“First, prayer; then, atonement; in the third place, very much ‘in the third place’, action.” (St. Josemaría Escrivá)
The great tragedy of a school shooting has once more entered our lives. This time it feels a little closer to home as it took place at a Catholic School and almost unbelievably as the students, faculty and community had gathered for the celebration of the Mass.
As brothers and sisters in Christ we are called to pray for the families and community that has suffered so great a loss that is unimaginable to so many of us. But we do pray to God and ask the bigger questions.
I emphasize “prayer” because so many times after any tragedy, but especially one of senseless violence, we are told prayer is not enough. And that is true. But as I have written before, it must be where we begin.
I was actually going to write about prayer in a different context before this event because of a conversation I had with several young people about prayer. I was going to write about how our prayer often feels empty and as one of the students commented during the conversation, “I think I’m praying wrong.” So while much of the context may be changing in the post, the “praying wrong” or the how we look at prayer will fill both buckets.

When I asked the teen why they thought they were praying wrong and asked them to describe their prayers, they shared a very anodyne description of prayer. In our continued discussion their anger and hurt became apparent and finally “I’m so angry with God!” blurted out of their mouth.
As we continued to talk and pray together, we talked about how we share our feeling with family, friends, teachers and others…so why don’t we share our ugly feelings, like anger, with God. I reminded them that throughout Sacred Scripture many people get angry with God. Just look at Moses in the exodus or the Prophet Jeremiah or the story of Job. You can hear the frustration and anger in St. Paul’s letters. And most importantly, we look to our Lord to see his life of prayer informed by his human emotions. It is okay to share even our difficult emotions with God…but then as we heal in the wounds of Jesus, we must listen and act, to live out our faith in hope and love.
When I read about the shooting, there was great sadness in my heart. When I began to understand and see how it had occurred there was frustration and anger. When I talked about it with coworkers and others at the parish there was confusion, hurt and sorrow. The same hard emotions that I had talked about just a few days earlier with this group of teens I was now called to share with God in prayer.
“Prayer is not asking. Prayer is putting oneself in the hands of God, at this disposition, and listening to his voice in the depths of our hearts.” (St. Mother Theresa)
I had asked them just a few days earlier this questions, “In caring for the poorest of the poor, do you think Mother Theresa of Calcutta never turned to God in hurt and anger? Do you think she never look to God and screamed in prayer “Why?” Like all saints, and as God asks of us, she gave her whole life, she gave everything to God, including her doubts, fears and anger. She gave her life not to recieve rewards and “fixes” from God, she gave her life to God to love those those who are hurt, sick, and those who would die in her arms. She chose this life of prayer because she knew how God shares his whole self, in Jesus Christ, we are invited to do the same.

If we don’t have this understanding and do not practice it, then it becomes understandable when people scream at us and demand that “prayer is not enough.” We know that prayer is the beginning. A life of prayer helps us to move forward to seek a more just and peaceful world in and through Jesus Christ. Even as I write this short note, the emotions and tears flow through me as I think of the families in Minnesota and the families at our parish. It allows me to be with and to be for those who come with the hurts of life, both large and small, and listen knowing that I am not the solutions but God’s instrument to be used in love.
So, let us pray and may our prayer become our life and may our life become God’s presence in each and every moment of the day.
“’We should to keep our hearts open to the sufferings and wretchedness of other people, and pray continually that God may grant us that spirit of compassion which is truly the spirit of God.” (St. Vincent de Paul)

God bless
Fr. Mark.

The courage of Moses and the Chosen People in the Desert.

Courage has been on my mind a lot lately. I don’t know why, but there it is. A few weeks ago on Wednesday at daily Mass, (19th week in Ordinary time Deuteronomy 34:1-12) we ended the story of Moses with his death and the preparation for the people of Israel to enter into the Promised Land…it is promised in the reality that it was give to Abraham and his decedents forever (Gen 12:1-3).
We remember how Moses and the first generation who in the exodus from slavery in Egypt has been forbidden to enter the promised land (Num 20:8-12) for there lack of trust in God’s power and in many other passages in the Book of Numbers we hear of the other offenses denying this generation entry into the land. (there is a link below that will explain this in much more detail)
We know Moses had great courage in confronting Pharaoh, and leading the people out of Egypt, through the Red Sea and to the mountain to receive the Ten Commandments. That would take tremendous courage. But I believe the greater courage happened during the next forty years in the desert. Especially once he heard the news that he could not complete the journey. I can only imagine how hard that would have been…you have been given the heavy task of leading the people but you would need to hand it off to bring it to fruition.

Even more difficult would be slowly watching the generation die; you sister, your brother, and friends, his generation slipping into history. Added to all of this, think about the many struggles, the betrayals, the people wanting to take the easier roads, people turning away from God and the painful path of forgiveness and reconciliation and finally you know you are near, and yet the last step will never be taken.
I think of the courage, the faithful courage not just of Moses but of the entire generation as they knew their fate and yet with trust, even in their failings, passed on and prepared the next generation for the work of faith, the hope of faith, the joy of faith. The strength and the courage to live their faith in the midst of temptation and sin of the surrounding peoples. Preparing their sons and daughters for the failure of sin and living the example of God’s mercy and forgiveness.
This is often the journey of every generation. We know our homeland and destination, but unlike Moses, through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ we have been granted entry. But like the Israelite’s on their desert journey we are challenged to follow the commandments of our God and pass them on to the next generation.
We can often despair for the next generation receiving the faith and living it to its fullness, but like the faithful courage of Moses, we shouldn’t falter but live and teach over and over again, even when we fail. Returning to the desert road to the promise of the true kingdom of Jesus Christ.
I know by faith that our Father has placed in the spirit of love this word of courage in my heart. I may not know the answer today, but in faith I am called to walk my desert road in the love and mercy of God.
God bless
Fr. Mark

https://stpaulcenter.com/posts/why-was-moses-not-allowed-to-enter-the-promised-land?srsltid=AfmBOorWavlWJ7DA1bvmjBxJmtOcxELpOLnghk1gvuWL-PqZ9Yp_jYzz

The courage to follow Christ…the courage to be a disciple

As we celebrated the Feast of St. Lawrence the Martyr a few days ago, I reflected in my homily about the faithfulness and courage demonstrated by the Deacon Lawrence in the face of persecution and the demands of the government to give away his faith.
One of the great blessings in reflecting upon this heroic act is the stained glass window depicting this moment that is above the altar in our parish church. Praying with this image while sitting in the church, you see St. Lawrence and the many people who are following him into this encounter with the authorities.
Most of the time we can focus on the commanding figure of the Deacon Lawrence, but from time to time I look at the faces and figures of those behind him. I wonder who they were? Why they chose to follow Lawrence that day? What happened to them following Lawrence’s torture and death in martyrdom?

I can’t imagine that St. Lawrence as he gathered them and asked them to come with him would not have told them what he was going to do in confronting the authorities. We hear in history the brutality that was often inflicted upon the poor of Rome. As they followed the saint, they surely knew the danger they would face in anger at what Lawrence would offer the Emperor as treasure and the possible actions that would be taken against those whom Lawrence would offer.
I wonder, how many were Christian? How many followed, who did not believe, but knew Jesus through the holy actions, compassion of work of charity of the Christian community in Rome and Lawrence how this reflected the mission of Jesus Christ? This makes me think: What would I do? How would I react in the situation Lawrence faced as well as those who followed him on that glorious day?
We may never face the choice St. Lawrence had that day after watching his Pope and brother deacons being martyred just a few days earlier. But there are small acts of sacrifice and service that help to prepare us for those smaller deaths we must face each day.
At the recent Jubilee of Youth in Rome, Pope Leo XIV shared these insightful works that help us too understand how to make ready our lives for these small sacrifices, “Through all this, you can grasp an important point: the fullness of our existence does not depend on what we store up or, as we heard in the Gospel, on what we possess (cf. Lk 12:13-21). Rather, fullness has to do with what we joyfully welcome and share (cf. Mt 10:8-10; Jn 6:1-13). Buying, hoarding and consuming are not enough. We need to lift our eyes, to look upwards, to the “things that are above” (Col 3:2), to realize that everything in the world has meaning only insofar as it serves to unite us to God and to our brothers and sisters in charity, helping us to grow in “compassion, kindness, humility, meekness and patience” (Col 3:12), forgiveness (cf. ibid., v. 13) and peace (cf. Jn 14:27), all in imitation of Christ (cf. Phil 2:5). And in this way we will grow in an ever deeper understanding of what it means that hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us (cf. Rom 5:5).” (Homily 8-3-25)
We are called to greatness, to be saints. What small deaths to sin and gifts of sacrifice can we offer to God today? Lord Jesus, help me to follow you as St. Lawrence followed you. Amen
St. Lawrence the Martyr…pray for us.