Happy St. Patrick's Day!

It's already over in Ireland, but here's a good St. Patrick's Prayer for every day.

The Breastplate of St. Patrick

I arise today

Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,

Through a belief in the Threeness,

Through confession of the Oneness

Of the Creator of creation.I arise today

Through the strength of Christ’s birth and His baptism,

Through the strength of His crucifixion and His burial,

Through the strength of His resurrection and His ascension,

Through the strength of His descent for the judgment of doom. I arise today

Through the strength of the love of cherubim,

In obedience of angels,

In service of archangels,

In the hope of resurrection to meet with reward,

In the prayers of patriarchs,

In preachings of the apostles,

In faiths of confessors,

In innocence of virgins,

In deeds of righteous men.

I arise today

Through the strength of heaven;

Light of the sun,

Splendor of fire,

Speed of lightning,

Swiftness of the wind,

Depth of the sea,

Stability of the earth,

Firmness of the rock.

I arise today

Through God’s strength to pilot me;

God’s might to uphold me,

God’s wisdom to guide me,

God’s eye to look before me,

God’s ear to hear me,

God’s word to speak for me,

God’s hand to guard me,

God’s way to lie before me,

God’s shield to protect me,

God’s hosts to save me

From snares of the devil,

From temptations of vices,

From every one who desires me ill,

Afar and anear,

Alone or in a mulitude.

I summon today all these powers between me and evil,

Against every cruel merciless power that opposes my body and soul,

Against incantations of false prophets,

Against black laws of pagandom,

Against false laws of heretics,

Against craft of idolatry,

Against spells of women and smiths and wizards,

Against every knowledge that corrupts man’s body and soul.

Christ shield me today

Against poison, against burning,

Against drowning, against wounding,

So that reward may come to me in abundance.Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,

Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,

Christ on my right, Christ on my left,

Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down,

Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,

Christ in the mouth of every man who speaks of me,

Christ in the eye that sees me,

Christ in the ear that hears me.

I arise today

Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,

Through a belief in the Threeness,

Through a confession of the Oneness

Of the Creator of creation

St. Patrick (ca. 377)

Monks @ St. Michael's

It was a great joy to host the 5 monks of Holy Transfiguration Skete here at St. Michael's last night.  They gave a great Lenten program, weaving together their distinctive Ukrainian Byzantine prayer with scripture, a homily, and a conference, introducing us to "Eastern Catholics," their monastic life and discipline, and applying it to our daily lives. Most of all, the encouraged to keep the Lenten Fast, in all it's many aspects, and so to prepare for the joy of Easter.

I cooked dinner, which was a little nerve wracking, since the monks support themselves by their culinary wonders at the JamPot!  It turned out pretty good, even though about 45 minutes late - I still don't have that timing thing down. We had some amazing fresh lake trout from Thills, potatoes, broccoli, and red cabbage.  Lots of good leftovers for lunch today, and several lunches to come!

Pictures are up on Facebook, here's an external link you can use to get to them: Monks @ St. Michael's.

Tomorrow is the Marquette Frassati Society's first Theology on Tap... 8:00 pm at the Landmark.  Fr. Sean will be speaking on "Our Spiritual Journey: Climbing the Mountain of God."

See you there!

God Bless,
Fr. Ben

Climbing the Spiritual Mountain: Theology on Tap this Thursday

Friends, countrymen, all those over 21...

The Marquette Frassati Society will be hosting Marquette's first-ever Theology on Tap this Thursday, March 18th, at 8:00 pm at the Landmark Inn.  There's a private room right across from the pub, that is where we'll be!

Fr. Sean Kopczynski, C.P.M. (Fathers of Mercy) is the chaplain at the Disclaced Carmelite Monastery of the Holy Cross in Iron Mountain, MI.  He is a gifted preacher and catechist, and a faithful priest.

So, come enjoy a yeasty beverage (with appropriately Lenten moderation) and join the conversation on spiritual growth and renewal.


It's going to be HUGE!

God Bless, 
Fr. Ben

 

A Mixed Metaphor: Stay in the Ring, the Dawn is coming! up on www.workingtobeathell.org

I just had a little article "published" on http://www.workingtobeathell.org/.

Similar in theme to a post here, but further developed.

There are some other good articles there, too!

God Bless,
Fr. Ben

One Step to Sunrise

Homily Outline for the 4th Sunday of Lent, Year C

Brothers and Sisters in Christ, we have passed over the “hump!” We are more than halfway to Easter! Holy Week, the heart and center of our liturgical life, is just two weeks away. Today I read the Introit, the verse that the Mass has traditionally begun with, now typically replaced by an opening hymn… Isaiah begins “Rejoice” – Laetare in Latin. This is Laetare Sunday, Rejoice Sunday, and I am vested in rose, as if I were a rosebud not quite ready to burst into bloom (I know, I’m a little furry to be a rosebud, this may be hard to picture, but work with me!). It is the early rose of a new dawn. The sun is still below the horizon, but we know it will be here soon.

Yesterday I had the chance to hike of Hogsback with a friend of mine. It was a little soggy, but everywhere you could hear water moving, dripping off the hemlocks, flowing in the streams and gullies at full spate. We even had to get over the biggest stream by walking on the railing of the bridge that was under water. Up on Hogsback you could barely make out the big lake, but the mist and fog drifted beautifully over the treetops. Spring is coming, you can taste it in the air.

This is where the Church wants us to be liturgically – tasting in the air at this moment the closeness of Easter. Rejoice – we still have three weeks of penance, but the goal is in sight!

The Church puts before us readings of great hope and encouragement today. We have been seeking penance and self-knowledge in the Lenten desert, to know ourselves honestly and to seek forgiveness and conversion. Paul gives us great hope – God is reconciling the world to Himself in Christ. We are ambassadors of Christ, of this reconciliation. “We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.” Have you built up your courage so far, to look at some real pain or difficulty in your heart? Bring it to the Lord, especially in the Sacrament of Penance. We’re entering high season for Confessions – opportunities abound! The Church encourages every Catholic to go to confession at least in preparation for Easter. The next two Mondays and Tuesdays there will Reconciliation services in each of the city parishes. Be reconciled to God! Take courage; trust in His mercy.

This brings us very naturally to our beautiful and hopeful Gospel – the Parable of the Prodigal Son, of the even more Prodigal Father. I want to focus on a core moment. The son has realized his sorry condition and makes a decision. “So he got up and went back to his father. While he was still a long way off, his father caught sight of him and was filled with compassion. He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him.”

While he was still a long way off! As Paul said, God is reconciling the world to Himself, He is doing the heavy lifting, He is taking the big step. We need only turn to Him, take the smallest step, open the door of our hearts the smallest crack, and He runs to us. Do not despair, do not give up – God desires to heal you and receive you with joy. Take that little step, a small step that can change you, change your heart, change your life. Come back to our Heavenly Father.

Let’s look at the Offertory in this light. We bring forward the bread and wine, small humble simple gifts. We would not even have them without the soil, sun, and seed the Lord has already given us. We are meant to offer in our hearts along with these simple gifts all our joys and sorrows, our whole selves. The Lord takes these gifts and by grace transforms them into Himself, His Body Blood Soul and Divinity. We take a small step, and He runs to us. Just as the People of Israel in our first reading prepared to receive the food of the Promised Land, we prepare to receive the fruits of Heaven. In a few moments we will take a few small steps toward this Altar to be given everything. Let us open our hearts with confidence. Let us get up and go back to our Father.

Catholic Diocese to Open Investigation into Alleged Miracle Attributed to its First Bishop, Frederic Baraga

DIOCESE OF MARQUETTE
N E W S   R E L E A S E
For Immediate Release                             

March 10, 2010

Catholic Diocese to Open Investigation into Alleged Miracle Attributed to its First Bishop, Frederic Baraga

                

    The cause for sainthood of the Catholic Diocese of Marquette’s first bishop will take a major step forward this week when the diocese opens an official inquiry into an alleged miracle being attributed to the Servant of God, Bishop Frederic Baraga.

    Bishop Alexander K. Sample announced the development in the nearly 60-year old cause during a news conference held on Wednesday, March 10, 2010 in Marquette.

    “Since my first days as a seminarian studying for the priesthood, I have had a great devotion to Bishop Baraga,” Bishop Sample said.  “As his eleventh successor, I am thrilled at the prospect of a miracle that will advance his cause.   With all the priests, deacons, religious and lay faithful of the diocese, I give thanks to God for his holy, priestly example.”

    The diocese will form a canonical tribunal that will investigate the potential miracle, which took place in the U.P.  “We have a case involving what was thought to be a tumor on a patient’s liver that showed up on various tests, including a CT scan and an ultrasound.  However, when exploratory surgery was done, there was no tumor to be found,” Father Ronald Browne, diocesan moderator of the curia, explained.

    In this instance, the patient, the patient’s family and their parish priest had prayed for healing by invoking the intercession of Bishop Baraga.  In addition, Bishop Baraga’s stole had been placed on the patient’s abdomen, after which the patient reported that the pain went away.

    In order to be affirmed as a miracle, the event being investigated must be one that science cannot explain and be attributable to the intercession of the person whose sainthood is being sought.
    Bishop Sample has appointed Fr. Browne as episcopal delegate to lead the work of the canonical tribunal.  Other members of the team will include Father Ben Paris as promoter of justice, Elizabeth Delene as notary, Judy Jason as copyist (transcriptionist) and Dr. John G. Kublin, M.D. as the medical expert.

The bishop has also appointed Father Michael Steber, pastor of St. Peter Cathedral in Marquette, to serve as chancellor in this case, but he is not part of the team.  Father Steber will open the inquiry process, obtain the signatures of the tribunal members on the key documents that need to be signed and close the process when it is finished.  The opening session is scheduled to take place on Friday, March 12, at 2 p.m. EST at the Diocesan Office Building.

    In investigating the alleged miracle, the tribunal will determine whether an event has occurred that cannot be explained by science and whether it can be attributed to the intercession of Bishop Baraga.  After a complete investigation into the potential miracle, two independent physicians must testify as to the physical condition of the person who was the beneficiary of the alleged miracle.

    The cause for Bishop Baraga’s sainthood was opened in 1952.  Since that time, the Congregation for the Causes of Saints has reviewed documentation, called a positio, (pronounced peh-ZEET-see-oh) that detailed Bishop Baraga’s life and virtues, as well as documents written by or about him.  Bishop Baraga carries the title, “Servant of God,” since the congregation has formally admitted his cause for consideration.

    The diocese is currently at the next step in the sainthood process, which is to determine whether any miracles have been attributed to Bishop Baraga’s intercession.  The congregation informed the postulator of the Baraga Cause, Dr. Andrea Ambrosi (pronounced Ahn-DRAY-a Ahm-BROH-zee) of Rome, that the alleged miracle soon to be looked into had the semblance of being a miracle attributable to Bishop Baraga and that it merited further investigation.

    The Congregation for the Causes of Saints will again review the positio and make a recommendation to Pope Benedict XVI regarding Bishop Baraga’s heroic virtue.  The Holy Father will then decide whether the title of “Venerable” can be bestowed on Bishop Baraga.

    Once a miracle attributable to Baraga has been verified and the proper documentation submitted to the pontiff, Pope Benedict will decide whether Bishop Baraga is to be beatified, which would give him the title of “Blessed.”  This would allow him to be publicly venerated in a limited sense. 

In order for Bishop Baraga to be canonized, that is, declared a saint, the diocese would need to verify another miracle attributable to his intercession that occurred after his beatification.  Pending a positive result, Bishop Baraga would be known as Saint Frederic Baraga and be subject to public veneration throughout the worldwide Church.

    Bishop Baraga was born in Slovenia in 1797.  He came to the United States to be a missionary to the Odawa and Ojibwa of the upper Great Lakes region in 1830.  Bishop Baraga traveled throughout the 80,000 square mile territory by canoe, boat, horse, snowshoes and even dog sled.  He was consecrated a bishop and appointed vicar apostolic of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan in 1853.
When the vicariate apostolic was established as the Diocese of Sault Ste. Marie (now called the Diocese of Marquette) in 1857, Baraga served as its first bishop until his death in 1868.  His work includes an Ojibwa English dictionary, which is still in use today.  The Bishop Baraga Association was established in 1930 to promote the cause for sainthood of the “Snowshoe Priest,” as Bishop Baraga is called.  For more information regarding the Bishop Baraga Association, please contact Elizabeth Delene at 906-227-9117/800-562-9745, ext. 117 or edelene@dioceseofmarquette.org.

Not success, but faithfulness!

We had a particularly great opening prayer for Mass this weekend, the 3rd Sunday of Lent.  You may not get excited about opening prayers, (traditionally called the "Collect"), but this is the bread and butter for a priest!  And, since this is the first year I'm the one leading the praying of them, I'm hearing them in more detail than in the past (which is to say, I'm not sure I really focused on them or that they sunk in before I had them right in front of me.)

Father, you have taught us to overcome our sins 
by prayer, fasting and works of mercy.  
When we are discouraged by our weakness, 
give us confidence in your love.  
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, 
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, 
one God, for ever and ever.

Certainly this is where many of us are at... we made certain commitments to God and ourselves for Lent, and already we have struggled. Even if we've kept those promises, those small penances, those small commitments, it's been difficult.  They put before us our own inconstancy and weakness.  This is as it should be.  Lent is not a time for spiritual body-building.  God isn't calling us to be spiritual Hulk Hogans or MacGyvers.  He does want us to be strong and resourceful, but in Him, not in ourselves.

I have a poster I love which shows JPII and Mother Teresa... two of the brightest lights of the last dark century so full of lies and suffering and violence.  Asked if she got discouraged by the many obstacles she faced, she replied “No, God doesn't call me to be successful; God calls me to be faithful.”

 

I didn't intend to write a homily... if you're in the midst of struggles, if you're having a hard time... that doesn't keep you from God.  If it looks like your own brokenness and the brokenness around you isn't getting fixed anytime soon, that doesn't necessarily keep you from God.  God walks with us through difficulty.  We gaze upon the crucified Christ, not because we've forgotten that He rose, but because we need to be constantly reminded how He saved us.  In HIM, all things are possible.  In HIM, our perseverance in the face of difficulty leads to eternal glory.

A busy day at St. Michael parish...

Some things that happened today:  8:00 am Mass, well attended today, then the Coffee Social (there IS a connection!), Morning Prayer with a parishioner who is going through the struggle of learning to pray the breviary, worked on taxes, Boy Scout group at the school working on the Ad Altare Dei award, 5:15 pm Mass (just one parishioner, it's not normally at this time on Tuesdays, but she was a very good sport!), visit to the hospital, re-run of the first session of A Quick Journey through the Bible, the 8-segment version of The Bible Timeline. 

Whew!  And not an abnormally busy day, no major crises...

If there was every any doubt that prayer is essential, the core, the foundation for ministry, busy days make it both clearer, and sometimes hard to make time for!  Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of us your faithful, and kindle in us the fire of your love.

I think I'll go pray the rosary!

Good Night!

God Bless, Fr. Ben