The Family Foundation School Catholic Community Bulletin
Pauca Verba (a few words)
Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time
GREEN. The priest returns to wearing green. The Church calls it the color of hope. God is with us. God is active. God restores. God invites us to begin again – like our hemisphere greening after a colorless and lifeless winter. Oh, pay attention to these things!
It has been a difficult week here hasn’t it? Tests are coming. We encounter angry and troubled people. The temptation is to enter a world of fantasy – to live in an imagined future – where I “won’t have to deal with all of this.” That is illusory of course. We take ourselves with us wherever we go. And there is no place without troubles and difficult challenges. Talk to a monk in a monastery, and he will tell of his life being tedious. He has the “crazy” monk to live with. The food is boring, getting up in the middle of the night never easy. The guests come and go, leaving behind dirty laundry, with toilets and shower stalls to clean. Get the picture?
But I am convinced, watching us for 13 years, that things are harder than needs be – that we don’t pray enough here. In fact, while our trophy case is huge and full of awards that celebrate physical prowess, we are spiritually atrophied! Many of us don’t believe. And we are not persevering. How many of us have bought the rosary book, with it’s wonderful title, “There Is No Problem…” and we haven’t read more than a few pages? And the book was written specifically for us here in this school! We spend too much time on frivolous things – fussing about ourselves and how we look to others, while our inner selves are left unattended, ailing and weak. As a result, we fall victim to the diseases of alienation, lust and fear! Find your way to Jesus this week – he will lift you up!
Some of us came together last week to watch the film, “The Island.” Thomas Merton has written a book entitled, No Man Is An Island – we live interpedently with God and others. On the other hand, we each have this little “island” sized piece of the planet to tend: to fill with belief and prayer, to cultivate with forgiveness and love, to make beautiful with helpfulness and mercy! Yes?
One of us noticed that Father Anatoly is never seen eating. Drinking a little tea, but no food. He accepts the basket of food from the woman visitor, but he immediately puts it aside and invites her to sit down and to tell her story. Father Anatoly eats of course, but he seems to be living on another plane, doesn’t he? Earthly things are not what matter to him: long showers and comfortable mattresses, pillows and high styled clothes. This doesn’t mean we’re supposed to go around being dirty and disheveled – that could be vanity – “Oh, look at how pious and devoted Stephen is!” No. But to simplify my life – to quiet it down – so to make space for God’s still, small voice to be heard. God’s voice is a voice that says, “I am present,” “I am with you,” “Be encouraged,” “Change that, will you?”
O PIA VIRGO
Holy Mary, all heaven praises you
who are full of grace.
As the dove that bore the symbol of peace,
you come to us with tidings of life.
Daughter of the King who rules the stars,
great and powerful, you are blessed above mankind.
By God’s favor freed of original sin,
you are radiant with heavenly light.
You are our Garden of Eden, where fair lilies
reflect your purity and roses your sorrows.
What guilty Eve had lost us you,
through you Son, have regained.
Heaven’s gate, closed by Eve’s guilt, lies
open to us again through your intercession.
Radiant star of the sea, let your kindly
light guide us lest we perish.
To you we hasten in the troubles of life:
assist us now and at the hour of death. Amen.
