The experience of beauty belongs to the individual because it takes place in a person’s mind and heart. It resonates, it evokes, and it speaks in the interior of the person. A picture is worth a thousand words but our own experience is what allows it to speak to us. The impact of art is in the resonance it stirs within us.
As I learned my Catholic faith I saw the importance and reverence given to Mary, and it made me uneasy. Looking at Jesus, I came to know him as Mercy who loves me, but somehow before Mary, all I saw was the weight of my imperfections. Searching for a way to know her in statues and paintings of her at Church, I couldn’t find my own experience, or anything that connected us. I didn’t know how to relate to Mary or how to approach her. She was perfect, almost stone-cold perfect, in the way I saw her. Continue reading
Happy Mother’s Day! After having thanked all our mothers today for all they have done for us, we can turn our minds also to a mother of whom we can often forget, Mother Church! The readings today brought her to mind for me. The apostles who are looking to keep the faith alive and St Paul who speaks about living stones. We are sons and daughters of the Church! And she receives her motherhood from Christ. A mother is safe and protects, because she has found her safe place. A mother loves unconditionally because she has received unconditional love. And a mother sends her children on a mission because she lives her life as a mission. The Church protects us from the greatest evil – sin. She loves us unconditionally never turning away anyone. And she gives us our mission to keep the faith, because she is apostolic. We also need to show our gratitude to our Mother Church as her faithful children.
“Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” Then Jesus told them this parable: “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.” Luke 15 1-7
Pope Francis got lots of media attention (a common event) this week when he expressed shame at the American reference to dropping the “mother of all bombs” on some nasty people in Afghanistan.
Eric works at the Dodge dealership, and I met him when one of our mini-vans had a part recall back in January. He works at the counter, so deals with customers coming in and out. He seemed to be in his early-mid twenties.
Each person is a book of life. We carry so much more within us than we wear on the surface. There is a history behind each person, a past so personal, because each person is unique and unrepeatable. While at the seminary in Connecticut, I used to enjoy our occasional trips into Manhattan to visit museums like the Metropolitan Art Museum, the Frick Collection and the MoMa. As we drove through the bustling, dirty streets, I would fix my gaze on random passersby. I’d look at their face and wonder what this person bears inside. The rich, the poor, everyone from everywhere. Sadly, the great majority of their gazes looked rather aimless and empty. What history was behind this person, this world unknown and unknowable to me, yet a world that was everything to him? What hopes and wounds does he bear inside? I will never know. 
My dear friend,
Today the gospel tells us that Christ is the gate and the shepherd. We are the flock. We need our shepherd to guide us to heaven. We need to stay close to Him and also stay as a group to protect one another. The sheep is defenseless if it strays. We are part of the flock not for ourselves, but so that we can defend the other sheep. As a community we must pass through Christ, which we do when we celebrate the sacraments. We are brought through Christ from one life to another, a life of sin to a life of grace. Let us live each week this transformation that will transform more and more into more perfect images of Himself.
When our ancestors first inhabited the earth, the definitions of feminism and Marxism were unknown. As centuries passed, we can tell by the history of human evolution that this changed. Women were considered imperfect and weak creatures for a long time, underestimating what women are capable of. Even when Christ came to the world 2000 years ago, the discrimination that women suffered was extremely concerning. Women were often treated as property; they were viewed as inferior to men. As He became public and shared His Word, He introduced a revolutionary thought about women. He upheld women’s rights. He proclaimed the equality between men and women before God’s eyes. He gave the woman her dignity back.
“There are no galley-slaves in the royal vessel of divine love–every man works his oar voluntarily! ” St. Francis de Sales