of water cannot be fluid, frozen, and vaporous all at the same time. We could say that the Trinity is like a woman who is simultaneously a mother, an aunt, and a sister. But the Trinity is Three in One absolutely, relative only to one another, while a woman is a mother, an aunt, and a sister only in relation to her children, her nieces, and her siblings. We could say that the Trinity is like a person with three jobs: Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctifier. The Father creates; the Son redeems; and the Spirit sanctifies. That's not wrong as such but if the Three are One then all Three must each be Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctifier. You begin to see the problem, right? How do we describe what is essentially unsayable, indescribable? We know that God is Three Persons in One Divinity, but how do we make sense of this mystery? We wait. Jesus says, “I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now. . .” He doesn't say that we can never bear all that he has to tell us; we just can't bear all the truth right now. So, we wait and trust and hold ourselves in hope that the fullness of this mystery will revealed when we are finally perfected. 

What do we do in the meantime? Between knowing the little that we know and knowing the whole truth, what do we do? Jesus reassures us, “. . .when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth.” If the Spirit of Truth comes to guides us, then we must make our ready to be guided. And how do we do that? Writing to the Romans, Paul, teaches: “. . .we boast in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we even boast of our afflictions, knowing that affliction produces endurance, and endurance, proven character, and proven character, hope, and hope does not disappoint. . .” As followers of Christ, we boast about both our blessings and our afflictions. We boast of our blessings to show the world the mercy of God. We boast of our afflictions to produce endurance, character, and hope. What we do btw imperfect and perfect knowing is live our lives in that sure knowledge that “the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit. . .” When our imperfect knowledge of God's mysteries fails us, love never will b/c God is love and He never fails. And that is the definition of hope: knowing that God never fails. He never fails to provide, to forgive, to honor His promises. We prepare ourselves to be guided by the Spirit by hoping, by accepting the truth that God will not/cannot fail us.

If we accept this truth and live this truth, then we are living with God who is Three in One. We are living trinitarian lives. Since the first century of the Church, our ancestors made a distinction btw the theological Trinity and the economic Trinity. The theological Trinity is the Trinity as He knows and understands Himself. Reason alone cannot help us know or understand God as He knows and understands Himself. So, how do we know anything at all about the Trinity? Since all of creation abides in God, and we live and move and have our being in God, we can look to creation and see the Trinity's presence there. The Trinity works in creation, works through His creatures to reveal His truest nature. This is the economic Trinity. When we love forgive, provide, bless, create, trust, sacrifice, and bear witness to Christ, we manifest—imperfectly, of course—we manifest the Blessed Trinity. Each one of us is a sliver of the mystery that is the Trinity working in creation. Each one of us reveals how we are the Father's favored child, the Son's brother or sister, the Spirit's student and servant. Each one of us is a piece of God's peace, His assurance that all is well, that everything will always be well with Him. 

And we know that all will be well with Him b/c, as the Catechism teaches us, “The ultimate end of the whole divine economy is the entry of God's creatures into the perfect unity of the Blessed Trinity” (n. 260). The whole point of God's cosmic plan of salvation is to bring us to Him to live perfectly united in Him. Do we need a scientific understanding of the divine mysteries to be perfect? No. Besides, science cannot perfect us. Do we need to work along side the divine mysteries in wonder and reason in order to be made perfect? Yes. B/c we cannot be made perfect, we cannot be brought to God w/o our consent and help. Mysteries of the faith—like the Trinity, the Incarnation, the Resurrection—are all revealed truths that we do not yet fully understand. We know that God is Three Persons in One Divine Being. We know that Christ is fully human, fully divine. We know that Christ was raised from his tomb body and soul. And we even have some inkling of what these mysteries mean to our daily lives as followers of Christ. What we don't yet know, what we cannot yet bear, is the weight, the fullness of these truths completely revealed. For that we must wait to see God face-to-face. And to see Him face-to-face, we must submit to the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit urges us to live trinitarian lives. We read in the Catechism: “Everyone who glorifies the Father does so through the Son in the Holy Spirit; everyone who follows Christ does so because the Father draws him and the Spirit moves him” (n. 259). Open yourself to being drawn by the Father to follow Christ. Open yourself to being moved by the Spirit to follow Christ. Follow Christ—wholly abandoned to him—and you will find yourself working along side the mysteries of faith in wonder and reason, opening your heart and mind to all that God has to show you. When Jesus says, “I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now,” scientists hear a daring challenge but believers hear a loving promise. Christ promises to make us strong enough, whole enough, beautiful enough to bear up under every truth, all truth, fully revealed and wondrously arrayed. And because of this promise “we boast in hope of the glory of God.” 

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Preaching & Poetry

My thanks to M.R. for the book on preaching. And B.M. for the Hirsch book of poetry.  

I plan on using both in my classes come the Fall semester.

I have a lot of reading to do before August. . .apparently, homiletics is a very productive field.
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"According to the whole"

Fr. Z. drew my attention to the Pastor's Page of Fr. George Welzbacher, wherein Father expounds:

The technical term Catholic, whose first known use occurs in the letters of the bishop and martyr Ignatius of Antioch, writing very early in the second century of the Christian era [. . .] is a term derived from the ancient Greek adverbial phrase kath holon, meaning "according to the WHOLE". This new adjective [. . .] was used by St. Ignatius to differentiate, on the one hand, the Church that preaches the whole revelation of Christ to the whole world to all generations to come until the end of time, in contrast with those transitory sects that, like bargain hunters at a rummage sale, pick and choose only such items as happen to have a passing appeal. The authentic Catholic is therefore one who accepts the whole doctrine of Christ, intact and untrimmed, and (with special relevance to our day) not revised with respect to the proper use of the sexual power. The authentic Catholic recognizes that Christ's teachings are eternal and absolute, not subject to revision, inasmuch as not even Christ Himself was at liberty to change them, since, as He explained: "The word that I have spoken to you is not mine; it is the word of Him Who sent Me" (John 14: 24).

[. . .]

Read the whole thing.  Well worth your time.

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The kingdom belongs to The Leapers

7th Week OT (S) 
Fr. Philip Neri Powell, OP 
St. Dominic Church, NOLA 

 Jesus says, “Let the children come to me; do not prevent them. . .” Why? “[Because] the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” We have to understand this scene on two levels. First, the literal sense: Jesus is addressing his disciples and indignantly rebuking them for trying to keep a bunch of children away from him. Apparently, it was considered undignified for a rabbi to be swamped by a gang of grubby kids! Second, the spiritual sense: though he doesn't say so explicitly, our Lord is teaching us that keeping our children from him is an injustice. If the kingdom belongs to them (and it does), then interfering with our children coming into the kingdom deprives them of what is rightly theirs. As ever, Jesus is being very practical here. It is well and good that adults come into the kingdom. But if the Good News of God's freely given mercy to sinners is to survive beyond one generation, the Church needs children. And not just persons who happen to be minors. Jesus adds, “. . .whoever does not accept the Kingdom of God like a child will not enter it.” Being a child in the kingdom is both a matter of age and attitude. What does it mean to be child coming into the kingdom? 

When we think of children we likely think of the Ideal Child. Sweet, loving, innocent, obedient, curious, a walking-talking blank slate upon which parents impress their values. If you have children or spend much time with them you know all too well that children are perfectly capable of being angry, petty, rebellious, stubborn, and greedy. In other words, they can be just as vicious as any adult. Jesus must know this, so we have to wonder what he means by “accepting the kingdom as a child.” He can't mean “imitate the adult attitudes of children.” And he can't mean “think and act in a childish manner.” He must mean something like “run to me and embrace me like these children do.” What do children forget when they see someone they love? They forget manners, protocols; they focus on the loved one and demand attention; they simply assume that they must be the be-all and end-all of the loved one's life. . .at that moment. Nothing matters more right then and there than being close to the one they love. Rushing head-long, abandoning dignity and social grace, they leap; they cling, forgetting and forgiving, rejoicing simply in being with the one they love. Does this describe your attitude and behavior toward Christ and his Church? 

More than likely, you, like me, tend to stand off a bit from Christ and his Church—analyzing, debating, weighing options, waiting for the Right Moment to leap. Having been disappointed too often by the all too human foibles of the Church, we choose to gamble wisely when it comes to surrendering ourselves. We want to know if the Church is going to accept just as I am. Will I be welcomed? Will I be called upon to do something I don't want to do? Does leaping into Christ's arms mean that I have to change something I don't want to change? Will I have to face my fears and failures and try to make things right? The answer to all these questions is Yes. And that's frightening. So, we hang back, calculate the odds, map out an escape route, and slowly dip a toe into the water to make sure we're going to be comfortable. Here's the bad news: following Christ isn't about being comfortable. It isn't about being safe and security in our OK-ness. I'm not OK; you're not OK and that OK b/c we're heading toward being fully OK in Christ. That is, if we look our children and their freakish abandon when embracing the ones they love. Following Christ is first about leaping into his arms, into the lap of Mother Church, and surrendering everything, all of it to our wild desire to be loved forever. The kingdom does not belong to those who calculate the odds, weigh their options, and try to negotiate a better deal. There is no better deal than the mercy of God. So, leap!

My Big News

OK. . .here's my Big News. . .

Archbishop Gregory Aymond has approved the recommendation of the faculty of the Notre Dame Seminary to hire me on as Director and Professor of Homiletics and Formation Advisor effective July 1, 2013.

Basically, my duties include teaching homiletics to the seminarians and serving on the formation team of the seminary. 

I will remain in residence at St Dominic.
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The BIG News

The BIG Event of this last week?

The Solemn Profession of Vows by three men of the Southern Province: 

fra. Francis Orozco OP, Cristobal Torres OP, and Mariano Veliz OP.

 Congrats to our newly minted brothers!

(Yes, that's Yours Truly in the background. . .and No, I'm not asleep. . .

I'm fervently praying for our brothers!) 

 
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Made it Home. . .Thanks be to God!

After multiple weather delays, I've made it back to Nawlins'!

Had a very good time with the brothers at our new studium  in St. Louis.

I'm about ready to fall asleep in the keyboard.

Because I have a squirrel brain. . .I managed to leave my a.m. HBP meds here in NOLA.  So, I've been w/o them for about five days.  Not good. 

Tomorrow:  7am Mass at Our Lady of the Rosary, wedding rehearsal, and the 5.30pm Mass at St. Dominic.

Oh, and then there's that BIG Announcement I promised. . .well, my time at St Dominic is coming to an end. . .I'll be working full-time at. . .Zzzzzzzzz. . .   

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Update for Next Week

No blogging this next week. . .

Our provincial assembly starts in St Louis on Monday, May 20th and runs through Thursday, May 23rd. 

I'll be back in time for the 7.00am Mass at Our Lady of the Rosary on Friday the 24th.

Look for a big announcement on May 23rd.  Mum's the word for now.  Ssshhhhhh. . .

Wedding on the 25th.

And my 49th birthday on Sunday the 26th.  Oy.  I've asked for a carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. . .of course.

Happy feast day to St. Philip Neri!

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God keeps His promises: the Holy Spirit!

NB.  There's a 63.5% chance that I will revise this one in the morning.  Meh.

Pentecost Sunday (C) 
Fr. Philip Neri Powell, OP 
St. Dominic Church, NOLA 

 The Lord our God keeps His word! Through His prophets He promised the gift of a Messiah who would suffer as a servant for sinners and die at the hands of his enemies for the sake of the world. The long-awaited Messiah came among us as a child: born of a virgin; raised on the Law; and anointed by the Holy Spirit at the River Jordan. During his three- year ministry, he reveals the power of God by healing the diseased and injured; raising the dead to new life; feeding thousands with food enough for only a few; liberating souls held captive by unclean spirits; and teaching the word of spirit and truth to anyone who would listen. He is opposed at every turn by jealousy, greed, ambition, and ignorance; and, finally, he is betrayed by one he calls a friend. Falsely accused, illegally tried, he is found guilty by a mob and executed by the Empire. But he makes a promise to his disciples: “. . .the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything. . .” The Lord our God keeps His word! To his disciples he promises the gift of an Advocate, the Holy Spirit, to renew the body and soul of his Church. 

The Lord our God kept His promise to send among us a Savior to suffer and die for our sins. That Savior, Jesus the Christ, promised that the Father would also send among us an Advocate, the Holy Spirit, to teach us and to remind us of everything he had said and done. Gathered together in the Upper Room—terrified, despairing, anxious—the disciples wait to be discovered. Do they remember the Lord's promise? His warning? Do they have any idea what's about to happen to them? “Suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind. . .Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. . .” One Holy Spirit roars into the Upper Room. Divides. Then descends all at once upon each one of the disciples. Not a different spirit to each. But One Spirit to each, all at once. The same Holy Spirit given to every disciple. And though each disciple receives the same Spirit, each one manifests a different gift. When all of these different gifts are brought together with one heart and mind and the freely given in service to preaching and teaching of the Good News, the Church is born. The Lord our God keeps His promises; He keeps His word. 

Before he begins his Passion, Jesus says to the disciples: “Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him.” Whoever loves Christ will make good on his promises. And whoever makes good on Christ's promises will be loved by the Father. Jesus says “we will make our dwelling” with those who keep the Word. We. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Feast of Pentecost—the birth of the Church—celebrates the day, the moment when the Holy Spirit came to dwell with us and remain with us. With the Spirit among us we are not only capable of keeping Christ's word, we are do so with all the strength and integrity of the Blessed Trinity. Through our varied gifts we—each one of us—manifests the Spirit for the glory of God, drawing in and teaching anyone who longs for God's mercy. Our gifts are made purer, stronger, holier in their work for the kingdom, and we are made more perfect in love by sharing God's love. The Holy Spirit is sent to be our Advocate, the one who defends us against the dark accusations of the world. But we are not permitted to simply hide away in a room and shake ourselves silly in fear of the world. The Spirit enlivens, empowers, ignites, and He pushes us out in the world as witnesses to the freely given mercy of God.

Think about it. What do the disciples do the moment the Holy Spirit endows them with His gifts? “[They] began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim.” Different languages? Yes. Though all of the disciples were Galileans they were understood by Parthians, Medes, Elamites, Mesopotamians, Judeans, Cappadocians, Asians, Egyptians, Libyans, Romans, Cretans, and Arabs. They were also understood by “both Jews and converts to Judaism.” In other words, not only were they speaking different languages, they were speaking in a way that anyone who heard them could understand what they were saying. How is this possible? They were given the gift of being able to speak to the deepest longing of every human creature, the desire of every man, woman, and child to love and be loved by their Creator. The gift of the Church—then and now—is to be the Body and Word of Christ, the living sacrament of God's mercy to all of creation. With the Holy Spirit, the Church—all of us—speaks the language of divine love when we are united in heart and mind in the service of the Gospel. We keep His word, and He dwells among us. His spiritual gifts are boundless. 

His gifts are boundless. But are we ready to receive them and put them to their proper use? Paul tells us in his letter to the Corinthians, “There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit. . .To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit.” For some benefit—the benefit of the one who receives the gift and all those for whom the gift will be used. The Holy Spirit does not give private gifts, gifts to be used for one's personal benefit. All gifts of the Holy Spirit are given for the benefit of the whole Church and her mission. “As a body is one though it has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body. . .For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body. . .we were all given to drink of one Spirit.” One Holy Spirit given to and received by many different parts to make up on Body in Christ. This means that whatever spiritual gifts I might possess, that you might possess, belong to the whole body not just me or you. And b/c our gifts belong to the whole body, our use of them influences the whole body. Good, evil, indifferent. How we use these gifts colors the Church, leaves a mark on the Body of Christ. How we use these gifts determines whether or not we are keeping Christ's word, fulfilling his promise. 

We sang along with the Psalmist, “Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.” If we are to be servants of this renewal, we must also sing, “Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the body and soul of your Church.” And if we are to be servants of this renewal, we must eagerly step forward and offer ourselves in service to the Gospel. Pope Francis urges us not to become a “baby-sitter” Church. We could add: do not become a museum, a social club, a something-to-do-before-the-Saints-game. If we truly believe that the Holy Spirit is among us, if we truly believe that Christ our Lord is here with us right now, how can we even think about not leaving this place and shouting about the mighty acts of God. How do I think of anything else if I truly believe that the Creator-God of the universe loves me? How do I wake up in the morning and not immediately give Him thanks for the gift of life and my freedom from sin? The renewal of the Church will not come from Rome or D.C. or the archbishop's office. It will come from the pews of St Dominic, Our Lady of the Rosary, from the parish; from your homes, your schools. But it must start with the family. With you. Use the gifts you have been given to renew the body and soul of the Church. Fidelity, strength, perseverance, humility, and above all: love, divine love. You have them all. Put them to work for Christ, keeping his word. Put them to work for the Church, and dwell forever as a mighty act of God. 

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How do you love the Shepherd?

7th Week of Easter (F) 

Fr. Philip Neri Powell, OP 

St. Dominic Church, NOLA 

I always find this reading from John a little embarrassing to read aloud. It's like watching one of the detectives on Law & Order gently lead an otherwise sympathetic criminal to confess his crimes. I don't mean to say that Peter is confessing a crime; it's just that he denied Christ at a crucial moment and now Jesus is giving him a chance to make things right. The whole scene is at once intensely private and hard not to watch. Not only is our Lord gently teaching Peter the meaning of Christian leadership, he is also exercising Peter's heart so that he will be strong enough to endure what's coming. That we read this scene out loud at Mass tells us something about our witness to Christ and what he expects of us as his followers. Imagine you're sitting there with Jesus and Peter. Jesus asks Peter, “Do you love me?” While Peter thinks about his answer, Jesus glances up at you with the same question in his eyes. He's wondering, do you love him? And if you do, how do you love him? As a legendary religious figure? An ancient super-hero? A much beloved uncle or favorite teacher? How we love one another is as important as whether or not we love we love one another. 

It should go without saying that Jesus already knows the answer to his questions. Being the Son of God, the Incarnate Word, etc. makes it hard to imagine that he doesn't. Asking Peter these very intimate questions isn't about getting til now unknown information. Peter needs to hear himself saying, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Peter needs to know that he loves the Lord and that he loves him as his Lord. Not as a friend or a teacher or a favorite uncle. But as the only one who owns his allegiance, the only one who possesses his heart and mind. Peter needs to know all this—and profess all this—b/c Jesus has handed him the keys to the kingdom; that is, Jesus has made Peter his steward on earth, given him the apostolic authority to shepherd God's family on pilgrimage. Tend my sheep; feed my sheep. Take care of these little ones given to me by my Father. And how should the sheep love the shepherd? Not as a friend or a teacher or a favorite uncle. But as one given the authority to keep them safe from the ravening wolves. Just as Peter loves Christ, so the sheep must love Peter. Otherwise, any one of us could find himself alone among those who would just as well see see us lost or even dead. 

So, what does it mean for us to love Peter as Peter loved Christ? Obviously, we're not to love Peter as our lord and savior. Peter loved Christ with a sacrificial love (agape). With agape, we are called upon to love Peter as our shepherd, our protector. Practically speaking, this means that we look to Peter's successor, our Holy Father, Francis, to guide us, to show us the way through this world to Christ. We look to our bishops and their pastoral assistants. And, most immediately, we look to one another. When Jesus prompts Peter to profess his love, Jesus adds, “Tend my sheep. . .feed my sheep.” As Christ's steward, our Holy Father does exactly that when he teaches the apostolic faith and leads the Church in truth. Each one of us tends and feeds the flock when we strengthen one another in truth; build up the body with goodness; and encourage one another in holiness. But we can only tend and feed the flock if we follow the Good Shepherd and listen to his appointed stewards. If you love Christ as your lord and savior, love his flock. Tend and feed one another. We will need strong hearts and minds to endure what the world has in store for us.

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