John 9: 1-41

To see more of the friars' preaching, click here.

Sin and Repentance

Unfortunately, sin is an inescapable characteristic of being human.  The amazing and generous gift of God, that of free will, allows us to freely choose Him.  We may choose to love, to serve, and to live in eternity with Him.  However, by the simple nature of this gift man also has the power to choose the other.  We can choose to surrender ourselves to the desires of the body, be they food, sex, drugs, television, and on and on, and when we do this we are choosing ourselves in selfishness over the higher good.

Sin, by definition, is not these things that we call ‘bad’ or ‘evil’.  Rather, it is the failure to love God and neighbor because of our attachment to something else.  The more important understanding is not what sin is, but the consequences of it.  First is the “domino’ effect of sin.  The commission of sin inclines man to continue sinning.  The conscience is clouded and judgment is corrupted.  In short, being in a state of sin, especially grave sin, makes it difficult to avoid sin in the future.  Secondly, and more importantly, sin is a turning away from truth, goodness, and justice.  In committing sin man rejects, at least in part, the salvation offered to him.  There are similarities between the sin man commits today and the sin of Adam and Eve.  Man, like Adam and Eve, seeks to be like God by rejecting dependence upon Him and taking life into his own hands.  Man seeks to determine what is good, what is right, and what is evil.

The mercy of God is so great, that in the face of human sinfulness He shows a path to reconciliation and salvation.  Jesus Christ, the Word-Made-Flesh, has come to earth as man and sacrificed Himself for our sins so that we may be saved.  The gifts of this act are unending and invaluable.  Jesus has opened the gates of heaven, has given us the Eucharist, the “blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins”, and God has sent the Holy Spirit who guides us and graces us with the many gifts and virtues which allow us to serve.

The work, however, cannot be for God alone.  We, too, must take some part in our salvation.  This time of Lent is a perfect time to begin, renew, or invigorate our work for the salvation of souls.  Through fasting we can learn to resist the desires of our body and live for what is above.  Through almsgiving we serve Christ’s poor in fraternal charity as commanded by the Gospel.  Through prayer we deepen our faith and strengthen our relationship with Christ.  This work on the part of humanity is an acceptance of God’s gift of eternal life and the journey on the path that leads there.  I pray that this Lenten season we all make an extra effort to repent, turn from sin, and be faithful to the Gospel. 

Let's get penitential...

"Then Jesus was led by the Spirit out into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.  He fasted for forty days and forty nights..." (Matthew 4:1-2, JB)

Beginning tomorrow, Ash Wednesday, Christians all over the world will begin the season of Lent in which we commemorate the the fasting and trials of our Lord after his baptism, as well as the 40 years of wandering by the Hebrews.  On this first day, many will be marked with the burnt ashes of blessed palms as a sign of penance, mourning, and faith.

It may be a difficult notion, that one should fast, give alms, and pray in preparation for such a great feast (the Resurrection, but you knew that).  However, we should call to mind that this first quarter of the liturgical year is perfectly modeled off of the historical life of Jesus.  Recall that He was transfigured, and then made His way to the Cross.  We must see that it is through our self-denial, contrition, love, and prayer that we come to share in the glory of Christ's defeat of death.

How you may ask?  Conversion.  Through these self-giving actions we come to emulate Christ and His life on earth.  It was He that fasted, ministered, prayed, and finally gave His life for our salvation.  Let us be holy as He is holy (cf. 1 Peter 1:15), and strive to live our lives based on the perfect example of Jesus, all the while knowing that it is only through His grace and mercy that we can come to be as He is.

"...through the personal encounter with our Redeemer and through fasting, almsgiving and prayer, the journey of conversion towards Easter leads us to rediscover our Baptism. This Lent, let us renew our acceptance of the Grace that God bestowed upon us at that moment, so that it may illuminate and guide all of our actions. What the Sacrament signifies and realizes, we are called to experience every day by following Christ in an ever more generous and authentic manner. In this our itinerary, let us entrust ourselves to the Virgin Mary, who generated the Word of God in faith and in the flesh, so that we may immerse ourselves – just as she did – in the death and resurrection of her Son Jesus, and possess eternal life."
The Message of His Holiness for Lent 2011

1 Corinthians 3:16-23

On February 20th, I preached at Jesuit Hall's St. Dominic Chapel on 1 Cor 3: 16-23.  Here is the video.



"Didn't you realize that you were God's temple and that the Spirit of God was living among you?  If anybody should destroy the temple of God, God will destroy him, because the temple of God is sacred; and you are that temple.

Make no mistake about it: if any one of you thinks of himself as wise, in the ordinary sense of the word, then he must learn to be a fool before he really can be wise.  Why?  Because the wisdom of this world is foolishness to God.  As Scripture says:

The Lord knows wise men's thoughts: he knows how useless they are

or again:

God is not convinced by the arguments of the wise

So there is nothing to boast about in anything human: Paul, Apollos, Cephas, the world, life and death, the present and the future, are all your servants; but you belong to Christ and Christ belongs to God." (JB)

White Socks and Birkenstocks

This past week St. Dominic Priory in St. Louis completed its annual provincial visitation.  Every year, the prior provincial (kind of a regional superior) within a given Dominican province must formally visit and report upon the life of each formation community.  Because friars from two provinces (St. Martin de Porres and St. Albert the Great Provinces) live at St. Dominic Priory, we were blessed to have both priors provincial, as well as Very Rev. David Caron OP, with us for several days.  In many ways, the community here was able to see in what ways we are excelling in living out the Four Pillars of Dominican life: prayer, study, community, and preaching.  We were also able to learn in what ways we are challenged and need to develop. 

In my opinion, however, the most amazing thing that was revealed unto us was the true beauty of our community.  We are thirty-three friars, ranging in age from 82 to 23, with a wide variety of background and experiences.  We count among ourselves a rather young, quite brilliant philosopher, a real-life Sacrae Theologiae Magister, a hospital chaplain, as well as former bankers, architects, teachers, and on and on.

While our past experiences certainly do shape our community, our views and opinions play significant parts.  In the modern age, we are often quick to label people ‘conservative’, ‘traditional’, ‘liberal’, ‘insane’, and so on (that last one was a joke, sort of).  In fact, though, it is unfair and difficult to put people into these categories.  What I see as truly beautiful in my community is the presence of a huge array of outlooks on a variety of matters, while all at the same time remaining steadfast in our commitment to Christ and His Church.

Undoubtedly, in community life there are brothers (and sisters) with whom disagreements will arise, but we are still brothers with unwavering, though sometimes challenged, dedication to our Dominican communal life.  So while it is common for some here to don the traditional white stockings (now socks) of the Dominican friar, and just as common to see sandals (more often than not Birkenstocks), I love them all just the same, and I am honored and humbled to walk this journey with each one.

I am, in fact, living and writing

Friends,

I have in the past three weeks successfully completed 10 days of vacation with family and friends and a seven day retreat with my Dominican community.  I was able to spend time with the Dominican Sisters of Springfield, Illinois. It has been a very exciting, refreshing, and fast-paced month.  The new semester at Saint Louis University and Aquinas Institute of Theology (hereafter known as SLU and AI, respectively) began today.  I had a most riveting experience in my History of Medieval Philosophy class this morning.  My professor, an undeniably learned and confidant individual, did not attempt to pronounce my name...sticking to the safe British slang term "John Thomas".  It has become something of a hobby to see who does and who does not try out "Chrysostom".  I recommend going for it...there is little to lose.

On a completely unrelated, yet fascinating, note.  I recently read on Bro. James Dominic's blog that scientists from Japan, Russia, and the United States are currently attempting to extract DNA from a mammoth skeleton in order to clone a baby mammoth.  While the initial 'cool' and 'cute' factors are without doubt, the ensuing mania is likely to be a much hairier and less exciting version of Crichton's novel.  I, like many, initially thought of giant, furry, uncontrollable elephants toppling great oaks and small buildings, but my research suggests otherwise.  Apparently we are talking about something that is about 9 ft tall at the shoulder and weighing 8 tons on a good day.  This is comparable to a female African elephant.  While the 16 ft tusks are impressive, it seems that scientists are trying to create for us another zoo attraction instead of a potentially apocalyptic event.  How dull.

I do not know if returning Mammuthus primigenius to the environment is an all together positive move, but I am excited to see where this goes.  Next?  Raphus cucullatus?  Megantereon?  Acroreiidae?  The possibilities are endless!

I suggest meditation on this, and on a more serious note, the impact of our species on the countless others.

Yours, Jacques

Conception Abbey

Readers,


I recently spent a week visiting Conception Abbey, a Benedictine monastery in northwest Missouri.  While the Greyhound trip there and the Amtrak adventure back were certainly notable highlights, I also found my time within the walls of the monastery to be quite rewarding.  First of all, the grounds of the monastery and its basilica and other buildings were very lovely.

The front of the basilica.

A view from the choir loft

The monks gather five times a day for the Liturgy of the Hours (the official prayer of the Church) in the abbey church.  Their liturgy is rather simple, yet elegant.  As a good Dominican, the hour of Compline holds a special place within my heart, and the monks' celebration of that hour is particularly excellent.

I also spent time each day working with a different monks at various chores.  The first couple of days I worked with Br. Placid (which he was, of course) outside raking leaves and shoveling snow.  I also worked with Br. Anselm in the guest house/retreat center, and Br. Etienne in the admissions office.  

Lastly, I was blessed to have an abundance of time for prayer.  After completing a busy semester here in St. Louis, it was refreshing to have so much time for meditation and reading.  Like being able to spend much time with a close friend after a period of busy-ness (no...not a real word), I was able to rejuvenate my relationship with God.

Overall, I had a terrific time visiting with my Benedictine brothers.  I have returned to my priory in St. Louis, however, recharged in my vocation as Dominican friar.  Our life of study, community, and preaching, a combination which sets us apart from most other orders, is dear to me.  Dominicans are not religious brothers and sisters who study and preach.  Rather, we are studiers and preachers.  Yay Dominicans!

Enjoy the last couple of days of Advent.  For both of the others in this world for whom it is the greatest liturgical season (not to slight Eastertide), step up that penance, prayer, and fasting because Christmas is three days away.  For those who see Advent as a time of cruel torture before Christmas, sit tight, we're almost there.