Category: Staff

By Fr. Tom Zelinski, OFM Cap.

The Gospel passage for the 30th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Series B, is about the cure of a blind man, Bartimaeus. Despite his physical blindness, Bartimaeus seems to have more faith, more insight, than the people around him. He calls to Jesus as “Son of David.” That is a title for the Messiah.

When Jesus asks him what he can do for him, Bartimaeus makes that simple and profound request, “Master, I want to see!” He wants to see with his eyes, but further, he wants to see and understand who Jesus is and what their relationship might be. The stories of healing in the Gospel are always about more than the physical cure or healing. They stand for something more and deeper.

And so, we could put ourselves in the place of Bartimaeus. If Jesus were to ask you what he can do for you, right now, what would you ask? We all could say, “Master, I want to see!”  I want to see and understand myself better. I want to understand my relationship with God better. I want to better understand my relationships with other people: my wife, my husband, my children, my parents.  I want to see and understand the world with more compassion and charity and justice.

It is often said that we do not see things as they really are, but that we see things as we are. In other words, we all have our own biases and conditioning and life experiences which color how we see and understand our world. We could ask, again and again, that Jesus would help us to see things more clearly so that we would live more honestly and sincerely in our world.

It is a good prayer to say over and over, “Master, I want to see!”

By Fr. Tom Zelinski, OFM Cap.

In the Gospel for Thursday of the 21st Week, Jesus reminds us to “Stay awake, for you do not know on which day your Lord will come.” When we read and hear these words, we perhaps think of death, the time of our exit from this life.  That is a valid understanding and it is something for which we ought to prepare, with as little fear as possible.

But we can also have a wider meaning for those words about being awake. Being awake, staying awake is standard teaching by those who teach prayer and meditation. We are encouraged to be awake to the presence of God in our lives at all times.

We say we believe that God is everywhere and with us in every moment, but it is easy to be distracted and forget about that presence as life hands us its various issues and problems and distractions. And we can’t be expected to walk around mumbling “God is here” all day long.

However, that presence of God is still the reality we are to believe. And so it is good for us to occasionally remind ourselves that we are indeed to be awake to that divine presence in everything we do. There is the phrase, “the sacrament of the present moment,” which has been a part of our spiritual tradition for a long time.

The people we recognize as saints in the Church were very much aware of that constant presence.  St. Therese of Lisieux had her “Little Way” of relating with God in ordinary things.  Mother Teresa, now Saint Teresa, said we might not do great things, but we can do little things with love.  I’m sure Blessed Solanus was very much aware of that constant presence with his regular focus on gratitude for all things. We could go on and on.

And so, when we hear Jesus say “Stay awake,” it doesn’t have to be a scary thing, but can be a hopeful and encouraging reminder that indeed, God is present to us in every moment. It is up to us to find ways in which to stay awake as we wash the dishes, do the laundry, work in our office or factory, or whatever we do. This may be so simple that we forget to do it!

By Fr. Tom Zelinski, OFM Cap.

People who pray often get upset with themselves because they get distracted at prayer. They have trouble focusing on the content of the prayer, whether in private or with a group, such as Eucharist. Maybe the first suggestion is to notice that one is upset, but then choose to simply turn back to the prayer at hand.

Our minds and imaginations are active, taking in all sorts of information, and sometimes it is hard to focus on just one thing at hand. Teachers of prayer and meditation often refer to our “monkey mind.” Our minds can be like monkeys jumping around in the trees. That’s how we are, and there is no need to be upset by that.

We can choose to respond in different ways, beyond getting upset or even angry with ourselves. We try to calmly call ourselves back to what we are doing: private prayer or group prayer, and focus again.

Sometimes the distracting thoughts can be part of our prayer. We might be told to “pray our distractions.” Maybe we are concerned about a problem or about other people we care about. We bring them back with us to the time of prayer.

Another useful point to remember is that, no matter what else is going on, a basic issue with prayer is that we simply “show up.” We come to our time of private or community prayer with the intention of being present. On a given day, maybe that is the best we can do. God accepts our presence and our good intentions. We want to pray, to be conscious of God’s presence, no matter what else is distracting us. God, always present to us, accepts our gift of presence. From Psalm 40: “Here I am, Lord. I come to do your will.”

By Fr. Tom Zelinski, OFM Cap.

In our Gospel passages for the 17th Week of Ordinary Time, there are many references to the “Kingdom of Heaven.” In some other places and translations there will be references to the “Kingdom of God” or “The Reign of God.” All point to the same reality. But what comes to mind when we hear of the “Kingdom of Heaven?” We may have different ideas about that, but the actual meaning can be a bit unclear. It is not first of all a place to which we travel.

During the 17th Week, we read some of the parables of the Kingdom in Matthew 13. And as the early Christian community reflected on Jesus’ words about the Kingdom, they realized he did not describe it in precise terms. And so we hear over and over, “the Kingdom of Heaven is like” something. It is like the seed scattered on the land. It is like weeds growing up among wheat. It is like a great catch of fish. It is like a treasure or pearl of great price. It is “like” these things.

And so, what are we to think? Among other things, we may see the Kingdom of Heaven as a way of living or a state of mind. We might say those living in the Kingdom of Heaven are those who live in a certain way, who express certain values in their lives. They are, in other words, those who try to live by all the teachings of Jesus. They do this as individuals and in community with others.

The Catholic Church does not equal the Kingdom of Heaven, but we hope that Catholic people participate in the Kingdom in their behavior, along with their brothers and sisters in other groups and denominations.

Those living in the Kingdom of Heaven are those , indeed, who hear the words of Jesus and follow them with their lives. Could Jesus say to any of us: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like your life?”

By Fr. Tom Zelinski, OFM Cap.

On July 15, the Church honors St. Bonaventure, the great Franciscan mystic, theologian, and Minister General of the Franciscan Order. He is often called the “Second Founder” of the Franciscan Order for a couple of reasons. He lived in the 13th Century and joined the Order not too long after the death of St. Francis.

He took up the ideas and spirit of St. Francis and gave them some theological form and structure. His famous work, The Journey of the Soul into God, tells of a way of prayer and spirituality that incorporates the Franciscan spirit. He builds on Francis’ appreciation of nature and all of creation as reflecting the presence of God in all things.

He is associated with the phrase vestigia Dei, the “footprints of God,” which are to be found all around us in the created world.

Bonaventure is also considered the Second Founder in the way he helped to reconcile two factions in the Order, which were having disagreements about how to truly follow the spirit of Francis.

He was asked to become a bishop and he refused until finally he was prevailed upon to become bishop of Albano and was made a cardinal. With that is connected the little story of how delegates from Rome came to give him his cardinal’s red hat. He asked them at first to wait outside and hang it on a tree while he helped wash the dishes. The humble spirit of a great man.

By Fr. Tom Zelinski, OFM Cap.

On July 3, the Catholic Church honors St. Thomas the Apostle, frequently referred to as “Doubting Thomas,” and therefore the source of many comments aimed at those of us who go by that name! Yes, Thomas struggled with doubt when the other disciples told of seeing the Risen Christ. He demanded proof, or else he would not believe. And so the Gospel tells us he did see Jesus the next time he appeared, and so he believed. Jesus reminded him that those are blessed who have not seen, and still believe. Was he talking about you and me?

Thomas could be the patron of all of us. Do we ever have doubts? Do we have questions about the unseen realm of God and “heaven?” Do we wonder what really happens after physical death? I raise my hand to join that group.

The story of Thomas can be a reminder that, even as we doubt and question and wonder, the Risen Christ is there, beyond the veil of our limited sight, ready to receive and accept us in our questioning. We are to remain open to the mystery and not close the door to what might be. God, Christ, Trinity await us.

We are blessed if we continue to even want to believe without visible proof. We remain open to what God wants to teach us.

By Fr. Tom Zelinski, OFM Cap.

Once again we observe Independence Day. The day will be observed in all sorts of ways, some more serious than others. On the surface, it will be a day, a weekend, of picnics, cookouts, beach time, golf, baseball, fireworks. But the reason for the celebration always lingers in the background: the United States declared its independence from Great Britain and fought a war to make that a reality. Since then, our citizens have been proud to  proclaim our freedom, our independence. As Christians, we know that Christ has made us free, but free for what? Not to do simply as we please, but free to be who we really are: children of God, living with Christ’s life in us. This is not rugged individualism without regard for others. We are free to be in communion with the Trinity, and therefore with other people. We are free to be loving and compassionate and to do justice.

During the past year, someone cynically said the new spirit of American was becoming “No one can tell me what to do.” If that is what Independence Day means for anyone, that person is headed in the direction of selfishness and a kind of narcissism. All about me. That is hardly the spirit of “All for one, one for all,” or the spirit of the freedom of the children of God. Our freedom is not for selfishness, but is a freedom for sharing and respecting all our brothers and sisters. Happy Independence Day!

By Fr. Tom Zelinski, OFM Cap.

The Gospel reading for Thursday of Week 11 contains Jesus’ teaching on prayer, which we have come to call the “Our Father.”

It is valuable to focus on the first word, “our.” At the meetings of some groups, the members pray this prayer and before they start, someone will ask “Whose Father?” And the prayer begins.

We pray to our Father, and not merely my Father. It is a reminder that we are all children of God and therefore related to each other as brothers and sisters. Everyone, not only Christians, but all people are thus related.

The human race has not learned that lesson well. Down through the centuries, it seems the history of humanity is a history of warfare, violence, racism and oppression. But we must not forget the many millions who did indeed try to live respecting their brothers and sisters.

And so, given the news of each day, we still have a lot to learn, based on the simple beginning of the Lord’s Prayer. We could also include concern for the earth and its creatures. Our God has created and presides over all. Francis of Assisi liked to call many creatures his brothers and sisters, all in view of our Creator God.

As we pray the prayer so often, we might see the many applications of that word, “our.” Lord, teach us to pray.

By Fr. Tom Zelinski, OFM Cap.

As a priest, I get to listen to lots of people of all ages. Often with people who have been on the earth for some time, a similar theme appears. People who have been trying to pray, attend church, receive sacraments for many years often feel as though they should be “better” by now. They “should” have more patience, more charity, more kindness, be better at prayer.

It is probably natural that we wonder “How am I doing?” And many of us tend too easily to lean toward the negative and think less of ourselves than might be accurate.

The Gospel parables of the recent Sunday have something to say about all that. Jesus uses images of farm crops and the famous mustard seed. Many things come from very small beginnings, and often grow and develop in quiet and mysterious ways.

I would suggest the good people who tell me about their shortcomings have no idea how much good they have done in their long lives, how many good seeds they have planted by their care, their hard work, their responsible tending to children, relatives and friends.

Measuring such things is not necessary. We can leave that up to God, and keep on, in the present and the future, planting our seeds of kindness, justice, and compassion.