The Alternate Path

Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time (B): The authority of Christ

2012-01-29T09:30:00.001-05:00

In the course of his ministry Jesus asks an important question, "Who do people say that I am?" It is important both for the response that is given (ultimately by Peter) but also for Jesus himself asking the question. Jesus does not ask, "What are people saying about my teachings?" He does not ask, "How do you think people are responding to my message?" He asks, "Who do people say that I am?"

Elsewhere in the gospel Jesus says, "I am the way, the truth and the life." Fr. Robert Barron in his Catholicism series makes an important observation. Among all the founders of the world's great religions Jesus' claim is unique. Buddha says, "I have found a way." The Prophet Muhammad says, "I have received a revelation." On Mount Sinai Moses receives the Commandments. All the founders point to a greater truth beyond themselves. Jesus alone points to his very self. "I am the way, the truth and the life." This one claim sets Jesus apart from all the rest and it demands of us a radical decision. Either Jesus is who he claims to be or he is not.

In today's gospel (Mk. 1:21-28) there are two groups that encounter and witness this unique authority of Christ. The first are the people gathered in the synagogue, "The people were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes." The second "group" is the unclean spirit, "What have you to do us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are - the Holy One of God!" These immediate reactions - the astonishment of the people, the fear of the unclean spirit - testify to the unique authority of Christ.

It is helpful to remember that the word "authority" has its roots in a Latin word meaning, "to make grow." From this we can realize that one of the marks of true authority is that it is not in competition with others. True authority does not need to suppress the other for its own sake and purposes. This type of non-competitive authority can only come from Christ who is not just one other being among other beings but rather being itself. "I am...", says Jesus.

There is a misunderstanding quite common in our day that leads to viewing God as opposed to my freedom. This misunderstanding is that God is seen as the biggest, most powerful, most omniscient being of all. This is not the case. Get rid of all those categories and thoughts! God is not "a being" among other beings, God is being itself and therefore God is not opposed to my freedom but rather God is the very foundation and source of true freedom.

This unique authority of Christ which is non-competitive, which does not need to suppress the other, which by its very nature and presence calls forth life (knowledge and deep insight for those people gathered in the synagogue, healing and freedom for the man imprisoned by the unclean spirit) witnesses to the unique reality of Christ - "I am the way, the truth and the life." - and it demands of us a radical choice.

Third Sunday in Ordinary Time (B): A very imperfect church, response to Jefferson Bethke and Spoken Word

2012-01-21T13:42:00.001-05:00

I have been reading Fr. James Martin’s new book, “Between Heaven and Mirth.” In the book Fr. Martin reflects on the role of humor in the life of faith and throughout the reflection he scatters humorous jokes and stories. In chapter four he reflects on “serious reasons for good humor” – the last reason he lists is the practical nature of humor and he does this in a tongue-in-cheek way by sharing a story about his father’s cousin Bernie.

Bernie, it seems, lived in Philadelphia but owned a small store on the coast in New Jersey. One evening he was speeding down the interstate toward his store. He was late for an appointment. It was the last day of the month so he knew that the police officers would be out, eager to give tickets in order to make their quota. But, he was in a hurry and decided to take his chances doing about eighty miles an hour.

Sure enough, after crossing into New Jersey he saw the flashing red lights and was pulled over. The officer walked up to his car with a pleased look on his face. “I have been waiting for you all day!” said the officer.

Bernie, off the top of his head replied, “Well, I got here as fast as I could!” Fr. Martin concludes, “The officer laughed so hard that he didn’t give Bernie a ticket.”

It is good to laugh.

Mark’s gospel is the shortest and most succinct of the canonical gospels. One can feel throughout Mark’s account of the good news a sense of urgency. Jesus has a mission and time must not be wasted! This sense of urgency is given expression in the very first chapter. Jesus proclaims, “This is the time of fulfillment. The Kingdom of God is at hand.” (Mk. 1:15) But then what does he do? With this sense of urgency it would be expected that he would march straight to Jerusalem in order to set things right. But he does not do that. Rather, in this time of fulfillment, Jesus forms community (Church) and not only that but a community of very insignificant people who were certainly not on any “A-list” of their day – fishermen, tax collectors, religious zealots. They were people of no real consequence.

Also, they were a group of imperfect people. They disagreed, they argued with one another, they were fearful, they bore resentments, they miscommunicated, they did not always understand, one betrayed Jesus and another denied him. In other words, they were human, just like us. And Jesus was in their midst and Jesus is in our midst calling, healing and enabling us (in all of our imperfections) to be church for one another and for the world.

Recently there has been a Youtube video that has sparked discussion. In the video a young rapper who has all the right looks and wears the perfect cool style of clothing and has all the perfect video angle shots raps about how he loves Jesus but hates religion. He goes on to say that Jesus hates religion and therefore the church also. Isn’t it nice when Jesus agrees with our own point of view? He raps that religion told him to pretend to be perfect but he does not consider the possibility that maybe he was the one who was getting the message wrong from the beginning.

To this young man I would say re-read the gospels because I think you missed something. Consider today’s gospel (Mk. 1:14-20) where Jesus in the very urgency of proclaiming the Kingdom decides to gather a community of very imperfect believers and he decides to remain within their very midst. Consider where Jesus says that he is the vine and we are the branches. Consider the sending of the Holy Spirit upon the community gathered at Pentecost. Reflect on Paul’s beautiful analogy of Christ being the head of the body and we the members. Consider Paul's own conversion on the road to Damascus when the exalted Lord instead of asking, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute my followers?' rather asks, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" (Acts 9:4). Consider the beautiful imagery of the bride awaiting the bridegroom found throughout the New Testament.

In the urgency of proclaiming the Kingdom, isn’t it interesting that Jesus calls and gathers a community of very imperfect people and he remains in their midst.

He remains in the midst of the Church today.

The Dangers of Radical Secularism

2012-01-20T09:49:00.000-05:00

In a recent meeting with U.S. Bishops in Rome, Pope Benedict XVI made some pointed comments about the dangers of radical secularism in the United States. It is a valid point that the anthropology of radical secularism is very limited and limiting. It does not allow for the full dignity of the human person. The best it can offer is an isolated individualism.

Our Lady of Tenderness icon

2012-01-18T10:06:00.000-05:00

I just completed the icon of Our Lady of Tenderness.

With us Mary stands in need of a saviour; yet who else cradled the infant saviour in her arms providing him warmth and nourishment, who else sang him to sleep, who else wiped away his tears and gave him encouragement?

When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother, 'Woman, here is your son.' Then he said to the disciple, 'Here is your mother.' (John 19:26-27)

It is a tender thing our Lord does; as he is dying he finds a home for his mother and he gives his Church a mother.

Tenderness is not weakness.

Tenderness reveals the strength of love.

Mary, gentle woman and first of disciples pray with us and for us!

Martin Luther King, Jr.

2012-01-16T10:09:00.000-05:00

Someone once asked a close friend of Martin Luther King what book he thought had the most influence on Dr. King.

"That is easy," the friend responded, "Matthew, Mark, Luke and John."

Second Sunday in Ordinary Time (B): National Vocation Awareness Week and Authentic Love

2012-01-13T14:04:00.004-05:00

Fr. Robert Barron has remarked that authentic love can be defined as "seeking the good of the other for the sake of the other." This is a thoughtful definition of love and the second aspect is of utmost importance. We are very good at caving in on ourselves in sin and this can even effect our love for another. When I seek the good of the other because I get something out of it (my needs or insecurities are satisfied, my status, acceptance or even power is enhanced) then I am not authentically loving. It is only when I can let go of myself and love the other person solely for the sake of the other person without heeding any benefit or counting any cost that it can be said that I am authentically loving. Love, when it is real, is challenging and it calls for a letting go of self.

This past week has been National Vocation Awareness Week - an opportunity for the Church in the United States to reflect on vocation and pray for an increase in an overall awareness of the universal call to holiness and discipleship and specifically vocations of lives of service within the Church - found in priesthood, consecrated life and the permanent diaconate. The readings for this Sunday with the call of the prophet Samuel (1 Samuel 3:3-10, 19) and the disciples (John 1:35-42) are very fitting for this. The readings have much to teach us about God's call and our responding and one aspect of this, I believe, is to help us recognize that call or vocation is rooted in authentic love. At the beginning (even birthpoint, I would say) of both Samuel's call and that of the disciples we find the witness of a love lived authentically. This is not a coincidence I believe and is worthy of reflection.

Samuel was a young boy when God's call came to him. He was assisting the elderly priest Eli. At first Samuel does not recognize the voice of God and neither does Eli, he thinks that the boy is dreaming things. Samuel needs the direction and insight of his elder but he also needs his elder to show an authentic love for him.  After the third call, Eli recognizes what is going on - that God himself is calling the young boy. It is here that Eli faces a critical moment - he can be resentful that God is calling this young boy and not himself (the "priest"), he can despair that this is an indicator that his time is over and now it is time for the younger generation, he can try to cling on and deny Samuel his moment. He can do all of this by remaining silent to what he knows and telling Samuel to ignore the voice, that it is nothing. But Eli does not do this and this is to his everlasting credit. "So (Eli) said to Samuel, 'Go to sleep, and if you are called, reply, Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening."

Eli seeks the good of Samuel for the sake of Samuel and not for his own sake. Eli is able to show authentic love for Samuel. He is able to let go of self for the good of the other. And Samuel's vocation is born.

John the Baptist also stands at a critical moment. The gospels tell us that people from all over were coming to be baptized by John in the Jordan. He had a devoted group of disciples, the religious authorities held a begrudging respect for John, even King Herod feared the prophet.  Many would say that John was at the "height of his power." John knows the yearning of the people and of his disciples for the Messiah. Jesus walks by as John is standing there with two of his disciples. He knows their yearning and he knows that he cannot answer that yearning. It is beyond him.  He lets go of self and seeking the good of his two disciples for their good and not his own he points to Jesus and says, "Behold, the Lamb of God." They have found the Messiah and their calling is born.

We are Church. We are meant to help one another along. There is much concern today about the need for vocations to lives of service within the Church and for our world. Today's readings have much to teach us. One of the lessons I believe is that the witness of authentic love is the necessary seedbed of vocations. The witness of both Eli and John the Baptist testifies to this.

Love calls forth love.

Our faith as Christians calls us to love authentically - seeking the good of the other for the sake of the other.

Our Lady of Tenderness

2012-01-09T06:18:00.000-05:00

I have gotten a little farther along on the icon of Our Lady of Tenderness. Yesterday's quiet rainy afternoon helped. My third year of theology studies I really wrestled with the possibility of the monastic life. I don't doubt my vocation as a diocesan priest but the idea of solitude in God remains very compelling for me. Of course the fact that the semester is beginning in just a couple of days now and things will once again be humming at the Catholic Center may also have something to do with these thoughts...

One of my resolutions for the new year is to get my spiritual house in order. Recently I have had the spiritual intuition that God is asking something new of me. I must admit that this thought had been weighing me down because I have been thinking solely in terms of something I need to give up or let go of but the other day the insight came to me as I was working on this icon that the "something new" God is asking of me is not another cross to carry but rather just to spend more time with Him in friendship and relationship.

God wants time with me. It is a very tender and life-giving invitation.

I have made a reservation later this month for an overnight "quiet" day at Jubilee House (a retreat center) in Abingdon, VA. My hope is to make this a monthly commitment. Please help me by praying that I follow through and am able to keep this commitment.

It is a beautiful thing when our Lord invites us to come away and spend time with Him.

Feast of the Epiphany - the fourth gift of the Magi

2012-01-07T13:06:00.000-05:00

Rise up in splendor, Jerusalem! Your light has come, the glory of the Lord shines upon you. (Isaiah 60:1)

We are the new Jerusalem yet what does it mean to "rise up in splendor"? To help us answer this we have the witness of the Magi in today's gospel (Mt. 2:1-12). Three times in these twelve verses from Matthew's gospel the Magi rise and follow.

First, the Magi have arisen to follow the star. The Magi are Gentiles, they are not Jews. They do not have the guidance of the Law and the Prophets. Their guidance is God at work in creation. "Where is the newborn King of the Jews? We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage." They trusted in the voice of God as they best heard it. Trusting, they rose up and followed and this guidance took them as far as it could.

The Magi arrive in Jerusalem. Here the people of the covenant, the people formed by the Law and the Prophets, direct them. "In Bethlehem of Judea, for it has been written through the prophets: And you Bethlehem, land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; since from you shall come a ruler, who is to shepherd by people Israel." Yet again, the Magi rise up in order to follow. God's voice in creation is fulfilled in the Law and the Prophets.

They find the "child with Mary his mother" and they do him homage by offering gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. They encounter Christ - the Word of the Father and the Word made flesh - through whom all things have come into being (John 1:3) and the very source and fulfillment of the Law and Prophets. All peoples (Jews and Gentiles) are united in the revelation of Christ. Now after encountering Christ and being guided by the voice of God in creation and in the Law and Prophets, the Magi recognize the voice of God within their very selves, "And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed for their country by another way."

Three times the Magi rise up responding in trust and in faith - to God's voice proclaimed in creation, to the voice of God found in the Law and the Prophets and to the very encounter with God in Christ. The Magi rise up in "splendor" - a splendor not of their own making or doing but of faith in God's will and God's providence.

In contrast to the Magi we have King Herod. Herod did not rise up. Herod sends the Magi on to Bethlehem but he himself remains behind trapped in his fear, his love of power and in all the sad violence and division of our world.

There is a fourth gift that the Magi bring on this Feast of the Epiphany. To the Christ child the Magi bring the gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. To us, the Magi bring the gift of faith. "Rise up in splendor!" they proclaim. Even in the darkness of uncertain times and struggle or maybe of loss, grief and fear. Even in the times of violence, division and lack of peace. Rise up in splendor! Walk in the ways of faith and in the light of God! Ours is a different way, because even in the midst of darkness, "upon you the Lord shines, and over you appears his glory."

If we receive and live this fourth gift of the Magi, this most precious gift of faith, we become a light even unto the world, "Nations shall walk by your light, and kings by your shining radiance."

Rise up in splendor!

Confession - the most useless of activities

2011-12-29T21:21:00.000-05:00

Today I took part in the most useless of activities.

I went to the sacrament of confession.

I took time out of my schedule when many would say I could have been doing something else. I was not being productive as the world would define it - nothing was made, no deal was struck, no contract was signed, no money exchanged hands. I left with nothing more physically than I originally had going in. The interaction took place in a quiet room set aside from the rush and purpose of the world. I did not even have to pay as one would for a session with a therapist - so I cannot even point to that as a measurement of value. It was free.

The church was quiet. Other people had also come in and were praying the rosary in the front of the church. I knelt in a back pew and silently prayed. The church was the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Charleston, S.C. I was in the city for a few days of vacation and stopped at the church before making the drive back home. The sacrament (I came to find out) was being offered. The Cathedral is old and beautiful - made even more so by the Christmas trees flanking the Nativity scene up front and the Christmas poinsettias set around the altar. The old floor boards creaked as people walked by.

In a world dominated by the dual tyrannies of utilitarianism - assigning value solely in terms of productivity and what one can "show" for ones efforts - and a materialism which relentlessly seeks to bracket off any notion of the transcendent actually engaged with and infusing creation, what I did today makes no sense whatsoever. Baptism, confirmation, marriage, even ordination can be explained off by these viewpoints as important rites of passage needed for the proper functioning of a civic religion. Even the Mass can be justified for the sake of fellowship and the value of community it instills. But confession? On a weekday? Confession is the most useless of activities.

Yet that is what I did and I am better for it. To one without faith or even one dominated by the tyrannies of our day I cannot explain it nor will I seek to. What I know is that grace was present, forgiveness was given and hope was born once again in my soul.

For my penance the priest reminded me that it is still the Christmas season and I should offer a prayer of gratitude.

Sitting once again in a back pew I thumbed to the end of the missal and found a prayer for faith, hope and love. The section on hope struck me. "Remind us of the truth of who we are: sinners, yet also beloved sons and daughters of God ... give me the gift of hope."

Hope is born through this truth and in this most useless of activities.

Church bombings in Nigeria and the Feast of St. Stephen

2011-12-25T23:02:00.000-05:00

St. Theresa Catholic Church in Madalla, Nigeria

News has come out of Nigeria that there have been orchestrated explosions at Christian churches throughout the country on Christmas day. At least thirty-nine persons have been killed. Boko Haram, a Muslim militant group has taken credit for the bombings. The group wants to establish Shariah law throughout the country.

December 26th is the Feast of St. Stephen, the first Christian martyr. Today's senseless act of violence reminds us that the age of the martyrs is not over. These men and women died in witness to their faith - celebrating the birth of the Prince of Peace.

As we face this violence the temptation to respond in kind is strong but we look to the witness of St. Stephen to remind us that the weapons we fight with are not of this world and are based in the love and mercy of God. It is the love which has overcome all the sad violence and divisions of this world.

I pray for our brothers and sisters in Nigeria - for those who lost their lives in the simple act of attending Christmas Mass and for those who mourn the loss of their loved ones.

Here is the second reading from the Office of Readings for the Feast of St. Stephen. I believe that the words carry great weight at this time.

A sermon of St Fulgentius of Ruspe

The armour of love

Yesterday we celebrated the birth in time of our eternal King. Today we celebrate the triumphant suffering of his soldier. Yesterday our king, clothed in his robe of flesh, left his place in the virgin’s womb and graciously visited the world. Today his soldier leaves the tabernacle of his body and goes triumphantly to heaven.

Our king, despite his exalted majesty, came in humility for our sake; yet he did not come empty-handed. He brought his soldiers a great gift that not only enriched them but also made them unconquerable in battle, for it was the gift of love, which was to bring men to share in his divinity. He gave of his bounty, yet without any loss to himself. In a marvellous way he changed into wealth the poverty of his faithful followers while remaining in full possession of his own inexhaustible riches.

And so the love that brought Christ from heaven to earth raised Stephen from earth to heaven; shown first in the king, it later shone forth in his soldier. Love was Stephen’s weapon by which he gained every battle, and so won the crown signified by his name. His love of God kept him from yielding to the ferocious mob; his love for his neighbour made him pray for those who were stoning him. Love inspired him to reprove those who erred, to make them amend; love led him to pray for those who stoned him, to save them from punishment. Strengthened by the power of his love, he overcame the raging cruelty of Saul and won his persecutor on earth as his companion in heaven. In his holy and tireless love he longed to gain by prayer those whom he could not convert by admonition.

Now at last, Paul rejoices with Stephen, with Stephen he delights in the glory of Christ, with Stephen he exalts, with Stephen he reigns. Stephen went first, slain by the stones thrown by Paul, but Paul followed after, helped by the prayer of Stephen. This, surely, is the true life, my brothers, a life in which Paul feels no shame because of Stephen’s death, and Stephen delights in Paul’s companionship, for love fills them both with joy. It was Stephen’s love that prevailed over the cruelty of the mob, and it was Paul’s love that covered the multitude of his sins; it was love that won for both of them the kingdom of heaven.

Love, indeed, is the source of all good things; it is an impregnable defence,- and the way that leads to heaven. He who walks in love can neither go astray nor be afraid: love guides him, protects him, and brings him to his journey’s end.

My brothers, Christ made love the stairway that would enable all Christians to climb to heaven. Hold fast to it, therefore, in all sincerity, give one another practical proof of it, and by your progress in it, make your ascent together.

The Peace of Christmas, 2011

2011-12-25T08:02:00.000-05:00

The Catholic Center is quiet...

Bailey and Maxine are dozing at my feet, probably dreaming of their stockings stuffed with chew toys and snacks.

The midnight Mass was beautiful.

It is a chilly and crisp morning outside and in the quiet of the Christmas morning the gift of the Christ child (God become man that we might have life) warms the heart and radiates a serene and eternal peace.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Pope Benedict XVI - playing by his own rules

2011-12-22T15:52:00.001-05:00

Are we getting what Pope Benedict is trying to tell us? And if not, why?

I must say that I find some people's negative perception of Pope Benedict to be quite perplexing. I will admit that he is not as photogenic as Bl. John Paul II nor does he seem to possess the natural media savvy that the previous pontiff did. But why the negative perception? Is it all due to these types of superficial impressions? Some of it is, I believe. Often, people are quite satisfied to remain on the level of the superficial and not deviate from what they have been fed.

But it is also due, I believe, to the fact that Pope Benedict himself is content to remain his own man who realizes that the Pope does not have to be a pop star nor a political power-broker to affect change in the world and to fulfill the unique witness that is his as the Bishop of Rome. Pope Benedict is happy not to play by contemporary society's presumptions and biases and frankly, I think that this both perplexes and ticks a lot of people off at the same time (which is quite a feat and also amusing to watch!).

I think a case in point is to note where Pope Benedict is choosing to travel to during his pontificate. Yes, he has been to the "big" countries (the U.S., England, France, etc.) but he is certainly not limited to this itinerary. His last trip was to the small African country of Benin. Who goes to Benin? Well, apparently the pope does. It was just announced that he intends to visit Mexico and Cuba this coming year (bypassing the U.S. in the process).

Benedict is choosing not to be limited by western, "First World", modern notions of power, prestige and how "real change" in the world is affected. Again, he is content to live his papacy as he so determines is best - primarily as a bishop, priest, teacher and (fundamentally) a disciple of Christ.

A recent article by Elizabeth Scalia in "First Things" has helped me put words on this. Below is the link. Check it out. It is worth the read.

All this also provides, I believe, a worthy Advent and Christmas reflection. As asked above: "Who goes to Benin? Apparently the pope does." so also it is good to ask: "Who would go to the small, unknown and very unremarkable town of Bethlehem to be born in order to save the world? Apparently God would."

Link: "Benedict's Christocentrism"

Third Sunday of Advent (B): John the Baptist and Atticus Finch

2011-12-10T19:24:00.001-05:00

The play, "To Kill a Mockingbird" is a story about prejudice and the courage to do what is right. In the play, Atticus Finch - a lawyer, agrees to defend a young black man (Tom Robinson) when he is unjustly accused of a crime he did not commit. Racial bigotry is stirred up and Atticus and his family are persecuted for seeking justice for the young man. Despite the persecution Atticus does fight for justice for Tom but by the end of the trial bigotry and the need to scapegoat win out and the young man is condemned for a crime he did not commit. After this verdict as Atticus leaves the courtroom and passes his two children, a black minister who is aware of all the factors at play tells the girl and boy to stand because their father is passing, "a good and just man."

Is not Atticus, in many ways, a figure of John the Baptist? Atticus can be seen as a man proclaiming the truth even in the face of persecution, misunderstanding and ridicule. Like John the Baptist, he proclaimed and held to the light even in the very midst of darkness. Both men faced the same temptations - the temptation to remain quiet, to keep ones head down, to not make waves. Both also faced the temptation to proclaim oneself.

Throughout the play, Atticus is a soft spoken, humble man even as others talk about all his achievements and abilities. In his final speech in the courtroom Atticus does not proclaim his own skill as a lawyer nor his gift of rhetoric; rather, he proclaims and points to truth and justice for Tom Robinson. It was a proclamation to those gathered in the courtroom just as pointed as the cry of the Baptist in the wilderness.

John the Baptist also faced this temptation to proclaim self. The people were streaming toward John from all over the countryside, there was a deep yearning for the messiah - John knew this and he could have seized all that energy and power! But he didn't. "I am not the Christ," said John. "I am the voice of one crying in the desert, make straight the way of the Lord ... I am not worthy to untie his sandals."

John the Baptist was able to do two things extremely well: he was able to look away from himself and he was able to look toward God. In this he was able to recognize the truth of who he was - a man in need of a savior - and therefore he was able to recognize the true savior when he came (in contrast to the Pharisees). "I baptize with water; but there is one among you whom you do not recognize, the one who is coming after me, who sandal strap I am not worthy to untie." (John 1:27)

What John the Baptist and the figure of Atticus proclaim to us is that truth and justice do not lie inherently within ourselves as if they were our own possessions. They are not part of our constitutional makeup that we can either summon or dispose of at will. Rather, truth and justice are acquired by us only insofar as we place ourselves in relation to truth and justice itself - whom we proclaim to have a name and a face: Jesus.

As we place ourselves in relation to Christ, we both learn to see anew with eyes enlightened by faith (judging rightly) and our own dignity is found. The words spoken by the black preacher to the children of Atticus might then be applied to any one of us, "Stand, your father (mother) is passing, a good and just man (woman)." Whether victorious or not in the realm of worldly success and opinion; could there be any higher compliment?

Come, Lord Jesus and do not delay and, in all things, may we testify to the light!

Virtues Matter - Faith

2011-12-09T11:46:00.000-05:00

The theological virtue of faith is about seeing.

This coming Sunday (the third Sunday of Advent) we are presented with the figure of John the Baptist in the Gospel reading. John the Baptist in many ways epitomizes the virtue of faith.

Here is the reading for this Sunday:

A man named John was sent from God.
He came for testimony, to testify to the light,
so that all might believe through him.
He was not the light,
but came to testify to the light.

And this is the testimony of John.
When the Jews from Jerusalem sent priests
and Levites to him
to ask him, "Who are you?"
He admitted and did not deny it,
but admitted, "I am not the Christ."
So they asked him,
"What are you then? Are you Elijah?"
And he said, "I am not."
"Are you the Prophet?"
He answered, "No."
So they said to him,
"Who are you, so we can give an answer to those who sent us?
What do you have to say for yourself?"

He said:
"I am the voice of one crying out in the desert,
'make straight the way of the Lord,'"
as Isaiah the prophet said."
Some Pharisees were also sent.
They asked him,
"Why then do you baptize
if you are not the Christ or Elijah or the Prophet?"
John answered them,
"I baptize with water;
but there is one among you whom you do not recognize,
the one who is coming after me,
whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie."

This happened in Bethany across the Jordan,
where John was baptizing. (John 1:6-8, 19-28)

John the Baptist does two things quite well: he looks away from himself and he looks toward the coming of the Messiah. Both are exercises of the virtue of faith and both are about learning to see correctly.

Throughout his preaching John does not proclaim himself. Again and again, he states that he is not the Messiah. At best John says he is, “the voice of one crying out in the desert…” John knew the tenor of his times. He knew the deep yearning of the people. He, in fact, was witnessing it first-hand as the whole country-side was streaming toward him in order to be baptized. John of all people at that time could have seized all of that energy and power! But he didn’t. John recognized the truth of himself. We find this expressed in his admission regarding the one coming after him whose, “… sandal strap I am not worthy to untie.” This recognition was an act of faith and it enlightened his eyes in order to truly see.

Faith is the theological virtue by which we believe in God and believe all that he has said and revealed to us, and that Holy Church proposes for our belief, because he is truth itself. By faith "man freely commits his entire self to God." For this reason the believer seeks to know and do God's will. "The righteous shall live by faith." Living faith "work(s) through charity." (Rom. 1:17, Gal. 5:6) (CCC #1814)

John’s self admission demonstrates that he was someone who freely committed “his entire self to God.” Faith begins where the heart is broken. John possessed the courage and honesty required to recognize his own need and by so doing was then able to fully commit his entire self to God.

Because John recognized his own need he was then able to recognize the Messiah when at last he came. John always points toward Christ.

"I baptize with water;
but there is one among you whom you do not recognize,
the one who is coming after me,
whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie." (John 1:27)

The gift of faith remains in one who has not sinned against it. But "faith apart from works is dead": when it is deprived of hope and love, faith does not fully unite the believer to Christ and does not make him a living member of his Body.

The disciple of Christ must not only keep the faith and live on it, but also profess it, confidently bear witness to it, and spread it: "All however must be prepared to confess Christ before men and to follow him along the way of the Cross, amidst the persecutions which the Church never lacks." Service of and witness to the faith are necessary for salvation: "So every one who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven; but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven." (Mt. 10:32-33) (CCC #1815-1816)

Faith is exercised when Christ is recognized and proclaimed. Blessed Teresa of Calcutta exercised the virtue of faith when she recognized the face of Christ in the dying poor. She “saw” Christ in their faces.

The theological virtue of faith is neither naïve hope nor illusion but true seeing enlightened by honesty and courage.

Swimming against the stream: some other thoughts on sexuality in our times

2011-12-04T11:08:00.001-05:00

Recently I have come across two approaches to sexuality and current sexual norms that swim against the current. The first is a reflection by a gay man and the second is a video of a young man rapping about virtue, dignity and responsibility. Both have some powerful and thought-provoking insights worthy of reflecting upon.

(The reflection is taken from the blog "Young and Catholic" by Mary and "Steve Gershom: Catholic, Gay and Feeling Fine, Thanks")

Catholic and Gay

Posted on July 21, 2011 by Mary| 474 Comments

Fact: The Catholic Church’s stance on homosexuality is anything but popular.

It’s something we as Catholics shy away from talking about. Maybe that’s because it makes others uncomfortable, or maybe because often we don’t truly understand it ourselves. The fact is that I can sit here all day and tell you that my stance against same-sex marriage is not born out of hatred, bigotry, or ignorance, but the majority of people would probably not believe me. When it comes down to it, this issue isn’t going to be solved in political debates. It’s far too personal.

So rather than getting into a lesson on Catholic moral teaching (though feel free to contact me if you want me to cover that later), or talking about homosexuality in the abstract (creating hypothetical people and hypothetical situations), I thought I’d refer you to an article written by someone who understands the Church’s teaching on homosexuality far better than I do, because as a Catholic who happens to be gay, he is choosing to live it.

[I have never met this man. I found the following post on the blog, Little Catholic Bubble. Apparently, though, he recently went public with his own blog, as well.]

I have heard a lot about how mean the Church is, and how bigoted, because she opposes gay marriage. How badly she misunderstands gay people, and how hostile she is towards us. My gut reaction to such things is: Are you freaking kidding me? Are we even talking about the same church?

When I go to Confession, I sometimes mention the fact that I’m gay, to give the priest some context. (And to spare him some confusion: Did you say ‘locker room’? What were you doing in the women’s…oh.) I’ve always gotten one of two responses: either compassion, encouragement, and admiration, because the celibate life is difficult and profoundly counter-cultural; or nothing at all, not even a ripple, as if I had confessed eating too much on Thanksgiving.

Of the two responses, my ego prefers the first — who doesn’t like thinking of themselves as some kind of hero? — but the second might make more sense. Being gay doesn’t mean I’m special or extraordinary. It just means that my life is not always easy. (Surprise!) And as my friend J. said when I told him recently about my homosexuality, “I guess if it wasn’t that, it would have been something else.” Meaning that nobody lives without a burden of one kind or another. As Rabbi Abraham Heschel said: “The man who has not suffered, what can he possibly know, anyway?”

Where are all these bigoted Catholics I keep hearing about? When I told my family a year ago, not one of them responded with anything but love and understanding. Nobody acted like I had a disease. Nobody started treating me differently or looking at me funny. The same is true of every one of the Catholic friends that I’ve told. They love me for who I am.

Actually, the only time I get shock or disgust or disbelief, the only time I’ve noticed people treating me differently after I tell them, is when I tell someone who supports the gay lifestyle. Celibacy?? You must be some kind of freak.

Hooray for tolerance of different viewpoints. I’m grateful to gay activists for some things — making people people more aware of the prevalence of homosexuality, making homophobia less socially acceptable — but they also make it more difficult for me to be understood, to be accepted for who I am and what I believe. If I want open-mindedness, acceptance, and understanding, I look to Catholics.

Is it hard to be gay and Catholic? Yes, because like everybody, I sometimes want things that are not good for me. The Church doesn’t let me have those things, not because she’s mean, but because she’s a good mother. If my son or daughter wanted to eat sand I’d tell them: that’s not what eating is for; it won’t nourish you; it will hurt you. Maybe my daughter has some kind of condition that makes her like sand better than food, but I still wouldn’t let her eat it. Actually, if she was young or stubborn enough, I might not be able to reason with her — I might just have to make a rule against eating sand. Even if she thought I was mean.

So the Church doesn’t oppose gay marriage because it’s wrong; she opposes it because it’s impossible, just as impossible as living on sand. The Church believes, and I believe, in a universe that means something, and in a God who made the universe — made men and women, designed sex and marriage from the ground up. In that universe, gay marriage doesn’t make sense. It doesn’t fit with the rest of the picture, and we’re not about to throw out the rest of the picture.

If you don’t believe in these things, if you believe that men and women and sex and marriage are pretty much whatever we say they are, then okay: we don’t have much left to talk about. That’s not the world I live in.

So, yes, it’s hard to be gay and Catholic — it’s hard to be anything and Catholic — because I don’t always get to do what I want. Show me a religion where you always get to do what you want and I’ll show you a pretty shabby, lazy religion. Something not worth living or dying for, or even getting up in the morning for. That might be the kind of world John Lennon wanted, but John Lennon was kind of an idiot.

Would I trade in my Catholicism for a worldview where I get to marry a man? Would I trade in the Eucharist and the Mass and the rest of it? Being a Catholic means believing in a God who literally waits in the chapel for me, hoping I’ll stop by just for ten minutes so he can pour out love and healing on my heart. Which is worth more — all this, or getting to have sex with who I want? I wish everybody, straight or gay, had as beautiful a life as I have.

I know this isn’t a satisfactory answer. I don’t think any words could be. I try to make my life a satisfactory answer, to this question and to others: What are people for? What is love, and what does it look like? How do we get past our own selfishness so we can love God and our neighbors and ourselves?

It’s a work in progress.

(Me again) – I don’t know about you, but I am pretty blown away by that kind of courage. …Thoughts?

Here is the link to the video entitled "Sexual Healing":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlJFvxad1_A

Second Sunday of Advent (B): Peace

2011-12-03T10:44:00.000-05:00

At the end of the Second Letter of Peter (which we hear from this Sunday) we have these words: "Therefore, beloved, since you await these things, be eager to be found without spot or blemish before him, at peace." "Peace" - it is at the deepest yearning of the human heart and whether one has a purely secular approach to the holidays or a religious one; the yearning for peace in our world and even in our own lives seems to unite all. One of the titles of Christ which we proclaim throughout this Advent and Christmas season is "Prince of Peace."

Worthy of note is the fact that this call to peace found within the Second Letter of Peter is placed within the upheaval of the end of creation, "...the heavens will pass away with a mighty roar and the elements will be destroyed by fire ... Therefore, beloved ... be ... at peace." This sounds like the most extreme of contradictions. How can one be at peace when all is going up in smoke? In fact though there is a subtle lesson to be found here. Even within the upheaval at the end time and therefore within the upheavals of the present moment of our world and of our lives it is possible to find peace and to remain within peace.

How?

We are given these words, "...since you await these things, be eager to be found without spot or blemish before him ..." In his Exposition on Psalm 85, St. Augustine offers some thoughts on the common Advent refrain: "Truth has sprung up from the earth, and righteousness has looked down from heaven." Augustine reflects that in sin we are the "earth." The wages of sin is death and he points us back to the passage from Genesis: "Earth you are, and back to earth you shall go." (Gen. 3:19) How might truth spring from the earth?

"Confess your sins, and truth will spring up from you. If you claim to be just when you are unjust, how can truth spring up from you? But if when you are unjust you admit to being unjust, 'truth has sprung up from the earth.'" At this the righteousness of God will look down from heaven and say, "Let us pardon this person, because he has not pardoned himself; let us overlook his sin because he has looked honestly at it himself. He has turned back to punish his own sin, so I will turn to him to set him free from it."

It is not coincidence that at the beginning of the Eucharistic liturgy we have the Penitential Rite nor that the Church continually invites us to the great gift which is the sacrament of reconciliation. The words of the first option of the Penitential Rite found in the new Roman Missal are quite striking:

"I confess to almighty God and to you, my brothers and sisters, that I have greatly sinned, in my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done and in what I have failed to do, through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault; therefore I ask blessed Mary ever-Virgin, all the Angels and Saints, and you, my brothers and sisters, to pray for me to the Lord our God."

We say these words not because we hate ourselves and deem ourselves incapable of being loved. In fact we know that the exact opposite is the case - we have been loved infinitely. We say these words and we go to the sacrament of reconciliation in order that truth might spring from the earth and righteousness look down from heaven.

Even within the upheavals of life peace is possible.

"Therefore, beloved, since you await these things be eager to be found without spot or blemish before him, at peace."

First Sunday of Advent (B): Watch! Learning from the new edition of the Roman Missal.

2011-11-25T11:41:00.000-05:00

"Be watchful! Be alert! You do not know when the time will come ... Watch!" These are the words of our Lord to his disciples in this Sunday's gospel reading (Mk. 13:33-37). As disciples of Christ today these words must also resonate in our hearts and we must take the time to worthily reflect upon them.

Now that we have survived Black Friday and are officially into the commercial season of Christmas, our faith invites us with the blessing and lighting of the Advent wreath to enter also into a faith-filled preparation for the celebration of our Lord's birth.

Watch! Let our hearts be prepared to receive the Christ and to know the wondrous things God has done for us!

A good question to ask is how might we "watch", how do we develop the ability to see with the eyes of faith? It is a fair question. After all, the commercial season of Christmas is quite efficient at initiating people, even at an extremely young age, into its understanding of the season. So, it is possible to do.

I would like to suggest that the introduction of the new Roman Missal gives us, as Church, a unique opportunity this Advent season. The liturgy is the heart of who we are as Church - it is both our source and our summit. In the Mass we encounter Christ uniquely - we hear him speak, we watch his actions, we receive his very body and blood. In the grace of the sacrament Christ cures our blindness and opens our eyes and we learn to see with the eyes of faith.

There are two different responses that the community is asked to make in the new translation that I would like to reflect upon as opportunities of learning how to watch. These are the responses of "And with your spirit." and the response at the invitation to communion: "Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed."

The response, "And with your spirit." runs throughout the liturgy. Wherever the celebrant says, "The Lord be with you." the response now given is "And with your spirit." It is a closer translation to the original Latin. But more than being just an exercise in literalism I would like to propose that this "And with your spirit." translation is quite revolutionary and is indeed counter-cultural. In many ways these four words distinguish the faith-filled preparation for Christmas from the commercial preparation.

The response reminds us and gives testimony to the truth that there is a spiritual reality to life and, in fact, all of creation. We live in a time of the dictatorship of materialism; the pervasive thought that only that which can be measured, weighed and quantified scientifically is real. There is no spirit, there is no soul and, if carried to its logical conclusion, there is no God. There is no hope. The dictatorship of materialism seeks to lock one into a reduced, limited and limiting view of reality that as it greatly extols "freedom of thought" and human dignity in truth is a denial of both. It is pervasive and its affects are varied: from the need to acquire more "stuff" to the defining of the human person and relationships only in terms of commerce (i.e. "What can this person do for me?") and the reduction of time as a moment of possibility and encounter to a moment to be measured only in terms of production. Ultimately it leads only to a place where the human person is reduced and hope is lacking.

With the response, "And with your spirit." the Church gives witness to a different view of reality. Life is more than just "stuff", there is a dignity to the human person and a unique possibility to relationship, time is a gift that is meant to be valued and a gift open to the infinite. There is a sacramental quality to all reality that cannot ultimately be denied. With the lighting of the Advent candles the Church is not naive to the darkness of the present times but watches, recognizes and places its hope in the dawning of the coming Daystar who is Christ and very Kingdom of God. Before this light the darkness of the world and the darkness of the heart flees.

At the invitation to communion when the consecrated Body and Blood of Christ is held up and the priest says, "Behold the Lamb of God, behold him who takes away the sins of the world.  Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb." The people now respond, "Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed."

This more accurate response gives witness to how the Eucharistic liturgy is grounded in Sacred Scripture.  In the eighth chapter of Matthew a centurion comes to Jesus seeking healing for his ill servant. Our Lord responds to the centurion's request by saying that he will come with him in order to cure the servant. To this the centurion responds, "Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof: but only speak the word, and my servant will be healed." The gospel then goes on to say that Jesus is "amazed" at the man's faith.

At the invitation to communion we also are asked to make a sign of deep faith. "Yes, I believe. This is the very body and blood of my savior that I am about to receive.  Say the word and my soul shall be healed."

I would like to also hold "Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof..." in relation to this Sunday's first reading from the prophet Isaiah (Is. 63:16b-17, 19b, 64:2-7). In the reading we hear the plea and the yearning of the people of Israel for the justice of God (a plea and yearning we know in our world today): "Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down, with the mountains quaking before you, while you wrought awesome deeds we could not hope for, such as they had not heard of from of old. No ear has ever heard, no eye ever seen, any God but you doing such deeds for those who wait for him."

"Rend the heavens ... the mountains quaking before you ... you wrought awesome deeds ..." "Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof..."

Truly, none of us are worthy yet this is what God has done for us in Christ. We need both the humble awareness and the great faith of the centurion. The Eucharist is the most frightening of gifts. In it the very One who rends the heavens comes to dwell under the tiniest roof of our existence.

"Watch!", says the Lord.

In the liturgy the Church watches and yearns for the return of the bridegroom and we learn to see with eyes enlightened by faith.

Thanksgiving Day

2011-11-23T22:27:00.002-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Virtues Matter - The Theological Virtues

2011-11-21T15:58:00.001-05:00

This coming Sunday (First Sunday of Advent, 2011) Catholic churches in the English speaking world will begin use of the third English translation of the Roman Missal. There has been quite a bit of commentary either favoring the new translation or criticizing it. The intent of the new edition is to draw closer to the original Latin; which for the Catholic Church and its two thousand year liturgical tradition is no small matter. "Lex orandi; lex credendi" - the law of prayer establishes the law of belief.

For our purpose here I would like to point to one change in the liturgy. At the very beginning of the Mass and running throughout the liturgy the priest celebrant addresses the community gathered with, "The Lord be with you." In the second translation of the Missal the community response was, "And also with you." Now, in the third translation (being faithful to the original Latin) the response of the community is: "And with your spirit."

This shift to "with your spirit" highlights, I believe, a deeper and needed awareness of human anthropology. In an age of materialism that relentlessly seeks in pervasive ways (some subtle, some not) to define, and I would add restrict, an awareness of reality to only that which can be measured and weighed, the response "And with your spirit." strikes a rather revolutionary and counter-cultural tone.

From the very beginnings of our worship this response on the part of the believing church state that we have a certain perspective on reality and that we do not buy into assumptions founded in the dictatorship of materialist thought. There is a spiritual dimension to life and all reality. "And with your spirit." is a liturgical profession of the Church in its belief in this spiritual dimension to reality and the human condition.

The Church's understanding of the "theological" virtues (faith, hope and love) is likewise a profession of this awareness of the spiritual dimension of the human condition. Where the four cardinal virtues (prudence, justice, fortitude and temperance) can be acquired and developed by human effort and will - although open to being elevated by divine grace (CCC # 1810); the theological virtues "relate directly to God." (CCC # 1813) Just as "And with your spirit." professes a belief in the spiritual dimension so does the designation of faith, hope and love as "theological" virtues profess an awareness of both the possibility and need of a lived relationship with God (who is spirit) necessary for a truly authentic and fulfilled life.

(The theological virtues) dispose Christians to live in a relationship with the Holy Trinity. They have the One and Triune God for their origin, motive and object. The theological virtues are the foundation of Christian moral activity; they animate it and give it its special character. They inform and give life to all the moral virtues. They are infused by God into the souls of the faithful to make them capable of acting as his children and of meriting eternal life. They are the pledge of the presence and action of the Holy Spirit in the faculties of the human being. (CCC # 1812-1813)

In the Christian understanding of these virtues as theological not only do we find that these virtues perfect and fulfill our individual lives and our interactions one with another and undergird the living of human community but these virtues dispose us to live in relationship with the Holy Trinity.

In forthcoming blog posts I will delve more deeply into each of the theological virtues. I would like to conclude this post with one thought for consideration. In the western world we are living in a time that is witnessing a growth in atheistic and agnostic thought. The reasons for this are many and varied I believe and space here will not allow for an adequate exploration of these reasons. Non-belief is now a valid option for many people. Some voices of non-belief are extremely anti-religion (I would even say "fundamentalistic" in their approach and thought) but not all are. The virtues in life and in society provide a place of encounter where cooler heads can meet and dialogue. We need to learn how to live together for the common good. Talking, if guided by honesty and respect, does not necessarily mean the selling out of ones core values. In the virtues we find a privileged place of encounter that can provide great benefit for all of society.

Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time (A) - the boldness of beauty

2011-11-13T11:28:00.001-05:00

In the beginning of her book An American Childhood Annie Dillard tells the story of watching a neighbor girl skate on the city street on a cold, Pittsburg winter night:

The night Jo Ann Sheehy skated on the street it was dark inside our house. We were having dinner in the dining room - my mother, my father, my sister Amy, who was two and I. There were lighted ivory candles on the table ... Now we sat in the dark dining room, hushed... Behind me, tall chilled windows gave out onto our narrow front yard and street. A motion must have caught my mother's eye; she rose and moved to the windows, and Father and I followed. There we saw the young girl, the transfigured Jo Ann Sheehy skating alone under the streetlight.

She was turning on ice skates inside the streetlight's yellow cone of light - illumined and silent. She tilted and spun. She wore a short skirt, as if Edgerton Avenue's asphalt had been the ice of an Olympic arena. She wore mittens and a red knitted cap below which her black hair lifted when she turned. Under her skates the street's packed snow shone; it illumined her from below, the cold light striking her under her chin.

I stood at the tall window, barely reaching the sill; the glass fogged before my face, so I had to keep moving or hold my breath. What was she doing out there? Was everything beautiful so bold?

Nelson Mandela once said: It is our light not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, "Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented?" Actually, who are you not to be. Playing small does not serve the will of God. We are born to make manifest the glory of God within us. It is not just within some of us, it is within everyone. The more we light our own light shine; the more we unconsciously give other people the permission to do the same.

In today's Gospel (Mt. 25:14:30) we are given the parable of the talents. The term "talent" in our Lord's day was used to denote a certain measurement of wealth. It is due to this very parable that the word "talent" has the meaning which we know today. In the parable, the master who is departing on a journey leaves a different sum of talents with three different servants. The first two servants double what was given them and are rewarded accordingly. The third servant (out of fear) buries the talent he is given and makes nothing. He is punished for his laziness.

So, we see this parable as an instruction about using the gifts, the talents that we have been given in life and not being fearful. It is also helpful to note where this parable falls within Matthew's gospel. It is in the section where Jesus is discussing the end times and it comes right before the section where Jesus sets the criteria for judgment of our lives. (The Gospel passage we will hear next Sunday.)

With the awareness of this context we see that the use of talents is not toward the goal of comfort in this life but toward the goal of the reign of God. This parable warns us that the servant preferred to hide his life in a hole, in an avaricious and egoistic tranquility ... Jesus unveils the ambiguity of one who contents himself with how things are, has no desire to change, no aspiration to transform life and, no ambition for a happier life for all. (Bishop Vincenzo Paglia)

The Kingdom of God begins with each one of us when we make the choice to not close ourselves off in our own self interest but make the bold choice for life and to help alleviate the sufferings of the other person. It is a choice that must begin within - the choice to begin changing our own hearts and the choice to bring the Gospel to our world and live the Gospel for our world.

"Does beauty have to be so bold?" wondered the young Annie Dillard. Yes, it does. We are each born to make manifest the glory of God within us.

Thirty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time (A) - Wisdom and the quest for laundry detergent

2011-11-06T12:16:00.000-05:00

This Sunday I would like to reflect on two images found in the readings: 1. the figure of Wisdom from the first reading (Wisdom 6:12-16) and 2. the wise and foolish virgins from the gospel (Mt. 25:1-13).

Specifically from the first reading there is this passage: "because (Wisdom) makes her own rounds, seeking those worthy of her, and graciously appears to them in their ways, and meets them with all solicitude." Often, and especially in the modern university setting, we approach knowledge and truth as something "out there" - to be attained, but primarilly passive. The facts are there to be arrived at. The truth can be known but we, on our part, have to go and get it. It is similar to going grocery shopping. The other day I realized that I was out of laundry detergent but I knew that there was laundry detergent "out there". Kroger has it. I went to the store, I found the right aisle (if it was a store I was unfamiliar with I might need to ask for guidance) and there was the detergent sitting passive on the shelf.

We often view truth in our modern understanding the same way but the biblical notion which we find expressed in the reading from the Book of Wisdom turns this assumption on its head. Yes, there is truth and knowledge "out there" to be acquired in life but also Wisdom "makes her own rounds, seeking those worthy of her..." God's wisdom is not passive, sitting on a shelf and waiting. Wisdom is active of its own accord. To force the above analogy, it is like the laundry jumping off the shelf, walking down the road and knocking on your front door. Wisdom seeks out. Wisdom graciously appears to us in our ways and meets us with all solicitude.

This understanding of the active nature of Wisdom casts a light on the parable of the wise and foolish virgins. It is worthy to note that both the wise and foolish virgins fall asleep while waiting for the bridegroom. This is not where the distinction between the two lies. For all people, "it is easy to rest on our old habits and certainties, it is easy to be overcome by the sweet slumber of self-love, it is easy to be overwhelmed by the weight of our own selfishness." All are asleep.

But then the cry comes announcing the groom's arrival! What is this cry? "It is the cry that arises from the far country of the poor, it is the cry that comes from the peoples at war; it is the cry of the lonely elders that ask for company," it is the cry of the one who is hurting and alone. "Upon hearing the cry, we jump awake, but if we do not have the extra oil on hand we find all the excuses for not responding."

It is the "extra oil" that distinguishes the wise from the foolish virgins. The extra oil is the Word of God as it has come to us and been received and treasured in our hearts and lives. "It reawakens us to love. If we do not have the Gospel in our heart then we will not know how to respond to the cry of the poor or how to live a meaningful life."

Our world stands in need of lives enlightened by Wisdom and by the Word of God - which are active and which seek out hearts that are open and receptive.

Yes, there is wisdom out there to be acquired but sometimes wisdom comes knocking at our own door.
(Quotes referenced are taken from a reflection by Bishop Vincenzo Paglia)

Virtues Matter - Moral reasoning

2011-11-05T21:57:00.000-04:00

“The truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it.” (Flannery O’Connor)

Before launching into the theological virtues in our continuing reflection on the role and necessity of virtue in a life well lived, I thought it might be worthwhile to share some thoughts on the status of moral reasoning in our times. After all, this is the context in which we live and the context in which we have to exercise the very virtues which we have been reflecting upon.

Specifically, I would like to share some quotes and insights from the book, Lost in Transition. (I have found his book to be very enlightening as well as extremely sobering.) Lost in Transition is the end result of an extensive multi-year sociological survey conducted of current eighteen to twenty-five year old men and women (aka “emerging adults”). It is very solid in its research and its approach.

One of the areas that the book explores is the moral reasoning capabilities of the age range surveyed. These capabilities, the authors found, are minimal to practically non-existent. The authors stress that this lack of moral reasoning capabilities is not so much a reflection on the generation surveyed as it is a reflection of the failure of previous generations to teach and instruct. (Quotes below are taken from Lost in Transition.)

“But for the moment our point is simply this: the adult world of American culture and society is failing very many of its youth when it comes to moral matters. We are letting them down, sending many, and probably most, of them out into the world without the basic intellectual tools and basic personal formation needed to think and express even the most elementary of reasonably defensible moral thoughts and claims. And that itself, we think, is morally wrong … Colleges and universities appear to be playing a part in this failure as well.”

In relation to our focus on the virtues there is a specific conclusion supported by the research that I believe to be extremely relevant. “Central to many of the confusions in emerging adult moral reasoning is the inability to distinguish between objectively real moral truths or facts and people’s human perceptions or understandings of those moral truths or facts. The error of not distinguishing these two things is this: the realities themselves are confused with, and therefore dependent upon, people’s cognitive grasp of them. What actually exists is conflated into what is believed to exist. But those are different things that must be kept separate. For example, the moral truth that human slavery is a categorical moral evil stands true whether or not people understand and believe it...”

“They (emerging adults) think that people believing something to be morally true is what makes it morally true. They assume that if some cultures believe different things about morality, then there is not a moral truth at all. These mentalities naturally lead to moral skepticism, subjectivism, relativism, and, ultimately, nihilism. Are we surprised then that these are precisely the directions in which we see many emerging adults today actually heading?”

Finally, a prophetic word of warning: “We think that fact is neither new to the world nor the end of the world. However, we also do not believe that the moral orders and experiences of societies remain constant throughout history. Things can definitely get morally better or worse. And the difference between better and worse can matter profoundly for the potential flourishing of human life in those societies.”

The thoughts expressed are indeed sobering and I highly recommend the book to anyone working with youth and/or young adults or anyone just generally interested in understanding the moral climate of our times.

There are two points that I think are worthy of consideration here: 1. the confusion that just believing something to be morally true is what makes it true and 2. the realization that a “good” moral atmosphere in society is not necessarily a given – things can get morally better or worse and this does have profound effects in regards to human flourishing.

Both points, I believe, are based in an almost criminally negligent naivety regarding reality that when pressed and examined collapses like a house of cards. If truth were limited to what I and some others might “believe” (i.e. moral relativism or moral individualism) then we would indeed be in a very sad state of affairs. Part of developing the capacity of moral reason is not to deny the foundational reality of truth but to learn how to discern when truth is being upheld and when it is being betrayed, even by those who might profess a unique knowledge of what is true (i.e. the 9/11 terrorists or church officials and political leaders who cause scandal). It is not that there is no foundational reality to truth; it is that truth can be betrayed. Moral reasoning both demands a distinguishing of the two and, when rightly developed and exercised, provides the tools and skills needed to make the distinction.

There is a moral climate in which we live and it should not be considered a given that this climate will always be conducive to human flourishing. Also, ensuring that the climate does support human flourishing takes both work and continual vigilance. I want to note that the authors of Lost in Transition do not propose a certain set of beliefs in this regard but they do say that the ability to reason well, to both know and formulate one’s own thoughts, to show respect and to be able to enunciate ones beliefs well is of key importance in the work of ensuring a climate where human flourishing can be achieved. This precisely is what is both lacking and not being passed on to our emerging adults. Theirs is a generation that has grown up in a silent void when it comes to matters of moral reasoning and truthfully expressing deep belief; again, not to their fault but to that of the preceding generations.

Knowing and practicing the virtues (both cardinal and theological) is one way, I believe, of developing the discipline and skill of moral reasoning and overcoming the silent void of moral indifference that truly wounds and limits even as it professes an “enlightened” neutrality.

Feast of All Souls

2011-11-02T07:53:00.000-04:00

Taken from the Office of Readings for the Feast of all Souls:

St Ambrose, a book on the death of his brother Satyrus

We see that death is gain, life is loss. Paul says: For me life is Christ, and death a gain. What does “Christ” mean but to die in the body, and receive the breath of life? Let us then die with Christ, to live with Christ. We should have a daily familiarity with death, a daily desire for death. By this kind of detachment our soul must learn to free itself from the desires of the body. It must soar above earthly lusts to a place where they cannot come near, to hold it fast. It must take on the likeness of death, to avoid the punishment of death. The law of our fallen nature is at war with the law of our reason and subjects the law of reason to the law of error. What is the remedy? Who will set me free from this body of death? The grace of God, through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

We have a doctor to heal us; let us use the remedy he prescribes. The remedy is the grace of Christ, the dead body our own. Let us then be exiles from our body, so as not to be exiles from Christ. Though we are still in the body, let us not give ourselves to the things of the body. We must not reject the natural rights of the body, but we must desire before all else the gifts of grace.

What more need be said? It was by the death of one man that the world was redeemed. Christ did not need to die if he did not want to, but he did not look on death as something to be despised, something to be avoided, and he could have found no better means to save us than by dying. Thus his death is life for all. We are sealed with the sign of his death; when we pray we preach his death; when we offer sacrifice we proclaim his death. His death is victory; his death is a sacred sign; each year his death is celebrated with solemnity by the whole world.

What more should we say about his death since we use this divine example to prove that it was death alone that won freedom from death, and death itself was its own redeemer? Death is then no cause for mourning, for it is the cause of mankind’s salvation. Death is not something to be avoided, for the Son of God did not think it beneath his dignity, nor did he seek to escape it.

Death was not part of nature; it became part of nature. God did not decree death from the beginning; he prescribed it as a remedy. Human life was condemned because of sin to unremitting labour and unbearable sorrow and so began to experience the burden of wretchedness. There had to be a limit to its evils; death had to restore what life had forfeited. Without the assistance of grace, immortality is more of a burden than a blessing.

The soul has to turn away from the aimless paths of this life, from the defilement of an earthly body; it must reach out to those assemblies in heaven (though it is given only to the saints to be admitted to them) to sing the praises of God. We learn from Scripture how God’s praise is sung to the music of the harp: Great and wonderful are your deeds, Lord God Almighty; just and true are your ways, King of the nations. Who will not revere and glorify your nature? You alone are holy; all nations will come and worship before you. The soul must also desire to witness your nuptials, Jesus, and to see your bride escorted from earthly to heavenly realities, as all rejoice and sing: All flesh will come before you. No longer will the bride be held in subjection to this passing world but will be made one with the spirit.

Above all else, holy David prayed that he might see and gaze on this: One thing I have asked of the Lord, this I shall pray for: to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, and to see how gracious is the Lord.

Thirty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time (A) - Big, Big, Big ... small.

2011-10-29T11:05:00.001-04:00

The mustard seed

There is a TV commercial out currently for one of these small, fuel efficient cars that is quite good. The commercial begins with an executive in a board room saying "Big". Then all those around the table begin to repeat "Big, Big, Big." The next scene is a news anchor reporting, "Big, Big." Then we are in Hollywood and on the stage is a singer belting out: "Big, Big, Bi-i-i-g!" All the wheels of the machine are turning in unison proclaiming "BIG"! Then the scene shifts to an office worker making copies at a machine and as he looks out the window this small car drives by and he says, "small". Things stop. And a new chorus begins, "small, small, small."

This dynamic can be found in today's gospel reading (Mt. 23:1-12). The wheels of the machine in the Israel of Jesus' day are turning. The chorus may not be saying "Big" per se but it is certainly humming "widen the phylacteries", "lengthen the tassels", "seats of honor", "greetings", "rabbi". The noise is almost deafening (and crushing). Jesus hears it. And Jesus says, "Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted."

The import of what our Lord does here is brought out when we look at what follows today's gospel passage. In the remaining verses of chapter 23 Jesus list a whole series of "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!" In chapter 24, Jesus talks about the end of days. Then in chapter 25 our Lord gives images of the Kingdom of Heaven and the final judgment. And in the third and fourth verses of chapter 26 we read; "Then the chief priests and the elders of the people gathered in the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, and took counsel together in order to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him."

The words are indeed radical and revolutionary. "Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted."

But we like "Big"; how might we come to recognize the beauty and the wisdom of "small", of "humble"?

In his second volume of Jesus of Nazareth, Pope Benedict XVI makes a striking observation. As Christians we proclaim and we know the magnitude of the resurrection of Christ. We know that it is the defining point of all human history but the Holy Father writes this about the resurrection:

"Throughout the history of the living, the origins of anything new have always been small, practically invisible, and easily overlooked.  The Lord himself has told us that 'heaven' in this world is like a mustard seed, the smallest of all the seeds (Mt. 13:31-32), yet contained within it are the infinite potentialities of God. In terms of world history, Jesus' Resurrection is improbable; it is the smallest mustard seed of history."

Big, Big, Big ... small.

In Church circles today there is much talk about the "new evangelization". A vision given to the Church in this new millennium by Blessed John Paul II. There are many grand visions of how this evangelization might look and take shape (and these might very well come to pass). But maybe the first part of this "new evangelization" at the threshold of this new millennium is to both recognize the mustard seeds, the improbable moments, of the Resurrection that are occurring around us and also help to plant and encourage these mustard seeds. As Pope Benedict reminds us, "the origins of anything new have always been small, practically invisible, and easily overlooked."

And, individually, in our lives the way to cultivate the truth and the grace of the Resurrection is to cultivate the improbable mustard seed of humility. To be willing in the face of "Big" to say "small" and to live the wisdom of humility.

"Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted."

Virtues Matter - Temperance

2011-10-28T15:04:00.000-04:00

In the Hebraic thought in which the writings of Old Testament were written the heart was viewed as the center of knowledge and willing and not as the center of romantic love as we tend to envisage it today. This distinction can help us in realizing the true import of the scriptural motif of “creating a new heart” as found, for example, in this passage taken from the Book of the prophet Jeremiah:

“See, days are coming—oracle of the Lord—when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors the day I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt. They broke my covenant, though I was their master—oracle of the Lord. But this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days—oracle of the Lord. I will place my law within them, and write it upon their hearts; I will be their God, and they shall be my people. They will no longer teach their friends and relatives, “Know the Lord!” Everyone, from least to greatest, shall know me—oracle of the Lord—for I will forgive their iniquity and no longer remember their sin.” (Jeremiah 31: 31-34)

To have a heart transformed by the Lord is to have the center of our willing and our knowledge (i.e. our choices and our actions) transformed by an awareness of the presence of God. If the conversion of our hearts is true then how we act and how we live in the world and with one another must be affected and purified.

Temperance is a virtue not readily understood nor applauded in our day and time. Over and over again we hear the message of: “live life to the full!”, “Do what you want.” and if something is to have any true worth and merit then it must be “extreme”. Where does temperance fit it with this? Temperance, it seems to me, neither automatically condemns nor condones the possibilities that life puts before us.

Temperance is the moral virtue that moderates the attraction of pleasures and provides balance in the use of created goods. It ensures the will's mastery over instincts and keeps desires within the limits of what is honorable. The temperate person directs the sensitive appetites toward what is good and maintains a healthy discretion: "Do not follow your inclination and strength, walking according to the desires of your heart." (Sir. 5:2) Temperance is often praised in the Old Testament: "Do not follow your base desires, but restrain your appetites."(Sir. 18:30) In the New Testament it is called "moderation" or "sobriety." We ought "to live sober, upright, and godly lives in this world.” (Titus 2:12) (CCC #1809)

Temperance is not opposed to desire but it does say that we are more than our desires and this is a recognition that seems to be sorely lacking in our current social climate. Despite all its protestations to the contrary; a “desire only” approach to life denies the true dignity and capability of the individual. We are more than our desires whether they happen to be desires of attraction or desires of repulsion.

Here, I would like to suggest a historical figure for consideration whom, I believe, stands as a model for temperance (but maybe not in the way we would think). Before his conversion the young St. Francis was a well kept and in many ways self-absorbed young man, the son of a rich merchant. It is said that Francis had a strong aversion to lepers. He was repulsed by them and this “desire” controlled his reactions and encounters with lepers. He would do all he could to avoid encountering any leper at any time. After some sobering experiences in life and as the possibility of a life of service to the gospel began to grow in Francis he realized that the desires of his life were holding him back. He knew he had to gain mastery over his self in order to continue on the spiritual journey but he was at a loss on how to do this. Out riding one day, Francis met a leper on the road whose soars were so loathsome that the young man was horrified. Every “desire” in Francis at that moment was of revulsion and told him to avoid the leper at all costs. But, Francis did the exact opposite. He dismounted from his horse and he kissed the leper.

Temperance “ensures the will's mastery over instincts and keeps desires within the limits of what is honorable.” (CCC # 1809)

Whether they be desires of attraction or desires of repulsion; the virtue of temperance enables us to live lives that show deep respect for the other person and to strive for what is honorable and good. When so much in his being was telling Francis to run he showed great respect to the leper and chose to act in such a way as to keep his desire (of repulsion in this instance) within the limit of what was honorable. To have avoided the leper would have been the dishonorable thing to do.

The virtue of temperance not only enables us to strive for what is honorable but says we are capable of achieving what is honorable and just and good in the situations of life.

The virtues will not allow us to sell neither ourselves nor one another short.

The temperate person directs the sensitive appetites toward what is good and maintains a healthy discretion: "Do not follow your inclination and strength, walking according to the desires of your heart." (Sir. 5:2) (CCC #1809)

"Pilgrims of Truth, Pilgrims of Peace" - Assisi III, Day of Prayer for Peace

2011-10-26T22:24:00.000-04:00

On Thursday, October 27th leaders of the world's religions will gather at the invitation of Pope Benedict XVI in Assisi, Italy to reflect on and dialogue about peace. The gathering marks the 25th anniversary of the original gathering which was the vision of Blessed John Paul II.

Below is a link to a video clip of an interview with Cardinal Roger Etchegaray who was instrumental in planning the original gathering.

His observation that true dialogue consists in being more than cordial and polite when meeting a person of another faith is worthy of reflection. Dialogue demands more than just a naive "coexist" philosophy.

Also, his warning of the effect of what might happen if Christianity were to disappear from the world scene is an important point to ponder. Christianity proclaims that "God is love" and that mercy and forgiveness are possible. If that were to disappear where would we be left? We need to think twice about the "brave new worlds" we often want to create.

Here is the link for the video clip with Cardinal Etchegaray: "http://www.youtube.com/embed/ej3GGZvJXvI"

Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Love pure and simple

2011-10-22T23:21:00.002-04:00

In his book The Devil You Don't Know, Fr. Louis Cameli makes the important observation that as Christians we believe that not only has God made all creation from nothing (ex nihilo) but also from love and now, through Christ, God is summoning all creation back to the fullness of love. Where the omnipotence of God is revealed in creation from nothing; the heart of God is made known in creation from and for love. In Christ, we encounter God as love and we learn that the dynamic of true and authentic love stands at the very foundation of all creation and even the Creator himself.

With this awareness, the answer of our Lord to the question of the Pharisees' "which commandment in the law is the greatest?" takes an added meaning. "You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: you shall love your neighbor as yourself." (Mt. 22:35-37)

One does not necessarily have to be a person of faith in order to love others as you yourself. In fact, this ethical imperative can be a point of encounter and dialogue between people of faith and atheists and agnostics.

This coming week Pope Benedict will continue a tradition begun by Blessed John Paul II in gathering leaders of the world's religions in Assisi, Italy to discuss and dialogue about peace. For the first time (and this is upon Pope Benedict's insistence) a group of non-believers (atheist and agnostic writers and philosophers) have also been invited to this gathering. The Holy Father knows that the imperative of loving ones neighbor as oneself is a privileged point of encounter between all peoples of faith as well as people of faith and those who profess no faith.

In the command of loving ones neighbor we do indeed have a privileged place of encounter which we share with others but as Christians we also must recognize that our love of neighbor has its foundation in a deeper reality than just the social contract. The greatest and first commandment for us is that we shall love the Lord, our God, with all our heart, soul and mind. Our love of neighbor is rooted in our love for God and as we learn in Scripture it is not that we have first loved God; it is that God has first loved us.

The two great commandments given us by Christ are not just something we do but foundational truths of who God is and who we are as made in God's image. We are created from love and we are being brought back into the fullness of love by God's grace.

When we love God and love our neighbor we are about more than just an external action; by loving our neighbor we are being formed into the very truth of who we are meant to be and the truth of all creation.

"This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it..."

Virtues Matter - Fortitude

2011-10-20T14:04:00.000-04:00

Fortitude is the moral virtue that ensures firmness in difficulties and constancy in the pursuit of the good. It strengthens the resolve to resist temptations and to overcome obstacles in the moral life. The virtue of fortitude enables one to conquer fear, even fear of death, and to face trials and persecutions. It disposes one even to renounce and sacrifice his or her life in defense of a just cause. (CCC # 1808)

On the front steps of the New York City Public Library sits two massive stone lions – one of which is named “Fortitude” and the other “Patience”. The strength and resolve of the lion is an apt symbol for this cardinal virtue but I have learned that the “resolve of a lion” can come in many shapes and sizes. Fortitude can just as easily be witnessed in the tiny figure of a Bl. Teresa of Calcutta as it can in the steely determination of a Winston Churchill. The common element to each figure is that both had backbone and (come what may) each lived his or her life by what he or she knew to be true, just and right.

The first line of the Catechism’s description of this virtue is worthy of added consideration. Fortitude is the moral virtue that ensures firmness in difficulties and constancy in the pursuit of the good. From this I would argue that fortitude can only be found and achieved in life when there is an awareness of acknowledgement of an objective “good”. The “good” calls forth fortitude. The relativistic thrust of our times cannot promote the virtue of fortitude because there is no “good” to pursue. Everything is relative. So, the best we can hope to achieve is a shallow “live and let live” philosophy that really goes nowhere and ultimately does not satisfy the longing of the human heart.

But the tenor of the times we have inherited does not have to be our choice.

Within fortitude is an awareness of our origin and worth and also a goal to strive for and achieve – both a beginning and an end. The awareness may be expressed in specific religious terminology or in universal ethical principles. The awareness states that there is a dignity and worth to the human person and that choices – individual or collective as a society – either uphold and acknowledge this dignity and worth or deny and degrade this dignity and worth and, yes, there are some things worth fighting and sacrificing for.

Fortitude’s close connection to patience also demonstrates that there are complex realities to be weighed, balanced and judged in the pursuit of the good. An awareness of “the good” does not by necessity only lead to an extreme fanaticism that denies the worth of all else. (This, I would argue is in fact a sin against the good.) Both Bl. Teresa and Churchill faced extremely complicated realities in their pursuit of the good and both demonstrate that the true fortitude and patience of a lion is found in the willingness to navigate, search for and choose the good in a maze of complicated and sometimes competing realities.

The brazen arrogance of fanaticism has nothing in common with the discerning virtue of fortitude.

When I work with a man who is considering the possibility of a call to priesthood I encourage him to be attentive to what brings him joy in life. Where happiness can be fleeting; joy is a deep rooted contentment and fulfillment that can be present and known even in the midst of struggle, isolation and persecution. Joy (which cannot be contrived on our part) is the surest indicator of the presence of God. This depth of joy even in the midst of struggle links it closely with fortitude.

If you want to know joy in life then develop the virtue of fortitude that pursues the true good.

As all lions know; there is a thrill in the hunt!

Twenty-Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time - the face of the other

2011-10-14T11:58:00.002-04:00

In the movie Juno there is a scene where the very apparently pregnant Juno - a teenage girl who has decided to give birth to her child and give the infant up for adoption - says to her boyfriend and father of the child, "When you look at me you don't stare at my belly, rather you look at my face." Juno makes a powerful statement here I believe. To "look into the face" of another person is to acknowledge the dignity and worth of the person, no matter the circumstances or the situation. It is to recognize the image and likeness of God in the other person.

In this Sunday's Gospel (Mt. 22:15-21), the ones who come to Jesus do not approach with pure motives rather they are seeking to trap him with his own words. They are hoping to put him in a bind of seeming to either side with the Roman occupiers over and against the Jewish people or with the people in rebellion toward the occupiers. "Is it lawful to pay the census tax or not?" But Jesus avoids the trap being set by responding with a question of his own. "Show me the coin ... Whose image is on the coin?" "Caesar's," they answer. "Then repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God." But more than being just a deft answer to a sticky situation our Lord, in this passage, gives us a fundamental truth that is worthy of reflection.

If it is the fact of Caesar's image being imprinted on the coin that proves ownership; then what image do we bear and to whom do we belong and to whom do we owe ultimate allegiance? "So God created man in his image; in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them." (Gen. 1:27).

"Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God." To acknowledge whose image we bear means both to acknowledge to whom we owe all and to repay to him what is owed. How might we repay to God what is owed? Here, is where Juno helps us. When we look nowhere else but in the face of the other person (and our own face at times) - despite the circumstance or the situation which sometimes even hides and seemingly disfigures - and acknowledge the dignity and worth which is there then we are repaying to God that which is owed.

I once heard someone say that if you want to do something good for a parent (to give a gift that would truly touch the parent's heart) then do something good for that parent's child. We are all children of God.

God smiles when we are able to look in the face of one another.

Virtues Matter - Justice

2011-10-11T14:24:00.000-04:00

Before moving into the reflection on the virtue of justice I would like to share a quote I just came across regarding judgment. Since the previous reflection was on the virtue of prudence which entails the exercise of judgment in life I thought this quote quite relevant and also well-written. It is taken from the book Lost in Transition by Christian Smith, Kari Christoffersen, Hilary Davidson and Patricia Snell Herzog.

When it comes to moral matters, many Americans hear the words “to judge” or “judging” in the very negative sense of condemning, castigating, disparaging, or executing. To judge is this sense is to be self-righteously superior, hypercritical, and judgmental. And that itself seems morally wrong – we think it is wrong, in fact. Some may even call to mind the command of Jesus Christ, “Do not judge lest you be judged” (Matthew 7:1). But “to judge,” of course, also has other important meanings. It can mean to assess, discern, estimate, appraise, weigh, evaluate, and critique. All of that can be done with great humility, openness, reciprocity, care, and even love for the idea of the person being judged. Judging in this sense need not be self-righteous, condemning, triumphalist, or destructive. But making moral judgments in this second sense seems almost inconceivable to most emerging adults today…

But inconceivable does not mean impossible and it is a fair question to ask why does making moral judgments in this latter sense “seem” inconceivable and is that a true estimation? I would contend that it is not. Judgment does not have to necessarily imply judgmentalism and judgment is required to successfully navigate life.

Now, on to the virtue of justice… It is helpful to note that the cardinal virtues of prudence, justice, fortitude and temperance are human virtues that are open to being refined by grace. In being human virtues they are acquired and strengthened by human effort and they are the “fruit and the seed of morally good acts” (CCC #1804). One does not have to be a person of faith in order to have a developed understanding of the cardinal virtues and to live a life guided by prudence, justice, fortitude and temperance.

Where prudence is the virtue that “disposes practical reason to discern our true good in every circumstance” (CCC #1806), justice is the virtue that directs our will into proper action. Once, we have figured out the good to do then, in justice, we are called to do it. This applies both to those daily mundane situations of our lives as well as the extraordinary events that we may experience and that can potentially greatly shape our lives. But, it is important to note here an important aspect of living the virtues: it is those daily, mundane choices for virtue that strengthen our will to be ready to make the choice for the good when the moment is critical and urgent. In faith, we believe that yes, all things are possible with God’s grace; but it is unlikely that one who has not practiced the virtues continuously will have the moral fortitude to do “the right thing” when the stakes are high. God’s grace cooperates with our free will, it does not overwhelm it.

It is because of this continuous nature of living the virtues, that the Catechism of the Catholic Church is comfortable in stating, “The just man (or woman), often mentioned in the Sacred Scriptures, is distinguished by habitual right thinking and the uprightness of his (her) conduct toward his (her) neighbor.” (CCC # 1807) The word “habitual” is a key marker in this understanding of the just person and, I believe, it agrees with our own experience. We would not call someone just who is good one day or in one situation and not good the next day or in another situation. Virtue implies consistency.

The virtue of justice challenges us to continuous right thinking and uprightness in conduct. By doing so it also implies that this continuous nature is, indeed, possible to achieve in life and it also aids in determining the lack of justice when it is present. For example, when you hear someone talking negatively about another person or disparaging another person or even group of people, is it not normal to wonder what the person says about you when you are not around? We immediately recognize the inconsistency and would not define this person as a just person but this assessed recognition is possible only because the just life (by which we measure, evaluate and contrast this inconsistency) is possible. There are just men and women and if one were to ask why they are said to be just, I think we might be hard-pressed to point to just one specific instance.

A just life does not fall neatly into a thirty minute TV sitcom, five minute YouTube video or a short sound bite. A just life is demonstrated and achieved only over time and in various circumstances, but it is recognizable when present and when it is authentic it speaks volumes.

Justice is the moral virtue that consists in the constant and firm will to give their due to God and neighbor. Justice toward God is called the “virtue of religion.” Justice toward men disposes one to respect the rights of each and to establish in human relationships the harmony that promotes equity with regard to persons and to the common good. (CCC # 1807)

Twenty-Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time (A) - Mirroring Christ

2011-10-07T17:36:00.000-04:00

I call it “mirroring” and I truly enjoy it when I see it. There might be a more technical term for the occurrence in behavioral science but I am not aware of it. It is when a child (young, teenager, older, even adult) does something that exactly mirrors what his or her parents do. It is usually something unconscious, we are not even often aware of it – a tilt of the head, a movement of the hands to emphasize something, a particular face that is made. I just saw mirroring not that long ago in a sacristy. Two young ladies were talking before Mass and one of them moved her head and arms in such a motion that as soon as I saw it I thought, “That is her mom. That is exactly what her mother does.”

Sometimes we even catch ourselves mirroring our parents and, believe me, that is a reality check. (Maybe we are more like mom and dad than we care to admit.)

I think it is fascinating. It points out how much we truly are connected and how much we do influence one another – in ways we do not often even think about. Yet, at the same time we are unique and different. And the mirroring does not deny the uniqueness, in fact our uniqueness enables the mirroring. The daughter in the sacristy was not pretending to be her mother. She was not consciously imitating her mother. She was just being herself and it was in that very uniqueness that she mirrored her mother.

I think that we can apply this to the life of faith. One of the greatest treasures we have in our Christian faith is the communion of saints and these men and women are all across the board. There is St. Louis – a king, Francis who embraced poverty and powerlessness, Joan of Arc who led armies, Maximillian who laid down his life in a concentration camp, Catherine who took a Pope to task, the Ugandan martyrs – to name a few. All races and languages. All personalities and temperaments. Each one completely unique and yet each one fully mirroring Christ in his or her life. To mirror – to be a saint as we are all called to be – does not deny uniqueness in fact it facilitates uniqueness. Discipleship is not about conforming ourselves to some sort of cookie cutter image of who we are not. Discipleship is about mirroring Christ in our very uniqueness which is made possible by the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. The more we live in the Holy Spirit – the more our uniqueness is made present and the more we mirror Christ.

I wonder if this is a work at the end of this Sunday's parable (Mt. 22: 1-14)? It seems so odd that the king tosses this man out of the banquet who had just been invited in off the street because he was not wearing the right clothes. The question of the king is key, “My friend, how is it that you came in here without a wedding garment?” The words are “a wedding garment” – something that is particular and unique to the individual. Not Francis’ garment, not Joan’s, not Maximillian’s, not our parents’, not anyone else’s – only our own.

The man came along for the ride to the banquet but he had no desire to truly know the king – so he had no wedding garment of his own. The uniqueness of his own lived faith, his particular mirroring of Christ, was lacking. All the man could do in response to the king’s questioning was be “reduced to silence.”

The saints, each in his or her own unique “wedding garment”, have preceded us and invite us to the wedding banquet. The question is, “What will our wedding garment be?” Discipleship is about mirroring Christ in our very uniqueness.

Virtues Matter - Prudence

2011-10-05T07:39:00.000-04:00

It is helpful, I think, to go back to the root meaning of the word “virtue”. As noted in the introductory reflection the word “virtue” has its root in the Latin word “virtus” meaning “strength” or “force”. Over time virtue has been used to connote a variety of different ideas and attitudes and it is helpful to move past these to the word’s original meaning and purpose. Virtue is not something to be laughed at or belittled. It is an active force and a demanding discipline that, when developed and fostered, can truly guide life and even lead one to achieve remarkable things in life.

Here is what the Catechism of the Catholic Church has to say about virtue, "A virtue is a habitual and firm disposition to do the good. It allows the person not only to perform good acts, but to give the best of him or herself. The virtuous person tends toward the good with all his or her sensory and spiritual powers; the virtuous person pursues the good and chooses it in concrete actions." (CCC #1803)

This is not milk toast, nor is it a wimpy passivism and neither is virtue a Victorian or sexually repressed hang-up. Virtue allows one to achieve the best of him or herself. Virtue will not allow a person to sell himself or herself short precisely because virtue is rooted in an awareness of the true dignity of the human person. It is out of this awareness that judgments are made as to what is for the good and what is not.

Some voices would say that one should not judge and would even (incorrectly, I would add) quote Scripture as proof, “Judge not, lest you be judged.” This attitude is a copout rooted in moral sloth. We make judgments everyday. Society and our individual lives would come to a grinding halt if judgments ceased being made. Part of the discipline of virtue is not to cease making judgments but to determine and acknowledge what is within ones individual purview to judge and what is not and what is within society’s purview to judge and what is not. I cannot see within the soul of another (only God can) so I cannot judge what is within another person. But we can (individually and as a society) see actions and their consequences and therefore we do have the right to make judgments on actions. Therefore, we can make judgments and decisions that actually pursue the good in our everyday experiences and we can choose the good in concrete actions and circumstances.

This is where prudence (often referred to as the auriga virtutum – the charioteer of the virtues) comes in.

"Prudence is the virtue the disposes practical reason to discern our true good in every circumstance and to choose the right means of achieving it; ‘the prudent man looks where he is going.’ (Prov. 14:15) … Prudence is ‘right reason in action,’ writes St. Thomas Aquinas, following Aristotle. It is not to be confused with timidity or fear, nor with duplicity or dissimulation. It is called (the charioteer of the virtues) because it guides the other virtues by setting rule and measure. It is prudence that immediately guides the judgment of conscience. The prudent man (or woman) determines and directs his or her conduct in accordance with this judgment. With the help of this virtue we apply moral principles to particular cases without error and overcome doubts about the good to achieve and the evil to avoid." (CCC # 1806)

Despite what some might say, to make a prudential judgment and choose the good in a situation is not a form of unhealthy repression. In fact, the exact opposite is the case. Prudential judgment witnesses to a robust moral and psycho-social health. Prudential judgment also gives witness to the ability to see through the common illusion of ones self being the center of all existence. We live in communion with others and our actions have an effect on others – either to build up or to tear down. The virtue of prudence demonstrates both an awareness of and a deep respect for the other person. Prudence means that, if need be, I can curtail my own need or desire in order to promote and safeguard the good of the other person. Because of this, prudence also demonstrates a mastery over ones own inner impulses rather than our being controlled by our desires. (Part of being a charioteer is to be the one who directs, controls and guides the energy of the horses rather than the horses having control.)

Prudence grounds itself in an advanced and mature understanding of the human person being more than just his or her desires and impulses and an awareness of the greater context in which we live – that we live in communion with other persons. One way, I believe, to develop the virtue of prudence in ones life is to keep in the forefront of ones own mind both the reality of ones own dignity and also the dignity of every other person. Through this dual awareness the prudent man or woman gains the ability (as Proverb 14:15 states), “to look where he (or she) is going”, make a reasoned judgment and determine a course of action rather than letting the circumstance and/or impulses of the moment dictate what to do.

Through the exercise of prudence and all that forms its foundation it is possible to achieve the beauty and authenticity of a life will lived.

Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time (A): Desire and Fear

2011-10-01T10:57:00.000-04:00

St. Augustine of Hippo

St. Augustine once remarked that there are "two things in human beings from which all sins spring: desire and fear." He then goes on to note, "Suppose a reward is offered to you to induce you to sin, something you find very attractive; you commit the sin for the sake of what you desire. Or perhaps you are not seduced by bribes, but are intimidated by threats; then you do it because of something you fear." (Exposition on Psalm 79) If we take a moment to honestly reflect on our own motives and actions I think we can readily recognize the truth found in Augustine's observations on the dynamic of sin.
This awareness of the dynamic of desire as one of the primary motives of sin is expressed by our Lord in this Sunday's gospel parable (Mt. 21:33-43). It is found in the attitudes and actions of the tenants. The tenants continue to mistreat and even kill the servants that the landowner sends to them. But it is when the landowner sends his son that the dynamic of disordered desire present in their hearts is truly revealed for all to see. "This is the heir," they say, "Come, let us kill him and acquire his inheritance." They are so caught up in their disordered desire that they are blind to reason. What murderer could ever hope to rightfully gain the inheritance of the murdered victim? It is their inflamed desire for the inheritance that has led them into this great sin.

The paradox found when we hold this parable in relation to the whole Gospel proclamation is that the disordered desires of the human heart are indeed laid bare when the Son is sent to precisely break the cycle of desire and fear in which we are lost. And it is broken despite our very selves. "Come, let us kill him and acquire his inheritance." In Christ, this is exactly what has happened but we do not steal away the inheritance as the tenants sought to do. In the love of God, the inheritance not deserved is plentifully given! In Christ, the only rightful heir, we gain that inheritance which also makes of us sons and daughters. This is what God has done and it is a wonder to behold!

The infinite love of God breaks and transforms the cycle of fear and desire by himself becoming the one saving victim of that sad cycle. Where once desire and fear led only into sin; it now - through love of God and fear of God - motivates one toward the good. So, Paul can write confidently in his letter to the Philippians, "Finally, brother and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Keep on doing what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me. Then the God of peace will be with you." (Philippians 4:7-9)

"...think about these things."

"So then, my brothers and sisters," writes Augustine, "love and fear lead us to every right action, and love and fear lead us to every sin." Desire is not bad in and of itself. In fact it can be a great good and a path to holiness. The key distinction is found in the motivation of the heart and if we are trusting enough to lay our hearts and our desire open to the work of healing grace.

Virtues Matter

2011-09-30T15:45:00.001-04:00

I try, at least once a week, to be present on the university campus on which I serve as the Newman Center chaplain. I do this for a variety of reasons. When I am on campus I will often have someone approach me with a question about the Catholic Church or interested in the Catholic Center. I use my time walking from building to building posting flyers to pray for the university and all its members. I enjoy running into Catholics on campus and I get to check out all the flyers of the different groups on campus and get a sense of what is going on.

In reading the flyers I have learned that there is a lot of verbiage shared on the college campus about rights and freedoms (which is certainly fine and appropriate) but not so much about responsibilities.

This has left me wondering because we grow in full maturity as human persons not just through the exercise of our rights and freedoms but also through the living of responsibilities and commitments. The truth is that an over-focus on one side without an awareness of the other side leaves the human person stunted in his or her moral development and ultimately frustrated; precisely because we are not achieving that which we are meant to achieve – full personhood.

Because of this I have decided to spend time this semester reflecting and writing on responsibility and commitment in human life and sharing these reflections through the Catholic Center facebook group and website and my own blog site.

I share these thoughts because I truly believe that our responsibilities and commitments matter and that to pretend that they do not or to negate through silence is, in fact, a great disservice.

A good way, I believe, to approach this issue of responsibility and commitment in human life is to explore what we mean by the term “virtue” – what it is, where it comes from, and how we develop it in our lives.

So, what is “virtue”? The word “virtue” has its root in a Latin word meaning “force”. Virtue can be defined as a practiced and developed, “habit of good behavior which enables us to do what is right with increasing ease, joy and consistency, in response to God’s offer of and invitation to covenant love” (The Modern Catholic Encyclopedia).

There are three components to this short definition that I believe are worthy of reflection and consideration. First, virtue is a “habit of good behavior”. We must be involved in the process and our choices do have consequences. No one is going to get stronger physically by just thinking about it. To get stronger and healthier physically, a person needs to develop the habit of exercise and appropriate rest and also that of right eating. It is the same dynamic in the moral life; exercising the virtues are the means by which we grow morally. Second, virtues “enable us to do what is right with increasing ease, joy and consistency”. There is a basic law of physics which states that a body at rest remains at rest and a body in motion remains in motion. The effects of the practice of the virtues and good choices are not confined only to the moment in which they occur but strengthen us also for the “next moment” or the choice that awaits us in the future (a choice which may have truly serious ramifications for our lives). Third, virtues are lived “in response to God’s offer of and invitation to covenant love”. God’s grace is present and it is important for us to recognize this. God is involved in the equation of life and how we live. It is important to remember that we do not have to “go it alone”. God is present. Even when we stumble (which we all do, hence the sacrament of reconciliation) God is there to offer his grace and love. We on our part have to be willing to receive and the habit of the virtues just as it is grounded in God’s continual invitation to us also opens us up to receive even more of God’s presence and love. Grace is not opposed to our lives but rather grace builds upon nature.

Our Christian heritage lists seven virtues: the four cardinal virtues (prudence, justice, fortitude and temperance) and the three theological virtues (faith, hope and love). All of the virtues depend on our hearts being open to, working with and developing the habit of the virtues while also cooperating with the movement of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

Last week, at the International Day of Peace event on campus, I watched a couple demonstrate the beauty and fluidity of the tango. Time and again, the couple in their comments stressed that the dance was not choreographed beforehand but was directed by the flow of the music in the moment but (at the same time) it was truly apparent that the couple was dedicated in knowing, studying and practicing the style and movements of the dance. This continual practice in no way hindered nor opposed the movement of the dance in the moment but rather it was the two in tension and cooperation together that brought the dance to its beauty and fulfillment. In the habit of the virtues the steps and practice are our own and the flow of the music is the Holy Spirit active. The two are not opposed but rather together bring to fulfillment the beauty and rhythm of a life well lived.

Over these next few weeks I will reflect on each of the seven virtues and how each - when practiced and lived - truly helps us to achieve the beauty and authenticity of a life well lived.

Feast of the Archangels - September 29th

2011-09-29T13:23:00.000-04:00

From the Office of Readings for the Feast of the Archangels:

Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman, adorned with the sun, standing on the moon, and with the twelve stars on her head for a crown. She was pregnant, and in labour, crying aloud in the pangs of childbirth. Then a second sign appeared in the sky, a huge red dragon which had seven heads and ten horns, and each of the seven heads crowned with a coronet. Its tail dragged a third of the stars from the sky and dropped them to the earth, and the dragon stopped in front of the woman as she was having the child, so that he could eat it as soon as it was born from its mother. The woman brought a male child into the world, the son who was to rule all the nations with an iron sceptre, and the child was taken straight up to God and to his throne, while the woman escaped into the desert, where God had made a place of safety ready, for her to be looked after in the twelve hundred and sixty days.

Archangel Michael

And now war broke out in heaven, when Michael with his angels attacked the dragon. The dragon fought back with his angels, but they were defeated and driven out of heaven. The great dragon, the primeval serpent, known as the devil or Satan, who had deceived all the world, was hurled down to the earth and his angels were hurled down with him. Then I heard a voice shout from heaven, ‘Victory and power and empire for ever have been won by our God, and all authority for his Christ, now that the persecutor, who accused our brothers day and night before our God, has been brought down. They have triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the witness of their martyrdom, because even in the face of death they would not cling to life. Let the heavens rejoice and all who live there; but for you, earth and sea, trouble is coming – because the devil has gone down to you in a rage, knowing that his days are numbered.’

As soon as the devil found himself thrown down to the earth, he sprang in pursuit of the woman, the mother of the male child, but she was given a huge pair of eagle’s wings to fly away from the serpent into the desert, to the place where she was to be looked after for a year and twice a year and half a year So the serpent vomited water from his mouth, like a river, after the woman, to sweep her away in the current, but the earth came to her rescue; it opened its mouth and swallowed the river thrown up by the dragon’s jaws. Then the dragon was enraged with the woman and went away to make war on the rest of her children, that is, all who obey God’s commandments and bear witness for Jesus. (Revelation 12:1-17)

From a sermon of Pope St Gregory the Great:

The word "angel" denotes a function rather than a nature

You should be aware that the word “angel” denotes a function rather than a nature. Those holy spirits of heaven have indeed always been spirits. They can only be called angels when they deliver some message. Moreover, those who deliver messages of lesser importance are called angels; and those who proclaim messages of supreme importance are called archangels. And so it was that not merely an angel but the archangel Gabriel was sent to the Virgin Mary. It was only fitting that the highest angel should come to announce the greatest of all messages.

Archangel Raphael

Some angels are given proper names to denote the service they are empowered to perform. In that holy city, where perfect knowledge flows from the vision of almighty God, those who have no names may easily be known. But personal names are assigned to some, not because they could not be known without them, but rather to denote their ministry when they came among us. Thus, Michael means “Who is like God”; Gabriel is “The Strength of God”; and Raphael is “God’s Remedy.”

Whenever some act of wondrous power must be performed, Michael is sent, so that his action and his name may make it clear that no one can do what God does by his superior power. So also our ancient foe desired in his pride to be like God, saying: I will ascend into heaven; I will exalt my throne above the stars of heaven; I will be like the Most High. He will be allowed to remain in power until the end of the world when he will be destroyed in the final punishment. Then, he will fight with the archangel Michael, as we are told by John: A battle was fought with Michael the archangel.

Archangel Gabriel

So too Gabriel, who is called God’s strength, was sent to Mary. He came to announce the One who appeared as a humble man to quell the cosmic powers. Thus God’s strength announced the coming of the Lord of the heavenly powers, mighty in battle. Raphael means, as I have said, God’s remedy, for when he touched Tobit’s eyes in order to cure him, he banished the darkness of his blindness. Thus, since he is to heal, he is rightly called God’s remedy.

On the front porch with De Caussade

2011-09-25T12:19:00.000-04:00

I took advantage of the fact that since I had no parishes to fill in for Mass this morning I could sit out on the front porch of the Center, read some Abandonment to Divine Providence by Jean-Pierre De Caussade, drink tea and watch the bumble-bees and butterflies dance around the butterfly bush.

This was all the more pleasant by the fact that I was kept awake into the wee hours of the morning by the sounds of a college party across the street. As I sat there watching the butterflies and bees and the beauty of the sunlight shining through the branches and flowers of the bush I came to the realization that yes, let the youth have their late night parties. I will enjoy the peace and serenity of the morning. The youth do not yet know what they are missing. Hopefully, time and experience will help mature their awareness.

A thought by De Caussade:

Thus, beloved souls, you cannot know from where you came nor where you are going; nor can you know from what idea of God you have been produced nor to what end it is leading you. For you there remains only a passive self-abandonment, carrying on without thinking and concerned with no models or examples of any particular mode of spirituality. You must act when it is time for action and stop when it is time to stop. In this self-abandonment you read or put books aside, talk to people or keep silent, write or drop your pen, and never know what will follow. Finally, after several transformations, the formed and finished soul, now endowed with wings, flies up to heaven, but leaves on earth a fertile seed to work in other souls.

Twenty-Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time (A) - pie-crust promises

2011-09-24T15:14:00.002-04:00

In the classic movie, “Mary Poppins”, at the end of the first day, Mary is putting her two young charges to bed. The brother and sister are so excited from the events of the day that they ask the nanny, “You will never leave us, will you?” And the young boy quickly adds, “Will you stay if we promise to be good?” To this second question the wise nanny responds, “That is a pie-crust promise. Easily made and easily broken.”

“That is a pie-crust promise. Easily made and easily broken.” I like that phrase and it connects right with today’s gospel (Mt. 21:28-32). “Yes, Father,” says the second son “I will go out and work in the vineyard.” He promises, but he does not go – a pie-crust promise. It cannot be that way with us. Discipleship is a lived reality – a lived response to the risen Lord who is just as present to us today as any of the people we now see around us with our physical eyes.

Also, just as we as disciples are not to be about “pie-crust” promises neither are we to be about blaming others. This is another teaching from today’s readings. Ezekiel, in our first reading (Ez. 18:25-28), offers his prophetic challenge during a specific time frame in the history of Israel. Israel had fallen, the people had been deported to Babylon and sitting by the river Chuza they were left wondering how this could have ever happened. What had led up to this catastrophe? Whose fault was it? Where is our scapegoat? Surely, they concluded, it must have been our parents, our grandparents. They had not practiced their faith rightly and now God is punishing us for their sins. Yes, it is their fault!

Ezekiel, with the courage of a prophet, answers back, “No, that is wrong”. Or, in other words, “stop trying to pass the buck”. “If someone commits iniquity and dies it is because he committed the iniquity. If he turns away from iniquity and does good, then he shall live.” It is no one else’s fault but how often do we hear or maybe even say the opposite. “He or she made me do it. That person is the one at fault!” This has been the line from the beginning, Adam said to God: “Eve made me do it!” Then Eve said to God, “The serpent made me do it.” The truth is, no one makes us do anything – we choose. What we have a selective memory about though is that with choices come consequences – when the consequences are in our favor we remember and celebrate our choice but when the consequences are not pleasant we grumble and complain.

No pie-crust promises. No blaming others. Discipleship calls us to an integrity and authenticity of living but we know that these temptations are there. How might we find the strength needed to move beyond these temptations? The Letter to the Philippians has some good words of advice for all of us, “Have in you the same attitude that is also in Christ Jesus.” In other words, “Humbly regard others as more important than yourselves, each looking out not for his own interests, but for those of others.” As we adopt this attitude of Christ Jesus we gain that integrity of living which moves us beyond the temptations of pie-crust promises and the blaming of others. Humility is indeed the needed remedy to these two temptations.

Christ emptied himself and took the form of a slave – humbling himself and in this is found the path to true life.

Feast of the Korean Martyrs

2011-09-20T10:05:00.000-04:00

Today the Church celebrates the feast of the Korean Martyrs - Andrew Kim Taegon, Paul Chong Hasang and their companions. Between 1839 and 1867, one hundred and three men and women gave their lives in witness for their faith in Christ in Korea.

The Gospel reading for today is taken from Luke 8:19-21,

The mother of Jesus and his brothers came to him but were unable to join him because of the crowd. He was told, "Your mother and your brothers are standing outside and they wish to see you." He said to them in reply, "My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and act on it."

In some ways our Lord's response is tongue-in-cheek in that the one who truly accepted the word of God and said "yes" with her whole being was Mary herself. This passage rather than diminishing Mary in fact honors her and calls us all to the awareness of how we also are called to be brothers and sisters to the Lord.

We, likewise, are to receive God's word, allow God's word into our very lives and give birth to God's word by the lives we live and the actions we do.

Andrew, Paul and all their companions were brothers and sisters to our Lord in this true sense of the term and our world and Church are indeed better for their witness!

Sts. Andrew Kim Taegon, Paul Chong Hasan and all your companions, pray for us!

Twenty-Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time (A) - Goats in a Tree

2011-09-17T20:31:00.000-04:00

It is interesting what you can find on the internet and what you can be led to. This last week I learned about the tree-climbing goats of Morocco via the internet. (This sounds random and it is, but trust me, there is a point.)

I was on the internet and on my screen appeared a link to an upcoming show about goats that climb trees. Curious person that I am, I clicked the link and I was taken to a page showing a number of pictures of trees with goats amidst their branches. At first I thought that these photos must be doctored and cannot be real but there was a further link to Youtube videos showing these goats climbing up the trees, moving around and balancing on the limbs and then scampering down off the trees. The story is that there is a certain type of berry or fruit that these trees produce that the goats crave and over time they have adapted and have developed the ability to climb these trees in order to get at the fruit. But, the image of these goats perched in trees is kind of surreal - two very ordinary things (goats and trees) brought together in a totally unexpected way that makes one do a double take and even question ones perception.

The parables of our Lord operate in a similar way I believe. Our Lord takes common, everyday realities that we are all familiar with but then puts a spin on them that leaves one doing a mental double take and re-evaluating our perceptions. Similar to seeing goats perched in a tree. Take for example this Sunday's parable (Mt. 20:1-16). We can easily imagine the landowner and the laborers. We understand what work is and what it means to give someone a fair wage for a day's work. But then there is this "spin" at the end. Those laborers who worked only one hour get paid the same amount as those who put in a full day's work. And we are left with the response of the landowner, "Are you envious because I am generous?"

In regards to parables we need to realize that approaching a parable like a math problem to be figured out is like attending a symphony and choosing to focus so intently on the words in the program that you totally miss the music. Parables are not meant to be "solved" but to be entered into and lived in and as we do this we are brought to greater awareness and perception.

As I have sat with this parable this last week I have been led to realize that probably about ninety-five percent of the life of faith and discipleship is just about showing up - whether it be at the start of the day or the end of the day. If we just "show up" then God will do the rest - whether it is making the decision to go to church, to get involved in that service project, to take time daily for prayer and Scripture reflection, to make the decision to be available and attentive to our family and neighbor. If we just "show up" like the laborers in the market-place then God will do the rest. But it is important to note that showing up is not just a physical thing but must truly occur within ourselves. It is the decision to be truly present to the other.

It can be said that really everything that we do as Church - from worship to sacraments and liturgy, to service and care for others, to the reality of community, to private prayer and devotion - is about showing up for the encounter with Christ. If we just "show up" then God will do the rest.

"Are you envious because I am generous?" asks our Lord.

When it comes to the parables, it is all about the goats in the tree.

Tree climbing goats? Whats next?

2011-09-15T12:08:00.000-04:00

Meditate on this: the tree climbing goats of Morocco.

The Feast of the Triumph of the Cross - "life is Christ, and death is gain"

2011-09-14T08:41:00.000-04:00

Scripture informs Scripture.

This morning I was praying over the readings for this coming Sunday (25th in Ordinary time, Cycle A) while also reflecting on the readings for today's Feast of the Triumph of the Cross. During the course of these reflections I was struck by St. Paul's words in the Letter to the Philippians (from Sunday's readings); "For to me life is Christ, and death is gain." (Phil. 1:21)

This succinct phrase (only possible to achieve, I believe, by the mystery of lived experience) sheds light on today's Feast of the Triumph of the Cross.

Paul, it seems, is grappling with the mystery of the cross in the life of discipleship. Our Lord has said that if we truly wish to be his disciples then we must pick up our cross and follow after him.

There are many versions of the gospel being proclaimed today that omit or outright deny the mystery of the cross in the life of discipleship. And many people flock to this message. But it is an empty message.

The cross must be embraced in the life of discipleship and its wisdom must be learned if we would truly disciples be.

"Faith" - Jean Pierre de Caussade

2011-09-07T21:26:00.000-04:00

I am currently reading and reflecting upon Fr. Jean-Pierre de Caussade's spiritual treatise, Abandonment to Divine Providence. In it I have found one of the most beautiful and succinct summations of the action of faith in our lives that I have ever read. Below is the text.

If we never ceased to live the life of faith, our intercourse with God would never be interrupted and we should talk with him face to face. When we speak it is the air which transmits our thoughts and our words, and so all our actions and our sufferings would be the medium through which we heard the expression of God's will. They would, as it were, give his Word substance and visible expression, and all that happened to us would be seen as holy and most excellent. God in his glory will give us this union in heaven; here on earth we can enjoy it by faith. The only difference is the way it is given to us.

It is faith which interprets God for us. Without its light we should not even know that God was speaking, but would hear only the confused, meaningless babble of creatures. As Moses saw the flame of fire in the bush and heard the voice of God coming from it, so faith will enable us to understand his hidden signs, so that amidst all the apparent clutter and disorder we shall see all the loveliness and perfection of divine wisdom. Faith transforms the earth into paradise. By it our hearts are raised with the joy of our nearness to heaven. Every moment reveals God to us. Faith is our light in this life. By it we know the truth without seeing it, we are put in touch with what we cannot feel, recognize what we cannot see, and view the world stripped of all it superficialities. Faith unlocks God's treasury. It is the key to all the vastness of his wisdom. The hollowness of all created things is disclosed by faith, and it is by faith that God makes his presence plain everywhere. Faith tears aside the veil so that we can see the everlasting truth.

God's Will

2011-09-04T10:12:00.000-04:00

Cardinal Francis Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan

"Your responsibilities indicate the will of God for you at the present moment."

"The worker will become a saint in the workplace, the soldier will become a saint in the army, the patient will become a saint in the hospital, the student will become a saint through studies, the farmer will become a saint on the farm, the priest will become a saint through his ministry as a priest, and the public servant will become a saint in the government office. Every step on the road to holiness is a step of sacrifice in the performance of one's mission in life." (Quotes taken from The Road of Hope by Cardinal Francis XavierNguyen Van Thuan)

I have not written much on my blog these past couple of weeks because the responsibilities of my ministry at the Catholic Center with the start up of another year and Vocation work as well as my responsibility of caring for my ailing mother (who had a recent setback but now is in a rehab facility working to get her strength back and possibly return home) have been forefront for me.

Before all this happened I began re-reading Cardinal Van Thuan's book The Road of Hope. His words have been a source of hope and strength for me.

God's will for us is indeed found in our responsibilities of the present moment.

Twenty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time (A): Welcoming Christ and the power of the keys

2011-08-19T21:59:00.000-04:00

There are a number of lessons to be learned from today's gospel passage (Mt. 16:13-20). And as we reflect on this passage it is helpful to recognize the context in which it occurs. After feeding the multitude and curing many people our Lord finds himself practically alone. The crowd seems to be present when there is healing from illness and when there is food but then the crowd dwindles. In a sense, our Lord, in this passage is left almost defeated. After having so many around, he is now left alone - only with his small group of disciples. Here is an important point to remember - the ways of God are not our ways. God will not force his Kingdom. Christ will usher in the Kingdom of God not through our world's understanding of power, success and accomplishment but according to God's terms.

So, after the crowds have dwindled away, our Lord turns to this small and less-than-perfect grouping of disciples and asks, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" Then, he looks directly to them and asks, "Who do you say that I am?" Our Lord is seeking to move this small band of followers beyond the limits of the world's thought (in this case, the awaited messiah as a military leader and conqueror) into the truth of the Kingdom of God. If they are to be his disciples they must begin to grasp the ways and the movements of God's Kingdom.

Peter, speaking for the community of disciples, responds, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father." There is an important spiritual lesson here - Peter was not perfect when he made this proclamation of truth. In fact, in the very next chapter Peter rebukes our Lord and is himself reprimanded. "Get behind me Satan! You are thinking not as God does but as human beings do!" The lesson is this: in the spiritual life it is more important to cling to Jesus rather than to seek to make ourselves perfect in the hopes of winning his acknowledgement. We forget this all the time. We want to have everything "perfect" - nice and neat - before we invite Jesus in. Jesus does not expect everything to be perfect. He just wants to be invited in! Just let him in and then, by his presence, all will begin to be healed!

When we allow Jesus in. When, in our heart, we are able to proclaim, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.", the gain the true power of the keys of the Kingdom. The power to "loose" and to "bind". The power to loosen the bonds that hold us tight to our selfishness, our own love of self, our hurts and our grudges. These are the bonds that make us violent and like a slave. When we let Christ in we learn to bind ourselves to that which gives true life - friendship, solidarity, integrity and service. We bind ourselves to the ways of the Kingdom.

In and through Christ, whatever we bind on earth will be bound in heaven. Whatever we loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

Pope Benedict to youth of the world

2011-08-19T12:50:00.000-04:00

Pope Benedict to youth of our world: "Let no one take away your peace, don't be ashamed of Christ!"

Parent's Prayer for a Child Leaving Home

2011-08-11T23:27:00.001-04:00

As things get ready to start here at ETSU with the upcoming fall semester I am reminded that many parents are preparing themselves to let a child leave home. I remember that when I was chaplain at Knoxville Catholic High School I would often tell the seniors to be patient with their parents because the time around graduation and whatever comes next is also a time of adjustment for them. Things are different. The child that one has cared for, loved and raised is getting ready to leave home and this calls for a letting go on the part of every parent.

I do believe that Christian marriage and parenting is a holy vocation. Each vocation has its unique encounter with the cross and I think that the letting go that a parent has to go through is such an encounter. But, we believe and hold that through the cross we discover new life.

Letting go in faith can be a sacred moment.

The other night through a PBS special I "discovered" the singer Justin Hines. Obviously he has been around for a while but it was the first time that I heard his music. I find his voice and his songs to be very appealling and good.

His song, "Wish You Well" is, I believe, a wonderful parent's prayer for a child leaving home. Here are the lyrics:

Darling I can't take your thirst away but I can show you to the sea

While you're walking on your path unknown

I said, "Will you think of me?"

Well time will tell and I wish you well

Too many times I've seen those ghosts before

I've watched them dance around your bed

I would give you all of my sleep filled nights just to see you get some rest

It's not my place to try to fill that space but I can wish you well

I wish you well

In times like this I tend to ponder of things we'll miss

We can always reminisce

When you come back from the great beyond with moonlight in your hair

I will meet you where that dark road ends

And it won't be long until we're there

And once

Once again we'll talk about way back when

But until then I wish you well

I wish you well

There are, I believe, some real gems to reflect on in this song. Here are a few that strike me.

Darling I can't take your thirst away but I can show you to the sea. It is a powerful and beautiful thing when a parent recognizes the desire in the heart of his or her child and then does not try to stand in the way, nor find the answer for the child nor seek to control but rather points out, helps and encourages the child to find his or her own way. I can show you to the sea.

I would give you all of my sleep filled nights just to see you get some rest. A parent, even when letting go, remains a parent. A parent knows that a child will face struggle and even experience pain and hurt in life but just as a parent cannot answer the unique desire in the heart of his or her child; a parent cannot carry the child's own cross. But a parent always wishes he or she could.

It's not my place to try to fill that space but I can wish you well. This is an expression of humble and truthful awareness. We can take another to the sea, we can wish we could carry another's cross but, in truth, we realize that only God and the other can do that. It's not my place to try to fill that space ... but I can wish you well. Faith brings a different dynamic to letting go. In faith, we do not send another off, abandoned and alone, on his or her own. In faith, when we let go, we commend another into God's care and through this there is a deep awareness and freedom that can be gained. In faith-filled letting go we are reminded very particularly of who we indeed are and also what we can and what we cannot do. We are not God; parents also are limited creatures and fellow pilgrims with their children on the way.

In faith-filled letting go the child will always remain a son or daughter but through the embracing of this particular cross the parent may very well gain, in the due course of time, another pilgrim friend to walk the way of life with.

Check out the video of Wish You Well by Justin Hines by clicking the link below.

Parents, you are in my prayers.

http://youtu.be/bgngckp6UkQ

St. Clare - in praise of virtue

2011-08-11T09:36:00.000-04:00

Today the Catholic Church remembers St. Clare. St. Clare was a contemporary and friend of St. Francis. Inspired by his witness Clare also took upon herself a life of poverty, charity and chastity. She founded an order of nuns that continues to witness the love of Christ to our world. She died in 1253.

St. Clare and all the saints remind us that there is a continual need for virtue in our world. The more that I minister in the college setting the more I realize this. We obsess over physical beauty while neglecting the beauty of the soul. Virtue is not content to let the person sell him or herself short and virtue nourishes the soul where so much that our world offers, in the end, just leaves one empty inside.

Below is a letter written by St. Clare to Blessed Agnes of Prague.

Consider the poverty, humility and charity of Christ

Happy the soul to whom it is given to attain this life with Christ, to cleave with all one’s heart to him whose beauty all the heavenly hosts behold forever, whose love inflames our love, the contemplation of whom is our refreshment, whose graciousness is our delight, whose gentleness fills us to overflowing, whose remembrance makes us glow with happiness, whose fragrance revives the dead, the glorious vision of whom will be the happiness of all the citizens of the heavenly Jerusalem. For he is the brightness of eternal glory, the splendour of eternal light, the mirror without spot.

Look into that mirror daily, O queen and spouse of Jesus Christ, and ever study therein your countenance, that within and without you may adorn yourself with all manner of virtues, and clothe yourself with the flowers and garments that become the daughter and chaste spouse of the most high King. In that mirror are reflected poverty, holy humility and ineffable charity, as, with the grace of God, you may perceive.

Gaze first upon the poverty of Jesus, placed in a manger, wrapped in swaddling clothes. What marvellous humility! What astounding poverty! The King of angels, Lord of heaven and earth, is laid in a manger. Consider next the humility, the blessed poverty, the untold labours and burdens which he endured for the redemption of the human race. Then look upon the unutterable charity with which he willed to suffer on the tree of the cross and to die thereon the most shameful kind of death. This mirror, Christ himself, fixed upon the wood of the cross, bade the passers-by consider these things: ‘All you who pass this way look and see if there is any sorrow like my sorrow.’ With one voice and one mind let us answer him as he cries and laments, saying in his own words: ‘I will be mindful and remember and my soul shall languish within me.’ Thus, O queen of the heavenly King, may you ever burn more ardently with the fire of this love.

Contemplate further the indescribable joys, the wealth and unending honours of the King, and sighing after them with great longing, cry to him: ‘Draw me after you: we shall run to the fragrance of your perfumes, O heavenly bridegroom.’ I will run and faint not until you bring me into the wine cellar, until your left hand be under my head and your right hand happily embrace me and you kiss me with the kiss of your mouth.

In such contemplation be mindful of your poor little mother and know that I have inscribed your happy memory indelibly on the tablets of my heart, holding you dearer than all others.

St. Lawrence, deacon and Martyr

2011-08-10T10:35:00.000-04:00

The Charity of St. Lawrence by Bernardo Strozzi

A sermon preached by St Augustine on the feast day of St Lawrence

The Roman Church commends this day to us as the blessed Lawrence’s day of triumph, on which he trod down the world as it roared and raged against him; spurned it as it coaxed and wheedled him; and in each case, conquered the devil as he persecuted him. For in that Church, you see, as you have regularly been told, he performed the office of deacon; it was there that he administered the sacred chalice of Christ’s blood; there that he shed his own blood for the name of Christ. The blessed apostle John clearly explained the mystery of the Lord’s supper when he said Just as Christ laid down his life for us, so we too ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. St Lawrence understood this, my brethren, and he did it; and he undoubtedly prepared things similar to what he received at that table. He loved Christ in his life, he imitated him in his death.

And we too, brethren, if we truly love him, let us imitate him. After all, we shall not be able to give a better proof of love than by imitating his example; for Christ suffered for us, leaving us an example, so that we might follow in his footsteps. In this sentence the apostle Peter appears to have seen that Christ suffered only for those who follow in his footsteps, and that Christ’s passion profits none but those who follow in his footsteps. The holy martyrs followed him, to the shedding of their blood, to the similarity of their sufferings. The martyrs followed, but they were not the only ones. It is not the case, I mean to say, that after they crossed, the bridge was cut; or that after they had drunk, the fountain dried up.

The garden of the Lord, brethren, includes – yes, it truly includes – includes not only the roses of martyrs but also the lilies of virgins, and the ivy of married people, and the violets of widows. There is absolutely no kind of human beings, my dearly beloved, who need to despair of their vocation; Christ suffered for all. It was very truly written about him: who wishes all men to be saved, and to come to the acknowledgement of the truth.

So let us understand how Christians ought to follow Christ, short of the shedding of blood, short of the danger of suffering death. The Apostle says, speaking of the Lord Christ, Who, though he was in the form of God, did not think it robbery to be equal to God. What incomparable greatness! But he emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, and being made in the likeness of men, and found in condition as a man. What unequalled humility!

Christ humbled himself: you have something, Christian, to latch on to. Christ became obedient. Why do you behave proudly? After running the course of these humiliations and laying death low, Christ ascended into heaven: let us follow him there. Let us listen to the Apostle telling us, If you have risen with Christ, savour the things that are above us, seated at God’s right hand.

St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein)

2011-08-08T23:06:00.000-04:00

On August 9th the Catholic Church remembers St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross. Edith Stein was born to a Jewish family in 1891. She studied philosophy and was a student of the renowned professor Edmund Husserl. As she grew older she became more and more non-religious (drifting from her Jewish roots) but she also began to meet Christians whose intellectual and spiritual lives she came to admire. She was searching. In 1921, while visiting some friends, Edith spent a whole night reading the autobiography of St. Teresa of Avila. She later recalled, "When I had finished the book I said to myself: This is the truth."

In 1934 Edith entered a Carmelite convent and she took the name Teresa Benedicta of the Cross. She took the name as a symbol of her acceptance of suffering. "I felt," she wrote, "that those who understood the Cross of Christ should take upon themselves on everybody's behalf." In 1942 Teresa along with her sister Rosa (who had also become Catholic) and members of her religious community were arrested by the Nazis. On August 9, 1942 St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross died at the concentration camp in Auschwitz.

In his second volume of Jesus of Nazareth Pope Benedict reflects on the depth of awareness of sin that our Lord had and knew as he was making his journey to the cross. It is common to think that because our Lord was sinless he really did not know the weight of sin but the Holy Father states that the opposite is in fact the case. Because of his sinlessness (unlike us) our Lord truly recognized the real tragedy and sorrow of sin and it was this that he bore to the cross for all of us.

"The drama of the Mount of Olives lies in the fact that Jesus draws man's natural will away from opposition and back toward synergy, and in so doing he restores man's true greatness. In Jesus' natural human will, the sum total of human nature's resistance to God is, as it were, present within Jesus himself. The obstinacy of us all, the whole of our opposition to God is present, and in his struggle, Jesus elevates our recalcitrant nature to become its real self."

"If the Letter to the Hebrews treats the entire Passion as a prayer in which Jesus wrestles with God the Father and at the same time with human nature, it also sheds new light on the theological depth of the Mount of Olives prayer. For these cries and pleas are seen as Jesus' way of exercising his high priesthood. It is through his cries, his tears, and in his prayers that Jesus does what the high priest is meant to do: he holds up to God the anguish of human existence. He brings man before God."

St. Teresa Benedicta wrote much throughout her life both prior to her conversion and afterwards. Her writings witness to a highly intelligent woman courageous in her search for the truth. She found that truth in the cross. Her final work was a study on St. John of the Cross entitled, "The Science of the Cross."

In the cross, St. Teresa realized, Jesus brings us before God.

The Debt Ceiling, our Nation's Credit Rating and the Common Good

2011-08-06T22:24:00.000-04:00

After weeks of very public political brinkmanship (on all sides) regarding the debt ceiling our country now finds that our credit rating has been downgraded.

I think that we are being told that we need to get our act together as a country.

I saw a news clip today where a psychologist was offering advice on how individuals could avoid depression resulting from this tarnishing our our nation's "gold standard" in credit rating. Now, I am sure that there are going to be economic ramifications to this slip from AAA to AA+ that will have to be shouldered by all of us (probably more overwhelmingly by the poor) but I must admit that I do not think this slip is going to send me into a depressive tailspin.

Credit rating has its place but when ranked with the founding principles of our nation - life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness, freedom, democracy, the dignity of the human person - I do not find it to be the most important element that builds the greatness of our nation.

The truth is we are more than the market and maybe it is time that we start remembering this.

Part of this "remembering", I believe, is to regain a sense of the common good. A couple of years ago I read an interesting article in America magazine by Darrin W. Snyder Belousek entitled, "How Greenspan Got it Wrong." (Vol. 200, No. 11, March 30-April 6, 2009) In the article Belousek (a Mennonite philosopher) argues that Greenspan's philosophy of self-regulation by self-interest (a view held by many) was a strong determining factor in the setup for our country's economic meltdown in the Great Recession. He goes on to state that we need to regain a sense of the common good and that Catholic social teaching offers a plentiful resource for this regaining.

I was struck by that article and the next semester here at the Center I offered a series entitled, "Discussions on the Common Good" where we read some writings on the concept of the common good and discussed. (I plan to offer the series again this fall semester.) A philosophy professor attended the series and at one point he remarked how philosophical discussion in our society has so overwhelmingly focused on the individual as to obscure any real and substantive notion of a common good. I found his comment to be very revealing of where we find ourselves as a country.

Belousek ended his article with this: "The need now, for both people of faith and all people of good will, is a return to the ethics of virtue and the philosophy of the common good, within which human freedom and individual interest find their 'due place and proportion.' The welfare of the nation depends on it."

Belousek may very well be playing the role of the prophet. We need an understanding of the common good so we can once again start talking to one another and working with one another not because (whether we like it or not) we have to but because it is built within our very makeup.

The Modern Catholic Encyclopedia published by The Liturgical Press has this to say about the common good:

"The concept of the common good is based on the belief that we human beings are naturally members of society. We are not isolated individuals who choose to come together in society only because it is necessary to do so to protect individual rights and freedoms. Rather, individuals find their own meaning and identity and dignity as part of the larger community.

As a social being, every individual has the moral responsibility to work for the good of the community. The individual's own good is closely related to this common good; it is only when the right conditions of social life are established that individuals and social groups can flourish.

It is not enough to be morally sensitive and principled in one-on-one relationships and in dealings with other individuals. Moral responsibility includes the obligation to work for the social systems and conditions necessary for the human fulfillment of all.

The common good is not a value easily understood in American culture. Because of the strong emphasis on individual rights and freedoms, the good of the community is often thought of as the good of many individuals. 'The greatest good of the greatest number' is not, however, the same as the common good. The common good is the social order that makes possible and protects the good of all, the minority as well as the majority."

Again, "We are not isolated individuals who choose to come together in society only because it is necessary to do so to protect individual rights and freedoms. Rather, individuals find their own meaning and identity and dignity as part of the larger community."

An understanding of the common good points to a deeper ontological reality: communion and community is part of our very identity and makeup. When we so sharply and starkly divide reality into "us vs. them" or "liberal vs. conservative" or "blue vs. red" we are at some level attempting to split our very nature. This divided approach to existence is destined for frustration and failure.

I agree with Belousek that the welfare of our nation depends on the regaining of an ethics of virtue and a philosophy of the common good. Maybe the slip in our nation's credit rating will provide the impetus for all of us to reevaluate priorities.

And whether or not the powers-that-be in Washington or on Wall Street catch the hint I know that we (wherever we might find ourselves) can begin crafting human spaces where community is respected and the worth of every individual is acknowledged.

"Blessed are the merciful"

2011-07-31T21:24:00.000-04:00

"Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy." (Mt. 5:7)

"Woman blinded by acid pardons her attacker."

Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (A): The inefficiancy of remaining

2011-07-30T13:39:00.000-04:00

There is a saying that goes: "People will not care how much you know until they know how much you care."

The episode of the multiplication of the loaves is reported six times in the Gospel (twice in Matthew and Mark and once each in Luke and John). Because this episode is found in all the gospels we can conclude that it evidently left quite an impression on the community of the first disciples. It is in the multiplication of the loaves that we get a view of how much our Lord and our God does indeed care for his people. Matthew writes that when our Lord disembarked and saw the crowd, "his heart was moved with pity for them..." (Mt. 14:15)

God does indeed care for us, God does have a heart that can be moved with pity and it is through this that we also realize how we, in turn, are to care for one another as disciples of Christ.

As Christians; we proclaim a certain type of God who we have come to know specifically through the revelation of Christ. If God were to have created everything and set it in motion but then stepped back, leaving creation to its own devices - we might honor God, we might understandably be fearful of God but I do not think we could say that we "love" God nor that God loves us. But this is not the God we Christians proclaim. Our God is not content to leave us to our own devices. Our God has indeed entered into the human scene and not just to correct and instruct us but also to take on our suffering, our misfortune, our poverty and even our guilt. Even though himself guiltless; Christ took on our guilt.

We proclaim a God who cares and, in turn, this reveals how we, ourselves, are to care. In today's gospel passage (Mt. 14:13-21) it can be said that the disciples were being quite thoughtful in regards to the situation of the crowd. The disciples see the vast crowd of people and they recognize that it is indeed late and so they say to our Lord, "This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late; send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves." But our Lord asks something more of his disciples and this important to note. He responds, "There is no need for them to go away; give them some food yourselves."

In this passage we see that our Lord is moving his disciples (which means all of us) beyond "the well-rooted habit of saying, 'Every man for himself!' or 'Let the authorities take care of it!'" (quote from Bishop Vincenzo Paglia) to "There is no need for them to go away; give them some food yourselves." Our Lord is asking us as his disciples to remain with the poor and not to worry if we will navigate the situation perfectly but just to remain. It is here, in this "remaining", that our Lord turns and asks each of us, "How will you show that you care?"

Our world today is very concerned about efficiency and this is found across all spheres of life (business, government, ecclesial, social). One might even say that there is a dictatorship of efficiency. Time must be managed correctly and therefore relationships also, certain goals must be met and achieved, all things must be backed up (all i's must be dotted and all t's must be crossed). Yes, there is certainly a place and a value for efficiency but I do not think efficiency was the primary concern of our Lord. Rather, the primary concern - I believe - was the care of souls. The Lord's "heart was moved with pity." The care of souls is often (from my experience) a messy endeavor and anything but the most "efficient" of endeavors.

It may not be the most "efficient" thing to remain while also not knowing the best way to necessarily navigate a situation but this is what our Lord asks us to do. "There is no need for them to go away..." It is in the remaining that our Lord meets us and he asks us to show that we care.

People will not care how much you know until they know how much you care.

Caravaggio and my mother

2011-07-28T10:24:00.000-04:00

It is interesting how art inserts itself into life at the most seemingly random moments sometimes.

Yesterday morning after I came in from watering the flowers at the Center I found a message on my cell phone informing me that my mother had been taken to the Emergency Room of a local hospital.

My mother has cardiopulmonary disease (COPD) and must be on oxygen at all times. For the past four years she has been living in an independent living center and has been in and out of the hospital for breathing issues. For the past few weeks she has been weaker than usual and has found it harder to breathe. This morning it all came to a head and it was decided that she should go to the ER.

I spent all morning in the ER with her.

The hospital is new, very clean and prides itself on being "green".

At one point in the ER room a team of three nurses were working on my mother. All three nurses were young with summer tans, wearing dark blue nursing outfits and spoke easily with East Tennessee accents. Two of them were bent over my mother at different angles and the third, who was a student, stood back observing. I sat in a chair to the side with a view of the full length of the bed and my mother reclined on it looking tired and gray, oxygen mask strapped to her face with the oxygen vapor drifting around her nose and mouth. The nurses continued their work around her.

As I gazed on all of this the image of Caravaggio's "Deposition of Christ" flashed through my mind. The body of our Lord is taken down from the cross and a group of people bend over him at various angles as they lay him out. Our Lord had gone even into death out of love for us and the Father.

We believe and hold that our suffering can be a sharing in the suffering of Christ and that God himself has entered into the suffering of humanity. Therefore we have a hope that moves beyond fear. Because of this Christianity is not naive about suffering - even finding a grace within it.

The eighth chapter of Romans speaks to this reality: "Brothers and sisters: What will separate us from the love of Christ? Will anguish, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or the sword? No, in all these things we conquer overwhelmingly through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor present things, nor future things, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:35, 37-39)

My mother has been stabilized and moved to a room out of the ER. The next few days will consist in a series of tests to determine the source of her loss of blood and anemia. We will see what the next few days bring. Whatever it might be we have hope because we know our suffering is part of the suffering of Christ and we know that our Redeemer lives.

Vacation - Breckenridge, CO

2011-07-15T05:55:00.001-04:00

I head out today with some friends for a week long vacation in Breckenridge, CO. There will be no new posts this next week. I am sure though that the mountain scenery, the relaxation and time with my friends will inspire my soul!

Below is a copy of the video for Matt Wertz's "Everything's Right" - a good song and good sentiment. Enjoy ...

Peace.

The Sacraments of the Catholic Church and the madness of Denethor

2011-07-14T00:10:00.022-04:00

As we face the social issues of our day (i.e. marriage and gay rights, the dignity of women and the priesthood) people both without and within the Catholic Church often question the teaching of the Church and ask why doesn't the Church just change its teaching to be more in step with the times. Another area which may not be so pressing as far as secular culture is concerned but is of unique importance among the different branches of Christianity and, at least from my experience, often an issue on the local level in the parish is that of sharing communion with other Christians. Why does the Catholic Church teach what it does in these regards; often to the marked disagreement, frustration and even open hostility of others?

I would like to offer a reflection on this issue and from the start I believe it important to state that the position of the Catholic Church in these matters is not so much about being against others (although it is often interpreted and portrayed this way) as it is about the Church being true to its own identity and authority and, in fact, actually recognizing the limits of the authority that it has been given.

I would like to explain by beginning with an allusion to the tragic figure of Denethor in J.R.R. Tolkein's "Lord of the Rings" trilogy.

Denethor is the Lord of Gondor but it is specified throughout the trilogy that the ruling house that Denethor and his sons Boromir and Faramir represent is meant to be a House of Stewards.  The House of Anarion cannot claim the throne, in fact their purpose is to hold the kingdom until the return of the true king.  But Denethor oversteps his bounds - forgetting the role of the steward and claiming the authority that belongs to the king alone - and as Gondor is besieged and seems to be falling, he himself falls into despair.. Denethor fails to recognize the true king himself (Aragorn) when he is present before him while only seeing doom and destruction. Finally, in this nihilistic madness Denethor attempts to set fire to his one remaining son Faramir. When this is thwarted he leaps upon the pyre and destroys himself.

Right before this act of suicide Denethor despairs in the fall of the city and the loss of his power, "I would have things as they were in all the days of my life and in the days of my longfathers before me: to be the Lord of this City in peace, and leave my chair to a son after me, who would be his own master and no wizard's pupil. But if doom denies this to me, then I will have naught: neither life diminished, nor love halved, nor honor abated."

In an attempt to break through the madness, Gandalf challenges the despairing Denethor with a summons back to truth and clarity, "To me it would not seem that a Steward who faithfully surrenders his charge is diminished in love or in honor..." Tragically, Denethor cannot recognize this.

Later, in contrast to Denethor's folly and miserable end, we are given the image of the true king: "But when Aragorn arose all that beheld him gazed in silence, for it seemed to them that he was revealed to them now for the first time. Tall as the sea-kings of old, he stood above all that were near; ancient of days he seemed and yet in the flower of manhood; and wisdom sat upon his brow, and strength and healing were in his hands, and a light was about him. And then Faramir cried: "Behold the King!"

The Catechism of the Catholic Church offer these words concerning the sacraments:

"Adhering to the teaching of the Holy Scriptures, to the apostolic traditions, and to the consensus ... of the Fathers," we profess that "sacraments of the new law were ... all instituted by Jesus Christ our Lord." (CCC 1114)

Sacraments are "powers that come forth" from the Body of Christ, which is ever-living and life-giving. They are actions of the Holy Spirit at work in his Body, the Church.  They are "the masterworks of God" in the new and everlasting covenant. (CCC 1116)

As she has done for the canon of Sacred Scripture and for the doctrine of the faith, the Church, by the power of the Spirit who guides her "into all truth," has gradually recognized this treasure received from Christ and, as the faithful steward of God's mysteries, has determined its "dispensation." Thus the Church has discerned over the centuries that among liturgical celebrations there are seven that are, in the strict sense of the term, sacraments instituted by the Lord. (CCC 1117)

The Catholic Church is the "faithful steward of God's mysteries." The Church is neither the owner nor the one who holds authority over the sacraments. This authority rests with Christ alone - the one who instituted the sacraments. The quotes above clearly demonstrate that the Catholic Church did not invent the sacraments of its own accord but rather "gradually recognized this treasure received from Christ."

When the Catholic Church approaches the issues of what marriage is, who is called to serve the community in ordained ministry or what must the authentic reception of communion entail it does so from the understanding of a steward and not that of the creator. This is an important distinction between the Catholic Church and other Christian faith traditions and also secular society - both of which approach these issues from the standpoint of having legitimate authority over these realities.

This is critical in understanding the Catholic Church's approach to these realities. Despite what is often interpreted - that the Catholic Church does have the authority and can change these teachings but chooses not to because we are opposed to one group or another - the Church, in fact, cannot change the sacraments precisely because it lacks the authority to change them.

Here, I would like to make a theological note of distinction that also factors into this issue. When people often wonder why the Catholic Church does not allow female ordained ministers while many Protestant traditions do or why the Church is opposed to redefining marriage while other faith traditions do or why the Catholic Church does not celebrate open communion while others do they do not realize that they are in fact comparing apples to oranges.

One of the moves of the Protestant reformation was to redefine and also reduce the number of sacraments and, in essence, transfer the authority of who governs the sacraments to the church community. This is an aspect of Protestant ecclesiology and with this understanding it is perfectly understandable to then adjust the sacraments to different times and needs. With this ecclesiology one can ordain women, open communion to all or alter marriage because the authority does rest (in this scenario) with the church community.

This is not the Catholic understanding and whether one agrees with it or not (I personally agree) you cannot authentically equate the Protestant approach with the Catholic as the two are coming from different starting points.

But, often we do not recognize this and therefore many people insist on comparing apples and oranges thinking all the time that both are apples.

The Catholic Church must be true to its origins and foundation - to do otherwise would be to enter into a schizophrenic state which would ultimately lead only to despair and madness.

The Catholic Church is, in these regards, first and foremost, "the faithful steward of God's mysteries."

The Church, guided by the Holy Spirit, will not allow itself to fall into Denethor's folly.

Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time: the Sower and the Seed

2011-07-09T12:18:00.000-04:00

I recently heard of an interesting TV commercial that had been put out by Catholic Charities in the Philippines a while back. The commercial begins with a businessman walking into a crowded subway. He is rushed and he is carrying his lunch in a bag. As he is hurrying to catch his train he notices a homeless man sitting on the ground in a corner. The man is dirty and obviously in need. At first the businessman makes to walk on by but then he stops, walks over to the homeless man and gives him his sack lunch.

Now, a second scene - it is the next day - once again, the businessman enters the busy subway station carrying his lunch and again he sees the homeless man. He tries to walk by but once more his conscience calls and he heads over to give his lunch to the homeless man. Things change though and this time the homeless man's face changes to that of the face of Christ.

Finally, a third scene. This time we see from the viewpoint of the homeless man sitting in the subway station watching as people rush by. We see the businessman once again coming forward with his lunch but the face of the businessman changes to that of the face of Christ.

In this short commercial we find a fine portrayal of both the dynamic of Christian giving and receiving and also the dynamic of encounter with Christ and transformation in the Christian life.

An interesting point of reflection regarding the parable of the sower and the seed that we are given in this Sunday's gospel (Mt. 13:1-23) is the almost remarkable carelessness of the sower. He certainly does not discriminate in the scattering of the seed.

The sower goes out to sow and, with broad sweeping arms, copiously disseminates his seeds. He does not seem concerned about selecting the terrain, since many of the seeds are lost. Only those seeds that fall on good earth bear fruit. Jesus, even if he does not say it, is comparing himself to the sower. His generosity in sowing seeds is entirely his, not ours. The sower does not calculate nor measure his generosity. All the more! He seems to place his faith also in trampled soil - rocky soil as much as in the yielding, ploughed earth. The sower tosses his seed even in the bad earth, hoping that it will take root and sprout. The whole range of soils is important for the sower. In fact, there is no part of the soil that he does not consider worthy of attention. Not a single portion is discarded. The terrain is the world, even that part of the world that is each one of us. It is not difficult to recognize in the diversity of the soils the complexity of situations in the world and in each one of us. Jesus does not want to divide men and women in two categories, those who represent fertile soil and those who represent arid soil. (Quote taken from Bishop Vincenzo Paglia)

There is, at heart, a mystery to the encounter with Christ and the movement of God's gratuitous grace in our lives. This encounter is something that can neither be programmed nor predicted - although, we, as church, often try our hardest it seems. The inner terrain of each of our hearts seems to be the determining factor when the possibility of encounter with Christ draws near. This openness to possibility, this being "good soil" can occur anywhere and at anytime - from the pew of a church to a busy subway station.

It is helpful to note that parables are not meant to be likened to engineering manuals which give precise directions and formulations. Rather, the dynamic of the parable is better likened to an invitation to a feast. We receive the invitation, we go and enter into the feast and it is within the feast that we encounter others and form relationships; all of a sudden there are new possibilities which we might never have expected and, in all of this, we come to know more deeply and live more authentically the mystery of Christian discipleship. We are meant to "sit" in the parable and let it speak to us rather than trying to pry and wring out its truths by our own effort. Through this parable of the sower and the seed our Lord is inviting us into the mystery of encounter with himself and the mystery of keeping our hearts open and cultivated.

The commercial noted above is powerful by the very fact that it does not need nor seek to explain anything. It just portrays a moment. A man made a decision and in that decision the Kingdom was able to break through and there was transformation.

A parable is an invitation. "A sower went out to sow..."

Pope Benedict XVI on Church

2011-07-08T09:57:00.000-04:00

Below is a good reflection offered by Pope Benedict XVI on what it means to be "Church".

In an age and time that seeks to separate and isolate people from one another, one of the greatest witnesses we can give as Church is life lived in communion and unity.

A celibate's take on sex and sexuality in our culture

2011-07-05T13:37:00.004-04:00

One might wonder why a professed celibate is writing on sex and sexuality. After all, isn't this kind of out of my element?

Well, a couple of things first. Sexuality and intimacy are not just genital.  This is being realized and comprehended more and more in the development of psycho-sexual understanding. The desire for intimacy, relationship, communion, creativity and living passionately are all part of the human makeup and are also linked into sexuality. Professed celibates promise to forego marriage and therefore the possibility of a committed relationship with another person thus denying, for the sake of the Kingdom, genital expression of intimacy and love. But these other components are not meant to be denied nor cut off from the celibate's life. Therefore the celibate can talk authentically about intimacy and relationship as well as communion, creativity and living life passionately. In fact, the challenge and calling of the celibate is to fully live these dimensions while foregoing the genital expression of sexuality. Further, I would add that the celibate has a needed and unique perspective to share.

My second thought comes out of this unique perspective that the celibate has and it is specifically an awareness that comes out of negation. Authentic knowledge does not come just from participation but also negation. Here, I would like to use a comparison.

A number of people reading these words have probably gone on a diet at one time or another or have participated in some form of fasting from food. My experience when I go without food (and I do not believe that I am unique in this) is that it is exactly when I go without that I realize how deeply - often on a subconscious level - food has an influence and even control in my life.  One day when I was fasting I was travelling and therefore walking through an airport terminal; now I had been in terminals hundreds of times prior to this but it was on this day that I first really came to see how food (in a plethora of options) is thrown at the traveller in these terminals. Food is everywhere in the airport terminal and it often works on a subconscious level! My experience this day in the terminal allowed for this (at that time) new awareness of how food operates in life and it was the fasting that provided the context for this awareness to come forth.

In fasting one starts to realize how food can operate on a variety of levels in life, i.e. as a coping mechanism to deal with stress, loneliness or anger. This is more on the negative side of things. But, also one becomes more aware of the positive dimensions of food; i.e. the value of a leisured non-rushed simple meal or the experience of joy that comes from a wonderful meal shared with friends where relationship is also nourished.

Using this common example of dieting or fasting as a basis and recognizing the authentic knowledge acquired through negation, it can then be said that the renunciation which the celibate undertakes in regards to sexual expression also leads to an authentic and valid knowledge about the dimensions of sex and how it also operates in our lives (often unconsciously) both negatively and positively. You start to see how sex can and is used in our day as a coping mechanism for such things as stress, loneliness and pain. You also gain a greater awareness and regard for the truly positive nature of the authentic sex act as a unique union of two persons that connects with the very mystery of creation itself and bringing forth new life.

So, I believe that the celibate does have a unique perspective and authentic knowledge to share regarding sex and sexuality.

With all this being said I would like to share some insights that I have gained regarding sex and sexuality in our culture.

"We are a nation that is addicted to sex." This was an insight shared by Msgr. Steven Rosetti in our recent summer priest gathering for the Knoxville and Nashville dioceses and I am in full agreement. "Addiction" is a heavy word and it is not used lightly. Addiction by its very definition implies both a serious lack of control and also limited to no true freedom in choices that are made. This addiction must be acknowledged as well as the factors that promote "sexuality as addiction" and the use of sexuality as a coping mechanism. Also, the powers that benefit from sex as addiction need to be brought to light and held accountable. Sex sales; there is money to be made in sex as addiction - a great deal of money in fact. It seems to me that one of the primary sins behind the selling of sex in our day - that needs to be ranked in there with impurity and the objectification of the human person - is just plain old-fashioned greed.

The addiction to sex in our culture and time has a particular voyeuristic strain to it. We all buy into this. Whether it is the lone figure slipping into the peep show or society being amused by the latest indiscretion of a political figure, clergyman or celebrity. We fixate on this. Pornography is an epidemic in our time whether it is visual (appealing to men) mainly via the internet or verbal (appealing to women) via gossip and "romance" novels. I believe that this voyeuristic strain to our culture's addiction to sex has something to say about a deep isolation being experienced in our society. We are cut off from one another and this is becoming even more so. We want relationship but we do not know how to go about it. We want connection with others yet we substitute this with fixation and fantasy.

In one form or another in my sixteen years as a priest I have been involved in ministry with youth and young adults (i.e. parish and diocesan youth ministry, high school chaplain, college chaplain) and I have come to believe that America has an unhealthy fixation on the high school and early college years. Take some time and just consider currently how many TV shows, how many movies, how many books and articles are devoted to these years - often with a voyeuristic slant and connotation. I have been in both settings and believe me it is neither that epic nor filled with the deep angst as often portrayed by Hollywood and society. Just because young people are forced to appear adult (which means sexual) by society that does not mean they are adults nor are they sexual. They are kids. They are young people. The rest of society needs to get a clue and move on with life and let our young people be young people. When I hear adults encourage young people to enjoy these years because they are the "best years of your life" I shake my head and think how particularly sad a statement that is.

Success does not always equal personal integration. We cannot seem to get this through our heads as a nation. Time and time again we are shocked with the revelation of the latest sexual undoing of an otherwise very successful figure in society (i.e. Gov. Schwarzenegger, Congressman Weiner - the two most recent examples in the political theater but there are ministerial and other societal examples as well). At the root of these undoings, it seems to me, is the unwillingness to look within and really be serious about the inward and introspective journey. These figures may have been very successful on the outside but obviously they were being chased by some inner demons that were never confronted. Maybe these examples can help call for a redefining of what true "success" in the human life really entails.

Do not look for prophets among the therapeutic set. We are a therapeutic society but the therapeutic by its very structure does not contain the charism of prophetic witness. The therapeutic does not necessarily ask if the societal context is either wrong or good rather it seeks to give the client the skills needed to navigate and even prosper in the given context. But what does it mean to "prosper" if the given context is unhealthy? For example, (in an addictive context that promotes uninhibited sexual expression as the norm) it is very easy to begin to view celibacy, modesty and virginity as deviant, repressive and unhealthy. Is this true or is the perspective more of a reflection of the current and unexamined bias of society?

Yes, there is certainly a healing value to the therapeutic in situations of life but the therapeutic cannot authentically judge societal contexts - that is outside of its purview.  If it does attempt to do so then it is fair to question if it is overreaching its bounds. This does not mean that there is not a place for authentic judgement and assessment (there is); it just means we ought not look to the therapeutic to do it. Although it must be admitted that we do this all the time - just look at the self-help and therapeutic sections in any bookstore. But it is fair to ask how far this has really gotten us and is this seemingly automatic conditioned turn to the therapeutic the only alternative available in assessing the contexts and circumstances of life?

Now, what does faith have to offer in navigating the context of sex and sexuality that we find ourselves in today? Here are some things that I find helpful.

"Custody of the eyes." There is an older priest of my diocese that often uses this as a catchphrase which he learned back in his seminary training and it is just as true today as it was then. There are some images that just cry for our attention and as soon as we look they have won. We are not cameras, mechanisms that can look on any image whether it be sexual, violent, manipulative, etc. and remain unaffected. What we see, what we look upon effects us and also remains within us. Prudential judgment regarding custody of the eyes is a good thing and it also demonstrates an advanced awareness of self. We learn that there are some paths we just do not need to go down. In this regard I would like to offer another thought. If what we gaze upon effects us then this is just as true for the positive as it is for the negative. When we learn to look upon and cultivate an appreciation of true beauty then we are nourished within. (I personally believe that religious iconography has a profound role to play in this regard.)

Humility. Just because I find another person attractive that does not mean that the attraction is mutual. This can be a very humbling realization. We are not the center of the world (despite what our desires, imaginings and sometimes even voices in society tell us) nor are we God's greatest gift to creation. We are one creature in a whole creation given us by the Creator and this is a good thing. I can learn to enjoy what I have been given and let others things just pass on by.

Prayer, fasting and almsgiving - they are not just for Lent anymore. There is a profound value to these tried and true spiritual practices as noted in the example of fasting above. These practices move us beyond a myopic view of self and help us glimpse the truly larger context of life. It is worthwhile to continually develop these spiritual disciplines throughout all the seasons of our lives.

Modesty remains a virtue even when it is derided by some corners of society. I find that modesty rather than being a sign of prudishness is in fact a witness to ones sense of self-worth and dignity. We are not just physical beings and this is not just a material world, sorry Madonna and your latest personification: Lady Gaga. We are body, mind and spirit - each one of us. Modesty safeguards this true understanding of the human person. I have great respect for the person who cultivates modesty in his or her life.

Community and service. We crave relationship and communion. This is a need that is hardwired into our very makeup. There seems to currently be a development in the theological understanding of what it means to be made in the image of a God who is a communion of persons.   I think that this will prove very beneficial not just for a deeper understanding of God but for a deeper understanding of ourselves and how relationship is at the root of who we are. I believe it to be very important to seek both community and ways to serve in life and both of these can prove to be helpful buffers against the hypersexualized context of our times.

Humor, which is closely tied to humility. We need to laugh at ourselves sometimes and this includes all the dimensions of life - including the sexual. Our particular attractions, foibles and neuroses in things sexual can be quite entertaining. Laughter is indeed a medicine and it can be a gift that really alleviates any oppressive weight. It is okay to laugh and chuckle every now and then.

I hope that this is helpful. I do not pretend that these thoughts are in anyway exhaustive in any sense nor the end of the discussion.

Just the musings of one celibate as he ponders the context in which we live and the signs of the times.

Independence Day (July 4, 2011)

2011-07-03T07:57:00.000-04:00

Below are the two options in our current Sacramentary for the opening prayer for Masses on Independence Day and other Civic Observances. They are both worth reading and reflecting upon as we remember our founding as a nation.

Opening Prayer

All-powerful Father,
today we rededicate ourselves to your service,
and to the works of justice and freedom for all.

As you have called us from many people
to be one nation,
help us to give witness in our lives
and in our life as a nation
to the rich diversity of your gifts.

We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.

Alternative Opening Prayer

Father of all nations and ages,
we recall the day when our country
claimed its place among the family of nations.
For what has been achieved we give you thanks;
for the work that still remains we ask your help.

Grant that under your providence
our country may share your blessings
with all the peoples of the earth.

We ask this through Christ our Lord.

The Holy Face of Manoppello: some further thoughts on the scandal of the particular

2011-07-02T09:26:00.000-04:00

Often, it seems to me, the particular and universal are held in stark opposition and contrast - especially in terms of religion. Many would contend (both inside and outside of faith) that a devout Christian, Muslim, Jew or whatever cannot really have love and respect for others of a differing creed and therefore the most "Godly" thing to do would be to put away any form of restrictive creed in order to just love all people. My own experience though leads me to believe differently. The particular leads one to the universal rather than away from it and to try to achieve the universal without the particular is to end up with just a whispy sentimentalism.

It is the fact that I am a disciple of Christ and that I have encountered the risen Lord that both leads me and challenges me to an authentic awareness of the dignity of all peoples (even those who stand opposed to me).

In his writings - specifically The Grammar of Assent - Blessed John Henry Cardinal Newman wrestles with the question of what truly leads one to make an assent of ones whole self (body, mind and spirit) to a proposition, any proposition. In this he distinguishes two modes of apprehending: notional and real.  Both are needed, he asserts, in the attaining of the mature mind and each strengthens the other rather than being opposed.

Notional apprehending occurs in the intellect in terms of abstractions and ideas. This is the realm of philosophies and worldviews. This type of apprehending is important. Here is often where the guiding principles of our lives are thrashed out, determined and set forth.

Real apprehending occurs in the particular and concrete. My daily encounters, experiences, loves and loses are the stuff of this apprehending. Here also is included memory and imagination. It is important to point out that Newman demonstrates that it is real apprehension alone - as opposed to notional - which leads to passion and action in our lives.

This coming Monday here in the United States we will celebrate the fourth of July - our national holiday. It is often remarked that this country was founded on certain core principles and that our founding fathers fought for these principles. This is true but it is important to note that these principles were held so dear precisely because they were enfleshed for the founding fathers in the lives of their children and fellow citizens. "We the people ... secure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare and secure the blessings of liberty for ourselves and our posterity..." (Emphasis mine.) The founding principles of this nation are rooted in the enfleshed lives of its people. To separate the two is to fall into a form of national schizophrenia as Dr. King was able to recognize.

Sorry, I digress a bit.

The point is this: the real and the notional are not opposed and neither is the particular and the universal.  Yes, they rub against one another and sometimes even collide and seemingly contradict but that does not mean they are opposed.

Further, to separate the two is a great disservice. Either you are the most "particular of particularists" in terms of faith, creed, politics or whatever or you are the most ephemeral of universalists. Neither extreme leads to the attaining of a mature mind.  Both, in my opinion, are copouts.

In his address to those at the shrine of the Holy Face of Manoppello (see previous post), Pope Benedict reminds us that when we serve the poor, the elderly, the disadvantaged and marginalized then we see the face of Christ and also in the face of Christ we recognize the face of all other people as brother and sister.  I can honestly say (real apprehension) that this is true.

When I love my neighbor I learn how to love all people more deeply. As I encounter and love Christ I am led to an authentic and true love for all people.

The Holy Face of Manoppello and the scandal of the particular

2011-07-01T23:43:00.000-04:00

God has a face!

This is an utterly unique Christian claim. Only Christianity makes this claim among all the world's religions and it is a claim made possible only through Jesus Christ - who is God incarnate for us.

In many ways this claim hits on the scandal of the particular that is at the heart of our faith. It is a scandal that can never quite be shaken from the Christian message although many have tried. It is one thing to talk of "God" in a general and (often for many people) abstract sense. But to really say that God walked among us, talked to us, ate, slept, laughed, that he even looked a certain way ... well, this all starts to make quite a few people antsy and uncomfortable. Often many people will scoff at this point and respond to what they determine to be the the naivety and even childishness of the faith but I have come to realize that this is often just a cover for their own nervousness.

Why is this?

I think that part of it might be rooted in the old saying that the eyes are the windows to the soul. When God is held in the abstract there are no eyes to look into. Yes, God has his decrees and commandments and these bring life but there is still fundamentally a safe and semi-comfortable distance between me and the Divine. But, when God has a human face all of a sudden the safe distance is gone. It means that I have to look into his eyes (into his soul) and he into mine...

Jesus Christ had a human soul. This is a truth of the faith that was thrashed out in the great christological controversies of the Church. The soul is that place of volition within the human person where will is found and choices are determined. In the eyes of Christ we see the soul of someone who lived completely in obedience to the will of the Father. For us, this is both beautiful and utterly terrifying at the same time.

When God is particular that means that God can and will make particular demands on me. When God is abstract and general then it is enough to be guided solely by "principles" which are also easy enough to dismiss if one so determines. But there is a trade-off. A God in the abstract can neither warm nor inflame the heart. Life remains quite cold. Only in a God with a human face can we be caught up in the gaze of infinite love and tender mercy.

I just finished reading, "The Face of God: The Rediscovery of the True Face of Jesus" by Paul Badde. In the book Badde carefully lays out the argument that the relic of the Holy Face of Manoppello (a small city in Italy) is in fact the veil laid over the burial shroud of Jesus in the tomb. The image on the veil (seen above) matches that found on the Shroud of Turin and likewise is inexplicable in its making. This veil is what came to be known over time as the Veil of Veronica. It is all quite intriguing.

I am making no claims here in this blog. I will leave that to those with more knowledge than I. But I now hope that if one day (God willing) I am able to travel back to Italy I will plan on a visit to the now minor papal basilica of the Volto Santo di Manoppello.

(On September 1, 2006 Pope Benedict XVI travelled to Manoppello to personally view the image and pray before it. Two weeks after his visit he elevated the church to the level of a minor papal basilica. Below is an excerpt of the Holy Father's address on this occasion.)

What I can say for now is that this book has brought out for me the unique beauty of the particular that is at the heart of our faith as Christians.

God has a human face! It is Jesus Christ!

PILGRIMAGE TO THE SHRINE OF THE HOLY FACE IN MANOPPELLO (ITALY)

ADDRESS OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI

Friday, 1 September 2006

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

First of all, I must once again say a heartfelt "thank you" for this welcome, for your words, Your Excellency, so profound, so friendly, for the expression of your friendship and for the deeply meaningful gifts: the Face of Christ venerated here, for me, for my house, and then the gifts of your land that express the beauty and generosity of the earth, of the people who live and work here, and the goodness of the Creator himself. I simply want to thank the Lord for today's simple, family meeting in a place where we can meditate on the mystery of divine love, contemplating the image of the Holy Face.

...

During my pause for prayer just now, I was thinking of the first two Apostles who, urged by John the Baptist, followed Jesus to the banks of the Jordan River, as we read at the beginning of John's Gospel (cf. 1: 35-37).

The Evangelist recounts that Jesus turned around and asked them: ""What do you seek?'. And they answered him, "Rabbi... where are you staying?'". And he said to them, "Come and see" (cf. Jn 1: 38-39).

That very same day, the two who were following him had an unforgettable experience which prompted them to say: "We have found the Messiah" (Jn 1: 41).

The One whom a few hours earlier they had thought of as a simple "rabbi" had acquired a very precise identity: the identity of Christ who had been awaited for centuries.

But, in fact, what a long journey still lay ahead of those disciples!

They could not even imagine how profound the mystery of Jesus of Nazareth could be or how unfathomable, inscrutable, his "Face" would prove, so that even after living with Jesus for three years, Philip, who was one of them, was to hear him say at the Last Supper: "Have I been with you so long, and yet you do not know me, Philip?". And then the words that sum up the novelty of Jesus' revelation: "He who has seen me has seen the Father" (Jn 14: 9).

Only after his Passion when they encountered him Risen, when the Spirit enlightened their minds and their hearts, would the Apostles understand the significance of the words Jesus had spoken and recognize him as the Son of God, the Messiah promised for the world's redemption. They were then to become his unflagging messengers, courageous witnesses even to martyrdom.

"He who has seen me has seen the Father". Yes, dear brothers and sisters, to "see God" it is necessary to know Christ and to let oneself be moulded by his Spirit who guides believers "into all the truth" (cf. Jn 16: 13). Those who meet Jesus, who let themselves be attracted by him and are prepared to follow him even to the point of sacrificing their lives, personally experience, as he did on the Cross, that only the "grain of wheat" that falls into the earth and dies, bears "much fruit" (Jn 12: 24).

This is the path of Christ, the way of total love that overcomes death: he who takes it and "hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life" (Jn 12: 25). In other words, he lives in God already on this earth, attracted and transformed by the dazzling brightness of his Face.

This is the experience of God's true friends, the saints who, in the brethren, especially the poorest and neediest, recognized and loved the Face of that God, lovingly contemplated for hours in prayer. For us they are encouraging examples to imitate; they assure us that if we follow this path, the way of love, with fidelity, we too, as the Psalmist sings, will be satisfied with God's presence (cf. Ps 17[16]: 15).

"Jesu... quam bonus te quaerentibus! - How kind you are, Jesus, to those who seek you!". This is what we have just sung in the ancient hymn "Jesu, dulcis memoria" [Jesus, the very thought of you], which some people attribute to St Bernard.

It is a hymn that acquires rare eloquence in the Shrine dedicated to the Holy Face, which calls to mind Psalm 24[23]: "Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob" (v. 6).

But which is "the generation" of those who seek the Face of God, which generation deserves to "ascend the hill of the Lord" and "stand in his holy place"?

The Psalmist explains: it consists of those who have "clean hands and a pure heart", who do not speak falsehoods, who do not "swear deceitfully" to their neighbour (cf. vv. 3-4). Therefore, in order to enter into communion with Christ and to contemplate his Face, to recognize the Lord's Face in the faces of the brethren and in daily events, we require "clean hands and a pure heart".

Clean hands, that is, a life illumined by the truth of love that overcomes indifference, doubt, falsehood and selfishness; and pure hearts are essential too, hearts enraptured by divine beauty, as the Little Teresa of Lisieux says in her prayer to the Holy Face, hearts stamped with the hallmark of the Face of Christ.

Dear priests, if the holiness of the Face of Christ remains impressed within you, pastors of Christ's flock, do not fear: the faithful entrusted to your care will also be infected with it and transformed.

And you, seminarians, who are training to be responsible guides of the Christian people, do not allow yourselves to be attracted by anything other than Jesus and the desire to serve his Church.

I would like to say as much to you, men and women religious, so that your activities may be a visible reflection of divine goodness and mercy.

"Your Face, O Lord, I seek": seeking the Face of Jesus must be the longing of all of us Christians; indeed, we are "the generation" which seeks his Face in our day, the Face of the "God of Jacob". If we persevere in our quest for the Face of the Lord, at the end of our earthly pilgrimage, he, Jesus, will be our eternal joy, our reward and glory for ever: "Sis Jesu nostrum gaudium, qui es futurus praemium: sit nostra in te gloria, per cuncta semper saecula"...

© Copyright 2006 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana

Private Retreat

2011-06-26T10:07:00.000-04:00

I am heading out today for a private retreat at the Abbey of Gethsemani in Kentucky. I am looking forward to these quiet days. I pray that I might be able to quiet my heart and my mind enough to hear our Lord.

Please pray for me over the next few days of retreat.

God bless.

Below is a video clip on some thoughts of Thomas Merton (the famous son of Gethsemani) on what the contemplative life has to offer.

Peace.

The Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ

2011-06-25T09:32:00.000-04:00

In Scripture we hear those words which stand at the center of today’s feast – “This is my body”, “This is my blood.” These words have echoed down through the centuries and will continue to the end of the world. Here in the most unique, continuous and particular way Christ is present to us, His Church. Not by our effort but by His gift – Christ is present in order to nourish and to strengthen us. Here, we receive the very life and love of God. The mystery of the Eucharist is beyond our comprehension and it is a mystery in the true sense of the term; not a puzzle to be figured out in order to then be discarded but a mystery to be lived and appreciated.

But as we reflect today we must remember another key component to this reality of the Eucharist; not only is Christ present in the Eucharist but He is present as a “broken body” and as blood “poured out”. Christ is not present in just any manner in the Eucharist but ultimately as a friend who gives his life for those whom he loves. To have a true awareness of the Eucharist means to be aware of this reality – Christ broken and poured out. And to live as a disciple means to receive this amazing grace and to strive to live the same reality as our Eucharistic Lord – to be broken and to be poured out for others. This is what fulfills the Church’s adoration of the Eucharist.

The Church guards the concreteness of Jesus’ words and venerates his body and blood in the bread and wine, so that He can still be encountered today. We could add that Jesus is not present in the bread and wine in just any way; he is present there as a "broken" body and wine "poured out", that is, as the one who passes among men and women and does not save himself but gives his entire life, to the point of dying on the cross, until "blood and water" come out from his heart. He held back nothing of himself. He kept nothing for himself, to the very end. That broken body and that poured out wine are a scandal for each one of us and for the entire world, accustomed as we are to living for ourselves and holding back as much as possible of our lives. The bread and wine that are shown to us several times during the holy liturgy contrast with our love for ourselves, with the scrupulous attention we give to our bodies, and with the meticulous care we take to spare ourselves and avoid commitments and exertion. Nonetheless, they are given to us and continue to be broken and poured out so that we might be freed from our slaveries, so that our harshness may be transformed, our greed crumbled, and our self-love scratched. As the bread and wine draw us out of a world turned in on itself and condemned to loneliness, they gather us together and transform us into the one body of Christ. (Quote from Bishop Vincenzo Paglia)

Saint John Chrysostom once wrote, “If you want to honor the body of Christ, do not disdain it when it is nude. Do not honor the Eucharistic Lord with silken vestments, while outside of the church you neglect that other Christ who is naked and afflicted by the cold.” As disciples, we try to live these words, we know we fall short and we pray for forgiveness. Here we pray the words of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus as the risen Lord (his glory hidden) attempts to go a separate way. “Stay with us, because it is almost evening.”

The story of Emmaus (which is a Eucharistic story) reminds us that Christ has made himself humanity’s companion on our long journey through history. Christ walks with us – each and every one of us and us as Church. We are not alone. Christ is among us to comfort, to instruct, to correct; and when we fall short, to forgive. In this awareness of the Eucharist and in this awareness of our own frailty and weakness the most honest prayer we can utter is “Lord, stay with us, because it is almost evening.”

Mother Teresa: "be love for others"

2011-06-23T08:57:00.000-04:00

In this video, Mother Teresa reflects on the joyful mystery of the Nativity.

It is good to ask the question how might Christ be born through me and my actions?

St. Josephine Bakhita: a doorkeeper saint

2011-06-21T04:47:00.000-04:00

It is a wonderful thing to develop a new friendship with a saint.

A while back I came across a reference to St. Josephine Bakhita and following that I kept running into her again and again in my reading. I have learned over time that when this happens it is something to pay attention to. (It can be likened to the the saint tapping you on your shoulder; trying to get your attention.) Eventually I took the hint and I began searching out information on this patron saint of the Sudan.

This last weekend I watched an Italian movie on her life.

There are many things that strike me about Bakhita's life but one of the most striking elements is her ability to open hearts. (Because of this ability it is fitting that Bakhita served as the portress - or doorkeeper - of her community's house for years.)

St. Bakhita endured great cruelty and prejudice during her life and she overcame it all but she also won over the hearts of many of the very people who caused her suffering. She did not do this by clever argument or debate or vitriol but by the witness of love and the willingness to forgive.

This ability to open hearts is greatly needed in our world today. Hearts are closed and fearful.

We need the doorkeeper saints such as St. Bakhita and also Blessed Andre Bessette to teach us how to open hearts through the witness of love and humility.

I pray that we as Church have hearts open to learn what the doorkeeper saints have to teach us.

Christ the Tree of Life icon

2011-06-18T13:44:00.003-04:00

I have just completed writing an icon that I began a year and a half ago.

The term "write" is used in regards to icons rather than "painting" because icons are considerd visual theology.

The icon is of Christ the Tree of Life. I first encountered this icon through the Community of Sant"Egidio - both on the Community's website and in its chapel in Rome. I do not know how old the original image is but I find it be a very powerful and holy image.

Christ sits surrounded by the twelve apostles.  Christ is the Word of life and the passage that is opened for contemplation is, "I am the vine and you are the branches." Some of the apostles hold open books while others hold rolled up scrolls. To the open books I added scripture passages that speak to the reality of Christ living in us and our life in Christ: Colossians 3:14-15, Ephesians 3:20-21, 1 Corinthians 12;12-13, 1 John 4:14-15 and 1 Peter 1:22-23.

Christ surrounded by his apostles within the context of a "living tree" is, I believe, a wonderful image of Church. All is focused on Christ who is central and the branches strain toward heaven and the Father. The twelve apostles remind us of the apostolic nature of the Church - a mark of the Church often unreflected upon in our day. Christ retains the wounds of the crucifixion as the resurrection experiences recalled in scripture testify. Even in his glory Christ remains united to the suffering of his Church and all creation.

In the original icon the Father was pictured at the top of the icon in human form and there was a more ornate and detailed depiction of the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove. In the Orthodox Church there has been an instruction that the Father should not be pictured in human form and I agree with this.  We can depict the Son because of the incarnation - the "Word become flesh " - and we can use the images of the dove, tongues of fire and celestial light for the Holy Spirit but the Father remains beyond our imagings. In this icon I replaced the image of the Father with rays of light streaming from a central point.  The rays also draw our attention to that point.

The Holy Spirit unites the Father and the Son. I simplified the image of the Holy Spirit in this icon. The living reality of the Church gathered around Christ also exists and grows under the care and empowerment of the Holy Spirit.

Trinity Sunday: God as Trinity and how we live our lives

2011-06-17T11:55:00.000-04:00

Reflecting on the reality of baptism, Diadochus – a theologian of the early church – writes, “Before a person comes to be baptized, grace is at work, from without, encouraging the soul toward the good, while Satan is at work, from within. After baptism, the contrary is the case. Grace works from within and the demons from without. These continue their work, and work even more evilly than before, but not as present together with grace. The only way they can work is through the promptings of the flesh.”

Today, we as church, reflect on that most profound of mysteries – the Trinity. As Christians we believe and we profess that God is one and that God is three. We are not Unitarians and neither are we Jehovah Witnesses – both of which deny the Trinity. Through the revelation of Jesus Christ and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit we have been brought to the realization that Father, Son and Holy Spirit are one God.

I believe that the quote by Diadochus concerning baptism can help bring us to the only point by which we can begin to contemplate this mystery – from within. The mystery of the Trinity is not a problem to be objectively solved or a riddle that can be puzzled through by our wits alone. The Trinity is a mystery to be lived. This mystery demands the involvement and engagement of the whole person – mind, body and spirit.

God began the invitation to this mystery. In John’s gospel we are reminded that, “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son … For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.” (John 3:16-17) Through God’s love and God’s initiative (as known in baptism) we are brought into communion with God and into the relationship that is the Trinity.

It is here, in this reality of lived relationship, that we begin our awareness of God as three. Paul - in his second Letter to the Corinthians - writes, “Mend your ways, encourage one another, agree with one another, live in peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you.” (2 Cor. 13:12) Paul firmly connects how we live our lives with the presence of God: “Mend your ways … and the God of love and peace will be with you.” Awareness and knowledge of God can only begin from within. Paul is calling for a sincere examination of conscience here. Are we living our lives in such way that Father, Son and Spirit are welcome to come, reside and be present?

In God’s great revelation to Moses the Lord defines himself by proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger and rich in kindness and fidelity.” (Ex. 34:6) Again, awareness and knowledge of God can only begin from within. If God defines himself as “merciful” and “slow to anger and rich in kindness and fidelity” then why would he make himself present and known in a heart that lacks these qualities?

God has taken the initiative and invites us into relationship with himself as Father, Son and Holy Spirit but this mystery, to be authentically known, must be lived.

It has to begin from within; from how we choose to live our lives.

God's grace - restoring this "old house"

2011-06-14T06:04:00.000-04:00

We are taking a few days this week to do some renovation work here at the Catholic Center. We are tearing down wall paper, repainting some rooms, doing some minor electrical and general repair work, planting some pompous grass and doing other yardwork.

Yesterday we did quite a bit of work and have more to do the next couple of days. But it is coming along.

Looking at the stripped down walls and the ladders propped here and there I have been reminded of an insight of one of my professors in seminary (Sr. Sara Butler) on the Catholic understanding of the work of God's grace in our lives: grace rather than being seen as just a "covering over" of self and sin is in fact better likened to the action of renovating a house from within.

God's grace works from the inside out and, bit by bit in God's time, it restores and reclaims the whole person - scrubbing down and fixing what needs to be fixed. All done, in order to make of our whole selves a worthy and welcoming home for the Lord to come and dwell within.

God wants all of who we are restored to full relationship with him and nothing less, it seems, will do.

I find this quite comforting.

Pentecost continued: St. Anthony of Padua

2011-06-13T09:18:00.000-04:00

On June 13th the Church celebrates the feast of St. Anthony of Padua. This year's feast falls the day after our celebration of Pentecost and I found the excerpt from a sermon by the saint offered in today's Office of Readings to be a great reflection on how to keep the outpouring of the Holy Spirit active in our lives. Below is the excerpt.

From a sermon by Saint Anthony of Padua, priest

Actions speak louder than words

The man who is filled with the Holy Spirit speaks in different languages. These different languages are different ways of witnessing to Christ, such as humility, poverty, patience and obedience; we speak in those languages when we reveal in ourselves these virtues to others. Actions speak louder than words; let your words teach and your actions speak. We are full of words but empty of actions, and therefore are cursed by the Lord, since he himself cursed the fig tree when he found no fruit but only leaves. Gregory says: “A law is laid upon the preacher to practice what he preaches.” It is useless for a man to flaunt his knowledge of the law if he undermines its teaching by his actions.

But the apostles spoke as the Spirit gave them the gift of speech. Happy the man whose words issue from the Holy Spirit and not from himself! For some men speak as their own character dictates, but steal the words of others and present them as their own and claim the credit for them. The Lord refers to such men and others like them in Jeremiah: So, then, I have a quarrel with the prophets that steal my words from each other. I have a quarrel with the prophets, says the Lord, who have only to move their tongues to utter oracles. I have a quarrel with the prophets who make prophecies out of lying dreams, who recount them and lead my people astray with their lies and their pretensions. I certainly never sent them or commissioned them, and they serve no good purpose for this people, says the Lord.

We should speak, then, as the Holy Spirit gives us the gift of speech. Our humble and sincere request to the Spirit for ourselves should be that we may bring the day of Pentecost to fulfillment, insofar as he infuses us with his grace, by using our bodily senses in a perfect manner and by keeping the commandments. Likewise we shall request that we may be filled with a keen sense of sorrow and with fiery tongues for confessing the faith, so that our deserved reward may be to stand in the blazing splendor of the saints and to look upon the triune God.

St. Anthony, pray with us and for us!

Pentecost Sunday with a touch of green

2011-06-11T15:09:00.001-04:00

Here is a thought experiment: picture yourself as a parent looking upon your child. (For those of you blessed with this role this should be easy.) As you look upon your child imagine all the love and care that is present in your heart. Now, multiply this by infinity. This is what God feels when God looks upon you and me - love multiplied by infinity. Yet, this depth of love (God to us and us to one another) is so easy to overlook and even forget in the rush and stumblings of life.

Today we celebrate Pentecost Sunday - the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the Church. In our western Christian tradition we often associate the color red with the Holy Spirit (i.e. the "tongues of fire" that come upon those gathered for Pentecost). Red is indeed a powerful color. It is a color that flashes and holds ones attention. In the Orthodox Christian tradition another color associated with the Holy Spirit is green. If we reflect here for a moment this makes perfect sense. In the creed we profess our belief in the Holy Spirit as "the Lord, the giver of life". Here, in East Tennessee, all we have to do is look around at the myriad shades of green to recognize it as indeed a color which signifies life.

But, just as the depth of love is so present that it is easy to overlook in our lives so is the presence of green easy to take for granted (until, that is, life becomes dry).

I share this because I believe it is helpful when we think of the Holy Spirit to allow some shadings of green into the equation. I believe this allowance may expand our thoughts of how God works and even enable us to come to a deeper awareness of true power.

Today, in our society we like our heroes and superheroes. It seems that every other movie marketed out of Hollywood is based on some comic book hero (i.e. Superman, Spider-man, Batman, X-men, Thor, Green Lantern) and the plot line remains the same. In all the scenarios power is strength and determination and it is exercised through brute force and clashes that are anything but subtle and easily overlooked. In fact, it seems that in every story the whole world both hangs in the balance and holds its collective breath as it stands by and watches the great clash ... just hoping for the best. Power is strength and it forces attention.

But, is this how God (the creator of all and also the "all-powerful") works? It does not seem so. At least, this is not my reading of Christ hanging on the cross. God's power does not need to point to itself nor force attention, it seems. Powerful nations have clashed with great armies throughout the centuries but can any nation cause the sun to rise or set? Can any nation or science create from nothing even the smallest form of life? It seems that God's power is humble - not found in clash and conflict demanding attention - but in love and in life. That which is easily overlooked.

The gospel today tells us that the disciples had locked themselves in the room out of fear. But that Christ, risen from the dead, came to them demonstrating a different form of power than that of the world. This is not a power that points to itself and demands attention but rather one easily overlooked yet it is the power that overcomes fear and brings life and love. Then Christ breathed on the Church and said, "receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." God's own power, God's own Spirit - so much at work, so present and yes, so easily overlooked.

"Come, Holy Spirit and enkindle in us the fire of your love!"

On the road again ... and Josh Groban's "Remember When It Rained"

2011-05-31T21:43:00.000-04:00

I head out on the road tomorrow for two back-to-back trips. The first trip is with a group of students from the Catholic Center. We will be attending the Campus Ministry Leadership Institute at St. Joseph University in Philadelphia, PA. The institute is an opportunity to plan and organize for the next year here at the CC. We will get back early, early Monday morning and Monday afternoon I head out for the annual Dioceses of Nashville and Knoxville priest gathering at Fall Creek Falls state park. This is always a good gathering.

Please say a prayer for safe travels!

Below I am posting one of my favorite songs from Josh Groban - "Remember When It Rained." I do not know the full story of why the song was written and its inspiration but I think the song contains a baptismal, mystical theme - a soul's yearning for union with God.

Give it a listen and see what you think. Peace.

Memorial Day, Pope John Paul II and priests as "men of communion"

2011-05-30T12:50:00.000-04:00

Memorial Day was officially proclaimed on May 5, 1868 by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, in his General Order No. 11, and was first observed on May 30, 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery. The first state to officially recognize the holiday was New York in 1873 ... Memorial Day is not about division. It is about reconciliation; it is about coming together to honor those who gave their all. (taken from http://www.usmemorialday.org/)

There is much talk today about how we live in such polarized times as a country (red states vs. blue states, this group vs. that group) and as Church (traditionalists, orthodox vs. liberal - however you may wish to define any of these terms) but what more polarized time (at least in our country's history) could there have been than immediately after the Civil War?

The day we observe today came about as an opportunity to heal divisions and regain unity. Memorial Day has much to teach us both as a nation and as Church (for whether we like it or not all the baptized are members of the Body of Christ.)

Polarization does not serve the unity of the Church.

In the polarized context of our times I think it all the more important to give a listening and truly attentive ear to what Blessed John Paul II wrote in his famous encyclical on the priesthood, "Pastoris Dabo Vobis" ("I Will Give You Shepherds").

John Paul specifies that priests are to be "men of communion". He plants this understanding right in the very communion of the Trinity.

"The priest's identity," as the Synod Fathers wrote, "like every Christian identity, has its source in the Blessed Trinity", which is revealed and is communicated to people in Christ, establishing, in him and through the Spirit, the Church as "the seed and the beginning of the Kingdom"...

In this way the fundamentally "relational" dimension of priestly identity can be understood. Through the priesthood which arises from the depths of the ineffable mystery of God, that is, from the love of the Father, the grace of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit's gift of unity, the priest sacramentally enters into communion with the Bishop and with other priests, in order to serve the People of God who are the Church and to draw all mankind to Christ in accordance with the Lord's Prayer: "Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one ... even as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me" (Jn 17:11,21).

Pope John Paul II, later in his encyclical, then goes on to reflect on the value of communion in the human formation of priests.

Future priests should therefore cultivate a series of human qualities, not only out of proper and due growth and realization of self, but also with a view to the ministry. These qualities are needed for them to be balanced people, strong and free, capable of bearing the weight of pastoral responsibilities. They need to be educated to love the truth, to be loyal, to respect every person, to have a sense of justice, to be true to their word, to be genuinely compassionate, to be men of integrity and, especially, to be balanced in judgment and behaviour...

Of special importance in the capacity to relate to others. This is truly fundamental for a person who is called to be responsible for a community and to be a "man of communion". This demands that the priest not be arrogant, or quarrelsome, but affable, hospitable, sincere in his words and heart, prudent and discreet, generous and ready to serve, capable of opening himself to clear and brotherly relationships and encouraging the same in others, and quick to understand, forgive and console (see also 1 Tim 3:1-5, Tit 1:7-9). People today are often trapped in situations of standardization and loneliness, especially in large urban centres, and they become ever more appreciative of the value of communion. Today this is one of the most eloquent signs and one of the most effective ways of transmitting the Gospel message.

I believe it extremely important that today priests be known as "men of communion" and I believe that Blessed John Paul II also believed this. I think that the above quotes testify to this.

The words found in the last sentence quoted are truly powerful and bear great weight. In a time of polarization and isolation; being a "man of communion" is indeed one of the most eloquent signs and one of the most effective ways of transmitting the Gospel message.

The Church, by its very nature established in the heart of the Trinity, must be a place of communion and priests must strive to serve communion.

In all times and seasons, we as Church set our lives not by the limits and sad resignations of this world (i.e. polarization) but the truth and communion of the Kingdom of God.

Words: Pieper's "Abuse of Language, Abuse of Power"

2011-05-24T22:22:00.001-04:00

At one point in his ministry our Lord tells us, “Let your yes mean yes and your no mean no.” There is an intrinsic power and truth to words that must be respected. Words convey reality. John at the very beginning of his gospel gives us a glimpse into this profound connection of words and reality when he writes,

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God; all things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. (John 1:1-5)

To respect words and their conveyance of reality is to show respect to the very foundation of reality. To manipulate words is to seek to manipulate truth and to instead choose falsity and illusion over reality. The manipulation of words is itself a violent act. It is an act of self-centered pride ultimately doomed to frustration and failure precisely because it is based in falsity.

Over the past few weeks I have had three different conversations (initiated by others, I would add) on the power of words and attempts to manipulate and distort words.

These conversations have led me to the essay, “Abuse of Language, Abuse of Power” by Josef Pieper. I would like to share a few quotes from his essay that I believe are worthy of note and consideration.

Human words and language, accomplish a twofold purpose… First, words convey reality. We speak in order to name and identify something this is real, to identify it for someone, of course – and this points to the second aspect in question, the interpersonal character of human speech.

Pieper then goes on to flesh out the interpersonal character of speech by the use of a negative:

Can a lie be taken as communication? I tend to deny it. A lie is the opposite of communication. It means specifically to withhold the other’s share and portion of reality, to prevent his participation in reality. And so: corruption of the relationship to reality, and corruption of communication – these evidently are the two possible forms in which the corruption of the word manifests itself.

Further Pieper writes,

Any discourse detached from the norms of reality is at the same time mere monologue. What does it mean, after all, to be detached from the norms of reality? It means indifference regarding the truth.

Pieper then carries this through to a prophetic warning,

The degradation, too, of man through man, alarmingly evident in the acts of physical violence committed by all tyrannies (concentration camps, torture), has its beginning, certainly much less alarmingly, at the almost imperceptible moment when the word loses its dignity. The dignity of the word, to be sure, consists in this: through the word is accomplished what no other means can accomplish, namely, communication based on reality.

I share this because I believe we live in a time when language is being abused and manipulated. The temptation in this is to return “like for like.” But here is where the above quoted teaching of our Lord is essentially important for the disciple. When so many seem to prefer the choice of illusion over reality; disciples, all the more, must make sure that our yes means yes and our no means no. Ours is and must be a different choice.

By so doing we will all the more stand out and our words, rather than just being “mere monologue” that might have flash but really accomplish nothing, will harmonize with the very truth of creation and even share in the very power of that truth.

Why Rapture? Why now?

2011-05-21T09:52:00.002-04:00

Today might be the day. You never know. Our Lord himself said he knew neither the day nor the hour but we Christians hold that our Lord will return in glory and we look toward this day. Recently a Christian movement has gained some attention by its prediction that today (May 21, 2011) is the day. They might be right but these predictions have occurred before. In fact, the man purporting to have now cracked the code that today is the day has predicted Judgement Day before but obviously that prediction was incorrect and based on lack of information as he later stated.

What is interesting is the attention that this prediction has received. I think that this attention is speaking to some interesting dynamics present in our day and age. Here are a few as I see them.

In our American mindset we like to figure things out. We are very pragmatic as a people. This is a part of our national strength and character. Our country has accomplished some great things because of this strength. The problem though is that we easily apply this mindset to faith and Scripture as though it all were a code to be puzzled through and this, I think, misses the mark. As a wise professor once told me, "The paschal mystery is not a puzzle to be figured out and solved but a mystery to be lived. As we live the mystery we are brought to greater and greater understanding and deeper discipleship." Maybe instead of viewing the Bible as a hidden code to be cracked (which I personally think demeans Holy Scripture) we should see it as a sacred space of encounter and relationship between us and God and us and our neighbor. My take on faith is that it is not about figuring out a certain date as it is about learning how to live as our Lord lived which means living and embracing the paschal mystery in our own lives.

I believe that fear is a factor in all of this. The world is changing and whenever there is change we get uncomfortable.  The weather patterns are changing. Global warming is an all but accepted fact. Pope Benedict in his writings acknowledges this. Global warming does not so much mean that things will just get a little warmer but that weather will become more extreme (i.e. the recent tornadoes in the southern states, more severe flooding and more severe draughts). Recent earthquakes have rattled our collective consciousness. The economic meltdown has demonstrated that commerce is not the all-solid foundation we once believed. Gauging our greatness on our ability to consume might be becoming a thing of the past. Those Muslims who once resided on their side of the world now live in the house up the street and next door there is now a homosexual couple.  Christianity is now just one other voice in a largely secular society. For many, the world as they know it is ending. Surely our Lord must be returning soon to save his chosen! As Christians, we cannot be meant to live in a world like this! But, maybe now is the time when Christians, rather than being taken from the world, are meant to be more than ever in the world - living the paschal mystery in love and not in fear speculating on dates.

Sincerity also has a role to play here. I believe the man who has made this prediction and the people of this movement are very sincere. They believe that this is the day and, again, they may be right. But sincerity does not always equal truth. One might be very sincere but completely wrong. But we do not always catch this in our day and age. Partly due, I believe, to a decrease in and de-emphasizing of critical thinking. If one is sincere enough, feels enough, believes enough then it must be so! Well ... no, not really. Sincerity itself does not equal truth.

Finally, a yearning for sacred time.  Yesterday, as I was driving down the interstate and reflecting on this I found myself indeed yearning for the return of the Lord. We, the Church, are the bride and we do indeed yearn for the return of the bridegroom.  The world is limited, it is marked by sin and all its effects and it does become wearisome. As Christians we are meant to yearn for the fulfillment of all ages and for more than this world has to offer. The prayer, "Come, Lord Jesus" is an honest prayer spoken from the heart of the Christian.  Any prediction of the end time taps into this honest yearning in the heart of the Christian.

Today at 6 p.m. I will be in the middle of saying Mass - not a bad place to be when the world is supposed to end. It may happen today. It may not.

Whenever it does happen (either the end of the whole world or the end of my own little life) I hope my Lord finds me in faith and hope, with a song in my heart - not worried about determining a date but more focused on living and embracing the paschal mystery.

Fourth Sunday of Easter (A): The Good Shepherd

2011-05-15T12:39:00.000-04:00

What would you do if to remain in a place would almost certainly mean losing your life? This is question found at the heart of the French film, "Of Gods and Men." The film is based on the true story of eight Cistercian Trappist monks living their lives in the Atlas Mountains of Algeria in the 1990's. The country is caught up in a violent and bloody civil war between a totalitarian regime and violent Islamic extremists. The monks have lived in peace with their Muslim neighbors but there is violence all around and non-Muslims are being killed. The monks know that it is just a matter of time.

The film powerfully portrays the debate these men have both as a community and in their own souls about remaining or leaving. These men are not super-heroes and they are not portrayed that way. They are ordinary men who, through prayer and interaction among themselves and with the villagers - each come to the realization that he must remain.

Late one night the extremists arrive. Six of the monks are taken away to be used as hostages. In the winter of 1996, the monks were killed.

The men choose to remain - specifically, out of love for their Lord and their own calling and also out of love for the villagers and their need. The men chose to remain.

Today, the church celebrates Good Shepherd Sunday and one overriding characteristic of the Good Shepherd is that, come what may, the good shepherd remains. He does not seek to save himself. In the gospel account of Jesus' passion we find that everyone else flees, everyone else seeks to save himself (the disciples run away, Peter denies Jesus, Pilate washes his hands of the matter, the religious establishment is concerned only with its own position) except our Lord. Our Lord remains, our Lord does not seek to save himself. Our Lord is the good shepherd. The sheep hear and recognize his voice because in love he chooses to remain. Because of this his voice is authentic and true; it cuts through all the noise, false voices and distractions of the world and it speaks directly to our hearts.

What is very moving (and beautifully portrayed) in the film is how the decision to remain is not unilateral and neither is it forced on anyone. Each man makes his own decision to remain and it is the love found in the daily encounters (the daily life of the brothers themselves, the encounters with the villagers and their needs, the encounter with Christ in prayer) that led each one to that decision.

The voice of the Good Shepherd speaks to our hearts through the love found in daily encounters.

We all know the temptation to flee; to save oneself above all else. This temptation is there for each of us in a multitude of ways: the stress of relationships and pressures of work, the pain of illness, suffering and persecution, the fear of that which is different and unknown. This temptation can seem so powerful and overwhelming. What can enable one to remain in the face of it? Love can, the love that we know and receive from our Lord in the everyday encounter.

The Good Shepherd speaks to our hearts and his voice is authentic and true.

Slutwalks: "Healthy sexuality" or power politics?

2011-05-14T10:38:00.001-04:00

I have been keeping an eye on the reports and commentaries regarding the "Slutwalks" that have sprung up recently and I find myself both interested in them but also put off. I am interested because I think that they point to some current dynamics in our society. I am put off because I do not agree with a mentality that I believe is partly present in these demonstrations.

I agree that any form of violence against another person is wrong. I agree that victims should not be blamed for acts of violence perpetrated against them. I agree that people have the right to wear what they please without fearing any form of violence because of what they wear. I may shake my head and personally wonder what they are thinking (i.e. fleece pajama bottoms worn in public) but that is as far as another can go in the public commons. I also think that there is value in being prudent and there is space for the needed virtue of modesty (for both women and men) but, in the end, adults being adults can wear what they please.

But I find myself disagreeing with the stated goal of some in the movement to reclaim the word "slut". I do not use the word. Neither would I call another person by this word because it is a derogatory from the get go. How can we "reclaim" that which is negative from the beginning? "Reclaim" to me means to restore something to its original meaning or purpose, often being seen as a positive. "Reclaim" as it is being used here seems to me to be the opposite; actually warping the word "slut" from it original context. It is like trying to concoct a virtue out of a vice. This seems an example of double-speak and language manipulation and, I believe, it points to a mentality present in the movement that I just cannot agree with.

An aim of the SlutWalk movement is to reappropriate the word "slut." “I come from a frame of mind that language is powerful, and you can also change language,” said SlutWalk founder Jarvis, using the word “queer” as an example of a word that was once strictly pejorative but is now a common sexual identifier used by the LGBT community. (taken from "Slutwalks Sweep the Nation" by Laura Stampler, HuffingtonPost.com)

This mentality, it seems to me, is one of viewing sex and sexuality solely in terms of power paradigms and defining the core reality of the human person solely in terms of the material and sexual.

I would like to examine the second aspect first: defining the human person solely in terms of the material and sexual.

As I have been pondering all of this I have been drawn back to the book, "The Cloister Walk" by Kathleen Norris. In her chapter on the Virgin Martyrs, Norris explores the case of Maria Goretti; an eleven-year-old girl stabbed to death in 1902 during an attempted rape. In the horrific violence of the moment this girl choose to be killed rather than raped. She was canonized in 1950. Norris writes this,

Maria Goretti, canonized in 1950, was the first virgin martyr declared such by the church for defending her chastity rather than her faith, and it's easy to see this development in a cynical light; a perfect expression of a sexually uptight era. Indeed, a popular pamphlet of the time, written by an American priest, dubbed her "the Cinderella Saint." But our cynicism blinds us to a deeper truth: a martyr is not a model to be imitated, but a witness, one who testifies to a new reality. And our own era's obsession with sexual "liberation" blinds us still further, making it difficult to see the true nature of Maria Goretti's witness, what it might mean for a peasant girl to "prefer death to dishonor." We may make fun of someone so foolish - a male friend recalls with shame how he and his schoolmates snickered over Maria Goretti in the playground of his parochial school, not long after she was canonized - but such joking is a middle class luxury.

For Maria Goretti, the issue was not a roll in the hay. The loss of her virginity in a rigidly patriarchal peasant culture could have had economic and social consequences so dire that it might have seemed a choice between being and nonbeing. And is it foolish for a girl to have such a strong sense of her self that she resists its violation, resists being asked to do, in the private spaces of her body, what she does not want to do? (Here Norris shares how once when she was fifteen she herself was attacked by a man but was able to fight him off.) It happens more than we like to think, even to middle-class girls like me. But the poor are far more vulnerable; perhaps the scandal of Maria Goretti is the recognition that there can be bodily integrity, honor, and even holiness, among the poorest of the poor, that even a peasant girl of simple faith can claim an inner self, a soul that will make room for Christ but not a rapist. Not even a rapist with a knife.

What we resist seeing in late-twentieth-century America - where we are conditioned, relentlessly, by images of girls' and women’s' bodies as available - is the depth of that soul, and how fierce a young girl's sense of bodily and spiritual integrity can be.

Yes, sexuality and sexual identity is powerful and are important aspects of who we are but sexuality is not the sole defining principle of the human person and neither is it the deepest core of who we are. The deepest core of who we are is not our sexuality but the fact that we are made in the image and likeness of God; the Imago Dei. Sexuality is not denied but held in proper balance and purpose only when this deeper reality of the human person is recognized and acknowledged.

Please read again the last sentence I quoted from Kathleen Norris - "the depth of that soul". When we define the human person solely in terms of the material, an understanding that denies any sense of the spiritual, then we lose that "depth of soul" which the eleven year old saint witnesses to. Further, it seems to me that when the spiritual component of who we are is denied then it is very easy to fall into the belief that the sexual is our deepest core because in the sexual there is a sense of connection and transcending of self that cannot seemingly be found anywhere else in a material-only world. But this is not the case. The truth is that the fullness of bodily and spiritual intergrity is there, we just "resist seeing" the full possibilities of this and of connection with others and of transcending self.

The sin of our age is not that we have loved too much but that we love too little.

Now, let us look to the first aspect: viewing sex and sexuality solely in terms of power paradigms. I believe that this aspect is an understandable result of the denial of spiritual and bodily integrity.

It seems interesting to me that the more "casual" sex and sexuality becomes; the more it is reduced to just another weapon ready-at-hand for use in the culture and gender wars and the more there seems to be an effort to define the relation of men and women solely in terms of confrontation and antagonism.

(I also find it interesting to note how as the divorce rate climbs so too does the cost of weddings go through the roof! Another topic for another post, but related I believe.)

In my reading of the commentaries and interviews regarding the slutwalks and also the watching of youtube videos, I have noticed that the word "power" is used quite often. In fact, I would think that if one were to do a word cloud regarding slutwalks the word "power" would be present in very bold and large letters. Why is this?

A sincere part of this is, I believe, that rape and sexual violence are abuses of power. To regain ones integrity in this sense is to regain ones power. This is valid and an important part of the healing process.

But, I think there is another aspect present in the use of this term that connects to the mentality that I have made mention of. In this sense, I would say that "power" is being used due to the fact that when sexuality is divorced from the deeper context of bodily and spiritual integrity (the Imago Dei) it quickly devolves into just another form of power politics.

Sexuality and power are linked. We ought not be naive about this.

There is a latent power in sexuality - the power to create, to connect and even (if just for a moment) transcend self - when held in relationship to the core reality of the human person, the Imago Dei, this power is focused, given purpose and directed higher. It can even participate in the very mystery of creation. When divorced from the Imago Dei this power has lost its purpose and focus and it cannot be called higher because there is nothing to call it higher! Therefore, it quickly devolves into power politics - an empty shell of what it could truly be.

The very frustration and vitriol given expression when sexuality is viewed solely in terms of power paradigms is itself a witness, I believe, to the error and fallacy of the resistance to see and acknowledge the Imago Dei in the human person and the possibility of bodily and spiritual integrity.

We frustrate ourselves when we deny the fullness of our anthropology.

Viewing sexuality solely in terms of power politics is a reduction and not an exalting of the latent power present in sexuality.

Can power politics create life? I do not think so.

The slutwalks will, I am sure, continue and the word "power" will be used for a variety of reasons.

These are interesting times in which we live...

Happy Mother's Day!

2011-05-08T13:33:00.000-04:00

"When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother, 'Woman, here is your son.' Then he said to the disciple, 'Here is your mother.' And from that hour the disciple took her into his own house." (John 19:26-27)

As he is dying on the cross our Lord does a very tender thing; he finds a home for his mother and he gives his Church a mother.

May God bless all mothers on this special day!

Third Sunday of Easter (A):The Road to Emmaus

2011-05-07T15:51:00.000-04:00

There is a famous painting of the road to Emmaus experience by the artist Robert Zund (posted above). In the painting you see three men walking through a towering forest. Their backs are to you - almost as if the viewer is walking the path behind them. The man in the middle (the risen Lord) is talking and gesturing while the other two are in rapt attention. You can almost hear Jesus explaining the Scriptures and feel the breeze of the day as you enter into the scene.

In my vocation work I have often thought that a good vocation/discipleship poster would be to cut out the images of the three men walking, then find some black and white photos of everyday life (i.e. a busy city street scene, people going to a ball game or attending a fair or festival, etc.) and splice (keeping proportions correct) the image of the risen Lord and two disciples into the heart of the crowd. Then add a catchy phrase like: "The call continues." or "Do you also want your heart to 'burn within you'?"

Why the poster? Because it is in the everyday that Christ comes to us and it is here in the Mass - in the opening of Scripture and in the breaking of bread - when our eyes are opened to recognize and name those moments when our hearts burned within us in our encounters with the Lord. As disciples we need both and we are meant for both - not just one or the other (either the everyday or the liturgical).

The Mass is the Emmaus road encounter.

For six days we have walked through our lives in a variety of settings and ways - as parents, as young person, as an elderly person, maybe married, maybe single. For six days we have walked as a teacher or a nurse, a lawyer or doctor, as a person in the business world. We may have known joy these days. We may have known defeats. Daily life can often be a defeat, "the defeat of the Gospel in the lives of Christians and in human life, the defeat of the Gospel in the lives of those who are persecuted, who are poor, in those effected by war and violence, loneliness and abandonment." Like the two disciples are lives might be saddened by defeat.

But, the risen Lord comes to us. This is important to note. When we gather on Sunday for Mass, when all of our Emmaus walks converge, we do not just remember the past or tell stories of a time long ago. Christ is here. Christ in his grace and revelation opens the Scriptures to us. Christ himself breaks the bread (his body and his blood) for us. When we gather for Mass on our Emmaus road we do not just reflect on an idea. Here, we encounter the risen Lord and he speaks to our hearts and he shares his very self.

"Were not our hearts burning within us?"

Sabbath rest and the danger of activism

2011-05-06T12:23:00.000-04:00

Maybe it is because the semester has finished here at the university and things are quiet at the Catholic Center and I am anticipating the slower pace of the summer months but my soul recently has been reflecting on the need to rest and recoup.

I have noticed that in more than a few of his writings, interviews and reflections Pope Benedict talks about the danger of "activism". A danger that is very rampant in our day and age. Activism is that tendency to think we always have to be active; we always have to be doing something if life is going to be worthwhile and we are going to "make our mark" in history. Of all people certainly it is a pope who could be tempted to activism as he looks at the needs of the world and the pulpit he alone has to address those needs. A pope, he notes, could continually be active - twenty four hours and seven days a week. But, wisely the Holy Father cautions us and himself against this temptation and he does this because he is a humble man who knows that the job of Savior of the world has already been filled. Activism (he knows) is rooted in hubris, in pride. The antidote to activism is the humble realization that we are creature and not Creator and also the willingness to enjoy this realization.

Further, not only does activism puff us up it also wears us down. We cannot go twenty four and seven. We need rest and specifically sabbath rest. Paradoxically activism even warps the arena and space of rest. Rest rather than standing on its own with its own value becomes, under the tyranny of activism, just an allotted time and space only begrudgingly allowed in order to rest up for more work! The day off is allowed only in order that we might be better workers not because the day off itself (leisure) has its own value and its own nourishment that the human soul stands in need of.

Under activism rest itself becomes shallow, superficial and tiresome.

Sabbath rest is different. Here is a quote from the treatise, "Flight from the World" by St. Ambrose that helps to bring out the unique character of sabbath rest.

Let us take refuge from this world. You can do this in spirit, even if you are kept here in the body. You can at the same time be here and present to the Lord. Your soul must hold fast to him, you must follow after him in your thoughts, you must tread his ways by faith, not in outward show. You must take refuge in him. He is your refuge and your strength. David addresses him in these words: I fled to you for refuge, and I was not disappointed.

Since God is our refuge, God who is in heaven and above the heavens, we must take refuge from this world in that place where there is peace, where there is rest from toil, where we can celebrate the great sabbath, as Moses said: The sabbaths of the land will provide you with food. To rest in the Lord and to see his joy is like a banquet, and full of gladness and tranquility.

Sabbath rest is "like a banquet ... full of gladness and tranquility." Rather than emptying and depleting the soul; Sabbath rest nourishes and fulfills and it enables us to put things in proper perspective.

We are made and meant for sabbath rest; for the banquet that nourishes, fulfills and restores relationship. We are not made to just work and work and hopefully maybe catch a day off here and there.

"The sabbaths of the land will provide you with food."

It would do us all well to be attentive to this truth.