From the Pastor

Thank You

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From our earliest days, each of us learned to say “Thank You” when we were offered and/or received anything from another. It is such a simple thing, almost second nature. And, of course, we grow to expect an expression of thanks in such moments as simple as holding open a door for another.
I tend to notice gratitude most when it is not offered. Perhaps many of us feel that way. For example, when stopping to let another enter a stream of traffic or retrieving an item dropped by another and in return, there is no acknowledgement of your gesture.
Not long ago while in the park with Lily chatting with others who were with their dogs, I commented that the day was especially beautiful – sunny, bright and warm. One of the persons responded, “Yes. And we deserve it”! That comment gave me pause. I asked myself, how could I deserve the sunshine? I wondered, should I be entitled to lovely weather?
It seems entitlement is going around these days; maybe it is something in the air or water! We all have met folks who feel entitled. One of the ironic aspects of folks who are so disposed is that they are never satisfied. Entitled people are some of the most unhappy persons you will ever meet. Not only is satisfaction elusive for them, but also their dissatisfaction leads to an ongoing sense that one ought to be, is entitled to be, happily satisfied. It leads to quite a conundrum and has no happy ending.
Back to “Thank You”. I do not say it enough, although I do feel grateful throughout my days. In fact, I confess I believe I am God’s most spoiled child! My gratitude flows from my awareness of blessings too boundless to measure and these include my family, friendships, and health. Above all, I am grateful for the gift of my faith and my call
to Priesthood. The actual life of a priest is wonderful and, for me, it is especially so when complimented continually by serving as a priest in a community of people – a parish.
For the past 14 years, Charlestown has been my life and God willing, that will continue for some time to come. So all this impels me to say “Thank You” to so many who form this wonderful parish community.
If, like me, you don’t say thank you enough, accept this invitation to use that beautiful phrase more in your own busy days. How about “thank you” as a fundamental response from your heart when you open your eyes to greet the new day, enjoy a warm shower, pull on comfortable clothes, and take your first sip of morning coffee?
And the Thanks is, of course, directed to the God who created you, so loves you, and has given you this new day of life to live and love and appreciate. Carrying such gratitude throughout your day can make this Advent time especially sweet – for you and for everyone around you!
Fr. Ronan

Safety Belts and Life Vests

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When I settled into my seat on the airplane and the crew were preparing to shove off from the gate, the announcements began about safety aboard the aircraft. It is a familiar recitation to many frequent flyers and so, it seemed, many ignored the instructions about seat belts, life vests, and rafts … Later the captain of the plane announced some specifics of the flight and lastly explained that the main reason there is a crew moving around the cabin is for the safety of the passengers.

Somehow, that emphasis on safety jumped out at me as I wondered about people everywhere who found themselves frightened and unsafe. Some of those cases are in the headlines of the newspapers. Yet, I am certain, the majority of those who are unsafe live in obscurity. They may be the invisibles living on the streets of our cities; the women who are abused in relationships behind closed doors; the children who are neglected, unwanted and unloved among the rich and the poor; the elderly who live alone with the uncertainties of care and security for their tomorrows; and those struggling with mental illness, addiction, and imprisonment.

The plane reached its prescribed altitude and I heard it was now safe for me to move about the cabin. However, I continued to wonder.

How do Christians adequately respond to the desperate fears of so many who long to be and feel safe in an unsafe world?

Today we begin the Advent Season – that special set-aside time of preparation for the Birth of the Messiah. Jesus, Son of Mary – Son of God, was born into a people who lived in desperation and fear. In their homeland occupied by Roman soldiers, they were oppressed, overly taxed, and humiliated. They longed for freedom and for safety as they looked for the promise of the Messiah to be realized.
They knew well the words of the prophet Jeremiah we hear this Sunday:
I will raise up for David a just shoot; He shall do what is right and just in the land. In those days Judah shall be safe and Jerusalem shall dwell secure;

The God who created the beauty of the skies and the loveliness of the lands and the sea below that aircraft sent into this world a Savior. And this Savior is not offering the world a philosophy, an economic system, a military empire or anything of the like. He offers Himself – a relationship that transforms and fulfills persons who accept the invitation. The invitation is one of radical love – both to receive this love and to share it; to be the “crew members” who walk about to ensure the safety and well-being of one another, thus creating a world in which the inherent dignity of every person is recognized, and the basic human rights to live in freedom, safety, and security are valued.

This first Sunday of Advent in 2018 opens before us a world filled with frightened, hungry, suffering, and lonely people. For Christians, those yoked into a true relationship with Jesus, the Savior of the world, it is the season to unleash the longed-for well-being in a world desperate for relief. Employing the radical love and justice of our faith are the prescriptions for working towards a world in which the words of the Prophet Jeremiah can be realized.

Fr. Ronan

TRUE POWER

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Remember when you were young, a child maybe, how the idea of someone really, really powerful captivated you? Superman, Spiderman, Wonder Woman, and all kinds of “superheroes” were part of our life, both in our imaginations, and in our play and conversation with other kids. We were charmed, sucked in, and loved stories of “heroes” who always overcame incredible odds, beat the bad guy, and helped the little guy. Fact is, even today, a good story about a hero is a great draw whether in a TV show, a book or a movie.

When we think of a contemporary hero, there may be different types of situations we see him/her involved in, given these modern times. Yet there are certain constant common denominators regardless of whether the hero is from ancient, medieval or modern times. The hero is the one who somehow takes care of, protects, and defends the “little guy” in our midst. What creates this fascination? Could it be that it stems from the reality that we ae all called to act in such ways in our lives?

Today’s Feast of Christ the King is all about the most extraordinary of all heroes – – Jesus, the Son of God. This is the day when we exult in the kingship of Jesus of Nazareth. In the richest Judeo-Christian tradition, we remember just what this King was all about. In the first reading from the prophet Daniel we read about the one who received all power, kingship, and dominion of all peoples and nations.

By His exemplary life and teaching, Jesus, the King, models for us how we are to live heroically. Jesus teaches us that this King is the Good Shepherd who searches out the lost and cares for the lonesome and weak. He’s the one who hears the cry of the poor, heals the sick, and comforts the afflicted. He is the One who speaks the truth to those in power and offers hope to those in despair.

This King ends up the servant of all, who demonstrates that He came to serve and not to be served; who washes the feet of His disciples and invites His followers to imitate Him. This King is so powerful that he instructs us that there is only one command that God has given us: to love God and our neighbor as ourselves.

Jesus knows and shows that real power comes from the ability to let go of our concern only for ourselves and those we love, and take on the mantle of discipleship: service to all, especially this most marginalized and despised by society’s standards, as he did, not because it is easy to do so, but precisely because it takes heroic amounts of strength.

The Feast of Christ the King brings to light the enduring truth and paradox:
Real power is found in authentic service. We all possess this ability interiorly. With God’s grace we can cultivate it by following the example of Jesus and
strive to create a world in which the power of love overcomes in the end.

Fr. Ronan

Gracias!

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Some years ago the popular spiritual writer, Henri Nouwen took a leave from his position at Yale Divinity School and went to Peru for a year. Nouwen worked and lived among the poor in the outskirts of Lima. Upon his return, he wrote a best selling book entitled, GRACIAS. He titled the book “Thank You” for he found the sentiment of gratitude so prevalent among the poor that he was both astonished and edified by them. Fr. Nouwen witnessed the poverty and sufferings of the Peruvian people while, at the same time, their sense of gratitude for everything.

The word “gracias” permeated not only their life style but also their view of life and God. Often the “gracias” was spoken as “Gracias a Dios”. The simplest act was completed with a prayer of thanks to God. Fr. Nouwen laid bare the irony that those who have little are often very grateful while those who have much more are often less grateful. Naturally, one would think the reverse would be true. In fact, the irony is often carried even to the extremes: sometimes those who have abundance want more and feel entitled to more and those with very little are grateful and content.

This week, we North Americans celebrate one of the most cherished of our national holidays, Thanksgiving. Surely we are a blessed people and it has been my experience that most Americans embrace this holiday with a deeply sincere sense of gratitude. Our gratitude is felt at many levels: to family, loved ones, our nation, and most importantly, to God. All of us agree that the day is so important. And, like you, I recall memories of childhood celebrations that I cherish of families coming together and, at a table laden with abundance, pausing in a formal and beautiful way to thank God for all blessings.

Our reality is that the day comes and goes and the busyness of life can so distract us that our sense of gratitude can become dulled. We can fall into the trap of forgetting and not acknowledging God’s blessings in our life. The worries and challenges can draw us away from the truth that we are first and foremost God’s most precious children and blessed beyond measure. When I re-capture this truth, suddenly everything is reordered. I see things in a new light and priorities are re-established. My sense of the rightness of seeing God as the giver of so much is both freeing and humbling.

Next Thursday, we will gather with our loved ones and, even in the midst of the worries and challenges of these times, we know we have so much for which to be grateful. I will spend this beautiful day with the Rostro de Cristo community in Guayaquil, Ecuador. There with 13 North American volunteer missionaries, we will have Mass together and dinner. This year 24 students and 4 faculty from St. John Paul High School in Hyannis will be on retreat with us. Turkey is hard to find in the tropics, so we will likely have chicken! But the sentiments will be as profound as ever, as we echo Gracias – Thanks be to God for all we have and especially for the love that surrounds us and gives us hope.

Fr. Ronan

My Father Told Me

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I was not a terrific student in school. One of the subjects I disliked more than others was algebra. I get sweaty palms thinking about trying to solve those problems and taking those tests and quizzes! My Dad knew this and so he would tell me, “Jim, do your best and God will take care of the rest”. This seemed like a good piece of advice and one that could be freeing – in a way. Problem was, I had to figure out exactly, what was my BEST. As I thought about this formula, it came to me that if I did not succeed in algebra (or whatever else I was trying to do or master) it must mean that I didn’t do my best and, therefore, God was not pitching in to take care of “the rest”. Well, I got to the other side of algebra and years passed. Yet there was for some time a lingering residue about “doing my best” and God’s proportional response. In time, I came to believe the formula my loving Dad gave me was flawed. God’s kindness, mercy and love are not ever proportional and / or conditional on my performance, because God is Love and God always wants what’s best for us. Re-visiting my Dad’s formula holds a lesson for all of us as we consider the successes and setbacks of our lives.
Truth is, sometimes we try our very best and fall flat on our faces and at other times, we succeed. There are times when success or failure is independent of our efforts and depends on many other variables. God is not managing how the game is playing out. Rather God is continuously present in every moment of every day, a loving constant in our lives, accompanying us through it all. We choose whether or not to be present to God. In Judaism, the presence of God to the Jews was understood as the Covenant God established through Abraham. Down through the ages, God exhorted the Israelites to be faithful to this Covenant relationship of love and fidelity. Jesus, the human face of God, completes and fulfills that ancient Covenant and establishes the New Covenant in and through His own life, death, resurrection and promise to be with us always. In Baptism, we are brought into a profound relationship with Jesus. At God’s ongoing initiative, we are invited into an intimacy with Jesus in Word and Sacrament. Accepting that invitation opens us to the world of the God Who is Love and who directly and through a community of earthly players supports us through the vicissitudes of life. There are those who intellectually accept the truth that God is Love, yet believe somehow that Love is not freely and unconditionally for them. They believe and promote the notion of my Dad’s formula: God’s Love for me is proportional to my personal behavior and performance. That is not true! No one can change God Who is Love and Who constantly beckons us to receive that Love. As the Latin saying goes, ʺVocatus atque non vocatus, Deus aderitʺ – ʺInvoked or not invoked, God is present.” We need only choose to be present to God. It behooves us to do our best in all we undertake, knowing our best may vary depending on certain life circumstances and is not decided by God. How blessed are we to have a God who is present to us always and graces our lives each day. Accept this Truth of God who is Love, and be filled with the graces of this relationship like no other.

Fr. Ronan

All Saints Day

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Masses are November 1 only at 8:00 AM & 6:30 PM

Autumn Stress

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It seems like this autumn has been intense and stressful for many of the people with whom I have been speaking. Maybe this time of year is always like that – not  certain. Yet I am sure I see and sense the anger, angst and maybe fear of many. Some who work in financial services speak about the uncertainty of the markets. Families share the pressures of children’s schedules, the amount of homework, and range of commitments everyone in the house seems to have. Finding balance seems
harder.
Young adults with whom I speak do not know what a 40-50 hour workweek looks like; it is more like 50-70. And am I imagining it or is the terrible traffic making everyone more edgy and exasperated, consequently causing drivers to be less patient and more careless?  I have not been in a conversation in these past weeks that has not referenced the wrenching case of the confirmation hearings for Judge Kavanaugh. All of social media and print media, as well as radio and television have focused on the issues until America seems exhausted and drained.

Last week, I met with most of the priest pastors in the city, and we spoke about our respective parishes and faith communities. Obviously, this moment in the Church is yet another exposed nerve in this October time. This past weekend I was in Chicago at a reunion retreat for alumni volunteers of Rostro de Cristo. Fifty young men and women who have served for one year in Guayaquil, Ecuador came together to pray and reflect on their experience and their way of life as a consequence of their year of service. For me, these meetings and gatherings are always very powerful and enriching.

Today these individuals, having lived in an intentional Christian Community in one of the most impoverished regions of South America, continue to live their faith and are agents of light and hope in these times. They are examples for me and perhaps for you too, of how one can grow through challenging life experiences by embracing
more completely one’s faith in Jesus Christ.

For my brother priests and ministers in the city and beyond, for the young veterans of Rostro de Cristo, and for all of us in our parishes and communities in Charlestown, these stressful days can bring us clarity about what truly matters. For there is a platform on which I stand, as do many others, which is uncontaminated
by the stresses and worries of these days, yet at the same time, inspires how we live in the midst of all of it. The platform is our faith. God is bigger than anyone can ever imagine; more merciful; more compassionate; more loving; more accepting and resourceful.
Take a deep breath; enjoy the beauty of autumn in New England, and be assured, deep down, God is Good.

Fr. Ronan

Be Grateful for Doubt

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The fact is that all the great spiritual models of the ages before us found themselves, at one point or another, plunged into doubt, into darkness, into the certainty of uncertainty: Augustine, John of the Cross, Teresa of Avila, Meister Eckhart, John the Baptist, Thomas, Peter, one after another of them all wondered, and wavered, and believed beyond belief.

Surely, then, doubt is something to be grateful for, something about which to sing an alleluia. Unlike answers that presume the static nature of God and the spiritual life, doubt stretches us beyond ourselves to the guidance of a God whose face is not always in books.

Doubt is what leaves us open to truth, wherever it is, however difficult it may be to accept. But most of all, doubt requires us to reconfirm everything we’ve ever been made to believe is unassailable. Without doubt, life would simply be a series of packaged assumptions, none of them tested, none of them sure, and all of them belonging not to us, but to someone else whose truth we have made our own.

The problem with accepting truth as it comes to us rather than truth as we divine it for ourselves is that it’s not worth dying for—and we don’t. It becomes a patina of ideas inside of which we live our lives without passion, without care. This kind of faith happens around us but not in us — we go through the motions. The first crack in the edifice and we’re gone. The first chink in the wall of the castle keep and we’re off to less demanding fields.

Doubt, on the other hand, is the mother of conviction. Once we have pursued our doubts to the dust, we forge a stronger, not a weaker, belief system. These truths are true, we know, because they are now true for us rather than simply for someone else. To suppress doubt, then, to discourage thinking, to try to stop a person from questioning the unquestionable is simply to make them more and more susceptible to the cynical, more unaccepting of naive belief.

It is doubt that is the beginning of real faith.
—from Uncommon Gratitude by Joan Chittister and Rowan Williams
(Liturgical Press)
Joan Chittister

The Greatest Hunger of Mankind is Peace

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That means a peace that is not simply the absence of war – but so much more, the absence of violence in all of its forms. Now this sounds like so much abstract theory – and in a sense it is. At the same time, it is very close to each and every one of us, for the cornerstone of all peace is in the realization of the worth and dignity of every human person and of the sacredness of all human life. Men and women of faith believe that life is a gift from God, the Creator of all. No one person has more value than another and indeed, in our great nation, “All are created equal”.

Yet there is so much that pushes back against this simple tenet about human value and equality. Inevitably, it is our own self-interest devoid of a greater vision of life and God’s plan for us all. So powerful is this self-directed interest that I believe we can only get beyond it by a very conscious choice to ask for God’s Grace to enlighten us about God’s view for all of humankind. The longing for peace, among socio-economic classes, ethnic groups, races, languages, religions, cultures and all the rest is useless unless it leads us to prayer.

That sounds pretty stern – yet I think peace, true and authentic peace, in homes, cities, borders and between nations and all peoples is ultimately a gift. Humankind can only reach the capacity for peace as we reach for God and see the value of all life, and recognize the justice needed to bring peace. I think we need to pray.

Our prayer needs to be very intentional and genuine – we need to implore our God for the gift of Peace. There are no armies, social programs, developmental agencies or economic policies that will bring us peace in themselves. The energy for peace will flow from the hearts of all people as we look at one another and see the miracle and beauty that are our lives as God’s creation. Recognizing that, each of us needs to accept that these lives are simply too precious to ever experience and/or receive violence. Arriving there, by God’s Grace, peace is possible.

October is Respect for Life Month and Domestic Violence Month. On Sunday, October 7, at 4PM in St. Catherine of Siena Chapel, we will pray the rosary for the dawning of a true and lasting peace; respect for all of life from conception to natural death, and for an end to violence in all of its forms so that all may live in harmony as God created us to be. Please join us on Sunday, October 7, and please consider praying for these intentions each and every day.

Fr. Ronan

Teens 2018

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One Dad said to me, “You know, Father, I’ve decided that you have to pick your battles and try to figure out where the non-negotiables are”. He was speaking about daily life at home with two teenagers and it was clear to me that, at times, it can be a struggle. I suppose he could be speaking for any parent of teen and pre-teen children. Aiding children to navigate through their age-appropriate developmental tasks of establishing their own identity separate from that of their parents; identifying meaningful moral standards, values, and belief systems; learning to set priorities, parameters, and boundaries; helping them to grow and understand consequences for their actions; guiding them in their ability to develop internal and external resources to make good choices and so much more are worrisome responsibilities of every parent, and anxiety provoking undertakings for their adolescent children.

As if the tasks at hand were not already daunting, the culture, loud and at times toxic, makes the teen years even more challenging. Adolescence, while exciting and beautiful in so many ways, at times, can also be excruciatingly difficult. Every child yearns to belong, to be accepted and loved, especially in the rapid growth and development years when selfknowledge is limited, and feelings of awkwardness and uncertainty are normative. There is one enduring element of a teen’s development that can not only add stability but also nourish self-esteem, give a much needed moral compass and aid immeasurably in a child’s development – faith.

Developing/deepening an age appropriate relationship with God – a God who loves them unconditionally; endows them with dignity; calls them to live a purpose-filled life; assists them in their ability to chart their course in life, and anchors them in bedrock values provides needed support not only to the teen and to the entire family. Life may still be rocky at times, but we’re never alone, and we can receive what we need to regain level ground.

Many Catholic teens received the sacraments of Baptism, Reconciliation, and Eucharist in their childhood years as parents sought to give them a foundation in their faith. The Sacrament of Confirmation takes place in adolescence. When adolescents enter the 9th grade, they are eligible to choose to begin the two year program (one year if the teen is enrolled in a Catholic High School) in preparation for the Sacrament of Confirmation. At St. Mary-St. Catherine of Siena Parish, Confirmation classes begin with an information session for parents and students on Monday, October 1st, at 6:30pm at the Parish Center on 46 Winthrop Street. We invite and look forward to welcoming all high school students and their parents.

These are not easy days to be a teen in our city; while the opportunities are numerous, the challenges are as well. Preparing for and receiving Confirmation is one sure path that can strengthen a teenager’s awareness of God’s unconditional love, to develop the capacity to make good choices, belong more completely to a community, and add much needed purpose to daily life.

Fr. Ronan