Lady Wisdom

Wisdom:  a deep understanding and realization of people, things, events or situations, resulting in the ability to apply perceptions, judgements and actions in keeping with this understanding. It often requires control of one’s emotional reactions (the “passions“) so that universal principles, reason and knowledge prevail to determine one’s actions. Wisdom is also the comprehension of what is true coupled with optimum judgment as to action.

Today more and more women – and men – are questioning traditional biblical teaching about deity. Although many people will assert that God is beyond gender, yet long centuries of referring to “Him” as masculine and addressing Him as Lord, King, Father etc have been a strong conditioning factor in our lives, whether we are “religious” or not. Sacred duties and religious rituals have been largely in the hands of men, and a hierarchy has been put firmly in place, constructed on the base that only men in themselves portray the image of God. For many years, it appeared that this view was the only one available, and is still “natural” and enshrined in many religious traditions.

No one can dispute that most biblical teachings come directly, or indirectly, from God, so thus it would stand to reason that wisdom, as defined above, would be a blessed by-product of this knowledge. Yet, in Hebrew apparently, wisdom is a feminine noun “sophia”, and as such, it is referred to as a “she.”
Therefore, the writer of Proverbs personifies her as “Lady Wisdom”.  Many have speculated that this use of such a feminine noun, clearly shows that God is both male and female. Of course no one can say this for sure, but in the following passages, we learn that calling wisdom a “she”, certainly makes her easier to understand. That it actually makes us want to have a more personal relationship with such an interesting person as “Lady Wisdom”.

Proverbs 1:20-33
“Wisdom cries out in the street; in the squares she raises her voice. At the busiest corner she cries out; at the entrance of the city gates she speaks: “How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple? How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing and fools hate knowledge? Give heed to my reproof; I will pour out my thoughts to you; I will make my words known to you. Because I have called and you refused, have stretched out my hand and no one heeded, and because you have ignored all my counsel and would have none of my reproof, I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when panic strikes you,
when panic strikes you like a storm, and your calamity comes like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you. Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently, but will not find me. Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the LORD, would have none of my counsel, and despised all my reproof, therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way and be sated with their own devices. For waywardness kills the simple, and the complacency of fools destroys them; but those who listen to me will be secure and will live at ease, without dread of disaster.”

As we can see by today’s Bible reading, Wisdom is presented as more than an abstract concept like justice. By personifying wisdom as a woman, the abstract idea becomes more immediate and attainable. And the description, beautiful and poetic as it is, makes Lady Wisdom someone you want to know and know well. As described, wisdom becomes someone whose company you enjoy and look forward to. She is approachable to anyone and everyone. The goodness of your heart and purity of your spirit — not your I.Q. — is what attracts wisdom. The desire and resolve to do what is right and just in the eyes of God are the first steps toward wisdom that anyone and everyone can take, if they so choose. This is never more plainly stated than in the following passages:

Wisdom of Solomon 7:26 – 8:1
“For she is a reflection of eternal light, a spotless mirror of the working of God, and an image of his goodness. Although she is but one, she can do all things, and while remaining in herself, she renews all things; in every generation she passes into holy souls and makes them friends of God, and prophets; for God loves nothing so much as the person who lives with wisdom.  She is more beautiful than the sun, and excels every constellation of the stars. Compared with the light she is found to be superior, for it is succeeded by the night, but against wisdom evil does not prevail. She reaches mightily from one end of the earth to the other, and she orders all things well.”

I think the following quote clearly explains how important wisdom was to early Christian Fathers. Portraying this crucial concept in the feminine voice, allowed anyone who wished, the ability to attain a personal relationship with Lady Wisdom.

“Everything to do with her is mysterious and paradoxical. In the Bible she is always female… She is continually being sought and found, lost and found; she ascends and descends; she finds her place in Israel, she can find no place in Israel. She is the divine female companion of God, eternal with Him before creation, and is herself involved in the cosmos as creator, nurturer, teacher and artificer. She acts as intermediary between God and humans and is willing to share herself with them and with the world. She may be married to God or to selected men, and she may be the mother of the created world. Human beings must follow her rules if they are to succeed in this life and also possibly partake in an afterlife with God. It was she who helped God create the universe and she knows all its secrets. She moves through it and orders it well”. (A. P. Long. in: Pirani. A. (ed.) The Absent Mother (1991:46))

I feel that by portraying Wisdom as such an enticing, intelligent, exciting female, the Early Christian authors of the Bible were saying many things:

1. One must strive to learn, and keep wisdom.

2. That such a worthy concept is attainable to all, male and female.

3. Just as with babies, our Mothers fed us, clothed us, and taught us, such is the Wisdom of the Lord.

4. It will nourish and sustain any who seek, and find her, this Lady Wisdom.

Normal???

There is a very staunch and aggressive battle for the hearts and minds of the people in society. In today’s world, we often fight the battle of the “has” and the “has not’s”, do we not? We are “who we are” as a number, a social class, a race, or a creed. Our God given talents, attributes, traits, and preferences define us as a person. But what does that mean and who determines the “normal?”

While referring to an online dictionary, I viewed the definition of normal as “conforming to the standard or the common type”. i It would seem rational to assume that if you had rings around your neck to the point of stretching it, you would be a Padaung women from the Kayan tribe in Burma. Now bring this same woman to downtown Anytown, USA. Would she be accepted? How would our judgmental society see her?

If we are to serve in heaven, would it not be reasonable to say that we must practice here on earth first? We are all different people with various makeups. We are white. We are black. We are gay. We have an assortment of people with an assortment of ethnic backgrounds. We are poor and we are rich. In todays Old Testament reading, we find James, possibly the half brother of Jesus, showing us our patterns of favoritism and judgment.

“For if a person with gold rings and in fine clothes comes into your assembly, and if a poor person in dirty clothes also comes in, and if you take notice of the one wearing the fine clothes and say, “Have a seat here, please,” while to the one who is poor you say, “Stand there,” or, “Sit at my feet,” have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?”ii

We are guilty of these things that James warns us about, period. Can we change our view and exclusively extend ourselves to our brothers and sisters… unconditionally? It seems that we may have an issue doing this. In the age of segregation, we shunned African Americans. In a post 9/11, era we look at Muslims with suspicions. Brown skin and a burka alarms us. Gays represent sex mongers and the homeless are lazy. James tells us, in the spirit of all that is Christian:

“For judgment will be without mercy to anyone who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment.”iii

Can we walk a mile in someone else’s shoes or would we rather turn a blind eye? Can we have the faith that is required to “let go and let God”?

i Normal. (n.d.). The American Heritage® Stedman’s Medical Dictionary. Retrieved September 05, 2012, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/normal

iiNew Revised Standard Version of the Bible: James 2, 2:2-2:4

iiiNew Revised Standard Version of the Bible: James 2, 2:13

Blessed Bertrand of Garrique, C.O.P.

Memorial Day: September 6th

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Bertrand was a secular priest under the Cistercians, missioner, and ardent opponent of Albigensianism when he first met Saint Dominic in the party of Bishop Diego. Bertrand may have been the one to recruit Dominic in the battle against the French heretics because they worked closely together in this mission for the rest of their lives.

Bertrand joined the first Dominican friars by receiving the habit at Toulouse in 1216. Dominic left him in charge of the community when he traveled to Rome to seek papal approval of the order. Bertrand’s zeal and experience played an important role in the founding of the Friar Preachers. When the brothers were sent out in little groups on missions, Bertrand was left in Paris with Matthew of France, where he helped to form the Dominican tradition of learning and governed the first foundation at Paris.

While Bertrand’s advice and prayers helped to establish the order, he is best remembered as the closest friend and traveling companion of Saint Dominic, until he was appointed as provincial of Provence. He witnessed the miracles and heavenly favors bestowed upon his friend and provided us with insightful testimony about the heart and mind of the founder.

Bertrand himself was credited with many miracles, both during his life and after his death. Others considered him a “second Dominic” in austerity and holiness, but he humbly overlooked his own claims to sanctity in his loving insistence on those of his friend.

Bertrand was preaching a mission to the Cistercian sisters of Saint Mary of the Woods near Garrigue, when he fell sick and died. He was buried in the sisters’ cemetery until the frequency of miracles suggested that he should be given a more suitable shrine. His relics were lost and shrine destroyed during the religious wars, but pilgrimages were still made to “Saint Bertrand’s Cemetery” until the time of the French Revolution.

Born: at Garrigue, diocese of Nîmes, France, c. 1195

Died: In 1230 he died in Le Bouchet

Beatified: cultus confirmed by Pope Leo XIII in 1881

Greater Love Has No One~In Memory of Trprs. Bailey and Workman

On August 28,2012 two West Virginia State Troopers stopped a motor vehicle which had been operating recklessly on I-79 in Clay County.  The vehicle was occupied just by the driver who, the Troopers determined, was driving while intoxicated.  The subject was arrested, handcuffed and placed in the back of the Troop car.  A tow truck was requested for an impound.  Sadly, the events turned quite tragic after that. Deadly tragic.

As a retired police sergeant, and still a New Jersey police academy instructor, I will not seek to pontificate or comment critically on what went wrong. Suffice it to say- things went wrong.  We in the law enforcement community know, because we ourseleves make mistakes and find ourselves thankful the consequences were not as such.

But in horrific instances such as this, when we stare and wonder in disbelief- we are moved to remember the person- the quality of their character, that would move someone to become a policeman, a fire fighter, a soldier or paramedic/EMS professional.

Christ tells us: “Truly I tell you my friends, greater love has no one than this- that he would lay down his life for a friend.” (John 15:13)  How this is magnified when the “friend” is a stranger or, as in this case, society itself.

Christ also has taught us; “This is how we know what love is- that Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. We ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.” (1 John 3:16)

Both these scriptures encourage us to do the right thing. We must be willing ourseleves to make a scarifice for our brothers and sisters. Even the ultimate sacrifice.  Let us not forget those heros, unknown to us personally, who gave that sacrifice on September 11th.  Paying the full measure of their lives, in hopes of giving some aid and comfort to strangers.  At the very least, this is what we should be all willing to do.   “God demonstartes his love for us- even though we be sinners- Christ dies for us” (Romans 5:8)

After I became a police officer, freshly minted out of the police academy, my Department suffered the loss of Det. Richard McGilvery by gunshot in October of 1978.  Still probationary and adjusting to my fellow officers, I took comfort in the oath we swear as policeman: “to not turn from peril or presumption but to champion steadfastly in protection of the meek, weak and fearful.”

This then is the heart of Trooper Marshall Lee Bailey ( age 42 with 17 years of service) and Trooper Eric M. Workman (age 26 with just 20 months of service).   Without concern for their own lives, comfort and safety, they wore the uniform. They answered the call everyday- to be God’s servants of protection and freedom. While we pause to mourn their life, we must move forward in greater celebration of it.  Christ tells us: “… do not be afraid of those who kill the body, for after that they can do no more.” (Luke 12:4)

I close with a poem by Peter Hornback, known in police circles as  “The Final Inspection”.  I submit it in tribute to these fallen officers, and all others who have paid the sacrifice for my protection and freedom-

“The policeman stood and faced his God. Which must always come to pass. He hoped his shoes were shining as brightly as his brass.

“Step forward now, Officer. How shall I deal with you? Have you always turned the other cheek? To my Church, have you been true?”

“The Officer squared his shoulders, ‘No Lord, I guess I ain’t. Cause those of us who carry badges can’t always be a saint.

“But I never took a penny that wasn’t mine to keep. I worked a lot of overtime when my bills got far to deep.

“And I never passed a cry for help, though at times I shook with fear. And sometimes, God forgive me, I wept unmanly tears.

“I know I don’t deserve a place among the people here, they didn’t want me around except to calm their fear.

“But if you’ve got a place for me Lord, it needn’t be so grand. I’ve never expected or had too much, so if you don’t- I’ll understand.”

There was silence all around the throne where the saints had often trod. As the officer waited quietly for the judgement of his God.

“Step forward now brave Officer, you’ve borne your burdens well. Come walk a beat on Heaven’s streets- you’ve done your time in hell.”

May almighty God embrace the souls of all those who die for us in protection of our society and her freedom. May he make of us instruments of his justice among people and nations, so that His will be done.  Comfort those who mourn and give to us your blessing for peace. Amen.

“For he will command his angels to take charge of you and guard you in all your ways.” (Psalm 91:11)

www.saintaelred.weebly.com/police.html

Blessed Catherine of Racconigi, V.O.P

Memorial Day: September 4th

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Catherine was born into poverty and hunger following the devastation of war. Her father, an unemployed locksmith, became despondent and quarrelsome as so many do when they lose their livelihood. Her mother supported the family by weaving coarse cloth at home. Catherine and her brother grew up in an atmosphere that was absent the peace of Christ.

Surprisingly, God reached the heart of little Catherine when she was only five. It was then that her mystical experiences began. Our Lady appeared to her while the tiny child was praying alone in her tiny room and told Catherine that Jesus wished to make her His spouse. Then as a child her own age, Jesus himself appeared, accompanied by many other saints including Catherine of Siena and Peter Martyr, and the Blessed Mother place the ring of espousal on her finger. Like the ring of Saint Catherine of Siena, it was visible to today’s saint but could not be seen by others.

Thereafter Catherine had frequent ecstasies and visions. Jesus always appeared to her as a man her own age. He talked with her, taught her how to pray, and several times took her heart away to cleanse it. When He appeared with His Cross, he offered to help Him. He let it rest on her should a moment, and it left a wound for the rest of her life. She also received the stigmata, though it too remained invisible to others and, at her request, it was only revealed by her confessor after her death.

And, of course, Jesus worked many miracles on behalf of His friend: made a broken dish whole again, and provided money and food when the family’s poverty was extreme. In times of trial, the heavenly hosts came to comfort the girl who received great consolation from the aspiration, “Jesus, my hope!”

Because her family opposed her becoming a Dominican, she took the habit of a tertiary. Her mystical experiences roused a storm of gossip among her neighbors, who were terrified at the lights and sounds that came from her home. The devil stirred up more trouble to mitigate her influence over other souls. Even the Dominican fathers ostracized her and eventually she was forced out of town and settled in Racconigi.

There rich and poor sought out Catherine for her wise counsel, prayers, and material assistance. She was almost continually in ecstasy. The particular object of Catherine’s prayers was the salvation of soldiers dying in battle. Numerous miracles occurred before and after her death, and a cult arose at her tomb almost immediately. Even her persecutors were aware of her sanctity and retracted their bitter words.

Born: in the diocese of Cuneo in the Piedmont, Italy, 1487

Died: 1574

Beatified: Pope Pius VII confirmed her holiness and cult in 1810

Blessed Guala, B.C.O.P

Memorial Day: September 3rd

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Guala was one of the first disciples of Saint Dominic, attracted by the Dominican ideal in 1219, when he heard the founder preach. He received the habit from Dominic at the time the friary opened in Bergamo. After a short novitiate, he was appointed prior there.

Guala proved to be an able superior and a practical administrator and builder. He was on the committee that planed the convent of Saint Agnes in Bologna. During a delay in the construction of the convent because of the opposition of the family of Blessed Diana d’Andalò, who was financing the project, Guala was sent to Brescia to assume the position of its first prior.

During this period Guala had the revelation of Saint Dominic’s greatness that became the subject of many early legends. Although they were good friends, Guala did not know that Dominic was dying on their return from a chapter. Guala had fallen asleep with his head leaning against the belltower of the conventual church at Brescia when he had a vision of two ladders coming down from heaven. Our Lord was visible at the top of one ladder, and Our Lady at the top of the other. Angels were ascending and descending on them. As Guala watched, a friar, who sat at the foot of one ladder with his face covered was drawn up to heaven and great glory surrounded him. Guala awoke, deeply affected by the vision, and went immediately to Bologna, where he found that Saint Dominic had died at the time of his vision.

In 1226, Guala was named the prior of Bologna’s Saint Nicholas abbey, famous for its regularity and fervor. While there, Pope Honorius III appointed him arbiter between Bologna and Modena. Guala worked hard to forge a treaty that lasted 10 years. The following year Pope Gregory IX asked him to negotiate between Emperor Frederick II and the Lombard confederacy–an even more daunting diplomatic task. Guala was also commissioned to convince Frederick to keep his vow to lead a crusade. He was unable to resolve matters between the parties, but at least they maintained the status quo of an uneasy peace.

In 1228, Guala was consecrated bishop of Brescia. As such, he negotiated a number of treaties between warring cities. Frederick broke all the promises he had made and attacked the cities that had remained loyal to the pope. In 1238, Frederick’s army besieged Brescia, but the attackers had to withdraw within three months, which is credited to Guala.

Guala’s contemporaries described him as “a man of great prudence, well acquainted with the world, and of accomplished manners,” and said that “he governed the diocese entrusted to his care with such holiness that, both during his life and after his death, he wrought many wonders through God.”

The years of labor and civil strife wore him down. He resigned his see in 1242 in order to enter complete seclusion and pray without interruption in preparation for death. Therefore, he retired to the Vallumbrosan monastery of San Sepolcro d’Astino, where he lived as a hermit until his death. He was buried in the Benedictine church, and after many miracles at his tomb, his cause was promoted.

Born: in Bergamo, Italy

Died: in San Sepolcro d’Astino, Italy, in 1244

Beatified: cultus approved in 1868 by Pope Pius IX.

Saint Rose of Lima, V.O.P.

Feast Day: August 30th

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At her confirmation in 1597, she took the name of Rose, because, when an infant, her face had been seen transformed by a mystical rose. As a child she was remarkable for a great reverence, and pronounced love, for all things relating to God. This so took possession of her that thenceforth her life was given up to prayer and mortification. She had an intense devotion to the Infant Jesus and His Blessed Mother, before whose altar she spent hours. She was scrupulously obedient and of untiring industry, making rapid progress by earnest attention to her parents’ instruction, to her studies, and to her domestic work, especially with her needle.

After reading of St. Catherine she determined to take that saint as her model. She began by fasting three times a week, adding secret severe penances, and when her vanity was assailed, cutting off her beautiful hair, wearing coarse clothing, and roughening her hands with toil. All this time she had to struggle against the objections of her friends, the ridicule of her family, and the censure of her parents. Many hours were spent before the Blessed Sacrament, which she received daily.

Finally she determined to take a vow of virginity, and inspired by supernatural love, adopted extraordinary means to fulfill it. At the outset she had to combat the opposition of her parents, who wished her to marry. For ten years the struggle continued before she won, by patience and prayer, their consent to continue her mission.

At the same time great temptations assailed her purity, faith, and constance, causing her excruciating agony of mind and desolation of spirit, urging her to more frequent mortifications; but daily, also, Our Lord manifested Himself, fortifying her with the knowledge of His presence and consoling her mind with evidence of His Divine love. Fasting daily was soon followed by perpetual abstinence from meat, and that, in turn, by use of only the coarsest food and just sufficient to support life.

Her days were filled with acts of charity and industry, her exquisite lace and embroidery helping to support her home, while her nights were devoted to prayer and penance. When her work permitted, she retired to a little grotto which she had built, with her brother’s aid, in their small garden, and there passed her nights in solitude and prayer. Overcoming the opposition of her parents, and with the consent of her confessor, she was allowed later to become practically a recluse in this cell, save for her visits to the Blessed Sacrament.

In her twentieth year she received the habit of St. Dominic. Thereafter she redoubled the severity and variety of her penances to a heroic degree, wearing constantly a metal spiked crown, concealed by roses, and an iron chain about her waist. Days passed without food, save a draught of gall mixed with bitter herbs. When she could no longer stand, she sought repose on a bed constructed by herself, of broken glass, stone, potsherds, and thorns. She admitted that the thought of lying down on it made her tremble with dread. Fourteen years this martyrdom of her body continued without relaxation, but not without consolation. Our Lord revealed Himself to her frequently, flooding her soul with such inexpressible peace and joy as to leave her in ecstasy four hours. At these times she offered to Him all her mortifications and penances in expiation for offences against His Divine Majesty, for the idolatry of her country, for the conversion of sinners, and for the souls in Purgatory.

Many miracles followed her death. She was beatified by Clement IX, in 1667, and canonized in 1671 by Clement X, the first American to be so honored. Her feast is celebrated 30 August. She is represented wearing a crown of roses.

Born:1586 at Lima, Peru as Isabel

Died: August 24, 1617 at Lima, Peru

Beatified: April 15, 1668 by Pope Clement IX

Canonized: April 2, 1671 by Pope Clement X

Representation: anchor; crown of flowers; crown of roses; Holy Infant; roses; Dominican tertiary holding roses; Dominican tertiary accompanied by the Holy Infant

Patronage: against vanity; Americas; Central America; embroiderers; florists; gardeners; India; Latin America; Lima, Peru; needle workers; New World; people ridiculed for their piety; Peru; Philippines; diocese of Santa Rosa, California; South America; vanity; Villareal Samar, Phillipines; West Indies

Blessed James of Mevania, C.O.P.

(Also known as James Bianconi; James of Bevagna; Jacobus de Blanconibus de Mevania)

Memorial Day: August 23rd

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Very early in life, prodigies surrounded Blessed James, for on the day of his birth three brilliant stars, each containing the image of a friar preacher, appeared in the sky over Bevagna. Children ran through the streets crying : “To the schools! To the schools! behold the new masters heaven is sending us !” The three preachers were later understood to be James, Blessed Ambrose of Siena, and St. Thomas Aquinas.

James was given a good education and was carefully trained in the ways of holiness. The power of his prayers was seen early. When still a small child, he brought about peace between two quarreling families. At the age of sixteen, he met the Dominicans. Two friars had come to preach in his native city during Lent. Deciding, after much prayer, that God was calling him to the Dominican apostolate, he went home with the two missioners and began his novitiate.

The early promises of his great learning were well fulfilled. In and age that shone with the brilliance of Albert, Thomas and Bonaventure, the preaching of James of Bevagna was still remarkable. He was particularly gifted at reconciling enemies and bringing peace to warring families and cities.

James was very severe with himself, particularly in the matter of poverty. On one occasion, his mother, shocked at the poor condition of the habit he was wearing, gave money to buy a new one. As he wanted very much more to get a crucifix for his cell, he did so. His mother reminded him that the money was given for clothing. James replied with the text, “Put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ,” assuring her that this was the garment he had bought with her gift.

At another time, praying before the same crucifix, James was overcome with a sense of his own unworthiness and begged of God some sign that his soul was to be saved. Blood gushed from the hands and side of the figure on the cross, and a voice from heaven told him that his token of God’s favor would reassure him. Some of the miraculous blood was preserved for more than two centuries. Kept at the tomb of Blessed James, it worked many miracles, but it was stolen by heretics.

Forewarned of the hour of his death, James was assured that Our Lady would come to meet him, because he had often sacrificed to adorn her altars. She came at the time foretold, and James went happily with her into the presence of God.

Born: Bevagna in Umbria, Italy in 1220

Died: 1301 at Mevania, Italy of natural causes

Beatification: 1400 (Cultus confirmed) by pope Boniface IX; again on May 18, 1672 (cultus confirmed) by Pope Clement X

 

 

 

PUT ON LOVE ~ Fr. Bryan Wolf

As I reflect upon my life, many things were always certain.  My love of dogs, I love the Autumn, I enjoy the beach, Christmas is my favorite time of year, and my mother was the best mother in the world!  I knew I would end up a policeman, though my 1974 high school yearbook betrayed my “secret desire to be a priest”.  God does indeed have His plan and works his mysteries- I retired from 29 years in law enforcement and now I work to serve God as a priest with The Reformed Catholic Church.

There are other aspects in my life of which I have always been certain too. I am a gay man. I knew this all my life as far back as I could remember thinking of such things. I also knew I was intensely spiritual, and how to reconcile the two would ultimately become the formation of who I am.

I know that my being gay is not a decision I made. It is not a “sexual preference” I chose, but rather who God created me to be. I knoew this because God blessed me with an understanding family and compassionate and caring friends.

I also came to learn that there were those who would try to use the very scriptures I loved to read, against me. I came to know that this belief grew in ignorance and darkness.  I read a book by The Most Reverend John Shelby Sprong retired Bishop of the Episcopal Church Diocese of Newark NJ (who I have had the occasional pleasure to meet) entitled “Lving in Sin” where he explains that fundamentalists misinterpretations of scripture conclude that that “which is abnormal is an abomination”.  The learned person knows homosexuals are born homosexual. Bishop Spong concludes that ipso facto– that there is no sin for the homosexual person because my homosexuality is for me normal. Created by God as his glorious gift to me, to reflect his love back to his creation.

This was very liberating to me as a gay Christian. I found myself accepted and blessed as I opened my heart and soul to God in prayer and came to understand his love for me!

It was with this knowledge that I came to find St. Aelred of Rievaulx (pronounced: ree-VOH) (b.1109-d.1167) and so appreciate his impact that I have named my ministry after him.  Born to a Catholic priest, Aelred at first grew to become a squire to King David I of Scotland and then ‘Head of Household’.  But moved by the Holy Spirit, he left the service of the king to enter the service of God being ordained in 1134.  He became a monk at the Abbey of Rievaulx. His reputation as a great teacher understanding of God and his works, and his embrace of his fellow monks in friendship, led to his election as Abbot of the monestary. So known was his regard that the numbers of monks at Reievaulx rose to over 750. His popularity prompted King Edward the Confessor of England to invite him to preach at Westminster Abbey in his later years. He was canonized a saint by the Roman Catholic Church after his death.

St. Aelred was known to write many works. First known as a historian, writing the biographies of kings of England, he is most remembered for his writings on his relationships and friendships among the monks in his Abbey.  He cited these frienships as proof of God’s love for us- by living that love through our friends. He would tell his monks; “be friends to each other and that will earn the friendship of God.”

Even in those times, there were those who accused St. Aelred of being homosexual, a charge he did not dispute. In his most famous work, Speculum Caritatis (The Mirror of Charity c.1142), Aelred responds: “Some emotions are not ours to command. Others will pass judgement, even with my tears that my love is to real. Let them think as they will. But you Lord, with your divine mercy, see not only what is outward but what is within. I love those that God calls for me to love. I reach out to hold the hand that God reaches out for me to take. To cherish those that God calls upon me to cherish. Friend cleaving to friend in the spirit of Christ.”

The words have been an inspiration and a comfort to me, for those that would seek to use God against me. “Whoever claims to love God, yet hates a brother or sister in Christ is a liar. For whoever hates a brother or sister, whom they have seen; cannot love Christ who they have not seen.” (1 John 4:20)  “For no one has ever seen God, but if you love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.” (1 John 4:12)

So then this is how God lives today among us- by living his love for us, through us. We must come to understand that we must embrace and love those that, as St. Aelred reminds us- “love those that God calls for [us] to love.” We must wrap ourselves in that love- so God can love- God can live!

“Therefore, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility and patience. Forgive one another, as Christ forgave you. For of all the virtues- put on love. It is love that binds us together. Let the peace of Christ be in your hearts.” (Colossians 3:12-15)

That really says it all. “Let the peace of Christ be in your hearts.” Amen.

It’s All About Jesus ~ Fr. Seraphim McCune

The next day the crowd that had stayed on the other side of the sea saw that there had been only one boat there. They also saw that Jesus had not got into the boat with His disciples, but that His disciples had gone away alone. Then some boats from Tiberias came near the place where they had eaten bread after the Lord had given thanks. So when the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor His disciples were there, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum looking for Jesus.
When they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?” Jesus answered them, “Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for food that perishes, but for food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on Him that God the Father has set His seal.” Then they said to Him, “What must we do to perform the works of God?” Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him Whom He has sent.” So they said to Him, “What sign are you going to give us then, that we may see it and believe you? What work are You performing? Our ancestors ate manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” Then Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, it was not Moses that gave you bread from heaven, but it is My Father Who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is He Who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” They said to Him, “Sir, give us this bread always.”
Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to Me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in Me will never be thirsty.”
– The Holy Gospel According to St. John 6:22-35, New Revised Standard Version
I love St. John, chapter six. Most of you either know why or can surmise from my devotion to the Blesséd Sacrament why that is. My experiences in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist are powerful and extraordinary. But that is not the only reason I love this chapter and the “Great Eucharistic Discourse.” Like with all things Providential, God never does anything for just one reason. Jesus did not die on the Cross of Golgotha just to save us from the penalties of our sins, He also died to make us holy, even as He is holy. He also died to teach us what real love looks like. I could go on and on, I am sure, but I think you get the point I am making here. God does the same with Scripture. No passage of Scripture has a single meaning. I believe that the Alexandrian school of interpretation had it right. You have both the obvious surface passage. It is important, timeless, and (I believe) inerrant. But you also have more subtle meanings and layers of richness and depth which are also there like the layers of an onion to be pealed back and discovered. So it is with St. John, chapter six.
St. John’s “Great Eucharistic Discourse” is, of course, the primary layer in this passage. It clearly identifies Jesus with the Eucharist. But there is another, perhaps more subtle, layer here. “It’s all about Jesus.” How often have we heard that line from this preacher, or that one? I have heard it so often even before my conversion to Christianity 20 years ago that it was already trite by the time I came to have faith. Yet, it is so true. Here in St. John’s passage today, it really is “all about Jesus.”
Jesus is the center of the universe. He must be the reason for everything we do. He must never become spiritual fire insurance. He must never be our co-pilot. He must never be our chum, our buddy. He is our friend, but He is also our Lord, our King, our God. He is the Creator of heaven and earth and all that in them is. The Jews of Jesus’ day asked Him what sign He would give them. “God gave us manna,” they say to Him. He shows them that He is the real manna. He is the source of life, the sustainer of life, and the only one Who can give us life. This must be our focus. We will, like St. Peter, sink if we take our eyes off Him and focus on the storm.
Turning to Ephesians, chapter four, we read:
And so, as a prisoner in the Lord, I beg you to walk in a manner worthy of the vocation to which you have been called: with all humility and meekness, with patience, supporting one another in charity. Be anxious to preserve the unity of the Spirit within the bonds of peace. One body and one Spirit: to this syou have been called by the one hope of your calling: one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all, and through all, and in us all. Yet to each one of us there has been given grace according to the measure allotted by Christ. Because of this, he says: “Ascending on high, he took captivity itself captive; he gave gifts to men.” Now that he has ascended, what is left except for him also to descended, first to the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is the same one who also ascended above all the heavens, so that he might fulfill everything. And the same one granted that some would be Apostles, and some Prophets, yet truly others evangelists, and others pastors and teachers, for the sake of the perfection of the saints, by the work of the ministry, in the edification of the body of Christ, until we all meet in the unity of faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God, as a perfect man, in the measure of the age of the fullness of Christ. So may we then no longer be little children, disturbed and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the wickedness of men, and by the craftiness which deceives unto error. Instead, acting according to truth in charity, we should increase in everything, in him who is the head, Christ himself. For in him, the whole body is joined closely together, by every underlying joint, through the function allotted to each part, bringing improvement to the body, toward its edification in charity.
  • Ephesians 4:1-16, Catholic Public Domain Version
This passage is really a how-to for the clergy of the Church of Jesus Christ. This tells us our “mission statement” and who it is that is to undertake this lofty goal. We are called to peace, unity (so far as possible), humility, and meekness. We have all been called by one calling in hope in our One Lord, in His one faith, sacramentally incorporated in the Church’s one baptism. Yet, there is a diversity of gifts and offices. Some are Apostles (or bishops in our day), some prophets (either the apocalyptic sort that fore-warn us, or the didactic kind that forth-tell things as they are even though few are likely to listen), there are evangelists (those who preach the faith, but are not necessarily pastors), some are pastors (who are called to shepherd the flock of Christ), and teachers (who give catechetical lessons to both the new and the long-term believers about what our faith consists of and how to live it out).
Each of these ministries has a unique role in carrying out one thing: to bring to perfection the Body of Christ. Like an army, we are certainly diversified and have many roles, but all are essential. Our job as clergy and religious is to bring about the education and perfection of those given to us, either to lead directly or to influence for a time. Our call is really to point out that it really is “All about Jesus.” It is not about us. It is not about the Order of Preachers, Reformed, our various denominations, or any other grouping. These are all (hopefully) aids in getting from here to there, but they are not our goal. It is not about the numbers of people we serve or help (and we want those numbers to be high!). It is all about Jesus.
Jesus is our Bread of Life. This is true both metaphorically, and in the Real Presence in the Eucharist. He is our spiritual food that sustains us. As long as we remember that everything we do is to be done with this in mind, then we are on the right path. We really will find ourselves surprised to hear the words of the Good Shepherd, “Well done thou good and faithful servant…” When you look into the eyes of “the least of these My brethern,” whether they are a joy to be around or a cross to bear, remember that it is all about Jesus.