The Word Became Flesh -- Making It Real (Part 2)

 My ears had heard of you

but now my eyes have seen you (Job 42:5)

The words of Job when he encounters God (has an experience of the Divine) echo those of the Samaritan villagers in John 4: They said to the woman, "We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world."

"Hearing for ourselves," "Seeing for ourselves" is the rock upon which our faith is built.  John's prologue tells us that the Word became flesh and "pitched his tent among us."  It was not enough for God to send prophets with His message; He had to come in the flesh, so that we might experience in person His love, care, concern for us.  The Old and New Testament are a record of God's willingness to be involved in our lives. Jesus addresses people exactly the way the Father addressed people in the Old Testament -- invitingly, angrily, sadly, compassionately.  He calls people by name; he helps them in time of trouble, rescues them from oppression, forgives them, shows them a mother's love.  Jesus weeps for people, struggles to help them understand him, patiently tells them about the Father, warns them, urges them, takes them to task.

Early Christian literature shows that God continued to communicate with people even after Jesus' ascension.  Clement of Alexandria wrote an essay called Christ the Educator.  In it, he described Christian life in terms of the Word (Jesus) acting as the paidagogos (pedagogue) (companion educator) of the Christian.  In Greek culture, the pedagogue was a family servant who took the young child to school through the sometimes perilous city streets, stayed with him in the "classroom," and showed him how to learn through his example, advice, and the decisions he made in his environment.  His job was not academic --to teach the school subjects.  There was a schoolmaster for that.  The pedagogue, however, spent the day with the child, helping him learn through companionship.  The servant and the child formed a relationship of affection.

In Clement's mind, Christ does this for us; a continuous dialog takes place between Christ and the Christian, a dialog that occurs in shifting circumstances and continues through stages of development.  In our own day, the Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius of Loyola are based on the conviction that God can and wants to be met in dialog.  Ignatius had respect for the authority of the Church, but it did not substitute for the communication that God could address to an individual heart and the response that the person could make.

The Church is our schoolmaster; Christ is our Pedagogue.  He "opens our minds to understand the Scriptures;" He shows us their application in our own lives.  He is the rock upon which we ground our search for meaning. Like the Samaritan villagers, we cannot live by someone else's experience. We have to meet Christ "in the flesh" ourselves.  If we reflect on our own experience, we may find God's care and concern for us from the beginning.  Peter came to Andrew and said, "We have found the Messiah, the one written about in the Scriptures."  That "word" got Andrew's attention, but Andrew had to come for himself to "see" and "hear" Jesus in the flesh.  

The law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.  No one has ever seen God, but God the only Son, who is at the Father's side, has made him known (John 1:17).  

Jesus continues today to make the Father known to us, if we but know how to listen.

Making It Real

 John Henry Cardinal Newman is noted for taking the "notional" ideas of Christianity and making them real/ concrete/ particular.  It is what needs to happen in all of our lives.  Someone once said, "The man with an experience is never at the mercy of a man with an argument."  I think this is why the entire Old Testament is comprised not of rules and commandments, but rather of experiences, of "stories."  

But the stories we read must become our own if they are not to remain just history.  Which of us had not had the experience that Abraham had, of releasing (sacrificing) our children to the hands of God?  At some point, we have to let go of them and surrender them into His loving Providence and Care.  If we read the bible as just history or stories that happened back then, it will never be our story.

Usually, the Bible begins to come alive, to become "ours," when we encounter Jesus Christ.  He is the eternal Word of God, and only He can bring the written word to life for us.  On the Sunday of the Resurrection, the Risen Christ encounters two disciples as they leave Jerusalem in sadness and disappointment:  "We had hoped that He was the one who was going to redeem Israel."  But Jesus said to them, ...how slow of heart you are to believe all that the prophets have spoken. And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.

My favorite Greek icon is the one portraying Jesus holding the open book in one hand, with the fingers of the other hand in the traditional pose of teacher.  The thing about icons is that they are meant to be "read," or interpreted, like literature.  Here, the meaning is clear:  only Jesus can open for us the book of life; only He can show us its reality and meaning.  St. Paul says somewhere, "the letter kills, but the spirit gives life."  Those who read slavery into the scriptures are good examples of what Paul is saying.  The bible without the Spirit can be read the way we want it to.  But Jesus promised at the Last Supper that He would send the Spirit who would reveal all things to us, taking from what is "Mine" and making it known to you (Jn. 14 and 16).

Today is the feast of the great St. Augustine.  In his autobiographical Confessions, Augustine reflects on the meaning of his life in light of its pivotal turning point -- his conversion and baptism.  In his reflections, he discerns the hand of God, caring for him and guiding him towards his eventual happiness.  Though he had long sought the meaning of life in philosophy, he ultimately recognized what the psalms call "the fair beauty of the Lord."  The words of Scripture suddenly became real for him; they were written about him!

It's not about religion; it's about relationship with the Living Word, who alone can show us its beauty.

Augustine wrote:  My soul is like a house, too small for you to enter, but I pray you to enlarge it.  It is in ruins, but I ask you to remake it.

If we remember that "soul" refers to our minds, hearts, and wills, his words become even more penetrating:  My mind is too small for you to enter, enlarge it.  My heart is in ruins, but I ask you to remake it.  My will is too weak to embrace You, but I beg you to strengthen me.

An Incredible Gift

 My mother almost died when I was born.  She was told that she had the Rh negative factor in her blood and that if she had any more children, she would die, or the child would die, or both would die.  At that time, Mom was not Catholic but Southern Baptist.  She saw nothing wrong with birth control, but my dad was not only Catholic but German Catholic.  A rule was a rule was a rule.  And my mother would do nothing to make him go against his faith.

When she became pregnant again, she told God, "If I die in childbirth, it's Your responsibility to raise these kids!"  Not only did she not die in childbirth, but she went on to have six healthy children.  She did lose one baby along the way, with much grief, and one of my sisters was a twin; the twin did not survive.

Today, I am so very grateful for my mother's faith; she did not know what to do but put the whole issue in the hands of God Himself.  And the result is an incredible gift -- all my wonderful brothers and sisters.  I cannot imagine what my life would have been without them; I cannot imagine my life today without them.

Man's wisdom is great indeed, but God's wisdom is greater, if only we can learn to tap into it. I think part of seeking wisdom is knowing that God wants to give it to us.  Numbers 24:16 says, "When he falls prostrate, his eyes are opened."  God communicates Himself to those who worship Him; He "inhabits the praise of His people (Ps. 22:3)."  C.S. Lewis says, In commanding us to praise Him, God is inviting us to enjoy Him (Reflections on the Psalms, Chapter 9).

Praise in natural to us in all things except God.  We naturally praise what we love and enjoy:  Isn't it a glorious sunset?  How beautiful are the mountains!  What a gorgeous baby!  What a sweet child!  All enjoyment spontaneously overflows into praise.  In fact, our praise seems to complete our enjoyment. But when it comes to praising God, we find ourselves constrained.  It somehow seems artificial to praise God, as if we are embarrassed, stilted.  We do not really "enjoy" God or find Him "beautiful and worthy of praise," even if we faithfully attend so-called "worship" services.  

I think the antidote to our natural reticence to praise God is reading the Psalms, which are full of praise.  Everything is commanded to praise God :  the sun and moon, the birds of the air, the trees of the forest -- commanded to "clap their hands, for He comes!"  Once we "get into" praise, it begins to feel a little less stilted to us and we begin to enjoy it -- and we discover that God Himself enters into our praise and begins to communicate with us in our praise. 

Someone once told me: "Praise is an emotional bandage over an emotional wound that prevents infection."  I have often experienced the fact that two emotions cannot inhabit the same space in us; once we begin to thank and praise God even in our hurt, we find the wound healing and joy taking its place.  Wisdom enlightens the heart, reaching into and over-riding the mind. 

My mother had the wisdom to submit her entire life to God's wisdom and care, even in the most difficult and impossible situation.  And the result is one no one could have predicted.  How grateful I am!

Jesus Wants to be Your Friend

I love watching The Journey Home on EWTN.  This program features men and women who somehow made "the journey" from atheism, agnosticism, Pentecostalism, Calvinism, Mormonism, or nothingnessism, etc. and who eventually found their way into Catholicism.  The reason I love this program is that I love watching how God works in people's lives, no matter where they are, where they begin.  I love hearing the story unfold of how they moved from wherever they begin; I love all the questions and struggles along the way; and I love the peace and joy they exhibit in telling the story.  Some of the guests were raised Catholic, left the church for a time, and eventually returned with a new set of eyes and new appreciation. 

Last night's guest was Kurt Hoover, a young man who was raised in the Wesleyan Church.  His journey of faith began when he was four years old and in Sunday school.  His teacher told the class that Jesus wanted to be their friend, and if they wanted Him as their friend, they had to tell Him so.  Even at four years of age, that made an impression on Kurt, so that night while his family was watching television, we went into a darkened hallway and there he told Jesus that he wanted Jesus to be his friend, and he asked Jesus to come into his heart. "And He Did!," Kurt exclaimed with a smile.  He didn't quite know how, but something was different from that day forward. 

Kurt's journey was, like so many others told on this program, a story of the Holy Spirit working in one life, gradually unfolding from point to point.  This was not the first time that I heard a story of the Holy Spirit working even in a little child, but what was so impressive about this story was that Kurt's mother died when he was ten, and he was left without a mother from that point on.  His father was very good, a very spiritual man, but he was struggling with his own grief and had to grow through it too.  Without knowing Jesus as his "friend," Kurt would have been totally alone.  His story can be found on chnetwork.org.

So many stories tell of God reaching out, leading, guiding, strengthening in hundreds of different ways.  He does not leave us alone, to our own devices.  He is forever wanting to be our Friend, if we will but ask. 

The Wise, The Foolish, The Evil

I am reading a book called Necessary Endings, by Dr. Henry Cloud.  Primarily written for business people, the book gives insights about when it is time to end a project, a relationship, or a business.  Most people, it seems, will hang onto endeavors that no longer work -- or that never worked -- in the hope that things will eventually get better.

In one of the chapters, Cloud writes that there are only 3 types of people: the wise, the foolish, and the evil.  The wise person is the one who, given the understanding that he has gone off course in some way, will correct his action or direction if given the opportunity, the resources, and the support or encouragement to do so.

The foolish person refuses to correct his/her behavior because it was never his/her fault; someone else is always to blame.  No amount of pointing out what happened; no amount of providing resources and opportunity; no amount of encouragement will persuade the foolish person to make a change.  He refuses to take responsibility, to apologize, or to change his course of action.

The evil person has no desire to change because he or she actually enjoys creating chaos or hurting others.  This person will sabotage whatever project is on the table, just for the pleasure of causing trouble or for being obstinate.

All three of these types may have the same past; they may have made the same mistakes and even caused the same pain to others.  But their futures are vastly different.  Cloud points out that you have to realize what type of person you are dealing with before deciding to end a relationship or business endeavor.   One of his telling markers is the question, "Do I still want to be having this same conversation two years from now?

We have just celebrated the feastday of St. Mary Magdalene.  According to the Gospel, Jesus cast 7 demons out of her.  We do not know if she was the same Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus, who sat at his feet listening to him, but we do know that she was one of the 3 Marys at the foot of the cross.  We know that she went to the tomb early Sunday morning to mourn the loss of Jesus, whom she loved beyond all telling.  We do know that she was the first to see the Risen Lord and to tell the Apostles that He was risen from the dead.

Mary was a wise woman, no matter what she lived in the past.  In her gratitude for being freed from 7 demons, she never left Jesus.  I find such comfort in her wisdom.  Jesus gave her the opportunity to be different; he provided the strength, the resources, and the encouragement she needed to change.  He cannot do less for any one of us.  The only question is whether we will recognize the provision He gives or continue in our foolishness because it's not really our fault, after all.

With Joy

With joy you will draw water from the well of salvation (Is. 12:3)

Before I had ever started reading the Bible, at a point of exhaustion and breakdown in my life, a counselor said to me, "Gayle, you cannot give yourself joy."  Now why this should have been such a revelation to me, I cannot tell you.  Looking back now, it seems to be a rather obvious conclusion.  And yet, I had spent a few years exploring ways to do just that!  I had looked into Transcendental Meditation, Yoga meditation, and The Power of Positive Thinking.  

Here's the problem:  With all of those methods, you actually have to DO them!  It reminds me of my mother complaining that when she bought her sewing machine, the salesman told her of all the wonderful things the machine could do.  "But it doesn't do any of those things," she said with a twinkle in her eye; "it just sits over there and does nothing!"  Yeah, I get it.  At the time I was looking for joy and inner peace, I had 3 small children who didn't get it -- no matter how tired I was, I was not going to nap during the day (or even at night most of the time.)  Nor was I going to sit down and ooom.  I remember how much I just wanted to read the Sunday paper with a cup of coffee!

Positive Thinking seemed to need a little reflection on my part, but the day I caught myself pouring a half-gallon of milk down the toilet when I had intended to put it in the refrigerator, I realized that I would be lucky just to get through the day sane; never mind "positive thinking."

Hearing the words, "You cannot give yourself joy" brought me up short!  Oh, really?   I looked up maybe for the first time in a long time, realizing the Source of Joy.  And I asked.   About six months after that, I received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit in the hospital, after being prayed over by my roommate, a 22-year old girl who had told me her own story of redemption.  Little did I realize at that time how effectively God had answered my prayer for joy!  

Now, some 43 years later, the joy that flooded my soul that day remains and has never left me!  I spontaneously started reading the Bible (another gift from the Holy Spirit), where I constantly find my joy renewed, and where I find references that strengthen me.  For example, Psalm 16 says:

My heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;

my body will also rest secure.....

You have made known to me the path of life;

you will fill me with joy in your presence,

with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

I think the first reference I stumbled upon, though, was Isaiah 12:3:  With joy, you will draw water from the well of salvation.  I remember reading about someone who drew a small flower next to verses she wanted to recall, and that was my very first "flower" in the bible I was then using.  Since then I have bought another bible, and I think that may be the only flower in the new one, although there are multiple underlines and notations now.  I was so thirsty for that water of joy that I actually jumped for joy when I read John 4 -- the woman at the well.  

What she needed most desperately was joy.  She, having had 5 husbands, went to the well a mile and half outside her town.  Presumably there was another well in the town visited by the respectable women who looked down on her.  She went at noon; presumably, they went early in the morning to fetch the necessary water for the day.  And she was alone there.  Jesus' words to her:  If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.....the water I give [you]  will become in [you] a spring of water welling up to eternal life.  

If we knew that the name of that living water was JOY, would we not want to drink from it every day?  But we cannot give it to ourselves; it is a Gift!

Ebenezer Road

If I ever wrote an autobiography, I'd have to call it Ebenezer Road.  (In fact, I wrote an account of my experience of Katrina in 2005, which I had planned to call Ebenezer Road were it ever published.)  In the Old Testament, as the Israelites made their way through the promised land after crossing the Red Sea, they periodically would build monuments made of stone, "...and they called it 'Ebenezer,' meaning 'thus far has God helped us'."  Those monuments remained throughout the land, and the next generations when seeing the monuments would ask, "What's the story here?"  Then the older generation would re-tell the miracles and glories they had witnessed on their journey--how God had been their Helper.

Toward the end of Jesus' earthly life, just before His arrest, He came into Jerusalem riding on a donkey, and "...the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen.... Some of the Pharisees in the crowd [told Jesus to rebuke His disciples]. 'I tell you,' He replied, 'if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out'."  I wonder if the Jews at the time would have recognized the reference to their Ebenezer stones.

Literally, Ebenezer means "stone of help."  Karl Rahner is considered the greatest theologian of the 20th century.  He was once asked if he believed in miracles.  "I do not believe in miracles," he said; "I count on them to get me through the day."  Were I to begin piling up stones to commemorate the small and large miracles I have experienced, I'm sure I'd have at least a small fortress.  God's help is so subtle that most of the time we fail to recognize His hand in the matter, although a good bit of the time we do say, "Thank God!"

Last year, I was in California during the time of the wildfire in Sonoma.  As we watched the news, we began making preparations for the power to be shut off in our area not far away.  The gas tank had to be filled in case we needed to evacuate, the animals had to be thought of, and we needed food that didn't need refrigeration.  In the meantime, I texted a friend in Mississippi who worked in our parish, asking for prayer.  That Sunday morning, I rose early as usual and around sunrise, I noticed a wall of smoke advancing our way.  It slowly came toward the property and surrounded us for about an hour or two.  But then, it began to clear all around us for about a quarter of a mile.  I was surprised to see the smoke encircle the area where we were, remaining at a distance for the rest of the day.  I was able to go out and feed the horses, walk the dogs, etc. without any problem.  Amazingly, the smoke continued to hover around the property, but at some distance.  Even the sky above us was clear.

When I got back to Mississippi, I heard that my friend had alerted our pastor about the situation.  That morning at Mass, he announced that one of the parishioners was in California near the Sonoma fires, and he prayed that the angels would blow back the flames and keep us safe.  People will call that a coincidence, but I call it one of many miracles that have encompassed my life.  I don't think of these miracles as exceptional; I think of them as normal.  I am sure that if we could gather a group of survivors who were directly impacted by those fires, we would hear one story after another of miraculous intervention and escape. 

Psalm 54 says, Surely God is my help; the Lord is the one who sustains me. 

And Psalm 46: God is our refuge and our strength, an ever present help in distress.

And Isaiah 43:  When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
                          and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.
                          When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned;
                           the flames will not set you ablaze.

Maybe I should start looking for some large stones!