Christ the King, Christ the Homeless, the Panhandler, the Immigrant, Christ in Disguise

Today we sing Happy Feast Day to Jesus Christ, King of All People and King of the entire Universe! In the Apostles' Creed we declare that Jesus "will come again to judge the living and the dead." The Church's gospel selection for this last Sunday of the Liturgical Year is the Last Judgement from the gospel of Matthew, chapter 25 verses 31--46. Many of us Christians are aware of the scene depicted in this passage. All of humanity who ever lived is standing before Jesus, King and Judge. He says all those who "saw me hungry, thirsty, homeless, naked, sick, ill or imprisoned and helped me, and welcomed me when I was a stranger will be among the sheep". The sheep are the followers of Jesus who are welcomed into the heavenly kingdom. These men and women helped those in need wholeheartedly. They did not require an exam for the needy person to pass in order to qualify for an act of kindness from them. Those sent to the goats are those who did follow Jesus up to a certain point. Then when Jesus showed up dressed in rags that barely covered him, or asking for a sandwich or a cold or hot drink, or for a place to sleep that was too much. "That guy will only spend my dollar on alcohol," or as some say, "Let them get a job. Why should my taxes pay for such a cunning people who know how to work the system to steal our money." I just finished reading an article from the newsletter of Casa Juan Diego in Houston. The author, a member of the Catholic Worker movement founded by Servant of God Dorothy Day described some of those who hear the jibe, "Get a job." Each one of the persons he described came to the Casa for desperately needed help. Each one either had chronic illness, or was caring full-time for an invalid relative at home. Not one of them was physically capable of being hired by anyone. Yet, each of them has heard, "Get a job." Of course their job lies at home. How many of the well fed, and relatively well off accuse clients of Casa Juan Diego and other centers of catering to the lazy and those immigrants who would take unfair advantage of any kind of welfare.

If one realized that it was Jesus asking a favor, the response might be: "Let me see what I can do. Can I give away the excess clothing in my closet? Can I spare some cash today? Can I get a gift card from McDonald's or any other restaurant chain and hand it to a needy person who asks?" If I give someone a sandwich, do I slip a bottle of water or another beverage in the bag? A women near Washington, DC, once came in our book center and asked for food. I went upstairs to our convent and made a sandwich. I put that along with a bottle of water in the plastic bag with the food. She came back to thank me for the water. Anyone who has lived near D.C. in the summer can testify that the heat and humidity are grueling. Several years ago I met a secretary in Miami, Florida. She was a Christian, a Protestant. "You know," she said, "my boyfriend is Catholic. For me. my religion is like a jacket. I put it on when I am in church. When I leave church, I take it off and hang it up. My boyfriend is not like that. He's Catholic all the time! Everything he does is Catholic!" Apparently his "being Catholic" was a testimony to her, not a bother, but something she appreciated. A practicing Catholic takes the Matthew 25:31--46 to heart. After all, the real bottom line on our life, the litmus test of our behavior is this passage. Jesus the homeless, the stranger, the immigrant, the annoying panhandler is asking for help. Jesus could be in disguise at home: the parent with the memory loss; the petulant infant who can sleep hours during the day and keeps you up at night; the new cashier who makes a mistake at the grocery store; or the waiter or waitress whose English is limited...in myriad forms and in the oddest places, Jesus, our King and Shepherd is waiting for your and my allegiance, my obedience to his appeal to help him as he hides in the disguise that shows up in front of me today.

"Lord," I ask, "Help me to serve you wherever you show up and need my help or forbearance. Please give me strength and courage to behave as a real member of your holy kingdom. I trust in your mercy. Let me show mercy to all whom I meet. Amen." I like this picture of Christ, the King, still wearing his crown of thorns, because it reminds me that in the sick, the suffering the demented and the mentally ill, Christ still wears his crown of thorns. My kindness helps to alleviate the pain someone may be enduring from his or her crown of thorns.

Not to make this blog too long, but I must mention that today is the anniversary of the death of our Founder Blessed James Alberione. His last words were "Ave, Maria!" Although Father Alberione, was already unconscious, Pope Paul VI hastened to go to be with Blessed Alberione as he lay dying on November 26, 1971. I close with a quote from Blessed Pope Paul from the ceremony in 1969 when Paul bestowed a special honor on Alberione: From the address of Pope Paul VI: Here before us we see the Pious Society of St. Paul, originally from Alba in Piedmont and now with a General House here in Rome. We know well that yours is not a simple institution but a Family: the “Pauline Family,” made up of various religious Institutes, which we are pleased to welcome here today and, as it were, pass in review…. We know about your activities, all of which are characterized by an apostolic spirit and purpose. Your principal apostolate is that of the editions, but you also carry out a liturgical apostolate, a parish apostolate, a vocation apostolate, and an apostolate aimed at helping various classes of people live the Christian life more intensively. We remember well that you began your apostolate by making modern use of the stupendous instruments now used for what is called social communication and that this is one of the characteristic features of the Pauline Family…. And this blossoming of different forms of disseminating Christian thought and word goes hand in hand with the geographical spread of your work, which by now has reached every continent…. We owe the building of your monumental Institute to your Founder, our dear and venerated Fr. James Alberione, here present. In the name of Christ, we thank and bless him. Here he is, humble, silent, tireless, ever vigilant, always recollected in his thoughts, which run from prayer to work according to the traditional saying: ora et labora (pray and work), ever intent on scrutinizing the “signs of the times,” that is to say, the most inspired ways of reaching souls. Our Fr. Alberione has given the Church new ways of expressing herself, new means to invigorate and broaden her apostolate, new capacities and a new awareness of the validity and possibilities of her mission in the modern world, with modern means. Permit the Pope, dear Fr. Alberione, to rejoice in this long, faithful and tireless effort and the fruits it has produced for the glory of God and the good of the Church. Permit your children to rejoice with us and tell you today, perhaps as never before, of their affection and their promise to persevere in this work. (Cf. Paul VI, Audience of 28.06.1969)

"Lest We Forget"

In the center of one of the myriad New England towns lies a granite memorial to deceased war veterans. In large letters it reminds us: "Lest we forget" the sacrifices of those who have gone before us. A compilation of our Founder's homilies on Purgatory uses this same phrase for it's title: "Lest We Forget." November is dedicated in a special way to the memory of all the souls who have died in the grace of God. We Catholics believe that in order to see God face-to-face we need to be free from any attachment to sin. When our eyes are sore, it is painful to open our them to the sunlight. Spiritual writers tell us that the "pain" of Purgatory is the longing to be fully in the presence of our Triune God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Church teaches that we can help the Holy Souls by prayers, Masses, sacrifices and good deeds. This short prayer directed to Our Divine Lord is a sort of theme song for this Month of the Holy Souls: Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states: "The Church gives the name Purgatory to [the] final purification of the elect, which is entirely different from the punishment of the damned." (CCC, no. 1031) As I grow older the list of relatives and friends already passed into eternity is growing. When I was on vacation, I enjoyed meeting up with about a dozen women, all of us high school classmates. One of the ladies, Bonnie, came despite having to use an oxygen tank for her lungs. Bonnie also suffered from cancer. The friend who hosted our celebration texted me that Bonnie died in mid October. All of our group have been affected by Bonnie's death. Our faith assures us that after death the friends and family we know appreciate every prayer we offer for them. Although they cannot help themselves, they can intercede for us.

Many times I have experienced almost immediate help when I pray to the Poor Souls.

The Sister who founded the Daughters of St. Paul in the USA, Mother Paula Cordero, had great devotion to the Holy Souls as she called the Souls in Purgatory. Whenever she started one of her many flights within the USA or overseas, Mother Paula would pray 100 times the "Eternal Rest..." prayer. She used her rosary beads and prayed the Eternal Rest's in groups of 10. On the Our Father beads she would pray, "My Jesus, mercy!" "The Church assists those in Purgatory through prayer and especially the Eucharist in their final process of purification." (United States Catholic Catechism for Adults, page 154) By the way, if you don't have a copy of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, or of the "United States Catechism for Adults" both published by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, you can visit one of our USA Pauline Book & Media Centers, or go to our on-line store at Pauline.org. The Catechism of the Catholic Church comes in two sizes: one is a smaller more compact edition with a hard cover (The text is complete. However some of the many indexes are eliminated.) The original larger size is complete with larger print. I wish you a blessed month of November, one that will bring you closer to God, as you go deeper and deeper into the life of grace.

What color is your Autumn?

Maybe it's climate change or just a warming trend. Whatever the cause our usual brilliant Fall colors have delayed their annual colorful appearance. Yet, there are some trees that are a golden yellow which glow whenever the sun penetrates them. Since we live on a hill, as we drive down towards the more dense areas of Boston, there is one stand-alone tree which is totally red or burgundy. Often as we approach a bend in our many parkways, I feel that "wow!" expression welling up and onto my lips. One of the Sisters with a good eye for color keeps me alert when she points out certain extra colorful trees: "Look at that!" she cries. Then "Look, on the left, wow, what a bea-u-ti-ful tree!" Fall can offer its own art style of ever changing amber, red and gold curtains of foiliage. Soon enough the "leaf curtain" will blow away and low and behold, I spy a building I never realized was hiding behind a stand of trees. I even saw a reservoir not far from us which I only noticed last summer.

I view this autumn season as a metaphor for old age. In September I had a memorable birthday, one which I never dreamed of reaching so soon! In the summer, almost all the trees are green, so not many leaves stands out.

In the Fall each leaf has its chance to shine, displaying deep reds and yellow, and shades in between. My ideal would be to shine with virtue as I age. When I was younger, some of us sisters would tease one another if we caught someone complaining: "Don't grow to be a mean old nun!" As age increases so often do aches and pains and various other jolts to our systems which may challenge our serenity. Wisdom comes with age, so they say. Experience adds a dimension to our life where we hold up events of today to the light of our past. Sometimes we can say, "History repeats itself over and over." This is so true when we read headlines glaring with the misdeeds of some, or the downright evil ways of others. When I watch TV news, it can be a downer when one crime after another is dragged before our eyes. I always perk up when newscasts end on a positive note and highlight a person who has gone the extra mile to help another. No matter what, I want to be one of those trees that glimmer with color when the sunlight dances around me. Good habits become virtues. In my spiritual view of the landscape, colors represent good thoughts and good deeds, as well as good intentions. Red is always a symbol of love and sacrifice, gold is precious and it sparkles in the light. The tan or beige leaves remind me of the value of the ordinary lived well. The bright yellows represent an upbeat attitude, faith in the Providence of our Good God. As Christians and as Catholics we can display in our own serene way faith, hope and love as we live them day-by-day.

The beloved Saint Pope John XXIII always cast a serene smile despite the pains of old age and the crosses inherent in carrying the needs of the whole world as Pope. Yet, he refused to join in any pessimistic views of our times, differing from the nay-sayer prophets of doom. Rather, Pope John trusted in the goodness of God who is the One whom St. Paul said in his Letter to the Romans makes all things work to the good for those who love him. (Romans 8:28) What are your Autumn colors?

Have a multi-colored blessed day!