Catholic Life Ministries

By Robert Fontana

I was raised in a conventional Catholic family. Faith in God was tied to being part of a community of people that shared a culture based on specific practices: Mass on Sunday and holy days; praying the rosary, abstaining from meat on Fridays, etc. We were raised like the comedian Kathleen Madigan, who remembers how the nuns taught her,

“DON’T BOTHER JESUS! You have a guardian angel who’s with you 24/7; go to your him if you have a problem. You can turn to one of the saints; there’s one responsible for every facet of life. You can try Jesus’ mother – ask her for help. But DON’T BOTHER JESUS.”

Ok, maybe that’s a slight exaggeration.

We had a family Bible but never read it. Our only family review of Scripture was while praying the “mysteries” of the rosary which focused on Jesus’ birth, death, and resurrection. His life and teachings were assumed, I suppose, to be part of cultural Catholicism.

That all changed for my parents when, after 20 years of marriage, they weren’t getting along. Rather than going to a divorce court, they went to a Catholic Charismatic prayer meeting. Their lives were turned upside down. They met Jesus and the Holy Spirit in a surprising and beautiful way. They discovered God’s love for them and God’s will for them: to love one another. Their transformation became my transformation.

Throughout high school I struggled with all the things teenagers struggle with but what helped me to cope was daily Bible readings, prayer, and a desire to do God’s will. By the time I was a high school senior, I started hearing an inner voice that said, “Why don’t you become a priest?” I remember fighting it. “NO! I DON’T WANT THAT! I want to go to college, to watch football games, to date girls.”  

God won that argument. I went to a college seminary situated on acres of pine woods north of New Orleans. It was my first experience of being in such a quiet environment with all boys and with NO GIRLS! I hated it.

It took me a good month to transition to the rhythm of life offered by the Benedictine monks at St. Joseph Seminary. That life began with sung prayer of the Psalms at 6:15 in the morning, class beginning at 8:30 or 9 am, Mass at 11:15, more class, free time, and work study in the afternoon, evening prayer with the monks at 5:30 pm and night prayer with the seminarians at 9:30. I was being disciplined into a new way of being a Catholic follower of Jesus.

During a fall day of prayer, the retreat director, Fr. Ambrose, said something that seems simple and “duh” now, but at the time was very new to me. He suggested that we spend a lot of time outdoors and listen to “nature.” Many of my classmates laughed at his suggestion. Fr. Ambrose was a man who would not swat a mosquito sucking blood out of his arm because he wanted to learn something from the insect. Yet, for me, what he said struck me as truth.

I tried to tune in to nature during the day. The beautiful, natural surroundings touched me, had a calming effect on me. I would occasionally get up early before morning prayer and spend time alone at the nearby river.

When Lent came around the following Spring, Fr. Ambrose again gave us students a recommendation that I took to heart. He suggested that during these 40 days we remove one item from our room as an outward sign of removing an attachment in our heart that might be keeping us from loving God and loving my neighbor. That very night I resolved for Lent I would remove one item each day from my room, and I would begin each day with a half hour of silence at the river before morning prayer.

Something very profound began to happen to me. I became aware of the beauty, peace, and healing balm that nature had to offer me. By the time Holy Week came, my room was completely emptied of all items on my wall, bed, and bookshelf. My heart had become still, quieted by nature’s touch. I felt so close to God, at peace with myself and the world around me.

I learned from that Lenten journey what Moses, the prophets from the Hebrew Scriptures, Jesus, and the saints all knew from their life with God: nature is a primary place of encounter between God and humans.

In Catholic language, nature is a “Sacrament.” It is an “outward sign, something one can experience through the senses – seen, touched, and heard – instituted by God, that gives grace.” In fact, it is the original “Sacrament” upon which all other Sacraments are built. Without nature, there is no “burning bush” before Moses, no “cloud by day” leading the Hebrews from Egypt, and no Word of God becoming “flesh” in baby Jesus.

Once while praying in a nearby park whose trees and shrubs were left to grow wild and free, I felt like I was in the womb of love. I wrote a poem about my relationship with the Sacrament of Nature inspired by the words of St. Augustine and an old Catholic hymn. I share it with you below. May you take time this Lent to cultivate a deeper life with God by allowing nature that you have access to – from your garden or nearby park to a mountain stream or the vast ocean – quiet your soul and draw you into a beautiful encounter with God.

“How late have I loved thee, O Nature, ever ancient and ever new.

O Sacrament most holy, O Sacrament divine, how late have I reverenced you, bowed before your beauty, knelt before your mystery like Moses before the burning bush.

You give life and death. You water, plant seeds, grow forests, birth creatures, including me, and receive us in death.

I played in your fields, ate from your fruits, stole from your treasures, always thinking you and I are different, separate. I had forgotten that I came from you, and I will return to you. As the Scriptures write, “For you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” (Gen 3:19) Clearly, I am nature too.

Forgive me, O sacred friend, forgive me for loving you too late, way too late, and having caused you so much harm. Late have I loved thee, O Beauty ever ancient and ever new, but it is not too late for me to change.

By Robert Fontana

During Lent we walk with Jesus to the cross.  We walk with the Messiah who had to suffer for our sake and our salvation; and we join in his work of redemptive suffering.  We do penance and acts of self-denial, which train us to bear suffering for the love of God.  And if we are going through a time of actual suffering because of difficult life circumstances, such as illness or confronting real evil and injustice in society, we carry the cross of that suffering because it too can become life-giving and redemptive through Christ.

Let us especially carry in our hearts the suffering people in the Ukraine, the suffering people in Gaza and Israel, the suffering people escaping violence and migrating for a safer life, the suffering people who live on our streets, the suffering people in difficult marriages and unhealthy relationships, the suffering women and couples and their unborn child in a crisis pregnancy, and…(you add your list).

Such a somber and serious season needs a party, one last “hurrah,” to help us enter into it properly.  Thus in Catholic countries all over the world the season of “Carnival” and “Mardi Gras” is celebrated before Lent.  A very appropriate way to bring closure to Carnival and Ordinary Time and transition into the penitential season of Lent is literally to bury the word “Alleluia.”  That word, usually sung before the reading of the Gospels at Mass, is not sung during Lent.  It will not be heard again until the Easter vigil when the Church celebrates the resurrection of Jesus, who is God’s “Alleluia” to the world.

So, sometime this weekend, gather with your family and friends to transition into the Lenten season and bury the “Alleluia” using the following prayer service, or something similar.

Bury the Alleluia in Preparation for Lent  – A prayer service to help you and your family, prayer group, office, and/or parish prepare for Lent. You can do this any day during the week of Ash Wednesday to the first Sunday in Lent.

Materials: Take a legal size sheet of paper and, using a marker, write in large print “Alleluia.”  Have other markers of different colors available.  You will also need a shovel.

Leader  Lent is upon us.  It is the time we remember when God’s “Alleluia,” Jesus, took away the sins of the world through his death on the cross.

All  Alleluia!  Alleluia!  Alleluia!

Leader  The word “Alleluia” is a Hebrew word which means “Praise the Lord.”  It is appropriate to call Jesus “God’s Alleluia” because his entire life was an act of praise and worship of God.

 R1   Jesus is the word of God who is fully human and fully God.

 All  Alleluia!  Alleluia!  Alleluia!

R2   Jesus was obedient to Mary and Joseph, and from them he learned to do his Father’s will.

 All   Alleluia!  Alleluia!  Alleluia!

R3    Jesus preached the Kingdom of God.  He invited women and men to repent and believe in the good news of God’s immense love breaking into human history.

All  Alleluia!  Alleluia!  Alleluia!

R4  Jesus gathered together a community of disciples, women and men, and taught them the Beatitudes.

All  Alleluia!  Alleluia!  Alleluia!

All Our Father…

By Robert Fontana

I do love Lent, which begins on Ash Wednesday (March 5), but I resist it as well. Lent invites me to consider what is at the heart of being a disciple of Jesus – love of God and neighbor, especially those who are poor, marginalized, and scapegoated. I resist because, well, I don’t always want to be challenged to correct a fault or engage an issue that might take time, energy, and money.

I have also come to suspect the surface piety of Lent – adding fast days, praying the rosary every day or attending daily Mass – when it doesn’t also reach down to one’s heart. We become complicit in the sins of the culture when we just reinforce a cultural Catholicism that keeps us focused on our personal salvation (and that of our family members) but ignores the suffering of “my neighbor” in society.

Christian on the outside, but opposite on the inside. This is not new to Catholicism specifically or to Christianity in general. I’m reading the biography of the abolitionist and formerly enslaved Frederick Douglas. He writes bitingly against the slaveholders from the South who got on their knees at night in prayer, read the Scriptures daily, and faithfully attended church on Sunday. Yet these same men and women enslaved human beings, fed them starvation diets, beat them on a whim, raped the women, ignored their own children born from rape, and worked all the enslaved people, children to old people, from dawn to dusk.

Douglas writes, “I can see no reason, but the most deceitful one, for calling the religion of this land Christianity. I look upon it as the…boldest of all frauds, and the grossest of all libels. Never was there a clearer case of ‘stealing the livery of the court of heaven to serve the devil in.’ I am filled with unutterable loathing when I contemplate the religious pomp and show, together with the horrible inconsistencies, which every where surround me.”[1]

Among these Christian slaveholders were many Catholics including Jesuits who enslaved hundreds of men, women, and children on their farms in Maryland.[2]

One of the critiques of the Catholic Church in Europe following World War II was that it was more concerned with self-preservation than about the general welfare of the people being persecuted by the Nazis, especially the Jews, but also communists, Protestant intellectuals, Roma people, and homosexuals.[3] In a sobering response to the failure of the Catholic Church to respond to the social crisis created by the Nazis, the bishops at the 2^nd Vatican Council, in a deliberate effort to be faithful to the Gospel, committed the church to advocate for and stand in solidarity with suffering humanity:

The joys and the hopes, the griefs and the anxieties of the men of this age, especially those who are poor or in any way afflicted, these are the joys and hopes, the griefs and anxieties of the followers of Christ. Indeed, nothing genuinely human fails to raise an echo in their hearts.[4]

Five outstanding Nazi opponents from within Germany were university students : Hans and Sophie Scholl (brother and sister), Alexander Schmorell, Willi Graf, and Christoph Probst, led by their philosophy professor, Kurt Huber. They formed an anti-Hitler group called The White Rose, a reference to all that was beautiful, good, and Christian about their Germany before the Nazi takeover. (see https://jetsettimes.com/countries/germany/munich/the-white-rose-movement/}

“The group wrote, printed and initially distributed their pamphlets in the greater Munich region. Later on, secret carriers brought copies to other cities, mostly in the southern parts of Germany. In July, 1943, Allied planes dropped their sixth and final leaflet over Germany with the headline “The Manifesto of the Students of Munich”…They denounced the Nazi regime’s crimes and oppression, and called for resistance…they openly denounced the persecution and mass murder of the Jews.” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White Rose)

They were captured in 1943, humiliated at a public trial, and three were sentenced to death by guillotine: Hans and Sophie Scholl, and Christoph Probst. What courage! 

That brings me to these “Troubled Times.” Chaos reigns from the White House. Federal workers are being fired on a whim. Federal agencies that serve the American people, from its national parks, to disease prevention, education and even Medicaid, are being undermined. Our closest neighbor nations are being threatened, American allies are being bullied, and dictators are being embraced. And tragically, men, women, and children, fleeing their home countries because of poverty and violence are scapegoated as rapists and murderers who need to be rounded up and deported. (At least the Catholic bishops have gained a spine to speak out against this travesty.)

Every Christian, Catholic and Protestant, shaped by the ethics of the prophets from the Hebrew Scriptures and by the example and teachings of Jesus, cannot help but be outraged at the injustices coming from the White House. This is not a partisan issue. Conservatives like former vice-president Mike Pence, Liz Cheney, and Adam Kinzinger, all fully committed to the president’s agenda in his first term, are severe critics in his second.

Ask yourself, is this the path that I want the United States of America to travel? Consider the courage of the Munich martyrs when they did their part to stand up to Hitler. What will you and I do to confront the areas of darkness unfolding before us now?

During this Lent I pray that you and I will take moments to meditate on the Scriptures especially the writings of the prophets and the four Gospels. One passage that stands out for me is Micah 6:8:

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. (New International Version)

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[1]  Douglas, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave. p. 107-108, Modern Library, NY, NY © 2000.

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1838_Jesuit_slave_sale

[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reichskonkordat

[4] Pastoral Constitution of the Church in the Modern World, Article 1

By Robert Fontana

St. Brigid is one of three patron saints of Ireland along with St. Patrick and St. Columban. Her feast day, February 1, also marks the first day of Spring in Ireland. A person could go all his or her life without having fun with a spring cleaning on St. Brigid’s Day, as we outline below, and still be a very fine Christian. Obviously the same is true for another unique event for Catholics coming up on March 5, Ash Wednesday. These events have some hands-on gestures and rituals that may seem odd to the casual observer. On Ash Wednesday we receive a cross of ashes on our foreheads. On the eve of St. Brigid’s Day (February 1), we use a kerchief to literally swipe our homes clean and symbolically remove it of “sin and selfishness.” Then we tie the cloth to a tree, where the spirit of St. Brigid and the Holy Spirit, come to take the sins away. These faith-based rituals can be somber, as in receiving ashes on Ash Wednesday, or fun as on St. Brigid’s Day. What they do is help us sanctify the day, making it special by allowing our entire body to participate in the meaning of the day. The actions and gestures of these events are an outward sign, a symbolic gesture, of our belief as disciples of Jesus, yet they are not essential to discipleship.

What are the essentials of being a disciple of Jesus anyway? Here are a few that come to mind:  belonging to a community of faith that follows Jesus; encountering Jesus in a personal way and making a conscious decision to follow him by living out the Beatitudes; opening one’s life to the Holy Spirit; belonging to a small group where one is personally loved and held accountable as a disciple; participating in public worship and community rites; maintaining a consistent prayer life that involves the praying/studying of Scripture; engaging one’s faith within daily life; caring for the sick, elderly, poor, and for children.

These “essentials” are the “meat and potatoes” of following Jesus but, to continue the food analogy, without much seasoning or dessert. I think that it’s the addition of the non-essentials that adds spice and fun to one’s faith. For example, the liturgical year that divides up secular time into sacred seasons of Advent/Christmas, Lent, Easter/Pentecost, and Ordinary Times, is certainly not an essential feature of being a Christian. Some deeply Christian denominations function perfectly fine without a “liturgical year.” Yet we Catholics, joined by the Orthodox and mainline Protestants, find it extremely useful to organize the year around the major themes of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. In doing so, we think we are better able to tell the story of Jesus’ life and integrate His message in our lives today.

The “Sign of the Cross” is another non-essential and arbitrary practice that Christians do that has helped shape an identity that is deeply Christian and Catholic.  In that one action, we remind ourselves of the saving work of Jesus through his death on the cross, and of our dependence on the Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Can a person be a good Christian and never make the “sign of the cross”? Most certainly. Some Christians bow their heads when they begin a prayer. Catholics (and Orthodox) make the “Sign of the Cross.” It summons us to quiet ourselves, and be attentive to what God is doing in the moment, whether it be followed by the blessing of a meal or the committal of a beloved family member to the grave.

I think a relationship with Mary, the mother of Jesus, especially manifested through the practice of praying the rosary, is a non-essential practice of Christian discipleship. One could go his or her entire life without ever praying to Mary, much less saying the rosary, and still be a deeply committed follower of Jesus. St. Paul makes no mention of Jesus’ mother except in one obscure text in Galatians (4:4). Certainly Paul never prayed to Mary and never thought that what she brought to the life of a disciple was important enough to write about. Protestants, taking their cue from Paul, also do not pray to Mary (or the saints) and yet are still following Jesus as committed disciples. Mary and the rosary are non-essentials to Christian discipleship. But I believe a devotion to Mary, so deeply imbedded in Catholic culture, is a wonderful gift from God that deepens faith, hope, and love.

Of course, there are many other non-essentials such as observing the feast days of saints, praying to St. Anthony for lost items, blessing pets on the feast of St. Francis, wearing religious medals and scapulars, lighting candles as a prayer offering, fasting on Wednesdays and Fridays, and “burying the Alleluia” on Mardi Gras, the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday. None of these practices is essential to Christian discipleship and, if done these are done apart from the essentials, they have little meaning. But when these rituals are done in conjunction with being an active follower of Jesus, they have the capacity to shape a Catholic Christian identity that gives a person deeper roots and brings joy and fun to the Christian life.

So add some spice to your faith life. On St. Brigid’s Day (Feb. 1), wipe your home clean of sin, and on Mardi Gras (Mar 4) bury the Alleluia (see rituals below). Then on Ash Wednesday (Mar 5), the very next day, go to the nearest Catholic Church and get your ashes.

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St. Brigid’s Day “Spring Cleaning” (February 1)
Prayer:  Saint Brigid, daughter of Ireland and lover of Jesus, draw us by your prayers into the living flame of God’s love.  Help us to clean our hearts and homes of all that is selfish and self-centered.  We forgive all who have hurt us and ask God to forgive our sins as well.

Pray for us, St. Brigid, that we will be attentive to the poor and spiritually abandoned, that we will practice the Beatitudes in good times and bad, and that the warmth of God’s love will animate all that we say and do.

Activity:  Each member of the home takes a kerchief or handkerchief in hand and walks through the house dusting the furniture and books, and lamps, etc. singing “Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.”

When the house has been thoroughly dusted, all go outside and tie the kerchiefs on the branches of a tree. The myth is that, on the eve of her feast day, St. Brigid, in the grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit, travels through the land with her prayers to remove the dust and sin, and even ailments, from our lives.

Closing Prayer:  St. Brigid, come this day, to our home and hearts, come by the power of God, and be our guest. And help us, dear Brigid, to wipe away the dust of “me, my, and mine” that we might love others with a selfless heart. Amen.

Our Father…

Leave the kerchiefs and handkerchiefs on the tree for a week or until Ash Wednesday.

BURY THE ALLELUIA on “Mardi Gras (Mar 4)” the day before Ash Wednesday (Mar 5)

All               Alleluia!  Alleluia!  Alleluia!

Leader             For the 40 days of Lent the Church “buries the Alleluia” by refraining from singing this sacred word in our liturgy.  We do so to remember the Lord Jesus, God’s alleluia, the Lamb of God, who took the sins of the world with him to the grave so as to rob them of their power to destroy life.

What are the sins of the world today that destroy life?  Say them aloud as you write them on a sheet of paper bearing the word “Alleluia.”

[After all have done so the “Alleluia” is placed in the ground and buried with dirt in the same way that Jesus who died for the sins of the world was placed in a tomb following his death.]

All                   Gracious God and Father, your beloved Son Jesus suffered death to give us life.  Help us during this Lenten season to deny ourselves and serve others in imitation of Him who lives with you, and the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever.  Amen!

by Robert Fontana

…you have learned that local thugs and gang members are targeting young girls in your neighborhood for kidnapping. The girls are given over to gang members as “wives.” Imagine also that you know from previous experience that the local police and government officials are powerless to do anything about it. What would you do? What would you do if you were poor and did not have political or family connections with resources to help you?

You would probably do what Juana and Jose (not their real names) from Columbia did. With their two children, a teen and a young child, they set out on the long walk to the United States, seeking asylum and a new, safe life in the U.S. You might very well do this same thing because you’d have heard through the migrant grapevine that American law states that any person who arrives onto U.S. soil and requests asylum has the right to a hearing before an immigration judge.

Any alien who is physically present in the United States or who arrives in the United States (whether or not at a designated port of arrival and including an alien who is brought to the United States after having been interdicted in international or United States waters), irrespective of such alien’s status, may apply for asylum in accordance with this section or, where applicable, section 1225(b) of this title. 8 U.S. Code § 1158 – Asylum (https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/8/1158)

Juana and Jose began their long pilgrimage in early December, 2023. Almost immediately they faced the perils of crossing the “Darien Gap,” which according to Wikipedia is “a geographic region that connects the American continents, stretching across southern Panama‘s Darién Province and the northern portion of Colombia‘s Chocó Department. Consisting of a large drainage basin, dense rainforest, and     mountains, it is known for its remoteness, difficult terrain, and extreme environment, with a reputation as one of the most inhospitable regions in the world.”

The Darien Gap is not only physically challenging to cross because of its difficult terrain, it is also dangerous to cross because of snakes and other wild animals and because of the presence of gangs that prey on migrants.

Juana reported that over the three days it took them to cross through the Darien Gap they were always wet  because of rainfall and having to cross rivers and streams. They were not alone. They met other people fleeing their homelands and heading towards the United States. They made it to Nicaragua, then Guatemala, and arrived in Mexico in February. They were assisted at times by churches with food and water. At other times they had to work menial jobs to earn money to buy food or a bus ticket. There were many days with little or no food or water. They slept on the side of the road, in parks, church yards, and occasionally in a hotel where they could also shower.

Twice, after traveling to Northern Mexico, Mexican immigration officers picked them up and returned them to southern Mexico near the Guatemalan border. Undaunted, knowing what waited for them back in Columbia, they both times began the trek north again. They did a variety of jobs to earn money to buy bus fares: washing dishes, cleaning houses and yards, waiting on tables. They were occasionally robbed but, thank God, never physically injured, though they witnessed other migrants being attacked and physically harmed.

Arriving in Mexico City a second time, they tried to apply for asylum online through a program set up by the Biden administration. They tried this online application repeatedly over a one-month period without hearing from any immigration official. Finally, Jose decided to hop on a train north to the Mexico – U.S. border,  thinking he would find work in the U.S. and send money back to Juana and the children. Juana worked, earned money for bus fare, and was finally able to travel with her two children to Juarez, Mexico, across the border from El Paso, TX, in May.

She crossed into the U.S. at an immigration checkpoint and asked for asylum. Immigration officers took her and the children into custody. After conducting a background check, immigration released Juana and family to Annunciation House, a Catholic shelter system for migrants directed by Ruben Garcia. Mom and children were granted approval to have their asylum claim heard.

Lori and I arrived in El Paso in June to volunteer at  Annunciation House where we met Juana and children. The family later learned that Jose was in a detention  center in Houston and would probably be deported. Lori worked with the family to get immunizations and other medical care, and I worked with them to learn some English. And we all worked together with all the guests at the shelter to do laundry, mopping and cleaning, meal preparation, and dishwashing.

Juana, however, had a problem. Most families asking for asylum in the U.S. have a contact in the country, a family member or friend, who will host them as they wait for their immigration hearing. Juana’s contact had   fallen through. When we left in early August, she and family were essentially stuck at the El Paso shelter. After a few more months passed, the shelter director asked if we would consider hosting the family here in Seattle. Lo and behold, our parish had a connection for a very vital need: a small studio apartment for them. 

Juana and family arrived in Seattle the first week of December. Two of our daughters and a few parish   families are bi-lingual, and that’s been such a blessing – to connect Juana with some Spanish-speaking families. Lori and I lean heavily on Google Translate, which works surprisingly well, though it’s slow-going. The younger child will begin Pre-K at the parish school; the teen will take the ELL course at the community college in the spring. We’ve found an English language tutor for Mom and teen. Lori is searching for a pro-bono immigration lawyer.

No one would make the journey that Juana and her family made unless the threat to their lives was very real. With honest reflection, I think you or I would have done the same thing. Please remember this family, and all migrants, in your prayers. We’ll keep you updated on their progress.

Dear Friends, the Christmas homily ought to be short!  The meaning of the day is made abundantly clear in the carols sung, the readings proclaimed, the liturgy prayed, and the festivities in the home. The homilist need only add an exclamation point to what the Christmas liturgy shouts out with joy, that the beloved son of God was born of Mary! Here’s my Five-Minute Christmas Homily for 2022.

Robert:  Merry Christmas, everyone. [Robert sings.] It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, everywhere you go. People are going to pray. They’re listening every day, to stories from the Bible all aglow. 

Oh…wait a minute. Wrong words…how does the song go? (sing with me if you know it):

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, everywhere you go. Take a look at the five and ten, it’s glistening once again with candy canes and silver lanes aglow. It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, toys in every store. But the prettiest sight to see is the holly that will be on your own front door.

Wow. The writer of that Christmas song sure got it wrong. Sure, candy canes and silver lanes aglow are fun, and buying toys in every store keeps the economy going but, are these the real signs of Christmas? Everybody, shout, “NO!”

All:  NO!

Robert:  We just need to look to the beautiful people in the Christmas story for the true signs that indicate Christmas is here. But I need your help in this Gospel reflection. When I raise my hand, would you shout out, “It’s beginning to look like Christmas!” Let’s practice. [Robert raises his hand.]

All:      IT’S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS!

Robert:  When you and I, like Mary, open our hearts to the love of God, when we say, “Yes!” to following his will for our lives, then…[ Robert raises his hand.]

All:      IT’S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS!

Robert:  When you and I, like Joseph, have the courage to stand up for what is right and protect the innocent, from babies to migrants to caring for our beautiful earth, then… [Robert raises his hand.]

All:      IT’S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS!

Robert: When you and I who are struggling in marriage and family, love one another like Mary and Joseph, forgive each other any hurt we may have caused, and work to restore friendship and affection, then…

All:      IT’S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS!

Robert:  When you and I, like the Magi, can discern when the political powers are trying to manipulate us, and we do not play their games but instead listen to the Holy Spirit speaking to our hearts, thereby thwarting their evil machinations, then… [Robert raises his hand.]

All:      IT’S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS!

Robert:  And when you and I, like the angels in the sky, gather for worship, lift our voices to heaven to sing glory to God in the highest, listen to the Word of God, and receive the Eucharist, then… [Robert raises his hand.]

All:      IT’S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS!

Robert:  And lastly, when we make room in the “inn of our hearts” and walk with the shepherds of the world, with those hard-working laborers, with families who struggle to make ends meet; when we accompany them to Bethlehem to be with the Christ Child and Mary and Joseph, where there is neither rich nor poor, slave nor free, woman nor man, but we are all one in Christ, then… [ Robert raises his hand.]

All:      IT’S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS!

Robert:  Decorations are nice; gifts are wonderful to give and receive. But it’s truly Christmas when our joy, celebrations and sharing of gifts spring from the profound knowledge that we are deeply loved by God through the gift of Jesus and we share that love with all we meet. Knowing this, we can live Christmas every day of the year. So, friends, let’s show the world what Christmas really looks like! Because when we do, all people will know that… [Robert raises his hand.]

All:      IT’S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS!

(Given at the first World Youth Jubilee in Rome, 1983)

 Who do you say I am? (Matthew 16:15)

You are God. You are God from God. You are begotten, not made. You are One in Substance with the Father. You are the Son of the living God. You are the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity. You are One with the Father. You are in the Father from the beginning. All things were made by you and the Father. You are the Beloved Son in whom the Father is well pleased. You are the Son of Mary, conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of Mary.

You were born in Bethlehem. You were wrapped in swaddling clothes by Mary and put in the manger full of straw. You were kept warm by the breath of the donkey who carried your Mother with you in her womb. You are the Son of Joseph, the carpenter as known by the people of Nazareth. You are an ordinary man without much learning as judged by the learned people of Israel.

Who is Jesus to me?

Jesus is the Word made Flesh. Jesus is the Bread of Life. Jesus is the Victim offered for our sins on the Cross. Jesus is the Sacrifice offered at the Holy Mass for the sins of the world and mine.

Jesus is the Word — to be spoken.

Jesus is the Truth — to be told.

Jesus is the Light — to be lit.

Jesus is the Life — to be lived.

Jesus is the Love — to be loved.

Jesus is the Joy — to be shared.

Jesus is the Peace — to be given.

Jesus is the Bread of Life — to be eaten.

Jesus is the Hungry — to be fed.

Jesus is the Thirsty — to be satiated.

Jesus is the Naked — to be clothed.

Jesus is the Homeless — to be taken in.

Jesus is the Sick — to be healed.

Jesus is the Lonely — to be loved.

Jesus is the Unwanted — to be wanted.

Jesus is the Leper — to wash his wounds.

Jesus is the Beggar — to give him a smile.

Jesus is the Drunkard — to listen to him.

Jesus is the Mentally Ill — to protect him.

Jesus is the Little One — to embrace him.

Jesus is the Blind — to lead him.

Jesus is the Dumb — to speak to him.

Jesus is the Crippled — to walk with him.

Jesus is the Drug Addict — to befriend him.

Jesus is the Prostitute — to remove her from danger and befriend her.

Jesus is the Prisoner — to be visited.

Jesus is the Old — to be served.

To me

Jesus is my God.  Jesus is my Spouse. Jesus is my Life.  Jesus is my All in All. Jesus is my Everything.  Jesus, I love You with my whole heart, with my whole being.  I have given Him all, even my sins and He has espoused me to Himself in tenderness and love.

Now and for life I am the Spouse of my Crucified. Spouse. Amen.

By Robert Fontana

Yes, ladies and gentleman, the battle of the century is upon us (as it is every year). In one corner, dressed in red, sporting a white beard, wearing a night cap, and holding a sign that reads “Shop at Macy’s,” is COMMERCIAL CLAUS, or as popularly known, SANTA.

In the other corner, wearing a priestly stole, also sporting a white beard, and carrying gifts for the poor in one hand and the shepherds staff in the other, is St. Nicholas!

LET THE RUMBLE BEGIN! It is being fought in your heart and mine. Commercial Claus is backed by the trillion dollar commercial interests from Amazon to Walmart. St. Nicholas is backed by Jesus, the carpenter from Galilee, Francis and Clare from Assisi, disciples of Jesus today, and all men and women of good will who want children to know that they are loved for who they are and not for what they possess.

December 6  is the Feast of St. Nicholas, Bishop of Myra (in modern day Turkey). He had a reputation for secretly giving gifts to people in need, which led to the rise among pious Christians of the figure of Santa Claus (Sinterklaas (Dutch: [ˌsɪntərˈklaːs]) or Sint-Nicolaas – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Nicholas). Sadly, as we all know, the commercial interest of secular culture have co-opted Santa Claus for its own purpose and few people know of the saintly figure behind the secular Santa (which, ironically, means “Holy.”).

Lori and I decided when our children were small to make the Feast of St. Nicholas a special day for them so that they would understand the Christian figure behind the Santa Claus story. We are continuing that custom with the grandchildren. On St. Nicholas Day morning, they will be opening their Christmas stockings, each containing a book, a candy treat, and an orange. (Here’s a you tube link for the story of St. Nicholas for children: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfsGFHbCPCM)

Here’s a reflection on the difference between St. Nicholas and Santa Claus, followed by a prayer service that families (with or without children) or friends can do to honor St. Nicholas, disciple of Jesus, and friend of the poor.

• Santa wants your credit card; Nicholas wants your heart.
• Santa will turn you into a consumer; Nicholas will help you be a servant.
• Santa is a whimsical tale of a fat old elf who gives toys to boys and girls who have been good; St. Nicholas helped children escape from poverty and slavery.
• Santa reminds us to give presents; Nicholas reminds us to give ourselves.
• Santa is controlled by the department store; Nicholas was led by the Spirit.
• Santa is a man dressed in a costume; Nicholas was a Bishop who cared for his people.
• Santa reminds us to follow the Christmas sales; Nicholas reminds us to follow Jesus.
• Santa promises us happiness through gift-giving; Nicholas reminds us that happiness is the fruit of a faithful life.
• Santa is a fun story to read to children at Christmas Eve; Nicholas was a man of great compassion who sold his possessions and gave the money to the poor so that he could do God’s will in perfect freedom.
• Santa has nothing to do with Jesus the God-Man whose birth is celebrated on Christmas Day. Nicholas’ life only makes sense because of his love and commitment to Jesus the God-Man whose birth is celebrated on Christmas Day.

A Prayer Service for the Feast of St. Nicholas, Adapted by Robert Fontana from a prayer service by Thomas G. Simons from the St. Nicholas Center.

Call To Worship

Leader: Praise God for St. Nicholas!

Children:  Yea St. Nicholas!

Leader: The Spirit of the Lord was upon him.

Children: Yea St. Nicholas!

Leader: Loving God, St. Nicholas loved Jesus, and because he loved Jesus he loved children and the poor.  We honor his memory today and in doing so hope to imitate his kindness and love.

Children:  St. Nicholas, pray for us. Amen!

Word Service – 1 Peter 5.1–4

The following summary of the life of St. Nicholas may be read and discussed.

St. Nicholas was born to Christian parents.  Legends recount the story of Nicholas’ baptism when his parents brought him to the sacred fount; he leapt from his mother’s arms into the Baptismal waters.  After the death of his parents, he gave away his inheritance to the poor of Myra, and dedicated himself to serve his people first as a priest and later as a bishop.

Bishop Nicholas preached the Gospel in a Roman culture still dominated by Greek and Roman religious customs and moral behavior.  He organized Churched, taught the Catholic faith, and invited non-Christians to join the community of faith.  He is most remembered as a helper to the poor and to children.  Once Bishop Nicholas heard that a father was struggling to feed his three daughters.  He did not have the money for a marriage dowry, and was considering selling them off into slavery so they would at least have something to eat.  On three occasions, Bishop Nicholas threw a bag of gold through the window into the room of the sleeping father. His daughters soon were married. Later the father came to Nicholas, fell at his feet and said, “Nicholas, you are my helper.”

This story and his many other works of charity led to the tradition of giving presents on the Feast of St. Nicholas and at Christmas. The name Santa Claus, in fact, evolved from his name.

Bishop Nicholas proclaimed the Gospel, baptized new Christians, feed the hungry and poor, and taught the truths of Christianity.   He died at Myra in 350 A.D. His popularity, already great, increased when his bones were brought to Italy in 1087. Both the Eastern and Western churches honor him. St. Nicholas is the patron saint of Russia, Greece, and Sicily.  He is regarded as the special patron of children. His feast is day is December 6.

By Robert Fontana

You may have missed this from the Vatican with all the fuss over the American elections in the news, but 2025 has been declared a YEAR OF JUBILEE!  The custom of declaring a Jubilee Year dates back to Pope Boniface VIII in the 13th century. Boniface was not known for his holiness. Although he did not use the word “Jubilee,” he invited European Christians to journey to Rome to the place where Peter and Paul were martyred – the journey was praying on their feet, for the forgiveness of sin.

The biblical reference for a Jubilee year is Leviticus 25:10: “You shall proclaim liberty in the land for all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you, when each of you shall return to your own property, each of you to your own family.”

Jubilee 2025 begins on December 1, the first Sunday of Advent.  Pope Francis writes,

“We must fan the flame of hope that has been given us, and help everyone to gain new strength and certainty by looking to the future with an open spirit, a trusting heart and far-sighted vision. The forthcoming Jubilee can contribute greatly to restoring a climate of hope and trust as a prelude to the renewal and rebirth that we so urgently desire; that is why I have chosen as the motto of the Jubilee, Pilgrims of Hope. This will indeed be the case if we are capable of recovering a sense of universal fraternity and refuse to turn a blind eye to the tragedy of rampant poverty that prevents millions of men, women, young people and children from living in a manner worthy of our human dignity.

Here I think in particular of the many refugees forced to abandon their native lands. May the voices of the poor be heard throughout this time of preparation for the Jubilee, which is meant to restore access to the fruits of the earth to everyone.

As the Bible teaches, “The sabbath of the land shall provide food for you, for yourself and for your male and female slaves and for your hired servant and the sojourner who lives with you; for your cattle also, and for the beasts that are in your land, all its yield shall be for food,” (Lev 25:6 – 7)

The spiritual dimension of the Jubilee, which calls for conversion, should also embrace these fundamental aspects of our life in society as part of a coherent whole. In the realization that all of us are pilgrims on this earth, which the Lord has charged us to till and keep (cf. Gen 2:15), may we never fail, in the course of our sojourn, to contemplate the beauty of creation and care for our common home. It is my hope that the coming Jubilee Year will be celebrated and experienced with this intention too. Growing numbers of men and women, including many young people and children, have come to realize that care for creation is an essential expression of our faith in God and our obedience to his will. (https://www.iubilaeum2025.va/en/giubileo-2025/lettera-di-papa-francesco.html)

We “Pilgrims of Hope” are being invited to pray on our feet! Pope Francis is inviting us to leave our homes and, if possible, go to Rome to pray at the tombs of the great saints Peter and Paul. And if you can’t go to Rome, go to a shrine of your choosing closer to you. Consider, especially, the diocesan Cathedral. (Lori and I are pictured below walking on the pilgrimage route to the great cathedral of Santiago, Spain.)

He invites us to leave our homes quite aware of the traumas afflicting our world. He writes about becoming pilgrims of hope without turning a “blind eye” to the millions of people suffering from intense poverty, refugees fleeing their homelands, and even the earth which is also suffering from the degradation of human exploitation. We go on pilgrimage to be transformed, to step away from what has been our normal way of doing things, and to place ourselves on a path to hear the Gospel anew. We will meet new people, have new prayer and liturgical experiences, and feel the soreness of our feet as we walk, perhaps a great distance like the 500 miles of the Camino de Santiago, or perhaps only 500 feet from the tour bus to St. Peter’s or your local cathedral or shrine.

In whatever manner we step out in pilgrimage during this Year of Jubilee, the purpose is to conform our lives more closely to the life of Jesus so that we can return home better prepared to evangelize, to share the good news of God’s love, in word and deed. Evangelization is not a “four-letter” word! Catholics resist it because we are terrified God is going to ask us to go door-to-door like the Mormons or Jehovah Witnesses or stand on the street corner like an evangelical preacher. Here’s what St. Peter says in the letter that bears his name (1 Peter 3:15 – 16):

…sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts. Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope, but do it with gentleness and reverence…

Lori and I did a pilgrimage walk from Florence to Assisi to reflect upon the lives of saints Francis and Clare, to be inspired by their example in following Jesus. It brought us closer to each other and closer to God. It has born fruit in deepening our commitment to help migrants at the border. This Advent we will be welcoming our first migrant family from El Paso at our newly forming parish Welcome Circle. May you find the pilgrimage path that will draw you closer to God and deepen your commitment to evangelize in word and deed.

By Robert Fontana

When I was young (and dumb) and beginning my life in ministry, I was filled with zeal as a Catholic and disciple of Jesus. Zeal led me to do apostolic work at a parish which served a Navajo reservation in New Mexico, and then to the seminary to see if God was calling me to be a priest. After deciding “No” to that question, I joined a Catholic household of students at LSU, hoping to capture the idealism and lifestyle of the first followers of Jesus.

I seemed to be driven by some vague notion that there was a much better way of being church than what my parents’ generation had modeled for me. There must be a way to perfectly imitate Jesus and the saints by willingly renouncing worldly possessions and living in community among the poor and spiritually abandoned. Lori and I were so captivated by this idea that we, with three small children, moved with other families to a poor neighborhood in south Louisiana to create the perfect church.

Guess what happened? 

WE FAILED MISERABLY! We argued endlessly over the rules of community life, could never agree on how to integrate children into such a project, rarely shared in fun, and never learned how to resolve conflict. We tried to create the perfect structure for being the perfect disciples of Jesus without first getting to know one another, discovering how different we were from each other, and learning how to simply get along.

That failure taught us a lot – mostly not what to do. But also it opened my eyes to the illusion of trying to be the “perfect church” because there is no such thing. It did not exist when Jesus was walking with his disciples – they continued to argue about which one was the greatest; and one of them ended up betraying Jesus.

The perfect church did not exist following the giving of the Spirit at Pentecost – the widows of the Greek-speaking members were being left out of the distribution of food and services, and there were intense arguments over how to welcome non-Jews into the community.

The perfect church did not happen during early church history: in the fourth century, after Christianity was legalized, there was basically a civil war between Christians who followed Arius and those who were Orthodox or Catholic. Arius was condemned at the Council of Nicea but that did not prevent violence from breaking out between the two sides.

So, if we cannot work to build the perfect church, can we work to build the church to which the Holy Spirit is guiding us? This is the focus of our upcoming retreat  scheduled for Saturday, October 26^th, with Fr. Dennis Berry, ST, and Sr. Debra Wilson, MSBT (information below).

Perhaps this goal, the church desired by the Holy Spirit, is as elusive as seeking the perfect church. Indeed, how can we discern how the Holy Spirit is guiding God’s people in this particular time of history? This is not an easy task for a church that is global, is situated in a multitude of different languages and cultures, and is rocked by its own internal divisions caused by the clergy sex abuse crisis and tensions between traditionalists, moderates, and progressives.

As we prepare for this retreat, we are mindful of four dimensions of Catholic life that we hold together as we discern how to become the church that the Holy Spirit wants:

1. the New Testament witness of the life and teachings of Jesus and his first followers;

2. the example of the saints; 

3. the theology and pastoral direction of the 2^nd Vatican Council;

4. the leadership of Pope Francis.

We invite everyone to participate in our retreat weekend, but for those who cannot attend in person, let me ask you the following:

When you consider the tensions within the church and society today, which stories from the life of Jesus and which of his teachings and those of the New Testament writers resonate with you, and why?

When you consider the tensions within the church and society, which examples of the saints resonate with you, and why?

When you consider the tensions within the church and society today, what teachings and pastoral directions of the 2^nd Vatican Council (as you understand them) resonate with you, and why?

When you consider the tensions within the church and society today, what from the leadership of Pope Francis resonates with you, and why?

You might take some time for your own retreat and  reflect on these questions. I would love to have you write your responses to me (send to Robert@catholiclifeministries.org).

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If you live in the Pacific Northwest, please join us for this day of prayer and study with two very outstanding presenters. You will not regret the time spent meeting new people, renewing old friendships, praying, learning, sharing in small groups, and concluding with the celebration of the Eucharist.

Place: Assumption Catholic Church, 6201 33rd Ave NE, Seattle, WA 98115. We will conclude with the vigil Mass!

Cost: $30 (single), $50 (couple) Scholarships available. 

Please bring your own brown bag lunch.  Snacks/drinks will be provided.  To register: Email: Robert@catholiclifeministries.org that you wish to participate, and pay the fee at catholiclifeministries.org/donate/ OR bring a check to the retreat, payable to CLM.