21 February 2022
Reflection Starter from George Washington
"Be not apt to relate news if you know not the truth thereof.". -
George Washington (in The Rules of Civility)
20 February 2022
Msgr. Pope on Comparing/Contrasting the Super Bowl and the Mass
"I write to you in the midst of a semi-'religious' event: the Super Bowl. People have donned their sacred attire and are shouting praises. I enjoy football, but see it a lot less than most since I'm a priest and tend to be busy on Sundays! Yet I remain quite fascinated at how passionate and dedicated many Americans are to their team and to the game.
"Would that more Catholics had the same dedication to the Mass and the Church that true football fans have to the game. (Fan is short for fanatic.) Would, too, that all priests and religious had the same sacrificial dedication that football players have."In a recent commentary, Monsignor Charles Pope (pastor of Holy Comforter-Saint Cyprian Parish,
Washington, DC) reflected on how we often exhibit unusual priorities when it comes to worldly vis-à-vis spiritual matters.
To access Msgr. Pope's complete post, please visit:
Community in Mission: Compare and Contrast: The Super Bowl and the Mass, Football and Faith (13 FEB 22)
Reflection Starter from Pope Francis
"With the Spirit of Jesus, we can respond to evil with good, we can love those who do us harm. This is what Christians do. How sad it is, when people and populations proud to be Christians see others as enemies and think to wage war against each other!" - Pope Francis
19 February 2022
Boston Pops Orchestra: "That's Entertainment!"
As this blessed week draws to a close, I offer this version of the Boston Pops Orchestra (conducted by John Williams) presenting "That's Entertainment!":
On the Importance of Forest Legacies and Other New England-related Topics
A number of articles/posts have recently been published on a variety of New England-related subjects worth considering.
To access some of these, please visit:
The Charlotte (VT) News: The importance of forest legacies (18 AUG 21)
Rhode Island Monthly: This Rhode Island-Based Bodyguard Protects A-List Celebs (August 2021)
Bangor (ME) Daily News: Maine's newest poet laureate is an off-the-grid homesteader (29 AUG 21)
WPRI-TV: Age is just a number to 89-year-old Brown University PhD recipient (8 NOV 21)
Fr. Jack Loughran, OSFS, and the Way to Charity and Peace
"As I write this, I'm waiting with the rest of the world to see if Russia will invade Ukraine. Maybe I'm naive, but this potential act of aggression does not reflect what I hope for in the nature of world discourse and politics today. I am disappointed that Russia is not oriented more towards discussion, collaboration, and compromise than an invasion.
"However, the potential for an invasion is real, and it reflects the persistent presence of conflict in our world and culture. Consider the many forms of protest over Covid regulations that are disrupting commerce and lives around the world, violent misogynistic behaviors against women around the world, the impregnable disputes between our political parties, the rifts in local governments, institutions, and families. We are surrounded by threatening, paralyzing, and seemingly hopeless experiences of conflict."
In a recent commentary, Father Jack Loughran, OSFS, reflected on some of the similar experiences of St. Francis de Sales and on the importance of stepping back and letting ourselves recognize where conflict exists in our lives, identify it, and follow De Sales, seeking the way of charity and peace.
To access his complete post, please visit:
De Sales Weekly: Provincial's Reflection: The Way to Charity and Peace (17 FEB 22)
18 February 2022
Tomaso Albinoni: Concerto for 2 Oboes in C major
It's time for some classical music. This is a presentation of Tomaso Albinoni's Concerto for 2 Oboes in C major, Op. 9, as presented by the University of Maryland Symphony Orchestra:
Thank You, Lord
Thank you, Lord, for the blessing of sacred art.
(Note: Today, 18 February, the Church celebrates the memory of Blessed John of Fiesole, also known as Fra Angelico, a Dominican friar whose works of art are highly thought of.)
A Mother's Enduring Faith
In Chapter VIII of his Confessions, Saint Augustine writes, "For Thou, O our God, shalt lighten our darkness: from Thee riseth our garment of light; and then shall our darkness be as the noon day." This sentiment reveals Augustine's journey from spiritual desolation to his discovery that fulfillment is only found in pursuit of a relationship with God.
In his Confessions, Saint Augustine describes losing his way many times and for long periods throughout his life, but his story also demonstrates how God pursued a relationship with him and continually invited him to walk in the light of Christ. One of the greatest gifts God placed in Augustine's life was Saint Monica, his mother, a devout Christian who became a saint through the practice of an abiding faith.
While Augustine strayed from the faith often in his youth and well into adulthood, Monica remained steadfast in her loyalty to God and continually invited her son and her husband, who was a pagan, to discover the joy of sacrificial love. Saint Monica epitomized The Christophers' motto, "It's better to light one candle than to curse the darkness," because she never gave up hope and always chose to believe her loved ones could find their way.
Monica's influence on Augustine, who became one of the greatest saints in Church history, and on her husband, who converted to Christianity on his deathbed, demonstrates the power of faith to transform the lives of those around us. The Christophers' recent prayer card captures this profound sentiment that faith can guide us to God and help us lead others along their own path to Christ. Our Faith Prayer Card articulates the language of the heart reaching out to God, and this was the type of faith Monica practiced as she continually spoke to God, in fervent prayer for the spiritual well-being of those she loved.
In the opening of his Confessions, Augustine writes, “"hou hast made us for Thyself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it finds its rest in Thee." These are the words of a man who had searched the world for happiness and found that only God could lead us to true and lasting joy. Imagine what a sense of reward his mother must have felt to know her son had come home to the faith. She lived to see him baptized by none other than Saint Ambrose, who had adopted Augustine as a spiritual son after the death of his father.
Monica died in the same year Augustine was baptized, living to see the conversion of the two men she loved most in the world. What a triumph this was for her life of prayer and her patience in waiting on God to mold the hearts of those for whom she prayed.
The story of Monica and Augustine demonstrates that faith and patience go hand in hand, because it is only in patience that we demonstrate our faith. We must have the courage to believe in God even when things don't work out exactly as we want. Faith is about knowing that God is at work in the world and is constantly guiding events to bring about the greater good. Only when we have that kind of faith can we focus on all we are called to do to play our part in God's plan of love for humanity. And when we exercise that kind of faith, we exercise the virtues that animated Saint Monica and her beloved son Saint Augustine.
This essay is this week's "Light One Candle" column by Father Ed Dougherty, M.M., The Christophers' Board of Directors ; it is one of a series of weekly columns that deal with a variety of topics and current events.
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