"If It's Sunday, It's Meet the Press."

This morning I attended a taping of Meet the Press, the beloved Sunday morning news program recently brought to new heights by longtime anchor Tim Russert, and now very ably hosted by David Gregory.

This week David Gregory interviewed . . .

Hillary Clinton
Secretary of State

Robert Gates
Secretary of Defense

Senator Dick Lugar (R-IN)
Ranking Member, Senate Foreign Relations Committee

Unfortunately, none of them were present in the studio. Secretaries Clinton and Gates were interviewed yesterday, and Senator Lugar was interviewed via satellite from Lafayette, IN.

There were, however, members of the press corps present for the Sunday Roundtable including . . .

Bob Woodward
Associate Editor, The Washington Post

Ted Koppel
Contributing Analyst, BBC

Tom Ricks
Senior Fellow, Center for a New American Security
Contributing Editor, Foreign Policy

Savannah Guthrie
White House Correspondent, NBC News

The main topic of conversation was, of course, the President's decision to begin military operations in defense of Libyan rebel groups seeking to overthrow the government of Muammar Khadafi. The sound bite of the day came from Secretary Gates who admitted that Libya's current conflict does not fit into the vital interests of the United States . . . a quote that was back-peddled slightly by Secretary Clinton, who interestingly focused on the strategic interests of our allies and the region, not on the humanitarian imperative that had previously been cited. During the roundtable, I was amazed that Ted Koppel was lucid enough to ask how Libya won the "humanitarian sweepstakes" of U.S. intervention, when so many larger humanitarian crises have plagued Africa over the past decade without garnering U.S. attention.

This was, perhaps, the most "Washington-esque" experience I have had since moving to the capital in August. It was fascinating to see behind the scenes of a show I remember watching religiously as far back as high school. I was particularly surprised to learn that after the taping is concluded, the roundtable guests share brunch with the host on the set of the show! We got to watch Bob Woodward eat waffles!

Afterwards, David Gregory kindly greeted the various guests present to watch the taping.  There were approximately 25 to 30 of us, including a group of students from American University. I was with four parishioners of Little Flower Parish who had won tickets as part of a fundraiser at the school auction. Before leaving, we had our picture taken with Mr. Gregory and chatted with him for a few minutes.

I noticed too, Mr. Gregory used an i-pad on the set - and I was pleased to see that it was working for him. Earlier in the week, when I had my own computer serviced at the Mac store in Bethesda, I happened to see him getting some help with it. It's random encounters like that one, that remind me that I actually do live in the nation's capital!

Homily for the Third Sunday of Lent (A)

In just a few weeks time at the great Paschal Vigil, catechumens in our parish and all around the world, who have been preparing to enter the Church, will reach their goal and be baptized in the faith – and all of us, baptized many years ago, will join them by renewing our own Baptismal promises.

The season of Lent, which we are now marking, had its origins in the early Church precisely as a period of proximate preparation for those about to be baptized, and as a time of renewal and recommitment for all those who were already baptized.

And so the readings we hear in Lent are often about conversion – not only in the sense of turning away from sin – but in its twin sense of coming to belief in Christ Jesus; coming to deeper faith.

On this Third Sunday of Lent we begin a series of three consecutive Sundays on which we will hear readings from the Gospel according to St. John. All three of the gospels for these Sundays are great stories of coming to faith, and all three stories employ the pairing of a symbol, and its spiritual reality: water and spirit, light and faith, death and life.

On this first Sunday of the cycle we are, obviously, dealing with the pairing of water and spirit. Water would have been tremendously important to the people listening to Jesus because they knew the experience of the desert, where water is sorely lacking, and the human need for water can quickly become a matter of life or death.

If you’ve ever been truly thirsty, hiking for hours in a dry climate or working outside in the summer heat, you know just how all-consuming the need for water, the human sensation of thirst, can become.

Indeed, in our first reading the Israelites are in the midst of their forty-year sojourn in the desert after being freed from slavery in Egypt. The reading says that, “in their thirst for water, the people grumbled against Moses” and longed even to return to slavery in Egypt where they at least had water for their children and animals.

This is a physical, bodily thirst. The Israelites are complaining about their parched lips and dry mouths – so much so they say they would prefer the bondage of slavery in Egypt. And so God answers their need and gives Israel “water from the rock” to slake and quench their physical thirst.

But in our Gospel reading St. John helps us understand that the human experience of physical thirst is also a symbol of a deeper spiritual longing and yearning, that can only be satisfied through God’s gift of the Spirit.

In our Gospel when Jesus speaks to the Samaritan woman at the well, she is intrigued when He says that, “whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst.” She responds, “Sir give me this water so that I may not be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water.” She too is focusing on her physical, biological thirst. She’d much prefer not having to come to this well three and four times a day to drag heavy jugs of water back to her house to drink and cook.

Instead, Jesus wants to provide for the Samaritan woman’s deepest thirst. As He tries to make clear, the “living water” that He gives is “a water welling up to eternal life.” The water He will give does not take away physical thirst, but it answers a much deeper yearning for fullness of life.

Reflecting on this truth in our second reading, St. Paul writes to the church in Rome: “the love of God has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit.” God’s eternal life is once more compared to life-giving water poured out on us.

And St. Paul’s letter also gives us a most important key to understanding the second half of today’s Gospel – to understanding the essential means through which God gives us this wellspring of eternal life.

St. Paul writes: “Christ, while we were still helpless, died at the appointed time for the ungodly . . . God proves His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

The living water that Christ gives us, is that water which flowed from His side when He was crucified for our sins: it is the water of Baptism, by which we are cleansed of our sins and given the fullness of eternal life. We do not merit this by our purity – rather it is precisely in our sinfulness that Christ dies for us, washes us of our sins, and gives us the fullness of His life.

So in today’s Gospel, when the Samaritan woman fails to understand the nature of the water that Jesus longs to give her, He doesn’t try to explain this to her by quoting Scripture or telling her a parable. He simply asks her to call her husband . . .

By doing so, Jesus reveals that He knows that she has had five husbands and that the man she lives with now is not her husband. The Samaritan woman has been searching and thirsting for something desperately, and has failed to find it in these relationships.

And Jesus, who knows all of her past, all of her sins, all of her shame – He comes to give her the life and love for which she has been searching and longing. In a parallel to several Old Testament couples, who met and married at wells – Jacob and Rebecca at the well of Haran, and Moses and Zipporah at the well in Midian – Jesus comes to Jacob’s well to “woo” this Samaritan woman into a relationship of faith in Him.

Stunned by His knowledge, the woman says, “I know that the Messiah is coming and when he comes he will tell us everything.” It is precisely because of the painful experience of facing the truth of her sinfulness, that the woman is able to make a tentative, yet beautiful profession of faith – this Jesus who “tells her everything” could well be the Messiah!

And responding to her still-small faith Jesus makes one of the most direct and therefore startling admissions in the entirety of the Scriptures: “I am he, the one who is speaking with you.”

Having experienced the non-judgmental, forgiving love of the Messiah, the Samaritan women is no longer controlled by her sin and shame – it has been washed away, and all that remains is her desire to bring others to that same experience of forgiving love. She goes back to her town, admits her sinfulness openly, and invites her neighbors: “Come see a man who told me everything I have done.”

Sure enough, the other townspeople invite Jesus to stay with them. Believing in His word they say to the woman, “we no longer believe because of your word, for we have seen for ourselves and we know that this truly is the Savior of the world.”

Brothers and sisters, in the waters of Baptism we are given that for which we thirst most deeply: the forgiveness of our sins and God’s eternal life. We are also given a mission to help bring others to this wellspring of life, just as the Samaritan woman did.

In these remaining weeks of Lent, the catechumens of our parish and of parishes around the world, will complete their preparation and come to experience God’s forgiving love in the Easter sacraments. And those of us who are already baptized are given the remaining weeks of this season of penance to renew our Baptismal grace. We fast, pray, give alms, and especially important: we celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation – all to restore the fullness of grace and life we received in Baptism, and that we have let slacken through sin and indifference.

Touched by the loving mercy of God may we, like the Samaritan woman, no longer despair of our sinfulness, but boldly invite others to encounter Christ as we have – and as we will once more encounter Him in this Eucharist we now celebrate.

Two Extraordinary Gentleman

In this week's installment of his regular column for the Catholic Sentinel, Archbishop John Vlazny of the Archdiocese of Portland-in-Oregon (extraordinary gentleman number one) calls attention to the great work of the University of Portland's Campus Ministry Program. In particular, he highlights the award-winning work of my dear friend (and extraordinary gentleman number two) Josh Noem in leading a group for young men called, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. Read more about it here, and congratulations to Josh!!

Most Reverend Patrick V. Ahern

This week I learned that Bishop Patrick Ahern, the former episcopal vicar for Staten Island and pastor of Blessed Sacrament Parish on Staten Island, passed away.  Bishop Ahern was the bishop who confirmed me, and was deeply devoted to St. Therese of the Lisieux - he was instrumental in her being named a Doctor of the Church. I can still remember the homily he gave on St. Therese at my Confirmation Mass. He is pictured here in the pulpit of my home parish, Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish. 

Although I never knew the bishop personally, all of my encounters with him indicated that he was a very warm, personable, and prayerful priest.  He was certainly very well respected and admired by the priests I knew.  May he rest in peace.

Back in the Saddle after Break

It was nice to have a homily to post this weekend after several weeks of not preaching due to several weeks of Cardinal's Appeal here in the Archdiocese, and my own spring break travels . . .

Two weeks ago, at the beginning of spring break, I drove home to Staten Island with Brendan, Andrea, and their friend Scott, so that we could attend the Staten Island St. Patrick's Day parade. I hadn't been to the parade in years, and it was great to be back. Despite some rain early - and later - in the day, we did pretty well during the parade itself.

I always enjoy the bagpipe bands the most . . .

and it was nice to see my alma mater's marching band still looking and sounding so good:

After the parade, the highlight of the day was seeing so many family members at the post-parade party. It was great to be able to catch up in a relaxed and festive atmosphere. 

On Monday we returned to D.C., but after just twenty four hours I flew from Dulles to Colorado Springs where I spent the rest of the week at the Holy Cross Novitiate in Marigreen Pines.

I was invited by our novice-master Fr. Kevin Russeau, csc to give a series of conferences on the history of religious life, from its beginnings in the Apostolic era, through medieval monasticism, the mendicant reformers, the apostolic orders until today. I certainly learned a great deal myself as I was researching and organizing my presentation, and I look forward to returning next year to hone my presentations with next year's class!

It was great to be among the Holy Cross novices - they're a great group, including several alums of Old College whom I've had the pleasure of knowing since their freshman year - and we were joined by a group of Dominican novices from Denver who share monthly workshops or outings with our gang. 

But it was especially nice to be able to spend time with Fr. Kevin with whom I had the pleasure of working last year at Old College. I was very grateful for the chance to share prayer, faith, and fun with a great friend. We took several hikes during my stay, including one at the famous Garden of the Gods . . .

and we also spent an afternoon touring the United States Air Force Academy. I had visited once before, but I was happy to return to see the renowned Academy Chapel . . . 

While we were there we also had the pleasure of witnessing a rite of passage for the first year cadets, who marched out of the hills, organized into their platoons, as we were enjoying the views of the quad from the chapel plaza . . . 

The first year cadets marched onto the quad above, where the upper class members of their platoons had gathered in ranks. Although we weren't entirely sure what the ceremony involved, we learned later that the general point was that these first years were now officially considered cadets, would be moving on to the second year, and could for the first time be spoken to and referred to by their first names. The whole experience was fascinating and rekindled my long standing interest in military chaplaincy.

I returned to Washington after a busy week of spring break, and hit the ground running. With four classes this semester I have plenty of work to do before the end the semester. Between now and the end of April, I'll be ensconced here at the parish, and in the archives and library!

Homily for the Second Sunday of Lent (A)

Over the past week we’ve all been fixed to our televisions and computers, horrified by the terrible disaster in Japan: the massive earthquake and tsunami, and now the awful threat of a nuclear meltdown.

“With each passing day, more and more poignant stories of survivors and victims are emerging. Immediately after the quake, seventy-nine year old Katsutaro Hamada fled to safety with his wife. But then he went back to his home to retrieve a photo album of his fourteen-year-old granddaughter, Saori, and ten-year-old grandson, Hikaru. Just then the tsunami swept away his home, and rescuers later found Hamada's body, crushed amidst the rubble. The Kyodo news agency reported that he was clutching the photo album to his chest.”

Even amid these many stories, the plight of students in a school in Ishinomaki is still particularly heartbreaking. Ishinomaki, was a town of about 160,000 people situated fifty miles north-east of Sendai and just a mile from the ocean. When the tsunami hit, parents were beginning to pick up their children at the Kama Elementary School.

One of the teachers explained that some of the parents and children were able to be brought into the building for safety. Those who had already left for homes behind the school probably survived – the ones who went the other way, probably did not.

The school currently has no running water, electricity, or heating, and is filled with mud and debris – but it still serves as a shelter for nearly seven hundred survivors. Among them are thirty students between the ages and eight and twelve whose parents never came to pick them up that day, and are presumably among the thousands of victims.

Because these stories all involve families – the love of parents and grandparents for children –they hit close to home for all of us. These are, after all, the most important relationships in our lives, and so stories and images like this are particularly hard for us to bear.

I tell them here today, because they came to mind for me as I read this Sunday’s first reading and Gospel. First, in the reading from Genesis, God promises Abram that he will make of him a great nation, and that “all the communities of the earth shall find blessing” in him. It’s a great promise.

But in the back of our minds, we’re probably recalling how we know the story unfolds: how Abraham was already seventy-five when God made this promise, and that he was one hundred years old when Sarah finally bore their son Isaac. And how God then tells Abraham to go to the land of Moriah and on the mountain there to sacrifice his only beloved son!

With Abraham we have to ask, how could God possibly fulfill His promise to make him the father of a great nation if he kills his only son. And the fact that God’s angel stays Abraham’s hand doesn’t really make us feel that much better.

Even if God wasn’t so ruthless and brutal that He wanted Abraham to sacrifice his son, even if it was just a test, does that mean that God is that arbitrary and capricious, playing with us and testing us through torment?
The stories and images from Japan leave us with awfully similar questions. Where is God in the midst of the disaster in Japan? Why has He allowed this to happen? Is this some kind of twisted test as well?

Brothers and sisters, the entirety of the Scriptural tradition clearly tries to show us that this is not at all how God treats us – but it can sometimes feel like that. And so, we’re left to figure out just what the story of Abraham is really all about, and how it relates to our Gospel, and just how those lessons can helps us make sense of a tragedy like Japan.

The entire story of Abraham’s life, from God’s promise to the “sacrifice” of Isaac, is in its essence a story of faith. Throughout the Book of Genesis, God is constantly asking Abraham to have faith – to trust, not so much in the promise God has made, but in God Himself.

Faith is trusting in God’s promise not as we understand it, or as we would choose to have it fulfilled, but trusting in the One who made the promise – trusting in God Himself.

This is the faith that Abraham shows when he is willing to offer as a sacrifice even the son he loves above all else. Abraham puts his trust, not in how he thinks God should fulfill the promise of many heirs – but he has faith in God’s trustworthiness, in God’s desire and ability to fulfill His promise, no matter how it might sometimes seem to us.

This is all a crucially important frame of reference, because our first reading about Abraham’s faith, and the blessing he will be for all the communities of the earth, is very purposefully paired with today’s Gospel reading. In our Gospel from St. Matthew, we are once again on the top of a mountain – and we are once more in the presence of a Father, and the Son He calls “beloved.” Only this time, it is not a misunderstanding: the Son will indeed be sacrificed.

When Jesus is Transfigured before the Apostles, when they see the glory that Jesus shares with the Father in heaven, they long to build three tents on the mountaintop – to remain in the peace, and beauty, and calm of that moment of Divine transcendence. We’ve all had moments of that kind of certainty and faith, and have hoped we’d never again have to face suffering or doubt.

But Jesus takes His disciples back down the mountain – down to Jerusalem, where the Son of Man is betrayed, arrested, tortured, and killed – God so loved the world, Jesus so loved the Father, that He followed the Father’s plan for our salvation, and refused to forego the Cross.

Friends, the Cross, which the Transfiguration prepares the Apostles for, is where God’s promise to Abraham is fulfilled, that all “communities of the earth shall find blessing” in him – the Cross is where God is in the midst of the tragedy in Japan. “God did not spare His Son, but gave Him up for us all.” God’s Son becomes one with us, He enters into the suffering and death that human sin has inflicted, and He gives us life and joy in return.

Our second reading, from St. Paul’s Letter to Timothy, beautifully summarizes this central truth that today’s readings are trying to confirm us in. St. Paul assures us that God has “saved us and called us to a holy life, not according to our works,” not according to our plan, or to how we think things should work out, “but according to His own design.” This saving grace is “made manifest through Christ Jesus, who destroyed death and brought life and immortality!”

There is yet one more lesson for us to glean from this Gospel of the Transfiguration. In the Apostles’ vision of Christ’s heavenly glory, they hear the voice of God say: “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased” – the very same words heard above the waters of the Jordan when Jesus is baptized by John.

Baptism, then, must be understood as linked to the heavenly glory revealed in the Transfiguration. When we were baptized, we too hear God the Father say to us, “You are my beloved child,” and we were admitted into the promise of Heaven that can be glimpsed in the Transfiguration.

Jesus’ Transfiguration isn’t just proof of His Divine glory – it’s proof that we too are destined to share Divine life! But in order to do that, and in order to bring the glory of Divine life to this suffering world, we must have faith and trust in God’s plan, and embrace the Cross in emulation of Christ.

Brothers and sisters, this season of Lent invites us to recommit to our Baptismal faith – faith in a God who loves us so much, that He did not spare His only Son. Through prayer, penance, and works of charity we train ourselves to rely solely on Him, to need only Him – and to trust in His love even when we are given a cross to carry.

When we do these things, we share more deeply in the Church’s mission to transfigure the world – and we bring the divine life we share in Baptism, to a world so broken, so desperately in need of His love and salvation.

And so we pray with the Psalmist, “Lord, let your mercy be upon us as we place our trust in you.”

More DC Visitors

Over the last several weeks, amidst plenty of school work, I have also had the pleasure of welcoming more family and friends to Washington, D.C. 

First up, my classmate Fr. Greg made a quick visit from Stanford University. This was Greg's first visit of any length to our nation's capital. Among other sites we toured the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, and the rest of the CUA campus - including O'Boyle Hall, which once upon a time was Holy Cross College, the seminary for the Congregation of Holy Cross.

We also joined two of Greg's friends from his graduate studies in the Middlebury language program for lunch downtown.

Before lunch, we visited the Woodrow Wilson House - where the 28th president of the United States lived for three years after leaving office before his death in 1924. I enjoyed the tour well enough that I also took my parents there when they visited D.C. the following weekend.

Mom, Dad, and I also took a walking tour of several memorials built on the Mall since their last visit to D.C., including the Korean War Memorial, the FDR Memorial, and the World War II Memorial.

They had the chance to see Little Flower Parish, and together we tried out a new restaurant - a place that had been recommended to me, but that I hadn't had the chance to visit on my own.  Georgia Brown's is located just blocks from the White House and serves Low Country cuisine.  While it wasn't quite as excellent as The Screen Door in Portland, it was still very, very good.

Just days after Mom and Dad's departure, I spent an evening with another visitor to D.C.  A favorite country musician of mine,  Pat Green, made an appearance at the 9:30 Club.

This was the third time I've seen Pat perform, and although I was sorry to not be joined by the friends I've seen him with in the past, I still enjoyed myself a great deal.