On occasion, our Grace Before Meals movement will send out some “Blasts from the Past,” not only because the messages are still relevant today, but it also helps us remember how far we’ve come!  We will also take this opportunity to review some of our upcoming events and opportunities, like:

(1)  Upcoming Culinary Tours:  Join us for a culinary cruise or the Napa Valley retreat.  Call Diane George at Corporate Travel for Details… 1-800-727-1999 ex. 180 or dgeorge@ctscentral.net.

(2)  People are always asking us where we can find the new edition of our book.  Just go to any bookstore, or order on line at www.gracebeforemeals.com, where you can also purchase our fun and durable aprons.

(3)  Thank you for your patience as we make adjustments to our website.  We will eventually have it set up so our subscribed members can get the recipes for free!

(4)  We always value your questions and comments.  So keep them coming!  You can also stay in touch through our Grace Before Meals fan page on Facebook, and stay tuned for our post Easter announcement about going on Twitter!

(5)  And our movement continues to grow when you’re willing to share the website with family, friends, and other parishioners!  Thanks for sharing the good news about our growing movement.

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Foolishness!

This April Fool’s Day, this priest isn’t fooling around!

Foolishness can either come from the world’s judgment or from God’s.  Consider this quote from St. Paul’s letter to the Corinthians:

“The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” (1 Cor 1:18)

(Basilica of St. Paul and the Saint’s Tomb)

The fact is, people who choose not to believe in God may consider the doctrines, practices, and disciplines of believers – and even believers themselves as “foolish.”  On the other side, people of faith can actually be foolish if they are uncharitable and dismiss people without trying to help them know God’s wisdom.

At a recent mission at St. John Neumann Church, located in picturesque Berlin, Maryland, I was edified to see so many people not fooling around with their faith.  This mission, like all my mission experiences, give me great hope, not just for the Catholic Faith, but also for the Grace Before Meals movement!

(Pastor, Fr. Protack addressing large crowds for every night of the mission and also at the dinner presentation.  The St. Paul Penne and Pollo Pasta Recipe will be posted soon.  Stay Tuned.)

(Expert kitchen helpers.)

At this dynamic parish, the pastor has an MC program, similar to what I had at my former parish.  It’s a program that encourages young men to consider a priestly vocation by allowing them to continue altar serving beyond childhood and thus facilitating their growth as potential liturgical leaders.  These guys were smart, talented, and unafraid to grow closer to God, even though it may not be considered “cool” by young people standards.

(Kenny, one of the MCs – a talented musician and golfer!  He’d make a great priest!)

During one of the dinners, Kenny joined the priests for a fabulous meal and conversation.  It was like a Grace Before Meals episode.  We talked about vocations and how to prayerfully discern God’s will, even if people think it’s foolish.  The pastor told the story of a mother who actually said her boys would become priests only over her dead body.  As a priest, that hurts.

This unfortunate antagonism or judgment of foolishness is everywhere.  It’s true for lawyers and Hollywood stars.  Msgr. Nalty’s decision to leave a high paying job at a law firm, and Mother Dolores decision to leave acting after playing the leading female role opposite Elvis Presley were considered by many to be utterly foolish.

(Msgr. Nalty and Mother Dolores, Holy Trinity Apostolate, Michigan.)

Our saints prove that being a “fool for Christ” is really an act of wisdom.  St. Francis of Assisi was looked down upon, even by members of his own family, because he wanted to serve God, especially in the poor.

St. Philip Neri did all sorts of tricks, which many thought were foolish, just to get people to listen to his message about God.  I wonder if he was willing to cook for them?

(Me standing next to a cut out of St. Philip Neri in his museum room.)

You may think I’m only talking about becoming a priest, nun, or a saint!  But there’s unfortunate suspicion even among other Christian Believers!

Meet Dr. Scott Hahn, a renown Scripture Scholar who was branded a fool because he made the very difficult decision to become a Roman Catholic, even though he showed promise of being a one of the leading Presbyterian preachers.

(Dr. Scott Hahn.)

Recently, Dr. Hahn came to Mount St. Mary’s to give a lecture on St. Paul.  It was perfect timing because he helped explain the passage I quoted above about the “foolishness” of the Cross.  He offered so much by way of spiritual insights – a scriptural all you can eat.  Despite what many considered a foolish decision, his entry into the Catholic Church has been one of the biggest blessings for me.  I still remember hearing his personal conversion story and how it aided me in my own personal conversion and vocational discernment.  His decision couldn’t be that foolish because it helped me wise up and listen to God more in prayer.

One thing he said that stuck with me: The foolishness of God is wiser than all earthly wisdom put together.  Because God’s “foolishness” is based on His love for us.

The fact is love makes us do all sorts of foolish things.  And the Cross, which we celebrate in a unique way during Lent, seemed like the biggest failure in all of world history.  But God’s “foolishness” transformed the cross into the most powerful sign of love – a love that is willing to endure suffering for the beloved.

(Image of Christ, Scourged and Crowned with Thorns.)

In our modern and very information-oriented society, make sure we try not to become so smart we no longer need God or look to Him for guidance and truth.  That would be the worst trick we can play on ourselves.  It would lead to being a fool, not just one day a year, but suffering foolishness for all eternity.

This April Fool’s Day we recognize how some people choose not to believe in God because faith challenges people to do seemingly foolish things.  Some would rather spend time worrying instead of spending time in prayer. Some find it smarter to trust in the stock market than in God.  Unfortunately, many want to put their hope in a president, rather than hope in the Omniscient Lord.

But consider how worry doesn’t help us, how the stock market itself needs bailing out, and how many people in government promote foolish laws that kill unborn babies.

With such a track record of foolishness, I can honestly say that I’d gladly be a fool for Christ every day of the year.  Because ultimately, the joke won’t be on me!

No Fooling with Tuna!

(Some of the members of my ordination class.)

A few months ago I had the pleasure of spending time with my brother priests at the Nalty Family Tree Farm in Brewton, Alabama.  It’s an annual event that gathers our ordination class (this year celebrating 10 years of priesthood) for fraternity and support.  We help each other deal with foolishness – the world’s an our own.  This year, Msgr. Nalty and I had a cook off. The secret ingredient: Yellow Fin Tuna!

He made the main course:  a sesame crusted tuna, topped with a wisabe aioli, along with a funghi porcini risotto.

I made an appetizer: a sweetened, soy-seared tuna on top of a crisp cucumber, stuffed with a rice pilaf and marinated apples.  Our friend, Fr. Bahash was the taste testing judge.  When we asked him, “Who won?”  He claimed he was the winner – since he had the job of eating these delectables!

[Here is] the recipe to my showcased tuna.  If you make this during a Friday of Lent, your family will know you’re not fooling around either!

Sweetened, Soy-seared Tuna

1 cucumber, pealed (leaving some green around the edges)

½ pound fresh tuna

¼ cup soy sauce

¼ brown sugar

1 lemon

1 bag microwavable rice pilaf

½ apple, cut into thin strips

2 tablespoons apple vinegar

¼ teaspoon salt & pepper

Fresh cilantro

2 tablespoons olive oil

Prepare cucumber cups by pealing sections of the skin off the cucumber.  Cut cucumber into 1 ½ inch circles.  Use a melon ball scoop to cut out a small bowl in the cucumber.

Prepare the rice and apple filling by heating the rice in the microwave per the instructions.  Cut the apple into thin “match stick” sized pieces.  Mix with the rice, adding vinegar, salt, and pepper.  You can also throw in some fresh cilantro with the rice as well.  Put some of the rice combination in the “bowl” of the cucumber cup.

Prepare the fish marinade by combining the soy sauce, brown sugar, and the juice of one lemon until sugar is completely dissolved.  Cut the fish so that it is shaped like a long “tube” (as much as possible).  Marinate fish for about 20 minutes in the soy, sugar, and lemon mixture.  Heat olive oil in non stick pan.  When oil reaches smoking point, carefully place fish in the pan to sear all sides.  Cook for 1-2 minutes at most on each side of the fish.  Remove and let rest before cutting into ½ inch “mini steaks” and placing on top of the cucumber cup filled with the apple flavored rice.  Top off with cilantro and some lemon for garnish.

Avoiding Foolishness, Except in Christ

Let us pray: God, loving you is the wisest thing we can do.  Serving your church is one of the best things we can do to help improve society.  Praying for guidance is the only way we will know the difference between foolishness and truth.  Help us O Lord to grow in understanding our call in life, even if others will consider us foolish.  With the prayers of the angels and saints, we ask this through Christ our Lord.  Amen.

(St. Francis statue at the mountaintop hermitage, Assisi.)

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