Dear Parishioners,

Last Sunday I went to La Mama to see Life is a Dream, directed by Fr George Drance. It is simply stunning! The staging and ensemble work is brilliant and I was mesmerized by each of the two versions of Calderón’s classic play. What makes the production so fascinating is that you see how Calderón transformed his earlier work which raised the philosophical questions of “fate”, “freedom” and the “meaning of life” into a theological reflection on the Trinity and the Incarnation. Without giving away any of the productions “secrets”, I have to say that the portrayal of the Trinity is truly “awesome”. I hope you will consider supporting George and his wonderful work as a Jesuit Artist. The production will be at LaMama through February 26th.

One of the reasons that I mention this artistic work is to remind us that our faith is not simply an intellectual assent to church teachings but is first and foremost the experience of encounter with the Mystery of God. We live this mystery in our daily lives in creation and in our relationships with friends, family and even those we do not love as we should. (Refer to today’s Gospel!). The arts have such power to engage our religious imagination. Thank you, George and Magis Company for doing that for us!

Very soon the season of Lent will begin and I’d like to invite any who might be interested in joining me in reading Amy Jill Levine’s “The Misunderstood Jew: The Church and the Scandal of the Jewish Jesus” Since we are hearing Matthew’s gospel which tries to address questions and biases facing the early Jewish-Christian community, I thought it would be beneficial to read together this work of a highly respected New Testament Scholar who herself is Jewish. If you are interested in reading and sharing your thoughts and questions, please let me know. I’m hoping to organize a few reflection sessions on Sundays during Lent/ March 5, 12, and 19th from 10:15-11:15am in the Mary Chapel.

I hope you will enjoy the long weekend and/or school vacation.

Sincerely,

Fr. Bob