woke up today in a bit of a haze. It’s July 31…the Memorial of St. Ignatius of Loyola and…the Dodgers are 34.5 games in front of the Giants. How can you not smile. I have been thinking about baseball, soccer and prayer the last few days because with all the joy that the 34.5 game lead over the Giants (and it’s still July) gives me watching and listening to the games this weekend was a bit troubling. Why you may ask would it be troubling when the Dodgers have a 34.5 game lead of the Giants? “Well, it’s all about noise.” would be my response. Dodger Stadium is the third oldest park in baseball at this time moment. (If you can guess the forth oldest, I’ll be you a beer.) Fifty years younger than Fenway and Wrigley Field it is a beautiful place to watch a game of baseball. And yet, something was amiss a I watched and listened…it was the noise, a constant noise and blaring noise that seemed to fill every nook and cranny of the game.
As many of you know, if you have read prior reflections, I am praying my way through Robert Cardinal Sarah’s book “The Power of Silence: Against the Dictatorship of Noise” which may be why I am becoming so attuned to the noise surrounding our lives. He writes, “How can we express in concrete words a “silent music’? This musical phenomenon is necessarily a faint, humble sound heard by God alone. It consists of the notes produced by the harp of our heart when it is consumed with love.”(#77) And this is where silence, baseball and prayer come into the blessing of life. The art and beauty of a baseball game is meant for silence: the pauses, the breaks, the moments between when the “silent music” can be seen and heard in the waiting and anticipation of the next pitch or hit, the catch or cheer that is raised for a few moments only to enter once more into the voice of silence, the watching and waiting.
When I lived in Seattle before moving to Oakland my friend Carl and I would often spend evening watching the Seattle Mariners in the old Kingdome, where we would watch some pretty awful teams…one that finished 39 games back (the Giants still have hope.) One of the greatest blessings was the quiet of the game…not many fans…and a lot of conversation (and a few beers) as the game went on…it was the silence/quiet that was the blessing.
Which brings me to soccer…it is a game not meant for silence. The singing, the chanting the joy of the beautiful game is meant to be a unison of voice lifted high together and joined as one as the action takes place always moving, shifting and forming and reforming the shape of the team as the ball is moved about with grace and joy.
To me the beautiful game of soccer is like our Sunday liturgy, we come to gather and sing, pray and lift our voices as one. To enter into the joyous blessings of the differences of life being lifted up to be transformed and made new for this moment of time together seeking, sharing and being sent forth with blessings of the beautiful gift of life.
Baseball is more like the contemplative prayer of participating in the gentle rhythm of daily life where we watch, wait and act as the moment of blessings places itself into our midst. It is at this holy moment, the moment of the hit, where we all move together acknowledging the “silent music” bursting forth into new life.
Maybe I worry too much about the noise of Dodger Stadium and desire the silence of the past too much but I do think and know deeply this one important thing…the love of the game is found not in the noise but in the moments between.
In life this is where God is, where he desires us to be…with him pondering, preparing and listening to the “silent music” of love.
God Bless
Fr. Mark

Go Dodgers.
(4th Oldest…Oakland Colosseum)

It is amazing what a new coat of paint or putting new carpet into a room does for the feeling of a place. We all know they are but cosmetic fixes but they do bring a renewed sense of beauty and wonder. The parish (St. Lucy) has been experiencing these blessings as we have replaced the carpet in our church building and have put a fresh coat of paint on the exterior of many of our parish school buildings…and it looks wonderful. The truth is the underlying structures and functions of the buildings remain the same but these small changes uplift the spirit.
I use the preamble as a way of reminding us, we as Christians, are an interior and exterior faith. We express our faith in the interior holiness of seeking God’s presence in our life and at the same time revel in the beauty of the art, architecture, music and worship we celebrate in our weekly Eucharistic feast. The interior and hidden part of our spiritual life is often expressed in the outward and joyous gifts we share with the community around us as we gather to blessed and sent forth to proclaim the love of Jesus Christ.
While the interior disposition and search for holiness is vital it always must be accompanied by the exterior works of grace. It does no good to put new paint on a building and never look at the structural integrity and in the same way the beauty of an interior will begin to degrade quickly when the exterior is left to be ravaged by the elements of weather and time.
Before I entered the seminary I was a parishioner at St. Martin of Tours in San Jose. Each Sunday morning I would rise early and attend the 7:00 a.m. Mass. Because I didn’t own a car at the time I would often ride my bike the mile or so I lived from the parish. I would often feel tempted, especially if the weather was in-climate or on those hot mornings to forgo the slacks and collared shirt I normally wore for Mass. But the temptation was usually overcome by a deeper desire to honor God and to remember where I was going and what I was going to do there. It wasn’t that the clothes (exterior) automatically made my soul and prayer (interior) holier or more presentable to God rather for me it was an outward reminder of who I was made to be.
In “Sacrosanctum Concilium: The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy” from the Second Vatican Council (Vatican II) the Church speaks about the dignity and the reality of what occurs at the Eucharistic Liturgy and why we should be attentive to how we celebrate…
Why do we come? The first sentence of Chapter 1 is very plain and direct where the Church proclaims, “God who “wills that all men be saved and come to the knowledge of he truth” (1 Tim 2:4) (#5) We are invited into an act of not only relationship but a growing in the knowledge and love of God. The understanding the truth that proclaims “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” (1 Jn 4:8)
Entering into this love and mercy is a work of grace shared by all members of the Body of Christ, This is why coming to celebrate is such an important moment each and every week because as we are reminded, “To accomplish so great a work Christ is always present in his Church, especially in her liturgical celebration.” (#7)
The unity we seek with Jesus is found most fully in the interior act of prayer and the exterior action of worship united as one when we are gathered in communion. When we absent ourselves from this grace the exterior begins to weaken and our interior strength begins to wane. Just as climbing a hill to see the vista of wonder takes work and sweat, we know the celebration of God’s love is also the metaphorical mountain top, “the liturgy is the summit toward which the activity of the Church is directed; it is also the fount from which all her power flows.” (#10) it is where we can proclaim in a voice that has echoed throughout salvation history, “Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song. (Ps 951-2) See you in the Eucharist.

God Bless
Fr. Mark

What is in a footnote? This question came about from my rereading St. Pope John Paul II’s Apostolic Letter “Rosarium Virginis Mariae: On the Most Holy Rosary” from 2002. It wasn’t just the text of the letter but the footnotes because footnotes have always fascinated me. Whether it is a book or an article, the footnotes tell a deeper story of the ideas. They help us to see the trail of love and hope that springs from our faith.
Our history, tradition and foundations are such a blessing in so many ways because too often we can get enamored with the newest, the most recent and the shiniest object in front of us and forget our history, tradition and foundation from which spring so many great gifts in our life of faith in Jesus Christ. I was reminded this in a funny way by Deepu Kochuparambil (the youth minister at St. Catherine of Alexandria) on his blog www.homedeepu.com where in his introduction on Facebook to a recent post, “Much Obliged” he described Mark Hart’s book “The “R” Father” as “one of his older books.” which made me laugh because it was published in 2010…young people these days. (I hope the long introduction didn’t spoil the chuckle) Deepu writes a great blog…highly recommended read for everyone…even the non-youth of the world.
So why do I bring up this through the long and rambling introduction? Well, because we forget too often the depth of our faith traditions and history and continue to try and build new foundations where one has already been laid for us. At least this is my own personal experience. As Catholic Christians we are able to hear and live this tradition each time we come together and celebrate Mass. It is the foundation of our faith. I, as a priest, in preparing my homily often go back deep into the tradition of the Church for guidance and understanding about the Sacred Scripture given to us on each Sunday. We see it in our prayers, devotions and offerings where we daily enter into the long and joyful conversation of love, mercy and forgiveness that each saint has had with God as they (and we) listen and speak with gratitude.
I love Mark Hart’s book on the Our Father but it and the footnotes in St. John Paul II’s letter remind me of the deeper history and traditions of understanding and praying the Our Father as part of daily prayer life. You can find thousands of different writers from ancient times, like St. Cyprian of Carthage, to later writes like St. Theresa of Avila and St. Thomas Aquinas to more modern times with Bishop Fulton Sheen (and Mark Hart) being great examples, reflect on the meaning, substance and grace found within this beautiful prayer.
The thing is we often skim only the surface of this prayer and much our faith and fail to go deeper. Each time I read a reflection on the “Our Father” I am challenged to go deeper into my relationship with God. Because in reality each reflection slows me down as a enter into the Our Father and hear the reflection as a footnote inviting me to explore and widen the joy in which we are called to pray.
Ultimately, the continued growth in faith, knowledge and love of God is our goal as baptized Catholic Christians. We can only do this by continuing to engaged in the daily, weekly and life long practice of our faith. Taking time to go into the footnotes of our faith, listening carefully to God’s voice and then living these words spoken in love is a blessing beyond all measure.
Take time in the footnotes, whether it is in the words of memory spoken by a friend or the little numbers in an essay or book and as we look deeper we should never be afraid to enter into the quiet of those little notes seeking the spark of the Holy Spirit to spur us ever deeper in the discovery of Divine Love.
God bless
Fr. Mark

We all need a little break every now and then. I am away for a short while on a vacation. To be able to rest and relax and renew the batteries for the work of ministry. We are reminded that Jesus took time to rest and relax with friends but as the Gospels relate, he was often interrupted in this pursuit time of prayer and quiet.
Cardinal Sarah writes, “Jesus himself points out to men the beautiful dwelling places of solitude and silence.” (#121) and later he quotes Fr. Henri Nouwen, “As ministers our greatest temptation is toward too many words. They weaken our faith and make us lukewarm. Silence is a sacred discipline, a guard of the Holy Spirit.” (#135) (From: “The Power of Silence”) We can all fall into this temptation of avoiding quiet, silence and solitude. The world today gives us the opportunity for noise, busyness and interruption beyond counting and God offers us the gifts of peace, joy and relationship. We get to choose daily which is our greatest desire.
The journey into silence and the interruption of silence are both gifts that are to be treasured. It is a moment of blessing when we have entered into silence with God that we are then called out of silence into an active service of God’s people by the Holy Spirit. This call to service is set upon the great foundation of prayer we are called to begin.
Where do we find time for silence? Where do we find time for prayer? It would be nice if we could take unlimited time and find unlimited opportunities for prayer and silence, yet we know the responsibilities of life call us away from silence and prayer. Husbands and wives must be attentive to each other in relationship that calls them out of silence and prayer, as do parents or children, as we are all called into service of one another.
Where do we find time for silence? Take a cup of coffee as an example. I was speaking with a man a few weeks ago and he shared how his morning cup of coffee became his moment of silence in the day. Before his family became overly active he loved to sit at the breakfast nook in the kitchen and just be in the silence and quiet of the morning in preparation of the day. Admittedly it usually only lasted for a few moments but for him it was the foundation of the day to serve his wife and children. Seeking silence also finds itself in the small tasks of life, like folding laundry, driving to work or perhaps working in the garden. It is found when we turn off the outside noise and seek the peaceful union of God’s voice with ours.
Where down find time for prayer? This is a much more intentional act of love towards God and others because it focusses our silence directly towards the purpose of God’s will in our lives. St. Ambrose writes these beautiful words, “It is the soul that has its door, its gates. Christ comes to this door and knocks; he knocks at these gates. Open to him; he wants to enter, to find his bride waiting and watching.” When we intentionally enter into silence in the hope of hearing the voice of God whispering the call to union, we open the door to our soul to be joined as one. When you go to Mass this weekend, notice the moments of silence that the Church offers to us to listen prayerfully during the celebration. Prayer is when we choose to point our silence towards God. Our continuing invitation is to find time for silence, even a few minutes a day, and then point our soul towards the Divine silence in prayer.

God Bless
Fr. Mark

“We don’t read scripture, scripture reads us and with unending call to greatness our Lord begs the question, “Who do you say that I am?”” (p 108 from the essay “Heroism Survives Secularism by Jared Zimmerer from “Man Up!”)

I read this quote several weeks ago and it has been part of my prayer for these past weeks as I asked the question: “What does this exactly mean?” To give a little context to the quote above, the author is speaking about heroism in the Christian sense of a call to the virtues which help us to be the man (person) God has created us to be and how choosing to live these virtues in the sacrificial love modeled perfectly in Jesus Christ and then lived out by countless saints in heroic self giving/sacrifice of their lives for others.
Once again we may ask, “What does this exactly mean?” As I prayed about this I went back to front with the question that Jesus poses to his disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” (Lk 9:20) Because this is where it will all begin. If we can answer, as Peter did, “The Christ of God.” (Lk 9:20) then to quote the author once more, “the first steps of the adventure has been taken and in the words of Bilbo Baggins, “It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out of our door..You step into the Road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there is no knowing where you might be swept off to.” (p 108) If our affirmative answer is we know Jesus to be the true Son of the living God then we begin an adventure that is a conversation of love and blessing.
We have all had these conversation of love and blessing where scripture reads us…we just need to pause and thinks about it for a second…and ask what does this look like. In conversations with friends or even stranger we are often struck with someone saying something out of the blue that just makes sense for the situation or problem in our lives. As a priest people will often say to me after Mass that what I said during my homily was exactly what they needed to hear. I made the mistake one time of asking what it was and when the woman told me I had a Holy Spirit moment because I never said what she heard and yet it was exactly what she needed to hear. Jesus, in the same way enters into these conversations with us through Sacred Scripture when we sit and listen and speak with him through the depth of our hearts.
Please don’t misunderstand me, I am not advocating that we each interpret scripture how we want to as to fit what we want to think. Just the opposite, as we sit with God, in the family of the Catholic Church, we are able to hear to authentic voice reading us and responding to our needs as we take time in prayer and study of the living word of God.
Because this is what we believe. When we sit with a good friend or family member who knows us well because we have been with them through good and bad, through joy and sorrow, through life and death, they read us, as the saying goes, like a book. They may ask, “What’s on your mind?” and when we respond, “Nothing.” They wait patiently to ask again reading us knowing the burden on our heart needs to be heard and healed. The word of grace spoken in love.
This is how “scripture reads us,” because Jesus who is the living word of God, reads us and offers us his word of grace spoken in love. When we know Him intimately through the conversations of prayer, scripture and sacrament He reads us and offers us words of healing and truth that bring us back into communion with God and each other. This is the great adventure that leads us to where God desires us to be: one family united in heroic love.
God Bless
Fr. Mark