Episode Transcript
Speaker 1 00:00:10 Welcome back to another edition of Big City Catholics, Sardi and podcast with Bishop Brennan, the diocese Bishop of Brooklyn, and myself, father Christopher, hen you here at the Ko Cathedral of St. Joseph in downtown Brooklyn. As we begin this podcast, we're entering the season of Lent. We begin in prayer today. We'll use the colic, the opening prayer that was used at mass on Ash Wednesday, as we pray, in the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Grant, oh Lord, that we may begin with holy fasting, this campaign of Christian service, so that as we take up battle against spiritual evils, we may be armed with weapons of self-restraint through our Lord Jesus Christ, your son, who lives in reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, forever and ever. Amen. Amen. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Isn't that a beautiful prayer, bishop, that
Speaker 2 00:01:06 It really is, and as many people know, we record these ahead of time so that we can release them on Friday, and so you and I are sitting together on Ash Wednesday. That's right. But the cross is on how far looking across the way <laugh>. Yeah.
Speaker 1 00:01:18 I, you know, I'm, I'm like a little obsessive compulsive when I give the cross, you know, I want it a perfect cross. People get great crosses from this thumb <laugh>. It is a great beginning to this season, and as I read that prayer at mass today, I just love that idea of being armed with the weapons of self-restraint, you know? That's right. Being armed for this spiritual battle and what we grow in. So, Bishop, uh, just a kind of a start on a somber topic recently in the news was the sad and sudden passing murder of an auxiliary bishop in Los Angeles, Bishop David O'Connell. Yes.
Speaker 2 00:01:53 It's tremendously sad, quite frankly. Any story about a murder or the violence is always heartbreaking when it's somebody you know. Yeah. Then it's even more jarring. It's, uh, surprising and you can see from the news accounts that he had a tremendous impact Yes. In the community. Yes. Um, especially in the immigrant community of, uh, Southern Los Angeles. Uh, remember when he was ordained, he, Bishop Barron and another Brennan, Joseph Brennan, were ordained together as auxiliary around the same time I was ordained in auxiliary as auxiliary for Los Angeles, and of the three, he's the one I knew the least, but I did know him from the conference. And, uh, he was always, you know, that upbeat, friendly kind of person,
Speaker 1 00:02:42 A native of
Speaker 2 00:02:43 Ireland, a native Ireland county cork. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, a man who really serves the poor. So when you hear what happened, it, it's deeply troubling, deeply disturbing. And so we pray for him. I pray for Archbishop Gomez. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, another wonderful, wonderful man, and a great shepherd. And we pray for all the people of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, um, that they might find consolation, especially at this time of the year now, as we focus in on the reality of the cross. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, that we look beyond that to the promise and the reality of the resurrection.
Speaker 1 00:03:19 I think, too, you know, if we talk about Lent as a spiritual preparation and, and also our lives as a constant spiritual battle of good versus evil, you know, it is maybe a sort of a pessimistic way to look upon it, and it's not, you're right, Bishop, this approach does not have the hope of the resurrection in it, admittedly. But I think of someone's life like Bishop O'Connell's and how many people's lives he has impacted, and now that impact on an earthly existence has gone, you know, so the lives now that he could have continued to impact, he can no longer, you know, that's a, an earthly way of looking at it. In,
Speaker 2 00:03:55 In fact, in some ways, this is the mystery of God's providence and God's love. In some ways, now, his impact may even grow. That's true. It does grow because people look to him and to his suffering as a, as an example, there's the constant reminder that we hear in St. Paul's writing, but I love, in the ro letter to the Romans, he says, we see a lot of evil in the world, but the call of Christianity is we conquer evil. Mm-hmm. <affirmative> by doing good. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, one of the people on the news this week said, it's sort of ironic. It is ironic that he was really someone who decried the reality of gun violence mm-hmm. <affirmative>, and that he himself
Speaker 1 00:04:36 Would be a victim of it. And, and the name that that is commonly used now, this, that they use to describe him as peacemaker, peacemaker, peacemaker. How many times I've read that. And the peacemaker dies in such a violent way.
Speaker 2 00:04:50 Right. And so we think about our role as peacemakers, all of us in a world that's filled with a lot of
Speaker 1 00:04:56 Violence. We also have come upon the year anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine. Again, just another reminder of the sad reality of violence in the world. Bishop, I understand you were at a prayer service in St. Patrick's Cathedral
Speaker 2 00:05:11 Recently on Saturday. So Cardinal Dolan called together an ecumenical prayer service. It was very, very beautiful. Archbishop Guzik, who is the archbishop of the Ukrainian Catholic Church that has its seat in Philadelphia, was present as were some of the more local Ukrainian Catholic leaders, and then metropolitan for the Ukrainian Orthodox Church was there as well. And they let us in a traditional prayer that had that eastern flavor. It was very, very beautiful. It was all chanted with them and choir back and forth, but it was a very pointed prayer for peace in Ukraine. Some of the wounded soldiers who are recuperating here in the US were there. Wow. Yeah. Sitting in the front row. Many people who have relatives and friends still in Ukraine were there for that. It was a very, very moving appeal for God's help and God's peace. And there's a certain justified anger, but that wasn't the overarching tone.
Speaker 2 00:06:15 It was, was less about crying what was happening. Like I said, it was present, but really more about appealing, asking the Lord, please help us at this time of trial. It was, it was very, very beautiful. At the end, the metropolitan in the Archbishop Beach offered a greeting, but Bishop Baris Bishop from my native Rockville Center was invited to offer a reflection as well, because he just returned from a pilgrimage of solidarity in Ukraine. So he accompanied Bishop Guzik along with Sister Donna Markham from Catholic Charities usa. Archbishop Guzik invited the bishops back in November. He said, I invite you to, to accompany me. And he was talking to some of the political leaders, uh, military leaders, some of the wounded. He actually was present for, I believe, a funeral. Um, so he did many important things standing in solidarity, but also what he, he spoke about, he spoke about the young people and the young people who are still there, and their impact, actually.
Speaker 2 00:07:20 He spoke about journalists. He spoke about some of the documentary. There was a young fellow who did a documentary so that they can get the story out mm-hmm. <affirmative>, so that the world can see what's really happening. And so, and he was praising their hard work, and again, he's looking at a younger generation. He said, these are the leaders who are going to help in the rebuilding of Ukraine. That's right. They're filled with a certain sense of hope. And they, he, he spoke about their faith, that faith is an anchor to them that helps 'em through these trials, but also impels them into places of service and in, into a place of telling the story.
Speaker 1 00:07:57 Wow. And when you think about as we enter into the season of Lent, how Lent can be, as you've preached recently on Jesus's words, go the extra mile. That's right. You know, lent is that opportunity for us to come out of our comfort zones and to go that extra mile to find it, uh, as an anchor, as a support, as a remedy in the face of all these persecutions and in the face of this great destruction.
Speaker 2 00:08:20 That's right. Over these last couple of weeks, on Sundays, we've been reading from the Be Attitudes. And that go the extra mile is the overarching theme, isn't it? Yeah. Jesus isn't asking us just to get by in life. He's looking for us to live. He came that we might have life and have it in abundance. So he came to show us a path that is living in abundance. How often do we look around and, and talk about getting by? Yeah. And Jesus came for so much more that we might have life and heaven in abundance. And that means looking at the world a little bit differently. It means looking through the lens of the bee attitudes. It means, um, not settling for the things that this world has to offer or that not settling for the things that we tend to think are very important, but looking for more.
Speaker 2 00:09:07 And He came that we might have that more, and by attaching ourselves to him, we can find that more. And so, yeah. Lent, it's a beautiful segue. Yeah. It, that was going the extra mile was this past Sunday's, Sunday Gospel Sunday. And that's what Lent is about. It's about not just going the extra mile because we're looking to punish ourselves. It's going the extra mile. It's attaching hisself to Jesus. It's the path that Jesus took. And one of the things that struck me during the Be attitudes, you know, when Jesus would say, you have heard it said, but I say to you, God doesn't ask us to do anything that God hasn't already done for us. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, and we see that in Jesus. And so what is he asking us really to do, classify our hands to His and walk that extra mile, walk that journey with him. And so with him, that's what this lent is about. It's yeah. Attaching ourselves to Jesus and walking this journey of life, this pilgrimage of faith, this spiritual season with
Speaker 1 00:10:04 Him. You mentioned the word mediocrity. You know that there's no room for mediocrity. Yeah. You know, this is not Well, the universal call to holiness is not a universal cult mediocrity. That's right. It's the universal call to holiness. It's the extraordinary and not just the ordinary.
Speaker 2 00:10:19 Yeah. And yet it's finding the extraordinary in the ordinary. Mm. It's seeing the holiness of the everyday tasks that we do, but not just going through the motions, seeing how these are opportunities really to contribute to the betterment of other people. And that these are opportunities to bring the ministry of Jesus to other people by our, our humble service. Yeah. Some of the things we do ordinarily can in fact be extraordinary acts of love and holiness.
Speaker 1 00:10:50 Yeah. And Bishop, you know, our podcast is entitled Big City Catholics. And I, I'm sure that the practice of these, of Lenin observances of prayer, fasting, and oms giving, there are certain aspects of them that are universal. No matter where you are. You could be in the, the countryside or in the midst of Brooklyn and Queens. But there are other aspects that I think take on a different meaning. You know, that fasting is fasting, but we see things here in our city that others may not have the experience of seeing. I think we see poverty a lot. We see certainly those with mental illness a lot more. You want to provide any insights on how you see those aspects of prayer fasting and OMS giving here?
Speaker 2 00:11:29 Well, a couple of things. One, first of all, a theme that I often go back to is the fact that Jesus came into the real world, not an artificial world. He came into our real world. So for us living in the city, there's a call to recognize the presence of Christ in the big city. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. And so we take it on our sacrifices, our works of charity, but they have their effects. There's a great line in the preface that's used. We have four prefaces that you use during the time of land plus special ones on Sunday. Preface is the prayer just before the Eucharistic prayer. And one of those is that we use on Fridays, which are days of particular penance and abstinence. And on Ash Wednesday goes like this, you will let our self denial, she give you thanks, humble. Our sinful pride contribute to the feeding of the poor.
Speaker 2 00:12:19 And so help us to imitate you in your kindness. The practices that we take up during lent the self denial and all that. It's not just about me being me. It's not just about me denying myself. It's denying myself so that I can be more attentive to the needs of the people around me. You know, contribute to the feeding of the poor, imitate Christ who walks in the big city. Mm. You know, when you're doing any kind of conditioning, physical conditioning, emotional conditioning, so you know, getting ready for an athletic event, you take on different practices, part of it, what that's supposed to do is enhance your focus. Right. And that's part of the Lent experiences to enhance our focus. So that, first of all, we're more attentive by self denial. We can see more clearly the needs of people around us, the realities of the violence around us. So, so you become more attentive to the reality around you, first of all. But then that same attentiveness draws us to recognize that presence of Jesus Christ, so that we can be attentive to what Christ is doing and what Christ is asking us to do as his witnesses in this world, to attentive to the power of His Holy Spirit working within us.
Speaker 1 00:13:34 True. Yeah. And of course, to have this, some would say, do we need Lent to grow in holiness? Well, it's sort of like someone would say to you, do I need to go to church to grow in holiness? Yes. <laugh>, do we need Lent to? Yes. We need, I feel personally we need this season. Not only is it of course rooted in Jesus and in the scriptures, we need this though as individuals to give us that reminder. Like, here's the chance to focus.
Speaker 2 00:14:01 You know what I love about Lent, we don't choose the time of Lent. I love the fact that it kind of moves around. Yeah. And that's all based on the, the Jewish tradition of the Luna calendar. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. So it goes back to Easter is the first Sunday after the first full moon of spring. So the date kind of moves around. I don't decide, okay, I think I'm ready for land. I'm gonna take up this 40 day journey, <laugh>, we do it together. And I think there are two elements that are important to it. One is, I know myself, but I think this is a human phenomenon. I'll get around to it. <laugh>. Yeah. Yeah. If it were really up to me, I'll get around to it, and maybe I will.
Speaker 1 00:14:43 Yeah, exactly. We know how won't, it's like my gym membership. I'm gonna get to them one day. That's
Speaker 2 00:14:48 Right. Exactly. So that's number one. When we're in it together, we're more apt really to step into it. But secondly, our lives as Christians, we are not made for ourselves alone. We are made as Christians to be in this together. We walk the pilgrimage together. You made reference to the connection of the 40 years of the Jewish people fleeing from Egypt, walking through the desert to the Promised land. God saved them together. Yes. That time in the desert was really a time to get to know God. You know, God had already chosen this people, but the time that they spent, it wasn't just getting from here to there, getting from Egypt to the Promised Land. It was a time of really coming to see, first of all how God would provide for them a time. It was a little bit of a time of testing where they had to rely not on their own power, but on the help that comes from God.
Speaker 2 00:15:48 It was also a time though, where they would see that God would feed them. He would provide water from the rock. He would feed them the bread from heaven, the man in the desert, the quail that would come down. So, so it was a time to see that God would be providing, they were frightened along the way, and sometimes they struck back and as we do, yeah. And said, complained against God and against Moses. How often did you hear of that? Right. <laugh>. But that God would always provide for them. But also on Mount Sinai, God gave them the law. We can lose sight of this. It was an amazing gift. People, those, those were pagan times where people were afraid of the gods, the false gods. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. And they kept trying to do things that might appease one God and not offend another God. And God opened his heart and his mind to them.
Speaker 2 00:16:37 God said, you don't have to play games or figure it out. I'm the Lord, you, God, I brought you outta the land of Egypt. You shall honor no other God before me. Yeah. You do not use the name of the Lord in vain, honor the Sabbath, but then also be good to one another. How he gave them a path that can help them to get along in this life. Sure. Shall not steal, shall not kill the, shall not commit adultery. That was like one time of just building up a relationship with the God who loved them and God who was looking after them. Of course, now, as we were talking before Jesus comes, God comes in person. Not only does God send a messenger, but God comes in person. And so Jesus takes it that extra step, extra step, walk the extra mile. Yeah. But then God comes to live among us and says, now let me open wide the mystery. That's right. Walk the extra mile. Forgive, love your enemies. You know, hard stuff. Mm. But it is the path to life and abundance. So the 40 days of land, connect us with those 40 years and Jesus', 40 days in the desert where he was building that communion with God. But yeah, we are in, in this together. It's not, it's not me alone walking through the desert,
Speaker 1 00:17:52 As you know, Bishop, we've been working here at the co cathedral to create a young adult group of fraternity amongst those living in Prospect Heights and Crown Heights. And we had a young adult celebration this past Sunday to celebrate Mardi Gras. So our celebration started Sunday. We had a three day celebration of Mardi Gras and preparation to Lent. We had this beautiful opportunity on Sunday to get together. About 25 people or so, came out after some time of, of socialization. We sat together and I offered the floor to anyone who wished to talk about what they were planning to practice this season of Lent if they wanted. We didn't go around and say, now what are you doing? You know, it's just if they personally felt the ability. And why I suggested that was because it was gonna be thought provoking for those who were sitting there thinking, well, you know what, I really haven't thought about that yet. And also just to, I think as you're mentioning, we're journeying this together. I said, I want to tell you what I'm doing because I wanna be held accountable. I wanna be held to task, and I want your help and support my prayer as we walk this journey together. And I think that's, uh, just made me think when you're, you're mentioning, uh, really thought provoking the Israelites walking together.
Speaker 2 00:19:05 So really this time of Lent is something of a pilgrimage. We're walking together with one another all together, walking together with Jesus Christ. That's it. You know, the other aspect of Lent is that this is not only a time of self denial. We tend to focus in on the penance and the self denial, denial. There's actually a joyful element to lent as well, because basically this time of Lent, it has its origins in preparation for the sacraments of initiation. Mm. So this is a time where the church focuses in on baptism confirmation and Eucharist. And so those who are coming into the church now begin this intense period of preparation for those sacraments of initiation. They've been, many of them preparing, some of them for years, because it's not a program where you, you know, very often we, we think in September through June, but the call of conversion goes on.
Speaker 2 00:20:02 It's a lifelong call, but preparation, it's moving along the way. And so they've been preparing for a while. And now those who will be baptized at the Easter vigil begin this period. And they are called now into a new phase. They're called elect. You know, we speak about the catechumens, people who desire to become Catholics and making the preparation on Sunday, we have the right of election. They are elect, they are the chosen, they are the ones who will become mm-hmm. <affirmative> fully initiated in the Catholic church on Easter Sunday. So I'm looking forward this coming Sunday to receiving all the elect and calling them elect and telling them that the church rejoices, that they're making this decision to walk with us. You see, walking together with one another, walking all together with Christ. So we celebrate their choice to embrace the faith. So we have two celebrations because it's so big,
Speaker 1 00:20:58 Which what a blessing that is. Right. It's so big. Great. So you're gonna have one in Queens and one in
Speaker 2 00:21:02 Brooklyn. That's right. We'll be using the, um, immaculate Conception Center, the, the Chaplain Douglas in. It's a great ceremony of, of course, it's not a mess because these are not people who've been baptized or received communion, so Sure. They're getting ready. So it's a, a prayer service of the word. Then they make commitments and we make commitments to them. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, and then they sign in some symbolic way, they signed the book of the elect. That was, I, I don't know exactly that. They may have done that already, and they present it, or they may come up and sign it. And the idea was to come up into the sanctuary and, and to be prayed over. So we had to choose places where we had large sanctuaries.
Speaker 1 00:21:41 <laugh>
Speaker 2 00:21:41 Yes. And places where people could access it. So in Queens, you're looking for place with parking. Um, we're going to be at Our Lady of Perpetual Health, the Redemptorist Church, which I don't, it has some parking, but not a lot of parking. But I think a lot of people in Brooklyn will
Speaker 1 00:21:56 Be taking public
Speaker 2 00:21:57 Transport. They come by public transport most likely. So we have a place in Brooklyn too that has that large reception space to call people forward.
Speaker 1 00:22:05 An exciting, you know, just for you, certainly for the priests that are there, I'm sure it's an absolute excitement. But for the individuals themselves to say maybe they're one of three in their local parish, but they're one of 3000 in the diocese, you know? Exactly. Which, when they stand side by side,
Speaker 2 00:22:23 Uh, and a church that really rejoices. And, you know, first of all, it's, for me, it's a connection with the bishop that you go back to the early days of the church, and it was bringing people for the sacraments of initiation. I can't baptize everybody at the Easter vigil because we are spread out all the way through <laugh>. But there's the tradition that has grown in the church. It's a connection between the bishop and all of those who are being received into the sacraments of initiation, baptism, confirmation in Eucharist. So that makes that connection with the sacraments. But yeah, it's inspiring too. Yeah. Doesn't it inspire you when you see somebody who makes the choice? You know, you and I, we grew up in Catholic families, freedom
Speaker 1 00:23:05 Catholics. Right. The
Speaker 2 00:23:05 Calls, and it just seems natural. Yeah. But when somebody makes that decision, you say, wow,
Speaker 1 00:23:11 Wow. Inspiring. I often, when I meet with our candidates who are coming through and, and desiring conversion, desiring the sacraments, what a great welcome that is and what a great opportunity it is. But I'll often warn them that this is a, a spiritual journey that you're on, and that there's someone, the devil that doesn't want you to take this journey. I say, look, you know, with God's help and with the support of each other, but trust me, this is not going to be an easy journey. It's the journey of the, in the desert. It's the journey of, well,
Speaker 2 00:23:44 Again, more times
Speaker 1 00:23:45 Than done. Todd doesn't, it's not an easy
Speaker 2 00:23:47 Journey. Ask anything that he himself wouldn't do. Yeah. Yeah. And so Jesus begins his public ministry in the journey battling with the devil. This year, traditionally we use the readings of cycle A. We're on a three year cycle of readings. And so this year happens to be cycle A. So we'll be using the readings all through Lent that kind of focus us on that spiritual journey, beginning right away with that experience of Jesus in the desert, battling the devil, moving into the transfiguration again, every year the church picks up those first two weeks, the, the temptations in the desert, and then the transfiguration where Jesus invites his disciples to come closer to see him in a new light. And then we have those very long gospels this
Speaker 1 00:24:37 Year, <laugh>
Speaker 2 00:24:37 Very long gospels, but very powerful stories of the woman at the well. Yeah. The healing of the man born blind and the raising of Lazarus. Before we get into passion, Sunday and Easter this year is a particularly privileged year as we read through the gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of John for these long encounters with, with Jesus. And you know, it's funny, we have the gospels and they are long, and you, it can test our endurance. I'll, I'll grant that, but it gives a deeper meaning. I, you know, Jesus doesn't just pass by and wave at people. When you see healings in Jesus, it's, it often involves a matter of engagement. Always.
Speaker 1 00:25:25 Yeah. Pretty.
Speaker 2 00:25:26 Yeah. You know, Jesus, he, he talks to the people. He,
Speaker 1 00:25:30 He takes them by the hand,
Speaker 2 00:25:31 Takes them by the hand,
Speaker 1 00:25:32 Raises them,
Speaker 2 00:25:33 Goes through their journeys, their spiritual journeys, the
Speaker 1 00:25:36 Physical touch,
Speaker 2 00:25:36 The, the physical touch. I mean, there were other ones, not the one, these three, but there were others where he like goes down into the mud and Yes. Or sticks his hands in somebody's ears, not very visually appealing images. But the point is that Jesus gets fully engaged Jesus. And, and, and that's what he's doing in your life and in mind. And we recognize that during this period of Lent as well.
Speaker 1 00:25:59 Yeah. Thanks for having this conversation. For me, it's just a, a great way to enter into this season of Lent. I hope it is as well for our listeners.
Speaker 2 00:26:08 Yes. And you know, again, for all of you here in Brooklyn and Queens, we invite you, please look at our diocesan website because we have the spiritual image of pilgrimage that we are doing in a very tangible way through the pilgrimage, through the diocese. Which again, is that, go back to the image you used before this spiritual pilgrimage for Lent for us this year in Brooklyn and Queens is walking with Christ throughout the big city. That's right. It's recognized in the presence of Christ throughout the big city. Yes. It involves Eucharistic adoration, but it also involves that sense of walking and knowing that we're welcome with Christ. Absolutely. So please check out our diocesan website for the schedule, for the listing of the pilgrimage sites and the schedule for each day, because it does vary from place to place. Hmm.
Speaker 1 00:26:57 And before we conclude, just an assurance of our prayers for you, Bishop and the young men that will be joining you on the vocation retreat this upcoming
Speaker 2 00:27:07 Weekend. This coming weekend, this, this would be one of the more serious retreats, you know, so we have a, a number of, you know, the project Andrew introductory, you know, that's like a wide net, but these are people who are just open to the grace of God wherever he may be calling them. So you pray for these young people.
Speaker 1 00:27:22 Yes. And next week our podcast, you'll be joined with our vocation director from the diocese father Chris Beth G.
Speaker 2 00:27:28 That's correct. And look forward to, we'll talk in a sense on
Speaker 1 00:27:31 Location. Yes.
Speaker 2 00:27:32 Yes. Well, let's pray. Pour out a spirit of compunction, oh Lord, on those who bow before your majesty and by your mercy, may they merit the rewards. You promise to those who dependence through Christ our Lord. Amen. Amen. Mighty God bless you. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Speaker 1 00:27:50 Amen. A very blessed lent to all our listeners, thanks for tuning in and will hope you join us again next week. God bless.
