drink up

Cappuccinos are not for everyone, being made from the stronger espresso form of coffee, but they have certainly gained popularity here in the US over the last 20 years. When I was looking up St. Lawrence of Brindisi's bio I was reminded that he was a Capuchin friar and immediately thought of the fine morning drink of choice in Rome (and 532 Market St.). Knowing that it was named after today's saint's Franciscan reform order I wondered if they had invented it, much like the many liquors and beers of the more contemplative orders like the Trappists and Benedictines. Surprisingly, I found that it was invented only a hundred years ago, and was only named such because the tan ring at the edge of the cup surrounding the foamy milk brought to mind the tonsured heads of the Capuchins. Not everything about our faith is super-deep, but if we are reminded of our faith in everything, won't it be an indication that we are more deeply living our faith? Just saying.

holiness, justice, humility

According to the prophet Micah, there are only three things that God requires of us - to be holy, just and humble. Good luck with that. What Micah indicates is that God desires that we be perfect. Guess what - He does. But living in a state of complete abandonment to His will and in complete trust in His love necessarily leads to perfection. Happily He gives us an entire life during which to allow this to take place in our hearts and every grace to fill them to overflowing. Be holy. Be just. Be humble. Seriously, He means it.

open the door to your heart

When we have unexpected guests, we are often thrown into a tailspin. What can we serve them? How long will they stay? What happens to our previously planned schedule? But in today's first reading, Abram is blessed with just this scenario. But his response is markedly different. He immediately slips into host-mode and within a few minutes, he is setting before his guests a feast and making them feel quite at home. This serves as a reminder that our heart must be as ready to receive unexpected guests - that we almost expect them before we know of their arrival. Just as our homes ought to be ready for friends to drop by, our hearts must be ready to receive them with joy - they might just be angels in disguise!

Ave Maria

When Elijah heard the still small voice on the Mount of Carmel, he surely had no knowledge of just how important that encounter would be to so many others. When several men came together in the 12th century to live in community on that selfsame mountain, they were listening for that murmuring voice to settle in their hearts. But both Elijah and the fledgling Carmelites knew that they had to have an interior quietness prior to hearing the Lord's promptings. We would do well to learn from their example - to practice listening so as to hear just how much the Lord loves us.

Good fortune

Bonaventura - Good fortune. Born in the early 1200's, this young man made quite a splash on the world scene by taking on the mantle of the minister general of the fledgling Franciscan order (the seventh to follow in Francis' feet) and teaching alongside St. Thomas Aquinas at the enormously influential University of Paris. Wow! Imagine attending classes, sitting at the feet of Bonaventure and Thomas. I would think, though that students, while at times fully engaged and receptive and at others letting minds wander to dinner invitations and parties, were no different then than they are now. But what an opportunity! Let's pray in particular for college students today to stand on the shoulders of the giants who have paved the way, so they can be the shoulders on which future students will gaze into the eyes of God and declare their love.

childish or childlike

"I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
for although you have hidden these things
from the wise and the learned
you have revealed them to the childlike."

From today's Gospel reading from Matthew 11, we hear that the Lord expects us to have prepared our hearts to receive His truth by being like children. Envision the eager faces of kids prepared to learn on the first day of school. But then there are plenty who have quite different faces. We don't always have the same zeal when it comes to learning, but that often comes from the misguided notion that we have all that we need already. When I came home one day in kindergarten and announced that I was done with school, having already learned how to read, my mom pointed to the milk carton and asked me to pronounce "homogenized". Not already having this one down, I failed miserably. She said we could revisit this topic when I knew what it was. We don't have it all down. We still need to be taught. May our hearts be not only open but eager like those of school children to sit down and learn from the heart of our Divine Master.

Soon and very soon

When the Lord spoke to His disciples about their ministry, I'm sure they had no idea what they were getting into. They had to be excited about the prospect of ministering love, preaching about new hearts and challenging their friends and relatives to transformation. But that's also where they were likely brought back to reality. Merely sharing the gospel doesn't mean at all that anyone will listen. After all, "they" knew us "when." Our own conversion stories include the normal bumps and scrapes as well as the not-so-normal ones. And those who recognize the scars of our past might have a hard time recognizing that they're scars because the Lord has healed some wound. May we be just as patient as the Lord when we witness and wait on His timing to see the effects of sharing His Word.

Won't you be my neighbor?

How many of us had the friendly invitation from Fred Rogers to be a neighbor as part of our childhood? What a great example for us to carry out in our lives. The fact that his entire show flowed from his ministry as a Presbyterian minister is known by many; a fact that, once known, colors his invitation to neighborhood life. His was not merely an invitation to just a friendly "hello" to the person on the other side of the fence. It was an invitation to opening our hearts to everyone we meet. And Jesus enables this invitation to take root and flower beautifully by His grace. May His word echo in our hearts as we simply try to live as children of God.

Words or the Word

Jesus warned his followers not to merely prattle on in prayer. He also cautioned them that just saying that they were His followers didn't make them so. Our words and actions should bespeak our interior self-gift. If we find ourselves being challenged for our faith, our response should be with the Lord's words. And these words shouldn't be new ones, unfamiliar and unpracticed. While the Holy Spirit will inspire us as to what to say - and we shouldn't worry about which ones they should be until they are necessary - that doesn't mean that we are mindless mouthpieces. No, we are challenged to be actively engaged in the conversation, meaning what we say as the Lord inspires us.

trust me

When the Lord sent His apostles on their first missionary journey, He equipped them with...nothing. Nothing they thought they would need, anyway. He told them to leave behind not only their checked baggage but their carry-ons as well. They would need only their faith in Him. Surprisingly, when they tried it, they found that they had been carrying way too much all along. They only needed their hearts to be full of His love. How much extra baggage are you carrying?

love, true love

St. Maria Goretti is one of the most important figures for today's climate of self-satisfaction. She bespeaks a tenderness clearly rooted in the strength of the Gospel. Even more sublime is that, when many thousands gathered at St. Peter's to hear Pius XII declare her canonization, her attacker (that is, her raper and murderer) was there to receive the Lord's graces as well. When we look at St. Maria, we should see not a naiive and simple girl but the Lord Himself saying, "Forgive them, they do not know what they are doing." Purity, strength, salvation.

Good, better, best

When the Lord encounters us, or, rather, when we encounter the Lord, He always has our healing in mind. We are all in need of healing, although it may not be like the woman with the hemorrhage in today's gospel passage. On the other hand, it may be quite a bit more similar than we think. We often don't even notice the areas of our lives that need to be infused with grace and receive God's healing will. Sometimes it is all too obvious to us, and we beseech the Lord in fervent prayer. Whatever our malady, the Lord's intention is that we be healed. When we entrust ourselves to the Divine Physician, His mere presence is sufficient to bring us to wholeness. And when the surgery is over, and rest assured, He won't be done with us until we're in heaven, we will rest not in the recovery room but in His heart.

My country 'tis of thee...

O.k., it's not a new notion, but it keeps coming back to me on days like these. Being a wannabe philologist I find syntax quite important, so the question "Are you a Catholic American or an American Catholic?" makes a great deal of sense to me. It matters because nouns and adjectives work differently and, especially in this case, make a great deal of difference. Are you a Catholic who happens to be an American or an American who happens to be a Catholic? Think about it.

life and death situations

We had a funeral this morning for Godlieve Jackson, who was 91. As we gathered in prayer at the altar, I was reminded that she was one more witness who has given me a clearer sense of God's love. That's the most important activity we could ever participate in. And we each have our unique way of doing that. She was suffering in many ways, and yet, at least to me, she imaged a face of Christ both patient and kind. How awesome that she could, in the midst of pain, confusion and lack of sight, be an image of peace. Would that we all did so.

Lullaby, and ... good morning!

When we see a newborn, we see opportunity, hope, potentiality. At this point in his or her life, it seems that nothing is outside of the realm of possibility. We can live vicariously for a bit, wondering how things would have gone differently in our lives if... But the difference in today's feast is that John hadn't even been born yet and was already living out his life's call. Pointing out the Savior; heralding His advent. Even the wonderful and beautiful and untainted are intended by God to be lifted to higher heights, even before they're born. May we never be satisfied with less than the divine.

Are you green, ripe or rotten?

By their fruits... Sure, we've heard the words, but how ought we to employ them? Remember the adage about the duck - if it walks like a duck, talks like a duck and looks like a duck, it must be a duck. However, since we're also supposed to be careful not to judge, how does this work? The key is in how our heart processes the information. If we see someone acting in a way other than Gospel charity, we still have the obligation to love them. We then have the obligation to help them lovingly. But we have the obligation to heed others' words of challenge when we act in harmful ways, as well. May we cultivate the Lord's garden to produce ripe and healthy hearts.

Let your conscience be your guide

The 1500s were tumultuous. But sometimes difficult times lead to amazing spiritual growth. When Henry VIII divorced his wife Catherine in favor of Anne Boleyn, and when the requested annulment was denied, St. Thomas More was caught in the middle. St. Thomas and many others were made to offer a public approval of the new and invalid marriage, yet he and a handful of others (including St. John Fisher, the bishop of Rochester at the time) could not in good conscience do so. This resulted in a trial for treason and a sentence of death. Who would challenge that one's conscience ought to be followed? That said, we have to be careful that our consciences, our interior moral guides, are properly formed.

St. Aloysius Gonzaga

Today is the feast of St. Aloysius Gonzaga, a particularly remarkable saint for today's climate. He died when he was only 23 and hadn't done much in the eyes of the world. His family discouraged his aspirations toward the priesthood, and, when he insisted on joining the Jesuits, even steered him in the direction of the diocesan priesthood so he didn't have to renounce his worldly belongings. We can learn from this young man, who showed his keen love for the Lord early in life by taking a private vow of chastity at the age of nine. May our hearts be as completely consumed with desire for our Lord.