These reflections are a result of more than 40 years of ministry as a Roman Catholic priest. Most of these years I spent in the Diocese of Charlotte which covers Western North Carolina. Now I am retired, and live in Medellín, Colombia where I continue to serve as a priest in the Archdiocese of Medellín.
But there are some who are disturbing you
and wish to pervert the Gospel of Christ.
But even if we or an angel from heaven
should preach to you a gospel
other than the one that we preached to you,
let that one be accursed!
(Gal 1:7-8)
Who were these “disturbers” who were preaching a different gospel to the Galatians? Apparently, they were spies sent by James and the Jerusalem community to disrupt the work of Paul among the gentiles. Unfortunately, Paul’s somewhat harsh phrase, “let that one be accursed!” (literally, “let them be damned!”) slips into church-speak as “anathema sit.” “Anathema sit” was a common feature of almost every council of the church in its history. The truly remarkable thing is that the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) published all of its documents, and there was not one “anathema sit.”
The picture today is of the bishops of the Second Vatican Council gathered in the Basilica of Saint Peter.
Brothers and sisters:
Have no anxiety at all, but in everything,
by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,
make your requests known to God.
Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding
will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
(Phil 4:6-7)
One of the great privileges of being a priest is giving blessings. I believe that we should bless each other often, invoking God’s name over one another. One of my favorite “benedictions” is taken from this passage from Saint Paul’s letter to the Philippians:
May the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of God and of God’s Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.
R. Amen.
And may the blessing of almighty God, the Father, and the Son, + and the Holy Spirit, descend upon you and remain with you for ever.
R. Amen.
The picture today is the tomb of Saint Francis of Assisi. Today is his feast day. Pax et bonum!
Job answered the LORD and said:
I know that you can do all things,
and that no purpose of yours can be hindered.
I have dealt with great things that I do not understand;
things too wonderful for me, which I cannot know.
I had heard of you by word of mouth,
but now my eye has seen you.
Therefore I disown what I have said,
and repent in dust and ashes.
Thus the LORD blessed the latter days of Job
more than his earlier ones.
(Job 42)
We have quickly traveled through the Book of Job. And the book ends with Job repenting in "dust and ashes" and God blessing Job’s latter days. But Job’s question still remains unanswered, “Why do the good suffer?” The picture today is a wood carving of Job from Germany (18th century).
“See that you do not despise one of these little ones,
for I say to you that their angels in heaven
always look upon the face of my heavenly Father.”
(Mt 18:10)
The Holy Guardian Angels—such providential love God has for us! The little prayer we learned when we were children still holds a place in our hearts:
Angel of God, my guardian dear,
to whom God’s love commits me here,
ever this day be at my side,
to light and guard, to rule and guide. Amen.
Oh, would that my words were written down!
Would that they were inscribed in a record:
That with an iron chisel and with lead
they were cut in the rock forever!
But as for me, I know that my Vindicator lives,
and that he will at last stand forth upon the dust;
Whom I myself shall see:
my own eyes, not another’s, shall behold him,
And from my flesh I shall see God;
my inmost being is consumed with longing.
(Job 19:23-27)
Job’s words have been cut into the rock of human memory expressing the longing to see God. Saint Thérèse, the Little Flower, who lived her own “Job moment” in her short life also expressed this longing: "I will spend my heaven doing good on earth. I will let fall a shower of roses."
