Father Bob's Reflections

Dear Friends,

You haven’t heard from me for a week because there’s a time to nourish and a time to be nourished.  A time to give and a time to receive.  Besides, my body seems to have been requiring extra rest; I haven’t been given the energy to pray and to write in the pre-dawn hours of Cypress Chase A as I prefer.  A year ago I made myself crazy and manic trying to do things my way.  I think I’ve finally learned to realize that God works quite a bit more slowly than than I would like.   The book  In Due Season: A Catholic Life by Paul Wilkes is an honest description of a wandering sinner, like me, who has an insatiable thirst for God.  It’s the story of Augustine and Thomas Merton.  I am reflecting on my own unconventional journey as a priest as I prepare to write.  There are similarites and differences which I’m trying to grab hold of.    I am also working on my Arise reflection / letter on accepting death.  I believe we must let capitalism as we know it die so that a new people-centered economy  might rise like the glorious Phoenix from the ashes. Erich Fromm recognized in 1956 Art of Loving) and the movie Matrix in 1999 that as we concentrate on buying and selling of material things we ourselves become commodities as well.  Capitalism as we know it is just as atheistic as communism; it has destroyed our spiritual life in this country.  The economic crisis is, in reality, a spiritual crisis.

We’re two weeks away from celebrating the Paschal Mysteries, the richest experience of faith and hope and love in which the church renews itself.  The sad thing is so few Catholics experience its power for transformation.  The experience of Holy Week makes clear that if we enter the way of Jesus and accept our own sufferings, and the dying that needs to take place in us that we will also experience Risen Life.  But we must realize, there are not shortcuts for one who intends to live a life of authenticity as Jesus clearly tells us . . . .

“The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.  “He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal (John 12:24)

May I suggest that each of us meditate on the profound wisdom that is encapsulated in the words of the Master.

Lord Jesus, we are coming close to experience your Passion 2009.

Help us to realize the things we need to surrender / to die to / to let go of

so that we can experience New Life for us and our country.

Bob Traupman

priest / writer

This is all for now.  Hope to see you soon.