Resurrecting Chicago

The Great Books (Wikepedia illust.)

Sauntering through a local flea market with a friend, I noticed, for sale, a few books from a collection of volumes called “The Great Books of the Western World.” The vendor had one table set-up with some figurines, costume jewelry and four or five random volumes of the set of fifty-four published in 1952.

I’d wanted the set for years, but the cost had been prohibitive.

“Do you have any more from this set?” I asked the guy selling.

“Yeah, the rest are in the trunk of my car. I got ’em all!”

“There are 52 volumes to the set,” I said.

“They’re all there. I’ll take fifteen dollars for the whole thing,” he said.

“Sold!” yelled my friend immediately.

I brought them home and arranged them in my bookcase. Fifty-two volumes of   works by classic Greek philosophers (Aristotle, Plato, etc.), Cervantes, Hugo, Jane Austen, Freud –to name a few– and St. Augustine’s “Confessions,” his famous auto-biography. 

I read that book and a few other from the set.  For the next 25 years I lugged them from one pastoral site to the next. Just having them there made me feel content. Most of the volumes remained unread but I studied St. Augustine’s “Confessions” and it’s one of the greatest books that I have ever read. Nothing compares to it.

Bishop Augustine, showing compassion. (Wikipedia photo)

Augustine leads the reader through his search for God in his experiences from infancy to adulthood.  He meditates on the vastness of the exterior universe seeking evidence of a supreme being but he also seeks God in his own soul.  He finds in his heart an endless interior depth which he says was opened to him by an incomprehensible  light.  It was not the light of day but an interior experience which revealed to him what he had long been searching for.  He found, then, that there was an inexhaustible light which he reckoned with as God.

Still he couldn’t encounter this light fully until he discovered through revelation Jesus Christ, the Mediator between God and man.

Then he speaks directly to God: “Late have I loved you., O Beauty ever ancient, ever new… You were within me, but I was outside, and it was there that I searched for you.  You called, you shouted, and you broke through my deafness. You flashed, you shone, and you dispelled my blindness.”

I wonder at that God Who arranged for me to find the writings of His witness, St. Augustine, in a open-air stall on a sunny day in Las Vegas where I was serving the Church. I’m still searching, still seeking His presence.

You, too, might find the Divine Presence that you seek in some obscure place,  St. Augustine teaches us to never, never, give up that search.

(Bride by lotta4ever)

Some of you who read the title of this post will be thinking, “What’s he talking about?

OK.  Here it is: Back in the day, traditional weddings had all kinds of customs, some of them plainly curious.  For example, on her wedding day, the bride was expected to fulfill this precept in regard to her attire or risk bad luck:

“Something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue.”

I knew one bride whose dress was the one her mother wore at her own wedding — something old. Her white shoes were brand new.  She wore her aunt’s ruby neckless.  Her blue eyes were a slight departure from the usual blue handkerchief, but they were a definite fulfillment of the last requirement for good luck. Something blue.

I think Catholics should have a similar adage in the liturgy of life.  We need substantive things which water the roots of our Faith, otherwise that Faith dries up. 

How about this:

Something old –  It could simply be your memory of the sign of the cross that your mother taught you or the ritual of getting down on your knees when you pray the rosary. I remember my father on his knees after supper as we prayed the family rosary. Maybe a material thing like a cherished rosary or a treasured bible would work best.

Something new – It could be a holy-card of St. Carlo Acutis, our most recent saint, or a new book on the Catholic faith or Bishop Barron’s latest homily or, even the memory of your most recent reception of the Holy Eucharist. What have you done recently to refresh your Faith? How can you experience its newness?

Something borrowed – This is something that’s with you for a while but that you have to return because it puts a religious obligation on you. Faith is a gift you received and you must return it refreshed to someone who needs it. Don’t bury that Faith. You borrowed it, now you should return the favor to someone else. Actually, this is the way Our lord designed so that His Church would never fade away.

Sea and Sky (Enriqueseask)

 Something blue: Think of the skies, the color of the vast expanse of the heavens on a bright cloudless day. It could be the sea, dark blue and limitless until it recognizes a shore, then it becomes a warmer blue.  Lit by the lighthouse of your Faith, there is always something blue, if no more than a violet lifting its head in the Spring.

Always, and I mean always, have something holy with you.  Whether it’s a blessed rosary around your neck, a holy card in your wallet  or a small crucifix that you can feel in your pocket. Whatever it is, whether old, or new or borrowed, or blue, it will remind you of your commitment to Christ Jesus.

St. Ignatius says “Hi!” Holding a book with the Latin message: “All for the glory of God.”

The Congregation of the Resurrection has it’s international center in Rome adjacent to the famous “Spanish Steps”  where a grand bifurcated stairway leads up to the French church of the Holy Trinity at the top of the steps. Other than the images of St. Peter’s square at the Vatican. the Piazza d’ Espana is one of the most photographed places in Rome.

When St. Ignatius of Loyola first came to Rome to seek papal approval for his new Society of Jesus, he entered through the gate that leads into the huge expanse of the Piazza del Populo and then walked down  the street a short way to the Spanish Steps.  There he decided to stay at a hostel on the grounds of what is now a three-story complex with offices for the central administration of the Congregation of the Resurrection. 

If you come to the CR’s center and ask to see where St. Ignatius lodged, you will be welcomed at our little piazza  which leads to our main house and then shown a simple sheltered  cave-like space along the wall which parallels the Spanish Steps. It’s marked by a simple cross and a humble shrine.

St. Ignatius is revered by CRs in the US  because we were trained in the basics of classical education by Jesuits. So, we are happy to show pilgrims St. Ignatius’s first stopping place in Rome.

In the fourth week of St. Ignatius’s  thirty-day retreat, he speaks of the glory of being a Christian.  He asks the retreatant to imagine himself as seeing the Risen Christ and enjoying the glory of it all. That encounter should form the foundation for an authentic Christian life, according to Ignatius.

Too many times, Catholics seem to miss this all-important aspect of being a Christian.  We are not supposed to be depressing or depressed.  We should not be dour and sour.  This kind of spirituality misses the point.  The joy of the Resurrection has to energize our lives!

Run away from those Christian leaders who are always negative! Skirt the devotions which focus on the crippling sadness of being a Christian!  This is not Gospel teaching.  The bible never tells us to be sad and anxious about our redemption, in fact, it insists on the opposite.  “Who will separate us from the love of Christ?” Paul lists all the difficult situations: sicknesses, bearing of crosses,  crushing disappointments. But, that suffering does not extinguish the power of the Resurrection. The tough stuff leads us to that life-changing miracle which Jesus promised to those who trust Him. (Romans 8:38-39)

The Jesuits help us remember that all things must be done for the “Glory of God” and Resurrectionists find that glory in the Resurrection of Our Lord, Jesus Christ.

“Jesus, Our Life and Resurrection, have mercy on us!”

Lazarus at the Entrance of the Tomb (detail).

Resurrectionists from the USA are meeting on retreat this coming week in Woodstock, Illinois. Each year we meet to renew our commitment to Christ and the Church by gathering as a body.   It’s providential that this Wednesday’s gospel relates the story of  Lazarus rising from the dead. We will welcome that day as we deepen our understanding of what “resurrection” means.

In the gospel for Wednesday (July 29), Jesus receives word that Lazarus is dying.  His sisters ask Him  to come quickly. After all, Jesus of Nazareth is a renowned healer. His apostles get ready to leave with him for the village where his friends live, but Jesus delays leaving.  He confounds his disciples by telling them that He will go later to wake him.

Jesus does not show up, not even for Lazarus’s burial.  Martha and Mary can’t understand why Jesus did not come to help when Lazarus fell seriously ill. Instead, He arrives three days after Lazarus is placed in tomb. Then, Jesus asks Mary if she believes in eternal life. She does believe in it but expects that it will happen “on the last day.” He tells the sisters to lead Him to the tomb.

Jesus, weeping, stands before the crypt where Lazarus has lain for three days. The sisters plead with Him to not even think about removing the stone from the entrance to the tomb. They remind Him that by now Lazarus is decaying. 

Nevertheless, Jesus commands that the heavy stone be rolled aside from the entrance.  He calls Lazarus to come out of the tomb.  Lazarus appears at the rocky entrance and slowly walks out. He stands before the astonished crowd with his hands still bound in the burial wrappings. Jesus welcomes Lazarus by telling the bystanders to help remove the bindings from His friend.

We Resurrectionists believe that as His disciples and by God’s grace, we must call people out of the darkness of their sinfulness to the light of the new life that Jesus promised. Even those long dead in sin can hear the voice of the Lord through us,  and come out of the darkness to the light of the new life. This is what our Resurrection charism urges us to do.  By our calling, we bring the hope of Jesus to a needy world.

We ask you to pray for us who are on retreat this week. Call on the Lord to help us have the courage that we need to proclaim this gospel of dying to selfishness and rising with Christ. It’s a ministry of hope which we Resurrectionists are called upon to offer to a needy world. 

Resurrectionists at Prayer. (photo credit, U.S. Province)

 At the end of this July 2026,  Resurrectionists from across the country will be meeting in Woodstock, Illinois for their annual retreat. A retreat is a time of prayerful renewal in Jesus and a re-awakening of  community life, a time away from work and ministerial service, a time for rest, prayer, renewal and enjoyment.

I think that the hardest part about a retreat is to stop working and to stop thinking about and planning  work. There should be no calls home; no computer work on schedules or other ministerial tasks.  Definitely no chit-chat on cell phones. We are retreating from all that tedious and unending concern that occupies our daily lives. We religious have to let go of our over-concern with work and rest in Him.

We are asking you who read this to pray for us that our minds and hearts are ready for renewal, recalling the charism of the Resurrection. A retreat is not so much what you do for the Lord it’s what he has planned for you. Help us discover that plan, that blessing. This retreat is God’s gift to us.  He holds out the blessing of a few days of complete trust in Him.  .  

Please pray for us Resurrectionists during the time we are on retreat.  Pray that we may be graced with a new spirit of dedication. Pray, also, that our vows of poverty, chastity and obedience grace our lives with generosity, warm love, and trust in the Father’s plans.

Resurrection is a dying to self an rising with Christ. There’s a wonderful story about St. Julian of Norwich that expresses this mystery. One day she decided to meditate before the image of the crucified Christ.  As she began to feel a strong emotion of sadness, the face of Christ suffering on the cross began  to change and the pain in it went away.  That pain was replaced by features of strength and joy.  She began to feel the power and grace of Christ Resurrrected.

She famously understood that Christ’s redeeming love rendered the suffering inherently purposeful, leading to her central, comforting assurance that “all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well”.

Please remember to pray for Resurrections this week as we seek the Lord’s grace during this retreat.

I

by Freecliparts

On this 250^th anniversary of our Independence, we Catholics ought to bring to mind a prayer composed for George Washington’s inauguration by the first American archbishop, Bishop John Carroll of Baltimore, Maryland.

I’ve rearranged a few paragraphs from this extended prayer. I hope that it will serve as an intercession in which we can find solace as we Americans face the very deep divisions burdening our right to seek life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Photo by LAWJR

“(O Lord), let the light of your divine wisdom direct the deliberations of Congress, and shine forth in all the proceedings and laws framed for our rule and government, so that they may tend to the preservation of peace, the promotion of national happiness, the increase of industry, sobriety and useful knowledge; and may perpetuate to us the blessing of equal liberty

We pray O God of might, wisdom and justice, through whom authority is rightly administered, laws are enacted, and judgment decreed, assist with your Holy Spirit of counsel and fortitude the president of these United States, that his administration may be conducted in righteousness and be eminently useful to your people over whom he presides; by encouraging due respect for virtue and religion; by a faithful execution of the laws in justice and mercy; and by restraining vice and immorality.

. We recommend likewise, to your unbounded mercy, all our brethren and fellow citizens throughout the United States, that they may be blessed in the knowledge and sanctified in the observance of your most holy law; that they may be preserved in union, and in that peace which the world cannot give; and after enjoying the blessings of this life, be admitted to those which are eternal.

Amen

Monica Volpin (photo credit)

From Augustine to Gregory of Nyssa and Phillip, the apostle, and all the seekers in between, it seems that everyone wants to see God.    Phillip turns to the Lord and asks Jesus what you and I might ask; “Show us the Father and we will be satisfied.”  (John 14:8, RSV). We are yearning for something, someone who is more than  ourselves. And as St. Augustine concludes, “Our hearts are restless until they rest with thee.” (The Confessions)

St. Gregory, whose brother St. Basil is more well-known, says that the search for the face of God is like a man who has struggled up a mountain, gets to the top and in the clarity of the moment realizes that he has made it. At the peak he is giddy with the accomplishment and dizzy in the thin air.  So he stands there light-headed from looking  up and then down to the valley from which s/he has come.

The seeker who has wrested with ego and withstood the attacks of the evil one,  carries the cross in Jesus’ name,  but has s/he reached he pinnacle of purity of heart?. Does s/he “see” God?

Each human heart is a towering mountain. It’s foothills are tangled with the brush of mixed motives and the shattered remnants of good deeds. Our searching hearts are stymied by the clouds of life and we drop our hands in sadness that we can’t know Him as we desire. Yet, we will not keep seeking Him.

“Blessed are the pure of heart for they shall see God” (Mt 5:8). Who is pure enough to see God?  Nevertheless, Jesus tells you that you and I will see God and experience blessedness.  Blessedness is the quest of every human heart. We want it and crave it as we search the foothills and valleys of our  our lives and struggle up, always up the mountain.

St.  Gregory says that in scripture “seeing” God means having Him. Somehow we possess Him like the climber who attains her/his goal but stands there unable to deal with the dizzying sublimity of what s/he sees.

Still, you and I, in prayer search the skies and the depths but, we can’t see Him. Augustine finally says we should look inside where again we stand on the mountain top aching for the sight of Him. That aching, that yearning means that we are not far from the kingdom of God.

(Gerd Altmann photo)

The Donald is ignorant of diplomacy and couldn’t care less about cultural and historical influences.  He only knows money.  He only knows deal: “I’ll take that, if you give me that.” He revels in being perceived as a genius negotiator. Reminds me of the time someone was quoted as saying while attempting to broker a deal; “All I want is your half.”

His deals are only about money. To twist the truth to get what you want is part of negotiations for the deal.  He is obtuse and unaware of culture and patriotic history.  Over the centuries, the Ukraine, for example,  has struggled to gain back its land, language and culture from Russian imperialism.  Each time it does, Russian dominance crushes it again.  Putin is only the latest Russian aggressor. Culture and national language, art, music are not values to Trump. That’s why he does not care much whether Russia or the Ukraine wins the present war.

Trump  wouldn’t know Ukrainian from Mandarin. He can’t imagine that another’s culture and language have value. Land, however, is another matter. Land is negotiable as an asset. It’s just dirt you can build something on. Family farms, village territories mean nothing to him. Europeans from the east and west think of their countries with love, a thing Trump can’t understand. He simply believes that America is the first and best country in the world and no country’s values will ever mean anything to him.  Canada, Mexico, Spain –to mention a few– are countries that he believes America doesn’t need anything from so why should we honor them? We’ve got more money.

He is a celebrity, a flim-flam artist, a P.T. Barnum with a mop on his head. He is really good at selling himself.  He is a political rock-star with only one love: he himself with a fist full of dollars. 

The bible has its own riches. It has a lot to say about money and deception. The evil one is a deceiver and a liar.  He’ll tell you that the only way to promote yourself or to be anything is this world is to accumulate money.  “Greed is good,” as a movie once told me. In the sermon on the mount, however,  Jesus tells us all, rich and poor alike that we must not let greed be our master. 

St. Paul concludes that it’s not money itself, but the love of money that we must avoid. “The  love of money is the root of all evil” (I Timothy 6:10).  And, as the poet says, Oh, ’tis true, ’tis true.”  (From “When I was One and Twenty,” A.E. Housman)

Eagle rising above it all. (photo credit: Rise-a-mui)

I saw a bald eagle down at the Illinois River this morning.  It was soaring on wind currents like a huge, dark kite against the hazy blue sky. This regal bird was gliding elegantly, without effort, over the river when it suddenly dove and then swooped up in a kind of salute over the river with white tail feathers lit up by the sun.   What a graceful performance!

Grace is as difficult to define as love.  But, like love, I’ll know grace when I see it.

In my college days,  I attended a concert by Artur Rubinstein. He was alone on the stage playing his Steinway. His hands danced across the keys and produced wonderful sounds that fell on my ears like gentle rain on a dry field. I soaked it up.

At the end of the announced program, Rubinstein turned from the piano bench, looked out at us and softly asked what we would like to hear.   He heard a shout out for “Moonlight Sonata.” In peaceful silence he began to play Beethoven’s score.  I actually felt like I was at Rubenstein’s shoulder watching and listening to him play.  I heard that great pianist make that wonderful sonata live again. It was a moment of grace that I will never forget.

Graceful Fingers. (photo credit: Decrand)

Some people walk with grace in their life’s journey. Their body seems to glide as they ease their steps along their path. Sometimes, even the more awkward of us can do something gracefully. You do something that’s done with class, integrity, proportion. Your graceful moment touches the rest of us with beauty.  Think of a young man holding his newborn daughter, cradling her with love. It’s a graceful moment. 

Remember when we were children and we were taught about grace?   The Catholic Church taught  us (and still teaches) that there are several kinds of grace.  We all need the first one: “sanctifying grace,” the love of God dwelling  richly in our hearts. It makes you holy, even sacred. At the moment of your Baptism you are sanctified because God’s presence becomes alive within you. You are supremely graced.

Another kind of grace is “actual grace:” the blessings that waft down on us each day, like the blessing that helps you when you pray silently an “I-need-help” prayer and you get that help. Actual grace is sometimes called “helping grace.”

Did you ever have someone tell you that your presence made them feel blessed? I hope so. I think that grace is all around us, like sunshine breaking through the clouds. We just have to be aware and recognize it when it comes. This kind of grace helps us get on with life. But, there are also moments when God touches your heart and stops you. He grabs you by the shoulder and turns you to look at something awesome, He asks you to listen carefully to something amazing.  And, as you look or listen, a silent “wow” graces your day.