Priest, Prophet and King

Today’s first reading spoke of the void in society of a priest, prophet and king, type figure. I can’t help but wonder if that same phrase is true in today’s society. In a society, today, full of euthanasia, killing of school children, abortion, and a push for the recognition of gay marriage by the Church, it could be easy to fall into a rut and think that such a person is truly missing.

However, while we know that Christ is the P-riest, P-rophet, and K-ing, I beg to also offer that we are also a part of that priesthood, of that prophet-ness, and of that kingship. When we were baptized, we were baptized, just as Christ, to be priests (not in the ontological change sense), prophets, and to be a part of that KING-dom. So there really is no lack of a person being a priest, prophet and king.

We have seminarians studying to become priests, wanting to be in persona Christi, wanting to give of themselves for others and for the kingdom. We have priests in parishes now who are not only fulfilling Christ’s role, but also are like prophets, like Jeremiah and like Paul before them, they are preaching the Word and truly evangelizing their communities of faith with the Word of the Lord. But, when it comes to being Kings, there is only one King, the King of Kings, Christ Jesus the Lord. But, we are a part of His KING-dom. It is up to you and I bring forth the kingdom, to live out the gospel values everyday of our lives to truly bring the world we live in temporarily, more like the world we will live in eternally. Each time, we as Catholics, come to the Eucharistic Banquet, heaven, that glorious KING-dom, is presented right before our eyes to make sense of the trials and tribulations of everyday life.

Yet still, having said that, and knowing that myself, we still need an example to get us outside of ourselves to stand up for these values which are evident in the Gospel and in the teachings of Christ. We have to be like John the Baptist. We have to counter-cultural to preach what people do not want to hear and be a living witness to the kingdom, literally saying “Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!” The season of Lent is really the perfect time for the devil to act on us, because we really are waiting to be saved, we are vulnerable. Lent is not a time to loose sight of why we are fasting, praying and giving alms for 40 days. Our eyes need to be, and should always be, FIXED ON CALVARY! We need to constantly keep at the forefront of our lives the CRUCIFIED CHRIST, because there is no better image then why we must be witnesses to Him than that. We gave us THE SIGN of witness and obedience to the will of God. May we, His children, constantly return to Him, who is Priest, Prophet, and King, so that we too might share in the glory of His cross that is the Kingdom of Heaven.

A Wednesday Reflection on the Gospel

Its hard today not to pick up a newspaper, magazine, or turn on the TV, and not hear some sort of critique or criticism of the Catholic Church. Our Church is very forthcoming and transparent in who we are and what we stand for and believe in. While it is hard to hear and see these things today, it is nothing new. Jesus told us it would also happen since such attacks have always been the consequence for those who follow his Father.

In today’s Gospel Jesus foreshadows his passion. He tells his twelve disciples, that in Jerusalem he will be handed over to the authorities and will be mocked, scourged and crucified. Jesus was ridiculed, mocked and put to death because he surrendered to His Father’s plan. Now the question is posed to us just as it was to the sons of Zebedee, “Can you drink the chalice that I am going to drink?” They said they would and they did. So can we? For many, the chalice entails the long routine of living a Christian life, with l its daily sacrifices, disappointments, set-backs, struggles, and temptations. The challenge today is for us to do the same. We can’t be surprised when we find ourselves experiencing the mockery and ridicule that Jesus and his apostles all had to suffer before us. As Disciples of Christ we must be ready to lay down our lived each and every day in the little and big sacrifice required. St. Patrick told us we need to arise through the strength of His Crucifixion with His Burial, for as long as Christ is with me, before me, behind me, in me, beneath me, above me, on my right and left, and in the heart of every person who thinks of him, we can all drink of that chalice. For it is only in suffering with Christ that we might truly follow him in glory.

Walk His Way

Lent 2009

Walk with the Lord: From Ashes to the Tomb

Pushing Your Own Agenda

I kind of got into a heated argument yesterday with Mom about the Church. My Mom goes to this Church in Chicago, notice the issue right away, my family goes to one Church and I go another, in which the Pastor uses inclusive language, mainly changing the words of the Creed to be more inclusive, I suppose. He changes the words of “he became man” to “he became one of us,” and “for us men and for our salvation,” to “for us all and for our salvation.” Words of the Eucharistic Prayer are changed as well, and his homilies are something to be desired, but the Creed is what gets me when I go to Church with my family. Granted, there are bigger fish to fry in the sea in terms of problems in the Catholic Church, but is that not leading the faithful astray.

As a seminarian, studying for the Roman Catholic Church, in the Archdiocese of Chicago, is it not my responsibility to say something about this. The words of the Creed are what we believe as Catholics to be our faith. It is from the Latin “credo” which means “I believe.” (With the new translations to be approved we will soon be saying “I Believe” instead of “We Believe.”) By the priest changing the words of the Creed, he is therefore, in my opinion, changing what we, as Catholics, profess to be the truth, and therefore, not only leading us astray, but pushing his own agenda. The Altar, the Ambo or the Presiders Chair is not a place for a priest to push his own agenda. When priests are ordained they promise to uphold the teachings of the Catholic Church, the Creed is a teaching of the Church, and therefore by him changing words, he is not upholding the teachings of the Catholic Church.

Maybe I am blowing this out of proportion, but as someone in the seminary, having asked priests about this, they seem to be on my side. Should we even have sides, when we are on the side of the Church, in professing and upholding the teachings correctly, should not all priests be on the side of the Church? I guess this is just something which has been bothering me for sometime. My Mom fired back at me with it is not just this priest or this parish, it is everywhere, and that is true, so what are we to do? This parish never used to be that way, or maybe it was, but it never came from the Altar out of the priest’s mouth. I just find it funny to have this inclusive-language Father at the same parish with a “more conservative” Father there as well. It just does not make sense to me.

We should be united in what we believe and profess, mainly our “Credo.” So how are we to be united in faith through our Creed when priests are out there doing things like this? Leading their flocks away from Christ is not being a “Good Shepherd,” so what are we to do? I guess we all need to pray for a conversion of heart, but still, is there not more we should do?

Return to Me

What is Lent? Certainly it is an easy question to answer, it is the 40 days of fasting, prayer and alms giving, which lead up to the joyous celebration of the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ on Easter. But isn’t it more than that? Or is it as simple as prayer, fasting and alms giving?

During Lent we are constantly reminded that we need to “Return to God.” Jesus is constantly inviting us through the scriptures of the Lenten season to come back to him with all our hearts, putting all of our fears aside. It is through that prayer, fasting and alms giving which we can fully embrace our Lord and return to Him. Every year we are reminded or perhaps it has become habitual, which in that case, in my opinion it loses it’s meaning, to give something up. Every year around this time of year my Mom likes to remind me about this and says she has a list of things I can give up, which is fine and dandy, but for me, giving something up is a time in which you can constantly die unto yourself. So you may ask, well what can you possibly be giving up? It’s not for you to know, nor is it my business to know what you are giving up, that covenant, if you will, is truly between me (or you) and God. The Gospel on Ash Wednesday reminds us of this. We should not sound the trumpet and say we are fasting; rather we should go into a private room and close the door, that is real fasting, that is really dying unto oneself.

However, to put a spin on this “typical” Lenten fast, I wonder if Lent is also not a time for us to GIVE as well as give up. We are a church who is missionary, we are called to spread the Gospel and look out for our fellow man. That is why as Catholics we have the Corporal Works of Mercy. We are called to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, shelter the homeless, visit the sick, visit those in prison and bury the dead, to bring the “goods” of life to those who do not know them or have access to them. Perhaps now it is time for us to actually begin to live those works of mercy out in our everyday lives. Knowing this, it then becomes our moral responsibility to aide others in gaining those “goods” whatever they may be. We are all called to action. We are all called to gain that lasting happiness through attaining the “ultimate good.” Jesus addresses this question in his sermon on the mount. The beatitudes respond to the natural desire for happiness that God has placed in every heart. They teach us the final end to which God calls us, entering into the joy of the Lord and into his rest. Jesus' beatitudes also confront us with decisive choices concerning the life we pursue here on earth and the use we make of the goods he puts at our disposal. The beatitudes which Jesus offers us are a sign of contradiction to today’s world's understanding of happiness and joy. How can one possibly find happiness in poverty, mourning, and persecution?

Jesus promises his disciples that the joys of heaven will more than compensate for the troubles and hardships they can expect in this world. Lent should not be a dark, dreary, gloomy time, it should be a time when we can begin to turn our poverty into growth, our mourning into dancing, and our persecution, well our persecution is truly blessed, because it is when wicked tongues insult and hate us, that we are truly seeing Christ. Christ was persecuted for us, and so we too, this Lent, should be persecuted for Christ, living out the Gospel, living out our faith for all to see, so that others, not only us, can begin to return to God!