Of debts, defaults and deals

       The following may seem a bit more political that usual.  It may seem that this is not the correct place for this type of message.  Some of you may agree, other may disagree.  I might even be accused of being a liberal- horrors.  For me it is a matter of justice.

       Being a member of AARP I  received a solicitation for funds with a request to sign a piece of paper that would have been sent to my US Representative and Senators.  If you're over 55 and belong to AARP perhaps you received this piece of mail also.  And so I thought I'd cut out the middle man/person and send a message myself.  The Internet is great for being able to send messages to a variety of people, especially elected officials.  It's not something I regularly do but I thought I'd give it a go.  If you've been alive and breathing these past few days and weeks perhaps you too are a bit tired of the endless discussions, childish bickering and senseless tantrums that pretty much got us nowhere.  It seems so ludicrous to me that something that was given as a a tax cut and a supposed incentive to do something that it never did, create jobs, is still being touted by the falsity of that claim and as something that cannot be touched.  Where is the outrage of the average American citizen those who can't see beyond the political posturing that seems to be creating more damage than good, that is benefiting the few instead of the many.  That  many are the vast numbers who are out of work, 14.1 million who are not gaining any benefit at all from a tax cut that is supposed to help create jobs for them.  Something has to be done to help the jobless, the elderly and those with little or no recourse to basic health care.

The following is what I sent:


       As a citizen of the United States I am very dismayed by the childishness and irresponsibility that has been so evident these past few weeks and months in Congress.  The people of this country are being held captive by those committed to serving the people of the country, not their own interests or political affiliations.

It seems incredible that the same argument about getting rid of the tax credit for the most wealthy, that of creating jobs, is still being used.  With the tax credits in place for the past years where are the jobs.  Those tax credits, quite evidently are not working.  How exactly is making harmful cuts to Social Security and Medicare going to help the common person? On the contrary it will make their lives more difficult as they must determine what to cut out of their needs, not their wants.  Let's face it the wealthy, in losing tax credits will not have to sacrifice on needs, if perhaps their wants or luxuries are curtailed a bit.  Some of our Senators and Representatives need to get a conscience when it comes to service.

Like it or not there are basic needs that must be exempt from the cutting block, tax credits are not included in a list of conscientious cuts.  Essential benefits to tens of millions of older Americans and basic health care services for older Americans to lead healthy lives must be protected for the well-being and welfare, not to mention the reputation of our nation as a caring society.  Before asking seniors and the most unprotected to pay more I urge you to, I quote from the AARP, cut ineffective government spending, "from tax loopholes to pork barrel spending."  I urge you and your colleagues to do something courageous which will benefit the greater majority, and not do just what would benefit the few at the top level of society and ensure full coffers for re-election campaigns. 

Easter Bulletin Message

Χριστός ἀνέστη!  Ἀληθῶς ἀνέστη!

Christos Anesti! Alithos Anesti!

When our brothers and sisters of the Orthodox Churches arrive at their celebration of the Great and Holy Pascha, they will gather prior to midnight on Holy Saturday so that they are present for that hour when the Bishop or Priest enters the church carrying the candle which signifies Christ’s triumph over death.  As they depart that celebration in the wee hours of Easter Sunday they will greet one another with the words written above: “Christ is Risen! Truly, He is Risen!”  Although our celebration begins slightly earlier than midnight we celebrate no less the mystery of our Salvation when Christ tramples death and ushers in the Resurrection for all who believe.  As we entered the Church for the celebration of the Easter Vigil it was completely in darkness.  This is a reminder to us that we are in the womb, the darkened tomb from which we are called to be reborn.  As we each light our candles from the Paschal Candle, recently blessed, we are reminded of the Light of Christ that we received at our Baptism, the only Light that can illuminate and remove the darkness of sin.  As the church becomes lighted ever brighter we experience in sight, sound and smell that the shadows of Lent are gone, transformed by the glory of God’s creation in the flowers, lights and beauty of the occasion.  Christ is truly Risen and is in our midst.  It is in this Easter reality that we renew our Baptismal promises because the Lord is raised and has “conquered the power of death and opened for us the way to eternal life.”  May this celebration “raise us up and renew our lives by the Spirit that is within us!”  (from the Opening prayer for Easter Sunday.)  May the risen Lord breathe on our minds and open our eyes that we may know Him in the breaking of the bread, and follow Him in His risen life. (from the Alternative Opening Prayer for Easter Sunday.)

Please remember that the one collection of this Easter weekend is for the Retired Clergy Fund.  During the past few years it was vastly and dangerously underfunded.  At risk was the ability to pay for medical costs for the priests and also for the retirement pay to those priests who have devoted their lives to serving the Church and the People of God.  Much restructuring has taken place and the administration of these funds is greatly improved.  It is very imperative that we realize the importance of this collection and of continuing to give generously to support the many priests who benefit from this collection.  Please be as generous as possible to this very important appeal, and may the Lord bless your generosity.

Welcome to all who are here with us this weekend.  Guests, visitors, students home for Easter break, family members visiting for Easter, whoever you are and whatever brings you here to this celebration of Easter, WELCOME!  

“Christ is Risen!  Truly He is Risen!” 

May you and your family celebrate a truly Glorious Easter!

Peace & Joyous Blessings of this Sacred Easter Season,

Fr. Walter, Fr. Jimmy, Fr. Cristiano, Fr. Leonel and the entire Parish Staff

 Χριστός ἀνέστη!  Ἀληθῶς ἀνέστη!

Christos Anesti! Alithos Anesti!

            Ao chegarem à sua Celebração da Grande e Santa Páscoa, os nossos irmãos e irmãs das Igrejas Ortodoxas juntam-se todos antes da meia-noite, na noite de Sábado Santo, para estarem presentes na hora em que o Bispo ou o sacerdote entra na Igreja levando o Círio que significa o Triunfo de Cristo sobre a morte. Ao saírem da Celebração durante as horas madrugadoras do Domingo de Páscoa, eles cumprimentam-se uns aos outros com as palavras acima indicadas: “Cristo Ressuscitou! Verdadeiramente, Ressuscitou! Contudo, a nossa Celebração começa um pouco antes da meia-noite para celebrar nada mais que o mesmo. O mistério da salvação quando Cristo calcou aos pés e venceu a morte para todos os que acreditam. Quando entramos na Igreja para a nossa Celebração da Vigília Pascal estamos completamente às escuras. Isto lembra-nos que estamos dentro do túmulo. Desse túmulo escuro somos chamados a renascer. Ao acendermos cada uma das nossas velas a partir do Círio Pascal recentemente benzido, somos chamados a lembrar a Luz de Cristo, que nós recebemos no dia do nosso Baptismo. A única Luz que pode iluminar e retirar a escuridão do pecado. Com a iluminação da Igreja cada vez mais brilhante revivemos a experiência do som e do cheiro que a sombra da Quaresma nos deixou e terminou, transformados pela glória e pela criação de Deus nas flores, luz e beleza da ocasião. Cristo Ressuscitou verdadeiramente e está entre nós. É nesta realidade da Páscoa que renovamos as Promessas Baptismais porque o Senhor Ressuscitou, venceu o poder da morte e abriu-nos o caminho da vida eterna. Que esta Celebração levante e renove as nossas vidas pelo Espírito que está em nós.

Por favor tenham em conta que a colecta única feita neste fim-de-semana da Páscoa é para o Fundo para o Clero Reformado. Durante os últimos anos o fundo foi perigosamente subfinanciado. Em risco estava a possibilidade de pagar as despesas médicas dos padres e também do pagamento da reforma daqueles padres que dedicaram as suas vidas servindo a Igreja e o Povo de Deus. Muita reestruturação já aconteceu e a administração deste fundo está muito aperfeiçoada. É um imperativo que reconheçamos a importância deste ofertório e continuar a apoiar generosamente os muitos padres que beneficiarão desta colecta. Faço um apelo à vossa generosidade para este importantíssimo apelo, e que o Senhor abençoe a vossa generosidade.

           

Bem-vindos a todos os que estão aqui connosco este fim-de-semana. Convidados, visitantes, estudantes em casa para as férias da Páscoa, membros de família que se encontram de visita, quem quer que seja e o que lhes trouxe de volta aqui a esta celebração da Páscoa, BENVINDOS!

“Cristo Ressuscitou! Verdadeiramente Ressuscitou!”

Que com a vossa família, celebrem todos uma Páscoa Gloriosa.

Paz e Alegres Bençãos neste Santo Tempo Pascal,

Padre Walter, Padre Jimmy, Padre Cristiano, Padre Leonel e a equipa paroquial.

Domingo de Ramos com Padre Walter Carreiro/Palm Sunday Sermon in Portuguese

Domingo de Ramos com Padre Walter Carreiro

These posts are a bit out of order, but this is the sermon for the preceding post about the blessing of palms and procession with the Brazilian community in Marlboro.  Naturally the language is Portuguese.
Click on the link above to go to the Page of the Brazilian Apostolate- "Apostolado Brasileiro," which has a posting of the video of the Homily.
Blessings of Holy Saturday as we anticipate the celebration of the Resurrection at the Easter Vigil.

Domingo de Ramos em Marlboro ~ Palm Sunday in Marlborough

This was an excellent celebration.  The Brazilian Communities sure know how to celebrate the Triumphant Entry of Jesus into Jerusalem on Palm/Passion Sunday.  I was lucky enough to have been invited to celebrate with this particular community in Marlborough.  It was my second time celebrating there so we were somewhat familiar with one another.  The priest from Brasil, who was attending to their spiritual needs, had to return in January after being here for the time allowed, usually three years.  In the meantime, as they await another priest from "home" they have to put up with visiting priests, like me, who come in when our schedules allow.  The parochial vicar, Fr. Jim, from my parish will be celebrating Mass there on Easter Sunday.  Pray for them that a priest from Brasil comes soon to continue to lead them and attend to their spiritual needs.  Thanks to Hercules Werneck for posting this video on YouTube.  He is a tireless Minister of the Media for the Brazilian Apostolate.

Good Friday ~ Ecce Homo ~ Behold the Man ~ Eis o Homem

How shall I make a return to the LORD
for all the good he has done for me?
The cup of salvation I will take up,
and I will call upon the name of the LORD.  Psalm 116: 12-13

Como agradecerei ao Senhor

tudo quanto Ele me deu?

Elevarei o cálice da salvação,

invocando o nome do Senhor. Salmo 116: 12-13

God and Man at Table are Sat Down

Every time I hear the theme from the movie "Schindler's List" I hear the melody of this song.  The song is "God and Man at Table are Sat Down."  In the midst of the horrors of the holocaust there were some who sat down with God to accomplish some good.  I haven't searched for the song in a long time but behold I found it today and with such spectacular images of Yosemite National Park.  And that leads to another reflection.  After I first left from studies for the priesthood, then from formation for a missionary society I moved to California.  I got a job teaching in the lovely San Joaquin Middle School, in the Diocese of Stockton.  The nuns who ran the school, Dominican Sisters of San Rafael, were a great community very warm, kind and generous.  My first long weekend off I decided to go to Yosemite National Park.  My hope was to see the place, take a few days away, alone, and be on a kind of retreat.  What a retreat it was.  As I hiked around the place, visiting a couple of different falls and walking along many paths I reflected on the paths my life had taken to get me where I was at that moment.  I pondered about whether I had made the right decision in leaving studies and family, friends and home and move to a place where all these things would be absent.  But what an opening it made, I would later realize, for so many other people and things and events.  On that weekend journey, as I stopped by an opening in the path I hiked a little above ground level and found a rock from where I pondered the massiveness and the stupendous beauty of the place, filled with a majesty I hadn't ever experienced anywhere before.  I reflected that if God had to find a place to retreat, here on earth, it might be there at Yosemite.  It was perfect home for Him and a perfect place to be with the Lord.  As you listen to the song allow the images to transport you to the place where you imagine God would rest when coming to our world. After you have rested there come back, realize that the place where God chose to rest here on earth was in the person of Jesus Christ.  It is in Him that God chooses to be with us.  It is in us that Jesus chooses to be united in the presence of the sacrament of His Body and Blood.  It makes me think of the line from the song, "Gift of Finest Wheat," "Whom all the world cannot contain, comes in our hearts to dwell."  That is nothing short of phenomenal!  In all the majesty and splendor where we sense the presence of God, imagine the reality that He comes into this creation of flesh and bone to dwell.  Thus is the Mystery of the Eucharist.  God and man at table are sat down, but it is God who invites us to the Eucharistic Table.  Our presence is a response to the Divine Grace of the invitation.  We respond most fully when we get up and bring others to the same table with us! 

Question 2: While no interpretation can capture Jesus' full identity, which one of the portrayals of Jesus described in (Roger) Haight's chapter (prophet, teacher, healer, or liberator) seems most credible to you and most relevant to the American context today? Why?

Thesis: It seems to me that the most relevant portrayal of Jesus today remains one of the earliest used of Jesus in the identity of the earliest Christians- “soteros”/savior.

I would have to say that I was a bit disappointed by Haight’s portrayals of Jesus and found them to be lacking.  This was good because, in my own bias of being a teacher, I was ready to select Jesus as teacher.  What I found, however, was a description of Jesus as more a member of the “Tea Party” movement, especially given the description of the “Cynic,” which I admit this was a novel description for me.  Perhaps given the context in which we find ourselves as a nation today this may be the most apt and relevant portrayal.

The portrayal, however that I find most relevant is that of Jesus as Savior or Liberator.  At a person’s most fundamental level, I believe there is a need for salvation or even better stated- liberation.  Currently the human person is tethered to so many things and to so many activities, counter to those of faith that s/he is barely able to concentrate on that which is essential for salvation, namely (as stated in the Rite of Baptism) living the practice of the faith by loving God and neighbor.  In discussing the portrayal of Jesus as Savior or Liberator I realize that Haight is presenting an eschatological model.  In the end that is what is most relevant, that the human person is concerned with her/his salvation and liberation from that which is of this world.  Unless there is an understanding by the person of being so dependent and attached to the things of this world there may be little hope for a true recognition of he who is integral to our salvation, the God who is revealed as Jesus.  Even in the earliest identification of one Christian to another in using the symbol of the fish, or icqus, the sigma stood for “soteros” or savior, as in Jesus Christ, God, Son, Savior.  It would seem that from the earliest this was an integral identity of Christ.  Although the liberation which is described is at a more structural level, I think one needs to be liberated internally first to then be able to be a true disciple and cooperate in the saving ministry of liberating others, especially those oppressed by the current situation of our nation. 

Annunciation of the Lord

Join me as I celebrate the Solemnity of the Annunciation on Catholic TV.  The Mass was from Friday, March 25th.
Annunciation of the Lord

The Annunciation/Incarnation

This past Friday was March 25th, if you're somewhat astute you'll realize that it is 9 months until Christmas.  In the Catholic Church we celebrate the Solemnity of the Annunciation on this date.  The following is the story of the Annunciation by the angel Gabriel to Mary from the the Lucan Infancy Narrative (Luke Chapter 1: 26-38):

 In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth,

to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin's name was Mary.

And coming to her, he said, "Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you."

But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.

Then the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.

Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus.

He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father,

and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end."

But Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?" 

And the angel said to her in reply, "The holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God.

And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren;

for nothing will be impossible for God."

Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word." Then the angel departed from her. 

I like to (and think as a Church we should) refer to the day as the Feast of the Incarnation.  We often pray for the "Cherishing and Protection of human life from the moment of conception until natural death."  The implication of the plea makes it obvious that we are, first and foremost., pro-life and that we believe life begins at the moment of conception in the womb.  It doesn't take much to realize that the Annunciation then is the celebration of that moment when God took on the human form of our flesh in what we call and proclaim our belief as the Incarnation.  It is such a solemn belief and we accept it with such profound reverence that when we proclaim it in the Nicene-Constantinople creed on Christmas and this Solemnity we genuflect at the words "by the power of the Holy Spirit He (Jesus) was born of the Virgin Mary and became man," and otherwise bow.

The Incarnation, Msgr. Anthony A. LaFemina, Copyright © 2000

At Saint Anthony Parish we've come up with a group in favor of life called the Incarnation Group.  For the Anunciation/Incarnation we came up with a way to remember, which was to join narrow baby blue and pink ribbons to a wider white one, making a loop and pinning it on to our clothes.  The white represents innocence and sanctity of life and the blue and pink ribbons are for the infant boys and girls never born.  The group made over 600 ribbons that we distributed with the adjoining Icon, created by Msgr. Anthony LaFemina, to the parishioners.  To read more about the Icon link to the following web page: http://wf-f.org/03-1-IconExpl.html.  It was also great to have celebrated the Mass of the Annunciation on Catholic TV and explain the work of the Incarnation Group.  It would be great if, in addition to doing something as the Catholics of our nation, we did more than just march on Washington on the anniversary of the Supreme Court Roe v. Wade decision in January and pray for life as we celebrate the Month of the Rosary in October that we proclaim from every corner of the world where Mass is celebrated that as we commemorate the Annunciation/Incarnation we defend, proclaim and challenge the Innocence, Dignity, Sanctity and Protection of all Human life from the Moment of Conception!  Our Lady of the Annunciation.  Pray for us.
The following is a painting by Henry Ossawa Tanner, son of a Minister, who painted and drew many religious figures.  The painting was on display during an exhibit at the M.H. de Young Museum in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park.  I was living in California at the time and was privileged to have seen the original.  It's one of my favorite depictions of the Annunciation.

Tanner, Henry Ossawa
The Annunciation
1898
Oil on canvas
57 x 71 1/2 in. (144.78 x 181.61 cm)
Philadelphia Museum of Art

Question: In spite of the difficulties in recovering the historical Jesus, why do most contemporary theologians believe that grasping a basic knowledge of Jesus’ life is decisive for Christology?

Thesis: Without a basic knowledge of Jesus, rooted in history, Christianity and its adherents run the risk of following, not only a faith, but a person based on mere legend and fantasy.

Unfortunately it is often this Jesus based on the simple piety of the faithful that is more often than not encountered in their praxis and their prayer.  At best it is a “faith divorced from history” (Wright, p. 16) which puts them in the attic rather than the dungeon.  Often times in the practice of preaching to the faithful I have fond the need and the desire to inform them that there is a historical Jesus.  When it comes to matters that are sensitive to their faith, whether or not Jesus said something, which they have clung to for most of their lives, there is much resistance.  If on the other hand if the fact is something new to them it is welcomed as a means to help them understand the Lord better.  For instance using the same event, Jesus calming the waters and the storm of Lake Genessaret, can be viewed as something quite far-fetched.  If on the other hand there is evidence available (as occurred to me first-hand) that the waters, at any given moment can be stirred up because of the wind sweeping across the plains of Galilee, and in another moment stop because the wind has died down, the story becomes that much more real and palatable.  The current events give credence to the historical stories of some miracles and put them in a context for acceptance if not belief. 

            Again the story of the feeding of the multitudes is given a much better understanding after having visited the place of the miracle.  I am told that one should not disparage the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes by explaining away that perhaps the miracle was that Jesus opened the minds and hearts of those present to be generous with the food they had obtained at market.  With the self-centeredness and ego of some people it is not hard to imagine the miracle it took to make them generous.  In addition looking at the same place where the sermon took place it is also not hard to imagine why Matthew, writing to a Jewish community would place Jesus at the top of the hill looking down as it were from a mountain.  In Luke, having no tradition of God speaking from on high he would describe, as if looking across rather than down from the peak of the Mount of Beatitudes or looking up from the sea as a plain and not a mount. 

            All of this is to reiterate what Rausch states when he says that the “object of faith … must always be the Christ of Faith” (Rausch, p. 12) and not the “historical Jesus.” “But that faith must be rooted in the Jesus of history, lest it become a mere mythologization of the founder of Christianity.” (Rausch p. 12)  

So here goes...

What follows now is the series of reflections from the course on Christology.  When class ended for vacation some fellow classmates asked what I was doing for break.  I replied that class was my break.  Inasmuch as I usually rush around to get things done prior to leaving for class or rush around after class making up for the time I was at class, it really is a break to get away from things of the parish and the rectory and spend some time for lecture, discussion and especially contact with people I would otherwise not have met.  And so it really is a break from the usual day-to-day.
Our class reflections follow the same pattern.  In the previous class we're given a question upon which to reflect.  From those reflections we produce a one page paper.  What follows are my reflections on these questions.  I'll post the "Question" as the Title and then add in my response.  If this is a disaster we can blame Neto, the professor.  Naturally I jest, I thank him for his recommendation that I share my writings with others.  He probably didn't have all this in mind though.

What to post?

The first question is actually why am I blogging?  I don't know.  Perhaps just because it's there.  I certainly don't think I have anything earth shattering to say.  Nor do I think that everything I do is worthy of a blog.  We did lose one of our pets at the rectory recently.  Why is that worthy of this blog?  Well it's because Maga was a special cat.  Even her name refers to the Magi; merely because she was adopted from a shelter by my predecessor on January 6th, the Feast of the Epiphany.  I assumed ownership (or is it parenthood as she was adopted) when I became pastor here, not very easy since I already had Tobey (a topic for another blog post.)  Maga was a great friend of all who came to the rectory, from overnight guests to visitors at the door.  She had an usual, or rather atypical, feline friendliness.  Her style was to greet anyone and everyone.  I think deep down she thought they might feed her some treats.  She was rather obese.  The poor thing had developed stones in her bladder, which we noticed just a few weeks ago.  What to do?  Should we just let her live out her life, as she would in the wild, or do something to alleviate her pain?  We did the latter.  Normally she would have come out of the surgery and recovered soon, even in spite of the 80 stones removed.  What we didn't realize is that she was losing blood and became anemic.  While I might have been able to justify the surgery it was harder to do so for a transfusion that would have been upwards of $1,000 dollars.  You can't just get feline blood at a blood bank for cats.  Eventually the combination of complications arising from the illness were alas, too much for her to bear.  Fr. Cristiano and I visited her a couple of days before she passed to confer with Dr. Katia, her very loving veterinarian.  She is survived by the four priests living here, a very caring housekeeper, parish secretary, the Director of Religious Education, a special friend and Tobey, her feline rectory mate.  As have I only known her for the past three years so have they known each other.  I really didn't think they were very fond of each other, but now I think he is really missing her.  He walks around the house as if looking for something and has taken up a rather strange meow in the evening.  The other night he found a mouse, something he hadn't done in a very long time.  Maybe he's afraid the same unknown end might come to him if he doesn't contribute to his living.  Maybe he is just missing Maga.

No I didn't begin this blog to write about our pets but it has been a start.  As I write you'll probably hear more about Tobey and the other priests in the rectory, Fr. Jim who is the parochial vicar; Fr. Cristiano who is from Brazil and is here studying toward a Doctorate and Fr. Leonel who is from Portugal and is also studying.  I'm sure you'll also read more about the others who work here at the parish.

I had thought that these initial posts would be of reflection papers for a course that I am auditing at Boston College, School of Theology and Ministry.  It's been 15 years since I was ordained and so I thought it wouldn't hurt to take some classes and do some reading concerning ministry.  The first class is Christology.  Who knew that by now the time I returned to studies that there would be a Third Quest for the Historical Jesus.  Each week for the course there is a reflection paper.  Although they are not required as I am an auditor, I thought it best to avail myself of the opportunity to write and thereby make myself delve deeper into the assigned readings.  On one of the papers the professor wrote that he hoped I was sharing the papers with others, hence the birth of this blog.  You can be the judge, just don't be the grader!  They will follow soon...