Taking up your Cross ~ A reflection on the 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

I thought I would do something a little bit different today. Sometimes, I write reflections for our parish blog and I did so for last week's readings. This is what those readings said to me...

Twenty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time

Jer 20:7-9
Ps 63:2-6, 8-9
Rom 12:1-2
Mt 16:21-27

It was just last week that we heard how Peter recognized Jesus for who He is: the Christ, the Son of the Living God. But in the Gospel reading today, Matthew describes how Peter becomes a stumbling block for Jesus.

Jesus is trying to prepare his disciples for his coming arrest; and the suffering and death he will have to endure at the hands of the chief priests who are plotting against him. Peter, who had just confessed his belief in Jesus as the Son of God, cannot believe what he is hearing. No, it can't be true! This cannot happen to God's Son!

But Jesus admonishes Peter: "Get behind me, Satan... You are an obstacle to me!" (Mt 16:23)

You can imagine how Peter felt. Perhaps he still believed that Jesus would reign over an earthly kingdom. How could Jesus be subjected to suffering and death and still be the Son of God?

Jesus then explained to his disciples and to us today what it means to be his follower, to be a Christian. We must deny ourselves and take up our own cross for his sake. To live according to his Word. We must expect to be persecuted and to suffer and perhaps, even to die for our faith.

Are we even willing to make such a sacrifice? Jeremiah faced a similar crisis of faith long ago when he decided he could no longer speak the Lord's Word to the people:

"I say to myself, I will not mention him,
I will speak in his name no more.
But then it becomes like fire
burning in my heart...
I grow weary holding it in, I cannot endure it." (Jer 20:9)

Even though he was being mocked by the people, Jeremiah realizes that God's Word cannot be restrained and thus he must speak.

Paul also recognized what needed to be done as he taught the Christians of Rome,

"... offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God..."(Rom 12:1)

We are not to conform ourselves to the world but to renew ourselves so that we can desire only to do God's Will.

Doing the Will of God is how we become holy and pleasing to Him. The psalmist understood our yearning for the presence of God in our lives as he prayed:

"...you are my God whom I seek;
For you my flesh pines and my soul thirsts...

...your kindness is a greater good than life;
my lips shall glorify you." (Ps 63:2, 4)

The Hand of the Lord feeds us

This morning I was asked to substitute for the lector who was supposed to do the First Reading. I gladly do this when asked because serving in this way is one of my favorite gifts to my parish. I have been a reader for thirty years, I guess, and I have learned to read well. There is something about the words of Scripture that come alive for me as I read them. And I believe they come alive for the people who are hearing the words also. It is a gift that God has given me; and that I happily share with others.

Our first reading was from Isaiah (Is 55:1-3). I absolutely love the Prophet Isaiah... always have. It is always a joy to bring his words to life.

Today, Isaiah brings us the Lord's words of comfort to us hungry people. It connects so well with the Gospel reading where Jesus feeds the multitude who have been listening to His Words. Isaiah brings us the Lord's invitation to the feast:

"All you who are thirsty,

come to the water!
You who have no money,
come, receive grain and eat;
Come, without paying and without cost,

drink wine and milk!..."

Can't you hear the Lord's compassion and in those words. "Come..." He beckons to us as He reaches out to us over the centuries... He knows we hunger and thirst, not only for earthly food but for the Food only He can provide.

In the Gospel, Matthew describes the empathy that Jesus feels as He looks over the crowd that the disciples wanted to send away to get their own food. Even though Jesus had originally wanted to be alone in a deserted place to pray, He found the crowd waiting for him. Matthew says,

"...his heart was moved with pity for them..."

Jesus did not want to send them away because He realized that they were hungry for His Word... for the hope He gave them... for the healing He brought them...

The miracle occurred in such a beautiful and simple way... Jesus took those few loaves and fishes, broke the bread and blessed them and had his disciples distribute them among the people. Such a reminder of our own Eucharist... Bread blessed and broken... so that our hunger can also be satisfied.

I was particularly moved this morning as I read Isaiah's words and am grateful to have been asked to do this reading on this day.

Lord, help me to hold out! ~ A Reflection on the Second Sunday of Lent

Our parish Lenten theme this year are the words taken from a gospel song that we sing: "Lord, help me to hold out!" Each Sunday after Communion, a member of the Liturgy Committee will give a short reflection on the Gospel for this week and how our theme connects with the Gospel. This week's Gospel tells the story of the Transfiguration, Matthew 17:1-9. I was selected to give this reflection for the Second Sunday of Lent.

- - - - - - - - -


Lord, help me to hold out...
Until my change comes!

In today's Gospel, we learn that Peter, James and John were chosen to witness a profound change as Jesus was transfigured before them. There on the mountain, His glory, which is the glory of God, was revealed to them.

"Lord, it is good that we are here," they said.

The apostles recognized that something wonderful was happening and they wanted to capture those moments and to hold on to them forever. They responded in such a human way as they planned to set up tents for Jesus, Moses and Elijah so that they could remain in that holy place. But they didn't really understand what this transfiguration meant and then were terrified when the Father spoke from the cloud... "This is my Beloved Son in whom I am well pleased... listen to Him." By giving these instruction to the apostles, Our Heavenly Father was telling them that if they paid attention to Jesus, their lives would be transformed too...

During this Lenten season, we are asked to change our lives. To listen to what the Beloved Son is telling us through His suffering and death... To have faith that no matter what trials we are facing, God's grace and mercy will carry us through. To forgive others as Jesus did from the cross... To reconcile with others before we bring our gifts to the altar. To recognize that acceptance of God's grace allows us to change.

When our lives are truly lived with the light of Christ within us, we will be transformed also... Our light will shine like the sun!

So, we ask God to help us to hold out... To give us patience... until our change comes.

Joy! Joy! Unspeakable Joy!

"Joy is the infallible sign of the presence of God." (Teilhard de Chardin)


Such a moment occurred last Sunday at a nursing home where one of our elderly parishioners suffering from dementia was being cared for.

Many years ago, Gertrude and I would go together to bring Communion to our shut-in parishioners. She was a painfully shy woman who could not bring herself to go alone but wanted very much to participate in this ministry. Gertrude loved to help the sick and for many years, she nursed people in their homes.

As the years passed, Gertrude herself became homebound and slowly became a victim of dementia. I visited her many times to bring her Communion.

About two years ago, my visits ceased when Gertrude was placed in a nursing home. One of our other parishioners had been visiting her and she continued to do so at the several nursing homes Gertrude was moved in and out of. I could no longer keep track of her because I now had others I was visiting.

We now have a new pastor. One of the things we wanted to do was to introduce him to our shut-ins. This we have begun doing.

However, before taking our priest to visit Gertrude, I wanted to visit her myself to see how she was and to determine whether or not she could receive Communion. Rosemary, who had now visited her many times, thought that Gertrude could no longer understand what the Sacrament was about. That her dementia was too far advanced. So, we arranged a Sunday after Mass when I could accompany Rosemary and another parishioner to visit Gertrude.

We arrived at the nursing home and waited in the parlor until the nurse brought Gertrude to us in her wheelchair. I did not think she would remember me after so long a time, so I said very little.

Rosemary and Mieko sat on either side of Gertrude and were talking to her and showing her the Christmas gift they had brought. Gertrude recognized them. Suddenly she looked over to me; and with a look of incredible joy lighting up her face, she recognized me. I was absolutely overwhelmed... She wouldn't stop looking at me and she wouldn't stop smiling. I went over to her and tenderly stroked her hair as my tears fell. She held out her hand to me and spoke my name several times. Most of her words are now incoherent but she tried hard to communicate with us.

I was so moved because I recognized that this moment was a sacred one for Gertrude and for us who witnessed it. I thank God for this gift.

Even though she cannot speak coherently, she understood what we were saying. I told her the next time I came to visit, I would bring our priest with me. Again, her face broke out in a smile. If we had brought Communion to her that day, she could have received it and understood.

There's a lesson here. We simply don't know what an impact simple actions on our part can have on another person. All those times that Gertrude and I visited the sick together must have meant much more to her than I could ever have guessed.

The joy that God's presence brings was surely in that room with us that day.


Photo by Mieko via IPhone during our visit with Gertrude.

"Souled Out" for Jesus! ~ Choir Anniversary Concert

The church was packed! There was standing room only in the rear of the sanctuary and the choir loft was filled with folks who had found no room downstairs! The date was September 26, 2010 and the Gospel Choir was celebrating its 19th Anniversary!

The choir is actually 33 years old, having been organized in 1977 under the pastorship of Fr. S. We did not celebrate our anniversaries with concerts in the early years; but once the tradition began, we have gotten better and better both as a gospel choir and as people who really know how to celebrate with music and a delicious meal afterwards!

We have always invited other choirs to celebrate with us and they have added their unique styles of Gospel music to ours, so that our celebrations are a spirit-filled and glorious tribute to our God.

This year our guest choirs were the Youth & Children's Choir of Union Baptist Church, The Gospel Voices of Glen Allen, The Maggie Walker Alumni Gospel Choir and The Tribe of Judah of ROK Church Int'l of Ashburn Va.

In addition to the choirs, we were graced with beautiful presentations by the Praise Dance & Flag Ministry of Ministers Iris Pollard and Geri Gatling. The huge white flags, which gave the appearance of wings, accented the music and dance in a stunningly beautiful way. The congregation showed their appreciation with standing ovations!

Our theme this year was "Souled out for Jesus!" and our choir led off with our theme song, "Souled Out!" featuring Jordan W-R as lead singer. This rousing gospel song was followed by the beautiful "It Ain't Over Til It's Over" featuring our own Kim F. We closed out our portion of the concert with "I Will Bless The Lord." All of our hard work in learning these three new songs was rewarded by the appreciation shown by our parishioners and guests!

After the concert, a wonderful repast awaited our guests. The decorating committee had done a great job in making our parish hall festive and beautiful. An abundance of good food had been provided for our guests and all enjoyed themselves.

It was a wonderful evening celebration and we look forward to next year when we celebrate our 20th Anniversary!

The Mirror Image - A Reflection

Recently my parish Gospel Choir was invited to sing at a Baptist Church Revival. We have sung at this church before since our choir director's mother is a member there. Our choir has been together for a long time and we enjoy these kinds of invitations. We are invited to sing at several different events each year.

I was struck by a story that the preacher leading the revival told the congregation. I want to share this story with you because what he said made a deep impression on me.

His story was about a man who was watching a silversmith refining silver. The silversmith had a quantity of silver that he was working with. He grasped a lump of silver with his tongs and aimed the tongs into the fire at its hottest point. The man watching the silversmith asked him what he was doing.

The silversmith replied that this fire was so hot that it would burn away all the impurities in the silver. When the impurities were gone, the silver would be refined and perfect; a thing of beauty. The man questioned the silversmith further and asked: "How do you know when the silver is purified and refined?"

"When I can see my face in it!" replied the silversmith.

The preacher then explained how similar this refining process is to what happens to us when God allows us to experience the sorrows, temptations, tragedies and challenges of our daily lives. We are tested and often given more than we believe we can bear; but through our belief and trust in God, we know that we are being purified and refined so that one day, when God looks at our souls, He will see His Face looking back at Him.

I had never thought of our God refining and purifying us in just this way... Maybe you haven't either. That's why I wanted to share this story with you.

A St. Plurk Adventure at the Scout Jamboree!

Several months ago, Fr. Leo (of Plurk fame) mentioned that he was planning to go to the National Boy Scout Jamboree at Fort A.P.Hill in Virginia in July. I thought, "Wow!"... I could actually envision meeting one of the members of St. Plurk Parish since the site of the jamboree was not too far from my town. So we had a few discussions about the possibility of a visit; and thus it came to pass...

Knowing that the July heat in central Virginia is pretty rough and the humidity makes it even worse, I remembered to apply some sunscreen before I left. I put on my baseball cap and grabbed my water bottle and off I went on my excursion.

I took the scenic route north and had a very pleasant drive. Presently, I arrived at A.P. Hill... There had been very little traffic on the way and I figured this was going to be easy after all. Uh-oh! How wrong I was! I had hardly turned into the gate when ahead of me was the end of a l-o-n-g line of cars, crawling along at a snail's pace.

We had planned on meeting about 1:30 p.m. and it was not yet 1 o'clock so I figured the parking area probably was not too far ahead. Oops! Another wrong guess! The minutes dragged on and it didn't seem that we were getting anywhere. And then I saw the sign: Parking, 6 miles ahead! Good grief! So, I called Fr. Leo and advised him I would be a bit later than expected.

Finally, after I had almost finished my first bottle of water, the parking queue ended up in a field and we were directed where to park. We were herded toward a towering white tent which was the Welcome Tent. All the visitors had to enter the tent before being allowed to search for whomever we were visiting. Good thing too, because by now, nobody had the faintest idea in which direction we should go.

In the tent, we were given a welcome kit and a scouting patch as souvenirs and that vital MAP that would answer all our questions about which direction to go. But wait! We were told that we would have to catch one of the shuttle buses to get anywhere in this humongous complex. The scout explaining it all to me told me that I needed to catch either a red, yellow or orange bus; not a blue bus! The buses were all school-yellow. And where do I catch the bus? "Just walk over there where those bus signs are. Each bus has a colored sign..." I quickly got my water bottle refilled and moved out. The day was extremely hot!

There were several lines and lots of people milling around the bus stop. Nobody seemed to know what to do... A bus arrived and part of one line filed into the bus and off they went., I asked someone how long they had been waiting for a ride and the woman said, an hour!!! Uh-oh! Not good! I was already using up my second refill of water by that time. Luckily, after a few minutes, an official told me that she would help me get on the next bus. It was a blue bus! Who cares! I was finally on the move. We eventually arrived at the bus staging area. What this meant was that we would all have to get off our bus and wait for another! Uh-oh! So it was back out into the hot sun again! I was running out of water again too!

I put in another call to Fr. Leo and told him where I was. Lo and behold, he knew exactly where I was talking about! He told me to walk up the road and he would intercept me. I looked up at the sun and told him I was walking north. Was that the right direction? Yep! That was right. About a half block later, I saw someone who looked familiar walking toward me. That's him!!!! I waved. He had seen me too. After a quick hug, we walked to his camp's site and under some shade trees, we had a nice little visit. However, it had taken me so long to get there that I soon had to leave. There was no telling how long it would take me to get back to the welcome tent with such a confusing shuttle bus situation. And it had gotten much hotter... so hot that the loudspeakers had declared a red alert!

Fr. Leo graciously walked me back to the staging area and presently a parking-lot bus became available and I said goodbye to Fr. Leo and boarded. About twenty minutes later the bus arrived at the welcome tent and parking lot. You can't imagine how happy I was to get back in my car, turn up the air conditioning and be on my way!

It was an interesting adventure and I really enjoyed meeting Fr. Leo, but I can tell you that I will never do something like that again. The summer heat and humidity are not good for an older person. Especially when we all are so used to air conditioned comfort. I had also never imagined how large an area 40,000+ Scouts and their leaders would need. This is a huge complex with lots of activities going on. No wonder the shuttle bus situation is so confusing to a first time visitor. Thank goodness for the jamboree maps!

So that's how it went yesterday!