Father Bill's Page
October 20, 2009
Why prayer is not always answered
"Paul prayed three times that the Lord take away something (an affliction - a thorn in the flesh). Finally he heard the Lord’s answer in prayer explaining why the prayer of so great a man was not granted, and why it was not expedient for it to be granted; “My Grace is sufficient for you, for power shines forth more perfectly in weakness”.
In this kind of affliction, then, which can bring either good or ill, we
do not know what it is right to pray for; yet because it is difficult,
troublesome and against the grain for us, weak as we are, we do what
every human would do, we pray that it may be taken away from us.
We owe, however, at least this much in our duty to God; if he does not
take it away, we must not imagine that we are being forgotten by him
but, because of our loving endurance of evil, greater blessings in its
place. This is the way power shines forth more perfectly in weakness.
These words are written to prevent us from having too great an opinion of ourselves if our prayer is granted, when we are impatient in asking for something that it would be better not to receive; and to prevent us from being dejected, and distrustful of God’s mercy toward us, if our prayer is not granted, when we ask for something that would bring us greater affliction, or completely ruin us through corrupting influence of prosperity. In these cases we do not know what it is right to ask for in prayer.
Therefore, if something happens that we did not pray for, we must have no doubt at all that what God wants is more expedient than what we wanted ourselves. Our great Mediator gave us an example of this. After he had said: “Father, if it is possible, let this cup be taken away for me, he immediately added, “Yet not what I will, but what you will, Father”, so transforming the human will that was his through his taking our human nature. As a consequence, and rightly so, through the obedience of one man, the man are made righteous".
Saint Augustine“My Grace is sufficient for you (Holy Spirit) for power shines forth more perfectly in weakness". St. Paul
St. Paul “Ask and you shall receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, those who seek find and those who knock, the door will be opened.
Would any Father among you offer his son a snake when he asks for a fish or a scorpion when he asks for an egg? If you, bad as you are, know how to give good things to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him".
Luke 11:9-13 – also Matt“You respond clearly, but not everyone hears clearly. All ask what they wish, but do not always hear the answer they wish. Your best servant is he who is intent not so much on hearing his petition answered, as rather on willing whatever he hears from you”.
Saint Augustine
October 10, 2009
A Lesson From the Bees
Life is a balance, isn't it? We always seem to
be too much on one side or too much on the
other. It is hard to find that middle. Just like
the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears.
Everything was too big or too small, but she
searched until she found the bed or the chair
that was.... J u s t R i g h t
We seem, in our world, to always be living
with extremes: liberal - conservative, new -
old etc. Even in the church we struggle with
the balance between the active life and the
contemplative life, public prayer and private
prayer. Living in the world and living in the
Kingdom of God.
Sometimes poeple go to extremes even when it comes to living in this world versus living in the Kingdom. Some almost seem to be divorced from the kingdom, they are so emerged in the world, while others, seem to be so other- worldly that they don't seem to care about others.
Saint Augustine said that virtue is in the middle. But finding the middle is another story.
Saint Basil, one of the early Father of the Church (born 330AD), had something very profound to say about living, as they say, in the world, but not of the world.
He was referring to secular philosophy and writings.
"Just as bees take nectar from flowers, unlike other animals which limit themselves to enjoying the scent and color, so also from these writings...one can draw some benefit for the spirit. We must use these books, following in all things the example of the bees. They do not visit every flower without distinction or seek to remove all the nectar from the flowers on which they alight, but only draw from them what they need to make honey and leave the rest. And if we are wise, we will take from those writings what is appropriate for us and conforms to the truth, ignoring the rest."
We need to have balance. To take what is worthwhile and to leave the rest.
November 4, 2009
Do You want to be happy?
In the Beatitudes, Jesus gave all of us the
blueprint for happiness
Happy are the poor in Spirit:
Those who are not possessed by material things.
Happy the sorrowing:
Those who are truly sorry for their own sins and have sorrow, empathy, for the sins of others.
Happy the lowly:
Those who are gentle, who see the good in others: Who are quick to make excuses for the shortcomings of others.
Happy the hungering for holiness:
Those who have a burning desire to be filled
only with the Lord himself.
Happy the merciful:
Those who are able to forgive others.
Happy the single hearted:
Those who love God above all else.
Happy the Peacemakers:
Those who bring the solutions of peace and harmony into the family,
the work place, the Church.
Happy the persecuted:
Those who witness to their belief in God’s
love despite misunderstanding, exclusion and ridicule.
November 9, 2009
Seeking God
You want to seek God with all your life.
And love him with all your heart.
But you would be wrong
If you thought you could reach him.
Your arms are too short; your eyes are too dim;
Your heart and understanding too small.
To seek God
means first of all
to let yourself be found by Him.
He is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
He is the God of Jesus Christ.
He is your God,
not because He is yours
but because you are His.
Your prayer is therefore not so much a duty
As a privilege;
a gift rather than a problem
or the result of your own efforts.
So don’t tire yourself out looking for beautiful thoughts or words, but stay attentive before God in humility and expectation, in desire and purity of heart full of joy and hope. Your prayer will take countless forms. Because it is the echo of your life, and a reflection of the inexhaustible light in which God dwells.
Sometimes you will taste and see how good the Lord is. Be glad then, and give him all honor, because His goodness to you has no measure.
Sometimes you will be dry and joyless, like parched land or an empty well. But your thirst and helplessness will be your best prayer if you accept them with patience and embrace the lovingly.
Your
Arms
Are
Too
Short
Companions
The wise tell us that God abides in silence -That God speaks in the silent serenity of the heart. Let us not speak of silence; rather let silence speak to us of God.
Together, let us enter, through the door of serenity, the silence of our heart,
The chatter of our fears, our angers, our anxiety
The chatter of our desires and curiosity, of our projected plans and unfinished work...
Falls away in serenity
And makes space,
An open space,
For a new heart,
Created in the silence of prayer,
Created in the prayer of silence...
A heart that is free
Peaceful, quite and calm;
A heart that is one...
A heart so large and wide
That it embraces the God of all
And the all of God.
The God who in silence speaks all languages, the God who in silence speaks in all creatures, the God who speaks of love.
10 December 2009
Hail, Full of Grace, the Lord is with you…
With these words of the Angel Gabriel, we have the revealed Word of God and the truth about Mary.
The angel began his greeting with the words “Full of Grace”. What could those words mean other than Mary was filled with the Grace, the power, the presence of God, even before she said yes to the Incarnation: When she was impregnated with the Holy Spirit?
So before Jesus was conceived in the womb of Mary, she was already Full of Grace, Full of the power and presence of God.
There is no one in history to which this privilege was given. Not Joseph, not John the Baptist, not John the Beloved disciple: No one but Mary.
To be full of Grace, to be filled with the power and presence of God means that there is no room for anything else: If you are full, you are full. So, if you are full of Grace, you are empty of sin, all sin, even original; sin.
Our doctrine of the Immaculate Conception of Mary is very much scripture based. And there it is; you, Mary, are full of Grace, and being filled with Grace, you are, and have been, from the moment of your conception, empty of sin.
Think about it… Every time you pray the Hail Mary, you are acknowledging the truth that Mary was the sinless Mother of God.
On this Feast of the Immaculate Conception, we rejoice that one of our own was given this gift. And although the rest of us were born with a propensity toward sin, through the Sacrament of Baptism that propensity was wiped away.
We need to strive to avoid sin, as Mary needed to avoid sin, by always being open to the Will of God. Like Mary, we need to say, in every aspect of our daily lives: Let it be done onto me according to your word.
13 December 2009
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A Parable of Love for Lent
Outside the city, in the marsh near the river, grew a reed. He lived in the green and yellow marsh all his life and was content. When it rained he thanked God, when the sun seared the march he thanked God too (but not as loudly as before). He knew that although it scorched him outside and hurt; inside his roots were digging into the rich soil. But most if his days were like yours and mine… sunny, overcast, windy or drizzly.
One day (I’m not sure of the exact day) the Son of God walked through the march. He liked it out there, away from the whirlpool city. He saw the speckled reed and stopped to look at him. It wasn’t that he was particularly handsome, but the Son of God needed a reed to pipe on, and, with a little fixing up, this little reed would make a suitable instrument for his God.
He studied the reed and finally said, “Little reed, I need a pipe to play a melody. Would you let me pull you up by the roots (and that may hurt) but I wish to sing a song of love through you.”
The little reed could hardly believe what the Son of God was saying to him. But then, strangely enough, with no hesitation, he cried, “Yes, yes, let it be done.” And so Christ pulled up the reed by the roots. It was true, it did hurt, but love made it worthwhile. He lay in his hand and didn’t cry. Even when the Son of God took his knife and cut away the throbbing roots, he just wiped away a little tear that slipped down his cheek… “Yes, yes, let it be done!
The Son of God whittled him the way he wanted, to fit his palm and emptied all the clutter in his heart. And when he was virgin, hollow, empty, the Son of God kissed him and uttered through the reed a beautiful song of love.
The following is a letter from one of our parishioners.
It captures, so beautifully, the essence of this Liturgy that I asked that it be shared.
Father Bill,
I just wanted to say how very much I loved the Easter Vigil, not only
because Beverly was joining the church but because it was such a
beautiful liturgy. Easter vigil is my favorite mass of the whole
year. But this year was especially beautiful. I loved the blessing of
the fire, then coming in to darkness and the individual lighting of
the candles. It was so meaningful to be in darkness and see the
individual light of Christ being transferred from one person to
another until the whole church was aglow with candle light. I loved
the cantor singing the poetry without any music in the dark. And then
when we sang the Gloria with the bells ringing and the sanctuary all
lit up....it was too wonderful for words. I felt like a kid on
Christmas morning.
The whole ceremony for everyone joining the church was very
meaningful. When I joined the church, my parish had not yet
instituted RCIA. I joined alone. I missed a lot of the symbolism. But
this time I was just overwhelmed with all of it. The white robes and
new life, the candles, the cleansing with water, the renewal of
baptismal promises, the anointing with oil, the new names. This is
one of the things that I love so much about the Catholic church - its
rich liturgy and symbolism. It's one of the reasons that I chose the
Catholic church.
The music was beautiful. I love the traditional responses to all the
readings and the special Easter songs that were sung. I thought every
part of the mass was perfect.
I also liked the rest of the Triduum, too. Thanks for providing us
with scripts ahead of time. It is so easy to read from those red
booklets. I have read out of the missalettes many times during Good
Friday services and Palm Sunday. This is much easier. All of the
Triduum was beautiful but this year the Easter Vigil was magnificent.
Thanks,
Barbara
Easter Vigil Reflections - 2010
But when the Almighty, the Most High, wedded a bride (the Church) who was weak and of low estate, he made that maid-servant a queen. He took her from her place behind him, at his feet, and enthroned her at his side. She had been born from his side (from the wound on the cross), and therefore he betrothed her to himself. And as all that belongs to the Father belongs to the Son because by nature they are one, so also the bridegroom gave all he had to the bride and he shared in all that was hers. He made her one both with himself and with the Father. Praying for his bride, the Son said to the Father: “I want them to be one with us, even as you and I are one”.
And so the bridegroom is one with the Father and one with the bride. Whatever he found in his bride alien to her own nature he took from her and nailed to his cross when he bore her sins and destroyed them on the tree. He received from her and clothed himself in what was hers by nature and gave her what belonged to him as God. He destroyed what was diabolical, took to himself what was human, and conferred on her what was divine.
So all that belonged to the bride was shared by the bridegroom, and he who had done no wrong and on whose lips was found no deceit could say: “Have pity on me Lord for I am weak”. Thus, sharing as he did in the bride’s weakness, the bridegroom made his own her cries of distress, and gave his bride all that was his. Therefore, she too has the prerogative of receiving confession of sin and the power to forgive sin.
The Church, The Bride of Christ and Reconciliation
14 September 2010
The prerogative of receiving confession of sin and the power to forgive sins are two things that belong properly to God alone. We must confess our sins to him and look to him for forgiveness. Since only he has the power to forgive sins, it is to him that we must make our confession.
The Church is incapable of forgiving any sin without Christ, and Christ is unwilling to forgive any sin without the Church. The Church cannot forgive the sin of the one who has not repented, who has not been touched by Christ; Christ will not forgive the sin of the one who despises the Church. “What God has joined together, man must not separate. This is a great mystery, but I understand is as referring to Christ and the Church.”
Do not destroy the whole Christ by separating head from body, for Christ is not complete without the Church, nor is the Church complete without Christ. The whole and complete Christ is head and body.
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The Devil Made Me Do It!
Back in the 60’s there was a comedian named Flip Wilson who did a bit that involved an interesting cliché: The devil made me do it”. It was meant to be funny, but many people really believe that they are not responsible for the evil they create in their lives, but rather it comes from an outside force, of which they have no control. They perpetrate evil and then blame it on someone else; the devil, their parents, the church, society, government, etc.
Here is what a noted Theologian has to say about that.
If evil is neither uncreated nor created by God, where does it come from? Certainly no one who lives in the world will deny that evil exists. Then what shall we say?
Evil is not a living animated being: it is the condition of the soul opposed to virtue, developed in the careless, because they fell away from the good. Do not go beyond yourself to look for evil, and imagine that there is some original nature of wickedness.
Let’s admit it: each of us is the first author of his own vice. Among the ordinary events of life, some come naturally, like old age and sickness, and others by chance, like unforeseen accidents whose origin is outside ourselves, often sad, sometimes lucky, like finding a treasure when digging a well or meeting a mad dog when going to market.
Others depend on us, such as ruling our passions or not putting a bridle on our pleasures, being masters of our anger or raising a hand against someone who irates us, telling the truth or lying, being sweet and temperate or fierce and puffed up, and exalted with pride.
Here you are the master of your own actions. Don’t look for the guiding cause beyond yourself. Recognize that evil, real evil, has no origin than our voluntary lapses – Saint Basil the Great (Hexameron, 2.5)
Saint Basil the Great (Hexameron, 2.5)Do I look for someone else to blame for my sins? What would it mean to take real responsibility for me failings?
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