I almost forgot my fortune. I had gone to a Chinese restaurant with two friends, and was enjoying the conversation so much that I broke open my fortune cookie, but neglected to read the little strip of paper with my “fortune” printed on it. Eventually, when I was reminded to read it, I laughed so hard that I couldn’t read it aloud, and had to pass it around the table.
Your charm today will be almost irresistible, so use it wisely.
I assume you have known people, as I have, who seem to have been over-endowed by God with an abundance of charm and attractiveness. When we meet them, we are, well, charmed and attracted, delighted and drawn into their orbits. Like most of you, I have never been under the misapprehension that I was one of those people. That’s why I laughed until I couldn’t breathe when I read that fortune.
Almost every such person I have known has been at least somewhat aware of his (or her) gift and been able to “turn it on” when they need it. I have occasionally wanted to ask, when did you discover your “charm” and how powerful it could be?
If we live with them longer – as family-members, friends, or co-workers – we are more likely to see the charm with a little more objectivity. We try to make sure we do not “fall for it” ourselves. We know they have something we don’t, and maybe get just a tad envious.
That “fortune” made me think about this gift, this charm, and how much fun it would be to “have it” and to know it, even if only for a period of time. Rather than be envious of what we see others having, why not just try ourselves to “turn it on?”
How could we amplify our own attractiveness and lovability, and magnify the very best aspects of our personality and uniqueness and know that we have an audience who appreciated us, is attracted to us, and responds to us? Imagine, if we could do that, the power it would give us? The challenge would be to use it wisely, indeed - but obviously, it would be a great opportunity as well! Who would pass up a chance for that?
Aware as I am of everything about me that is unattractive and unlovable, there is only one way I could imagine myself doing this: prayer. That’s right: just hurl my whole self in front of God and let Him have it. He will see and love better than anyone else everything that is good about me, everything true and beautiful, everything attractive and loveable. If I simply give myself to His attention, He will be unable to withhold from me his entire attention, His entire love.
To go to prayer is to rid my mind of everything that can distract me from this fabulous attraction that God has to me, this amazing power that draws God into my orbit. To “turn it on” in this manner is to realize who I truly am, and what I am truly for.
Hey; you know me. You know how quickly my charm arsenal can run out. So you know that if prayer can do this for me, you should realize that it can do the same for you. This is our great fortune, our treasure and our future. Have you been to prayer today? Your charm today will be almost irresistible, so use it wisely.
Monsignor Smith
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Saturday, July 09, 2011
Packing Power
Many things we enjoy are modern inventions. While many of us can wag our heads and tell the kids what it was like before smartphones and power car windows, we ourselves may be unaware of how recently certain other newfangled contraptions have come into the world, as we cannot imagine life without them. Like vacations.
That’s right, vacations are a new invention. Ever ask a farmer about his vacation? He’ll look at you funny, or maybe laugh. In agrarian societies, which was almost everywhere until the modern era, everybody was a farmer, or worked in the farm economy, and nobody could take time off. Then, when industrialization came along, the “infernal machines” had to be kept producing all the time, and even rest on the Lord’s day was done away with, and whole families worked seven days a week.
Somewhere along the line, it was discovered that a break from work could actually increase productivity in the long run. A rested worker is a stronger worker, happier and healthier. Leisure is an essential element in human culture, and properly developed, does not detract from the output and invention of a society, but enhances it. Now most folks have not only weekends, but whole weeks free to enjoy some leisure, recreation, and travel. But this has become widespread only within the past century.
Most of us cannot imagine life without days off now and then, and vacations periodically. We look forward to these times away not only because they will make us better at what we do to support ourselves and our families, but also for their own sake. Thanks be to God for this gift of our modern era!
Toward the end of RCIA this year, I was trying to compile a list for our neophytes of “Neat Things You Can Do Now That You Are A Catholic.” These are things that we who are Catholic learn about growing up living the Faith in the Church, but don’t really get taught when studying doctrine. There are many, of course; one of them is to find a church for Mass while on vacation. This can require a little work sometimes, but not so much in these days of the internet, for all but the most cartographically challenged. The reward is to find the same thing – Mass, Jesus, the Word, the Eucharist, the Faith -- and some different things: historical church, funnier priest, a congregation that can sing in four parts. And of course, refreshment, light, and peace.
So take your rosary as well as that beach novel, and one pair of long pants for Mass, because prayer and worship are integral parts of our rest and recreation. If you catch yourself leaving these things out of your suitcase, or out of your plans, ask yourself how productive it could be to leave behind prayer when vacationing from work? If being busy is usually your biggest obstacle to prayer, when better to pray than on vacation? Worship of God refreshes us in the worst of circumstances, so how much moreso will it enhance our refreshment in the best?
So, as you approach that tollbooth, realize that the vacation you are enjoying is almost as new an invention as the EZPass. But with apologies to Steve Jobs and his sort, new inventions are not enough to bring us joy. Bless him, all who worship the Lord, the God of gods, sing praise to him and give thanks to him, for his mercy endures for ever. (Daniel 15:68)
Monsignor Smith
That’s right, vacations are a new invention. Ever ask a farmer about his vacation? He’ll look at you funny, or maybe laugh. In agrarian societies, which was almost everywhere until the modern era, everybody was a farmer, or worked in the farm economy, and nobody could take time off. Then, when industrialization came along, the “infernal machines” had to be kept producing all the time, and even rest on the Lord’s day was done away with, and whole families worked seven days a week.
Somewhere along the line, it was discovered that a break from work could actually increase productivity in the long run. A rested worker is a stronger worker, happier and healthier. Leisure is an essential element in human culture, and properly developed, does not detract from the output and invention of a society, but enhances it. Now most folks have not only weekends, but whole weeks free to enjoy some leisure, recreation, and travel. But this has become widespread only within the past century.
Most of us cannot imagine life without days off now and then, and vacations periodically. We look forward to these times away not only because they will make us better at what we do to support ourselves and our families, but also for their own sake. Thanks be to God for this gift of our modern era!
Toward the end of RCIA this year, I was trying to compile a list for our neophytes of “Neat Things You Can Do Now That You Are A Catholic.” These are things that we who are Catholic learn about growing up living the Faith in the Church, but don’t really get taught when studying doctrine. There are many, of course; one of them is to find a church for Mass while on vacation. This can require a little work sometimes, but not so much in these days of the internet, for all but the most cartographically challenged. The reward is to find the same thing – Mass, Jesus, the Word, the Eucharist, the Faith -- and some different things: historical church, funnier priest, a congregation that can sing in four parts. And of course, refreshment, light, and peace.
So take your rosary as well as that beach novel, and one pair of long pants for Mass, because prayer and worship are integral parts of our rest and recreation. If you catch yourself leaving these things out of your suitcase, or out of your plans, ask yourself how productive it could be to leave behind prayer when vacationing from work? If being busy is usually your biggest obstacle to prayer, when better to pray than on vacation? Worship of God refreshes us in the worst of circumstances, so how much moreso will it enhance our refreshment in the best?
So, as you approach that tollbooth, realize that the vacation you are enjoying is almost as new an invention as the EZPass. But with apologies to Steve Jobs and his sort, new inventions are not enough to bring us joy. Bless him, all who worship the Lord, the God of gods, sing praise to him and give thanks to him, for his mercy endures for ever. (Daniel 15:68)
Monsignor Smith
Saturday, July 02, 2011
Hanging out day
One of the things Father Thompson left me that I still love to use is a good United States flag on a pole to hang outside the rectory door. I forgot to put it up on Flag Day (14 June) and am still kicking myself for that. So every day this week, I have been asking myself whether it is too early to put it up for Independence Day.
The flag is remarkably important to me. Usually we have a fine one flying from the pole on the campus during school days. My first year here I insisted on getting a new one because the old one was visibly tattered and quite faded. Now I still get agitated if it is raised incompletely or incorrectly. That flag means a lot.
It is not just that I am a Boy Scout. If you think about it, I spend a lot of my time taking care of various symbols to show regard for the things that they signify. The church itself – the building, not the institution – is a symbol of Christ’s presence here in Four Corners. So, I insist that it not be tattered or faded, as far as economical reality permits.
That is why a number of our parishioners put their time and effort into taking care of all the things around here. Our landscape volunteers and donors, for example, pour their sweat into making the grounds beautiful – maybe even letting their own yards languish. Industrious folks work in the sacristy, or with the altar flowers and decorations, to keep the things inside the church beautiful. Similarly, our CYO Board not only keeps the back field and playground ready for play, but cares for it as a part of this parish that welcomes guests, and hosts activities. Other parishioners fix or paint, as their skills allow.
In every case, the object that we can handle and care for is not as important in itself as is the greater reality it represents. We can’t completely express our love for Christ with a gesture, but we can care for His church, the chalice that holds His Precious Blood, and the pew where His sisters and brothers will kneel to adore him.
Our faith informs us of the importance of relationships, both human and super-human. You can hug your kids today, as the old bumper sticker says, but you couldn’t hug God any more than you could kiss our country. So, how do we show our care and respect for these very large but very real entities in our lives? By caring for the objects that connect us to them.
Our Catholic worship contains many symbols for us to interact with. One of my favorites is the Holy Altar that symbolizes Christ Himself (particularly in his entombment), and so it is with great affection that I greet Him with a kiss when I arrive in the sanctuary, and similarly bid farewell as I leave. Of course, one of the symbols in our church is more than just a symbol, for it truly is what it signifies: the Holy Eucharist, Christ’s Body and Blood. And as we celebrated last week, our relationship with our Lord in the Eucharist is more than symbolic.
So this weekend, let’s fly the flag both literally and figuratively, thanking God for the gifts He has given us in our Church and in our nation. Regardless of who else salutes, you and I can and will revere these symbols of the source and place of the freedom we cherish.
Monsignor Smith
The flag is remarkably important to me. Usually we have a fine one flying from the pole on the campus during school days. My first year here I insisted on getting a new one because the old one was visibly tattered and quite faded. Now I still get agitated if it is raised incompletely or incorrectly. That flag means a lot.
It is not just that I am a Boy Scout. If you think about it, I spend a lot of my time taking care of various symbols to show regard for the things that they signify. The church itself – the building, not the institution – is a symbol of Christ’s presence here in Four Corners. So, I insist that it not be tattered or faded, as far as economical reality permits.
That is why a number of our parishioners put their time and effort into taking care of all the things around here. Our landscape volunteers and donors, for example, pour their sweat into making the grounds beautiful – maybe even letting their own yards languish. Industrious folks work in the sacristy, or with the altar flowers and decorations, to keep the things inside the church beautiful. Similarly, our CYO Board not only keeps the back field and playground ready for play, but cares for it as a part of this parish that welcomes guests, and hosts activities. Other parishioners fix or paint, as their skills allow.
In every case, the object that we can handle and care for is not as important in itself as is the greater reality it represents. We can’t completely express our love for Christ with a gesture, but we can care for His church, the chalice that holds His Precious Blood, and the pew where His sisters and brothers will kneel to adore him.
Our faith informs us of the importance of relationships, both human and super-human. You can hug your kids today, as the old bumper sticker says, but you couldn’t hug God any more than you could kiss our country. So, how do we show our care and respect for these very large but very real entities in our lives? By caring for the objects that connect us to them.
Our Catholic worship contains many symbols for us to interact with. One of my favorites is the Holy Altar that symbolizes Christ Himself (particularly in his entombment), and so it is with great affection that I greet Him with a kiss when I arrive in the sanctuary, and similarly bid farewell as I leave. Of course, one of the symbols in our church is more than just a symbol, for it truly is what it signifies: the Holy Eucharist, Christ’s Body and Blood. And as we celebrated last week, our relationship with our Lord in the Eucharist is more than symbolic.
So this weekend, let’s fly the flag both literally and figuratively, thanking God for the gifts He has given us in our Church and in our nation. Regardless of who else salutes, you and I can and will revere these symbols of the source and place of the freedom we cherish.
Monsignor Smith
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Do I have to?
Do I have to go to Mass? It’s a common enough question, especially when Holy Days come around – whether it is “Of Obligation”, or not. We want to do what we have to do, but what is not required, maybe not.
But what about, Am I allowed to go to Mass? Or, What will you do to me if you catch me going to Mass? It is hard for us to imagine, though we may have vague awareness of folks in other times, or other places, who were forbidden to go to Mass: China, Egypt, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Indonesia, England.
England? You bet – in the sixteenth century, under Queen Elizabeth I, it was a capital crime to practice the Catholic faith. But some faithful people did stay faithful. Some of them died for it; just last week we celebrated the feast of Saints Thomas More and John Fisher, who are famous martyrs under Henry VIII. There were others whose names you may not recognize who died, or otherwise suffered, under that cruel law.
One man remained true to the Faith but was not executed, possibly because of his great talent, definitely because of the personal favor of the Queen. His name was William Byrd, and he was one of the most gifted composers of his age. He wrote marvelous music for the royal court, but gave up that privileged life for a remote exile, where he continued to write music for the Mass and the worship of the Church, much of which was sung only in secret, for fear of punishment.
This week you will have a chance to experience this man’s music, and on a most appropriate day: the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, this Wednesday, 29 June. That evening at 7:30, we will have a Solemn High Mass in the Extraordinary Form, much as Byrd would have known it, to celebrate these two great Apostles and the Church that Christ Jesus founded.
Byrd takes these prayers of the Mass and brings them to his own situation. In fact, he musically emphasizes the words, thus saith the Lord to Simon Peter, as if emphasizing to his persecutors who gave the Church her authority and her Pope. And throughout the Mass, he savors the texts that convey the beauty of the Truth for which he had given up all his comfort and ambition.
The choir Chantry will be singing Byrd’s music for our Mass. A concert they gave of it last week received a favorable review in the Washington Post: The repressive atmosphere may have helped produce some of Byrd’s most intense and personal music. There is nothing distant or High Church about these performances; (Chantry Director David) Taylor pulled robust, characterful readings out of his singers. If the effect was sometimes more athletic than atmospheric, it also brought edge-of-seat vitality to the music.
On this day that we celebrate the Body and Blood of Christ, and rejoice in this great gift that Christ gives us only in and through His Church, it is a good time to ask ourselves not whether we have to go to Mass, but what would we do if we weren’t permitted to go to Mass? What would we risk – our property? Our families? Our lives?
Thanks be to God we don’t have to make those decisions. It is always good, though, to remember just what the Mass truly is, and who gave it to us. You don’t have to come to Mass this Wednesday evening, -- but you can.
Monsignor Smith
But what about, Am I allowed to go to Mass? Or, What will you do to me if you catch me going to Mass? It is hard for us to imagine, though we may have vague awareness of folks in other times, or other places, who were forbidden to go to Mass: China, Egypt, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Indonesia, England.
England? You bet – in the sixteenth century, under Queen Elizabeth I, it was a capital crime to practice the Catholic faith. But some faithful people did stay faithful. Some of them died for it; just last week we celebrated the feast of Saints Thomas More and John Fisher, who are famous martyrs under Henry VIII. There were others whose names you may not recognize who died, or otherwise suffered, under that cruel law.
One man remained true to the Faith but was not executed, possibly because of his great talent, definitely because of the personal favor of the Queen. His name was William Byrd, and he was one of the most gifted composers of his age. He wrote marvelous music for the royal court, but gave up that privileged life for a remote exile, where he continued to write music for the Mass and the worship of the Church, much of which was sung only in secret, for fear of punishment.
This week you will have a chance to experience this man’s music, and on a most appropriate day: the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, this Wednesday, 29 June. That evening at 7:30, we will have a Solemn High Mass in the Extraordinary Form, much as Byrd would have known it, to celebrate these two great Apostles and the Church that Christ Jesus founded.
Byrd takes these prayers of the Mass and brings them to his own situation. In fact, he musically emphasizes the words, thus saith the Lord to Simon Peter, as if emphasizing to his persecutors who gave the Church her authority and her Pope. And throughout the Mass, he savors the texts that convey the beauty of the Truth for which he had given up all his comfort and ambition.
The choir Chantry will be singing Byrd’s music for our Mass. A concert they gave of it last week received a favorable review in the Washington Post: The repressive atmosphere may have helped produce some of Byrd’s most intense and personal music. There is nothing distant or High Church about these performances; (Chantry Director David) Taylor pulled robust, characterful readings out of his singers. If the effect was sometimes more athletic than atmospheric, it also brought edge-of-seat vitality to the music.
On this day that we celebrate the Body and Blood of Christ, and rejoice in this great gift that Christ gives us only in and through His Church, it is a good time to ask ourselves not whether we have to go to Mass, but what would we do if we weren’t permitted to go to Mass? What would we risk – our property? Our families? Our lives?
Thanks be to God we don’t have to make those decisions. It is always good, though, to remember just what the Mass truly is, and who gave it to us. You don’t have to come to Mass this Wednesday evening, -- but you can.
Monsignor Smith
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Mission: Possible
Trinity Sunday is traditionally one of the most dreaded days for preachers. No, it’s not a lack of material that intimidates, but rather a superabundance. What could be a richer inspiration than the inner life of the living God?
But there’s your problem: the inner life of God. It’s so difficult to see, or understand, or explain; so theological and complicated, so arcane. It can be oversimplified (Saint Patrick and his shamrock, or St. Joseph Calasanz and his threefold blanket) and overcomplicated (any theological text; the recurring word circumincession).
But don’t cry for me yet, Argentina. The awareness that God has given us in revealing His inner life to be Three Persons in one God is already woven into our life and understanding of everything. It is not foreign to us, nor far from us. Just like me, until you have to explain it, you are very comfortable with the Triune nature of God.
You see, as far away and arcane as can seem this talk of Trinity and Unity, there really is a lot there about us, ourselves, too. Every time you make the sign of the Cross, you invoke and express the Holy Trinity, even if only for grace before meals. You use words that you use in other conversations about your own life: name, father, son, spirit. Hello, my name is --; What name do you give this child? Wait ‘til your father gets home; Happy Father’s Day! My, but your son has a lot of spirit!
It is really fabulous and amazing news that God is in relationship, in conversation, even before anything else comes into being. It announces a sort of pre-existing openness to relationships and conversations that can, should, and will include you and me. That is a pretty radical thing for God to be up for. And it reveals that the kind of relationships and conversations that God has are consistent, mutual, and life giving; they are, in fact, the work of love.
Now, you probably do not think about that very often, even if you make the sign of the Cross a hundred times a week. But it changes your understanding of who you are, and what you are for. In case you wonder whether I am making this up, all you need to do is spend some time getting to know people or societies who have not accepted, or had the opportunity to accept, God’s revelation of Himself: Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists. It changes everything about the way they understand themselves, what they want, how they live, love, and pray, and how their societies are ordered.
You could never say “In the Name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit” at the beginning of a government event anymore, but our whole society is shot through with the awareness that centuries of Trinitarian faith have given. The problem is that as we move away from an explicit acknowledgement of this understanding of God as the basis for our self-understanding, the less we know what makes for right relationships and right order in our society.
Once our personal relationships and societal order cease to be called explicitly to be consistent, mutual, and life giving, that is, the work of love, then our personal and public life will deteriorate. Obscuring the revelation of God will lead us into darkness.
So, pray for your preachers this weekend; pray for us, and with us. We don’t actually dread preaching on the Holy Trinity; we dread failing to preach the Holy Trinity. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Monsignor Smith
But there’s your problem: the inner life of God. It’s so difficult to see, or understand, or explain; so theological and complicated, so arcane. It can be oversimplified (Saint Patrick and his shamrock, or St. Joseph Calasanz and his threefold blanket) and overcomplicated (any theological text; the recurring word circumincession).
But don’t cry for me yet, Argentina. The awareness that God has given us in revealing His inner life to be Three Persons in one God is already woven into our life and understanding of everything. It is not foreign to us, nor far from us. Just like me, until you have to explain it, you are very comfortable with the Triune nature of God.
You see, as far away and arcane as can seem this talk of Trinity and Unity, there really is a lot there about us, ourselves, too. Every time you make the sign of the Cross, you invoke and express the Holy Trinity, even if only for grace before meals. You use words that you use in other conversations about your own life: name, father, son, spirit. Hello, my name is --; What name do you give this child? Wait ‘til your father gets home; Happy Father’s Day! My, but your son has a lot of spirit!
It is really fabulous and amazing news that God is in relationship, in conversation, even before anything else comes into being. It announces a sort of pre-existing openness to relationships and conversations that can, should, and will include you and me. That is a pretty radical thing for God to be up for. And it reveals that the kind of relationships and conversations that God has are consistent, mutual, and life giving; they are, in fact, the work of love.
Now, you probably do not think about that very often, even if you make the sign of the Cross a hundred times a week. But it changes your understanding of who you are, and what you are for. In case you wonder whether I am making this up, all you need to do is spend some time getting to know people or societies who have not accepted, or had the opportunity to accept, God’s revelation of Himself: Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists. It changes everything about the way they understand themselves, what they want, how they live, love, and pray, and how their societies are ordered.
You could never say “In the Name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit” at the beginning of a government event anymore, but our whole society is shot through with the awareness that centuries of Trinitarian faith have given. The problem is that as we move away from an explicit acknowledgement of this understanding of God as the basis for our self-understanding, the less we know what makes for right relationships and right order in our society.
Once our personal relationships and societal order cease to be called explicitly to be consistent, mutual, and life giving, that is, the work of love, then our personal and public life will deteriorate. Obscuring the revelation of God will lead us into darkness.
So, pray for your preachers this weekend; pray for us, and with us. We don’t actually dread preaching on the Holy Trinity; we dread failing to preach the Holy Trinity. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Monsignor Smith
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Whose idea?
Before Jesus ascended into heaven, He told His disciples that unless He went away, they would not receive the Holy Spirit. It is possible that some of the disciples thought he was just making excuses, trying to cover up the real reason he was leaving.
While we know that it would have been foolish for the disciples to think that, nonetheless it is easy for people to suspect ulterior motives when somebody moves. Perhaps it is an indication of how vulnerable we are, that our fear leads us to suspect some threat, insult, or injury.
This is the time of year that priests move. Fr. DeRosa and I aren’t going anywhere, but Father Nick is going to his next assignment as Dean of the seminary in his home diocese of Rockville Centre. We all knew this was coming, as soon as he completed his doctoral studies. So without any fear or rancor, we can rejoice this weekend in all he has done for our parish as we acknowledge how much we will miss him.
But other parishes – including our neighbors St. Andrew and St. John the Baptist – are experiencing pastor changes this summer, and we know the temptation people will have to ask: Why is the Cardinal doing this to us? Why is the Cardinal doing this to him? Why did he want to move on? Why is he being taken from there and put here?
Oh, it is not just priests, either. It can happen with anybody else we count on to be there for us. This is also the time of year when teachers, including but not limited to those in our school, make their moves. It’s obvious why the change is needed when there is a new baby, but otherwise there is always the temptation to suspect that there is some more insidious force at work – especially if it someone with whom we had grown quite comfortable.
It was with great grief that I heard from Camille Frezzo that she is retiring this summer after fourteen years of leading our Contemporary Ensemble. I would have insisted she stay, except that her husband, Ron, is also leaving his decades-long work at Little Flower. They want more time to enjoy being grandparents – especially on weekends. They will both keep teaching during the week, Camille here in our school.
So, of course I am disappointed. But why would I suspect any other reason for her to leave? Just to make me miserable? It will be hard for her to step away from the choir she has led not only in music but also in prayer and friendship; why make it more difficult by taking offense, or doubting her reasons? I know her granddaughter, so it seems quite reasonable to me – darn it.
One of the great things about being pastor here is that I get to stay for a longer time. But being the one with the stability means I have to endure other people’s leaving. I mentioned last year, about this time, how it affects me when parishioners move on. Similarly, I feel not only my own loss, but also that of the whole parish, when the folks who have been making major contributions to the life, operation, and character of the parish move on – sometimes after many years.
But I have to trust that no one, least of all the Lord, is acting out of spite when these life changes occur. If He Himself had to move on so that the disciples could get what they needed, it is eminently believable that He has great things in store for the ones moving, and for us who are staying. Come Holy Spirit!
Monsignor Smith
While we know that it would have been foolish for the disciples to think that, nonetheless it is easy for people to suspect ulterior motives when somebody moves. Perhaps it is an indication of how vulnerable we are, that our fear leads us to suspect some threat, insult, or injury.
This is the time of year that priests move. Fr. DeRosa and I aren’t going anywhere, but Father Nick is going to his next assignment as Dean of the seminary in his home diocese of Rockville Centre. We all knew this was coming, as soon as he completed his doctoral studies. So without any fear or rancor, we can rejoice this weekend in all he has done for our parish as we acknowledge how much we will miss him.
But other parishes – including our neighbors St. Andrew and St. John the Baptist – are experiencing pastor changes this summer, and we know the temptation people will have to ask: Why is the Cardinal doing this to us? Why is the Cardinal doing this to him? Why did he want to move on? Why is he being taken from there and put here?
Oh, it is not just priests, either. It can happen with anybody else we count on to be there for us. This is also the time of year when teachers, including but not limited to those in our school, make their moves. It’s obvious why the change is needed when there is a new baby, but otherwise there is always the temptation to suspect that there is some more insidious force at work – especially if it someone with whom we had grown quite comfortable.
It was with great grief that I heard from Camille Frezzo that she is retiring this summer after fourteen years of leading our Contemporary Ensemble. I would have insisted she stay, except that her husband, Ron, is also leaving his decades-long work at Little Flower. They want more time to enjoy being grandparents – especially on weekends. They will both keep teaching during the week, Camille here in our school.
So, of course I am disappointed. But why would I suspect any other reason for her to leave? Just to make me miserable? It will be hard for her to step away from the choir she has led not only in music but also in prayer and friendship; why make it more difficult by taking offense, or doubting her reasons? I know her granddaughter, so it seems quite reasonable to me – darn it.
One of the great things about being pastor here is that I get to stay for a longer time. But being the one with the stability means I have to endure other people’s leaving. I mentioned last year, about this time, how it affects me when parishioners move on. Similarly, I feel not only my own loss, but also that of the whole parish, when the folks who have been making major contributions to the life, operation, and character of the parish move on – sometimes after many years.
But I have to trust that no one, least of all the Lord, is acting out of spite when these life changes occur. If He Himself had to move on so that the disciples could get what they needed, it is eminently believable that He has great things in store for the ones moving, and for us who are staying. Come Holy Spirit!
Monsignor Smith
Saturday, June 04, 2011
Stepping Up
One of the many things I love about our church is our sanctuary, which is raised above the level of the church, with the altar on a platform above the level of the sanctuary. This arrangement makes it clear that I am going “up the mountain” to Calvary, the place of Christ’s sacrifice, as I approach the altar to offer that Saving Victim anew in an unbloody manner.
It also makes it clear to all of us that getting to God is an uphill journey – whether literally, or just metaphorically. Fortunately for all of us, there are steps, so we need not feel pressed to clear the entire distance in a heroic leap.
The founders and builders of our parish put those steps in our church to make it possible for us priests to reach up bread to the altar, there to pull down the nourishing flesh of the living God, and carry Him down to you. Steps make it possible for us to get up even unto the level of God. There are steps on the way to God, not only in our sanctuary, but also in life.
This is the time of year when people move up a step; we call it graduation. Wednesday, our kindergartners showed us all how much they had learned as they crossed the threshold to first grade. This weekend, our eighth graders took their diplomas and their honors and moved on to the thrill of being freshmen. And our biggest graduate in the Class of 2011, Fr. Nick, is finishing what he counts as the 30th grade.
It is so exciting for all of us to see and celebrate their accomplishments, and we are proud. But let us not forget what makes possible every graduation, every move up one step: thank God for teachers. Without them, most of us would not have gotten very far up these steps. At these graduation ceremonies, they stand back and proudly watch their former charges claim their diplomas and applause.
Like the people who put the steps in our sanctuary, the best teachers help us not only to knowledge, but also to the Truth. In the foyer of our school building is a statue of the child Jesus, the Divine Teacher, revealing, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” All who truly teach participate in His revelation.
We have great teachers in our school, and catechists in our Religious Education program, and a number of our parishioners teach elsewhere. I hope all our graduates, in the excitement of their big days, will find time to find and thank the teachers who have helped them up the steps. I am so glad for my own teachers, and all who teach our kids here.
One of our parishioners was acknowledged this spring in the Washington Post with an Agnes Meyer Outstanding Teacher Award: Tom Krawczewicz, who teaches at DeMatha -- and on our athletic fields – is the sole non-public school honoree this year. It’s nice when the Post recognizes the good we know so well!
The climbing begins long before caps and gowns are considered, and that requires teaching, too. You parents know when your toddlers first begin to manage the steps in your home, scooting down on his bottom, or lifting her knee to get up, they have begun the long, graduated journey to heaven. You are the first teacher, and Christ is in you when you teach His commandments.
Congratulations to our graduates, gratitude to our teachers, and God be with you all on the next step!
Monsignor Smith
It also makes it clear to all of us that getting to God is an uphill journey – whether literally, or just metaphorically. Fortunately for all of us, there are steps, so we need not feel pressed to clear the entire distance in a heroic leap.
The founders and builders of our parish put those steps in our church to make it possible for us priests to reach up bread to the altar, there to pull down the nourishing flesh of the living God, and carry Him down to you. Steps make it possible for us to get up even unto the level of God. There are steps on the way to God, not only in our sanctuary, but also in life.
This is the time of year when people move up a step; we call it graduation. Wednesday, our kindergartners showed us all how much they had learned as they crossed the threshold to first grade. This weekend, our eighth graders took their diplomas and their honors and moved on to the thrill of being freshmen. And our biggest graduate in the Class of 2011, Fr. Nick, is finishing what he counts as the 30th grade.
It is so exciting for all of us to see and celebrate their accomplishments, and we are proud. But let us not forget what makes possible every graduation, every move up one step: thank God for teachers. Without them, most of us would not have gotten very far up these steps. At these graduation ceremonies, they stand back and proudly watch their former charges claim their diplomas and applause.
Like the people who put the steps in our sanctuary, the best teachers help us not only to knowledge, but also to the Truth. In the foyer of our school building is a statue of the child Jesus, the Divine Teacher, revealing, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” All who truly teach participate in His revelation.
We have great teachers in our school, and catechists in our Religious Education program, and a number of our parishioners teach elsewhere. I hope all our graduates, in the excitement of their big days, will find time to find and thank the teachers who have helped them up the steps. I am so glad for my own teachers, and all who teach our kids here.
One of our parishioners was acknowledged this spring in the Washington Post with an Agnes Meyer Outstanding Teacher Award: Tom Krawczewicz, who teaches at DeMatha -- and on our athletic fields – is the sole non-public school honoree this year. It’s nice when the Post recognizes the good we know so well!
The climbing begins long before caps and gowns are considered, and that requires teaching, too. You parents know when your toddlers first begin to manage the steps in your home, scooting down on his bottom, or lifting her knee to get up, they have begun the long, graduated journey to heaven. You are the first teacher, and Christ is in you when you teach His commandments.
Congratulations to our graduates, gratitude to our teachers, and God be with you all on the next step!
Monsignor Smith
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