Emmanuel

The human endeavor in the history of creation has long been one confused and made up of moments in the lives of those inhabitants of this earth.
Throughout history we have struggled with the concept of our existence and here and there we get a glimpse of what it all means. As 24 teens and their adult counterparts traveled on an advent journey to Blueridge Summit in the second week of Advent, the mystery began to be less mysterious. We looked back through the Word in search of Jesus' geneology, his earthly ancestors. We discovered the symbols that we look to for a common awareness of the significance of those who came before us. We then gathered the props and costumes to help give it some flavor and whammo, there they are, our own human Jesse Tree compilation!
We had Moses, we had Isaac, we had Abraham, Jacob, Mary and Joseph, and Adam and Eve... All represented.... even Methuselah hahaha at 969 years old.
It was a great weekend, filled with a faith sharing experience and community living, and cooking and eating and a huge Jeopardy match that exposed just how much our retreatants picked up...

So after all this has been said and revealed in the photos, know that the real message of this retreat was that we are Blessed to have Emmanuel, God With US... in Jesus Christ our Savior whose birth we celebrate. We have the blessing of Him telling us plain and simple that we are to love each other... just as he loved us.... and when we wonder who "each" is, we know that it is all of us. All of our brothers and sisters.... especially those who have so little.... here and there and everywhere. Not just in our family, yet so very specifically in our family. Not just our friends, but our enemies as well... Not just those who love us so dearly... but those who sneer at us. Those who would say that it is all irrelevant, and to just be tolerant of each other.... Jesus said it is more important than that. We must love one another as He loved us. So as we glance at these pics and wonder how cool are they, let us also remember those who have gone before us, and those who are to come. But very importantly those who are in our midst right now. We are all called to see the Christ child in all those around us.

Father and Son Football

Jim Gill and son Griffin, face off at the snap. Big Bob Clark (#8) referees at the beginning of the game. Thanks Bob for the enthusiasm and the vision to get us off the couch!Great catching and running skills were a big part of the 51-42 score, sons victorious over the dads. It was a cool brisk autumn day as moms and family members cheered from the sidelines.

Afterwards we gathered in the multi-purpose hall for hamburgers, hotdogs and dessert provided by the Knights of Columbus. It was great watching our families together enjoying the outdoors, the weather, and the thrill of completing a pass or an interception or just being part of the fun!
Join us next year for our third game... see you then!

Glory to God

Nineteen pilgrims from St Michael's gather at the front of the Basilica of the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington D.C. after the Holy Mass, lunch and tour. An overwhelming visit that does evoke a sense of those who have gone before us and along with us now. In addition, our pilgrimage was an opportunity to experience liturgy in ways that we normally do not. The sense of sacredness with regard to the Word and to the Eucharist was heightened viscerally as we watched, smelled and heard the majesty of the Holy Mass and our Lord Jesus.


The Mullens bring up the gifts during Mass.






The evocative nature of this place, beyond our feeble attempts to make sacred use of the earthen materials of creation to give glory to God, inspires a response from pilgrims in our own lives, our own thoughts, words and deeds,
to give glory to God.







The Holy Spirit enlivens the world through the early church and we though just a blink behind them in history, remember the moment.

Deconstructing a chimney and a roof

When you get in over your head with a project, it is always good to bring friends and family with you. Below, Teddy is removing brick from the chimney of an 1840's log home that we are taking apart and moving. The shafts of sunlight have broken through the canopy of the mighty oak tree out front, illuminating the masonry dust in flight. The brick await transport... only a bit more work and the first phase is complete... The pile of logs and material are now resting in our backyard... 2nd phase involves traveling to seek out land on which to re-construct.

Way above, Jim Gill rests a hand on a rafter soon after having removed the tin roof and wood shakes. A mess of a job but one quickly done...

More news later...

a saint and her faith

If you have ten minutes for a read... and then reflection check this out:
Mother Theresa's crisis of faith
It seems that as a saint in the community of believers, she had lots of faith. It is one thing to do the things she did in the gutters of Calcutta amongst the poorest of the poor... but Mother Theresa kept at it for 50 years without the consolation many of us so fervently desire... the sense of intimacy with God...with Jesus. In spite of enduring the darkness for so long, she took steps each day that recommited herself to love as Jesus loved.

I know for me, the consolation of sensing a closeness and the warmth of the Spirit reminds me of how it came to be that I believe.
Can it be that we are ok if we don't "feel" the love of God? Isn't it a sign of faithlessness that we don't have that assurance?

Or is it a sign of fidelity, of faith, that in spite of the lack of intimate experience of God, someone chooses to lay down their life for the least of these. A saint among the people of God... that is to what we are all called.

May fun and faith mix?

May fun and faith mix... a great sentence... Let's see... May (the month) fun and faith mix in our parish community.
or try this: may fun and faith mix? Hmmm it looks like it did.
Anyway... in the month of May, faith and fun did mix at St Mikes.


Griffin picks a card at the Magic and Melody fundraiser, many thanks to magicians Peter Wood, Matt Wood , and Billy French!!!



Anne Marie who is on her way to Nepal for the summer receives the Eagle of the Cross award for being a model of Christian integrity and service to others.















Teddy, who will be in Jamaica and Oakland, Maryland in solidarity with both communities, receives the Eagle of the Cross award for his witness of faith and service.






















Some of our Work Camp 2007 participants wash the "Young transporter" vehicle at our second carwash fundraiser of the spring.

Jamaica Mission Trip

The Jamaican Mission trip is back on the schedule. We received word a couple weeks ago.
Now the effort is on to encourage donations of luggage and clothing to take to Jamaica and leave there. We are looking for summer clothes in good shape for all sizes. We also need donations of luggage to take the clothes in and then leave the luggage in Jamaica... We hope to leave 1000 lbs of clothing and gifts for the people of Mandeville and with your help we will get there.
Our trip is set for June 12-18, 2007.... please pray for our group of college age young adults...
Donations can be dropped off at the church marked "Jamaica"... Many thanks!

Living water

Over the weekend of March 9-11, 70 of us gathered on the mountain side to retreat from the daily distractions and to reflect on the possibility that there is a water that grants eternal springs of living water. The geese enjoyed the snow covered ice... the guy on the left honked at them to listen.... two wander off... others remain and ponder. It was much like that for the rest of us...
There is a presence of living water that is available to us in baptism... and through the course of our lives we are refreshed by the Spirit when we encounter the Lord. There are heightened times of intimacy with the Lord and we are blessed through the sacraments of reconciliation and eucharist. And so it was that we went to the mountain in search of this living water.


Early on Saturday there was a "team" meeting in the dining hall.

The more we reflect and let the Spirit move us, the more the Light that shines removes the darkness.

Please continue to pray for our youth who are on the journey, that they may be filled with the Holy Spirit each day...

The Gift of a day

Every day is a gift. Each day we have a chance to enjoy this day as circumstances and spirit permit. Ultimately we make a choice about what we will do with the day as it unfolds before us. Every once in awhile it is good to intentionally mark a day for joy. It is in that light that I spent this past Tuesday. The day that marks out precisely the conclusion of one's fiftieth year of living is a special day.


My lovely bride Suzy encouraged me to take this day and make it special. In appreciation of creation of all things universal, we decided to venture downtown to the Air and Space Museum to see the planetarium, exhibits of flight and to appreciate the creative genius of humanity so persistently put forward by so many in our past. We hopped an early train from Frederick, which is always a thrill to hear the whistle blowing, to feel the jostling of the traincars, to witness the early morning sleepiness of commuters, to hear the rattling of the wheels pressing over at switches and couplings, and to hear the conductor wail: Aaaalllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll aboooooooaaaaaaarrrdddd! Yeeeeeeeehaaaaaaaaaaah!
It was all a bit overwhelming and a hugely delightful way to begin the day. As you can see Russel and Suzy were glad to be there at 5:20 A.M.












Our walk to the museum was pedestrian in nature yet lofty in inspiration... as we gazed up at the edifice of the station and read the inscription that is carved for all to read.






We marched past the Supreme Court, the Library of Congress, then the Capitol Building... And then we descended from the hill to the Botanical Garden and past the American Indian Museum. We finally arrived at the A&S Museum a little before 10. As much as I found all the buildings to be inspiring... especially the LOC (knowing that it, a Government building, housed the Guttenberg Bible), and the AIM for its architecural beauty, I was eager to enter into the A&S museum for all its implications!





















Inside, we marveled at the ingenuity of humanity. We appreciated the incredible push for the ability of man to fly.
We enjoyed the benefits of humanity's development of devices meant to draw closer to the heavenly expanse beyond our own visual abilities. We also witnessed the development of technologies which came about in defense of human lives. I was struck by the enormity of the investment of time, talent and treasure put towards the ability to defend and to destroy. All in the name of protecting life. So on this day which marked my life, I was impressed by our human gifts and desires. I was also pushed to a level of hope that maybe we as a people could expend an equal amount of time, talent and treasure towards the protection of all humanity, towards the comforting of all humanity, towards the preservation of the dignity of all humanity, and towards the appreciation of all creation, for all its purposes... in harmony with humanity.
We did get to see items from American history and culture due to the repairs going on at the Amercian History Museum...

We saw the planetarium exhibiting the sky at night.










We saw containers so small that the human inhabitants had to be squeezed into the seats... in the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo space capsules. Riding atop enormous controlled explosions of rocket fuel towards space that is without weight yet tethered to each increasingly larger gravitational pull of the ever-expanding neighborhoods of earth, solar system, galaxy, cluster of galaxies and universe.

We were definitely taken aback by the incredible ability of humanity to create such powerful, complicated and precise devices. Even beyond that though is the immensity of the supposition that from the neural synapses of the human brain comes a decision to move upon the world and creation in increasingly advanced methods, to the point where humanity is separated from the ability to understand from where does the spark of it all come? The gap between the synapse allows for the firing of the imagination. Within that gap what exists? From a gap, comes something. From nothing we are... we exist, we create... if this is so, and if from this nothing we can do what we do... it seems even more likely that the power that brought it all into existence could do so from nothing and has... What a joy it all is to behold!
And so it came to be that I, on my 50th birthday had a time of great joy and revelation... may we all continue to revel in creation and the Creator, throughout this life and the life that exists in the gap!














Russel signals the end of the day!

Canceled: Confirmation, Done: Skating

So we have canceled confirmation sessions for tonight the 25th due to the snow... we also canceled the trip to the John Paul II Center. But we did get to the Skate Rink in Frederick last night as these digimages show. Friends, ice, soda, candy, and good times were had.
Time out for the "hip" one and her two friends... Morgan was not hurt too badly and having the mochas and friends Sarah and MsSuzy only helped make it better.













Icees for the ice... that is way too cool, as are the looks from these two...




Hold on tight!


I put a quarter in there, really! Mr Bob shows us how it is done.


Dave and Matt brothers' keepers are they.

Doctor, Doctor

For those of you who will be traveling with us to the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center on Sunday the 25th, this portrait is an important object to experience. This painting is a portrait of St Therese of Lisieux... She is a great example for us all. The painting was done by her sister Celine after Therese died in 1897. This portrait has much that symbolizes Therese's devotion and enthusiasm for her relationship with Jesus and those with whom she lived. It was given to the JP II CC by the Carmelite House in Philadelphia... and it is a tremendous gift. We will learn about why this young lady is actually one of three women who attained the title Doctor of the Church. Devotion to God, discipline in our faith and persistence in developing our gifts are all part of our response to the love of God poured out for us through Jesus ... Don't let your humanity get in the way of the divine plan for you and each of us... When we allow God to work in our lives, trust that the communion of Saints will not forget the love you have for the Lord of All, the King of Kings and the man who began his own ministry by spending 40 days preparing in the desert... praying and fasting and spurning the temptations of the world, the flesh and the devil. If you can't join us on this trip, don't worry we will be taking a pilgrimage at the end of March on the 31st... look for info soon!

Shadow casts

So that they even carried out the sick into the streets and laid them on cots and mats, in order that Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he came by. Acts 5:15

What matters in life does not usually take the form of a shadow. Yet we see in the scriptures that a shadow, however transient and elusive can mean much more than we think. In Christian life, we seek the light of Christ. We look for ways to reflect the light of the Lord. Our lives are meant to be a facet of the great shininess of God. So we look for the bright light and the giftedness in others to shine the light on our reality. We long to be led by the strong beams of light that expose the path which is filled with voids of darkness.

Recently I came across a light of this sort in the form of a man of God in the Society of Jesus… the Jesuits. He lived at the turn of the 20^th century and died in December 1921. In his short life of 51 years, this man was devoted to the illumination of the scriptures, to the communication of the Word through the study of the ancient texts in their original languages, and to sharing his faith journey with his family, friends and with his brothers in the society… so much so that a fellow brother priest was inspired to accumulate the words of this man and place them in a book aptly called the Life and Letters of Walter Drum. By a stroke of divine intervention, I was able to procure the only book available online. I have enjoyed reading it and experiencing the earnest devotion of the man. His was a brilliant light reflecting the goodness of the Lord… His story was of such inspiration to us, that upon discovering that he was buried nearby in the Woodstock College Cemetery among his fellow Jesuits, Teddy and I made a journey to find his gravesite… we took a bunch of pictures… but the most engaging aspect of the visit was the play of light on the place. It was at sunset and our shadows were quite evident. It strikes me as important to note that even our shadows can be of some consolation to others. When the sun is too bright, when the truth is too hard… we often times step in place and allow our shadows to provide for others. Sometimes even the blind are able to see when a person‘s shadow crosses their face… Yet in this hallowed cemetery, it seemed appropriate that our shadows would be captured in some way…
The lives of these men were offered in service to the Lord and in the shadow of their gravestones let us remember their gifts to us. Let us cast a shadow that reflects their zeal. It is a good thing to remember. To celebrate… and it stands well in the light over in Woodstock.

As the sun sets on the monument, the grave markers surround it in simplicity and order. None greater than the other.
A


Fr Walter Drum is remembered here for his love of life, the Lord, and words. He was a man of drama and devotion. A man who was well traveled and who loved to learn. He created inspiration in others. We would do well to be his companions on this journey.