Quotidian Activities

In the past month or so, there have been a few things that may be worth writing home about.


Birthday/Anniversary  My brother's wedding anniversary is also his wife's birthday. I procrastinated on sending gifts until the day before. At that point I e-mailed my brother and asked him to get something for her and something for them and bill me via pay-pal. He cooperated, and it worked out pretty well. I'd have liked to do a next day delivery order on amazon, but the Japanese site is, unsurprisingly, in Japanese, and I don't think they take American credit cards. I recall trying once. I found something by following pictures, but I couldn't complete the transaction. So this was better. Maybe sometime I'll learn to shop early enough.


Taxes  For a long time, I used to file my tax returns early — meaning before noon on the day they were due. This year I filed super early — the evening before the due date — using an on line filing system. Sometimes I've owed the feds some money, but never the state. This year, I owed money to both. I guess I'll have to have them take more out of my IRA when I take my next distribution, or else make estimated tax payments.


Car  I have a 1997 Toyota Camry which has a little over 88,000 miles on it. Last year, the mufflers got holes in them, and it became loud, even getting louder as time went on. Last week, I finally took it to a muffler repair shop, where they also found work that needed to be done on the steering and suspension and on the brakes. They also changed the oil and some other fluids and performed the overdue state safety inspection (which it could not have passed before I replaced the exhaust system). Total price, including sales tax on the parts, was $3,000.07. Of that, something over $1,200 was for labor. Since the car was in the shop about five hours, that means they're getting over $240/hr. Nice work if you can get it. Apparently, the labor costs are set by the company — a large chain — for each job performed, since the invoice gives identical amounts for several of the jobs.

It was a higher price than I had anticipated, but then I've been neglecting things for some time, and if this lets me keep the car on the road for another 17 years, that's less than $200 per year. Besides, I put it on my credit card, so it didn't actually cost me anything.


Restaurant  With the end of the concert season, my season for dining at Scollay Square also comes to an end. So last Friday I told them I probably won't be back until October. Wendy the waitress is my favorite since Seth shifted to bartending, and I was at one of her tables. Before I left, she told me that she might get a job in her field of study, which has to do with sustainability and interior design.Of course I wish her well, but I do like having waiters who, when they realize I'm something of a regular, become friendly. So if she stops working there on Fridays, I'll miss her.

There was a party of three at a nearby table and Wendy told me that they were involved in some sort of convention that was going on in Boston. It turns out it was something called Q Talks. The older man in the party was the pastor of the church where it was mostly happening, Tremont Temple, and his wife and son were with him. Wendy told them something about me, and the pastor came over and introduced himself, and I told him something about myself. I learned that he's been involved in high-level ecumenical dialogue as one of the evangelical representatives who have met with Cardinal Kasper and the Vatican agency for promoting Christian unity. I gather that this year's Q Talks became somewhat controversial in church circles because they had panels on the church and gay people which included some participants who favor gay marriage.

As I was finishing my dinner a couple of nice-looking guys were seated at the table beside me. I heard them discussing what they would have, and they didn't seem to be settling on things, so I recommended the miso glazed salmon, which is my favorite dish on the menu. They both ordered it. Unfortunately, I had to leave for the concert before theirs arrived, so I'm not sure how they liked it. But if they like salmon, it's hard to imagine that they wouldn't have liked it a lot.

2015/04/26 — 4th Sunday of Easter

This Sunday is often called Good Shepherd Sunday. The Church has a three year cycle of assigned readings for each Sunday; and on the Fourth Sunday of Eater, the Gospel passage is draw from the words of Jesus in the tenth chapter of the Gospel of John. This year we hear John 10:11-18, in which Jesus calls himself the good shepherd who  "lays down his life for his sheep"— unlike the hireling who runs away when he sees a wolf. In this way, the good shepherd accomplishes two things. He keeps the wolf from catching the sheep and from scattering the flock. Of course, we see Jesus fulfilling this description of himself when he lays down his life on the cross.

Jesus notes that he has other sheep that he must join to his flock so that there will be one flock and one shepherd. This he accomplishes through the missionary activity of the Church. The mention of one flock and one shepherd recurs in a more extended form in Jesus' prayer at the Last Supper (John 17:20-23), where Jesus prays for his disciples and those who will believe through their word, that all may be one.

Today's passage concludes with Jesus saying that he lays down his life freely, and that he has power to lay down his life and to take it up again. So we have a reference not only to his death on the cross but also to his resurrection. As risen Lord, he is still the shepherd of the flock. We are al called to listen to his voice and to seek the unity which is his will for those who follow him.


The first reading (Acts of the Apostles 4:8-12) recounts words of Peter to the Sanhedrin. Peter had cured a crippled man who used to beg at the gate of the Temple, and when an amazed crowd had gathered, Peter had proclaimed the resurrection and lordship of Jesus, supporting his proclamation with references to the Hebrew scriptures. (As we heard last week that Jesus had explained the scriptures to his disciples, now we see them presenting those explanations to those they are evangelizing.) The Sadducees had Peter and John, who was with him, arrested for proclaiming the resurrection, and the next day Peter and John found themselves before the Council, and Jesus had previously been. Today's passage gives Peter's proclamation. He attributes the healing of the cripple to Jesus, proclaims the resurrection, quotes on of the scriptures which refer to Jesus (Psalm 118:22), and concludes by affirming that there is no salvation except through Jesus. Jesus is far more than a sublime teacher of moral life. He is the one who brings salvation — resurrection and everlasting life — to the human race. The first reading is followed, as always by psalm verses. This Sunday it's verses from Psalm 118, including the verse, "The stone rejected by the builders has become the cornerstone," Jesus, the one source of salvation.


The second reading is again taken from the First Letter of John (1 John 3:1-2). This brief passage tells us that we are children of God. Beyond that, at the resurrection, we shall see God as he is, and that "beatific vision," as it has traditionally been called, will make us like him. There is a further Easter connection here, since Baptism is an Easter sacrament, and just as the Father proclaimed Jesus his son when Jesus was baptized in the Jordan, so the Father adopts us as his children when we are baptized. Here the image of the Church is of family, not flock as in the Gospel. But whichever image we use, the reality is of a community of believers following Jesus to the Father.

In summary Jesus has freely and lovingly laid down his life and risen for us, the community of those he will lead to the Father.

Theology of the Body 2015/04/22

"In his exchange with the Pharisees [on divorce], Jesus referred to 'the beginning,' bidding us to discover the original beauty of marriage. … Immediately following this exchange. Jesus revealed to his disciples a second vocation — celibacy for the kingdom.

"… [M]arriage and celibacy complement each other. Celibacy can only be understood in the light of marriage, and marriage in the light of celibacy.

"Those who are called to celibacy are not asked to deny their human nature. The celibate vocation aims to fulfill every aspect of our humanity, including our sexuality, which is a call to communion in God's image. Sexually, men and women are created for communion with each other. The communion of the sexes, however, points ultimately to man's call for communion with God. Celibacy for the kingdom is an invitation to embrace this relationship, standing alone before God. In this way, a person, created in the image of God, can find complete fulfillment, apart from human marriage.

"While remaining fully masculine or feminine, the celibate responds to the aloneness which lies at the heart of each of us — which only God can fill. The call to exclusive, celibate communion with God, when heard and answered by a particular person, is a gift for the kingdom.

"In giving himself fully to God, the celibate person does not cut off his communion from other human beings. If celibacy is to truly further the kingdom, it must be lived with respect for the trinitarian image in man and the call to communion with God and others. As the celibate person gives himself to others in love and service, his communion with them reaches a deeper level.

"[Previously], we considered Jesus' words on lust and 'adultery in the heart' …. The celibate vocation does not entail a change in human nature. A faithful life of celibacy — like a faithful marriage — requires the redemptive power of Christ. Like everyone else, the celibate person must submit his lusts to the power flowing from the redemption of the body.

"Celibacy for the kingdom is a voluntary [renunciation] of marriage. … Since Christ's teaching on celibacy immediately followed his words on the sacredness of marriage, it is clear that the goodness of celibacy does not degrade marriage."


As I was writing the excerpts above, I thought of the blog "Spiritual Friendship," which I consider very valuable for its insights, based of the writings of St Aelred, in the value of close friendships for those who are celibate. The Pope speaks of "standing alone before God." This seems at variance with the idea of "spiritual friendship,' as advocated by the blog, but the Pope also acknowledges that there is a call to communion with others, even for the celibate. This communion can, perhaps inevitably must, be closer with some than with many others.

Since the Pope connects the communion of marriage with the command to be fruitful and multiply, so that sexual intercourse is intended as an image of the creative love of God, celibacy, while excluding sexual activity, does not exclude relationships which are not sexually active. Nevertheless, it's not entirely clear to me how a person who is in a committed celibate relationship of spiritual friendship necessarily lives more "for the kingdom" than a married couple do. Perhaps it's because they do not engage in the act of total self-giving which is marital intercourse.

Change of Seasons

This week marks the transition from winter, broadly speaking, to summer, broadly speaking. I'll be going to Boston on three successive evenings for the last of types of events until next fall (autumn) and one next to last. It will be a play on Wednesday, the penultimate Boston Symphony concert on Thursday, and the final Harvard Musical Association evening on Friday. Then on Saturday, the yacht club officially opens for the summer at noon.

I'll be helping to run sailboat races on various weekends and a few evenings from May 30 through September 26. Symphony will resume in October, as will HMA. The club will officially close at the end of October. Baseball season overlaps both ends, beginning in early April and running through October. I'll watch most Red Sox games on TV.

So as April ends my focus shifts from attending events in Boston to sailboat races and televised baseball games, and that's how it is through September. Of course, church is big all year.

Scammed

I guess the big news since my post on Recent Doings, apart from the Torah writing, was getting scammed. A pop-up window appeared on March 12 saying that Safari had detected a virus and I should call such-and-such a number to have it dealt with. Clicking "okay" wouldn't make it go away. Similar things had happened before, and I had always had the good sense to quit Safari or shut down the computer. But this time I fell for it and called the number.

The helpful technician said he'd fix it. He'd need to take control of my computer, which I let him do. I agreed to have him do the necessary work and authorized an on line payment of $577 from my checking account for the work and a service contract. After several hours, my computer was working again.

A couple of days later, when my kid brother made his weekly phone call, I told him about it. Later that night he e-mailed me to inform me that it was a scam. He linked a site which had a screen cap showing the sort of pop-up window I had responded to. That site recommended reinstalling my operating system, which proved fairly simple. Since it involved wiping out all my files, the site also recommended backing them all up and after reinstalling the OS going through all and deciding which to copy to the clean computer. That looked like too much work, and besides, I had no idea which ones might have been infected by the scammers. I also realized that with a couple of exceptions I never used the files anyway. So I copied six that I wanted to have, a couple as templates, and a couple that I really wanted to keep. So now, almost everything that I had on my computer is gone, but it's okay.

I also decided I'd better close the account that I had authorized them to take money from. It took some doing at the bank to leave enough money in the account for the checks which remained to be paid, transfer the remainder to a new account, and get the debit card to work for the new account. But we managed to do it. Remarkably, although I authorized payment to the scammers on a Thursday, by Monday, when I went to the bank, they hadn't taken it. So, although it cost me the time and nuisance of reinstalling the OS and changing bank accounts, it didn't end up costing me any money.

2015/04/19 — 3rd Sunday of Easter

A couple of events this week have served to remind me that celebrating Easter not just as a day, but as a season, is not the practice of all Christians. Indeed, even many Catholics are not especially conscious of being in an ongoing season of celebration. At Christmas, if tradition-minded we may think of the twelve days of Christmas, and most of us do not remove our Christmas decorations on December 26. We know that there is some continuation of Christmas, some sort of Christmas season. But when it comes to Easter, we aren't accustomed to thinking of, not the twelve days, but the fifty days of Easter. And yet, Easter, the resurrection of Jesus, is — together with his death on the cross — the most important element of our Christian faith. Christmas is only there to make Easter possible.

The Catholic Church two reasons for prolonging the celebration through seven weeks. One is that the "mystery" of Easter, its meaning, is too big to express in just one day. We need to take take to consider it more deeply and extensively. Historically, the season developed as a time for ongoing instruction — called "mystagogy" of the newly-baptized (Baptism being something that was normally done only at Easter). Beyond that, it's just such a gigantic reason to celebrate that it's something we want to make that big a deal of. We need an extended period to do it justice. We spend forty days preparing for it. We should celebrate it even longer.

That's why we're speaking of Sundays of Easter in the title.


All three readings assigned to this day make reference to the forgiveness of sins, and that is one facet by which we can view the meaning and purpose of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection. The gospel (Luke 24:35-48) and the first reading (Acts 3:13-15, 17-19) place this in the context of Jesus as fulfilling the scriptures.

The gospel passage is very rich in meaning. It begins with a reference to "[t]he two disciples." Those are the two whose encounter with Jesus on the road to Emmaus has just been recounted. (Luke 24: 13-35) When Jesus appears, the first thing he does after greeting them is to prove that it is he by showing his wounds, and then to prove that he is corporeal by eating a piece of fish. The Pharisees and many other Jews of Jesus' time believed in a general resurrection at the end of time, but a resurrection while the world continued was completely unexpected. So he had to appear to them and show that he had been resurrected bodily.

On the way to Emmaus, Jesus had "interpreted to [the two disciples] what referred to him in all the Scriptures." Now he tells the assembled disciples that "'everything written about me in the law of Moses and in the prophets and psalms must be fulfilled.' Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures." What happened fulfilled the scriptures about him — that it was necessary for him to suffer, die, and rise, "and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins, would be preached in his name to all the nations." Here we find an echo of last Sunday's themes of mercy and mission.

The first reading quotes Peter — who has just healed a cripple in the name of Jesus — reviewing the events of Jesus' passion and death. Then he proclaims the resurrection and says that what happened to Jesus fulfilled the scriptures and speaks, as the gospel does, of repentance and forgiveness.

Some of the scriptures which Jesus interpreted as referring to him are mentioned in Acts — e.g., "You  are my Son. Today I have begotten you." (Psalm 2:7) and "The stone rejected by the builders has become the cornerstone." (Psalm 118:22). Throughout the year, these and many other Old Testament passages are seen as fulfilled in Jesus, following the longstanding tradition of interpretation.

From Peter's proclamation of repentance and forgiveness we move to the second reading, (1 John 2:1-5a). Christians aren't supposed to sin, John says, but if we do, Jesus brings forgiveness because he has expiated our sins.


The message for this Sunday, then, is that Jesus' death and resurrection, in fulfillment of the scriptures, bring expiation of our sins when we are repentant and turn to him for the forgiveness which is always available.

The gospel passage also gives  some insight into the significance of the Mass. We have traditionally seen the Liturgy of the Word — readings, creed, and homily — as continuing the work of presenting the scripture in the light of Jesus. We also see the Liturgy of the Eucharist as the breaking of the bread in which we recognize the Lord, as the disciples did at Emmaus. In other words, Jesus comes to us and says, "Do not be afraid, it is I." He explains the scriptures and gives himself to us as he did to the disciples at the Last Supper.

2015/04/12 — 2nd Sunday of Easter

Many years ago I wrote an analysis every week of the assigned readings for Sunday Mass. They were for a colleague at work who said he found Mass boring. It occurs to me that I ought to be able to find the time to do something similar for my readers. I hope that this series (which actually began last week) will be useful as preparation for Sunday Mass for Catholics, as a reflection on scripture for other Christians, and as a window on the Christian gospel for all. May the Lord bless all who read these posts. Comments are welcome.

If there is a unifying theme in this Sunday's scripture readings, it may well be faith.

The gospel selection is always central, and this week we hear John 20:19-31, most of which is an account of two appearance of Jesus to his disciples after his resurrection. On the occasion of the first appearance, Thomas is absent and he says he won't believe that Jesus has risen and appeared to the others unless he also sees Jesus and can touch his wounds. A week later, Jesus appears again and shows Thomas his wounds and calls on him to believe. Thomas responds by saying, "My Lord and my God!" Jesus answers, "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe," — which includes all believers since the time of the apostles. The passage concludes with a statement that Jesus did much more that what is written in the gospel, but the things included are to enable us to "believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name."

The exclamation of Thomas is significant. There are those who try to say that the divinity of Jesus was a doctrine invented long after the time of Jesus, but here it is explicitly stated in a First Century writing based on the account of an eyewitness to the life of Jesus. So the Gospel of John invites us to share the belief of the early Christians that Jesus is Lord and God. This is not a matter of merely theoretical interest to theologians. We are told that through this belief we have life — not physical life, but spiritual life, which is elsewhere promised to be eternal— in Jesus' name.

The second reading for this Sunday, from the First Epistle of John (1 John 5:1-6), tells us that our faith has consequences for our lives. One thing is that our faith is "the victory that conquers the world." In other words, "the victor over the world [is] the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God."In this context, "the world" isn't to be understood as the planet earth or its people, but those elements which oppose our salvation. It is similar to what Paul says in Romans 8:37-39, that "[nothing] in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." We may be able to throw away our salvation, but there is nothing and nobody who is capable of taking it from us.

Beyond that, there is a very practical consequence — those who believe in Jesus are begotten by God, children of God, and those who love God the Father will love all the rest of those who are begotten by God: those who are also his children. This love means keeping God's commandments. In other words morality is the result of love of God and his children. This is also what Jesus teaches when he says that the two greatest commandments are to love God with all our being and to love our neighbors as ourselves. (Matthew 22:37-40) So it will not do for us to say, "I believe in Jesus," while failing to love one another or to behave morally. If our faith is genuine, it will have results in our behavior. It is our faith that enables us to resist temptation.

The first reading — Acts 4:32-35 — gives us an example of how believers practiced this mutual love in Jerusalem in the early days of Christianity. They did not regard themselves as owning anything for themselves. They sold lands and houses and gave the proceeds to the apostles to distribute to those who were needy. We don't necessarily give up all our property, but at the very least, we should realize that we have some obligation to provide for  those who are in need, and that we shouldn't make getting more money or property our aim.

Other points we should note are those of mission and mercy. Both are seen in the first part of the gospel reading.

When Jesus makes his first appearance he tells them, "As the Father has sent me, so I send you." This is comparable to the words given in Matthew 28:19-20, "Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age." In John 18:37 Jesus tells Pilate, "I came into the world for this, to bear witness to the truth." This truth is not theoretical. It has to do with faith and all its implications. It therefore also has to do with love. And it has to do with mercy.

Pope St. John Paul II designated this Sunday as Divine Mercy Sunday, a title derived from the writings of Sr. Faustina Kowalska in the 1930's. Pope Francis, for his part, is also emphasizing God's mercy — which has been one of his regular themes — by designating next year as a year for focusing on the theme of God's mercy. We see God's mercy in action when Jesus breathes on the disciples and says, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained." (John 20:22-23) Part of the mission of the Church, then, is to be a vehicle of God's mercy by exercising this power to forgive sins. And we as individuals should be merciful to others.

Summary.  We are invited to share the faith of Thomas and the other apostles, through their testimony preserved by the Church, which Jesus has sent to carry on his work. This faith calls us to love one another in action, living by Christ's teachings, and brings us eternal life. God is merciful.

Theology of the Body 2015/04/08

"As Christ revealed through his own example, the celibate life is an especially effective way of furthering God's kingdom. …

"Jesus did not promote a celibacy that degrades marriage. … In order for virginity to be spiritually fruitful, it must be freely chosen and directed toward the kingdom.

"Effective celibacy springs from deep faith. …Celibacy for the kingdom is a sign of the other world, bearing within itself the power of the redemption of the body. …

"Following Christ and furthering his kingdom — these are the true motivations for choosing celibacy.
It is not a command for all, but an invitation for some. …Since marriage remains the normal or ordinary vocation, celibacy will always be an exceptional one.

"Christ does not gloss over the difficulties of the celibate life. While men and women with normal — and noble — human inclinations for marriage choose to forgo marriage for the sake of the kingdom, they will struggle. For this reason, a celibate person must continually renew the source of his or her motivation."

Easter 2015

Easter is the central celebration of the Christian year, because the central belief of Christianity is that Jesus died and rose from the dead. There is so much to this belief, and it is such a basis for celebration that we take three days to explicate it — from the evening of Holy Thursday through Easter Sunday (the Sacred Triduum). Through our baptism we participate in Jesus' saving death and are given a share in his resurrected life.


Holy Thursday  The triduum begins with a commemoration of the Last Supper. First, there is a reading from Exodus, telling of the Passover, with its sacrificial lamb and unleavened bread. (Exodus 12:1-8, 11-14) We see the lamb, whose blood protected the Israelites from the the destroying angel, as a prefiguring of Jesus; and the unleavened bread prefigures the bread of the Lord's Supper.

Next we hear St. Paul's account of the Last Supper (1 Corinthians 11:23-26) in which Jesus declares that the bread he shares is his body, that is for them, and the wine is the new covenant in his blood. They are to repeat his action in remembrance of him — proclaiming his death until he returns.

The third reading is from the Gospel of John (John 13:1-15). This is the account of Jesus' washing the feet of the disciples, and commanding them to serve one another, following his example.

Christians' participation in the Body and Blood of the Lord must lead to loving service. I think Pope Francis is re-emphasing this point for us.


Good Friday  We continue with a consideration of the trials, suffering, and death of Jesus. As on Holy Thursday, our first reading is from the Hebrew Scriptures. This time it's from Isaiah (Isaiah 52:13 — 53:12). This is a passage about a servant of the Lord who is led like a lamb to the slaughter — bearing our guilt as he is tortured and killed — but who ultimately has life and takes away the sins of many. Next, the Epistle to the Hebrews (4;14-16; 5:7-9) speaks of Jesus' obedience the the Father as the thing that makes him the source of salvation for all who obey him as well as our eternal high priest. On Good Friday, the gospel reading is the Passion according to St. John, which shows a Jesus who willingly goes to his death on the cross to accomplish the purpose for which he came into the world. (The synoptic Gospel accounts of the passion are read on Palm Sunday year by year.)

Jesus' sufferings and death, willingly accepted, bring redemption from sin to the human race.


Easter Vigil  On the night before Easter Sunday, the Church keeps vigil. It was believed that Jesus would return when he rose from the dead, at dawn on Easter.

The service of the Easter Vigil is focused on Baptism. In ancient times, it was when people could be baptized (with a make-up at Pentecost for those who for some good reason couldn't be present at Easter). So the readings explore the meaning of baptism. Central is the passage of the Israelites through the Red Sea (Exodus 14:15 - 15:1), which is seen as an image of our rescue from sin through baptism. Other readings tell of the creation of the world — with baptism being understood as a new creation — and of God's promises of life to his people. Then a reading from Romans (6:3-11) tells us that our baptism joins us to Jesus' death, bringing also a participation in his risen life. Finally, we hear one of the synoptic gospels of the discovery of the empty tomb of Jesus and the announcement by the angels of his resurrection.

The baptized have the promise of personal resurrection and eternal life.


Easter Sunday  John's Gospel (John 20:1-9) tells of the finding of the empty tomb of Jesus, first by Mary Magdalene,  then by John and Peter. The first reading (Acts 10: 34a, 37-43) gives us a homily by St. Peter in which he testifies to the death and resurrection of Jesus and says that those who believe in him have forgiveness of sins. Then we either hear Colossians 3:1-4, telling us that we have died with Christ and share his life, or a passage from 1 Corinthians (5:6b-8) which brings us full circle to the unleavened bread of the Passover and the Paschal Lamb.

Jesus, our Paschal Lamb is risen and shares his life with us.


Our celebration of the Lord's resurrection will continue through the fifty days of the Easter Season to Pentecost. as we hear the gospel accounts of his appearances after his resurrection and consider the meaning of our participation in his life.