August 10th, A note from Fr. Scott

          My Spiritual Director, whom I travel to see in Syracuse about once a month, recently recommended a book for me.  Authored by Michael Casey, the book is called Fully Human, Fully Divine.  Brother Casey, a Cistercian monk from Australia, uses the Gospel of Mark to explore the humanity of Jesus, revealing much about our own humanity. 

I haven’t gotten too far in the book yet, but early on the author addresses the question: What did Jesus look like?  Of course, there are no photos of Jesus for us to view, but must of us probably have an image in our minds of what Jesus may have looked like.  Most likely our image comes from artists’ renderings of Jesus, which, of course, are no more accurate than what we might imagine.  Such paintings simply capture the artist’s idea of how Jesus looked—no more than a guess really.

So most of us have in our minds at least a vague picture of what Jesus may have looked like.  In truth, it may help in our prayer life if we have an image, but we need to realize it may be far from reality. 

Our cultural background probably influences our image.  If we are of northern European descent we might picture Jesus as fair-skinned and blue-eyed; if we are of African descent we may picture Jesus as dark-skinned with dark eyes.  I remember an episode of the old TV show “All in the Family” in which Archie Bunker (Caucasian) was having a disagreement with Mr. Jefferson (African-American) about the color of Jesus’ skin.  Archie insisted Jesus was white; Mr. Jefferson insisted he was black (of Ethiopian descent).  Of course, nothing was resolved; the two characters simply got angrier and angrier at each other (while the audience howled with laughter).

Maybe there was a reason that Jesus came among us before cameras and artists began to capture people’s looks.  (Thank goodness there were no selfies back then!)  Maybe it’s best if we don’t know what Jesus looked like because we tend to be judgmental about looks.  Certainly God never intended a particular group of people to embrace Jesus, while excluding others.  Certainly God never intended for anyone to judge Jesus based on his outward appearance.  Maybe He was short; maybe tall.  Maybe He was overweight; maybe too thin.  Maybe He was handsome; maybe plain or homely. 

Most of us probably think he was tall, handsome and muscular; but why do we think that?  Is it because we believe Jesus was perfect and therefore had to look perfect (at least the way most of define perfect)?  Jesus was fully human, like us in all things but sin.  But being fully human applies to both tall and short; to both thin and fat; to both handsome/beautiful and homely.  If we think otherwise, we’re mistaken. 

If we stop and think about it, we realize that how we look on the outside matters not to God at all.  God looks at the inside, at the heart.  That’s what Jesus did.  There’s no evidence whatsoever that Jesus placed any importance on outward appearance.  So why do we?  Because the culture around us does? 

Next time we judge someone on their looks, maybe we can stop and remember that’s not what God asks of us.  God asks us to try and see the heart.  Not an easy task, of course, but the more time we spend in quality prayer, the more likely we’ll be able to look inside rather than focus on the outside appearance.    

Have a blessed week . . .  

August 3rd, A note from Fr. Scott

          “You have got to be kidding me.”

          A friend of mine says that often, with an emphasis on the “got”.  Of course, she uses the phrase to express a sense of disbelief over some unexpected occurrence.  It’s never an expression of delight, only an expression of dismay (or anger or hurt or disappointment).  In a culture of over-used expletives, it’s actually quite a polite saying.

          “You have got to be kidding me.”  That thought went through my mind on the last day of a recent vacation.  Now, it’s important to point out that I have never mastered the art of “packing lightly”; no, I come from the school of thought that begins every packing experience with, “What if . . .?”  I can imagine multiple scenarios that could happen (and which almost never do) and so I wish to be prepared for every eventuality.  (I have a wide imagination.)  Additionally, my mother was with me and while she packs much lighter than I do, she arrives at the destination with some luggage.

          So on the last day, I grab a luggage cart from the lobby and bring it up to our room—6^th and highest floor.  I (over)load the cart and go wait for the elevator.  I push the button and wait . . . and wait . . . I wasn’t overly impatient because I knew the two elevators were always busy in the morning.  Finally the little light goes out on the down button (there is no “up” button, of course) and I know the elevator is set to open.  It opens and there in the elevator is a whole group of people (and one full luggage cart).  Since this is the 6^th and highest floor, I expect them all to disembark, allowing me to enter with my luggage cart.  That would be the logical happening.

          However, as is so often the case, logic doesn’t rule the day and no one moves.  Then I hear: “Push the ‘G’ button.”  (‘G’, of course, standing for “Ground Floor”.)  

          “You have got to be kidding me.”

          All those people got on an ascending elevator when they actually wanted to descend!  I mean, I know it happens because I’ve done it, but a whole group of people?!  What were they thinking?  That’s just it—they weren’t thinking; they just followed the misled leader.

          I, of course, had to wait for the next elevator.

          It does seem to be a human characteristic to blindly follow a leader.  That’s not necessarily a bad thing.  We listen to doctors, lawyers, contractors, coaches and financial planners (among others) because we know they have expertise in areas we do not.  We follow blindly because we trust them (to a certain extent).  Children blindly follow their parents out of trust (until they reach that rebellious stage).  Some of us blindly follow the teachings of the Church because we believe in the gathered wisdom of the ages, realizing some of it is beyond our comprehension.  Again, not a bad thing.

          I do believe, however, that God does want us to think for ourselves to some extent.  Human error has shown that blindly following is at times unwise.  The first disciples weren’t called to blindly follow Jesus.  Jesus taught them and made them think through the parables; He challenged them to understand that being a disciple wasn’t an easy undertaking; He chided them for thinking like humans rather than like God. 

          There are many human leaders who have much to offer and to whom we ought to listen, but there is only one Jesus; He’s the One Who leads us to eternal happiness.  And I’m not kidding!

          Have a blessed week . . .

July 27th, A note from Fr. Scott

In most parishes in the Diocese of Rochester, summer is a quieter time of the year.  (Lake communities are an exception.)  Fewer meetings take place; parishioners take vacations; Faith Formation sessions are on break for the most part.  Summer provides an opportunity to slow down and relax.

          That being so, I’m taking a little time to take inventory of my “stuff”.  By “stuff” I mean all the things I’ve accumulated over the years, including mounds of paper containing minutes from meetings, financial statements, articles that could be beneficial to read, presentations I’ve given over the years, etc.  Additional “stuff” includes knickknacks, recordings, books, etc.  As I’ve admitted in the past, I’m somewhat organizationally challenged.

          The process is slow-going because I have to look through each piece of paper to decide whether or not it ought to be kept.  Do I really need bank statements from years back?  (Mostly no.)  Do I really need minutes from a committee meeting that took place at a different parish while I was there?  (Not likely.)  What about bills I paid years ago or directories from years ago?  (Why do I still have these?)  Clearly I don’t throw away a lot of “stuff”.

          However, I’m determined to change that.

          Except it’s not that easy.

          While I’m pretty good for the first 10 or 15 minutes—my throw-away pile is larger than my “keep” pile in the beginning—after that initial burst of downsizing enthusiasm, sentimentality begins to kick in and the “keep” pile starts to grow and soon overtakes the “throw-away” pile.  That’s because amidst the “stuff” are many meaningful cards and gifts.  They remind me of the person who gave them to me or of a pleasant memory from the past.  Do I really want to remove the tangible connection to those memories?  Too often I weaken and give in to sentimentality. 

I’m not sure that’s a good thing.  Not that I think being a little sentimental is bad, but when sentimentality leads to a certain sense of paralysis (not being able to part with “stuff”), there is a problem.  Being too attached to anything (other than God) isn’t the healthiest way to be.  “Stuff” (which in its wider meaning can include living things like people and animals) ought not be the focus of life.  God is the focus of life; for the Catholic Christian the focus of life is the Trinity: God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit.  God provides direction and meaning to life in a way “stuff” never can.  I believe that whole-heartedly, even as I struggle with detachment from “stuff”.  Fortunately, God is amazingly patient with me—with all of us actually—although I think God likes to see some positive effort as we journey through life.  God does hope that we are learning what really matters in the long run.

Have a blessed week . . .  

July 13th, A note from Fr. Scott

One of the more popular songs of the last few months is Pharrell Williams’ “Happy” (from the film “Despicable Me 2”).  While the tune is catchy, the words don’t seem to say a whole lot, although the word “Happy” appears multiple times in the song.  Maybe that’s why the song has been played often these past few months: everyone wants to be happy.

          However, I wonder if we’ve lost a true sense of what happiness is.  For example, just in the past few days I’ve noticed advertisements stressing the words “happy” and “joy”.  No, the advertisements have nothing to do with Church or faith or religion; they’re not about ways to de-stress one’s life; they’re not about insurance or ways to be financially secure. 

          The advertisements are about consumer goods, specifically food.  Eat this, drink that, and you’ll be “happy”.  It seems to me that we’ve reduced the notion of happiness or joy from an innate longing for ultimate fulfillment to what I would call “momentary pleasure”.  (I would even suggest that the desire to be happy is a longing for union with God, which is eternal satisfaction, not just “momentary pleasure”.)

          However, there’s not a lot of money in focusing on eternal things, so clever marketers bring the idea of “happy” into the present moment.  McDonald’s has had its “Happy Meal” for a long time and retail sales have emphasized “Happy” Holidays as a way to keep the public spending.  So we issue what has become a standard greeting to one another on special occasions: “Happy Easter”, “Happy Thanksgiving”, “Happy Valentine’s Day”, “Happy Fourth of July”, “Happy St. Patrick’s Day”, “Happy New Year”, “Happy Groundhog Day”.  Of course, the venerable “Happy Birthday” has been around a long time.  In using the greetings, we offer well wishes (“momentary pleasure”) to others—not a bad thing, of course, but it does focus an awful lot on the present moment.

          As Catholic Christians, we certainly don’t ignore the present moment, but we are keenly aware that the goal of life is not to experience as much “momentary pleasure” as we can; the goal of life is to live life in such a way that we will one day know eternal happiness.  That goal can only be achieved by embracing that to which God calls us: Scripture gives us advice, counsel, consolation, encouragement and challenge, and the sacraments are God’s way of encountering us in a deep and lasting way.  We must not only listen to, but also follow, what Jesus tells us: love God with our whole being (learning to do that is a lifelong process) and our neighbor as ourselves (often sacrificing our own wants for the good of someone else).

          Unfortunately, the culture surrounding us has little interest in things eternal (I think it did many years ago)—God and faith and prayer are best kept out of normal everyday life (according to the culture)—and so we are bombarded with opportunities to be “happy today”.  I would venture to say that’s a recipe for ultimate disaster.  Every great civilization declined when individual happiness in the present moment became more important than building for the future.  The “I” and “me” became more important than the “we” and “us”.  

Fortunately, as Catholic Christians we’ve been given the gift of the Holy Spirit, Who continually reminds us (if we’re listening) of what really matters in life.  Unfortunately, sometimes the voice of the Holy Spirit gets drowned out by the noise of the surrounding culture.  The Good News is that we can make a conscious decision to listen more to the former than to the latter.  The Bad News is that no one else will do it for us.

Have a blessed week . . . filled with the Good News of what really leads to happiness . . .

July 6th, A note from Fr. Scott

          It’s actually happening.

          Slowly, but surely.

          People in our country are watching the World Cup.  Maybe not in huge numbers, but more people watched the first U. S. match than watched the final game of the Stanley Cup and almost as many as watched the last game of the NBA championships.

          Futball (or soccer as we term it) is the most popular game in the world.  It’s always flown below the radar in the United States, in spite of the fact that most current young adults played soccer while growing up.  Still, football, baseball, basketball and hockey have always been the big four and most attention has drifted toward those big money sports.

          Why has futball (soccer) not caught on in the U. S. like it has in the rest of the world?  It’s fairly inexpensive to play—a ball and a goal comprise the necessary equipment, and maybe uniforms. 

          Has it not caught on because it’s not action oriented enough?  Scoring is often low (0-0 ties are not uncommon) and we associate scoring with action.  (Defense never quite gets as much respect as offense.)  For the last 30-40 years it seems to me that our culture has over-emphasized the importance of action.  Movies that are action oriented tend to be far more popular than quiet stories that make you think; and while some children choose reading over video games, my guess is that the latter get far more attention than the former.  (When I watch the screen of video games—not very often admittedly—I have no idea what’s happening.  Too much movement for me to follow!) 

          It seems to me that many sports enthusiasts judge futball (soccer) to be “boring”, precisely because it lacks compelling (exciting) action.  

          Apparently somehow our culture has taught us that we need excitement, and we buy into the notion that lots of action provides such excitement, fulfilling a “need” we have.  (It’s actually a want, not a need.)  I’m not sure why excitement is so appealing to humans.  Is it that excitement makes us feel good, at least momentarily?  (Everyone likes to feel good.)   

          A couple of weeks ago, there was a Holy Hour in honor of the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ.  We did something I had never done before: we processed with the Blessed Sacrament outside, circling the church.  There isn’t a lot of action or excitement in processing, but as cars went by and people watched us process, I had this unexpected surge of pride in our Catholic belief in the Real Presence.  For me, there was a sense of “quiet excitement” about that.  It was better than scoring a goal at the World Cup!  (At least for me)

          I write this two weeks before the bulletin comes out, so I have no idea how the U. S. will fare in the World Cup, but I do know that the world watches in great numbers no matter who makes it to the end.  (Fewer Americans watch if the U. S isn’t involved.)  If a couple of billion people are transfixed by a “boring” sport, maybe we need to review what we value.  (While our relationship with God does require some action on our part—loving our neighbor requires some involvement—it also requires an appreciation of the quiet in life.)  It’s not always easy to detect God’s presence when we keep searching for what our culture tells us we need in terms of excitement. 

What we might term “boring” might actually be what we need most in our lives.  Being reflectively quiet is more likely to connect us with God than is all the excitement in the world.  And that connection is what leads us to fulfillment.

          Have a blessed . . . and fulfilling . . . week! 

June 22nd, A Note from Fr. Scott

          The other day, I received an unexpected e-mail from a couple (M & L) at whose wedding I officiated quite a few years ago.  They were living down south but were coming north for a family wedding and wondered if I was presiding at the 10:30 Mass at St. Casimir’s.  If so, they might like to come to Mass on their way back down south.  I told them I was presiding and I would love to see them and meet their children if they were able to stop.

          The e-mail brought back to mind the circumstances of how I met them—it was at their wedding rehearsal.  I was covering that weekend for another priest, which meant I actually inherited two weddings on Saturday (M & L and J & K) as well as two wedding rehearsals the night before.  I had never met these couples prior to the rehearsal, so I was missing the rapport I usually developed with a couple by working with them through the preparation period.  

          The first rehearsal was with J & K.  It was one of the more trying rehearsals in my 30 years of doing weddings.  The bride was what we today call a “Bridezilla”—everything had to be her way.  No suggestion I made—regardless of explanation—was taken seriously.  In the end, I tried to accommodate her vision, but it turned out to be one of the most uncomfortable wedding rehearsals (and weddings, actually) I’ve ever done.

          So after that ordeal, in came M & L.  I wasn’t sure what to expect but thought “Maybe all the weddings here are like J & K”, so I braced myself.  It turned out that M & L were probably the most accommodating couple I’ve ever dealt with regarding a wedding.  They were friendly, delightful, and easy-going.  The two wedding/rehearsal experiences were like night and day.  (I’m glad I had the J & K wedding first because then I could relax and really enjoy M & L!)

          In truth, J & K may be a very fine couple, despite my uncomfortable experience with them.  Weddings are, after all, emotional affairs and people do want a wedding to be “perfect”—whatever that may mean to them.  (In other words, I don’t want to pass eternal judgment on someone because of a wedding experience.)  I do, however, sometimes wonder if a couple places more emphasis on the wedding than on the marriage.  (The latter lasts far longer than the former.)  Maybe that’s why I enjoyed M & L so much—their focus wasn’t on the details of the wedding; that was just the beginning of their married life together. 

By the way, they did come to Mass that Sunday and we talked briefly after Mass.  They asked for a blessing upon the family and headed back down south, but not before they reminded me of something I said at the wedding (that they actually remembered!): their union wasn’t just between the two of them, but a “Trinity” of sorts—the two of them and God.  They passed that idea on at the family wedding they had just attended.

           I must say that God is a God of unexpected surprises.  The encounter with M & L was very brief, and yet very encouraging: for me it was a God moment as I see the faith of this couple lived out and passed on to their children.  In some small way they were part of my life and I a part of theirs.  What a privilege it is to be part of those moments!  Maybe that’s what I like best about being a priest.  Wherever I have served I have had the wonderful privilege of sharing God moments with a number of different people.  God is amazing!  In spite of my shortcomings, God still fills life with privileged moments. 

          I tend to think that happens to all of us, although often we may not even notice it.  With God we must expect the unexpected (I think that’s the catch-phrase for the television show “Big Brother”, but that’s not to what I am referring); God loves to give us God moments.  We just have to notice them.  Such moments inspire awe and amazement and maybe a little glimpse of what heaven is like!

          Have a blessed week . . . filled with God moments!

June 15th, A note from Fr. Scott

          Every so often, I go out to a restaurant for lunch or dinner, not an uncommon occurrence in our culture.  I notice that many restaurants have an extensive menu, offering a variety of choices in meats, seafood, pasta, salads, soups, appetizers, and, of course, desserts (not to mention the “specials” of the day—I often wonder why there are “specials” since the menu is already overstocked with possibilities; maybe there’s something they want to use up?). 

          I am not the most decisional person.  When the wait staff comes to take the order, I almost always state “I’ll go last” because I haven’t yet made up my mind.  When they finally come to me, oftentimes I still haven’t made up my mind, but I can’t make everyone else wait, so I blurt out my order and after the wait staff leaves I think “Why did I order that?  This other dish sounds better!”  What’s done is done, however.

          In truth, many things sound good and there-in lies my problem.  Too many possibilities become information overload for my brain and I find it hard to make any choice at all.  While I know eating healthy is a good choice, the temptation to eat otherwise sometimes gets the best of me.

          I think we live in a culture of too many choices.  I don’t remember so many options when I was younger.  And that extends beyond restaurant menus.  Think of all the entertainment options we now have that we didn’t have before: hundreds of available channels for our TV pleasure; our computers give us games and movies and original programming; our phones are smarter than we are—they’ve made us dependent upon them (and perhaps addicted to them).  When I was growing up, there were 3 basic sports: baseball, football, basketball (others existed, just not popularly so).  We now have all kinds of athletic endeavors (thank you, X-games) from which to choose, whether we actively engage or passively watch (although not all parents are passive as they watch their kids play sports). 

          Unfortunately, what seems to have happened is that God and Church and religion have become just another choice to occupy our time.  And if there’s a conflict, what happens?  Some choose faith practices but many do not.  The conflict is an opportunity to teach our young people that there are priorities in life; what lesson do we want to impart?

And, of course, for those who crave constant entertainment, God doesn’t exactly entertain us like many of the other choices available to us.  (I’m not saying that the goal of going to Church should be entertainment, although I think the Church experience can be enjoyable.)    

          Those of us who are older remember simpler, less complicated, fewer-choices times.  I don’t think we missed anything—we had fewer distractions to tempt us away from God.  That’s not a bad thing.  However, we can’t change the culture surrounding us—we can’t go back to simpler times.  We live in an environment of numerous choices and we have to deal with that.  Unfortunately, while our possible choices have multiplied in recent years, neither our time nor our energy has.   We can’t do everything we may want to do. 

          But we still can make choices that deepen our faith and our relationship with God.  Maybe it means saying “No” to something else tempting us, but in the end we’ll have made the better choice.

          Have a blessed week . . .