2nd Sunday of Lent (Gen. 15:5-12, 17-18; Phil. 3:20-4:1; Lk. 9:28b-36): The "Transfiguring" Space Between

If one were to read or hear today's readings from the Third Sunday in Lent with a critical ear or eye, one might arrive at an apparent contradiction. In the first reading from Genesis, God makes a covenant with Abram and promises to bestow upon him and his descendants a large tract of land as a perpetual heritage. In a subsequent covenant with Moses, God again promises to lead the Israelites into a "land flowing with milk and honey." In the book of Leviticus there are a number of laws laid down by God regarding the possession of the land and care for it (c.f., Lev. 25). Without a doubt, the land and this world figured prominently in the Jewish faith. In the second reading from Paul's letter to the Philippians, Paul declares to his readers that "our citizenship is in heaven." The apparent contradiction is this: how did the Judeo-Christian covenant, beginning with Abram, go from being a "land based" covenant to a "heaven based" covenant? Another, more practical way of posing the question might be "should we be committed to this world or to heaven?" To grapple with this difficulty, one must begin with the principle that "God does not go back on God's Word". Therefore, one must hold that the promises made to Abram are not annulled in the Christian covenant but, rather, reach their fulfillment. In looking for a key to "unlock" a possible answer to this dilemma, we need look no further than today's Gospel reading of the Transfiguration.

Prior to Jesus' Transfiguration on the mount in Luke, Jesus had been a virtual dynamo: preaching, teaching, healing, and constantly communing with the people who came to him or whom he encountered. There is no question that he was resolutely committed to persons of this world and the transformation of this world (hence, his proclamation that the Kingdom of God is "at hand"). However, in the transfiguration event, the prophets Moses and Elijah meet with Jesus and speak to him of his "exodus" or death. In other words, they reveal to Jesus how he is to depart this world. I know, I know, for some this is too much of a stretch! Some might be thinking, since Jesus is the "son of God" he already knew what was going to happen. However, Jesus was also the "son of Man" or, fully human, and therefore, could not have possessed a blueprint of his entire life. This would definitively rule out his being fully human. Besides this, when heavenly beings arrive on the scene in Luke they come as messengers. After the Transfiguration, Jesus puts his faith in the God who alone can ensure the continuation of his life and ministry after his "exodus". In a sense, he "becomes a citizen of heaven." This gives us the key to answering the question of whether we are to be committed to this world or the next: like Jesus, we are to commit ourselves to this world and the possibility of it being transformed while placing our final hope on the God who awaits us after our own exodus. Simply put, our own transfiguration occurs in the tense "space between" our commitment to this life and our hope in the next. Pat, TOR

The Lenten Season: Sharing our story, breaking the bread, and knowing our rising from the dead

Lent is a time for sharing in the great stories of salvation history and allowing our own stories to be drawn into this larger drama! Today's first reading from Mass (Est. 12: 14-16, 23-25) is a great example of someone who models for us how a personal story can transcend an individual and become a part of the great drama of salvation. Queen Esther finds herself and her jewish people between a rock and a hard place and appeals to the "God of Abraham, Isaac, and Joseph" for deliverance. She speaks of how she has heard the stories of her fathers about God's marvelous deeds and calls out to God as an "orphan." What Esther is doing, in essence, is pulling at God's heartstrings! She knows well that the great stories she has heard about God describe God as one who has a deep and abiding concern for "the alien, the widow, and the orphan." What Esther is also doing that should command our attention is modeling for us how we should approach the Lenten Season.

A great deal of emphasis is often placed on Lent as a time of penance, fasting, sanctification, and reconciliation. However, while all of this is true, what may be of even greater importance is participation. In other words, we enter into this great season of Lent year in and year out not to merely carry out acts of penance and reconciliation but to allow the "tributaries" of our lives to be more drawn into the "sea of salvation history". Like Esther, we are called to so identify ourselves with scriptural personas (i.e., the orphan, prophets, psalmists, Jesus, Apostles, etc...) that their great stories will become our own stories. Through the drawing of our stories into salvation history, new and deeper modes of communion with God, others, and all creation are realized. There's a wonderful refrain from a Christian hymn that perhaps sums up best what the Lenten Season is about: "We Come to Share Our Stories, We Come to Break the Bread, We Come to Know Our Rising From the Dead." Through the uniting of our stories to salvation history this Lenten Season, may all of us come to know more and more our rising from the dead through Christ, crucified and risen. Pat, TOR

Decorating the Care for Creation (C4C) Center

In discussing how we wanted to decorate the Care for Creation Center at St. Bernadine's Monastery in Hollidaysburg, PA, we decided on art that reflected the natural beauty and culture of Central Pennsylvania. The Care for Creation Project has inspired a number of participants to donate such artwork or to create it. In the above pictures, two painted gourds are displayed and held by the artist, Cathy Schwartz (if you look carefully, you can see that one of the gourds is decorated in a Franciscan Habit!). These gourds take nearly two years to cure and are hand painted. They are wonderful additions to the C4C Center and we are greatly appreciative of Cathy's contribution and for all who have helped to decorate the C4C Center. Pat, TOR

Vocation Homily: "Breaking Out of the Familiar and Dreaming the Dream of God."

This past weekend I had the opportunity to preach and preside at the Sunday Masses for St. James the Greater Parish in Charlestown, West Virginia. To my mind, the readings for the 4th Sunday in Ordinary Time lent themselves to a reflection on the theme of vocation in general and a vocation to religious life and Priesthood in particular. The reading from the book of the prophet Jeremiah has God declaring that "before I formed you in the womb I knew you." This suggests that Jeremiah (and all persons by extension) are known in the bosom of God's creative imagination and heart long before they begin gestating in the womb. If we allow our imaginations to mull over such a prospect, it suggests that God, in a sense, "dreams" us into being and has a dream for our lives. Note carefully that a "dream" is much different than a "blueprint." Some Christians might believe that God has in mind all the things that God would like for us to do down to the minutest detail. The problem is that such a notion doesn't gel well with the idea that humans are endowed with freedom. On the contrary, when God "dreams" our lives into being, God, in a sense, "infuses" our being with creative potential and than partners with us in creatively "unlocking" this potential to live as fruitfully as possible for the world, others, and ourselves. Very basically, when persons strive to "unlock" their potential so as to serve others and God, this is what is meant by "vocation."

God's call and dream for all persons is that they share in the "something greater" of God's plan for their lives and for the world. This implies opening ourselves more and more to the dream that God has for the world and "breaking out" of the often times constraining, familiar, and limiting vision of what society thinks constitutes "greatness." A contemporary example of someone who recently "broke out" of the limiting vision of society in order to share in the dream of God is a young man named Grant Desme. Last week Yahoo! news announced that Grant set aside a potential future as a Major League Baseball player to pursue the Catholic Priesthood (http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/blog/big_league_stew/post/A-s-prospect-leaving-baseball-for-call-of-the-pr?urn=mlb,215238). In his own words, he felt called to "something more." Is God calling you or someone you know in a similar way? Pat, TOR

Province Chapter

This past week our community held its quadrennial Chapter deliberations at Priest Field Pastoral Center in West Virginia. At this meeting a new Provincial Council was installed (see pictures above) and the community laid the groundwork for the next four years. It was a very good experience and gave ample evidence to the fact that we are alive and well and forging ahead with hope and vision as we continue to address the changing needs of the Church and the world! May God bless our newly installed Provincial, Fr. Patrick Quinn, T.O.R., and the Provincial Council as well! Pat, TOR

Update On Pierre Julien

Peace and good! Just a little update on Pierre's family members in Haiti: both his Mom and brother are safe and sound! I spoke with him several days ago and he shared the good news and his appreciation for our prayers. Please continue to keep him in prayer as he discerns with our community. Pat, TOR

Prayers for Pierre

Peace and Good! I'd just like to ask our Friars, Friends, and followers of this blog to include a vocation prospect of our community in prayer as he awaits word on the fate of his loved ones in Haiti. His name is Pierre Julian and his Mother and Brother both live in Port-Au-Prince. I called the day after the earthquake to express my concern and to find out what happened to them and have not heard back from him. Please include him in a personal way in your intentions for the Haitian people during this tragic time. May God bless the people of Haiti and stir fires of solidarity on the part of the rest of the World to share in their grief and hope! Pat, TOR

Outcome of "Come and See" Weekends

Peace and good and Happy New Year! Recently our community hosted two "come and see" style weekends, one at San Pedro Retreat center in Central Florida (12/18-12/20) and the other at our formation house in Minnesota (1/8-1/10). The come and see held at San Pedro was co-hosted by the Vocation Office of the Diocese of Orlando. Eleven persons attended (6 men and 5 woman). All had a wonderful experience and the majority will likely be following up on their "vocational stirrings." Thanks to the Friars at the Center and region who spent time with us at the meals, your presence was truly appreciated! One person on this retreat, Stephen R., has followed up with me and hopes to come for a visit to our formation house in February. The second come and see weekend was attended by Jason C. from Maine. He enjoyed the weekend as well and will be following up with us in the future. Please keep all the attendees of these retreats as well as Stephen and Jason in your prayers! Pat, TOR

New Year, Beginning a New PhaseA

Hello Friars, Friends and Family members on this Day of the Baptism of the Lord,

I have told people all along that I am taking "baby steps" in my discernment of God's will for my vocation with the Franciscan Friars, Third Order Regular. Today I look back over the past year of living here at St. Bridget's Friary in Minneapolis and realize that those baby steps have gotten me quite a ways already. Oh, I'm still in the process of discerning, but that discernment has grown and deepened since 2006 when I started making my first phone calls and internet searches about living out a religious calling.
After filling out a vocations questionnaire I was contacted by a few different groups, but one stood out. St. Francis has always been an especially important saint to me, and I was attracted by the dedication to work with the poor and to live in community, together with other friars, and in the local neighborhoods of the world. Fr. Pat and I got a hold of each other and set up a time for me to get to know the TOR Franciscan friars of the Immaculate Conception Province. In 2008 I came to Minneapolis three separate times to visit, getting to know the friars and the Twin Cities, and observing their involvement in North Minneapolis. More and more I was attracted to the life of prayer and service. After many interviews and prayer I decided to move here as an Aspirant in January 2009.
That was a scary step to take, moving away from my family and friends in Portland, Oregon and concentrating my discernment on one group, but I felt called to leave my comfort zone and step out in faith. Besides, it wasn't a commitment for the rest of my life, yet.
Living here through the spring and summer I got to know the friars much better, integrated myself into the rhythms of the house and the ministries of the church. I found a job working with people living with developmental disabilities and I started some volunteer work here in the Twin Cities. I got to spend time with Christopher and Matthew during their postulancy and to see what it was like to be in formation. I attended some of their classes and experienced the joy of community at prayer and at table. After they went to Pennsylvania for novitiate, Br. Jeffrey moved back and I have enjoyed learning more about his novitiate experience.
Before I knew it, it was August and the postulancy program was upon me. I took a trip back home to visit, both as a way to say "good-bye" again, and to test myself to see if I really wanted to let go of the life of independence, and embrace a life of inter-dependence with this community. I became a Postulant on August 25th, the Feast of St. Louis, after returning to Minneapolis with a new sense of commitment. I began classes with the friars and started at the community college, studying to improve my availability for ministries later on.
There have been ups and downs - mostly ups - in this process. Around the holidays I started to feel some pangs of homesickness, and was informed that many postulants return home for the holidays, but my work schedule would not allow it. I stuck it out and found the support and fellowship of community sustained me and fed me. I not only have a new sense of family, I have an enlarged family, which now includes the friars here.
This last week we traveled to Washington, DC on retreat where I met the men that I will be in novitiate with after postulancy ends in May. I discovered the richness of the order as I met friars from the Sacred Heart Province and saw friars in our motherhouse in Pennsylvania. The family just gets bigger. I am getting more and more excited about the community as I see it cooperate with others in ministry and service. That's what I wanted out of a community, fellowship and cooperation in meeting common goals.
This year of 2010 I embark on another stage of the process. I have decided to work less as an employee and that will free me up to be present with the activities of the friary, and to ministry. I am looking forward to another retreat in the spring to Pennsylvania to reconnect with my new-found brothers there, and to take more steps toward novitiate. Little by little I am moving along. For me, I needed to focus on the baby steps, because it is important to stay present with God through each phase of my discernment process. The idea that I would drop everything and live forever with a rule in a new community would have been unrealistic. There are challenges to grow along ever step of the way. Each day there is an opportunity to let go a little more of my self, and to find myself a little more in community.

May you find yourself ever more in God's plan of love and grace,
Corey Smoot, postulant, Franciscan Friars, TOR

Surprised by Joy: a Tribute to Our Sri Lankan Brothers (Gregory Vajira Silva and Jude Asantha Barrera)

On December 13th the friars of St. Bridget friary in Minneapolis, Minnesota, said farewell to our Sri Lankan brothers Gregory Vajira Silva and Jude Asantha Barrera. For the past several months I had been teasing Gregory and Jude about how much I was looking forward to them finally leaving. From time to time I would sing the Christian Hymn "The Strife is Over the Battle Done" adapting the words of the opening line to the following: "The Strife is Over the Battle Done, now that the Sri Lankans are gone!!!" This good natured ribbing has gone on between Jude, Gregory, and myself for about a year and a half and represents the kind of joviality and frivolity that they brought to our friary (I may have helped instigate it a bit too :) What Jude and Gregory also brought was so much more than this, however. They brought gentle demeanors, serious dedication to their studies, and a devotion to our way of life that inspired the friars and many a visitor to St. Bridget's friary. On the occasion of their graduation celebration and dinner held on December 11th, they gave wonderful, heartfelt, and graceful testimonials about how much the opportunity to study at the University of St. John's in Collegeville, MN, has meant to them. I must say that after each of their speeches I was quite proud to call myself their brother. This past Sunday, December 13th, the day of Gregory and Jude's departure, I made reference to the both of them at a Mass that I celebrated for a group of young people preparing for confirmation. This Sunday, as you may know, was the third Sunday in the four week Advent Season and is referred to as "Gaudate Sunday" (which means "rejoice"). To practically illustrate what rejoicing and joy have been like in my life recently, I mentioned some of the ways that Gregory and Jude had brought joy to our friary over the last two years. Though they will be dearly missed by the friars of St. Bridget's, we "rejoice" at their return home and all the good they will no doubt do back in Sri Lanka. Pat, TOR

A Great Poem for Those in Discernment

Recently I happened across some birch trees in a Minneapolis nature preserve and the yellow leaves brought to mind the below poem by Robert Frost entitled, "The Road Not Taken." I think it is a great poem that is especially applicable to persons who are discerning a vocation to religious life. It speaks to the tension of having multiple options in life and making the choice between one or the other. The temptation, as evidenced in the opening lines of the poem, is to remain at "the crossroad of possibility" and to simply contemplate the pros and cons of taking each path. As a vocation director, I find it amazing the number of inquirers who report that they have felt called for 10 or more years and have never followed through. On more than one occasion I've found myself wondering if these persons are "stuck" at "the crossroad of possibility." Our culture certainly encourages this. Sayings such as "keep all your options open" and "don't put all your eggs in one basket" speak to the pseudo-virtue of being non-commital and "waiting for a better deal" to come along. The fact of the matter is that a meaningful, rich, and purposive life isn't about "deal-making" so much as "decision-making". It seems to me that the Living God is not one who brokers deals with us but extends an irrevocable, non-negotiable opportunity, call, and challenge to accept his nearness and the values of the Kingdom. Some paths lead us down this "road" and others either skirt around it or move in the opposite direction. Like the road that Frost opts for, the road to deeper life with God and a deeper commitment and decision for God's Reign is certainly the one less traveled. However, deciding for it makes all the difference. Pat, TOR

The Road Not Taken

TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;	5
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that, the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,	10
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I marked the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way
I doubted if I should ever come back.	15
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Care for Creation (C4C) Fall Harvest Festival!

On October 24th the Care for Creation "Pilot Project" wrapped up a successful 1st season with a Fall Harvest Festival at St. Bernardine's Monastery in Hollidaysburg, PA. Despite inclement weather in the morning, the festival was attended by approximately 80 persons. The evening began with a prayer of thanksgiving followed by fellowship in the C4C Center. From there we gathered at a bonfire to listen to some excellent folk music provided by Justin Cain, one of our C4C members. A little later on I told a couple of stories to prepare everyone for a "haunted hayride" experience. Since we are closing in on the Catholic Feast of All Saints and All Souls, the first story focused on St. Francis and the wolf of Gubbio and the second on a fictional (or was he?) friar named "Larry" who mysteriously died in the 1930's and who's spirit still haunts the Monastery grounds (especially during the end of October, ironically enough ;) After the "tales at the bonfire" we had a hayride which went around the property. And, wouldn't you know it, "Scary" Larry made an appearance! All in all it was a wonderful evening of getting to know one another and sharing in food, laughter, and even some screams!

For those unfamiliar with C4C, it very basically refers to the contemporary movement within Franciscan circles to explore and make application of the Franciscan heritage of concern and care for all of God's creatures. Over the past 8 months or so, our community has launched an effort to see if there is interest in the area regarding care for creation style programming (presentations on organic gardening and forming a spirituality that is more environmentally concerned and focused), building community, and doing organic gardening. As of now we have more than 100 names on our general email/contact list. Not a bad job for one season! Hopefully we will continue to move forward with this project as a community and experience even more success in the future! Peace, Pat, TOR

"Inspiring" Aspirant Weekend

Happy Feastday of St. Francis! This past weekend (October 2nd-4th) the formation house in Minneapolis, MN, hosted three inquirers for the first of four "Aspirant" weekends. The Aspirant program was designed by Br. David Liedl, our former vocation director, to accommodate the discernment of men who have an interest in our community and who are also likely to be accepted should they decide to make application. The structure and purpose of the weekends is to expose vocation prospects to our way of life, spirituality, friars, and ministries. Given that this weekend coincided with the feast of St. Francis, there were some events hosted by the Secular Franciscans and Franciscans in the Minneapolis/St. Paul Archdiocese. The inquirers attending the weekend were Stephen M., from St. Louis, Octavio W., from Atlanta, and David B., from LA. On Thursday, October 1st, David B. arrived and we took him to a presentation on poverty and prayer by the former Hollywood producer Gerry Straub. Gerry left a posh Hollywood lifestyle as a Executive Producer of daytime serials in order to film the poorest of the poor in some of the harshest slums in the world. Gerry is a Secular Franciscan who attributes his conversion to time spent in Assisi doing research on St. Francis. Currently, Gerry has produced a number of DVD's which powerfully depict the day-to-day drama of the world's poorest.

On Saturday, Br. John Kerr and I took the Aspirants and our postulant Corey to a retreat day at St. Olaf's in downtown Minneapolis. The retreat focused on Franciscan prayer, contemplation, and imitation of Christ and on Social Justice as a concrete way to imitate Christ. Both events gave the Aspirants a great deal of food for thought regarding the prophetic dimension of our Franciscan vocation which urges us on to being transformative leaven in both the Church and the World. The next Aspirant weekend will be during the weekend of December 4th-7th. We hope to host at least four men at this retreat (all of them but one different persons than those who attended the above weekend). Thing are looking up regarding vocations! It's my hope that during our provincial elections and chapter process taking place from October-January we will lay a bold foundation which will draw men who wish to continue carrying the "evangelical torch" of St. Francis, proclaiming the Good News of God's salvific will for all, especially the neediest of our world and the world itself! Peace, Pat, TOR

Vocation Office Update

Several weeks ago I travelled to Texas to meet with two vocation prospects (Jerry R. and Daniel A.) in Ft. Worth and to visit the parish where I spent five years studying theology on the occasion of their 50th anniversary (St. Leonard's in San Antonio, Texas). The visit with Jerry and Daniel went well. Jerry and I were fortunate enough to be able to join some other TOR friars who are assigned to the Ft. Worth Diocese for dinner on September 8th. There are presently five TOR provinces ministering in the Ft. Worth Diocese and they have a great reputation for getting together on a monthly basis. My visit to San Antonio was also very nice. I was able to catch up with parishioners and friends during the annual parish festival and the Jubilee Mass and celebration on September 13th. After spending a week back in Minnesota I travelled to Pennsylvania (where I am presently). During my stay at the Monastery I will be meeting with members of the Care for Creation (C4C) initiative that began this past summer. We are beginning to "wind things down" and are also planning for a Fall Harvest Festival on October 24th. This will be the last "formal" opportunity for the year to do a "PR" push and educate persons in the surrounding area about C4C. Please keep Daniel, Jerry, and the C4C project in your prayers! Peace, Pat, TOR

O' Happy Day! Corey Smoot Received Into the Postulancy

On August 25th, 2009, Corey Smoot was received into the Postulant Program of the Franciscans, TOR, Province of the Immaculate Conception. Corey has been with our community for the past eight months as an Aspirant and brings a gracious, deliberate, self-motivated, and community oriented spirit. All of us living at the formation house have marveled at how smoothly Corey has adjusted to life at St. Bridget's Friary and have no reason to doubt that he will adjust as well to life as a Postulant. During the coming year Corey will continue learning about Franciscan spirituality and religious life as he prepares for the next stage of his journey with us. Please keep Corey in your prayers as he continues his discernment! Pat, TOR

C4C Summer Bounty Festival!

On August 1st, 2009, at St. Bernardine's Monastery in Hollidaysburg, PA, the Care for Creation (C4C) project had its first Summer Bounty Festival. Around 100 or so people attended the event and seemed to enjoy it a great deal. We had plenty of food, sunshine, laughter, and the C4C music group (named "The C4C Archestra") did a wonderful job playing their repertoire of folk, Christian, and spiritual music. Fr. Christopher Panagoplos got the festival off to a great start by leading us in a prayer of thanksgiving for the gift of God's presence in the beauty of the earth and the many gifts of those who volunteered their time and energy to make the festival such a success. Shortly after the prayer, Fr. Christopher and Br. David tasted the dishes that were entered into the "best dish contest." Liz Campion took home the gold spatula for her zucchini casserole. Congratulations Liz! One of the highlights of the festival was the fire-roasted sweet corn that we served up. Several weeks ago Br. Steve and our maintenance personnel (Al and Chris) dug a pit and surrounded it with stones. They also fashioned a large "grate" out of fence material which was used to put the corn on top of in order to roast it. The corn was so delightful that it really needed no salt nor butter! Thanks for all the hard work making the pit Steve, Al, and Chris, it was WELL worth it!

The purpose of the festival was two fold. First we wanted to bring our volunteers together to celebrate a successful season of gardening and to show them our appreciation for their involvement in this project. Second, we wanted to gather people from the larger community to show them a little bit of Franciscan hospitality and to educate them on C4C and what we've been up to this summer. Overall I think we achieved both objectives quite well! It's my hope that this festival will be one of many to come. Pat, TOR

Summer Camp and Care for Creation News!

It's been a little while since the last post and this is largely due to my having been in "travel mode" as of two weeks ago. For the last two weeks I've been visiting our retreat center in Orlando (San Pedro Center) helping out with Scripture Camp. This camp was established in 1980 and has been going strong for the last 29 years! (with the exception of a brief, two year lay off a couple years ago due to damage from a hurricane). The camp is basically an opportunity for young people to explore their faith at a deeper level with peers in a fun, relaxing, and casual environment. The staff this year has done a marvelous job creating a theme (Jesus, Our Hero) based on the recent plethora of movies focusing on famous super heros (Superman, Batman, X-Men, etc....). The daily teachings examine the correlation between the underlying values espoused by these movies (faith, respect, forgiveness, service, and love) and how we understand these values as expressed through the ultimate "hero" Jesus Christ. It was quite a clever and relevant theme and one that the staff and campers have had a lot of fun with (and also learned a lot from!)

Though I've been here in Florida, I've also been quite active in communications regarding the goings on with our Care for Creation (C4C) initiative at our Monastery in Hollidaysburg, PA. I'm happy to report that we have had two very successful events and are preparing for a third. This past Monday, Fr. Bernie Tickerhoof, T.O.R., presented on his passion of birding. The talk was entitled, "A Spiritual Approach to Birding, On a Wing and a Prayer." 29 people attended this talk at the Care for Creation Center next to the community gardens. This talk was the fifth installment of a series of eight presentations on a spiritual and practical approach to caring for creation that we have had at the Monastery this summer. Yesterday we had our first major "harvest" and nearly all of the produce and flowers that we have grown were given to volunteers, a local food kitchen serving the poor, and a local nursing home. I'm also happy to report that we will be replanting the area where our tomatoes were growing with a cole crop (we lost them due to a late season blight). Finally, preparations have been ongoing and are being "ramped up" for the first festival of the season. Our Summer Bounty Festival will be on Saturday, August 1st from 12-4 pm and will include live music, food, activities for adults and kids, and a tour of the garden to promote what we are doing and what we hope to do in the future concerning community gardening and caring for creation. One thing I'm looking forward to is the "fire pit" roasted corn that we will be having....yum!!! (thanks for the great suggestion, Fr. Christopher!!) We hope that you'll be able to join us, but, if not, please pray for good weather! Peace, Fr. Pat, TOR

Mass on the Day of Independence: To Be Blessed and to Bless!

On this day in which we celebrate our nation's independence and all that we've been blessed with, the readings for Mass (Saturday of the 13th week in Ordinary Time, Genesis, 27:1-5, 15-29 and Matthew 9:14-17) invite a reflection on the theology of blessing. Several days ago I met the mother of a vocation prospect who shared with me her conviction that we live in a country that has been greatly blessed. What makes this insight so valuable is that she has lived in a number of countries throughout her life (Great Britain, Germany, Sweden, Israel, Italy and S. Africa). This insight gave me pause to think about what constitutes a scripturally solid theology of blessing and more precisely in what way America can truly be "blessed."

One example of blessing can be seen in today's first reading. When Isaac blesses Jacob with his final act of blessing, he passed on his patriarchy to him: inheritance rights, "favored son" status, etc... This act of blessing, unlike a blessing before meals, was no simple, pious gesture but one laden with tremendous implications regarding Jacob's future. Furthermore, given the wholly or mostly undeveloped appreciation for eternal life at the time of this event, the act of blessing perhaps also constituted the final gesture of love and outpouring of one's self on the part of Isaac. His "life" and patriarchy would now continue on in Jacob. The important point here with regard to a sound theology of blessing is that Isaac, no doubt richly blessed by God throughout his life, passes this blessing on to his son. In other words, in order for a blessing to remain a blessing, it must be shared with another.

The Hebrew Scriptures reinforce this point through the prophets who castigated the materially wealthy and "blessed" persons of their day. On more than one occasion, God through the prophets referred to the wealth of the well-to-do as a curse or as tarnished by their misdeeds, injustice, and selfishness. What this clearly indicates is that a blessing can become a curse if it is not used to bless others.

In this morning's homily I remarked that a theology of blessing that doesn't include a dynamic awareness of the moral and ethical implications of being blessed cannot help but arrive at the "Gospel of Prosperity." Basically, this age-old "heresy" holds that if one "checks the blocks" in one's relationship with God, one will receive material blessing and even wealth. This also implies that the "terminal point" in our relationship with God is to receive blessing. As a country that has been so abundantly blessed with resources and opportunity, we would do well to recall the example of St. Francis who never ceased throughout his life to be not only an instrument of peace, but one of blessing - perhaps knowing that the terminal point in the life of faith isn't to merely be blessed, but to bless. Pat, TOR

"Home Grown" Vocation Prospect Visits PA Region

This weekend we had the pleasure of hosting Eric Folio, a vocation prospect who contacted me two weeks ago seeking to possibly discern with our community. Eric was a parishioner at Our Mother of Perpetual Help in Stonewood, WV, and remembers with great fondness several of our community members who were assigned there. Eric's visit went very well and we are planning on arranging several more over the course of the next year. Please keep Eric and our other vocation prospects (we have eight at the moment) in prayer as they continue their discernment with us. Peace and good! Pat, TOR

Pictures of C4C Garden and C4C Center

In addition to the organization that has recently taken place regarding the C4C project, the garden itself is growing beautifully! We have had a nice mix of rain, sun, and warmth in recent days; hopefully this will be what is needed for the tomato and pepper fruit to begin to show! Finally, thanks to our maintenance personnel, Al and Chris, the old Print Shop has been partially renovated to accommodate the C4C presentations that we have had this summer (we still have five presentations left). We are now referring to this area of the Print Shop as the "C4C Center." You might notice that at present it is quite barren. The plan is to solicit ideas, resources (books, DVD's, etc....), and artwork from the C4C volunteers to begin giving it more character and color. Enjoy the pictures! Pat, TOR