Saturday, April 1, 2017

BECAUSE OF HIS LOVE



Whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live.
John 11:1-45

Jesus had a large circle of friends, both men and women. Today we get an inside glimpse at three of those friends: Martha, her sister Mary and their brother Lazarus from the little town of Bethany, on the outskirts of Jerusalem. It was that special place in the life of Jesus where he and his disciples could stop in, get some rest, enjoy a hot meal and then go on their way!  If you pay attention to the details of John’s gospel story about Martha, Mary and Lazarus, you soon realize just how close Jesus was to these people.  This is a story about intimate friends, affectionate friends.

First of all, we know that this Mary was the Mary who kissed Jesus’ feet in public, washing them with her tears, drying them with her hair, and rubbing them with perfumed oil.  (When was the last time anybody kissed your feet?  You have to be pretty close to do that, not to mention in public!)  Read down the text and you see that John underlines again and again just how intimate these people were with Jesus: “Lord, the one you love is sick.”  “Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus very much.”  “See how much he loved him!”  They are even so close that these two women can “chew him out” and get away with it: “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would never have died.”  And finally, seeing Mary weep, we are told that “Jesus began to weep,” too.

One usually thinks of this story as the “raising of Lazarus,” but Jesus’ raising of Lazarus actually occupies a very small part of this story.  Of the forty-four verses that constitute this story, only seven of them take place at Lazarus’ tomb.  The miracle of the raising of Lazarus is the climax of this story; it is not the center.  This is a dialogue between Jesus and the two women about God’s power in our lives.

In his gospel, John’s stories always have two levels:  one on the surface which is true and another below the surface which is truer still.  This intimate story is meant to reveal to us not only the depth of their friendship, but also how intimate is God’s relationship with us!  The pain of this family is the pain of God for his people.  By listening in to the dialogue, we are also taught what they were taught:  about the depth of God’s love for us, about God’s willingness to give us new life, and about God’s power over our worst enemy – death.

(1) We are taught about the depths of God’s love for us.  One of the biggest challenges I have faced as a priest is to convince people of God’s unconditional love for them.  Why is it that so many of us have been trained by people who have dismissed these intimate stories of God’s love and have combed through the Scriptures, piecing together condemning, judging, and damning messages that they turn into a religion?  Why did they, and why do we, find those negative messages more believable?  I have received more letters questioning my “too lenient notions of God’s love” than any other critical letters since I became a priest.  Jesus revealed the “true God,” not this “false mean god” that people have created since Adam and Eve.  Even in that story, God says to Adam and Eve, “Who told you that you were naked?” (Genesis 3:11).  In other words, “Who told you that you were bad, separated from me, and defective?  I certainly didn’t!”  Jesus came to talk us out of the mean God we keep creating in our own minds.  I can’t imagine trying to live my religion without being in love with God! I can’t imagine practicing a religion based on fear and dread!    

(2) By listening in on the conversation between Jesus, Martha and Mary, we are taught also about God’s willingness to give us new life.  This eternal life is on both sides of death.  Death does not have the last word.  Eternal life is not just some promise for the future; it is available to us right now.  We are in it, as we speak! Through Jesus and in Jesus, those of us who are “dead on our feet” can be resurrected now.  We can be born again.  We can act boldly on our own behalf to live purposeful lives, to help others, and to claim the powers that lie dormant within us.  One of my favorite old movies is Harold and Maude.  This is Maude’s message to Harold throughout the movie: “Oh, how the world dearly loves a cage!  There are a lot of people who enjoy being dead.” Jesus came, not just to bring a wonderful life after we are dead, but right now!  

(3) And, as this gospel teaches us, God has power over our worst enemy – death.  We live in a death-denying culture.  Some of our expensive funeral practices would leave outsiders with the impression that we believe that we are going to come up with a cure for death someday!  That makes about as much sense as leaving the runway lights on for Amelia Earhart.  We don’t even know how to die.  Modern medical technology robs us of the spiritual experience of “letting go” of this part of our life.  Through Jesus and in Jesus, we are able to see in death that “life is changed, not ended.”  I feel sorry for those who are conscious at death’s door without this faith. 

Over the years, I have had the awesome privilege of talking to some very conscious people getting ready to die: especially those with AIDS and with cancer.  Some were not pious people, but most were deeply spiritual.  Some were able to tell me that they accepted their approaching deaths and they wanted to “do it well.”  Some were extremely thankful for the “eternal life” they had experienced in this world.  Some looked with “joyful hope” for the “eternal life” ahead of them.  You know, if you’re facing death, it doesn’t get any better than that!  I hope I can do half as well. I pray for the ability to be conscious, filled with gratitude and ready to go when the time comes! Yes, I want to be conscious! I want to choose to let go and leap into that great unknown, to leap into the arms of God!


The message is this:  God loves you very, very much.  He wants you to enjoy the eternal life that you experience right now, and he wants you to know that death does not have the last word.  You can enjoy “eternal life” forever, starting right now! 

Friday, March 31, 2017

THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME






Entrance to my condo - up the path behind the garage. My garage is the one on the left. My condo windows are blocked by the garage. 


My condo is in the middle building. 

BEING AT HOME

My column in The Record for January 19, 2017 

Should I not be seeking a pleasing home for you?
Ruth 3:1

I was extremely busy all last year. I was away from home a lot leading priest retreats and volunteering in the missions. To give you an idea, I still have 250,00 frequent flyer miles on American Airlines, 150,000 on United Airlines and about 40,000 on Delta Airlines.

I was in many wonderful places in the United States like Monterey, Portland (Oregon), Dallas, Scranton, Davenport and Memphis. In Canada, I was in Sault Ste. Marie, Pembroke and Nelson, In the Caribbean, I was in Trinidad, Barbados and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. It might all sound romantic, getting to go to all those places, but normally all I got to see was the hotel the priests gathered in and the airport terminal. The best part was all the interesting bishops and priests I met and interacted with, usually a week at a time.

Dorothy was right, “There’s no place like home!” Many times, especially those weeks when I was so tired I was dragging myself to the airport, I just wanted to sleep in my own bed, no matter how nice the hotel was! As some of the weeks wore on, I just wanted to be “at home.”

I live alone. Some of you might find that terrifying, dreadful and even pitiful. As a true introvert, often mistaken for an extrovert, I simply love it. I wouldn’t have it any other way. I am most “at home” in my own home. It is a place of renewal, restoration, recuperation, regeneration, revitalization, revival and rebirth. I love it so much that I invested in an in-home nursing care policy a few years back so I would not have to go to an institution any earlier than I would have to.

After many years of intense inner personal, I am also "at home in my own skin." As Bruce Springsteen said, "It's a sad man, my friend, who's livin' in his own skin and can';t stand the company." I don't feel like I am playing a role or pretending to be anybody other than myself. I have come to appreciate my talents and accept my shortcomings. I don't try to appear younger than I am, smarter than I am, holier than I am or more loved than I am. I don't beat myself up for not being perfect and I don't need everyone to approve of what I do or love me. 

Going into 2017, I feel "at home" in my own house and I feel "at home in my own skin. I am following a vocation that keeps bringing me great satisfaction. I am carrying no grudges, jealousies or resentment. In fact, I feel like one of the luckiest people in the world to have come from where I came from and be where I am today. 

May you feel "at home" during this new year - both in who you are and where you live. 



The view from my deck - summer.



The view from my deck - winter. 




Another midnight view from my deck - winter.


The deck 



Master bedroom 


Living room with computer work area. 


Dining area. 



Kitchen. 



Library area. 




Guestroom. 

Wednesday, March 29, 2017

MARION COUNTY MISSION - NIGHT THREE


DAY THREE

MARION COUNTY DETENTION CENTER VISIT




I spent part of the morning visiting the Marion County Detention Center in Lebanon at the request of the jailer, Barry Brady. I met for an informal "inspiration session" with as many as wanted to attend. About 30 men and women showed up and seemed to be engaged. It was another wonderful experience. 

"SENT TO SHINE"
Parish Mission 


NIGHT THREE
LOVING YOUR NEIGHBOR AND LETTING HIS/HER LIGHT SHINE
Saying No to Gossip, Jealousy and Suspicion






Copy of the booklet with the gospel hymns we used during this Mission. 




OUR GOSPEL MUSIC GROUP - REFLECTIONS

Elaine Winebrenner, head vocalist
Dwayne Campbell, vocalist
George Brand, keyboardist
Chris Tolbert, guitar
Bill Ash, drums



Night three crowd was probably the biggest, if you count the choir loft.  



Some of my former parishioners from Holy Name of Mary in Calvary, Kentucky. 



The two little boys in the front pew were singing and clapping their hearts out! 



Leaving the church, with a heart full of gratitude.


A GREAT BIG THANK YOU


In the name of all the island mission projects, a huge thank you to all those who have been so generous during this SENT TO SHINE Parish Mission. 





Tuesday, March 28, 2017

MARION COUNTY MISSION - NIGHT TWO


LUNCH WITH SOME OF MY CALVARY FRIENDS



I had a great lunch with a group from Holy Name of Mary in Calvary. 
They called it "lunch," but it was really a full "dinner" of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, casseroles of all kinds and, yes, desserts. 
They surprised me, no shocked me, by presenting me with a very generous gift to my mission work down in the Caribbean. 
I can't begin to tell you how much I love the people of Calvary. I have been gone from there for 34 years and they treat me like I left last year! 

A VISIT TO 'VILLAGE OF LEBANON' NURSING HOME



After lunch I dropped by the nursing home to see a group of about 20 people who knew me from Lebanon and Calvary and the surrounding area who coujld not get out for the Parish Mission. Again, I was so excited to see them that I forgot to pull out my camera. 


"SENT TO SHINE"
Parish Mission 

NIGHT TWO 
LOVING YOURSELF AND LETTING YOUR OWN LIGHT SHINE
The Convenience of Playing Small 





Father Bill Bowling, pastor



One of the many well-trained lectors.



Kathy Shannon, Pastoral Associate



Faqther Sanju Matthew (pastor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Campbellsville), myself and Father Stephenn Koola (associate pastor of St. Augustine in Lebanon and Holy Name of Mary in Calvary.)






Monday, March 27, 2017

MARION COUNTY MISSION - NIGHT ONE

"SENT TO SHINE"
Parish Mission 

NIGHT ONE 
LOVING YOURSELF AND LETTING YOUR OWN LIGHT SHINE
Tackling Your Own Apathy, Cynicism, Narcissism and Personal Neglect 






In spite of a thunderstorm and high winds, the church was full and we ran out of song books.







Sunday, March 26, 2017

MARION COUNTY MISSION - WARM UP WEEKEND



REGIONAL PARISH MISSION BEGINS MONDAY NIGHT

"SENT TO SHINE"
presented by 
Father Ronald Knott


SATURDAY EVENING MASS IN CALVARY



I began my warm-up weekend preaching the 4:30 pm Mass in my old parish (1980-1983) of Holy Name of Mary in Calvary. I was so excited to be there that I forgot to take pictures. I did take a photo of the Saturday night supper group when I got back to Lebanon. This group gathers regularly on Saturday evening. 



SUNDAY MORNING MASSES IN LEBANON

I continued my warm-up weekend by preaching the 7:30, 9:00 and 11:00 am Masses at St. Augustine in Lebanon. 



I had coffee with pastor, Father Bill Bowling, before the early Mass. 


Father Stephen Koola, from India, is the associate pastor.


The Sunday morning music group.



Terrence, one of the capable altar servers.



Two of the many well-trained liturgical ministers/



After the 11:00 am Mass, the Knights of St. Peter Claver, served wonderful fried chicken and country ham dinners. Did I stay? Of course I stayed!

EXCITEMENT IS BUILDING

It seems that they are very excited about the Parish Mission on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday nights at 7:00 pm. It is open to the whole region. Hopefully, I will see people from several of the surrounding parishes.
My gospel music group, REFLECTIONS, will be going down with me.
All proceeds, after expenses, will be going to my mission projects down in the island nation of St. Vincent and the Grenadines where I have been volunteering.