Catholic Life Ministries

The Spiritual Journey:  A Pilgrimage into the Heart of God

Life is a journey, not simply from childhood to adulthood and moving on to old age. It is a spiritual journey, a pilgrimage from the necessary egocentric state of childhood, where we learn to navigate the emotional minefields of our families, towards the all embracing heart of God where we learn the deepest truth of our existence: we are God’s beloved daughters and sons. And there is nothing that we can do, no matter how bad, to change that. Nor is there any good we can do to enhance that truth, to make us somehow even more beloved. God loves each one of us as much as God loves Jesus. 

Join us for The Spiritual Journey: A Pilgrimage into the Heart of God. We will explore this deep truth of being God’s beloved from the moment of our conception, how life obscures this truth, and how the spiritual journey allows our belovedness in God to break through and blossom.

Fr. Dennis Berry, ST, a familiar face to the CLM community, will be one of our presenters along with Robert Fontana.  Fr. Dennis has presented at many retreats and family camps for CLM.  He is a priest of the Missionary Servants of the Most Holy Trinity. Most recently, he was the director of the Shrine of St. Joseph in Stirling, NJ; and now he is in Senior Ministry and lives in Chicago where he accompanies young men in preparation for the missionary life. He is also involved in giving retreats, workshops, and spiritual direction. Ordained in 1974, he holds a doctorate in spiritual theology and has worked   throughout the United States and Latin America. He also served ten years as the international spiritual guide for the lay missionaries of the Missionary Cenacle Apostolate and eight years as a Councilor General of his congregation. He has written extensively and developed retreats and spiritual exercises based on the life and spirituality of Father Thomas Judge, founder of the movement of lay missionaries, sisters, brothers and priests called the Missionary Cenacle Family.

Saturday, October 8, 9:30 am – 5 pm

Peace & Spirituality Center, St. Mary-by-the-Lake

 ¨ Address: 1663 Killarney Way, Bellevue, WA

¨ Cost: $20 (single), $35(couple) / Scholarships available.

¨ Please bring your own brown bag lunch.

¨ Snacks/drinks will be provided.

¨ To register: Email: Robert@catholiclifeministries to sign up. Pay registration fee online at catholiclifeministries.org/donate/  OR bring a check to the retreat, payable to CLM.

¨ The Spiritual Journey will conclude with Mass!

By Robert Fontana

“A Pharisee invited him to dine with him, and he entered the Pharisee’s house and reclined at table.  Now there was a sinful woman in the city who learned that he was at table in the house of the Pharisee. Bringing an alabaster flask of ointment, she stood behind him at his feet weeping and began to bathe his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them, and  anointed them with the ointment.”  Luke 7:36-38

Dear Brave Woman,

I have read your story repeatedly, over many years, and I continue to be amazed by your actions. You knew that you were not welcome in the house of Simon the Pharisee. You knew what he thought of you, that you were “human trash,” and not worthy to step into his home. In fact, you believed these things about yourself as well. You internalized the judgments of proper society and agreed with their judgment: that you were a “sinful woman.” Yet, you did something absurd. You crashed a dinner party without considering the consequences,   because you were sure that there was one person present, Jesus, who would not reject you. You knew that he would not misunderstand your actions.

How did you know this? You had not met him before.  How had you come to know that Jesus would receive your tears and tender touches with compassion and humility?

I am assuming from the story that you lived a life of hurt and sorrow inflicted by the hands of men. Childhood physical and sexual abuse are epidemic in my century.  Was it the same in yours? Did you suffer trauma at an early age and then never knew how to feel safe and secure in the world? Did you act out, seeking security and love in the only way you knew: by offering yourself to men? You fell into the trap of  being trafficked for the sexual pleasure of men. That’s what the Scriptures imply with your description as “a sinful woman.” You were trapped between the misuse and abuse from men of the world and the scorn and judgment from men of faith.

But in Jesus  you found someone different. Somehow, as you learned about him, as you learned from others how he interacted with tax collectors, prostitutes, and other public sinners, you understood that he came as a friend, not as a judge.

However you came to know about Jesus, you grasped his radical message. Before you ever met him, you came to understand that God didn’t hate sinners. In fact, the  opposite was true: God fully understands the pain and suffering that is so often behind a person’s self-destructive behavior. God comes to the sinner with   infinite mercy and forgiveness. You followed Jesus from a distance, and his words melted your heart, melted your self-judgment, and revealed to you your deepest truth: that you are God’s beloved daughter! And nothing you have done, no sin, no self-condemnation, no self-harm, no addiction, can change that. Jesus brought to you the infinite love and mercy of God, and you were overwhelmed with gratitude.

When you learned that he was at the house of Simon the Pharisee, you could not help yourself. Your gratitude for what Jesus had done for you burst forth in tears that washed his feet and kisses that covered them with love.  You did what few people ever did: you surprised Jesus, and he was amazed at your extravagant display of affection. When he spoke to Simon, he compared Simon’s lack of hospitality with your generosity:

“Do you see this woman? When I entered your house, you did not give me water for my feet, but she has bathed them with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but she has not ceased kissing my feet since the time I entered. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she anointed my feet with ointment.  So I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven; hence, she has shown great love. But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little.”  Luke 7:44-47                                   

I do not know your name, but I ask you, Brave Woman, to pray for me that I can be like you and allow the forgiveness of God to free me so that I, too, can shower Jesus and others, with “great love.”

Sincerely,

A sinner struggling to be a saint

By Lori Fontana

Who listens to you? I mean, really listens. Who gives you total attention as you speak, letting you pause to gather your thoughts or search for just the right word to express what is rattling around in your head or flowing from your heart? If you have such a person in your life, an attentive listener, you, indeed, have a great gift.

Here’s a true story. An older couple we knew many years ago were empty-nesters. Their daily routine included sitting down together for every meal. However, whereas the wife was talkative and brimming with conversation, the husband wanted to read the newspaper in silence. The wife was miffed and tried for months to get the husband’s attention and participation without success. One morning at breakfast, when she could stand her husband’s lack of engagement no longer, she leaned over and, with a small lighter, lit his newspaper on fire.

“That sure got his attention!” she told us later.

Let’s hope none of us needs to resort to pyrotechnics to get our friend’s or loved one’s attention.  But I think each of us, at some time, has felt a longing for connection with another, to be acknowledged and truly heard.

Deep, loving listening may be one of the most precious gifts one person can give to another. When a listener is totally present, showing great interest, how does the speaker respond? She or he will feel confident to share what is most important and dearest to the heart.

One might ask, “What’s so complicated about listening? Just keep quiet, nod your head, grunt in assent now and then – it’s simple.” But in truth, real listening is hard. Much of the time, we put little conscious effort into listening to another. Listening well is very much an art.

As Kay Lindahl says in her book, The Sacred Art of Listening: Forty Reflections for Cultivating a Spiritual Practice, “Listening well takes time, skill, and a readiness to slow down, to let go of expectations, judgments, boredom,  self-assertiveness, defensiveness.” It is a skill that takes practice. It takes patience. It requires the listener to really want to give to another this gift.

Lindahl offers three practices that contribute to authentic listening: silence, reflection, and presence. It’s easy to understand how “silence” is a necessary quality for being a good listener. If I’m always offering “my two-cents worth” in a conversation, I don’t leave much room for the other to speak.

“Reflection” slows the conversation, allowing both  speaker and listener to pause and ponder. Lindahl        recommends that the listener take some deep calming breaths to help one reflect on what was said and then, perhaps, how to respond. In those moments of reflection, the speaker’s words have a chance to sink in, and the   listener has time to understand.

“Reflection” bolsters the third characteristic of good listening: “presence.” Brother Lawrence, a 17^th-century monk, spent his religious life doing monastery chores, mostly kitchen work. But what he is known for is how, in the smallest and most mundane tasks, he “practiced the presence of God.” Whether he was washing dishes or sweeping, cooking or scrubbing, he was totally present to that task; and he recognized God’s presence in the task. God called him to this work of his hands, so Brother Lawrence embraced each task wholeheartedly and found God amidst the dirty pots and potato peelings: “And it is not necessary to have great things to do. I turn my little omelet in the pan for the love of God.”

It’s sometimes difficult to be present to another. Their story may be long or tedious, or we’ve heard it all before, many times. When we practice being fully present in the many ordinary activities of our life, as did Brother      Lawrence, then we grow in our ability to be present to another who is sharing from the heart. When I make the bed, make the bed; when I wash my hands, be present to that. This is good practice for listening with “presence.”

In many situations, listening to another these days has  become fraught with anxiety, fear, even anger.  As Valarie Kaur says in her book, See No Stranger: A Memoir and   Manifesto of Revolutionary Love, (pp 143-144, 156, 157),

It turns out it is extremely difficult to draw close to someone you find absolutely abhorrent. How do we listen to someone when their beliefs are disgusting? Or enraging? Or terrifying? . . . In these moments, we can choose to remember that the goal of listening is not to feel empathy for our opponents, or validate their ideas, or even change their mind in the moment. Our goal is to understand them. . . .

Maybe, just maybe, my opponent will begin to wonder about me in return, ask me questions, and listen to my story. Maybe their views will start to break apart and new horizons will open in the process. . . . Then again, maybe not. It doesn’t matter as long as the primary goal of listening is to deepen my own understanding. Listening does not grant the other side legitimacy. It grants them humanity—and preserves our own.

The Letter of James offers us a similar guide to listening: Know this, my brothers and sisters: everyone should be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger… James 1:19

May each of us practice the presence of God, which in turn can help us see God present in everyone we meet. That is the foundation for loving listening, a gift we can offer to our contentious world.

By Robert Fontana

I’ve been thinking a lot about being raised Catholic at a time when Catholics knew how to practice their faith.   We were good at it.  We knew how to fast from meat on Fridays – ALL FRIDAYS, receive ashes in Lent, attend May crownings, pray the Stations of the Cross, make the Sign of the Cross while passing Catholic churches (not Protestant ones), bless our new homes, new babies, and, in Louisiana, the shrimp boats, with holy water.

We did not necessarily understand Catholicism; it was all a mystery anyway, but we knew how to practice the religion of our ancestors, from the time we were very young.  For example, when I was a child, probably at my first Communion, I was given a brown scapular, which was two pieces of cloth, each about an inch square, and decorated with an image of Mary.  The two cloth squares were connected by cords and worn around the neck.

Wearing a scapular was serious business. The one spiritual truth I remember about it was that no person wearing one at the moment of his or her death could ever be sent to hell.  Honest!  One day, I had an intense conversation with my brother Francis, who is a year older than I.  We were pondering how this was possible.

Francis – I never take my scapular off.  NEVER!

Robert – You mean you even take a bath with it?  Ain’t that a sin, I mean getting a holy scapular wet?

Francis – No, stupid, not with a scapular.  If you drown in the tub, or a hurricane knocks a tree down on the house and smashes the bathroom with you in the tub, you want to be wearing the scapular.  It’ll keep you out of hell when you die, so wear it even when you take a bath.

Robert – Wow! 

I thought it was a sin to get a scapular wet, like it was a sin to chew the communion host.  But a scapular’s having the power to save me from the torments of hell, that was something else.  But I was confused about one thing.

Robert – What if you have a mortal sin on your soul?  Will you still go to heaven if you die wearing the scapular?

Francis paused.  He was stumped.  That was a theological issue that he had not considered, nor had it been explained by any of the Sisters of Mt. Carmel, who taught at our school, which we and every child in a 10-mile radius attended.

Francis – I don’t know what happens then.  Maybe it just falls off if you are dying and have a mortal sin on your soul.  Mother Petronilla did say that we have to be good when we wear the scapular (she was our first-grade teacher).

As I said, we Catholics were pretty good at practicing our religion even though we did not fully understand why we were doing what we were doing.  That may have worked in the 40’s, 50’s, and 60’s, when Catholic culture was intact, and the most important issue was keeping immigrant Catholics from becoming Protestant, but it will not work today.  The world has changed.  The fundamental challenge to Catholic Christianity is not Protestantism, even in its evangelical variety.  These Christians are our allies.  The challenge is greed and selfishness that have run amok as men and women of all ages pursue what Franciscan Father Richard Rohr calls the “Poison P’s – Position, Power, Possessions,” and Privilege (I’ve added this last one) made possible by money.

POSITION, POWER, POSSESSIONS, AND PRIVILEGE suck the life from one’s soul and leave one looking like what Jesus described as “white-washed tombs on the outside, but dead-men’s bones on the inside.” (Mt 23:27)

POSITION, POWER, POSSESSIONS, AND PRIVILEGE blind entire communities to the needs of the unborn and the poor, to the desecration of the earth, and to the demands of justice.

BUT REMEMBER THIS!  We cannot avoid the Poison P’s.  We are immersed in them because the pursuit of position, power, possessions, and privilege is a foundation of our American culture.  They are the “water we drink, the air we breathe.”  We cannot avoid them, BUT we can transform them!

Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect. Romans 12:2

Paul would have made a good psychotherapist.  There is an axiom in the therapeutic world: “change the way you think, and you’ll change the way you feel, and you’ll change the way you act.”

What if your deepest identity was not defined by your position as a lawyer, teacher, cashier, or even priest?  What if your deepest identity was that you are a beloved child of God?  Then you would use your power to be a power for good in the world.  You would acquire the possessions that you need and share them.  And with any privilege you have, perhaps because of having parents who stayed lovingly married, or being very successful in business, you would build on that to help those who are underprivileged.

Whoever taught that wearing the scapular would save us from hell was treating that very nice symbol as magic.  In the modern world, the “Poison P’s” are creating hell on earth.  Being a practicing Catholic today means working to transform the “Poison P’s” however they are present in the circumstances of one’s life.  They can be transformed – through faith, hope, and love.  I think Mother Petronilla really knew the true purpose of a scapular: it was a very concrete reminder for us to be good.

________________

Scapular photo used with permission: Copyright: <a href=’https://www.123rf.com/profile_echeverriurrealuis’>echeverriurrealuis</a>

I recently made an amazing wilderness retreat for men developed by Fr. Richard Rohr, Franciscan priest and director of the Center for Action and Contemplation.  The retreat is called Men’s Right of Passage (MROP).  It was truly one of the most unique and wonderful events in which I have participated.  I have been sending the following letter to male friends and family members to invite them to consider attending. (photo:  Copyright: www.123rf.com/profile_kamchatka)

Dear Friends,

I’m writing to tell you about a five-day wilderness retreat I attended in the North Cascades called “Men’s Right of Passage (MROP).” The retreat was developed by Franciscan Father Richard Rohr.  It is faith- oriented in that its reference point is from the monotheistic faith of Abraham whose God created all that is seen and unseen and who loves every human being as a beloved son or daughter. I have participated in outstanding events that have enriched my life and deepened my capacity to love God and neighbor.  MROP is unlike anything I have ever done before.  I won’t tell you much about it because I want you to attend it and don’t want to spoil any surprises.  You can read about the retreat at this link: https://illuman.org/mrop/

I will say this: MROP is held at different wilderness spots around the country.  I attended one, 5 days, in the  North Cascade Mountains backcountry, a place as beautiful and wild as any I’ve seen.  The retreat’s purpose is to help men become healthy men, even with all the hurts and pains that life brings, and all the unhealthy behaviors that the culture’s toxic masculinity imposes. It had a perfect mixture of  presentations, dramas, conversation in small groups, rituals, great food, campfires, rowdy singing, and lovely moments of quiet in nature.

When I left the retreat on Sunday afternoon, I felt giddy with joy.  I could hardly stop laughing and singing.  I have not felt this alive, free, and content in a long, long time.  This journey towards being a healthy man has been the trajectory that I have been on my entire adult life.  MROP expanded that journey exponentially. You will find a schedule of upcoming MROP events at the above link.  I urge you to find a date that works for you and set aside the time to attend.

Don’t walk to the next MROP; RUN TO IT!

If you have any questions or want to talk more about the retreat, let me know.  I’m planting a seed, inviting you to consider participating in this life-transforming event.  No matter how old you are, no matter your religious tradition or lack thereof, no matter your political persuasion – left, right, or in the middle – MROP can be the most healing, exhilarating, and meaningful event for men in which you will ever participate.  Blessings!  Robert

Dear Friends, the investigation into our whistleblower complaint by the archbishop of Seattle is over.  Here is a portion of a statement that I read to the investigator on October 8, 2020:

My experience has taught me a few things.  #1. Sexual predators are here to stay.  They are in our churches, families, schools, etc.  We cannot filter them out.  They will find a way to be with minors and vulnerable adults. 

#2.  The temptation to protect sexual predators is also here to stay.  They will be our mentors whom we love, and we simply cannot believe the allegations made against us.  Or, if we do, we will not want to ruin their careers over this one incident. Or, perhaps, they will be individuals like Cardinal McCarrick who have power to influence our careers; or, perhaps, they will know secrets on us that we do not want exposed.

# 3 Safe environment programs must equip Catholic employees, clergy and lay, and volunteers to address cover-up of sex abuse.  Cover-up is the real culprit that turned a problem of offending clerics into an international scandal.  Essential to equipping Catholic employees and volunteers in confronting cover-up in the church is the legal and emotional protection of whistle-blowers.  Without that public commitment why would anyone speak out?

Review:  8/1/19 – The CLM Board wrote Archbishops Sartain and Etienne to investigate Robert’s role as a whistleblower regarding the mishandling and cover-up of cases of clergy sex abuse by the Bishop of Yakima.   Archbishop Sartain wrote a letter in response, dismissing the board’s concern.

8/28/19 – Robert wrote Archbishop Etienne (who replaced Archbishop Sartain) outlining his history of trying to expose the mishandling and cover-up of sex abuse in the Dioceses of Yakima and Seattle, and included evidence of retaliation.

11/15/19 – Archbishop Etienne wrote a response to Robert’s letter, stating that he was taking my concerns seriously and seeking consultation on his response.

2020 – Unbeknownst to us, the Archbishop initiated an  investigation.  He hired an investigator from Alaska, someone not known in Seattle or Yakima and therefore more likely viewed as being independent, to review documents and interview witnesses.

Oct 2020 – Robert was interviewed for almost two hours and provided the investigator with documents that he did not have and with names of witnesses with whom he had not yet spoken.  Frank Murray of Yakima was also interviewed.

5/23/22 – I was asked to meet with the Archbishop and was told that I had to come alone, I could not take notes, and I could not see any documentation.  At the meeting the Archbishop informed me that Pope Francis had been presented with the case and had then instructed the head of a congregation to issue a reprimand to Bishop Sevilla in accordance with  Canon 1339 for causing “harm and  scandal.”  THAT’S THE GOOD NEWS!

The bad news is that this reprimand is private.  That means neither the Pope, the Archbishop of Seattle, nor the Bishop of Yakima is going to tell anyone.  I wrote the Archbishop a letter to thank him for taking our complaint seriously and initiating the investigation.  Then I wrote this: The private nature of the Vatican’s reprimand of Bishop Sevilla leaves me and Frank Murray in the position of being whistleblowers once again…the issues which prompted our writing you in the first place remain unaddressed: Frank Murray and I have not been vindicated by Church leaders.  Clergy and lay employees, and volunteers have yet to be assured that their jobs and reputations will be protected if they speak out and expose any behavior that suggests the possible abuse of minors or vulnerable adults and/or that such behavior is being covered-up.  These issues, unaddressed, can also cause “harm and scandal” to the Church and continue the risks to youth and vulnerable adults.

By Robert Fontana

Father’s Day is approaching, and my thoughts turn to women who make it possible for men to be fathers, but more than that, to wives and partners who keep men from becoming like billy goats. Mattie Ross of True Grit fame -—she’s the young 14-year-old that hires Rooster Cogburn to go after Tom Chaney, her father’s murderer—- states what is common knowledge in fiction and non-fiction alike:

“Men will live like billy goats if they are left alone.”

When I read this, I decided to study up on billy goats to be sure I understood Mattie’s meaning. And I must say, after thorough and exhausting research, I’ve concluded that Mattie insulted billy goats. They are very intelligent creatures and left to themselves –- and let’s be honest here, we are referring to male goats; female goats are referred to as does or nannies –- billie goats, for the most part, make intelligent choices. Men, okay, let’s not generalize, many men, “left alone,” live like Rooster Cogburn, in their own filth.

“He stirred as I came through the curtain. His weight was such that the bunk was bowed in the middle almost to the floor. It looked like he was in a hammock. He was fully clothed under the covers… Rooster coughed and spit on the floor and rolled a cigarette and lit it and coughed some more… little brown drops of coffee clung to his mustache like dew. Men will live like billy goats if left alone.”

I was raised with eight men, six brothers and my dad. I shudder to think what our home would have looked like without Mom. One of my brothers, I won’t mention any names, told me that when he went off to college, he loved getting his bed sheets so coated with body oils from lack of washing that he could slide into bed.

Certainly Dad would have enforced some sort of hygiene requirements on his sons, and I know one particular brother would have helped him out, but the others of us, even as grown men, would have been Rooster Cogburn disciples.

God most surely knew this about men when he created Adam out of mud. Very quickly afterwards, according to the Bible, the Lord God says, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make him a suitable partner.”

What the Bible does not say is that Rooster Cogburn is a direct descendent of Adam and, according to Catholic teaching of original sin, inherited his lower-than-billy goat predisposition from the first man.

Adam had basically trashed the garden with banana peels and discarded beer jugs spread about and had started to show signs of poor health from smoking the tobacco leaf. Eve was a godsend to Adam. He perked up, trimmed his beard, and began mulching all parts of the vegetarian diet he (and she) could not eat.

Okay, sure she tricked him with that apple, but women aren’t perfect either. As we approach Father’s Day, the point is that the mothers of their children play a vital role in helping men to be good fathers! In fact, although there are exceptions to this axiom that I’m about to pronounce, the truth is: what makes good and involved fathers is a strong marriage with the mother of their children.

My dad was a great dad. He taught me how to ride a bike, throw a baseball, cast a fishing line, love music, and pray. But the best and most amazing gift he gave to me was his love for my mother. Together they created a stable (but not perfect, by any means) family, filled with all the fun and craziness of family life. Dad loved Mom in good times and in bad, and passed that lesson on to me and my brothers.

There is a segment of the male population that is behaving like Rooster Cogburn. We could ignore them but they are fathering children and acting worse than billy goats in taking care of them. The real crisis, however, is not that they are absent fathers, but that they are absent spouses. Do you want to be a great dad? Be a great spouse. Yes, be involved with your children, but most importantly, LOVE THEIR MOTHER! Happy Father’s Day.

Above photo: Copyright: <a href=’https://www.123rf.com/profile_gstockstudio’>gstockstudio</a>

By Lori Fontana

Back in our college days, our parish pastor told us a parable. Chicken Little lay on her back in the road, her spindly little legs sticking straight up towards the sky. Noble Knight, clothed in shining armor, with his lance and shield gleaming in the sunlight, came riding by on his huge steed. He stopped next to Chicken Little, bending over to speak to her.

“Why lie-est thus in the dust, little chick?” questioned the Knight.

Chicken Little responded, “The sky is falling; the sky is falling!”

“And thou think-est thou can help thusly – by holding thy measly little chicken legs in the air?!?” scoffed the Knight.

“One does what one can,” the chick replied confidently.

In these crazy days of horrific gun violence, deep discord and mistrust, runaway inflation with gas at $6 a gallon and sky-high grocery and housing prices; a war in Ukraine; strife in our neighborhoods; hunger, danger, the pandemic – YIKES! How are we supposed to manage, to cope? How do we as Christians not just survive but thrive? How do we claim the JOY of God’s love, which we know is at the very core of our existence and is also present in every human being and in all of creation?

Day-to-day routines will look different in the life of each person of faith; but I offer two suggestions to buoy and sustain our Christian walk: prayer and service.

Prayer is, of course, a no-brainer. Prayer is “communication with our God,” the Trinity of divine persons who love us completely and unconditionally. We can hardly claim to be a Christian without having a practice of daily prayer wherein we communicate heart to heart with God, in whatever manner nourishes and encourages us. It could be silent reflection, the community prayer of Mass, spiritual reading, prayer walking, prayer groups, meditative song or rosary / chant, prayer of the imagination, music, art…the ways we pray are as numerous as there are Christians. Without prayer, we cannot connect to God; and our souls will wither and die within. Prayer is the most basic of self-care routines. It builds the foundation upon which the rest of our life is built.

This leads to my second suggestion: service to others. Prayer, both personal and communal (such as the Mass) nourishes and guides us for a purpose – to be a power for good in the world, to be the hands and feet, heart and voice of God in a world which, as we daily see and hear, is in desperate need of God’s love and care. What does this service look like? Well, first and foremost is our “service” to our family and our job, as we fulfill the daily duties of our primary vocation, be it as a married person, a single person, or a vowed religious person. Beyond these primary responsibilities, I’d say the sky’s the limit on what individuals might do to serve others.

We don’t have to look far to notice “needs.” They are in our neighborhood, our section of the city, our country, all around our world. A practical starting point is, what’s needed right now, within our own families and the circumstances of our own daily lives? Ask yourself, what needs do I see? What gifts can I offer?

Here’s an example from my life. Some folks in our neighborhood have joined together to provide food every Sunday afternoon, under the nearby freeway, for anyone who comes. About four years ago, some of the neighbors noticed folks living outside, including under the freeway, and decided to cook a hot meal which they served on folding tables they set up near where folks were camping. They call it the Ravenna Pop-Up Kitchen. During the pandemic, this has become a cold meal, wrapped for take-away. Other small items are offered: socks and underwear, towels, masks, hand sanitizer. In the winter cold, some organizers made hot chocolate and coffee to help warm the folks who came. About 200 people in our neighborhood are part of the email info thread. Between providing the food and distributing it on site, a dozen people directly participate each week. Folks help when they can and donate food and other items.

It involves planning and coordination. It’s a commitment, particularly for the group leaders, who will pick up the slack when other volunteers are lacking. But the group has provided a Sunday meal faithfully for more than 4 years and counting.

The group serves about 25 – 35 meals each week and is so appreciated by the folks that come. Several people come every week and even hang around for a visit while enjoying a cup of hot chocolate. Robert and I, plus our daughter Mary, volunteer 1 – 2 times a month to prepare some food, set up tables, or distribute the meals on-site.

Our efforts seem very much like Chicken Little’s effort to prop up the sky with her tiny legs. Homelessness and hunger are such HUGE problems in Seattle. What can a few people possibly do that will make any difference? We can’t do everything! But, on the other hand, if each of us does what we CAN do, things can get better. We spread the Good News.

One more parable: A little boy walked along the seashore picking up starfish stranded on the sand and tossing them gently back into the water. An old man watching him said, “You can’t possibly return all the starfish to the sea. Why do you even try? What difference can you make?”

As the boy carefully put another starfish into the ocean, he responded, “Well, I make a difference to this one!”

One does what one can!  You and I can be the hands and heart of Jesus in the world. Even if in a small way, we can bring the grace and blessing of the Holy Spirit to each person we meet.

By Lori Fontana

Back in our college days, our parish pastor told us a parable. Chicken Little lay on her back in the road, her spindly little legs sticking straight up towards the sky. Noble Knight, clothed in shining armor, with his lance and shield gleaming in the sunlight, came riding by on his huge steed. He stopped next to Chicken Little, bending over to speak to her.

“Why lie-est thus in the dust, little chick?” questioned the Knight.

Chicken Little responded, “The sky is falling; the sky is falling!”

“And thou think-est thou can help thusly – by holding thy measly little chicken legs in the air?!?” scoffed the Knight.

“One does what one can,” the chick replied confidently.

In these crazy days of horrific gun violence, deep discord and mistrust, runaway inflation with gas at $6 a gallon and sky-high grocery and housing prices; a war in Ukraine; strife in our neighborhoods; hunger, danger, the pandemic – YIKES! How are we supposed to manage, to cope? How do we as Christians not just survive but thrive? How do we claim the JOY of God’s love, which we know is at the very core of our existence and is also present in every human being and in all of creation?

Day-to-day routines will look different in the life of each person of faith; but I offer two suggestions to buoy and sustain our Christian walk: prayer and service.

Prayer is, of course, a no-brainer. Prayer is “communication with our God,” the Trinity of divine persons who love us completely and unconditionally. We can hardly claim to be a Christian without having a practice of daily prayer wherein we communicate heart to heart with God, in whatever manner nourishes and encourages us. It could be silent reflection, the community prayer of Mass, spiritual reading, prayer walking, prayer groups, meditative song or rosary / chant, prayer of the imagination, music, art…the ways we pray are as numerous as there are Christians. Without prayer, we cannot connect to God; and our souls will wither and die within. Prayer is the most basic of self-care routines. It builds the foundation upon which the rest of our life is built.

This leads to my second suggestion: service to others. Prayer, both personal and communal (such as the Mass) nourishes and guides us for a purpose – to be a power for good in the world, to be the hands and feet, heart and voice of God in a world which, as we daily see and hear, is in desperate need of God’s love and care. What does this service look like? Well, first and foremost is our “service” to our family and our job, as we fulfill the daily duties of our primary vocation, be it as a married person, a single person, or a vowed religious person. Beyond these primary responsibilities, I’d say the sky’s the limit on what individuals might do to serve others.

We don’t have to look far to notice “needs.” They are in our neighborhood, our section of the city, our country, all around our world. A practical starting point is, what’s needed right now, within our own families and the circumstances of our own daily lives? Ask yourself, what needs do I see? What gifts can I offer?

Here’s an example from my life. Some folks in our neighborhood have joined together to provide food every Sunday afternoon, under the nearby freeway, for anyone who comes. About four years ago, some of the neighbors noticed folks living outside, including under the freeway, and decided to cook a hot meal which they served on folding tables they set up near where folks were camping. They call it the Ravenna Pop-Up Kitchen. During the pandemic, this has become a cold meal, wrapped for take-away. Other small items are offered: socks and underwear, towels, masks, hand sanitizer. In the winter cold, some organizers made hot chocolate and coffee to help warm the folks who came. About 200 people in our neighborhood are part of the email info thread. Between providing the food and distributing it on site, a dozen people directly participate each week. Folks help when they can and donate food and other items.

It involves planning and coordination. It’s a commitment, particularly for the group leaders, who will pick up the slack when other volunteers are lacking. But the group has provided a Sunday meal faithfully for more than 4 years and counting.

The group serves about 25 – 35 meals each week and is so appreciated by the folks that come. Several people come every week and even hang around for a visit while enjoying a cup of hot chocolate. Robert and I, plus our daughter Mary, volunteer 1 – 2 times a month to prepare some food, set up tables, or distribute the meals on-site.

Our efforts seem very much like Chicken Little’s effort to prop up the sky with her tiny legs. Homelessness and hunger are such HUGE problems in Seattle. What can a few people possibly do that will make any difference? We can’t do everything! But, on the other hand, if each of us does what we CAN do, things can get better. We spread the Good News.

One more parable:

A little boy walked along the seashore picking up starfish stranded on the sand and tossing them gently back into the water. An old man watching him said, “You can’t possibly return all the starfish to the sea. Why do you even try? What difference can you make?”

As the boy carefully put another starfish into the ocean, he responded, “Well, I make a difference to this one!”

One does what one can!  You and I can be the hands and heart of Jesus in the world. Even if in a small way, we can bring the grace and blessing of the Holy Spirit to each person we meet.

By Robert Fontana

What a year of sorrow!  The pandemic continues, war in the Ukraine, mass shootings at supermarkets and grade schools, divisions in the country, and the daily pains and sorrows of life.  And still Paul writes:

“What will separate us from the love of Christ? Will anguish, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or the sword?…No, in all these things we conquer overwhelmingly through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor present things,^* nor future things, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  Romans 8:35-38

We can find joy, hope, and purpose in this world filled with so much sin, corruption, and sorrow through an intimate relationship with Jesus and the Holy Spirit!  Lori and I pray to the Holy Spirit every day to help us be alert to how we can be a power for good within the circumstances of our lives.  Here is our Holy Spirit prayer:

Holy Spirit, be in my head and in my heart.  Be in my eyes and in my looking.  Be in my mouth and in my speaking.  Be in my ears and in my hearing.  Be in my hands and in my working this day and always!

Here’s a link to a wonderful article on the Holy Spirit: https://thevalueofsparrows.wordpress.com/2016/05/19/holy-spirit-how-to-envision-the-spirit-by-elizabeth-a-johnson/