Happy Pentecost!!!

Those of us in the Eastern Orthodox, Catholic, and Anglican traditions celebrated the Feast of Pentecost yesterday. Pentecost is recorded in Acts chapter 2 where the first disciples were gathered together and a rush of a mighty wind came through the upper room in Jerusalem and tongues of fire rested on the disciples and they began preaching the Word of God in many languages.

Pentecost is also called the "birthday" of the Church because it is the beginning of the preaching ministry of the disciples. Pentecost celebrates the sending of the Holy Spirit into the world, which is the Spirit of unit, the Spirit of love, the Spirit of truth, the Spirit of wisdom. This the same Holy Spirit that was given to us at our baptism and chrismation (or confirmation as they say in the Western Churches), the same Holy Spirit given to clergy at their ordination, and the same Holy Spirit that comes upon us at every Divine Liturgy or Mass.

I wish everyone a good Pentecost season. I hope that you realize that the Holy Spirit is alive and active in the world, in the Church, and in your life. Each one of us received the gift of the Holy Spirit at our baptism, don't forget that.

For more information about the Feast of Pentecost click here

If you want to read more about Pentecost from an Eastern Orthodox perspective and other feast days click here

New Book Coming Soon!!!!!!

I am excited about a new book that I am currently working on called Images of Jesus. The book is a collection of New Testament images or allusions to Jesus such as Jesus the Bread, Jesus the Prophet, Jesus the Judge, Jesus the Vine, and so forth. Through the course of preaching, teaching, and reading the gospels it occurred to me that we have a plethora of various types of images of Jesus. The book will hopefully be complete by the end of the summer and ready for purchase in early Fall. Images of Jesus will be very similar to my previous books, Our Father: A Prayer for Christian Living and A 30 Day Retreat: A Personal Guide to Spiritual Renewal in that the chapters are short, easy to read, and have questions for further discussion and reflection.

Make sure to check back often for more information about the book.

Hopefully you can purchase a copy for yourself, for your pastor, for your friends!!!

Abbey of Gethsemani

Another one of my favorite retreat places in the United States is the Abbey of Gethsemeni in Kentucky. This monastery is where Thomas Merton, the famous monk and writer lived. Merton was a prolific author, his most famous was his autobiography called A Seven Storey Mountain which sold thousands if not millions of copies.

The monastery is located not to far from Louisville, where the Merton Center is located. Gently rolling hills or knobs as they call them dot the land. Kentucky is bluegrass country and there is plenty of bluegrass around! The area around the monastery is very peaceful and you can take plenty of healthy walks, up and down those knobs!

The monastery is very quiet and peaceful. The monks keep a regular rule of prayer and liturgical services and guests are welcome to join in worship if they are able to do that. The rooms are simple and there is a library and quiet area for reading and rest. Meals are taken in the cafeteria and if I recall all meals are silent, which means, no talking. The only sound you'll hear are forks hitting plates and people sipping tea or coffee. There is also a large bookstore where the monks sell their famous cheese products, books, icons, and music.

If you want a semi-silent retreat or time away from the craziness plan a visit to the Abbey of Gethsameni. However you need to call in advance since they have literally thousands of pilgrims and retreat participants throughout the year.

For more information about the monastery click here

For more information about Thomas Merton click here

Monks of New Skete

Summer is a time for rest and relaxation but also for retreat. Monasteries make a great retreat destination. They usually have a guest house as well as plenty of space for walking and hiking and quiet places for introspection and reflection. One of my favorite monasteries in North America is the New Skete Communities in Cambridge, NY. The Monks of New Skete are famous for their dog training and just last week they were featured on Good Morning America. I included the link to that short video below.

When visiting the New Skete community you will find rest and relaxation, plenty of nature, and hopefully you will find inner stillness and peace. The monastery chapel is gorgeous, the colorful painted frescoes are breathtaking and the singing is heavenly.

Do yourself a favor and visit the Monks of New Skete.

On the way home make sure to buy one of their gourmet cheesecakes, or maybe two of them, you won't be disappointed.

For more information about the New Skete Community click here

For a short video on Good Morning America click here

Coming Soon: Review of Orthodoxy by Paul Evdokimov

This new volume by the late French Orthodox theologian Paul Evdokimov is being published by New City Press, a full review will be forthcoming shortly. Below is a blurb from the Preface of the book:

“The appearance in 1965 of Orthodoxy, a masterpiece of synthesis, was a landmark in religious publishing and earned for its author a doctorate of theology from the Institut Saint-Serge in Paris. Paul Evdokimov here circumvents all scholastic theology on the one hand, and the traditional approach of the ‘Dogmatic’ theologians on the other, to develop an original synthesis of Orthodox theological thinking. Although he constantly quotes the Fathers, he does so creatively, so as not simply to repeat them, but to incarnate their spirit in our own time and for our future. In addition, he enriches Patristic thought by bringing to bear on it the two great movements that have occurred in Eastern Christianity: the theology of the divine energies in the 14th century which enlightened our understanding of the material world and human culture; and the Russian religious philosophy of the first half of the 20th century with its prophetic intuitions, its Pentecostal understanding of the modern world, and its vital eschatology. A theological approach in which the human intelligence progresses by an ascesis of repentance, of the great conversion of the heart, metanoia, is here set forth so as to show, or rather celebrate, the theosis or deification of the whole human person.... An understanding we might call eucharistic, gathering together and clarifying the experience of life in the Church, an understanding inseparable from the golden chain of holiness, including the holiness of intelligence, which the Church venerates in those whom she calls the ‘Fathers.’ ”

Happy Ascension!!!

Today those of us in the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches celebrate the feast of the Ascension as recorded in the Book of Acts chapter 1 and Luke 24. Those of you in the Roman Catholic Church will celebrate this feast on Sunday since the Vatican II reforms moved the feast to the following Sunday.

For more information on the Ascension click here

Wishing you a good day and wonderful weekend.

I hope you are all finding God in the small daily stuff of life, in carpools, in taking out the garbage, in listening to a friend or family member. Try to find God in both big and small ways.

Be well!!!

Book Review: This Our Exile by James Martin, SJ

You can't go wrong with a book by James Martin, SJ! If you haven't heard of James Martin, well, you haven't read much! Martin is an editor at America Magazine as well as a commentator for NPR and the Huffington Post. He is often interviewed my national media when the Catholic Church is in the news. He is also the author of numerous books, most recently The Jesuit Guide to Almost Everything (Harper Collins).

This Our Exile: A Spiritual Journey with the Refugees of East Africa (Orbis Publishers) is a re-issued book. The book was first published in 1999.

This Our Exile is part theology, part travelogue, part memoir, part guide on vocation and ministry. Since Martin is a Jesuit he was assigned to a special ministry, in his case, Kenya. For two years Martin spent time in Kenya assisting the local peoples, Kenyans as well as refugees from Rwanda in their daily survival. We hear about their poverty, lack of resources, poor education, and lack of care. Missionaries from around the world try to help the people by digging wells and assisting with basic life skills.

Yet Martin goes deeper. This is not just a "I did this and then I did that...." type of book. He weaves personal stories and anecdotes into the narrative. Most people think that missionaries bring God to the un-Churched. Martin found out that actually his role was to witness what God was doing already. God was in Kenya way before Martin arrived back in the early 1990's.

If you want to learn more about missionaries in Africa and how we, as baptized Christians, are all called to be missionaries to the people around us, then take and read This Our Exile. You won't be disappointed!!!

For those who want to read more from James Martin, make sure to order his new book Between Heaven and Mirth: Why Joy, Humor, and Laughter Are At the Heart of the Spiritual Life (Harper Colllins, 2011). Just from reading this title I can see that it's probably going to be a great read!

To order a copy of This Our Exile click here

To read more about Martin's newest book Between Heaven and Mirth click here

To read more about the ministry and writing of James Martin, SJ click here