Divine Providence

 I shall return to the theme of Living Water, but now to interrupt for a "commercial break" on Divine Providence, ever with us, ever solicitous for us.....

During our recent move, things which we don't use every day ended up in new storage spaces.  Whenever we need a little-used item, we have to think about where we might have stored it and go looking until we find it.  

A couple of weeks ago, I was working in the garden and went into the tool shed to pull out a rake.  I noticed then a round bin with tall miscellaneous items -- poles for tying up vines, small rakes and hoes, etc.  Among the items there I noticed a walking cane that had belonged to my mother years ago.  It had been previously stored in the attic and I always knew where it was.  How it ended up in the tool shed when we moved is anyone's guess.  If I had needed it, I would have looked in the garage, in the storeroom, in closets -- but never in the tool shed.  Anyway, I pulled the cane out and hung it on a shelf, thinking we might need it eventually, as my husband had fallen a couple of times recently.

The next day, my right knee started collapsing as I walked, just a few times at first and then regularly.  Each time, I felt as if I might fall, so I headed for the tool shed to get the cane I had found the previous day, thanking God that He had provided what I needed before I knew I needed it!

 A visit to the doctor and an MRI indicated that I had a stress fracture and a torn meniscus and now need a leg brace and a walker for the next 6 to 12 weeks.  Amazingly, a wonderful neighbor had given us a really nice walker during our move.  Her husband had died about a year ago, and she knew my husband had fallen recently, so she graciously passed on his walker to us.  Once again, God had provided what I needed before I knew I needed it!  I could begin using it without delay.

I know that God is our provider -- Jesus taught us to pray for "our daily bread," and He said, "your Father knows what you need before you ask."  But rarely do we "see" His provision in our daily lives.  We are so used to providing for ourselves.  Those who have experienced hurricanes and other natural disasters are probably closer to the truth of God's provision than the rest of us.  And there is great truth to the first beatitude:  Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God.  "Poor in spirit" may have little or nothing to do with actual poverty, but the actual poor are much closer to the truth than those who think they have no need of God's daily provision.

Could I have provided my own cane and walker?  Yes, but having them right at hand at the moment I needed them caused me to overflow with praise and thanksgiving for the God who "goes before and behind us," directing our steps in His providence.  There is a passage in Scripture that says, "When Israel was a child,... I taught him to walk, taking them by the arms" (Hosea 11).  I am depending on Him doing the same in my old age!

A Question of Pregnancy

 Christ in me, my hope of glory....(Col. 1:27)

What good is it if Mary is full of grace, if we are not also full of grace?  And what good is it if Mary is the Mother of God, if we are not also the mothers of God? (Meister Eckhart)

It is not a question of our doctrine or church membership, but whether Christ is dwelling in us through the power of the Holy Spirit.  In the same way that Mary was "overshadowed" by the Holy Spirit, and the Son of God began to grow in her, so we also must be overshadowed by the Spirit in order that Christ begin to dwell in us.

And if He indeed dwells in us, then He will certainly do in us the work of the Father and continue the mission for which He was sent.  

We need not wonder what it is we are supposed to do today or tomorrow if Christ is dwelling in us and we allow Him the freedom to do in us what He wills.

Living Water

 In the 4th chapter of John's Gospel, Jesus promises "living water" to the woman at the well; in the 7th chapter, He promises that those who are thirsty and come to Him will experience "streams of water" flowing from within them.

This water motif goes all the way back to Genesis and runs throughout the entire Old Testament.  To begin with, with the change of one vowel, the Hebrew word for "blessing" becomes "spring or pool of water:"

Berakah = benediction, fruitfulness, abundance, prosperity

Berekah= a reservoir, pool, oasis

Throughout the Bible, the image of a river or a stream is used as a metaphor for blessings that come from heaven and give us life.  According to Genesis 2, a river flowed out of the Garden of Paradise and branched into four tributaries that watered the earth.  In those days, there was no rain, but rather a mist that seemed to water and penetrate all living things -- the earth is viewed as a kind of biosphere wherein all living things reciprocated health and blessing.  

The Book of Psalms begins with a promise that those who delight in the Law of the Lord will be "like trees planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in due season, and their leaves do not wither."

In contrast, Psalm 32 describes the man bearing unconfessed sin:  my strength (alternate: moisture) was sapped as in the heat of summer.  And Psalm 1 compares the "wicked" to 'chaff" which the wind blows away, rather than trees planted by streams of water.  The motif begins early on, with Adam's sin:  now the ground will yield "thorns and thistles" along with the fruit of the earth, and Adam will eat by the sweat of his brow.  Not so much a "curse" from God, but a statement that Adam (man) and adamah (earth) share the same spirit and destiny.  We breathe out our spirit on the earth as God has breathed out His.  Whatever spirit emanates from us either nourishes or destroys the world around us:  we can cause thorns and thistles to spring up in our wake, or in the words of Isaiah, "Instead of the thornbush will grow the pine tree; and instead of briers, the myrtle tree will grow" (55:13)

How will the earth flourish under our care?  Only when we stay connected to the Source of Living Water:  For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants.  They will spring up like grass in a meadow, like poplar trees by flowing streams (Is. 44: 3).....They will feed beside the roads and find pasture on every barren hill.  They will neither hunger or thirst, nor will the desert heat or the sun beat upon them.  He who has compassion on them will guide them and lead them beside springs of water (Is. 49:9b-10).

...to be continued

The Gift

 I sought the Lord and he answered me;
He delivered me from all my fears (Ps. 34)

If you knew the gift of God, Jesus told the lonely woman at the well, if you knew the gift of God, and who it is who asks you for a drink, you would ask me, and I would give you living water." (Jn. 4:10).

The "Gift" of which He spoke was the Holy Spirit, a meaning that unfolds a few chapters later, in John 7.  We fail to ask for that Gift because we really don't know what it means for us -- love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, goodness, self-control.  These are called "the fruits of the Holy Spirit" because they come to us only by the indwelling spirit of Jesus Himself in us.  In other words, we cannot give these gifts to ourselves or attain them by discipline and practice.

Oh, I don't deny that we can practice self-control, for example, and reign in our anger, resentment, hostility, etc. for awhile-- perhaps for a lifetime even.  In the same way, we can practice patience for awhile, but whether that "practice" produces in us gentleness, joy, and peace -- well, I have my doubts. 

Before someone prayed for me to receive the Holy Spirit, I had tried transcendental meditation, yoga, and the power of positive thinking --- all of which served me well as long as no one aggravated me. (Yes, I know the proper term is "annoyed" here, but aggravated is more descriptive.)  Trying to meet the demands of three children under the age of 5, all of whom had chronic illness of one kind or another, defeated all my efforts to maintain equilibrium.

And we have not yet spoken about fear, or fears.  Who can deliver us from fear?  Fear of illness, fear of not having enough money, fear of public opinion, fear of not being adequate for the task at hand, fear of failure.....the list is endless.  Psalm 34 says, "I sought the Lord, and he answered me; He delivered me from all my fears."  Now that would be a GIFT, if it were true!  What would anyone give to be delivered from fear?  

And that indeed is the Gift promised and given to us when we ask for the Gift of the Father (see Matthew 7 and Luke 11).  Instead of fear, we are given the "gifts" of the Holy Spirit to help us face life:  wisdom, knowledge, understanding, counsel, fortitude, piety, and fear of the Lord.  

Recently, I came across a passage from Sirach:  Those who fear the Lord will understand truth. First of all, "fear of the Lord" should be understood as reverence for the Lord.  And that itself is a gift of the Holy Spirit.  "Understanding truth" is a good way to understand wisdom, knowledge, counsel, etc.  Isaiah 29 says this:  Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you saying, "This is the way; walk in it."  If we have confidence in the guidance of the Holy Spirit at every turn, our fears will eventually diminish, and we can walk safely through the turmoils of life.

When I was 20, someone prayed for me that I might have joy.  Little then did I realize what a gift joy would be to me, especially now that I am 80, and death is nearer now than it was at 20.  My body fails, my mind gives way, my spirit falters at times  --- but the Gift of God is not diminished in me.  Joy is forever!

Connecting the Dots

 In my last entry, I had been thinking about a statue of St. Francis Xavier in our church.  Now I have been a member of this church since 2007 -- 15 years -- and I have never up until now given a thought to St. Francis Xavier or to that statue.  

Last night, I awoke around 1:30 with a new understanding.  St. Francis Xavier had been trying to tell me something, but it took me a few days to make the connection.

A couple of weeks ago, one of the members of my garden club lost her husband.  I attended the funeral service, but then with the advent of Thanksgiving, I put the event behind me.  Other than the monthly meetings of the garden club, I have no contact with this woman, and therefore I know her only slightly.  Her name is Frances Xavier _______.  

Although she has been known all her life as "Frances," when she joined the garden club a few years ago, she asked us to call her "Xavier," which we have done.  Because of my unexpected reflections on St. Francis Xavier a few days ago, I suddenly realized during the night that Xavier is undoubtedly experiencing loneliness and heartbreak, especially at this time of the year, Thanksgiving and Christmas.  I have been living my life without another thought of what she must be going through.

God is amazing! He will use anything at hand to move us to do His work.  In this case, it took a sudden awareness of a statue to awaken my mind and heart to the suffering of another person.  Now, if he will just show me the next step......

There Are People Out There.....

 In my office, there is a small nook with a comfortable chair where I can sit and gaze at a variety of family photos --- each one of which brings back a special memory.  For some reason this morning, as I sat in my office, I began thinking about all the statues in our church, especially the one of St. Francis Xavier, missionary to the Orient.  I am sure he is there because our church includes a large Vietnamese population who are greatly devoted to this saint.  

With the plethora of saints closer to home, I would not ordinarily think of St. Francis Xavier.  However, I know the outlines of his story, and remembering his courage, I said a quick prayer to him this morning, asking for the grace to meet others as they are, adapting to their ways rather than insisting on my way.  

The brief experience this morning caused me to reflect on the criticism which some Protestants will throw at the Catholic church -- for "worshipping statues."  The statues (along with pictures and relics) bring back family memories for those of us who know the stories.  They remind us that there are people out there who love us -- because we belong to the same family -- and who are ready to help us.  We are inspired by their stories and example; we are given hope in situations that they had to overcome themselves. 

Upon her deathbed, St. Therese of Lisieux said, "I will spend my heaven doing good for those on earth."  Those in heaven are still close to us. They still pray for us and send assistance when we ask for their help. But not only the canonized saints -- the same is true for the ordinary saints, those who died full of faith and hope in Jesus Christ.

As my mother was taken into surgery during the last week of her life, she raised her hand.  The nurses called to me that she wanted me, and as I turned around, I saw her make a large sign of the cross in blessing. I understood at that moment that her blessing was not only for me, but for all of her children. Should not her blessing continue in heaven?

There is a familiar saying, "out of sight, out of mind." Our statues remind us of those family members who still love and bless us from heaven, even though we may not think of them because they belong to past ages.  Without those reminders, we might remain forever ignorant of our rich inheritance and the graces available to us through their intercession.  There are people out there who love us; it would be wonderful if all of us could say, "I have friends in high places!"

Why Wouldn't We Believe Him?

I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me (Jn.14:6)

"I'm sure He didn't say, 'I am THE Truth'," a friend once said to me.  Behind her words lay, I think, a common cultural acceptance that there are many truths -- and for that matter, many ways -- into the heart of God, and that it is a sign of elitism, even snobbery, to insist that one way is superior to another.

And yet, there is the inscription over the door of a university in Germany: There are many doctrines, but one Truth.  Suppose there are multiple gods, as in India, for example. In that case, there may be multiple pathways and multiple truths expressing the limited boundaries of those gods, whose jurisdictions do not impose on one another.  But we are unable to follow every one of those paths to reach every one of those gods in our lifetime.  Therefore, wherever we end up, we have still reached only a partial truth, not THE TRUTH.

If we accept that there is but One God, Creator of heaven and earth and all that is within them, there can be only one Truth, one Path, one Way to that God.  Or to put it another way, that God is Lord of all our paths, able to guide us to Himself from wherever we begin -- in some analogous way, like "All roads lead to Rome."

As Lord of Creation, Jesus is able to guide us to the Father.  He alone has 'the words of everlasting life." He goes after the straying sheep, those who have lost THE WAY:  I have come to seek and to save what was lost.  He has not come to judge our wrong beliefs, but to correct them, to bring us back into the household of the Father.

No one comes to the Father except through me.  No other religious leader has ever made such a claim.  "Believe what I tell you," they might say, but never "I am the Way."  No one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son reveals Him.  There is no other way; there is no other path than the one already given to us in the Son of God.

The question is, "Why can't we believe that?"  Was there anything in the life and death of Jesus of Nazareth to indicate that He was lying or deluded when He made such a statement?  Was there anything grandiose or self-seeking in Him that would lead Him to overstate the case?  "I AM THE TRUTH."

It seems to me that we either accept His words and come to Him to find the Truth of Who God Is, or we reject His words and go after our own Truth.  

  

The Family of God

 God of peace, with Jesus as the capstone you draw us together as members of your household.....

We recently missed our regularly-scheduled weekend Mass, and my husband wanted to attend the 7:00 am Vietnamese Mass instead.  My first thought was that I would miss the social connection I always experience at Sunday mass -- seeing the people I know and recognize, finding out how people are when I don't see them very often, etc.  In addition, I knew that I would not understand a word, as the entire Mass and homily are in Vietnamese.

My actual experience, however, was quite different from my expectation.  In spite of my not understanding the language, I was drawn in by the music and the warmth of the congregation.  Of course, I knew the rubrics of the Mass, so worship was not a problem, but entering into the difference in cultural expression of the worship was a real joy.  The Vietnamese bow to the priest and to one another at the kiss of peace, whereas the Americans wave, point to one another, and grin.  The Vietnamese chant every response of the Mass, and their participation seems to be full and heartfelt.  I left Mass feeling "at-one" with the people and with God.

Most of us consider attending Mass to be a solitary event, I think.  What we experience but fail to reflect upon is how much we are drawn together as a family by our worship of the One God.  Despite our backgrounds and cultural differences, our common worship makes us one family.  St. Paul addresses this issue in the book of Ephesians:

For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the ...dividing wall of hostility....His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility...For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit....And in him, you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit (2:14ff.)

Most of us give little thought to the Covenant God has made with us through Jesus Christ --- mainly because the word "Covenant" has little meaning to us today for a variety of reasons.  Especially in the western culture, we tend to think in terms of individualism rather than family.  But God's plan has always been to make us part of His own "family" -- the Trinity.  We are to be one with Him, as the Son and the Spirit are One with the Father.  Our place at the family table is in Jesus Christ, as members of His Body.  Rather than separating us from one another, our differences add to the richness of our relationships.

There is no other place on earth we can experience this oneness except at Mass, where there is no "first place" at the table of the Lord.  All are welcome; all are accepted; none are excluded.  All of us have access to the Father and to one another.  If we go to Mass often enough and long enough, we will eventually begin to discover and to experience the gift of family!

The God Bearers

 Ignatius of Antioch was known to the churches of Asia Minor as "Theophorus," a Greek word meaning "God-bearing."    An ancient document detailing the final journey and death of Ignatius testifies to the significance of his name.  As Ignatius was hauled before the emperor Trajan, the conversation was recorded:

Trajan:  "And who is Theophorus?"  

Ignatius:  "He who has Christ within his breast."

Trajan: "Do we not seem to you to have the gods in our minds, whose assistance we enjoy in fighting against our enemies?"

Ignatius: "You are in error when you call the demons of the nations gods.  For there is but one God, who made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that are in them: and one Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, whose kingdom may I enjoy."

Trajan: "Do you mean Him who was crucified under Pontius Pilate?"

Ignatius: "I mean Him who crucified my sin, with him who was the inventor of it, and who has condemned all the deceit and malice of the devil under the feet of those who carry Him in their heart."

Trajan: "Dost thou then carry within thee Him that was crucified?"

Ignatius: "Truly so; for it is written, 'I will dwell in them, and walk in them'." (2 Cor. 6:16).

Trajan: "We command that Ignatius, who affirms that he carries about within him Him that was crucified, be bound by soldiers, and carried to the great Rome, there to be devoured by the beasts, for the gratification of the people.

Theophorus-- the God bearer.  It seems to me that this is our calling, our mission, our purpose -- to be all of us God bearers to our world.  Like Mary, to be overshadowed by the Holy Spirit, that Christ be incarnated in us -- flesh of our flesh, bone of our bone.  That wherever we go, to bear within us God Himself.  To bring His wisdom, His love, His passion for the world and its people to each situation in which we find ourselves. 

The Son of God took on Mary's flesh.  Should He not also take on ours?

Does Philosophy Matter?

 About ten years ago I was teaching a confirmation class at church.  One evening, the students burst into the classroom outraged by something they had learned that day --- that there are now 27/ 37/ 47 -- does it matter? -- different genders!   Unfortunately, I started laughing at what I considered an absurdity.  I say "unfortunately" because I should have asked in which class the students learned this information:  biology? sociology?  psychology?   My students were actually relieved that I laughed; instinctively, they sensed that something was wrong with the information.  I too knew something was not right, but I could not have articulated the error.  It was the first I had heard of this new "science," and I was just as surprised as they were.  

Whatever our instincts told us, however, it was hard to resist "science," the new "revelation from heaven" since the days of the Enlightenment.  After all, what do we know if science tells us otherwise?  In the years since that incident, we (our culture) have come to accept without question that there are as many genders as anyone cares to define -- after all, we define our own reality now.  I am who I say I am; I am who I think I am.  And given that scientifically, biologically, there is actually a small percentage of the population born with gender dsyphoria, it seems likely that maybe gender identity is not actually a "given" after all.  How are we to make sense of what "science" is now telling us about who we are?

Plato, and in fact all of Greek culture, defined truth as correspondence to "what is," to reality, and furthermore, sought philosophy as the key to understanding that truth.  Philosophy --the study of the nature of reality and how it is ordered -- was the key to unlocking the secrets of the cave, Plato's metaphor for what we experience as reality.  We see shadows, not reality itself, and it is the task of the philosopher to seek wisdom, or the truth behind the shadows. Sadly, except in seminaries and Catholic colleges today, philosophy has gone out of fashion.

Perhaps a modern example will clarify:  during the 2020 Women's March on Washington, some of the participants were asked, "How would you define 'woman'?   One participant could not answer the question; another said that a woman was whatever she defined herself to be, and a third responded that anyone could be a woman.  Plato might have responded that all of these respondents were looking at shadows on the back of the cave.  I cannot laugh, however, for most of us are caught in the same incoherence today.  To define any aspect of reality is to define what it is not:  a bird is not a tree; a squirrel is not a cloud.  But to define a woman as not a "male" today is to discount the identity of a trans woman.  And to define a man as someone who can impregnate a woman but who himself cannot have babies fails to capture the reality of a trans man ( a biological woman who identifies as male).

I dare say that most of us today would love to have some clear answers about transgenderism and sexuality -- answers based on philosophy and real science.  Why philosophy, when science would seem to have all the answers we need?  In this, as in most cases, science can only tell us what is possible -- with transgender surgery, for example.  It cannot tell why it should happen, or if it is a good idea.  Science can tell us that nuclear warfare is possible; it cannot tell us why it should happen, or if it is desirable that it should occur.  We have clear-cut the rain forests because we know how; only the earth itself, the peasants, and the animals seemed to care whether reality itself would be served by that possibility.

A recently-published book called Sexual Identity: the Harmony of Philosophy, Science, and Revelation, edited by John Desilva Finley, has helped to clarify the questions that plague our culture today.  Science is not reality; reality is the harmony of science with philosophy and revelation that reveals ultimate goodness, beauty, and truth.  From a review of the book:

We live in a culture that feeds two dangeous lies to our youth: first, that some people are born in the wrong body, and second, that there are more than two sexes.  This is not science --  it is a false philosophy....When our youth today "learn" that they cannot trust the objective reality of their own physial bodies to tell them who they are, it strikes a major blow to their entire system of reality-testing and leads many of them down a medical pathway resulting in permanent, life-long sterility, emotional suffering, chronic illness, and physical harm.

Like myself that night, and like my students, facing new "information," we seldom take the time to make what we know explicit.  Common sense and everyday experience, although irreplaceable, will not help to clear up confusion on this point.  We need a deeper vision that can see the parts in relation to a whole -- the branches of human knowledge are strengthened as they form a living unity, or to put it more simply: truth is truth wherever it is found.  Sexual Identity brings together a variety of disciplines to address the issues and implications around gender questions: biology, philosophy, psychology, soul-body unity, and revelation.

I strongly recommend this strikingly readable and enjoyable book to anyone like myself who needs all the help they can get in sorting through reality and truth in this foggy area of society today.

 

Blood Brothers

 Maybe the practice belongs to the past and today's generation no longer knows anything about "blood brothers."  Even though we were girls, we called ourselves "blood brothers," the feminist movement not yet occurring to raise our consciousness about pronouns/nouns and feminine equality.

I remember being enthralled at the idea when my friend first proposed that we become blood brothers. She explained that we were to cut ourselves so that our blood would mingle together as one. From that time on, we would be "blood brothers," or family to one another --- if one of us was attacked, we would consider that both had been attacked.  Whatever happened to one, it would be as if it happened to both.

I'm sure the idea traces back to families and tribes that banded together for the survival of all, and still remains today primarily with gangs and outlaws.  In our individualistic culture, we tend to think that "I can do it all by myself," in the words of a popular song. We tend to think we don't need anyone else -- until we do! 

In the Old Testament, Moses was instructed to take the blood of a sacrificial offering and to spread half of it on the altar and half sprinkled on the people.  The life of the animal was the blood, and now, symbolically, God and His people shared the same life, as represented by the same blood -- He entered into their lives as a family member, as Father, as Older Brother, as Defender of armies, as Shepherd, as Mother (feminine equality again!), as Refuge in times of distress.  And they were to enter His life of love, peace, joy, friendship, communion of Persons.  The formal term for this exchange was "covenant," or "blood brotherhood."

In the New Testament, we have a new covenant, sealed and effected by the sacrifice and the blood of Jesus Christ.  In the Eucharist, in communion with God, we now really -- not symbolically -- share the same blood with God Himself.  We are "blood brothers;" what happens to one happens to the other. 

He has entered into our life: he knows what it feels like to be hot and thirsty, what it feels like to have wool tickle the back of your neck, what it feels like to be hungry and weak, dependent on other people, what it feels like to be so tired that you fall asleep during a storm.  He knows how it feels to be betrayed by someone you trusted, to be the scapegoat of other people's hatred and suspicion; how it feels to be tortured, nailed to a cross unable to breathe -- what it feels like to have your own mother watching you suffer and helpless to offer comfort.

And because we are now blood brothers, He has opened wide the door into His own life.  The healings, the comfort, the provision, the forgiveness He extended during his earthly life continue today through His Body, the Church:  "Whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven."  "I give you my peace...."  "Of course I want to heal you..."  "I give you the water of eternal life...."

All this is available to us in the Eucharist:  Take and eat; this is my Body, given up for you.  Take and drink, this is the blood of the new covenant, given for the forgiveness of sins.

No longer the blood of goats and calves, now the blood of God Himself.  No longer sprinkled on us, but now taken in as our drink.  As our life is taken up by Him, His life is now become our life.  We are blood brothers, no longer symbolically, but really. Jesus told one of the saints: I am come to take up my dwelling in you, and to cleanse, enlighten, kindle, and animate your soul.

If we could only believe it, we could live it!

How, then, will you understand?

 I heard an interesting comment on the radio recently, but unfortunately cannot give credit to the speaker as I don't know who was relating the story.  He mentioned that in Mark's account of the parable of the sower, the disciples asked Jesus about the parable.  Jesus' reply was, "Don't you understand this parable?  How then will you understand any parable?"

Now the speaker was puzzled about this comment.  What is it about this parable that seems to be the key to all of the other parables?  Why is it that we will not understand any parable if we don't understand this one?  

And then it dawned on him:  This parable is about opening our hearts to the word of God.  The good soil receives and nurtures the Word of God, and it grows, producing a crop.  If we do not receive the Word with an open heart, we cannot understand anything in the spiritual realm.  

One of the psalms says, "In your light, we see light."  Jesus gave light to the blind and opened the ears of the deaf, but those were not isolated miracles.  What He did in the physical realm, He also does in the spiritual realm.  If we cannot see God at work in our lives or understand Scripture, we probably need to call out with the blind man, "Lord, I want to see!"  

Jesus is the Sower of the Word; the Spirit waters the soul and prepares us to see, hear, and grow the Word of God in our hearts.

Looking for Grace

 A few weeks ago, I read a book called The Daily Examen by Chad Torgerson.  Based on the journals of St. Ignatius of Loyola, the daily examen is a short prayer of practice at the end of each day.  At first, I thought this practice referred to a daily examination of conscience, a practice I had heard about growing up.  However, this is not really the same thing at all, although it may include an examination of conscience.

The daily examen rather is a practice of reflection on where grace has appeared during the day, and giving thanks for those moments.  The brief evening prayer may also include looking back over one's sins (or general grumpiness, for that matter) and asking for the grace to overcome these weaknesses.  The key concept is that we are looking for God's presence in our lives, however.

The practice was so simple that I started doing it immediately.  Within a week, I was noticing the graced moments of the day not in the evening, but as they occurred, and giving thanks for them at the moment they occurred.  One day, as my sister and I had spent the day painting the house I am trying to sell, I loaded my purse, lunch bag, and pieces of used cardboard in the car to head home, exhausted.  As I crossed the railroad tracks about half a block away from the house, I suddenly realized that I had forgotten the antibiotic I was taking.  I knew I could not skip 2 or 3 doses until the next day, so had I arrived home without the medicine, I would have had to make the return trip to retrieve it.

I was so grateful to my guardian angel or whoever whispered in my mind that I forgot how tired I was just being thankful.  Now I find moments of joy every day, as I say to myself, "That was a graced moment!"  I guess you might say this simple practice is like walking in the presence of God all day!

The Ultimate Question

Sooner or later, I think, everyone will have to answer the question Jesus asked of Peter: Who do you say that I am?

Here our religion does not matter so much as the question.  Every man, woman, and child will have to face Jesus himself and answer the question:  Who do you say that I am?

In Mere Christianity, C. S. Lewis beautifully summed up our choices in his own question:  Lord, Liar, or Lunatic?  According to Lewis, the one option we do not have is to say that Jesus was/is a great moral teacher, but not who He claimed to be -- the Son of God.  According to Lewis, anyone who said the things Jesus said had to be speaking the truth -- or else He was lying, or He was a lunatic.  

The Jews who heard Him teach were horrified by His blasphemy, as they saw it:  [We are stoning you for blasphemy] because you, a mere man, claim to be God (John 10).

For this reason, the Jews tried all the harder to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God (John 5).

I think anyone who reads the Gospel of John -- or any one of the Gospels, for that matter --- with this question in mind will begin to see Jesus as the Son of God, made flesh for our sake.

And then the next question will follow:  Why do you call me "Lord" and not do the things that I say?

Indeed, a question all of us will have to answer someday!

The Human Condition

 Psalm 25, like many other psalms, contains a plaintive cry:  My eyes are always on the Lord, who rescues my feet from the snare.  Turn to me and have mercy on me, for I am alone and poor.  Relieve the anguish of my heart, and set me free from my distress.  See my lowliness and suffering, and take away all my sins.

God told Moses: I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt.  I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering.  So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey (Exodus 3).

If we look at the ministry of Jesus in light of Psalm 25, we can see in living color, so to speak, God's concern for those who are "alone and poor," those who have anguish of heart and distress.  He is the new and final Moses, sent by God to bring us out of slavery and into a good and spacious land.  His ministry of deliverance continues even today through the church, as any reader of the Acts of the Apostles can see.  Today, there is a magazine, whose name escapes me, devoted to stories of God's deliverance of those who have -- like all of us -- experienced times of distress, of being "alone and poor."

Thomas Merton says, "Christianity is a religion for men who are aware that there is a deep wound, a fissure of sin that strikes down to the very heart of man's being.  They have tasted the sickness that is present in the inmost heart of man estranged from God by guilt, suspicion, and covert hatred.

Merton maintains that it is dread alone that delivers us from easy answers about prayer and Christianity.  It is only when we face being alone and poor that we truly turn to God and open ourselves to His deliverance.  Most of us, I think, prefer to manage life on our own until it becomes beyond our capability -- and then we cry out to God for help!  

C.S. Lewis describes the beginning of his conversion as a kind of cracking and crumbling of the exoskeleton that surrounded him and protected his individuality.  He speaks of being a reluctant convert, as I think most of us might be.  But dread, in the words of Thomas Merton, is the human condition that finally breaks out outer shell and often leads us to cry out to God.  

And God's answer is always, "I have seen the misery of my people in Egypt and have seen their suffering!"  He has sent Moses; He has sent Jesus Christ.  He has sent the Holy Spirit.  

Those who have experienced God's help in distress are those who cry out with the psalmist:  God is our refuge and our strength, an ever-present help in distress! (Ps. 46).

New Dimensions in Prayer

 In my last entry, I wrote about listening to the voice within as a way of praying -- allowing the Spirit to lead us into the deepest dimensions of our hearts and minds.  

A few weeks ago, as I entered into my hour of adoration before the Blessed Sacrament, I spontaneously began a dual list in my notebook -- something I had never done previously.  On one side of the page, I wrote "Gratitude." On the other side, "Petitions."  Without really thinking too much, I quickly jotted down all the events and people that came to mind in each category.  After a few minutes, I stopped writing and began to meditate/pray/think about each item on the list.  Surprisingly, that hour of prayer sped by quickly as I pondered my dual lists.

Since that day, I have begun each day with some sort of brief list --- reminders (the traditional "to do" list), quotations, ideas, etc.  I've never been a fan of "to do" lists because I never seem to be able to complete the tasks, but allowing my list to include other things on my mind is more helpful to me.

As often happens in the spiritual life, we first have an experience/ an encounter, and later we find the words to explain or describe what we have experienced.  A few days ago in my reading, I came across a mention of Marilyn McIntyre's book called Make a List: How a Simple Practice Can Change our Lives.  Someone once said, "When the student is ready, the teacher appears."  This saying certainly seemed to apply in my case!

Ms. McIntyre's introduction spoke directly to my experience:

As we add lines to a list, we become aware of the voice in us that speaks when we listen.  This is an experience I often have in prayer or meditation: a sentence or a phrase comes from somewhere other than my busy ego-mind.  I experience it as a gift received.....Something in the momentum of list-making opens corners of the mind that can be hard to reach and gives the inner voice a say.

Paying attention is the first step toward love.  We can love only what we notice, name, return to, and reflect on. 

I have read only a few pages of Make a List, but I can already see that what I might have dismissed as a "one-off" experience of making a list may become a great tool in listening to and discerning the Voice of the Holy Spirit in guiding my life.  I am eternally grateful to the Spirit of God who has always listened to me better than I have learned to listen to Him!

 

Listening to the Voice Within

 Most of us think of prayer as saying something to God, and of course, that is probably the starting point when we come to pray.  But in his introduction to prayer, Thomas Merton speaks of meditation:  In mental prayer, we enter a realm of which we are no longer the masters....we seek to enter more deeply into the life of God....One who begs an alms must adopt a different attitude from one who demands what is due to him by his own right...

The desires and sorrows of our hearts in prayer rise to the heavenly Father as the desires and sorrows of His Son, 

by virtue of the Holy Spirit who teaches us to pray and who, though we do not always know how to pray....prays in us and cries out to the Father in us.

In the Book of Deuteronomy, Moses tells the people that the Word of God is not so far off that someone has to go up to the heavens to find it.  Rather, he says, it is (already) in your hearts and minds; you have only to carry it out.

So a good part of prayer is not so much saying what is on our minds, but rather attempting to listen to what the Spirit is saying inside us.  It takes some discipline to be still, not to be always talking, but rather listening.  We can think of it as a two-way radio.  If I'm talking, I'm not listening.  If I want to listen, I have to turn off the talking switch.

I recently read about someone who needed direction from the Lord.  So whenever she had time, she would sit before the tabernacle and just wait on the Lord.  She did not pour out her heart, multiply her prayers, etc. ---- she just sat and waited.  That would probably be hard for most of us, but here's the way I like to think about it:

As a teacher, I appreciated those students who were in class when I arrived, materials ready and minds open to listen, to receive direction.  They were "waiting upon" me, not full of their own ideas, but open to receive what I would say.  Now I know that the Holy Spirit is given to me to pray in me the will of God.  So if I can come to class, so to speak, prepared to listen to what the Spirit is saying within me, that would be waiting upon the Lord.  

It may feel a bit strange at first since we are so used to doing all the talking, but if we can only be still long enough, I think we would be surprised and delighted at what the Spirit is saying within us.

Blessed are they......

 Recently I've been reading The Whole Language: The Power of Extravagant Tenderness by Gregory Doyle.  Father Doyle works with those whose lives have been marked by abuse, neglect, abandonment, prison, gang warfare, murder, drugs, etc. -- basically, the rejects of society.  He usually interviews those who are referred to him or who ask for admittance to Homeboys, Inc. after their release from prison, then takes them in as his own sons and apprentices, allows them an 18-month formation and job training, and then like Jesus, sends them out after a fashion to tell their story and to recruit through love and tenderness others like themselves who are lost to society.  He does this by creating a "sangha," a Buddhist term for a community of inclusion and acceptance.

The beauty of this story is that his "homies" fall in love with themselves for the first time in their lives and can't stop smiling at what they discover in themselves -- basic goodness/ tenderness, which neither they nor anyone else has ever seen in them.

As I was re-reading Matthew's Gospel this morning, I stopped at the Beatitudes, kind of amazed at what I was seeing in them in light of Gregory Doyle's book.    For the first time, I was seeing the Beatitudes not as a list of isolated blessings, but rather as a pattern of progression in the spiritual life.  I was seeing the pattern in Father Doyle's homeboys, who come to him as the most miserable of men and women and who in 18 months blossom into loving, laughing, compassionate, and giving members of a community.  These "homies" represent in the most graphic way what it means to be "born again" and to develop a spiritual life:

Blessed are the poor in spirit --  those who have experienced the kind of grief and sadness that comes from being rejected, unloved, unacceptable and unaccepted by society, especially by their families.  Those who cannot see themselves as "good" in any sense.

Blessed are those who mourn --- Once these rejects begin to experience acceptance and even love within the community of men and women like themselves, they begin to grieve/ mourn the ways they have hurt other people.  Their angry, tough, personas begin to break down and they become vulnerable.

Blessed are the meek ---  For the first time in their lives, they do not have to defend themselves, prove themselves, maintain a tough exterior to hide fear inside, and they become gentle -- even emotional and loving.  They become submissive to the Holy Spirit instead of to the anger that previously ruled their lives.

Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.  As the homies begin to experience tenderness toward themselves from others, they discover for the first time their own power to extend that same tenderness toward others.  They become "filled" to overflowing; they desire the goodness that has been lacking their whole lives.  They open themselves to the Spirit of God within them.

Blessed are the merciful ---- now they can turn to other people in mercy and forgiveness instead of in anger and hostility.  They become like God, extending to others the same mercy they have experienced.

Blessed are the pure in heart ----  They are now able to see God at work in their lives; they see goodness in other people and are able to respond to the love offered them from others.

Blessed are the peacemakers --  They gradually turn from gangbangers to peacemakers, resisting the temptation to get even, to come out on top, to strike out at others.  They want others to experience the same kind of tenderness that has transformed their lives, and as a result:

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness -- they are no longer accepted by their peers, those who have not yet experienced the kind of transformation they themselves have undergone.  They are misunderstood by those outside the community as weak and defenseless.

We don't have to be gangbangers, rapists, druggies, or murderers to experience the kind of progressive transformation evident in Father Doyle's "homies."  But I imagine all of us at some time must realize our own kind of poverty in order to embark on the kind of journey described in the Beatitudes.  Even Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection wrote in his book (Practice of the Presence of God), "I can do fewer good things than anyone!"  And St. Peter, upon realizing the holiness of Jesus, said, "Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man."  Once we finally realize our inner poverty and lack of spiritual resources, we are on our way!

It's a Real Thing !

 Our house has been on the market for four months.  The appraiser had said that this home would sell within a month, with multiple offers.  She was wrong; the house needs updating and re-painting.  Over the past few months, the gardens have become neglected and weedy.  It seems no one else loves the house the way I did.

Yesterday, on the way into church, I met our realtor who had shown the house twice this weekend.  No luck!  He talked about all the things we need to do to make the house attractive again.  I went into Mass totally discouraged and dejected -- even fearful.  What would we do if the house does not sell?  As Mass progressed, I felt even worse, thinking about worst-case scenarios.  In addition, after being away on a trip for the past few weeks, I was seeing people I had not seen in awhile, and thinking that I really did not want to socialize after Mass because of my obsession with the house situation.

As I received the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ in Communion, I heard some gentle words spoken to me in my spirit:  If God has given us His Son, how will He not give us all things else besides?  I knew these words to be a paraphrase of Romans 8:32 --If God did not spare His Son, will He not give us all things else besides?  My response was, "Jesus, I know that in this sacrament, I receive not only your physical body but your own peace and joy as well."  In other words, not only His body, but His spirit is given to us in communion.

By the end of Mass, I realized that my fear and worry had gone; I was experiencing peace and joy, and I was more than ready to meet all my friends and catch up on their news.  I am amazed at the transformation that took place in me in just a few minutes!  But the story does not end there.  This morning I flipped through an old book that had been set aside for donation.  Inside I found a card with these words:

Holy Communion has as its distincct effect to form in us the mind and heart of Christ.  The subtle effects of transformation that take place in the depths of a Christian's soul are visible only to God.  The changes effected by Holy Communion are imperceptible, but that does not mean they are not real.  The operation of the Blessed Sacrament may be likened to the invisible, slow, and mysterious working of the seedling in the earth.

We think the effect of each communion is small because we do not understand what immense opposition to His transforming love Our Lord finds in the soul of each one of us.  We should stir up our minds and hearts to a vivid realization that when we receive Jesus Christ, we are receiving God the Son, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, Who comes to us united with His Sacred Humanity, prepared to use it an instrument of His Divine Power to effect a wonderful change in us. 

I do not know the source of the quote, but of all the books I might have picked up this morning, I happened to pick up this one and find the card inside.  Shortly afterwards, I opened my Kindle to continue reading a book I began some time ago -- The Whole Language: The Power of Extravagant Tenderness by Gregory Boyle.  The very first words I read were these:  We talk about the Incarnation being necessary.  Indeed, it was.  Not because of sin....but because God's love needed to become tender.  There was an urgency for it to become touch and smell and action and listening; to become tenderness in the flesh. 

Jesus said, "My peace I give to you; not as the world gives it. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid" (Jn. 14:27).  And "My joy is yours, that your joy may be complete" (John 15:11).  Teresa of Avila said this: "Just these two words God spoke changed my life: 'Enjoy Me.'"

The aim of our lives is to enjoy God forever, beginning right now.  And in the Sacrament of Communion, He gives us the Way to do just that -- I am the Way.....

Our sacrament is not "symbolic," as some believe.  It's a Real Thing!

Our Souls Need Food!

 Man does not live by bread alone but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God (Matt.4:4).

We are more than physical beings; we are composed of body, soul, and spirit.  I have heard this saying since grade school, but it was not until later in life that I began to wonder about the soul.  What exactly is the "soul"?  Scholars tell us that the soul is comprised of mind, heart/emotions, and will.  For now, I will not address how the soul differs from the spirit in mankind.

My daughter recently told me about a book called Healing Beyond Pills and Potions by Steve Bierman, M.D.  From his own experience of being healed of a painful condition, Dr. Bierman began to research the soul as a source of physical healing, although he never mentions or refers to the "soul" in his book.  Exploring among other things the mystery of healing that often occurs through placebos, he investigates what happens when there is some authority -- even a placebo -- in which people place their faith and thus begin the healing process.  He even cites a case wherein bald people began to grow hair when given a placebo during a controlled experiment!

I don't think we can discount the power of the mind, the emotions, and the will when it comes to what happens to our bodies.  And yet, from what I can see of our culture, we are consistently starving our minds, hearts, and wills  -- or at best, we are feeding these powers strictly junk food from television, social media, entertainment, etc.  What is it that sustains us in times of weakness, trouble, or worry?  Certainly not tik tok!

Padre Pio once said, "I shudder to think of the harm done to souls by a lack of spiritual reading!"  Our souls have no strength unless we sustain them with spiritual food.  And if our souls have no strength, our bodies too have no resources except pills and potions!

In the book of the Prophet Amos, God speaks through the prophet:  Yes, days are coming....when I shall send famine upon the land:  Not a famine of bread or that of water, but for hearing the word of the Lord.  They shall wander from sea to sea and rove from the north to the east in search of the word of the Lord, but they shall not find it (chapter 8).

I think those days have come upon us.  Our parish has an extensive library that is seldom used.  A wonderful treasury of books on every subject and level sits unused, and I am fairly sure that the Bibles in homes remain closed also.  Mary Sommes, the editor of my morning devotional, recently wrote: If you take the time -- even a few minutes a day -- to read Scripture slowly and prayerfully, you can and will come to know how deeply God loves you. And filled with that transformative knowledge -- that you are loved beyond measure --- you will become what you read.  You will know by heart the only recipe that can feed an entire world.

To feed our minds, it might be useful to begin at the first page of the Bible and read through -- but to feed our souls, it is better to let the Spirit of God guide us, to allow Him to show us the food we need for our daily sustenance. Then, as Scripture promises, we will be fed with the finest of wheat and the choicest wine!

The Mind of God

 Karl Rahner, the greatest theologian of the 20th century, once said, "The Christian of the future will either be a mystic, or he will be nothing at all."    Now, in the 21st century, I see Rahner's statement taking shape.  There is so much "nothing at all" in our culture that we now have a name, a label, for it -- nones, referring to those who have no religious affiliation. But even among those who call themselves Catholic, Baptist, Presbyterian, etc., there seems to be little mysticism among believers.  I think maybe it's our culture, which places little or no value on mystical experience -- indeed, in the age of science, mysticism is regarded with suspicion.

In the Garden of Paradise, man was given a choice -- to live by Wisdom / The Tree of Life, or to live by his knowledge of good and evil/ science.  In other words, we can enter into the mind of God, and live, or we can choose to live by what we can see, taste, hear, and see -- which leads to death.  In the desert, Jesus repeated the lesson Moses gave the Israelites:  Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God (Deut. 8:3).

Mysticism is not magical; it is not "out there;" it is not reserved for a few.  Mysticism is simply entering into the mind and heart of God, learning what it is that "comes forth from the mouth of God," and leads to life.  In the 55th chapter of Isaiah, the prophet speaks for God:

"Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy?
 Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare.
 Give ear, and come to me; hear me, that your soul may live.....
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the Lord. 

Mysticism is nothing more than "giving ear," listening to the Holy Spirit instead of to the voices all around us.  When we read Scripture, we read with an ear cocked to the Voice of the Spirit within, Who teaches us as we read.  When we pray, we pray not so much our of our own minds, but listening to what the Spirit prays in us.  If we have accepted the Gift of Tongues, we are able more easily to let go of the persistent thoughts of our own minds and enter into the mind of the Holy Spirit. The Gift of Tongues essentially shuts down, or at least occupies, the language center of the brain, and opens our minds to receive the thoughts of God.

In the Book of 1 Corinthians, Paul tells us "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him" ---but God has revealed it to us by His Spirit.  It is not "far away," or "out there;" it is in our hearts and minds:  We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us.

....that we may understand.....The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned....for who has known the mind of the Lord....But we have the mind of Christ (1 Cor. 2:6-16)

 It is more than clear that God wants to communicate His thoughts, His mind, His heart to us.  He sent Jesus Christ, the Word Made Flesh, to reveal to us His own thoughts --- Have you been so long with me and you still do not know the Father? Jesus asked Philip.  If we are thirsty enough to read Scripture, to ask for the Gift of the Holy Spirit, to listen to Jesus, the spoken Word of God, we can know the mind and heart of God.  And that, that, is what makes us ordinary people "mystics."

Psalm 63

 When I sit down each morning to pray, the first thing I do is to recite Psalm 63:

O God, you are my God; at dawn I seek you;

For you my flesh is pining,

like a dry weary land without water.

 

Your faithful love is better than life;
my lips will speak your praise.
I will bless you all my life;
in your name I will lift up my hands.
My soul shall be filled as with a banquet;
with joyful lips my mouth shall praise you.

 

When I remember you upon my bed,

I muse on you through the watches of the night.

For you have been my strength;

in the shadow of your wings I rejoice.

My soul clings fast to you;

Your right hand upholds me. 

This morning it dawned on me that Jesus had to have prayed this same psalm at some time or times in his life.  Yesterday I wrote about finding God, or belief in God, from the experiences of our life -- and I thought about Jesus praying this psalm remembering how the Father had delivered him from the clutches of Herod as an infant.  Surely Mary would have told him that story as he grew up.  

And then, when the crowd at Nazareth wanted to toss him from a cliff because of blasphemy, he passed through the crowd without harm.  Surely, while fasting in the desert, he may have prayed this psalm....my flesh pines for you like a dry weary land without water.... my soul clings fast to you; Your right hand upholds me!

We almost cannot pray this psalm ourselves without recalling the times when God upheld us, when God became our strength.  Certainly we cannot praise Him with thanksgiving without recalling those times.  So praying this psalm each day is almost like watching my life in review, recalling those times when I was saved from certain death or disaster -- the time I was almost kidnapped as a five-year-old, the time I was warned of impending danger as I sat in the park, the time I was diagnosed with lung cancer after five or six years of constant coughing.  I think of these times and "with joyful lips my mouth shall praise you!"

One psalm that expresses our experience is better than a thousand others that mean little to us!  Perhaps this is what Jesus meant when he cautioned us against multiplying words without meaning.

Where Does Faith Come From?

 As a child, I learned that faith, hope, and charity were theological virtues -- that is, they came from God to draw us back to God.  They were gifts; we were not able, I learned, to give ourselves these gifts.

As an adult, I would often hear sermons about how important it is to have faith in God --- only no one ever said how we are supposed to "get" faith.  I guess maybe someone must have said to ask God for the gift of faith, but if you don't already have some degree of faith, it is hard to believe that God will give you what you are asking for.  

Reflecting on Father Ken's homily posted yesterday, I realized that he was saying, "If you want to "believe" in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, look to your experience rather than to your doctrine.  Not that doctrine is not important -- it certainly is, but our doctrine, or belief, begins in experience first, and only then moves to reflection on our experience, and finally to a statement of belief:  "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!"

Karl Rahner, the greatest theologian of the 20th century, maintained that every person has experienced God.  When countered with someone's denial, he would say, "O yes.  You have experienced Him!"  And looking back at the Bible, our source of belief/ doctrine, I realize that in every case, faith emerged from experience.  From Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; from the history of Israel, from the prophets, from those who encountered Jesus Christ, first there was an experience ---  and only afterwards, "faith."  

Anyone who reads the Bible through these lenses will see where faith comes from -- first, God takes the initiative in someone's life, and then.....we believe.  We believe because we have seen and heard for ourselves that God is present and active in our lives.  God is no respecter of persons.  If He acted in Abraham's life, in Peter's life, He must also act in our lives.

Ask anyone who believes, really believes in God, why he/she believes.  In many cases, someone has told of his/her own experience, and that story leads the person to turn to God, hesitantly at first and without faith -- but then, they come to believe because of their own encounter with the Living God.  But there is always the story, the experience, that leads to belief.

When, where, how were you first touched by the Holy Spirit?  When did you experience the Fatherhood of God, the compassion of the Christ, the love of the Holy Spirit?  When did you first "see" the hand of God in your own life?  Why do YOU believe?

I used to tell my Confirmation students, 11th graders who were trying to decide on a college or a career after high school, to consult not only college brochures, but their own interior experience of the college as they visited the campus.  In other words, to trust their experience as the leading of God in their lives. We have to learn what peace of mind, body, and soul feels like, and to trust our own experience of that peace as God's action in our lives.  As we trust, and then walk, in that experience, we begin to discover God's leading.  And we begin to believe that He will lead us to the next step.

Even as a young child, I used to experience a kind of peace whenever I went into an empty church during recess or after school.  I experienced a kind of Presence there that I came to trust.  The first time I visited the site of the high school I eventually attended, I felt that Peace and that Presence, and I knew that I belonged on that campus.

If we look at our lives for the times we experienced peace, true comfort, Presence, truth (in the case of St. Augustine, for example), we will find God -- and we will begin to believe!

Holy Trinity Sunday

Today we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Trinity.  Our guest celebrant today was Father Ken Hedrick, a retired priest now living in Mississippi.  His homily touched me, and I asked permission to post it on this blog.  Enjoy!

.......

 No one thus far has really understood the concept of the Holy Trinity and we won’t either, no matter what theological constructs we employ in our prayers.  That’s why we call the Trinity one of the mysteries of our faith.  But the truth of the matter is that God never chose to reveal the reality of the Trinity as a doctrine.  The word “trinity” never even appears in Scripture.  Jesus did not ever invite his apostles to accompany him to a quiet place so that he would teach them a short course on the Trinity.  Instead, God, in the Scriptures and in Christ, chose to reveal the Trinity not as a doctrine but as an experience.

God the Father.  God as Father not only creates our lives, God cradles us with a parent’s protection and care, with a Father’s discipline, with a parent’s guidance.  As you recall times when you have felt cared for and watched over, when you felt a protection not of your own or this earth’s doing, when you felt supported in difficult times, guided from the waywardness you were tempted to pursue and onto the way of righteousness, when – through the love expressed in the sacrament of marriage – you have helped create new life on this earth, then you have experienced the revelation of God the Father. 

God the Son.  God as the divine Son and Savior is with us as brother and companion.  When you recall times you felt the burden of guilt lifted and new possibilities open before you in the second chance that was offered, when you found peace even in moments of challenge and tragedy, when you found the courage to sacrifice for what was right, when you took the hand of another in spite of your own weakness, when you shed a tear at another’s misfortune or hurt and you offered support, then you experience the revelation of God the Son.

 God is present to us now as the Spirit of life.  When you recall times when you did not give in to doubt, frustration or despair but knew you could journey on, when you heard a word of guidance that redirected and re-energized your heart, when you stood up for right with courage, when the voice of your conscience pricked you and changed your behavior or your attitude, when you felt solace in your time of grief, when you were moved to pray in your time of need, then you experienced God the Holy Spirit.

 The Holy Trinity: not a theological mystery to be figured out, but a revelation of a relationship to be experienced, the relationship of a community of love.  May we open ourselves to all that this experience has to offer us as we seek wholeness and holiness of life.  May we also renew our baptismal pledge to help others experience, in every aspect of this parish’s life and ministry, the community of love that the Trinity reveals and into which God, Father, Son and Spirit, invites us and all to enter, no matter what the next translation of the Roman Missal might have us saying.

I Will Bless You....

 I will bless you, ....and you will be a blessing (Genesis 12).  

All people on earth will be blessed through you (Genesis 12).

"Holiness" is nothing less than participation in the life of the Trinity, in the Divine Exchange of Love and Blessing.  We know that whoever comes to God is blessed; His first act following the creation of Adam and Eve was to bless them.  We know that whoever came to Jesus, saint or sinner, during His sojourn on earth was blessed and welcomed into His own relationship with the Father through the giving of the Holy Spirit.  And after Jesus' Ascension, the Holy Spirit was sent as a blessing on "people from every nation who fear God and do what is right" (Peter, in Acts 10).

I will bless you and you will be a blessing.....  This morning, I suddenly realized something very simple -- those who have entered into relationship with God have become a blessing to others.  It is not necessary that we identify those who belong to our church, our doctrine, etc.  Entering into a relationship with God comes in many forms.  In Acts 10, Cornelius, a centurion in the Italian Regiment, was described as "devout and God-fearing, giving generously to those in need, and praying to God regularly."  Obviously, though not a Jew, and not observing the law, Cornelius had some sort of relationship with God -- and God poured out on him and his entire household the Gift of the Holy Spirit.  

Cornelius was already a blessing to those around him; the gift of the Spirit enabled him to enter even more deeply into God's divine life and thus to become an even greater blessing on earth.

When we look around us, we can find many like Cornelius whose lives are a blessing to those around them. Some time ago, I was disturbed by the statement of one of my friends that an acquaintance was "going to hell" because she is a Buddhist and has not accepted Jesus Christ.  But I happen to know that this woman is a blessing in all she does to those around her.  If the story of Cornelius tells us anything, it is that God blesses those who "obey him and do what is right."  And those who are so blessed become in turn a blessing to the earth.

If God pours out His Spirit on those who are in some relationship with Him --- and He does, in one way or another --- then the Spirit of God will inevitably lead us into the Truth.  In the meantime, we can recognize God-at-work in other people by their lives.  If their lives are a blessing to others, we can know for sure that somehow God is moving in them, and that the Gift of His Spirit is not far behind!

Seek the Mark of the Spirit - Bishop Barron's Sunday Sermon

Such a great reflection on "3" and our mission in the world!

What is in Our Control

 "A new commandment I give to you: Love one another as I have loved you."  

And how is that even possible, Lord?  To love others as You have loved us?

In this age of intense disagreement, it is so easy to "cancel" those who do not agree with us.  We are so easily "offended" by something done or said, even years previously.  And then, like the lepers of the New Testament, people are cast out, excluded forever from social acceptance.  

Yet, Jesus has told us to "love" one another -- even those on opposite sides of the political and/or social barrier.  In his book Long Have I Loved Thee, Walter Burghardt points out that "The Exodus was not simply a liberation from slavery; it was the formation of a new social order -- what Norbert Lohfink called "a contrast society" (p.168).

The Hebrew nation was formed in the desert not only to be in covenant with God, but to be in covenant with one another:

Is not this the fast that I choose:  to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?

Is it not to share your break with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover them, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh? (Is. 58). 

 Over the centuries, and even today, the Jews are known for having taken the command seriously -- not to hide from those in need, but to extend their hands to the needy among them. For them, to do justice was to worship God.  Because Christians do not live in enclaves, it is harder to see in our society whether or not we "love one another" and loosen the bonds of injustice.  But there is one place where we can actually see the kind of love Jesus commands --- the Mass, the liturgy.  There we come together as "we," not "I":

We stand to one another not as the rich to the poor, the wise to the ignorant, the strong to the needy, the clever to the simple; we stand rather as the poor to the poor, the weak to the weak, the loved to the loved"  (Mark Searle, Liturgy and Social Justice, quoted in Burghardt.)

Whenever we attend Mass, there are no political, social, economic, educational, or racial barriers and divisions --- we stand together as "the needy" before God. There, we are truly a "contrast society" to the rest of the world.  It is the same society as exists in heaven.  What we have in common, what brings us together, is what we have received from God -- His compassion, His love, His mercy, His cleansing of our sins.  And this is what He expects us to extend to one another.  

The Greeks had four words for love: Eros, Storge, Philia, and Agape.  C. S. Lewis' classic Four Loves needs to be on every shelf, because in our culture, "love" means whatever the individual wants it to mean. And that makes it difficult for us to know, much less practice, what Jesus meant by "Love one another."  How much control over our emotions do we have in the face of hatred, animosity, political divisions, opinions, etc.?  

In his book On Retreat with Thomas Merton, Basil Pennington reflects on three words that sum up what it means to "Love one another" ---- Respect, Acceptance, Appreciation.  There are times when I am so upset by the voiced opinions I hear around me that I wonder how on earth I am supposed to "love" the person expressing those opinions.  But Pennington makes it "do-able."  What is in my control is the ability to respect, accept, and appreciate the other person as someone like myself who stands before God as poor, weak, needing to be loved even in our unfinished state.  Our worship, our liturgy, our Mass puts us all in the same position before God, as there we learn what it means to love one another as we have been loved.

 

Loaves and Fishes

I need to tell this story before I die --- because I am the only one who can tell it.  There is one other person who knows this story, but he will not tell it, and perhaps he did not even see it the way I saw it.  Perhaps he does not even know what really happened.

Everyone living on the Gulf Coast in 2005 has a Katrina story.  I suspect there are many stories like this one, but I don't know how many of them are eventually told.

The storm came in Sunday night and early Monday morning.  Monday afternoon, I was rescued by a neighbor from my damaged house and brought to the local shelter, a grammar school some distance inland.  I arrived to find the classrooms locked and people sitting on the floors lining the dark hallways.  There was no power, no air, no food except what people had brought with them, and no water.  I managed to navigate my way through spread-out legs to find a vacant spot in a back hallway.  I thought that if I could not find fresh air I would be sick.  The toilets had stopped working sometime Monday, and were overflowing, filling the school with their stench...  

Fortunately, my "spot on the floor" was located against a locked door to some office, and I was able to find breathable air coming from under the door as I tried to sleep that night.  From Tuesday morning on, though, most of the people in the shelter found it best to sleep outdoors on the school lawn.  We had no food or water Tuesday and Wednesday.  Thursday afternoon, a helicopter landed on the lawn; a Budweiser plant some distance away had sent a truckload of Budweiser cans filled with water to the shelter.  What a welcomed gift that was! 

Thursday night, those of us sleeping outdoors were awakened by two Greyhound buses arriving from Texas.  A man who owned a pre-stressed concrete company on the coast had brought in the buses for his workers, about 150 of them, who were in the shelter with their families.  He was bringing the workers to Texas, where he would provide places for them to live and jobs in his plant there.  As each worker boarded the bus, I watched this man hand each of them a check.

After the buses left, the man came to me and said, "I have a small school bus loaded with bread, meat, and cheese for the people who are left here (about another 150 of us).  How should we handle this?"  (I had been managing the office while the police and firemen were handling other problems that week.)  I advised him to wait until morning (it was about 3:30 am then), and we would start feeding everyone.

As soon as it was light, he opened the back door of the school bus, and two of us began making sandwiches for the people in the shelter.  Under the seats in the bus, he had packages of cold meat, cheese, bread, Gatoraid, and chips.  As people lined up for the sandwiches, word quickly spread to the surrounding neighborhood that food was available at the shelter, and the lines grew.

For the next 3 hours, we continued to feed everyone who arrived.  From time to time, I would see the Mexican worker who was assisting our donor looking around under the seats.  Then he would come to the man, whose name I never learned, and say, "There's no more bread," or "We run out of meat."  Each time this happened, our benefactor would calmly say, "Look under the seats."  Now, I had just watched that assistant look under all the seats, but every time, when he looked again, he found what he was looking for -- another loaf of bread, another package of meat or cheese.  The only thing we ran out of that day was potato chips!

Eventually, we were able to hand out seconds, and the line eventually dwindled.  Finally, my co-worker and I were able to sit down and eat our own sandwiches!

I have never forgotten our own miracle of the loaves and the fishes!  I cannot explain how or why we were able to feed everyone who came to us --- the school was surrounded on every side by homes, and my guess is that we fed maybe 300 people that day.  And I cannot explain why our donor never worried that we might run out of food.  

When the Red Cross workers arrived later that morning with MREs (Meals Ready to Eat), they took inventory of everyone in the shelter so that they would know they had enough food for everyone, and they did not want to distribute food to anyone not registered in the shelter.  I understand their logistics, and the reason for their caution, but after our miracle of the loaves and the fishes, I wanted to tell them to throw their caution to the wind --- God would provide!

A Sense of Awe

 In 2016, an article by Paula Spencer Scott in Parade Magazine indicated that feeling AWE might be the secret to health and happiness.  Psychologist Dacher Keltner, who heads the University of California, Berkeley's Social Interaction Lab, studying the power of emotions, in 2013, kicked off Project Awe, a three-year research project funded by the John Templeton Foundation.

Here are some of their conclusions:

1.  It's likely that human beings are wired to feel awe to get us to act more in collaboration, ensuring our survival.  Awe binds us together because facing a great vista, a starry sky, or a great cathedral, we realize we are part of something much larger.  Our thinking shifts from me to we.  Astronauts feel this in the extreme, according to a researcher at the University of Pennsylvania.

2.  Awe helps us to see things in new ways.  Unlike other emotions, awe helps us to put on the brakes and keeps us still and attentive.  This "stop-and-think" phenomenon makes us more receptive to details and new information.  Albert Einstein described feelings of awe as "the source of all true art and science."

3.  Awe makes us nicer and happier.  The sense of awe seems to dissolve self and makes us act more generously, ethically, and fairly.

4.  Awe alters our bodies.  Awe is the emotion that most strongly predicts reduced levels of cytokines, a marker of inflammation that's linked to depression, according to research from the University of Toronto.  Recent studies have linked exposure to nature with lower blood pressure, stronger immune systems, and even reduced depression and stress.

In 2010, Stacy Bare and fellow veteran Nick Watson co-founded Veterans Expeditions to get returning soldiers from all eras outdoors.  Like Bare, they all began to report relief from PTSD.  Now, along with Sierra Club Outdoors, Veterans Expeditions has partnered with UC Berkeley to form the Great Outdoors Lab to document nature's impact on the mind, body, and relationships.

Researchers have speculated that a lack of exposure to nature lies at the root of many health problems of people who live in crowded cities and high rises.  Yesterday I wrote about time to be alone, which also may be crucial to our mental and physical health.

When God entered into the life of Abraham, beginning the history of the Jewish people, He made great promises to Abraham, telling him to "Look at the heavens and count the stars...."  It seems to me that for all of us, a sense of awe is the beginning of a relationship with God.  Karl Rahner, the greatest theologian of the 20th century, said that we have all experienced God in our lives -- but we have not all realized it.  "O yes," he said, "you have experienced God."  But that sense of awe and mystery is what is missing.  Our history, like the history of Abraham, is where we find Him, if only we know how to see.  And our sense of Awe at His Presence may be the source of our own spiritual health and happiness.

Time to Be Alone

 I just started reading Long Have I Loved You: A Theologian Reflects on His Church by Walter J. Burghardt.  Not an autobiography as such, the book is more a reflection on the significant influences on Burghrdt's life and thought, and it honestly captures the theology and philosophy that has also shaped my own formation, both pre- and post-Vatican II.

We are culling books from our shelves at this stage of our lives, and frankly, this book was on its way to the donation box when I happened to flip through the last pages of Burghardt's Epilogue on Grateful Memories, where he includes authors or personalities that somehow touched and influenced his thinking, apart from those already addressed in major sections of his book.  His one-page entry on Anne Morrow Lindbergh stopped me in my tracks, and I thought, "I need to read this book."  Here is Burghardt's commentary:

Strange, isn't it, how a moment, a poem, a sentence can affect your life?  Anne Lindbergh and I have lived in completely different worlds: she a thoughtful essayist and poet, wife and widow of the American aviator who made the first solo flight across the Atlantic; I a theologian and editor professor and preacher.  Our paths crossed only in a book and a poem.  Her book: Gift from the Sea, each chapter crafted on a particular shell.  One segment centered on the need to be alone.  She discovered that her response to some invitations, "This is my time to be alone," was difficult for people to understand and accept.  Any other excuse, like a hairdressing engagement, was acceptable, but "time to be alone" sounded to many like a secret vice.  For in our hurried and harried existence, untold millions are reluctant to be alone.  Each empty space has to be filled with sound, often the louder the better.  Jog with a Walkman, cook with a radio, clean house with a TV talk show in your face ---anything better than that frightful s-word: silence.  Actually these are among the most important times in our lives -- when one is alone. Certain springs are tapped only when we are alone.  The artist knows he must be alone to create; the writer to work out his thoughts; the musician, to compose; the saint, to pray."

One of the members of our Wednesday morning book study group recently voiced the same feelings when she said that for years she had been making excuses why she could not attend some events she would prefer to avoid.  Lately, however, she has found the courage to say, "I'd rather not do that, but thank you for inviting me."  It might be time for all of us to find that same courage and to give voice to our need to be alone at times -- to think, to pray, to enjoy looking at the trees, whatever.  

Our communication devices, though a great convenience, have also become harsh task-masters, demanding that we be available and on-call at every moment, intruding even on our alone time.  I wonder how much writing and thinking Anne Morrow Lindbergh, Flannery O'Connor, and Walter Burghardt would have accomplished if their lives had been at the instant demand of cell phones, Instagram, and messages.  Something to think about! 

 

The Word Bears Fruit

 If I could be granted only one wish, I would ask that my children, my family, everyone I know and care about, and those far off whom I have yet to know, would hear or read and absorb the Word of God.  

Jesus told many parables about the Word of God as a seed that bears fruit, and my experience bears out the analogy.  The fourth chapter of Mark contains two parables back to back about "the kingdom of God," but the application is the same as in the parables of the sower and the seed (the Word of God):

A man scatters seed on the ground.  Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, thought he does not know how.  All by itself the soil produces grain -- first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head.  As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.

In the parables of Matthew, Jesus explains: The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man....what was sown on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it.  He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty, or thirty times what was sown.

No one has to take my word for the effect of Scripture in one's life.  St. Ignatius of Loyola wrote about "discernment of spirits" based on his own experience.  When he read adventures of knighthood, chivalry, romance -- all books which thrilled him -- he noticed that afterwards he was left restless, disturbed in his spirit.  When he read books about the saints, or the Life of Christ -- the only books available to him during his recuperation -- his spirit was left peaceful, joyful, and confident. He quickly came to realize that by paying attention to the effect that certain events had on his inner man, he could "bear fruit," in a way.  That is, he could become peaceful, joyful, confident, able to face the trials of life.

I have heard that someone beginning to read Scripture for the first time should start by reading the Gospel of John 7 times.  I don't know what that statement is based upon, but it's probably not a bad idea to begin with at least one reading of that Gospel, noticing what effect is produced in you as you read.

Most of us initially approach the reading of Scripture intellectually, as we would read a textbook. But St. Paul says that all Scripture is "God-breathed, useful for teaching, rebuking, and training in righteousness..."  When God "breathed into the nostrils of Adam," man became a living being.  When the breath of God hovered over the primeval chaos, light entered the world and began to produce life, harmony, beauty, fruitfulness.  When the breath of the Holy Spirit entered the apostles, they lost their fear and became witnesses of the Resurrection.

When we read Scripture, we enter into an encounter with the Holy Spirit, who "breathes in us the breath of Life."  I think we can trust God to breathe into us all that He breathed into creation at the beginning, all that He breathed into the apostles after the Resurrection --- life, light, confidence, joy, peace.  At first, like the farmer who sows his seed, we do not see or feel the seed producing fruit, for it does its work in secret.  But before long, we begin to see small shoots coming up in our spirits -- as Ignatius of Loyola noticed in himself. 

St. Augustine wrestled long and hard with philosophy, doctrine, the beauty of ideas, etc. but just could not surrender until he heard a child chanting a rhyme: Take up and read. Take up and read. That simple chant touched his soul and he picked up a scroll at random, just happening to open it to Romans 13:14: Put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.  Suddenly he understood the solution to the one thing holding him back from a relationship with Jesus Christ.  He was to clothe himself with Jesus Christ!  And because Augustine picked up that scroll, the world became richer that day for all time.  The Word of God bore fruit in him, as it surely will do also in us!

 

To Be An Apostle

 I have written more than a year ago about Elizabeth Leseur (1866-1914), a devout Catholic who suffered from cancer during the last years of her life.  Her husband was an avowed atheist who scoffed at Elizabeth's faith, but Elizabeth offered her sufferings for his conversion. After her death, he began to read and then to edit her journals, which became the source of his awakening to the spiritual life.  He eventually published her writings (Selected Writings) and then went on to become a Dominican priest.

I keep the following selection on my desk, because to me, it sums up briefly but succinctly what it means to be an "apostle" in modern times for a woman, a mother, a wife with social obligations, etc.  --- in other words, for someone whose life is not outwardly dedicated to apostolic or missionary life.  To all appearances, Elizabeth Leseur was not an evangelist, not a catechist, not "preaching the word" on the streets, and yet her quiet life of prayer and study led to the conversion of her husband, who in turn dedicated his life to the apostleship of preaching.  

I find God's "economy" fascinating!  (Our "economy" is the method by which we provide for the management and distribution of our assets to provide for the needs of our household.)  In Elizabeth's case, as in the case of Therese of Liseux, a cloistered nun who died at 25 but subsequently through her writings became the patroness of worldwide missionaries, God uses the smallest and weakest vessels to accomplish His purposes:

...think of what you were when you were called.  Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth.  But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things ---and the things that are not -- to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him (1Cor. 1:26).

Or, as Hildegard of Bingen put it so simply: God has arranged all things in the world in consideration of everything else.  That is a profound statement when applied to our seemingly insignificant lives!

Anyway, here is Elizabeth Leseur's definition of apostleship as applied to her life.  I have broken her statement into segments for emphasis and reflection:

I know well wht this word apostle means and all the obligations it creates.  First, the necessity of an interior life that becomes stronger all the time,

of drawing more than ever charity and gentle serenity from the Eucharist and from prayer, as well as making wholly spiritual intentions. 

Then, to cultivate my own mind systematically, to increase my knowledge of all those subjects that I am ready to learn;

to do nothing precipitously or superficially;

to achieve, as much as possible, competence in the subjects I study. To transform and make this intellectual effort holy through a spiritual motive, doing it humbly without any self-centeredness, but exclusively to help others.

To bring to all conversation and discussion a tranquil spirit, a firmness, and a friendliness that will eliminate bitterness or irritation from the opponent's mind; 

never to give in where principles are concerned, but to have extraordinary tolerance for people.

Above all, to try, after discovering the opening, to present the divine, unchanging Truth to each one in such a way as to make it understood and loved.

When I read Elizabeth Leseur, I think "Let God be God, and you be you!"  He will accomplish His purpose for my life in His way.  I need only to be still and to listen to Him.