La Virgen de Guadalupe

This past Sunday, I had a most remarkable experience. I visited the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in LaCrosse, Wisconsin. A caravan made the trip from Minneapolis to La Crosse. Driving a van packed with new latino friends, we made our way to the shrine. It was the Sunday for the monthly Spanish service.

With great eagerness and expectation, latino pilgrims made their way up the hill to the shrine. Our friends were the musicians for the service, an extended family that formed a mariachi group. They had spent hours of practice and preparation, for this was not just another occasion to perform, this was a chance to play for the La Virgen de Guadalupe and they prayed that their offering would be pleasing to God.

Immediately, as the first note of broke through the reverent silence, my eyes began to burn with tears. For I had heard some of their stories. Stories of suffering and hardship. Stories of fear and oppression. Stories of hope and joy. Stories of Christ and redemption.

After the mass had ended they were allowed to play for thirty minutes until the next service was to begin. The group then stood before the altar looking only at the cross and painting of Mary. They were not "performing", they were offering songs of thanksgiving and celebration. They were offering prayers for all those who suffer from the ravages of poverty and oppression. They were lifting up countless millions of people who long for a better life for their children. They held in their hearts all those who find themselves as aliens in a foreign land and dream of home.

When they had finished, I commented on the visibly humble and faithful spirit with which they sang. I said, "They were singing as if they believed that La Virgen de Guadalupe was really there." The leader of the mariachis, Chalio, when hearing this had a curious look on his face and simply said, "She was there."

We say, "We are in the presence of God." We say, "Come Holy Spirit and fill this place." We say, "Christ is here with us." We say, "These are the gifts of God for the people of God. The holy food and drink of new and unending life in him." But do we really believe it, or are these simply "sayings" and things we hope to be true?

May we come before the presence of the Living God with the same eager expectation. May we sing and pray with the same faith and humility. May we long to offer our lives as gifts that are pleasing to God. May we experience the same sense of presence and spirit when we come before the altar of our Lord - for he is there!

Gracias a Dios ahora y para siempre!

In Christ,

Paul+

There was no one to intervene

How many times have you watched the news or read an article in the paper, and you said to yourself, "I can't believe no one did anything?" Someone is attacked in public; passersby simply give a glance and continue on their way. Someone knows of an abuse or neglect, yet never says a word to anyone.

Perhaps you have found yourself in a similar situation. How could this be happening? Did I really hear what I thought I heard? I should do something! I should stop this! I should tell someone! I should intervene! Well...it's really none of my business. I shouldn't get involved with this. It really has nothing to do with me. I'll probably just make it worse. Surely someone else will do something!

Everyday things happen that shouldn't, and no one says a thing. No one takes action. No one gets involved. No one intervenes.

I was profoundly moved this week by the words of the prophet Isaiah: The Lord saw it and it displeased him that there was no justice. He saw that there was no one, and was appalled that there was no one to intervene: so his own arm brought him victory, and his righteousness upheld him. (Isaiah 59:15b-16)

In this passage the prophet tells of the oppression of God's people, the injustices done to them, and yet, no one does anything. No one speaks on their behalf. No one comes to their aid. No one seeks justice for them. No one was willing to intervene. The Lord in frustration, and I'm sure anger and disappointment, seems to say, "Fine, if you won't do anything for my people, I'll just do it myself!" The Lord takes up the fight for justice because he could find no human to assist. No one willing to take a stand. No one willing to get involved.

Our faith calls us, no - requires us, to get involved. The Gospel clearly mandates justice for all people: rich and poor, young and old, neighbor and stranger. But, justice does not happen by itself. God calls us to be active participants in the work for justice. Yesterday, I read an article challenging us to be more actively engaged in our faith. The author noted, "What we have, by and large is believers when what we need...is practitioners." We need, God needs, the world needs fewer believers and more practitioners. Belief is great, but faith without works is dead. (James 14:26)

May we hear the call of the oppressed. May we respond to the pursuit of justice. May we have the courage and fortitude to move beyond belief by putting our faith into action. And may a prophet of God never have to say again, "The Lord saw it and it displeased him that there was no justice. He saw that there was no one, and was appalled that there was no one to intervene."

In Christ,

Paul+

What is your heart's desire?

What is your heart's desire? All of us have hopes and dreams. All of us have those things which we hold dear in our heart, at the core of our being, our true longings. What is it that your heart truly desires?

This week while reading the Daily Office I come across Psalm 42.

As the deer longs for the water-brooks,

so longs my soul for you, O God.

My soul is athirst for God, athirst for the living God;

when shall I come to appear before the presence of God?

What beautiful and transforming words! Within us, each of us, there is a hunger, and if given the freedom to surface, it would reveal our TRUE desire - that which resides in the innermost place of our soul. But, so often we don't allow ourselves the freedom to let that surface. We stop short, settling for superficial longings and desires. We settle for the desires of the ego rather than the calling of God. We settle for that which will make us temporarily happy rather than profoundly joyful. We settle for imitations rather than the authentic. Bottom line...we settle, and often times we don't even know we're doing it.

God's true desire, God's true longing - that which resides in the inner most place of God's heart - is US. As the deer longs for the water-brooks, so longs God's soul for us. (That's my edit.) Yes, it's true. God's desire is us! God is athirst for us! God longs for us to be intimately in his presence!

Perhaps hard to believe, but God's heart desires US!

What is your heart's desire? Do you desire God? Do you long to be in the presence of God? Is your soul athirst for the living God? Look into your heart and allow that which resides in the innermost place of your soul the freedom to surface Then I pray, may you hear the true longing of your soul and the desire of your heart.

As the deer longs for the water-brooks,

so longs my soul for you, O God.

My soul is athirst for God, athirst for the living God;

when shall I come to appear before the presence of God?

In Christ,

Paul+

A culture of glamour

One of the books I am currently reading is The Invisible Embrace of Beauty: Rediscovering the true sources of compassion, serenity and hope, by John O'Donohue.

From the very beginning O'Donohue states his underlying belief that "The human soul is hungry for beauty." We long for beauty, for in beauty we get a glimpse of the essence of God. God offers us these wonderful sights and encounters with beauty everyday, but so often they go unnoticed. Right before our eyes is something beautiful and transforming, something revealing the majesty and glory of God and yet we are blind to it.

We have become a culture of glamour. Our eyes and attention are captured by that which glitters and shines. "It has become the habit of our times to mistake glamour for beauty." O'Donohue continues by quoting Robert C. Morgan, "Beauty is not glamour. Most of what the media...the fashion world...Hollywood...the art world has to offer is glamour. Glamour, like the art world itself, is a highly fickle and commercially driven enterprise that contributes to...the "humdrum". It appears and disappears...No one ever catches up to glamour."

We live in a world mesmerized by glamour. Glamour is deceptive and manipulative. Glamour is produced and quickly fades. Beauty is truth telling and life giving. Beauty is born and created and stands the true test of time. Beauty is inherent in the nature of God. Beauty gives us hope and transforms our souls. Glamour will leave us empty and unsatisfied. True beauty will fill our souls and nourish us.

We feel empty because we have been caught by the world's empty promise and allure of glamour, but God offers us beauty, true beauty, divine, holy and life giving beauty. Beauty that will sustain us. Beauty that will not fade nor betray us. Beauty that will fill us and not leave us still starving and unsatisfied. The beauty of life and love, of creation and renewal. The beauty of compassion and hope, of forgiveness and mercy. The beauty of creativity and dreams. The beauty of death and resurrection.

O Lord, open our eyes that we might see, open our ears that we might hear, open our hands that we might touch, open our lips that we might taste and our heart that we might feel your beauty and in turn be a reflection of that beauty in your world.

Peace,

Paul+

The glory of God is a living person

Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyons in the 2nd century, once wrote, "The glory of God is a living person and the life of each living person is the vision of God." It's often hard for me to believe that the glory of God is a living person. With all of our brokenness, our fears, our acts of injustice and prejudice, how could a living person be the glory of God? How could the life of each living person be the vision of God?

In this season, we are reminded that we are made beautifully in the image of God and God became enfleshed in human form in Jesus Christ. God took on the form of a living person to give us an enfleshed vision of God's glory. For in and through God's transforming love, we are called to live into the fullness of who God created us to be and the fullness of God's vision for us.

What would your life be like, what would the world be like if we began to embrace the truth that we are created in the image of God? In spite of our sins, our imperfections, our brokenness we are beautifully and wonderfully created. In Christ and through Christ, we are the glory of God. In Christ and through Christ, we are the vision of God.

May we indeed live into the fullness of God's glory. May we truly enflesh the vision of God in our world.

Peace and Blessings on this most holy journey.
Paul+

The beginning of the end...

Thomas Merton once wrote, "The Advent mystery is the beginning of the end of all in us that is not yet Christ." Advent offers us a new beginning, in what might be a most unusual way, the beginning of the end. The end of those things that stand between us and God. Those things that stand between us and the Holy Spirit. Those things that stand between us and our fellow sojourners. The end of those things that stand between us and our Lord and our ability to live more fully into the mystery and gift of our faith.

There is still so much that is "not yet Christ" in my life. So much that needs to be brought to an end. So much that needs a new beginning in Christ. By opening ourselves to the great mystery of Advent and the coming of our Lord, may we find an end to our fears and the beginning of new confidence and courage in Christ. May we find an end to our hardness and suspicions and find new compassion and understanding. May we find an end to our self-centered ways and find a new way of selflessness and openness to others in the name of our Lord.

In this season, let us give thanks and rejoice for the end, the end of all that is not yet Christ and in doing so cross the threshold of a new and glorious beginning.

Peace and Blessings on this most holy journey.
Paul+

Behold I am coming soon. (Rev. 22:7) Advent I

This past Sunday we took our first step on a wonderful journey of expectation and joy. For we see on a not so distant horizon the image of the Christ Child, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

What a wonderful journey indeed for the Lord will soon be here and hope will be born anew. The Word made flesh. The Light that the darkness will not overcome.

As I right this meditation and reflect upon the prophetic words from the book of Revelation, I am reminded of a song by Andre Couch, "Soon and very soon we are going to see the King."

Soon and very soon, we are going to see the King
Hallelujah! Hallelujah! We're going to see the King.

No more crying there, we are going to see the King
Hallelujah! Hallelujah! We're going to see the King.

No more dying there, we are going to see the King
Hallelujah! Hallelujah! We're going to see the King.

Indeed my friends, soon and very soon we are going to see the King! Soon our Lord will be born. Prepare your hearts and souls for a joyful and transformative encounter with the Holy One, Immanuel, God with us, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords!

Peace and Blessings on this most holy journey.
Paul+