Deacon Dan Wright

Friday Reflection: The Memorial of Agatha, the Memorial of Goodness

He gave the power to become the children of God to everyone who received him. 

John 1:12

St. Methodius, in today's Office of Readings, tells us that St. Agatha, being true to the meaning of her name, was truly good. He tells us that she lived as a child of God. The memorial we celebrate today may be taken as reminder of our call to goodness.

Being good requires some exploration on our part. What seems like it should be self-evident actually takes a bit of uncovering. Recall that our Lord said, "Why do you ask me about the good?" or, in other versions, "Why do you call me good? There is but one who is good and that one is God." Goodness may not be as common as we might think.

To be good we must be Christ-like, which goes along perfectly with my intention to further explore how Jesus stands out in his person and in his holiness. Some might argue, erroneously, that it is impossible to be good. However, as Christians we have a duty to seek out what is good and—to the best of our ability—to do the good. We bear in mind, of course, that Jesus is perfect goodness revealed in a human person.

If we consider goodness to the opposite of evil, and evil to be the absence of goodness, it follows that goodness is the overall positive attributes of something. It is that which is not lacking in its positive intention: it is that which is whole and complete. It is the realization of faultless perfection.

To be good is to be an imitator of goodness; to imitate Christ and to imitate the saints. It is to pray that God will make us good because he is able to create from what is not yet. God is able to add goodness where none yet currently exists.

To be good in the world in which we live today calls on us to make strong decisions. It calls on us to stand up for what it means to love others. It calls on us to make difficult decisions courageously. It calls on us to give of ourselves. Goodness demands positive contribution; it demands right action. Often goodness requires sacrifice. Always goodness embrace humanity without reservation. 

I like the line from St. Methodius where he says that Agatha lived as a child of God. In these words we find the secret of being good and pleasing to God. We might pray something like this: "Today Lord, I want to be your child. I want to live as a child of God. I want to be your good child; to be your loving and obedient child. Today I want to live in the reality that you make it possible for me to be everything it means to good. Today Lord I receive you into my heart."

 

 

The Courage to Be Human

"I am going the way of all flesh.
Take courage and be a man.
Keep the mandate of the Lord, your God, following his ways
and observing his statutes, commands, ordinances, and decrees
…that you may succeed in whatever you do…

From 1 Kings 2

Of all the wisdom I learned, or perhaps it might be best said "of the little wisdom I learned," in my study of philosophy something that has always clearly stood out is the saying "To thine own self be true."

When we look at the great heroes and fathers in the faith, when we look at the patriarchs and prophets, indeed when we look at the Lord himself, we clearly see individuals who were true to their hearts. Certainly, in the Lord we see this perfected. It is his being true that stands out most clearly. That is, it is his truth to himself, his truth to who he was and what he valued that made the real difference in his world as he sojourned on earth as a man among us.

If we want to be imitators of Christ, if we want to follow his ways, and if we want to know him as he is, we need to understand that he lived a truth that transcended the truths of first century Palestine. Jesus took the notion of righteousness and showed his contemporaries what it really meant—he radicalized the meaning of faith, forgiveness, healing, disease, disability, justice…in his own person he showed us what it truly means when we speak of God.

Jesus intended for us to know and live with the same clarity of sight, with the same allegiance to the values of truth that he lived. Jesus stood clearly in opposition to the falsehood and hypocrisy of his times. As his followers we must learn to see his path clearly and to walk upon it ourselves. It is a path that demands the destruction of the falsehoods that pass for true faith. It is a path that invites us to walk upon it in a different pair of shoes than what we have become accustomed to wearing.

We should always look from the positive; that is, from what is in order to decide what to do. We may look to those whom Jesus chose to embrace. Might we find a mission among them? Might we find a thread in common with those who cry for mercy, yearn for grace, pray for healing, and long for acceptance? Might we find Christ by looking deep into the eyes of the poor, the sick, the sinner, the convict, the enemy?

To follow the way of Christ is to take the courage to be human. It is to take the courage to be true to yourself, to be true to your calling. In doing so we find real meaning in life, and certainly it is not without its risks to stand with humanity; to stand without the benefit of being veiled by the falsehoods and presuppositions, by the fully accepted half-truths and no truths of our day. The Lord calls us to walk in light and to be who we are. The path begins to unfold slowly…we begin to see what lies ahead.

Making Preparations

With each liturgical season it is important that we make preparations as the time draws near for the particular time of year. If we want to make a season as meaningful as possible for us, we approach it with forethought. We look for its arrival with anticipation.

Lent, in the experience of some, may be a bit more difficult in this regard.  There are some for whom Lent carries a negative connotation.  This need not, nor should it, be so. Lent may be approached as an opportunity to prepare ourselves for a more meaningful experience of Easter.

The important thing about Lent, which some may have overlooked or perhaps have never really considered, is that it affords us an opportunity to get to know Jesus. Sure, it's a time of prayer, penance, and giving alms.  It's also a time when we give give up something or do something special. However, among all the pious activities that we may choose to do during Lent, we should make a commitment to get better acquainted with the side of Jesus who has the power to make a difference in the world.

It may be that Lent will afford us a good chance this year to know the Lord through scripture study and prayer. It may be that we will choose to reflect more on his life and its meaning. It may be that events in our everyday lives will reveal something to us about the one we call Lord.  

As I mentioned in my last post, I want to explore more thoroughly the idea of Jesus as a contradiction to the expectations and presuppositions that we may already hold. Knowing Jesus gives us a chance to see clearly beyond the meanings we put on things (sometimes unknowingly).  This year my hope is that the season bring us closer to the Jesus who gives the world a strongly contrasting alternative.

I know that I am getting started a little early.  Often it helps us to reach our goal when we have thought things out ahead of time.  If we want to take a challenge to let Lent change us this year, we need to begin making preparations.  We need to be open to allow Christ to challenge what we may hold already. We also open our hearts to the movement of the Holy Spirit.  We become able to surrender ourselves as pliable clay in the hands of the potter.

A Sign that will be Contradicted

"Behold, this child is destined
for the fall and rise of many in Israel,
and to be a sign that will be contradicted
'and you yourself a sword will pierce' 
so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed."

Luke 2:34-35

Today the salvation of God is presented in the temple. He, according to Simeon, is a sign to be contradicted. Christ has entered the world and come to be salvation for all people. Yet it is not without a cost to be paid, not without the pain of the passion, to which today's readings point us. Already in early February we begin moving toward Lent. Already we begin to prepare our hearts for the journey.

I was thinking about the meaning of contradiction in our world today. For me, coming from an Evangelical background, the contradiction, in my interpretation, always had to do with the difference between the world that lives according to the ways of sin—with sin as its master—and the world that lives according to the Spirit. I have noticed this among Catholics too. We tend to draw a line between sin and holiness and this presents a stark contradiction.

However, true as the comparison may be thus far, there is an even deeper contradiction. It is the contradiction of justice and injustice in our world. It has to do with the contradiction between war and peace, between wealth and poverty, between health and disease, between those on the inside and those who are always on the outside.

The topic today is one that I would like to explore more in the days to come. There is yet a deeper contradiction, a deeper sign, in Christ. It is precisely the contradiction that challenges what we hold to be already true. Christ challenges what we believe about holiness, about justice, about faith and religion, about truth. Jesus Christ as a sign that was to be contradicted came into the world to level it and to establish a new foundation by shaking and replacing that which was already.

Considering Christ at his Presentation helps us to begin preparing for Lent, which is just a short time away. It sets our focus and forces us to identify with the life of he who comes into the world to be a sign that will be contradicted.

Poetry: You Neighbour God

You, neighbour God, if sometimes in the night
I rouse you with loud knocking, I do so 
only because I seldom hear you breathe 
and know: you are alone.
And should you need a drink, no one is there 
to reach it to you, groping in the dark. 
Always I hearken. Give but a small sign.
I am quite near.

Between us there is but a narrow wall, 
and by sheer chance; for it would take
merely a call from your lips or from mine
to break it down,
and that without a sound.

The wall is builded of your images.

They stand before you hiding you like names, 
And when the light within me blazes high 
that in my inmost soul I know you by,
the radiance is squandered on their frames.

And then my senses, which too soon grow lame, 
exiled from you, must go their homeless ways.

RAINER MARIA RILKE
(1875-1926)

   

Friday Reflection: On God's Goodness

The grace and goodness of God toward us is immeasurable.  It is beyond all words of description, yet we attempt to describe it; we try to find the words to communicate it because we experience it as wonderful and as freeing.

As I was meditating on the second reading from the Office of Readings for this morning, which is from St. John Fisher, I began to consider all the goodness in my own life--the goodness that I can participate in--and the goodness that I know awaits me.  I consider everything in life, all experiences, as the gift of God.  Even now as I listen to the sound of falling rain from the window behind me, I intuit the ways of the Creator. I see the ways of God as I listen to the voices of my wife and children in the next room.

In the reading from the Liturgy of the Hours, St. John Fisher describes the work of God in freeing the Hebrew people from their bondage in Egypt.  He considers these things as proofs of God's "deep love and kindness for us." Certainly they are proofs and they are worth considering time and again.  They are to be revisited often.  Yet we also have the proof of God's love in the world in which we live now, in the world of our encounter with the holy.

Like the Hebrew people we too receive a special gift to consider among the many gifts in our lives. Even in lives where there may be pain or a sense of emptiness, the gift of salvation awaits for those who seek it in faith. Salvation is a gift that flows through human history and points us to the God who reaches into our humanity and moves within us to impart his being and his life, which is love and salvation.

St. John Fisher reminds us that God "did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, an offering and a sacrifice to God in a fragrant odor, that he might redeem us from our iniquity and cleanse us for himself as acceptable people." 

This Friday, as we enter into the weekend, we might consider the love that has been offered to us: consider the love given continually from the heart of God to the heart and soul of man and woman.  Consider the "extent of his kindness" and in some way let us offer our genuine praise.  

On the Memorial of St. Thomas Aquinas

For All Good Things

Loving God, who sees in us nothing that you have not given yourself, make my body healthy and agile, my mind sharp and clear, my heart joyful and contented, my soul faithful and loving. And surround me with the company of men and angels who share my devotion to you. Above all, let me live in your presence, for with you all fear is banished, and there is only harmony and peace. Let every day combine the beauty of spring, the brightness of summer, the abundance of autumn, and the repose of winter. And at the end of my life on earth, grant that I may come to see and to know you in the fullness of your glory.

            Saint Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)

I found the prayer above and offer it as the meditation for today.  It contains what all of us want: health--both physical and mental--happiness and deep joy, a soul full of love that communes with God at all times. I see a great need for the spirit of peace in human lives, which the prayer also recognizes.

May God grant us wisdom and knowledge in the spirit of the great saint whom we memorialize today. May all come to know that God is good and may we come to experience that goodness in our daily lives.

Whenever we open our hearts to God he will fill us with what we need most. Thomas Aquinas taught us to look to Christ's sacrifice--to look to the cross and to look to the crucified one for the things we need most. Certainly this is not the wisdom of the world, yet it is exactly wisdom... it is a wisdom beyond all other wisdoms.  In our Lord's gift of himself we find true fulfillment, true understanding...we find that which has value above all things.

A Poem from the Night

Occasionally I like to add a favorite poem as the day's blog post.  I have chosen Joseph Mary Plunkett's (1817-1916) "I saw the sun at midnight rising red."  Actually, I know Plunkett better for his "Hound of Heaven," which bears a special significance to me. However, today's selection spoke to me in that it is obviously the product of a night spent in prayer. I suppose I feel a certain kinship to those who stay up late. From time to time I'll include some of my own poetry, but for today I offer this deep meditation on the love of God.

I SAW the Sun at midnight, rising red,
Deep-hued yet glowing, heavy with the stain
Of blood-compassion, and I saw It gain
Swiftly in size and growing till It spread
Over the stars; the heavens bowed their head
As from Its heart slow dripped a crimson rain,
Then a great tremor shook It, as of pain—
The night fell, moaning, as It hung there dead.
O Sun, O Christ, O bleeding Heart of flame!
Thou giv’st Thine agony as our life’s worth,
And mak’st it infinite, lest we have dearth
Of rights wherewith to call upon thy Name;
Thou pawnest Heaven as a pledge for Earth,
And for our glory sufferest all shame.

Austin Has a New Bishop!

This was emailed to me this morning from the Diocese of Austin

 

AUSTIN – Habemus episcopum! (We have a bishop!)

Pope Benedict XVI has named Auxiliary Bishop Joe S. Vásquez, of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston as Bishop of the Diocese of Austin. Bishop Vásquez will be the fifth bishop of Austin and the first Mexican-American to lead the diocese.

"I wish to thank Pope Benedict XVI for the confidence he has placed in me in naming me shepherd of the Diocese of Austin," he said. "I also offer prayers of gratitude this day for Daniel Cardinal DiNardo, Archbishop Emeritus Joseph A. Fiorenza and the priests, religious and laity of the Archdiocese for forming me as a bishop. Most of all, I give thanks to God for the gift of priesthood, which has brought me such joy for 25 years. I trust in the Holy Spirit to enlighten me for this next step in my journey."

The Apostolic Nuncio to the U.S., Archbishop Pietro Sambi, made the announcement in Washington on Tuesday morning.

Bishop Vásquez, 52, was ordained as a bishop in January 2002 and has served as Galveston-Houston's auxiliary bishop since then. Since 2006, Bishop Vasquez has been the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston's Vicar General/Chancellor, overseeing the administrative operations of the largest diocese in Texas and the 11th largest diocese in the U.S. He has also served as Episcopal Vicar for Hispanics and he has been the Archdiocesan Liaison for Youth during his years in Galveston-Houston.

Bishop Vásquez was born July 9, 1957 in Stamford, Texas to Juan and Elvira Vásquez (deceased). He is the oldest child and has three brothers: Robert Vásquez, Samuel Vásquez (deceased) and James Vásquez and two sisters: Cynthia Martínez and Consuelo Elrod. He attended public schools in Stamford and Abilene and then studied theology at the University of St. Thomas in Houston from 1976 to 1980. He attended the Gregorian University, North American College, in Rome from 1980 to 1985. He was ordained a priest for the Diocese of San Angelo on June 30, 1984 by Bishop Joseph A. Fiorenza.

In the Diocese of San Angelo he served as associate pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Odessa from 1985 to 1987; as pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Fort Stockton from 1987 to 1997 and as pastor of St. Joseph Parish in San Angelo from 1997 to 2002.

The Mass of Installation will be March 8 at a yet-to-be determined location.

Bishop Vásquez succeeds Bishop Gregory Aymond who was appointed Archbishop of New Orleans by Pope Benedict XVI last year. Since that time, Msgr. W. Michael Mulvey has been leading the diocese as Administrator. On Jan. 18, Pope Benedict XVI named Msgr. Mulvey as Bishop of Corpus Christi.

The Diocese of Austin includes 127 parishes and missions in 25 Central Texas counties spread over 19,000 square miles. There are approximately 500,000 Catholics within the diocese.

Remembering Timothy and Titus: On Being Disciples

The mother of Jesus and his brothers arrived at the house.
Standing outside, they sent word to Jesus and called him.
A crowd seated around him told him,
"Your mother and your brothers and your sisters
are outside asking for you."
But he said to them in reply,
"Who are my mother and my brothers?"
And looking around at those seated in the circle he said,
"Here are my mother and my brothers.
For whoever does the will of God

is my brother and sister and mother." Mk 3:31-35

The gospel reading today for the Memorial of Saints Timothy and Titus, is one that I find to be an interesting selection. It juxtaposes Mary, whom we call blessed and mother, and whom we adore, with all who strive to do the will of God.

To do the will of God might seem to be a monumental task, perhaps one too great for mere men and women to accomplish. We need not look far in this life to notice, not the triumphs of humanity, but the common failures and traps. In our times it frequently seems that the expectation is for us to make a mess of our lives, and so we go about doing just that.

However, there is another way; it is the way of those who are called disciples. One of the memories I cherish and value from my childhood is that my great aunt, who took on the role of mother for me, taught me at an early age that I could be a disciple. She did this by directly teaching me about the disciples and apostles and then telling me that I too could be a disciple.

Discipleship is about doing what the world does not expect us to do. The world tells us to follow after our base appetites and to let no one tell us that the way of our desires will lead to an unfulfilled life rather than the fulfillment that they falsely promise.

Jesus wants us to be disciples. He wants those who long to do his will. Doing the will of God has the effect of incorporating us into the family of Christ. We stand alongside his mother and his brothers and sisters who have said, "I desire to do your will O Lord, help me in my weakness to be what you want me to be. Help me Lord to be what the world does not expect me to be. May I triumph in you; may I overcome in you, and may I be made new entirely in you."

Discipleship is the witness of the power of God to reach in and change lives. It is the witness of conversion, and the witness of a love greater than any love the world knows. Really, I think we all want love. Too often this becomes the source of many failures. If we only knew that the love of God awaits us and the magnitude of it, we might fall to our knees immediately and pray, "thy will be done."