Holy Family

Lincoln's Log 12-30-12

“When his parents saw him, they were astonished...”

Lk. 2:48

A family is an astonishing thing. We live together with an individual or group of people and we start to think we know them. We “have them all figured out.”

Then, they do something to shock us. “I never would have suspected that?” we say to ourselves. Maybe we didn't know them as well as we thought we did.

It goes without saying that Mary and Joseph knew that Jesus was special. His birth had been announced by angels! But living as a family has a way of dulling our sensitivities. Familiarity breeds contempt. Perhaps they thought they had Jesus figured out.

In today's Gospel Jesus astonished them. He did something that gave them a glimpse of His unique mission. He revealed that He was more than they thought.

Over the holidays many of us spend time with family. Sometimes we spend the time rehearsing old arguments or revisiting past hurts. Sometimes we think we have our relatives “all figured out” and can predict what they are going to say on any topic so we don't even try.

Yet a family is an astonishing thing. If we are open to new possibilities we may be surprised at the grace present in the people we thought we knew.

As we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family, may God give us the grace of wonder. May our families surprise us with their goodness.

Peace,

Lincoln A. Wood

Christmas Hospitality

 

Lincoln's Log 12-23-12

You, Bethlehem-Ephrathah, too small to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel.

(Mi. 5:1)

Like Bethlehem at the time of the census, our community will have many guests joining us to celebrate Christmas. What a gift! It is an opportunity for us to live our mission to be a welcoming community.

Here are a few tips to help us be as welcoming as possible:

• Arrive early. Take your coat off in the cloak room and be prepared to stay. There is no rush. Christmas Mass is the reason for the season so make yourself and others comfortable.
  
  
• Make room for people to sit next to you. If you arrive early, choose seats near the middle of the pew so newcomers don't have to crawl over you or ask you to move.
  
  
• Introduce yourself to people sitting nearby. Be prepared to move outside of your comfort zone and meet someone new. Let them know a little about yourself and our community. There is plenty to be proud of. Be sure to invite them back for a weekend liturgy sometime.
  
  
• Children are a part of our community. Welcome them with a smile. Parents who have not been to Mass for a while are often nervous and sensitive about their child's behavior. Help to make them feel at ease and welcome. At Christmas kids don't always show their best behavior. It is important for us to welcome them as Christ welcomed the children.
  
  
• If someone looks lost, ask them if you can help. You can help direct them to the bathrooms or the cloakroom. They may also need help finding the songs or the responses in the songbooks or on the response card.

When Mary and Joseph arrived in Bethlehem, there was no room for them in the inn. It was a failure of hospitality. Let's be sure to welcome the guests in our midst as we celebrate the birth of the Messiah.

Peace,

Lincoln A. Wood

Advent 3: "What should we do?"

Lincoln's Log 12-16-12

The crowds asked John the Baptist, “What should we do?”

(Lk. 3:10)

In the Gospel this week we find people asking John the Baptizer a very basic question. “What should we do?” The people asking are common folks. They are not political or religious leaders. They are not powerful men and women. They are not the wealthy. They are the common folks.... like you and I.

It is a common question. “What should we do?” It is a question we each ask daily. “What should I do?” As Christmas approaches and the demands on our time increase, “What should we do?” As our families gather to celebrate, “What should we do?” As we remember past Christmas celebrations, “What should we do?” Every morning, as we get out of bed, “What should I do?”

John gives a very simple answer. It is not filled with esoteric wisdom. It is simple. He says, “Be satisfied with what you have. Take your fair share and no more. Share whatever you have. If you have more than you need, give it away.”

This is not rocket science. Our faith, at its core, is simple. Being a disciple means living a simple life and sharing what we have.

But immediately our minds try to complicate things with rationalizations and excuses. It couldn't be that simple, could it? We think to ourselves, “Of course, my case is different. My life is more complicated than that.”

But today's Gospel puts the answer to the questions, “”What should we do?” in its simplest form. Live simply and share. Advent is a time for stripping away the extra things as we wait in expectant hope. May we allow the simplicity of this answer to challenge us as we wait for the coming of Jesus.

Peace,

Lincoln A. Wood

Advent 2: Prepare the Way

Lincoln's Log 12-9-12

“Prepare the way of the Lord.”

(Lk. 3:6)

“Proper preparation prevents poor performance.” This was a phrase one of my former pastors used all the time. He had served in the United States Marine Corps before being called to the priesthood and I think he learned that phrase there. He called it the 5 P's and tried to live his life as an individual who was prepared for anything.

Today we are reminded by John the Baptist of the importance of preparation. John, who could have been a Marine himself, is a voice crying out in the desert. He is a challenging figure who calls us to prepare.

And how does John call us to prepare. We are to prepare through repentance. We are to change our hearts. We are to change our minds. And we are to change our lives. We are to prepare by turning away from all that hinders love in our lives. We are to let go of our addictions and destructive habits. We are to move beyond selfishness. We are to change our lives. Repent!

It is through repentance that miracles can happen. In repenting, “every valley shall be filled in and every mountain and hill shall be made low.” We are made to love. Repentance is allowing love to flow through our lives, like a river in the desert.

When we properly prepare this Advent our lives are changed. Love flows. If our love has been experiencing “poor performance” in our lives due to sin, advent is just what we need to straighten ourselves out. John's voice calls us to prepare the way of love. “Make the path straight.”

Together, we respond to John's voice in the desert and pray that “all flesh shall see the salvation of our God.”

Peace,

Lincoln A. Wood

Advent 1: Keep Watch and Pray

Lincoln's Log 12-2-12

“Be vigilant at all times...”

(Lk. 21:36)

This is the time of year when the church issues a wake up call to all disciples. The nights are getting longer. It is getting harder and harder to get out of bed each morning. And the church cries out like an annoying alarm clock “wake up!” I don't know about you, but I want to roll over and hit the snooze button. Staying spiritually awake in the midst of the darkness that surrounds us is an incredible challenge.

But as disciples, we are called to be vigilant. Like sentries on guard duty, we stay awake through the darkness and watch for signs of trouble. We also long for the dawn when our watch will end.

What do we do while we watch? We pray. Praying keeps us spiritually awake and tuned into the Spirit so that we know what we are looking for in the darkness.

This Advent I would encourage you to deepen your life of prayer. Stay awake, be vigilant, and pray. We are offering a wonderful tool to help you pray this Advent. The resource “Give Us This Day” is available in the church entryway. I have been praying with this resource for quite some time now. The morning prayer, readings from Mass, and evening prayer are great at helping to establish a simple daily routine of prayer that is tuned to the prayer of the church. The reflections and other resources are invaluable. It is some of the best spiritual reading available in a small package, perfect for a few minutes while you wait in line or for your computer to catch up..

At St. Rose we will be praying Morning Prayer from the Give Us This Day resource every weekday at 7:30am. I would encourage each of you to take advantage of this resource and this time for prayer.

May this Advent help us stay awake in the dark and keep watch together through prayer.

Peace,

Lincoln A. Wood

The Kingdom of Truth

 

Lincoln's Log 11-25-12

"Christ has dominion over all creatures, a dominion not seized by violence nor usurped, but his by essence and by nature."

Cyril of Alexandria

Pilate said to Jesus, “Then you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say I am a king. For this I was born and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth.”

Jn. 18:37

What a strange answer... 

Today we celebrate the feast of Jesus Christ the King. It is a relatively recent feast for the universal church, instituted by Pius XI in 1925. It is a feast which marks clarifies where our ultimate loyalty as Christians belongs. We are members of a nation, but fundamentally we are members of the Kingdom of God and Christ is our King. As we end the liturgical year, we celebrate the kingship of Christ. Jesus is Lord!

So why doesn't Jesus come right out and say, “Yes, I am a King!” Why the complicated answer?

I believe Jesus is trying to redefine what it means to be a king. Jesus is not like Caesar (the king Pilate would have compared him too). Jesus knows that most kingdoms are based on conquest and violence. Power is usually held through the use of force. “Might makes right” is the rule for most kingdoms.

Jesus' kingdom is different. Jesus' Kingdom is based on the force of truth. Right has its own might. The power of truth may be hard to perceive. Truth's power is quiet. It is a power that liberates rather than dominates. Truth can appear fragile, but its power subtly overcomes the world. Jesus is the truth. He witnesses to the truth. His is a Kingdom of Truth. 

Jesus' strange answer to Pilate's question in today's Gospel challenges us to see how His Kingdom is different than the kingdoms of the world. May we always live as citizens of Jesus' Kingdom.

Peace,

Lincoln A. Wood

End of the World

Lincoln's Log 11-18-12

“But of that day or hour, no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”

(Mk. 13:32)

"Don't worry about the world coming to an end today. It's already tomorrow in Australia." Charles Schultz, creator of the Peanuts comic strip

The Gospel this weekend led me to an internet search for “end of the world.” The number and variety of explanations of when the world we end is remarkable. There was page after page of websites devoted to explaining when and how the world will end. It seems that we will never get tired of speculating on what the end will be like. Whether we live in fear of December 21, 2012 or follow Isaac Newton's purported prediction that the world will end in 2060, it seems that speculation about how the world as we know it will end is alive and well.

Yet the Gospel this week is pretty clear. “No one knows... only the Father.”

All of our speculation takes us nowhere. Speculation cannot free us from fear, as much as we wish it could. That the world will end is apparent. When and how it will end we do not (and cannot) know. Grasping at straws and incredible explanations may give us a sense of control, but that control is an illusion. The future is not within our control.

Yet our faith does tell us that while we cannot know what the future holds, we can know that the Lord is there, waiting for us. “Heaven and earth will pass away, but [Jesus'] words will not pass away.” We are not in control, but the good news is that God is. There is nothing to fear.

As we face the unknown future together, let's trust in the love and mercy of God. In this we can be certain.

Peace,

Lincoln A. Wood

Praying for the Dead

Lincoln's Log 11-11-12

“Therefore he [Judas Maccabeus] made atonement for the dead, that they might be delivered from their sin.” (2 Mac 12:45)

“Let us not hesitate to help those who have died and to offer our prayers for them.”

St. John Chrysostom

This week we celebrated the feast of All Soul's day, a day when we pray for all those who have died. At our parishes we have “Remembering Services” and spend time thinking about our loss, our mortality, and our eternal destiny.

Why do we pray for the dead? On one level, it is simply instinct. When someone we love has died, we miss them and long to talk to them. There is a void in our soul. Something is missing and we are incomplete, so we reach out with our thoughts and words to connect with the person who is gone.

Sometimes we are afraid. The reality of death comes home to us when we are confronted personally by the death of someone we love. This fear can move us to cry out to God. We don't know exactly what happens after death. It is a mystery to us so we try to reach out beyond the mystery and connect.

On a purely human level, fear and loss lead us to pray for the dead.

But there is more to it than that. There is more than psychology. The fundamental reason that Catholics pray for the dead is because of love. We know that “neither death, nor life, nor any other creature will be able to separate us fro the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 8:38). Love conquers all. Death does not have the power to end a relationship of love.

Just as we would pray for someone during their lifetime, we can pray for them after death. We are motivated by love. The mystery of death is conquered by the mystery of love.

This month, as we continue to pray for the dead in a special way, let's always remember that it is love's victory over death that is at the root of all of our prayers for the dead.

Peace,

Lincoln A. Wood

Purgatory

Lincoln's Log 11-4-12

“The fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work which any man has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If any man's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.”

1 Cor. 3:13-15

November is the end of the liturgical year and this month our readings encourage us to reflect on the “last things.” One item of church teaching that often comes up this time of year is purgatory. Does the church still teach about purgatory? What is it? What does it look like? Isn't it a silly superstition that we don't believe anymore?

The church does still teach about purgatory. The best, short explanation of the teaching that I have found is in Youcat, the Youth Catechism.

“What is purgatory?

Purgatory, often imagined as a place, is actually a condition. Someone who dies in God's grace (and therefore at peace with God and men) but who still needs purification before he can se God face to face is in purgatory.”

Pretty good. Youcat goes on to explain...

“When Peter had betrayed Jesus, the Lord turned around and looked at Peter: 'And Peter went out and wept bitterly” – a feeling like being in purgatory. Just such a purgatory probably awaits most of us at the moment of our death: the Lord looks at us full of love – and we experience shame and painful remorse over our wicked or 'merely' unloving behavior. Only after this purifying pain will we be capable of meeting his loving gaze in untroubled heavenly joy.”

As always we begin and end with God's love. Purgatory is one dimension of what it means to be a loved sinner, even after death. May we always turn toward the loving gaze of God and allow it to heal us, even if that healing comes through tears or fire.

Peace,

Lincoln A. Wood

New Evangelization

Lincoln's Log 10-28-12

“For us religion is more a discipleship of a person than an adherence to a doctrine or obedience to a set of rules. The person of Jesus is deeply attractive: His message and His life, His passion, death and resurrection. Adherence to doctrine comes as fruit of discipleship of a master.”

Cardinal Oswald Gracias, Archbishop of Bombay speaking on behalf of the Bishops from Asia at the 2012 Synod of Bishops

 I've been following the Synod in Rome on the New Evangelization and the Transmission of the Christian Faith. A Synod is a gathering of Bishops with the intention of reflecting together on a specific issue within the church or the world. This Synod has special significance because of its relationship to the Year of Faith celebrated this year on the 50^th anniversary of Vatican II.

Several themes seem to be emerging. These include:

1. Becoming a more humble church. The days of a Christian empire are no longer. The culture we live in is no longer one which lives out of, or even readily accepts, Christian principles. This requires humility. The church's authority has been seriously questioned and in some cases discredited. Now we must rely on our true source of authority: the truth of the Gospel.
   
2. The way we transmit the faith must be rooted in a deeply personal connection with Jesus. We must speak out of our relationship with Jesus and invite people into that relationship. As one of the Bishops from Asia said, “Adherence to doctrine comes as fruit of discipleship of a master.” Our faith always has its beginning and end in Jesus. This needs to be made more explicit and shape all of the church's activities.
   
3. The Church must maintain and increase its commitment to social justice. The credibility of being a disciple of Jesus comes from concrete acts of charity and justice. Following Jesus leads us to be people of compassion and action.
   

As we continue to walk through this year of faith may we be empowered by the Spirit to continue to proclaim the Gospel of the Lord in word and deed.

Peace,

Lincoln

P.S. I am indebted to Fr. Frank DeSiano, CSP for his reporting of the synod at: Synod2012.org