Let’s Go Fishing

I remember these readings years ago when Sister Roberta was alive.  Sister Roberta was the organist and music director here.  After the homily in which I stated that I hated fishing, she came up to me to tell me that she enjoyed fishing.  I was startled to lean that she actually found it relaxing whenever she had the chance to get away on vacation.  Well, honestly, I find nothing more torturous than sitting in a boat in the middle of a lake slicing up messy gooey night crawlers to catch messy smelly fish.  As I like to joke, I pay people to do that!  Yet all jesting aside, fishing teaches us something about Christian discipleship. 

         The first apostles Jesus chooses are fishermen:  Simon, Andrew James and John.  Apart from Matthew or Levi, we never find out the other apostles’ trades or occupations, just their political stance, like a Zealot, or where they are from, like, Canaan.  In the words of Alice Camille, “Jesus likes their plodding fidelity to their task” of fishing hoping that every time they throw a net they might catch fish.

         Fishing teaches me to be patient, committed and attentive.  There are good comparisons.  I sit quietly in a boat waiting for the fish to bite.  I can sit quietly praying for God to answer prayer.   I wait patiently for a brother and sister to find God in their lives.  I go out day after day, rain or shine, to make a catch.  I can get up day after day to pray and to live the Gospel in what I say and do.  As a fisherman I mend my net, I clean and fix my fishing pole.  As a worker in the vineyard of the Lord, I am attentive to the needs of those around me.

         The truth is, though, instead of wanting to be patient people who fish, we are more like the prophet Jonah.  God tells Jonah to preach conversion to the Ninevites.  But Jonah hates the Ninevites and he runs away.  After swallowing him up to teach him a lesson, Jonah is still not on the message.  God tells him to preach a message of conversion.  Instead, Jonah preaches destruction.  The king and the people repent, and Jonah throws a hissy fit.

         Water, whales and fish teach us about the spiritual life.  St. Eusebius says that fishing is about holiness.  Jonah, Simon and Andrew, James and John learn the difficult lessons of holiness. “Come after me,” Jesus says, “and I will make you hook people for the kingdom.”  Discipleship, brothers and sisters, is hooking people and patiently teaching them about God. 

The Rev. Fr. Dr. T. Becket A. Franks, O.S.B.

3^rd Sunday

Ordinary Time, Cycle B

God’s Glory in the Grey

July 21, 2016 seemed like a typical monastery day. After Morning Prayer and a cup of coffee, I walked to the office at 7:00 a.m. and wrote up a list of things to do. My cell phone rang at 7:14 a.m. It was my sister-in-law, Betty. Thinking I would call her later, I sent the call to voice mail.  A few memos and a short homily later, my cell phone rang again, and, again it was my sister-in-law.  “Something is wrong I thought- Betty never calls this early.”  And I was right.  My younger brother Brian died suddenly in his home. I-was-speechless. When I arrived at my sister-in-law’s house and wrapped my arms around my family in shock, I-was-speechless.  At the wake it was my friend Laura who captured exactly how I felt:  “Becket,” she said, “there are no words.”

Abram’s vision of the Divine leaves him speechless.  In the evening, “a trance fell upon Abram, and a deep, terrifying darkness enveloped him.”

Peter, James and John awake from sleep on Mt. Tabor to witness Jesus transformed into an explosion of light.  In that light stands the two greatest prophets of Israel, Moses and Elijah.  The experience is so overwhelming that after they come down the mountain, they remain speechless.  St. Matthew tells us that they “fell silent- and did not at that time tell anyone what they had seen.”  Why?  Why did they not share with the other nine about the vision?  Is it because they saw Moses and Elijah?  Possibly- who would believe them?  I suggest that the vision of the changed face and clothes of Christ are indescribable, or, to use a big theological word, ineffable. God immerses Peter, James and John into an otherworldly experience of his Son…and they possess no words to describe it to another human being.  Christ’s transfiguration is incommunicable, indefinable, indescribable, unimaginable, inexpressible, unspeakable, and unutterable.

Peter, James and John remain speechless because God gives them a vision of His Son. But they are also speechless because their concept of God is challenged.  God the Father speaks to them.  God tells them to listen to His Son.  And His Son will go to Jerusalem to suffer a great passion, death and resurrection.  One Gospel has the three of them questioning what it means to rise from the dead.

If you are still searching for a good Lenten book, you might want to consider Fr. Ronald Rolheiser’s, Wrestling with God.  He says, “God …is beyond comprehension and language.”  “Our faith lets us bracket this for a while and lets us picture God as some idolized superhero.  But eventually that well runs dry, and our finite minds are left to know the infinite only in darkness, without images, and our finite hearts are left to feel infinite love only inside a dark trust.”

In the words of St. Paul- “Our citizenship is in heaven.”  Everyday God is changing us into the likeness of His Son.  When we submit ourselves to the glory of God, we will lose words that describe God.  Like Jesus on the cross, like St. John of the Cross-in his dark night of the soul, like St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta-in her spirituality which is “devoid of all feeling,” God will bring us into the cloud to challenge us to love.  There in that cloud we will see God’s glory in the grey. [~George MacLeod]

The Rev. Fr. Dr. T. Becket A. Franks, O.S.B.

2^ndSunday~Lent~Cycle C

Why Stay?

Once upon a time, two friends come out of church one day. Standing at the door as always is the pastor who shakes hands. He grabs one of the friends by the hand, and pulls her aside. Father says to her, “Ma’am, you need to join the Army of the Lord!”  The friend replies, “Father, I’m already in the Army of the Lord.” Father questions her and says, “How come I don’t see you except at Christmas and Easter?” She whispers back, “I’m in the secret service.”

It’s unfortunate that we do not get to hear the entire Jonah-converting-Nineveh story. The people repent but Jonah is angry that they repent. He expects God to destroy them. He wants God to validate him as a prophet. Instead, God forgives the sinful people. SO, Jonah finds a broom tree. He sits down, pouts and prayers for death. God does not validate him. God does not cooperate with his wishes. God is in charge and not Jonah because Jonah is in the secret service.

Mark tells us that Jesus is in need of helpers. The kingdom of God is at hand and it is time to preach repentance and faith. So, where does Jesus go? He goes where people are working hard- at the seashore. They do their private little thing, that thing they do best- fishing. As they work at their livelihood Jesus tells them to follow him. Instead of throwing their nets for fish, they will cast out their nets for people…who hunger, thirst, and desire salvation.

We too are those who follow Jesus.   Probably, most of us are his followers because of our baptism at birth. Or, maybe we are very lucky to choose God and the Church as an adult. Every Sunday, and, every day, we gather to celebrate the Eucharist. Reflecting on the scriptures and receiving the Eucharist- we are Catholic. But I have a question: Why do you keep coming back? Or better, why do you remain Catholic? Since I am asking the question it is fair that I tell you why I remain.

I remain Catholic because I speak, live, breath and immerse myself into Catholic. Catholic is faith in Christ expressed in ritual, candles, incense, bread and wine, song, public and private prayer.

When I join you at Mass, the Eucharist, everything I believe, Word and Sacrament, assists my faith walk as a sinner working towards sainthood. As I do this- this Catholic thing, I join Simon and Andrew, James and John, and countless hosts of saints on the walk into the kingdom.

On June 29, 2017, one month after he died, the author Brian Doyle writes an article for publication in US CATHOLIC. He entitles the article, “How I came to speak Catholic.” He says that he is Catholic for a number of reasons. First, Catholic means that there is always a ritual like a skeleton “that sustains us when we are weak.” Catholic means that I will always find the “eerie genius of the tale: the encompassing love of a Mother, the wordless strength of the Father…” Catholic means I look forward to meeting our heroes and heroines of the faith: not just saints, but friends, family and those outstanding people of history and literature who inspire us. Catholic means that we “smell divinity” everywhere. He ends by stating emphatically, “…Catholic is my language, Catholic is the coat I wear, Catholic is the house in which I live.” The “house needs cleaning,” but in the house we find hope of mercy especially in the blood and body of the Mass.

As we come forward for Communion, may God inspire us to be ready to respond to the question, “Why are you Catholic?” Or, will we just choose to remain in the secret service?

The Rev. Fr. Dr. T. Becket A. Franks, O.S.B.

3^rd Sunday

Ordinary Time

The carnelian granite water font at the entrance of the abbey church

 

Waiting for the Vision

Once upon a time, Sal lives a good and long life. As it draws to a close he gathers his family around him. All of a sudden he asks to see his optometrist. “Optometrist?” they ask. “Why in the world do you want to see your optometrist?” “Please, just get him for me.” So they call for Dr. Kaplan, who, on seeing Sal about to depart this life, asks, “Sal, it pains me to see you like this. What can I possibly do for you?” Sal opens his eyes slightly and says, “Doc, before I go, there’s one thing I have to know. Which one was clearer – A or B?”

In the words of scripture scholar, Fr. Donald Senior, “Having a vision that guides our life is important.”

The prophet Daniel enters into visions granted him by God. He sees the Ancient One on a throne. And as the visions continue he sees one like a Son of man receive the kingdom from the Ancient One. We know this vision to be about the Lord Jesus Christ.

The apostle Peter speaks about his vision on Mt. Tabor. God the Father identifies Jesus as his Son and instructs the apostles to listen to the message of the Gospel. We know this vision to be a foreshadowing of the great event to come after the cross on Mt. Calvary.

Having a vision to guide our life is important.

But watch out for the shadows. Notice on Mt. Tabor in the Transfiguration Gospel that a bright cloud casts a shadow over Peter, James and John. Even though God speaks to them, to listen to his Son, they fall prostrate on the ground in fear. They are on the way to Jerusalem and God seeks to strengthen their faith with a vision. Often though we read that the apostles’ reactions to many things with Jesus are fear, wonder, amazement and competition. Not many times do we read that the apostles react in faith. This is why it is difficult to have a vision in life.

My vision of life must always be seen through the lenses of the Christian faith. Yet, I will admit in the last thirteen months with tragedies in the Franks Family, I wonder about God’s silence. I ask the Lord about the purpose of prayer and intercession. And, yes, I say “What if…? What if…?” Reflecting on that event on Mt. Tabor, I realize now that these questions are things I ask in the shadow. There is a vision taking place in the midst of our pain: my three brothers and I call each other every day and when it is time to make decisions, we make those decisions together. In the words of St. Peter, “You will do well to be attentive to it, as to a lamp shining in a dark place…”

So, my brothers and sisters, “…it is good for us to be here.” Until our time of metamorphosis, we continue to celebrate the Eucharist and transform the world with a vision that is centered on Christ.

Thank you, Dad, for bringing us closer together.

The Rev. Fr. Dr. T. Becket A. Franks, O.S.B.

Transfiguration

2017

In Loving Memory of Albin F. Franks

August 21, 1931 – July 26, 2017

Requiescat in Pace

 

Seeing Things God’s Way

A woman walks into an optical office to return a pair of glasses that she purchased for her husband a week before. The assistant asks, “Yes, Ma’am, what seems to be the problem?” The woman replies, “I’m returning these glasses I bought for my husband. He’s still not seeing things my way.”

We need to see things God’s way.

Abraham believes that God wants the sacrifice of his first-born son. It is the practice of his Mesopotamian culture to offer to the Lord the first of his sons. Abraham’s vision of God includes human sacrifice. Did he consult Sarah his wife? Or did she hope and pray that the One True Unseen God would change her husband’s vision? We all know how the story ends. God knows Abraham’s loyalty. God appears to Abraham and Isaac is free.

We need to see things God’s way.

The funny thing is though- seeing things God’s way begins by listening. When the Father tells Peter, James and John to listen to His Son, Mark uses a word that has the same meaning as “acoustics.” To listen is not just to hear. Envisioning God’s way happens as we listen to the reverberation of the voice of Jesus. He just doesn’t speak. His voice bounces off every corner of the world, moving here and moving there until it takes root in our souls.

But ah, the difficulty of the Word taking root in our souls! Just before the Transfiguration, the Twelve argue about who among them is the greatest. And after the Transfiguration, we find that the disciples are unable to heal the epileptic boy because of their lack of a prayer life. And just a few days ago in Birmingham, Alabama, we find out that a 73 year-old man known to many people as Mr. Frank does not have some nice neighbors. See, Mr. Frank keeps his Christmas lights up on his eighty year old home too long after the holiday. So some snotty neighbors who are concerned about property values slip a note into his door. It reads in part: It might be in your best interest to consider selling your home so the yard can be properly landscaped and the house torn down so a new one can be built that is more fitting with the other homes on the street. Thank you. There is nothing wrong with his house or his yard. Sure, the house is not like the other $700,000.00 homes. So? So, when the good and decent neighbors discover the bullying from others around Mr. Frank, guess what they do? They all pull out their Christmas lights, and the neighborhood even two blocks down light up their homes to stand in solidarity with Mr. Frank.

In the words of St. Paul, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” God is always for us especially when we see things God’s way. In 1948, after a number of visions with Christ on the cross, St. Mother Teresa enters what St. John of the Cross calls “the dark night of the soul.” In TIME magazine, we read that she asks her spiritual director, Tell me, Father, why is there so much pain and darkness in my soul? All of her visions stop and she thinks that God abandons her. Her best secret is that she never gives up. She does not go in search of another vision…she does not look for another god. She is faithful to Jesus to the end because she sees things God’s way.

Maybe we will have a vision of God like Peter, James, John and Mother Teresa. But until then, we can see things God’s way when we continue to pray, celebrate the sacraments and support one other as fellow disciples.

Rev. Fr. Dr. T. Becket A. Franks, O.S.B.

2^nd Sunday of Lent, Cycle A

Listen, Carefully!

What is it like to leave everything immediately and follow Jesus Christ?  Andrew and Peter, James and John leave behind everything.  What about the wives, the children and Zebedee himself?

It sounds very unfair and almost reckless, but if the Gospel is not first in our lives we are not fit for the kingdom of heaven.

The world needs someone to preach because faith comes from listening.  Jesus calls fishermen like Andrew.  He listens and leaves.

Today is a good day for us to keep our ears opened as good Benedictines.  We might get a chance to preach Christ.