Fr. Ron's weekly letter to his parish 2000

Pastor’s notes
December 30/31, 2000

In the book, "GENERATION X" four people reveal their "earth memory" to each other. One of them tells the following story:

"I know my earth memory. It's a smell --the smell of bacon. It was a Sunday morning at home and we were all having breakfast, an unprecedented occurrence since me and all six of my brothers and sisters inherited my mother's tendency to detest the sight of food in the morning. We'd sleep instead.

"Anyhow, there wasn’t even a special reason for the meal. All nine of us simply ended up in the kitchen by accident, with everyone being funny and nice to each other, and reading out the grisly bits from the newspaper. It was sunny; no one was being psycho or mean.

"I remember very clearly standing by the stove and frying a batch of bacon. I knew even then that this was the only such morning our family would ever be given--a morning when we would all be normal and kind to each other and know that we like each other without any strings attached--and that soon enough (and we did) we would become batty and distant the way families invariably do as they get along in years.

"And so I was close to tears, listening to everyone make jokes and feeding the dog bits of egg; I was feeling homesick for the event while it was happening. All the while my forearms were getting splattered by little pinpricks of hot bacon grease, but I wouldn't yell. To me, those pinpricks were no more or no less pleasurable than the pinches my sisters used to give me to extract from me the truth about which one I loved the most. It's those pricks and the smell of bacon that I'm going to be taking away with me; that will be my memory of earth

Generation X by Douglas Coupland pg. 95
(There is no moral to the story - I'd just thought you might like it!)

Parenting is a great entry into the paschal mystery! Good parents spend their children's growing years emptying themselves of their own desires for the sake of the well-being of their children, endlessly and willingly sacrificing for them. Then, when the children become adults, parents must be willing to "cut the apron strings" and let go so the children can be about their own business. Like Hannah and Mary, good parents always nurture and take care of their children but then they willingly give back what they have received. Dying and rising. Sacrificing and giving back. Such is the way of life. Such is what the holy family is really all about.

As I write this Christmas is still a week away, but so many good things have happened and I anticipate more good to come. If you did not get chance to be at the 5pm Mass, Christmas tree lighting, dinner and story telling you missed a truly "magical" moment. Recognition and "thank you's" will appear in another place--but for all those things that go into making Christmas a deeply spiritual experience of the Lord and to all the people that participated (from children to adults) we have been a community blessed this year. I thank God first for the gift of the mystery of Incarnation--and then for the presence of God as I see God "incarnated" in the people who are the church --the church of St. James!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!
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December 16 and 17, 2000
In a Roman Catholic elementary school, a few days before Christmas, the curtain was about to go up on a nativity play. The centerpiece of the set was a crèche, complete with statues of Mary, Joseph, the three wise men, shepherds, sheep and other animals. Two nuns were busy making last-minute adjustments to the children’s costumes. The school principal was standing by, keeping an eye on the preparations. Suddenly, in a panic, one of the nuns rushed up to her and said, "Mother Superior, we forgot the baby Jesus." With a wry smile, Mother Superior replied: "That’s exactly the trouble with this world!" + + +

How ought one to feel at Christmas time? One of my favorite scenes remembered from an old Bob Newhart show (when he was a psychotherapist) was a time when he held a Christmas party for his patients. The party was a resounding flop and everyone grew more and more quiet. Finally Bob asked them to share their feelings. After a long silence one timid patient finally said that he thought the party "stunk". Well, when he said this another said "you think that?! O thank goodness, I thought the same thing but was afraid to say it." And then everyone chimed in about how bad they thought the party was – and they all had a good time saying it (except Bob). Well the truth was out – and there was great relief in finding the truth.

"The truth will make you free" Jesus once said… and
it was well demonstrated here. And if that is how you
feel, well, that’s how you feel. You need not make
excuses for it. One can’t force happiness on another…
one can only offer the opportunity for happiness.
This third Sunday of Advent speaks about joy.
Rejoice, again I say rejoice…! The Christ Who is to
come invites us to a new life – a real life that
satisfies the soul. Jesus himself is the source of
that life which brings joy. Below is a prayer based on the forty-second psalm. Perhaps it will help you meditate or possibly give expression to your feelings.

I will go up to the altar of God
to sing songs of gratitude,
for God gives joy in my youth,
joy in my middle age,
and the greatest joy in old age.
I go joyfully up to God’s holy altar,
not in the chains of obligation,
bowing, foot-dragging, dreary,
to do some duty,
but to dance drunk with gratitude
before the Source, the Fountain of Joy.
Thank you God for theft-proof joy
and ageless idealism.
thank you for the joy of work
well and honestly done,
for the easy yoke of obligations
that are embraced out of love.
gleaned from a glossary Thank you, too, for the joy of
wisdom,
of many mistakes and errors.
I will go to the altar of God
who gives joy in youth,
in middle years and in old age;
I will go to God, the joy of my death.
(Edward M. Hays)

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December 9th & 10th, 2000
Possibly, in the spirit of Keep It Simple Christian (KISC) (a recently formed group in our parish), I offer the following wisdom given by one of our parishioners. A family understanding of Christmas was built on the stories of the birth of Christ. The children would be taught and come to understand that the child Jesus received 3 gifts (from the Magi) at Christmas time. In that spirit the children could come to know that for
Christmas they would get 3 gifts, plus a gift from mom and dad and from their grandparents. Rather than "pile
it on" at Christmas the gifts were carefully selected. There was a discipline in their giving and receiving
(after all, if we get everything we want how is one to build character?). And should it happen that the children end up telling their friends what they got for Christmas and their friends might question why (seemingly so little?) they gave a good answer based on one of the Christmas stories. It’s a way of giving witness not only to the birth of Jesus – but to how people live their faith.

The name, Dave Garroway, may be familiar to some who read this bulletin… he was the first person to host
the Today Show. Mr. Garroway came to be a wealthy man. On one occasion he was asked to put his Christmas desire into words:
"I’ve noticed when people are asked what they want
for Christmas, nine times out of ten they answer with
something material. That used to be amusing to me, but
it’s not amusing to me any longer. I happen to be one
of those people who can afford almost anything he
wants, but I find what I really want I can’t buy at
all. I want peace! Peace of mind! Peace of soul! The
kind of peace you have when you really don’t want
anything material."

When our brother Jesus leapt down from heaven into our midst people listened to him not because he was
wealthy, not because he was a political leader, and not because he was famous. They listened because he
spoke as no one had spoken before and because he lived what he taught. And what he taught caught their
hearts’ desires and spirit. What they received was not relief from the harshness of life. They received a gift of peace, light in darkness, and a new life. There was a sense of wholeness in their lives.

For some, the search for wholeness is an endless cycle of having to go one better than our peers. For
others, it becomes simply the business of being seen our good looks, perhaps or our clothes. There are
loads of gimmicks to try to find fulfillment – but sooner or later, we are confronted with the truth:
gimmicks do not work!

My saying that won’t convince you. Some get the point – some don’t.
Joy is an authentic sign of a Christian - but one person observed that "Christians don’t have the look
of a redeemed people." We’ll hear a lot about "joy" this Advent and Christmas. Billy Sunday, an evangelist,
remarked in a sermon in 1914: "The trouble with many people is that they have just enough religion to make
them miserable. If there is not joy in religion, you have got a leak in your religion."

Make the time to be quiet, to listen, and to reflect…and if necessary, to change. Each Christmas ought to be better than the last. Your joy should expand out to the family and the neighborhood… and bring it with you
when you come to celebrate His birth.
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December 2nd & 3rd, 2000
Things don’t always work out the way we desire. The train is late, the dress doesn’t look as good for the special occasion as you thought it would, the job offer or promotion doesn’t work out or it doesn’t snow on the day you have the big exam (the one you’re for which you are not prepared).

Over the ages we find that in eastern religions people may be urged to do away with all desire. If you desire nothing than you won’t be disappointed. In western thought people try to reduce physical malfunctions to zero. Design a train system that never (or almost never) breaks down, or eat healthy enough and you will never be sick.

Sanity says that life is a mix of what is fixable and what is insurmountable. Therefore you can either grin and bear it or take care of your own space and don’t expect too much…don’t get too involved with anyone or anything. If you lose a friend then you can say "it’s only a friend" - it doesn’t much matter.

Yet, we continue to live lives filled with over commitments. Some desires overrun their capacity for realization. It’s here that we face our limitations (and our frustrations).

Religion, in a loose way, begins with our frustrations. Though we Christians will face death we persist in our belief of immortality. This religious impulse is a form of over commitment. We human beings reject simple and common wisdom and we keep entangling ourselves in vast over-commitments to lovers, to children, to causes, to corporations and communes. We do not always give up on what seems impossible. Some of our desires are so worthy they are impossible to abandon (e.g. the desire for justice, or peace, or being reunited with loved ones).

Religion arises from these "frustrations. Religion "takes off" when one is no longer able to bargain away desires. A real, unavoidable, and deeply moral desire collides with a seemingly insurmountable barrier. This collision establishes the starting point for the distinctly religious. Eastern religion tends to solve the dilemmas of desire by declaring all desires as illusory. Biblical religion takes a different course. There is a deep core of human longing that cannot be dismissed and yet cannot be realized – at least by human wit and will. In this tradition one needs help from the top to solve the frustration of the human heart. One does not need to go to the newspaper or news broadcasts to see what I am speaking of. You need only go into your own heart and you will understand.

In this season of Advent we will hear proclaimed to us:
In those days I will raise up for David a just shoot;
he shall do what is right and just in the land
(Jeremiah 33)
I am confident of this, that the one who began a good
work in you will continue to complete it until the day
of Christ Jesus.
A voice of one crying out in the desert: "Prepare the
way of the Lord, make straight his paths." (Luke 3)
But when these signs begin to happen, stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand. (Luke 21)

What is it your heart desires - for yourself? For your family? For your friends? For your church? For your society? These things Advent can bring us to realize what it is for which we wait. Advent can reveal the power and the need of God in life.

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Pastor’s notes:

November 22 , 2000
This Wednesday Evening, November 22nd,
at 7:30 p.m. an Interfaith Thanksgiving Day Service will be held at St. James Church. And on Thanksgiving
Day itself we will have Mass at 9:00 a.m. Put it on your calendar to plan to attend one of them (or
possibly, both.

Many Catholics will remember the "last four things": death, judgement, heaven and hell. It was a way the
church told us in strong language that our actions have consequences… even reaching beyond our present
life.

A priest once gave a fire and brimstone sermon – and during the sermon the electricity went out. He thought
to himself that this "would put the fear of God into them." After Mass a woman told him: "When the lights
went out, I thought: "There goes all the food in the fridge!" It is wondrous in the midst of amazing
things we cannot escape ordinary ways of thinking… even at the end of the world.

Fr. James Smith ponders what questions he would reflect on at the end of the world (or the end of his
life). "If the world were ending, I would first wonder if I was angry with anyone, or they with me." It seems like a small worry – but then again, what else do people have except each other? We need to have our lives in some sort of harmony. Life can be burdensome enough but it becomes intolerable under the displeasure of a fellow human. "We owe it to each other at least this much; that we not be resentful over their very existence.

(Paraphrasing his thoughts he goes on--) Do I owe anyone anything? Small, personal things? When the
great philosopher Socrates was dying he told a friend: "I owe Asclepius a rooster – pay it without fail." Now you might have expected something different from a man of his quality – I mean a rooster? And yet, if we are faithful in small matters, we are indeed trustworthy. Do you owe anyone a commission, an apology… a rooster?

Did I add to the beauty or goodness to the earth? Did you once do something just because it was good, no matter how it turned out? Did you once trace truth to its conclusion, no matter where it led? Did you add to the beauty instead of trash to the human trail through history? If you met your exact duplicate upon this earth would you be able to live (or live harmoniously) with him/her? Have you accepted what "God has given to you" and do live at peace with yourself? (Have you thanked God for that?)

Did I align my life with reality? A grand lady, after much philosophizing, finally said, "I accept the universe." To which a wag responded: "She damn well better!" The wag missed the point, here's the question: "Given the pain of the world, the physical catastrophes and human tragedies, do I agree with God’s governance – or would I do it differently? Have I found my unique niche in the universe? If not then hold the world’s ending – I’m not finished with it yet.

Lastly, do I really believe in God? Is it really someone coming toward me or is it a projection of my
greatest fear or urgent longing? Faith is a hard victory over pride, the admission that we are not the measure of all things, that there is something above or beyond us. Faith is the undeniable experience of being encompassed, grasped by an irresistible Power. Much like falling in love… only harder.

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November 11, 12 , 2000

I write this on the eve of the presidential elections. I have no idea who will win but I know we can all agree that he will have worked very hard to have obtained this office. As often is the case, one goes after lofty goals with a mixture of noble and not-so-noble motivations. Whatever the motivations, whatever their perceived short-comings or talents, may the Lord God bless him with wisdom and the courage to do what is right – even if the course is unpopular. In short, may he be a good president for the people of this good nation.

++The story of the little miracle (the widow’s little jug of flour never goes empty… nor does the oil ever run out) in the first reading for this Sunday seems like a card trick compared to the other signs recorded in the bible. Why is it even there? How in the world does this little passage say anything to us? I mean, we have a feeling that we live in a grown-up age of the world and there should be something better to proclaim to the educated assembly today… to the modern person.

Don’t give up on the scriptures so easily. For example, suppose we admit we don’t have to take this little miracle in any literal sense. What then? Well, we could fashion some kind of moral from the story – or some deeper meaning. One moral might be "Feed the preacher and you’ll stand right with God." Or to go a little further we could conclude, "hospitality brings its own reward".

We can even do better than that. The person whom the widow is making welcome is a prophet. The prophet
represents, as well as proclaims, the word of God. Therefore: we are called upon to entertain the word of
God! To be hospitable to it means not opening our doors but opening our minds and hearts to the word
which comes as revelation, a goad to conscience, a sword that cuts through our pretenses, a blunt
direction for living.

Think how often the word has demanded we turn away from false idols (such as wealth/power). Think
how often the word has summoned us to be faithful, to be people of integrity in giving our word, in carrying out our work, in fulfilling our baptismal and marriage vows. Think how often the word on Jesus’ lips has summoned us to heal, not hurt people, even to forgive those who have injured us. And how often the word has commanded us to worship and adore the Holy One, keeping holy his day, revering the God who made us. Every day we can shut out God’s word from the way we work, speak to each other, make money, or use our time and talents… or not.

If we are open to the word – ought we not also be open to the church that teaches it. It is true – anyone can read the Bible and be inspired and edified. But occasionally you will also be puzzled and misled. The Bible itself says (in Peter’s letter) that many will wrestle with these texts to their own destruction! The church remains an authoritative teacher (i.e., a good teacher, and a reliable teacher). At the very least we should hear those scholars who pore over these texts to make known their often hidden meaning. If we show this hospitality to God’s word, we will be rewarded – not with free-flowing oil or endless supplies of flour or oat bran. The reward will be a stronger faith and an inner peace, and the awareness of God speaking to our hearts.
(Good News, pg. 408 --- year 2000)
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October 28, 29 , 2000

October 29th Pastor’s Notes: (Thoughts gathered from Rev. Gomes’ “The Good Book”.) Rev. Gomes (who was at Harvard University) speaks of two groups he knows best: students and clergy. “Students, in their private confessions of soul, while they are anxious and fearful and full of the insecurities of youth, speak more often of their loneliness than of anything else, and in those fears, anxieties, and insecurities they think of themselves as utterly alone and the first to feel this way.” The other group, the clergy, “have as their besetting anxiety the fearful fact of loneliness.” (His primary contacts would be Protestant clergy.) “We celebrate individualism and autonomy in America and we like to think of ourselves as beyond merely following the crowd. Yet we abhor silence, and we mass together whenever we can, in sports stadia, rock concerts, and in that crowd that is defined not by physical proximity but by the deadening uniformity of the shared experience of television. … “Moral solitude is more than the lack of companionship and fellowship; it is that, but it is more than that. It is the loss of accountability and responsibility that at first appears to be the benefit of autono-my, but turns out to be, together with autonomy, itself a liability.” (pp 192-193) Over the past 30 years or so, cults and Twelve-Step groups (e.g. AA, GA, OA, etc) proliferated as church substitutes. What did they offer? They drew on a past of their own – not some vague vision of secular progress. Second, they drew people from a larger social environment into smaller, self-contained, self-defined, and disciplined communi-ties within which new identities could be formed and affirmed. Third, they focused on the non-rational and invented rituals and forms of meaning that got people “out of their heads.” While churches seemed to be hostile these groups were welcoming and gave people a discipline and fellowship. A woman once told her parish deacon that she could get more comfort and consolation from Robert Schuller’s Crystal Cathedral than from sitting in the pews of her own church, where no one seemed to notice her. When someone can feel more companionship in front of a television set than in the midst of a congregation, our first response ought not to be to smash the television. It should cause us to think – and change. To be church is to be in communion with, in the company of both the living and the dead in which is to be found the living presence of a loving God. From the first book of the bible the Creator said “It is not good for the man to be alone.” Every human being wants to love, to be loved, and to know that he or she is loved. When one does that and knows that and shares that, then one has the Good Life we all seek. Jesus said to his disciples “I will not leave you orphaned; I will come back to you.” (Jn 14:18). Jesus would not think of leaving us comfortless. What a fellowship, what a joy divine, Leaning on the everlasting arms; What a blessedness, what a peace is mine, Leaning on the everlasting arms. Leaning, leaning, safe and secure from all alarms; Leaning, leaning, leaning on the everlasting arms.

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October 21, 22, 2000

For many people the Bible is an elusive book. They sense that it is important, that it has something to offer them… but they are not sure what it has to offer or how they should read it. The churches we call "evangelistic" have a rapid growth within this country. It is not necessarily because they may be literal in their interpretation of the bible – it is probably also because they know the bible. They are able to refer back to it for answers to questions or for simple wisdom.
Especially in America, as the Rev. Peter Gomes notes,"the reigning ideology of our age, the notion that we
are the solitary centers of the universe. That inour splendor we are quite alone means that we are
left with just the consoling conceit that we are the only ones who have ever asked the great questions. The questions of life, that we alone have suffered, feared, loved, lost, and sought for something beyond our grasp and control." Bibles are given on wedding days, they make nice pictures on Christmas cards, we hear of people "swearing on a stack of bibles" or "It’s in the bible"… all are popular images which make us think we are familiar with the bible – but have you read it through even once?

What engages the reader of the bible is the fact that it is filled with people very much like the reader,
people who are confused and confusing, who are less than exemplary (King David fits this bill quite nicely) – but nevertheless they participate in a developing encounter with God. What makes the bible interesting and compelling is the company of human beings who through its pages play their parts in the drama of the human and the divine. In the sense that bible stories tell our story, the human story in relationship to the divine, they are true. They are not true because they are in the bible; they are in the bible because they are true to the
experience of men and of women.

In the bible you can observe a common theme of reluctance to accept responsibility that God wants to confer. Moses complained that he couldn’t speak in public, Jeremiah said he was too young, and Jonah ran the other way, etc. No one who has ever suffered and wondered about the goodness of God can read the book of Job without a sense of profound recognition. No one can read the book of psalms without a sense of the

Composer's psychological insight into the depth and breadth of human experience. There are very few Christians who would be unfamiliar with the anxieties and limitations of the apostles (especially Peter). And though the apostles never seem to understand what is going on – Jesus loves them still. Again, Rev. Gomes writes: "The Bible is filled with the companionship of the confused and seeking men and women made of the most ordinary stuff who often fail to understand, who make mistakes, whose humanity is transparent, but who encounter the living God and whose lives thereby are changed… People are not taken out of this life, but are given strength and power and purpose to live in it….
"To be born again is to enter afresh into the process of spiritual growth. It is to wipe the slate clean. It
is to cancel your old mortgage and start again. In other words, you don’t have to be always what you have now become." The Good Book pg. 187-188. For many people, when they have everything they wanted and
still feel empty – their spiritual pilgrimage begins. Others are lucky – they don’t take so long to start.

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Pastor’s notes:

October 14th / 15th

"The reward for loving God is loving God. The punishment for not loving God is not loving God." Seems like a simple statement. Some people would like things stated a little differently. "The reward for loving God is heaven. The punishment for not loving God is hell." Both statements are accurate– after all, what is it to live without love but a form of hell… and to live without and apart from Love itself (God) is hell indeed. How does one come to love God and love God even more? Jesus says give up everything and come follow me. Another way is to have a vital, deep relationship to the word of God (put aside the images of a bible waving or bible thumping person). Feodor Dostoevski, the great Russian novelist, wrote this of his feeling for Jesus Christ:
"I believe that there is nothing lovelier, deeper,
more sympathetic, and more perfect than the Savior. I
say to myself with jealous love that not only is there
no one else like him, but there could be but one
figure of absolute beauty: Christ. That infinitely
lovely figure is, as a matter of course, a marvel."
As a young man he revolted against the Czarist system of his native Russia; he and his companions were arrested in November 1849, and were sentenced to death. The sentence was reprieved but his captors kept
this knowledge from him until, three days before Christmas, he was marched out to the parade ground and
lined up to be shot. Only then was he told that instead of dying he would spend four years in slave labor in a Siberian prison. It was on a journey there, a journey to exile and to living death, that a Russian peasant woman rushed out of her house and gave him a Bible. It was common to give bread to prisoners. She gave him another kind of bread.

Those who have read his books (The Brothers Karamazov, or Crime and Punishment) know how deeply the Bible, with insights to God and humanity, influenced Dostoevski. A biographer once wrote:
"During his twelve years of frightful old and subhuman treatment, the precious Book became his inner joy until he emerged from the Arctic experience to become one of the world’s most magnificent novelists." Dostoevski did not wing through to faith easily. He said: "My hosanna had passed through whirlwinds of doubt." He was keenly aware of pain and suffering and evil in the world, and felt that we all shared in the guilt. But he also became aware, as noted, of the living Savior. Jesus Christ was more than a name to him but rather, "a wisdom beyond all gold and precious stones." That is the way it can be with is. "I prayed and the spirit of Wisdom came to me."

+++++++++++++++++++++++

In the next coming weeks it will be almost impossible to contact me. I will be on convocation with fellow
diocesan priests and the bishop for three days… and later in the week I start my vacation. Since the
leadership of the parish is 90% lay leadership I don’t think you will notice any skipped beats within the
parish. The staff is here to assist you. The office is open from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (the hours are
more than that but the schedule is flexible and a good portion of time is out of the office for the staff to
deal with parish situations as they arise). I will be back on November 4th or so.
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Special Jubilee Event: On Sunday, October 22nd at
3:00 p.m. the Diocesan Festival Choir and the Greater
Trenton Symphony Orchestra will hold a special
concert at St. Mary’s Cathedral, Trenton.
Tickets are free and you may obtain them by writing to
OFFICE OF WORSHIP, P.O. BOX 5147, TRENTON, NJ 08638-0147 (or use the fax 609-406-7403).

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October 7th / 8th

In the light of today’s gospel among the many things of which I am proud is the work that parishioners do on behalf of others: such as Habitat or the Summer Workcamp program we have every two years etc. I am proud of our youth who participate and of the adults who make the time to be there as well. They have put their minds and their bodies to the task of serving others. We have others who work in foreign lands building homes or Christian community. I mention these because I hear their reflections and elation about their work and I am happy for them.
Today’s gospel confirms our understanding that we are to be a servant church. It is in service that we find
a joy and peace. The term "servant" may connote too negative an image. Some see no dignity or "reward" in it because they take it to the extreme and see themselves being "used" in the worse sense of that term. They instinctively exchange the word "servant" with that of being "slave" (in its worse connotation and there is quite a difference!).
To be a "servant" church, Jesus seems to indicate, is
a path to true glory. It is a way to peace and joy.
How could that be?
St. Paul rejoiced in being a "slave" to Christ. Simply described: Paul fell in love with the Lord and could
not do enough for God. It is not an uncommon experience. When people "fall in love" they cannot do
enough for the other. Sometimes they want their love put to the test. At romantic best, people would write
that they would "climb the highest mountain" for their beloved or "catch a star" for them. (We know that
wears off eventually and one would be satisfied if they would just take out the garbage – but you get the
idea.)
St. Paul felt more freedom in his life as a "slave" to Christ than at any other time in his life. If you put
it up against being a slave to work, or to money, or to power, sex, drugs, etc… It is Paul who makes sense.
It is Paul’s "slavery" that leads to the Good Life– the others are dead ends.

Fr. William O’Malley, S.J. has been teaching in high schools and colleges for many years. He sees in many
of his students no ability to even sense what commitment to serve God could even mean (not only in
priestly or religious vocations). His students might know that they ought to admire the lives of the saints
but it just doesn’t make sense to them. It is beyond their comprehension.

Fr. O’Malley writes:
"Christianity is a crucifix: a man utterly used up for others. The true Christian looks at it and says: "Yes.
That’s the most perfectly fulfilled human being who ever lived, caught at the moment of his greatest
triumph. I want to be like him." Kids bewildered by celibacy and martyrdom are not ready for that. Our job
is to make them less unready.

"There are not many palpable rewards to being an apologist disguised as a catechist, but at times a
shining few emerge. One year, on the last day of class, Jimmy Smith, the one I could always count on
for "C’mon, if she wants it as much as you do…?" He hooked his arm around my neck and said: "Pops, we both know you’re right. But I can’t give it up." "The Catechetical strategists would have been
incensed, or at least glumly frustrated. I walked out of that room six inches off the ground." (America
9/16 /2000p 19)
__________________________________________________
Special Jubilee Event: On Sunday, October 22nd at
3:00 p.m. the Diocesan Festival Choir and the Greater
Trenton Symphony Orchestra will hold a special
concert at St. Mary’s Cathedral, Trenton.
Tickets are free and you may obtain them by writing to
OFFICE OF WORSHIP, P.O. BOX 5147, TRENTON, NJ 08638-0147 (or use the fax 609-406-7403).

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Pastor’s notes:

September 30th October 1st

Upon whom has the Lord bestowed his Spirit? Who belongs to Christ, who does his work and carries out his mission? Think carefully as to how you answer. We all receive the Spirit, we all share in the priesthood of Christ, admitting the distinction of degree that priest and bishop possess.

The following is taken from Good News (one of my favorite homiletic resources.) "It is well known that women are excluded from the ordained priesthood (in the Catholic Church). The official position is a flat no, and, many add, no hope for the future. What follows here is not dissent but the case histories of two women who already serve although not ordained.

One is a Catholic nun who visits the sick and brings them communion in the hospitals and nursing homes. On
one of her visits she prayed with a very sick person, aware that an old, and very sick woman in the other
bed was listening. She went over when she was finished and the woman said to her, "Those prayers were beautiful, tell me, are you a minister?" Elaine was startled for a moment – she wore a cross, had a badge, and seemed "official." It didn’t seem a time for distinctions. "Yes" she said, "I guess I am." And the woman with a huge smile took her arm and said, "I knew they wouldn’t hold our sex against us!"

It may be that people of the opposite sex simply cannot understand the genuineness (sic) and the pain of
that remark. Their sex has been held against them – in law, medicine, business, teaching, all the professions, and in society for a long time, in many cultures for many centuries. But for that sick woman, perhaps speaking like a prophet, that time was ending."

Another story speaks of a woman who was allowed to be a minister in some categories – education, counseling, and campus chaplain (she was of a Protestant denomination). She did what she could, yearning to
preach and lead divine services. While working in a hospital a very old black woman was moaning in pain.
The doctors were working on her leg and it seems that a diabetic situation was not allowing the limb to be
free of pain. She went over and asked the woman "Would you like a hand?" She writes: "She took my hand and gripped it. Finally both hands clasped mine, and squeezed, as the pain became more intense. For several minutes didn’t exchange a word. I must have appeared to be straining, bending over the bed to be near her. Her eyes scanned my badge, which identified me as a chaplain. She said "Reverend, I hope that is not
hurting your back." It was the first time I had ever been called "Reverend." I had been out of the seminary
15 years… it was worth waiting for. There, in the midst of ministry, I experienced a kind of Ordination.
Out there, on the back side of the track, God laid hands of affirmation on me through the grip of a
suffering black woman."

These two stories don’t settle the dispute over the ordination of woman. But they are food for reflection
and they may help in answering the question "On whom has the Spirit of the Lord been poured out?"

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

A special note of gratitude to Sr. Terry Rickard OP and Fr. Aedan McKeown OP who conducted our parish
mission last week. The mission was an upbeat message and their presence among us was blessing itself. A
special "thank you" to our adult education staff (Pat Carr and Sue Zeigler). Pat and Sue arranged and attended to the many details that made everything go so smoothly.

Special Jubilee Event: On Sunday, October 22nd at 3:00 p.m. the Diocesan Festival Choir and the Greater
Trenton Symphony Orchestra will hold a special concert at St. Mary’s Cathedral, Trenton.
Tickets are free and you may obtain them by writing to OFFICE OF WORSHIP, P.O. BOX 5147, TRENTON, NJ 08638-0147 (or use the fax 609-406-7403).
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Pastor’s notes:

September 23rd / 24th

If you are looking for a good book to help you in prayer – try Daily Prayers for Busy People and More Daily Prayers for Busy People. Both are authored by William O’Malley, S.J. They are a series of prayers throughout the day and they span a period of four weeks. Of course you may choose to use all or any portion of the prayers throughout the day. Christian Brothers Publications are the publishers and the price range is about $10. Though the author says they are for busy people – you may find it hard not to spend time reflecting on his prayers and selections of readings.

SCC (Small Christian Communities) are forming again in our last session of RENEW. You might remember a
section from the ACTS OF THE APOSTLES (it follows the gospel of John) a quite famous passage where a
description of an early Christian community is described as people sharing all things in common. It is an ideal – and the closest I can see where it may be lived out today is in lives of men and women who live a monastic life. Fr. O’Malley (noted above) found this wonderful observation written by T.H. White about "sharing": "The nations and the classes and the individuals were always crying out, "Mine, Mine," where the Church was instructed to say, "Ours." If this were true, then it would not be a question only of sharing property, as such. It would be a question of sharing everything – even thoughts, feelings, lives. God had told people that they would have to cease to live as individuals. They would have to go into the force of life, like a drop falling into a
river. God has said that it was only the men who could give up their jealous selves, their futile individualities of happiness and sorrow, who would die peacefully and enter the ring. He that would save his life was asked to lose it."

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A half-century ago Catholics would hear about "Communion Sundays"… Holy Name Communion Sunday, Altar Rosary Communion Sunday, Fathers and Sons Communion Sundays, etc. They were established to encourage people to receive Communion often (some might remember that it was rare to receive the Eucharist every Sunday out of piety and probably part out of the rules for Eucharistic fast). Our practice today is to receive each time we celebrate Mass… but I was thinking of re-establishing the practice not so much to encourage frequent communion but to reinforce "family communion." In England there is a group that is fostering Sunday as a family day. Given the reality many times of both parents holding a job, the busy schedule of students, the malls being open all week, etc, it seems that families often miss opportunity to be with each other and to be present to each other. Something such as a "mother/son(s)" or a "father/daughter(s)" Communion Breakfast (Mass and breakfast on Sunday morning) might be one small step in pleasant and non-pressured time together. So I ask a question. If we tried to do this would you attend it (e.g. to 9:45 Mass with breakfast in the cafeteria or gym)? If we can get some volunteers to do the cooking and serving the cost would be zero. We would have a speaker come in to say a few words and that would be it. Feed back would be appreciated – by e-mail or post… or whatever. RB

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Pastor’s notes:

September 16th 17th
"Who’s a Catholic to Vote For?" is a title of an article that appears in the 9/9/00 issue
of America magazine. The article leads the reader to a web site: www.nccbuscc.org/faithful
citizenship/citizenship.htm. Here you will find the contents of a pamphlet released by the administrative
board of the U.S. Catholic Bishops and it offers reflective reading. While the US bishops to many may
seem conservative because of its stance of abortion issues – this document would certainly confuse those
who would link the Church to a "right wing" party or to the "religious right." The bishops are careful not
to endorse any particular candidate for election – but they do lay out some Catholic principles and
conclusions that (and this should be no surprise) none of the political parties could claim exclusively as
their own.

I think the day of the "Catholic vote" is long gone. There may one time have been such a thing as a
"Catholic block" but it seems to me, with the exception of the elections of 1960, it was late in being recognized by either major political party and since then has pretty much disappeared. Catholics are as likely to vote Republican as well as Democrat – or percentage-wise for Ralph Nader or libertine.

However, Catholics do vote and I suspect they vote with a conscience. The bishops, in their teachings
regarding social justice over the past years, have endorsed or taught the following: Environmental
protection of land, water and air is a moral obligation (most would have no trouble with that). All persons have an inalienable right to a quality education. Documented and undocumented immigrants should have access to basic public benefits, such as health care and food stamps. Health care is a fundamental human right to which every American is entitled; the U S should provide consistent diplomatic and financial support to the United Nations. The bishops have written, "We must begin with a commitment never to intentionally kill, or collude in the killing, of any innocent human life, no matter how broken, unformed, disabled or desperate that life may seem." Thus they make clear their opposition to the death penalty, assisted suicide, euthanasia and the
crushing assaults on life that result in death by starvation and preventable disease for millions of individuals, especially children, around the world.

"So what’s a Catholic to do?
Make up his or her own mind for whom to vote and, most important, be both informed and engaged. For
information without engagement is the stuff of impotence in American politics, and engagement without information is the stuff of demagoguery."

Shortly, a financial statement for the fiscal year 1999/2000 will be given to the community. I hope to
have it out before the end of the month.

This year, in our education program for the parish, you will have opportunity to study the Art of Liturgy.
I hope you will be informed as to what is being presented. Set aside some time to come to one, to
several, or to all the presentations. I begin this Sunday evening talking about children’s liturgy – and why we label it as such or even why it is suggested. 5-6 p.m. on Sunday evening in the church.

Be in attendance. More information is included in the bulletin.

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Pastor's notes:
September 9th , 10th 2000

Pastor’s notes:

St. James (author of the second reading in this Sunday’s Liturgy) makes us pay attention to our prejudices and injustices toward the poor. It would not matter to him whether we do this purposely or not. For him, the Kingdom of God upholds the dignity of everyone. Many of our prejudices are so strong they are "institutionalized " – that is, they are part of "way things are done" and part of established laws.

Fiorello LaGuardia was a fascinating mayor of New York City during the worst days of the Great Depression and World War II. At times he used to turn up at night court, dismiss the judge, and take the bench himself.
One bitterly cold night in January 1935 a tattered old woman was brought before him, charged with stealing a
loaf of bread. She told LaGuardia that her daughter’s husband had deserted her, her daughter was sick, and
her grandchildren were starving.

The shopkeeper, from whom the bread was stolen, refused to drop the charges. "It’s a bad neighborhood,
your Honor," the man told the mayor. "She’s got to be punished to teach other people around here a lesson."

LaGuardia sighed. He turned toward the woman and said, "I’ve got to punish you… the law makes no exceptions. Pay ten dollars or spend ten days in jail." But even as he pronounced sentence, the mayor was already reaching into his pocket. He extracted a bill and tossed it into his famous sombrero, saying, "Here’s the ten-dollar fine which I now remit; and furthermore," he said, his anger rising, "I’m going to fine everyone in this courtroom fifty cents for living in a town where a person has to steal bread so that her grandchildren can eat. Mr. Bailiff, collect the fines and give them to the defendant."

So the following day the New York City newspapers reported that $47.50 was turned over to a bewildered
old lady who had stolen a loaf of bread to feed her starving grandchildren. Fifty cents of that amount being
contributed by the red-faced grocery store owner, while some seventy petty criminals, people with traffic violations, and NYC policemen, each of whom had just paid 50 cents for the privilege of doing so, gave the mayor a standing ovation.

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Last week Pope John Paul II beatified Pope John XXIII and Pope Pius IX. At any other time John XXIII would
have been the featured article in Catholic publications about this event. Pius IX was the center of attention. Fr. John O’Malley, S.J. wrote a featured article about Pius IX in a recent America magazine. He writes: "In Bologna, after nightfall on June 23, 1858, the papal police arrived unannounced at the Mortara home and removed from this Jewish family one of their sons. Edgardo, six years old, because he had been secretly baptized by a Christian maid when he was dangerously sick as an infant. Despite the anguished pleas of Edgardo’s parents and international indignation, the boy was never returned to his family. He became almost a personal ward of Pius IX and eventually was ordained a priest." This, for the moment, is the crux of the tensions surrounding his beatification. Pius IX was a complex man - in many ways very pious and holy – but also a man with many "warts" (as most saints have). In the past his cause for beatification had been turned away on several occasions. No one is quite sure how or for what purpose it was approved this time around. Pope JPII has declared Pius IX a model for sanctity. "…the model provided by every saint and blessed must be translated if it is to be meaningful in our lives, but for Pius the translating will be especially tricky and taxing…" Fr. O’Malley,S.J. (These comments are limited – but cf. America for a fuller commentary.
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Pastor's notes:
September 2nd , 3rd, 2000

The following comes from Fr. Joseph Nolan who is a renowned liturgist and who teaches at Boston College. He has done this for a number of years. These are his observations. They may seem hard to the ear but it might be good for us to reflect on them and not "beat our breasts" ("mea culpa’s –our fault or someone else’s). And it certainly doesn’t mean that these students are less than good people.

"What does one learn from Catholic students at a university from a course on Catholicism? Alot. I’ll just list some conclusions, drawn from their writing… plus comments in class, and the paper that begins the course: their religious autobiography.

Many, more than half (on the large campus, as well as in my classes) don’t see the import or need for worship on a weekly basis. They have also never heard of anything like a precept (commandment of the church) in this regard. If they did, they wouldn’t observe it. The old penalty "under the pain of mortal sin" no longer applies.
Very few regard their Confirmation (at whatever age) as a significant religious experience. The exceptions are those who received the sacrament during their college years, sponsored by the chaplains. There is similar dimness about First Communion, which is usually recalled as an occasion of drills on how to do it, then church, then a party and presents.
The most vivid religious experience for some is a high school or college weekend retreat, such as the kairos experience, or 48 Hours, or whatever name is given to a retreat where one’s personal faith is shared and explored.
Probably a majority of these students are engaged, or have been engaged, in some form of service.
The Church Year means little in any sense of religious formation. Christmas perhaps, Easter is often just another break time (people go to church on Easter but the significance of this feast, extending all the way to Pentecost, has never been established.
Many recall "being made to go to church," angry at missing sleep or games, ducking out in their teen years. But not all. Some remember with affection their family life and church going and the faith of their parents. And their grandparents, which is the only experience they have with "the old church." From one student: "I love my grandmother but when I stayed with her on a weekend she wouldn’t let me eat anything before mass and communion." For how long? "From midnight – and the mass was at eleven o’clock!" That’s really old church. It is intriguing to teach post Vatican II, second generation Catholics….

…It is a grace to explore the deepest questions of life and revealed truths and try to pass them on, even as class matter. I often reflect that they are not understood without inner conversion, without the opening to faith. But class is not Mass, nor a time of prayer or conversion.

However, there are what Monica Hellwig calls "exigency," a word she uses often in her intricate book Understanding Catholicism. You can walk away from a formula you learn in chemistry but not so easily dismiss an awareness of the Trinity (the nature of reality, and what we call God) as self-giving love, and also as the model from which we are made."

(Good News September, 2000)

Again, for some of you who read this it may seem like hard talk. But we ought to listen and understand. College years are years where everything students have previously learned will be reviewed, challenged, up-dated and then taken on as part of their value system ("inner conversion" is what Fr. Nolan would call it). Faith is a day-by-day experience that reaches into the deepest part of our spirit and for some it is a choice they make every day of their lives – and are deeply enriched because of it.

We Catholics are coming back to an old (like "early church") understanding of the Eucharist. The Eucharistic Minister says "the body of Christ" and each member of the community answers "Amen". "Amen" to what? To the real presence? Yes, but in you as well as in the bread. For centuries we argued over the nature of this presence, and the criticism has often been made that Christians worried more over what happened to the bread than what happened (or should have happened) to the people. What should happen is that we deepen our faith in the reality of Christ in our lives a presence that comes through word and sacrament - and we try to reflect this reality by the way we live.

Except for communion for the sick, we do all this within the context of a meal. It began as a meal, the first time He took bread, blessed, broke and shared it. The church finally ruled out, with a few exceptions, the early practice of giving out communion any time, because it wishes to keep the significance (or symbolism) of the meal. When we eat together we share more than food; we share each other. We meet in friendship and love, in mutuality and gladness as members of a family. This is a bond in the spirit… and we are ready to help with our material goods if someone is in need.

Even the poorest person can enter into this kind of communion. Fr. Pedro Arrupe (the late general of the Jesuit order) once visited the poorest of the slums in a Latin American city. He wrote about it afterwards: "The Mass was held in a small, open building in very poor repair; there was no door, and dogs came and went freely. Mass began with hymns accompanied by a guitarist, and the result was marvelous. The words of the hymn went: 'Love is giving of oneself, while seeking what will make others happy.' As the hymn continued I felt a lump in my throat. I had to make a real effort to continue the Mass. These people seemed to possess nothing and yet they were ready to give of them-selves to communicate joy and happiness."

"… A big man invited him to come to his place… encouraged by one of the priests, he went. The man's place was a hovel ready to collapse… he had me sit down on a rickety old chair. From there I could see the sunset. The big man said to me, 'Look, sir, how beautiful it is!" We sat in silence for several minutes. The sun disappeared. The man then said, 'I don't know how to thank you for all you have done for us. I have nothing to give you, but I thought you would like to see the sunset. You liked it, didn't you? Good evening."

We have so many things in our part of the world, with our malls and super- markets and material standards of living, that we forget the simple beauties of the earth, the sky, the sun, and the trees. It is an Eucharistic story, of love that wished to share, and thanksgiving for God's gifts. There was a presence at that Eucharist… it is a presence that comes through faith and love, but one that is aided by the signs of bread and wine, sharing a meal together.

Something is terribly askew in our understanding of the Eucharist if we break bread here and refuse to break bread elsewhere, when we all sit down as a family, or when we respond to hunger in the world. We all go together, you see. We are bound in a singe communion. It is called the body of Christ.

Continued from last week: Taking the Plunge… Ms. Winner had been writing about her plans to marry David. "Pop psychology and Oprah tell me that wanting to marry is a sign of weakness. They tell me not to rely on anyone else; after all, my husband will probably leave me. My mother, who is divorced, was determined to help me avoid heartbreak at 40. Rather than teach me how to make a good marriage, she tried to teach me that I did not need a man to be happy. She looks at my sister who is 30 and single, and beams. Leanne has a successful and challenging career, a beautiful three-bedroom house and lots of interesting friends. That she seems lonely apparently doesn't matter. No one stops to think that her headstone might have to read, "Superb lobbyist with tastefully decorated living room," instead of "Beloved wife and mother."

My mother's logic is flawed. True, loving is a risk. Maybe David will divorce me in 20 years. Maybe he will die first. But surely pretending to be utterly self-reliant is not the best response to those stark predictions. Isn't it better for me to remember that I depend on God?

And that is the other reason to marry - not only does it cement your relationship with another person, but like everything else we are called to do, it cements your relationship with God. Maybe wanting to get married is a sign of weakness, just as needing God is a sign of weakness. But Christianity has always been about acknowledging a certain kind of weakness. After all, at the center of our faith is a God who became weak for our sake.

I have often thought that Christians need to strive to have counter cultural marriages, starting with the wedding. Weddings should not cost $43,000 - the bill of a wedding I went to this fall. And counter cultural in the meaning of marriage itself - that when you say you're going to stick it out through the worst parts you really mean the worst parts.

In fact, with friend after friend telling me that getting married is silly for a professional gal like me, I've decided that marriage itself is counter cultural, and that David and I must turn elsewhere for guidance. These days we are reading the "Prayer for one in love," from the 1951 Lutheran prayer book, which has offered better guidance than my friends: "O Lord, who doth direct our lives day after day, I thank Thee that Thou hath so graciously led me through these days of my youth and hath preserved me from straying and falling. I come to thee for special guidance in these days when I am choosing a life companion. Lord, Thou knowest if this young man is truly a fitting partner and companion for me. If so, O lord, grant that our lives may be fused into one and we journey on together happily… Amen."

Children's liturgy: For myself, one of the great things that happens over the weekend is to see the parents bringing their children to Mass and to see the children on their way out to the cars. Both PLOW (Parent's Liturgy of the Word for grades 1 and below) and CLOW (Children's Liturgy of the Word for grades 2 - 6) which take place at the 9:45 and 11:30 Masses are wonderful experiences and blessings for the children. In the coming year I would like to work with adults in preparing special children's liturgies for the 11:30 Mass on 3 or 4 occasions. I will have a meeting on July 11th… 7:00 p.m. (place is yet to be determined). If you come to the meeting you will be able to hear what is envisioned, what is involved and then decide if you would like to help plan the liturgies.

Things that come through e-mail: An airline pilot wrote that on this particular flight he had hammered his ship into the runway really hard. He had to stand at the doorway greeting passengers on their way out. He said that in the light of the hard landing he had a difficult time looking the passengers in the eye, thinking that everyone would have some smart comment. Everyone had gotten off except for a little old lady with a cane. She said, "Sonny, mind if I ask you a question?" "Why no, ma'am," said the pilot, "what is it?" The lady said, "Did we land or were we shot down"? "It's not hard to meet expenses…they're everywhere." St. James, like all parishes, gets a number of requests asking for financial help. St. James, like many parishes, responds to many of them. The Mt. Carmel Guild, Anchor House, Trenton Area Soup Kitchen, etc. are some of the people we assist. There is a small sub-committee on the Finance Committee that now looks over these requests and tries to determine who we can help and will want to help. This past week donations were sent out to: VAMOS, Relay for Life, Catholic Charities, University of Arizona Neuman Center, Kids-for Kids, Inc., Martin House, Pennington First Aid and Fire Dept., Kateri Day Camp and to Trinity Church (Princeton).
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Good stories used in a religious context are not so much for education or indoctrination--they are for illumination. Here is one to reflect upon and discuss with other Catholics. When Jesus ascended into heaven there was a big party for him and all the heavenly hosts welcomed him back. They told Jesus how they had watched him grow, the progress he made and the terrible things he had to endure, and of course of the wonder of his Resurrection. One of the heavenly figures asked a question of Jesus: "Who is going to finish the work that you started on earth?" Jesus responded: "Just a few men and women who love me." Then they asked: "What if that doesn't work?" Jesus responded: "I have not other plan."

P.S. (For those of you who love Jesus--he did say he would not leave us abandoned and he would work with us to this day.)

In CHRISTIAN CENTURY magazine there was an article written by Lauren Winner. It appeared in the April 5, 2000 edition. It won't have application for everyone but everyone may be interested in it. It is entitled Taking the Plunge. As space permits this will be a two part article.

"When I first told friends that David and I were having serious marriage conversations, I expected smiles and congratulations. Instead I observed raised eyebrows and puzzled frowns.

My friends' first question is understandable. "He lives in Arkansas. You have another two years in New York before you finish your doctoral course work. "Won't you be engaged forever?"

"No," I replied, "we'll go ahead and get married next year and just live apart for awhile. It will be tough, but temporary."

I responded with David's words to me: "I'd rather be married to you and not living with you than not be married to you and not living with you. "But why?" insists Ellen. "Isn't he just being possessive?" "She can call it possessive if she wants," David said to me, "if wanting you to be my wife is being possessive."

My friends remained unconvinced. "Isn't being married about living together?" asked Marie. I point out that Marie lives with her boyfriend but they are not married; in fact, they violently resist the idea of getting married.

Don't get me wrong. I daydream about living in the same house with David, about turning that house into a home with him, cooking and going grocery shopping, and arguing whose turn it is to vacuum. But those things are not the essence of marriage.

Marriage is a sacrament. An ontological change that happens at the altar, something real and fundamental, just as something real and fundamental happens during the Lord's Supper. God imbues you with grace in a special way at baptism and communion, and in marriage God comes to dwell not just in you, but in your relationship. You cease to be two and become three. It is that grace, that glue that I want with David.

When they aren't busy grilling me about long-distance marriage, my friends press me about my professional prospects. "Won't marrying now screw up your career?" asks Heather. Even my father chimes in: "This doesn't seem like the right time in your professional life to be thinking about marriage."

Yes, the academic job market is tight and one has little geographical mobility. But I think their comments would be the same if I were pursuing dentistry or journalism. "What if you get a really good job offer," asks Heather, "and you can't take the job because of David's job? After all these years in school, all these years of studying and all-nighters, won't that be awful?"

"It would be hard," I concede. But what I'm thinking is, "When did the values of everyone I know get turned upside down?"

I suspect they were turned upside down sometime before most of my friends were born, sometime in the mid-60's. I say this not to repudiate feminism: I count myself among the small but vocal band of evangelical feminists. I hope to pull off that precarious balancing act of children-plus-career. I believe that God has given me gifts as a historian. If he sees fit to present opportunities to use those gifts teaching in a college classroom, then I will try to use them to His glory. I'm sure marriage will be bad for my career. It will be time-consuming and inconvenient and it won't result in tangible accomplishments, like books written and papers graded that I could point to at 5 o'clock. But by that logic, prayer is bad for my career, too.

Apparently one consequence of the cultural revolution known as feminism is that in some circles women are no longer supposed to want to get married. Marriage, the logic goes, is nothing more than an outdated economic bargain: men earn money, women kept house and produced progeny. Out of the deal, men got heirs and women got food and clothes. Now that women can feed and clothe themselves, they don't need to marry. Even the romantic who dares to suggest there was more to it--that there was meaning, love and fulfillment--is quashed. Women now find fulfillment at the office just as men do. So a woman who wants to marry either has no prospects for professional success or must be needy and pathetic.

The readings this Sunday have changed from concern about the post-resurrection occurrences to preparing for the coming of the Spirit and the work of the Mission of Jesus. When reading the post-resurrection accounts of the appearances of Jesus from St. Luke's perspective it struck me very odd that the apostles who walked with, talked with, served with Jesus and heard his direct teachings (for 3 years!) etc. seemed lost. They seemed to be especially confused after the Ascension of Jesus and had no idea what to do. They had the facts but they have not yet gasped or understood the import and the impact of Jesus' life and teachings. What would give them such that element of understanding? Of course, it is the Spirit. Once all that had happened was understood, then would come the courage to live it, the power to persevere, the power to preach, to counsel, etc. (we call these experiences the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit).

From Good News (May, 2000) we read that Kathleen Wallace was a seminary student and taught by a Greek Orthodox professor. She asked in a class regarding the Creeds, "…what do you do if you find it difficult to understand some of the tenets of the Creed? The professor replied again: "You just say it, say it, especially if it is difficult to believe it. Eventually it will come to be true to you." She decided to dispute this once again. "How can you affirm something that you do not believe, in the hope that you will believe it?" The professor replied, "Just remember, it is not your Creed, it is our Creed. It belongs to the Body of Christ. It is not you, but the communion of the Body of Christ. We do not say in the Creed what we are saying or liking (sic). We are not asking ourselves to be self-actualized beings, or rudely relevant to people. Truth is not there to make itself self-relevant to you, but to make you relevant to the truth."

For many this may be hard to take…after all, how can you profess something you don't believe? We all know that sometimes our prayer is mindless repetition (unfortunately). But the professor's advice could be paraphrased in this way: be patient and humble. What you recite is the wisdom of others, passed on through the Church. At some point, the moment of grace, God will help you to understand and accept.

Jesus asks us to let our lives become open to his guidance and grace, and ready to accept the creative power of his love through other men and women who claim his name. He expects that in the Christian community, as nowhere else on earth, we will find the transforming power of love to remake us and our world. The Church is a laboratory for change and growth, where we all are to be granted the privilege of growing and developing in faith, a safe haven in a time of storm and danger, where love is reflected in all we say

It isn't my style to be expressive in a Catholic Charismatic way, but I can put the reserve aside and say "Praise the Lord!" for giving us two more deacons in service to the church of St. James and more. Kevin Byrne and Dick Currie should be familiar to many of you. Kevin has spearheaded our Habitat for Humanity program (now in process) and Dick is present in many ways to the parish. In meeting with them they have determined their specific ministries (Kevin - Social Justice; Dick - Marriage/family). Aside from these ministries they will participate, as is their right, in various liturgical functions. Since it is very easy to have activities pile up on them I've ask them to concentrate on their particular area. We all benefit if they do one or two things very well then spread themselves out too thin and end up doing mediocre work.

With the support of their wives and family they reflected on their vocation and completed 3-1/2 years of studies, retreats, writing papers, and special projects. Kevin is married to Patricia and has two daughters: Kimberly and Kristen. Dick is married to Mary Beth and they have one daughter Meg.

In earliest church formation deacons (and priests) arose from the midst of the community to serve the community. Sometimes the community chose them (in the fourth century, St. Ambrose was chosen as bishop by the popular support and acclamation of the people of Milan, Italy) and at other times they would step forward to present themselves as candidates to serve the community. We are blessed to have two such as these to serve the church at Pennington under the patronage of St. James. We wish them ad multos annos (many years) and rewarding ministries to those whom they serve and to them in their service.

Last week Jesus proclaimed that he was the Good Shepherd and we his sheep. This Sunday He proclaims that He is the vine and we are the branches. Next week we get one more image of our relationship with the Lord--and if you take it to heart it will "blow your mind." These particular images come from the remembrances and the pen of the gospel writer, John. He writes no simple gospel and the hearer or reader must not only hear the words--but they must think about the words. "In the beginning was the Word; and the Word was in God's presence, and the Word was God." John 1:1. That is the beginning of John's gospel and books and more books have been written about that one sentence.

Take the time to reflect on the scripture reading. Take the time to share your thoughts with others about it. Ask questions. Give your take on what it says. Share your faith with your children. Talk to them about our faith. Not all children have the benefit of a Catholic education and even those who do need to have what they have learned bolstered and "filled in." If faith is never talked about in the home (I bet there is more talk about "Malcolm in the Middle" than about the scriptures proclaimed earlier in the day) how can it be understood as being important? When I hear Catholic college chaplains speak they have a sense that too many college students they meet have little real knowledge or depth of their faith. (Of course, there are many that edify them, too.) I bet that you might be surprised at some of depth of religious spirit within your children. In our present culture young people are deeply spiritual but do not go to church to meet those needs. They will stay away from church but read spiritual books or be involved in some spiritual rituals. We have a great deal to offer. I don't know

There is a book out (I haven't read it) entitled Jesus Freaks. It is comprised of stories of those who stood and died for Jesus, beginning with Stephen (about 34 AD) and ending with a 15 year old Indonesian boy, martyred for his faith in 1999. The book was written to inform the world of the atrocities being committed against believers as well as to encourage the persecuted, edify and enliven the passive.

To be called a Jesus Freak can bring derision or sarcasm. A freak is seen as someone who is fanatical, irrational, and with uncontrolled behavior. Technically, however, the word freak is more correctly defined as 1) a thing or an occurrence that is markedly unusual; 2) a fan or an enthusiast; 3) a person who is regarded as a curiosity or who has an unconventional lifestyle. In Jesus Freak, such a one is portrayed as a dedicated follower of Jesus who places faith and commitment above every need or desire and who is willing to face persecution because Jesus is more important than his/her life or comfort. She/he is such an enthusiast for Christ that his/her lifestyle flies in the face of convention. The Jesus Freak does not bend to the pressures of popular opinion. One self-proclaimed Jesus Freak said, "My life is God's. I've crossed the line from innocent bystander to hard-core participant in what Jesus has called me to. What will people think? I hope, whatever I do, it makes them think of Jesus."

When you think about it--are not these the traits of the first believers? We don't call them freaks or Jesus freaks--we consider them to be pillars of faith and our hero(ines).

"Today is God's gift to me; in grateful responsiveness to that gift, I will make a difference. Grateful also for the gift of salvation and with faith and hope for a share in Jesus' resurrection, I promise never to be ashamed of the gospel. I will open my heart and do what I can for the persecuted. I will look my enemies and detractors in the eye and love them. I will follow Christ whenever and wherever the needs of the ministry challenge me to go. In all I do, I will not be afraid because I know that I am not alone. When I stumble and sin, I will not quit or allow my guilt to hamper my repentance. I will stand with Jesus and serve him in the least of his brethren. I will not be lured by passing fads or "feel good" spiritualities but will remain firm in a true sincerely lived faith. I will not be swayed by popular opinion, or societal pressures. When it is easy and especially when it is not, I will try to remain a true reflection of and witness of Jesus Christ. I can do no less.

The readings, which are proclaimed to us every Sunday, follow a pattern, which is spread out over a period of three years. Yet, this gospel, popularly known as the "doubting Thomas" gospel, is proclaimed each year on the 2nd Sunday of Easter.

The gospel is not meant to "prove" the resurrection of Jesus to the world. It is meant for those who believe and for those seeking faith. I suspect this story holds little meaning for an "outsider." It is a gospel of encouragement and more.

The gospel provides us with two scenes: one on Easter night and the other a week later and both scenes speak of the disciples being locked in and locked up. The disciples locked in fear and doubt. These events overcame fear with peace ("Peace be with you!")…doubt with believing ("…blessed are those who have not seen and have believed!"), and sin with forgiveness (who sins you shall forgive…") These are some of the reasons we sing our "Alleluias."

"The fifty-day celebration of resurrection calls forth from us great joy and jubilation. It also challenges us to become aware of God's living presence in our lives in new ways. It also challenges our faith to move beyond belief in a long-ago historical event to a faith enlivened by an experience of that living presence today…"…to hope in our own resurrection such that God's living presence in us becomes a source of consolation and hope and forgiveness and peace and love for all those we meet in our every day living…"…to increase our charity so that others may be less burdened and more able to experience for themselves God's living presence. Most of all, Easter challenges us to live as Jesus did: surrendering ourselves to the Father's will and by so doing we ourselves are surprised by the new life to which the Father raises us, even now. Alleluia (Living Liturgy Year B 2000 pg. 126)

I would like to express a personal note of appreciation and gratitude to everyone who played a ministerial role in the liturgies for Holy Week and Easter. And then, on behalf of the worshipping community I want to say "thank you!" As anyone could easily imagine (with a little reflection) there could not be such movement, such beauty provided, and an atmosphere so conducive to prayer given to us without much planning, preparation, attention to detail and a vision of the total mystery we celebrated and continue to celebrate. Our liturgy committee (and it's chairperson), our music providers, readers, Eucharistic ministers, ushers sacristans, servers at the altar, decorators, CRASH Club (adults and youth), resource people, cantors, proclaimers, schedulers, gift-bearers, children (with leaders and parents) carpenters, RCIA team, hospitality people, typists, handy-man people, "go-fers", secretaries, priests and deacons all made such good things happen. But it is a community for whom much was provided that provided the most. Had one less person been there it would have been a great loss. Had one more person been there, it would have been a great blessing. The church, the Body of Christ, is the most visible sign of God's presence and life in our midst. God blesses you all!!!

Twice during the Lenten Season St. James sponsors a Seder Meal. For the teams that prepared and served the meal and for the leaders--a warm and heartfelt "thank you" for your time and talents
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PASTOR’S NOTES: April 22- 23
A Glorious Easter to everyone! Below is a great Easter sermon first given over 16 centuries past. It is by (St.) John Chrysostom and one of the greatest I've ever read…read with open hearts and share the thoughts with others.

Whoever is a devout lover of God let him enjoy this beautiful bright Festival! Whoever is a grateful servant let him rejoice and enter into the joy of his Lord! And if any be weary with fasting, let him now enjoy what he has earned. If any have toiled from the first hour, let him receive his due reward. If any have come after the third hour, let him with gratitude join in the Feast. And if any arrived after the sixth hour, let him not doubt, for he too shall be deprived of nothing. And if any have delayed to the ninth hour, let him not hesitate, but let him come too. And he that has arrived only at the eleventh hours, let him not be troubled over his delay, for the Lord is gracious, and receives the last even as the first. He gives rest to him that comes at the eleventh hour as well as to him that has toiled from the first. Yea, to this one he gives, to that one he bestows; he honors the former's work; the latter's intent he praises.

Let all then enter the joy of our Lord! Both the first and the last and those who come after, enjoy your reward! Rich and poor, dance with one another, sober and slothful, celebrate the day. Those who have kept the fast and those who have not, rejoice today, for the table is richly spread. Fare royally upon it. The calf is a fatted one. Let no one go away hungry. All of you enjoy the banquet of faith! All enjoy the riches of his goodness. Let no one cry over his pove

	St. James Parish
Fr. Ron Bacovin