THOUGHTS FROM THE PASTOR

Each weekend as I greet people before and after the Masses, I meet wonderful people from all around Chicago and even from various parts of the United States who are in the Loop for a variety of reasons. Frequently, especially after Mass, they will stop to chat and tell me how beautiful our church is. Sometimes they will mention the majesty of the architecture. Other times they will comment on the organ, the bas reliefs of the life of St. Francis on the walls, the style of the liturgy or the power of the homily, but in every case it makes me proud that they have found us tucked away among the skyscrapers as an oasis in the midst of the din of the city.

For many who read these words in the bulletin—people who come to St. Peter’s regularly on weekdays for Mass or periodically to receive the sacrament of reconciliation—you probably are more struck by the convenience of combining either your work day or your shopping spree with these spiritual opportunities for growth and healing. I continue to be edified by the many individuals who come to be fed with the Word of God and with the Eucharist, to be forgiven by a God who knows no bounds in His mercy and loving kindness, and to be taught by the wonderful programs of renewal and refreshment that take place in our auditorium day after day.

One perspective that I have several times a day that many others do not is looking at the interior of the church from the perspective of the walkway at the rear of the choir loft on the second floor of the building. From that vantage point the church often looks quite different. Your eyes are drawn so powerfully to the altar of sacrifice, the table where so often Christ becomes present in a special way and visits His flock under the appearance of bread and wine. It reminds me so much of the words of our present pope, Benedict XVI, in an address that he gave back in December of 2005:

We do not merely receive something in the Eucharist. It is the encounter
and unification of persons; the person, however, who comes to meet us
and desires to unite Himself to us is the Son of God. Such unification can
only be brought about by means of adoration.

Receiving the Eucharist means adoring the One whom we receive. Precisely
in this way and only in this way do we become one with Him. Therefore,
the development of Eucharistic adoration, as it took shape during the
Middle Ages, was the most consistent consequence of the Eucharistic
mystery itself: only in adoration can profound and true acceptance
develop. And it is precisely this personal act of encounter with the Lord
that develops the social mission which is contained in the Eucharist
and desires to break down barriers, not only the barriers between the
Lord and us but also and above all those that separate us from one another.

Here at St. Peter’s we have the opportunity to spend time before the Blessed Sacrament each day Monday through Friday between 1:45 and 4:45 in the afternoon. It is a quiet time when you can stop into church either for a few minutes or a few hours to sit quietly to pour out your heart to the Lord and allow Him to communicate with you in the depth of your heart. During Eucharistic adoration, it is not only we who behold Christ, but it is also He who beholds us. When we adore the Blessed Sacrament, we are not just gazing at a beautiful but inert object. The contemplative mode of prayer that we learn during adoration presupposes that Christ returns our gaze.

To understand what this means, we must begin with the Eucharistic sacrifice itself. Recall that at four important moments during the celebration of the Eucharist, the priest elevates the sacred Host and the Precious Blood. The first moment is the elevation during consecration. The second moment occurs when, at the conclusion of the Eucharistic Prayer, the priest raises the Host and the chalice together just before the recitation of the Lord’s Prayer—we refer to this as the Solemn Doxology. Then, before the distribution of Holy Communion, the priest presents the sacred Host and the Precious Blood to the entire congregation with the words, “Behold the Lamb of God….” And finally, in a more personal moment, each communicant is invited to behold and acknowledge the sacred Host just before receiving the Bread of Life.

It is in these significant moments of elevation of the Blessed Sacrament that we find the roots of Eucharistic exposition and adoration as well as the profound connection between the Eucharistic sacrifice of the Mass and Eucharistic devotion to the Blessed Sacrament. In exposition, adoration and benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, we have the contemplative extension or prolongation of the Eucharistic sacrifice itself. In this way, Christians who behold, adore and receive Christ in the sacrament of the altar may continue, in a more contemplative and protracted manner, to look with love on Christ present in the Blessed Sacrament.

In beholding Christ exposed to us in the monstrance, our attention is more focused and concentrated. In that sense, we become more present to Christ. In a church or chapel where the Blessed Sacrament is exposed on the altar, the mood is one of palpable, even intense, silence, reverence and concentration. This prolonged beholding is the school of contemplation in which we become ever more conformed to the divine mystery. This experience of contemplative prayer is in a real sense a foretaste of the experience of heaven itself where we will be able to gaze upon Christ in all His glory.

Pope Benedict, in one of his homilies, provided a profound reflection on the meaning of the word “adore” when he pointed out that it signifies both submission to God and the communion of love—in effect, a submission that becomes love. And love, of course, leads to communion, both in the sense of our ever deepening interior union with Christ, but also in the sense of receiving Him in Holy Communion as our very food.

In the light of the entire mystery of faith, we can see the Eucharist as the gesture of our divine friend. Pope John Paul II wrote in his pastoral letter Ecclesia de Eucharistia, “It is pleasant to spend time with Him, to lie close to His breast like the Beloved Disciple, and to feel the infinite love present in His heart.” But there is more. This is a friendship that expresses itself in the ultimate sacrifice of love in which Christ gave His body and blood up for our sake. By overcoming the effects of sin, the sacrificial passion and death of Christ and His glorious resurrection—the Paschal Mystery—restored our friendship with God. Not only does our divine friend want to stay with us; He wants to do so precisely in virtue of the power of the Paschal Mystery which guarantees what must now, always and everywhere, be a reconciled friendship won at the price of His blood.

Eucharistic adoration teaches us how to behold and adore Christ in order to receive Him and deepen our communion with Him. But this beholding is not a one-way street. For, as we sit in quiet contemplation of the Lord present in the Blessed Sacrament, He is also gazing at us. This One who gazes at us became one of us and, what is more, gave His life up for us out of the love of friendship. In the contemplative discipline we learn in Eucharistic adoration, we begin to adopt Christ’s own perspective—to see what He sees in us who have become His friends.

What He sees in us, of course, are His adopted brothers and sisters, who are created in the image of God and growing into the image of the Incarnate Word Himself, the perfect image of God. The image of God is always a work in progress, always being drawn to the Father, partly impeded by sin. He or she is redeemed by Christ, yet still undergoing a lifelong transformation in the power of the Holy Spirit, with a view to a life of communion with the Blessed Trinity and with the saints.

By becoming more like Christ, we become more fully ourselves. By gazing at Christ, we come to understand our true reality and our astonishing possibilities. Our conformation to Christ is not a kind of cloning but the realization of our distinctive and unique personal identity. The Eucharistic Christ reveals to us our true identity and undertakes the transformation that will bring it more and more to light.

Now I realize that not everyone who comes to St. Peter’s has extended periods of free time to spend on weekday afternoons here before the Blessed Sacrament. But with good planning you might be able to steal away for fifteen minutes. Or perhaps a parish near where you live might have Perpetual Adoration, and you could spend some time there on Saturday or Sunday afternoon. Lent is just around the corner and hopefully you are beginning to consider how you are going to make that season special this year. Could a little time before the Blessed Sacrament each week for the reasons outlined above be part of that commitment?

FIFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

The prophet Isaiah heard God’s call as he offered sacrifice at the altar. Isaiah felt unworthy to speak God’s word. But if Isaiah did not respond, whom would God send? Purged of his sins, Isaiah declared, “Here I am, send me!”

Paul experienced God’s call when he set out to persecute the Christians. Paul felt that he was the least among the apostles. Yet he learned to accept God’s trust in him. By God’s favor, Paul steadfastly preached the gospel that he himself received.

Peter heard God’s call while Jesus was proclaiming the word of God in his boat. Like Isaiah and Paul, Peter recognized his own sinfulness and begged Jesus to leave him. Instead, Jesus asked Peter to push out into deeper waters. Because Peter obeyed Jesus’ words, he caught a great haul of fish, a sign of his future mission.

Flawed and sinful though we may be, we are called to cast our nets and draw others to the Lord. “Do not be afraid,” Jesus says as he sends us to preach the good news.

For Reflection: Does a sense of unworthiness prevent me from proclaiming the good news? How can I help my community recognize God’s call?

CATHOLICS COME HOME

The Catholics Come Home TV ads have helped many to become aware of the strengths of the Church. We have seen an increased sense of pride in the Catholic Church that encouraged people to talk about the proclamation and service that the Church is doing in the world. In one of the ads you may have heard the line, “We are the largest charitable organization on the planet.”

Did you know that Catholic Charities USA is the 5th largest charitable organization? Add to this the local diocesan Catholic Charities, the Catholic Relief Services, Catholic communities like the Missionaries of Charity, plus each of the 20,000 parishes in the United States alone. We ARE the largest charitable organization on the planet!

Be proud of all that the Church does to welcome, serve and support people in need all over the planet. Even though the TV ads have ended, we can continue inviting our Catholic brothers and sisters to come home.

Speaking of follow up to these ad invitations, I would remind you that we are having a refresher course on the basics of our Catholic Faith here at St. Peter’s on Thursdays all during February from 12:10-12:50. Many of us perhaps have not considered elements of our faith for some years, and these sessions are designed to do just that. Fr. Bob Pawell and Fr. Kurt Hartrich are present to facilitate the program and hopefully answer your questions. Don’t be afraid to invite other members of your family or co-workers to come as well.

ANNUAL CATHOLIC APPEAL

This weekend parishioners throughout the Archdiocese will be asked to make either a one-time gift or a pledge to be paid over five months to the Annual Catholic Appeal. Last weekend you received a brochure outlining the appeal and showing the many ways the money collected will be used for people and services in the months ahead. Our financial contributions are absolutely necessary to support archdiocesan offices of service but also the needs of our Catholic schools, pro-life initiatives, training and ongoing formation of priests, deacons and lay catechists, the many ways of outreach to the poor and needy of Cook and Lake counties, etc.

Hopefully you have taken time to reflect prayerfully on what you feel you can give and therefore are ready to fill out your pledge card at Mass this weekend. Our goal at St. Peter’s is $12,027.06. Any monies contributed beyond that sum will be returned to the parish for our own needs. As the Scriptures remind us over and over, we are all the body of Christ—brothers and sisters. Where one is hurting, we are all hurting; where one rejoices, we all rejoice. Thank you for your generous response to this appeal.

THE BOOMERANG EFFECT

A father and son were taking a walk in the mountains. Suddenly, the son falls, hurts himself and screams, “AAhhhhh!” To his surprise, he hears the voice repeating, somewhere in the mountain, “AAhhhhh!”

Curious, he yells, “Who are you?” He receives the answer, “Who are you?”

Angered at the response, he screams, “Coward!” He receives the answer, “Coward!”

He looks to his father and asks, “What’s going on?”

The father smiles and says, “My son, pay attention.” And then he screams to the mountain, “I admire you!” The voice answers, “I admire you!” Again the man screams, “You are a champion!” The voice answers, “You are a champion!”

The boy is surprised but does not understand. Then the father explains, “People call this Echo, but really this is Life. It gives you back everything you say or do.”

Our life is simply a reflection of our actions. If you want more love in the world, create more love in your heart. If you want more competence in your team, improve your competence.

This relationship applies to everything, in all aspects of life. Life will give you back everything you have given to it. Your life is not a coincidence; it is a reflection of you. Life is a boomerang you get out what you put in.

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