Reflections on the Triduum

Our Jewish brothers and sisters have been celebrating Passover remembering the events leading to their release from slavery in Egypt and we gather these three days from Holy Thursday to Easter Sunday to celebrate our Passover from death to life in Christ.  It is a time of remembering the triumph of God's love over darkness and death.  It can change our hearts deeply if we allow it.

Holy Thursday

Holy Thursday we experience the washing of feet and see Pope Francis wash the feet of the young men and women in the juvenile detention center.  It is a ritual of service that sends the message that Eucharist is how we treat one another and our call is to treat others with respect and open service. The Eucharist of Holy Thursday unites us not only in ritual but in the desire and the commitment to be one with each other, to recognize and support one another and to serve one another.  As we watch Pope Francis during these Holy days we become more aware that great change is occurring in small gestures.  He could have just washed the feet of these young men and women, that's the ritual, but he also kissed their feet.  He also told them "washing your feet means I am at your service."  Holy Thursday should move us to the tenderness our Pope expressed in this short clip of the Holy Thursday experience.   It should invite us to be at the service of one another.

Good Friday

On Good Friday we gather to remember the Lord's passion and death.   I have always been inspired by Teilhard de Chardin's reflections on the cross  in The Divine Milieu.  He acknowledges the redemptive aspect of God's suffering for our sins but he focuses on Jesus'  effort at reconciliation. Jesus by his life, his passion and death teaches us how hard it is to work toward reconciliation and unification.  In the Divine Milieu Teilhard tells us that by his death, Jesus reconciled the world with God, but, because he was human (matter), he also reconciled  the various elements of the world with itself in a way that is being worked out in history even in our day. It is this side of the redemptive act of the cross that is uppermost in Teilhard's thought:   that Jesus by his death unified the world with God and within itself.  Teilhard sees the cross of Jesus above all as a work of unification. Jesus Christ bears the sins of the world, he overcomes the resistance to unification offered by the many, the resistance to the rise of spirit inherent in humans and in all matter.  The complete meaning of redemption is no longer to expiate sins, it is to surmount and conquer the resistance that divides us, that separates us from love. Christ's suffering reveals to us that its hard work to overcome resistance, he shows us what it is like, and he helps us to carry the weight.  And so, in Teilhard de Chardin the cross is brought into human becoming, our potential of being more, of evolving in compassion.  The cross is the symbol of work more than of penance.  Jesus' suffering, without ceasing to be he who bears the the sins of the world, indeed precisely as such, is also the one who bears and supports the weight of the world as it evolves.    The cross preaches and symbolizes the hard work of renunciation.   The cross is both the condition and the way of progress.   Because of the very nature of reality we are on a cross.  It is in Jesus crucified that every person can recognize his own true image.  The cross is the symbol of progress and victory won through mistakes, disappointments and hard work.  The cross synthesizes the transcendent, the "above" (the "upward' impulse of a person toward the worship of God) and the ultra-human, the "up-ahead", the "forward" impulse of a person towards building a better future.  The cosmic Christ calls us forward to that future.  Teilhard tells us true compassion is participating in the action of the cross.  We carry our cross 1) in compassion with Christ and 2) in compassion with all human suffering in our history.

Holy Saturday

Saturday is a day of quiet reflection on the Entombment of Christ as we wait, like the disciples, for news of the resurrection. I  always want to go fishing on Holy Saturday because I think that's what the disciples did.  They were deflated, crushed perhaps, and they would have wanted to just go away and be by themselves.   James Martin in an article in America Magazine Online tells us most of our lives are spent in Holy Saturday.  In other words most of our lives are not filled with the unbearable pain of a Good Friday.  Nor are they suffused with the unbelievable joy of an Easter.   But most are...in between.  Most are, in fact, times of waiting, as the disciples waited during Holy Saturday.  May your waiting be holy.

Holy Saturday:  The Easter Vigil

And finally, on Saturday night we gather in vigil and hear the amazing news that Jesus Christ, our companion and brother, is not dead, but is risen from the grave.  We no longer have to fear the empty tomb.  We move from darkness into light.  Having read the stories of our journey, we know all is well and all will be well as Julian of Norwich tells us.  Let us open our hearts to see the resurrection of Jesus all around us.  In this video clip of a flashmob  we see a building Alleluia as one by one humanity unites and surprises us all with the beauty of an Alleluia.  We, together, in joyous heart praise the risen Savior among us.  Perhaps we see this Savior in the eyes of all those around us.  As you watch this video be patient -- wait with the people, marvel at the gentle talents and be one with the crowd as it joins in the praise.  Ordinary people like you and I lift their voice in praise.  Can you resist singing?

Forgive You Judas

Forgive Your Judas

Maybe he wasn't the nicest man
but Jesus saw something good there
he tried to set him right
gave him all the love and compassion
he had to give
but Judas just couldn't let him in,
his heart was empty
and Judas couldn't believe he was worth even a little love
Judas had a hole in his heart
so he couldn't see or feel
the love that was coming his way.

I'm wondering if the Judas within me
is any more willing to allow God's forgiving love
to seep into my broken heart and heal it.
Peter messed up too but he was healed
because he allowed love inside
But Judas just couldn't do it
he even used the  friendship sign of a kiss
as his final refusal to let Jesus transform him.
It was the kiss that hurt Jesus the most
 even more than the thorns or nails

i'm wondering if the Judas within me
has learned anything from that broken man
who earned 30 pieces of silver but hung himself on a tree.

I'm wondering if I believe enough in love and forgiveness
to open up my wounds and let in a little love
what if Judas had done that
what if I do it now.

What Pope Francis can teach us about immigration reform...

I find myself entering this Holy Week with unquenchable joy.  I keep feeling I should have a more sober tone but in my heart I still believe Pentecost has already come to the Church in the person of Pope Francis.  Simplicity,  compassion, and social justice are front and center.  We can all enumerate our favorite stories about him:  his simple greeting and wave, the request for prayers as he bends to receive them, the simple wish “ good night and sleep well”, getting out of the pope mobile to greet the disabled man, gathering his own things from his hotel and paying his own bill, calling personally to cancel his home newspaper, spending Holy Thursday at a juvenile detention center, inviting guests to his early morning Mass (including Vatican gardeners, street sweepers, kitchen staff and maids working at the hotel where he is currently staying.)   This is a welcoming and warm man.  He is rebuilding our Church as Francis of Assisi was also called to do. 

But yesterday as we remembered the 33rd anniversary of Oscar Romero’s death I couldn't help but look at the similarities between Romero and Pope Francis. Oscar Romero tells us:  "Peace is not the product of terror or fear. Peace is not the silence of cemeteries. Peace is not the silent result of violent repression.  Peace is the generous, tranquil contribution of all to the good of all.  Peace is dynamism. Peace is generosity.  It is right and it is duty." On his anniversary it is fitting that we say a prayer of hope for his people in El Salvador and here in the United States but also for immigrants everywhere.  Both Oscar Romero and Pope Francis are known to be  conservatives,  both deeply spiritual, and both committed to peace and  unflinchingly focused on the poor.   I believe that our Pope will be very vocal about the poor and the marginalized in our society, about the  immigrants seeking a better life for themselves and their families, for peace throughout the world, and for the nurturing of all creation.  His stance on Social Justice will be clear and straightforward – not just in words but in all of his actions just like they were for Oscar Romero.

In an NCR article John Allen cites two older quotes from our new pope that touched my heart deeply:  1) "Only someone who has encountered mercy, who has been caressed by the tenderness of mercy, is happy and comfortable with the Lord” ( 2001 address) and 2) “We live in the most unequal part of the world,  which has grown the most yet reduced misery the least.  The unjust distribution of goods persists, creating a situation of  social  sin  that  cries out to Heaven and limits the possibilities of a fuller life for so many of our brothers  (his 2007 address at a conference for Latin American Bishops)."

As the son of Italian immigrants to the South American nation,  Pope Francis knows what it is like to live in an immigrant family and what it must have been like for his parents as they migrated from Italy to Buenos Aires, Argentina.    When our Congress returns from their Easter recess on April 8^th, immigration will be introduced and our voice and actions need to speak the tenderness of mercy to which our Pope refers.  There are still some Senators who hold out for legal status rather than citizenship.  Both the USCCB and the Interfaith immigration Coalition insist that a common sense, achievable path to citizenship is essential and that family reunification must be a priority.  Addressing root causes of illegal immigration and inclusion of funding for integration of new US citizens are also very important.

Members of Congress need to know that their constituents care deeply about compassionate immigration that includes these elements.  Our Advocacy Committee and the Franciscan Action Network as well as our Bishops ask us to call or email our local congressional offices and, if at all possible, schedule appointments to talk with them while they are in our neighborhoods between March 25 to April 5  for their Easter Break.   I believe Pope Francis can and will influence people of good will within our nation and others to welcome the immigrant as they come to find a new and healthier life among us.  Like Francis of Assisi, Oscar Romero, and Pope Francis we need to do what is ours to do.  We need to speak  peace and tenderness  with our actions.  Please call or email congress.  God's poor and marginalized need our voice.

(You can also see this blog at our Franciscan Spiritual Center Website)

Seeing Our Greatness in Another's Eyes

Dr. Molli Marti, a a wife, mom, researcher, educator, psychologist, lawyer, author, and motivational speaker suggests we should let others see their own greatness when looking in our eyes.    I was struck by that quote because I think I saw it in action this week in our center.

It was a busy week even by our standards.  We had a group of young men and women from Georgetown who were here for a directed retreat.  In all corners of the center we saw director/directee conferences going on,  people sitting quietly with bible and journal in hand, and, although on silence, they communicated a real joy at being given this opportunity of stillness and quiet.  Something was opening in their hearts and I think their staff conveyed the depth of compassion that brought that joy out in each of them.  What a blessing to have shared the week with them. 

We also had two series begin this week –Yoga, a physical, mental and spiritual discipline  from the Hindu tradition, and Focusing a western practice which allows you to discover the voice of your body and the felt sense of inner wisdom that we discover within it.  Both practices open our hearts to a core  “at-home-ness” which manifests both peace and joy in their expressions.  When we are comfortable within ourselves we enable others who enter our world to be fully themselves.  When we see our own greatness and our own peace emerge, there is a transparency within us that allows, in our encounters, the greatness of others to be reflected back to them. 

On Thursday our Women’s Salon had their monthly meeting and there was a deep sharing by Alana Coppola, body work practitioner, who utilizes the energy of the angels in her healing.  Her deep faith and energy were evident as well as the presence of Angels Ariel, Gabriel, Michael, Raphael, Celestina, and others.   It was a healing time and again we could see our own greatest in the eyes of Alana as her healing prayer touched each person present.

And finally yesterday, our charism day, we were blessed with Megan McKenna who has written more than 50 books.   She challenged us to see the parable of the Prodigal Son in a whole new way.  She said parables should shock us, they should be like a sink hole that takes the ground right from under us, they should seep into our hearts not by a sense of “happy ever after” but by a momentary glimpse into ourselves that transforms and shocks us into seeing the “potential of ourselves” and the “reality of ourselves”.    When she left, of course, we knew we were both the prodigal son and the elder brother but our hope of reconciliation depended entirely on our willingness to honestly confront our greed, our selfishness, and our unwillingness to truly KNOW the love of our Father and what that calls forth in us.  We could see our own greatness in Megan’s eyes but not until she kicked us around a bit and shocked us into realizing we were not what we thought we were.  She told us we can never get to heaven on our own.  We need each other – community, relationship, togetherness – we will make it into heaven together or not at all.  Our life depends on our ability to live the relationship we find in the Trinity.

Visit our website at the Franciscan Spiritual Center!

Play and the Present Moment

Before I go any further, let me apologize for my lack of blogging for the past month.  I have been furiously trying to get our new website up and running.  With much help I finally succeeded -- please visit it at http://www.fscaston.org.  I also have my blog on the Franciscan Spiritual Center Blog as well.  Come visit us there.  When you go to the site be sure to visit multiple tabs.  There is much to see and some are really fun.

Now for today's blog ---

A friend of mine gave me an old issue of the magazine Spirituality and Health (May-June, 2011) and in it there was an article entitled “Your Soul Needs Playtime” by Emma Seppala, PhD (p. 52-53).    Dr. Seppala says that the root of the word “enthusiasm” is Greek and means to be inspired or possessed by divinity, it literally means “inside God”.  Playing makes us like children who are fully present – a state which is often equated with being one with divinity.  She suggests that when our mind stays in the past, it usually dwells on negative emotions, such as anger or regret.  When it is in the future, anxiety and fear arise.  One of the reasons children are filled with extraordinary amounts of energy and enthusiasm may be that they are in the present moment.  Play, more than any activity, allows us to inhabit the present or another word she uses for describing play is the “state of flow”.  Flow occurs when we are completely immersed in an activity—the state of being 100 percent in the present moment.—and it is a state of great pleasure. 

I have a friend who has had a long time battle with Cancer.  At one point she was very sick to the point of appearing terminal and she relayed this story to me and I never forgot it. In talking about her state of mind during a stage when she certainly was appearing terminal she said: “Whenever I would think about not growing old with my husband or not seeing my grand-children I would become extremely anxious and afraid.”  But she would tell herself, “I have today; I can enjoy today.”  She reported that she felt great peace at that point.  As she pondered this she said the lesson she learned was that God only gives us the grace for today.  When she moved into worries about the future she didn’t have that grace yet.  . 

I think that’s a bit of what Dr. Seppala is also saying   Flow or play, whether in work or relaxation, is only found in the present moment.  It si a state we all find when we are fully engaged in what we are doing without drifting to the past or the future.  The present becomes play.  Play, like meditation, brings the mind back to the present moment.  Dr. Seppala uses a quote from Darshan Diaries in which an Indian spiritual teacher Osho writes, “Playfulness is as sacred as any prayer or maybe more sacred than any prayer, because playfulness, laughter, singing, dancing, will relax you.  And the truth is possible only in a relaxed state of being.  When you are totally relaxed, in a state of let-go, the impossible starts happening, the miracle starts happening.  Let-go is the secret of meditation….in play, the mind dissolves and relaxes.”

So, let’s play more.  Play, the ability to laugh and let go, to inhabit the present, and to be immersed in mirth and lightness of being – can be the ultimate act of love and belongingness.  When we can laugh and joke, we are remembering our joint humanity, our mutual desire for happiness and love, and our fundamental interconnectedness.