2020 Feb Reflections

Father Gregory Havill O.S.B. I February 3, 2020

In the gospels, we have a number of quotes about Jesus casting out demons. This particular one (Mark 5:1-20) is unusual in that it very dramatically describes what this demoniac was doing: living in these ruins, the violence in his life, the grisly description of what kind of life this poor man had to live. When Jesus had cast out the demons, and there were many of them in this poor fellow, he begged to stay with Jesus… He barely remembered what had happened to him, other than from the wounds on his body. But he was obviously very taken with Christ… and his response was to plead to stay with Jesus… to keep the good things going. What Jesus said to him is quite unusual. When we have other accounts in the gospels of these healings, it is forbidden to people to say anything and to spread the news. But in this case, Jesus said: “No, don’t stay with me, but go home and tell the story of the good things God has done for you to all of your family and neighbors...” And it certainly happened; that is what he did, spreading the word. I often wonder what his story was… He was certainly sent by Jesus as a missionary of the word. I think the lesson here for us is how very often our tendency is to want to remain with Jesus as our personal property, something we can hang onto. But the way that we remain with Jesus is in fact to go home, to go to our own people, and to spread the good news of the gospel – through our own behavior, through our works and lives, and to represent Jesus to people in our own flesh...

Father Paschal Scotti O.S.B. I February 5, 2020

Today is the feast of Saint Agatha, an early Christian martyr. The fact that she is in early Christian martyr is the only true historical thing we are short of about Saint Agatha. Everything else was invented centuries later to fill in the gaps. Whatever she was, she is important in the Roman cannon, in the first Eucharistic prayer. Who was Saint Agatha? She probably was a very average, ordinary kind of person, at least palpably. Nothing special, nothing unique, nothing extraordinary – very average, maybe even less than average, in people’s estimation. Sometimes very average and ordinary people can rise to the occasion, when an opportunity should arise. For the most part, I think, if it is not there already it is not going to show itself. …Power and grace within you: it’s not going to happen by itself when the opportunity arises. I am sure that a great many people were astounded, shocked when she rose to the occasion and died for her faith. Our Agatha? ...That is our Agatha? It was always there and they did not see it. And that is true of Our Lord in today’s gospel. He goes back to his own home, his own place; people who supposedly know him, and they are stunned, they are surprised. Where did he get all this grace, this power, this eloquence, this miraculous reality? Isn’t he the carpenter’s son, the son of Mary? Are those not his brothers and sisters? What the hell is going on here? It is astounding, it surprises them –but it was always there. Our Lord was always the Son of God made man. He always was who he was. But they couldn’t see it. Perhaps they were too close, with a  lack of perspective. Perhaps they were too clueless, too limited. We may remember a famous reflection upon on that phrase: “No one is a hero to his valet.” The philosopher Hegel’s reply was: “A hero is still a hero, and a valet is still a valet.” In other words, some people’s thinking may be too small to see the greatness of the hero, but the hero is always a hero. Those who may not see it are those closest to him. So we should ask ourselves: is that true of us? Are we hidden saints? Are we hidden heroes? If we are not prepared when things happen, we will certainly fall. So, we should ask ourselves: are we ready every day, when the opportunity God gives us, to rise to the occasion, to be the heroes, the saints, the martyrs, etc. that God calls us to be.

Father Francis Hein O.S.B. I February 6, 2020

Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1537-1598) was the preeminent daimyo, military leader, of Japan’s Sengoku period of the 15^th through 17^th Century, a period named after the constant warring between states. And Toyotomi become a great unifier of a divided Japan. His success was based on limiting the power of the Samurai class, unifying the nation by waging war on Korea, and restoring, building and supporting numerous Buddhist temples throughout the nation. He feared the growing influence of the Jesuits in the land where St. Francis had soon brought 200,000 into the Church. Toyotomi was worried about Western religion and thought it to be undermining his authority, so he greatly expanded the persecution of Catholics, and in the 16^th Century 50,000 Catholics were martyred.
            Paulo Miki was born into a noble military family in 1562 and baptized at the age of 5. Educated by the Jesuits, he joined the order in 1580’s and was studying for the priesthood, involved in the Catholic community which was more and more being forced underground. In 1597, he and 25 others which included both Jesuit and Franciscan clergy along with a few lay people were arrested in the capitol of Kyoto. Paul was 31. First, they each had one of their ears cut off, and then they were marched from Kyoto to Nagasaki, a journey of 966 kilometers or roughly 600 miles. During this month-long journey they were paraded through every town and village along the way in order to discourage the people from becoming Christian. However, the 26 would sing the Te Deum along the way, and constantly forgave their persecutors for all the suffering they inflicted. Arriving in Nagasaki they were taken up a hill where 26 crosses had been prepared. And, once again, the Japanese authorities were shocked at the prisoners’ reaction. They were joyful to be able to die in the same way as Jesus. They were tied to crosses with their necks held in place by iron rings. Beside each was an executioner with his spear ready to strike. An eyewitness gave this account:
 
'When the crosses were set up it was a wonderful thing to see the constancy of all of them. Our brother Paul Miki, seeing himself raised to the most honorable position that he had ever occupied, openly proclaimed that he was a Japanese and a member of the Society of Jesus. And that he was being put to death for having preached the gospel. He gave thanks to God for such a precious favor. He then added these words: “Having arrived at this moment of my existence, I believe that no one of you thinks I want to hide the truth. That is why I declare to you that there is no other way of salvation than the one followed by Christians. Since this way teaches me to forgive my enemies and all who have offended me, I willingly forgive the king and all those who have desired my death. And I pray that they will obtain the desire of Christian baptism.” At this point, he turned his eyes toward his companions and began to encourage them in their final struggle. The faces of them all shone with great gladness. Another Christian shouted to him that he would soon be in paradise. “Like my Master,” murmured Paul, “I shall die upon the cross. Like him, a lance will pierce my heart so that my blood and my love can flow out upon the land and sanctify it to his name.”'

In 1862 Pope Pius IX canonized them and in 1962 a monument was built to honor them.

Father Gregory Havill O.S.B. I February 7, 2020

This Gospel story of Herod beheading John the Baptist (Mk 6:14-29) is of course a familiar and grisly portrayal of bad kingship, evil kingship. The first reading, which I would like to direct your attention to for a moment, is a magnificent early masterpiece describing sacred kingship, holy kingship. It is from the book of Sirach (Sir 47:2-11). I highly recommend it to you for your own personal, devotional reading. At the center of this wonderful description of all the things that David was and did, and prayed, is this wonderful sentence: “With his whole being, he loved his Maker, and daily had His praises sung.” On either side of this sentence, there is a wonderful list of characteristics of a good king, a sacred king, a holy king. As we remember, kingship was a really exceptional thing as we see in Moses (and his anointing) …and in its prophetic role with Aaron… David is a descendant of Moses, as an anointed king. In Jesus, these two roles (king and prophet) will be put together again. But for our sake: I recommend that you go through this list of characteristics, actions and attitudes, comparing them to something similar in each case in our own lives. It is a wonderful exercise, and I highly recommend it. Again: Sirach 47:2-11.

Abbot Matthew Stark  O.S.B. I February 8, 2020

One of the great monasteries of Europe in the Middle Ages was the great Abbey of Cluny. It had three abbots who were canonized saints, and one who was a “Beatus”: Peter the Venerable. This is a prayer he wrote to Our Lady:
 
Hail Mary, Morningstar,
Healer of the sick,
Princess and queen of the world.
 
The only one to be worthy of the name virgin,
You stand up to the blows of the enemy,
And you erect the power of faith like a shield of salvation.
 
Hail, O root of Jesse, in whom God has begun to exist,
Hail, O sovereign branch of Aaron, who take away the scandal of the world.
 
Hail, O heir moist with rain, totally permeated with the dew of heaven,
While the fleece remains dry.
 
O you who take pity on us that are prisoners, come to our aid.
You are the chosen spouse of God, full of God’s grace.
Be for us a right way that leads to joys without end;
Preserve an attentive ear for us, O sweet Mary, and hear us always.
 
Our Lady, pray for us.
Blessed Peter the Venerable, pray for us.

Abbot Matthew Stark  O.S.B. I February 10, 2020

(The feast of Scholastica, twin sister of Saint Benedict, is celebrated as a feast in Benedictine communities. In his homily for the Mass, Abbot Matthew reflected one of Scholastica's greatest virtues, as attested by Gregory the Great. )

The story goes Saint Benedict and his sister Scholastica were having their annual meeting. It was their last meeting, and though Saint Benedict did not know that, it seems she might have. In any case, she wanted to extend the meeting beyond its usual time, and to keep him out of the monastery overnight, for more time for prayer and talking. And he said, “No, sister, it is time to go back to my cell.” She prayed to God, and God sent a storm so strong that St. Benedict could not go back to the monastery, and they ended up doing what she wanted, spending the rest of the night in conversation and prayer. St. Gregory the Great, who tells us this story, says she got her way, and he did not. She surpassed him in love. She conquered St. Benedict in love, and that is also how she conquered God, and got what she wanted. So she is a reminder to us that the virtue we need, more than faith and more than hope, is love. The three all are great, but the greatest of these is love. St. Scholastica, pray for us to grow in love.

Father Gregory Havill O.S.B. I February 13, 2020

In the ancient world in the Near East in the time of Jesus Christ, dogs were not pets. Dogs were half-wild garbage eaters who were tolerated… simply because they kept the place clean; sort of the way we tolerate crows nowadays. They were very definitely outcast animals that were tolerated at best. When this lady came to Christ, I think we very often look at it in purely theological terms – that his mission is truly to the children of Abraham first, and then to the rest. This is what he said to her: we do not give to the dogs what we should give to the children. …It shocks us, if he is telling her, “You are nothing but a dog…,” or something like that. But I think Jesus saw something very special in this woman, in the way she begged him, she begged him – that word is used – to save her daughter, to assist them. If your child is afflicted by a demon… your whole life is reduced to a hideously poor state. And I think this lady was saying to Jesus – and he has seen something special in her begging of him – “Yes, you are right. Our life has been reduced to that, less than a dog. And if you are able to help us, please, do something to help us.” In Christ’s estimation, this Syrophoenician woman is a great example for us all in humility, which is well worth remembering.

Father Edward Mazuski O.S.B. I February 14, 2020

Today we celebrate the feast of Saints Cyril and Methodius, the Apostles to the Slavs: the missionaries who evangelized the peoples of Moravia, which is now the Czech republic, Slovakia, part of Poland and part of Hungary, in the 9th century. As happens often with missionaries, they were faced with difficulties of language: people who could not open their ears to the Gospel because they did not speak or understand Greek or Latin, the primary languages of the Eastern and Western parts of the Church at the time. In fact, the Slavic language they used didn’t even have a written form. Cyril and Methodius found an ingenious solution to this: they invented a written form of the Slavic language, the Glagolitic alphabet, which under their disciples was later finalized as the Cyrillic alphabet still used by several slavic languages today. So, like Jesus in the Gospel, through their work, they open the ears of their listeners to make them able to hear and understand the Gospel. Using their new alphabet, they translated parts of the Bible and devised a liturgy that used Slavic, as opposed to Greek or Latin, allowing a full transformation of the Moravian culture from paganism to Christianity. They also lived at a particularly difficult time in Church history, as it seems almost all times are. In their time, the tensions between Constantinople and Rome were growing. In fact, the patriarch who sent them from Constantinople, Photius I would later himself end up in a complicated situation known as the Photian schism, about Papal authority in the East. Cyril and Methodius were exemplary in managing these difficulties. After several western bishops decided to fight over who would have authority over Moravia, Cyril and Methodius collected the relics of St. Clement, an early Pope who was executed by being thrown into the black sea, and returned them to Rome. While there, Cyril died, and is buried in the Basilica San Clemente in Rome. Methodius was then consecrated as the Bishop of the region by Pope John VIII and returned to continue his work.

Father Paschal Scotti O.S.B. I February 15, 2020

Man is a natural idolater. As we see in today’s first reading (1 Kings 12), that given half a chance, we will worship almost anything. It might not even be religious. It might be an idea, an ideology of race, or love, or power, or economic class. It might be a person, an institution, a job even – something, something. The essence of idolatry is to put something, anything, in the place of God. We think of the quotation from G.K. Chesterton: when people stop believing in God, it is not that they will believe in nothing, it is that they will believe in anything. We are natural idolaters. But by nature, we are made by God to worship. We are made to meditate on something bigger, more powerful, on which our life, our purpose, and our existence depend. We are made to worship the true living God. Not something less, not something inferior. And lots of people put something before God, lots of different things. So we should ask ourselves today, and every day: what am I worshiping? To what am I devoted? What is the essence of my existence? What guides me in what I do every day? Is it God, or is it something else?

Father Gregory Havill O.S.B. I February 18, 2020

“Watch out, guard against the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.” Leaven, when it’s used in this context, in this sense, in the gospels means sin. Sin has the quality that leads to more sin. It just naturally happens. You don’t do just one isolated sin and then say, “I will never do that again.” It leads to more sin. This is, of course, exactly what leaven does, and how it works in a loaf of dough. So beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, beware of sin. Especially, Jesus is saying, be very careful, and James is saying it to: “Each person is tempted when lured and enticed by his desire. Then desire conceives and brings forth sin, and when sin reaches maturity it gives birth to death.” Sin leads to sin. … I think it is the little sins that we permit ourselves, the tiny little offenses, when we say “Oh, God doesn’t mind that” – that’s exactly what will lead to mortal sin and death. Today’s gospel and today’s first reading (Mk 8:14-21; James 1:12-18) are very good cautionary readings that remind us to be very, very aware of the little peccadilloes we allow ourselves and what they can lead to, what they do lead to almost inevitably, unless we stop them, with the grace of God.

Abbot Matthew Stark  O.S.B. I February 19, 2020

Concerning the author of the Letter of James, the New American Bible says that it is neither of the two Jameses who are apostles, although the church seems to teach that it is one of the apostles, as there is an allusion to the Letter in one of the prayers in the feast of Philip and James. Be that as it may, they say perhaps it is the relative of our Lord, who is noted for his piety and his devotion to prayer to such a degree that his knees, from kneeling in a prayer in the temple, became like the knees of a camel. The Greek, they say, is the best in the New Testament, which is an interesting thing to know about this Letter. But the thing about it above all, at least in my mind, is how no-nonsense Saint James is. And that is summed up when he says if anyone thinks he is religious, but does not bridle his tongue and does not control his speech and what he says, deceives his heart. We can deceive ourselves: that is always a thing to keep in mind, how we can deceive our hearts. That sort of religion is vain, useless, harmful. Religion that is pure and undefiled – do you want to know what true religion is – he seems to say: religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to care for the orphan and widow, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. That is how he sums it up: to look after the poor and to keep yourself clean from this world.

Father Paschal Scotti O.S.B. I February 20, 2020

In today’s Gospel (Mark 8:27-33), we see something quite striking. If you go to the gospels, you can put together a fairly substantial list of places where our Lord karshly speaks to people, places where he says some pretty harsh things: viper, liar, fool, hypocrite, and so on.  But, the harshest thing he ever said, by far, the harshest thing was in today’s Gospel, and to his own disciple; to Peter, who had just recognized him as being the Christ, the correct answer to who he is. In the other passages, he criticizes people like the Pharisees, who we know to be his enemies. But here it is his closest companion, and people who recognize him for who he truly is. That should not surprise us. If you read the history of the saints, the lives of the saints – I mean the real lives, if you wipe out all the hagiographical encrustations, all the phoniness etc.. all their hagiography – you will see that in the lives of the Saints, the people who give them the most pain, the most suffering, the people who stop them the most, who limit their capacity the most to do good, are not their enemies, the infidel, etc.  It’s their friends, it’s the people on their side, the people who should be on their side… We see the saints suffer from their own people, those who should know better, but don’t. And, again, that should not surprise us. As we saw in today’s Gospel, when our Lord speaks about Peter, “You do not think as God thinks, but as human beings think,” that is true even of believers, And it has been found to be true in of Christian institutions, in the past and the present, of Christian societies, in the past in the present. Is that far too many, in fact the vast majority, who think not as God thinks but as human beings think. And that should be our only thought today. Do we think as God does, as we should, or do we think as human beings, untouched by divine love, untouched by divine revelation? We believe we are followers of Christ, the true God, the living God. But do we act that way? Do we think that way? Do we live that way? That should be the thought for today and for every day. That is the question: Who do you say that I am? And do you think the way that you should think?

Father Michael Brunner O.S.B. I February 22, 2020

Today we celebrate together not the birth of George Washington, although you may do that on your own today, but the chair of St. Peter. It’s an odd title. We don’t have any chair that St Peter ever sat on. But the chair is the sign of an office; it is a throne, a cathedra. So the chair stands for the official position of the person who sits on it. We call that position ‘The Pope.” So we are celebrating this great office which is a source of authoritative teaching, a source of moral and doctrinal truth. The office was conferred upon Peter, as we heard in the Gospel, and the Church, the body of Christ, has conferred it upon all his successors. It is not an easy office to hold. Peter and all his early successors were martyrs. From Constantine on, the Popes have been subjected to threats, political influence, all kinds of human forces seeking to manipulate the Church and its power and authority. Some have been better at resisting than others. A Pope is a human being like us. His infallibility protects the Church, not the Pope. We only have to look at history to know the ups and downs.  We have the promise of Jesus Christ that He will be with the Church until the end of time, not that He will always ensure a holy, wise and competent successor of Saint Peter. The Church is a congregation of human beings, and as Aristotle notices, we are a very political species. So even in our times, from within the church, there is opposition to & influence exerted on the Pope. Pope Francis’ exhortation after the recent synod on the Amazon Basin has been greeted with dismayed criticism by some and relieved praise by others. But as they noted at the great council of Chalcedon in 451, Peter has spoken through the Bishop of Rome (Leo the Great at the time.)

We are blessed to have an authoritative voice, a central authority who can guide and protect the faith. You just have to look at the proliferation of Protestant denominations since Martin Luther to understand what a blessing it is. There are thousands…thousands of denominations. No one can agree on just how many, and that itself demonstrates the chaos that ensues without a central authority in something as important as eternal truth. So thank God for the Chair of Peter, and for the brave men who have in the past and the brave man now who holds the office of Pope. Pray for Pope Francis and the success of his pontificate. A great truth about leadership and authority was spoken by Jimmy Carter, probably the most moral person to ever hold the Presidency. He said he would be as good a President as the American people were good. The body cannot be healthy without a healthy head, and a healthy head only comes out of a healthy body. So we as members of the Body of Christ, the Church, must be as good as we can be, always a challenge for the human being in every age. It’s not easy to do good or be good. That is the inheritance of original sin. But the good in our age of the world, the church depends upon our perseverance in doing good. If we pause or stop to rest, entropy, chaos or evil will take over. God loves to give surprises and never ceases to provide opportunities for all of our goodness to manifest itself; it is a time to definitively choose good, so that we may always rejoice in the words of today’s Psalm: Only goodness and kindness follow me all the days of my life; And I shall dwell in the house of the LORD for years to come.

Father Edward Mazuski O.S.B. I February 24, 2020

Jesus comes down the mountain after the transfiguration, after he has appeared in his glory to Peter, James and John, and finds his disciples arguing with a group of scribes because his disciples have been unable to cast out a mute spirit that has possessed a boy brought to them by his father. Seeing the scene, Jesus reprimands everybody for their lack of faith, the father asks him to help his unbelief, and Jesus casts out the spirit. The disciples then ask him why they were unable to cast out the spirit, and Jesus tells them, “This kind can only come out through prayer.” We have an interesting contrast here among the disciples. One group, Peter, James and John, have gone up a high mountain, and seen Jesus in his glory with Moses and Elijah. They have experienced a kind of contemplative prayer, a deep internal union with God and with Christ. Meanwhile, the rest of the disciples have remained below the mountain, perhaps trying to increase their glory and show their worthiness by casting out the spirit we hear about. Perhaps we can see something of the contrast between the wisdom from above and earthly wisdom described by St. James in these two approaches. Earthly wisdom, according to St. James, can often be connected with bitter jealousy and selfish ambition. No matter how intelligent somebody is, how wise they are in earthly matters, how skillful they are, there will always be limits to what they can do. In the Gospel, the lack of faith and the lack of prayer by the disciples and the scribes made all of them unable to cast out this demon, in spite of the scribes’ deep knowledge of the Old Testament and the law, and the disciples experience with Christ, and attraction to his message. The wisdom from above, on the other hand, is signed by good works and humility, not by ambition. It is pure, peaceable, gentle, compliant, full of mercy and good fruits and without inconstancy or insincerity. This is the wisdom that Peter, James and John have been taught on the mountain. This is the wisdom that comes down from the mountain, returns from prayer conformed to Christ, and, with Christ, can cast out any demon.

Father Paschal Scotti O.S.B. I February 25, 2020

The world, the flesh, and the devil. These are the traditional enemies of the Christian soul. The world, the flesh, and the devil. They are so seductive, so powerful, so tempting, so dangerous. But they are intrinsically and originally good. God made the world; God made the flesh; God made the devils, the demons, the fallen spirits. Because they are intrinsically good and originally good, they share an original goodness and a sympathy with us. When we choose evil, we do not do so because it is evil, but because it appears to us as a kind of good, some sort of good, at least a sort of good for us, if nothing else. And so we do evil. Very few people do evil because it is evil. They enjoy doing evil because evil is “fun” ... But evil has consequences. In the apparitions of 1917 at Fatima to the peasant children, they did see a vision of hell. And hell was not empty; in fact, it is quite, quite, quite full, and quite terrifying. Many years later, one of those visionaries, now Sister Lucia, was interviewed by a celebrity Italian priest who tried to get her to say, “Well, hell is not really that important; hell is empty…”: that sort of stuff, to downplay the reality of the idea of hell, of eternal punishment. And she said very strongly, “No, Father, No, Father: there are many people in hell, many people.” I hope that won’t be any of us here today, any of those we care about and love, ...no one we know. But we can’t be sure. The fact is that our acts have eternal consequences, and it may be terrible. To make the choice to be eternally damned is the worst choice of all, and all of us are a part of that flow of history, all of us influenced by other people. So: the world, the flash, and the devil – very seductive, very powerful. We tend to rationalize the things that we do and the things that we don’t do, so we do sin instead, or let good to be undone instead. We are beginning Lent very soon: tomorrow, Ash Wednesday. A time for reflection, to purify our thoughts… to see who we really are and where we are going, and how we are acting. Do we think as God thinks, as God wants us to think? Or do we rationalize and say that’s okay, and that’s fine, etc. It’s a good time to reflect upon ourselves and those we care for. Let us use the season of Lent so that all of us might have eternal life.