The Word of God

 On one of the opening pages of my bible, I have written the following:

The Word of God is the Pronouncement of God,

The Plan of God,

The Promise of God,

the Provision of God, 

the Purpose of God, and 

the Power of God to accomplish all that it says.

Psalm 119 -- the longest chapter in the bible, by the way --- is a lengthy and profound meditation on the benefits of hearing and embracing the Word of God for oneself and one's own life.  What we refer to as "the Word of God," the Jews called "The Torah."  But for them, as for us, "Torah" meant much more than "law," although it included law and laws.  Psalm 119 gives us a number of synonyms for "law":  statutes, precepts, decrees, commands, word.  Every stanza contains all of these synonyms, as well as the listed benefits of embracing the Torah (Word) of God:

an upright heart, a pure heart, avoidance of sin, rejoicing, delight, renewal of life, strength, freedom, understanding.......

If we want to learn how to pray, it could help to take one or two stanzas a day of this acrostic poem, and embrace it fully.  Only in coming to hear the "pronouncements" of God will we finally experience the plans, the promises, the provision, the purpose and the power of God in our own lives.

Resident Aliens

 I don't know how much longer I can remain silent about our nation's treatment of those the Bible refers to as "resident aliens."  We have just spent over a billion dollars constructing yet another detention center in the desert outside of El Paso, Texas.  Why are we rounding up innocent people who arrived in the United States, like all of our ancesters, hoping for a future and a new start in life?  These people were invited here by the previous administration; their "crime" was accepting the invitation.  Along with them came the criminal element, the drug lords, the sex trafficers, and those who prey on the innocent.  I am not referring to those people in my concern for the poor.

Again and again in the Bible, God warns the nation about discriminating against the "resident aliens" who lived among them: When an alien lives among you in your land, do not mistreat him. The alien living with you must be treated as one of your native-born.  Love him as yourself, for you were aliens in Egypt.  I am the Lord, your God (Lev. 19: 33).

Do not mistreat an alien or oppress him, for you were aliens in Egypt (Exodus 22:21).

The Lord watches over the alien and sustains the fatherless and the widow, but He frustrates the ways of the wicked (ps. 146:9).

Those of us who survived Hurricane Katrina in 2005 know that the "resident aliens" were those who rebuilt and re-roofed our homes, those who stood outside of Home Depot in the hot sun all day waiting for jobs.  These are the people who man our chicken-processing plants, jobs no American thinks is worth taking.  They are the ones who labor in the fields of California, picking vegetables and fruits that grace our tables.  They work for less -than-living wages, love their children, and pray to the saints. 

Why are we persecuting them?  I know they are here illegally; technically, they "broke the law."  But they were invited to do so, and they have, for the most part, lived peaceful lives in this country.  They have been treated as less-than-human by some employers, but still they remained in place, accepting whatever scraps America would throw their way, always grateful for the opportunity to earn a living and feed their families.  

Why are we going after these peaceful people, putting them in detention centers, separating families and terrorizing them?  The Bishop of Los Angeles gave permission for Catholic aliens to miss Mass on Sunday because of their fear of being arrested at church.   Is this a civilized and compassionate way to treat people?  

Growing up and hearing about Hitler's treatment of Jews in Germany, I wondered how the German people could have allowed it to happen.  Now I know they did not sit back in silence; many Germans spoke out and paid the ultimate price.  Others took in and hid the persecuted.  Today, i see history repeating itself in our own country.  I wish I had a voice to cry out: STOP THE CRUELTY.  Our nation will suffer for this crime:  God frustrates the way of the wicked, but He watches over the alien....

We need to stop this madness before it's too late for all of us!

On Saving Our Souls

 If we grow up in church, we hear a lot about "saving our souls," but to my knowledge, almost nothing about our souls themselves.  What, after all, is our "soul"?  

According to traditional teaching, the soul is the immaterial part of us that comprises the heart, the mind, and the will -- the parts of us, actually, that define who we are as persons.  And the part of us that survives death and continues into eternity.  The soul is worth "saving" indeed, for it is who we are now and who we will be forever.

Jesus said, The flesh is weak, but the spirit gives life, and What will a man give in exchange for his soul?

According to the doctrine of Original Sin, we are born into a world without light for the soul --- our minds are darkened, our hearts are hardened, our wills too weak to choose the good and reject the evil.  It is as if we ourselves are the abyss over which the Spirit hovers, the chaos over which the Father speaks: Let there be Light!  And the Word of God  (Light) becomes flesh in our flesh!

Jesus said, I am the Light of the World...those who walk in darkness do not even know what makes them stumble.

Some years ago, I used to enjoy watching reality tv -- the Bachelor, Sister Wives, and especially Looking for Love. Gradually, however, I came to realize that the reason I enjoyed these programs was that, in a way, I was looking down on and making fun of these unfortunate people who continued to get themselves into horrible situations, always leading to misery and suffering.  The viewing audience always knows what the victims themselves cannot see:  This is not going to end well!  Watching these programs is a kind of gladitorial sport -- enjoying seeing people thrown to the lions and being torn apart.  Those who walk in darkness do not even know what makes them stumble.

I stopped watching those programs years ago, but recently found another one called Welcome to Plathville, about a family of eight or nine children who grew up in rural Georgia, homeschooled and somewhat isolated from the destructive influences of the rest of the world.  I began watching what seemed at first to be a wholesome family interacting with one another --- not destroying themselves but just growing up in an innocent way.  As the children matured, they came into contact with other ways of thinking and acting -- not always wholesome, but "normal," according to our culture.  The clash was inevitable.  Darkness fell.

I began to see the Plath Family as all of us --- being sucked into "the world's way" of thinking and acting.  And the suffering it causes, the destructiveness that darkness has on all of us:  suffering, divorce, crushing misery, unhappiness.  I found myself having compassion rather than ridiculing these people--- they are, after all, just like all of us.  We are them! We do not see the danger ahead, and we walk in darkness, without light, without knowledge, until it is too late.

We all need Light; we all need Understanding /Wisdom in this world of darkness, chaos, evil.  Jesus -- the Word of God-- brings Light into our hearts, our minds, our wills.  Without the Light of the World, we cannot "save our souls," and we find ourselves spiraling ever deeper into chaos and suffering.  

As I watch "reality tv," I begin to feel the way God must feel watching us live our lives -- and His compassion in sending the Light of the World into our souls.

Who is Man?

 According to Joseph Ratzinger (Benedict XVI), man is the creature made to be in dialog with God.  I like that definition, for it fits with everything from the first pages of the Bible.  The other creatures -- the sun, the moon and stars, the animals -- were made to be His servants and to show His glory, but man....man was made to be in conversation with his Creator.

In the Babylonian creation myths, man was made to be a servant of the gods, to do the work they did not want to do.  But the Bible has a different viewpoint, that of God walking with Adam in the cool of the evening, discussing the day, seeing Adam's need for companionship, and creating Eve.  Man was made to share his existence with another, ultimately his creator.

That is why Jesus, at the Last Judgment, says, "Depart from Me, you evildoers; I never knew you."  He does not reject them because they are sinners, but because they had no conversation with Him.  When Jesus, the Son of God, emerged to show us the Face of God, He sought out the company of sinners rather than rejecting them.  Even after Peter's denial, Jesus initiated another conversation with him.  After Saul's persecution of Christ's body in the Church, Jesus persued him in deep converation.  Perhaps this is the meaning of the word "conversion"  --- the willingness, finally, to enter into conversation with God.

Jesus says, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock.  To him that opens, I will come in and sup with him, and him with Me."  All He asks of us is to open the door to conversation.  

We Walk by Fairh

 In 2013, I attended a lenten series by Dr. Greg Voll and took some notes, which I have just re-discovered.  This is a little different from my usual ramblings, but as I re-read my notes, I thought it might be interesting to hear from a very respected theologian, who teaches at Notre Dame Seminary.  The following is from those notes:

As humans, we have an innate desire to love and to be loved; to know and to be known; to give ourselves to another and to receive another.  The truth is that we are restless until we rest in God.

How can we know God?  We are finite beings with infinite desires.  We are searching for the Face of God ---and He wants to meet this desire.  God's answer is that He has revealed Himself and has given Himself to mankind.

Jesus is the Perfect Self-Expression of the Father. He reflects all that the Fther is back to the FAther.  God knows Himself in the Son -- union of knowledge; union of love (The Holy Spirit).  Our soul can know and love in the same way that God dies, to share in His life-- the life of the Trinity.

The self-revelation of God is always going to be through the Son under the impulse of the Spirit.  

Every creature reflects the beauty and truth of God.  Humans can see and recognize beauty and truth and render thanksgiving to the Creator.  We receive the world from God's hands and offer it back to God.  But creation reveals God only partially.  He also communicates Himself to man in various ways throughout history.  But in these days he has spoken to us in His Son.  God reveals Himself partially through the prophets, but totally through the Son.

His revelation to man has been a gradual step-by-step revelaton (See Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 53).  By grace, we are caught up to new levels of knowledge and love. Christ's humanity makes God accessible to us.  For God, who commanded light to shine out of darkness, has shone in our hearts, to give enlightenment concerning the knowledge of the glory of God, shining on the face of Christ Jesus (2Cor. 4:6).

Reading the Gospels gives us 4 authentic portraits of Christ and His personality.  The Eucharist gives us the humility of Christ -- to come to us as bread and wine.  He wants to feed us with Himself; He wants to pour Himself into us.

If we want to love and be loved; if we want to know and to be known; if we want to give ourselves to another and to receive another, we want to know God.  And the best way to know God is to begin with reading the Gospels and receiving the Eucharist.  As we open our minds and hearts to Him, He reveals Himself to us more and more -- and in the process, we come to know ourselves to a greater and greater degree.  He shows us what He loves about us, even as the Spirit shines in our hearts to give us a greater love for God Himself.

Providence

 God's Providence extends to the smallest detail of our lives, though we don't always recognize His hand.  I have always looked back on this story as amazing-- almost incredible -- but it shows how much God cares for even the details of our lives.

Soon after I moved to Mississippi from New Orleans, I decided to volunteer for a number of projects which would help me connect to the local church and civic community.  Even though I approached a number of people offering my time, no one ever called me to follow up.  Finally, I sat on my porch one day and said, "Okay, God.  You know where I live; you know my phone number.  Let me know when you are ready for me."  And I just waited.  

Within a few weeks, it turned out that my dear neighbor across the street had pancreatic cancer.  Her ensuing treatment meant a week in the hospital, followed shortly afterwards with a week or so at Tulane Hospital in New Orleans, and eventually time at M.D. Anderson in Texas.  In addition to the cancer, she was worried about her beloved Great Dane, Boots.  Who would take care of Boots while she was hospitalized?  Fortunately and providentially, I was free to do just that, unencumbered by a slew of volunteer jobs.  Looking back, I began to see why no one had ever followed up on my offers for volunteer work, and I felt so grateful to God that I was free to help my neighbor.

As Mary Lyn's cancer grew worse, and she began to near death, again she was concerned about Boots.  She knew a Great Dane was not likely to get adopted from a shelter, and she didn't know anyone who would be willing to adopt Boots.  My daughter and I said a prayer, asking God to take care of Boots to ease Mary Lyn's mind.  

At the time, my daughter was working in Belle Chase at a military complex.  Her office was on the second floor of a five-story building, and she rarely if ever met people from other floors.   However, at a retirement party for one of the officers, she happened to be sitting next to someone from the fourth floor, a lady she met for the first time.  The woman was relating her problem:  she had recently adopted a Great Dane puppy --- go figure! --- that was somewhat out of control.  The lady had no choice but to leave the dog alone all day while she worked, and neither she nor the dog was happy about the situation. She was hoping to adopt an older Great Dane to settle the pup and to keep it company during the day.

Imagine what machinations God had to contrive to have my daughter meet the one person in the world, probably, who actually was looking for an older Great Dane!  Arrangements were made for the two dogs to meet, and of course, they got along great!  Mary Lyn was able to let go of Boots with sorrow but immense gratitude that she would be well cared for.  (Actually, I later heard that all 4 -- husband, wife, and both dogs --- slept in the same bed at night.)  And Mary Lyn died in peace.

Is anything too hard for God?  I have a card on my desk that reads: Faith is Confidence in God's willingness and ability to be with us in all circumstances.

If you've heard the story of Boots and Mary Lyn, how can you doubt that truth?

Thirst!

If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me, and from his belly will flow rivers of living water (Jn. 7). 

Jesus made this statement on the "last and greatest day of the feast" of Tabernacles, the celebration and remembrance of God's Presence and Care of the Jews in the desert.  When they were hungry, He provided food; when they were thirsty, He provided water from the rock.  And now, on the day of living water, Jesus stands up in the Temple courtyard and says that He is the Source of Living Water.

And John goes on to add, "By this He meant the Spirit, which had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet been glorified."  The Holy Spirit is the Gift of Living Water, given to those who ask, who come to Jesus seeking Life.  

All of the passages I gave last time refer to this living water, either from the Old Testament prophets or from Jesus Himself.  Those who come to the waters are those who finally realize that there is another access to reality beyond what we can hear, touch, and see -- that there is a world of spirit and truth beyond our senses.  Belief in God is the conversion in which we discover that we are following an illusion if we devote ourselves only to the tangible world.  

For most of us, this conversion begins somewhere in our 30s, when we have grasped our goals of education, job, marriage, and maybe children.  Is there something else? we begin to wonder, something deeper and more satisfying?  I remember in my mid-thirties attending a session given by some Yogi teacher who was supposed to lead us into a deeper spirituality.  He offered us a guided meditation, where we closed our eyes and he talked us through a kind of spiritual journey.  I remember I started out mentally heading toward some distant mountains, but the journey was long, and the mountains seemed so far away.  I found myself growing discouraged -- not by major obstacles, but by small stones along the path.  I was tired and just wanted to sit down and rest.

The Yogi's interpretation of my "dream" was that I tended to get discouraged along the way not by large, but by small day-to-day obstacles.  Perhaps he was right, but I think my insight may be typical of life wearing us down along the way -- whether through small or large events.  

God's answer to the colllective grid that forms the site of human existence, which we call "Original Sin," the web that forms our daily lives, is the Holy Spirit.  We live in a "dry and thirsty land," growing increasingly thirsty for joy without the Gift of the Holy Spirit.  Jesus encountered our thirst on the Cross, enduring what man endures -- but He brought to their knees the "powers and principalities" that oppose us, according to Ephesians 6.  By the power of His new existence, His new life, He is able to give the Holy Spirit, the Water of Eternal Life, to all who come to Him.

The entire message of the Gospel is that Jesus has overcome the powers that wear us down and discourage us.  He has given us His own peace, His own Joy, His own Love -- it's called the Holy Spirit, our Advocate.  At first (John 4 -- the woman at the well ), it is a "spring of water welling up to eternal life." But then, the water He gives becomes "rivers of living water" flowing from within our breasts to the world beyond (John 7).