Saint Mary – Saint Catherine of Siena Parish

Registering as a member of our Parish is a choice all (or most) of you have made. As a parishioner, you have the right to be an active member of the parish community, to receive the sacraments and expect that the parish be your spiritual home.

Years ago when folks were far less mobile, it was common for one to be born in a community, live in a town and parish for their entire life–and be buried from the church at which they were baptized. While that still happens in Charlestown, it is less frequent than in earlier times.

Now, all of us realize we are in a different time—society, culture and everything around us has changed, for better or for worse. The parish church has to change as well. Demographics have shifted, people are far less active in the practice of the faith, once elegant structures are in need of repairs and maintenance costing millions of dollars, and there are fewer priests to respond to the changing church. This should not surprise us. Whatever the institution—in our city, health care, the Post Office, the bank or libraries—the delivery of all services has changed.

By now everyone in our Parish knows that the Archdiocese has been actively developing plans for how to respond to all of these many variables and to do so in a way that builds strong parishes equipped to meet the needs of diverse communities. The Cardinal emphasizes his desire that our parishes be alive with a spirit of evangelization. I take that to mean, alive in being welcoming, holy places where all can witness and be attracted to a community living the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I truly believe that my brother parish priests want the exact same thing! So we have work to do to.

One of the resources that is most important to me as a pastor is the Parish Pastoral Council (PPC). This is a body of 12 -15 men and women who serve for a three year term, meeting monthly to consider all of the pastoral realities of our Parish and advise me on appropriate plans and actions. During my 7 ½ years in Charlestown the PPC has guided us through huge changes and significant growth. I believe you would say all that has happened with the merging of St. Mary and St Catherine of Siena Parishes and the formation of our new Parish, renovations in our buildings, Good Shepherd School and more has been for the benefit of the Catholic Community in Charlestown. You need to know that parishioners in the form of the PPC have been an invaluable part of these processes and results.

Every year we invite registered members of the Parish to nominate persons to serve on the PPC for the coming year. Once we receive the nominations, a nominee is contacted and asked if he/she wishes to accept the nomination. The names of those accepting are placed in a “hat” and on Pentecost Sunday at the 10:00 Family Mass after praying to the Holy Spirit for guidance, we select the names of new members.

I urge every member of the Parish to participate in this exercise—it is your right and, in fact, it is your responsibility. We need to continue to have an excellent PPC, for the challenges of the future years will equal and surpass those of the past.

In all of this I am more confident than ever. When men and women of faith sincerely and prayerfully gather to seek the way of going forward, building welcoming communities of lively faith—their efforts will be blessed and fruitful beyond measure.

— Fr. Ronan

C.S. Lewis (1898-1963)

One of my most favorite films is Shadowlands, a superb enactment of the autobiography of C.S. Lewis. Anthony Hopkins is cast as the unmarried Oxford university professor fully engaged in the life of the mind. An active mentor to his students, he led a quiet life with friends, living with his brother in the quaint village of Oxford, England and in the shadow of the great university. The film is captivating on many levels:  the beautiful countryside, the stunning halls of Oxford, the cast of wonderful actors and above all, it is Hopkins, the protagonist, who holds one’s attention.

The serene life of “Jack” (C.S. Lewis) is unsettled when the noted American poet, Joy Gresham (played by Deborah Winger) enters his small world with her child. Joy penetrates Jack’s cerebral armor and turns his world upside down—he falls in love with Joy. The story is powerful as one watches this unlikely couple discover the absolute, undefinable and authentic gift of love. For the first time in Jack’s life, another becomes his center and he is surprised by joy.

In his earlier life, Lewis was a professed atheist and wrote about the reasonableness of atheism. His conversion to Catholicism was a notable event among the literary elite of England. Lewis had seen combat in World War I and was no stranger to suffering. Perhaps he retreated to a solitary life of academe as a result of his war experience. Nevertheless his emotional self was brought forth and blossomed as he found love.

I recall this film as I wonder about the Gospel we proclaim this Sunday (John 15:9-17). In this passage Jesus speaks of the Love in which you are held and without qualification explains that it is the identical love the Father has for Him. This is an exquisite statement!  And for each of us to remain in this Love, Jesus explains, we need to keep His commandments. This is consistent with much we have learned through the years and yet it is ever new.

Also in this passage Jesus offers us an explanation of His motive, the Why He chose to teach and model this truth for us:  “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy might be complete.” Imagine that! The reason behind all of this plan of God the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit is so that you would truly have and know “complete joy”.

I have grown increasingly fond of this passage—I believe it holds the key to actually understanding the very nature of Who our God is and how it is that God has created us. Of course, it is all about love. And is it not impossible to have love for someone and not want for them—joy? In fact, the only way joy can ever be experienced, known at any level at all, is through love.

Anthony Hopkins is a truly great actor and never more so than when we find him wrestling out of his academic shell to embrace the unfamiliar experience of love, and the fruit of that love, joy. Every one of us goes through that wrestling in different ways and times—and I believe it is God who is seeking our escape, a release from whatever holds us back. For it is the Son of the Living God who has come among us so that we too, could be surprised by Joy.

— Fr. Ronan

Monsignor Bill Glynn speaks at his 65th anniversary of ordination on April 28. (Photo courtesy of Holy Family Parish)

Last Saturday evening I joined a group of twenty other priests and several hundred persons for a Mass of Thanksgiving at Holy Family Parish in Duxbury. The happy event was the 65^th anniversary of ordination as a priest of Monsignor Bill Glynn, a friend of mine for many years. Bill presided at the Mass and preached a wonderful homily recalling the words his father told him when he left home to go to Saint John’s Seminary in 1937: If it doesn’t work out, come on home. It worked out! Typical of Fr. Glynn, his homily was brief and to the point (a skill many of us are trying to learn!) and filled with remembrances of his ministry through the past 65 years.

He was ordained a priest by Archbishop Cushing in 1943 and he recalled the parishes where he served, including the very first one in Beverly, at that time a small rural town. He took a train to Beverly and walked to the rectory. He recalled the name of the woman who opened the door, mentioning her by name and saying he had kept in touch with her through the years—she was even present last Saturday evening at the Mass and celebration! And that simple example tells much about Fr. Glynn—he loves the people and his ministry up to this very day, including hospital visits, saying Mass and caring for God’s people.

Everyone gathered at Holy Family Church was happy to be there—it was a wonderful celebration and for the priests concelebrating, the evening was an especially joyful and prayerful refreshment of our vocation and the blessing beyond measure of the Priesthood.

Following Mass everyone came downstairs to the church hall for a dinner celebration and folks had a chance to mingle and chat for a while before dinner was served. Gathered in that hall were men and women of all ages and life experiences and surely folks who have had all kinds of experiences living their faith in the Catholic Church in these troubled times. As has happened through the ages, so too in this time, we face new challenges and need new models of pastoral ministry. Issues such as changing demographics, diminished resources of personnel and finances and widespread apathy, anger and discontent are but a few of the challenges ahead. These combined with the reality of an increasingly secular culture and international economic threats make the mission of the Church more crucial than ever, at the same time appearing more elusive.

Much needs to be done and much will be done. And yet at all times and in all places there is for me one underlying truth:  that the Roman Catholic Church has survived for 2,000 years and continues to, through good times and bad, in every corner of the Globe, is nothing short of a miracle. And in all of this, there is something else going on, something else happening:  God’s Holy Spirit abides in the Church. Yet because we are a Church that is human, as well as Divine, our Church is messy and often not always as loving or just or efficient as we would want, to the frustration and exasperation of many.

I have known Fr. Bill Glynn for 32 years—he is a good priest and a wonderful man who has given his life in service to this mystery and miracle called the Catholic Church and that includes many of us. For all of us he stands as an example, for the Church will never be complete until everyone is actively pulling his/her weight in the community of the faithful. The Church will never be perfect until you and I are perfect. And finally the Church is the place of Hope where Love is found and celebrated through Faith in Jesus Christ.

— Fr. Ronan

Outside the office window and splashing on the sill are the much needed and long awaited rains of April. In recent times I don’t recall rain ever being more welcome, for the drought of winter now has carried on into springtime flowers and planting. The morning news explained the relief of meteorologists that the rains began as a soft mist dampening the soil and securing it against the stronger rain that followed. Otherwise, the runoff would have been damaging in many ways.

Do you ever find yourself amazed at the complexities and beauty of nature—like these refreshing rains…? Sometimes I think there is a conspiracy afoot that obscures from our view the magnificence of everything around and within us—because of our worries, work, responsibilities and the constant juggling of time. What does it take for you to pause and take it all in for a moment? For me, it had been daily walks and time out of doors with my dog—somehow that beautiful creature caused me to slow down and, just as she was snuffling and poking around, I found myself doing the same in my own way. That and many other reasons motivate me to once again have a dog at my side—having lost Daisy, my faithful Labrador Retriever, 10 weeks ago.

And the wonder of this beautiful springtime also calls to mind a delightful reflection by Jorge Luis Borges—which I have quoted in the past.

INSTANTES

If I could live my life again.
Next time, I would try to make more mistakes.
I would not try to be so perfect, I would relax more.
I would be sillier than I have been.
I would take fewer things seriously.
I would be less fastidious.
Accept more risks, I would take more trips,
Contemplate more evenings,
Climb more mountains, and swim more rivers…
I would go to more places where I have not been,
Eat more ice cream and fewer beans.
I would have more real problems and less imaginary ones.
I was one of those people who lived
sensibly and meticulously every minute of their life.
Of course I have had moments of happiness.
But if I could go back in time, I would try to
have good moments only,
and not waste precious time.
I was someone never went
anywhere without a thermometer, a hot water bag, an umbrella
and a parachute. If I could live again,
I would travel more frivolously.
If I could live again, I would begin
to walk barefoot at the beginning of the spring
and I would continue to do so until the end of autumn.
I would ride more merry-go-rounds,
I would contemplate more evenings and I would play
with more children.
If I could have another life ahead.
But I am 85 years old you see, and I know that I am dying.

May the loveliness of these spring days increase your wonder of God’s majesty so that you cherish every instant—as a gift!

— Fr. Ronan

Do you ever feel as if you are in a rut? You know, getting up each day and going through the same motions, carrying out all the “stuff” that makes up your day in pretty much the same way as the day before. And the weekends—well they tend in the same direction—repeats of the weekends before, with appropriate seasonal adjustments. Do you imagine this is what life is supposed to be like? I don’t.

Christians look at Easter as the signature event of their faith; this is THE event that changes everything. Yet making the connection between a boring, “same old, same old” way of living and our faith in Jesus may appear to be a stretch. But it is a matter of perspective—how I think about life and the reasons behind everything I am and do. Once a Christian, and that means baptized into Life in Jesus, embraces this amazing status, everything changes. We think differently. We revise the reasons behind our actions in the Light of the Gospel.

From the earliest days the Church calls this personal development “metanoia.” It is the essential formula that changes our lives and opens one to a whole new way of being. For the Christian, there is a continual renewing of life and love—little remains static. In fact our journey “in Christ” is to develop us into an ever deeper relationship with the Son of God, in and through the Holy Spirit. There is NO limit to where this leads. It beckons us each new day into a life that is dynamic, even if our life appears to be routine.

How the Church presents this magnificent and amazing plan to all people is in and through EVANGELIZATION. Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger in an address to catechists and religion teachers in 2000 said:

To evangelize means to teach the art of living. At the beginning of his public life Jesus says:  I have come to evangelize the poor (Luke 4:18); this means, I have the response to your fundamental question; I will show you the path of life, the path toward happiness—rather, I am that path.

The Cardinal continued his comments with these insights:

The deepest poverty is the inability of joy, the tediousness of a life considered absurd and contradictory. This poverty is widespread today, in very different forms in the materially rich as well as the poor countries. The inability of joy presupposes and produces the inability to love, produces jealousy, avarice—all defects that devastate the life of individuals and of the world. This is why we are in need of a new evangelization—if the art of living remains an unknown, nothing else works. But this art is not the object of a science—this art can only be communicated by [one] who has life—he who is.

In our local Church of Boston, Cardinal Seán has initiated a new era of planning in our Church—planning to include an emphasis on Evangelization—thanks be to God! Every Catholic in Charlestown will be affected—especially if we do this right. In our Parish over the coming months and years, we will seek to work with all parishioners and staff to bring the saving message of Jesus Christ into the light, and that really means addressing the pressing issues of our time about the “Art of Living”.

— Fr. Ronan

To many who have lived in Charlestown for decades and longer, the Catholic Church has always been three large and wonderful Parishes, along with schools. More than 25 years ago that began to change when St. Mary’s School closed and since then, many other changes have taken place. Our story in Charlestown is not unlike other neighborhoods in Boston and other communities of the Archdiocese of Boston. With shifting demographics, more diverse populations, declining church attendance and fewer clergy to staff parishes that include huge buildings long in need of capital improvements, we are facing a serious need to reorganize and re-structure the Catholic Church in Boston. And that is precisely what is happening.

After three years of work, a commission appointed by Archbishop Seán made up of men and women, lay, religious and ordained, has recommended to the Cardinal a model of restructuring the Parishes of the Archdiocese.  The plan has been developed in order to strengthen the 290 parishes by reorganizing the way we serve them.

The Cardinal presented the proposal to the priests on December 5, 2011. The plan has two parts. The first is that the Archdiocese reorganizes itself toward a mission of a New Evangelization by developing a Church (and parishes) that is welcoming, nourishing, thriving and evangelizing.

The second part is to develop a new structure of parish servicing, moving from maintenance to a mission focus. With only 16% of Catholics regularly attending Church and a decreasing number of parish priests available to serve in the parishes, this plan calls for groupings of parishes to form a new kind of pastoral unit. Each parish would retain its own unique and distinct identity, would be served by one pastor and one staff and would develop one pastoral plan for their collective unit. The parishes would, in effect, share a parish staff that would be re-trained for mission, collaboration and partnership.

The model that has served our Church so well and for so long is no longer able to meet the ongoing changes that are facing us now and into the future. For example in ten years we will go from 346 priests available for parish ministry to 180 (for 290 parishes). In addition pastoral staffs, such as Sisters and lay men and women in ministry are getting older, and a new generation of pastoral workers needs to be educated and prepared for service. And while this is happening at universities around the United States, few parishes are prepared to hire and salary professional lay ministers at competitive and just wages.

At the same time, there is a chronic need for excellence in religious education, adult faith formation programs, spiritual direction and enrichment, young adult ministries and many other ministries. We need a new model to respond effectively to the needs of our growing church. Put another way, our Catholic Church in the Archdiocese of Boston wants to grow and be re-energized, and to do this, we need a new model of pastoral service.

The PROPOSAL that needs to be thoroughly considered and commented upon, suggests we form 127 PASTORAL COLLABORATIVES.  For Charlestown, it is proposed that SAINT FRANCIS de SALES PARISH AND SAINT MARY–SAINT CATHERINE OF SIENA PARISH form one Pastoral Collaborative. In many ways, this seems most logical. Theoretically, if the new collaborative worked out well, one united Catholic Church would be able to more fully serve the needs of our community better than two independent parishes. And yet in this model each parish, with its funds and integrity, stays unique while, at the same time, being part of a partnership. Anyone with a realistic and historic sense of the Church of our Archdiocese knows what is being called for is no small task!

True to the plan, the Archdiocese has held consultations in every region with many different groups in order to hear the opinion and suggestions of all the faithful. The next phase of these consultations is for every Parish to hold open meetings wherein parishioners can hear the plan and offer their ideas. For our Parish, there will be two TOWN MEETINGS offered: SUNDAY, APRIL 22 after the 10:00 am FAMILY MASS (from 11-noon) and SUNDAY, APRIL 29 after the 6:00 PM Mass (from 7-8). Both meetings will be in the Church Hall and refreshments will be served. The meetings will be facilitated by our Parish Pastoral Council—and ALL ARE WELCOME and encouraged to attend.

I heartily encourage anyone interested in learning more about the proposal to go to the web site www.planning2012.com.  There you will find all of the important documents and details of what is being suggested thus far. Once everyone has had an opportunity to comment, our PPC will report back to the Archdiocese the results of our consultation. All of the feedback will be factored into the final report that will be presented by the Commission to Cardinal Seán in the months ahead.

I have to add that I believe this plan is precisely what is needed to strengthen the Catholic Church in the Archdiocese of Boston. I firmly believe that when everyone learns the details and has a chance to come to know what the true implications of this proposal are for everyone, you too will find yourself very supportive and willing to work together to both strengthen our Parish and to move us into a new stage of life for an ever more vibrant Catholic Community in Charlestown

The Cardinal has made clear that we will carry out this plan in a systematic and organic way. To me that means that all the time needed for an authentic and transparent review and discussion will take place. Further that the Commission will receive all of these critiques and suggestions in order to offer, in the final analysis, the very best plan for the Archdiocese that most promises success in carrying out the Mission of Evangelization. That is to say, in helping all people come to know the Hope and Consolation that is ours in Jesus Christ.

— Fr. Ronan

On the holiest of nights, following the lighting of the Easter candle, the priest and ministers enter into the populated darkened church. The priest sings out, “CHRIST OUR LIGHT!”  And the people respond, “THANKS BE TO GOD!” The Easter Vigil has begun and the community celebrates the truth of Christ’s Resurrection.

The great hymn sung at the Easter Vigil is called the Exsultet. It is an ancient piece and arguably one of the greatest proclamations that has ever been compiled about our salvation and the meaning of Easter. The implications of the Resurrection are proclaimed in the Hymn that invites the world and all creation to rejoice because “Christ has conquered … and Darkness vanishes forever.”

This beautiful chant reviews all of salvation history remembering the fall of Adam and Eve and proclaims it a “happy fault, a necessary evil—which gained for us so great a redeemer.” “This is the night” is proclaimed over and over in a style that emphasizes the immensity of the event.

In truth, the moment is too huge for us to capture. We live so deeply in our own skin and sinfulness that it is almost impossible to imagine freedom from the power of darkness in our world and in our lives. The powers of darkness have so creatively and effectively duped us into believing in a God who is limited in love and mercy that we don’t get the full impact of the Easter message. We see ourselves and not the God who created us as the center of the drama.

With ourselves at the center-point we believe that all love and mercy must be somehow filtered through our senses and abilities. The Easter proclamation denounces this self delusion: “The power of this holy night dispels all evil, washes guilt away, restores lost innocence, brings mourners joy.”  The freedom that is offered us tonight can change our lives—can make everything different! For it is in Jesus Christ, in and through our baptism in the Son of God that we are free.

The Church teaches that we are “An Easter People.” What does that mean? For me this message gives to each of us the capacity to say NO to darkness:   NO to hunger, violence, injustice and all of the “isms” of our time that diminish the dignity of people near and far. Not only does Easter give me a personal hope for tomorrow, it compels me to make tomorrow other than it would be if Christ had NOT risen from the dead!

With Christians throughout the world this Easter we proclaim, “Father how wonderful your care for us! How boundless your merciful love!”

May the hope that is ours in and through the resurrection of Christ shine brilliantly in your life, and through you, lessen the darkness of this world.

— Fr. Ronan

Father Ronan will celebrate Mass from the Watertown studio of CatholicTV on Tuesday, April 10. If you would like to attend this day, we will leave the parking lot at 8:00 a.m. and return before 10:30 a.m.

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Most of the roads that lead up to the city of Jerusalem seem to drop off from the hills surrounding it into a valley, and then climb up toward the walls that once protected this ancient city from its enemies. When viewed from the nearby elevations, the site of the city on a hill is striking. It is from one of these very hills that Jesus looked over the beautiful city and wept at the lack of the faith of its residents. He wept at the history of the city, filled with violence and betrayal, as well as promise and hope.

The symbol of the dignity and hope of the Jewish people is this magnificent city. Founded by the great king David and seen as an expression of the elect status of this noble people, Jerusalem has always, even to this day, played a significant part in their history and destiny. Jesus is fully aware of this reality and, in fact, conscious that He is entering the city on this particular day as the proclaimed king and messiah, who will also in a few days be arrested, tortured and murdered.

In many ways, Jerusalem is symbolic of our human condition, of our own cities and lives. She is a city of paradox:  a place of the hope of the people and the place where that very hope is crushed. The Church, though flawed because it is made of human beings, is the New Jerusalem and the hope of the ages. She is the sacrament of God’s enduring love for us and the means by which we come to faith.

The Church struggles against the forces of evil and speaks against a culture of death. Her sacraments bring us faith and life. The Word proclaimed within her, nourishes us for life’s journey. The Eucharist celebrated in the heart of the life of the Church is the food of life, today and forever. The teachings of the Church guide us and enlighten us as we make our choices each day. Finally the communion we share with one another and with our God in the Church sustains us in good times and in bad.

On this Palm Sunday, we celebrate the grand entrance of Jesus into the holy city of Jerusalem, and we recall through symbols and liturgy the deeper meanings of this day. It is a day laden with meaning. It exposes the fickle and weak nature of the human condition. At the same time, it is a day that contains the hopes and dreams of a people searching for meaning and truth. What we find on this day is Jesus – the same One who was born in poverty in Bethlehem, fled for His life to a foreign land and returned to grow up in obscurity in Nazareth.

From before there was time, Jesus was preparing for this entrance into Jerusalem. It is an action compelled by obedience to the Father and undertaken freely and lovingly. You and I are the observers of this entrance.  We remember it and are in awe of the simple proclamation that this Jesus is the Son of David and Messiah. We are shocked to remember that this is the One we will watch as He endures betrayal, torture and death in the week ahead. We sense the paradox and we see the parallels in our world around us.

Yet it is in the events of next Sunday that our hopes rest. Sin and death are conquered by the Risen One. To Christ we can look for deliverance from the tragedy of Jerusalem, for we are the blessed and chosen people baptized into life in Christ Jesus, and in this Holy City we find the hope of all the ages fulfilled.

— Fr. Ronan

Visiting hours were over as I joined the family in the hospital room. Standing and seated around the bed of the dear elderly woman were her children and grandchildren. The sadness was palpable.

One of the family members informed me that they had been told Anna would not last through the night and that she was not responsive. I began the beautiful prayer of Anointing of the Sick, and the family joined in the prayers. As Anna heard these familiar prayers, her eyes opened. She noticed her daughter seated beside her holding her hand, quietly weeping. Suddenly, Anna reached for her daughter with concern. She even made a joke about something to ease the pain of the family. It was not supposed to happen. And in that moment, I saw the real Anna.

Facing the death of a loved one is one of the most painful of human experiences. Many of us know this from our own personal losses. I have been so privileged to witness many such moments, and I am always touched by the way the sharing of love, tenderness and real presence with the suffering person are sources of deep comfort. The agony does not abate, but having someone present to accompany them in those moments enables the anguish to be bearable. From childhood and on through life, most of us have witnessed or undergone this remarkable dynamic.

Each of us has the capacity to ease the suffering of another by placing our interest to one side and by bringing compassion and charity to bear in the moment of another’s pain. And when we make such a choice, something else happens: we become more complete, more fully human and alive. It seems to me this is one message Jesus taught over and again. It is the message of selfless love which, paradoxically, becomes self-fulfilling love.

Many husbands and wives know about this kind of love; most mothers and fathers understand it well also; as do good friends and neighbors. It is the call each of us has to make the Kingdom of God present in our time—choosing, each day, to bring our concern, love and service into the world around us, most especially where there is pain and suffering.

This truth speaks to the fundamental mystery of the Cross. Jesus knew full well what His end would be as He approached Jerusalem: betrayal, suffering, torture and death. In this act of Our Savior, He takes on the darkness of this world and brings it into the Light of the Resurrection. We who are Baptized into this same Christ are Baptized into the life, death and resurrection of Christ. And because of this, this same Christ abides with us in our sufferings and struggles, making it possible for us to do the same for one another.

May these last two weeks of Lent aid us to more completely embrace the mystery of The Cross, the mystery of Love—the mystery of Life.

— Fr. Ronan

I was reading something the other day that introduced me to a novel concept: the spirituality of subtraction (Meister Eckhart, 1260-1327). The author of this article suggests that in almost everything we do in life, we are getting and adding on. For example knowledge, possessions, experiences, friends and relationships are all “things” we accumulate. There are additional items that we seek, buy and consume. Even our prayers—we learn them and add them on along with our understanding of our Catholic faith. And this notion applies to our relationship with God as well—as it is also a relationship we acquire, develop and grow.

The whole mindset of the self as the subject and everything else as the object makes sense, to some extent. And yet such a perspective so easily makes the self the center. As children we are notoriously egocentric, and it is usually cute! Not so as adults. And so we modify our ego in all kinds of ways, making space for others in a more give-and-take lifestyle. But more often than not as adults, we learn to do this while still maintaining one’s self as the center. There is a great paradox within this development:  the self cannot become fulfilled, complete and know the full promise of the person one is created to be, unless and until the self stops being the center.

In our Catholic tradition, this teaching is at the core of all spirituality and is modeled perfectly in Jesus. He is the One who came to serve and not be served, the One who taught that the greatest among us is the one who serves the rest and/or the one who becomes little like a child. Nowhere is His teaching more graphically explained than when He washes the feet of His disciples, and from that evening supper proceeds to His passion and death—emptying Himself for our salvation.

So what does this Spirituality of Subtraction mean in the light of the self and the center? It seems to me this idea makes great sense, for instead of accumulating “stuff”, we subtract stuff, with the attitude that it is no longer mine alone. In so doing, I can strive toward a point where that which truly defines me is no longer the accumulation of my stuff, but rather a self that gives itself away in acts, choices, words and works that express compassion, love and service.

The beloved Prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi captures this well:

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. Amen.

Take some time to pause, reflect on and pray this prayer. IMAGINE … ENVISION … the impact this prayer can have on each of us and on our world as, one by one, we strive, with the help of God’s grace, to embody this way of life.

— Fr. Ronan