March 18, 2020 Ramblings

Saint of the Day: It seems like Saint Cyril of Jerusalem (c. 313-387 AD) just can’t get a break. The Saint, whose Memorial we celebrate today, was exiled three times during his 37-years as bishop of Jerusalem, spending a total of 17 years away from his diocese. What did he do? He followed his conscience. Cyril was a resolute opponent of the Arian heresy—a widely held belief in the early years of the Church that Jesus, although divine, was a lesser god created by the Father. Cyril’s Arian opponents sought any reason they could to get rid of him, including banishing him for selling church property to help the poor! And if three exiles aren’t bad enough, his feast day is sandwiched between Saint Patrick’s Day and Saint Joseph’s Day, so not many people remember him. Cyril deserves our attention and praise, though, not just for his steadfast faith, but for his thorough understanding of Scripture and Church teachings and his comprehensive writings that give us important insights into early Catholic systematic, liturgical, and sacramental theology. For his earthly works, Saint Cyril of Jerusalem was declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope Leo XIII in 1882. Saint Cyril of Jerusalem: Pray for us!

Book Recommendation: Whenever I’m asked for a book recommendation, my go to book, without fail, is C. S. Lewis’s The Great Divorce. If you love C. S. Lewis, you’ll love The Great Divorce. A brilliant work of fiction that bears witness to Lewis’s mastery of Christian doctrine (notwithstanding his schooling in Norse and Greek mythology and literature), The Great Divorce takes the reader on a bus ride from Hell to Heaven, where the passengers must choose whether to leave their past behind and stay in Heaven or return to Hell. Why do I recommend the book? Because, to me, The Great Divorce deftly challenges us to choose between the many hells we cling to and living the Kingdom of God right now. The Great Divorce is a bus ride worth taking for all who want to move closer to God.

Good News of the Day: My friends at Pro-Activity have launched #HuntForHealth, health-related, online postings centered on their five elements of good health: MOVE-FUEL-RECOVER-ENDURE-CONNECT. These fun, family-oriented activities are a great way to stay healthy, sane, and connected as we wait out the virus-that-shall-not-be-named. Check them out on Facebook under the hashtag #HuntForHealth. God bless Pro-Activity!

Quote of the Day: “Your accumulated offenses do not surpass the multitude of God’s mercies: your wounds do not surpass the great Physician’s skill.”  —Saint Cyril of Jerusalem

Much peace,

Deacon Mike

Happy Saint Patrick’s Day!

Top o’ the Mornin’, Saints-in-Progress! 

Yesterday I touted my Italian heritage. Today, I celebrate my Irish heritage with my favorite Saint Patrick legend (and wink of credit to Cardinal Sean O’Malley):

The O’Boyles, my maternal grandmother’s clan, hail from County Mayo, a part of Ireland that was hallowed by St. Patrick’s ministry.  They tell the story of a dramatic conversion of an Irish chieftain named Ossian.  A huge crowd assembled in a field to witness his baptism.  St. Patrick arrived in his Bishop’s vestments, with a miter on his head and a crosier in hand.  He stuck the crosier in the ground forcefully, as if to emphasize the power of the sacrament, and began to preach a long sermon on the Catholic faith.  Ossian, who was standing directly in front of St. Patrick, began to sweat profusely, he grew pale and fainted dead away.  When some people rushed over to help, they discovered, to everyone’s horror, that St. Patrick had driven his crosier right through Ossian’s foot.  When they were able to revive Ossian, they asked him, “Why did you not say something?”  The fierce warrior replied, “I thought that it was part of the ceremony.”

Ossian may not have understood much about liturgy and rituals, but he did understand that discipleship is often difficult.  It means carrying the Cross.  It’s a costly grace, but one well worth the effort.  

Good News of the Day: Stop & Shop is opening from 6:00 am to 7:30 am for seniors only (60+).  Spread the news; our seniors really need this.  God bless Stop & Shop!

More Good News: For those who live nearby, Sweet Melissa Patisserie has Irish Soda Bread!

Tomorrow: My first book recommendation.

Blessing of the Day: 

May the Irish hills caress you.
May her lakes and rivers bless you.
May the luck of the Irish enfold you.
May the blessings of Saint Patrick behold you. 

Much peace!  Deacon Mike

Sing!

I couldn’t help but be impressed by the videos coming out of Italy of people singing together from their windows and balconies as they waited out their quarantine.  Patriotic songs, religious songs, any songs, when life handed them lemons, the Italians made limoncello.  Well, the virus-that-shall-not-be-named now dwells among pretty much all of us, so it’s time for us to start singing, too.

Please don’t think that I’m taking our current situation lightly—I work for a healthcare company; I get what’s going on.  I’m not suggesting that we’ll all get through this on a few bars of Doe a Deer every day.  I’m talking about making the best of an otherwise bad situation.  The next several weeks, maybe even months, promise challenges we never imagined, some mundane, some downright scary.  During this time, we’ll face the same choice every day: wring our hands, fret, and worry, or help each other make the best of it.  Let’s be like the Italians in those videos and choose the latter.  Let's sing!

For my part, you can count on my prayers for you every day!  I also plan to post on this blog several times per week.  Since this is a religious/spirituality-based blog, I know that you’re not coming to me for instructions on how long to wash your hands, homemade hand sanitizer recipes, or advice on where to find toilet paper.  Tune in here for prayers, inspirational scriptural passages, reflections, book/movie recommendations, and links to awesome things that people are doing to help each other make the best of our situation.

I'll kick it off with this quick reflection and recommendation.  I find it no coincidence that immediately after I learned that our Diocese is suspending public Masses, I read that the Book of Psalms is located in the physical center of the Bible.  It’s fitting that we find the Psalms at the very heart of Scripture, because prayer is the center of our spiritual lives.  You see, the Psalms, which means songs, by the way, are a series of 150 prayers that express our deepest emotions.  Joy, sorrow, thanksgiving, fear, praise, anger, contrition, longing, wonder, you name it, the human condition, good, bad, and indifferent, is laid before the throne of God in the Psalms.  I LOVE the Psalms, so my first recommendation to you to help make the best of our situation is to pray the Psalms.  Just open the Bible, flip the pages, and let the Holy Spirit pick one for you.  Or, if you’re looking for reassurance and peace, try Psalm 46: “Be still and know that I am God,” or Psalm 23: “Your rod and your staff comfort me.”  If you’re pressed for time, Psalm 117 is the shortest (two verses), if you have nothing but time, Psalm 119 is the longest (176 verses).  And if you need to start your day off in good company, join me and countless clergy, religious, and lay faithful in praying the Psalm that opens the Church’s daily prayer, the Liturgy of the Hours: “Come let us sing to the Lord and shout with joy to the rock who saves us!” (Psalm 95).  Yup, in good times and in bad, Scripture tells us to sing!