Every day feels like April Fools

I checked the internet and learned that there are many explanations about the origin of  'April Fools Day''.  One that struck me as plausible was a connection with the end of the winter solstice and the fact that the weather at this time of the year changes rapidly and fools us all.

Who could have predicted the “climate” we all are in now—with the threat of the Coronavirus seeming to turn upside down almost every aspect of our normal lives?  One refrain I keep hearing from thoughtful people in this moment is the paradox that, as we are forced to separate from each other (“social distancing”), we are also realizing how connected with each other we truly are and how much we need each other.  That conviction, in fact, is at the heart of our Christian faith.  The belief that we are all daughters and sons of God and that we are responsible for each other.
 
The story from the Book of Daniel both urges Israelites to remain faithful amid suffering and assures them of God’s protective care. (Daniel 3:14-20, 91-92, 95)

In the Gospel of John (John 8: 31-42) there is also a threat of violence, as Jesus’ opponents, the religious authorities, bitterly criticize him.  But Jesus offers words of comfort to “the Jews who believed in him:” ‘If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

The heart of Jesus’ teaching (and the example of his life) was precisely this: Jesus taught that the “greatest commandment was to love God with all our heart and soul, and our neighbors as ourselves.”  That is the truth that sets us free and will help us persevere this present threat.

The depth of God's Love and Mercy

People in the Exodus had to look at the brazen serpent to be healed from the venom of fiery serpents.  They made the disastrous spiritual mistake of accusing God of not caring for them or even thinking that He intended to destroy them and their children.  They committed the capital sin of grumbling against God! (Numbers 21:4-9) The apostles made the same mistake much later at the storm on the sea in Mark’s gospel when Jesus was asleep at the helm of the ship— “It does not matter to you that we are perishing!” (Mark 4: 35-41)

The people of the first covenant had to look at the cause of their pain, the Bronze serpent, to remind them how terribly wrong they were about God’s love and care of them.  It was only by seeing the snake they could be healed.  To complain about God not caring for us is indeed a deadly mistake!

One of the worst things we can do is to accuse God of not being lovingly and intensely affectionate to us!   One of the greatest reasons He chose to suffer and die on the cross was to show us how very fond He is of us.  Grumbling against His providence must hurt Him very deeply after all He has done for us!

If we learn to look on Christ crucified with honest eyes, we’ll learn the depths of God’s care for us.  Jesus said, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I AM” (John 8:21-30).  When we gaze on the uplifted Christ on the Cross, we begin to understand how passionately He cares about us.  God is love, and nowhere else can we see this better than the explosive figure on the Cross.  That the God Who created the universe was so anxious to prove His fondness for us that He asked His Son to die a horrifying death on the cross should utterly boggle our minds and hearts!

It's a game changer

I try not to pay much attention to internet “news” articles because they're usually nothing more than sensationalism and propaganda at their worst.  But I do ‘click’ through the ‘headlines’ to pass the time when I’m bored or curious.  Today, ironically enough, I had just finished reading the Bible passages assigned by the Catholic Church for tomorrow, when I saw the header, “What will the world look like after the pandemic?”.  I was relatively amused by the way the Holy Spirit seemed to whisper in my ear, “It’s a game changer, alright!”

“Game changer.”  That’s a good phrase to state that things will never be the same.  The invention of the wheel was certainly a game changer, as was the invention of the printing press, the light bulb, automobile, the computer, and smart phones.

In political history, the conversion of Constantine was certainly a game changer, as was the Magna Carta, the American Revolution, and the atom bomb.  The events of 9/11 and (to a much lesser degree) the election of Donald Trump as President are absolutely in this category of “game changer.”

And this coronavirus named Covid19 is presently a game changer for our lives right now. 

In the Old Testament story of Susanna, we see how truth can be game changer.  Once the truth came out through Daniel, an innocent woman’s life was spared and the guilty were punished (Daniel 13:41-62).   In St. John’s account of the woman accused of adultery, we see how forgiveness can be a game changer.  A woman’s physical life was spared, and a new life of faith began (John 8:1-11).   And a definite game changer in human history we just celebrated five days ago on the Feast of the Annunciation.   Mary said, “Yes!”  And because Mary said, “Yes,” Christ took on human flesh, and nothing has been the same since (Luke 1:26-38).

Maybe Covid19 will end up being a real game changer in human history.  Maybe we as a human race will finally realize that we are one family, under one God, that we're called to help each other and enjoy each other.  Maybe this corona virus will help us see how much we have in common and bring about a greater compassion for one another.  Maybe this corona virus will lead to greater unity and peace among all nations and people.  Why not?  As Christians, we're encouraged to dream, for “with God nothing will be impossible” (Luke 1:37).

Remember, the Holy Spirit, the game changer, is amongst us.

The answer is Love

In case you haven’t heard, the world is in a crisis.  CoVid19 seems to have taken over most aspects of our daily life.  How do we endure it all?  I read or heard somewhere that we should not question ourselves about what we may have done to offend God when bad things happen because there is the 'grace of the moment.'  I’m not sure I understand completely, but my faith in the risen Jesus Christ helps me to understand what I need.  And I like it that way.  I appreciate being on a “need to know” basis.  It keeps my stress down.

At one point, as we hear in John’s gospel, Christ said, "I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now." (John 16:12).  Christ had difficulty Himself enduring some of life's realities, such as the death of His friend Lazarus.  We recall that He wept about His loss (John 11: 1-45).  Lastly, we see how difficult it was to anticipate the sufferings He was to endure.

Acceptance of difficulties takes working through our emotions as a human.  Christ embraced His own humanity; do we?  What have we had to endure thus far?  How have we succeeded in working through our own human reactions?  Do we trust that we will be able to endure life's losses with the grace of God?

Do we really believe Christ when He told us that He would be with us always, until the end of time? (Matthew 28:20)

As I grow older, I recognize that the world is not a place made for simple answers to all of these questions.   There is no worldly or logical answer that can satisfy the mind’s need for understanding.  That realization can be horribly frustrating and easier to deny than accept.  But as St. Paul tells us, “Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect” (Romans 12:2).  If we can discern the Will of God, Christ provides us with the answer, offering us freedom from the weight of the questions.  He doesn't ask us to stop considering them, or to stop seeking wisdom, He is simply offering us respite from the impossible task of trying to reconcile the world with how we want it to be.  And even though there are no simple answers for us, all answers are simple for Jesus.

That answer is love.

We are loved and we are called to love.  If we accept the security that comes with such a profound revelation we can rise up as free men and women, open to face the challenges of the world, seeking wisdom with open minds and yearning hearts.

What a Lent we're having!

It seems to me that the Gospel of John (7:40-53) that I read today centers around the questions ‘who is Jesus, where did he come from?  What is he about?  Is he from Galilee or Bethlehem?  Is he a prophet or the Christ?  Many asked out of curiosity, some were afraid and wanted to arrest him.  Others wanted to treat him justly and give him a chance to explain himself.

We are in week three(?!) of Covid-19 with no real end in sight.  It’s a time in which we’re being called upon to trust one another, our leaders in church and government as well as community and family.  Just as in the time of Jesus, people are asking, “Where is God?” and “How can this crisis be happening?”  As each day passes, and new trials begin, I find myself becoming more overwhelmed and worried about when and how it will all end.  Some days I find I struggle to find the words to pray, other days, my spirit is filled with words of wisdom and comfort!  I need to remind myself not to spend so much time telling God how bad everything is going, but, rather, to remember that God is bigger than all of these tribulations, crisis and uncertainty!  In other words, trust in God, God never fails us! (Joshua 21:45 and many, many others)

This bigger God shows me the beauty of nature on my daily walks; it is Spring, after all!  Some of the sidewalk ‘art’ I am finding more and more of also give me a sense of hope that had been slipping away of late.  This bigger God gives me reason to laugh and smile as I meet (from a safe distance) neighbors who are also taking walks to clear the cobwebs of isolation, or when I read uplifting social media posts.  This bigger God walks with me as I recite the Rosary (twice) while on my walks.  He sits with me as I watch the various devotions being streamed online by our local parish as well as the Vatican, and I hear the still small voice of God whisper to me, ‘come unto me and rest’! (Matthew 11:28) And, of course, He is always with me when I read the Scriptures.

Lent looks and feels different these days.  At the beginning of this season, we were encouraged to focus on three attitudes:  Generosity (‘almsgiving’), Openness & Emptiness so God can fill us (sacrifice) and Silence to spend time with God (prayer).  I began Lent determined to cultivate these attitudes.  Some days I was more successful than others.  Then along came COVID-19 and it has been a constant attitude adjustment.  The attitude of Generosity has led me to look at how much ‘stuff’ I have that I really don’t need!  The attitude of Openness and Emptiness is leading me to step back and lower my expectations of self and others and find in the emptiness room for new growth and experiences.  Silence can be challenging for some, but I’m finding a sense of solace and peace that feed my soul in unexpected ways!

The days and weeks ahead promise to hold different experiences for us all.  Some will be painful, but others will bring peace and joy.  The one certain thing we can count on is that our loving God is walking with us during this time.  Together we’re called to persevere in faith and trust and prayer.  (Romans 12:12)

Pray. Love your neighbor. Keep your distance.

What a time we live in! Did you ever imagine that we would be staying fast in our homes to stop the spread of a malicious virus, our friends would lose their jobs, that we would be praying through God’s infinite mercy that our businesses would make it through this turmoil?  Yet, here we are. But scripture tells us,

“When the just cry out, the LORD hears them, and from all their distress he rescues them.” (Psalm 34:17)

He is there, as He has always been, holding and comforting us, assuring us that all is well.  Find time in the midst of uncertainty to pray; find a quiet space to read your bible and work on your daily meditation of scripture and reflection.  Turn this time into a gift from God directly to you!  Of course this can be scary and uncertain but make it something more; devote it to God and find His peace and goodness and mercy in all things.  I pray for you and your families, that you overcome any illness, you are safe, and that you remember the presence and love of almighty God in every action.

Scripture also tells us,

“Do to others as you would have them do to you.” (Luke 6:31) and,

“So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 7:12) and,

“Love your neighbor as yourself.”  (Mark 12:31)

Just as God is there for us always out of love, we must be present to each other always, for the same reason.  The ‘shelter in place’ directives may be inconvenient, and maybe even a sacrifice for some; but love and sacrifice often go hand in hand! 

I read a beautiful memory of a woman who spent her childhood in a Bengali village, as she told it to her daughter:

“Cholera came, fear spread, we stayed in and avoided the sick, people died—sometimes someone you loved…” Long sigh.  Deep breath.  “But when the disease left, joy came back.  That will happen here, too.”

“…and from all their distress, he rescues them.”

Let’s remember to “do unto others” and love them as we love ourselves.  Love your neighbor, but keep your distance (temporarily)!  It’s the loving thing to do.

A leap of faith, a Word worth "keeping"

The leap of faith we Christians take is not easy.  We put our total trust and faith into the unknown.  We must trust in what we can’t see to be our guidance towards everlasting life.  Once we’ve taken this leap of faith we should never look back, continuing on at full force and not letting another being convince us that we’ve made a mistake. God is all-loving, and He rewards those who take a chance on Him and believe with all their hearts.

Jesus says, "Whoever keeps my word will never see death." (John 5:31-47). What does it mean to "keep His word"?  Jesus teaches by means of His words, which are a gift to us.  Like any gift, we can choose to accept it or reject it.  When we "keep His word," we accept His teaching.

When someone gives us a valuable gift, we open it, don't we?  Then we may "Ooh" and "Ahh" over it and admire it.  We may try it out or try it on.  And, knowing its value and usefulness, of course we "keep" it.  And hopefully use it as intended.

Sounds simple enough, but it's not always easy to do.  Sometimes we accept something Jesus says, and then later forget all about it!  In the same way, when we decide that a particular "word" or demand of His is too hard for us, or too inconvenient, that's not "keeping His word."

Although it can be difficult to do, when we "keep His word," there is a payoff, big time.  Jesus says, "Whoever keeps my word will never see death."  Wow! What a deal!  But wait a minute!  That means "never see death" in the eternal sense.  It means we will see and experience eternal life!

In John’s Gospel, the Jews, as usual, took Jesus' words on their earthly, human level of understanding, to mean literal human death, as many people still do today.  Meanwhile, He, as usual, was talking on a whole different plane, telling them about eternal truths.

When we accept Jesus' words and "keep" them, we keep them in our hearts, we meditate on them, "ruminate" upon them in a way.  We reflect on His “word”, we ponder what it means.  A good example of how to "keep" His word is His mother, Mary.  She "kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart," after the shepherds visited her newborn with the angels' message that Jesus was Messiah and Lord (Luke 2:19).

You can be sure Mary didn't just jot those precious words down and file them away someplace and forget about them!  No, she must have thought about them often, prayerfully considering this Son of hers and who He was.
Jesus' word, which leads to eternal life, is a word worth "keeping."

I surrender!

“Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.”  During Lent, as we prepare ourselves for our annual Holy Week reminder of the sacrifice of Jesus, all predicated on His generous response and obedience to the call of God, this first part of Psalm 40 can resonate.

It must have been a game changer for the people (in the times the Psalms were written) as they realized that animal sacrifice was not a proper means of expressing gratitude to the Almighty.  That shift from ritual sacrifice to informed obedience recognized that our relationship with God evolves as we mature in our spirituality.  It calls for a deeper discernment of God’s will, and a deeper personal connection to the meaning of that call.  The psalmist prays “Here I am,” not here “we” are, and “I” come, not “we” to do “your will.”  The psalm response calls each of us to talk directly with God, and to surrender ourselves to God’s will, as did Mary in the Annunciation. (Luke 1:26-38)

How do we know we are hearing an authentic call from God?  Can someone else, and their experience, inform us what the will of God is for us?  What exactly is God calling us to do?  What does it mean for us to surrender ourselves to God’s will?  Are we really ready, willing and able to respond affirmatively to all that God’s call means, to the “do” part and not just to understanding what God’s will might be?   Do we understand that responding as did Mary with “yes” is a commitment to a life-long journey?

This may be the hardest part of my own spiritual journey – recognizing what God’s will is for me personally, and then the doing.  I can intellectually appreciate that God calls us – but I have difficulty always feeling confident in acting on what that call is.  And it seems that we use the expression “God’s will” to express the inexpressible as well as to describe the pull we feel to do the “right thing.”  I find it frustrating that some (including myself) will retreat into resignation when confronted with the vagaries of life’s fortunes by repeating “It’s the will of God” as a mantra to bad news or tragedy, as if God intentionally willed that this misfortune fall specifically on them.  Is it “God’s will” that a young mother dies while giving birth to her daughter?  Or is it "God’s will” that people are starving all over the world?  Is it “God’s will” that some people are being slaughtered by their own government?  Is it “God’s will” that people looking for a better life are singled out as ‘illegal’ and held for long periods of time without due process?  Is it “God’s will” that the coronavirus is pandemic, forcing many to stay at home in fear and anxiety for the future?  Is it “God’s will” that churches are closed (even at the Vatican!), and many ‘communities’ are having to worship without the benefit of being ‘in communion’?    

Maybe, in one sense.  Part of human life is the existence of death and disease and horrendous acts committed by people against people.  Part of human life also is the beauty of a sunrise, the smile on a toddler’s face, and the warmth of a lover’s hand.  Certainly God willed all these experiences for us by creating life.  As we come to this realization, people may say “It is God’s will” to somehow try to make sense of the incomprehensible, to explain away the sadness and pain.  And it can seem like we are personally being picked on at times.  There is a great line from “The Fiddler on the Roof” in which Tevye prays to God as the pogrom takes place in his village “I know we are your chosen people, but just once in a while couldn’t you choose someone else?”  As an aside, it is curious that we don’t seem to use the same expression “It is God’s will” as frequently for events of wonder and awe as we do for sudden death and disease.

For me, this seems to make sense if I accept that life is life, that what happens is beyond my control.  I can’t stop death, or disease, or discrimination.  I can’t change people’s hearts.  But I can open my eyes to what life is sending my way and respond – I can say “Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.”  I can forgive the drunk driver who has caused so much pain.  I can comfort the bereaved father and motherless child.  I can take steps to reduce famine by financial contributions or personal actions.  I can attempt to minimize human suffering by supporting political pressure to reduce the acts.  And I can always pray that God support these suffering people in their times of need.

One of my favorite readings in scripture is 1 Kings (19:11-13), where Elijah seeks guidance from the Lord.  Only when he is able to quiet himself, and be at inner peace, only when he listens to the tiny whispering sound, does he understand God’s will.  And so my prayer today is for the grace to be still and quiet, to hear and feel God’s call, and for the strength to act, so I can confidently and reverently say “Here I am, Lord; I come to do Your will.”

Be a little miracle worker

Almost every company offers their customer the opportunity to give feedback through ‘unedited customer reviews.’  At my last company, ‘slow service’, ‘waiting’, ‘not enough help’ (again, ‘waiting’) was the #1 complaint, hands down.  Most people do not like to wait.  So we were constantly coming up with different ways to speed up our processes, and some people were STILL not happy!  Other businesses have recognized this trait in their customers as well and as a result we can now buy food, medicine, and even do our banking from our cars.  Even then we get impatient if the lines don’t move fast enough for us. Nowadays, even in the midst of a worldwide quarantine, you can see instances of people who get mad that they have to (necessarily) wait for a vaccine to be developed.

If this waiting seems hard, picture the poor man who had been sick for thirty-eight years and had no one to help him get into the pool of Bethesda for healing. Christ recognized his situation and healed him, not by the water, but by His words. (John 5:1-16)

How many people are there around us every day who are waiting for someone to reach out to them for healing?  We don’t expect that we can ask a crippled person to get up and walk, but we can heal their distress a little bit through showing interest by listening to another, through a smile, a sign of recognition, or any act of kindness.  Not all miracles are grand or 'showy'.

Indifference to those around us and their problems can be as damaging as a blatant, mean act. Throughout His public life Christ demonstrated that He cared about those around Him.

At the end of each day, wouldn’t it be nice to look back and say "Yes, I really demonstrated that I cared for those I encountered today".  It would be better if we could add, “And I did it to let the light of Christ shine through me for the glory of God the Father”.  

An invitation to faith

One of the greatest things about the Holy Spirit in my life is that He will inspire me through Scripture in different ways each time I read it or listen to it—even if it is the same passage!

I wrote my reflection on today’s gospel and posted it last night. When I reflected on it yesterday, I focused more on our being “children of the Light”, and how we are obligated through our Baptism to spread that light to others.

As I just read it again in preparation for watching the live-streamed Mass from my parish, I find myself surprised that I didn’t catch the question posed by the disciples to Jesus, nor His answer to them. 

(John 9,1-41)

“As Jesus passed by he saw a man blind from birth.

His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"

Jesus answered, "Neither he nor his parents sinned; it is so that the works of God might be made visible through him.

We have to do the works of the one who sent me while it is day. Night is coming when no one can work.

While I am in the world, I am the light of the world."”

The Q&A’s are so relatable to our current CoVid19 crisis and the claims I’ve read by some present-day televangelists that the virus has been “sent” by God in “retaliation” for a sinful world.

God is not a vengeful Father.  He is a loving and merciful Father, because everything we experience in life from our Lord will have as its goal a deepening of our faith.  

Sometimes that takes on the form of “signs and wonders” while at other times it may be His sustaining presence in the midst of a trial without any visible sign or wonder.  The goal we must strive for is faith by allowing whatever our Lord does in our lives to become the source of our faith’s increase.

Living as children of the light

We are a little past the mid-point of Lent and at the beginning stages of some very trying times, so let’s remind ourselves that we are “children of the light” (Thessalonians 5:5) and also of the responsibility that comes with such a wonderful blessing, a responsibility not only to others but also to ourselves.

Granted, there are some who prefer darkness to light, because in the shadows their faults and wrongdoings are less likely to be exposed.  We, too, were once in darkness, but through our baptism and faith we were brought into the light. 

So how do we choose to continue to walk in the light of the Lord and, “take no part in the fruitless works of darkness; rather expose them, for it is shameful even to mention the things done by them in secret?” (Ephesians 5:8-14)   Is it by giving up chocolate for Lent or social media?  While both are acts of self-discipline, is that how we live our faith and let our light shine?

We should shine that light inwardly on ourselves and search in all the dark corners for our spiritual shortcomings, be they excessive pride, envy, or greed, to name but a few that love to grow in the dark recesses of our souls.  In addition to helping us see our shortcomings, the light, just as with nature, can help us grow stronger, to learn to be more Christ-like in how we live our lives and generous with our love and understanding for others and to grow our faith.

For the balance of this Lenten season—and the duration of the coronavirus pandemic—let’s strive to stay in the spotlight of Christ, because “light produces every kind of goodness and righteousness and truth.” (Ephesians 5)   And as Matthew wrote, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16)

"Be clothed in humility"

“Two people went up to the temple area to pray; one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector.  The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself, ‘O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity—greedy, dishonest, adulterous—or even like this tax collector.’”  Luke 18:10–11

The Pharisee looks righteous on the outside and is even proud enough to speak about how good he is in his prayer to God when he says that he is grateful he is not like the rest of humanity. 

The tax collector, however, is truthful, humble and sincere.  He cried out, “Oh God, be merciful to me a sinner.”  Jesus makes it clear that the tax collector, with this humble prayer, went home justified but the Pharisee did not. (Luke 18:9-14)

We all carry the heavy burden of self-righteousness, at least to some extent.  It’s hard to sincerely arrive at the level of humility that this tax collector had.  And it’s so very easy to fall into the trap of justifying our own sin and, as a result, becoming defensive and self-absorbed.  But this is all pride.  Pride disappears when we do two things well.

First, we have to understand God’s mercy.  Understanding the mercy of God frees us to take our eyes off ourselves and set aside self-righteousness and self-justification.  It frees us from being defensive and enables us to see ourselves in the light of the truth.  When we recognize God’s mercy for what it is, we also realize that even our sins cannot keep us from God.  In fact, the greater the sinner, the more that sinner is deserving of God’s mercy!  So understanding God’s mercy actually enables us to acknowledge our sin.

Acknowledging our sin is the second important step we must take if we want our pride to disappear.  We have to know that it’s OK to admit our sin.  We don’t have to stand on the street corner and tell everyone about the details of our sin, but we have to acknowledge it to ourselves and to God, especially in the confessional.  Even in the midst of the ‘stay in place’ orders and closed churches, we can still call to make an appointment for the Sacrament.  And, at times, it will be necessary to acknowledge our sins to others so that we can ask for their forgiveness and mercy.  This depth of humility is attractive and easily wins the hearts of others.  It inspires and produces the good fruits of peace and joy in our hearts. 

During this sacred Lenten season, as Hosea instructs us: “Let us know, let us strive to know the LORD; as certain as the dawn is coming, and his judgment shines forth like the light of day HE will come to us like the rain, like spring rain that waters the earth.” (Hosea 6:1-6)   

Don’t be afraid to follow the example of the tax collector.  Take his prayer today and say it over and over.  Let it become your prayer and you’ll see the good fruits of this prayer in your life!

A loving and deserving God

All of Jesus' teachings can be summed up in this Gospel passage: "Love God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength, and love your neighbor as yourself." (Mark 12:28-34)

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that the greatest act we can do in life is to love God with our whole being.  That is, to love Him with our whole heart, soul, mind and strength.  Loving God above all things, with all the power of our human abilities, is the constant goal we must strive for in life.

When we love God fully, we can't help but love everyone else; even the "neighbors" who make our lives difficult by hoarding toilet paper and bottled water and hand sanitizer, and whatever else we all need to keep our families protected and safe from an unwanted and deadly virus.

Jesus never said that we have to enjoy doing good to our enemies.  He didn't like being whipped and manhandled and jabbed and mocked and crucified, but that didn't stop Him from offering Himself as a sacrifice for you and for me and for the people we dislike.  Since He did that for us, can we at least do small deeds of goodness that are no fun to do? 

Mercy means choosing to do good whether we like it or not.  To love with our whole heart, soul, mind and strength means choosing to let nothing prevent us from doing good, no matter how we might actually feel about it.

Love isn’t always a nice feeling.  But love is always a choice that brings us into unity with the One Who Is Love.

On our journey of holiness we stumble in our treatment of others and sin.  Then, when we ask God to forgive our iniquity, we blossom spiritually like beautiful lilies and we bear good fruit. (Hosea 14:2-10)

However, we’re not capable of loving others more than we love ourselves.  Jesus said, "Love your neighbor as you love yourself."  Loving ourselves and doing good for our own selves (to get our needs met) gives us the confidence and freedom that we need in order to do good to others, especially when life is difficult.  During our current health crisis in the world, this is becoming more and more important!

Low self-esteem is not God's plan for us.  Let Him heal our wounded heart.  Let Him correct bad social media posts or comments that have cut us down.  Let Him point out our goodness and giftedness.  We should spend time observing ourselves through His eyes, paying attention to how much He appreciates us.  He sees our goodness even when we can't.

In other words, God loves us with His whole heart, His whole soul, His whole mind, and His whole strength!  Does He deserve any less from us?

Celebrating two outstanding role models

St. Joseph, husband of Mary and Foster father of Jesus, Pray for us!

Every March 19^th, the Church honors and celebrates the life of St. Joseph, “Husband of Mary”.  He is such a good example for us in the world we live in today.  More than ever, we live in a world that lacks a moral compass, where good and evil are not recognized as social conditions, and leaders are no longer respectful and committed to the common good.

We celebrate St. Joseph’s fidelity to the traditions of his ancestors.  We celebrate his openness to God’s voice in his life.  We celebrate his love for his wife, Mary.  We celebrate his parenting of his son, Jesus. We celebrate his sense of justice and his integrity.

What was it like for Jesus, Mary and Joseph in the home at Nazareth?  What did they talk about?  What was the shape of their daily life?  The gospels never answer those questions, but that very fact allows us to imagine that, to a certain extent, life in that home was not too different from life in our own homes.  Life in the home at Nazareth was an ordinary and even obscure life; yet, God in Jesus chose to dwell there. 

This simple fact invites us to look around at our own home today, to believe that, in all of its ordinariness and perhaps even obscurity, it is a home where God chooses to dwell each day.  May we today, through the prayers of Joseph, rejoice in the nearness of God who once chose to live in a human home, and chooses to do so today as well.

March 19^th is also the anniversary date of my grandfather Clarence Batty’s death, 50 years ago today in 1970, a week after his 82^nd birthday.   

He was a quiet, gentle man who showed nothing but love and respect for everyone he came in contact with.  I never heard him raise his voice or speak with anger.  He was a great role model. 

As my mother wrote in her blog ten years ago, “Dad was a good, hardworking man and like St. Joseph, was kind to all of us [everyone] and we never went without a meal in our lives!  And …we always had a roof over our heads!  He converted to the Faith shortly after marrying Mother and never let his Faith down.”

What higher praise can you give a man, than to say he was good, hardworking, and faithful?  That’s what each of us should strive to be every day.  I fail miserably most of the time, but God, in His mercy, knows I try.

Could it be any simpler?

“I have not come to abolish, but to fulfill.” (Matthew 5:17)   Jesus didn’t come into the world to do something negative but to fulfill a positive mission from Our Father.  He came to be the living embodiment of what the fulfillment of His Will would be like.  He didn’t come to lay waste to the law and the prophets, but to explain them and have them make sense.

The laws, as Jesus points out, are all about unconditional love—love of God, love of neighbor.  Any time the law appears to get in the way of this, it’s because we have failed in our understanding of the law. We need, then, only look to Jesus who taught the supremacy of love and deep compassion.

Jesus is the fulfillment of the law, of our lives, of our hopes and of our dreams.  He is the embodiment of love, compassion, and mercy.  He teaches us that if we are to find heaven on Earth, we are to do so by living the example of fulfillment that He has given.

Several years ago, when my granddaughter Lily was about 4 years old, she showed me an example of the unconditional love that Jesus speaks about in the Gospel.  It took me by surprise, although I don’t know why; Christ Himself said "Believe me, unless you become like little children again, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 18:3)   For some reason, children get it.  Unfortunately, later on, some of them somehow "learn" otherwise. 

On that day Lily said, "Oompah, let's watch TV together!  That's what friends do!"  After chuckling out loud, I responded affirmatively and tuned to the station she wanted to watch.  It was not, however, the program she intended seeing.  She told me so saying, "I want the show with the REAL kids playing!"  I told her that was not the show that was scheduled right then, but she was persistent.  In my frustration, I said "Lily, what do you want me to do?  I don't control the station.  I can't make them play what you want when you want!"  To which she replied "But you're OOMPAH!  YOU CAN DO ANYTHING!"  She had so much unconditional trust in me!  I felt pride at first, then inadequacy.  It made me realize the type of love I should have for God, our Father in Heaven, but it also reminded me that I often take His love for granted.

Lent is an opportunity for us to reconnect with the principles of life – of love – and of mercy.  It is a season inviting us to something deeper – we are called to live the Ten Commandments through the lens of the Beatitudes.  To be deeply present to God and to one another.  Lent is a time to allow God to lift us out of our old ruts, help us refocus and reframe our lenses so that we can be channels of healing, opportunity and possibility.  So that we can accompany and companion those tempted to shrink from their crosses.  So that we can walk with deeper reverence, respect and compassion.  The fulfillment of the law that Jesus promised.

Anger Management

I love the Sacrament of Reconciliation.  I examine my conscience prayerfully, then I confess my sins to the priest, who is in personae Christi; “in the Person of Christ”.  This means I’m not confessing to another man, but to Christ Himself.  Of all of the seven Sacraments, Confession is the hardest to partake of, in my opinion.  Even though Christ knows my sins and will forgive me “not seven times but seventy-seven times” (Matthew 18:22), I still have trouble asking for that forgiveness.  Sincerely asking for forgiveness requires that you honestly acknowledge your sin, which is hard to do.  It’s hard to take responsibility for what we have done wrong.

As an aside, although Matthew’s gospel reading says, “not seven times, but seventy times”, some translations of the same passage read “not seven times, but seventy times seven times”.  Number games is not the point of the passage.  Both 70 and 70x7 convey rather the idea of as many times as needed. 

In the parable told in Matthew (18:21-35), the man asking patience with his debt appears to be sincere.  He “fell down” before his master asking for mercy and patience.  And the master responded with mercy by forgiving him the entire debt which was more than the servant had even requested.

But was the servant truly sincere or was he just a good actor?  It seems that he was a good actor because as soon as he was forgiven this huge debt, he ran into someone else who actually owed him money and instead of showing the same forgiveness he was shown, “He seized him and started to choke him, demanding, ‘Pay back what you owe.’” 

Forgiveness, if it is real, must affect everything about us.  It’s something that we must ask for, give, receive, and give again. 

Can you honestly see your sin, experience sorrow for that sin, and say, “I’m sorry” to another?  When you are forgiven, what does that do to you?  Does it have the effect of making you more merciful toward others?  Can you in turn offer the same level of forgiveness and mercy that you hope to receive from God and others?

These are hard questions to face but they are essential questions to face if we want to be freed of the burdens of anger and resentment.  Anger and resentment weigh heavily on us, and God wants us to be freed of them.

If you find any resistance to the questions I posed above, then focus on what strikes you, take it to prayer, and let God’s grace enter in to bring about a deeper conversion in that area of your life.

The answer is both simple and extraordinary

Unless you’ve been living in a cave or under a rock for the last few weeks, you’re aware that we are in the midst of a flu virus pandemic. We’ve had these pandemics and epidemics throughout history, but for most of us, this pandemic has everyone on an extraordinary level of anxiousness. 

When the virus first struck, we were simply instructed to be more vigilant in basic hygiene and manners; to wash our hands more thoroughly and more often, to avoid touching our face, and to avoid coughing or sneezing on others.  Simple, right?  Now we’ve come to the point that there is basically a world-wide quarantine, one in which we are being instructed to limit our contact with others and to stay indoors until we can get a handle on things or the virus subsides.  Why?  I think it’s because there is such an unprecedented hate and suspicion of our neighbor these days that we don’t trust or believe anything they tell us, unless they’re on “our side”.  Relationships of any kind have become difficult, even familial ones.

Likewise, sometimes we make our lives and our relationship with God more difficult than it has to be.  This idea is illustrated perfectly in Jesus’ words in the Gospel, “No prophet is accepted in his own native place.” (Luke 4:24-30)   Sometimes we only hear what we want to hear, or we think what we need to do must be more complicated.  Take for example Naaman (2 Kings 5:1-15).  He goes to the prophet Elisha, looking for a cure for leprosy.  Elisha gives him a simple answer: Go and wash seven times in the River Jordan.  But Naaman doesn’t buy it. He’s angry. The answer must be more complicated. It was his servants who had the answer: “My father,” they said, “if the prophet had told you to do something extraordinary, would you not have done it? All the more now, since he said to you, ‘Wash and be clean,’ should you do as he said.”

Sometimes we seek a complicated solution, a bargain with God that will let us do what we want to do.  What we have to realize is that what God wants from us is both extraordinary and simple.  We have to learn to be quiet so we can really hear our own heart.  I pray that I can open my heart and listen, even if the answer seems simple.  Let me see what is extraordinary in the everyday, in the people around me.

It can be difficult for us to see God in one another, especially when “one another” means the people we see every single day.  We know that our friends, coworkers, and family members have flaws and they also know that we have our own.  That knowledge and the loving acceptance that can grow from it is beautiful in its own way, but it can also become challenging for us to see God in people that we think we know so well.

It’s a challenge to see each person anew from moment to moment, but I think it’s a worthwhile thing to focus upon.  One of the most beautiful aspects of being human is that each moment presents us with a new opportunity to make a good choice, to love as best we can.  To recognize that potential in oneself is challenging enough sometimes, and to understand that it extends to all people takes even more of a concerted effort on our behalf.  However, doing so will lead us towards seeing with a new light.

Let’s not limit each other by the myopically limited perspectives we have of each other.  Rather, let’s smile, open our arms, and remember that when we are rejecting, insulting, gossiping about, ignoring, and not listening to each other, we are doing so to Jesus, nailing Him to the cross once again.

"I AM" is good for you

My dad would sometimes threaten my brothers and me with a frightening, but confusing, “If you guys know what’s good for you, you’ll stop that!”  We knew what was good for us, exactly what we were doing.  This of course led to what was bad for us in the long run.  It’s so hard to know and keep choosing what’s immediately as well as ultimately good for us.

Lent is the season for taking steps away and revaluating who we are in God’s eyes and what in life is good for us as we run.  We would like to say that God is very good for us by being good to us.  We are invited to the desert for a while.  Not just ‘do-without’, but ‘do-with’ such experiences as hunger, silence, solitude, and thirst.  Is there anything good for us as we do with doing without?

In Exodus, we have a wonderful story of Lent in the life of our Jewish ancestors (Exodus 17:3-7).  They had left the slavery and flesh pots of Egypt.  They had been freed, but they didn’t find this good for them just yet.  They grumbled and complained against Moses who feared he might get stoned for his having led them out into the desert.  They were not doing well with the with-out.  They were thirsty and there didn’t seem to be any water handy.

Tension creates revelation in our lives.  Tensions are good for us.  The followers of Moses were in physical and spiritual tension and they turned in fear to Moses who turned to God in faith.

Lent is a time of graceful tensions which we can choose to grumble through or wait for relief which is promised.  Water is one form of relief and it satisfies for a while, the short run, but there will be more tensions and more revelations.  God would say to Israel, “Do you know what’s good for you?  I Am is good for you!”

John’s Gospel continues this theme of one thing being good, but a second thing being better (John 4:5-42).  To enjoy and profit from this reading you’ve got to understand irony and double meanings.  John uses both in many of his stories.  In this Gospel, John uses a well and plays with water and thirst.

Jesus asks a woman from a foreign country for a drink of water.  She will play with the superficial meaning of water while Jesus will take her, (and us the listeners) below the surface to drink a deeper meaning.  Jesus is the “living water” which is meant to satisfy our deepest thirsts.  As good as water is for us; this Living Water is ultimately better.  

The conversation between Jesus and the woman results in her becoming aware of being renewed by her drinking in Jesus’ words and meaning.  She runs off to tell others what would be good for them and they too come to drink in and believe in this new well. 

Jesus gives her her truth, her real self which is very good for her.  Jesus almost sounds like my dad when He says, “If you knew the gift of God and who is saying to you, 'Give me a drink,' you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”  She drinks it all in and knows it is good for her.  

What in Lent is good for us?  These two scripture readings invite us to plunge deeper into our longings for God.  Nature abhors a vacuum; human nature flees emptiness.  The desert isn’t good for anything and tensions are to be resolved through the most convenient solutions.  Lent is a graceful period for us to make friends with those human realities which can be good for us if we have faith in the God Who gave them water from the rock.  We must stop drinking the salt-water experiences which lead only to superficial “satisfictions.”  The woman had five husbands in her search for completion and Jesus invites her to see that she too thirsts for a water that springs to eternal fullness.  

We are invited to that same confrontation with our shallow sips of life and the offering from Jesus to trust the tensions which human longing provides.  God longs to give us what is good for us, but there has to be some deserts, some hospitality within us if we are to be truly human and blest.

Finally, Lent is the liturgical season that invites us to plumb our emptiness and alienation from God and to return to Jesus.  Like  water from the rock reviving the Jews wandering in the desert, like living water from Jacob’s well promised to the Samaritan women, we acknowledge our thirst  and pray with Paul  that the love of God may be poured more fully into our hearts through the  Holy Spirit who has been given to us (Romans 5:1-8).