April 16th, 2010
One thing I noticed after joining the Oblates is that we celebrate well. There have been many moments when we have realized as a community the things we should honour. In a time where the sexual scandals of the church are leaving people to question their place in this church, is there anything worth celebrating? Should we be even bold enough to celebrate in this dark time? I would like to think there are some things to celebrate, to get excited about.
Last week I was at a funeral of an Oblate from the Ottawa area Fr. Laurie Conlon OMI. There was no mistakening what was happening at the funeral, it was a celebration of a great victory. This was the victory of Jesus’ Cross and Resurrection. This was the celebration of a man who dedicated his life to the mystery of God’s love. The church was packed with people. These people represented the lives that were impacted by something good, something holy.
When I went back to the university someone asked me “Why are you all dressed up?” I mentioned that I was at a funeral. The usual look of sympathy came on the persons face, “Sorry for your loss.” they said. It dawned on me that I was hardly sad at all. I felt that Fr. Laurie’s life spoke to me of hope. A hope that I need right now in my formation journey. It reminded me of the second letter to Timothy: “For I am already being poured out like a libation, and the time my departure is at hand. I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith. From now on the crown of righteousness awaits me, which the Lord, the just judge will award to me on that day, and not only to me, but to all who have longed for his appearance.” (2 Tim 4:6-8)
In this Easter season, despite all the struggles at this time in our church, we may want to hold our head up just a little and say “He is risen!”
David MacPhee OMI
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April 8th, 2010
As the Gospel of Easter Sunday tells us, the discovery of the Resurrection happened, early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark…
Nobody feels comfortable being in the dark… darkness overwhelms us, disorients us, and in some ways imprisons us in the only “space” we have left – ourselves. How many times has the experience of life made us feel like that? When bad news was delivered to us, when we lost somebody whom we loved, somebody who was our whole world, when we didn’t know what the next step in life was… The experience of darkness quite often causes us to imagine a “reality” that doesn’t actually exist – the unreal reality created out of our fear, the lack of a clear vision, or stress and discouragement. The only reality that remains true in such moments is found within.
The liturgy of the Easter Vigil gives us a starting point to freedom and liberation from living in darkness. The story of creation reminds us that we are created in the image of God, that we are divine, or as someone said “the spiritual being having a temporary human experience”. The light of hope has been burning in our hearts all along, it’s only waiting to be discovered.
Mary Magdalene went through her darkness experience that first Easter Sunday morning. She felt disoriented and confused, she was grieving the loss of someone whom she trusted and loved. Her biggest decision in life came when she decided to go to the tomb, She made the fist step to freedom, she found the light within herself, and she found that He is alive. Christ gives meaning to our existence; all we have to do is make our way to the empty tomb.
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April 1st, 2010
I am still shaking my head every time I think of it. A prominent Christian tele-evangelist from the United States recently warned his listeners about the dangers of Social Justice. “If you hear those words fall from your pastor’s lips in a sermon, see them printed in your parish bulletin or find them on your church’s web site”, he advised, “run, don’t walk, away! These are code words for ‘communism’ and ‘socialism’!”
I hear that and I wonder, what gospel is he reading? Who is the Jesus he knows? I am totally perplexed as to how one can read Scriptures and NOT be an advocate for social justice. What else does Jesus mean when he tells us to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, house the homeless and take care of the sick? At some point, one has to take the next step in that caring process.
Martin Luther King knew it years ago. “We are called to play the Good Samaritan on life’s roadside . . . but one day we must come to see that the whole Jericho road must be transformed so that men and women will not be constantly beaten and robbed. . . . We are called to be the Good Samaritan but after you lift so many people out of the ditch you start to ask, maybe the whole road to Jericho needs to be repaved“ [King, A Time to Break the Silence, 1967].
To ask about unjust systems and structures, to work to change them, to have a heart for social justice is not unchristian. Justice for all is deeply reflected in Scripture, in our Church’s teaching and is at the heart of who and what Christians should be. Would that all worked to repave the Jericho Road! What a different world it would be.
Sandy Prather, HOMI
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March 24th, 2010
Over eleven years of ministry, in Saskatoon and Birmingham, I can remember any number of times, hearing the phone ring or a knock at the door and finding someone who has just realized, there’s too much month left at the end of their check. All of these people swallowed their pride and knocked or called looking for a little help to make it through the month, but it strikes me that many of them were also looking for something even more basic. They were looking to be met with a genuine welcome and simple human compassion.
St Eugene de Mazenod understood this. He got it. Read his words, preached to the poor of Aix on Ash Wednesday in 1813; “You the poor, the needy, whom the injustice of men obliges to beg for the bread which will sustain your existence…listen to me: you are the children of God, the heirs of His eternal Kingdom…”
St Eugene understood all people to be loved by God and to possess dignity deserving of his respect and compassion. He experienced this himself one Good Friday. Praying before a crucifix in a church in Rome, he became deeply aware that, sinful as he was, God loved him deeply and that would never change. Because of this he fed the hungry, provided for the needs of young people, and assured condemned prisoners that God had not forgotten them.
Inspired by his life, thousands of Oblates and Oblate Associates all over the world strive to live up to St Eugene’s example of honouring the poor. Whether in Kamloops or Kenya, Halifax or Haiti, most of us have in common a heart for people in trouble, and a desire to do something to help, even if all we can do at the moment is answer the door with a welcoming smile.
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March 11th, 2010
It was one of those beautiful Labrador winter days with lots of sun and blue skies. In the afternoon I took an opportunity to get out of the office, to go to my “out of reach zone” (no phone, no cell phone, no emails nor facebook updates…). I took my backcountry skies and hit the trail up to Elephant Head along with my favorite companions, two black Labrador Retrievers – T.J. and Sutton – and enjoyed a couple of hours in the fresh air. It was a moment of retreat and rejuvenation. As I skied in the middle of “nowhere” I relaxed more and more and forgot about the “urgent” issues waiting to be attended to in my office. In that moment of contemplation, I felt touched by God and united with the Source of Life so evident in the untouched nature. God’s moments, as I like to call them, give me an opportunity to refocus, to straighten up the priorities in life, to ask and find answers of significant decisions in life… I treasure them dearly.
The recent Lenten Sunday liturgies bring us descriptions of those “God moments” such as the transfiguration or revelation in the burning bush. We all have those moments in life, if we only allow God to touch us. It might be a moment when you hold your new born child in your arms for the first time… It might be a moment when you enjoy a relaxing walk in the woods or hike a mountain… It might be a moment of enlightenment during prayer, or the feeling of God’s presence during the sacramental moment of anointing of the sick. God is here and is reaching to us every moment of our life journey. Lent is an opportunity to take a chance and to be touched. After all, this is our returning to the source, to find the purpose of life through the promptings of the spirit. As someone profoundly stated, “We all are essentially spiritual beings having a temporary human experience.” Isn’t it what our conversion of the heart is supposed to be all about?
Fr. Jarek Pachocki, OMI
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March 4th, 2010
Our youngest son took piano lessons a few years ago. He liked attending the lessons but he was not so fond of practicing. At the annual recital where he was required to perform, it showed. He hesitantly and painstakingly worked his way through his set piece of music while his father and I winced sympathetically at each missed note. Our relief when he was finished was palpable. The student who followed him was effortless in her performance. As she moved through her music error-free and with great ease and proficiency, I started thinking about the importance of ‘practicing’ and what it implies: the willingness to persevere, to make mistakes and yet keep on trying.
I wonder if that’s what was meant by the old phrase, ‘practicing Catholics.’ We haven’t got it right yet, but we keep trying. Practicing means that even though we might play the wrong chord, flub our lines, miss the dance step, miscue our entrances, or sing the wrong note, we don’t give up.We stay connected to our community; we ask for and offer reconciliation to one another; we pray together and strive to live gospel values, being attentive to justice, mercy and compassion. We haven’t got it perfect yet but we keep trying and we persevere.
Perseverance is one of the Oblate vows. I value it more than ever now as I see Oblates and Associates practicing their faith with one another and in the world. The goal is proficiency and ease in our Christian witness, and while we might never be perfect, at least we keep trying.
“A man was walking by a field and seeing the monks from the monastery tilling the soil, he stopped and asked one of them, “What do you monks do all day?” The reply: “We fall down, we get up; we fall down, we get up, we fall down, we get up.”
Sandy Prather, HOMI
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March 2nd, 2010
In the story of the Transfiguration in Luke we read that the face of Jesus changed. In addition to his clothes becoming dazzling white we are told that his face was altered. We do not know what this means exactly but perhaps on that day on the mountaintop, suggests Fredrick Buechner, the true image of God was manifest in a way the disciples managed to miss seeing most days. And what was true of the disciples is true for most of us. We all miss seeing this in each other as often as not. While scripture assures us that we are all created in the image of God, we are usually too busy or too worried or too tired to notice. Alone with Jesus, away from the business below, the disciples were able to see to the heart of things. One of the invitations of Lent is take some time away with Jesus. This time away gives us the perspective that too often eludes us, and enables us to see the divine that permeates everything and everyone. And the more we become more aware of the divine within us (that we are created in the image and likeness of God), the more clearly we can discern how God is calling us to follow him.
Fr Ken
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February 18th, 2010
The beginning of Lent brings to mind the constant human desire for a more meaningful, purpose oriented, simply happy, fulfilled life. The journey into the Lenten desert helps us to focus on the principals guiding this desire to be whole, or in a more spiritual term- holy. What is it, lying deep within our hearts, which brings forth this yearning?
Recently I read a paper which my brother Sebastian submitted as a part of his medical studies. He works as a paramedic with an emergency response team in Poland, and in this document he shared his thoughts on his work and its place in his life in the context of teamwork, personal growth, family and social life, and personal vocation.
I was especially touched by one particular reflection of his: “I see my work as a kind of school of character, in the physical and psychological aspect. My job gives me an unbelievable sense of personal satisfaction and confidence. I feel glad when I come home knowing that because of my knowledge and professional skills, I helped someone stay alive. I love a job that elicits a trust from patients who count on my help and compassion.
The occupation of paramedic brings some difficulties and challenges, but at the same time lots of fulfillment and satisfaction. If I had to choose again my type of work, to set direction for my life, I would make exactly the same choice. In 30-40 years from now, sitting with my grandchildren in the rocking chair, I will tell them stories of what I have done in life. I look forward to enjoying an expression of pride and amazement on their faces, and I hope that they might be inspired to sacrifice themselves for others. Human life is something worth a personal offering of your entire self.”
After reading this reflection, I believe my brother profoundly captured the essence of human vocation and the purpose of life. If we only ask ourselves more often, “How can I help?” rather than “What is in it for me?” our lives would be more meaningful, purpose driven and holy.
As the ashes are imprinted on my head with the words, “Turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel”, I ask myself how can I help others and sacrifice myself to fulfill my vocation in life. A blessed season of Lent to all!
Fr. Jarek Pachocki, OMI
Rector of the Basilica – Labrador City, NL
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February 15th, 2010
How do I know when its real?
I am not sure how to answer that question. So often discernment is difficult. Is this the right decision or is that the right decision? This is especially difficult when we have to make decisions between two very good things. What is the right path? At first I thought making the decision to want to become a priest would take all these questions away… Boy was I wrong! Four years ago when I started discerning priesthood another call was being strengthened, a call to religious life and specifically to the Oblates. I was upset with God. I wanted the decision to follow God to be an easy road. Even now I am faced with many decisions as an Oblate that cause pain and loss. Through these decision I come to a clearer understanding of who I am, who God is, and what my life is going to be like if I keep on my current path (both for better or for worse.) The pain has been part of the joy as well, to realize that I’m not alone that I have love and support from many excellent people in my life. Ultimately, a choice to move in a specific vocational direction is filled with joy and possibility, coupled with struggle and loss. The question in the struggle is not “why God?” but “where God?”
Where God are you speaking to me in this loss? However, every closed door in our vocational journey opens us up to new channels of God’s grace.
David MacPhee OMI
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February 9th, 2010
Fr Tom Hagan is an American Oblate of St Francis de Sales ministering in Haiti, in the slums of Cite Soleil. This is an excerpt from his recent letter in the National Catholic Reporter.
This past week has been terrifying. I have lived through all the violence in Cite Soleil over the past years. Being shot at and having guns held to my head, seeing people close to me down here shot, but nothing can compare to the horror of the earthquake
I just came from offering four Masses. Each time I would finish, another crowd would come up and ask for Mass. This is a real comfort to me and more than ever, I realize that I, we, can’t survive if we do not simply put everything into God’s hands.
What makes me most proud of my church is that the message we give the people is that they have enormous worth in the eyes of God and that they are infinitely loved and that this terrible disaster is in no way a punishment from God.
I recently said this in a sermon and the people all stood up and began clapping and cheering. I had to ask the altar server why they were clapping. [ I thought that I had said something wrong because my Creole is not good] and he said, ‘Father, no one ever tells them that they have worth.’
During these very difficult days, I find myself really loving these people…..they have a strength that is remarkable. I am humbled by them and privileged to be with them.
I ask for your continued prayers for the people of Haiti, of Cite Soleil, and for Fr Tom.
Fr Ken
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