Riccardo to Me

 

I just listened to Episode 151, Fr. John Riccardo’s Ash Wednesday podcast (Thoughts from the Trailer with Fr. John Riccardo).  He said Lent is a time for refining who we are, to grow to in the image of Jesus.  He spoke that he once heard that a goldsmith knows it is time to take the iron our of the fire when all he sees is gold, “all the dross is removed”.  “Ouch,” Fr. John said, “I know I have a lot of dross.”

 These last few days, I’ve been visiting my doctor, initially to help remove a wax buildup in my ears.  But after treatment, he noted that a spot of wax remained on my right eardrum.  So, he did the treatment again (Ouch that hurt).  He noted that a little bleeding began in my ear, and put a treatment on it and said all would be okay.  It was simple.

Only it wasn’t.  That last treatment didn’t stop the bleeding, and so the next day I went to him again, noting I could not hear in that ear.  A further treatment, and he assured me all was well, but my ear remained totally blocked (who knows why: wax or blood or treatment stuff or ---).

Did you know that suddenly hearing from only one ear confuses your brain?  My phone rang and, hearing it in my good left ear, I reached to answer it, but to my surprise it wasn’t there on my left.  I looked and saw it there to my right.  At mass this morning the music seemed way too loud, and yet I could hear the woman in front of me make a little sniffle.

Back to the doctor again. He saw some of the last “fix” had dried and was on the eardrum, so he removed that noting “well now there’s a tiny bit of blood, but we’ll fix that.”  And three hours later, I still don’t hear in that ear.  The doctor’s office just called and said that they’d sent a prescription for me to the local pharmacy.  When I was in the doctor’s office this last visit, I had told him and his admin that this was the last time this week, no matter what.  I’d let my ear heal for a few days --- and perhaps get used to hearing in only one ear.

A bible study friend of mine is totally blind, as is Andrea Bocelli.  My friend is seeking to start a ministry for the homeless, and Bocelli is probably the best tenor singer in the whole world.  I just listened to a Bocelli DVD last week.  He sang so beautifully and movingly, as Pope John Paul II’s life and death and burial filled the screen. The ending made me cry with its beauty.

That’s what Fr. Riccardo was also reminding us with his Lenten meditation.  Now is a time to focus on our dross, to make ourselves better, even if it is painful, and to live our lives as best we can, as are my blind friend and Bocelli --- and perhaps me with only one good ear.  And the reason for our accepting that imperfect reality?  Look ahead; the Resurrection, Easter and a new glorious life are coming our way.  Fr. Riccardo’s talk was a great reminder of why we accept and even welcome pain. And if we have been avoiding it, Lent is a good time to start the hard journey, whether it is accepting pain, or accepting the painful circumstances of our family, friends, church or the world.

As a priest said at mass, give up complaining, give up worry or gloom and discouragement.  Resolve this Lent to change our hearts, to focus on gratitude, blessings, and the beauty of creation all around us.  That’s accepting our pains, with a grateful eye to our coming Easter Resurrection, and joy forevermore.  

And outside my kitchen, I just heard thunder.  Rain is coming instead of the heavy snow and ice we’d been having.  Only I’m about to go out in that rain to deliver groceries.  Thank you God for all your creation, even the rain and cold, as I go out to serve You.

Review: From Silence to Silence

 

I fondly recalled Cardinal Sarah’s book titled: Silence, which had sat unread on my home bookshelf for many months, because I assumed it must be boring.  What could you write about silence?  How wrong I was!  So, when I saw the title of this book by Fr Bethel on the bookstore shelf, I quickly bought it.  And began to read it as soon as I got home.  It is a wonderful book!

In the book’s Foreward, Joseph Pearce writes: “If we wish to have minds open to the presence of God, we need to take time … in the silence of prayer.  We need more time with trees and less time with trash and trivia.”  He says well a key point:  God is present in silence, and as we grow closer to Him we perceive His presence there, whether in the quiet of our early morning awakening, or the awe of the adoration chapel.  And the more we perceive Him, the more we want to be with Him, and stay into an eternity with Him.

Many people, and most probably the young ones, think silence is boring.  It’s why they treasure their cell phones, hopping from point to point with what they perceive is excitement, when all it is, is a stimulation of the body’s senses

Be still and know that I am God
Psalm 46

In Chapter 4 of this book, Fr. Bethel headed a section with the words: “God surpasses our clear knowledge.  He IS, simply and absolutely, infinite.”  Fr. Bethel goes on to note how we begin a relationship, a spiritual childhood with God, and begin to know Him.  He explains our spiritual growth, through the GIFTS of Faith, Hope, and Charity, and how we nourish them by spiritual reading and meditation.  We grow in our knowledge of God.  Fr. Bethel then writes about how we speak to Him, in prayer.  And all this spiritual growth does not excite our physical senses, quite the opposite.  It quiets them.  Our physical senses are for our dealing with the world.  Our spiritual senses, however, and the quiet and beauty of nature, are where we come to know and love God.

From Silence to Silence is a beautiful, thoughtful book.  Don’t read it after the excitement of a hard day, or taking a break from your work or entertainment excitement.  Start reading it at a quiet time, free from all activity.  And you will begin to hear God, and grow From Silence to Silence.  And you will find yourself looking forward to those times, to be with God.

Starting Evangelization

Last week, the men’s group listened to a video of Dr. Sri speaking to the Seek 25 Conference of young people.  And this morning we listened to a priest speaking to that same gathering.  Both were inspiring talks focused on evangelization of the Catholic faith.  Dr.  Sri’s talk ended with him speaking of Jesus’ last words to Peter: “Do you love Me?”  And three times Peter responded yes, but indicating how hard he found it to love as Jesus did, with a total “forgetting myself” love, or “agape” in Greek.  Peter knew that regardless of what he wanted to do, three times he had recently betrayed Jesus; he couldn’t love and totally forget himself.  This morning’s talk seemed to more focus on evangelizing as being like talking to a dear friend (which was the limit of Peter’s love, a “filia” love).  The video spoke of finding someone who has a private worry, like ours --- and we all have a private worry.  This was a way, the priest noted, to begin a friendship, and evangelization.  After we get to know each other, we can speak of how God is with us in our tough times.

In the men’s group discussion, after the video, we spoke about our own difficult times, but nothing private was spoken, until I spoke of caring for my mom who had dementia, and my reluctantly joining a caregiver’s group --- which I didn’t feel I needed.  And then I was a member and leader of that group for 15 years and still meet with some of those dear friends.  Then, one in the men’s group spoke of his caregiving stress --- which he had mentioned to no one.  And then one spoke of evangelization groups he was helping form.  The men this morning saw the benefit of growing with others, as needy friends, and evangelizing the faith.  It was a good men’s meeting.  And then …

I read my morning prayers at church.  In the Office of Readings was a talk by St. Augustine on St. Paul’s letter to the Galatians, and “letting Christ be formed in you.”  In Augustine’s words: “John says: He who remains in Christ should walk as He did” --- and love as He did, I wrote in the margin.  And then suddenly I recalled the men’s group videos and discussions on evangelization.  I gave a witness to how I had participated in a caregiver’s group, formed friends with a common interest, and then “walked as He did, with a love as He did.”  It made me wonder:  Did Jesus spread faith, religion ---- or love?  His one command was to “love as I have loved;” that is walking with Christ, not just talking about Him.  And THAT is evangelization.      

This morning the men’s group spoke positively about forming some groups, within our Catholic parish, but the support group I had mentioned was an example of the gathering of people with a common need --- period.  We didn’t limit the group to a parish or religion any more than Jesus didn’t limit His followers.  He loved those Gentiles, too.  That is a God Who loves all, with His all, His “agape” love.

Okay, like Peter we may find “agape” love beyond what we can do (up to now), but we can love others as friends, as Peter did (up to that point, before the Holy Spirit came upon him at Pentecost).  And we can begin to love that way by finding people who would want to talk to us, in private, on serious sufferings we share.  People in need, regardless of race, creed, or even age.  That is a way to start evangelization, of beginning to walk as He did.