Town Hall Meeting

As most of you know we will be holding a parish-wide town hall meeting this Sunday, May 21st, at 12 Noon.  

I know, I know, another meeting...BOORRRINGGG!

If that's what you were thinking, you're wrong!  

What we have is an exciting opportunity to shape the future of this community.  We all know that OLMC is a wonderful, welcoming, and generous place, but what if we could make it even better?!  What if we could generate a new level of excitement from our youth, a new degree of belonging for our families, a greater experience of the sacred in our worship, and a more profound feeling of empowerment to serve God and others from each and every member of the parish?  This town hall meeting is your opportunity to help determine the direction this parish is heading, to let me know what you love about it and what exciting opportunities you see on the horizon.  It is my prayer that by our 100th anniversary in 2023 everyone that visits us at OLMC is immediately struck by the presence of the grace of God when they enter our church and inspired by the witness of Christ when they are served by a member of our community.  Join us this Sunday and help us give glory to God and serve our neighbors for years to come.

Preaching Peace in Egypt

You probably saw a few headlines this past weekend about Pope Francis' historic trip to Egypt.  Of course the last few popes have made it a point to travel extensively throughout the world but, for the most part, they have visited countries with large Christian populations or the Holy Land.  Egypt may have played a major role in the early history of the Church, but has long been a predominantly Muslim country and thus a striking and significant choice for a papal visit.  Adding gravity to the trip is the fact that the visit came on the heals of terrorist attacks on St. George's Church in the city of Tanta, Egypt on Palm Sunday that claimed 45 lives and injured 126 more.  Despite these attacks, however, the climate in the country overall seemed significantly more welcoming to the Holy Father than one may have expected just a few years ago.  We should be paying attention to this visit and the reception of the pope for three primary reasons:

1. History:  Pope Francis' visit is a reminder of a visit to the country by his namesake, St. Francis of Assisi, almost 800 years ago in 1219.  St. Francis made a trip during the Fifth Crusade in order to search for peace between the Christian and Muslim worlds and to convert Sultan Al-Kamil, the ruler of Egypt, to Christianity.  While the sultan did not convert and the crusade was not ended, the devotion and holiness of St. Francis left a lasting mark on the Muslim conception of Christianity.  All early reports indicate that Pope Francis, like the holy friar before him, captured the hearts and minds of all Egyptians, Muslim or Christian.
2. Christian Unity- Pope Francis was joined on his trip to Egypt by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, the Patriarch of Constantinople and first-among-equals within Eastern Orthodox Christianity.  While there the two met with Pope Tawadros II of Alexandria, the leader of Coptic Orthodox Christianity.  Pope Tawadros II represents the Oriental Orthodox Church, which was founded by St. Mark the Evangelist and separated from the Catholic Church in 451 while Patriarch Bartholomew represents the Eastern Orthodox Church, which was founded by St. Andrew the Apostle and separated from the Catholic Church in 1054.  Their meeting in Egypt was an historic encounter of the three traditional branches of Christianity and three leaders of Apostolic Churches.  The leaders gathered to discuss the path towards unity, to pray for the recently martyred Egyptian Christians, and to lend solidarity to a Christian community that has often been threatened by terrorist acts.  Their meeting could very well mark a turning point in the reunification of Christendom, which has been divided for centuries, and give hope for all dialogues moving forward.  
3. Christian-Muslim Dialogue: As inspiring as the meeting between the three great Christian leaders was, Pope Francis' principle reason for visiting the Arab Republic was most likely to preach a message of peace in a country that is trying to eliminate the presence of extremist terrorism.  Cairo, the Egyptian capital where Francis stayed, is traditionally the center of Islamic academics and scholarship and boasts a university, Al-Azhar, which predates Oxford and is one of the oldest centers of higher learning in the world.  By meeting with Muslim leaders there, Francis is signalling a willingness of Catholic and Muslim clerics and academics to dialogue at an elevated level and work together to put an end to religious violence and intolerance. As stated before, all early returns seem to indicate that the visit was a success and that Egyptian Muslims in the universities and on the streets were struck by the simple message of the pontiff.

Keep an eye out for the continued fruits of Pope Francis' visit to Europe.  We have undoubtedly just witnessed an historic moment, but, God-willing, we may also have witnessed a turning point in the relationship between the three major branches of Apostolic Christianity and in the relationship between the Catholic Church and Islam.

Happy Earth Day!

“But now ask the beasts to teach you,
the birds of the air to tell you;
Or speak to the earth to instruct you,
and the fish of the sea to inform you.
Which of all these does not know
that the hand of God has done this?
In his hand is the soul of every living thing,
and the life breath of all mortal flesh.”

— Job 12: 7-10

Receiving and Returning

Christ is risen!  He is risen indeed!  I hope everyone is enjoying still celebrating Easter this year.

If today weren't Easter Friday, however, we'd be celebrating the feast day of St. Anselm of Canterbury.  St. Anselm was perhaps the first great theologian in the English-speaking world and marked the beginning of what we call the "Scholastic" period, a period in our Church history when philosopher-theologians plumbed the depth of human knowledge and rationality in order to better understand the mysteries of our Faith.  

Anselm made many contributions to our faith, he developed a theory of atonement explaining why Christ died for our sins, articulated an ontological argument for the existence of God, and championed the idea that our faith is the beginning of our understanding of the world.  One of his most striking ideas, however, is that of exitus-reditus.  Exitus-reditus means that our Triune God, who is love, never ceases offering his love to us.  This love makes its home in the human soul, which is made in the image of God.  When we truly receive this love of God we can have no other response than to return it to our God.  In other words a human being is only truly alive, truly thriving, when she receives love from God and then, invigorated by that love, is drawn back to God.  Nothing, then, is more fully human and never are we more truly in the image of God than when we receive His love and return it to Him.

It is in that spirit that I want to share with you one of the most beautiful hymns in our tradition, one that priests and sisters pray each of the eight days of the Octave of Easter.  This version is composed by the Cambridge composer John Rutter.  May it help you to receive God's love and return it to the Blessed Trinity...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qg7G4E1B_k

Joyful Eastertide

What a beautiful celebration of the Triduum and Easter Sunday here at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel!  Just a quick reminder that our celebration of the Resurrection didn't end on Sunday, it only began...Easter is an octave, meaning it doesn't end until the second Sunday of Easter, Divine Mercy Sunday and the Easter season lasts until Pentecost (that's 50 days).  So keep celebrating the Empty Tomb!

Here's a video of the most famous piece of music ever composed, Handel's Hallelujah Chorus, to keep you singing.

Encountering MLK

On April 4th, 1968 (49 years ago today) Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. was shot and killed on a hotel balcony in Memphis, Tennessee.  

Ten years ago I visited a friend of mine, Fr. Victor Ingalls, in his hometown of Montgomery, Alabama as part of an event joining priests and seminarians from all over the country with the Catholic community there.  As part of the trip we visited Rev. King's parish--Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.  It was powerful to see the pulpit where the civil rights leader preached the Gospel message of the inherent dignity of each human person, regardless of race or ethnicity.  It was touching to meet members of his congregation where, in the years following his death, they have continued to live out Jesus' call to serve and ministry to the poor and the marginalized.  It was inspiring to stand in the spot where Rev. King and other civil rights leaders organized the famous Montgomery Bus Boycott.  The most moving part, however, was located in the basement of the church where a massive mural painted by John W. Feagin covers each wall.  The most striking portion of the mural was a depiction of King, dressed completely in white, as if joining the saints in heaven.  I think it was striking because often we look at Martin Luther King, Jr. as a political figure or an activist and, while certainly he had a profound impact on politics in the United States and around the world, I believe he would have described himself first and foremost as a man of God.  He was a preacher, not a politician and, while his message is certainly relevant for people of all creeds, he approached his cry for justice and racial equality from the perspective of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  

It is a reminder to all of us that for many civil rights leaders it was their faith that drove and inspired them to fight against oppression and discrimination.  It was their faith that gave them the language and the character to continue their struggle against insurmountable odds for so long.  It was their faith that reminded them of the long Biblical struggle of the People of God and the redemption offered by Christ.  As Christians Rev. King's life and message should be both a source of pride and a challenge to us.  A reminder that our faith can do remarkable things in the world when we truly live it out.

(Unfortunately I couldn't find a good picture of the part of the mural I mentioned, so I guess you'll have to visit yourself!)

Blessed Oscar Romero

On March 24th we celebrated the feast day of Blessed Oscar Romero.  Oscar Romero was the Archbishop of San Salvador in the 1970s, while the country of El Salvador was wracked with poverty and internal strife.  He served as a tireless voice for the poorest of the poor and was not afraid to condemn government and military oppression as contrary to the Gospel.  Because of his outspoken defense of the Catholic faith and the People of God, Romero was shot and killed while celebrating Mass on March 24, 1980...a true martyr of the 20th century.

During my time in Rome I typically attended a memorial Mass held in his honor every year at the Church of San Marcello al Corso on the anniversary of his martyrdom.  The church was usually packed with religious sisters, priests, and laypeople who served the Church in Central America and shared stories of friends and colleagues who were similarly martyred in their service to the poor.  It was a great reminder to me that there are still martyrs being made every year in our world and, as with El Salvador in the 1970s, sometimes our own government shares some responsibility for the bloodshed that leads to the loss of life.

I would encourage everyone to look into the life of Blessed Oscar Romero or others like him.  There is a great film Romero, countless books, documentaries, and firsthand accounts out there.  There are still martyrs being made in parts of the world and we are called to hear their cries and seek justice and the spread of the Gospel along with them.

Bl. Oscar Romero...pray for us!

Santo subito!

Patrick, Joseph, and Crooked Lines

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Patrick has long been one of the patrons of Ireland and his feast day has become a very big deal in other parts of the world with substantial amounts of Irish immigration and everyone knows that he was one of the principle actors in the story of Ireland's conversion to Catholicism.  But the circumstances of his life's work are pretty intense.  Patrick was actually not Irish, but British (we're not completely sure if he was English, Welsh, or Scottish).  At a young age he as kidnapped and sold into slavery in Ireland and only later did he come back and offer his preaching and service to the people of Ireland.  His story matches a little bit with today's reading from the book of Genesis about the patriarch Joseph.  Joseph was the youngest son of Jacob and resented by his older brothers.  Because he was "daddy's favorite" his brothers sold him into slavery in Egypt.  Years later, however, it was Joseph (by then an important adviser in the country where he was once a slave) who saved his starving family by welcoming them into Egypt to find food and work.  

In both of these stories we see God taking a traumatic and evil event (being sold into slavery) and using it to do great things in the world.  These two men could have been forgiven for harboring hatred and resentment for the people who brought them so much suffering, but instead they used their experiences to bring the light of God into the very communities that oppressed them.  God certainly does work in mysterious ways.  It's not that he causes bad things to happen to us or forces others to sin, it's that he can use anything, absolutely anything, to accomplish his work in the world.  Patrick and Joseph demonstrate to us that even when evil befalls us, we are never down for the count when we trust in God and accept His grace in our life.  He doesn't introduce crooked lines into the world, but he sure can write straight with them!

Erin go bragh!

Purim and Providence

Today's first daily Mass reading comes from the Book of Esther and tells the story of a queen who, when faced with the possible eradication of the Jewish nation-in-exile, places her trust in the Providence of God, asks for His intervention, and acts.  This great tale of God's Providence working in the everyday events of our world will be commemorated by our Jewish brothers and sisters this weekend during the festival of Purim.  Check out this video and learn the story of Queen Esther, her role in history, and the origins of Purim.

To the margins with Katharine Drexel

Today we celebrate one of our American saints and a woman from Pennsylvania at that!  St. Katharine Drexel came from a wealthy family in Philadelphia and dedicated her life to the formation of a womens' religious order that served communities that were neglected by many in the 19th century United States--Native Americans and African Americans.  She spent her life to be with people that were abandoned by others and inspired countless others to do the same.  The message from her is simple and clear--don't be afraid to go to the margins, don't be afraid to reach out to those who are forgotten, don't be afraid to bring Christ to the edges of society.  We go to the margins, wherever they may be, not just out of a sense of charity, but out of a sense of justice.  We do this not because we have pity, but because there is grace and wisdom and strength in the margins that can bring light into the world.

In a not completely unrelated note it is always so inspiring to me to see the huge crowds of people coming to Mass for Ash Wednesday or participating in Lenten practices.  It's a sign that there are many out there who may not be completely engaged in the life of the Church, but still identify with their Catholic faith.  We hear a lot about how the influence of organized religion is waning in America, so seeing hundreds and hundreds of parishioners at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel and students at Misericordia take time out of their day to commemorate the beginning of Lent can be a great sign for our future.  I hope we can all continue to nurture and encourage our brothers and sisters in their faith this Lent.