I Believe ...

During Lent we are encouraged to pray, fast and give alms. Reading the scriptures more frequently is one way to deepen our prayer life. Another way is to listen more closely to the prayers of the liturgy. Most of these prayers are based on scriptural passages.  Our entire liturgy is said to be the Bible set to ritual. Here are some Scriptural connections found in our Nicene Creed: 

I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth …

“In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth … ” (Gen 1:1)

 … I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages …

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, …” (Jn 3:16)

… begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father …

“The Father and I are one.” (Jn 10:30)

…. and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man.

“The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.”

 (Lk 1:35)

… and rose again on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.  

“… He was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures.” (1 Cor 15:4)

… He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead …

“… He is the one appointed by God as judge of the living and the dead.” (Acts 10:42)

… I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life … 

“Now the Lord is the Spirit ... ” (2 Cor 3:17)  “…but the Spirit gives life.” (2 Cor 3:6)

… I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins …

“Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins …” (Acts 2:38)

… and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. 

“I know he will rise in the resurrection on the last day.” (Jn 11:24)

In the liturgy, we proclaim the Creed after the liturgy of the Word and before the liturgy of the Eucharist. This is because it sums up the faith we have heard in the scripture readings and reminds us that we are united in faith, in communion, before we partake in the meal. This week, we hand on the Creed to the Elect, those who will be baptized at Easter.  Let us pray, along with them, for the grace to live our faith more deeply.  

Spring Cleaning

Every year at this time my mother would rearrange the furniture in the living room and family room and change the drapes. Then she would open the cupboards and drawers in the kitchen, remove all the dishes, glasses, cups, goblets, plates, pitchers, platters, bowls, casseroles, china, and silverware to clean them. It was as if we were preparing for the biggest banquet of the year. She called this cleansing fury spring cleaning. 

Every year at this time the Church gives us the opportunity to do some inner spring cleaning. In fact, the word “Lent” is derived from the Anglo-Saxon word meaning spring. Lent is a prime time to rearrange our priorities, to open the cupboards of our hearts and hold our egos to the light to see those areas that need to be cleaned and polished. This idea of inner cleansing or conversion has always been at the heart of Lent. In the early Church, Lent was the final leg of the journey for the catechumens preparing for baptism. It was also a time when already-baptized penitents, isolated from the assembly because of their sins, would prepare to be reconciled to God and the community. The journeys of the catechumen and the penitent were related in that both embraced a significant conversion. As the catechumen looked forward to baptism, the penitent looked forward to reconciliation, often seen as a second baptism. To this day, the focus of Lent remains both baptismal and penitential.    

It is easy to rearrange chairs and to clean dishes. Inner change is the real challenge. Therein is the good news. It is God who calls us to conversion and it is God’s transforming grace that accompanies us on the journey of conversion. Let us pray for the courage to be open to this grace that we might come to Easter, the biggest banquet of the liturgical year, with hearts cleansed and spirits renewed!

Carnival

We are days away from Ash Wednesday and that means it is Carnival time! All over the world, people are donning beads and masks to celebrate Carnival with parties, parades and pageantry.

The other name for Carnival is Mardi Gras, French for “Fat Tuesday.” Mardi Gras, the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, is the climax of Carnival. This day is also known as Shrove Tuesday. The word “Shrove” comes from an old English word that means to be absolved from sin. Celebrating Shrove Tuesday is one way people anticipate the penance and fasting of Lent by emptying out their refrigerators and pantries to make pancakes and other delights.

Anyone who has celebrated Carnival or Mardi Gras has likely donned a mask. Whether it covers just the eyes or the whole face, a mask adds a sense of mystery that can add an extra dose of fun to any Mardi Gras fete. Masks have been used in rituals by various societies and tribes for centuries. Masks were first worn during Mardi Gras because they allowed people to escape the judgments imposed on them by society. While wearing a mask, people were free to be whomever they wanted. They could go where they wanted and mingle with whomever they wanted, including the upper class.

Carnival is not the only time masks are worn. We regularly wear invisible masks, often for the same reason as the early revelers--to avoid the judgment of others, to escape pain, to belong. Lent is a season that empowers us to take off the masks we wear and to discover who we really are. Jesus showed us how to do this. During his 40-day sojourn in the desert, Jesus was tempted to put on the masks of superiority, power, and control. He chose instead to trust in God.

During Lent, we too are called to enter our own desert experience, to bare ourselves and to remove the masks that hide who we are. May we, like Jesus, choose instead to trust in God and discover in ourselves a reflection of God who loves us just as we are.

Catholics love blessings! Blessings are assurances of God’s presence and protection. The Hebrew Scriptures are filled with stories of God’s favor bestowed in the form of a blessing. The Bible begins with God creating the earth and blessing all living creatures. In the gospels, Jesus is often seen blessing others, especially children.

It’s no wonder that our rituals are filled with blessings. One of the first things we do when we walk into church is to bless ourselves with holy water from the baptismal font. This is only one of several blessings we experience at Mass. During the Mass, the bread and the wine are blessed after they are presented at the altar. At the end of Mass, the entire community is sent forth with a blessing.

We even have an official ritual book known as the Book of Blessings. This book contains a compilation of blessings pertaining to people, objects, and various occasions, as well as blessings and services connected with official parish events. There are blessings for students and teachers, blessings for travelers, blessings for homes and offices, even blessings for boats and fishing gear. This tells us that everything, even fishing equipment comes from God and is sacred. Blessings are a way for us to acknowledge this reality.

Who can bless? Certain blessings are reserved for ordained ministers, but many blessings, such as the blessing of children by their parents or the blessing of a meal, may be performed by laypersons because of the priesthood bestowed on them in baptism. The Catechism of the Catholic Church says, “Every baptized person is to be a blessing and to bless.” A blessing is not simply meant to rest upon the person receiving the blessing, but is expected to be shared with others.

As the Book of Blessings reminds us, “Scripture attests that all the beings God has created and keeps in existence by his gracious goodness declare themselves to be blessings from him and should move us to bless him in return.”  

Happy Anniversary!

Love is in the air! No matter where we go, we see red hearts, red roses, and lots of chocolates for sale in preparation for Valentine’s Day. February is a month when love and romance take front and center.

At St. Thomas Aquinas, we will honor many of our parishioners who have been married 50 or more years at the 12noon Mass on Sunday. I polled some of our couples asking, what does it take to create a lasting marriage? Here is what they said:

Faith and forgiveness.

Cheryl and Dennis Fitzgerald

A long and lasting marriage is created by committing to it when agreeing to marry and believing in it through good and bad. Two-way communication at all times is a key ingredient.

Rochelle and Bob O’Hagan

My grandmother told us we'd need a good sense of humor.  She was right! 

Bonnie and Bob Luxton

We learned about the beauty of marriage from two very dear couples who were 20 years older than us … one couple taught us bridge, and one taught us rook. We played those games together and had fun conversations, always laughing … We realized that their marriages were strong because they were very giving to family and friends. These couples did everything unselfishly together, and now in old age they (and now we) still look forward to doing things together, whether it be watching TV, going to lunch, visiting friends and family, etc. 

Mary Ann and Tom Pacer

Courage, flexibility, and selflessness.  

Sharon and John Morgenstern

Our long and lasting marriage can be attributed to love of Christ in our lives, each other, and our children. Secondarily comes patience, trust, understanding of different views, having the same beliefs in life issues, and supporting each other through good times and rough times.

Nancy & Bob Volz

Respect … persistence through thick and thin.

Barbara and Rod Ingebretsen

Laughter and faith. It’s not 50-50. It’s 100% both ways. You’ve got to have the patience to love, honor and respect each other.

Linda and Tom Lattanzio

A shared faith is very important. … Seeing that your children are raised within the faith. … An  understanding in times of crisis.  … It’s constant adjustment, from dating to marriage to children to educating children to being empty nesters to retirement.

Carol and Urban Rump

Being able to step away from an argument not having to be right all the time.

Sheila and Don Nadeau

The first words that came to our minds were patience and forgiveness but communication is impt too.  Our relationship was strengthened by sharing a faith walk—supported by a loving community, years of adult classes together (since 1981) and being active in some of the same ministries.

Jim and Lori Rausch

We give thanks for all these who by their covenantal love witness the power of the love of God.