From the Pastor

In the middle of this summertime as the nation continues to struggle to make peace with COVID, there appear to be more questions about what we ought to do than there are answers. Or maybe it is the other way around! It is dizzying to consider all of the challenges we face from children returning to school, questions about daycare, huge issues in the economy, the injustice of racism, to the day-to-day stressors of trying to navigate life in a safe way.

Much of what I “do” is reacting to whatever reality I face – I guess it is the same for all of us. When the reality is as daunting as a pandemic and racism, so complex and difficult to comprehend, what to do is hard to figure out. I think most of us consider one way and then another and then maybe conclude, we just do not know.

For example, the other day I had a conversation with my niece, a professional educator. I asked her what she thought about re-opening school in September. She responded by identifying a number of very complex issues, such as conditions of old school buildings, equity of resources among children in different sectors of the city, safety concerns for teachers, availability of technology, and needs and expectations versus reality of budgets. Finally, she said “I just don’t know how we can do it”

In conversations with friends and colleagues about racism, something similar happens. First of all, among white folks, including myself, we easily get defensive. We are certain it exists and also that “I am not racist so it doesn’t really pertain to me”. When the conversations go deeper I realize I am racist and, in fact, I believe most of us are although that is not our intention and it is not conscious. Good people can be racist as it is part of our socialization and our culture. Because racism is multilayered and extremely complex finding effective cures, solutions, is never easy and simple.

In all of this summer’s realities “What To Do” is a tough question to answer. So, maybe that is not the best starting point. Perhaps the better question is “How to Be?”

I think we all need an anchor, a fundamental standing place to view all that is happening. That standing place has to be clear. It is the platform, reference point from which all else flows. I don’t think it is simply about a superficial characteristic of our lives such as, “I’m a Red Sox fan so …” or “I am a Bostonian so …” or “I am a millennial or Boomer so …”

For me, my anchor, my fundamental standing place is my Judeo-Christian faith. I believe in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. There I find everything I need to look for “What to Do”. It is yoked to the belief that each of us is a precious child of God and each possesses a dignity and worth beyond measure. From that faith flows the exhortation that we are to love one another as we have been loved and to love our neighbor as ourselves.

Looking forward from these July days, I believe it is possible to find a good path through the conundrums of this time by first focusing on how to be before deciding what to do.

Fr. Ronan

Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
July 18/19 2020

In today’s second reading, St. Paul bids us to take comfort in knowing that when God invites us to pray to him he knows our true needs, even if we do not. The Holy Spirit intercedes and prays for us even if we can’t come up with appropriate words; even when we don’t have a clue what to ask for. We are not left alone. Good Stewards know prayer in an important part of living a life in Christ. The important thing is to make space for God.
Do we let God into our hearts?
Do we make room for the Holy Spirit to pray within us?

I received a piece of mail yesterday from an office of the Archdiocese. The notice informed me that these summer days are the perfect time to plan for the new year. I groaned. I am not a good planner. When someone asks me about what will happen many weeks/months/years into the future, I respond with a blank stare. It is not that I am uncaring about the future or that I do not have a vision and hope for tomorrow. It is just that in the moment, for me, it is hard to look beyond the present.

This is partly because I am so engaged in the present and doing lots of stuff and enjoying it. To stop that and think about tomorrow seems — awkward. So it is that I push myself to plan for the days and time ahead. And when I do, I can sense a desire in me to want to have control over that in the same way that I might be able to manage the present situations. Herein lays the problem.

None of us have control over tomorrow. We like to think we do. If we plan adequately for today, we will be in good shape for tomorrow. The future never comes, or, there are no tomorrows. We have heard these thoughts before and they are unsettling. Of course, the point is, when tomorrow comes it is today and there are, therefore, no tomorrows. However we look at it, each of us must contemplate our life and where it is going. Even if we avoid doing so, some unexpected event will force us to have to face tomorrow.

It is at this juncture that our faith can save us. We Christians believe that God has a plan. I do not necessarily know it – nor should I need to. Yet, I do need to believe that God has this situation figured out. The planning and control part of all of us feels that we need to get everything in order so that the anticipated and the unanticipated will be met with an adequate response. What a heavy burden to carry! Who can figure all that out?

Of course, we need to responsibly plan for each day. Yet my sense is that God wants us to be concerned about our daily lives such that we live our lives well as Christ has taught us. Our energy and worry ought to be more about the needs of others than ourselves, and it is our faith that frees us to live that way.

The Good Samaritan, who stopped on the road to Jericho to care for the victim of robbers, had every reason to be cautious and wonder what this was going to cost him … Clearly, this disaster was not in his plans that day. His faith allowed him to step forward and place his comfort and convenience aside for the welfare of another.

Jesus holds up the Samaritan as the example of how you and I are to take on each day: grounded in the command to love God and our neighbor and free to do just that. Often that will mean having our plans for today and tomorrow, yet, being ready to live freely so that God’s love both sustains me and directs my planning.

Fr. Ronan

Fifteenth Sunday
in Ordinary Time

Weekend of July 11/12 2020
In today’s second reading, Saint Paul gives us reason to hope
for a wondrous future beyond our imagination. He preaches this hope amidst the suffering of the early Christian communities. “Brothers and sisters: I consider that the sufferings of this present time are as nothing compared with the glory to be revealed for us” (Romans 8:18).

Good stewards realize that by remaining faithful to the Gospel with persistence, fervor and endurance, our hope in the promises of Christ Jesus will be rewarded. Reflect this week on concrete ways you can remain faithful to the Gospel during these challenging times.

All of us have different memories of earlier times and of celebrating the Fourth of July. I guess as a child, the first memories I have are of the fire works and of trying to stay awake to see them. I did not have any sense of “freedom” and “independence”; such concepts were too adult for me as a kid. But the spirit of the day, the festivities, the flags, parades and fireworks, the cookouts and the family gatherings all of these are beautiful memories for me.

Surely this is one of the special days when every citizen, new or born here, takes pride in our magnificent country. It is a holiday that ought to be free from partisanship: it belongs neither to the Democrats nor the Republicans nor any other political party. All love our country equally.

The core values of America come from the Bill of Rights and the Declaration of Independence. Not long ago I read the biography of John Adams, one of the great patriots and founders of our nation. John Adams fought strenuously for a system of government and a Constitution for the new Republic that placed enormous importance on liberty. And this freedom was grounded in the inalienable dignity and worth of every person. This truth is one of the cornerstones of all Catholic Social teaching and one reason, I suppose, that our country is such a strongly religious nation, founded UNDER GOD.

Today in Charlestown, as well as in other communities, we will be unable to celebrate in many of the traditional ways. And perhaps because our country is in the midst of this continuing and terrible pandemic, our sensitivity is all the more heightened about the precious values we cherish so much on this July 4th.

All of us who are veterans, who have served in uniform and those who haven’t, support, admire, and respect the young men and women serving in the military today and recognize the toll it takes on them and their families. Their job is a tough one and they are deserving of our support..

And this might be the major point for me this Independence Day: the value of freedom on which our nation is built gives each of us the right to question and disagree with one another. At the same time, our Founding Fathers did not build in the right for us to ever disrespect another who holds a position different from our own. In fact the dignity of each person being a fundamental principle of our Nation’s Bill of Rights calls on every citizen to respect the other.

Fr. Ronan

Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Readings
1st Reading – 2 Kings 4:8-11, 14-16
Responsorial Psalm – 89:2-3, 1617, 18-19
2nd Reading – Romans 6:3-4, 8-11
Gospel – Matthew 10:37-42

Jesus said to his apostles:
“Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it,
and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. “

Anyone who lives in the city knows this experience – sometimes several times a day: you are walking along the street and you meet someone who is begging for money. The same can happen at major intersections when you are inching your way through traffic. It seems there are several responses: one, is to ignore the person – make like he/she is invisible and keep walking or driving – eyes ahead, you know what I mean. Another is to recognize the person by a greeting and a response, like saying, “No”, or else, “Sorry – —-”. Another is to stop or slow down and offer the person some money, often change from the bottom of a pocket or purse. Many find these events irritating or troubling. Sometimes, they set off a train of thought about how the person is likely going to use any money collected for drugs or alcohol.

How does the Christian face the blatant needs/requests of another person? I wish it was an easy question. I know I am approached very often walking around town. Sometimes, I wish I could walk on by, but I cannot. As uncomfortable and inconvenient as such moments might be, I am convinced that each person, no matter how down and out, is owed respect.

I realize each of us has a different response to these situations. There are cogent arguments that giving something creates a dependency and does not really address the issue. Others feel that the person in need might be simply lazy and ought to get a job to earn whatever is needed. Others might feel that it is rude and offensive to do such a thing and are turned away by that reason alone. Some feel the beggar is no more than a thief, preying on people’s consciences and circumstances and should not be encouraged, but punished.

In the end, I wonder if the motives of the person asking or begging are important at all. Why should they be? Why do I need to know them? Maybe they are legitimate and maybe not, who should be the judge of that? Does it really matter to the Christian?

During Lent, the Church teaches that one of the three pillars of our Lenten practices is almsgiving. Literally, this means giving something to the poor. Acts of simple charity flow from a choice one makes to see some need and respond in whatever way seems reasonable within one’s capacity. For most of us, this means writing a check to a worthy charity, and that is most certainly needed. Engaging in acts of kindness that are more of a challenge for us to perform also is suitable. For example, being nice to an annoying person or offering a traffic break to a careless driver could be admirable choices.

The Church and our tradition offer many teachings on how we are to care for one another and one of the most applicable in daily life is the “Golden Rule”. What if, for Lent, each of us treated one another in the way we would like to be treated?

Fr. Ronan

March 8 ~ The Second Sunday of Lent

Today’s gospel presents the familiar story of the transfiguration.
Peter, James, and John were awe struck by the appearance of Jesus and by the words that the voice of God spoke:
“This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.”
Listen to Him.
This message is for us.
Pray for the grace to be open to God’s word, to be transfigured into a courageous messenger of God’s love.

When the clerk at the cash register advised me that the item I was buying was on sale and therefore was less than I was prepared to pay for it, well, that was a happy surprise. And when she rang up the new price, a $5.00 coupon came out. So she said that amount also could be deducted from the price of the item. Now I was doubly surprised!

Isn’t it amazing how these little surprises just pop up in life without any expectation and forewarning. It is the experience of a person being especially kind and considerate of another. Doing so always means choosing to go out of one’s way, somehow, to the amazement and delight of others. Doing something that has no obvious payback and benefit simply because it is thoughtful and kind is a joy to experience, both for the receiver and the giver.

In May, 2013, George Saunders offered the commencement address at Syracuse University. In widely viewed remarks, Saunders commented on what it was that he regretted as he looked back on his life. He related a powerful story about a new girl who came into his grade school who was shy and awkward and an easy object of cruel comments from others. He confessed that he regretted not being kind to her. As he drew the story and lesson out he offered different insights about how and when we are kind or unkind.

Professor Saunders is not a theologian, and Syracuse is not a denominational university. However, his well-received talk points to ways of living are known by everyone. For example, he suggests if one were to think back in life to those we hold in the highest esteem, it is likely because they showed kindness to us. And we know, too, that the obstacle to kindness is often our own self-centeredness.

Maybe one reason Saunders’ speech received such notoriety is because it is, in essence, spiritual. He is speaking to that part of the human experience that nourishes the soul. He is identifying another angle of a beautiful paradox of how in giving, one receives and in dying, one finds life. It is the fundamental Christian paradox and is the antithesis of the dominant values of our consumer driven culture. Saunders explains that achieving an integrated life of kindness and love for others is more commonly associated with being older. Therefore, he urged the graduates to “hurry up, don’t wait until you are older – practice kindness now!” An indispensable admonition to us all.

“My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness.”
― Dalai Lama XIV
“You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late.”
― Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a harder battle.”
― Plato
Fr. Ronan

March 1 ~ The First Sunday of Lent

Jesus was like us in all things but sin.
In today’s gospel, Jesus is tempted over and over but does not give in to the temptations.
This first Sunday in Lent is a good time to look at our lives and to ask ourselves what tempts us away from God and from the light of Christ.
There are three spiritual practices of Lent that are intended to help us improve our relationship with God:
prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.
Which of these practices will be most helpful to you in avoiding temptation this Lent?
Don’t wait. . . start today!

Each year as Lent approaches, I recall my first Ash Wednesday as a missionary in Guayaquil, Ecuador. When I arrived at the remote chapel along the Bulabula River that Wednesday in February, the heavy rains had stopped and there was mud everywhere. Mosquitos and all the rest were in abundance and I’m thinking “I gotta get out of here before dark comes or I’m in trouble!”

As I climbed down from the 4×4 wagon, the crowds of people plodding through the puddles were larger than any I had seen in my brief time in Ecuador. The Lenten season was about to begin. The ancient ritual of being marked on the forehead with blessed ashes, deeply popular everywhere, seems especially so among the Ecuadorian people.

Frankly, to this day I do not think I fully understand the popularity – almost a frenzied focus on this ritual! People come by the thousands, stand in line eagerly, and eventually reach the priest where the damp ashes are smudged on their foreheads with the words, “Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return”. One would not think that reminder would be so popular!

In our own world here in Charlestown, the ritual of Ash Wednesday is also religiously observed. All over the city and, in fact, the world, women, men and children will step forward to be marked with blessed ashes. For many, life is so busy and hectic. People live with so much stress and work so hard and long. The simplicity of the Lenten ashes is, perhaps, considered a welcomed invitation to pause, reflect, and refocus on what really matters.

In the forty days ahead, the call is to spend more time in prayer, to exercise acts of fasting in some form, and to practice acts of generosity. All three are the pillars of the Lenten journey and offer us opportunities to gain deeper insight into our own lives and our relationship with God.

In the fast-paced, tension filled world in which we live, making time for prayer is not easy. Yet many Christians pray in ways both formal and informal. We pray for our loved ones and we pray for those in need. We pray for peace and we pray for success in our lives. We also pray in gratitude to the God who created us and who sustains us. Prayer brings us closer to God and to one another. At its root, prayer is exercising our faith and our hope in the God who loves us unconditionally.

Fasting may seem odd, especially in our society when so many have so much – unless we’re fasting for health reasons. Yet fasting – choosing to deny oneself something (actually anything) – sharpens our understanding of our weaknesses and our dependence on so much that is unnecessary. Fasting can free us to see and act more clearly and with greater purity.

Confronting our selfishness by acts of generosity also is freeing. This freedom has one primary objective: to help us recognize our dependence on God above all else, and to acknowledge that all that we have is a gift from God. And in gratitude for what we have been given, we freely share with those who are in need, and in doing so, we find that we receive much more than we give.

While this marking with blessed ashes might appear morose and gloomy, its purpose is just the opposite! It truly is a wake-up-call to what matters most in this sweet journey called life. A journey that is surprisingly short and, at times, filled with disappointments and fear. Lent points us toward the enduring wisdom of our God, Who is Love, and aids us to choose wisely in the midst of the shallow, transient gods of our times.

Ash Wednesday, February 26, begins our Lenten journey. Each of us is invited to step forward and receive the simple mark of blessed ashes reminding us of what truly matters most in life and guiding us toward our destiny. In the challenges of these times, this is a gift – a lifeline of Hope and Love.

Fr. Ronan

February 23 ~ Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

In today’s Gospel, Jesus makes clear how we are to live: turn the other cheek, hand over your cloak as well as your tunic, asked to walk a mile, walk two.
All of this builds up to the hardest of all:
LOVE YOUR ENEMIES and PRAY FOR THOSE WHO PERSECUTE YOU. But don’t despair! We find hope in St. Paul’s letter to the Corinthians: “… you are the temple of God, … the Spirit of God dwells in you..”
We – you – can do anything if you are open to the power of God,
the love of Jesus, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

The hallmark of a Benedictine community lies in its prayer life. The community gathers for choral prayer at least three times a day—morning praise, noon praise, and vespers. In Benedictine communities that devote themselves to the recitation of the more ancient Liturgy of the Hours, the times for communal prayer are even more often than that. To beginners in the life, the schedule can be a shock.

When we were in the novitiate, the older sisters delighted in telling us the story of the young postulant who came to the monastery full of zest for the life—and then, six months later, simply got up and left. “I like it here a lot,” the young woman said, “but there’s never a minute’s rest. And every time I do get time, the bell rings.” Then the old sisters would bubble over with laughter.

It took a while before I caught on to the joke. The funny part was that the postulant had the ideas confused. She couldn’t understand why it was that every time the chores of the day were finished, just when she thought she wouldn’t have anything to do for a while, the bell rang to call the community to another period of prayer. Prayer for her was work, an intrusion into her private time. But for those whose life is centered in prayer, prayer is time for resting in God. It is the “work” of the soul in contact with the God of the heart.

Prayer is what links the religious and the spiritual, the inner and outer dimensions of life. Every spiritual tradition on earth forms a person in some kind of regular practice designed to focus the mind and the spirit. Regular prayer reminds us that life is punctuated by God, awash in God, encircled by God. To interrupt the day with prayer is to remind ourselves of the timelessness of eternity. Prayer and regular spiritual practices serve as a link between this life and the next. They give us the strength of heart to sustain us on the way. When life goes dry, only the memory of God makes life bearable again. Then we remember that whatever is has purpose.

Prayer does not simply reveal us to God and God to us, I came to know after years of apparently useless repetition. It reveals us to ourselves at the same time. If I listened to myself when I prayed, I could feel my many masks drop away. I was not the perfect nun; I was the angry psalmist. I was the needy one in the petitions. I was the one to whom the hard words of the gospel were being spoken. I was the one adrift in a sea of darkness and uncertainty even after all these years of light.

“I don’t pray,” people say to me. And I say back, “Neither do I. I just breathe God in and hope somehow to learn how to breathe God out, as well.” The purpose of prayer is simply to transform us to the mind of God. We do not go to prayer to coax God to make our lives Disneyland. We don’t go to prayer to get points off our sins. We don’t go to suffer for our sins. We go to prayer to be transfigured ourselves, to come to see the world as God sees the world, to practice the presence of God, to put on a heart of justice, of love, and of compassion for others. We go to become new of soul.

Maybe we are forgetting to center ourselves in the consciousness of God who is conscious of us all. Maybe that’s why the world today is in the throes of such brutal violence, such inhuman poverty, such unconscionable discrimination, such self-righteous fundamentalism. Maybe we are forgetting to pray, not for what we want, but for the sight, the enlightenment, that God wants to give us. And if I pray, will I be able to change those things? I don’t really know. All I know is that the enlightenment that comes with real prayer requires that I attend to them, not ignore them.

—from Called to Question: A Spiritual Memoir, by Joan Chittister

February 16 ~ Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

It’s all about the Law this week. Sirach gives us great insight, “If you choose you can keep the commandments, they will save you;”
The choice is ours to live by the law or not. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus sets the bar high for us – it’s not simply about doing good and avoiding evil, there’s more: “whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven.”
What kind of example do you set with adults and with children?
Pray for what you need:
Kindness? Patience? Temperate speech? Self-control?