A Restless Heart

Hearing the Gospel today at Occupy Philadelphia

2011-10-30T10:23:00.000-07:00

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor...to let the oppressed be free." (Luke 4:18) were the words Jesus spoke in the synagogue referring to himself stating, "today this scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing." Well, today those same words of the Good News of Jesus were fulfilled in my hearing and seeing as I visited the Occupy Philadelphia community at City Hall with my sister in community, Sr. Lyngine.

We went bearing a box of coffee from Dunkin Donuts, which we had to refresh, with the intention of meeting people, speaking to them, understanding them better and maybe offering some spiritual encouragement and prayers. And, we did just that, but so much more was done unto us in return in hearing and seeing the Gospel alive.

We arrived at the camp site outside City Hall and immediately heard two men in their mid thirties, driving a large SUV, heckling the protesters by shouting, "get a job" and "get a life hippies." I turned giving them one of my famous "nun looks" of disapproval, but before I could say anything, I heard a response from the protesters, "I would love a job, got one for me?" and "Put a little hippie in your life." Lesson one from the Gospel: forgiveness and compassion.

Then, we met a wonderful man who acted as a sort of tour guide of the community. He was an artist, a painter, who has been out of work and homeless. He directed us towards some people who were in most need of some warming coffee. Lesson two: all people are dignified in their being God's creations.

A little while latter when we had run out of coffee, two people from the movement who had just gotten coffee from us taught us lesson three: charity in community. One of them gave her coffee to another outright and the other poured half of hers into another's cup. These protesters are so much more than that. They have become a real community of prophets sharing their struggles, their fears, and their hopes, trying to awaken the conscience of a nation to economic justice for all.

I did have the opportunity to pray with a few members of the community who asked, and anointed one who was in need. Also gave a few blessings to others, but mostly, we poured coffee, we listened, and were were taught the message of the Gospel today from some wonderful prophets from a community of hope.

Fr. Joseph Augustine Menna, AIHM
Pastor St. Mary of Grace Independent Catholic Church
Media, PA

2011-10-14T17:36:00.000-07:00

Augustinian thoughts on "Occupy Wall Street." Where would Augustine be?

First, let us consider what Augustine thought about the State. Commenting on Augustine's writing, particularly in City of God, Donald Burt, OSA, notes "two distinct goals for a political society:

1. the preservation of the peace by seeking to insure the harmonious external conduct of the humans in it and to protect them from external attacks;

2. the administration and organization of those material goods necessary for the continuation of life this side of death.

Augustine does not seem to believe that the state has any special obligation to provide for the welfare of those who cannot provide for themselves. Charitable work is left to the church and private individuals." (http://www41.homepage.villanova.edu/donald.burt/friendship/07.htm)

However, Augustine also takes a pessimistic and minimal view of the state as not capable of reaching that perfection of love that exists in the City of God where the well being of neighbor is a primal task of the whole society. Augustine himself noted that civil law is not the same as the law of the Creator. (http://www.augnet.org/default.asp?ipageid=329) Thus our nation which prides itself on its Judeo Christian heritage needs to ask if we are willing to accept a minimal pessimistic view of our society or demand of ourselves something more “Christian?”

Further considering what Augustine himself said about justice and his own actions:

1. Gender Equality: Augustine was quick to point out the discrepancies in Roman law in dealing with men and women, as not being the law of Christ.

2. Tax Fairness: Church sanctuary might protect a few victims of injustice; but the cities and the poor continued to be ground down by excessive and selective taxation, "while we (the bishops) groan and are unable to help," Augustine lamented.

3. Debt relief: “From Letter 268 we learn that Augustine intervened for a person who was bowed down by a burden of debts. Augustine himself had not the sum needed to help him. He borrowed the money from a rich man. However, in doing so Augustine himself got into difficulty himself when he was unable to repay the loan. He had to ask the help of the people of Hippo.” (http://www.augnet.org/default.asp?ipageid=1885&iParentid=329)

4. Dignity and Poverty: “Augustine distributed the property of the church among the poor people for them to be able to work. His deep pastoral sense assured that this help did not remain on the material level. Quite the contrary: he was committed to the authentic promotion of respect for the dignity of the poor people. Augustine became one with the poor, "making myself a beggar with the beggars" (Sermon 66, 5).” (http://www.augnet.org/default.asp?ipageid=341)

I think from the reflections above, I myself, an convinced that Augustine would be at the least encouraging to the protesters, marchers, and occupiers, with prayers and spiritual help, and even more so, would be there with them personally to lend the witness of his office as Bishop to their seeking of the justice of the perfect charity of the City of God.

Remembering 9-11

2011-09-10T21:02:00.000-07:00

Remembering September 11, 2001 in prayer:

God of all creation, Father of justice, and Mother of compassion, grant eternal joy to those who gave their lives in innocence and by heroic service on 9-11. Grant to us your children hearts full of understanding and charity that we may see your vision of creation where all your children live in the justice of the City of God and in the long-full peace of the New Jerusalem.

We pray in the name of your Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God forever. Amen

Remembering 9-11: I was teaching high school theology, walking the hall to my next class. The principal announced on the PA that a plane had struck the WTC and the Pentagon and it seemed an attack was underway on our country. Change of class was halted as we began a school wide rosary. We turned on the class TV and saw the plane strike the other tower. I could not hold back tears. I began the chaplet of Mercy prayers with my students. We were then dismissed by order of the Archbishop at 11 AM.

I will remember 9-11 by offering Mass for the victims who gave their lives in innocence and by heroic service, and for understanding and the fulfillment of the City of God and the peace of the New Jerusalem.

Lenten Reflection from Sr. Lyngine AIHM

2011-04-16T22:07:00.000-07:00

This was so good, I had to share. It is from one of our AIHM sisters. Been a while since I posted, but she inspired me.
_____________________

There's a small part of me, and I suspect most people, that deep, deep down is utterly baffled by the Incarnation. God becoming human. One of us---a messy, vulnerable human being.

It's easier to think of Jesus as being closer to something like Superman. Someone who is more or less human and has feelings and can be hurt, but is essentially indestructible. It's not a bad story. A lot of people are Superman fans and as things go, Superman isn't a bad role model. There are worse role models than someone who has superpowers and chooses to use them to do good in the world. And there is security in that someone being indestructible so they can be around to save one from the bad guys.

But that's not the Christian story.

The Christian story is much harder. Because no one gets saved from the bad guys. In fact, the person who was suppose to be Superman can't even save himself. So what do you do when Superman dies?

Earlier this week I was invited to give a short Lenten reflection at a bi-weekly dinner for LGBT Christian students. Since we were approaching Holy Week and they wouldn't see each other again until Easter, I chose the Lazarus story from last Sunday's Gospel since it could touch a bit on the themes of death and resurrection and still stay within the bounds of Lent. As I was going over what I would say, one of the phrases I was considering was "so when in our lives there are places that appear dead, we are called to remember that in those places God can bring life."

Sounds great doesn't it. Except that it's WRONG.

Lazarus didn't appear dead---he was dead---four days a matter of fact.

So Lazarus, one of Jesus' friends and someone he loved well enough to weep over, doesn't get saved from the messy and the bad either.

Jesus doesn't get saved from the messy and the bad---and neither do we.

Because we didn't get Superman, we got God becoming human.

The proper phrase is "So when in our lives there are places that are dead, we are called to believe that from those places God brings life."

And that is a very, very different thing to believe.

Definitely not Superman.

Deo Gratias

Health Care: A Recent Article Published

2009-11-29T23:00:00.000-08:00

Published September 19 in the Delaware County Times:

By FATHER JOSEPH AUGUSTINE MENNA, AIHM
Times Guest Columnist

In the debate that is occurring in our country today regarding health care and health insurance reform, the usual loud and frequent voice of Christian leadership seems to be missing. But this issue, more than some in recent years, is demanding of the attention of all those responsible for leadership in the Christian communities.

Jesus himself spent much of his ministry healing the sick and comforting those in pain. In the Gospel according to Matthew, Chapter 25, Jesus says that those who comfort the sick are among the just who will enter eternal life. And, Jesus makes it very clear that we, in fact, are our brother’s keeper.

In the Jewish rabbinical tradition there is a teaching that the measurement of a society’s moral and political strength in light of the covenant relationship with God can be seen in how well they care for, treat, and include those who are on the margins of the society. In fact, it is believed that when Israel was most faithful to this teaching she was strong against all foes, but when greed and ambition took away from the community care of those on the margins, all of the society suffered weakness and she fell to her enemies.

As the details of legislation are worked out over the next weeks, there should be some principals that guide the passions, energies, and ministry of Christians in this regard:

Respect and civility. Questions can not be answered if no one is listening, or enabled to listen. The tactics of shouting and belittling others at meetings should never be encouraged, and is not Christian.

Hope trumps fear. A message based on fear is not one that is Christian. Nowhere in the proposed legislation are there any provisions for government monies for abortion, death panels for the elderly or sick, or plans for rationed care based on age or ability. Those who preach only fear are preaching a false gospel, often for their own political gain.

Christians have an obligation to inform their conscience. Read the legislation. Go to the White House Web site, contact the AARP, the AMA and other informed groups to find the truth. Listen to more than just one source.

Stay focused on the important moral issues:

+ Coverage for all Americans;

+ Care given based on need, not cost of treatment or amount of coverage;

+ No prejudices against pre-existing conditions or caps on coverage;

+ Transferability of coverage;

+ Decisions made by patients and health care professionals not insurance companies; and finally,

+ Measures that ensure real regulation or competition to keep costs reasonable, and corporate and executive greed in check.

Recently on the news, someone stated that health care is not a right, but a privilege. Once again, nothing can be further from the Christian moral perspective of life’s dignity. Health care is a common good derived from the benefits of God’s gifts: Nature, intelligence, and reason and thus is a right for all.

Christians need to remember that we are a religion based on “socialist” ideas. In Acts we read that the early Christian community was of one mind and heart and they each turned in their possessions for common distribution by the apostles to all according to need. Socialism is not a dirty word. Medicare/cade, Social Security, and unemployment insurance are among socialist programs in our democratic, American republic with a capital driven economy.

How well does our society care for those on the margins? How are we comforting the sick? Is our society morally and politically strong or are we on the brink of our great decline, like that of Rome, which fell to greed 15 centuries ago?

The answer to those questions might very well be linked to what we do in this very small window of opportunity regarding real health care and insurance reform. Christians need to respond and be included in how we answer those questions with informed consciences.

The (Very Rev.) Father Joseph Augustine Menna, AIHM, is pastor of St. Mary of Grace Independent Catholic Church in Media.

LGBT Spirituality and Church attendance

2009-08-13T13:13:00.000-07:00

A recent article appearred in Politics Daily and is referenced below:

http://www.politicsdaily.com/2009/08/10/gay-christians-discord-in-the-pews/

"Why Gay Guys Are Churchier Than Their Straight Brethren"

The article finds from research done that LGBT persons have a very high rate of Church life and practice despite long held stereotypes to the contrary. As a priest and pastor of a church that is inclusive, the findings do not surprise me as our most active and dedicated parish members are, by a majority, LGBT persons.

As my spiritual director once taught me, the spirituality of LGBT persons is deeply rooted in the desert and Exodus experience: A faithful God walking with us and leading us through a wilderness requiring of us deep trust, faith, and hope. From this faith, God's love can be experienced in a transforming way.

"One is that gays and lesbians are drawn to ministering to others as a result of their own experience, and that the Christian journey of forgiveness and redemption and acceptance resonates deeply with them. "One reason that homosexuals are drawn to service in the church is that many of these people have been wounded themselves. They know what it's like to feel broken, and they want to help others in whatever way they are hurting," said the Rev. James Martin, a Jesuit priest and author, who knows gays and lesbians who work in ministry despite the fact that they cannot openly identify as homosexual. "The Christian paradigm of the scapegoat -- the marginalized one, the one who suffers unjustly -- is quite powerful, especially for gay people."

Also as a formation director, I can testify to the threefold calling of all: the call to be, to live, to do. LGBT persons are confronted like no other group to really discern the first question that makes the others possible: Who am I?/How did God create me?/Why did God create me this way? Only then can one really answer: how am I to live my life and what am I to do with it?

"In a similar vein, others cite Christian de la Huerta's powerful book on gay religiosity, "Coming Out Spiritually," and his argument that gay people are, among other things, forced to mediate across the gap between their sexuality and spirituality, a divide straight Christians do not have to negotiate. So that makes LGBT people especially adept at helping others navigate a world of binaries, in particular the frontier between the physical and spiritual worlds.

Moreover, the process of coming out as a homosexual is often seen as analogous to the Christian pilgrimage of self-discovery and acceptance. "I have a theory that once you discern one call -- that God has created you to be gay -- that you are more adept at understanding God's call in other ways, as into ministry," said Kansfield."

Perhaps something for all congregations to consider is the vast riches that are there waiting to be fully appreciated in their LGBT brothers and sisters to make their communities more alive in worship, deeper rooted in integrity and faith, and grerater sharing in charity.

Uniting our Prayers with the People of Iran

2009-06-20T17:01:00.000-07:00

Below is a letter a wrote today to the Order regarding the moral and civil crimes against humanity perpetuated this weekend by the Iranian Leadership:

Sisters and Brothers,

The unrest this week in Iran has turned from hopeful protests to bloody crackdown. A government's role in the name of Faith and Humanity is to provide security, organization, protection, public service and peace to its people. There are many forms of government that are morally good, even forms of theocracy or monarchy can fit these definitions.

This letter is written not to condemn the form of government in Iran, but to question the moral actions of the current government and leadership. Civilians have a legitimate human right to organize and protest. The weekend crackdown by the Iranian government on the vastly peaceful organizing of the civilians is reprehensible and deserved condemnation by all people and leaders of faith.

Let us unite our prayers with those of the Iranian people and ask God to grant them freedom, courage, and peace. Eternal rest on the brave martyrs who have already given their lives this week. Please make it your special intentions tomorrow, Our Lord's Day, at Mass and Hours.

I will offer a Mass for the same intention uniting all of our prayers from the altar.

Yours, one in mind and heart,

Joseph Augustine+

2009-06-09T17:32:00.000-07:00

St. Mary of Grace Parish Fifth Anniversary

May 31, 2009 marked the fifth anniversary of the founding of the parish, the feast of the Visitation of the BVM and the Vigil of Our Lady of Grace, the patronal feast of the Parish. Our Lady of Grace is the oldest of the Augustinian devotions to Mary remembering the woman who so filled with God's Grace she said yes to God's call for her to give humanity to Christ. This anniversary marks in all of us in the parish, order and jurisdiction, a reminder of what God's tremendous Grace can accomplish in us as well. God has given us all that we need to bear much fruit in advancing our own life with our God and God's reign in the world.

Below is the address Bishop Timothy gave to the parish at the Eucharistic celebration of the anniversary on Saturday, May 30.

"My warmest congratulations to St. Mary of Grace Independent Catholic Church. I have had the privilege of being associated with the parish for four years, beginning with the first public Mass in June, 2005, and it became part of the Independent Catholic Christian Church in September of that year.

When I think back over the history of the parish, the key quality I see is that of faithfulness. Faithfulness to Augustinian values, as a parish that started and has continued as a ministry of the Order of Augustinians of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Faithfulness to the Augustinian value of fostering a spirituality of serving Christ with all of one’s heart and all of one’s mind, and faithfulness to the Augustinian value of community, as is taught in the Rule of St. Augustine. The parish has also shown faithfulness to the values of the Independent Catholic Christian Church – adhering to the Christian faith as taught in the historic creeds, proclaiming that the world was created by the Triune God, that God became incarnate in a human being in the person of Jesus Christ, and that Jesus Christ has won victory for us over sin and death through the Atonement made by his death and Resurrection. Faithfulness to the values of being deeply prayerful and joyfully sacramental, fostering the life of prayer in its members by offering a number of opportunities to pray together, with the Eucharist at the center of its life. Faithfulness to the value of being radically inclusive, opening its doors to all who seek God or a deeper knowledge of God regardless of race, ethnicity, sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity.

The parish has been faithful in good times and in bad. There were times when we did not have a home for our Sunday Mass and had to meet in each other’s homes. In the beginning, it was often just Fr. Joseph and I. But we didn’t give up. We continued to be faithful to the vision, knowing that God could do through us greater things than we could ask or imagine. There have also been times of great joy and celebration – but we did not use those as an excuse to coast, but continued to focus on the values and vision that we hold dear, believing it to be the mission that God has given us.

And so, here we are today, celebrating this wonderful anniversary, and rejoicing in the many great things God has done in our midst. It is my prayer that the parish may continue serving God faithfully in the coming years, decades, and centuries! Ad multos annos!

+Tim"

Holy Week Reflection

2009-04-06T09:54:00.000-07:00

Our new postulant asked recently if there were any specific Augustinian traditions for Holy Week.
I am not aware of any specific Augustinian traditions for Holy Week that differ from the Roman usage. Our "parent" Order, the OSA was unique in its founding being erected directly by the Holy See in 1256. As such it is very much Roman Rite, with less diversions in its own rites unlike the Benedictines, for example.

But, I like what Lyngine pointed out regarding the why and how. As Augustinians our spirit flows from the intimate love made manifest in God's incarnation. Thus, the love of Jesus in obedience to the Father is what we focus upon. Jesus went to the cross because he loved the Father and loved us and knew that this act of total self sacrifice was necessary for our return to God, our reconciliation to God, and our return as chosen children of God.

It was love that enabled Jesus to endure all of this for US. We in turn do all, suffer all, edure all, for love of God by loving each other. This love is not a cheap sentimental love, but real love by giving to each other, epsecilaly when you feel you have nothing left to give. That is the Augustinian tradition...simple and quiet giving from the heart in especially the little things in life. How can we love God whom we do not see if we do not love our brothers and sisters whom we do see? So, think of those in your life who need love and offer your penenace and sacrifice for them, not only this week, but always.

Conversion and Vocation: It's never ending

2009-01-25T11:33:00.000-08:00

Brothers and Sisters,

Today is the feast of the Conversion of St. Paul. Our Sunday readings (http://www.usccb.org/nab/readings/012509a.shtml) continue on the theme from last week regarding God's calling to us to be redeemed and share in the coming of the Kingdom.

This week we hear how Nineveh was saved by Johna's obedience to God's will in going there to preach a message of repentance. The Ninevites listened, turned back to the Lord, and were saved by His mercy. Paul reminds us of how this world and the next life are not the same and for us to be on gaurd from loving this world too much and not remembering we are called to an eternity with God. Finally, Jesus continues to call his disciples together by knowing their hearts' desires.

Remember that we as religious, whether professed, oblate, or in formation, are answering God's call. First we are called to our own redemption through vigilance to prayer, penance, and integrity of heart. BE WHO YOU ARE! That is where God's call begins. Then allow God's Word to permeate you, pound your doubts and fears to sand by your living each day in your call wether in married life, single life, or celibacy. Then and only then can God's mercy effect a change in you to go out and minister as He wishes. Once you, yourself, have experienced God's transforming love, God's abundant mercy, God's radical acceptance of you, then you are ready to do His will and lead others, through intercessory prayer, example, preaching, or good works to the same journey and conclusions.

Ours is not an easy life, but it is one we live day by day. Paul's conversion was begun when he was knocked off the horse, it was completed the day he entered heaven to hug and greet his master. Our Holy Father Augustine began his conversion in Milan and completed it in the same way as Paul. We never have all the answers or should feel completely comfortable in our vocation because we are called to radical conversion EACH and EVERY day! God has placed this journey before us and He will see us through...just keep holding his hand and the hand of your brothers and sisters in community.

Yours, one in mind and heart, and yes, often confused, but ON THE WAY TO GOD with you,

Joseph Augustine+

Happy Birthday to the Augustinian Order in the Church

2008-12-16T17:03:00.000-08:00

On December 11th, 1243 the decree, Incumbit Nobis was issued by Pope Innocent IV, and it called together a number of monastic communities in Tuscany. The Augustinians owed their formal existence to the policy of Popes Innocent IV (1241–1254) and Pope Alexander IV (1254–1261), who wished to counterbalance the influence of the powerful Franciscans and Dominicans by means of a similar order under more direct papal authority and devoted to papal interests.

The Augustinian Hermits became the last of the great mendicant orders to be formally constituted in the thirteenth century. It is historically verifiable that Innocent IV, by the bull issued 16 December 1243 united a number of small hermit societies with Augustinian rule, especially the Williamites, the John-Bonites, and the Brictinans.

Alexander IV (admonished, it was said, by an appearance of Saint Augustine) called a general assembly of the members of the new united order under the presidency of Cardinal Richard of Saint Angeli at the monastery of Santa Maria del Popolo in Rome in March, 1256, when the head of the John-Bonites, Lanfranc Septala, of Milan, was chosen general prior of the united orders. Alexander's bull Licet ecclesiae catholicae, confirmed this choice. The new order was thus finally constituted with Italian, Hungarian, French, English, Belgian, Spanish, Portuguese, Swiss, Austrian and German Augustinian friars united into one international order.

The teaching and writing of Augustine, the Augustinian Rule, and the lives and experiences of Augustinians over 16 centuries help define the ethos of the order, sometimes "honored in the breach".

As well as telling his disciples to be "of one mind and heart on the way towards God" Augustine of Hippo taught that "Nothing conquers except truth and the victory of truth is love" (Victoria veritatis est caritas), and the pursuit of truth through learning is key to the Augustinian ethos, balanced by the injunction to behave with love towards one another. It does not unduly single out the exceptional, especially favor the gifted, nor exclude the poor or marginalized. Love is not earned through human merit, but received and given freely by God's free gift of grace, totally undeserved yet generously given. These same imperatives of affection and fairness have driven the order in its international missionary outreach. This balanced pursuit of love and learning has energized the various branches of the order into building communities founded on mutual affection and intellectual advancement. The Augustinian ideal is inclusive.

December 16

Incumbit Nobis

The founding of the Augustinian Order

GATHERING PRAYER

Almighty and eternal God,

In the fullness of time,

you called together, the many Augustinians,

to become a single community,

united in faith, and in the observance of the Holy Rule.

Through the intercession of our Father, Saint Augustine,

may all who follow his rule of life,

become one in mind and heart,

intent upon the Kingdom of God.

Through our Lord.

Thanks to Fr. John, SSA for this information.

Our Lady of Consolation

2008-09-06T22:55:00.001-07:00

As our community of AIHM celebrates its fifteen years of growing and serving, we have decided as an Order, to give thanks to God by making a special effort to teach and perpetuate Augustinian devotions this year. We have a special love for Our Lady of Consolation, whose feast was Friday, September 4.

Legend (not history) holds that Mary gave a shining leather cincture from her own tunic to Monica as a sign of her consolation with Monica's struggle to teach Augustine the Catholic faith and love of God. Upon his conversion, Monica gave it to Augustine who then gave it to his community. The above painting shows Mary giving the cincture to Monica and Augustine. Beyond the pseudo history of this, the image is important. As Augustinians we are called to share the consolation God has given us in Mary's arms with those we meet. It is a part of our call and spirit.

The Gospel for this feast reminds us of Mary at the Cross. She suffered with her son and knows the pain of loss. She also knows more than any the love and joy of God's promise. She shares this with us all, especially as Augustinians. When Augustinians gird themselves with her cincture they should remember this.

A Necessary Reminder: Christ...the Alpha and Omega

2008-07-22T07:58:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, a friend sent me a most powerful e-mail. I don't usually like those "chain" prayer e-mails, but this one was different. It didn't threaten anything, it wasn't filled with superstition, it just provided a powerful, yet gentle reminder. I offer it as a prayer to all of you who read:

You are in your car driving home. Thoughts wander to the game you want to see or meal you want to eat, when suddenly a sound unlike any you've ever heard fills the air. The sound is high above you. A trumpet? A choir? A choir of trumpets? You don't know, but you want to know. So you pull over, get out of your car, and look up. As you do, you see you aren't the only curious one. The roadside has become a parking lot. Car doors are open, and people are staring at the sky. Shoppers are racing out of the grocery store. The Little League baseball game across the street has come to a halt. Players and parents are searching the clouds. And what they see, and what you see, has never before been seen.

As if the sky were a curtain, the draperies of the atmosphere part. A brilliant light spills onto the earth. There are no shadows. None.

From every hue ever seen and a million more never seen. Riding on the flow is an endless fleet of angels. They pass through the curtains one myriad at a time, until they occupy every square inch of the sky.
North. South. East. West.
Thousands of silvery wings rise and fall in unison, and over the sound of the trumpets, you can hear the cherubim and seraphim chanting: Holy, Holy, Holy.. The final flank of angels is followed by twenty-four silver-bearded elders and a multitude of souls who join the angels in worship.

Presently the movement stops and the trumpets are silent, leaving only the triumphant triplet: Holy, Holy, Holy. Between each word is a pause. With each word, a profound reverence. You hear your voice join in the chorus. You don't know why you say the words, but you know you must.

Suddenly, the heavens are quiet. All is quiet. The angels turn, you turn, the entire world turns and there He is.
Jesus.

Through waves of light you see the silhouetted figure of Christ the King. He is atop a great stallion, and the stallion is atop a billowing cloud. He opens His mouth, and you are surrounded by His declaration:

I am the Alpha and the Omega.

The angels bow their heads. The elders remove their crowns. And before you is a figure so consuming that you know, instantly you know: Nothing else matters Forget stock markets and school reports, Sales meetings and football games. Nothing is newsworthy.. All that mattered, matters no more... for Christ has come.
Please let me know the exact time you read this. It is mystical--honest.

This morning when the Lord opened a window to Heaven, He saw me, and He asked: My child, what is your greatest wish for today?
I responded: 'Lord please; take care of the person who is reading this message, their family and their special friends. They deserve it and I love them very much'.

The Love of God is like the ocean, you can see its beginnings but not its end.

June 1: Our Lady of Grace

2008-06-01T23:36:00.000-07:00

On this oldest of Augustinian Marian feasts, I would like to acknowledge God's Grace in our Community. "Hail O highly favored one," said the angel Gabriel to Mary. Yes, Mary was most favored or full of Grace, but with Grace, or favor, also comes responsibility.

Mary was favored to be the sign or announcement that God was about to fulfill the Covenant for all time. She was graced from her conception to be the Sacred Vessel of the Incarnation of the Word. And she was graced to receive all the benefits, as the new Eve, of the New Creation and Life in the Risen Christ.

She was also responsible to that favor by submitting in trust to be God's servant. She was also responsible to be the rock of hope for the disciples at the cross and in the Upper Room. Finally, she is responsible for being the model of love in discipleship for the Church until the end of time, standing always to remind us that she is but the first of us all, our sister, to enter into the fullness of God's covenant rewards.

With the grace we have received as Augustinians of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, we have the responsibility to live the spirit of the Rule and our vows in following our Gospel call. Recentlty, our postulant, Valorie, asked if we could explain the "heart" of an Augustinian and if we felt it in our living the life. I would like to share the thoughts of one of our novice sisters, Friar Lyngine Dominique-Marie.

Lyngine said:

First, my own caveat, which is that I don't think that the characteristics that make an Augustinian are necessarily one's that someone starts out with, but are characteristics that in some cases, one grows into and continues to grow into. So, it's not so much a matter of looking at a list and seeing if one matches, as it is living out being an Augustinian and seeing if it fits or not---the joys and challenges of the novitiate :). The second caveat is that one reads and understands some of this much differently after/during some time living it out than from the beginning. When I first applied to the AIHM, I did some reading from the web on what Augustinian spirituality is and I know that I read those same passages now with a very different understanding. Third caveat is that my answer is incomplete so there are more characteristics for sure.

Yes, definitely the search for Truth and things intellectual are a characteristic. With the addition that (as you'll hear Joseph say many times ), that the "head" is balanced by the "heart". So an example is reading Scripture---it's both intellectual (like Bible Study) but also prayer and mediation---each informs the other---knowledge informs and deepens faith/prayer, and faith/prayer transforms and deepens one's understanding of Scripture.

Another characteristic is being drawn to express and live out one's faith in community. JB's [Friar John Bartholomew] post on Espousal being more than just a personal relationship with God and how we are called to extend that to our neighbors really states this very well. Other Orders (Carthusians for example) emphasize finding God in personal/individual meditation and study. Those drawn to Augustinian spirituality need and create community. There's not one way to do this---some people are more outgoing, others share their gifts in quieter ways and by doing, etc.

Well, that's a start and not even close to complete. There's also interiority, a theme of integrity (living what you believe/outer expression matches inner belief), emphasis on search/love of God being primary, etc----you'll get the whole slew in novitiate ---and much better expressed in the Rule and in the other books that actually have Augustine's words, which all helps in one's understanding. More importantly, I think, is that you'll begin to live out being an Augustinian in novitiate---the characteristics being something to grow into in one's life and with one's individual expression---and that really puts a different spin on them.

Reflecting on Augustine's Conversion (Feast: April 27)

2008-04-25T01:23:00.000-07:00

The Soliloquy of St. Augustine:

Belatedly I loved thee, O Beauty so ancient and so new, belatedly I loved thee. For see, thou wast within and I was without, and I sought thee out there. Unlovely, I rushed heedlessly among the lovely things thou hast made. Thou wast with me, but I was not with thee. These things kept me far from thee; even though they were not at all unless they were in thee. Thou didst call and cry aloud, and didst force open my deafness. Thou didst gleam and shine, and didst chase away my blindness. Thou didst breathe fragrant odors and I drew in my breath; and now I pant for thee. I tasted, and now I hunger and thirst. Thou didst touch me, and I burned for thy peace.

In today's world people are hungry for spirituality, hungry for truth, for beauty. We so often turn to the created things of this world to find them. Augustine, from his own search, tells us to look no further than in ourselves and each other for the God we seek. Learn from the created things of the world as they cry out"God made us." Learn from the human relationships around us that GOD IS LOVE and MERCY, look inside ourselves and listen to the truth, we are created in God's image with God's spirit in us and "YOU ARE VERY GOOD!"

O Lord, you have made us for thyself and our hearts are restless until they rest in you! -St. Augustine

Earth Day: St. Augustine and Creation Spirituality

2008-04-22T15:43:00.000-07:00

Today, Earth Day, might better be served by quoting St. Francis, no? NO! Actually, St. Augustine stands as one of the first of the Doctors and great mystics to appreciate what God created in the world as a means to understand God's creative LOVE.

As the world finally begins to wake up to the serious crisis that we have caused in mistreating the planet for selfish gain, the words of Augustine help us see the sacred beauty of what God made and why we need to care and love it back!

"But also heaven and earth and all within them, behold, they bid me on every side to love you, nor do they cease telling this to all...I asked the earth and it said: 'I am not he.' I asked the sea and the deeps and they answered: 'we are not he.'... I asked the blowing breezes and the entire air with its inhabitants said: 'we are not he, nor are we the god you seek.' And I said to these all, 'Tell me about my God, then.' And they exclaimed in a loud voice, 'HE MADE US!'
-Confessions, X, 6

Let us pray,

God, womb of holy life, in all that you create, you put the stamp of your love, most perfectly in ourselves. By your incarnation you proclaim all creation is good and humans are very good. Let us show our love for you and each other in caring for the beauties of the world. Let us listen carefully and cultivate life in every corner of creation that we may hear their praise of you, HE MADE US!

Through Christ, Thy Word, by whom all creation was made. Amen

Christ is Risen! Indeed He is Risen!

2008-03-29T14:38:00.000-07:00

From the Byzantine Liturgy, the anthem for Easter:

"Christ is risen from the dead, by death he conquered death and to those in the graves he granted life."

From the Roman Liturgy, the responsory for the Easter Octave:

"This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad, alleluia"

We are a people of Easter joy. Death has been conquered, our greatest fear removed, the Lord has done this marvel in our eyes for us, now, today! We can and should walk in bold courage under the banner of our baptism to forge God's reign of justice and peace now. In our AIHM Order and ICCC jurisdiction I rejoice that we celebrate God's life and triumph with a vision of Church where the sacraments are more about inclusion than exclusion, where community and growth in grace are more important than power and control. A Church where love and forgiveness calls out to moral change and conversion and commitment rather than fear. and condemnation.

May we all in our movement take strength in this Easter joy to reach out with greater enthusiasm to all those in spiritual need and announce that God grants us new life NOW and THIS is the day the Lord has made.

Holy Week: We are Sinners AND we are Saved

2008-03-17T20:27:00.000-07:00

Below is part of a sermon from the Calvin Christian Reformed Church at: http://www.calvincrc.org/sermons/topics/psalms/psalm51.html. It is a reflection on Psalm 51, one of Holy Father Augustine's favorite psalms. The author is commenting on responsibility and sinfulness. It is a good reflection on our condition as we enter the days of remembering the loving cost of our redemption and the tremendous Grace God has ready to pour upon us.

A holy and special Triduum to all!

The art of self-deception is one we each know well, though few would care to admit that. In fact, the better you are at self-deception, the less you are aware of it. First we deceive ourselves and then we further deceive ourselves that we have not, after all, deceived ourselves. Mind and memory can play such fanciful tricks on us, resulting in sometimes silly consequences and sometimes dire ones.

On the silly side is something that happened to Ronald Reagan. During a 1980 campaign stop Reagan, with trembling lips and obvious conviction, told a World War II story about a pilot and his bombardier. Their plane had been hit but while the pilot could have ejected, the bombardier was too wounded, and his ejection seat too damaged, to get out of the spiraling plane. So the pilot reached over, took the man's hand and said, "Never mind, son, we'll ride it down together." It was a very moving story, until one reporter realized that if both men had died in the crash, there would have been no one to report these final words. When this was pointed out to Reagan, he was serenely unmoved.

On the more dire side of the ledger is the defense which Nazi Adolf Eichmann offered at Nuremberg. Eichmann had been in charge of the massive transportation system which efficiently moved Europe's Jews from one destination to another, ultimately winding most of them up at one of the Third Reich's many death camps. But Eichmann claimed his innocence in it all, saying that he was only in charge of transport and had no knowledge of where the Jews were going or what might happen to them once they got there.

But these examples have to do with forgetfulness about specific incidents. The larger self-deception in which we are involved has to do with issues of who we are. Most people are loathe to admit that they are just generally bent toward the bad, inclined to do it wrong. So when the Christian tradition declares to any and all, "You are a sinner," most people these days reply, "What did I do?" If sin exists at all, it is merely episodic, an occasional (and inexplicable) "lapse" from our better nature, which is at bottom "pretty good."

How foreign is the notion articulated by theologian Emil Brunner. Brunner once noted that we can, in principle, avoid any particular sin. And we often do. Few if any people give in to every dark impulse. The average person, whether or not he is particularly religious, resists many temptations that come his way on the average day. He does not slip the Snickers bar into his coat instead of paying for it, does not exceed the speed limit, does not shove the person ahead of him in line for the subway, does not grab and grope at the co-worker whose sexy dress just flat out is turning him on that day.

In principle the sinner can, and often does, avoid any particular sin, Brunner noted. But what we cannot do is avoid every sin. We cannot not be sinners. We cannot claim that we have never done it wrong. We cannot promise that we will never do another wrong thing, speak another cross word, or think another angry thought in the future. Even if the alcoholic promises never to take another drink or the adulterer vows never again to wake up in the wrong bed--and even if they keep those promises--what they cannot promise is that in addition to staying sober or chaste they will also remain just overall sinless.

Christians are often accused of being rather neurotic when it comes to sin. We leap from one wrong deed to the catastrophic conclusion that we are just generally depraved. Like the poet of Psalm 51 we claim that we've been sinful from the moment sperm met egg in our conception. And much of our world sees that and cries out, "Good grief! Aren't you taking this guilt trip just a little bit far!?" We prefer to trace the reason for any given sin not clear back to some defect with which we were born but to more immediate surroundings.

One of the world's first autobiographies was Saint Augustine's Confessions. A hallmark of that work is Augustine's willingness to confess his own sins and the perversity of heart which inclined him to commit them in the first place. Today the genre of spiritual autobiography is once again very popular, but with a difference: today people are more interested in confessing the sins of others. The way a certain author turned out was Mom and Dad's fault, or because of a non-affectionate spouse, or because the company never really gave him his due and so squashed his sense of self-worth. In a recent interview Hillary Clinton suggested that some of her husband's philandering could maybe get traced back to an alcoholic step-father.

But if your problems can get traced back to someone else, then not only have you rather nicely shifted the blame but you have also suggested a solution: you simply have to get some therapy to make peace with father, to re-build the self-esteem a careless lover stole from you, to feel better about yourself by garnering the goodies which you never got from your boss. Now I want to be very clear that I both know and value the power and worth of good therapy. But if it becomes a substitute for confession or a way to get at the darker truths of others instead of the darker recesses of our own hearts, then we have crossed a theological line which ought properly to give us pause. We are not forever and only victims.

It is in this sense that Psalm 51 can serve as a bracing tonic. Here is a showcase display window of the elements that go into a well-rounded doctrine of sin. Two elements take center stage: one is the fact that it is the psalmist himself who is the problem, and the other is the notion that not only is God our judge, he's right when he renders a harsh verdict. We properly stand before God, and God properly stands over against the shape of our lives.

The psalmist is unstinting in saying, "I am the one in need of repair! It's my heart that needs fixing. No, it needs replacing." So the psalmist begs for a new creation, for a radical re-wiring on the inside. There is in Psalm 51 virtually no hint of outward circumstances that contributed to this sin. The psalmist claims that he has been sinful since conception but he does not blame his mother or father for that, it's just the way things are. Nor does he say that since he came into the world already bent, he's just a victim of nature.

Instead he says that because he came into the world already corrupt, that is all the more reason to beg for new creation. Because he is willing to fess up in this psalm he feels the sting of God's judgment, the crushing of his bones. He really feels bad. In fact, he's downright miserable. He is very much, to borrow a contemporary phrase, "down on himself." It is unrelenting.

Nevertheless, Psalm 51 is not finally bleak. Therein lies the mystery of faith. In the alchemy of grace words that are darker than dark lead to a brightness that cannot be quelled. The psalm begins drenched with grace. The first verse could be translated literally as, "Grace me in your grace, O God!" In the original Hebrew the first line is just three words, two of which drip with divine mercy. (A really literal rendering would be something like, "Grace, God, Grace!") The last of those three words is a term I can never get enough of: the Hebrew word chesed. It's the Old Testament's favorite way of characterizing God. It is a word so redolent of good stuff, so fragrant of fresh starts, so freighted with joy, that no one has ever come up with an adequate translation. "Unfailing love," "lovingkindness," "abiding mercy" are a few of the attempts.

But what chesed is finally all about is the ineffable desire God has to forgive. Grace is the oxygen of heaven--there's always more of it than there is of sin. Psalm 51 banks on this hyper-abundant grace, but not cheaply. God is not some ineffectual figure who is too much of a wimp to generate any anger. Sometimes we see this: perhaps a father is just too tender-hearted (or maybe just too much of a moral limp noodle) ever to get very upset. So a smart-aleck son may recklessly smash up the car only to have his father say, "That's OK. We'll get it fixed and forget about it." To such a father the flippant son may reply, "Yeah, I figured you'd say that! That's why I wasn't terribly careful in the first place!" Sometimes a person's easy forgiveness becomes something others bank on in self-serving ways.

But not here. The fierce rightness of God's judgment, the utter dread with which the psalmist faces the possibility of being cast out of the light, make it clear that God's penchant for grace is not being invoked in a manipulative way. But that is because a genuine awareness of God's grace emerges only from a knowledge of sin's seriousness. Here is a central wonder of the faith: the more soberly serious we are about sin and the reality of God's judgment, the more joyfully exuberant we are about the shining splendor of grace and the way it drenches our lives with monsoons of forgiveness. We stand constantly under Jesus' cross as the most stunning reminder of just how fierce God's judgment on sin is. And yet we find joy emerging from the darkness, even because of the darkness!

International Day of Women

2008-03-08T13:19:00.000-08:00

Today we celebrate and highlight the role of women in our world and the real need to continue to defend their rights in many places in our societies and cultures. From an Augustinian point of view, I thought it good and worthy to clarify or set aside certain misconceptions about St. Augustine as a misogynist.

Our Holy Father Augustine lived in a time and culture that still saw women as property of their fathers or husbands, and saw marriage as simply a means to a societal ends. And from a spiritual point, often celibacy was seen as the only real good in the Christian state, and marriage as a necessary evil.

Augustine advances the dignity of women in his time in two ways. First, he advances the sacramental notion of marriage as a spiritual good, and second he advances the notion of the equality of men and women in the marital state.

Augustine said in The City of God (XIV, 22) that: "increasing, multiplying, and filling the earth in accordance with the blessing of God is a gift of marriage, which God instituted from the very beginning, prior to sin." Thus marriage is a sacred blessing instituted by God. He further warns those in the celibate state not to regard marriage as evil (De sancta virg. 12,12).

St. Augustine also defended the beauty and divine design of our sexes and gender particularly the feminine when he writes, "Risen bodies will be freed of defects, but their nature will be preserved. Female sexuality, however, is not a defect but belongs to nature." (De vic.Dei XXii,17)
Finally, Augustine holds accountable for fidelity, equally, both men and women, "both partners observe mutual fidelity and respect the sacramental union." (De sancta virg. 12,12)

Thus, on this Day of Women, let us hear Augustine's preaching of the Truth of our Faith that the dignity of men and women are untied and equal. If the dignity of one is wounded, then the dignity of both are wounded. In prayer and good works seeking truth and justice let us root out of ourselves attitudes of sexism and let us work to help women in other countries and cultures find their rightful voice and rightful place of dignity at the side of men, not at their feet.

Below are some links for action and thought for this important day:

www.internationalwomensday.com

www.un.org/womenwatch/feature/iwd

www.womensday.org

Feast of the Chair of St. Peter

2008-02-22T18:05:00.000-08:00

Fr. Chris Tessone, AIHM, and Bishop Timothy Cravens, AIHM Obl, offer some important reflective thoughts on this feast. I encourage you to check out their blog postings. See the listing/web address links at the side.

I offer here some Augustinian thoughts on the subject for reflection:

As a cradle Roman Catholic, I must admit that this teaching on infallibility has always cause me angst. My inmost being has always felt something wrong with this teaching, yet the need to trust in something infinite is also at the core of my being.

+Timothy Cravens in his blog rightly puts into context the two polar extremes of this thinking: biblical infallibility and papal infallibility.

I do believe that the Church is infallible in the sense that she contains all of the Grace necessary for us to be reconciled to God through Christ and be redeemed and restored to our original innocence, again through Christ. Tim, again, here helped me to put into context this general, but important doctrine.

What does the Church contain? The apostolic faith of Trinity, incarnation, and paschal mystery, and the continuing effect of Jesus’ recreation and redemption through the Grace of the Sacraments.

As an Augustinian, I point to the notion of Augustine that we as humans need to know that there is something beyond us that is truth and eternal beauty. Our very being seeks this. We need not to make the mistake of seeing the created for the creator. But, we seek to anchor ourselves with that which is beyond us. We are finite, but need to know and trust in something infinite. Thus, in our inmost yearnings we sometimes make the same mistake as Adam and Eve, turning to something human for eternal be it the scripture, or a church office, or science, or magic, etc.

Human beings, the bible, even the Church are all creations of God, they are not God. What we know and can rely on is that God is infallible, God is truth, God is faithful. God will accomplish in the Church and human history all that is necessary for our re-creation to eternity and complete joy in him(her).

The Church will endure until the end of time because God has promised it and accomplishes this through the Holy Spirit, not because of what we the Body of Christ do, but because of what Christ the Head did and does in the Church and human history now and unto the end of the ages.

“Remember man that thou are dust and unto dust thou shall return+”

Ash Wednesday

2008-02-06T20:47:00.000-08:00

Blessings to all on a Holy and Prayerful Great Lent. Below are two reflections given by our Bishop, Tim Cravens (see full blog from list on side) and myself to one of our confirmation candidates who asked us what Lent really meant for us. I hope they provide some reflection for any who might need.

Timothy wrote, "One thing I always do is take Ash Wednesday off from work. I try to use the day as a day of reflection. The words that are traditionally used when ashes are placed on Christians' heads are "Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return", and it is a day to reflect on our mortality, and where our life is going, in the knowledge that, sooner or later, it is going to end. It is easy to become so busy that we don't take the time to stop and think about the larger picture in our life (and being clergy, it is easy for me to even become too busy with church to do this!) , and Lent in general and Ash Wednesday in particular, gives us that opportunity to do that.

Often, funerals are a time when people, in the shock of grief, and realization that since life is short, they are not necessarily living as they wish they were. It might be helpful to think of Ash Wednesday as our own "funeral", where we come face to face with our mortality, mourn it, and come to terms with how it will affect our living. Of course, baptism is our "dying with Christ so that we might rise with Christ", and Lent was traditionally the time of preparation for baptism, ending in the Three Days when we celebrate Christ's death and resurrection. So as we contemplate our deaths on Ash Wednesday, we also look forward to the celebration of the Resurrection of Christ at Easter, which is a promise of our own resurrection."

I offered the following, " All of the outward things we do today: fasting, abstinence, prayer, ashes, are meant to help us focus on the fact that we are mortal, but God is not. Our lives and our futures are in God's hands and God has promised us greater joy and love than we can ever imagine.

Part of me hates today because I hate to think that I am not in total control. All the more reason for me to have today to discipline myself and remember from where my life comes and where it is going.

It is also a day to begin to think about ways to make peace with ourselves and others knowing all that God did to reconcile us to each other. Our gift at baptism of new life came at a great cost of love on the cross. Lent helps to remind me of that cost and how I am called to imitate it, if/when I am called to do so. Another reason I hate Lent...Italians are not good at reconciliation. We are better at getting even! Again, all the more reason I need this season!

A Holy Great Fast to all!

Lent and Vocation

2008-02-02T15:46:00.000-08:00

As Lent approaches, early this year, I wanted to address some thoughts to all of those who are in formation either as catechumens, novices, or seminarians, and those charged with forming them. This post was originally written as a response to Fr. Chris' AIHM blog, Even the Devils Believe (see link at side).
_________________________

Our first obligation to our novices and seminarians is spiritual and comes from mentoring and shared experience. A vocation is threefold: a call to being, a call to living, and a call to doing. Many secular professionals receive training in the last of these only, as it might only need to be. However, those called, and consecrated, “set apart,” for ministry or prophetic prayer, need to be formed in all three aspects of their vocation, and formed, not just trained.

They need to see who they are, where they come from, and where they are going in relation first to their baptismal initiation into the life of Grace in Jesus Christ made in God’s image. They need to explore the very movement of the spirit in their lives past, present, and future: their joys and hurts, fears and courage, successes and challenges. The need for learning to really pray is so important here.

Next they need to understand how they can best live who they are in the world. Are they called to know God’s joy as a single person, in married relationship, or in celibate prophecy? This aspect is sometimes taken for granted, especially in Churches where the choice is made for you. Celibacy and ministry are not exclusively bound together from our church’s perspective. A deeper call to spiritual direction, prayer, and meditation is where this aspect of the call can be heard.

Finally, adequate preparation then, and only then, can be given to the particular requirements of ministry: theology, counseling theory, liturgy, evangelization/preaching. A deepening of the sacramental life of Grace is a primary nourishment here along with mentored practical ministry practice.

Evident through all three of these stages is a recognition of the importance of the religious community into which we are born and live and grow. Our life of Grace is not formed in a vacuum. From catechism to religious/monastic formation, to seminary preparation, all is done in the context of community. The Holy Spirit works in us as it does in the Trinity through the bonds of loving relationship. The very life of the sacraments is about God’s revelation to us and the Church through us and the Church, and the experience of the faith communities of the Holy Scriptures.

In our small church and Order, with our limited resources, I think we do a good job of recognizing and implementing these important elements. I have been humbled and impressed at how our novices and seminarians have grown over the past year and what I have also learned from them. That is the joy of the difference between professional preparation and religious/ministerial formation, it is always a shared journey that goes both ways.

Candlemass: Our Lord and Ourselves are Presented to Our God

2008-02-02T15:43:00.000-08:00

Candlemass is here. Christmas is over, and so is my break from blogging :-)

Today we hear the Canticle of Simeon: "O Lord your Word has been fulfilled...now I see your Salvation."

We pause to see God's salvation in our own lives, the movement of the Word made flesh in our very selves and our communities of faith and family, and we give thanks and praise.

All Saints of the Augustinian Order

2007-11-21T08:21:00.000-08:00

This month we remember and celebrate the important Catholic Dogma of the Communion of Saints. This dogma reminds us that we are all saints in God's reign by our baptism. The Church is a continuing communion of people here now and those who have gone before us. We are all Graced as God's children. All called to continue to share the love that God has given us in a life of Grace.

As Augustinian we remember that some of us now and in history have been called to deepen their baptism by following the Rule of Our Holy Father Augustine. We stop this month to remember, and give thanks and praise for the gift that we all are to one another in community here on earth and from heaven above.

I would like to remember and give thanks to all our saints here and now in the AIHM.

Bishop Timothy for his gift of humility in service to leadership and his trust in me and our Order and providing an ecclesiastical home for us in which to minister and worship. Like Augustine said, "for you I am bishop, with you I am Christian." Tim, I think you and Augustine will make great pals in heaven someday.

Brother John Bartholomew for his gift of keeping us all grounded. There is no pretense in him. He is the real deal and keeps us all honest in the face of reality. He has a real mystic soul, too.

Our Oblate brother Casey for his gentle spirit. He has shown us all that love is quiet but strong. He is a gift of real joy. Joy shows the true presence of God in our midst. ( And his partner David for his gift of support to us all. David, you are more Augustinian than you may realize and a vital part of our fraternity.)

Sister Sharie Marie, who reminds me of many of the gifts that Monica must have given to her son. You have a depth of wisdom that comes from the special vocation of motherhood. Your support of your brothers and sisters is very important to me.

Sister Lyngine Dominique-Marie, who also brings a great joy and laughter to our communio. She has a smile that can wipe away all the fears and anxieties of daily life and reminds us that God's love really can conquer anything. The support and understanding you bring have become a real bedrock this past year.

Father Christopher Ambrose who has chosen his patron name well. Like Ambrose you have a theological mind that is keen but not beyond the understanding of those to whom you minister. You make your reflections pastorally relevant. Your gift of spiritual and theological reflection blend well into the history of Augustinian theological thought and serve us all well.

May Our Holy Father Augustine and Mother Monica and all our brother and sister friars share their gift of prayer with us as we continue the journey they once trod until we meet them in the New Jerusalem. Amen

Benefactors

2007-10-13T13:47:00.000-07:00

Today, October 13, is the commemoration of all deceased benefactors of the Order. As Augustinians we are especially mindful that we walk this journey together with others. Our charity, poverty, and obedience, as Augustinians, is linked to the charity that we show others in our community and our ministry. Augustine taught that love covers a multitude of sins.

Our love for our family, friends, and those who were good to our community does not stop when our journey on this earth ends, for it continues into God's Kingdom. Some of the benefactors whom we remember today include:

1. Dorothy Menna, my mother, who was a great emotional and financial supporter of our community in its early days.

2. Michael Dunn, a dear friend to our community who God called home much to early, but we now have his help in heaven.

3. Fr. Kevin, a Roman priest who was a great financial benefactor for many years in the beginning of our journey.

Our benefactors list includes all of the deceased relatives of our Oblates and Friars as well. As Augustinians we are mindful that we are products from where we come and are always grateful for the emotional and spiritual support of our family and friends who made it possible for us to say yes to God on our day of promises, reception, or profession.

I remember one day during my novitiate with the OSA when my mother was visiting. My novice Master told my mother, after she questioned something that he was doing with us, that I belonged to them now. A true Italian mother, she reminded HIM that if it were not for her, I would not be with them, that I was her son and ALWAYS would be "hers." Mom, help me never to forget those words of wisdom with our own members!

As our Mother Monica taught us, remember these souls at the altar of God!

Belated thoughts on the Solemnity of Augustine

2007-09-08T15:27:00.000-07:00

It has taken me a week or so to reflect and comprehend all that happened on our Annual Chapter two weekends ago. Besides the wonderful celebration of new life: a new professed friar and three new novice friars, something more important happened.

One of our novices shared this thought with me that is so at the heart of the Augustinian gift to the Church:

"the retreat really made a huge difference in how I pray---changing it from duty to relationship. That isn't something I've experienced. So, thank you for that gift."

It causes me to pause and to be grateful for our AIHM Order and know that our form of common life and living of the Rule is making a difference, however small in the life of the Body of Christ.

Solemnity of the Dormition and Assumption of the BVM

2007-08-14T17:52:00.000-07:00

HAPPY FOUNDER'S DAY to the AIHM Community!

August 15th, the Solemnity of the Assumption is the Birthday of the Order of Augustinians of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. This year we celebrate our fourteenth anniversary.

The Feast of the Dormition and Assumption of Our Blessed Mother is a celebration for all of humanity. It shows to all generations that God is faithful to the covenant. Mary lived her life trusting in God's mercy and love from her childhood to the events of the Annunciation, to Cana, Calvary, the Upper Room, and finally her dormition (falling asleep). She trusted that God would be faithful.

God was faithful. God did not spare her pain, trial, disappointment. But was with her through it all as well as in the joy and tribulation. Mary was very aware that God was present in her life of quiet prayer and quiet leadership in the early community of believers. And God was faithful granting her the gift as the NEW EVE. Assumed into heaven, she goes to prepare a place of welcome for us with her Son who has opened the gates of eternity.

The lesson for us: persevere in faith, hope, and love. Fourteen years ago two simple young men formed this "new community" of Augustinians. Told it would never work, told it was not a fit, fourteen years later we prepare to welcome a new professed friar and three new novice friars: men, women, gay, straight, white, brown. After fourteen years and some times of dormition, we too, as AIHM brothers and sisters are having a share in the assumption promise of our God!

"Our help is in the name of the Lord,
who made heaven and earth!"

*On a personal note, I want to offer God thanks especially through the prayers of Mary, Our Mother of Grace, St. Joseph, St. Rita, and my own saintly deceased mom and dad for the gift of a new job and career. Today, on the great Vigil, I was offered a position on a Middle School math faculty for a very good public school district in Delaware. The compensation and benefits are making me very happy and grateful. The past two years of struggle with Master's degree study, state certification, and personal loss have yielded great rewards. God is faithful and marvelous are God's works!!!!

Solemnity of Peter and Paul, Apostles

2007-06-29T22:49:00.000-07:00

Our Holy Father Augustine wrote, "Now, if the line of bishops who succeed one another is to be considered, with how much certainty and advantage do we begin with Peter? He was the figure of the whole Church, and our Lord said to him, 'Upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail over it.' " letter 53 2-3

What is this rock of Peter? A man who denied Jesus, hid in fear, and was obstinate in opening the community to the uncircumcised. And, a man whose love for his God led him to chains and the cross in imitation of his Lord.

Upon what do we place our hearts, our lives? A one Godhead Trinity of Persons bound in love, manifesting that love incarnate in Jesus, God made human, a love that reached into our greatest fear-death, conquering with new life, and continuing to grow and invite into the Trinity of love, through the Spirit, all persons until the end of the ages. That is the legacy of Peter and Paul. They were the first ambassadors of this invitation. They showed us the ultimate answer to the challenge of this love.

God builds upon the imperfect and fallible nature of our humanity with the virtues of the gifts of faith, hope, and love. It is the gift of God's loving life in us that the gates of hell can not overcome. The love of God is infallible and perfect. Our participation and growth in that love is what defines the Church, and our Order's part in it.

Peter and Paul did not always agree on the particulars of how the faith was to grow and spread, or even who and how should initiation be offered, but they both put their lives up for the love and growth of the community to which they ministered, and we honor them BOTH for this. As Christians, may we focus more on what we hold in common rather than what separates us, acknowledge God's supremacy of love and mercy, and respect our differences and diversity of gifts.

I echo the prayer of St. Augustine for my bishop and all bishops, " Lord, teach me what to teach, and teach me what I should hold fast."

"...In All Things, Charity"

2007-06-08T09:43:00.000-07:00

The title above is from a famous quote of Our Holy Father, St. Augustine, "In essentials, unity, in non-essentials diversity, in all things charity."

Recently, Father Ragheed, pastor of the Chaldean Catholic Church of the Holy Spirit in Mosul, Iraq, was murdered with three sub-deacons after celebrating together Holy Mass, the sacrament of LOVE. Martyred by religious intolerants bent on hate after years of persecution in a land that seems to thrive on intolerance and hatred.

But, the deeper truth of our God is revealed in the following letter and deseves, no...NEEDS to be heard:

Here is a translation of a letter written posthumously to Father Ragheed Aziz Ganni by a Muslim friend of his who is a professor at the Pontifical Gregorian University. Father Ragheed and three deacons were shot and killed in Mosul, Iraq, on Sunday after Mass.

* * *

In the name of the compassionate and merciful God,

Ragheed, my brother,

I ask your forgiveness for not being with you when those criminals opened fire against you and your brothers. The bullets that have gone through your pure and innocent body have also gone through my heart and soul.

You were one of the first people I met when I arrived to Rome. We met in the halls of the Angelicum and we would drink our cappuccino in the university's cafeteria. You impressed me with your innocence, joy, your pure and tender smile that never left you.

I always picture you smiling, joyful and full of zest for life. Ragheed is to me innocence personified; a wise innocence that carries in its heart the sorrows of his unhappy people. I remember the time, in the university's dining room, when Iraq was under embargo and you told me that the price of a single cappuccino would have satisfied the needs of an Iraqi family for a whole day.

You told me this as if you were feeling guilty for being far away from your persecuted people and unable to share in their sufferings …

In fact, you returned to Iraq, not only to share the suffering and destiny of your people but also to join your blood to the blood of thousands of Iraqis killed each day. I will never forget the day of your ordination [Oct. 13, 2001] in the [Pontifical] Urbanian University … with tears in your eyes, you told me: "Today, I have died to self" … a hard thing to say.

I didn't understand it right away, or maybe I didn't take it as seriously as I should have. … But today, through your martyrdom, I have understood that phrase. … You have died in your soul and body to be raised up in your beloved, in your teacher, and so that Christ would be raised up in you, despite the sufferings, sorrows, despite the chaos and madness.

In the name of what god of death have they killed you? In the name of which paganism have they crucified you? Did they truly know what they were doing?

O God, we don't ask you for revenge or retaliation. We ask you for victory, a victory of justice over falsehood, life over death, innocence over treachery, blood over the sword. … Your blood will not have been shed in vain, dear Ragheed, because with it you have blessed the soil of your country. And from heaven, your tender smile will continue to light the darkness of our nights and announce to us a better tomorrow.

I ask your forgiveness, brother, for when the living get together they think they have all the time in the world to talk, visit, and share feelings and thoughts. You had invited me to Iraq … I dreamed of that visit, of visiting your house, your parents, your office. … It never occurred to me that it would be your tomb that one day I would visit or that it would be verses from my Quran that I would recite for the repose of your soul …

One day, before your first trip to Iraq after a prolonged absence, I went with you to buy souvenirs and presents for your family. You spoke with me of your future work: "I would like to preside over the people on the base of charity before justice" -- you said.

It was difficult for me to imagine you a "canonical judge" … And today your blood and your martyrdom have spoken for you, a verdict of fidelity and patience, of hope against all suffering, of survival, in spite of death, in spite of everything.

Brother, your blood hasn't been shed in vain, and your church's altar wasn't a masquerade. … You assumed your role with deep seriousness until the end, with a smile that would never be extinguished … ever.

Your loving brother,

Adnam Mokrani
Rome, June 4, 2007
Professor of Islamic Studies in the Institute for the Study of Religion and Culture,
Pontifical Gregorian University

We Were Wrong...Looking forward to the Feast of Our Lady of Grace, June1

2007-05-30T09:50:00.000-07:00

The Augustinian Feast of Our Lady of Grace is Friday, June 1. This Lady of Grace day is a day when our postulants and novices make their petitions to advance in formation with the Order, praying with Our Mother of Grace for the gift of the Holy Spirit to trust God and say yes to God's will in their lives.

This feast day I will also pray for a special grace for our country. The theme of forgiveness and the asking to be forgiven one's wrongs is central to an Augustinian spirituality of religious life. (Rule, Ch. 6) Our country needs to be able to say that we were wrong and ask forgiveness.

We were wrong about Sadam as a real and immediate threat to our security. We were wrong about WMDs. We were wrong about terrorist connections. We were wrong in thinking we could provide a better way of life. We were wrong to have replaced Sadam's torture camps with our own.

Perhaps why part of the outcry against the war is lacking luster is because it is hard for Americans to admit that we can be wrong. Our men and women in uniform have, for the very most part, served with courage and honor, but we were wrong in asking them to fight this war. There is no lack of support for the troops in wanting them home now!

Vietnam taught us that America will not always win, and Iraq might be teaching us that America will not always be right. We were wrong. We need to ask forgiveness, try to make amends to the Iraqi people and our own military, and learn from our failure, forgive ourselves, and move on.

Our Lady of Grace, help us see the value of true contrition and use the gifts of the Spirit of Wisdom and Right Judgement. Amen.

St. Rita of Cascia: Patience in Trial-A Mark of Love

2007-05-22T19:58:00.000-07:00

Today is the Augustinian feast of St. Rita of Cascia. My last entry was a little about her life. I have spent the last nine days offering a novena of masses in honor of St. Rita to the Glory of God. And, I had a number of intentions both personally and for the Order and Church, but whether or not these are answered, more importantly, I learned something.

One of the hardest things for me is to be patient, to wait, to gather more information, and to see a hopeful solution in the midst of trial. I am a rather strong "J" on the Myers-Briggs. That is both a gift and a curse-to be a Judger. Circumstances in my life the past few years have really challenged me to grow beyond that gift to learn patience, to see the journey as being even more important that the destination.

St. Rita wanted to be a nun, but her life took a different direction. She was a wife and mother first. She fulfilled an important role as wife and mother to help bring about peace to her village. She waited over thrity years and many challenges before realizing her dream to be a nun at the Augustinian convent in Cascia.

Our AIHM Order is about to turn 14 years old. This August, God willing, we will have our first profession of vows apart from any of the founding memebers. Fourteen years! Everything is possible only by the journey that led to hear and now, the trials, the pain.

The tradition holds that Rita will send the rose but also the thorn regarding a petition and answer to prayer. That notion always scared me. I have enough thorns in my life. LOL But, I remember a poem I wrote in high school: In order to admire and apprciate the beaty of the rose, you must risk, even endure the thorns.

Thank you St. Rita for your example and prayers. Glory be to you God in your angels and saints!

Jerry Falwell and St. Rita?

2007-05-16T21:09:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the first day of the Novena to our Augustinian sister, St. Rita of Cascia. She was a wife, mother, widow, and nun. Her husband was killed in a local feud and she worked tirelessly to bring peace to the two families after his death, rather than seek revenge.

Yesterday alos marked the death of Jerrry Falwell. His preaching and political activism was divisive and hurtful to many people, especially in the LGBT community. My first thought was, "thank God he's dead, but was about 20 years too late." I knew that judgemental thought did not deserve to amke it to vocal speech, but I did think it.

God gave me an answer and challenge durring my celebration of Mass for the opening of the Novena to St. Rita. From the preface of the Eucharist for the propers of the Mass of St. Rita:

"...ever living God...In the person of St. Rita you show us a wonderful example. She teaches us how to love you, Father and...all your children."

From the readings, first Paul says:

"Never repay injury with injury...do not avenge yourselves; leave that to God...conquer evil with good."

So my prayer at Mass was for God's mercy and forgiveness upon Rev Falwell. The love and mercy and forgiveness that I myself will need at my hour of death.

Christians and Hate Crimes?

2007-05-09T07:07:00.000-07:00

Once again, Congress has taken up legislation to expand Hate Crimes to include matters of sexual orientation and gender identity. The matter this week passed the House of Representatives, but not without a significant effort and only by about 60 % of the affirmative.

It is the religious right, once again, mostly fundamentalist and pentecostal American Christians pressing against this legislation, and President Bush, that self proclaimed Godly Christian, has threatened to veto it. They site concerns over first amendment free speech issues. And, perhaps they should be concerned, concerned not about their free speech, but about the morality of their speech. These Christians use scripture, not just to proclaim a moral stance, but to truly incite hate. When you declare that you know someone is going to hell, you stand in ultimate judgement. If someone is going to hell, then certainly they have no rights left here on earth? Or so it is easy to make that leap of thought. And from that easy leap of thought to a leap of hateful action.

Augustine, in one of his sermons commenting on the understanding of scripture said:

"When you understand anything in the scriptures, it is love that is manifesting itself to you; when you fail to understand, it is love that is hiding itself from you." (Sermon 350)

If a Christian's understanding of scripture leads them to condemn another, or leads others to consider acts of violence, then they are not really understanding the scriptures.

Free speech is a fundamental and sacred right, but the speech of religious leaders is not political speech, not the speech that is protected in the constitution. The speech of religious pastors commenting on scripture is not political, but ultimate religious teaching that is used to justify actions on moral grounds. This type of speech goes beyond protection; it goes to responsible usage and discretion.

Pastors, preachers, listen to Augustine's warning on the fruit of your scriptural understanding. Jesus himself said, you will know them by the fruit they bear.

Equality Forum: A Rainbow of Prayer

2007-04-30T09:33:00.000-07:00

Today begins Equality Forum Week in Philadelphia. This is a week long cultural, political, and social festival to celebrate, honor, and continue the struggles of the LGBT community for equal rights under the law and in society. It's organizers over a decade ago placed this celebration in Philadelphia because Philadelphia was the site of the first public and organized march/protest by LGBT persons and supporters nearly two years before the more famous Stonewall incident in New York City.

The Rainbow flag was adopted by the LGBT community. The Alyson Almanac: A Treasury of Information for the Gay and Lesbian Community describes Rainbow Flag as follows:
In 1978, Gilbert Baker of San Francisco designed and made a flag with six stripes representing the six colors of the rainbow as a symbol of gay and lesbian community pride. Slowly the flag took hold, offering a colorful and optimistic alternative to the more common pink triangle symbol. Today it is recognized by the International Congress of Flag Makers, and is flown in lesbian and gay pride marches worldwide. In 1989, the rainbow flag received nationwide attention after John Stout successfully sued his landlords in West Hollywood, when they prohibited him from displaying the flag from his apartment balcony. Meanwhile, Baker is still in San Francisco, and still making more flags. (http://www.cs.cmu.edu/afs/cs.cmu.edu/user/scotts/bulgarians/rainbow-flag.html)

Yesterday, the Unitarian Universalist Church of Delaware County dedicated their new rainbow flag as a welcoming and affirming community. The local MCC and our own St. Mary of Grace Church, with our Bishop Timothy, were part of the celebration. I was honored to give the benediction. Part of the benediction is reprinted here for your consideration and reflection:

"O Light within us and beyond us, you consist and call forth the magnificent colors of the rainbow-

RED-the color of the blood shed by so many before us for being who they were
ORANGE-the color of a sun rise announcing the a new day of hope
YELLOW-the color of warming love of all who stand with us and our partnerships
GREEN-the color of the creative energies that mark our community
BLUE-the color of the oceans' depths; sign of our integrity
PURPLE-the color of sorrow for we are not yet where we should or belong to be.

May the color we each contribute from our person hood: gay, straight, male, female, transgendered, blend in community and common struggle and active love to create a light to dispel the darkness of fear and hate."

Remember Me at the Altar

2007-04-28T09:36:00.000-07:00

Today, I offered the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass for the eternal rest and memory of Loretta Gatto, my best friend Keith's mother. Thursday was her fifth anniversary of birth to life eternal. Our Holy Mother, St. Monica upon her own impending death after her and Augustine shared their mystical vision at Ostia, said "care not where you rest this body, just remember me at the altar of God."

I always remember that when I have the sacred opportunity and obligation to offer Mass for the dead. There is perhaps nothing greater that we can do but to gather at the altar, the eternal banquet of love, and celebrate the life of our loved ones and unite that celebration and life with the eternal memory of the love and life of Christ.

Augustine also taught, though, a sobering fact that our remembering of the dead and all our prayerful good wishes are more meant for us who are left behind than those who have gone before. We need to care and watch for each other here who are left behind to make the reality of the love of the altar real and meaningful NOW for each other gathered and also those who are still scattered.

Loretta, remember us as you journey beyond with Christ in the love of the Trinity. May we left behind who remember you remember each other still here with loving kindness while we have the time!

Our Mother of Good Counsel, Guide us!

2007-04-27T09:53:00.000-07:00

This blog is dedicated on the Augustinian feast of Our Mother of Good Counsel, April 26, 2007. I pray that the deposit of wisdom, the house of the Word, show and example to me how to house and nurture the Wisdom of God in the Word in this blogging ministry.

I pray that our leaders find the wisdom to help build a world of communal values rather than individual interests. The very survival of our planet may depend on it. I hope that by reflecting on Augustinian values of Gospel living our small part of the Body of Christ may be of service to others.