Kateri Tekakwitha - Lily of the Mohawks

I believe Kateri is interceding for me, and us here in Fredericton, NB!
....and I like the priest in this video - something honest and good about him.
A good spirit...reminds me of many of the priests I have met.

I pray Kateri stirs up some holy disobedience...to combat the stifling spirit.

Join me in reading more about Kateri here:
http://www.thelifeofkateritekakwitha.net/en/pc/chapter1.html

Seeing Beyond

I am a red-letter Christian, 

sort of*. 

I believe the first disciples of Christ,

especially throughout the beginning centuries, 

show that they operated according the the Scriptures. 

And I also believe that what I do is in accord with Biblical principles,

especially the Mass. 

Speaking of which, today is the celebration of Saint Peter and Saint Paul.

i found it super interesting to see that in the readings

for today, (see http://usccb.org/nab/062910b.shtml - if interested), 

there is reference to chains.  The story of Peter's being rescued from prison

by an Angel is the first reading at Mass today.  I found this interesting in the

context of TJ's prayer last night (Trinitea's Tea House Prayer shop - Fredericton) 

about being 'unchained' and several spontaneous prayers about things being unchained with keys.  

Keys - of course, figure large in the Gospel chosen for today.  Jesus tells Peter,

"You are Peter...and on this rock I will build my Church - and the gates of hell

shall not prevail against it".  This presupposes that the gates of Hell will be stormed...

wow, there is a vision for evangelization!  

Jesus gives Peter the 'keys of the kingdom' - that

whatever is bound on earth will be bound in heaven...a biblical reference in Catholic 

tradition to the sacrament of reconciliation.

Back to modern day.  Also of interest, on the same night we gathered, Pope Benedict announced the formation of a new international council for evangelization - targeting in specific those nations once

evangelized and now fallen into secularism, hedonism and relativism.  Wow, that doesn't 

happen everyday.  And furthermore, he pointed to the need for Christians to work together for

the full unity Christ prayed for.  In fact, the feast of Peter and Paul stands for and highlights unity.

It is interesting that Peter, who 'holds the keys' would make such an 

announcement from the Eternal City on the very day we were gathered together in full ecumenical array at a Tea shop in Fredericton, NB.  The Spirit is so cool.

Father Aaron

here:  see http://www.zenit.org/article-29734?l=english for Benedict's full homily.  

Feel free to send this blog to your friends or post it to your Facebook account. 

http://aaronchristopherknox.blogspot.com/

A further note on 'red-letter'

* I do not see teachings/precepts that flow from that which is not 'red-letter' (Christ's verbal text in the Holy Scriptures) as extra or irrelevant or 'man-made'.  Far from it!  I can imagine that the reason for taking up such a position is because of the scandal that comes from feeling like any other system of belief appears to be too bound-up/technical/rule-bound/devoid of spirit.  But its hard to get away from the human dynamic.  In that vein, 'Non-denominational' is by now a denomination in its own right. :) 

Anyways, my interest is not debate.  However, I could not resist a wee comment.  Its an Irish thing.  Or maybe a Scottish thing.  How bout those family roots - no wonder I'm so neurotic! 

* I love good film.  I hear that Faith Like Potatoes is excellent!  Not as titillating as Iron Man II perhaps, but wait for the good stuff to hit the heart!  With love, rather than a plasma blast.  I can think of no one I'd like to plasma blast...but then again, it is early in the day.

Have you heard Matt Maher?  You can find him on Youtube.  A Catholic worship artist who has performed with Hillsong Australia, Matt Redman, Chris Tomlin, etc.

His song, Alive Again (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6w5szlpedY), 

is modeled after Saint Augustine's great prayer...

"Late have I loved you, O beauty ever ancient, ever new, late have I loved you" 

- full text?  see http://feastofsaints.com/ancientnew.htm

......

Vivat Jesu!  Long live Jesus.  Long live 'the King'. 

" Few things are important,
indeed only One. "


With Love, 
Father Aaron


Further reading:
Archbishop Timothy Dolan's blog: 
http://www.facebook.com/notes/archbishop-timothy-dolan/to-whom-shall-we-go/405920263074

Archbishop Charles Chaput's latest: 
http://www.archden.org/index.cfm/ID/4113

For the unlikely lover of liturgy:
*one of the greats: Guardini - http://www.jknirp.com/guardf.htm

Mother Knows Best

WHY MUST WE GIVE OURSELVES TO GOD?
- Mother Teresa

Why must we give ourselves fully to God?  

Because God has given Himself to us.  

If God who owes nothing to us is ready to impart to us no less than Himself,

shall we answer with just a fraction of ourselves?

                        
To hear Mother speak in person/downloadable audio:
http://catholicaudio.blogspot.com/2008/12/mother-theresas-1994-prayer-breakfast.html

Hi.
If you got to this blogspot its probably because you know me.
And if you know me, well, we probably haven't talked in a while.
"Things are going well...I'm in Fredericton...priesthood is great...I went to France
awhile back..."  Ok, i'll be honest - what I'd rather do is share some of my writing/thoughts.
The blog entitled 'Diocesan Cigarettes' is my latest work.  My hope is
that is strikes you as entertaining, sarcastic yet with a subtle oak aftertaste.
I know it can be painstaking to read electronic screens.  But I hope you enjoy. Click on
Older Post to see 'Diocesan Cigarettes'.

Diocesan Cigarettes...

*Disclaimer of claimability: 

The litany of saints was prayed over me when I was ordained a priest.  Maybe this article is written under their snickering guidance.  Or perhaps they are terribly upset with it and rushing to their prayer stalls.  In any event, I hope to be keeping them busy.*

Hi.

True story: 

The parking lot of the church continues to be a haven for lethal potholes.  

The readings this week are difficult.  I do not feel motivated to preach. 

The music ministers need a visit, the deck needs fixing, the car is due for repair, i need an eye examination and new glasses.  

And amidst the sea-squall of things, oh - and a homily too...a question wells up...

- what is the significance?

The diocese is worried about lawsuits and restoring buildings.

Is 'evangelization' on the top of anyone's list?

Listen, I have the answer: We don't need another strategy, we need cigarettes.  

My grandmother Sadie Knox smoked cigarettes.  

I think priests, seminarians, and especially bishops, should 

get special benefits for smoking.  

And just think, if we all sat around and smoked together, that

would be a communal activity that could bond us closer together.

That's how they did it in the old days.  I wonder

if we might have been better off in some ways?  Self-care is good (and all

the rage these days), but imagine crying tears of laughter or pain into a good scotch with a trusted priest friend.  

You know what gets me?  It seems everyone has the answer to how to 'fix' things.

"The Bishop should do this or that" - yes, many arm-chair bishops reign over diocesan-living-rooms.  If only we could handle the fact that God has chosen and given us a bishop...one whom I happen to admire and believe in.  But even if I didn't, even if I wouldn't share my last cigarette with him - NEWS FLASH - he would still be Christ's vicar for our part of the world!  I wish more people 'got' it...namely, that 

meta-reform at the diocesan level is tied to personal-reform (ie. conversion of heart, maturity).  

I come to this scholarly and ecclesiastically refined question:

"Who will come, and light a fire under us?"  

The answer?  The Holy Spirit.

Seriously, if the Spirit had to do it today, 

would it be tongues of fire on the head...or flames of fire on the arse?  

Hey, don't get me wrong.  I am at least as guilty of inaction, resistance and fear as the next person.  I am reluctant to risk my reputation, instead clutching onto less important things as if they were the last cigarette on earth.  What I hate most - and love most - is meeting people genuinely given over to building up the kingdom.  O, these hateful lovely people make all us arm-chair philosophs look so, well, stuffy.  Instead, these have translated love for Christ into action.  O how it burns when we see them succeeding.  And yet they also encourage us to step out from the shadows and to 'let our light shine'.

I think our choices as a diocese, and a presbyterate are simple.  

Smoke or pray.  Work together or be disconnected.  

Show concern for our discipleship and fight for it, or go with the tide of self-righteous, self-help, self-religiousity that surrounds us.  

Take up our cross and follow Jesus, the Church, our Bishop, the Pope.  

Or follow the crowd, popular culture, political ideologues, music performers or enlightened individuals.  

Elisha followed Elijah.  

Saint Paul followed Jesus.

There is a cost.  

There is a great line in a movie I once liked, 

"Get busy living, or get busy dying..."

Well, the gospel seems to invite us to get on with it.

What will it be...endless posturing - excuses?  Frustration...

or discipleship?  

Discipleship allows us to overcome the bonds of doubt and follow Jesus without fear. 

As the song says, 

When my name gets called up yonder, I hope to be in that number,

when the saints go marching in...

I sing that song, 'when the saints go marching in' most often in a nursing home in Stanley.  I would be lying if I said the resident who sings it didn't strike me as inspiring.  She has given her last smoke away.  She knows where she wants to go. She knows the song-sheet she wishes to sing from.

Back to the potholes, the car repairs, the million things to 'do'.  

I am challenged to bring these things to prayer.  My life to prayer. 

To pray like I need guidance...and love.  

Without prayer I am just a fearful, unconfident faker.  

But with the Spirit, I am a son of God, who has nothing to fear,

because I have experienced God's unconditional love.

I guess it all ends here.  At the Eucharist.  The sacrament of God's love.

The expression of the Father's unconditional love.

We need that even more than we need strategies, protocols, cigarettes, or anything else that is really nice. 

We need Jesus, risen from the dead.

We need the Cross.

We need evangelization.

We need disciples. 

Aaron C. Knox

*For insurance purposes, the carrier of this article wishes to strenuously object to the referencing of smoking cigarettes.  Smoking is a semi-legal and semi-logical endemical pandemic that shall cut short the life of millions of citizens of this globe. ...On second thought, due to non-rational population-explosion worries, we rescind the above and thank you for smoking.