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Monthly Archives: May 2020

At the Wood’s Edge: Laudato Si’, Wendell Berry and Coronavirus

24 Sunday May 2020

Posted by mcummins2172 in Uncategorized

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"Laudato Si", Coronavirus, Pope Francis, Wendell Berry

woods-wallpaper1

VIII. 7.

The watcher comes, knowing the small
knowledge of his life in this body
in this place in this world. He comes
to a place of rest where he cannot
mistake himself as larger than he is,
the place of the gray flycatcher,
the yellow butterfly, the green dragonfly,
the white violet, the columbine,
where he cannot mistake himself
as more graced or graceful than he is.

At the woods’ edge, the wild rose
is in bloom, beauty and consolation
always in excess of thought.

“A Small Porch” by Wendell Berry

Sunday, May 24th concludes Laudato Si’ Week – a time set in the Catholic Church to mark the fifth anniversary of Pope Francis’s encyclical “Laudato Si’: On Care for Our Common Home” and to reflect on the teachings that Pope Francis offers in the encyclical, the concerns he gives voice to and the hope that he calls us to as followers of Christ and as stewards of creation.

This year, Laudato Si’ Week is observed in the midst of a global pandemic. A small airborne virus has slammed the brakes on our human world in all of its pride, presumption and whirlwind activity. COVID 19 has left us all disoriented and, at the woods’ edge.

Berry’s poem makes prophetic utterance when he writes, He comes to a place of rest where he cannot mistake himself as larger than he is … where he cannot mistake himself as more graced or graceful than he is. This is where we are. It is where illusions are wiped away and we are made to recognize our very real creatureliness. Yes, made in the image and likeness of God – a child of God – but still one creature within a very large creation nonetheless.

Yet, there are hidden gifts found in this moment and Berry’s poem can help us to recognize them. Not to diminish the very real pain and suffering that is occurring in the world but there is a “rest” found when we are brought, by hook or by crook, to an authentic and real knowledge of who we are. There is a rest gained when we are made to recognize that we are neither larger than we actually are nor more graced and graceful. There is a rest that only a humble heart can experience – whether the humility was sought or not does not matter. The rest and its healing is the same. It is worthwhile to both recognize and receive this rest.

We are not alone. This is another gift found at the wood’s edge.  We are with the gray flycatcher, the yellow butterfly, the green dragonfly, the white violet, the columbine…  God never intended the glory of his image and likeness in which man and woman are made to be manipulated and twisted into a cruel separation marked by a misguided sense of superiority, dominance and indifference towards the rest of his creation. That is not the work of God but rather of the evil one and of our often eager willingness to cooperate through sin in that twisting of the Creator’s original intent. At the wood’s edge, cut off from the illusions of the world and our lives, we begin to notice again what has always been true – that we are not alone. We are one part of an incredible and vast creation that gives witness and praise to the love, power and glory of the One who alone is creator. The wood’s edge bears witness that neither the universe nor creation are random occurrences in time and space but rather a deliberate act of will by a God who is love. We can know this witness and learn what it has to teach if we are open and willing to see and listen. Yes, we are part of something much bigger than ourselves but we are neither lost within its vastness nor left in abandonment on our own.

The final gift is freedom. At the woods’ edge, the wild rose is in bloom, beauty and consolation always in excess of thought. What wild roses are in bloom in this moment beyond our imagining? The wood’s edge offers a true and startling freedom to each one of us. Do we have to go back to the way it was before? Is it even worthwhile to go back to the way it was? What about less? Less running, less stress, less things, less acquiring, less activity often just done for pride and activities’ sake? What the wood’s edge offers is neither an invitation to magical flights of fancy nor naïve wishful thinking but a true gut check in reality (sometimes a gut punch) daring us to take the risk of asking if it, indeed, has to be the same and, if not, then why not seek and live a different way? What other persons (or the world, for that matter) choose to do at the wood’s edge does not matter. What matters is my choice. Am I willing to go deeper beyond the wood’s edge trusting that there is a beauty and consolation found within that is always in excess of thought?

COVID-19 has forced us to the wood’s edge. It is quite disconcerting. All sorts of primal fears get stirred up and the initial instinct is to either retreat to the safe and familiar or lash out in fear and anger but as Pope Francis and Wendell Berry both know in their own unique ways; new life, true relationship and authentic freedom are often found on the edge (or periphery) of things. Maybe the best thing we can do right now is just be willing to be at the wood’s edge – to watch, listen and learn what it has to teach.

Insights gained from the communion reception debate

13 Wednesday May 2020

Posted by mcummins2172 in Uncategorized

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Catholic Church, Eucharist, Reception of Communion

communionFor a number of weeks now I have been watching the communion reception debate play out on social media. People asserting their right to receive communion on the tongue in and out of times of pandemic and questioning the authority of the bishop to restrict that form of reception in the circumstances that we find ourselves. I try to avoid social media debates at all costs as I think they really go nowhere and change no one but, as I have watched this debate unfold, I believe that I have gained some insights into the state of our knowledge of the faith, fears and even a learning about priestly ministry.

First, a number of faithful Catholics have little to no understanding of what is meant by the term, “the common good”. Many canon lawyers have weighed in, bishops have weighed in, the Catechism itself teaches that yes, individual rights are important but they are not the ultimate value. Rights always have to be balanced with the common good and the common good can sometimes trump individual rights (i.e. in the context of a global pandemic). Restricting the reception of communion to receiving in the hand in our current context is not a suppression (with malicious intent) of a personal right, rather it is a striving for the common good – the protection of the health and life of other persons. Through baptism we are not brought into just a gathering of like-minded individuals with whom we may more or less agree. In baptism we are grafted into the Body of Christ – something of which we are each a unique part but also something much bigger than ourselves and our individual rights. A focus solely on individual rights with little to no awareness of the common good demonstrates a worldview that is more influenced by the secular than by the faith – apparently even among devout souls. There is a serious lack of understanding regarding what the Church means by the common good.

I have to wonder if part of what is at play in the debate erupting at this particular time on social media with particular vigor from some quarters is, in fact, a psychological coping mechanism where people choose to quibble about minutiae in an effort to avoid the full weight of the reality we are facing as a world. Let me be clear here. Reception of communion is not a minor thing. It is the Body of Christ and it should be received with full reverence but the teaching of the Church makes it clear that it can be received with equal reverence both on the tongue and in the hand. Both are valid ways of receiving this great gift. To say that not receiving on the tongue is more of a suffering and sacrifice at this time than not receiving in the hand or, out of an awareness of the common good, soon to be asked to solely receive in the hand once public Masses resume is simply not true. Frankly, it carries the danger of falling into a self-focus bordering on narcissism. The suffering of the world right now is not occurring in the communion line. The suffering of the world is in the person dying from coronavirus, it is with the family unable to be with their loved one laying sick in the hospital, it is with the people out of work and despairing. This is where the suffering of the world is and it is where the Church should be – if not in our bodies physically assisting those in need then in our hearts, thoughts and prayers.

Finally, I have become convinced that those persons so adamant about their right to receive on the tongue do not truly love their priests. Rather, their focus of love is on what their priests can do for them. There is a key difference here. Most priests are older and many have underlying health concerns – they fall within the category of being not only vulnerable to the virus but also not being able to recover once infected. To demand reception on the tongue which has been shown to be riskier in spreading the disease simply puts the priest at greater risk. It is not an act of charity to demand reception on the tongue in this context nor is it an act of heroism on the part of the priest to give the Eucharist that way. When an equally valid and reverential form of receiving communion is available (i.e. receiving in the hand) and the need to help protect the safety of other persons calls for an awareness of the common good it is not an act of heroism to give on the tongue just to satisfy a person’s own piety. True charity and heroism demand much more and should not be so reduced.

So, to say we love our priests while being adamant in demanding reception on the tongue is, at best, a disconnect. The disconnect reveals that the priest is valued primarily as a means to an end and – in a sense – that is okay. To admit this is much more honest than pretending there is a level of love present that is not really there. As a priest I will serve you. This is what priests do. When we get to the day when the restriction is lifted, I will happily give communion on the tongue to those persons who want to receive that way but I will not say it is the only true way to receive communion nor a holier way because it is not.

But, there is something else about the dynamic of seeing the priest solely as a means to an end that should be noted. There is a freedom here for the priest. It is hinted at by our Lord in Luke 17:10, “So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’” Yes, the priest is a servant and for many if not most people he – as a servant – is seen as a means to an end but there is actually a freedom found in this. When a servant has fulfilled his duty and leaves there is no obligation to return. The servant is free to move on.

Yes, the priest will serve all persons including those whom he knows only view him as a means to an end but, when he leaves he is under no obligation to return to those people who only approached him in such a manner. Our Lord had many encounters and he healed and forgave many people in his ministry but he did not keep returning to those people. The one house our Lord kept returning to was the house of Mary, Martha and Lazarus. I think he kept returning to that house during his earthly ministry because there he was loved for who he was and not just for what he did or could do for others.

To those persons who solely see the priest as a means to an end; yes, the priest will serve you but when it is time to move on, he has the freedom to do so without looking back. This is the freedom of the servant and it is precisely the disconnect noted above that helps to point out the value found in the servant’s freedom and it is worthwhile for every priest to learn this value. The priest will serve you honestly – and that is a form of love – but the love of friendship and family is not to be played with nor bandied about and the priest has the right to reserve that love solely to the Martha, Mary and Lazarus’ of his life. To these houses he will keep returning – when circumstances allow – and there he will be nourished and strengthened.

Some insights and learnings gained from the ongoing social media debate regarding the reception of communion during the time of a global pandemic. Lessons can be learned in all contexts!

Being shorn

03 Sunday May 2020

Posted by mcummins2172 in homily, Uncategorized

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Christianity, Fourth Sunday of Easter, Good Shepherd

SHeep-shearing

“Maybe … just maybe, one lesson we learn from these weeks of quarantine and lockdown is that we do not have to go nonstop all the time in order to live life.” This was a thought I shared on social media the other day and it has received multiple “likes”. There were only two cautions, both from parents of small children who are working from home and now also homeschooling their children, sharing that their lives are busier than ever. True, God bless the parents of small children these days!

That being understood though I stand by my original thought – we do not have to go nonstop all the time in order to live life.

The other day I was talking with Paul Vachon – Paul and his wife Amber are the caretakers at Exchange Place. They live on site and part of their duties is to take care of the animals. When I called Paul he was in the process of having the sheep sheared. Paul shared an interesting (and kind of amusing) fact that once the sheep have their wool cut off they do not immediately recognize each other and so they act aggressively toward one another – butting heads and being aggressive little sheep. It is only after a while, once they begin to recognize the scent of each other that they calm down and realize that they do, indeed, know one another.

These weeks of quarantine and lockdown have abruptly shorn away the coats of busy-ness that we all often live by and even measure our worth by. Most of us have been stripped down from the daily routines of our lives – not running to the next meeting or business trip nor driving the kids to another school or sporting event. Not planning this event or doing a task for a group we are involved with. Not rushing out the door for a dinner and concert with friends after just getting in from a full day of work. I am not saying these things are bad. All these activities can be very good and even worthwhile but we do wrap ourselves in busy-ness to the point that our activities become our identity. These weeks have shorn all of this away. Now, without them, do we recognize ourselves and do we recognize each other?

“Be still and know that I am God,” – Psalm forty-five. Is there pain and suffering during this time of pandemic? Yes, intense pain. We pray for those who have lost their lives and for those who are mourning the loss of a loved ones. We pray for families facing economic hardships. We pray for our healthcare workers being pushed to their limit. We pray for our brothers and sisters in poorer countries who do not have the advantages that we have to ride this storm out. For all of these we pray and we will continue to pray.

Be still and know that I am God. In the gospel for today, our Lord tells us about the true shepherd. The true shepherd comes in love in order to protect and bring life. The true shepherd does not come as a thief to hurt, steal and wound. The true shepherd alone has the authority to walk through the gate and he calls each sheep by name. The sheep, we are told recognize his voice and in that recognition they know they are safe and they willingly follow after the shepherd.

We – on our part – must recognize his voice and the only way we can do that is if we hear his voice. Be still … be still … and know that I am God. Being shorn from all the distractions of life can indeed be unnerving, even frightening. We can be like those little sheep with their wool just cut off – confused and even aggressive. But we can also learn to listen. We can learn to be still and God will speak to us and the true shepherd will come to us to bring true life and protection.

And the true shepherd will tell us who we really are. Our identity is not all of our activities (no matter even how good these might be) our identity is something much deeper. Our true identity is in being a child of God, beloved of the Father. Can we just be in this truth and let it sink into our hearts?

Be still and know that I am God. …the sheep follow him, because they recognize his voice …

“Tal vez … solo tal vez, una lección que aprendemos de estas semanas de cuarentena y encierro es que no tenemos que ir sin parar todo el tiempo a fin de vivir la vida”. Este fue un pensamiento que compartí en las redes sociales el otro día y ha recibido múltiples “me gusta”. Solo hubo dos advertencias, ambas de padres de niños pequeños que trabajan desde casa y ahora también educan a sus hijos en casa, compartiendo que sus vidas están más ocupadas que nunca. Es cierto que Dios bendiga a los padres de niños pequeños en estos días.

Eso se entiende aunque mantengo mi pensamiento original: no tenemos que ir sin parar todo el tiempo a fin de vivir la vida.

El otro día estaba hablando con Paul Vachon. Paul y su esposa Amber son los cuidadores del Exchange Place. Viven en el sitio y parte de sus deberes es cuidar a los animales. Cuando llamé a Paul, estaba en el proceso de esquilar las ovejas. Paul compartió un hecho interesante (y un poco divertido) de que una vez que se le corta la lana a las ovejas, ellas no se reconocen de inmediato y, por lo tanto, actúan agresivamente la una con la otra, golpeándose las cabezas y siendo pequeñas ovejas agresivas. Es solo después de un tiempo, una vez que comienzan a reconocer el olor de las demás, que se calman y se dan cuenta de que sí se conocen.

Estas semanas de cuarentena y encierro han eliminado abruptamente los abrigos del ajetreo con el que todos vivimos e incluso medimos nuestro valor. La mayoría de nosotros hemos sido despojados de las rutinas diarias de nuestras vidas: no tener que correr a la próxima reunión o viaje de negocios, no tener que conducir a los niños a la escuela o a otro evento deportivo. No tener que planificar un evento o realizar una tarea para un grupo con el que estamos involucrados. No salir corriendo por la puerta para una cena y concierto con los amigos después de llegar de un día completo de trabajo. No digo que estas cosas sean malas. Todas estas actividades pueden ser muy buenas e incluso valen la pena, pero nos envolvemos en ocupaciones hasta el punto de que nuestras actividades se convierten en nuestra identidad. Estas semanas han evitado todo esto. Ahora, sin ellas, ¿nos reconocemos y nos reconocemos mutuamente?

“Estén quietos y sepan que Yo soy Dios”, Salmo cuarenta y cinco. ¿Hay dolor y sufrimiento durante este tiempo de pandemia? Sí, dolor intenso. Oramos por aquellos que han perdido la vida y por aquellos que están de luto por la pérdida de un ser querido. Oramos por las familias que enfrentan dificultades económicas. Oramos para que nuestros trabajadores de la salud que están siendo empujados a su límite. Oramos por nuestros hermanos y hermanas en los países más pobres que no tienen las ventajas que tenemos para soportar esta tormenta. Por todo esto rezamos y seguiremos rezando.

Estén quietos y sepan que Yo soy Dios. En el evangelio de hoy, nuestro Señor nos habla sobre el buen pastor. El buen pastor viene con amor para proteger y dar vida. El verdadero pastor no viene como ladrón para hacer daño, robar y herir. El verdadero pastor solo tiene la autoridad de entrar por la puerta y llama a cada oveja por su nombre. Se nos dice que las ovejas reconocen su voz y en ese reconocimiento saben que están a salvo y están dispuestas a seguir al pastor.

Nosotros, por nuestra parte, debemos reconocer su voz y la única forma de hacerlo es si escuchamos su voz. Estén quietos … estén quietos … y sepan que Yo soy Dios. El ser despojado de todas las distracciones de la vida puede ser desconcertante, incluso aterrador. Podemos ser como esas ovejitas con la lana cortada, confundidas e incluso agresivas. Pero también podemos aprender a escuchar. Podemos aprender a estar quietos y Dios nos hablará y el verdadero pastor vendrá a nosotros para traer vida y protección verdaderas.

Y el verdadero pastor nos dirá quiénes somos realmente. Nuestra identidad no es todas nuestras actividades (no importa cuán buenas sean), nuestra identidad es algo mucho más profundo. Nuestra verdadera identidad es ser un hijo de Dios, amado por el Padre. ¿Podemos estar en esta verdad y dejar que se sumerja en nuestros corazones?

Estén quietos y sepan que Yo soy Dios. … las ovejas lo siguen porque reconocen su voz …

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