Are You All In?

Dear Parishioners,

The rich young man in today’s gospel is eager to inherit eternal life (Mk 10:17–30). So he asks Jesus, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus speaks to every seeking heart with the answer. We must move beyond the bare minimum. We must tear down any obstacles that stand between God and us. To be in right relationship with God, we must rely entirely on him, not ourselves. We know that eternal life is a gift that God offers to us. It isn’t forced on anyone, and we are free to say, “No, thank you.”  To accept God’s gift of eternal life, we must be utterly dependent on Him. We can’t be the one in control. And this is essentially what Jesus is telling the rich man in this week’s gospel. Jesus says that if he wants to have a deeper relationship with God, if he wants to go “all in,” then he must let go of his wealth. When Jesus tells the rich man to give everything he has to the poor and follow him, he is asking him to trust God completely. By giving away his earthly treasure, the rich man will find an even greater treasure. Jesus wasn’t making a bargain with the man. The “letting go” was the only way he would experience true charity and giving of self. This is the love that God wants us to experience with one another. This is the love for which we were created. Are we all in? Yes, I know it’s not easy, but with God all things are possible.

God Bless,
Deacon Howard

Marriage: Permission, Thank You and Forgiveness

Dear Parishioners,

In the first story of creation, we see the power of God. God said and it was done as soon as he said it. Wouldn’t parents like to have that kind of power over their children? When He said “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” (Gen 1:26), it was the high point of creation. However, it was impersonal; he simply said it, and it came to be. But the second story of creation shows God taking a more personal interest. God “formed man out of the clay of the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and so man became a living being.” But God didn’t stop there, for as the old saying goes “No man is an island.” And so he formed Eve from the side of Adam to be a help mate, wife, and mother. God is good!

There are great blessings and joys in marriage, children, new homes, new jobs, mutual support and encouragement, moves to different states and sometimes countries, family vacations, and companionship in the later years. The devotion between couples married 50, 60, or even 70 years is truly an inspiration.

Still it’s not all sweetness and light. Differences arise, arguments take place, and personalities change. Personality quirks once so interesting become annoyances, and patience sometimes gives way to rude/ hurtful remarks. Marriage can be challenging and difficult at times; so divorce becomes an option. What to do? Pope Francis, in a speech, shared three words to head off divorce—permission, gratitude, and forgiveness. On the topic of permission, the Pope said, “always ask your spouse ‘what do you think, what do you think of this?’” rather than running over the other without getting their opinion. 

He also stressed the need to be grateful, “because it’s the spouses who confer the sacrament of marriage, one to the other. And this sacramental relationship is maintained with this sentiment of gratitude of thanks.”

The third word he noted is forgiveness which is “a very hard word to say.” In marriage, mistakes are always made, he said, noting that the important thing is to know how to recognize one’s mistakes and ask for forgiveness.

Permission, thank you, forgiveness—three words to remember to which I would add one more: crucifix. It would be good to have one hanging in the bedroom as a reminder that real love demands sacrifice—“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. (John 15:13)

Fr. Carl

Temptation

Dear Parishioners,

Today, we might re phrase Jesus’ words from the Gospel this way: “If it costs an arm and a leg to resist temptation, it is worth it.” (Mk 9:38-43, 45, 47-48) When we talk like that, we are not suggesting that a person literally sacrifice an arm or leg, but Jesus is simply using dramatic language to emphasize and make a point that resisting temptation is very, very important.

However, if we should not take Jesus words, “cut it off,” literally, we must take them seriously. Discipleship sometimes requires amputations. We need to amputate bad habits, resentments, ambitions that cause us to sin. We need to amputate things that stand between us and God. Our Lord teaches us that the pain of removing sinful ways is nothing compared with the sorrow of cutting ourselves off forever from God’s love. May the love of the Lord be our heart’s desire, and may our words and deeds reflect our love.

God Bless,
Deacon Howard

Combining Parishes

Dear Parishioners,

Back in the late 1960s, I read an article in the Catholic Review about the declining number of priests in the country. The vocations crisis was just beginning, so I thought maybe I could help. After making a private weekend retreat at the Jesuit house of Manresa overlooking the Naval Academy, I contacted the Vocations Director for the Archdiocese, had several interviews, attended the seminary in Washington, and was ordained along with eleven other men in 1975. Back then the shortage was not being felt as we had four priests serving St. Dominic’s on Harford Road. Now there is only one priest, and he is also pastor of another previously large parish.

With this happening throughout the Archdiocese, over the years, a plan was needed. So five years ago, after extensive listening, the Archbishop issued a pastoral letter titled A Light Brightly Visible. While partly intended to enable the diocese to operate more efficient administratively, financially, and pastorally, a main objective was to improve on evangelization efforts, the primary objective of the Church. To do this, some individual parishes were needed to combine and form a pastorate with one pastor responsible for two or more parishes. Some pastorates would have an associate pastor as well.

When the pastorates were designed, it was decided to join St. Jane Frances and Our Lady of the Chesapeake. The timing will be a gradual process over a period of years. It will start when I retire as of July 1, 2022.  At this time, the plan is for Father Stephen Hook to be appointed Pastor of St. Jane Frances while continuing to serve as Pastor of Our Lady of the Chesapeake.

While it will be difficult to leave St. Jane’s, I do so knowing I am leaving it in capable hands of a good, talented, holy priest.

Fr. Carl

Faith In Action

Dear Parishioners,

Who do we say Jesus is? Is He our savior? Is He our Lord? Is He our God? If we answer “yes He is,” do our actions reflect this profession of faith? Are we a people who walk the talk no matter what the consequences?

In the Gospel, Peter represents the Christian community, both in his profession of faith and in his misunderstanding of the faith (Mk 8:27-35). We, too, are most willing, even eager at times, to proclaim what we believe about Jesus. But most of the time, we are only half ready to follow through with the implications of what we say, especially when it calls us to follow the redeeming suffering of the Savior. Jesus says to the Church, too, what he said to Peter: “Get in line behind me; walk in my path; go where I will lead.” May our faith in action follow in the footsteps of Christ which will lead us to everlasting life.

God Bless,
Deacon Howard

Work and Rest

Dear Parishioners,

As we mark the end of most summer vacations this Labor Day Weekend, we celebrate the work and workers not only of our country but also of the world. Sometimes we are tempted to think of work as drudgery and the exploitation of freedom. Certainly, when we think about slavery in the past and some of the injustice in some places in the world today, that is true. However, work in itself has been ennobled not only by Jesus and Joseph in their work as carpenters but also by the Father himself. The Book of Genesis portrays the story of creation as the work of God. “Thus the heavens and the earth and all their array were completed. Since on the seventh day God was finished with the work he had been doing, he rested on all the work he had undertaken. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work he had done in creation.” (Gen 2:1-3)

Now before the fall of Adam and Eve, life in the garden was not an idyllic stroll in the park. Since God worked, so too did Adam and Eve, for they were created in the image and likeness of God. They were told by God to not only be fertile but also fill the earth and subdue it. In giving them seed-bearing plants and seed-bearing fruit trees, God was turning them into farmers to produce food. And while it was work, it was a sharing in God’s work and therefore satisfying. Only after original sin, did it become more difficult and challenging.

Still along with work, God gives us a day to rest, recharge our batteries, build family relationships, and the opportunity to strengthen our connection to God in worship. In the old covenant, it was the Sabbath (Saturday); in the new covenant, it is Sunday, the new creation occasioned by the Resurrection of Jesus. The two—rest and work—give balance to our lives. Work gives meaning to our lives from which we can take pride of accomplishment; rest and Sunday worship put it all in perspective. We need both; that’s why God worked and rested. May you have a Happy and Restful Labor Day.

Fr. Carl

What Is Your Heart Condition?

Dear Parishioners,

What is our heart condition? The readings this week speak about our heart condition. Jesus sees what is in the heart of people. (Dt 4:1-2, 6-8; Ps 15:2-5 [1a]/Jas 1:17-18, 21b-22, 27; Mk 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23)

The heart is the center of our spiritual life just as it is the center of our biological life. Our thinking comes from the heart. Also, our desires and fears arise from our heart. That is why Jesus is perfectly clear when He says that from the heart come evil thoughts, lust, and many other undesirable behaviors. Thus, we sin from within, not from outside.

Although washing hands is a good practice to maintain good physical health, it has nothing to do with our spiritual health. To avoid sin and thus maintain purity, we need to follow God’s commandments; the greatest of them is to love Him and to love others as we love ourselves. Indeed, it is important that we make our body clean, but it is far more important to keep our mind and heart free from evil thoughts and sinful desires.

God Bless,
Deacon Howard