August 7, 2021
Reflections
Saturday, August 7, 2021
Friday, August 6, 2021
Thursday, August 5, 2021
Wednesday, August 4, 2021
Tuesday, August 3, 2021
PUT YOUR HAND
IN THE HAND OF THE MAN
WHO STILLED THE WATER,
PUT YOUR HAND IN THE HAND
OF THE MAN WHO CALMED
THE SEA.
INTRODUCTION
The title of my homily is, “Put
Your Hand In the Hand Of The Man Who Stilled the Water, Put Your Hand In the
Hand of the Man Who Calmed the Sea.”
Those are the opening words of a song written by a man
named Gene Maclellan. It came out in 1971 – and sold well over a million records. It was sung by Anne
Murray, Donny Hathaway, The Platters and many others.
Its message and its meaning can be found in today’s
gospel story: the storm on the lake.
Jesus tells his disciples to get into a boat and precede
him to the other side of the sea. He gets rid of the crowds and goes up into
the mountains to pray by himself. He retreats.
A storm comes crashing across the
lake and is tossing the boat in the waves.
During the 4th Watch of the Night Jesus came
walking towards them – walking on the water.
The disciples seeing him on the water were terrified –
yelling out, “It is a ghost.”
They were screaming. They were terrified.
Jesus says, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.”
Peter replies, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to
you on the water.”
Jesus says, “Come.”
Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water
toward Jesus.
But when he saw how strong the wind was he became
frightened; and beginning to sink. He cried out, “Lord, save me!”
Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught him,
and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”
After they got into the boat, the wind died down. Those who were in the boat did him homage,
saying, “Truly, you are the Son of God.”
Take Jesus’ hand. Put your hand in his hand. “Put Your
Hand In the Hand Of The Man Who Stilled the Water, Put Your Hand In the Hand of
the Man Who Calmed the Sea.”
When you’re at the sea,
see.
What will you see,
if you walk down to the Atlantic today, what will you see?
There are some nice benches down there.
There are some beautiful birds and boats to see.
In the first month of this century – January 2000 – We took
a bus from the airport at Tel Aviv – and headed for the Lake of Galilee. I was with 22 priests on a retreat to Israel.
We got to our rooms in a Palestinian Hotel – then had supper – then walked
about 2 streets to the lake.
Neat.
That moment touched so many scenes in the Gospels.
Two days later we went out on a boat named Matthew. A
storm came up – quite windy – quite stormy. We had to land in a non scheduled dock.
Today’s gospel came to mind big time at that moment.
Seeing, looking, watching is key to learning and praying.
The Lake of Galilee is worth being on – for growth in and
with Jesus.
It’s the lowest freshwater lake in the world - 700 feet
below sea level.
It’s 16 miles long and 9 miles wide.
Stephen Duffy – the Franciscan was our retreat director –
read today’s gospel when we got on the boat.
10 minutes later – we were hit by the storm.
We felt phobia.
We felt faith questions.
We did what every kid does when scared – we put our hands
in our father or mother’s hand.
It’s good to experience faith first hand.
It’s good to experience Jesus challenge us for lack of
faith.
It’s good to experience Jesus – not as a ghost – but as a
presence – as one we can touch and be healed.
Monday, August 2, 2021
Sunday, August 1, 2021
SAN ALFONSO
An inner voice said to him 2 times: “Leave the world and give yourself to me.”
Like we heard from John McGowan yesterday, Alphonsus like St. Ignatius went to a church – put his sword on an altar decided to become a priest.
He studied theology at home and was ordained a priest at the age of 30.
He spent 2 years preaching all through the kingdom of Naples.
Someone said of him, “It’s a pleasure to hear your sermons. You forget yourself and preach Jesus Christ.”
He was neither strict nor pompous.
He worked out of his home – but at 33 he left home and became chaplain at a college that trained missionaries for China.
He met a bishop named Thomas Falcoia – who pushed him towards starting a new group of priests for preaching around Naples. This bishop also asked him to check out by giving a retreat to a nun who was starting a new order of nuns. He did and they seemed legitimate. In 1731 they became the Redemptoristines – with a different name at first. They wore red and blue habits. They were contemplatives.
In 1732 Alphonsus began the Redemptorists – called at first the
Congregation of the Savior. In 1749 – when we finally got approval by Rome – we
got the name Redemptorists – because there already was a group called the
Congregation of Our Savior.
Alphonsus was preaching all over the Kingdom of Naples – especially in small towns. There were a lot of priests at the time – but they liked Naples - the big town. So his group went to the forgotten – the neglected – the poor.Since Alphonsus and his group became so successful – he was criticized.
In the meanwhile Alphonsus wrote a lot of books – 111 in his lifetime.
In the meanwhile Alphonsus and his congregation grew – even though there were dropouts.
Alphonsus put out a Moral Theology textbook – which began as
notes on the work of a Jesuit with the name of Busenbaum. Alphonsus stressed
God’s mercy.
Alphonsus steered a middle
course between the rigorism of a theology called Jansenism and big time laxity.
As a result of staying in the middle –
he was criticized from both the right and the left.
In the meanwhile Alphonsus did music, painting and lots and lots of preaching.
In the meanwhile Alphonsus became a bishop – of a small diocese in Italy called St. Agatha of the Goths.
After retiring from being a bishop, Alphonsus came back to the Redemptorists.
In time he got serious arthritis and needed a wheel chair – as you see him in the statue out on the lawn between the conference room and the dining room.
In time a guy named Clement Hofbauer came down from Vienna, Austria – became a Redemptorist and was sent back to Vienna – to start our group up there on the other side of the Alps.
We started in Naples in 1732. By 1832 – some of those Redemptorists from Austria were sent to the United States.
We reached 9,000 plus – but we’ve shrunk a little to around 5000 at the present time.
I joined the Redemptorists to go to Brazil – but never got that assignment.
We are all around the world – pushing the ideas and ideals, the vision and vocation, of St. Alphonsus. “Forget yourself and preach Jesus Christ.
A key book that Alphonsus wrote was: The practice of the Love of Jesus Christ. He said: “Sanctity – the whole of it can be summed up in the practice of the love of Jesus Christ”– which we hope everyone who comes here to San Alfonso Retreat House – hears and gets – and brings home Christ to our world. Amen.
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