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

Rumors

Dear friends in Christ,
If you have been following the Catholic "blogosphere," you may have noticed a rather shocking piece of news: The American College of Louvain--my seminary--is closing. This is sadly true. The seminary will be closing at the end of this academic year. As a result, I will not be returning to Belgium next year to finish my theology studies. If you wish to read the letter explaining the closure, you can Google "Whispers in the Loggia" and scroll down to last Saturday's articles. Ultimately, it is a combination of financial difficulties, lack of available priest-faculty, as well as an ongoing effort to consolidate American seminaries during these economic times to be responsible with the funds of the People of God.
I personally am quite shocked by this news. For all appearances, having lived there for two years, I saw tremendous growth and a vibrant formation atmosphere. It is an sad occurrence but I trust that God is in control of everything.
You may wonder where I'll be going next year. At this point, the Archbishop and I are discussing options--most likely Rome or Mt. Angel. Please pray for me as I discern where the Lord wants me this next year. There are many blessings available at both locations. Being home would be a wonderful gift, building up the brotherhood and being built up by my future "co-workers in the vineyard" of Oregon. Being in Rome would also be a great blessing and opportunity for growth.
Please pray; thank you for your friendship and encouragement.

Love,
Mark

Mexican Summer

Sorry this one took so long to post gang, the summer/beginning of the year has been a whirlwind to say the least. I put up some pictures of my 6 week stint in Mexico--which was a balance of great things as well as suffering, but overall a tremendous blessing.

As many of you know, I went to Queretaro, Mexico to study Spanish and do a cultural immersion. I was excited initially but realized when I arrived that I had no desire to study in school anymore; I was burnt-out from studies after pushing myself to get my thesis and exams done this last semester.
Yet, I found myself in Mexico doing 5 hours of Spanish everyday in class! I was also discouraged because the learning style and I didn't mesh initially and I didn't feel like I was learning as quickly as the others in my group. It wasn't until the 5th week that something "clicked" and I was finally able to converse in Spanish comfortably! There were other minor unpleasant things, but I'm done complaining--in fact, the blessings that came in the middle of the suffering far outweighed the inconveniences.


During the second week, when I was feeling particularly frustrated, I randomly ran into a group of young people in the street who were advertising the 25th anniversary of the Charismatic renewal in Mexico: the event just so happened to be in Queretaro that weekend in the soccer stadium!

Naturally I went and was blown away to find that around 50,000 young people showed up! This event was great because I got to see the energy and flavor of the renewal in Mexico as well as meet many great people. During the next weeks, I got together with several people in the group for their Thursday night Adoration and praise nights, as well as a healing retreat that they hosted in their parish. Their hospitality was overwhelming and their joy was infectious! I was reminded that wherever I go in the world, I have a home because the Church is there; and wherever I go I have friends because the renewal is there.
I also got to meet up with some good seminary buddies from Steubenville in Mexico City. While there, we saw the Basilica with the image of our Lady of Guadalupe as well.

The next weekend, Jeff and I got together with Jose Manuel (another Portland seminarian) in his home of Morella. We were priviledged to go to a baptism of one of his cousins.

Also, I would be amiss if I didn't mention my wonderful host family. They were very kind and always willing to help me with anything I needed. The mom was a great cook and made sure that I didn't go hungry, despite what people thought when they saw me after returning home!


I also got to try my hand at authentic Mexican cooking! I made Gorditas and sopes as well as a traditional dessert and handmade salsas and pico de gallo! It was muy pica! (spicy) The oils from the peppers got under my nails and I could feel the burn several days later if I even thought about rubbing my eyes.
That about does it for Mexico--I could write more, but I think I'll stop there. The Lord did answer one prayer that I had while I was there: to develop a heart for the Mexican people. As I came home I realized that my heart was indeed burning to help bring them closer to Christ--so many are culturally "Catholic" but in practice, very ignorant or pagan. Yet in some ways, this is better than our attitude in America of indifference toward the truth. Evangelization is needed everywhere! Blessings to you all, and thank you for your prayers this summer! I will hopefully post about my pastoral year soon--It has been a wild ride! Peace to you today and always
~Mark

Year finished, STB, Off to Mexico!

Dear friends in Christ,
As time goes by, it seems I get worse and worse at communicating. I plan on being more consistent this next year. I wanted to give all of you the brief update on my formation and life, but in short--it's simply breathtaking!
After a very hectic exam schedule and no time to pack afterwards, I came home on the 16th of June from Belgium. I received confirmation that I successfully completed the STB requirements (Sacred Theological Baccalaureate) and should be proclaimed today. It has been a great grace and I now have completed 3 degrees-BA in Philosophy/Religious Studies(Mt. Angel), BA in Theology and Religious Studies, and the STB (both in Leuven). God is so good in allowing me to finish the STB ahead of normal schedule, which should allow me to finish my Masters and Licentiate (STL) in 2 years more of school--putting the priestly ordination and return to Oregon sometime around 2013 if all goes well.
You might be wondering what I'm doing now. This year, I will be in the coastal town of Astoria, serving at Mary Star of the Sea parish on my pastoral year. It's a really small, but very close knit community and I'm really excited to be there this year, as there are many opportunities for service, teaching, as well as learning from the people. It will be a blessing to not have school for a year!
But before any of that can happen, I'll be leaving in 2 days for Queretaro, Mexico to study Spanish for 6 weeks! Please pray for me that I receive the gift of tongues and interpretation for this beautiful language so that I can serve the Spanish speaking people in our diocese better. Also pray for safety for me and my seminarian brother Jeff during our travels.
After I return from Mexico, my sister gets married in a week, followed by one week of break before beginning the year in Astoria! Life is crazy busy, but so blessed! Thank you for all of your prayers; my own desire and love for the priesthood increases with each new day and I can't wait to serve you. Please pray for me as always, that I can remain faithful to the calling of God for today and not live in the future--be assured of my prayers for you!

Christ's Peace to all,
Mark