Episode Transcript
[00:00:10] Speaker A: Welcome back to another edition of our diocesan podcast, Big City Catholics, with Bishop Robert Brennan, the Diocesan Bishop of Brooklyn, and myself, Father Christopher Henyu. As we release this podcast, we enter into the third Sunday of Advent, Gaudete Sunday. And I thought as our opening prayer, perhaps we could pray in anticipation. The prayer of the opening prayer of the Mass for this Sunday. In the name of the Father and of the Son of the Holy Spirit, Amen. We pray, O God, who see how your people faithfully await the feast of the Lord's Nativity, enable us, we pray, to attain the joys of so great a salvation and to celebrate them always with solemn worship and glad rejoicing. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
[00:00:54] Speaker B: As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen. In the name of the Father, Son.
[00:00:58] Speaker A: And Holy Spirit Spirit.
[00:00:59] Speaker B: Amen.
[00:01:00] Speaker A: Passing through the season of Advent quickly.
[00:01:02] Speaker B: Exactly. Exactly. Sort of. This release is at the halfway point. The way Advent is structured this year so began on the 1st of December. So we're right in the midpoint of Advent. And it is. We've said this before, it certainly is a penitential season. It certainly is one of waiting and hoping, but it's a different flavor. It's a joyful penance. And so, like I say, I'm not one to poo poo. The idea of all the trappings of Christmas, as long as they don't become distractions or ends in themselves, but that they draw us deeper in. We'll talk. We had the Matt Ma concert last week, and Sarah Kroger. And Sarah Kroger's husband was like the emcee and he welcomed us all. But he quoted Pope Benedict a line that just struck me so well. He said, waiting for someone you love is always a cause for joy.
Waiting for someone you love is always a cause for joy. And that's our Adventist position. We're waiting for somebody whom we love, even in terms of the end of the world or the end of our lives. That evokes images of nervousness.
But in the end, we're waiting for someone we love. You think of somebody who's been away a long time and away from family and the family waiting for that person at the airport or something like that.
It's a cause for joy. And here we are this third Sunday we call Gaudete Sunday, which means rejoice. That's right, rejoice, be glad.
[00:02:41] Speaker A: The themes of the readings, and we'll talk more about them.
[00:02:44] Speaker B: We'll talk about the gospel A bit. But that second reading, Rejoice in the Lord always. St. Paul says, yeah, don't just rejoice when things are good. Rejoice in the Lord always. Rejoice when you're struggling because maybe those struggles are leading us through something we need to be led through. Or rejoice because the Lord is helping you in that moment. Rejoice because you know that the Lord is near. Rejoice in the Lord always. And then he goes on, everyone should see how unselfish you are. You know, all these images of Advent are great, but this gaudete Sunday gives coming up is sort of a spock.
[00:03:23] Speaker A: Yeah, you kind of alluded to the concert. Talk about a joy filled experience. Thank you, Bishop, for your presence too and being part of that, that great experience. Matt Marr, Sarah Kroger here at the Co Cathedral, we had close to 500 people and just a night, as it was called, an Advent night of worship. And that's exactly what it was. The songs were perfect. They were Advent themed, the an experience of Eucharistic adoration with that classic hymn, you know, lord, I need you in the presence of the Lord in the Eucharist. I even saw, and I don't know if you noticed when Sarah Kroger was singing one of the hymns about rejoicing in the Christ our Savior is born and she was pointing like at the monstrance, she was saying, this is Christ our Savior. I thought it was just a great way for me even to just set the rest of the tone for this season of Advent.
[00:04:10] Speaker B: Mat Mar's music has long inspired me. And what I mean by that is he's been around a little while, as have I. And a good part of my own prayer comes from Mat Ma's music. And I said at the concert, Sarah Kroger a little more recently because she's a little bit more recent on the scene. I had a funny experience. I thought of it during that concert, an embarrassing experience. Last year at Seek, the song he used to open is the Angel Gabriel to Mary Came, a very traditional hymn. But he did it very beautifully. And I have that recording and I often pray with that. I often use it to pray with. And maybe this is a little untraditional, but I was at Seeking last year, the gathering. It was during Christmas time. It was New Year's Day, as a matter of fact, the day we arrived, it was New Year's Day that this happened. And I was praying and I had that on my iPad and I had the earbuds and I was Praying with that in the Adoration Chapel. Now, thank God I wasn't singing. I wasn't doing that. But at one point somebody came over and said, could you lower that? And I had no idea. I thought it was coming through the earpiece and it wasn't.
He was probably embarrassed to approach me. There's the bishop making noise in adoration.
Oh Lord. I thought it was an embarrassing moment, but.
[00:05:30] Speaker A: And it was Matt Mar's song.
[00:05:31] Speaker B: That was Matt Ma's song. The angel Gabriel from heaven came with wings as drifted snow his eyes flame all hair said he O my most highly favored lady Gloria. It's a beautiful song. And he does it with this haunting melody. It's just so very, very powerfully. But you know. Yes, these songs, music we use in our prayer during Advent, they really can touch the heart. The words they speak about our human experience in some way. I think of Advent as sort of a metaphor for life. We're in this time that we talk about the three comings of Christ and we're in the in between time. But we know that God has come in Bethlehem and we know that Christ, God is with us in the church, in the sacraments, walking with us in our daily life. And we know that it'll come again. We're living in this. This is really a lifetime of Advent, living in the in between times with confident hope. Because you know, hope is based on reality. You have to make the distinction between hope and wishful thinking. We talk about this a lot. We live not in wishful thinking. We live in hope. Hope is based on reality, on facts, on real experiences, that God has been faithful to the promise and so he will be.
[00:06:41] Speaker A: It's interesting too, you know how this third Sunday that we sprinkle in that rejoicing, that gaudeti, that joy filled. You're in the midst of what we say is a penitential sort of season, yet it's joy comes in the midst. There's the ups and downs. I even thought like there was a kind of a cadence to the concert. We started very high. There was sort of like a, you know, kind of high tempo music. Then there was this kind of lull, like a slow kind of. There was a solemnity to the eucharistic adoration. And as soon as the host was placed back in the tabernacle, they play this very like up and beat, you know, he shall reign forevermore. And people are on their feet and they're praising the Lord. But it was that joy filled moment again. So that is sort of that ups and downs of life, too. It just is the reality of our experience.
[00:07:28] Speaker B: And you notice I called the last song.
[00:07:31] Speaker A: You did.
[00:07:33] Speaker B: Here's a version of.
[00:07:34] Speaker A: So for context, Bishop and I were sitting next to one another at the concert and I said, I think, Bishop, there are two encore songs. And he said, I think that Hark the Herald Angels Sing will probably be his last one. So the second song came and it wasn't that song. And I said, oh, Bishop, you said, I guess I was wrong, you know, I said, oh, I guess you were. And I stepped away for a moment. And then he threw in a third encore song. And of course, the last song was Hark the Herald Angels Sing. What a cool rendition of that.
[00:08:03] Speaker B: Yeah, he has a very upbeat Irishman. That's why I figured we hadn't heard it. And I figured that's how you end with that kind of a notion. And Sarah Kroger, like I said, she's a little bit more recent on the scene, but beautiful voice and very prayerful. You can tell, you know, that she's really praying those words as she sings, you know. And one of her songs was what a Beautiful Name. It is the name of Jesus, Powerful name. It is. It's another one of those that I find myself praying with a lot. I was glad to be able to do that. And again, we all have our different customs. It's music, it's the scenes, it's getting things decorated that draw us in. We have our Christmas gathering this week, and during that, the children will do a rendition of the Nativity. You see that happening in schools and catechetical programs all over. I mean, these are the things that kind of tug at our heartstrings. These are the things that are in our memories.
[00:09:00] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah. Bishop, you also had a beautiful, joy filled celebrations with the Passionists in Jewish states.
[00:09:08] Speaker B: So the monastery parish of the Immaculate Conception celebrated its hundredth anniversary. I was joking. And. But it's funny, some of the Passioners had the same feeling. You reach a certain age and all of a sudden, 100 years ago doesn't seem all that long ago.
I mean, for me, it's within grasp. You know, I grew up under the guidance of people who were around 100 years ago.
[00:09:31] Speaker A: That's right. That's right.
[00:09:32] Speaker B: And you know, we're not talking about the 1800s now. We're talking about well into the 1900s. Right. So 1924, you can picture these days. You know, it's grown into a very dynamic, powerful parish.
But not only is it a great parish and it really is. But when Archbishop Molloy brought them into the diocese, he invited the Passionists and they set up the parish. But that became the monastery and a retreat house. It became a center for passionate spirituality. And from there, the passionate spirituality went out. You know, so Passionists were very and continue to be very involved in that parish retreat and parish mission ministry. They've done a great deal of work with youth, lesser known than the Franciscans in New York, but they have a particular ministry with reconciliation. They make themselves available priests from all over the metropolitan area, from our diocese, from Rockville center, maybe in New York as well. They make themselves available for priests for confessions, direction. And one of the things that Father Shea, the provincial, who lives and works out of there, said is that for many Passionists in this province, they would at one point or another go through that monastery parish. So a lot of the Passionists have a connection to the parish of the Immaculate Conception.
[00:11:00] Speaker A: And so one of our auxiliary bishops, Bishop Neil Tiedemann, is also a Passionist.
[00:11:04] Speaker B: That's right. Passionists were great missionaries, particularly like in that island of Jamaica and the island. So he was bishop in Mandeville, and then he came back into Brooklyn and served here until his recent retirement and as an auxiliary bishop. Again, his spirituality I always valued and I continue to value to a certain extent. I kind of miss the regular contact with him because he always had a great wisdom about him and he could be very funny, but with a powerful wisdom. But retired, he may be. He's actually very involved now with the Passion as he serves as a mentor. He's very much a part of the life of the Passionist congregation.
[00:11:42] Speaker A: That's great. And it is a great resource to the diocese. As you mentioned, having that retreat house.
[00:11:48] Speaker B: It was Bishop Molloy retreat house, and now it's called Thomas Berry had a bit of a makeover, and I haven't been in the actual rooms in the new center, but they've really upgraded the facility and tried to make it more amenable for that retreat experience.
[00:12:03] Speaker A: So it's been a great season of Advent, and, you know, we talking about all these joyful experiences.
[00:12:09] Speaker B: And the other thing on this third Sunday is the person of John the Baptist always comes back. So the second and third week of Advent, the Gospel readings bring us to the voice of John the Baptist. And this year, the cycle of readings, I love it. It's a great conversation. John is in the Gospel of Luke. He's preaching that message of repentance. He's preaching that message of prepare the way of the Lord. And people were coming up to him and saying, well, then, what ought we to do? There's a very practical aspect to the gospel this week. What ought we to do? If we really believe that the Lord is coming, if we really believe that, for us now as Christians, if we really believe that Christ is walking in our midst, what ought we to do? And his message is pretty practical, isn't it?
[00:13:00] Speaker A: Yeah. I mean, to the tax collectors, teacher, what should we do? Stop collecting more than what's prescribed to the soldiers. What should we do? Do not practice extortion to the crowds. What should we do? Whoever has two cloaks, share with the person who has none. These are the practical sort of applications to the gospel and to that message as well.
[00:13:18] Speaker B: Yes. I often think of St. Francis de Sales. You know, basically, his message is, be holy in your vocation. Don't try to be something other than who you are. Because all those vocations, our life vocations, can be holy. And basically that's sort of what John was saying here. Now, in the early days of the chur, because of the situation at the time, becoming a Christian did mean you had a kind of leave an old life behind. But John is talking about be holy, doing what you're supposed to do. You know, if you're a tax collector, you know, as we know, that whole system of tax collection in the Roman Empire, it was built on corruption, basically.
Tax collectors, as long they. They had ultimate power, they could use whatever means they needed as long as the empire got its share. And so if, you know, collected double, then, well, good for you. You live well and be happy. So he was talking about a radical new way of living, but still, yeah, to a certain extent, taxes. Even at that time, there was a necessity for them because of infrastructure and all of that. But don't collect more than what you're supposed to. You know, be fair, be honest, be people of integrity. You know, if you put it into modern parlance, when you talk about business practice, when you talk about following legal things, be people of integrity. St. Paul said in that second reading, everyone should see how unselfish you are. Rejoice in the Lord. Rejoicing in the Lord means letting the Lord shine from you. Yeah. Or soldiers. The soldiers could come in and just flatten the city. John says, don't extort, don't, don't bully, don't falsely accuse. You know, again, it's integrity, but it's like, okay, you've got a job to do. Do it with integrity. And then of course, everybody, what ought you to do. And there we talk about. He talks about generosity, but not just generosity being nice, generosity being just generosity. Sharing what you have because it's the right thing to do. And then of course, the crowds, you know, whoever has two cloaks should share with the one who has none. This is the way, you know when you're living in that in between time. To be a person of hope means to identify, to conform your life to Jesus Christ. Sure, that's what John was doing as he was pointing the way to Jesus.
[00:15:40] Speaker A: I like those two phrases there that you mentioned. St. Francis de Sales, be holy in your vocation and they're just conforming your life to Jesus Christ. I think we've had some practical applications of that in our own local church here.
[00:15:54] Speaker B: We had three funerals since Thanksgiving. Two of our priests, one died just before Thanksgiving and one on the Saturday of the week. And. And then of course, Lou Coneseca, the iconic coach for St. John's University, who goes back to my time there, died over the weekend. You're right. These were tremendous witnesses. So Father Al Belantonio, he was sort of a quiet priest. We had his funeral when last week's podcast was being released. So his funeral was last Friday.
[00:16:23] Speaker A: And admittedly I mentioned to you I really didn't know Father Belantonio and that's.
[00:16:28] Speaker B: A very good point because he might not have been one of our well known priest. I knew him from the senior priest residence at Douglaston. But you could see at his funeral he really made an impact. There were people there from St. Jerome's his first parish. Some fellows were talking about the work he did with the youth and with the altar service when he was first ordained and they were present. He was very well known in the community. In Coney island, our lady of Solace had a Lady of Solace church. Again, people were there from his parish there. These people go back many, many years. But the impact that he left and then after the funeral I mentioned that, but after the funeral somebody came up. I think they were from Sacred Hearts. There were all these other places in between. I thought about. That's such a comfort for all of us as priests to see that, you know, the work that we do might make a difference. Even if it's unsung, it makes a difference. And that people remember. When I see people remembering the work of priests who touched their lives, that's an affirmation for all of us.
[00:17:32] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah.
[00:17:33] Speaker B: It's a great, great reminder of the privilege we have to work in the.
[00:17:38] Speaker A: Vineyard of the Lord and then Monsignor Riley, Philip J. Reilly, who's just a real advocate, has always had been an advocate for pro life ministry and the dignity of human life who also passed away.
[00:17:50] Speaker B: And I knew that about him. I knew that he was a real hero in that course, but I didn't realize. I knew he taught at Cathedral Preparatory High School. And teaching there, he was a beloved teacher and principal. And so I really found out in recent days the great memories that people were sharing about his work at Cathedral Prep. My interaction with him for the last couple of years, he suffered greatly. He had had skin cancer, and the effects of it were incredibly painful. He was well cared for at Hosnim hall by the Carmelite sisters and his staff and the other sisters who worked there. He suffered, though. And yet when you would see him in the nursing home, when you see him in his room, there was a certain joy, a certain tranquility. It was really holiness. That's the Monsignor Riley I knew it was of this long suffering, very patient, holy, holy person. I knew of his reputation, but I only knew that by reputation. My experience was this holiness and suffering. And Monsignor Vicari, who preached at the funeral, summed him up so well. He quoted a homily that Monsignor Reilly gave at the funeral of Father Troiki, who was another great hero of Cathedral Prep. And he spoke of the way that Father Troiki, you could hear, you know, I guess the walls are thin. You could hear him in pain, groaning. At night. They would ask, how are you? And he said, terrific. But he too was suffering. And at the funeral for Father Troiki, Monsignor Riley said, why would a good person suffer so much? And then he answered his own question, and he said, to make him a saint. And Mansgr. Vicari said that, you know, that homily just stayed with them. For here he is years and years later, he remembers, I guess it's 40 years later. And his classmates, he was talking to a classmate. They both remembered that homily. And yet it turned out to be prophetic for Monsignor Riley as well, because he suffered greatly. And I think he did believe that his sufferings were to make him a saint. So, you know, in a sense, sad as a funeral is, there's that Advent sense of joy and hope that now he is saint, you know, that he shares the resurrection of Jesus. He again, another image of Monsignor Vicari. He conformed himself. His life was conformed to Jesus Christ, you know, in ministry and humble service as a teacher. His ministry through his Suffering and pain, that he was conformed to Jesus Christ in his suffering. And now may he be conformed in the resurrection. And then, yes, Lou Coneseca. I had the great privilege. I worked with Lou's daughter, with Enos Conasecker in Rockville Center. She's a wonderful person, the picture of graciousness. And yet I knew Lou not as a basketball coach, but I knew him because he was a person. At daily mass in the little chapel at the time at St. John's he'd always be there. And again, I'd be struck by his humility and his holiness. He was as great a basketball coach as he was. He was a very holy man. And coming to know Enos later on, I knew of his holiness as a husband and as a father, and he stayed with his players. He was a father figure. My time at St. John's actually, the year after I graduated that time, that's when they were really sailing hot in the Big east and in the ncaa. And so he had the great national reputation, but as great a coach as he was first, he was a holy man. I was able to get to his wake, but I couldn't get to the funeral because we did have our own funerals here. But I know that many people spoke about how touching that funeral was, too, at St. John's yeah.
[00:21:37] Speaker A: And that's, as you say, you know, living holiness in your vocation.
[00:21:41] Speaker B: You know, just one other thing on that. He. The holiness in his vocation. When you would meet him years later now, in the more recent years, I'd see him at a game, at a basketball game or something like that, and he would just kind of go through what this player is doing now, what that player is doing now. He was a father figure to the team. He was a great father figure. And he stayed with them, and he stayed in touch, and he followed their careers and their ups and their downs, and he remained, you know, a mentor to them. He was. They could always come back to him. So, yes, in. Even in the career, his holiness wasn't only in the chapel.
[00:22:13] Speaker A: Yeah. Yeah.
[00:22:14] Speaker B: But it was in that lived experience. You're exactly right. Yep.
[00:22:17] Speaker A: Yeah. And, you know, so I think there are great reminders to us, certainly in the season of Advent, we continue through it. We rejoice in the joys of the Lord. We are joyful in the hope of his coming, waiting with hope and love for the person to arrive as we pray, as we wait for the coming of our Savior. Perhaps we could end with a prayer, Bishop, and your blessing.
[00:22:37] Speaker B: Absolutely. Loving mother of the Redeemer. Gate of heaven, Star of the sea, assist your people who have fallen, yet strive to rise again to the wonderment of nature. You bore your Creator and remained a virgin after, as before you who received Gabriel's joyful greeting, have pity on us poor sinners, and may Almighty God bless you, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
[00:23:00] Speaker A: Amen. Thank you, Bishop. Thanks to all who continue to join us each and every week on this diocesan podcast. Big City Catholics. We hope that you'll join us again next week. A blessed third Sunday Gaudete Sunday of Advent to you, and we'll see you soon. Bye.
