Fr. Jim Schwartz will lead a 3:00pm Holy Hour in-person at the Church of the Holy Spirit on Sunday, April 11, Divine Mercy Sunday. Also available on Facebook Live @JamesSchwartz.
The Joint Parish Council of Holy Spirit and St. Joseph invite you for a State-of-the-Parish update as we begin the new year. January 19, 7pm on Zoom. Comments and questions may be sent in advance or via chat and Q&A during the meeting. Register to receive a link. Email questions in advance to schwartz@dor.org.
“He saved his life!” THAT is the thought that raced through my head as I heard my brother share with me his memories of what happened to him on March 24 after getting phone calls that day from my sister that he had collapsed in his front yard, was unresponsive and was headed by ambulance to the hospital. That neighbor, that EMT, that doctor had all helped save his life. Thank God, a neighbor called 911 so quickly and my brother is ok. As I have reflected on this, I could not help but think that phrase is something we can all say as witnesses to the Good Fridays of our lives. “He saved my life.” And that “he” is Jesus. Jesus saved my life on Good Friday. The good thief on the cross can say that. The woman caught in the act of adultery can say that. The lepers that were cured can say that. But can we say that?
This evening we will celebrate the wondrous mystery of the institution of the Holy Eucharist and may choose to experience the washing of the feet, Jesus’ merciful act at the Last Supper. The Last Supper was the most intimate moment in the life of Jesus. At the conclusion of the washing of the feet Jesus says to his humbled and confused followers: “I have given you a model to follow: so that as I have done to you, you should also do.”
That moment we recognize that God stays with us, changes us. Prayer helps us to discern God’s presence and be transformed by the encounter, even if we don’t realize right away that God is with us.
...This is where the heart and soul of our parish life is: grounded in the Gospel call to share the Good News and care for the poor. Recently some critics of the Church would have you believe that you have another mandate: to withhold your support of Gospel-missioned parishes and diocesan initiatives as a way of standing with the victims of clergy sexual abuse. We as a community of believers always stand with the victims of sexual abuse. We, as a parish staff, share our resolve that this mandate to withhold support is wrong-hearted. The withholding of support for the good work of Catholic parishes does not provide the love and support and care that these victims deserve; it only serves to harm others.
Catholic social teaching inspires and guides how we are to live and work in the world. In this principle, Life and Dignity of the Human Person, Jesus reminds us that we are all made in God's image and likeness. That means that every human being has a special value and a purpose. We need to care for each other so we can be the people God calls us to be.
For me, the joy of the third Sunday of Advent started a week early. Last weekend, Greg and I spent the weekend with my family on Long Island, my sisters and brother, my niece and her five-year-old, Tommy. Tommy is in kindergarten at Holy Family in our hometown of Hicksville. He’s very proud of his school and parish and was eager to take us to Mass with him on Sunday. Over the weekend, he had been singing an Advent prayer he learned at school. Imagine these words to the tune of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star: “Advent is a time to wait; not yet time to celebrate.” When we got to Holy Family on Sunday, I noticed the Nativity set up near the main entrance. Tommy and I went over to take a look and I asked why he thought Jesus wasn’t in the manger yet. Expecting him to break into, “Advent is a time to wait; not yet time to celebrate…” I was surprised when he got all distressed and blurted out, “They must still be working on it!” He was clearly miffed, thinking someone had forgotten the baby Jesus.
It’s easy to say the words that we go forth from Mass to love God and love neighbor but what are the most challenging parts of that for each of us as we live out our faith in real time? Like the disciples of Jesus’ day, we might reflect on what Jesus’ inclusiveness means in our times. Do I love people who do not look or act or think like me? Do I love the co-worker who requires extra patience and understanding? Do I love the family member who’s an expert at pushing my buttons? Do I love people who vote for the other party? Do I love the kid who bullies my child at school? Do I love people who commit heinous acts of violence
As a priest for 50 years and being in seminary formation for 12 years prior to ordination in 1968, I am deeply ashamed of this criminal violation of the sacred trust given to priests to proclaim the love and care of Jesus to our young parishioners. We need to move heaven and earth to uncover whatever horrors of sexual abuse remain secret and do everything in our power to prevent this from ever happening again.
This summer I had opportunity to reflect on St. Joe's RCIA history as I facilitated a guided study on the RCIA with several graduate students at St. Bernard’s, including our own Director of Faith Formation, Jeanne Mooney. Throughout the time we spent with the other students, what was abundantly clear was how blessed our parish is by the diverse individuals who seek Christ and choose to prepare for the sacraments with our RCIA team. Because of the amazing people who have become Catholic with us, I found that I was teaching the St. Bernard’s course, for all intents and purposes, from the wealth of stories we have accumulated over the past decade.
Have you ever felt you were in the just the right place and at the right time? Maybe you didn’t recognize it then, but did afterwards. I believe that our living God sometimes places us right where we should be! Our God has a way of directing us even though we may not be aware of His hand in our lives.
As someone who likes to be well-prepared for any and all occasions, I love to visual what’s going on in this Gospel. It sets the stage for how Jesus will encounter his disciples at the Last Supper. Much like what is going on here at St. Joseph’s to prepare for the Triduum liturgies and the reception of our RCIA Elect and the sacred celebration of Easter, Jesus gave the disciples, Peter and John, very clear instructions about how they would celebrate the Passover together – a Passover that would turn out to be unlike any other.
How often have each of us wished that God would communicate with us directly, to have a burning bush experience like Moses. To experience God directly, we want to take off our shoes and approach God. We want to hear from God personally and understand what God has planned for us. We want to understand the unfathomable. But this can feel out of reach, beyond our grasp. Isn’t it hard for us to quiet ourselves, and allow ourselves to hear God’s voice in our life? This is made even more difficult with all the “noise and busyness” in our life. To ignore all the voices telling us what we need to do – what we need to own, that we need to be constantly connected to this materialistic world – a world filled with hidden and not so hidden demons.
It’s the time of year when we roll out the old and bring in the new. It’s the time for making new resolutions, new promises to ourselves. We resolve to devote more time to family life; we resolve to work more efficiently; and we decide to become healthier by dieting and exercising. Our resolutions are filled with our dreams and hopes and goals for the coming year. But the question that the Scriptures today invite us to reflect on is: What are God’s plan for us this year? Instead of focusing on our resolutions for the New Year, may we be open to God’s resolutions for us this year.
Songwriters for How the Grinch Stole Christmas first asked the question, Where are you Christmas? Now the song is a staple in our Christmas playlists. This Advent, my wise spiritual director gave me the homework of being mindful of where I find Christmas. To illuminate his point, he shared the story of a man whose Christmas miracle was an unexpected family reconciliation. I left my time in spiritual direction thinking I would have to remember my homework! But I need not have worried. The question resonated with me throughout each day and I couldn’t help but reflect on it in my heart. As I write this, we still have a week to go until Christmas and yet I have been blessed already with so many Christmas miracles, miracles made known to me by the coming of an infant lying in a manger.
A group of fourth graders in our Wednesday Night Faith Formation were brainstorming ways to get ready to meet Jesus in Heaven. “Pray,” “Read the Bible,” and “Be kind to others,” topped the list. One busy young man was not convinced that he needed to do anything to prepare for Jesus coming; he didn’t want to add another task to his day. “It’s not like a meteor’s going to hit the Earth tomorrow,” he said, “Do we need to do this now?” For the next few weeks, we add “getting ready for Christmas” to our usual litany of tasks: instead of feeling the joy of Jesus’ coming to our world, we are feeling stressed. What would we give for a moment of peace?
In a message that set out the purpose of this day, Pope Francis wrote: “Love has no alibi. Whenever we set out to love as Jesus loved, we have to take the Lord as our example; especially when it comes to loving the poor...We are called to draw near to the poor, to encounter them, to meet their gaze, to embrace them and to let them feel the warmth of love that breaks through their solitude.”
“It’s such a busy time.” How often do we hear this? How often do we say this? Especially as the school year gets underway, Fall sports gear up, and the prospect of Christmas preparations loom on the horizon, everyone is talking about how busy they are. In our society, it’s something of a badge of honor. The busier you are, the more “swamped” you perceive yourself to be, the more important and respected you must be. If your children are super busy, you must be getting it right as a parent. Not so, Jesus would tell us. Not so.