Posted by admin on 21 Apr 2011 | Tagged as: Sports
For the Bruins, tonight’s game with the Bruins can either get them back into this series and make it a “best of three” or the Canadiens could take a commanding 3 to 1 lead. Of the major Boston pro teams, the Bruins have gone the longest without winning a championship. So here’s hoping for a great game tonight. Did Lake Placid treat you well, boys?
Posted by admin on 20 Mar 2011 | Tagged as: Sports
Ok, if Pittsburgh and Louisville had won, I would be looking pretty good. Should have trusted Butler!
Posted by admin on 20 Mar 2011 | Tagged as: Musings
I must confess I have not thought about voting much. While there are elections where I live in a few weeks, I have voted often enough that the basic and fundamental right is lost on me. Put simply, I take it for granted.
But not the people of Egypt. Many voted today for the very first time in their lives. And they were very rightly excited. Cell phone pictures of ink stained fingers that indicated they had voted. Hopefully this early enthusiasm for a right long denied will not wear off to quickly. We know all to well that as wonderful is the gift of democracy, at the same time it is messy. It does not always turn out the way we intend. And there are always winners and losers. And it is not always clear who they are.
But, for all of its messiness, there is nothing better. And hopefully there will be some lesson we can learn in all of this. It may not seem all that powerful, and we may not get all that excited anymore about an election. But, we can never forget how precious is the gift to speak our mind and make a choice.
Posted by admin on 20 Mar 2011 | Tagged as: Announcements
You will notice that spiritual reflections have been moved to the DP Dominican Pages, since preaching seemed a more logical place for these to reside. They can be found there, as well as on the homepage of the DePorres Pages. This blog will be used as a place for eclectic topics that inspire me from time to time. Hopefully the changes will help!
Posted by admin on 05 Jan 2011 | Tagged as: Spiritual Reflection
Readings for Sunday, January 9, 2011
Isn’t it ironic that for many of us, an event of tremendous magnitude in our lives is one we do not remember, since we were infants? Isn’t it odd that our baptisms exist for us only as an encounter told to us by others, or in pictures? And yet, in this moment, a life of grace was opened for us.
The baptism of Jesus, which we celebrate today, presented an interesting point of reflection for the early Church. Who was the Messiah? One of the questions we reflected on during the Advent season was the encounter when John, from prison, sends his disciples to Jesus to see if he is the Messiah.
There are many similarities which at first glance, might cause some confusion. Both Jesus and John were preachers. Both gathered disciples around them.
Both were reformers, and both, in their own way, called people to conversion. A quick read of today’s encounter could leave the impression John might be the more important of the two.
But the gospels go to some length to make sure we get it. In the gospel of John, John the Baptizer is identified as a man sent by God to testify to the light, even though he himself is not the light. In every encounter of John and Jesus at the baptism, John is reluctant. It is John who sends disciples to Jesus to see if he is the Messiah. And it is John who says he must decrease, while Jesus must increase.
So what is the point of today’s encounter? Why does Jesus seek to be baptized? It cannot be that Jesus is in need of conversion, since he is the Son of
God, who is like us in all things BUT sin. Why is this encounter between John and Jesus recorded? What deeper point might we be trying to understand at God’s invitation?
I would like to suggest there is a two-fold purpose to today’s encounter between Jesus and John. First, on a human level, today’s encounter serves as a confirmation of sorts, that the Father is pleased with the work of the Son. The encounter in today’s gospel, unlike in others, seems to be an experience that only applies to Jesus.
Second, the encounter also serves as a reminder that the Kingdom of God turns everything upside down. Nothing is as it appears. Just a few short weeks ago, we heard that lion and lamb would lie down together, baby would play in the adder’s lamb, and the bear would eat hay like the ox. More importantly, today’s encounter serves as an invitation to each one of us to be the person described in the first reading.
Can we be the person described? Clearly Christians have seen in the first reading from Isaiah a description of Jesus. Secondly, both Jews and Christians see the “work” of the first reading to be work done by God alone. But, we also acknowledge the presence of God which dwells within, and the dignity each human being has as a result.
Moreover, the call from God is one made to all. Everyone shares in the invitation to salvation, because God wishes all to be saved. That is the good news.
That is what Jesus came to preach, and it is this gospel message of salvation that has been entrusted now to us.
Posted by admin on 01 Jan 2011 | Tagged as: Spiritual Reflection
Remember all of the hoopla and concern over the coming of the New Millennium, more than ten years ago? There was all kind of concern about what would happen as computers had to deal with a date change to the year 2000? There were fears computer systems all over the world would crash? And life, as we had come to know it, might cease? Seemed like much ado about nothing in hindsight.
But this was a time when we were challenged to remember our precarious and fragile life. Things we take very much for granted, like electricity, could have been seriously compromised, not only in our house, but everywhere. And for some, the feeling of insecurity was great. For others, not as much. And now, not really any sense this chapter in our lives was nothing more than a brief chapter which might have shaken us out of our boredom.
I remember a man who worked for an electric company telling me they had worked to develop a “mirror system” where the computer thought it was 1972, since that year, like 2000 was a leap year, and January 1 in both years was a Saturday. All kinds of personal effort went into human efforts to stave off the
potential disaster.
In light of this focus on technology, and human efforts to prevent it, it can be hard to imagine a world where humans were most attentive to the sky and those signs over which they had no control. Such are the seekers we call magi. Attentive to signs in the sky, they find themselves following something not of their making. They are not only attentive to the world around them, but at the same time they surrender to what it tells them. And in this surrender to the miraculous, they encounter the manifestation of God.
The good news is that such an invitation is always available for us too. We, like the magi, live in a world where we are offered the same choice: to seek, only by our human efforts to do something or to prevent something, or, to surrender to the presence of God pervasive in our world.
And as is typical in an encounter rich in symbols, the very gifts given hold meaning that is more than meets the eye. Gold, frankincense and myrrh. The gift of royalty, prophets and death. A foreshadowing of Jesus’ life, and the events we will celebrate and live over the course of this new year.
What awaits us? It is, of course, impossible for us to say. Still, since the presence of God is pervasive, and we live in a community of believers, whatever we face, will not be done alone. Let us surrender to the presence of God in our lives.
Posted by admin on 01 Jan 2011 | Tagged as: Spiritual Reflection
Readings for Mary, the Mother of God.
Mothers save. Mothers treasure. Mothers cherish. When I think of the many babies I have baptized, I cannot think of even one instance where a mother was not completely overwhelmed with joy over the birth of her child. In fact, often, I am shown picture after picture of the child, and at the baptism, picture after picture is taken to commemorate this joyous occasion.
So it should not come as any surprise when, in today’s reading, Mary treasures the events surrounding the birth of her son, Jesus. While it seems hard for me to imagine she would have the energy given the life changing reality any baby is for a family, today’s gospel tells us that Mary treasures and cherishes these things in her heart.
As a mother, and as the Mother of God, Mary is a model not only for the Church, but for each individual believer. As Dominicans, we are described as “active contemplatives”, that is, as people who both are engaged in ministry, and at the same time as people who are invited to reflected and contemplate the presence of God.
As such, Mary is a perfect model. Active as a mother in the raising of her son, at the same time she seeks out those times when she can reflect and treasure the events in her heart.
Today then is the invitation to reflect on the presence of Jesus. Can we take time out of our lives, to embrace a Dominican gift, the gift of reflection, contemplation and prayer? Can we take some time out of our busy schedules to discover again the presence of God who has always been a part of our lives?
Posted by admin on 23 Dec 2010 | Tagged as: Spiritual Reflection
Readings for The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph
We often speak of a parish as a family. We extend greetings on behalf of the parish family and we often ask from the parish family. As we celebrate today the Holy Family, I thought it might be helpful to think about what it means to refer to the Church as a family.
If a person wishes to start a conflict today, just pose a question: What is a family? When I went to dictionary.com, I found a whole bunch of definitions.
–noun 1. a. a basic social unit consisting of parents and their children, considered as a group, whether dwelling together or not: the traditional family.
b. a social unit consisting of one or more adults together with the children they care for: a single-parent family.
2. the children of one person or one couple collectively: We want a large family.
3. the spouse and children of one person: We’re taking the family on vacation next week.
4. any group of persons closely related by blood, as parents, children, uncles, aunts, and cousins: to marry into a socially prominent family.
5. all those persons considered as descendants of a common progenitor.
6. Chiefly British . approved lineage, especially noble, titled, famous, or wealthy ancestry: young men of family.
7. a group of persons who form a household under one head, including parents, children, and servants.
8. the staff, or body of assistants, of an official: the office family.
9. a group of related things or people: the family of romantic poets; the halogen family of elements.
10. a group of people who are generally not blood relations but who share common attitudes, interests, or goals and, frequently, live together: Many hippie
communes of the sixties regarded themselves as families.
11. a group of products or product models made by the same manufacturer or producer.
12. Biology . the usual major subdivision of an order or suborder in the classification of plants, animals, fungi, etc., usually consisting of several genera.
13. Slang . a unit of the Mafia or Cosa Nostra operating in one area under a local leader.
14. Linguistics . the largest category into which languages related by common origin can be classified with certainty: Indo-European, Sino-Tibetan, and Austronesian are the most widely spoken families of languages. Compare stock ( def. 12 ) , subfamily ( def. 2 )
15. Mathematics . a. a given class of solutions of the same basic equation, differing from one another only by the different values assigned to the constants in the equation. b. a class of functions or the like defined by an expression containing a parameter. c. a set.
–adjective
16. of, pertaining to, or characteristic of a family: a family trait.
17. belonging to or used by a family: a family automobile; a family room.
18. suitable or appropriate for adults and children: a family amusement park.
19. not containing obscene language: a family newspaper.
—Idiom
20. in a / the family way, pregnant.
Given these various ways of understanding family, how is it the Church is a family? Obviously, there is a strong connotation that family is like marriage,
since “a man shall leave his father and mother and the two shall become one flesh.” There is the strong comparison of the love of Christ for the Church and
the love of a husband and wife. There is, at least in Western culture, a sense that family is both chosen (a woman chooses to marry a man) and not chosen (children do not get to choose their parents).
But it does seem quite obvious the concept of a family, the basic unit of society, is the necessary foundation for a strong society. We can usually admit that love is a powerful action that builds something permanent. Indeed, what parent does not witness the power of this love at the birth of their child?
It is in this powerful sense of love, of care and concern, of sacrifice and generosity, that family is used as a metaphor for the Church. It is quite obvious from Scripture the love of Christ is this powerful, and absolutely life giving person who builds, founds and sustains the Church. But the Second Vatican Council seemed to remind us that we too are entrusted with a mandate to carry out this love. ““In what might be regarded as the domestic church, the parents are to be the first preachers of the faith for their children by word and example” (Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium, #11).”
The word tradition means “to hand over.” What are we seeking to hand over to our children? What are we seeking to “pass on” to the next generation?
Do we see the Church as a family where we are challenged to hand over, to pass on, the most precious gift of all, namely the awareness of God’s presence
and action in the world?
Posted by admin on 22 Dec 2010 | Tagged as: Spiritual Reflection
Even though we are not in school, I thought it might be helpful to write some thoughts. There are many choices for the readings at Christmas, depending on what Mass is attended. Rather than offer reflections for each Mass, I thought it might be helpful to offer a summary of possible lessons that can be taught at Christmas.
First, faith in the word cannot simply be kept inside. It must be spoken, proclaimed, shouted. Especially once THE word, Jesus comes. Jesus cannot be silent, Jesus cannot be quiet; rather, Jesus is impelled by the Holy Spirit to take what was barren, lifeless, dead, and shout fertile! Life filled! Alive!
No longer forsaken and desolate, the promise to the Church is now clear: Jesus marries the Church, because the Church is the community that is entrusted with the sacramental witness. And since Jesus is God, the sign of his birth is a clear sign of God’s absolute delight in humanity, and is a clear sign of God’s absolute desire for the salvation of everyone.
Second, this presence of God is not available only for a select few. Everyone is able to see the power of God, present in Jesus. Mary treasures in her heart, but the Shepherds are too given the glorious sign of God’s presence. It is not just the lucky, or even the elect, but rather any heart is able to receive the grace of God.
Third, this Word of God is beautiful, precious, elegant, life-changing. And because we too are in God’s image, we too are beautiful; we too can share in the preciousness of being the very persons who proclaim the word, the very Word of God who is light in darkness.
So, do not be afraid! For unto us God gives His Son, a light in darkness, life in the shadow of death, the very presence of God.
Posted by admin on 16 Dec 2010 | Tagged as: Spiritual Reflection
Readings for the Fourth Sunday of Advent
Catholics love the tangible, the concrete, the visible. We love signs, sacraments, symbols. We make claims about the ordinary stuff of our lives that are miraculous indeed. Put simply, we believe God is active and alive in our world. Or do we?
Ahaz is an interesting King. He is concerned, because there are small countries under the control of his protector, Assyria, which want to break away.
Ahaz has sided with Assyria, but still remains somewhat nervous as to what the outcome will be. In an attempt to reassure, God, through Isaiah, tells Ahaz to ask for a sign of the outcome.
But Ahaz is in a tight spot. Enemy troops are on his soil. It is not clear there are the resources necessary to hold out under a siege. There is hostility all around, and even Ahaz position as king is in jeopardy. He is in a tight spot. On the one hand, is the option to ask Assyria to intervene on his behalf, drive out the rogue states seeking to secede, and to keep Ahaz in power. On the other hand is Isaiah, who is telling Ahaz to trust in God.
This reading from Isaiah gets placed here, in the fourth Sunday of Advent, because it represents the ultimate choice for human beings: “Do we trust in our own efforts, or do we turn our lives over to trust in God? As frightened as Ahaz is (and with him the people), Isaiah speaks comforting words. Ask God for a sign. As Bernhard Anderson writes, “The purpose of a sign is to make visible, to confirm dramatically, the truth and power of Yahweh’s word spoken by the prophet.”
But Ahaz does not ask. Using a pretense, namely that he would be too pious to tempt God, he refuses to ask. Perhaps this is because he has already decided he cannot trust in God, but will put his trust in the Assyrians. Whatever the reason, the sign is given anyway: a virgin bearing a child.
It becomes clear then, why Christians saw in this short passage from Isaiah a connection to the birth of Jesus. The human birth of Jesus confirms “the truth and power of God’s word”. But in the Christian sense, it obviously moves much deeper. The birth of Jesus will confirm God’s word because the birth of Jesus IS God’s word. Jesus is the logos, the Word, that has the final say.
So, in whom do we place our trust? Are we like Ahaz, placing our trust in humans, or are we Catholics, who see in the outward signs the inward glory and presence of God?