Picture it, Sicily 1922. Oh sorry wrong forum.

Now that I have your attention, I hope you are able to stay with me here tonight. I have my eyes open for those who are thinking of falling asleep.

A very pleasant good evening to all. Fr. Anselm, Deacon Mackey thank you both for entrusting me with the task of reflecting during this 2012 Lenten season. Fr. Knowles, Fr. Tobin, and Deacon Hutcheson it is good once again that you are here with us.

Lenten Mission 2012 Day 5

Theme: Near occasions of grace

Topic: The pleasure of not doing anything useful

We are still interrupting our regular programming, because it’s so easy tomorrow to fall back in the rut, to get stuck again. Every morning when you wake up ask yourself, “Am I awake, or am I asleep?” Many people wake up in the morning, but they’re still asleep, they start growing slowly in their sleep, go to sleep in their sleep, go to school in their sleep, earn their degree in their sleep, meet their spouse and get married in their sleep, have children in their sleep and die in their sleep. Never having woken up! For those who go to celebrate Eucharist everyday, allow the Eucharist to be your reviver, your get up and go.

Lenten Mission 2012 Day 4

Theme: Near occasions of grace

Topic: The pleasure of embracing the gift of imperfection

From the pleasure of “not knowing” we move to the pleasure and the gift of “embracing our imperfection.” Not one of us are going to die perfect, and probably all of us, to use a beautiful image from the language of St. Paul, “all of us will die with a big thorn (at least one) in our side.” A thorn in the flesh was given to me, and I begged God to take away the thorn in my side. Many writings have been trying to describe what this thorn could have been? An addiction, a compulsion, a bad habit; that’s your thorn! We need the thorn in our side to stay real. Can you imagine you wake up one morning and all of a sudden you are perfect, no blemishes, no more sins? Paul asked for it to be removed, but God said no. Our head will definitely grow too big without the thorn.

Lenten Mission 2012 Day 3

Theme: Near occasions of grace.

Topic: The Pleasure of Not Knowing (to know that you don’t know)

We now interrupt our regular programming. As we read from the book of Jeremiah, "to be a piece of soft clay in the hands of the Master potter takes a lot of humility, and a lot of courage, but we don't do that very well because we want to be in control.

Lenten Mission 2012 Day 2

Theme: Near occasions of grace.

Topic: To Be Creatively And Intelligently Foolish (be a sign of contradiction); Not to Be Afraid

When we allow ourselves to be caught in a rut or a trap, or to be carried by the current of apathy or boredom, we need to break free. Lent moves us towards attraction where there was distraction, re-appointment where there was disappointment. Do not be like the pastor who wouldn’t wake up one Sunday morning. Are you programmed? We find ourselves exposed to that one free gift that will make the whole difference; the gift of GRACE. We are easily distracted, we’re easily disappointed, and so we need to move beyond that programming, we need to wake up.