The Work of Our Hands

 In all thy ways, acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths.

We tend to think that God is too busy or too concerned with important things, like world affairs, to pay much attention to our little affairs, our daily work, or pressing concerns.  But actually, God has entered into a marriage covenant with us, meaning that He has taken up all the concerns of our lives.  If it's important to us, it's important to God.

Teresa of Avila, the great mystic, once wrote: Christ has no body now but mine.  He prays in me, works in me, looks through my eyes, speaks through my words, works through my hands, walks with my feet, and loves with me here.

If Teresa is right, and I think she is, then what we do on a daily basis is of great importance to God, for it is through us that He will redeem a fallen world.  The implications might seem that we should all be "out there" doing something important, like missionary work, for example.  However, the "other" Teresa -- Therese of Liseux---gave us the example of what she called "The Little Way:" doing small things with great love.

"Redeeming the world" means cleaning up the mess that all of us tend to leave in our wake: Mothers taking care of babies; wives and husbands supporting one another in daily struggles; teachers dealing with over-active and distracted/distracting students; priests hearing confessions; doctors healing broken bodies and wounded hearts; social workers bringing order into chaotic homes; janitors polishing up what dirty shoes and thoughtless souls leave behind.

Even cleaning up the kitchen 'saves the world" from chaos, if we think about it.  And those of us not engaged in saving the world are in the process of destroying it.  So if you tend to think that what you do is not important to God, I have a suggestion: Before your day begins, try laying out your plans before the Lord, in His sight.  I kind of like the prayer of Solomon here:  And now, O Lord, You have made thy servant king instead of David my father. And I am but a child, and know not how to go out and come in....give therefore to thy servant an understanding heart...to discern between good and evil (3 Kings 3).

Jesus said, "I no longer call you servants but friends....I have chosen you to bear fruit that will remain."

I have found that when I begin my day by asking the Lord to direct my work, I seem to be more efficient and accomplish much more than when I try to figure it out by myself.  Somehow, strange as it may seem, God actually seems to care about our daily tasks, as well as the peace of mind with which we do them!

Implications of the Resurrection

 Again, reading and reflecting from Pope Benedict XVI's book, Jesus of Nazareth: Holy Week: From the Entrance into Jerusalem to the Resurrection:

In the last blog, I mentioned three things Jesus did during the 40 days between the Resurrection and the Ascension.  He appeared to them; He spoke with them; He sat at table with them --- and they came to recognize Him through fellowship with His Spirit.

The Greek word used by Luke (synalizomenos) translated in modern editions as "sitting at table with them" is very significant.  Literally translated, it means "eating salt with them."  During the time of the Roman occupation of Jerusalem, salt was such a precious commodity that often Roman soldiers were often paid with salt rations -- the origin of our word "salary."  Salt was a guarantee of durability, a remedy against putrefaction, against the corruption that pertains to the nature of death,  Eating means holding death at bay -- a way of preserving life.  Salt preserved food, especially meat and fish, and to share salt with someone was a sign of friendship.

In the Old Testament, the shared meal of bread and salt, or of salt alone, served to establish lasting covenants (cf. Num.18:19; 2 Chron. 13:5).  The "eating of salt" by Jesus after the Resurrection is a covenant event, a sign of new and everlasting life and friendship with God established by Jesus in the New Covenant of the Last Supper.  What we call Heaven is nothing less than communion with God and with one another through our participation in the Body of Christ.  Jesus had said, "Have salt in yourselves and be at peace with one another."  Jesus is drawing the disciples into a new covenant-fellowship with him, and with God, and with one another.  Today, that table fellowship with the risen Lord and with one another continues through the Eucharist.

Through the Resurrection, a new dimension of life emerges, a new dimension of human existence.  Jesus, complete with His Body, now belongs totally to the sphere of the divine and eternal.  Christ's transformed body is the place where men enter into communion with God and with one another, creating for all of us a new space of being.

The Resurrection is not simply another historical event such as the birth or the crucifixion of Jesus.  It is something new -- the self-revelation and verbal communication of the risen Christ.  At the Last Supper, Jude asked, "Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?"  (Why do you reveal yourself only to a small flock of disciples instead of to everyone?)

The implication of the Resurrection is that we now also have friendship with God and communion with one another through Christ.  It is daily, ongoing, and accessible.  God is present to us; we are present to one another.  We have already begun to live eternal life.  This fellowship is available to all, without exception, if they will only receive it.  The world depends on our testimony that God is with us in the Risen Jesus!

An Inner Recognition

 I have been reading and re-reading Pope Benedict XVI's book on Jesus of Nazareth (Part 2: From the Entrance into Jerusalem to the Resurrection).  And I have to say that his observations take my breath away in parts.  In the following pages, I would like to share some of his thoughts, along with my own commentary.

In writing about the appearances of Jesus after His resurrection, Pope Benedict observes a pattern of recognition and non-recognition.  In all of his appearances, the disciples do not recognize Him at first.  He is not simply a man who has come back from death in the same condition as before --- as did, for example, Lazarus.

In His appearance to Mary Magdalen, she has a conversation with him, thinking him to be the gardener.  It is not until He speaks her name that she recognizes Jesus, "Rabbi!"  The recognition is not based on physical appearance, but on an inner reality and relationship --- You are the One I seek!  

At the Lake of Gennesaret, "Just as the day was breaking, Jesus stood on the beach; yet the disciples did not know it was Jesus."   It is only after He has instructed them to set out again, and they did so, that John suddenly recognized Jesus and said to Peter, "It is the Lord!"  Even after Jesus invites them to eat the fish He has cooked, still none of the disciples dared to ask Him, "Who are you?  They knew it was the Lord" (John 21:12).  

They don't know Him any longer by physical appearance, but rather by the relationship and His action in their lives.   They know from within.  There is a different manner of existence here, after the Resurrection.  God is present in our lives, and we recognize/ don't recognize Him at the same time.  The Holy Spirit manifests His Presence to us, and yet, we dare not ask, "Who are You?" even though we have an inner recognition.  

After the Resurrection, we have a new form of encounter with the Risen Jesus. He now lives anew in the dimension of the living God, who is Present to us in a new way.  He is not a ghost; He comes from the realm of pure life, from God.  He sits at table with with his disciples as before, with thanks and praise and breaking of bread (as in the story of Emmaus).  As as their inner vision is opened, they recognize Him.  And then He vanishes.

During the 40 days following his resurrection, Jesus appears to His disciples; He speaks to them: and He sits at table with them.  Appearing, speaking, sharing meals; these were His ways of proving to them that He was still alive.

Because of the resurrection, Jesus is present to us in a new way.  We no longer recognize Him by appearance, but rather by fellowship with Him, based on an inner recognition.  He is with us; He attends to us; He still speaks to us and shares a meal with us during the Mass.  If we do not recognize Him in our presence, it's probably time to seek more wisdom from the Holy Spirit, whose job it is to  make Jesus recognizable to us in our daily lives.

Don't Just Read It......

 There are certain events, small in themselves, that make such a difference in our lives that they can be said to alter everything afterwards.  One of those "small" events happened to me shortly after I had begun to read the Bible for the first time ever.  I happened to read an article wherein the writer mentioned that she drew a small flower in the margin of her Bible whenever a verse especially moved her, or next to something she wanted to remember.  

At the time, I was reading the Living Bible, a very readable translation, and her idea appealed to me.  I still remember (since 1977) the verse I selected for my very first drawing:  Isaiah 12:3 -- With joy you will draw water from the springs of salvation.  I just loved that verse; to me it held a promise and a hope.  I knew it was true from that moment!   Imagine my delight as I worked my way through the entire Bible finding correlative statements relating to the images of water and blessing.  Later, when I began to study the Bible (as opposed to simple reading it), I discovered that the Hebrew words for "spring of water" and for "blessing" sounded alike. [berakah/ berekah].

And then....and then....when I got to the encounter of Jesus with the woman at the well (John 4), and read the words, The water I will give you will be a spring of living water.....all the previous references to water and blessing rushed into my understanding as well.

We cannot just "read" the Bible as a textbook; one way or another, it has to become our own book.  It has to become a living and powerful word for us.  My flower images went away quickly, as I realized what my pages would look like with all those drawings in the margins.  However, I did start underlining verses that I wanted to remember --- and eventually, I made marginal notes about people I was praying for and for whom I was applying those promises.  Those dates and notes are now precious to me.

In the past, we talked about family bibles handed down from one generation to the next.  I think a real family bible is one where names are entered and prayers are recorded, so to speak.  "The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us."  If the Word does not take on our flesh, and if our flesh does not take on the Word of God, all our reading is in vain!

What's Your Story?

 I will bless you....and you will be a blessing!

When God called Abraham from the land of Ur among the Chaldees (modern day Iraq), His words to Abraham were, "I will bless you ... and you will be a blessing" (among all the families of the earth).

God's purposes have not changed.  His one purpose in calling any one of us is the same as it was for Abraham:  I will bless you... and you will be a blessing.....on the earth, to your family, to those who know you, to your people, to your country, to your students, your patients, your co-workers......

And how does He do that?  First, He calls us, like Abraham,  away from "the empty way of life handed down to us by our forefathers" (1 Peter 1:18).  He calls us out of darkness into his marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9).  In other words, no matter how fine a family we have, no matter how wonderful our education and training, we are not by nature fine and wonderful people.  We are still infected and affected by the natural world around us with its pagan culture and attitudes.  We must be born again of water and the Spirit in order to even "see" the kingdom of God. (Jesus' words to Nicodemus, a fine and upstanding man of distinction in Israel.)

Many people believe that the whole purpose of going to church is to make us "good people," and the logic that flows from that belief is that "I can be a good person without going to church" (and by implication, "I am a good person already; I don't need to go to church.")   But let's assume for a moment that Abraham was already a good person when God called him; I'm sure he was.  His goodness had no bearing on the case.  Jesus himself said, "I came to call sinners, not the rightous."

And what does He call us TO?  To friendship with Himself.  "I will bless you!"  "Enter into the joy of your master."  First, as in the life of Jesus on earth, He calls us into table fellowship, friendship, with Himself.  Saint or sinner, He wants to break bread with us, to listen to us, to hear our secrets and to reveal to us His secrets...the secrets of the kingdom of God.  

First, friendship (John 15:15), blessing, peace, His own joy and His own relationship with the Father (read John 14, 15, 16, 17).   So far from "being a good person."  So far......

And because we are His friends, and because we have entered into His own life with the Father and the Holy Spirit, we become like He is.... a blessing to those who know us.  A blessing on the earth.  No longer at strife with our families, with those around us, but a blessing to our earth.  So many "good people" still dread holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas because of the drama surrounding family gatherings and the conflict from old wounds.  One man recently reflected on his "family apostolate."  That is, God had blessed him to minister in his church, but first to minister to his six children and his 13 grandchildren.  He was focused on being a blessing to his family first, and then to others.

If we find God anyplace, we find Him in our own stories.  Where has He been in our lives?  Where have we experienced His call "out of darkness into His marvelous light"?  How has He led us into a land flowing with milk and honey? How has He blessed us....and made us a blessing to others?

The Gift

 For years, I thought of the rosary as a long, boring, repetitive prayer.  I had difficulty concentrating on the mysteries, and I would often forget the words, if you can imagine that.  Part of the problem is that I've always been a little contemplative, and I tend to lose words altogether in times of prayer.  

About a year ago, however, a friend was having a medical problem which concerned me greatly.  Not really knowing how to pray for her at that time, I asked Mary to teach me to pray the rosary.  And I went to Bishop Barron's website where he prays the rosary.  What I began to discover at that time was that when I was praying intensely for someone -- interceding -- I had no trouble at all saying the rosary.  My mind was not wandering at all because I was so focused on the needs of another person.

During the past year, I have discovered all the ways the Rosary "works," if you will.  It indeed serves as a gateway to contemplative prayer if you don't resist it, thinking you still need to be saying the words.  It is a wonderful tool for intercession for the needs of others.  Instead of worrying and fretting, we can pray with Mary for help, bringing those we love to the Presence of God.

This morning, I awoke around 3 am with a wide variety of concerns -- so many that I could not focus on even one at a time.  They all seemed to be rushing at me simultaneously:  the illness of a close friend, financial problems of a family member, concern over one of my children, the responsibilities of a church program, etc.  With all of these pressures vying for my attention, it wasn't even possible to make a list of the things I need to do.

I reached over for my rosary, which I keep in the bed with me, and began to pray.  During the first decade, I thought about my friend's illness.  During the second, I concentrated on my child, and continued with that thought throughout the rest of the rosary.  By the end of the "long, repetitive prayer," a plan began to unfold in my mind about something I could do to help.  I finished the rosary in peace, knowing that I was not helpless in the face of all the uncertainties of my life at present.  I felt a sense of calm and peace-- even of mission.

Finally, I have begun to realize Mary's gift to us in a crazy-making world.  It's not that she needs the repetition of 10 "Hail Marys" to hear our prayer; it's that we need to calm down and focus instead of allowing ourselves to be overwhelmed with panic.  The Oriental religions use chants and breathing for the same purpose.  Mary's gift is not centered on ourselves, but on God's Gift to us in Jesus Christ.  He has not left us orphans, to figure out life for ourselves. He is with us to help us in every circumstance.  We just need to turn to Him -- and sometimes, when we are overwhelmed, it's hard to feel that we have been able to do that.  The Rosary helps us to relax -- even to fall asleep, as many people have discovered.

Isaiah 26: 3 says, "Thou will keep in perfect peace, him whose mind is stayed on Thee."

I have discovered the truth of that verse through the Gift of the Rosary!

Drawing Near: A Spirituality of Presence

I was sitting in my office one morning many years ago, attending to the tasks of the day, not really thinking about God at all, when He suddenly invaded my conscious mind:  "Who are your favorite characters in Scripture?" He asked.  I knew it was Him.  He commanded my whole attention.  Without thinking about it at all, I blurted out, "Enoch, Deborah, Abraham."  

Now, here's the thing:  if anyone else had asked that same question, I would have had to dither and deliberate a long time, and even then, I'm not sure I would have been satisfied with my answer.  There's a lot to consider, after all. But somehow that day, the answer seemed to be pre-programed in my mind.  It was as if I knew without knowing that I knew.  

And immediately came the response:  Walk with Me; Sit with Me; Stand with Me.

It knocked my socks off!  It was a holy moment; at my desk on an ordinary day, I wanted to worship the God whose presence filled the room.  Maybe I did; I don't recall.  I knew that I could not have made this up, even had I been thinking about it a long time.

The implications --- for Enoch and Deborah --- were immediately clear to me.  For Abraham, I wasn't so sure.  I had to think about that one.  Scripture says about Enoch: Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, for God took him away (Genesis 5).  That's all we know about Enoch, but it is enough.

Deborah, on the other hand has a history (Judges 4) but for now, the important passage is this one: Deborah [a prophetess] was leading Israel at this time.  She held court under the Palm of Deborah...and the Israelites came to her to have their disputes decided.  So Deborah sat under a tree and dispensed wisdom.  I tend to draw close to Deborah because from childhood, my favorite place has been either in or under a tree.  I grew up surrounded by trees and still today, gravitate to their shade and wisdom.

Now, I was familiar with Abraham, but wasn't sure at that moment how the phrase "Stand with Me" would apply to that story.  That night, I started re-reading the story of Abraham (Gen. 12-25).  When I got to Chapter 18, the words  Abraham remained standing before the Lord (v. 22) seemed to leap off the page.  This phrase introduces Abraham's plea before God to spare Sodom if ten good men could be found there.

Walk with Me; Sit with Me; Stand with Me.  In one instant, The Lord Himself had drawn near to me and given me a spirituality of Presence -- of drawing near to Him.