"61 Minutes"

Stop and read this first! No, really. So often we experience life without the benefit of reflection. It is only when we are sick, or injured and are "forced" to slow down that we do. But even then we are sometimes so angry or depressed about having to slow down, that we don’t think to use the time as a sort of retreat; or at worse, we are spiteful and refuse to use it, thinking it simply a waste of time. The truth of the matter is, we live in a world that judges us based on what we can produce. Therefore, when it comes to prayer; a diary; reflection; things we do alone, or perhaps do, knowing that others will never see or experience them, we see them as a waste of time. We perceive these practices as something "lame" or things that don’t really fulfil a purpose at all.

This is what theologians and psychologists alike would call "bull-crap!" The fact is that so often we don’t invest ourselves in prayer because it’s not productive. Fr. Peter van Breeman says: "Resist the inclination to make prayer productive." Very true! There will be no paper product or project; there is no certificate or degree that goes with it. However, what does come (eventually, as with anything else this takes time) is a peace. It is not a peace that denies that evil exists; nor is it one that is devoid of suffering. But it is a peace that enables simple lived experience to grow into the fullness of meaning. Our experiences are merely a page in the book of history unless we find meaning in them. If we can do that, then even the most painful experiences can bear fruit that will help us to become the people we were created to be.

Each of us is given the gift of imagination. Many of us don’t tap into this gift; what a loss! Because it’s the everyday stuff that not even our imagination can conjure up; and yet imagination can help us to unlock the secrets that God has subtly hidden in our everyday lives. I’ll admit I was a skeptic at first as well. But look, I tried this and promised to do it for thirty days. For thirty days I would look over my day and write down stuff that happened during the day: seemingly boring stuff, and just everyday stuff. I figured, thirty days is thirty days. After that time if I haven’t changed then I haven’t lost anything. But if I have changed….wow. And so here I am, and here it is. Sometimes, I’ve found that the best way to teach is to show how. We are the best witnesses when we live what we teach. For this reason, I’ve compiled my reflections and homilies for the Sundays and major Holy Days throughout the year.

The title of this book is "61 minutes". We are all called, as priests, to make a holy hour, or spend 60 minutes in front of the Blessed Sacrament; in the presence of God each day. I would find myself praying for maybe fifty minutes and I would receive nothing in the way of inspiring thoughts or insights. Because I wasn’t getting anything, I would be tempted to leave early. But if I stayed, I found over time that it was usually the fifty-eighth or fifty-ninth minute that God chose to enlighten me. I had to be faithful. Is it any wonder that Jesus asked the apostles in the garden to stay awake with him and pray? So now, just to make sure I give God all the time He needs, I make my holy hour 61 minutes. Just in case!

I had always written homilies in long-hand on a legal pad. Sometimes using shorthand or symbols; cues, etc. There came a time when one of my parishioners was stationed in Iraq fighting the war, so I began to send some homilies to him to make him feel "not so far from home." I began to compile, never with the intention to publish. After many arguments and justifications by those who wanted something to hold onto, however, I decided to relent. The title of the book gives credit where the credit is due. These thoughts and reflections, although written with my hand, are the work of the Holy Spirit. They are in fact physical products of a holy hour, so I give the glory to God.

Now here’s the disclaimer part. First of all, these are homilies and homilies are meant to be heard, not so much read. Therefore, I have written these reflections the way they would be spoken. That being said, you will find sentence fragments; prepositions that end sentences; commas everywhere; bold and italics when necessary. I do this so that you might read it in the way that you would have heard it preached. Second caveat, I read many books, and when I hear something that touches my heart personally, or something that will help me to explain something better, I use it. "A good homilist is an excellent thief," sayeth Fulton Sheen. What happens, however, is after awhile these things become your own. You can’t remember where you read them or heard them. Within this writing, I’ve tried to give the original author credit if I used their quote or idea. But some I either couldn’t find, or couldn’t remember. So, if I used your quote, let me know and I’ll give you credit in future editions. I encourage you (as I was encouraged in seminary) to read the readings for Sunday on your own first. Do this about ten times and I guarantee you, the meaning will change for you over time. Keep a light journal of significant experiences throughout the day and week. Put the scripture and your journal together and God will speak. After that…you can peek in here and see what came to me. Enjoy! Read, Re-Read, underline and teach!