TRANSFIGURATION OF THE HEART

 Do you remember a few weeks ago when our scripture reading told us about the visit of Mary to her older cousin, Elizabeth?  These two pregnant Hebrew women were standing at the cross road between the Old Testament yearning for a Messiah and the New Testament learning from the Messiah himself.

You might say that they were the first witnesses of this longed-for event. Elizabeth too old to be a mother, Mary almost too young to be a mother. Their conversation indicates that they both knew what was happening. Elizabeth, the mother of the last Old Testament Prophet and Mary the mother of the Messiah. Our Gospel reading today takes place thirty years later and is also a meeting of old and new. We call this meeting “The Transfiguration”. 

Unlike Mary and Elizabeth who knew the truth about Jesus and John, the Apostles, Peter, James and John, who accompanies Jesus to the mountain that day had not yet fully understood who Jesus was! Like these apostles many of us may also wonder, “Just who is this Jesus we say we follow?”

Jesus had invited the three to be with him that day on the mountain. While Jesus is praying they get drowsy and begin to nap. Perhaps you and I are like these apostles. He invites us to be with Him here at Mass today. Yet we some times doze off or let our thoughts wander during Mass. Jesus knew that Peter, James and John needed to know and experience much more about who He was. 

They are awakened from their nap by a conversation between Jesus and two men.  As they open their eyes they see Jesus, his face changed in appearance, his clothing dazzling white talking with Moses and Elijah. This change in appearance gives rise to the use of the word “Transfiguration” to label this event.  

But this event also leads to a transfiguration of the Apostles’ hearts. It brings a rock solid conviction to their vocations as “Fisher of men”. Two of them will suffer martyrdom for their belief and the third will become the guardian of the Messiah’s mother and the author of the Gospel of John which gives the most detailed explanation of who Jesus was in our scriptures.

Unlike us, the disciples had no problem knowing that Jesus was real. In fact it was not a matter of faith. When Jesus said, “lets go to the mountain to pray”, they heard it first hand. Jesus was standing right in front of them. They could reach out and touch him. We take their word for it. Jesus was real. What they struggled with was who he was! In fact we often struggle with that also.

Several years ago a survey of Americans explored the topic of belief or lack of belief in God. Those responding that they believed in God were then asked:

     ‘What kind of God do you believe in?”

    Options: - An authoritarian god.

         - A benevolent god.

        -  An angry god.

         - A remote god.

When you hear those choices, what do you think? What do you believe?

If you knew someone who believed in an authoritarian god, how would they describe God?

Does not compromise

Accepts no excuses

Is very judgmental

Demands payment for sin

If you knew someone who believed in an remote god, how would they describe God?

Doesn’t Care about us

We can’t talk to him

Is not interested in human affairs

Is not approachable by us 

If you knew someone who believed in an angry god, how would they describe God?

Assumes the worst

Shows no mercy

Takes revenge - Gets even

Punishing   (Hell and Damnation)

Difficult or impossible to approach

If you knew someone who believed in an benevolent god, how would they describe God?

Is Loving

Is Merciful

Is Welcoming

Understands me

Is Forgiving

Is a Gift Giver

In your heart, which God do you know?

Going to the mountain with Jesus we discover something about Jesus.We see Jesus talking with Moses and Elijah. What is significant about this vision?

Moses - The great prophet of the law.

Elijah - The great prophet of the promise. of a Messiah.

One message of the encounter is that Jesus’ coming is consistent with or fulfills both the Law (as represented by Moses’ presence) and the prophets (as represented by Elijah’s presence) of the Jewish scripture (Old Testament). We can get even more meaning from the encounter that will help us answer the question about what kind of God we believe in.

The story of our God’s interaction with the people of Israel begins with gift and covenant. Our first reading, today, from the book of Genesis, describes the gift and the covenant ceremony.

“I am the Lord who brought you from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land as a possession.” 

Abram asks how he can be sure that he and his descendants can keep the gift.

    “It was on that occasion that the Lord made a covenant with Abram.” 

We heard the description of liturgy formalizing the covenant in our Old Testamant reading.

he next great gift of God to Israel was the Law which  was delivered through Moses. We all remember the dramatic story of the ten commandments. The Law, of course, is the first five books of the Jewish scripture not just the ten commandments.

Lets pause a moment - - - - do we consider the law a gift? Or are we more sarcastic about law?

   - Law restrict my freedom

   - I personally don’t need it

   - Law is for the bad guys

In fact good law, in it essential meaning, is the set of rules that govern how people live together in peace and honor each other’s rights. In the great scope of world history, law has always been a lynchpin of civilization and peace. If you still doubt it - - - look at countries in our own times where law has broken down or ignored by those in power. What replaces law in these places:

           - Ethnic cleansing     - Racism

    - Genocide           - Hunger / famine

    - Refugees           - Collapsed Economy

    - War           - Confusion

So the gift of the Law was a valuable means by which Israel survived centuries of captivity, wandering, slavery, glory and occupation. 

So far, the God we have seen is a God of Gifts and Covenant. 

Elijah was the prophet that represented Israel’s belief in the promise of a coming messiah. The Jews believe that Elijah will come again to announce the coming of the Messiah. In the beginning of the Gospel of Luke we find the angel telling Zecheriah, the father of John the Baptist,

“With the spirit and power of Elijah he (John) will go before him,

 ... preparing for him a people fit for him.”

Matthew, in his telling of the transfiguration story, says that Jesus, on the way down from the mountain said,

“I tell you that Elijah has come already and they did not recognize him.” 

The disciples understood that he was speaking of John the Baptist.

And so we leave the mountain with a new understanding of who Jesus really is. The one who has come to renew the covenant, the one who fulfils the meaning of the Law, the one who fulfills the promise and the one who bring the greatest gift of all. 

The rest of the disciples did not yet see what we now see that the gift was God himself come to be one of us, to live with us, to die for us and to rise that we might be his sons and daughters.

What would be your answer if you where asked today?  The choices:

- A remote god

- An angry god

- An authoritarian god

- A Benevolent God

© Copyright 2022 Joseph E. Hilber. All rights reserved.

MEMORIES OF MAKE BELIEVE

When I was a boy I lived in a small town in North Dakota by the James River. It was built on the hillsides that rose from the broad river valley to the vast prairie above. My schoolmates were from families that farmed or ranched or lived in town. I was of a town family. Almost everyone loved to hunt.

 The farm and ranch boys and girls worked hard on the land in the summer. The town boys and girls, however,  had much time to play during the summer. I and my friends would play for hours in the hills around the town, on the prairie above the town or by the river below the town. We imagined that we lived in that time of great struggle between natives and emigrants, between hunters, ranchers and farmers.

One day it would be a battle between the ranchers who wanted to fence the prairie and raise cattle or sheep and the native  hunters that needed an open prairie so that the bison could come every year. We would chose sides for the game that we called Cowboys and Indians. Other days, it would be the conflict between cowboys, who wanted a large amount of grassland for their cattle to graze, and farmers who wanted to plow the meadow and grow grains and vegetables. The cowboys built fences to keep cattle inside but farmers built fences to keep cattle and Bison outside. A herd of cattle in a cornfield could destroy a year's  harvest in one afternoon.

My sister and her friends would make believe that they had been kidnaped by an enemy nation and were about to be rescued by a handsome prince. The next day, my sister would dress up as a bride for her wedding with the prince.

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MEMORIAS DE HACER CREER

Cuando era niño vivía en un pequeño pueblo de Dakota del Norte junto al río James. Fue construido en las laderas que se alzaban desde el amplio valle del río hasta la gran pradera de arriba. Mis compañeros de escuela eran de familias que cultivaban, criaban o vivían en la ciudad. Yo era de una familia del pueblo. A casi todos les encantaba cazar. 

Los niños y niñas de la granja y el rancho trabajaron duro en la tierra en el verano. Los niños y niñas del pueblo, sin embargo, tenían mucho tiempo para jugar durante el verano. Mis amigos y yo jugamos durante horas en las colinas que rodean la ciudad, en la pradera sobre la ciudad o junto al río debajo de la ciudad. Nos imaginamos que vivíamos en esa época de gran lucha entre nativos y emigrantes, entre cazadores, ganaderos y granjeros.

Un día sería una batalla entre los ganaderos que querían cercar la pradera y criar ganado vacuno u ovino y los cazadores nativos que necesitaban una pradera abierta para que el bisonte pudiera venir cada año. Elegimos lados para el juego que llamamos Cowboys e Indios. Otros días, sería el conflicto entre los vaqueros, que querían una gran cantidad de pastizales para el pastoreo de su ganado, y los agricultores que querían arar el prado y cultivar granos y verduras. Los vaqueros construyeron cercas para mantener al ganado adentro, pero los granjeros construyeron cercas para mantener al ganado y a Bison afuera. Una manada de ganado en un maizal podría destruir la cosecha de un año en una tarde.

Mi hermana y sus amigas hacían creer que habían sido secuestradas por una nación enemiga y estaban a punto de ser rescatadas por un apuesto príncipe. Al día siguiente, mi hermana se disfrazaría de novia para su boda con el príncipe.

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Note: My parish has two Sunday Masses. One in English and one in Spanish. On the rare occasions that this unilingual Deacon has been asked to preach at the Spanish Mass I totally relied upon translation by a willing parishioner. This past Sunday, the First Sunday of Lent, I tried giving a small portion of my sermon directly in Spanish. This post is a record of that attempt. the rest of the sermon was done with the help of a translator. I use Google Translate to facilitate writing in Spanish.

Nota: Mi parroquia tiene dos misas dominicales. Uno en inglés y uno en español. En las raras ocasiones en que se le pidió a este diácono unilingüe que predicara en la misa en español, confié totalmente en la traducción de un feligrés voluntario. El domingo pasado, el primer domingo de Cuaresma, intenté dar una pequeña porción de mi sermón directamente en español. Esta publicación es un registro de ese intento. El resto del sermón se realizó con la ayuda de un traductor.

© Copyright 2020 Joseph E. Hilber. All rights reserved.

A Catholic Hero - Maybe a Saint

We often think the topic of “Vocation” is a topic for young people but the persons involved in the vocation changes in the Gospels were often adults already well into serious vocations. Jesus was about thirty years old. Three of the fishermen called to Apostles were probably in their twenties and thirties. The fourth fisherman, John, was young and may have been a teenager since he lived until almost until 100ad.

I would like to tell you about a modern man and his change of vocation. It is an interesting story because I lived nearby him and I had met him and yet never had  heard his story. It is a story of a vocation change involving great heroism, high seas drama and a miracle. It was this miracle that became his call from God to a new vocation.

On the morning of Sunday October 14, 2001,  Brother Marinus of St Paul’s Abbey in Andover, New Jersey died quietly in his sleep. Some of you may have met him because for years he managed the Abbey Gift and Book Shop on Highway 206 between Andover and Newton in New Jersey.

Leonard LaRue was born on January 14th 1914 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As a young man he took a strong interest in the sea and after high school attended the Pennsylvania Nautical School and then went to work as a seaman. During WWII he rose to command ships bringing military supplies to the Allies in Europe through the Submarine infested North Atlantic. After the war he returned to peacetime service in the merchant marine.

 Then in June of 1950 Communist North Korea invaded South Korea and the United Nations intervened to defend South Korea. The United States provided the majority of the military force for this effort. The American General, MacArthur, commanded the United Nations forces. Due to this new war effort Leonard was recalled to government service was assigned to command  the SS Meredith Victory a freighter bringing tanks, trucks, guns and ammunition for use by UN troops fighting in Korea. Before setting sail for Japan from California he and his First Officer went to St Mary’s Church in China Town, in San Francisco to pray for the safety of their ship and crew. They continued to be men of prayer throughout their mission. 

In Korea things were not going well for the UN forces. They had been pushed back to the very southern tip of the peninsula by the North Korean troops. Then in September the UN forces under General MacArthur struck back with  a massive  invasion half way up the west coast at Inchon. The Meredith Victory was the first Merchant Ship to arrive but had to remain off shore until the harbor was secured. When they were able to unload their cargo of battle supplies they also delivered several prisoners of war. These were North Korean soldiers who had rowed our to them and surrendered while they were waiting. The invasion of Inchon was a huge success and the North Korean army was driven out of South Korea. The UN troops pursued the Communist Army into North Korea and soon were approaching the Yalu River which is the border with Communist China.

On October 15th General MacArthur told President Truman that the war would be over by Thanksgiving. He had no sooner said this than China entered the war opposing the UN forces and 180,000 Chinese troops crossed the Yalu River. The Americans, who made up the bulk of the UN forces, launched additional forces to counter the Chinese entry. In November China responded by sent 200,000 more troops  and suddenly the Americans were in trouble. MacArthur ordered a retreat southward ahead of the huge Chinese Army.

During the retreat 30,000 American Soldiers and Marines were surrounded by the Communists near the Chosin Reservoir on the far northern east coast of North Korea. The Americans were ordered to fight their way to Hungnam Harbor 100 miles to the south were American ships would evacuate them to safety. To get there they had to fight their way through the mountains in 10 feet of snow and 30 degree below temperatures.

Before they got  there, however, the port was filling up with Korean Civilians also fleeing the brutal Chinese Army. By the time the American troops arrived there were almost 100,000 civilians on the docks and in the town hoping and pleading to be evacuated with the troops. The Americans, in fact, evacuated most of these civilians either by boarding them on ships being used to remove equipment and ammunition from the American base there or by facilitating their escape overland. 

Meanwhile the  Meredith Victory was steaming towards Hungnam carrying 10,000 tons of jet fuel in barrels for delivery to the Marine Air Base nearby. When they arrived they found the that the airbase was under heavy attach and the Marines were evacuating. Unable to unload  they sailed south to unload their explosive cargo at Pusan. 

Before the ship could be completely off loaded, however,  the Captain was given emergency orders to return to Hungnam immediately to aid in the evacuation. On arriving back a Hungnam they found that the evacuation was about to complete and the port and the American military facilities were to be destroyed. A group of Army colonels came on board. They told the Captain that they were ready to pull the last troops out and leave but there were still thousands of civilians on the docks. The Meredith Victory had accommodations for only twelve passengers so they could not order them to take the civilians. However, they asked them to volunteer to do so. The Captain did not hesitate but said they would take as many as they could get on board.

He had the ship back into the dock and ordered the engines be kept running during the loading  in case the enemy broke through the defenses a short distance away and they needed to depart quickly. The refugees began pouring on board, Men, women, children, babies. They began loading from the bottom up. Slowly the five holds of the ship filled up. The was no heat, no ventilation, no sanitary facilities, no water and no medical help. No crew member spoke Korean but the desire to escape was great and all cooperated.

The battle was just yards away and could be observed by crew and refuges alike. The roar of the great guns of the Navy Battleships offshore filled the air. You could hear the huge shells passing overhead. Planes from the carriers came in low to strafe the enemy troops coming down the hills into the town. They began loading on December 22, 1950 and continued into early on the 23rd. 

When all the holds were full and the deck packed they prepared to sail. They had taken 14,000 civilian refugees on board! Their destination was Pusan, 450 nautical miles to the south. As they sailed south things began to happen. First the refuges below deck began to build fires on top of the drums of jet fuel to provide a little heat and to cook some of the food they had brought with. Fearing that the ship would be blow up the crew pleaded that fires not be lit. A difficult task since none of the crew spoke Korean. Then a young woman  gave birth to a baby boy. By the time they reached safety four babies had been born during the journey.

They sailed into Pusan Harbor on Christmas Eve but there they were in for another surprise. They were not allowed to dock there because the city and all its facilities was already full of refuges Like the holy family of two thousand years ago they would have to seek refuge somewhere else. That somewhere else was another 50 miles south at Koje-Do. The Captain refused to sail until clothes, blankets, food and water were brought on board for the refugees.

At Koje-Do there were no docks and the ship waited at anchor until morning. On Christmas morning they began the task on transferring the refuges to small boats that would take them to the beach. By 2:45 in the afternoon all 14,000 were ashore . I should say 14,004 to include the four babies born on board during the journey. Naval historians say that it was the largest human cargo ever carried by any ship. Just imagine, the huge Queen Mary when refitted as a troop carrier during WWII carried a maximum of 10,000.

The Captain would later write,
“I believe God sailed with us those three days. I believe this because by all the laws of logic, the loss of life could have been enormous. Yet not a soul perished. Time after time, dangers that threatened to explode into disaster were miraculously averted.”

 The Korean war ended in 1953 and after being released from his military duty  Leonard  returned  to civilian life and in 1954, then 41 years old,  entered St Paul’s Abbey in New Jersey and became Brother Marinus. The word  “Marinus” means “of the sea” and when used as a name mean “man of the sea”.  He lived his vocation by serving the people surrounding his monastery with prayer and service. When he died in 2001 he was 87 years old.

Over the years since the SS Meredith Victory came to be called The Ship of Miracles and in 2000 a book by that name, written by Bill Gilbert, was published. I have told this story several time over the years since reading the book Ship of Miracles but today I want to add to it several thing that have added to the story of recent years.

During Brother Marinus’ last years St Paul’s was in decline and the order planned to close the Abbey.  When this was announced residential developers were eager to purchase the property. The monks preferred that it remain a religious facility and began seeking other orders or religious organizations to take over the Abbey. Among those that were contacted were the Benedictine Monks at Waegman, South Korea. It turned out they were seeking a place in the United States as a residence for Korean monks coming here for education.

The Korean Benedictine were familiar with St Paul’s because they knew Brother Marinus lived there. One their monks, as a child had been on board the Meredith Victory in 1950. On October 21, 2001 the deal was finalized, the monks from Korea would take over the administration of St Paul’s. Brother Marinus died two days later. The first  Korean  monks would arrive by Christmas that year.

In 2017, Moon Jae-in, President of the Republic of Korea, visited the National Museum of the U.S. Marine Corps, in Quantico, Virginia (USA) for a wreath-laying ceremony at a monument for the Battle of Chosin Reservoir in the Korean War. He told the audience that the crew of the SS Meredith Victory had rescued his parents and sister two years before his birth on Geoje Island*.  He added, “Had it not been for the valiant warriors of the Chosin Battle and the success of the Hungnam Evacuation, I would not even exist today.”

On 25 March 2019, the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord, the Bishop of Paterson, NJ, signed a decree that opens “the informative process for Beatification and Canonization” to “study the heroic virtues and reputation of the holiness of the Servant of God, Brother Marinus”. With this historic decree, the Catholic faithful can pray to God through the intercession of Brother Marinus, who has been bestowed with the title “Servant of God.” As a saint Brother Marinus would be a good patron saint of refugees. Let us ask him to pray for them before the throne of God.

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References:

• St Paul's Outreach to Korea and Seeking sainthood for Br Marius: https://blog.franciscanmedia.org/sam/brother-marinus-war-hero-and-selfless-monk

• 2009 Article in Seoul Times:                                            https://moviedream.wordpress.com/tag/brother-marinus/

• Link to Documentary about Hungnam Evacuation and the Ship Miracles:  https://vimeo.com/15690428

• Ship of Miracles - Web Site:                                                 http://shipofmiracles.com/index.html

• Quotations are from The Ship of Miracles:   Bill Gilbert, Triumph Books, 2000. (Available from Amazon or St Paul's Abbey)                         

       * Th spelling of many Korean cities and territories have changed since 1950.

© Copyright 2020 Joseph E. Hilber. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any manner without prior written permission of the author.

First Stained Glass window for new Church

This past Sunday, the feast of The Holy Family, we attended Mass at Our Lady of the Angels Parish in Lakewood Ranch Florida. This large church is quite new (2018)  and they were formally blessing their first stained glass window at this Mass.

This was clearly the most appropriate Sunday to welcome the window as it is of the Holy Family. This work of art is from the Conrad Pickel Studios of Vero Beach Florida and was donated by the Hodgkinson Family. The new window is pictured at the right. 

Advent Message, Task and Promise

As we begin advent our Sunday Bible readings focus on Jesus’ words concerning end times.

Matthew reports Jesus saying, "the son of man is coming at the time you least expect” [Mt 24:37]

Jesus goes on to recall that time, reported in the old testament, of the great flood. An event that, for most living when it occurred, was an end to the world as they knew it. He contrasts most peoples' behavior with that of Noah. Noah was busy getting ready for the end of the world whereas most of the people were busy just living day to day ignoring God.

He goes on to say that it will be the same when he returns. Some will just living day to day and some will be ready for his return. "Stay awake, therefore! You cannot know the day your lord is coming." [Mt 24:42]

How do we do this?  How can we be prepared for an event that we have no idea when it will occur?

We have all probably heard in sermons or confirmation class that Christians should live as though the end of the world is tomorrow. Or you might have personalized the attitude and say that you strive to live as though you are going to die tonight.

But how do you and I do that? At least Noah had a boat to get built.

Do I hear anything in Noah's story that sounds like my story?
Do you hear anything in Noah's story that sounds like your story?

• - Noah was given a message, “I will wipe out from the earth the human beings I have created."                                                                                                                     [Gen 6:7]
•  Noah was given a task  -    "Make yourself an ark of gopherwood,"        [Gen 6:14]
•  Noah was given a promise  -  “I will establish my covenant with you.” Your family will be the   the new people of the earth.          [Gen 6:18] 
  

Have we been given a message from God?

Have we been given a task by our God?
Are we the holders of a promise from our God?

Of course we have great news from our God (and not a bummer of a message like Noah, who had to build an ark). God wants us to be his sons and daughters! He became one of us, he taught us himself, he died for us, and he rose from the dead so that we would hear this great message.

Our task?- to live as sons and daughters of the one true god! Princes and Princesses of the king of the universe!  No boat building for us, take us to the Palace.  Get the chef started on a wonderful meal. I'd like my allowance now.

But wait a minute, the Palace of this King - Where is it?

• We are not there yet. But we are on the way. Our adoption calls you and I to a journey in a foreign land on our way to that Palace. For this journey we have been commissioned as Royal Diplomats. (Remember your baptism)
• The food for this journey is not the Palace spread, yet all the food we need was created by God and can be found in this place of our journey.

About that allowance, there is a trust fund for you at the end of the journey but, for now, you only get daily expenses.

                   "Ask and it shall be given to you" [Mt7"1-7, John 16:24, Lk 11:9-13]

But, if we are on the way to the Palace, have access to the fruits of the earth and a daily allowance of grace from our God, what is our promise?

Noah's promise meant that he would live many years (595 according to genesis) and have a large family. God’s promise to you and I is that we will live forever and we will live that forever with a God who loved us enough to die for us.

•  A trust fund of perfect love 
•  A banquet perfect unity

You might say that Noah had to earn his promise since he had to complete the ark if he was to survive to his new life after the flood.We, on the other hand cannot earn our promise. It is freely given by God. We are only required to accept and use the gifts God gives us here and now. In other words we are to live (that is journey) as befitting ones showered with gifts and destined for greatness.

Sadly you and I have been tempted to forget or even turn our back on his promise. As we enter advent let us consider how we can turn back to the God who loves us. Let us heed the  song of Isaiah as we journey,

 "Come, let us climb the Lord's mountain to the house of the God of Jacob,
 that he may instruct us in his ways, and we may walk in his paths.  [Is 2:3]
 . . . (c)ome, let us walk in the light of the lord!" [Is 2:5]

Or as Paul wrote to the Romans (and us):

 "Let us then throw off   The works of darkness
 and put on the armor of light;
 let us conduct ourselves properly;
 not in orgies and drunkenness,
 not in promiscuity and lust,
 not in rivalry and jealousy.
 But put on the lord Jesus Christ,
 and make no provision for the desires of the flesh."

 [Rom 13:11-14]

We have been given the sacraments to help us do this, turning back to the light. Confession to launder our spiritual robes so that we are properly prepared to fully join in the divine banquet of the Eucharist we have been given us for our journey.

Diplomats that are on mission in a foreign land remain in frequent contact with their home government using high security channels. Since I’ve used model of “Diplomat” to describe you and I on our journey home I recommend a high security channel to stay in touch with our divine government. That channel is Eucharistic Adoration! Stop by the chapel daily if you can, visit briefly when you are in town. 

Let our advent find us returning to lives worthy of our message, our task and our promise so that when our God comes again  at the end of time or for each of us, at our death We will be recognized as sons and daughters of the King Of The Universe and welcomed into the palace of his promise.

Life of a Priest Remembered at his Wake

(From my Sermon fifteen years ago this week  February 4, 2004)

Friday my wife and I drove to Fargo to participate in a prayer service for an acquaintance who died on Wednesday. As we pulled into one of the last parking spaces in the main parking we noticed cars were already lining up to get into the overflow parking.

The coffin was of wood, obviously handcrafted, with a cloth lining, likewise made by hand. The body in the coffin was that of a short man, maybe 5'4" with dark suit and sandals.While it was obvious that his spirit was not there in the coffin it was not so clear that he had left the room. As I passed among the mourners and overheard the conversations I sensed that he had an impact on many-many lives.

By the time the prayer service began about two hundred filled the pews. The small choir was made up of nieces and nephews of the deceased who sang his favorite folk hymns and psalms for the service. Among these “Amazing Grace” for the gathering hymn and “Soon and Very Soon” at the end.

Whether the soul of the deceased was present I cannot say but if it were possible, he was there. You see, Richard was known for attending funerals. Judging from the conversations overheard at the service he must have attended every funeral in the Fargo-Moorhead area in recent years. He was at the funeral of every relative of mine that I attended recently but I also know that he didn’t restrict himself to Fargo-Moorhead. A few years ago I attended the funeral of an aged cousin at the Monastery of St Benedict in Crookston. He was there.

He seemed to know that grief and recovery from grief is a matter of grace and that “presence”, the binding together of the mourners present is the first step in opening the door to God’s healing grace. He also knew that for the hungry funerals were a special blessing and at this time of year a blessing also for the cold. In response to those who would ask him about attending so many funerals he would hide his real mission of presence behind a joke about attending for the food. The homeless knew that as far as they were concerned he wasn’t joking.

The Pastor started the service standing beside the wooden coffin. After the opening prayers he came to the altar. Richard’s sister Jeanne read from the Prophet Jeremiah giving us God’s word:

“When you call me, when you pray to me, I will listen to you. When you look for me, you will find me. Yes when you seek me with all your heart, you will find me with you.”

Our first reading today is also from Jeremiah and it also reminds me of Richard’s life.

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I dedicated you, a prophet to the nations I appointed you.”

Richard was born in October of 1925 to a Catholic Farm family in North Dakota. From his earliest days he began to reflect the faith and love exhibited by his parents and family. Today’s reading from Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians is his famous letter about love.

“If I speak in human and angelic tongues, but do not have love, I am a resounding gong or a clashing symbol.”

Richard spoke mostly in human tongues. Often he spoke the truth to the wrong people, people who didn’t want to hear it, but never came off as a gong because he always spoke with love. His life decisions always appeared to be made out of love and at times approached a transparency through which God’s love itself could be seen. His priority to love (as Saint Paul recommends) combined with what many perceived as a lack of common sense, often got him in trouble with authorities of all kinds.

The Pastor read the Gospel from Luke Chapter 4 (the one we have heard at mass the past two weeks and continued today) about Jesus reading from the prophecy of Isaiah:

“He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free.”

In the Homily the Pastor pointed out that Richard had a special role in the body of Christ as a servant of the oppressed and the captive. He had become widely known as an activist for refugees in the 70s and 80s. One day in 1968 he appeared at the gates of the INS detention camp in El Centro, California and proceeded to obtain the release of 2000 refugees by paying their bail. In the 80s he was often arrested while transporting Central American Refugees through the US, where they were unwelcome, to Canada where they were welcome.

Following the homily a number of those present shared their memories of Richard and his life. Among them were those who obviously would vote for his sainthood tomorrow and those more aware of his shortcomings. Catholics, Atheists and Protestants, Peace Activists and Veterans, men and women, former refugees, all testified to the impact of this man on their lives.

Among those who spoke were a US Congressman and a former Governor. The latter being Richard’s brother George. Time available for the prayer service ran out before all had their say.

At this point two young women came forward and explained that they were Richard’s nieces and that a couple of years before he had asked them to dance at his funeral. They proceeded to do just that accompanied by the family choir singing , among other tunes, “Swing Low Sweet Chariot.”

Richard sensed a calling from God at a young age and went off to the seminary as a teenager. He was Ordained at St Mary’s Cathedral in Fargo in 1952. One of the eulogists said that in a real sense Father Richard was God’s fool. I had the same thought myself in recalling what I knew of his life when I saw the front page article about his death in the Fargo Forum on Thursday.

I know that some of you knew him and some may remember him when he was pastor at our neighboring parish of Kent for 5 years in the 1970s. He came to our diocese after being relieved of Pastoral duties by his bishop. During this period he also served in Duluth and as a Prison Chaplin

in Arizona. He returned home in 1983 to work in his brother’s campaign for Governor.

As is true of many of God’s Fools he rattled a few cages. Obviously his bishop had one of them.

While scanning the Internet for additional information about him I found him listed among “Heretics and Dissenters claiming to be Catholic.” He was on this list because be was in an organization known as the “North Dakota Peace Coalition.” 

His efforts for peace included opposing the war in Vietnam and protesting the nuclear missile silos being placed in North Dakota.One of the things that Fr Richard and his fellow peace protestors did was to plant Spruce trees at each nuclear missile site on the North Dakota Prairie. Today those trees stand tall, pointing towards heaven while the missiles and the bombs are gone.

Perhaps some aspects of Father Richard’s spirituality would recommend themselves to us and our own spiritual journeys. One of these was a love of celebration, especially celebrating in song. No matter what event he would show up at he would suggest it was time to sing.

One of the first times we encountered him was years ago during a brief visit to our families in Fargo. Nancy, her mother, grandmother (both non-Catholics) and I had gone out for supper, leaving the kids with my mother.We went to Shakey’s Pizza downtown near city hall. During the meal a young priest came over to our table and introduced himself. As soon as he heard our name he sat down and told us about organizing “hootenannys” with my brother. When he discover that we were involved in music ministry in our home parish he suggested we sing some of his favorite songs. He led off immediately singing loudly and we somewhat sheepishly joined in. Soon, however, he had most of the people in the restaurant singing along. A folk song was followed by a spiritual, followed by another favorite and soon a good hour elapsed in this impromptu hootenanny.

Over the years I had many encounters with him and I became aware of another aspect of his spirituality. One of the eulogists communicated it well in a little story about a very recent encounter with Father Richard. The speaker had gone to the Senior Housing Complex where Father Richard lived on some business. Noting that the daily Mass for the residents was about to begin he took the to opportunity attend, slipping into a vacant pew. He became aware that the small man in the pew ahead was Father Richard.He was aware that the priest’s health had been deteriorating recently. In fact it was just days before the stroke that would send Father to the hospital and result in his death this past Wednesday.

During the consecration the man heard a muted sound. He soon determined that the sound was coming from the man in front of him. He thought perhaps Father  was having trouble breathing. He bent closer to hear better the sound and perhaps offer assistance. As he got closer he understood that the sound he heard was not a breathing problem it was Father Richard’s  whispered prayer,

     
“Thank You Lord, Thank you Lord, Thank you Lord.”

The Mass and the Blessed Sacrament had nourished him for over seventy years from his First Communion in Casselton to his final days with us this week. He now has the opportunity to thank the Lord Face to Face.

When you or I get to experience that Great Eucharist with the Lord described in the Book of Revelation listen carefully. One of the multitude will be singing just a little louder. 

Thank you Lord, for your gift of Father Richard.