Funeral Homily for Justice Antonin Scalia

Funeral Homily for Justice Antonin ScaliaDelivered by Fr. Paul Scalia, February 21, 2016 Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception Washington, DC

We are gathered here because of one man. A man known personally to many of us, known only by reputation to even more, a man loved by many, scorned by others, a man known for great controversy, and for great compassion. That man, of course, is Jesus of Nazareth. It is He whom we proclaim. Jesus Christ, son of the Father, born of the Virgin Mary, crucified, buried, risen, seated at the right hand of the Father. It is because of Him, because of His life, death and resurrection that we do not mourn as those who have no hope, but in confidence we commend Antonin Scalia to the mercy of God.

Scripture says “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.” And that sets a good course for our thoughts and our prayers here today. In effect, we look in three directions: to yesterday, in thanksgiving; to today, in petition; and into eternity with hope. We look to Jesus Christ yesterday--that is, to the past--in thanksgiving for the blessings God bestowed upon Dad. In the past week, many have recounted what Dad did for them, but here today, we recount what God did for Dad; how He blessed him.

We give thanks, first of all, for the atoning death and life-giving resurrection of Jesus Christ. Our Lord died and rose, not only for all of us, but also for each of us. And at this time we look to that yesterday of His death and His resurrection, and we give thanks that He died and rose for Dad. Further, we give thanks that Jesus brought him to new life in baptism, nourished him with the Eucharist, and healed him in the confessional. We give thanks that Jesus bestowed upon him 55 years of marriage, to the woman he loved, a woman who could match him at every step, and even hold him accountable. God blessed Dad with a deep Catholic faith, the conviction that Christ’s presence and power continue in the world today through his body, the Church. He loved the clarity and coherence of the Church’s teaching. He treasured the Church’s ceremonies, especially the beauty of her ancient worship. He trusted the power of the sacraments as the means of salvation, as Christ working within him for his salvation. Although, one time, one Saturday afternoon, he did scold me for having heard confessions that afternoon, that same day. And I hope that is some source of consolation, if there are any lawyers present, that the roman collar was not a shield against his criticism. The issue that evening was not that I’d been hearing confessions, but that he’d found himself in my confessional line. And he quickly departed it. As he put it later, “Like heck if I’m confessing to you!” The feeling was mutual.

God blessed Dad, as is well known, with a love for his country. He knew well what a close-run thing the founding of our nation was. And he saw in that founding, as did the founders themselves, a blessing. A blessing quickly lost when faith is banned from the public square, or when we refuse to bring it there. So he understood that there is no conflict between loving God and loving one’s country, between one’s faith and one’s public service. Dad understood that the deeper he went in his Catholic faith, the better a citizen and a public servant he became. God blessed him with a desire to be the country’s good servant, because he was God’s first.

We Scalias, however, give thanks for a particular blessing God bestowed. God blessed Dad with a love for his family. We have been thrilled to read and hear the may words of praise and admiration for him, his intellect, his writings, his speeches, his influence, and so on. But more important to us—and to him—he was Dad. He was the father that God gave us for the great adventure of family life. Sure, he forgot our names at times or mixed them up, but there are nine of us. He loved us, and sought to show that love, and sought to share the blessing of the faith he treasured. And he gave us one another, to have each other for support. That’s the greatest wealth that parents can bestow, and right now we’re particularly grateful for it.

So we look to the past, to Jesus Christ yesterday. We call to mind all of these blessings, and we give Our Lord the honor and glory for them, for they are his work.

We look to Jesus today, in petition, to the present moment here and now, as we mourn the one we love and admire, the one whose absence pains us. Today we pray for him. We pray for the repose of his soul. We thank God for his goodness to Dad, as is right and just, but we also know that, although Dad believed, he did so imperfectly, like the rest of us. He tried to love God and neighbor, but like the rest of us, did so imperfectly. He was a practicing Catholic, practicing in the sense that he hadn’t perfected it yet, or rather, that Christ was not yet perfected in him. And only those in whom Christ is brought to perfection can enter Heaven. We are here then, to lend our prayers to that perfecting, to that final work of God’s grace, in freeing Dad from every encumbrance of sin. But don’t take my word for it. Dad himself, not surprisingly, had something to say on the matter.

Writing years ago to a Presbyterian minister whose funeral service he admired, he summarized quite nicely the pitfalls of funerals and why he didn’t like eulogies. He wrote “Even when the deceased was an admirable person, indeed especially when the deceased was an admirable person, praise for his virtues can cause us to forget that we are praying for and giving thank for God’s inexplicable mercy to a sinner.” Now, he would not have exempted himself from that. We are here, then, as he would want: to pray for God’s inexplicable mercy to a sinner; to this sinner, Antonin Scalia. Let us not show him a false love, and allow our admiration to deprive him of our prayers. We continue to show affection for him and do good for him by praying for him, that all stain of sin be washed away, that all sins be healed, that he be purified of all that is not Christ. That he rest in peace.

Finally, we look to Jesus, forever, into eternity--or better, we consider our own place in eternity, and whether it will be with the Lord. Even as we pray for Dad to enter swiftly into eternal glory, we should be mindful of ourselves. Every funeral reminds us of just how thin the veil is, between this world and the next, between time and eternity, between the opportunity for conversion and the moment of judgment. So we cannot depart here unchanged. It makes no sense to celebrate God’s goodness and mercy to God if we are not attentive and responsive to those realities in our own lives. We must allow this encounter with eternity to change us, to turn us from sin and toward the Lord. The English Dominican Father Bede Jarret put it beautifully when he prayed “Oh strong son of God, while you prepare a place for us, prepare us also for that happy place, that we may be with you and with those we love for all eternity.

Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today and forever. My dear friends, this is also the structure of the Mass, the greatest prayer we can offer for Dad, because it’s not our prayer but the Lord’s. The Mass looks to Jesus yesterday. It reaches into the past, to the Last Supper, to the crucifixion, to the resurrection, and it makes those mysteries and their power present here, on this altar. Jesus himself becomes present here today, under the form of bread and wine, so that we can unite all of our prayers of thanksgiving, sorrow and petition with Christ himself, as an offering to the Father. And all of this, with a view to eternity, stretching towards heaven, where we hope to enjoy that perfect union with God himself and to see Dad again, and with him rejoice in the communion of saints.

Remembering Justice Scalia and Supporting the Works of Mercy through the Catholic Charity Appeal

Dear Parishioners: The unexpected passing of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia was sad news. Justice Scalia was a brilliant jurist and a important figure in the legal history of our nation. He was a husband, the father of nine children and the grandfather of twenty-eight grandchildren. Justice Scalia was the first Italo-American to serve on the US Supreme Court. He was also a committed Catholic whose son is a priest of the Arlington, Virginia Diocese. He was just one of six Roman Catholic justices on the Supreme Court, but in his devotion to the faith he was second to none.

Many years ago I had the great privilege to hear him speak here in Providence to the Justinian Legal Society of Rhode Island. He possessed not only a keen intellect but a tremendous sense of humor and a sharp wit. Afterwards my father and I were able to speak with Justice Scalia for a few moments. We shared a good laugh when I told him that I was the ninth of nine children, a priest and also the son of a Judge. We offer our prayers and condolences to the family of Justice Scalia. May his noble soul rest in peace!

In his Annual Message for Lent, Pope Francis suggested: “For all of us, then, the season of Lent in this Jubilee Year is a favorable time to overcome our existential alienation by listening to God’s word and by practicing the works of mercy. In the corporal works of mercy we touch the flesh of Christ in our brothers and sisters who need to be fed, clothed, sheltered, visited; in the spiritual works of mercy – counsel, instruction, forgiveness, admonishment and prayer – we touch more directly our own sinfulness. The corporal and spiritual works of mercy must never be separated. By touching the flesh of the crucified Jesus in the suffering, sinners can receive the gift of realizing that they too are poor and in need. “

One of the greatest ways the corporal works mercy and the spiritual works of mercy are lived out is through the many good works done by our local Church. The various offices and agencies of the Diocese of Providence daily practice the works of mercy for the poor, the stranger, the ill, the imprisoned and the needy. Whether its at the Emmanuel House for the homeless, celebrating the sacraments for prisoners, tending the ill and infirm in nursing homes, or helping resettle refugees and welcome immigrants, the many offices provide good works for all of God’s children. This is truly something we can be proud of as Catholics. Our Church is the second largest provided of social services in the nation behind only the government.

Here in Rhode Island our Church is the largest Church provided of services to the poor and needy. In the name of Christ and the Catholic Church, each day hundreds are helped through the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. Each year during Lent we are asked to give alms. Perhaps one of best ways we can do that is support the Catholic Charity Appeal. This Appeal helps finance the good works of the Church across the state. It is only through the tremendous financial support of Catholics across Rhode Island that such good works can continue to serve God’s people.

Next weekend we begin the Annual Catholic Charity Appeal at all Masses. We are asking each parish family to consider pledging a gift of $300. This means that for just $25 a month, the poor and needy, the imprisoned and forgotten, the sick and the infirm continue to be served. I ask that you prayerfully consider making this pledge next week. We are called to give alms not simply out of our surplus but sacrificially out of our love. I am deeply grateful to Kevin and Nancy McDevitt who serve as the Chairs of the Catholic Charity Appeal here at OLM. Also I thank Stephen and Antonia Zubiago who serve as the Chairs of the Bishop Partnership in Charity. Our parish goal this year is $193,00, an amount we have traditionally surpassed. I am sure we can do so again with your generosity and I thank you for your support of the CCA. It’s Lent! Remember Fridays are for fish and Stations! Pray. Fast. Give Alms. Be well. Do Good. God Bless.

Lent has begun! Fr. Connors Announces New Assignment

Dear Parishioners: As he announced at Masses last weekend, Bishop Tobin recently informed Father Connors that he is to be transferred from OLM Church effective July 1, 2016. He has been assigned to pursue studies beginning next fall for a Doctorate in Moral Theology at the Angelicum University in Rome, Italy.  Upon completion of his doctorate Father is to be assigned to the faculty of St. John’s Major Seminary in Brighton, MA. It is truly a great honor for Fr. Connors to be recognized for his great intellectual gifts and his tremendous priestly zeal.   It is a further testament to the trust and confidence of both His Excellency Bishop Tobin and His Eminence Sean Cardinal O’Malley of Boston to entrust the training, education and formation of many of the future priests of New England to Fr. Connors. 

While I am greatly pleased for Father and most happy for this important appointment, it is truly  a bitter-sweet moment. I am truly sadden at his departure from OLM as Fr. Connors continues to be a trusted and valued associate whose warm friendship, priestly fraternity and wise consul I shall surely miss. I know many of you will as well.  Father Connors has graciously accepted my invitation to keep rooms here at the OLM Rectory during his time of study abroad. He is to be a regular visitor to us when home from Rome. We will formally thank Father for his priestly ministry among us in June.

The assignment of a new associate pastor to OLM remains uncertain at this time. There is a growing shortage of priests in our Diocese and the availability of priests is always uncertain. I have written to Bishop Tobin asking that  a new Associate Pastor be assigned to OLM.   However, there is no guarantee that a priest is available to be assigned to our parish.  In the meantime, Fr. Connors is here at OLM and continues his zealous good work! Kindly keep Fr. Connors and his dear parents, Joe and Lisa, in your prayers during these months of transition. We wish Fr. Connors sincere congratulations. Ad multos gloriosque anos!

Lent has begun! The forty days that lead us to the glory of Easter are underway. Lent and Easter are early this year. In fact Easter is very early on March 27. However, no matter when it falls these forty days of prayerful penance and preparation is truly a time for us to take stock of our world and our souls. Is the secular world shaping us or are we with our faith and good works shaping the world around us? It is during Lent we acknowledge the struggle with evil in our world and in our own lives. We strive to overcome it not with fear but with faith and good works. Undoubtedly we all face temptations and sin in our lives and at times even fall to the lure of evil.

Lent is our time to truly strive to renew our relationship with God and our neighbor. We can turn to the Ten Commandments and also the Beatitudes and ask how well we are living them out in our daily lives? Do the people around us at work, at home, at school or at church recognize the difference our Catholic Faith plays in our lives? Are we a people of faith, hope and love? Do we preach the joy of the Gospel in our words and deeds? Yes, Lent is our time to take stock of our commitment to Christ and His Church.

It is also a time to renew our relationship and our friendship with Christ. We must pray more, become more penitential and be more charitable during Lent. We do so not to beat ourselves up but rather to truly convert our minds, hearts and souls to Christ. We must willingly take up the discipline of these Lenten forty days. We can do so by coming to Mass faithfully, going to Confession more frequently, praying daily, making the Stations of the Cross on Fridays, and generously giving to the poor. This deepens our friendship with the Lord and then truly Easter will be all the more glorious and joyful for us!

We wish all students and families a safe, healthy and happy winter break this week. Happy Presidents' Day! Remember Fridays are for fish and Stations! Pray. Fast. Give Alms. Be well. Do Good. God Bless.

Lent is Coming! Pray, Fast and Give Alms!

Dear Parishioners: Catholic Schools Week has ended and it was a grand celebration this week. The OLM School students speaking at Masses last weekend did a superb job and truly captured the spirit of our school. The OLM School Open House drew lots of visitors exploring the great opportunities offered at our parish school. Every day this past week OLM School celebrated Catholic Schools Week with a different event such as Mass on Monday, a Book Fair, a community service project and teacher appreciation day. On Tuesday the students had went bowling with their class.However, two of our OLM School Fifth Graders sacrificed going bowling with their class to volunteered to serve a Funeral Mass being celebrated at the same hour. What a great witness to what OLM School is truly all about, “becoming saints and scholars so that mercy might flourish.”

Now that Catholic Schools Week has concluded we look to the big event beginning this week. Yes, Lent begins this Wednesday as once again we begin the solemn fast of forty days! On Ash Wednesday we are distributing ashes at all four Masses, 7:30am, 9AM School Mass, 12:05PM and 7PM. In the bulletin there is a full schedule of the Lenten Schedule at OLM.

As is the tradition at OLM, we are adding an extra Daily Mass at 12:05PM, Monday through Friday during Lent. This Mass is to be attended by our OLM School students but I also urge all of you to consider coming to one of the two Daily Masses offered at OLM during Lent. There is no better way to pray than Holy Mass, so consider coming to Mass during the week. We are once again offering the Stations of the Cross on each Friday of Lent. It is truly a tremendous devotion to celebrate Lent as together we walk with Christ to Calvary. Please consider adding Stations to your Friday night schedule.

We also have added times for the Sacrament of Confession at OLM. On our normal Monday night Confessions at 6pm we are adding a guest priest confessor each week. Also Confessions are to be heard every weekday during Lent. On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays just before the 12:05PM Mass, Confessions are to heard from 11:45am until Noon. And on Tuesdays and Thursdays we are to hear Confessions before the daily 7:30AM Mass from 7AM until 7:20AM. In celebration of the Year of Mercy, All-Day Confessions are taking place on March 5th across the state. OLM is once again hosting All-Day Confessions from 9AM until 3PM with four priests hearing confessions all day on March 5th. So please tell your friends and neighbors who have been away from the Church or the Sacrament of Confession, invite them to experience God’s mercy, love and forgiveness!

We have a Lenten Mission scheduled in March. And I happy to announce that Fr. Joe Upton, Chaplain at URI and Prout, is to lead the Mission. He is a dynamic preacher and a terrific young priest, so mark your calendar now for the Mission, March 7-9. Lent means prayer, fasting and alms giving. The guidelines for fasting and abstinence are in the bulletin. Please remember Ash Wednesday is a day of fasting and abstinence and all the Fridays of Lent in a spirit of sacrifice we are to abstain from eating meat.

In the spirit of alms giving I encourage you take home a cardboard Rice Bowl and fill it with donations during Lent. All the money you give and sacrifice supports Operation Rice Bowl in their efforts to feed the hungry of the world. The great work of Catholic Relief Services benefits greatly from your generous donations to the Rice Bowl.

On Wednesday we come forward to have our foreheads smeared with ashes as we are reminded that we “are dust and unto dust we shall return.” As we take up the cross of Lent with faith and sacrifice, let us truly commit to more prayer in our lives, more profound fasting from things that keep us from God, and a greater generosity in giving alms. Pope Francis reminds us: “Let us not waste this season of Lent, so favorable a time for conversion! Pray. Fast. Give Alms. Be well. Do Good. Celebrate Lent! God Bless.

Celebrating Catholic Schools Week at OLM! Faith, Knowledge and Service!

Dear Parishioners: As the late, great Yogi Berra once said: “It’s déjà vu all over again!” Big snowstorms on the weekend are back again! I was hoping they might not reappear but alas Mother Nature dashed all hope last weekend. Let’s pray it won’t happen as often as it did last year.

This weekend we kick off National Catholic Schools Week! It is the annual celebration of Catholic education in the United States. The theme for the national celebration is: “Catholic Schools: Communities of Faith, Knowledge and Service.” Catholic schools offer academic excellence and faith-filled education for students nationwide.  National test scores, high school graduation rates, college attendance and other data show that Catholic schools frequently outperform schools in both the public and private sectors.

We are celebrating our own parish school this week. Some of our students from OLM School are speaking at Mass this weekend to share their positive experiences attending OLM. There is an Open House at OLM School on Sunday from 10:00AM until Noon. This is a wonderful opportunity to explore what our school offers. Under the dynamic leadership of our Principal, Scott Fuller, lots of new, exciting and innovative things have been happening at OLM School and I encourage you go to the OLM School webpage (olmschool.org) to find more information. Also take a look at the terrific new promotional video about OLM School. 

Our parish school has many events planned for this special week. Of course, we begin this Catholic Schools Week on Monday with an OLM School Mass. I hope you join us for the Mass at 9:00AM as we worship and pray together. We give thanks for Catholic Education especially for OLM School and its excellent faculty and wonderful students. We’ve also updated our school mission which now states:

“Our Mission at Our Lady of Mercy School is to follow the Lord Jesus Christ and His Church as we pursue excellence in academics, athletics and the arts. In the midst of a safe and nurturing environment we seek to develop a good moral character built upon the teachings of the Catholic Church.  We strive to be Saints and Scholars who serve the evangelical mission of our parish so that Mercy may flourish.“

There are many challenges for Catholic Education especially here in Rhode Island. A declining population as Catholic families have less children impacts enrollment in our schools. The expense of running a parish school continues to increase as costs for health insurance, pensions, and utilities rise. Keeping tuition affordable for all and helping those who need aid is also a real challenge for our schools. As we continue the mission of OLM School in making saints and scholars in the future, we have established the Saints and Scholars Fund. It helps with the expense and also builds a stronger endowment for the future. This new fund is the second collection this weekend, I thank you for your generous support.

The former NFL player, Damien Woody, when he was playing for the New York Jets, choose to send his children to a Catholic School even though his family wasn’t Catholic. A fellow school parent asked him why he sent his kids to Catholic School even though he wasn’t Catholic. He answered, “My wife and I believe that a school where they love God will love my children.”

Some say Catholic education, the largest private education system in America, is about many things like excellence and discipline but certainly not about love. I firmly believe that the center of Catholic Education truly must be love. A love that exists here at OLM School every day. It is a deep and abiding love of God and of our neighbor lived out daily. Pray for Catholic Schools, pray for our principal, faculty and students this week. Celebrate and support Catholic Education as together we strive to be Saints and Scholars. Football season is over! Go Sox!!! Be well. Do Good. God Bless. !!!

The Week Ahead, Speaking Out for Life, School Choice and Catholic Schools!

Dear Parishioners: On Friday we prayed for the legal protection of unborn children in our nation. I am grateful for the many parishioners and others who turned out to spend some time in prayer and adoration for this great cause. Also I thank Fr. Joe Upton, the URI Chaplain, for his inspiring words about “Living the Gospel of Life.”

This week at the RI State House the RI Right to Life Committee and other committed pro-lifers are to gather to give voice to the voiceless unborn. The Right to Life Rally is to take place on Wednesday, January 27 from 3:00PM until 4:00PM in the State House Rotunda. It is a tremendous opportunity to call upon the state’s political leaders to work to protect and respect all human life.

Also this week at the RI Statehouse this week, the RI Families for School Choice are hosting an event to highlight the need for expanded parental choice in education. This group includes families from Catholic and Jewish schools as well as supporters of school choice in education. The event is Thursday, January 28 from 2:00PM to 5:00PM in the State Room of the RI Statehouse. The featured speaker is the national school reform leader Kevin P. Chavous. He is a former Washington, DC City Councilman and was instrumental in helping DC establish a school voucher for economically disadvantaged children.

In RI we have a Tuition Scholarship Tax Credit program that helps economically poor students obtain scholarships for the school of their choice. Tax-credit scholarships allow taxpayers to receive full or partial tax credits for donating to nonprofits that provide K–12 private school scholarships. The amount of tax credits distributed is capped at $1.5 million, which, in turn, affects the availability and size of scholarships. It is a great program for those who own small businesses to obtain valuable tax credits as they aid poor children.

Speaking of choice in education next Sunday we kick-off Catholic Schools Week. There is a great week of events planned at our parish school. Our excellent students are to speak at all Masses next weekend about OLM School and its many benefits. Also on next Sunday we are hosting an Open House at OLM School from 10:00AM until 12:00PM for any families who might be interested in exploring our school. All parishioners are invited to stop by and take a tour of the school to see the many great things that are going there.

When I was growing up (many years before Fr. Connors was born), if people asked where you were from, you never said a town but "St. Paul's" or "OLM" People understood that the success of a parish school was tied to the success of the parish. The same is true today. When our parishes flourish, our schools flourish. When there are more people at Mass, when more families understand the mission of Catholic schools, they succeed.

Here at OLM, our 13th Pastor, the late Fr. Brady, had a tremendous concern for the children of the parish.  With the permission and encouragement of then Bishop Russell J. McVinney, the fifth Bishop of Providence, Fr. Brady purchased a home on First Avenue for use as a convent and invited the Sisters of Mercy to staff the new parish school. In September of 1950, the first parish students enrolled at Our Lady of Mercy School.  The Kindergarten class was in the Convent, and grades one and two in the basement of the Church. Under the direction of the first principal, Sr. Helena McNulty the number of students grew rapidly.  In the summer of 1951, Fr. Brady then purchased three acres of land on Fourth Avenue and began construction of a new school building.  The new school opened in January of 1952 and remains a vital part of our parish today.

I hope you’ll attend one or all of the many important events taking place this coming week. Have a great week! It’s good to be home. We look forward to another Pat’s victory this weekend!  Be well. Do Good. God Bless.