June 5 Fast

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JMJ

"As Pope Paul VI observed, 'contemporary man listens more willingly to witnesses than to teachers, and if he listens to teachers it is because they are witnesses'. In the Church, the treasure of the family has been entrusted first and foremost to witnesses: to those fathers and mothers, sons and daughters who through the family have discovered the path of their human and Christian vocation, the dimension of the "inner man" (Eph 3:16) of which the Apostle speaks, and thus have attained holiness. The Holy Family is the beginning of countless other holy families. The Council recalled that holiness is the vocation of all the baptized. In our age, as in the past, there is no lack of witnesses to the "gospel of the family", even if they are not well known or have not been proclaimed saints by the Church. The Year of the Family is the appropriate occasion to bring about an increased awareness of their existence and their great number." (Letter to Families, St. John Paul II, 1994)

When reading the lives of the Martyrs one is struck by the great joy that contemporaries observed in those courageous Christians who were condemned to cruel torture for their fidelity to Christ.  From the Acts of SS. Felicity and Perpetua:

"The day of their victory dawned, and they marched from the prison to the amphitheater joyfully as though they were going to heaven, with calm faces, trembling, if at all, with joy rather than fear."

The Romans not only admired the Christians' incredible fortitude but more importantly were impressed by the hope that strengthened them as they awaited their crown of martyrdom.  Hope is not just an optimistic outlook; it is a gift from God and a trust in His promise of eternal life.  In his encyclical on hope, Spe Salvi, Pope Benedict XVI said,"One who has hope lives differently; the one who hopes has been granted the gift of a new life."

Living with hope does not mean ignoring the reality of the present culture; rather, it means not allowing an oppressive milieu to cloud our vision so much that we no longer clearly see that joy that await us, the future happiness that should animate our daily lives. Cynicism and bitterness cannot be the barnacles of our vessels.  Our lives, our families must instead be buoyed by our hope in Christ so that when everyone else is sinking in the storm, our barque will stand as a sign to others that, as St. Josephine Bakhita said,

"I am definitely loved and whatever happens to me - I am awaited by Love."

We have been born into this time for a purpose.  We have been blessed with the baptism of the Holy Spirit for a reason: "[To] go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature."  This is not an option but an obligation.  Our marriages, our families must be witnesses to the faithful and merciful love of God.  We must not despair for lack of eloquent teachers or for the minority of witnesses.  It does no good to continually curse the darkness.  Rather, let us live our lives with true joy and take to heart the message of St. John Paul II:

"To the family is entrusted the task of striving, first and foremost, to unleash the forces of good, the source of which is found in Christ the Redeemer of man. Every family unit needs to make these forces their own so that. . . the family will be 'strong with the strength of God"."

 

May 1st Fast

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JMJ

"Do not say it is impossible for me to influence others.  If you are a Christian it is impossible for this not to happen.  Things found in nature cannot be denied; so here, for it is a question of the nature of a Christian.   Do not insult God.  If you say that a Christian cannot help others, you have insulted God and called Him a liar.  It is easier for the sun not to give warmth or shine than for the Christian not to shed his light. . . . The light of a Christian cannot escape notice.  So a bright lamp cannot be hidden." (St. John Chrysostom)

One can easily get discouraged by the current culture that is not only opposed to the inherent dignity of human life and God's plan for it, but does not even have space for common sense and reason anymore. Each news story beings fresh worries and anxiety for the future.  How can we promote a culture of truth, of beauty, of goodness when we are almost forced into silence?

Silence.  How unused to it we are!  How ironic that we have have lost the ability to communicate when we  have all the means of communication available.  The early Christians certainly faced a predicament even more dire than our own, and yet they had no Roman Senators to plead their case, no wireless mediums to defend their cause; in fact, their most prominent leaders were daily being martyred.  They could not take to the pages of the Roman Sentinel to articulate their position nor march in droves to win others to their side.  How is it that they succeeded?  Through sacrifice and silent witness.

The early Church had no other means but their lives to propagate the Faith, and pass it down to the next generation.  Their martyrdoms were the culmination of lives given wholly to Christ.  Their age was just as dominated by supreme selfishness, and so the antidote they offered was self-sacrifice: first, in their families, and then, often, in the arena.

The Christian family must and can bring joy to a society steeped in selfishness, and therefore drowning in depression.  In Lumen Gentium, one of the documents of Vatican II, the Church stated:

"In connection with the prophetic function is that state of life which is sanctified by a special sacrament obviously of great importance, namely, married and family life. For where Christianity pervades the entire mode of family life, and gradually transforms it, one will find there both the practice and an excellent school of the lay apostolate. In such a home husbands and wives find their proper vocation in being witnesses of the faith and love of Christ to one another and to their children. The Christian family loudly proclaims both the present virtues of the Kingdom of God and the hope of a blessed life to come. Thus by its example and its witness it accuses the world of sin and enlightens those who seek the truth."

Promoting a culture of life begins in deed, and leads to The Word Made Flesh.  We are Children of the Light; let us live our lives accordingly.

Good Friday Fast

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JMJ

"We must have confidence, not in spite of our miseries, but because of them, since it is misery which attracts mercy.  Oh, this word, mercy- misericordia- "miseris cor dare," a Heart which gives Itself to the miserable, a Heart which nourishes Itself on miseries by consuming them. Meditate on this word."

(I Believe in Love, Father Jean C.J. d' Elbee)

March 6th Fast

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JMJ

"Jesus entered a village where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him.  She had a sister named Mary who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak.  Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said, 'Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving?  Tell her to help me.'
The Lord said to her in reply, 'Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things.  There is need of only one thing.  Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.'" (Lk. 10:38-42)

Our vocations are given to us as God's chosen path for us to sanctity.  But, what does it mean to be saints? A saint is someone who enjoys eternal happiness while beholding the face of God forever in Heaven.  Wanting us to desire this reality, He sets before us the path in life where we can best see Him in others and so learn to love and yearn for Him here on earth.  Yet, what if we are too busy to take notice? Perhaps, we have become too attached to the things of this world to appreciate the beauty that gives us a foretaste of the next?

In his book, Mother Teresa of Calcutta: A Personal Portrait, Father Leo Maasburg noted one of the quiet ways Bl. Mother Teresa practiced charity:

"When she turned to speak to someone, she concentrated on them completely.  It was as if she and that person with their questions and concerns, were the only people there."

What a wonderful challenge this presents!  The "gift of self" often referenced by St. John Paul II is not simply a general term applied in an overall vocational sense.  No, it is a phrase that is meant to be lived daily, moment by moment, with each person we encounter.  
 How frequently does one fail to make the effort to put aside mental or material distractions for the- often short- time they are in a loved one's presence.  What does this say to the other?  Distractions take on different forms but can easily be justified by one reason or another.  Yet simply because technology or our mental faculties allow us to multi-task does not mean we always should.  

To turn one's whole heart and mind to another expresses the value we place on their importance in our life and the love and respect we have for them.  Blessed Mother Teresa once said:

"Speak tenderly to them. Let there be kindness in your face, in your eyes, in your smile, in the warmth of your greeting. Always have a cheerful smile. Don't only give your care, but give your heart as well."

In a culture where soundbites rule and moments are captured on phones, it certainly goes against the grain to take in the whole of a moment, and not be satisfied with a piecemeal approach.  Yet, what joy there is when one learns to patiently and lovingly attend to the other!  What great peace comes, when we refuse to be rushed, and can fully enjoy the other without the voices of restlessness and anxiety that perpetually tell us we are wasting time and must busy ourselves with something else.   Like Mary, who constantly "pondered these things and kept them in her heart," let us too learn to patiently ponder the hidden beauty that lies waiting to be discovered in those closest to us; a beauty that foretells of the infinite beauty that is awaiting us in Eternity.

December 5th Fast

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JMJ

"When the angels went away from them to heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go, then, to Bethlehem to see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us."  So they went in haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the infant lying in the manger.  When they saw this, they made known the message that had been told them about this child.  All who heard it were amazed by what had been told them by the shepherds. And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart.  Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, just as it had been told to them." (Lk. 2:15-20)

In forgetting the meaning of Christmas, most have forgotten the reality of the Incarnation: that God came down from heaven and became man.  He came to redeem men, but also to live among them, to be one of them.  

During His time on earth, Our Lord taught us much about the importance of being present to others.   His Love for man did not start at the preaching of His Gospel message in the beginning of His ministry; rather, it revealed itself in the joy of the Baptist in the womb of Elizabeth, in the hymn of praise in Mary's Magnificat, in the wonder witnessed by the shepherds in Bethlehem, in the beauty and majesty beheld by the Magi.  Indeed, while we know little about the majority of His Life on earth (the thirty years of His Hidden Life) we do know that He was constantly present to Mary and St. Joseph.  It should not surprise us then that two hearts were nevermore so united as those blessed hearts of Our Lady and Our Lord.

Yet, there were two other hearts that were closely united as well in that little home at Nazareth: Joseph's and Mary's.   Theirs was a complete trust that stemmed first from their unshakable faith in God, and second, from their confident trust in one another.  Mary was secure in her love for Joseph shown by her openness to sharing Gabriel's message with him; Joseph, likewise, was secure in his love for Mary, protecting her and the Child by his firm belief in the messages of the angels.  In the home at Nazareth, their loving presence provided the firm foundation for the Son of God to grow "in wisdom and grace."  

In a healthy marriage, one's love is secure and confident.  It is constantly nurtured and attended to because the peace of the family depends on it.  The marital relationship remains primary even after the birth of children, for it is from this stable foundation that harmony in the home rests.  It requires patience and presence.  To strengthen a marriage, each spouse learns to be physically, mentally and emotionally present to the other.  

It is in being with the other, that we learn about the other.  Just as the simple and sincere  sought out Our Lord in the stillness and solitude, so too, one must push aside all noise and distractions in seeking out Our Lord in others.  This Advent and Christmas season, give of your presence and rejoice in the love of Our Savior and those He has given to you.

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