Advent. Prepare to Encounter Christ! My October Secular Franciscan Newsletter Column

“Secular Franciscans, therefore, should seek to encounter the living and active person of Christ in their brothers and sisters, in Sacred Scripture, in the Church, and in liturgical activity. The faith of Saint Francis, who often said ‘I see nothing bodily of the Most High son of God in this world except his most holy body and blood,’ should be the inspiration and pattern of their eucharistic life.” (Art.5, SFO Rule)

Advent should be a time of anticipation, of preparation, of remembrance. We remember the event of the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son God coming into our world as a human child. We prepare ourselves in expectation of His coming again at the end of time. But Advent is also a time to prepare for and to anticipate an encounter with Christ here and now.

Saint Francis believed that through the people he met in the streets of Assisi, through the poor and downtrodden, he encountered Christ. In listening and meditating on the Scriptures, he encountered Christ. And especially in receiving the Eucharist, he encountered Christ. We see in his writings and in stories of his life, Francis lived as one who always anticipated that in the next moment he would meet Jesus Christ. We can feel, through his words, the excited anticipation he felt.

With all that is happening with us during the mad rush to prepare for Christmas, and with all the everyday pressures and troubles we experience, it can be hard to be fully open to the same sense of anticipation that Francis had. Yet, we should all strive to keep our hearts open in joyful expectation, because we can never know when we will encounter Jesus.

"Prepare the Way of the Lord!"

“…during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiphas, the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the desert. John went throughout the whole region of the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah:

A voice of one crying out in the desert: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths. Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill shall be made low. The winding roads shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’” (Luke 3: 2-6)


I have been coming across this passage from the Gospel according to Luke. It was the Gospel reading at last Sunday’s Eucharistic celebration; and I came across it during my daily Scripture reading. “Prepare the way of the Lord.” Many people hearing this would assume that the prophet was calling for massive reform of the Jewish society. John was preparing the way for Jesus of Nazareth, whose coming would change everything.

But when I read these words, I felt them more personally. What I heard was a challenge, how am I preparing the way of the Lord; how I am preparing His way into my heart. With all the Christmas hoopla, the decorations, the Xmas specials on TV, and the commercials, we forget that we are in a period of preparation. We should be taking a good look at ourselves, and see what obstacles we place in front of hearts, that keep Jesus from coming in. What mountains of worry and anxiety are we surrounding ourselves with, that keep us from seeing the glory of God? What valleys of depression and despair have we put ourselves in, that us from seeing the light of the Father’s love?

If we accept the challenge to prepare the way of the Lord, to change, to deepen our relationship with God; we will see all those obstacles disappear. And we will see, we will experience “the salvation of God/”

Sister Death

"Since they are immersed in the resurrection of Christ, which gives true meaning to Sister Death, let them serenely tend toward the ultimate encounter with the Father." (Article 19c, Rule of the Secular Franciscan Order)

To "serenely tend towards the ultimate encounter with the Father," is not an easy thing, especially in this country, where we combating death with all the weapons medical science gives to us. And there is still the fear factor, fear of the unknown, fear of not really knowing what will happen to us as we breathe our last. It is when we have developed a constant relationship with God, when we strive to daily encounter Him, open our hearts to experience His love; that we develope a trust in that love, develope the hope in the resurrection promised us by our Savior.

It is difficult when it just involves us, individually. It is really hard when it involves the possible loss of a love one. My Dad is currently in a local hospital, suffering from pneumonia, and he is in his eighties. To hear the medical staff tell it, it could go either way. I am praying for healing, but I am also praying that my hope and my trust in the Lord's promise is not misplaced.

Past Thoughts on the Laity from Father Andrew Greeley

Father Andrew Greeley is a famous sociologist, fiction writer, journalist, and above all, a priest. I have enjoyed reading some of his mystery novels and his reports on past papal elections. I recently read his autobiography, “Furthermore! Memories of a Parish Priest,” published in 1999. While reading this book, I came across the following:

“The Catholic Church has yet to make its peace with the inevitability of the freedom of its laity. It does not like one bit the laity’s assumption of the right to make its own decisions, and of its demand that it be persuaded instead of being ordered. Indeed, the Church usually works on the implicit assumption that it is still dealing with peasants of a century ago who did what they were told (usually) without question, without argument, without the demand to be heard, consulted, persuaded. May pastors still assume that they have the same influence and power that their role models from a generation or two ago had. Catholics, they believe, still do what they’re told.

It ought to be patent by now that this is not so. When Church leaders pretend to deny that the souls of the laity are now shaped by a constant exercise of freedom or lament the passing of the good old days when there was a lot less freedom, they have turned their faces against history. Moreover, they miss the point of their own tradition which has believed the virtue is formed by the frequent repetition of free human acts. In any event the days of the docile peasant and the not so docile immigrant parish are gone and they will never return. The Church must adjust to the fact that in the European and North Atlantic world at any rate, the day of the free laity whom makes their own decisions after reflecting in the issues, who want to be heard, consulted, persuaded, in the world in which we live and work. In the present milieu, the laity reserve to themselves the right to say on what terms they will be Catholic. Nothing will change the fact, neither orders from Rome or hysterical ranting from the tiny fundamentalist Catholic minority.”

Although Father Greeley comes across strong, I agree with his sentiments. I firmly believe that one of things that came out of the Second Vatican Council is the realization that the laity is a part of the People of God. That as members of the Body of Christ, the laity has a share; along with the clergy and religious; “in their particular way in the priestly, prophetic, and kingly office of Christ, and have their own part to play in the mission of the whole Christian people in the Church and in the world.” (Para. 897, Catechism of the Catholic Church).

As I think I may have written in an earlier post, I believe in the tradition of the bishops as shepherds of the Catholic community. However, I do believe that the laity has a right to give input on how decisions are made in this community. We have a right to share our experiences and knowledge; our hopes and fears. We have a right to be listened to by our bishops; and this means established consultative bodies, freely elected by the laity.

On a closing note on Father Greeley; in November 2008, he suffered severe head trauma from a serious fall and has been recuperating ever since. May the Lord Jesus be with him and heal him.

"Strive to Bring Joy and Hope!"

“Why then do you judge your brother? Or you, why do you look down on your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of God; for it written: ‘As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bend before me, and every tongue shall give praise to God.’ So then each of us shall give and account of himself to God. Then let us no longer judge one another, but rather resolve never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother. For the kingdom of God is not a matter of food and drink, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the holy Spirit; whoever serves Christ in this way is pleasing to and approved by others.” (Romans 14: 10-13, 16-17)

“Mindful that they are bearers of peace which must be built up unceasingly, they should seek out ways of unity and fraternal harmony through dialogue, trusting in the presence of the divine seed in everyone and in the transforming power of love and pardon.

Messengers of perfect joy in every circumstance, they should strive to bring joy and hope to others.” (Article 19a-b, Rule of the Secular Franciscan Order)

Roman Catholic bishops have been in the news a lot this past month. Unfortunately, the general media has not portrayed them in the best of light. There have been stories of bishops trying to prevent politicians from receiving Holy Communion; of standing on a principal so firmly that services to the poor maybe adversely affected. There has been reports of the bishops trying to determine how “Catholic” are universities, news media, and service organizations. And then there is the Visitation of American sisters by the Roman Curia.

Now granted, the general media is not very sympathetic, or neutral, when is comes to the Catholic hierarchy. And the stories are usually about a few very public, very conservative bishops. But it gives some the impression that the American bishops are becoming what some are saying the Republican Party is becoming; the Party, or rather, the Church of “No!”

There are hidden stories out there of bishops, priests, deacons and laity doing great work of bringing healing and peace to people; but this makes for boring copy as far as the media is concerned.

I am not saying that the bishops should give up their prophetic role in society. But I wish someone would remind them that Jesus commissioned the Church to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ. We are called to bring joy to the sorrowing; to heal physical and spiritual wounds, and to work for peace. We are not called to judge; condemn, calling down fire and brimstone. We are called to be a light to the world, which will draw people towards our community, not away. We are called to be a community of love.

The Thorns of Anxiety and Worry

“The sower sows the word….Those sown among thorns are another sort. They are the people who hear the word, but worldly anxiety, the lure of riches, and the craving for other things intrude and choke the word, it bears no fruit.” (Mark 4: 14, 18-19)

I came across this passage while I was reading the Gospel of Mark on the Blue Line subway train. It has stuck with me. If anything, this year has been full of anxiety for myself and for many people in this country. Many individuals are struggling to hold their lives together after losing their jobs. Those of us, who are still employed, have to deal with frozen wages, and the insecurity of our employment. Dwelling on this day after day can wear a person down. The anxiety, the worry, can distract us from God. we can lose touch with the Source of all Love and Hope. Prayer can sometimes seem worthless; God can feel very far away.

I am remembering now a story I heard on the public radio program, “Speaking of Faith.” It was told by a female rabbi and it was set in a World War II concentration camp. The Jewish prisoners were being worked to death, on meager rations, and violently abused. One day, one of the prisoners noticed a camp guard eating a sandwich that was wrapped in paper with Hebrew words on it. The prisoners bribed the guard with their rations to give them the paper. It turned out to be a page from the Torah, the Hebrew scripture. So after a day of hard labor and suffering, the Jewish prisoners would gather together in their barracks, and take turns reciting the Torah from that one page. Just hearing the Word of God, just reflecting daily on just a few words of Sacred Scripture, lifted their hearts amongst all their suffering; and gave them the strength to survive.

We can never stop turning to God. We cannot let our hearts be closed to the Word, but keep them open to its power. We must trust that Jesus Christ will be with us in our trials; “And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.” (Matt 28: 20). If, despite all our anxieties, and worries; we listen to the words of the Gospel and live them; we will indeed produce much fruit.

"Fostering an Open and Trusting Dialogue"

“Called like Saint Francis to rebuild the Church and inspired by his example, let them devote themselves energetically to living in full communion with the pope, bishops, and priests, fostering an open and trusting dialogue of apostolic effectiveness and creativity.” (Article 6b, Rule of the Secular Franciscan Order)

David Gibson, in Politics Daily, wrote a column on the U.S. bishops desire to restore unity in the American Catholic Church. Mr. Gibson makes the observation that this could be difficult, when even the bishops themselves are divided over some issues, or on how to address them. There are differences among some of them on how to best promote, some would say, enforce, Catholic teaching among a growing fractured, disaffected faithful. Some bishops seem to tilt towards a more authoritarian approach, reminding Catholics that it is the bishops that call the shots. They seem to have little respect for the laity, at least where the life of the Church is concerned. Gibson writes that these bishops appear to want a return to old days, when the laity “pray, pay and obey.” .

But those days are long gone, at least in this country. The changes began when the bishops of the Second Vatican Council declared that the laity has an active role to perform in the life of the Church. And that they have a duty to let their priests and bishops know about their spiritual needs. This means sometimes standing up to their local priest or bishop, letting their feelings be known. And with the way many of the U.S. bishops mishandled the clergy sexual abuse scandal, there are laypersons calling on their bishops to be more accountable for their actions. And if the bishops do not listen or respond, people get angry, whether they are on the left or right of the spectrum.

Mr. Gibson had an interview with Bishop Gerald Kicanas of Tucson, AZ. Bishop Kicanas is advocating a spirit of dialogue between the bishops and laity, that while the bishops do govern, it will help if they did so in a spirit of collaboration with the faithful. To me, this seems to be an approach that has the potential to reinvigorate the Church in America. Yes, the bishops have the final say in decisions, but I think a majority of Catholics accept that. What I think Catholics want is input in the decision making process. They want their voices heard and respected. Now this does not always make for an orderly process, but if the bishops make a real effort to dialogue, to really listen and respect the opinons of all American Catholics, maybe the laity in return will really listen to what the bishops have to say.