Ascension practice homily

Dear Friends,
I know its been a while--I'm terrible at blogging I've realized--but I wanted to share with you a homily I gave for class a few weeks ago in anticipation of the great feast we celebrate tomorrow (on Sunday in the States).  Pentecost is almost here!  Get excited!

Ascension Homily

Acts 1:1-11, Ps 47:2-9, Eph 1:17-23, Mk 16:15-20

 Right up till the end, the Apostles didn’t get it.  During Jesus’ lifetime, they thought he was going to defeat the Romans and usher in a new earthly kingdom—even though Jesus told them many times that he was going to suffer and die.  When Jesus was captured and sentenced to death, most of them fled, and even after the resurrection they still couldn’t believe what had happened.  Jesus was with them for 40 days explaining the true meaning of the Scriptures, showing miraculous proofs of his resurrection to encourage their faith, and still we hear them ask in our first reading, “are you going to restore the kingdom now?”  They just didn’t get it: no matter how many times Jesus told them, it wasn’t going to make a difference—they needed something more to really understand who Jesus was.  They needed the Holy Spirit.

            What did the Holy Spirit do for them that Jesus didn’t?  The second reading gives a clue: The Spirit gives KNOWLEDGE of Jesus…so that we may “KNOW what is the hope that belongs to His call.”  The disciples knew a lot ABOUT Jesus, and even lived with Him, but didn’t really KNOW fully who Jesus was until the Holy Spirit revealed it to them.  It seems that when the Holy Spirit taught the apostles, the knowledge didn’t stay in their heads, but went to their hearts so that they finally KNEW Jesus was the Lamb of God who took away their sins.  The Holy Spirit then, as the Wisdom of God, breathed this saving knowledge deep within their souls so that they could no longer doubt—they knew personally that Jesus was the Son of God and had truly taken away their sins by His sacrifice on the cross.  They KNEW that they were nothing but sinners, but Christ in His infinite love redeemed them and all of humanity from their slavery to sin.  This deep knowledge and conviction gave them unimaginable joy and power—the power to proclaim the Gospel boldly with conviction and faith, the power to be courageous in the face of adversity, the Power to overcome the evil One in prayer, the power to be a witness.  This is what Jesus meant when he said, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses.”

But after the Ascension, they didn’t have this power.  Jesus tells them in the Acts of the Apostles to go back to Jerusalem and wait for the coming of the Holy Spirit.  This is wise: if they were to go out and preach the Gospel immediately, it would have been disastrous: they were still fearful, still uncertain about who Jesus really was, even after so much evidence in front of them.  We experience this same truth ourselves when we try and witness our faith to others don’t we?  We might know all the right theology, the right arguments, and even be able to demonstrate how reasonable Christianity is—but unless we KNOW that God loves us personally and have experienced it, we can’t transmit that saving message to others.  Without this Power of the Holy Spirit and the true knowledge He brings, we can’t be converted ourselves, much less convert the world.

But we don’t need this Power just to do miraculous things.  No, we need the Holy Spirit to do very simple things—even to pray or believe in Jesus at all!  The disciples lived with Jesus and saw incredible things on a daily basis, but they still had a hard time believing.  Peter still denied Jesus 3 times when asked if he knew Jesus; Judas still betrayed him, the rest of the disciples still fled from the Garden.  We are no better.  We deny Jesus with our silence when we hear people ridicule our faith and say nothing; we betray him when we sin against our neighbor; we abandon Him in the poor, the suffering, and the outcast when we turn a blind eye to their plight.  Yes, brothers and sisters, we need the true knowledge of the Holy Spirit so that we are convicted of God’s deep love for us and only then can we have the power to give that same love to our neighbors.  You can’t give what you don’t have. 

The full outpouring of the Holy Spirit is a gift that God gives us in the Sacrament of Confirmation; but if your experience was like mine, the experience of Confirmation wasn’t one of fire descending from heaven and speaking in tongues.  Why not?  Maybe because we don’t get it.   We should ask ourselves if we really believe that these Scriptures are telling the truth and if this Power of God is real and if God’s love is real and can change our lives—and then the next question is, “Will I ask God for His love and Power to come upon me?”  God respects our freedom; he wants us to ask for the Holy Spirit.  Brothers and sisters, if you are hungry for more, if you want to KNOW that God is real and KNOW that He loves you and will never leave you no matter how often we fail; ask God with me now for the Holy Spirit’s love and Power.  God is not stingy with His gifts, but lavishes them upon us.  The only thing preventing God from loving us is our own stubbornness!  Let Him in!  He wants to show us His love so much that He will humble Himself to be hidden behind the appearances of bread and wine on this altar so that we can physically taste His love for us!

As a parish, we will be praying the Novena to the Holy Spirit after mass for the next nine days.  Just like the first apostles, we will pray and wait for the Holy Spirit with expectant faith.  Don’t wait another day to experience the fullness of life that God wants for us; we have been living in fear and uncertainty for long enough.  Come Holy Spirit!  Fill the Hearts of your faithful and enkindle in them the fire of your love!

Ash Wednesday- Station Churches #1 Santa Sabina

A blessed Lent to one and all!
    A lot has happened and I haven't been so good at writing it down for posterity.  Suffice it to say, I survived my exams, as well as the huge snowstorm we had in Rome--that's right, snowstorm--and here are the pictures to prove it!

Roman Snow!!!

Seminarians are so creative...need a snow bathroom?

 A unique opportunity that we have studying here in Rome is participating in the Stational Church pilgrimage.  This is an ancient tradition that goes back to St. Gregory the Great.  Basically, you make pilgrimage to one new church or basilica in Rome every day for mass.  I plan on going to all of them if I can and writing a little blurb for you here.  Today's church was Santa Sabina, the Dominican Church.  The fresco in the apse (which, unfortunately, my camera couldn't capture well) is of Christ preaching, which becomes "streams of living water" which quench the thirst of the Church.  It also boasts of the worlds oldest depiction of the crucifixion in art (remembering that the image of the fish was much more common in antiquity). 

Santa Sabina

    For your convenience, I thought I'd attach Pope Benedict's homily that he gave this evening in Santa Sabina about the Ashes on Ash Wednesday.  As always, the Pope is very clear and profound.  If you haven't read it yet, here it is, courtesy of vatican.va:

"Ash Wednesday is a day of fasting and penance on which we begin a new journey towards the Easter of Resurrection, the journey of Lent. I would like to reflect on the liturgical sign of the ashes, a material sign, a natural element that, in the Liturgy, becomes a sacred symbol, so important on this day that marks the start of our Lenten journey. In ancient times, in the Jewish culture, it was common to sprinkle one’s head with ashes as a sign of penance, and to dress in sack-cloth and rags. For us Christians, there is this one moment which has important symbolic and spiritual relevance.

Ashes are the material sign that brings the cosmos into the Liturgy. The most important signs are those of the Sacraments: water, oil, bread and wine, which become true sacramental elements through which we communicate the Grace of Christ who comes among us. The ashes are not a sacramental sign, but they are linked with prayer and the sanctification of the Christian people. Before the ashes are placed on our heads, they are blessed according to two possible formulae: in the first they are called “austere symbols”, in the second, we invoke a blessing directly upon them, referring to the text in the Book of Genesis which can also accompany the imposition of the ashes: “Remember that you are dust and unto dust you shall return”.
Let us reflect for a moment on this passage of Genesis.

It concludes with a judgement made by God after original sin. God curses the serpent who caused man and woman to commit sin. Then He punishes the woman saying she will suffer the pains of giving birth. Then He punishes the man, saying he will suffer the fatigue of labour and He curses the soil saying “accursed be the soil because of you, because of your sin.” The man and woman are not cursed directly as the serpent is, but because of Adam’s sin. Let us reread the account of how God created man from the Earth. “God fashioned man of dust from the soil. Then He breathed into his nostrils, a breath of life. Thus man became a live being. Then God planted a garden in Eden, which is in the East, and there He put the man He had fashioned.” Thus the sign of the ashes recalls the great story of creation which tells us that being human means unifying matter with Divine breath, using the image of dust formed by God and given life by His breath, breathed into the nostrils of the new creature.

In the Genesis account, the symbol of dust takes on a negative connotation because of sin. Before the fall the soil is totally good: through God’s work it is capable of producing “every kind of tree enticing to look at and good to eat.” After the fall and following the divine curse it produces only thorns and brambles and only in exchange for the sweat of man’s brow will it surrender its fruits. The dust of the Earth no longer recalls the creative hand of God, one that is open to life, but it becomes a sign of death: “Dust you are and unto dust you shall return.”It is clear from this Biblical text that the Earth participates in man’s destiny. In one of his homilies, St. John Chrysostom says: “See how after his disobedience, everything is imposed on man in a way that is contrary to his previous life style.” This cursing of the soil has a “medicinal” function for man who learns from the resistance of the earth to recognize his limitations and his own human nature.

Another ancient commentary summarizes this beautifully: “Adam was created pure by God to serve Him. All creatures were created for the service of man. He was destined to be lord and king over all creatures. But when he embraced evil he did so by listening to something outside of himself. This penetrated his heart and took over his whole being. Thus ensnared by evil, Creation, which had assisted and served him, was ensnared together with him.”

As we said earlier quoting John Chrysostom, the cursing of the soil had a “medicinal”, or healing, function: meaning that God’s intention is always good and more profound, even than His own curse. The curse does not come from God but from sin. God cannot avoid inflicting the curse because he respects human freedom and its consequences even when they are negative. Thus, within the punishment and within the curse, there is a good intention that comes from God. When He says, “Dust you are and unto dust you shall return”, He intends inflicting a just punishment, but also announcing the way to salvation. This will pass through the Earth, through that same dust, that same flesh which will be assumed by the Word Incarnate.

This is context in which the words of Genesis are reflected in the Ash Wednesday liturgy: as an invitation to penance, humility, and an awareness of our mortal state. We are not to despair, but to welcome in this mortal state of ours the unthinkable nearness of God who opens the way to Resurrection, to paradise regained, beyond death. There is a text by Origen that says: “That which was flesh, earth, dust, and was destroyed by death and returned to dust and ashes, is made to rise again from the earth. According to the merits of the soul that inhabits the body, the person advances towards the glory of a spiritual body.”

The merits of the soul about which Origen speaks are important, but more important are the merits of Christ, the efficacy of his Pascal Mystery. St. Paul gives us a good summary in the second reading: “For our sake God made the sinless one into sin so that in Him we might become the goodness of God.” For us to enjoy divine forgiveness depends essentially on the fact that God Himself, in the person of His Son, wanted to share in our human condition, but not in the corruption of sin.

The Father resurrected Him through the power of His Holy Spirit and Jesus, the new Adam, became the spirit who gives us life, the first fruits of the new creation.

The same spirit that resurrected Jesus from the dead can transform our hearts from hearts of stone to hearts of flesh. We said as much in the psalm: “A pure heart create for me O God, put a steadfast spirit within me, do not cast me away from your presence, nor deprive me of your holy spirit.” That the same God that exiled our first parents from Eden, sent His own Son to this Earth devastated by sin, without sparing Him, so that we, prodigal children, can return, penitent and redeemed through His mercy, to our true homeland. So it be for all of us, and for all believers, and for all those who humbly recognize their need to be saved. Amen.

Immaculate Conception Homily in Spanish

(Este homilie fue por un clase di predicación en el seminario--lo siento por la grammatica)  For my English friends, this is a different homily than my English one, so if you read Spanish, enjoy!

En la lectura de Genesis, leemos que Adan “le puso por nombre Eva a su mujer, porque ella era la madre de todos los vivientes”.  Pero, sabemos que el pecado de Adan y Eva nos condena a la muerte.  El “fruto”, la consequencia, de sus desobediencias fue la muerte para todos!  Por eso, vivimos con miedo perpetuo de la muerte, de Dios, y de los demas. 

Peró, alegrate!  Hoy celebramos la fiesta que inicia nuestra salvación!  La santisima Virgen Maria fue concebida sin pecado para prepararla para ser Madre de nuestro salvador, Jesucristo.  Maria, como Eva, fue una mujer libre de pecado.  Dios, en una accion unica, creo a Maria sin el pecado de Adan y Eva.  Pues, cuando era mujer, Maria, libremente, dijo a Gabriel “He aquí la sierva del Señor; hágase en mi conforme a tu palabra.”  En ese momento, Maria, como una Eva nueva, aplastó la cabeza de la serpiente en comunión con la gracia de su hijo Jesus. 

En contraste con Eva, Maria no buscó su proprio voluntad.  Por lo tanto, el fruto de su “si” fue nuestra salvación, el nacimiento de nuesto Salvador, Jesucristo que fue crucificado y resucitado por nosotros.  Maria recibió el fruto de la salvación de Cristo en el momento de su concepción, peró Dios nos invita a recibir este mismo fruto.  Es por eso que tenemos los sacramentos.  Nuesto bautismo nos libera de todos los pecados, y la reconciliación nos lava de nuevo cuando pecamos contra Dios.

Aún más increíble es el hecho de que Jesús nos da su Cuerpo y Sangre - el verdadero fruto de la vida eterna!  Ven, confiesa tus pecados a Dios y recibe su misericordia en este altar!  El verdadero árbol de la vida, la cruz, ha dado su fruto en la Eucaristía - Ven y conoce el amor que Dios tiene para ti.

Que la Virgen María, la Inmaculada Concepcion y nuestra madre, ruegue por nosotros, para que podamos amar a Jesús mas que cualquier otra cosa y que podamos vivir con Él para siempre.  Amen

Immaculate Conception Practice Homily

(I gave this homily in class, based on the readings for today's feast--I hope you enjoy it!)

"Death through Eve, Life through Mary"

Today the whole Church celebrates the mystery of Mary, the mother of God, who was born without the effects of original sin by a unique act of grace by God.  This dogma was declared infallibly in 1854 by Pope Pius IX, but had been believed since the earliest days of the Church.  Many people ask why we as Catholics believe this teaching and the answer is simple:  God always finishes the stories he begins.

In our first reading from Genesis, we hear about how Eve listens to the serpent and brings death to herself, Adam, and all of humanity descended from them.  However, unlike us when we sin, Eve had complete freedom because she was created without sin by God.  In the state of original innocence, her will and her emotions were in harmony--which makes her act of disobedience all the worse because she could control her emotions if she chose.  In case you're wondering, Adam isn't off the hook either because he too was created without sin and freely chose to sin...in some sense we could say that his sin is worse because he heard the command about the tree directly from God, while it is assumed Eve heard it from Adam secondhand.  Yet, this story is not without hope in the end-- we hear that one day the head of the deceitful serpent will be crushed.

All of the "Characters" in our story have been exposed (Adam, Eve, and the Serpent) and now we must see the drama unfold.  If you are impatient like me, you turn to the end of the story, the book of Revelation, and see Christ, the "new Adam" triumph over the dragon and marry his spotless bride, the Church-the new Jerusalem, who has been purified by His blood.  And yet, this heavenly Jerusalem is also described as "the Woman...crowned with twelve stars" (Rev 12) who gives birth to the Savior.  Mary is seen as an image of the immaculate Church we are called to be in heaven.  How is this possible?

"Hail full of grace, the Lord is with you!"  The angel Gabriel calls Mary by the name 'full of grace'--a name which says she is already full of grace before she says "yes" to giving birth to Jesus.  What a mystery!  As the dogma of the Immaculate conception says, this is possible because Mary is chosen before the foundation of the world to be the Mother of God--and like a "new Eve", she is created without original sin so that she is completely free to choose.  All of creation waits, knowing that like Eve, she can say "no" to God's love.

With her "yes", her "fiat" to God's will, all creation rejoices!  The disobedient sin of Eve has been countered by the obedience of the new Eve--Mary.  Her Divine Son, Jesus, the New Adam, will soon deal the final blow to that ancient serpent on the cross, so that we might live free from the curse of death and sin.

Rejoice brothers and sisters, for because of Mary, we have assurance that the end of our own story will be full of glory!  "O Mary, conceived without original sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!"

I'm Baaack :)

Dear Friends and Family,
    After a considerable period of "radio silence", I am happy to offer you another "Marky update" as some are wont to call it...but first, a picture of me juggling in the private papal gardens at Castel Gandalfo, a feat which may make me the first seminarian/juggler in history to do so!

    Life has been busy, crazy, wonderful, at times frustrating, at all times very blessed!  Since leaving a wonderful pastoral year in Astoria, OR, I took some much needed rest at home before embarking on 7 weeks of intensive Italian school in Middlebury, Vermont.  It was a wonderful experience; I met some new friends and learned a great deal more Italian than I thought possible in a short time.  I then had a week at home before flying here to Rome, where another 2 weeks of Italian study awaited me!  Afterwards, I had a week of Counseling workshops, a week-long silent retreat, a week of homily workshops, and then I helped sing in the choir for the ordination mass of 35 deacons in St. Peter's Basilica--It was truly breathtaking!
    I finally started classes this week, and am beginning the Licentiate/Masters program in Spirituality at the Angelicum.  The professors are awesome and the Lord has blessed me so much to be able to spend the last two years of seminary formation studying the great spiritual masters of our Catholic tradition!  This year I get to take, among other things, classes on St. Catherine of Sienna, St. John of the Cross, early Dominican spirituality, and a seminar on the Agony of Jesus in the Garden...needless to say, it's going to be epic!
   Speaking of epic-ness, here's a few cool photos of stuff we got to do thus far:
First, a tour of the Swiss Guard Barracks

Then, Silent retreat at the beach

St. Paul's Basilica outside the walls

And tons more stuff that I didn't take pictures of cause I'm lazy :)
I will continue to post about God's blessings during the year, and I hope that you are edified by my reflections.  Know that I am praying for all of you and carry you with me whenever I'm on pilgrimage.  May the God of all grace give each of us the strength to live out our vocations in joy!

Peace and Blessings,
Mark 

Blog Reboot

Dear Friends and Family,
   You may have noticed that the Blog looks different...I am no longer in Belgium, so I thought it would be appropriate to update things to reflect where I am now, namely, the Eternal City of Rome.  I will try to update more often, and it is a goal to give a more extended reflection at least monthly this year.  Please continue to pray for me on the road to Deaconate, coming to you sometime in 2012, Lord willing!

Merry Christmas!

Dear Friends and Family,

A Blessed Advent and Christmas to one and all! As I look back, it’s amazing how quickly time flies—and how much change can happen in one year. For those of you who don’t have the time to read everything, I’ll give the short version followed by the long one.



Short Version

In short, this year I am currently doing a “Pastoral year” in Astoria, Oregon. It’s basically an internship where I live with a priest and “learn the ropes” from him. I have done everything from office work to teaching Scripture classes to performing at a Catholic Daughters Oktoberfest. In the midst of all the blessings, the Lord has done something drastic which is right now affecting my life.

A few weeks ago, I was informed that my seminary in Belgium is closing (You were in Belgium? Yes, for two years…). Naturally, this came as a shock to me and my brothers studying there. The Archbishop and I discussed options for my final two years of school and this Friday he told me where I was going…Rome. Starting this next academic year then, barring unforeseen circumstances, I’ll be going to Rome to finish my Licentiate in Sacred Theology. Right now, my head is still spinning, but the application process will begin soon for the Seminary and Italian summer school! Please keep me in prayer during this transition time—I still have half a year of pastoral year to do! Thus, you are up to date with all things “Marky”. What follows is the update from last year to the present.



Long Version

At the end of Summer ’09, I had finished a difficult first year in Leuven, Belgium, and had just returned from a stint with Mother Theresa’s sisters in Ethiopia ministering to the poor. (You can find articles about this on an earlier blog post). When I returned to school, it was the year of the priesthood and our seminary was going to Ars, France for our annual retreat. While there, the Lord brought me to a place of greater surrender and healed an area of my heart I was keeping from Him. With this healing, however, I was fairly certain I would be leaving Seminary to pursue other dreams. As the weeks went by, I didn’t leave; in fact, I was given renewed strength to continue and experienced an even greater healing.

As some of you know, I discovered that I suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder. Belgium is very dark in the winter and my first winter there was miserable. After the retreat, I began exercising, taking vitamins, and getting 8 hours of sleep a night. This brought about such a drastic change that I didn’t need medication that second winter—one which was the coldest in many years! More than the healthy habits was the abiding sense of God’s love—He had loved me into existence and loved me all my life up to this very moment.

In addition, I worked on another icon this year (check the blog for pictures) which was much more complicated than the first one. The Lord really blessed that work and showed me concretely how much His grace had been working this last year to change me. Thank you for all your prayers during that time.

The Belgian youth group that I was a part of also began a new effort at evangelization which culminated in a retreat. I was blessed to be able to share my testimony at this retreat and see the fruit of it—several in the group had also experienced a call to religious life but were afraid of it! I am thankful to all those who encouraged me in this group—they kept me going during times of spiritual dryness my first year.

During the year I was assigned to the SHAPE military base in Mons, where I and several others helped with masses and CCD. I met so many great families and got to help lead praise and worship for the confirmation retreat, as well as one of their youth nights at the end of the year. You were all a huge blessing to me and I’ll never forget you or your hospitality!

The last month of school was very busy writing my thesis and preparing for finals. At the last minute, right before finals, I and two of my seminarian brothers got the chance to see the Passion Play in Oberramergau, Germany. This play is only done once every 10 years and is done by the whole town with live animals and over 1,000 people! It was a once in a lifetime experience, but meant that we had only a couple days before all the finals began—needless to say, the last 3 weeks of school were non-stop cramming and thesis writing! As a happy ending, I passed all my classes and graduated “cum laude” from the abridged bachelor program with my STB.



Summer 10’

When I got home, I turned right around and flew out to Steubenville for the Priests, Deacons, and Seminarians retreat. It was a great time and I experienced even more internal healing and was encouraged by my brothers. If you have the opportunity to go there for any retreat, DO IT! No one does conferences better.

Immediately after returning home, I went to Astoria to visit the parish where I’m currently working and make a “work agreement” with my pastor. A few days later I turned around and flew to Mexico for 6 weeks of Spanish immersion! It was at this time that I realized I was tired of school and really needed a break…but it was only day three of 6 weeks! (check the blog for the full story). Ultimately, I did walk away from the experience with a decent amount of Spanish, so, “Mission accomplished” J.

When I returned home, my sister got married that weekend, which was the event of the year for our parish—The archbishop presided and my siblings did the music—I helped serve. I then had one week of vacation and began my pastoral year at the Parish, where I’ve been going non-stop since I got here.



Pastoral Year

When I arrived at the end of August, the secretary/business manager quit, so I became assistant secretary (really, the only secretary since the person who quit was the only staff in the parish). I answered phones, wrote check requests, and did as much as I could to help Father out. I’ve since been relieved of those duties, but was exposed to the practical day to day workings of the parish, which was great.

I’ve also been diving into the Old Testament this year, teaching 2 adult bible studies on it as well as teaching one day per week in the Grade School for all grade levels. It is challenging but invigorating work—I love the Old Testament (Thank you Dr. Bergsma!).

There have been many other things that have happened this year, but that’s enough for now—if you’ve read this far, God bless you! Know that you’ve been in my heart this last year and without your prayers I wouldn’t still be here today! May the Christ child find a ready place in your heart this Christmas, and may true peace be yours now and always.



In the Love of our Redeemer,

Mark Bentz