by Fr. Gordon J. MacRae on November 2, 2011 · 23 comments
. . . Okay, I’ll admit that sounds a little weird. It isn’t as though seventeen years in prison has conditioned me for ever more punishment. I do not find punishment to be addictive at all, especially when I did not commit the crime. The punishment of Purgatory, however, is something I know I cannot evade. The intense suffering of Purgatory is entirely a spiritual suffering, and it begins with our experience of death right here. The longing with which we sometimes agonize over the loss of those we love is but a shadow of something spiritual we have yet to share with them: The Holy Longing they must endure as they await being in the Presence of God. That Holy Longing is Purgatory. It is the delay of the beatific vision for which we were created, and that delay and its longing is a suffering greater than we can imagine. . . .
by Fr. Gordon J. MacRae on September 29, 2010 · 9 comments
. . . The feast was originally called Michaelmas meaning, “The Mass of St. Michael.” The great prayer to Saint Michael, however, is
relatively new. It was penned on October 13, 1884, by Pope
Leo XIII after a terrifying vision of Saint Michael’s battle
with Satan. . . It’s an important prayer for the Church, especially now. I asked Suzanne to place a permanent image of Saint Michael on These Stone Walls as well.
I know the enemies of
the Church lurk here, too. There are some who come here not
for understanding, or the truth, but for ammunition. . . . I once scoffed at the notion
that evil surrounds us, but I have seen it. I think every
person falsely accused has seen it. . . .
by Fr. Gordon J. MacRae on August 18, 2010 · 5 comments
. . . Then I walked through three locked gates outside, passed a guarded check-point, then across the long, walled prison yard, up three flights of metal grate stairs, through three more locked doors, then another guarded check-point, then finally down the long infirmary corridor to the staff member’s office. In the dream, I felt my heart beating faster, unsure whether it was anticipation of finally seeing TSW or the long trek getting there. When I walked into the office, the computer was on. “Sit down right here,” the woman said. I sat down and watched her carefully type http://www.thesestonewalls.com. I was smiling as the screen blinked into action. Then I saw in large print across the screen: “Page Cannot Be Displayed.” I woke up just then feeling terribly disappointed. . . .
by Fr. Gordon J. MacRae on August 10, 2010 · 5 comments
Charlene Duline celebrates her birthday this Friday. Charlene scans my posts each week and e-mails them to Suzanne in Australia for publication on TSW. She also reads me your comments and puts up with all my mistakes, and with me. I could not add much to what I wrote of her a year ago in [...]
by Fr. Gordon J. MacRae on April 28, 2010 · 15 comments
. . . On Saturday, April 10, 2010, our friend, Pornchai Moontri was welcomed into the Church when he received the Sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation. Father Anthony Kuzia, C.M., conferred the Sacraments in the prison Chapel. The Prison Chaplain, Deacon James Daly and I were witnesses. It was both a joyous and solemn event, but something very special occurred during the Sacrament of Confirmation. When Pornchai stated that “Maximilian” was to be his Confirmation name, Father Kuzia shared with us that just before his ordination to priesthood; he visited and prayed in the cell in Auschwitz where Saint Maximilian was martyred. . . .
. . . Pornchai started his 19th year in prison just before Easter, and now he is entering a life of faith through the narrowest gate, an open and honest witness to redemptive grace.
Pornchai has asked Charlene Duline to be his Godmother. They share an interesting bond that Charlene describes in a new post entitled “Pornchai Moontri is Worth Saving” on the Prodigal Catholic Writer blog. Pierre, the visitor I described in my post, “Stigmatized,” has graciously assented to be Pornchai’s Godfather. Because this event is happening in a prison, however, neither one of them will be allowed to be present. I will act as proxy for them both because of the unusual circumstances.
I call upon the Church to recognize the transformation that has led Pornchai to Her Sacraments. In “Pornchai’s Story,” the powerful autobiographical essay The Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, Pornchai described his transformation: . . .
by Fr. Gordon J. MacRae on March 31, 2010 · 13 comments
. . . I received a letter from Simon of Cyrene last month. No, not the original one but one of the many people I have come to equate with him. Dr. James P. Guzek, M.D., an ophthalmologist and surgeon in Washington State, is a devout Catholic and author. I have been privileged to proofread and comment on some of his upcoming book on the Early Church transition from the Jewish Sabbath to a Sunday celebration of The Lord’s Day. What could be dry historical theology became fascinating in Dr. Guzek’s hands. I’ll write of it when it’s published. I am proud to say that Dr. Guzek is a subscriber and occasional commenter on These Stone Walls. Dr. Jim Guzek has also fulfilled the example of Simon of Cyrene in profound ways, and I have come to admire him as a true model of faith and witness. He is a modest man, and will be the last to tell you that he has accomplished a Corporal Work of Mercy of Biblical proportion. Dr. Guzek has restored sight to the blind at home, and, more recently, in Ghana and Ethiopia. . . .
by Fr. Gordon J. MacRae on October 7, 2009 · 18 comments
. . . Recently, I obtained the great honor of celebrating weekly Mass in my prison cell. Sometime soon, I will write about, the struggle to bring this about. At Mass, I like to use the First Eucharistic Prayer – the Roman Canon – the most beautiful and ancient of the Canons of the Mess. It affords an opportunity to pray for people by name. I pray there for the readers of These Stone Walls, and I keep a list of those who left comments so I can pray for each of you by name. . . . I want to call your attention this week to , “Pornchai’s Path to the Narrow Gate,” a new article by author Ryan Anthony MacDonald. It can be found under “Commentary” here at These Stone Walls. If you have been reading These Stone Walls, then you know of Pornchai – my friend and a fellow prisoner – who will soon be received into our Faith. . . .
by Fr. Gordon J. MacRae on August 12, 2009 · 6 comments
. . . A man is left beaten by robbers [yes, from my perspective, the analogy holds.] A priest and Levite pass by in fear that helping the wounded man will leave them ritually impure under the law. The Samaritan becomes the only person free to obey the higher law, to be a neighbor to the discarded and stranded.
In his profound book, Jesus of Nazareth, Pope Benedict XVI wrote of this same parable . . .
