Fourth Sunday of Advent -- Year B

 "Verbum caro hic factum est."

My Short Reflection for the Fourth Sunday of Advent -- Year B

My Sisters and Brothers:

A few years ago, I had the great blessing of making a Pilgrimage to the Holy Land.  My experience there was very profound, and it opened my eyes to the stories of the Gospels in ways I had never previously imagined.   During the pilgrimage I visited the city of Nazareth, the town of Bethlehem, the Shepherds field, the town of Cana, the birthplace of John the Baptist in the village of Ein Karem, the Jordan River, the Sea of Galilee, the town of Capernaum, the Mount of the Beatitudes, Jericho, the village of Tabgha (of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes) the Dead Sea, Qumran (of the Dead Sea scrolls), Mount Tabor (of the Transfiguration), many sites in the Holy City of Jerusalem, including the Upper Room, the Via Dolorosa, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre which includes Calvary and the empty Tomb of Jesus, and the Mount of Olives, including the Garden of Gethsemane, the Dome of the Ascension and the empty Tomb of Mary.  Because I had the opportunity to travel between all those holy places, and to visit specific places mentioned in the Gospels, I was overwhelmed with many spiritual insights on each day of that incredibly wonderful pilgrimage!

For me, the most profound and spiritually uplifting place on that pilgrimage was probably the Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth.  This very modern church was built between 1954 and 1969, but previously there had been several earlier church structures dating back to at least the 4th century. Over the centuries, political and religious unrest, and the oppression of Christians, led to the complete destruction of some of the earlier churches.  Today, it is possible to see within the walls of the modern Basilica some preserved ruins and walls from those earlier buildings.  But for nearly two thousand years, the focal point of every manifestation of the Basilica has been a very simple and humble cave-like chapel known as the Grotto of the Annunciation.

The chapel, which is believed to have been the actual family home of Mary has been preserved from antiquity; it is located at the lowest level of the modern Basilica.  This is the place where most Christians believe the Angel Gabriel appeared to the her and announced that she had been chosen to be the Mother of the Son of God.  Of significance in the chapel is an altar inscribed with the words “Verbum caro hic factum est,” Latin for “Here on this spot the Word was made flesh!”  I was awestruck, and moved beyond telling, to be able to visit that place, the precise location of the Incarnation of our Lord and Savior!  And as if to magnify the blessings and sense of God’s presence during that visit, a Monstrance holding the Holy Eucharist was on that altar; this gave reason for all present to kneel in adoration and praise!  The very Body of Christ was present to us in the exact spot where the Word was made flesh!  Wow!  The experience moved me to tears of joy!

On this Fourth Sunday of Advent, this moment in our salvation history is recounted in today’s Gospel (see Luke 1:26-38).   The Angel said: “Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you. Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end, for you have found favor with God.”  And with tremendous faith Mary responded “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.  May it be done to me according to your word.”

Now, whenever I hear Mary’s response to the proclamations of the Angel Gabriel, so often recalled as we pray the Angelus and the Rosary, or when we read the Gospels, my memories are taken to that visit to the Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth and my spirits are renewed by the profound sense of God’s presence I had in that very holy place.

Today, as we prepare for the coming celebration of Christmas and the Nativity of our Lord, let us be always grateful and inspired by the example and faith of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Nazareth.  May we like her, say YES to the will of God in our lives, and may we always rejoice because of the presence of Jesus among us, especially as we gather around the altar and we receive the very life of God by our sharing of the Eucharist!   Amen!

Praise God!  Friar Timothy

Israeli Retaliation in Gaza

 

To be very clear: I am completely outraged by the Saturday, October 7, 2023 Palestinian Islamic fundamentalist Hamas’ attack on Israel.  Absolutely nothing justifies such brutality! 

But in my opinion, the Israeli response has been to carry out extremely savage retaliatory bombings and destruction of homes, neighborhoods, and innocent people literally trapped in the very densely populated Gaza Strip.  Gaza, about the size of Manhattan, is home to nearly two and a half million men, women, and children.  It seems the Israelis have pretentiously, unreasonably, and quixotically warned and “invited” the people of Gaza to “move” and/or “evacuate” to safer places before their homes and businesses are bombed to smithereens.  

My question to the Israelis: Where in the hell do you realistically expect these men, women and children to go?

My thought is that this “evacuation farce” appears simply to be a pretext, a strategy and a “smokescreen” to justify a genocide of the Palestinian people.  

There has to be another way to achieve lasting peace and mutual respect among those who otherwise have hatred and contempt for each other.  There has to be another way; there has to be!!  

I hope and pray I’m misinformed and very wrong about the thoughts I’ve shared above about the Israeli response to the October 7th atrocities. 😞

Attorney General report

 Attorney General report

file:///var/mobile/Library/SMS/Attachments/0b/11/6F75E57D-97CC-410C-BD58-9D05EB0EDF7F/FILE_2043.pdf

Homily for the Funeral of My Dad, +Eugene Anthony "Gene" Dore

 

My Funeral Homily for My Dad

+Eugene Anthony “Gene” Dore (July 12, 1936 – July 21, 2023)

St. Joseph Monastery Church, Irvington, Baltimore, Maryland.  August 14, 2023, 10:30 a.m.

“On one occasion Jesus spoke thus: “I give praise to  you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike. Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him. ‘Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light’.”                                Matthew 11:25-30 

Good Morning!

It is never easy for me to preside over or to celebrate the funeral for someone I greatly loved, and in this case, this is so very true today as we gather to celebrate the life of my dad +Gene Dore.   Such a task is challenging, but I must say that on the other hand my father does makes it somewhat easier because he was a man of tremendous faith!  

My dad really prided himself on his Catholic faith, and we all know that sometimes he even got a little “talkative,” or we might say “passionate,” about his religious thoughts and opinions!  The strong faith my dad had was nurtured right here in this parish of St. Joseph’s Monastery.  My dad received the Sacrament of Baptism here, as did my grandmother +Francis, his sister Mary Ann, and his brothers Tom and Joe as well.  In fact me too, as well as my brother Michael, and also my sisters Nancy, Kelly, Tracy, and Patricia.  For generations, countless of our extended family members called “the Monastery” home! 

A few years ago when we were pre-planning my dad's funeral, and because this is our home parish, he requested that we celebrate this day here and in this church.  He wanted his funeral at “the Monastery” because he loved this place.  I know that my dad is looking down upon us today with happiness because he is back in the parish where he was born and raised.  Moreover, it was here that my dad and mom raised their own family.  It was also here in the past that so many extended members of the Dore family and very many of our relatives and good friends were very active parishioners.  It is so good to be “home!”

During his life, my father was also very active in the Knights of Columbus, something about which he was very proud.  For this reason, I want to thank the Knights for being here at the funeral today.  My father was also an active member of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, an organization that helped him to celebrate his Irish heritage and that side of his family’s history.  The Hibernians are also another very Catholic organization and so his membership was another source of great pride for him.  In fact, my mom and dad also joined the Polish American Club, which also tended to be very Catholic, and although they were not Polish, they said they liked the bus trips and the great food!  

During the many years my mom and dad lived in Ocean City, they were very involved in the life of their parish there: Saint Luke.  They were daily Mass attendees, and my dad got very involved as an Usher, as a money counter, and all kind of other parish activities.  He even had keys to the church, and would open it for the morning Mass.  

I have to be honest and tell you that if I was visiting my dad, I tended very much to avoid any kind of conversations about religion and/or politics.  We did not always see “eye to eye” on such topics, but that was okay because he was always very happy to talk about the weather, about the beach, about our family, and about all kinds of other subjects.  We usually always deferred to those kind of subjects, although I do remember one time when we got into a “knock-down and heated argument” about something he had seen on the EWTN Catholic News Network.  Just a bit into our lively exchange, I said, “Wait, what are we doing here,” and so we quickly changed the subject and went back to our normal friendly tone of conversation.  That is how my dad was.

I am really going to miss him because he was not just my dad; he was also a very good friend to me.  I very much enjoyed being with him, and as you heard in the eulogy Hannah delivered today, my sisters, their husbands, my nieces and nephews, and so many others, very much enjoyed being with him.  He was a conversationalist, and he always had an opinion about something; he had a great sense of humor, and he could always tell a good story; he had a great sense of adventure, and even loved to have fun.  Therefore, we are all certainly going to miss him tremendously.

As I was thinking about what I wanted to talk about today, the word that kept coming to my mind was the word “longing.”  Is it not true that all of us have “longings of the heart?”  We all “long for something.”  We long for better tomorrows, we long for good health, we long for strong finances, we long for decent jobs, we long for friendly neighbors, we long for good relationships with our family members and friends, we long to find love, but unfortunately sometimes we do not find satisfactions to the longings of our hearts.  And so, I think this is where we then have to look at those longings from the perspective of FAITH.  My father certainly did that. 

In the Gospel today we heard a message from Jesus I believe can address the dilemma of unfulfilled and/or frustrated longings.  Jesus said, “Come to me all you who labor and are heaving burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon your shoulders and learn from my, for my yoke is easy and my burden light.”  I love this passage because Jesus did not promise his disciples that if they were faithful followers there would be no yoke, or no burdens to carry.  He just said his yoke is easy and his burden is light.  In other words, I think the Scriptures tell us, and my dad certainly believed that Jesus is with us in whatever trials and difficulties come to us in life.  This includes those moments when the longings of our hearts are not immediately satisfied, if ever they are.  We can be sure that trials and difficulties are bound to happen during our lives.  However, the message of Jesus is that if we continue to keep our eyes focused on that for which we long for as people of faith, he will make the yokes we shoulder, and the burdens we carry, a lot easier to endure.  For us, the root of this confidence resides in our knowledge that God loves us more than we can possibly imagine, that God wants us to be happy in this life, and that God desires for us to be very hopeful for life to come.  And I think my father understood these ideas very clearly, and he lived his life accordingly!   

It might seem somewhat old fashioned to some, but one of the things I liked about my dad was that he was very proud of his Catholic upbringing and he had a very strong sense of faith.  From the earliest days of his childhood, and especially as he was encouraged to do so by the Christian Brothers at Calvert Hall during his high school years, my dad faithfully prayed the rosary.  He always kept a rosary in a special pouch in his pocket, and sometimes he would pull it out as if it were a badge, boldly proclaiming he had it with him.  He would say, “I have my beads with me.”  His attachment to his rosary always impressed me because frankly, I do not carry one as he did, but for him it was very important and I believe it said a lot about his faith life.  Moreover, he did so because he believed it was a constant reminder about the need to pray; among other things, it reminded him of the need to pray for a peaceful death, something for which we ardently hope when we pray the Hail Mary.  That always inspired me!  

My dad was also very devout when it came to receiving the Eucharist.  He normally went to daily Mass and of course on every Sunday and Holy Day.  Any time I would ever plan to visit him if he was in the hospital, he would remind me to bring Communion for him.  My dad was very serious about the reception of the Blessed Sacrament.  He also had some very strong feelings about how that should be done (let’s just say we had a few “discussions” about whether or not Communion should be taken in the hands or on the tongue).  My dad received the Eucharist with great devotion and love!  This devotion was rooted in his knowledge, faith, and in the longing of his heart to live in God’s love.  My dad’s strong Eucharistic faith was in a God who loved him, who sacrificed his Son for him, and who inspired him in that faith to share it with others by the way he lived his life.  I really believe these things were core values in his faith and in his life, and he lived them well.  And so, as he went through his life, he was a faithful son, a dedicated brother, a great husband, a wonderful father, a good neighbor, and a dependable colleague at work.  We have all heard many of stories about how much people loved and cared-about my dad, and none of this seems unreal to me.  I believe the way people describe his gentleness and sense of humor, his congenial friendship, his care and concern for others, the way he lived his life, and many of his other wonderful qualities, found definition through his strong Christian and Catholic faith!

For some time now, and especially during his last few weeks with us, my father suffered with cancer and we all know that can be a horrible thing. Yet as a person of faith, my father did not seem to doubt that whatever struggle he had, whatever yoke or burden he would carry, that God would be with him.  Because of the longings of his faith and his heart, my dad believed and he was on the way to meet the Lord.  And I think part of that, which he often said, was that he couldn’t wait to see my mom again!

I think that after my mom died five years ago (and after a rather long illness) a whole part of my dad was missing.  He always talked about my mom, how much he missed her, and I know that my dad loved my mother very much.  He was devoted to her in life, and even after she was gone, and that inspired me too.  Today we can take a little bit of comfort in this knowledge that my dad, this person of faith who lived his entire life as a faithful Christian, and as a faithful Catholic, has arrived at that place that he longed for his whole life.  And that place is in the presence of God at the Heavenly Banquet and with those who have gone before us whom he loved, including my mom who no doubt was there waiting with open arms and much joy!   

A few weeks ago, as I walked into my dad’s house and greeted him, I found him to be a little “out of sorts.”  Maybe it was because of the strong pain medications he was taking.  Shortly after I arrived, he said to me “Where’s your mother?  Where is she?  I thought she was going to be here.”  I could only respond by saying, “Dad she’s not here right now, but you’ll see her soon.”  And then, a couple of days before he died and as he was lying in bed, he clutched and kept gazing upon a photo of he and my mom together.  And he said to me and my sisters who were with him, “She looks really happy in this picture.  I can’t wait so see her again.”  And so, I know that’s where my dad is now.  And that’s what he longed for: he longed to be with God, and in recent days he longed to be with my mom who in her life was also a person of faith.  I am very sure they’ve now had a wonderful and joyful reunion in heaven!   

With all of this in mind, I want to close out my thoughts here with a beautiful letter that my dad wrote to my mom many years ago, sixty-four years ago to be exact.  He wrote the letter when he was very young and when he was a member of the United States Coast Guard stationed away from Baltimore in Portsmouth, Virginia.  He wrote this a little more than a year before they were to be married.  By the way, this envelope has two, two cent stamps on it—four cents to mail the letter, can you imagine?  

I read the letter a couple of weeks ago, and I thought to myself, Oh my God this perfectly describes my dad!   I mean this about the way he expresses himself in the letter, and the way he talks about how much he wants to see my mom again.  I believe these were also his very real feelings even in these past few years,  This letter he wrote so many years ago perfectly matched what he more recently thought, especially in these last days as he knew he was dying.  Therefore, I took comfort reading the letter because I imagined my father could have written the words in it just four weeks ago.  I want to read it to you.  Remember my father was about twenty years old when he wrote the letter. 

It’s addressed to Miss Carolyn M. Winterling, 1500 Latrobe Park Terrace, Baltimore 30, Maryland (the old way they used to write addresses).  It’s dated August 12, 1958.   

<<Dear Carolyn:

There are just a few words that are of any importance to me in this letter.  I miss you very much, and wish that I were with you now.  But I can’t be with you and it depresses me very much.  The only consoling thought is that I will be with you this weekend when I’m home on leave, and then in forty-five days we will be together for the rest of our lives.  It sounds so good to me Carolyn that it’s hard to believe at times.  

I hate to make this so short Carolyn, but I would rather just think about you than write a lot of words that seem so useless to say.  

I love you so very much Carolyn!  I think of you always, and about how wonderful it’s going to be when I’m home again and finished with my time with the Coast Guard.  I can’t wait to see you again.  

I love you!  Take care of yourself.  God bless you us! 

Love, Gene>>

Beautiful!  What my dad expressed in this letter written so many years ago is exactly how he has felt during the past five years.  He wanted to see my mom again.  So I am sure we can be happy that he’s now where he wants to be, in that place we call Heaven, where I hope all of us long to be.  My father certainly longed to be there. Someday, when we are all there together, we will gather around the Heavenly Banquet Table, and there together we will rejoice with all the angels and saints and we will enjoy the promised life that Jesus has given to us!  

And in that place there will no longer be any yokes or burdens, and all of the longings of our hearts will be satisfied.  Let’s encourage one another with this message of faith.  Amen.

I love you dad! 

Eulogy for My Dad +Eugene Anthony "Gene" Dore

**On Monday, August 14, 2023, at the funeral for my +dad at St. Joseph Monastery Church, Irvington, Baltimore City, Maryland, this Eulogy was beautifully delivered by my niece, Hannah Schaeffer.

       Today my family and I welcome you to Saint Joseph’s Monastery Church!  In this special place our grandfather, +Eugene Anthony Dore, was baptized.  He went here for elementary school, made his first communion, served as an Altar Boy, was a member of Boy Scout Troop 180, and received the Sacrament of Confirmation.  Growing-up at 157 Collins Avenue, just a couple of blocks from here, he and his sister and brothers, Tom, Joe, and Mary Ann, were very involved in many social and spiritual activities of the parish.  Here as a child our grandfather developed great admiration and respect for the Passionists priests and brothers, and the School Sisters of Notre Dame, who had very renowned and long histories administering the parish church and school communities.  

    Under the careful guidance and protection of his mother, our legendary Great-grandmother, +Frances Eckholm Dore, he was raised with a strong Catholic faith, a sense of commitment to his family, love for his country, and a very strong work ethic!  He always spoke with great affection about the days of his childhood in this part of Baltimore City known as Irvington!  

      After his marriage to our South Baltimore born and raised grandmother, +Carolyn Winterling Dore, they for many years remained in this western part of the city, and as members of “the Monastery” parish, baptized, nurtured, and raised their six children: Michael, Timothy, Nancy, Kelly, Tracy, and Patricia.  As a young family, they were very active in the life of the parish. Today, with sadness but with hope in eternal life, our family returns to this sacred place to celebrate the life of our grandfather.

     To many who knew and loved him, our grandfather was known as “Gene,” to my mom and my aunts and uncles, as “dad,” but to me, my brothers and my sister, my cousins, and my children as “Grandpop” and “Pop Pop.”

       My cousins, and my aunts and uncle, want to share some of our special memories and thoughts about this great man whom we loved very much!

       Our grandfather was a man who loved his family. He was proud of all of his children: Michael and his wife Pat, Timothy and his Franciscan community, Nancy and her late husband, my dad +Doug (who only recently passed away), Kelly and her husband Toby, Tracy and her husband Richie, and Patricia and her husband Michael. He certainly had a very special place in his heart for all of his grandchildren. There are fifteen of us: myself Hannah, Christian, Caroline, Ben, Luke, Carina, Jack, Patrick, Audrey, Matthew, Katie, Abby, Madison, Riley and Piper.  And he had two great grandchildren too: my own children Zoe and Leo!

       The words “protector” and “care-giver” come to our minds when we think of him. He always asked us how we were doing with whatever was happening in our lives.  When talking on the phone with him, or when visiting the beach house in Ocean City he always peppered us with questions about what we were up-to, about how our studies were progressing in school, about the jobs we took, and about the travels we had been making.  Questions he asked were “how are you doing,” and “what are they teaching you in school,” and sometimes he would quiz us about how we felt about this or that political topic of the day.  My cousin Luke spoke of the many conversations he had with our Grandfather.  He said: “one of my favorite things about Pop Pop was his logic and pragmatism. An example that comes to mind is how silly he found it to watch sports highlights on the television. He used to crack up at the concept of watching a game, knowing the outcome, and then waking up and watching clips of the same game. We would laugh and go-back-and-forth about such things until he inevitably encouraged me to spend less time staring at the television, something he tongue-and-cheek labeled the ‘idiot box’,”  Our grandfather was always willing to debate current issues with us!  And he certainly let us know what his thoughts were about whatever topic was on the table for discussion.   But honestly, sometimes it was best to stay away from debates about politics and religion, because he sure did have some very strong opinions on those topics!  And we all knew it!

       Our Grandpop wanted us to know we were loved and cherished.  He also prayed that we would always be safe and secure in this sometimes complicated world, and he had lots of guidance to give us about how to accomplish that!  Sometimes he would roll up his sleeves and show us how to fix or deal with the problems that arose in our lives. About this my mom Nancy commented “My dad did ‘the dad things’ things for me his entire life. He always wanted to protect me from harm. He did the same for my children and all of his kids and grand kids.  And isn’t that what terrific fathers and grandfathers always do?”  About this my cousin Matthew said “when I think of the times I shared with Pop Pop throughout my life, especially the countless times we stayed at his beach house, it always centered around spending time and connecting with family.”  My cousin Luke said: “Pop Pop never made me feel like he was anything but immensely proud of me and that was something that really stuck with me. He had a pure heart and only wanted to see his family happy.”   In a similar vein, my cousin Carina said: “one of the many ways he showed he cared for me and others was his attention and curiosity. A ten minute conversation to share news about a new job, or recent adventures overseas, would turn into over an hour long intellectual discussion.  Pop Pop was curious about the cuisine, culture, and people, of the places I’ve been, especially when I moved to the country of Georgia, and he was also interested in the history and geopolitical issues that face the region.”  Our grandfather took this kind of interest in all of the lives and adventures of each of his grandchildren!  In this sense, he was a strong beacon of love and concern for all of us. About this, my cousin Luke said: “he made me feel that he was immensely proud of me and that was something that really stuck with me. He had a pure heart and only wanted to see his family happy.”  And this is how his own children thought of him as well.  My Aunt Tracy put it very simply when she said: “there are some who bring a light so great to the world that even after they have gone the light remains. To me, this was and is my dad; this is Gene Dore!”

       My brothers, sister and cousins and I always believed our Grand Pop took great interest in what was going on in our lives, and he always greeted us with great love and affection, and he told us that he always thought about us and kept us in his prayers. About this, my Aunt Kelly said “I loved the way he would say hello to us at the beginning of the day with “Top ‘o the morning to ya!  And at the end of the day, or when saying goodbye he would say Be Good, Be Well!” Aunt Kelly also recalled “the wonderful conversations and the sometimes not so wonderful conversations we had.” And she loved the way he was always interested in how her kids were doing and what was happening in their lives.  My cousin Abby recalls sitting on the beach house porch with Grandpop and how gratifying it was to sit and talk and to do something simple together– like spending time eating cherries and passing the time joyfully.  Abby also remembers fondly how Grandpop would attend her softball games and he would always playfully laugh and very affectionately call her a “jock.”  My cousin Madison recalled how much she loved sitting at the kitchen table with him at the beach house and the many interesting conversations that happened there.  She said: “I will be forever fond of my memories with Pop Pop sitting around that table!”  My brother Christian recalled, “when I moved away and we spoke mostly on the phone, Grandpa would also tell me that he would pray for me, my father, my mother, or anyone that really needed it.  And I always appreciated that and felt those prayers.”  For all of us, it was so wonderful to have such a caring and loving grandfather who always remembered us with that type of love and affection.

       Grandpop did love to have deep conversations with us, but he often would banter about with a great sense of humor and he loved to have fun times too!  My cousin Piper recalled an event in her life that always makes her laugh at the memory; she and my cousin Katie were still very small and he took them to the beach and walked into the water holding their hands, but when a big wave came he let them go and ran away while they were knocked around in the shallow waters; then immediately coming to their rescue, he soon had both of them laughing about the whole thing! They’ve both loved playing in the waves ever since!  Noting Grandpop’s constant sense of humor and fun, my cousin Piper recalled how even in his last days he never lost his sense of joy.  She told of one day near the end of his life, when “he was surrounded by family who were feeling sad and saying their goodbyes, and yet he continued having as much fun in those moments as he could.” She remembered, “those days he still joked with us and even once pretended to fall into his bowl of soup as we fed him, coming up in a fit of laugher for giving us a little scare.”  About this side of our grandfather, my cousin Patrick said: “I loved that Pop Pop could always make me smile and laugh. From bantering about our Calvert Hall/Loyola high school rivalry to telling me his stories, he always had a special way of making me happy. He showed me how important it was to have fun with the little things in life!”  Patrick’s brother, my cousin Jack said: “Pop Pop was truly a great man. Between his witty jokes and captivating stories, there was never a dull moment with him. I’ll always cherish the time I was able to spend with him. We all loved him so much!”

       And then there was our grandfather’s love of food, holiday celebrations, and family time.  This was very true when our dear late grandmother +Carolyn was still healthy and at home.  Their homes, in South Baltimore, and later in Ocean City, were always places for a good meal and wonderful family celebrations, especially during many holidays of the year when their homes were decorated for special occasions.  My cousin Matthew shared how much he loved the festivities of Thanksgiving and Christmas time with his grandparents.  He recalled how one Thanksgiving, when he was only five years old, he was given a Hallmark Christmas ornament, something that at the time was a bit of a custom in our extended family.  Matthew’s ornament that year was a choo choo train, and he recalls how much excitement Grandpop shared with him as Matthew opened the gift and showed it to him. It’s a joyful memory that stays with him until this day!  Grandpop continued many of these holiday traditions even during these last years after Grandmom passed-away and he would revel in family visits to the Ocean City beach house.  And Granpop loved to cook on his grill, to order out food from different restaurants, to try new types of cuisine, and to do so with fun and a sense of excitement.  My cousin Katie tells a story about how when once at his house, and since only the two of them were there that evening, she told him she wanted to fix liver and onions, something she had never had nor tasted.  About that experience, she recalled “And so, Pop Pop took me to the grocery store and we each picked out our own liver. We got back to the house and we prepared the meal together and set the table just for us. I took one bite and spit it right out. He thought it was so funny that he laughed hysterically. We then tossed the liver and onions and then grilled big T-bone steaks on the grill that night.  And we had a wonderful meal and time together!”  My cousin Audrey recalled, “At least one morning during every visit to the beach, Pop Pop and I would spend time together in the kitchen making bacon for breakfast. And during those times, Pop Pop taught me how to cook the bacon on a griddle.  Since then, I now insist that only a griddle should be used to cook bacon.  And although it was the bacon that brought us together on those many morning, it was really the time I was able to spend with him in the kitchen I am truly grateful for.”  My sister Caroline recalls a similar cooking memory from just last summer when Grandpa asked her to teach him how to make a pie.  They worked together in the kitchen and had a wonderful time together putting together all the ingredients and cooking the pie.  She said: “I was a little surprised that he wanted to learn how to make a pie, but then again he was always curious and interested to learn new things.”  Something she also recalled about that time together was how much he loved talking to her about her life, her job, and what she thought about things going on in the world these days.  And about all the conversations they had that afternoon, Caroline said “It was a lovely quiet afternoon together.”

       And everyone remembers our grandfather’s sense of adventure.  My brother Christian and I remember so well one time when we went out on Grandpa’s skiff boat together and we caught about a hundred clams.  We went around for a while with no luck, but then eventually found a hot spot caught all those clams!  We probably would have gotten more if our feet didn’t get cut up from “finding the clams” with our feet. We brought them back to the beach house, grandma steamed them and we had a big clam feast.  I remember thinking Grandpop knew everything about everything— this was such a random adventure, but he knew exactly what to do. He loved taking us on those little adventures at the beach!  My Aunt Trish tells of a story that happened with that same skiff boat many years earlier.  She shares about a time on one particular beautiful day, when she was still very young that our grandfather took her and their beloved family dog Pepper, and they launched the boat out of Curtis Bay and headed to Fort Carroll in the middle of the harbor.  Upon their arrival, they quickly decided to explore the prohibited closed fort, and so they tied the boat off, climbed up the battered pier, and then explored the fort with Pepper in tow.  She recalls how much they all enjoyed every bit of their trespassing adventure.  They then ran into a little bit of Karma when, returning to Curtis Bay, they had some trouble getting the small boat back onto its trailer in the boat slip, and it started to drift out into the harbor away from them.  Said Aunt Trish, “my dad and I looked like the city slickers we were-all the while laughing and enjoying the hilarity of the day. We often looked fondly back on that day when talking about his little boat.”  My Uncle Timmy shared about how much he loved spending time with his our grandfather.  Said he, “my dad was always up for an adventure.  When we were children, he and my mom took us on family trips to Ocean City, the lake at Greenbrier State Park, to camping trips in Western Maryland, to the Eastern Shore and to Assateage Island, or to visit cousins in Vermont, to upstate New York and to so many other places, and as kids we always had so much fun and excitement on all of those trips and adventures.  In their later years, my folks went on trips to Ireland, on cruised to the Caribbean, and on trips to Germany, and to Sweden.  And even recently I traveled with my dad on ‘road trips’ to Maine to visit my sister Kelly and her family, and to Florida too.”  What wonderful memories with such a great man we were all proud to call dad, Grandpa, Granpop, Pop Pop and even affectionately as Geno!

       In his last days, our grandfather often spoke of how much he missed our grandmother, his beloved wife Carolyn, who passed-away five years ago after a long illness.  He often told us how much he looked forward to “seeing her again.”  My brother Ben summed it up beautifully when he wrote to us for this eulogy; he said “but when I look back and think about it, one of the sweetest memories I have of Grandpop is a simple testament to the devotion and love he had for my grandmother.  Not long after she passed, my grandfather told me the story of how when he was very young he met his future wife. And after he finished he said simply, almost to himself, ‘she was the love of my life.’ And then he sat quietly for many moments, smiling at the memories that passed with them.”

       We have lost a great man, but heaven has gained another Angel.  

       Rest in peace Grandpa, and may you find everlasting happiness in the presence of God, and arm in arm with our dearly missed Grandma!

We love you! 

Memorial Photo Tribute for my dad +Eugene Anthony "Gene" Dore

 

If you are interested, you can see the "Memorial Photo Tribute" slide show I put together for my dad +Eugene Anthony "Gene" Dore's funeral at the following link (from "Tribute Wall" of the Charles L. Steven's Funeral Home, Baltimore, Maryland):

https://www.charleslstevensfuneralhome.com/obituaries/Eugene-Dore/#!/TributeWall

Defending our Catholic faith, by Father Emmanuel Anyan

I WAS ONCE A CATHOLIC...

"I was a Catholic once,” said the lady a few yards from me in the parking lot. “Now I’m a Christian and you can be one as well.” She preceded to hand a tract to a gentleman standing next to the opened trunk of his car. I couldn’t help it.

“Excuse me,” I said to the lady “but could I too have a tract?” The lady's face beamed. “Are you saved?,” she asked. “Of course I am; I’m a believing Catholic,” I retorted. She looked at me as if I had bad breath or something.

 She continued, “I was just telling this gentleman that I too was a Catholic - a Catholic for thirty-some years in fact. Now I've found Christ and I’m trying to tell everyone I know about salvation through Christ.”

 “Wow, that’s really something! May I ask why you left the Church?” I could tell that, by asking this question, my new acquaintance was getting excited. After all, she had probably been snubbed by dozens of people and now she has someone that she can “witness” to Christ. I didn’t mind much either, but I tried not to show it.

"You see,” she said, “I was born Catholic. I attended Mass every week, received the Sacraments and graduated from a Catholic school. Not once did I ever hear the gospel proclaimed. Not once! It was after the birth of my first child that a good friend of mine shared ‘the gospel’ with me and I accepted Jesus as my personal Lord and Savior and became a Christian. Now I belong to a ‘Bible-believing’ church and I’m sharing the gospel with whomever will listen.”

This shocked me. “You mean you belonged to the Catholic Church for over forty years and you never heard the gospel?,” I said. She was getting more excited. “Yes, I never once heard the gospel of salvation preached or taught or even mentioned in the Church. If you don’t preach the gospel, excuse my bluntness, but you're simply not Christian.” I scratched my head and said, “that’s strange. I’ve been a Catholic all my life and I bet I hear the gospel ever week at Church.” Her smile quickly faded into a look of curiosity. “Maybe, I’m missing something,” I continued. “Tell me what you mean by ‘the gospel?’”

The lady reached back into her purse to pull out a little tract and said, “This tracts explains the simple gospel of salvation. It can be broken down into four easy steps.

“First, we acknowledge that we are all sinners in need of God’s forgiveness.

 Secondly, we recognize that only God can save us.

 The third step is that Jesus Christ died on the Cross for our sins and to bring us to God.

 And the fourth and final step is that each individual accepts Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior to be saved.”

I thought for a couple of seconds and said, “If I could demonstrate to you that Catholics hear “the gospel” every Sunday, would you agree to take a closer look at the Catholic Church?” Now, she knew she had me over a barrel. “Prove it,” she said. I excused myself for a second and ran to my car to grab a Missal.

“Since you have attended Mass nearly all your life, you probably remember these prayers.” I flipped open to the beginning prayers of the Mass and proceeded to show her how Catholics hear, pray and live the gospel message every Sunday.

The first step in my new found friend’s tract stated that we are all sinners in need of God’s forgiveness. After the Greeting, the Mass continues to what is known as the Penitential Rite. I read loud the text to her while she followed reading silently.

“I confess to almighty God, and to you, my brothers and sisters, that I have sinned through my own fault. In my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done, and in what I have failed to do.”

I mentioned that it is here in this section that each Catholic states publicly that he or she is individually a sinner - not merely in a general sense - but specifically in thoughts, words and deeds. You can’t get much more complete than that. I continued reading,

“and I ask Blessed Mary, ever virgin, all the angels and saints, and to you, my brothers and sisters, to pray for me to the Lord our God.”

The priest reaffirms this confession of sin by praying,

“May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life.”

And the whole congregation says “Amen,” that is, “I believe.” The priest continues.

“Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy, Lord have mercy,”

and finishes by saying;

 "Lord show us your mercy and love. And grant us your salvation.”

I looked at her and said, “You see, we Catholics start every Mass with a public declaration of our own personal sinfulness and look to God for forgiveness.” She responded, “But Catholics don’t believe that God alone can save them. They believe Mary and the saints will save them.” I shook my head in disagreement. “No, we don’t. Remember what we had just read in the Mass. Catholic ask Mary, the angels, the saints and the whole congregation to pray to God for mercy on their behalf - just like I would ask you to pray for me to God. Does that mean that I look to you to ‘save’ me? No, of course I don’t believe that. I’m just asking for your help. Besides the ‘Gloria’ of the Mass proves that Catholics look to God alone to save us.”

I began reading the Missal emphasizing certain words to prove my point:

“Glory to God in the highest, and peace to his people on earth. Lord God, heavenly King, almighty God and Father, we worship you, we give you thanks, we praise you for your glory. Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father, Lord God, Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world, have mercy on us, you are seated at the right hand of the Father, receive our prayer. For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord, you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father."

Likewise, the doxology spoken just prior to communion reads,

“Through him, with him, in him; in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor is your, almighty Father, for ever and ever.”

As I looked up, I could see the lady intently reading the page. She couldn’t believe that she had prayed these prayers for years and never noticed what it was saying. Yet, there it was in black and white. I continued with the third step - the acknowledgment that Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins and to bring us to God.

 The Profession of Faith reads,

“For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit he was born of the Virgin Mary, and became man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate.”

In the Eucharistic Prayer 1, the priest prays:

“Remember [Lord] all of us gather here before you. You know how firmly we believe in you and dedicate ourselves to you. . . We pray to you, our living and true God, for our well-being and redemption . . . Grant us your peace in this life, save us from final damnation, and count us among those you have chosen.”

The prayer ends with an appeal to God for salvation through Jesus Christ:

“May, these and all who sleep in Christ, find in your presence light, happiness and peace. For ourselves, too, we ask some share in the fellowship of your apostles and martyrs . . . Though we are sinners, we trust in your mercy and love. Do not consider what we truly deserve, but grant us your forgiveness. Through Christ our Lord you give us all these gifts. You fill them with life and goodness, you bless them and make them holy.”

Similarly the second Eucharistic Prayer proclaims,

“Dying you [Jesus] destroyed our death, rising you restored our life. Lord Jesus, come in glory. . . Have mercy on us all; make us worthy to share eternal life with Mary, the virgin Mother of God, with the apostles and with all the saints who have done your will throughout the ages.”

Likewise, Eucharistic Prayer 3 reads,

“All life, all holiness comes from you through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, by the working of the Holy Spirit . . .

 Father, calling to mind the death your Son endured for our salvation, his glorious resurrection and ascension into heaven, and ready to greet him when he comes again, we offer you in thanksgiving this holy and living sacrifice. Look with favour on our your Church’s offering, and see the Victim [Christ] whose death has reconciled us to yourself . . .

 May he make us an everlasting gift for you and enable us to share in the inheritance of your saints . . . “

Lastly, the fourth Eucharistic Prayer reads,

“Father, you so loved the world that in the fullness of time you sent your only Son to be our Savior . . .

 In fulfillment of your will he gave himself up to death; but by rising from the dead, he destroyed death and restored life.”

In this prayer, the congregation proclaims the mystery of faith:

“Lord, by your cross and resurrection, you have set us free. You are the Savior of the world.”

 “You see, every week Catholics proclaim that Jesus died for them,” I said to the lady who was now searching for something to say. After a brief moment of silence, she shot a response back at me.

“What about accepting Jesus Christ and their personal Lord and Savior?” She retorted. “They may be saying all this stuff, but they don’t make a personal act of acceptance.” What she didn’t know was that I deliberately didn’t mention the last “step” of her “gospel.”

I explained that if Catholics don’t believe what they are praying, they ought not to be publicly proclaiming it. Since we can’t read the dispositions of other people’s hearts, we ought not to judge whether they truly believe what they are saying. Next, I pointed out the last step - where Catholics are accepting Jesus into their hearts. Right before communion the priest holds up the host (which is now the body, blood, soul and divinity of Our Lord under the appearances of bread and wine) and prays.

“This is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Happy are those who are called to his supper.”

And the congregation responds,

“Lord, I am not worthy to receive you, but only say the word and I shall be healed.”

I looked straight into the lady’s eyes and said, “It is here that all those who are prepared to receive Jesus Christ walk up to the front of the church but they don’t just believing in Christ or merely asking Jesus into their hearts.” “They don’t?” She asked. “No,” I answered, “they receive that same Christ who died on the cross on Calvary into their mouth and into their stomachs - body, blood, soul and divinity - and become one with him in an unspeakable way. Now that's accepting Christ!” She didn’t have a response. I’m not sure that she had ever really thought about the Mass and Christ’s real presence in the Eucharist because she appeared to be both surprised and intrigued.

I gave her my phone number and invited her to a study group I was heading in the neighborhood which examined the Biblical foundation for Catholic doctrine. As we departed, I couldn’t help but wonder how many other people, like my new friend, left the Church thinking that it had nothing to say about salvation. Yet the richness of the liturgy of the Mass and even more so Christ’s real substantial presence in the Eucharist so outshines our separated brethren’s “low church” prayer services that there is no comparison!

Credit to: Father Emmanuel Anyan

FORSYTHIA-EUPHORIA

 

FORSYTHIA-EUPHORIA

Sudden bursts of yellow hued brilliance

bring joy to our hearts and to our souls!

Springtime, and the promised renewal of hope,

so magnificently announced in such simple beauty,

fill our senses as we encounter their sublime, yet most humble splendor! 

And just as quickly as they arrived, they shall depart.

But for now, and spellbound with fervent gratitude,

we salute warmer days ahead, heralded so gloriously

by the friendly and well-wishing forsythias! 

TPD

A PRAYER FOR THE SEASON OF LENT

 

As we begin the season of Lent on this day of prayer, penance, and hope, I offer to you the following prayer I composed (based on the 1st reading of Ash Wednesday—Joel 2:12-18).  Peace, Friar Timothy

 

A PRAYER FOR THE SEASON OF LENT

—Based on the first reading of Ash Wednesday—Joel 2:12-18

 

Good and gracious God,

Enable me to return to you

with my whole heart!

 

During this Lenten season,

give me strength O Lord,

to persevere in fasting,

to replace sadness with joy,

to serve others with delight,

and always to give witness

to the wisdom of the beatitudes!

 

Allow me O Lord

to rend my inner self,

to love others from my heart,

and not to seek the esteem and praise

of my sisters and brothers

because of who I am, or what I do!

 

Help me to return to you

my Lord and my God!

 

O Lord, give me the strength

to be gracious and merciful,

to be slow to anger,

to be rich in kindness,

never to desire revenge,

and always to comport myself

without the slightest contempt

for my family members,

for my neighbors,

for those with whom I work,

and for all others I encounter

today and always!

Please forgive me O Lord

of my sins and shortcomings,

and bless me with your grace!

 

For to you my God,

I offer all that I am,

for you are my Lord and Savior,

and you my God

are the source and purpose

of my life's happiness and joy!

Amen!

Praise God!

My Spiritual Reflection for the Feast of the Epiphany

My Sisters and Brothers:

For seventeen years I was stationed at Most Holy Trinity-St. Mary, a wonderful parish in Brooklyn, New York.  The diverse membership of our church community perfectly reflected the multicultural and densely populated urban neighborhood surrounding us.  There were Latinos from many nations, many African Americans, recent immigrants from various parts of Africa, a large Polish community, others with roots in various European countries, people with Indigenous American backgrounds, Asian Americans, and others from just about every place in the world!

The image of “a melting-pot” used to describe the United States, which I had first encountered in middle school social studies classes, was a perfect description of our parish and of our corner of New York City.  And for all those years I was in Brooklyn, it was apparent to me those different types of peoples, with their unique ethnicities, customs, languages, and traditions, all lived in relative harmony and with respect for one another.  In fact, I believe our various communities relished each opportunity they had to celebrate and even reverence the diversity of their neighbors and friends.

The celebration of that multiculturalism and diversity in the parish was especially true when throughout every year each unique community would sponsor religious events and social activities highlighting their faith, their cultures, their special traditions and their foods!  For example, one week our Polish community might have a dance in our parish hall featuring contemporary Polish music, and lots of delicious food such as Bigos, Pierogis, Kielbasa, Gołąbki, and many delightful Polish pastries; the very next week and in the same space our Puerto Rican community would sponsor a fiesta featuring Salsa music and dance, food that included Arroz Con Gandules, Yucca, fried Plantanos, Empanadillas, and Pernil, and then the next time another one of our many communities with their different traditions, music, and food would also be celebrated!  Together, many people from every one of our diverse communities would attend all these events.  For me and for others, it was completely wonderful to have the chance to celebrate, to enjoy and to learn about so many unique cultures and ethnicities.  I loved the people of our parish and neighborhood, and the opportunity to live and minister with them in Brooklyn!

Each year, usually on the first Sunday of January and the Feast of the Epiphany, our broader civic community would sponsor a “Three Kings Parade.”  People of every cultural group, especially those who were Latino, would march in the parade that passed very close by our church.  Large crowds with people from every nation, our parishioners and neighbors, would gather on the sidewalks to cheer the passing floats and those walking in the parade.  Even our various local public schools would participate, and many of their students and teachers would stream by in the jubilant procession.  It was always very exciting to experience this tremendously wonderful local event.  And at the finale of the parade, just before very noisy but festive fire trucks appeared bringing it to conclusion, three magnificently dressed Kings accompanied by several large camels and other animals would march triumphantly down the street.  It was a site to behold, and it brought great joy to everyone!

Today in our church we once again celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany, or the “Three Kings.”  Those “wise men” came from distant lands to pay homage to Jesus Christ, the King of Kings, and in doing so they represented people of every nation, race, language and culture.  On this day let’s recall that Jesus came to live among all human beings, and as such dignifies, reverences, and celebrates the diversity of our world.  May we, like my parishioners and neighbors in Brooklyn, follow his example as we live our lives, and in the way we live among and respect others we encounter in our society and world, especially those who might be different than us!  Happy Three Kings Day!

Praise God!  Friar Timothy