Catholic Life Ministries

By Robert Fontana

Happy, Holy Easter!  Because of the resurrection of Jesus, we proclaim in the ancient Creed: “I believe…in the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting.” I was reflecting on this truth following the deaths of a number of friends whose remains were entered into the earth. I wondered, if earth could speak, what would Mother Earth say to the corpus of one being laid to rest with hope in the resurrection of the body.  This is what came to me:

Mother Earth’s Letter to the Corpus of Friend

Dear Body of Friend, O holy corpus, O sacred bones and skin! Friend has been called home; you are still here. He has stepped into God’s time; you are left on earth time. I know you grieve your soul’s departure, the soul that animated your flesh and bones, that breathed air into your lungs, and sent life-giving blood through you heart. Be patient, O sacred corpus of Friend, in God’s good time, you will be united again.

In the meanwhile, you, O beautiful and grace-filled flesh and bones of dear Friend, you will be returned to the earth, to the soil from which you came. Earth comes from the stars and the galaxies, which in turn come from the Great Beginning when God unleashed the Spirit’s creative powers into the universe.  Earth, like a tender mother, through powerful and mystical forces guided by the Spirit, gave birth to the great seas and land masses, to the creatures of the air, water, land, and those below the land, and finally, in the last age, to woman and man.

You, sweet body of Friend, holy relic, are being returned to the soil that gave you birth. Do not be afraid. I will hold you until that great day when the dead shall rise, and you have been fully reunited with Friend in the transfiguration of the dead. Until then, be at peace.

During the months of lockdown in the pandemic, one benefit we enjoyed was that Robert and I grew in our  appreciation of the Chaplet form of prayer. We prayed the Divine Mercy Chaplet with family members and friends over Zoom. Soon we discovered the sung version of this chaplet, which I especially enjoy praying and singing through.

Eventually, Robert developed our own simpler form of the chaplet type of prayer, calling it the Chaplet of Divine Friendship. The format is very similar to other chaplets, with an introductory prayer, the antiphon chanted before each of the five “decades,” and the ten repetitive short prayers, prayed in the call and response pattern.

The chaplet prayer has much in common with the rosary. Its repetition allows for calm reflection. It doesn’t require a lot of thinking but rather touches the heart and the  spirit. This is one reason why I appreciate this form of prayer so much – when I pray / sing the chaplet, my  worries are pushed to the side. My anxious thoughts are drowned out by the simple declarations of faith in the chaplet’s prayers. Praying the chaplet helps me in my  everyday life. It is a form of contemplative prayer.

I pray it when I’m driving – I can hum the prayer and still pay close attention to the crazy Seattle traffic. I pray it when I’m waiting – in grocery check-out lines or at a grandchild’s soccer practice. I pray it when I’m walking to the post office or library, when I’m worrying about a  problem as I wash the dishes or clean the bathroom, when I awake in the night and can’t sleep. Increasingly, I’ve been intentional about turning to this simple prayer because I KNOW it’s so much better, so much more productive than complaining or ruminating or drowning in “what if’s.”

We hope that you will take a look at the Chaplet of Divine Friendship which we’ve recorded at this YouTube link:  https://youtu.be/xX_idGXc-20

Try it for Advent. Use your rosary to help you keep count of the chaplet decades. May it be a help to you, a calming, encouraging reminder of the great love of Jesus for YOU.

An Advent Spiritual Practice: The Chaplet of Divine Friendship_________________________________________

Opening Prayer – In the name of the Father…Abba Father, Lord of heaven and earth, you created woman and man in your image and likeness and planted them in the garden of earth to love one another and to care for the flora and fauna of the earth. You did not leave them alone but walked alongside them as you walked alongside our biblical ancestors Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, and Jacob and Rachel. And in the fullness of time, you sent your beloved Son Jesus, to be not merely our Lord and Savior, but our friend. Jesus said, “I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.” (John 15:15) (5 decades)

All– Abba Father, so loved the world, he gave His only Son, not to condemn the world but to save everyone, to save everyone.

Leader – Jesus our brother, kind and good (10 x’s)

All – I trust in you, I trust in you.

After the 5^th decade:

Closing Prayer: Abba Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank you for giving us Jesus as our friend and brother.  Help us to return His friendship by being attentive to the Holy Spirit’s working in our lives and in the world and having the courage to follow the Spirit’s prompting always. In the name of the Father…

“How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.”

So begins a famous poem, Sonnets from the Portuguese 43, by Elizabeth Barrett Browning. These lines came to mind as Robert and I completed a 1000-piece puzzle depicting the city of Seattle. 1000 pieces! There were many moments when we sighed and said to each other, “Look how many pieces we still have to do! This is hopeless. We’ll never get this done.” One thousand pieces – let me count them!

But after six weeks of working on the puzzle, we finally pushed in the last piece. At the end, it looked as if we were missing two pieces, but we found them, one under the table, and the last one hidden in the sofa cushions, as the sofa was pushed up against the table on which we had spread out those thousand pieces.

Why do I write about our completing a big puzzle? Because working a puzzle is good for marriage. Think about it.   Putting a puzzle together requires many of the same skills as building a strong marriage: teamwork, patience, awareness, creativity, and checking in with each other: innumerable times I asked Robert, “What do you think this piece with a  little red splotch and squiggly dark lines looks like?” Together, we also frequently consulted the picture guide that came with the puzzle – our puzzle roadmap, so to speak.

A successful marriage requires teamwork because marriage is a team effort. If our marriage is healthy, we will have many shared goals and use our gifts to help each other reach those goals. When Robert succeeds / wins, so do I.  When Robert fits one or three or a dozen more pieces into the puzzle, it helps me to see where some of my puzzle pieces go. Our marriage has give and take, times when I support Robert, times when he picks up the slack for me. So I applaud each time he fits a puzzle piece in; he cheers me on when I finally discover where that piece with the red splotch goes.

Patience – now there’s a big one.

Countless times, I picked up a puzzle piece, sure that I knew where it went, only to set it back down again in the jumbled pile of loose pieces because it just didn’t quite fit there. Patience is essential in marriage. Why? Because nobody’s perfect. Life is entirely a learning experience from start to finish, and we are learning as we go. We shift life’s puzzle pieces this way and that until finally, alleluia, one settles perfectly into place. Ahhhh, what a good feeling that is. But if we give up too soon, we won’t discover where that darn piece goes.

Each puzzle piece is small and only a tiny part of the whole. Sometimes we have to step back to see the whole picture. Thus, awareness is invaluable. With this puzzle, we grouped pieces into “sky,” “buildings,” “boats,” and “water.” That helped. Looking at the whole scene, we had a better idea about where each piece might fit. At times in our marriage, we have to stop and take in a larger view. The day-to-day routine of work, family, activities, cooking, shopping – these are the building blocks of life, essential but not the whole picture. It is so helpful to take a breath and see the whole of our marriage.

For this, prayer is invaluable, our own personal prayer and prayer as a couple. Especially when the pieces of life aren’t fitting together very well, when the routine is too hectic, too boring, too exhausting – awareness, nurtured by prayer, reminds us that there is a greater reality guiding our relationship and giving meaning to our lives.

I readily admit that between Robert and me, he is the  creative one. And putting a puzzle together does require some creativity. He is very good at looking at the “squiggly lines” on a one-inch puzzle piece and zeroing in on the area of the puzzle picture where it will fit. Interestingly, only recently did Robert decide he enjoyed puzzles. I think the isolation of the Covid quarantine nudged him to try a puzzle; and he ended up being quite adept at it and actually appreciating the challenge.   Working a puzzle together has shown us that each of us brings gifts “to the table” to help accomplish the task. While I notice the tiny features of a color, shape or  squiggle, Robert can see the overall design. In this case, my attention to detail complements Robert’s creativity.

Finally, back to the aspect of checking in: it is vital to a relationship and requires clear and kind communication. We asked each other for advice. We shared ideas and observations. I even let Robert put in the final puzzle piece.

But perhaps the greatest gifts for us as we worked the puzzle were how it fostered closeness, and it was fun! For some time each day, over weeks, we sat side-by-side at the puzzle table. We rubbed shoulders (literally) and reached around and across each other. We chatted and laughed as we worked toward a common goal. It was a sweet time together, time that nurtured our marriage.

Try a puzzle together!

But if puzzles just aren’t your thing, find an activity to do with your spouse that builds your loving relationship – riding bikes; walking in the park or hiking in the mountains; fishing or crosswords or refinishing furniture or cooking.

And, of course, remember to pray together. Couple prayer is the foundation of your relationship in Christ. These activities foster “togetherness” and fun, drawing out your gifts and strengthening your marriage.

By Lori Fontana

We’re all on the road “home” to God. We all want to get to heaven…though not today, Lord. But we’re not just in a holding pattern here. What are we doing “while we wait” for entrance into our eternal home? The chorus from a 60’s church song contains my two main thoughts:

Love one another; love one another, as I have loved you.

Care for each other; care for each other, as I have cared for you.

And bear one another’s burdens, and share each other’s joys.

Love one another; love one another, and bring each other home.

First, I recognize and embrace that I am a beloved child of God; and in this love, God gives me gifts and  talents. None of us has ALL the gifts, nor are our gifts perfect; but each gift is valuable. It’s important that I not measure my worth according to a false hierarchy of gifts. When St Paul talks about the parts of the body, each part has a different function, but all parts are valued and needed.  1 Corinthians 12: 14 – 22

Secondly, who I am and the gifts I have – these are meant for me and for others, for the community.  The Christian life is not just God and me.

The Christian life is a shared life. All love, including God’s love, is made real in the giving and the receiving. In the famous Rublev Trinity icon, the figures representing God the Father, God the Son – Jesus, and God the Holy Spirit are arranged in a circle, acknowledging each other. They are depicted in relationship with each other!

Each of us is created and loved by God. But from the moment we are born, we are diminishing, whether through illness or injury, external calamities such as job loss or natural disasters, or simply by aging. Where do we draw purpose and hope in light of diminishment? St. Paul offers a hopeful message: that even while we may appear to be “wasting away,” we are growing closer to our eternal glory in God. But we’re not called to retreat to a private corner and waste away. In the time we are given here, we are called to use our gifts to build up the reign of God, to be a power for good in the world.  2 Corinthians 4:7 – 10, 16 – 18

Our Catholic tradition offers the saints, people who, even though suffering limitations, were a power for good. Plus, there are saintly people all around us – “saints-in-the-making.” Here are a few examples.

Sr. Thea Bowman was an African American woman, born in rural Mississippi in the 1930’s. Hers was a loving family, but being a woman and an African American, in the rural south – these were challenges. Taught by Franciscan sisters, she was inspired to join their convent in Wisconsin – a group of all white women, some of whom had never seen a black person. Sr. Thea’s strong confidence in God’s love and purpose for her life carried her forward. She was a natural teacher, using all the gifts of her black Christian culture – song, dance, a deep faith honed through persecution – to guide her students. Until the end of her 50-some years of life, she remained hope-filled and faith-filled until finally succumbing to a painful cancer. In the midst of her illness, Sr. Thea famously said: “Part of my approach to my illness has been to say I want to choose life. I want to keep going. I want to live fully until I die.” Sr. Thea – a power for good!

My mom just turned 93 which brings with it the diminishment of physical and mental abilities and      energy. In Mount St Vincent assisted living, she is welcoming and kind to everyone, a “missionary” for the love of Jesus. Though hard of hearing most of her life, she is otherwise quite healthy and gets up each morning with purpose. Even though she is shy, she reaches out to the people around her because she knows the challenges people face when moving into assisted living, and she wants to help. My mom – a power for good!

Joey K – Our friend Joey is a young adult who has Downs Syndrome. Some might say Joey has a difficult challenge. However, Joey doesn’t see it that way. He lives a full, successful life, energized by his desire to help – in his family, community, church, and workplace. From a very young age, he visited the elderly with his family. Now, Joey works at the retirement home. He does his job with great love and care, and he is a friend to all! Outside of work, Joey is a lead usher at Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish, and he always serves at funeral Masses. He is a member of the board of directors for the local Downs Syndrome Community organization. Joey is positive, outgoing, generous in sharing his gifts, and confident that he is loved by God. In that confidence, he loves others. He recognizes others’ gifts and draws them out. Joey – a power for good!

Each of you, I’m sure, knows many folks who, though dealing with their own challenges, use their gifts to help others. Each is a power for God’s goodness in the world. Every one of us is called to be a power for good. Even while, as St Paul says, we are “wasting away” in this life, we can be the hands and feet, heart and voice of Jesus in our world, as our own circumstances allow. We can be a power for good within the providence of our everyday life. What we do and how we do it will look different for each person; but we all can do something!

Mother Teresa encourages us with, “Not all of us can do great things, but we can do small things with great love.” And as Erma Bombeck, an author, humorist and devout Catholic, said:

“When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, ‘I used everything you gave me.’”

That’s being a power for good!

By Lori Fontana

You know about tulips. I think they are my favorite flower. Each fall, around early September, I buy or pull out of the storage shed the oddly shaped, gnarled orbs we call bulbs. They look dry and lifeless, with loose peelings of brown skin and sometimes a tuft of short, dark root tendrils. I loosen the soil in our garden, dig little circular tunnels straight down, and, one-by-one, place the bulbs inside. As I smooth dirt over each bulb, I wonder – what will this one look like? What color will it be? Because, usually, I have no idea which bulb is which, which is red or pink, white or purple – it will be a great surprise come the spring.

Then, with great hope, I wait…and wait…and wait.

The bulbs are out of sight, hidden in the earth. Through the fall and winter, they are covered over with fallen leaves, puddles of rain, a smattering of snow.

The winter months are so dark, so gray, so wet. It’s hard to remember the promise of colorful blooms. Our Seattle spring comes very slowly. We might have one sunny day in January; maybe one more in February. By March the sun might shine once a week. Yet the air is still damp and icy cold. But the tulips respond to the slightest touch of sunshine warmth. Forgotten over the long  winter, each bulb now stretches the tiny tip of a green leaf through the soil and into the weak sunlight of early spring.

At first, I hardly notice that the garden is coming alive. But then the tip of the leaf pushes further up; one leaf, then two and three. And nestled between them is the flower stem with the tightly closed bloom perched on top. The tulips grow at their own pace; and they keep their blooms securely under wraps until they reach full height. Only then do the buds begin to unfurl, showing the glorious colors of their delicate   petals, some rounded, some pointed, some ruffled or scalloped. The petals are bright and  luminous, catching the breeze and waving and bowing in the sunlight. What a wonderful spring surprise!

It’s very fitting that we observe Holy Week in the spring. As we approach Holy Week – the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus – I think tulips are a gentle reminder of the desolation and the glory of this painful, wonderful, awesome mystery. On the cross, Jesus gives his final gift. Through his passion and death, Jesus pours out his life in great love for us. At the end, he has nothing left to give – he’s given us his all. Taken down from the cross, Jesus is placed in the tomb, his tortured body hidden away in darkness, out of sight. His followers are left alone, bereft and drained of hope.

Symbolically, for Jesus’ followers, it’s winter in their hearts and souls: Jesus, whom the disciples believed was the Messiah, their friend and teacher whom they loved, is now lifeless, gone from their sight. All is hopelessness. The disciples cower behind closed doors, filled with doubt and fear. Quickly forgotten is the Jesus who turned water into wine, who multiplied loaves and    fishes, who healed the blind and the lame, comforted the mourning, gathered the children in his arms, and raised Lazarus from the dead.

Then comes Sunday morning. Mary Magdalen and her companions come to the garden, intending to anoint Jesus’ body. The first rays of the rising sun warm their faces as they approach the tomb where Jesus lies. And then, wonder of wonders! “An angel of the Lord…[had] rolled back the stone.” To the women, the angel says, “He is not here, for he has been raised just s he said.” Matthew 28:2, 5-6

Jesus appears to Mary Magdalen and others of his disciples. Over the next several weeks, Jesus appears to many believers and doubters alike. With the resurrection, many renew their faith in Jesus; many others come to believe. What was lost is found; what was hidden is now seen; what was dead is now alive!

In a very humble way, the tulip mirrors the Resurrection. The tulip bulb appears dead. It’s hidden away in the cold earth. In fact, it must lie buried in winter’s cold so that it can “rise” to new life in the spring. A small miracle: from the bulb which, when planted, appears to be wrapped in a drab burial cloth, bursts forth a magnificent flower rich with color and life.

From death to life! The miracle of the Resurrection. As we travel with Jesus through Palm Sunday to the Last Supper of Holy Thursday, to the Agony in the  Garden, through Jesus’ trial and torture, his Way of the Cross, his crucifixion on Calvary’s hill, his death and burial – cling to sure hope. Jesus’ burial in the dark tomb is not the final word. Easter morn will dawn, and with it the glory and colors of NEW LIFE.  When you see tulips blooming in gardens and on Easter dinner  tables, remember that death is not the end. For we who believe, it is the path to new life. What appears dead has new life in the promise of Jesus.

The lesson of the tulip is echoed in a line by Martin   Luther, the great Protestant Reformer:

“Our Lord has written the promise of resurrection, not in books alone, but in every leaf in springtime.”

Happy Easter!

By Lori Fontana

On Saturday, November 26th, CLM partnered with the Care for Mother Earth Social Justice Committee of Assumption Parish, north Seattle, to help families prepare for Advent.

Over 30 people attended – children, parents, and grandparents – to learn about the INCARNATION of Jesus, who came to earth to be with us and all of God’s creation.

Through prayer, skits, songs, and crafts, we helped each other enter into the Advent  season with a plan for prayer and action.

We watched a children’s video which explains Pope Francis’s letter on the care for creation, Laudato Si. (seehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIVuISZGdug) Remember, the Incarnation of Jesus is not simply about His saving humans for heaven.  Jesus came to teach us how to bring heaven to earth by loving one another and that love includes the “birds of the air and the flowers of the field.” (Matthew 6:28)

Each family made an Advent wreath to use as a focus for their daily prayer. Also, each family made an Advent chain, to countdown the days until Christmas. On different links of the chain, they wrote what they will do to show care for each other and for God’s beautiful creation.

It was a lively, fun, and faith-filled time!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s not too late to make an advent plan for your family!

Advent Prayer with the Advent Wreath

[Materials Needed:  Prayer card; Advent wreath, 3 purple candles, 1 pink candle.]

 All     O come, O come Emmanuel and ransom captive Israel that mourns in lonely exile here until the son of God appear.  Rejoice, rejoice, Emmanuel shall come to you, O Israel.

Leader        Come, O Lord, and set us free.                                All            Bring your people peace.

Candle of Promise (1^st Week of Advent):  I light the Candle of Promise because God made a covenant to our ancestors to save us from sin and evil, and give us peace.  This promise has been fulfilled in Jesus. (light 1 candle)

Candle of Hope (2^nd Week of Advent):  I light the Candle of Hope because God’s beloved son, Jesus, born at Bethlehem, gives us everlasting life. (light 2 candles)

Candle of Joy (3^rd  Week of Advent) I light the Candle of Joy because God’s beloved Son, Jesus, born of Mary, is our friend.  He is “Emmanuel,”  “God with us.”  (light pink candle, and 2 purple candles)

Candle of Love (4^th Sunday of Advent):  I light the Candle of Love because God so loved the world that He gave his only son, not to condemn the world, but to save it.  (light 4 candles)

 

By Lori Fontana

Every year about this time, I just want to burrow into my favorite cozy chair, wrapped in a fleece blanket, with a mug of cocoa and a good book. Mark Twain describes it well:

“Good friends, good books and a sleep conscience: this is the ideal life.”

But it’s also Advent-tide, one of my favorite seasons of the liturgical year. I normally make a special plan of action and prayer. But this year, the Seattle “Big Dark,” plus my age, leave me feeling a bit tired and unmotivated. Twain’s good book and sleepy conscience sound inviting. How to get motivated to observe this holy season and to grow spiritually…

Advent, with its candles and songs, readings of light and hope and the awaited birth of a little baby, can be a potent antidote for the very dark, very cold, very rainy Seattle winter days.

My conscience, I guess, is not sleepy enough to ignore  Advent. In the depths of my heart and soul, I do want to celebrate this lovely season in a concrete and meaningful way. But to do that, I’ll have to push through some very real inertia and make a plan.

How can I mark this holy season? Here are some ways to journey through Advent with spiritual awareness and energy. There are Advent booklets galore, with daily Scriptures, reflections, and suggested activities. I like the offerings of an organization, Creative Communications (CreativeCommunications.com), which has an assortment of Advent prayer booklets for everyone: children, families, seniors; booklets in Spanish and booklets especially for teens. The themes of these booklets range from angel messages to “light,” from the messages in traditional carols to the gentle wisdom of Henri Nouwen. Many   parishes offer a reflection booklet for Advent. Find one you like and use it in your daily prayer.

Maybe you’d like to go straight to the Scriptures, the Gospel of Matthew or Luke, reading the birth story of Jesus a little bit at a time and reflecting on the awesome mystery of the Son of God who became a tiny, helpless baby, in Israel, over 2,000 years ago.

Perhaps your prayer could be a daily quiet time: sitting in silence and stillness for 5 or 10 or 20 minutes each   morning or each evening, making that a part of each day in Advent. Light a candle, wrap up in a blanket (but, I remind myself to sit up so it doesn’t become naptime!) and just pay attention to your breath and to the mystery of God’s love for YOU. You can whisper a word that draws you into prayer: “Jesus.” “Love.” “Surrender.” “Peace.” A time of stillness like this can be a centering balance to the chaos of the Christmas season, with its parties, presents, cooking, cleaning, traveling, family, guests, late nights,  early mornings, wrapping, baking, buying! Doesn’t 20 minutes of quiet sound heavenly?!?

And just a few days ago, I had a gentle revelation about another way to observe Advent with meaning. Robert and I attended Thanksgiving Day Mass. The people gathered were small in number, mostly older folks like us. It was a beautiful time of prayer, singing, a lively homily by our pastor Fr Oliver, and then receiving the Eucharist.

After Mass, we walked out behind an elderly woman. We stopped to introduce ourselves and ask how she would celebrate the day. She told us her name and that she would be with family. But she would be missing her dear husband of 43 years who had passed away last year. She was thinking of her mom, too, who had passed away just three years ago. Then she related a very funny story about how, first her mom, and then later her husband           convalesced in the very same room at a care facility. “God has a sense of humor,” she commented. Her memories brought some tears to her eyes and also a smile to her lips.

As we parted, she reached out to shake our hands and said, “Thank you both for stopping to introduce yourselves and say hello. I am grateful.”

It was a poignant reminder for me: Advent is about the GIFT OF PRESENCE. Our culture says it’s all about PRESENTS! And, of course, presents are nice – fun to buy, fun to receive. But our Christian faith adds a deeper dimension to this season – that of PRESENCE. We will so benefit, body, mind, and spirit, if we take some time to be present to God in prayer, and present to one another. Our visit with the elderly woman after church was only 5 minutes of time, but it was rich in connection and care. Presence makes a difference.

So this Advent – YES, take time for a good book, without the sleepy conscience, though. As many of the Advent Scripture readings point out, we Christians must STAY AWAKE! Take time for  reflective prayer and silence, and make time to be present, both to your loved ones and to others you know or meet, who might need a little extra love and care in this holiday season. After all, Jesus’ gift to us at Christmas is his presence in our world and in our lives. For Advent, let’s be generous in sharing that hopeful presence.