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Do you not know that you are a temple of God
and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? (1 Cor. 3:16) So how literally are we to take this bold proclamation made by St. Paul to the Corinthian church? The answer to that question isn’t found in one place, it is the living expression of all of Scripture! Jesus declares, “You have received the Holy Spirit, and he lives within you” (1 John 2:27), and the witness of the Apostles in the Book of Acts is a witness to that truth. The personal indwelling of the infinite, eternal Holy Spirit in the believer is such an amazing blessing and privilege that the mind never wholly grasps it. Sadly, the daily succession of joys, sorrows, temptations and trials produces various reactions in us often without stirring our awareness that God is in residence. How would those events have changed if the Holy Spirit was invited to actively participate? It is a divine paradox, and a blessed one, that it is the same Holy Spirit who is helping us to be aware that the Holy Spirit is helping us! We recognize the hand of God by the hand of God! This is part of the divine circle of love. How wonderful and loving is God to care so much for us. One of the greatest joys of life is being aware that God is present in the moment as our companion, teacher, and guide. We are now in the liturgical season of Pentecost—“Ordinary Time,” or the “Long Green Season,” as it is referred to. Liturgical Green reflects creation itself and the creation event of Genesis 1. “Ordinary Time” reminds us that the presence of God—the indwelling of the Holy Spirit—is a common, usual, constant, regular, ORDINARY reality in the life of the believer. Since the reality of the Holy Spirit acting in your life is an eternal truth, begin each day by giving each new moment to God (it is His anyway!). Be consciously aware and actively present with God through what ever the day brings, and what the day will bring is the presence of God! Seeking God first and making God first will fill you with the blessing of joy and peace that our Lord promised you. Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? Yes, Lord God! Come Holy Spirit, Come! That I may be wholly yours! Fr. Bill+
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“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment.” (Matthew 22:37-38)
The world is an exhausting place as we search for what should be most important or what deserves our attention from moment to moment. As the tides of societal values ebb and flow, so do our affections. We invest value and love into that which offers us nothing in return. Our efforts to fill our lives with simple meaning often results in filling our lives with complicated and bewildering complexity. We make complex what God intended to be so blessedly simple. A. W. Tozer, a mid 20th century American pastor, preacher, editor, and devotional writer associated with evangelicalism in the Christian and Missionary Alliance, wrote in his very influential book, The Pursuit of God, “Every age has its own characteristics. Right now we are in an age of religious complexity. The simplicity which is in Christ is rarely found among us. In its stead are programs, methods, organizations and a world of nervous activities which occupy time and attention but can never satisfy the longing of the heart. The shallowness of our inner experience, the hollowness of our worship, and that servile imitation of the world which marks our promotional methods all testify that we in this day, know God only imperfectly, and the peace of God scarcely at all. If we would find God amid all the religious externals, we must first determine to find Him, and then proceed in the way of simplicity.” (Ch. 2,"The Blessedness of Possessing Nothing") Loving God is at the core of everything we are meant to be and do. Our love for God matters more than any achievement, success, or program. It matters more than any possession, status, or relationship. In fact, everything we do and every relationship we have, unless they are specifically centered in God, is nothing more than a distraction. But when we pursue loving God above all else, all other pursuits fall into their proper places. We were not created to offer our affections to anyone or anything but God first and foremost. To do otherwise is simply idolatry, and it will ruin the heavenly peace and simplicity God intends for his children. We create our own golden calves and ask them to satisfy us in ways only God can. We look to the world to offer us love it never had to begin with. But your heavenly Father is a wellspring of love and affection for you. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16) You will never be satisfied until you rest in the powerfully simple truth that God has loved you and will always love you. And you will never experience the fullness of what Christ died to give you until you respond to his ceaseless love by crowning him Lord and loving him with every fiber of your being. Make it simple, recognize now what you love and turn to the Father with greater love for that which you have been given. Simply, Fr. Bill+ The Stigmata
The Stigmata is the mystical phenomena where holy men or women (mainly women, including Catherine of Siena) receive some or all of the bodily wounds of Christ’s crucifixion. “Stigmata” derives from the Greek word stígma (a mark) and the verb stízein, which means "to tattoo, prick, or puncture." Historically, a stigma was a physical brand burned into the skin of slaves, criminals, or soldiers to mark them as property or denote a mark of disgrace. Over time, the plural form stigmata took on its modern spiritual meaning. It refers to the spontaneous appearance of bodily wounds or scars corresponding to the crucifixion wounds of Jesus Christ. There are over three hundred confirmed cases of the Stigmata. These may show some or all of the five Holy Wounds that Jesus received at the Crucifixion – wounds in the hands and feet, from nails, and in the side, from a lance, as well as wounds to the forehead similar to those caused by the crown of thorns. Other reported forms include tears of blood or sweating blood, wounds to the back as from scourging, or wounds to the shoulder as from bearing the cross. Some stigmatics' wounds do not appear to clot, and stay fresh and uninfected. The blood from the wounds is said, in some cases, to have a pleasant, perfumed odor. There are cases where the Stigmatics feel the extreme pain of wounds with no external marks. This is referred to as invisible stigmata. Cases of stigmata have been reported at different ages for different stigmatics. Some have manifested stigmata continually after the first appearance; others have shown periodic stigmata that re-occur at certain times of the day or on certain, sometimes holy, days throughout the year. Many of those who receive the Stigmata have been canonized by the church. It is widely believed that St. Paul was referring to the Stigmata when he wrote to the Galatians,“Let no man trouble me, for I bear the marks of the Lord Jesus in my body” (6:17). So it has been that down through the centuries a number of Christians have received the grace of having the stigmata, or marks of Jesus’ wounds, on their bodies; many of them were great saints, such as Francis of Assisi, Catherine of Siena, and, of course, Padre Pio, a nineteenth-century Italian Capuchin friar and mystic, who is venerated by the Roman Catholic church. This is not meant as cruel or as torture but is rather a grace of being deeply united to Christ in his sufferings for the sake of sinners. After all, all Christians must share in Christ’s sufferings, each one in his or her own way. Jesus tells us in the Gospel that everyone who would be his disciple must take up the cross and follow him. He even shared the cross with St. Simon of Cyrene, who carried it for a while for Jesus on the way to Calvary. So the stigmata can be understood in the light of the universal standard of being a follower of the crucified Savior, that we each carry our cross with him. St. Bonaventure, writing about St. Francis, who was the first to receive the stigmata, speaks to the blessing and confirmation contained in sharing Christ’s own wounds: “How is it that we, wretched as we are, have such cold hearts that we are not prepared to endure anything for our Lord’s sake? Our hearts neither burn nor glow with love. Ardent love is a quality of the heart and the stronger this love burns in a person’s heart, the more heroic and virtuous are his deeds. Do you desire to imprint Christ crucified on your heart? Do you long to be transformed into him to the point where your heart is aflame with love? Just as iron when heated to the point it becomes molten can take the imprint of any mark or sign, so a heart burning fervently with love of Christ crucified can receive the imprint of the Crucified Lord himself or his cross. Such a loving heart is carried over to the Crucified Lord or transformed into him. That is what happened with Saint Francis.” In St. Paul's Letter to the Galatians, he encourages us to “put on Christ” (3:27). Simply wanting to follow and imitate Christ will not be enough; wanting to know him will not be enough. We need to become, and we need power to become more than we are by ourselves. The invitation is to grow into the “measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.” (Ephesians 4:13). To “put on Christ” is to participate in his life and his atoning sacrifice. Through our ritual action, we embody how Christ was in the world. We are all familiar with the explanation, clearly elaborated in Paul’s writings, that in baptism we symbolically die, are buried, and are resurrected with Christ—a new being! In Galatians 3:27, Paul says, “For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” Paul explains how we put on Christ in baptism. When we were “baptized into Jesus Christ [we] were baptized into his death” (Romans 6:3). Our immersion is a participation in his death. Then after “we are buried with him by baptism into death,” we also participate in his resurrection, “that as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4). Many of those who have so completely embraced this truth receive the Stigmata, not as punishment but as a grace. We must go forward and walk in newness of life, putting on Christ in our daily life, just as we did in our Baptism. While the Stigmata may intrigue us, the sign itself and those who bear it, for example St. Francis, St. Catherine of Siena, St. Padre Pio, St. Faustinia of Kowalska, St. Rita of Cassia, should inspire us to seek a closer union with our Lord. In time, as that union is deepened, the explanation of the Stigmata may matter less than the experience. Putting on Christ, Fr. Bill+ A Holy Mother’s Day
Ann Maria Reeves Jarvis (1832–1905)* lived and raised her family in the Appalachian hills of the Virginia/West Virginia line. Of the 13 children born to the Jarvis family, only four lived to adulthood during a time when diphtheria and other diseases ravaged the countryside. Jarvis worked hard in her community to try to help other mothers and families avoid the tragedies she had suffered. Jarvis organized “Mothers’ Work Clubs” as part of a national public health movement and promoted special “Mother’s Work Days,” when women would collaboratively collect trash and undertake other projects to improve local environmental conditions and their neighbors’ understanding of hygiene. During the Civil War, the women's groups she organized helped both Confederate and Union troops who were sick or wounded, and she worked to promote peace and unity following the war. In 1868, despite threats of violence, she organized a “Mother’s Friendship Day” to bring families from both sides of the war together to try to restore a sense of community. After Ann Maria Jarvis’ death, her daughter, Anna Jarvis (1864–1948), set out to honor her mother’s legacy by establishing a national Mothers’ Day on the second Sunday in May, the day her mother had died. The day was intended to be a holy day of thanksgiving and recognition when each Mother was honored in the context of their own family. She chose white carnations as an emblem of the day and urged everyone to write personal heartfelt letters of gratitude to their moms. With widespread adoption of the day, President Wilson issued a proclamation establishing the first national Mother’s Day just before the start of World War I in 1914. Sadly, as Mother’s Day became a national holiday, it strayed from Ann’s plan of heartfelt intimacy to a commercial venture which helped establish the greeting card industry. Ann’s vision of the day as a holy day of thanksgiving had become, in her eyes, a crass holiday benefitting florists and greeting card companies more than honoring the mothering work done by women. Today, while we depend upon that same card industry to help us express our thoughts and emotions, we are also aware that the day is a far cry from Ann’s intention. Still, Mother’s Day is an opportunity for us to reflect on the profound impact that mothers have on our lives, both in our immediate families and the broader spiritual community. In the Fifth Commandment, God tells us to “honor your father and your mother” (Exodus 20:12); this is a cornerstone of biblical teaching, underlining the importance of respecting our parents. On Mother’s Day, this commandment takes on a special significance as we celebrate and honor moms. Throughout Holy Scripture, mothers are depicted as symbols of love, strength, and unwavering guidance. Proverbs 31 portrays a woman of noble character, a woman worth far more than rubies whose children rise and call her blessed, and her husband also praises her. The writer declares: “Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised” (Proverbs 31:30). This passage is a powerful testament to the esteem and respect that godly mothers command in their families. The deep reverence for the mother of Proverbs 31 stems from her unyielding commitment to biblical principles. This dedication shaped her character and profoundly influenced her family's spiritual and moral compass. Her example sets a standard of virtue and integrity that continues to guide and enrich the lives of her loved ones. In 1 Samuel 1, Hannah dedicates her son Samuel to the Lord as an act of faith. Her profound trust in God shows how a mother's vow can enrich and direct the spiritual life of her child even to the influence of an entire nation. Hannah’s story is a beautiful narrative of sacrifice, prayer, and dedication. Her story reveals the deep yearnings of a woman, who, faced with barrenness, turns to God with her plea to bear a child. Her extraordinary vow, if she is to become pregnant, is to dedicate her son to the Lord’s service for all his days (1 Samuel 1:11). God responds to Hannah with compassion, granting her heartfelt request. True to her word, once Samuel is weaned, Hannah fulfills her vow, raising him with the knowledge of God until time to serve in the temple (1 Samuel 1:22). Samuel grows to become one of the great Old Testament spiritual leaders. Undoubtedly, his life is a testament to the power of faith and the impact of a godly upbringing. The virtue of motherhood is rooted in the godhead itself, as Jesus laments over Jerusalem with the imagery of a mother hen protecting her brood to describe his longing to nurture, defend, and bring the people close to himself. "Jerusalem, Jerusalem... how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing." Luke 13:34 Mothers are at the forefront of handing the faith down to the next generation, as St. Paul wrote to Timothy: “I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well” (2 Timothy 1:5). In the Church, a mother’s influence can extend far beyond her biological family. Paul says in Romans 16:13: “Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord; also his mother, who has been a mother to me as well.” Through the institution of motherhood, God used this unnamed woman to nurture— to mother— St. Paul. Let us be grateful for all the mother-figures in our lives — whether they’re related to us by blood, or faith, or both. We use Mother’s Day as a singular moment to celebrate our mothers, but the recognition of the divine intention and spiritual dimensions of motherhood should be present to us all the time. Let’s cherish and honor our mothers, grandmothers, and all the women who have been like mothers to us, recognizing their irreplaceable role in our lives and communities. Happy Mother’s Day— everyday— to all our wonderful mothers. In thanksgiving, Fr. Bill+ *Historical and biographical information taken from the Encyclopaedia Britannica. Take up and Read
In a garden beside the building he lived in, St. Augustine struggled with the purpose and direction of his life. He was torn between a desire to commit himself to God and his life practice of self service, and the pursuit of earthly pleasure. In the midst of this turmoil of the soul, Augustine heard a child’s voice saying, “Pick up and read.” Knowing this voice was more than his own musing, Augustine hurried to find his best friend Alypius. Upon finding him, he also found St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans, opened it, and read Romans 13:13–14, “Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.” At that moment, at the age of 32, Augustine’s addiction to the sinful life was broken, and his quest for true faith was realized. He and Alypius immediately went to find Augustine’s mother, Blessed Monica, who had been faithfully praying for her son’s conversion for 17 years. Upon hearing what had taken place and of how God had spoken to her son, Monica “leapt for joy” and declared her life's purpose fulfilled. Later she remarked that she no longer had any desire for earthly life, having seen her son become a faithful Christian. A year later, Augustine was Baptised by Blessed St. Ambros, the Bishop of Milan, and began a journey that would change the world. Augustine of Hippo (354–430 AD) is one of the most significant and influential figures in Christian history. Declared a Doctor of the Church (an exceedingly High Honor of which there are only 32 others), he was perhaps the greatest of the of the Church Fathers. Augustine’s theological works have shaped the foundation of catholic doctrine regarding original sin, grace, the Trinity, the Sacraments, and free will. He is cited more than any other non-scriptural writer to date. Becoming known as the "Doctor of Grace" and Truth, Augustine accurately championed the necessity of baptismal regeneration, the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist, and the legitimacy of the apostolic Church. In his lifetime, Augustine was a stalwart defender of church doctrine against raging heretical movements, such as Manichaeism and Pelagianism. Much of this information is found in his Spiritual autobiography, The Confessions, cataloged by the Library of Congress under "Augustine, Saint, Bishop of Hippo. Confessiones," Philosophy & Religion, Patrology. Autobiographical Studies, Classical and Literary Scholarship, Conversion Experience, Theological Interpretation, Latin literature, Church Fathers, Early Christian Philosophy, as well as a myriad of other categories. For over 25 years, Augustine struggled to find himself, seeking and searching in every way he could–to no avail. In a split moment in a communal garden, he found himself led by the voice of a child. For God, all things are possible. Listen, listen. God is speaking, God is always speaking. Hear the voice of God, take up and read, be reborn in Him. Reading Romans, Fr. Bill+ “Easter is over”
At a recent Regional meeting a conversation took place where the refrain, “Easter is over” rang out (in variation) several times. The sentiment being shared was relief from the business of Easter Sunday and the obligations of Easter Week, but I knew great care must be taken. All too often and too easily we equate an event or series of events with meaning the event signified. That is, we externalize what should be life-changing to simply be life-pausing. Here we are in the Easter season. The singular event—Easter Sunday—has passed, and we are progressing steadily towards Pentecost. But the season of Easter is not simply the re-enactment of the period between Easter and Pentecost, it is a gift of reflection and new beginnings. Take these remaining days of Easter to delve the depths of God’s gifts, of salvation and new, eternal life. Reflect and change into the Easter child you are called to be and live. Hear these words of Blessed St. Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople, preached at the Great Vigil of Easter (ca. 400) . Chrysostom preached not of a singular event, but of new life and the new living of life now gifted to those who believe. Are there any who are devout lovers of God? Let them enjoy this beautiful bright festival! Are there any who are grateful servants? Let them rejoice and enter into the joy of their Lord! Are there any weary with fasting? Let them now receive their wages! If any have toiled from the first hour, let them receive their due reward; if any have come after the third hour, let him with gratitude join in the Feast! And he that arrived after the sixth hour, let him not doubt; for he too shall sustain no loss. And if any delayed until the ninth hour, let him not hesitate; but let him come too. And he who arrived only at the eleventh hour, let him not be afraid by reason of his delay. For the Lord is gracious and receives the last even as the first. He gives rest to him that comes at the eleventh hour, as well as to him that toiled from the first. To this one he gives, and upon another he bestows. He accepts the works as he greets the endeavor. The deed he honors and the intention he commends. Let us all enter into the joy of the Lord! First and last alike receive your reward; rich and poor, rejoice together! Sober and slothful, celebrate the day! You that have kept the fast, and you that have not, rejoice today for the Table is richly laden! Feast royally on it, the calf is a fatted one. Let no one go away hungry. Partake, all, of the cup of faith. Enjoy all the riches of his goodness! Let no one grieve at his poverty, for the universal kingdom has been revealed. Let no one mourn that he has fallen again and again; for forgiveness has risen from the grave. Let no one fear death, for the Death of our Savior has set us free. He has destroyed it by enduring it. He destroyed Hell when he descended into it. He put it into an uproar even as it tasted of his flesh. Isaiah foretold this when he said, "You, O Hell, have been troubled by encountering him below." Hell was in an uproar because it was done away with. It was in an uproar because it is mocked. It was in an uproar, for it is destroyed. It is in an uproar, for it is annihilated. It is in an uproar, for it is now made captive. Hell took a body, and discovered God. It took earth, and encountered Heaven. It took what it saw, and was overcome by what it did not see. O death, where is thy sting? O Hell, where is thy victory? Christ is Risen, and you, O death, are annihilated! Christ is Risen, and the evil ones are cast down! Christ is Risen, and the angels rejoice! Christ is Risen, and life is liberated! Christ is Risen, and the tomb is emptied of its dead; for Christ having risen from the dead, is become the first-fruits of those who have fallen asleep. To him be Glory and Power forever and ever. Amen! Ever changed and changing into the likeness of Christ, Fr. Bill+  Window
The Lord came into your history, into the dust of your human-being, barefoot, and bearing his own cross – all the makings, all the markings of this world eaten love. The Lord came into the darkest corners of your heart, beleaguered, hounded; all his life followed, sought, solicited. Cloying magnitudes, oceans of want, world of pain: here the Lord walks, all his life and object – an object of our devotion. We read it not. We read it never, except through lenses of desire. Reconfiguring, re-clothing this stripped and bleeding, cross-hung form. Carved and hammered and reimagined, earned out of our matter again, and again; we gods like potters play. But this tired Christ came to seek with a once-whole heart; given whole for all the world. Open knows no way but this, this Lord, born opened and pure of being. Born, this Lord, to drag his own cross through our dust. Christ born and Christ being. Incarnate love, walks and reaches, wants us more than 1000 lives of pure yearning. Into my dark den and hell of myself, here is the one who is. Here is the One of God, the Christ: a breathing mercy, a walking, love. By his touch the world is healed. Untouched Lord, cross-bound, borrowed back, our father opens in the hearts of all, this window, this wide open window; in the calamity, the light shines forth. From wherever I am, there will always be this light. The Lord is setting a window in your heart: see, the curtains are being pulled away, slowly, gently; Christ hands reach out into air that reeks of doubt. Beaten, bartered, broken one, be in this light. God be born here before me, God be in me. I pray passive prayers: steal me, heal me, lead me, fix me…a din of delivering up to God with hands that never let go. And this God who walks, whose hem eludes me, heart, undoes me, he offers this one unspeakable gift: not the “I am” of the Father (“tell them… You must tell them, I will be with your mouth, but you must go, go and tell them that I am has sent you.) No, existence was the garden unfathomed, unsavored. Unlived. For such a short stay. We cannot grasp. Cannot model, cannot be. But this, the son who walked, and who walks, dragging his own cross through human dust, this Lord came, and did and was and is because he believed. I so believe in you, I. so. believe. Your insides will crawl and your heart will drown in its own shame, and your quiet, industrious self-sin, thin and close skin, will begin to undo you, from the inside out. You will forget me. You will forsake me. You will neglect and misunderstand me. Cocks will crowd the morning out, and murmurs rage like thunder. A curtain will tear. Beyond Repair. I know. You will befriend part of me, or fly another part like self-righteous flags. Yes, I know. I know the gutters, the rivers of bile in your own soul that you will never even see. You will not see it because I have stretched out my body over it, and my blood has washed you clean. You will never be with me as I am with you. But oh, am I with you. I am the Lord, who has come all this way to find you. I have lit a lamp and swept the whole house looking for you. My lost coin. Did you think your sin would free you from me? Did you plan to slip by through fingers that have cradled the world? Beaten spirit, sin-ridden heart, be quiet here. Lay your head here, and you will see. The window. The footsteps I left in your earnest dust. All that industry. I will hold your head still in my hands. I will hold your heart. Together. I will love your sin white as new snow, for I am the One. I am the one who believes in you. A reflection by Jenny Burk Photo by Jenny Burk of St. Eustache in Paris Live the Resurrected Life
“Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too may walk in newness of life” Romans 6:4. There are 46 days left in the Easter season. Forty-six days until the celebration of Pentecost. Forty-six days to receive the sacrifice and revelation of Christ. Yes, it is true that life does not end in so many days and that you have the rest of your life to receive the sacrifice and revelation of Christ, but why wait? People need events to inspire change, occasions to make amends, upheavals to change course. Easter is the event, occasion, and cosmos-rending upheaval that you have right now. You have come through Lent rending your heart–not your clothes–in order to allow Christ to take your burdens upon himself and set you free. Now that you are set free by the Good News of the Resurrection, you can embrace fully the gifts that God has given you and the changed you that you are. Within the Resurrection lives the life of Jesus prior to the Crucifixion–who was He to you? Now in this new life, Jesus is the model and inspired witness of humility, kindness, love and toleration. He embodies the gentle spirit of one who cares more for the other than the self and is the inspired witness of devotion to the Father. There you go, easy-peasy. In your post-resurrection life–that is, your concrete, real existence from sunrise to sunset–you need not wonder or wander about searching for inspiration because you possess the Holy Spirit within you. Your connection to Jesus is as graphic as that of anyone you meet or know, and in each moment, He is available to you for comfort and inspiration. Be inspired! Be inspired and dwell on Jesus. Be kinder, give more, love deeper, care ferociously, be as humble as… be as humble as Jesus. The wondrous thing about this change through resurrection that you are now enacting is that you can exercise this new life right now! Embody humility and love through Jesus with the person in the next room, with whoever is on the other end of the phone, and when answering that email. Embody kindness and give more with each encounter and in every situation. Be inspired and live that inspiration right now with everyone in your life. Live your resurrected life with Jesus leading the way. "On that (this) day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you." Living the Resurrected Life, Fr. Bill+ Dear Creator Family,
I pray this is a wonderful and blessed Easter week for you. Rise each morning with the conscious thought of God's love. Traverse the day aware of the Holy Spirit dwelling in you. Give thanks and praise each night for Jesus' sacrifice, witness and promise. I offer these two Easter poems for you as you focus on Him. Easter Joy By Joanna Fuchs Jesus came to earth, To show us how to live, How to put others first, How to love and how to give. Then He set about His work, That God sent Him to do; He took our punishment on Himself; He made us clean and new. He could have saved Himself, Calling angels from above, But He chose to pay our price for sin; He paid it out of love. Our Lord died on Good Friday, But the cross did not destroy His resurrection on Easter morn That fills our hearts with joy. Now we know our earthly death, Like His, is just a rest. We’ll be forever with Him In heaven, where life is best. So we live our lives for Jesus, Think of Him in all we do. Thank you Savior; Thank you Lord. Help us love like you! An Easter Ode By Paul Laurence Dunbar from “Oak and Ivy” To the cold, dark grave they go Silently and sad and slow, From the light of happy skies And the glance of mortal eyes. In their beds the violets spring, And the brook flows murmuring; But at eve the violets die, And the brook in the sand runs dry. In the rosy, blushing morn, See, the smiling babe is born; For a day it lives, and then Breathes its short life out again. And anon gaunt-visaged Death, With his keen and icy breath, Bloweth out the vital fire In the hoary-headed sire. Heeding not the children’s wail, Fathers droop and mothers fail; Sinking sadly from each other, Sister parts from loving brother. All the land is filled with wailing, -- Sounds of mourning garments trailing, With their sad portent imbued, Making melody subdued. But in all this depth of woe This consoling truth we know: There will come a time of rain, And the brook will flow again; Where the violet fell, ‘twill grow, When the sun has chased the snow. See in this the lesson plain, Mortal man shall rise again. Well the prophecy was kept; Christ—”first fruit of them that slept”-- Rose with vic’try-circled brow; So, believing one, shalt thou. Ah! but there shall come a day When, unhampered by this clay, Souls shall rise to life newborn On that resurrection morn. Souls shall rise to life newborn… Fr. Bill+ His Seven Last Words
He hung there. On the cross, tortured. Dying. The hard metal of the nails fastening his legs and feet in place. As he struggled for air and was barely able to breathe, Jesus didn’t hang in silence. He spoke to those around him, to complete strangers and to his family and friends. Jesus was speaking to us in his final hours. In his Seven Last Words, Jesus shows us how he has fulfilled his saving mission and sends us forth to follow in his footsteps. Take the time to reflect on his words and what they mean for your life. Others have entered into this contemplation and offered their thoughts to our aid. The First Word: Father Forgive them for they know not what they do. A reading from Dietrich Bonhoeffer If you’ve ever really forgiven somebody, forgiven some real wrong, all forgiveness is suffering. If you say I forgave and I didn’t suffer, it wasn’t really that serious a wrong. But if you have ever really, truly been wronged, and you have forgiven it, then you have suffered. Because all forgiveness is a form of suffering. If someone has wronged you deeply, there is an indelible sense of debt, an injustice, a feeling you can’t just shrug off. And once you sense this deep injustice, this debt, there are only two things you can do. One is you can make the perpetrator pay—you can find ways to make the perpetrator suffer and pay down the debt, or Two you can forgive. Prayer: As you forgave those who harmed you, and those who silently watched, help us to suffer forgiveness for one another. Join our heart to yours, Lord Jesus. Amen. The Second Word: Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise. Lignum Vitae, a poem by Bernard Fyles What wood is this? Olive or oak, cedar or pine? Unsuited for the cabinet makers’ art Unfit for turning, inlay, elegance, too warped for any honest use, door frame or ladder or carrier’s cart. What wood is this? Sold cheap to minimize the grower’s loss. Too many knots, too twisted, no good except for firewood or a cross. What wood is this? Rough joints, rope lashings, hold it together for the task ahead, and the carpenter’s hands that might have shaped it as they shaped the world are made to drag it through the streets instead. What wood is this? It is the wood of death, the wood of life. Prayer: As you offered words of promise to the criminal, may we also hear you offer words of promise to us. Join our heart to yours, Lord Jesus. Amen. Third Word: Woman, behold your son! Behold your mother! A Reading from Clare of Assisi: A Heart Full of Love by Sister Ilia Delio Place your mind before the mirror of eternity! I wonder how many of us look on the cross as the “mirror of eternity”—a reflection of eternity in the crucified Christ. We rarely think of eternity hanging on a cross unless of course we understand that eternity is God, God is love and God’s love is expressed in the crucified Christ. God is revealed as all-embracing, out-pouring love in the figure of the crucified Christ [in whom] we see a reflection of the eternal God who is the fullness of love. Gazing on the crucified Christ as a way of encountering God can be difficult because we are not attracted to crucified bodies or suffering humanity. To gaze on the crucified Christ is an embrace of the heart—a desire to allow the otherness of God’s love into our lives. It is difficult to see another person’s suffering, if we have not come to terms with our own suffering which opens us to receive the blessing and presence of God. Prayer: As you helped Mary, your mother and John, your friend, remain in the embrace of your heart, help us to experience your love in suffering. Join our heart to yours, Lord Jesus. Amen. The Fourth Word: My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me? Lead, a poem by Mary Oliver Here is a story to break your heart. Are you willing? This winter the loons came to our harbor and died, one by one, of nothing we could see. A friend told me of one on the shore that lifted its head and opened the elegant beak and cried out in the long, sweet savoring of its life which, if you have heard it, you know is a sacred thing., and for which, if you have not heard it, you had better hurry to where they still sing. And, believe me, tell no one just where that is. The next morning this loon, speckled and iridescent and with a plan to fly home to some hidden lake, was dead on the shore. I tell you this to break your heart, by which I mean only that it break open and never close again to the rest of the world. Prayer: As you cried out to God in anguish, help us to cry out to you, trusting you hear, and understand. Join our heart to yours, Lord Jesus. Amen. The Fifth Word: I thirst A reading from Mother Theresa’s Devotion to the Thirst of Jesus by Edward Sri In the chapel of the Missionaries of Charity—the order founded by Mother Theresa, there’s a crucifix with the words, “I THIRST” painted in bold black letters next to it. Mother Theresa said these words, “I thirst,” were a constant reminder of the purpose of the Missionaries of Charity. "We have these words in every chapel of the Missionaries of Charity to remind us what Missionaries of Charity are here for: to quench the thirst of Jesus for souls, for love, for kindness, for compassion, for delicate love." Ever since her call to serve the poorest of the poor in 1946, Mother Teresa insisted that the Missionaries of Charity were founded "to satiate the thirst of Jesus," and she included this statement in the founding Rules for the new religious order: "The General End of the Missionaries of Charity is to satiate the thirst of Jesus Christ on the Cross for Love and Souls." Mother Theresa says, “Why does Jesus say ‘I Thirst’? What does it mean? 'I Thirst' is something much deeper than just Jesus saying 'I love you.' Until you know deep inside that Jesus thirsts for you — you can't begin to know who He wants to be for you. Or who He wants you to be for Him.” What specifically is Jesus thirsting for in us? He longs for our love — our attention, our ardent devotion, the total entrusting of our lives to Him. At this most difficult time He proclaimed, 'I thirst.' And people thought He was thirsty in an ordinary way and they gave Him vinegar straight away; but it was not for that thirst; it was for our love, our affection, that intimate attachment to Him, and that sharing of His passion. He used, 'I thirst,' instead of 'Give Me your love'. . . 'I thirst.' Let us hear Him saying it to me and saying it to you.” Prayer: As you thirst for our love, our attention, our ardent devotion, help us to quench your thirst with our lives, with our total trust, with our intimate attachment to you. Join our heart to yours, Lord Jesus. Amen. The Sixth Word: It is finished A poem by Frederick William Faber, 1849 O come and mourn with me awhile; O come ye to the Savior's side; O come, together let us mourn; Jesus, our Love, is crucified. Have we no tears to shed for him, while soldiers scoff and foes deride? Ah! look how patiently he hangs; Jesus, our Love, is crucified. How fast his hands and feet are nailed; his blessed tongue with thirst is tied, his failing eyes are blind with blood: Jesus, our Love, is crucified. His mother cannot reach his face; she stands in helplessness beside; her heart is martyred with her Son's: Jesus, our Love, is crucified. Seven times seven he spoke, seven words of love; and all three hours his silence cried for mercy on the souls of men; Jesus, our Love, is crucified. O break, O break, hard heart of mine! Thy weak self-love and guilty pride his Pilate and his Judas were: Jesus, our Love, is crucified. A broken heart, a fount of tears, ask, and they will not be denied; a broken heart love's cradle is: Jesus, our Love, is crucified. O love of God! O sin of man! In this dread act your strength is tried; and victory remains with love; for he, our Love, is crucified. Prayer: As you finished the demands of holy love—a body broken, a soul crucified—help us to find our wholeness in you. Join our heart to yours, Lord Jesus. Amen. The Seventh Word: Father into thy hands I commend my spirit! Were You There When They Crucified My Lord? Were you there when they crucified my Lord? Were you there when they crucified my Lord? Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble. Were you there when they crucified my Lord? Were you there when they nailed him to the tree? Were you there when they nailed him to the tree? Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble. Were you there when they nailed him to the tree? Were you there when they pierced him in the side? Were you there when they pierced him in the side? Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble. Were you there when they pierced him in the side? Were you there when the sun refused to shine? Were you there when the sun refused to shine? Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble. Were you there when the sun refused to shine? Were you there when they laid him in the tomb? Were you there when they laid him in the tomb? Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble. Were you there when they laid him in the tomb? Prayer: As you enter the realm of death, may we trust that you usher into the realm of life. Join our heart to yours, Lord Jesus. Amen. Pray, Lord, Open Unto Me Open unto me — light for my darkness. Open unto me — courage for my fear. Open unto me — hope for my despair. Open unto me — peace for my turmoil. Open unto me — joy for my sorrow. Open unto me — strength for my weakness. Open unto me — wisdom for my confusion. Open unto me — forgiveness for my sins. Open unto me — love for my hates. Open unto me — thy Self for myself. Lord, Lord, open unto me! Amen. by Howard Thurman In contemplation, Fr. Bill+ |
AuthorFather Bill Burk† Archives
June 2026
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