Are You a Lug Nut? (StVdP)

Are You a Lug Nut?

Reflection for St. Vincent de Paul Meeting, January 25, 2016

Dcn. Bob Bonomi

Brothers and sisters: As a body is one though it has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body, so also Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free persons, and we were all given to drink of one Spirit.

…

But God has so constructed the body as to give greater honor to a part that is without it, so that there may be no division in the body, but that the parts may have the same concern for one another. If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it; if one part is honored, all the parts share its joy.

The Word of the Lord.

Once upon a time, there was a car.  It was a pretty car, as cars go.  But one day, the various parts of the car began to argue about which of them were the most important. 

First, the engine spoke up. “I’m the most important part of this car.  I’m powerful; when people hear me roar, they take notice!”

Then the body of the car spoke up.  “I’m more important.  People look at me; my colors are bright and attractive and I’m what people notice when we go by.”

The headlights jumped in, “What about us?  You wouldn’t be able to see where you are going if it wasn’t for us, and in the dark others wouldn’t know to get out of the way unless they saw us.”

The tires chimed in, “Hey, we’re the big wheels around here.  You wouldn’t be able to anywhere without us.”

Finally, all the little lug nuts protested.  “But what about us?”

The rest of the car just laughed at the little lug nuts.  “What about you?  You’re so small and there’s a lot of you – one of you wouldn’t even be missed.”

The lugnuts were all sad and one by one they dropped off of the car.  Pretty soon the wheels fell off, and the car sat all by itself, unable to move.

The moral?  You don’t have to be a big wheel to be important, for it is the little lug nuts that hold everything together.

As Vincentians, always remember that you do not have to be pretty, or powerful, or bright, or a big wheel to help keep the world running.  You only have to be a lug nut, willing to hold on for the ride.

Are We New Wineskins? (StVdP)

Are We New Wineskins?
Reflection for St. Vincent de Paul Meeting, January 18, 2016
Dcn. Bob Bonomi

There is an old story that compares corporate traditions to five monkeys and a banana.  There once was a scientific experiment where researchers placed five monkeys in a large cage with a pyramid in the middle of it.  Periodically, they would hang a banana over the top of the pyramid, and whenever a monkey would climb up to get the banana, they used a fire-hose to spray the other monkeys.  The monkeys quickly learned that, if one of their number tried to get the banana, the rest of them would be hosed down so they began to prevent each other from going for the banana.  Pretty soon, none of the monkeys would try for the banana.

Once they were trained, the researchers removed one of the monkeys, replacing him with a new monkey who had never seen the fire hose. Sure enough, when a banana was hung over the pyramid, the new monkey would try to get it but the other monkeys would stop it.  Pretty soon the monkey would stop trying.  One by one the monkeys were replaced with new monkeys until there were no monkeys left who had ever seen the fire hose.  But they never tried for the banana, because "that's how it's always been."

Pope Francis, during his morning Mass at Santa Marta today, said that a Christian who hides behind the notion that “this is how it’s always been done...” is committing a sin, becomes idolatrous and disobedient, and lives a “patched up, half and half life”, because his heart is closed to the “newness of the Holy Spirit”.

Are we closed to the movement of the Holy Spirit in our lives?  When is something that we encounter considered "good" wine that we should embrace?  And, when is it vinegar that would poison us if we embraced it?  Discernment of spirits is a difficult task at best, and frustrating and deadly at worst.

But we do have a master vintner to help us - Jesus - and an excellent winery - the Church.  Especially during this week of Christian Unity, we should open our hearts in prayer and focus on the mighty acts of the Lord both through the Church and through our personal experiences.  As Vincentians, our ministry may be the vessel that will help others encounter the Lord's mighty works, and we must always be aware of the brittleness in our own lives that may keep us from being open and loving to those we meet.  The challenges we face - the lifestyles, the life situations - of our clients will always challenge us but as long as we continue to draw into ourselves the love of the Lord and His mercy, we will be able to "stretch" with the Holy Spirit and in turn offer the sweetness of the Good News to those we serve.  May they drink fully of His loving Mercy, especially during this Jubilee Year.  It should be a very good year.

A Prayer from St. Clement I (StVdP)

A Prayer from St. Clement I
Reflection for St. Vincent de Paul Meeting, January 11, 2016
Dcn. Bob Bonomi

“Lord, we entreat you to help us. Come to the aid of the afflicted, pity the lowly, raise up the fallen, show your face to the needy, heal the sick, convert the wayward, feed the hungry, deliver the captives, support the weak, encourage the fainthearted. Let all nations know that you alone are God; Jesus Christ is your Son, and we are your people and the sheep of your pasture.”

This prayer is part of today’s Office of Readings and comes from a letter to the Corinthians by Saint Clement I, pope and martyr.  It is an excellent prayer for Vincentians to recite before we meet with or provide assistance to one of our clients.  Let’s look at the prayer in detail.

“Lord, we entreat you to help us.”  There is humility in our acknowledgement that WE need God’s help before we can help others.  We depend upon the presence of the Holy Spirit to guide us in our dealings with others, and we should ask for His help before we embark on our missions of mercy.

“Come to the aid of the afflicted, pity the lowly, raise up the fallen, show your face to the needy, heal the sick, convert the wayward, feed the hungry, deliver the captives, support the week, encourage the fainthearted.”   We recognize that it is God that comes to the aid of others, and there is more to helping another than just feeding them.  Like we see in the Beatitudes, for a person who is in physical need of food or shelter, there are usually other needs that are present which may be even more important than material needs –a person trapped by their circumstances, a broken spirit, a lost soul hungry for love more than food.  God provides for these needs and more through our efforts and through His own mysterious providence.

“Let all nations know that you alone are God; Jesus Christ is your Son.”   Our mission is not just to provide material assistance to our clients; it is to open people to the love and mercy of God and to share the Good News of Jesus.  Our goal is to point them to the gates of Heaven – and to point us there, too.

“We are your people and the sheep of your pasture.”   We are not in charge.  As we pray in our closing prayer, “May we never claim that the fruitfulness of our apostolate springs from ourselves alone.” We follow the Great Shepherd and, like our clients, are dependent upon the love and mercy of God. 

Let us always remain in humble service to God.

Our Baptismal Mission

Our Baptismal Mission January 10, 2016    Baptism of the Lord - C
by Dcn. Bob Bonomi

Well, here we are.  Another Christmas season has come and gone, and we’ve begun a new calendar year.  Just think, according to the Internet, my “Santa Ticker” shows that we have only 349 days until the next Christmas season begins!  Are you ready?  I didn’t think so.

Seriously, within the Church, the Christmas Season ends today with the Baptism of the Lord.  We celebrated the birth of Jesus two weeks ago and now, with the celebration of his baptism, Jesus’ childhood is at an end.
Beginning tomorrow, we enter into the Ordinary Time of the Church calendar – the period where we learn and reflect on the mission and the ministry of Jesus.  Between now and Lent, and then again after Easter, we will listen to Jesus as he reveals to us how we should relate to each other – and to God our Father.  Jesus will teach us about love and relationships, about compassion and forgiveness, about justice and Mercy.

Today we focus on a pivotal moment in Jesus’ life – his Baptism. It is in this moment that we are introduced into the ministry of Jesus.  All four Gospels speak of Jesus’ encounter with John the Baptist, and although the Gospels of both Matthew and Luke provide us with what are known as the “infancy narratives” – the recollections of the life of Jesus prior to his adult ministry and the various stories about his birth that we heard during the last few weeks – from this point on in all Gospels we will see Jesus through the actions that will ultimately lead him to Calvary – and to our salvation. 

But each Gospel presents this particular moment from a different perspective, and so I encourage you to take a little time and read about the encounter between Jesus and John the Baptist in all four Gospels this week, and compare the stories.  It will only take you about 15 minutes to read all four.

For example, in the three synoptic Gospels – that’s the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke – we see John the Baptist physically baptizing Jesus.  In the Gospel of John, we don’t see Jesus being baptized explicitly, but John’s Gospel, like the other three, has John the Baptist revealing Jesus as the fulfillment of the passages from the prophet Isaiah like we heard in our first reading.  Different perspectives – same event.

(It kind of reminds me of the different things I heard last week from people who saw the latest Star Wars movie. It seemed that everyone saw something different.  No wonder people keep going back to see it again – and again!  After listening to them, I know I missed some things the first time I saw it.)

Today’s Gospel, like that of Mark, sort of rushes over Jesus’ meeting with John. Read Matthew’s version – he recalls the conversation where John protests and says that he should be baptized by Jesus, and Jesus replies that John needs to allow it for all righteousness.  And in Matthew we also hear the voice of God addresses the crowd and tell all those present that “This is my beloved Son”, while the Gospels of Mark and Luke has God talking directly to Jesus – “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

But there is a common point that is emphasized in all 4 Gospels – John the Baptist isn’t the Messiah; Jesus is.  And, John baptizes with water; Jesus baptizes with the Holy Spirit. 
OK, you might ask, so what has that got to do with me? 

Well, just as with Jesus, our baptisms are pivotal moments for us. Do you remember yours?  I ask that question every time I have baptisms or teach a baptism class and the results are almost always the same – out of everyone present, I’ll only have one or two who actually remember it.  The rest, invariably, are converts to the faith.

But whether we remember it or not - whether we were baptized as an infant or as an adult, it is through our baptisms that we begin our personal encounter with Christ. Through the waters of our baptism we receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit, which calls us to mission.  We may not recognize it yet, but we are ALL called to action through our baptism.  We are given a mission.  We are part of Jesus’ ministry.

Not sure what to do?  It’s easy. During this Jubilee Year, this Year of Mercy, we will hear all about Mercy and what it is and what we are called to do.  We are all called to minister the Corporal Works of Mercy: Feed the Hungry; Give Drink to the Thirsty; Clothe the Naked; Shelter the Homeless; Care for the Sick; Visit the Imprisoned; and Bury the Dead.  Here at St. Francis we have ministries that address every one of these.

Just as important, if not more so, are the Spiritual Works of Mercy, and they may be even harder to perform: Admonish Sinners (in a loving way of course); Instruct the Ignorant (which includes teaching ourselves); Counsel the Doubtful; Bear Wrongs Patiently (this can be pretty tough), Forgive All Injuries (even harder to do); and to Pray for the Living and the Dead.  Our baptismal call is to a mission of Mercy and these are the ministries that fulfill that mission.

You are ready for this.  You’ve been baptized.  You have received the gifts of the Holy Spirit.  You have been blessed with the graces to perform every one of these works of mercy, both corporal and spiritual. And everything you do in your life, whether at work, at play, or in the world at large, touches one or more of these works of mercy EVERY DAY.  Every day you will be called to fulfill one or more of these works of Mercy.  It may be to a family member; it may be at work; or it may be to a complete stranger.  You are called to show mercy. And, You Are Ready.

It’s time for us to go to work.

A Christmas Reflection

A Christmas Reflection
December 25, 2015
by Dcn. Bob Bonomi

“Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel;
   for he has come to his people and set them free"  Luke 1:68

These words begin the Canticle of Zechariah, which is said as part of the Liturgy of the Hours Morning Prayer every day and which is part of the opening words of today's Gospel for the Vigil of the Nativity of the Lord.  In these words we are reminded of God's love for us, that while we continually enslave ourselves to sin, God is always there to free us.

Advent is over; let the celebration begin! But, just as after the birth of a child there is a need for rest and quietness, so should it be in our lives as we enter into the Christmas season.  It is a period of joy, but it should also be one of awe.  God has come to us - not as a powerful commander but as a helpless infant, a spark of life, incarnate.  For those of you who have had a child or who were present when a sibling was born, you know of the hushed fascination, the sense of love, that you had when you gazed upon that child.  So should it be now as you contemplate the birth of Jesus.

Until we meet again, I ask that you pause each morning and recite the two lines above. Then, spend a moment in quiet contemplation of the God-child Jesus, and how, every day of your life, He comes to you, ready to free you from the burdens and cares which you may face during that day. Make room for the silence.  Make room for God.

Merry Christmas!

Encountering Jesus

Encountering Jesus
December 20, 2015    Fourth Sunday of Advent - C
by Dcn. Bob Bonomi

Twas the week before Christmas, and all through the land,
   People were worried, wringing their hands.
What should I buy, what should I get?
   Will my expectations of Christmas be met?
Mom in her apron, in a very foul mood,
   Worried about cooking, would there be enough food?
Dad, too, was cranky, showing ill-will,
   Worried about paying those after-Christmas bills.
And the children were impatient – the girls and the boys,
   As they thought only of presents: the gifts, the toys.
But then, what to my blood-shot eyes should appear,
   But an angel of God, with good tidings to share.
“A child will be born in just a few days,
   That, if you will let him, can change all your ways.”
“The gifts He will bring are joy, mercy and love,
   Sent by the King of Kings from above.”

What kind of gifts do you want for Christmas this year? Are you hoping for a Big Gift?  An Expensive Gift?  Maybe LOTS of Gifts?

Or are you the gift-giver?  Well, there’s less than a week to go – I hope you got your shopping done. 

In today’s first reading and in Luke’s Gospel, we see that God’s gifts come from sources that would be considered insignificant by human standards: 
•  Bethlehem - The smallest of the clans of Judah
•  Elizabeth - An old woman beyond child-bearing age, and
•  Mary - A young girl, not much more than a child, married to a carpenter

And yet, none are as unimportant as they may seem.
•  Bethlehem - Who will be the source of a great ruler.
•  Elizabeth - Who will have a son that will be a great prophet.
•  Mary - Who will be the mother of the Son of God.

But more than gifts, today’s Gospel is about an ENCOUNTER.  An encounter With JESUS.  Through MARY.

Let’s look at the Gospels from last week that lead up to today.  We began the week with various passages focusing on the encounters between the Jewish leadership and John the Baptist, as seen through the eyes of Jesus.  Then we began to shift focus, to Joseph’s and Zechariah’s encounters with the angel Gabriel.  And today we witness the FIRST person to encounter Jesus – Elizabeth.

Elizabeth knew her child was special in God’s plans, and yet at first she hid herself, going into seclusion – Why?  To avoid questions about a “baby bump” appearing?  After all, she was well past child-bearing age.  And with Zechariah now a mute – he couldn’t help explain what was happening. 

Or maybe it was because at her age she might have needed the time to adjust to her unexpected situation?  She was only secluded for 5 months so maybe she didn’t want to build false hopes.  After all, they didn’t have the tests to confirm early pregnancy like we do today.  Maybe she just wanted to make sure everything went according to a normal birth.  Interestingly, it’s at about 5 months  that the baby begins to move.  Or maybe she just didn’t want to see anyone while she suffered from morning sickness.

In any case, by the time Mary encounters the angel Gabriel and receives the Good News that she will bear a child, Elizabeth has just returned home.  Mary will spend the remainder of Elizabeth’s pregnancy with her.  Interestingly, it doesn’t say that Mary was there at the time of John’s birth, although the timing given would suggest that she was there right up to that point.

So today, we see an important encounter between four people:  Elizabeth; her soon-to-be-born son, John; the Virgin (yet pregnant) Mary; and her newly-conceived son, Jesus.  And what an encounter!

Elizabeth is filled with the Holy Spirit by the mere presence of Jesus in Mary’s womb.  She breaks out into spontaneous prayer and knows immediately that Mary is carrying the Messiah, her Lord.

John responds to the presence of Jesus, “leaping for joy” in Elizabeth’s womb.

Yet, it has been only a couple of weeks at the most since Mary conceived Jesus.  He’s barely there, physically.

For those who don’t believe that life begins at conception, or that it has to “develop” enough to be “viable”, they should read this Gospel passage.  The preciousness and the power of God’s gift of any life begins the instant that God sends that gift to Earth.  The gift of life IS an encounter with God – from the very moment of conception.

And an encounter with God – with Jesus – is what Christmas is all about.  Elizabeth accepts the gift of a new life – a son – who will prepare the world for an encounter with God.  Mary accepts the gift of Jesus, an encounter with God Himself, who will open the doors of mercy and restore our ability to encounter God for all eternity.  Mary brings Jesus to Elizabeth and John in an encounter which rocks them with enlightenment and joy.

There’s a lesson here for us today.  Like Mary, we are called to bring Jesus to others.  But first we must encounter Jesus.  And like Elizabeth and John, we can encounter Jesus through His mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary.  Through her example and intercession, she shows us the way and helps us when we fail. 

If we do – if we help others to encounter Jesus through our words and actions – then they too will be filled with the Holy Spirit and leap for joy.

Today’s Gospel ends with Elizabeth proclaiming: “Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.”  Jesus told us that whenever two or more are gathered in His name, He is there with them.  Jesus is here, with us, now, waiting for us to encounter Him.  This Christmas, let us believe what He has said to us.  Let us seek to encounter Him. During this Jubilee Year of Mercy, let us accept the gift of mercy He offers us, and also share that gift with others – a gift more precious than anything wrapped and placed under a tree.

Will you encounter Jesus at Christmas?  Will you bring Jesus to others?  I hope so.

And so let us exclaim, as we prepare for this week,
   Merry Christmas to all; Christ comes, whom we seek
– and who seeks us.

AMEN?

Rejoicing in the Big Picture

Rejoicing in the Big Picture
Homily for December 13, 2015    Third Sunday of Advent - C
by Dcn. Bob Bonomi

One of the top-selling items, if not THE top selling items during Black Friday sales, were large-screen flat-screen TVs.  They’ve been top-selling items year after year, and the sets just keep getting bigger and bigger.

And yet, just because they have a bigger picture, it doesn’t mean that we can SEE the bigger picture on them.  Images may seem bigger than life, but the messages they convey are often narrow and misleading, even destructive to our very soul.

What did all four prophets in today’s readings – Zephaniah, Isaiah, Paul and John the Baptist have in common?  They all saw the bigger picture.  And their message?

REJOICE in the Lord Always!  I shall say it again: REJOICE! The LORD, our God, is in our midst even now; He has not abandoned us to our troubles and tribulations but extends His Love and Mercy with the promise of better things to come.

Today we celebrate Gau-de-tay’ Sunday, the 3rd Sunday of Advent.  Gaudete means Rejoice!, and so we should, as we have passed the half-way mark of our journey toward Christmas.  We pause in our Advent preparations to remind ourselves of the promise of joy that is to come. We light the rose-colored candle in our Advent wreath, and we don festive rose-colored vestments.  (Yes, these are ROSE, not pink. Like in that old 80’s movie, girls may be “Pretty in Pink”, but not clergy.  Besides, have you ever heard of “pink” wine?)
So, this may be a good time to ask ourselves – are we still excited about the coming of Christmas?  Are we joyful?  Or are we being worn down by the minutiae of our preparations and the false messages of despair that seem to come to us from every direction?

If we are not careful, we can lose the joy of what we should be anticipating.  After all, we are surrounded by evil in the news – so why should we rejoice?  We know of friends and family members who have died and we miss those who cannot share the holidays with us – so why should we rejoice?  We cannot afford to celebrate the holidays in a matter that is being emphasized in the commercials we see and hear – so why should we rejoice?  We have so many things that are pressing in upon us – challenges to our health, our families, our well-being – so why rejoice?

Because God IS with us.

In our first reading, the prophet Zephaniah encourages Israel to sing for joy and to rejoice in anticipation of God’s mercy.  Written around 650 to 600 BC, Zephaniah had previously prophesized that Israel, by rejecting God, were going to suffer the Assyrian invasion, but that God remained with them and would restore their kingdom.  God loved them, He would show them His mercy.

St. Paul is even more insistent.  REJOICE ALWAYS!  And yet scholars are pretty certain that Paul himself was in prison when he wrote this, either in Rome, or possibly in Caesarea or another city of his travels.  In any case, Paul tells the Philippians that he was fairly certain that his execution was close at hand, yet he was at peace with the Peace of Jesus Christ, which surpasses all understanding, and that through Jesus he had no anxiety over the problems that he faced.

And then in the Gospel, we listen to John the Baptist tell us about how we should prepare for the presence of Christ in their lives – to continue to live our lives and to carry out our jobs in honesty and integrity, with a charitable heart.  And despite his exhortations about what NOT to do, John continued to preach the “good news” to the people that Christ is coming – God is with them.

Last Tuesday, on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, Pope Francis opened the Door of Mercy at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, beginning a Jubilee of Mercy, a year for us to encounter and share in the Divine Mercy of God.  THIS is something worth rejoicing.  God’s Mercy has always been there for us; God’s Mercy will always be there for us.  God’s Mercy is infinite.

The people that Zephaniah spoke to couldn’t see what the future held for them. In the responsorial for today the prophet Isaiah spoke to a people in exile.  The Jews that John the Baptist preached to were oppressed by the Romans, and St. Paul was headed to his death.  But all preached an attitude of joy in the LORD, and all looked to the big picture of God’s infinite mercy.  The evils of this world WILL pass away.  The troubles we face today we do not face alone.  Emmanuel, God with Us, is here, offering us love, mercy and peace.  During this Year of Mercy, may we accept that God loves us, cries with us, laughs with us, rejoices with us.

I shall say it again.  Rejoice!  Christ is near – let us go out and welcome him.