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.

Choose to remember, one human family

Experiencing the U.S. Holocaust Memorial on a Sunday morning is not a typical day of church. How does it fit in to travel with 48 youth and adults to a place that remembers in such vivid details, the horror of the inhumanity of individuals and groups acting upon other human beings?

We live in a world of choice and action. We each are faced with choices every day. Upon entering the memorial the choice became to experience it or to wander through without reflection… Our group though young seemed to understand the gravity of the place… the bone chilling seriousness of the brick and mortar, cold steel and glass. Because the architecture and design was crafted so thoughtfully, one had to experience moments if not hours of sorrow and grief over the exhibits.

As part of the experience, our young people were asked to reflect on the visit and respond to a few questions. Many provided thoughtful responses… and some jotted a few quick answers. The choice even today is to go back in our minds and remember the visit and reflect on the questions. Allow the memorial to engender in each of us the passion to never forget and to always embrace a viewpoint of defending the lives of all... especially those who are defenseless. Do not be afraid to stand up for the weak, the small and the poor. Do not be afraid to be ready to take a stand for the rights of others. Count yourself as one who belongs to all of humanity and to engage all in the process of celebrating life. In misery we are called to bless each other with our giftedness. In suffering even, we are called to inspire each other with our courage, love and honor for each other. In the end all that matters is how we treated even the least of these… in spite of that which we suffer. And do it all for the greater glory of God….AMDG: Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam… We must connect with the past and allow it to make us more effective today…

A visit to the Holocaust Memorial one Sunday morning after mass will catch you in the gut, and then you have a choice. Be that voice of love and change and courageous strength. Write me a note if you have taken time to think again of the experience. I look forward to your choices.