The simplest lesson is the hardest to learn

 

Throughout the gospels we see an ongoing battle between Jesus and the forces of evil.  One of the more powerful examples is found in Mark’s Gospel (Mark 5:1-20).  A legion of unclean spirits is sent by Jesus into a herd of swine which then rush down a bluff into a lake and die.  Jesus triumphs. 

This Gospel reminds me of a quote from Martin Luther King, Jr.  He stated, "Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only Light can do that.  Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”  Jesus was the living presence of love on this earth.  He could drive out hate.  His Resurrection was the ultimate triumph of love over evil.

King went on to say, "Hate multiplies hate, violence multiplies violence, toughness multiplies toughness in a descending spiral of destruction."   King was well aware of Jesus’ words, "All who take the sword will perish by the sword.” (Matthew 26:52)

When will we humans ever learn that lesson?  Billions are spent every day on weapons, while nickels and dimes are spent on strategies for peace.   Our country spends more than $25,000.00 a second on "defense" while thousands die of hunger around the world.  “Gotcha” politics and social media have turned our nation into one which is more concerned with hurting those who disagree with us than in finding ways to help each other.  It’s ironic that hypocrites in our government are more concerned with uncovering hypocrisy in one another than they are with doing what they were elected to do.  And all of this hypocrisy appears to be driven only by hate and paranoia. 

Only love can end war.  If we had enough love, we would budget money, personnel, time and energy to feed the hungry, secure clean water, provide sanitation, teach the illiterate, cure diseases, and do all the things that turn enemies into friends.  Peace is possible if we put aside the profit motive and choose justice for all as our identity.

The gospel battles between good and evil continue to be waged in the hearts of human beings. Meditating on the words and actions of Jesus is the way to strengthen our wills for the test.  Uniting with Him in love guides our hearts into peace.

Thank God for prophets

Few prophets are remembered for saying to God’s people: "Have a good day!" or "Go with the flow!"   In the Hebrew and Christian tradition, the prophets were the ones who were not afraid to go face to face with God and to fight the demons within individuals and in the community.

The promise made by Moses in the Old Testament (Deuteronomy 18:15-20) was fulfilled and surpassed in Jesus, who began to teach and act with authority and hold His listeners in the synagogue spellbound (Mark 1:21-28).  The prophets of old prefaced their remarks "… Thus says the Lord."  But Jesus began: "I say to you…" and His words were effective.  They casted out the evil powers and brought healing, revelation and the saving power of God.

In his letter to the Corinthians, St. Paul wished all to be free of anxieties in their relationships (1Corinthians 7:32-35).  He gave advice to those who are married as well as not married.  In evaluating the situations of his own time in Corinth, he was careful to distinguish between what the Lord commands and what he, Paul was recommending.  His perspective was that the end is coming soon, and "the world as we know it is passing away." (1Corinthians 7: 29-31).  However, Paul was trying to suggest what he thought was best for the Christian community, without imposing his interpretations on them.

We still need prophetic voices in our time to help us integrate the teaching of Jesus in whatever the circumstances of our lives are.  Today is a good day to honor those men and women who act as prophets in our own time.  Some have reached the status of notoriety and fame for their good works.  Others work side by side with us each day and ask for nothing in return.   I’m thinking of friends who give of themselves daily so that the good news of Jesus becomes known by those who need to hear it.  I’m thinking of the many religious and ordained, who have challenged, affirmed and supported me throughout my life.  I’m thinking of my parents and other family members and friends who worked and sacrificed so that I could experience a loving and generous God through each of them.

Please take a moment to remember and thank God for those prophets that have crossed your path and have helped you to become the person you are today.  If they’re still in your life in some way, you may want to drop them a line, call or text them and say thanks for having the courage to accept the call of the prophet.  Remember prophets are never without honor in their own time and space (Luke 4:24).  Your gesture of gratitude may be that thread of hope that makes their day! 

Spiritual storms

 

What a storm we’ve just been through here in Northern California!  I can’t remember a time in my life when my house felt like it actually moved because of the wind, like it did the day before yesterday.  It has to be in the top 5 scariest storms I’ve ever encountered.  I know that people in the mid-West and East have hurricanes and tornadoes more frequently and would laugh at my fear at what the wind can do, but I’m not used to it.  Earthquakes, yes.  Windstorms, no.

Throughout our lives, we can be assured that at some point we’ll encounter a storm.  Not just a physical storm but a spiritual one.  It may come in the form of a tragic event, a deep wound inflicted by another, the effects of our own sin or some other painful experience.  Many may be experiencing spiritual storms these days because of the pandemic and social unrest that seems to assault our every waking moment.  And for many people, this will happen more than once.

When such a “storm” is encountered in life, it may seem as if Jesus is “asleep” and not readily available to help us through.  When this happens, it might be helpful to prayerfully ponder the storm the disciples encounter in Mark’s Gospel (Mark 4:35-41).

The disciples, in a panic, woke up Jesus and said, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” Jesus got up, addressed the storm and said, “Quiet! Be still!” and all was calm.  He then said to the disciples, “Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?”  The disciples were left in amazement and wonder.

The key is faith.  When we face a storm in life, we must have faith.  But what does that mean?  It means that we must know, with a deep certitude, that Jesus is in fact always with us.  We must know, with a deep certitude, that if we place all our trust and hope in Him, He’ll never abandon us.  We must know, with a deep certitude, that every storm will ultimately pass, and that peace and calm will ensue.

Facing the storms in life with faith is transforming.  And often Jesus appears to be asleep for a reason. The reason is that He wants us to trust.  Too often we turn our eyes to the storm itself and allow fear and anxiety to dominate our lives.  But every storm we encounter is an opportunity to trust Him on a new and deeper level.  If life were always easy and consoling, we would have little reason to trust deeply.  Every storm must be seen as an opportunity for tremendous grace as we place all our trust in Jesus, despite how things immediately appear.

We must learn to trust Him when all seems lost, when life is difficult and when confusion tempts us.  We must resolve to use that opportunity as a moment in which our faith is made manifest and becomes the stabilizing force of our life.

Jesus is looking for our faith

In John’s gospel, we read about two disciples of John the Baptist who began to follow after Jesus.  Jesus asked them, "What are you looking for?"  (John 1:35-42).  As He asked me that question in my reflection today, I went back to my old Baltimore catechism; “to know God, to love Him, and to serve Him in this world, and to be happy with Him forever in heaven.”  And that brought me to the question, "What is Jesus looking for?"  Throughout the New Testament we find the answer.  Jesus is looking for faith.

He couldn’t work many miracles in Nazareth because of the people’s lack of faith (Matthew 13:58).  He criticized His apostles in the rocking boat, "Why are you terrified, oh you of little faith."  (Matthew 8:26).  He chided Peter who for a brief moment walked on water, then doubted. "Oh you of little faith.  Why did you waver?" (Matthew14:31).

On the other hand, Jesus cured the sick daughter of the Canaanite woman, telling her, "You have great faith.  Your wish will come to pass." (Matthew 15:28).  Jesus praised the woman who washed His feet and dried them with her hair, telling her, "Your faith has been your salvation." (Luke 7:50).  Jesus cured the Centurion’s son, saying, "I have never found this much faith in Israel" (Matthew 8:10).

In the book of Hebrews we learn, "The just man will live by faith."  Further it says, "We are… among those who have faith and live."  (Hebrews 10:32-39).  The faith Jesus is looking for is more than mere intellectual consent.  It’s more than verbal agreement.  It’s a passionate faith, a faith that floods our hearts, grips our souls, and reaches into the very core of our being.  This is the faith that began as a mere mustard seed when the apostles first started to follow Jesus (Mark 4:26-34), but it grew into a faith so strong that it blossomed into martyrdom and sainthood.  This is the faith that will see us through tough times, even enduring "a great contest of suffering," knowing we have "better and more permanent possessions," (Hebrews) the love of Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

We all plant seeds.  Every moment.  We never know how something we say or do will affect someone.  The words coming out of our mouths can either hurt or heal.  The actions we take and the steps we make can leave such a wonderful impression – or a poor one.  Things we say and do have the potential to do great good, or great damage.  And in turn, like plants that go to seed, the effects of what we do can spread far and wide, becoming food for so many.  It’s an amazing and scary thing to think…

Isn’t this the growing of the Kingdom of God in our world today?  Are these not all seeds we plant on behalf of God?

What has blossomed in you as a result of seeds someone planted?

What seeds have you planted?

What seeds do you wish you had never planted?

Dear God,

Thank you for the gift of life growing in us and all around us.

Grant us the grace to carefully plant good seed of your most amazing love

in everything we do.

Through Christ, our Lord.  Amen. 

Brave enough to be the light

 

In the book of Hebrews we hear how we’re supposed to worship and live as faithful Christians today: “We must consider how to rouse one another to love and good works.”  (Hebrews 10:19-25)

In the psalms we read, “A lamp to my feet is your word, a light to my path.”  (Psalm 119:105)

And in the Gospel from Mark, we’re encouraged to let our light shine, taking care not to keep it hidden under a bushel basket.  We’re reminded that there is nothing hidden and to make all things visible; that nothing is secret except to come to light.  Furthermore, we’re called to listen carefully and to act accordingly.  (Mark 4:21-25)

This past week has been filled with much excitement as we said goodbye to past leadership and welcomed new leadership for our country.  For a lot of us, it’s a time of hope and promise as well as anxiety and concern for the problems and issues that surround us.  Our scriptures seem to dwell on the importance of ‘light’.  In her presentation at Joe Biden’s inauguration, the young poet laureate, Amanda Gorman, gave us this image of ‘light’ in her stirring poem, The Hill We Climb.

‘When day comes, we step out of the shade aflame and unafraid.  The new dawn blooms as we free it.  For there is always light.  If only we’re brave enough to see it.  If only we’re brave enough to be it.’

The light of Christ shines brightly within each one of us.  We’re called to share this light with those around us, whether it be those we agree or disagree with.  Sharing the light of Christ with others takes courage, determination, faith and love.  For so many months and years it seems we have been surrounded by the darkness of despair and negativity.  The gospel message, the message of our new leadership, and the hope of the coronavirus vaccine (that my wife and I were blessed to get today), are just a few of the ways I feel bathed in the Light of Christ.

Let’s rouse one another to love and good works.  Let’s keep our lamps lit and shining.  Let us always be brave to not only see the light but also to BE IT!

Good soil, great love

 

Think of how you envision Jesus – the face you see, the language you would hear when you spoke to Him, the look of His eyes, the gentleness of His voice.  We see Jesus in a way we understand, just as Jesus spoke to those around Him in parables so they would understand; He presented stories to them with things that were familiar.  Being from the country and a simple craftsman, He spoke to people as He sat in a boat, speaking about seeds and planting, and they enjoyed hearing Him speak. (Mark 4:1-20)

It’s been a long year for all of us.  So, Mark’s gospel with its message of the importance of God’s Word comes at just the right time.  I’m sure a lot of us have tended a garden in some way.  It’s amazing what can be born of a tiny seed-fruits and vegetables that can sustain us.  But if the seed isn’t properly cared for, the potential can be lost.

The gospel tells the well-known story of the sower.  I remember as a child hearing this gospel and picturing God up in the clouds showering the earth with seeds.  At the time, I had no doubt which category I fell into.  Of course, I was like the rich soil, ready to let the Word develop deep and lasting roots within me.  This was a time when I don’t think I knew what "worldly anxiety" or "the lure of riches" even meant.  When I read the passage now, I can recall times in my life when-if I am being honest-my heart was perhaps made more of rocky soil.

I think what struck me most as I reflected on this parable today is Jesus’ warnings about those things that can corrupt and smother the Word as it tries to take root.  This story is a vivid reminder that evil is a real force in our world and that Satan is hard at work to keep us from faith.  We’ve all been sitting in Church and our mind started to wander to all the important things we needed to do with our day.  Or maybe we’ve woken up Sunday morning sure that the chores and responsibilities we have should have legitimately keep us from attending Mass.  Jesus tells us that this is Satan whispering in our ear in that intoxicating way that he has; so that we don’t even know it’s him.  He keeps us from the Word and the seed falls on the path and doesn’t even have a chance.

But even if we are strong in our faith and allow the Word to grow and flourish, this isn’t the end.  Just as a garden needs constant attention to keep it healthy, so does our faith.  When difficulty and trials come, as they inevitably will, the Word can wither within us like those seeds that fell on the rocky soil.  This is when it just seems too hard to keep tending the garden.  Satan tells us the lie that the Word doesn’t have the power we thought.

The third ruse is perhaps the most deceitful.  "The cares of the world, and the deceit of riches and the desire for other things, enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful."  Did you ever feel like holding fast to your faith meant that you were giving up something more attractive?  Did you ever feel like the sacrifice you had to make to keep the Word alive was too great?  Those lies can strangle and suffocate the truth that is faith in Christ.

So let’s prepare our hearts to receive God’s word.  Let’s make sure that the soil is ready for the seeds to grow deep roots.  The promise is that of life-sustaining fruit over and above all that we can even imagine.  And with such an overflowing garden, maybe we can even go out and sow some seeds of love, kindness, peace and joy.

Power, Love, and Self-control

In St. Paul’s letter to St. Timothy, he models how to show care for a friend as he expressed his affection for his dear and trusted friend.  Paul wrote: “As I remember you constantly in my prayers, night and day.  I yearn to see you again, recalling your tears, so that I may be filled with joy, as I recall your sincere faith.”  Paul also told Timothy, “For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power and love and self-control.” (2 Timothy 1:1-8)

St. Paul’s words to Timothy should inspire us to ask ourselves some questions:  How am I a trustworthy friend?  Do I create the opportunity to do as the Psalm calls to “Announce God’s salvation day after day?”  (Psalm 96:1-10).  How can I be present to a friend, colleague or family member who views things differently than I do?  What can I do to remind those in my life to appreciate the gifts of grace, mercy and peace from God the Father?  When am I open to an abiding friendship in God as Paul and Timothy shared?

In Mark’s Gospel, Jesus’ mother and relatives were asking for Him as He was addressing the crowds.  When He was told this, He looked at the people around Him, and said, “Who are my mother and my brothers? Here are my mother and brothers. For whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.” (Mark 3:31-35)

Earlier in the Gospel, Jesus’ family heard that the crowds around Jesus had gotten so big that it was impossible for Him and His disciples to eat.  And when the family heard this, they decided to go get Jesus and bring Him home because they figured that “He is out of his mind.” (Mark 3:20-21)

So, when Jesus said what He said, we hear Him calling us to go beyond family and tribe, so to speak, and see each other as Jesus sees us.  But we can also imagine Jesus telling His family that He can’t go back with them.  He has to keep doing what He’s doing, speaking to crowds about the love of God, and working miracles of healing.  This is for what He had been sent, and so He couldn’t return to a former life that would prevent Him from proclaiming the kingdom of God.

In many ways, we may be called to leave former ways of thinking and doing in order to fulfill the mission we’ve been given.  May we see each other as mother, father, sister and brother, and may we come together to continue sharing the Good News we have in Christ. 

Do I have your attention?

 

God has varied ways to get the attention of certain persons, like ourselves.  The Angel appeared to Mary out of nowhere—actually, heaven.   Moses stumbled into a bush which burned.  Elijah heard whispers. Peter caught a boatload of fish and on and on.  Saul of Tarsus got knocked off of his horse.  I personally had recurring dreams.

The story of Saul’s conversion (Acts 9:1-22) on the road to Damascus is a constant reminder of the choice we make when we accept Jesus as our Savior.  Saul was on his way to destroy and kill Christians, “breathing murderous threats to the brothers and sisters of Christ.”  But while he was on his own mission, set by his own expectations and goals, Christ revealed a key flaw in Saul’s plans: Saul’s path wasn’t up to Saul to determine, but to God alone.  Many times during our days we become so wrapped up in our own life, dilemmas, crises or even pride that we forget our true calling of life.  It’s not that we should be glorified through our works, but for us to be transparent for God to shine through us.  Just as Saul was physically blinded by the bright light of Christ, he ironically then saw his purpose: to proclaim the Word of God and that only God can provide us with unconditional love, grace and salvation.

But how do we remove the pride and ego that blinds us from God’s grace?  I believe it comes from accepting that Jesus is the only way to live, and that without Him we’ll die of hunger and thirst (John 6:52-59).  Just as our physical body requires nourishments to survive, our spiritual body requires the same satiation needed to nurture our faith.  To fully accept Christ’s Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity in the Eucharist is to know and ultimately believe that we are weak and defenseless by ourselves.  

Men alone can’t save themselves, but only through the love of God.  When we can come to terms with our imperfections and tell God in regular confessions that, “I’m nowhere near perfect, but that’s okay because You love me no matter what,” then we can truly begin to live for the perfect and wonderful purpose that is Christ.  

Praise to the Lord, not because we’re filled with flaws and weaknesses, but because we’re the only beings created in the pure image of God (Genesis 1:27, James 3:9).  It doesn’t matter if we’re in the depressions or the “highs” of our lives, we can know that we’ll always be taken care of.  God may use the mysterious and the unknown to make wonders out of our life. All we have to do is to open our eyes and look within our heart.

A pretty good deal

 

Every day, my social media platforms (thanks to algorithms embedded in the programs) are riddled with ads for products that I’ve maybe expressed an interest in.  Most of them are products that claim they will improve my life, but I have to act now!  They say that for an embarrassingly little cost, I get a great return.  In other words, they’re too good to be true.  More often than not, I simply scroll past them and hope they go away.  But they don’t.  It seems the only way to be free from seeing them or ‘hearing their pitch’ is either by sleeping or praying.

Jesus came into the lives of four hard-working, not-sleeping or praying men “by the Sea of Galilee” (Mark 1:14-20).  He came as a walking advertisement, urging them to buy into the kingdom.  If they’d been sleeping, Jesus would have had to pass them by again to invite them.  This is a most important aspect of His calling to each of us.

We might easily say, that had they been asleep they would have missed Him, and their lives would have been so different.  Sleeping, inattentiveness, unawareness, and personal density are elements of the human experience which are normal—and God visits them reverently, patiently, whispering and sometimes shouting to bring us around.  Jesus never does pass by, just once; He’s the ever-invitation which just keeps awakening, stimulating, advertising God’s existence and love.

In Mark’s Gospel, we’re first told the message (the Product) and then we hear about the enlisting of the first four ‘salesmen’ who would be sent out to make the product saleable.  They seemed so ready, so free to respond.  Maybe they were disenchanted with their humble work.  Perhaps the fish weren’t biting or hitting the net that season.  Perhaps they had problems with their parents or owners. Whatever the issues were, they jumped up and out and after the ‘Caller’.

There’s something in the human construction that’s “callable” or available or attracted to the beyond, the ultimate—He Whom we call God.  In the Old Testament, Jonah jumped up, even though he had been thrown overboard and left to drown after responding to God’s first call (Jonah 3:1-10).  The four fishermen responded not only from the external call of Jesus, but to something deeper inside their souls.  Something in them wanted to be called to mystery, mission, and the “More” of life.  They certainly weren’t totally aware of the changes which the calling would require (the cost), but they felt something common to all four of them and common to us.  This common sense might be belonging, identity, or a strong sense of importance.  The Product—the Gospel (the Good News)—reverences all that’s appropriately human and calls us to that.  This is “repentance”, or the change from pure self-involvement to living under the influence of our imbibing the Product.

Many of us don’t know exactly why we’re Christians and Catholics.  We probably have some reasons which satisfy those who might ask.  If we’re honest, it just seems like a good idea, or scheme of good ideas.  It seems suitable or fitting.  There’s just a ‘something’ inside us, unexplainable, which wants to respond to His call.  This response isn’t always consistent, but His call is always in the air surrounding our boats and nets.  We pray to stay awake, attentive, aware of life and aware of that receptiveness within us.  The noise of our boats, the entanglements of our nets can deafen that inner sense, but Jesus, like the good advertiser He is, keeps repeating His divine “1-800 number”.  His call is free and if we buy into the Product, we’ll be free as well.

The Psalms cry for the Lord to teach us his ways (Psalm 25:4-9).  There’s an urgency (“Buy now!”) in St. Paul’s Letter to the Corinthians in which he speaks about time running out (1 Corinthians 7:29-31).  And in the Gospel from Mark Jesus tells the people of Galilee, “This is the time of fulfillment.  The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.”

When I was younger, I remember being afraid of the word repent.  It was associated with dire consequences.  I was sure there was a trick question involved and I worried that I wouldn’t know whether or not I was in God’s favor.  When the people of Nineveh heard Jonah announce their city would be destroyed, they drastically changed their behavior.  What if I had been a citizen of Nineveh and had my earphones in so I missed Jonah’s urging to change my ways? 

Now as I look at the definition of repent: “to turn from sin and dedicate oneself to the amendment of one’s life”, I have a different view.  I trust in God’s love for me and I believe God wants me to make the right choices.  God is always speaking, and I simply need to listen and trust in his ways.  I also feel God’s compassion when I fall short in my efforts.

God finds us where we are and invites us to reform our life, believe in the Gospel, and follow Jesus.  In return God makes these promises:  "I will make you fishers of people.”  “I will give you rest.”  “The reign of God will be yours.”  “You will be consoled.”  “You will inherit the land.”  “You shall have your fill of holiness.”  “Your reward will be great.”  “You will be the light of the world.”  “You will be the salt of the earth.”  “God who sees in secret will repay you.”  “God will forgive you.”  “Ask and you will receive.”  “You will be great in the Reign of God.”  “You shall be called ‘children of God’."  “You shall see God."

Sounds like it’s too good to be true!  Still, it seems like a pretty good deal to me.

Going off the deep end

 

Have you ever been misunderstood?  There have been numerous times in my life when close friends and relatives have said to me, “Are you crazy?!”  Or “What were you thinking?”  I am almost always puzzled by their reaction to my words or actions, especially when I feel that they just didn’t understand why I would say or do what I said or did. 

When I reflect on the sufferings of Jesus, there are of course, the physical sufferings: the scourging, the crown of thorns, and most of all, the cross.  Then there’s the emotional pain: the agony in the garden, the denial by Peter, the betrayal by Judas, and the feeling distant from the Father.

But even before the events leading up to His Passion, death, and Resurrection, Jesus encountered various trials that many of us encounter.  And one of those trials is being misunderstood.  In all four of the Gospels, we see how often Jesus came into conflict with the Pharisees and the scribes and the elders of the people.  But in the Gospel that I’m reflecting on this week, Jesus was misunderstood by His relatives!  They had heard that the crowd following Jesus had gotten so large that He didn’t even have time to eat, and their response was not one of awe about the size of the crowd, or about what might be happening.  Instead, they concluded that "He is out of his mind;" (Mark 3:20-21), and they set out to “seize him,” presumably to bring Him home.

Jesus’ response comes a little later in the Gospel.  But for now, I think the challenge for us is to think if there are times when we misunderstand Jesus, especially when we might be tempted to use our faith to justify our prejudices and attitudes toward other individuals or groups of people.  While there are times when Jesus’ words and actions are most comforting and reassuring, there are times when Jesus’ words and actions still have the power to make us uncomfortable.

At those times we need to examine whether our attitudes towards others are taking us further from God.  We’ve seen the effects of bigotry and discrimination not only on those who are the recipients, so to speak, but also on the perpetrators.  Persisting in prejudice, I think, is part of the “dead works” mentioned in the Letter to the Hebrews (Hebrews 9:2-14).  And if we’re willing to allow the love of Jesus to completely permeate our hearts and lives, we can better understand what Jesus is calling us to, and we can be “cleansed,” in order to “worship the living God” in all we say or do.

To proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ can make us seem to be out of our minds, or fools, or hopeless innocents, in the eyes of the world.  As I write this, the memory of our recent celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr. and his advocacy of nonviolence is fresh in my mind.  For many in our country today, practicing nonviolence would indicate that one has gone out of his mind.  Nonviolence seems so impractical in today’s world.  But Jesus’ sacrifice on the Cross indicates that He didn’t return violence with more violence.  Instead, He chose to forgive, even from the Cross (Luke 23:24).

Jesus also told us to look to give, rather than to take (Acts 20:35), and still we’re tempted to rationalize that greed is good.  Our world is still struggling with coming together to alleviate poverty in so many places, even in our own ‘backyard’.

Perhaps it’s time for each of us to be "out of our minds," or "fools," for the Gospel (1 Corinthians 4:10).  Violence and greed may lead to some worldly results, but they won’t lead us to where we need to go.  What’s needed is to share the love and grace we have in Jesus Christ, no matter how crazy and foolish it makes us appear. 

The Devil is in the details

I usually begin writing my reflections a couple of days before they’re posted.  I’m writing this on Inauguration Day, 2021.  A lot of the Catholic (and many other) social media posts and memes are asking for the obvious today—Prayers for our new President, Vice President, their Cabinet, and the country in general.  I always do, and I always will—no matter who they are or what party they represent. 

It pierces my heart though, when I read replies to these post from self-described “faithful Catholics” who say they refuse to pray for a President “who is not truly Catholic” because he supports abortion policies contrary to the teaching of the Catholic Church.  The judgements and name-calling by these ‘holier-than-thou’ “Christians” are the very same actions that Jesus tried so hard to rid the Pharisees from doing!  They seem to believe that we shouldn’t pray for a conversion of heart; it’s easier to just condemn those who have lost their way.  Satan never sleeps.  He preys on both the ignorant and the learned and plays them against one another.  The real pity lies in the fact that we don’t accept this simple truth.

"He appointed twelve, whom he also named Apostles, that they might be with him and he might send them forth to preach and to have authority to drive out demons." (Mark 3:13-19)

I wonder how many people today actually believe that demons can affect them.  One of Satan’s greatest tricks is making people believe there aren’t any demons or that they’re just cute little guys in red suits with pitchforks.  But demons are far from little and far from cute.   The Bible tells us, "your opponent the devil is prowling like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour" (1 Peter 5: 8-9).  And in our prayer to St. Michael we ask Jesus to "cast into hell Satan and all evil spirits who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls."  Their job is to keep us from heaven, so that’s something we should be concerned about – or at least aware of.  "Our battle is not against flesh and blood but against the principalities and powers, the rulers of this world of darkness and the evil spirits in regions above" (Ephesians 6:12).  We need to know that we have an enemy, but that in Jesus we have the power to defeat him!

Something I don’t like to talk about a whole lot is my own experience after I saw a demon one night.  At the time, I had no idea what I had seen—in fact, I can’t even describe to this day what I saw.  I just knew I was paralyzed with fear in his presence and felt helpless to do anything.  I thank God that I remembered a story I read as a little boy about one of the saints (St. Theresa of Avila?) who was being tormented by demons.  Whenever she felt their presence, she would simply say, “In the name of Jesus Christ, leave this place!”, and the demons would leave immediately.  It worked for me that night, as well.  The experience led me to learn how to fight back by using God’s Word.  One of the verses that lays the foundation for my confidence to stand against evil is 1 John 4:4: "He that is in you is greater than he that is in the world."  Another is James 4:7: "Therefore submit to God; resist the devil and he will flee from you".

I’ve learned a lot about demons since that night, and I can state with confidence that we don’t need to be afraid of them.  The main thing we need to know is that God is stronger than any evil that can come against us.  The greatest weapon against evil is giving praise to God.  If we praise God in all things, we’ll never be defeated.  We know that God will triumph at the end of time and we, His followers, will triumph with Him.  As one of the most profound memes I saw on the internet today (and shared) said, “Prayer should be your first choice, not your last chance.” 

Where are they now?

Many of us have learned a thing or two about sacrifice this past year.  We may not have had to sacrifice our lives, though millions have, but our faith, patience and trust certainly have been challenged and tested.  The third chapter of Mark’s Gospel is full of themes and insights.  It reveals Jesus’ energy and attraction.  People from all corners of the region flocked to the Sea of Galilee to be touch and healed by Jesus.  I sometimes wonder: Whatever happened to all those people?

St. Mark goes out of his way to tell us that there were an awful lot of people who wanted to be with Jesus.  He tells us that "a large number of people" from Galilee came, as did a large number from Judea, as did a large number from Jerusalem, from Idumea, from beyond the Jordan River, from Tyre and Sidon.  People were traveling from north, south, east and west, streaming to hear Jesus, to be with Jesus to touch Jesus. (Mark 3:7-12)

In our imagination we can see the constant stream of people gathering from all directions to be with Jesus.  It seems that Jesus was a bit intimidated by the huge numbers because He asked His friends to have a boat ready to give Him an escape route so "they would not crush him."   And this wasn’t the only time great crowds came to Jesus.  There were the crowd of “5000 men, not counting women and children” who were fed on the hillside (Mark 6:34-44, Matthew 14:13-21, Luke 9:12-17, John 6:1-14), and the crowds lining the road who were singing hosanna and laying palms down in front to Jesus as He rode into Jerusalem (John 12:12-19).  Great popularity and adulation!  But I ask again, whatever happened to all those people?

We know they receded back into the countryside when the religious and political leaders began to demonize Jesus.  They were nowhere to be seen when Jesus went through His Passion and Death.  But when everything settled down again and the disciples continued to talk about Jesus and witness to His resurrection did many of these people return to their initial interest and become followers of Jesus once again?  It wouldn’t be a surprise to me to find out that some (many?) of them did.  From Pentecost on the number of followers of Jesus grew rapidly.  No doubt some of the people who were frightened off came back.

Being a Catholic follower of Jesus can be a difficult thing even today.  Sometimes we’re fervent but there are other times when our hearts can grow distant.  The disapproval of our neighbors or our society, the scandals that happen in our Church, the experiences of personal disappointment, disillusionment, hurt or anger can all cause us to pull back from our faith, to recede back into the countryside.  The beautiful truth about Jesus is that though crowds of people came and went, Jesus stayed faithful to all of them.  Jesus stays faithful to us as well.  Perhaps our prayer today can be to ask the Holy Spirit to grace us with the desire to stay close to Jesus, even in difficult times. 

A hardened heart is taking the easy way out

 

One of the saddest passages in the scriptures tells the story of people who have become so angry and frightened by their “enemy” that they’ve lost a true sense of their humanity.  It sounds so much like today’s world (Mark 3: 1-6).

The story goes that as Jesus entered the synagogue, He noticed a man with a withered hand.  His first impulse was to heal him.  Unfortunately, there were Pharisees in the Synagogue and they were watching Him.  They hoped Jesus would do something that they could condemn.  Jesus knew that if He healed the man, they’d condemn Him for “working” on the Sabbath.  But Jesus refused to let their condemning eye keep Him from responding with compassion and love.

Instead, He challenged them about whether it’s allowed to do something good on the Sabbath.  “But they remained silent.  Looking around at them with anger and grieved at their hardness of heart,” Jesus healed the man’s withered hand.  The man who He healed rejoiced, but the enemies of Jesus continued to plot to have Jesus put to death.

Strangely enough, even while we rejoice at the courage, compassion and power of Jesus, most of us have to admit that we, too, can be intimidated by what others might think or say about our efforts to show compassion and love.  

We can look at suffering and hopelessness by either being compassionate or by hardening our hearts. The more compassionate we are, the more involved we become in trying to respond to these enormous challenges, sometimes one person at a time.  The more we harden our hearts, the less responsibility we take for the pain and suffering that exists around us.

If we harden our hearts, we find it difficult to offer life-giving solutions to those who are in need.  And we’re less likely to get involved in resolving these sufferings.  We seem to be burdened by so many ways to condemn one another.  Often our judgments come out of fear and ignorance.  Anyone who thinks differently than we do, or has a different heritage, or looks different or believes differently is suspect in our judgment.  Especially, if our friends, family or fellow believers share our outlook or beliefs.  Perhaps a good prayer for today be that God will give us the courage and wisdom to live our Christian life with the same generous integrity that we see in Jesus in Mark’s Gospel.

These Scriptures should lead us to ask ourselves; do we make Jesus sad and angry with our attitudes, especially with our attitudes toward those who are suffering greatly and don’t know how to resolve their suffering?  Sometimes, we can take approaches like "tough love" to mask our hardness of heart.  We’re there for the "deserving" poor, but our heart doesn’t ache for those whom we think deserve their lot in life.  And like the Pharisees, we want these solutions done in the proper way.

It’s much more difficult to be Christian these days, not because we’re afraid to say the "right thing" but because our lack of compassion distances us from those who find themselves in need.  We can always come up with laws, norms and regulations to rationalize why we shouldn’t reach out to those in need.  On the other hand, we can become more like Jesus, whose heart is being continually moved with compassion when He encountered great pain and suffering.  To be a Christian today is not just about being able to say the right thing, but to love and heal as Jesus did, to have a loving, compassionate heart.  Let’s all pray for that grace!

Stay Hopeful

 

"We earnestly desire each of you to demonstrate the same eagerness for the fulfillment of hope until the end, so that you may not become sluggish, but imitators of those who, through faith and patience, are inheriting the promises."  (Hebrews 6:10-20)

It’s not unusual to get tired of the same old routine. And sometimes with all of the busyness and stress of daily life in today’s world, we have a hard time squeezing in the good that God asks each of us to do.

Christianity is a religion of hope and Christians are called to be shining and resilient witnesses of hope because Christians believe that the God who first blessed us with life wants us to share fully in the joy and love and beauty and goodness that is God.  But the very nature of hope reminds us that we’re on a journey toward a fulfillment that we can anticipate (and, in some way, already experience) but can’t yet completely enjoy.  Hope orients our lives to a future good that absolutely transcends anything we could ever give ourselves but which, precisely because we do not yet possess it completely, we can begin to doubt.

Hebrews warns us not to become “sluggish” regarding the object of our hope but instead to keep our attention fixed on it.  It’s a perceptive and timely reminder that affirms not only how easy it is to turn away from the good that God has in store for us, but also to begin to doubt its very possibility.  Or, perhaps more likely, we fill our lives with so many distractions and attach our hearts to so many lesser goods that we gradually forget that there’s something greater, something far lovelier, and something infinitely more hopeful to which God calls us.  In order to avoid those disheartening possibilities, there are two things we can do.

First, as Hebrews reminds us, we must remember that all of us are heirs to the love, goodness, and mercy of God.  God wants to bless us and will bless us because God, as the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus vividly testify, is faithful to His promises.

Second, as Mark’s Gospel illustrates (Mark 2:23-28), we keep hope alive not when we’re gloomy legalists who live to find fault with others, but when we seek to do good in whatever way we can.

Based on my own life’s experiences, I think one of the ways to stay excited about living our faith is to make sure we switch things up from time to time.  Try a different prayer form; play some Christian music during our prayer time; read a good book about living our Catholic faith or study the life of a saint we don’t know.  There are some great smartphone and computer apps to help.

I try to take some time each day just remembering that Jesus went to the cross so that I could enter heaven someday.  Whenever I really take time to quiet myself and thank Him for His sacrifice, my heart fills with joy and thanksgiving and I want everyone to hear the Good News.

May the Lord refill each of us with the fire we need to "demonstrate the same eagerness for the fulfillment of hope until the end".

Let go of childhood wineskins

 

Jesus was criticized because His disciples didn’t fast (Mark 2:18-22).  It was a practice piously close to the hearts of John’s disciples and the Pharisees.  It’s true that fasting is a helpful spiritual practice.  It gets us to cut down on the amount or even the quality of our food.  The emphasis doesn’t stop there.  Rather it heightens our awareness that "less food" can help us to become aware that we’ve been gorging ourselves, pampering ourselves in many ways and failing to deal with reality.

Reality begins with self.  Joy, happiness, and laughter are good for all of us; weddings, birthdays, graduation, recuperation from sickness, coming to grips with addictions, and so on.  Jesus makes the point, “Can wedding guests fast while the bride and bridegroom are with them?"  Rather, let the bigger picture of the wedding celebration teach us that the love that’s seen in the couple is going to be the source of growth and strength.  This growth will come through "…for better, for worse; for richer, for poorer; in health and in sickness."   Reality gives us the whole picture:  better & worse, richer & poorer, health & sickness. 

Each of us has experiences that put us in touch with challenging people, situations and things that reveal the worse, the poverty and sickness in our lives.  It doesn’t help to use the old ways and means to deal with them.  Jesus’ image of putting a new piece of cloth that hasn’t shrunk onto an old cloth is going to bring trouble; in the first wash the new cloth is going to shrink.  That could tear or cause an unsightly crease.  And then I love His example of pouring new wine into old wineskins.  It isn’t going to work because the new wine will continue to ferment and burst the old wineskin.  No, He says, you need to put new wine into new wineskins.  The new wineskins will stretch.   Wouldn’t it be a sight to see someone still wearing clothes that no longer fit?  To refuse to accept this simple physical fact becomes a serious problem when we cling to childhood values that don’t fit our life today.

We must live for today.  There have to be those joy-filled, happy, moments and times that help us to realize how fortunate and blessed we are.  And there are also those pain-filled, challenging, in-your-face moments that tell us that just cloaking them with externals isn’t going to work.  It’s our attitude, our reactions, our willingness to accept the new insights, along with insights that we’ve refused to accept that are now calling for a new wineskin.  The old wineskin isn’t going to work.  The disciples of John and the Pharisees were holding on very tightly to the practice of fasting.  Their wineskin was old.  Their view of life, of holiness was stunted.  They needed to get a new wineskin that could stretch with the input that Jesus was offering them.

This COVID-19 pause is preparing us for something new – are we open to the discovery; are we open to living into new skins?  Are we willing to look within first, let God show us where we need to grow, what ‘outdated’ thoughts, biases, judgments, fears or hurts are causing us to typically say “Why do you not…” what can we do to change the way we walk with the other so that we can be open to the new, to live within both/and rather than right/wrong?  Do we recognize the bridegroom in our midst and dare to celebrate rather than flagellate – what is God asking of us today and this time when we prepare to emerge from the virus – will we be better or worse?  Who is our Jesus? And what is He asking of us – individually and collectively?

My faith and hope and love at this stage of my life are calling for me to let go of my childhood wineskins.  They can’t stretch to receive the wonderful and challenging ways that my faith and hope and love are hoping to grow in this year of 2021.

I'd better take this call!

 

If you ever find yourself saying, “Sorry I missed your call,” or looking at the Caller ID before deciding to answer the phone, you’re not alone.  In the well-known story of the call of Samuel (1 Samuel 3:3-19), we see that God can call at any moment, even in our sleep, so we have to be alert and vigilant lest we miss the call.

It’s easy to miss God’s call because we can be taken up with so many tasks, so many responsibilities, that we lose the ability to hear.  It’s easy to miss God’s call if we’re distracted, out of sorts, or turned in on ourselves. That too can make us hard of hearing.  Or sometimes we deliberately become hard of hearing because we don’t want to be bothered.  We’re comfortable with our lives as they are, we’re settled, we have our routines and don’t want to be budged by a calling.  Or maybe we’re hard of hearing because we’re afraid of what the call might ask of us, where it might take us and how it might change our lives. We choose to sleep through the call no matter when it comes rather than nurture a “listening heart” that makes us keenly attuned to all the many ways God calls us, especially the callings that come every day and are so easy to miss.  Those everyday callings can be a summons to be patient with a person who is difficult to love.  It can be the call to comfort someone who is struggling or the call to reach out to someone who is lonely.  Or it could be the call to forgive someone who hurt or disappointed us.

God calls us all the time.  If we’re to hear and respond to those calls, we must make Samuel’s words our own: “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.”  Maybe those should be the first words out of our mouths at the beginning of the day, words we repeat throughout the day, and words we include in our prayers at the end of the day.  “Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.”   We should take those words to heart because it’s one thing to say, “Sorry, I missed your call” to a family member or friend; but what if we say that to God not just occasionally, but throughout our lives?  If we continually miss God’s call, what have we done with our life? 

Penetrating love

 

"The word of God is living and effective, sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating even between soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart. No creature is concealed from him, but everything is naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must render an account." (Hebrews 4:12-16)

The “word” spoken of here can refer to the Sacred Scriptures, the written word of God, or it can refer to the Word, the second person of the Trinity, made flesh in Jesus Christ.

The penetrating power of the word/Word is capable of doing a lot more than giving us a good facelift.  We’re talking about the grace of God getting in between the soul and spirit, joints and marrow.  That’s about as invasive a procedure as one can imagine.  It’s more than something created, because it can even get into the human soul.

Why is such a powerful spiritual anointing necessary?  Because that’s how deeply we can get wounded by our sins and the power of evil that swirls around us.  We can mess up our lives in a royal fashion.  The inner disorder and disorientation from God can be so overpowering that we need a power greater than ourselves to intervene.

All of us are prone to addictions of one sort or another.  Some are mild and not too destructive, but others can get into the very fabric of our life and take control.

The word/Word of God can get to the heart of this woundedness, penetrating even between soul and spirit, joints and marrow and heal addictions and make us whole.  Often, with great fear and trepidation, we must invite Jesus into these dark and powerful areas of our lives.   Jesus was able to take Levi, a tax collector, and turn him into one of his Apostles, (also known as Matthew) (Mark 2:13-17).  To penetrate between his soul and spirit, Jesus went to Levi and his tax-collecting friends and shared a very intimate and vulnerable moment with them.  He ate a meal with them.  Jesus will join us in meeting our addictions head-on and help us to conquer them.

Break down the barriers to Jesus!

 

When my children were babies, I had a job that was pretty straightforward as far as a schedule goes.  I could count on being home every night and waking up in my own bed every morning.  I could count on being able to comply with the occasional request from the school or church for help.  I could attend most of the kids' recitals, activities, and ceremonies.  I never had the occasion to miss their presence for any extended length of time.

Even for the first few years with U-Haul, I could pretty much count on the same things. Then I took the promotion that kept me in hotel rooms, on the road, and away from my family for days or weeks at a time.

After a while, it was really rough for me, because I sorely missed Marilyn.  I missed Alicia and Lily, as well, because they were also living with us.  I couldn’t wait to see their smiles and their eyes sparkle at me the way they do, and I couldn't see them from 300 miles away! 

Often, when I walked through the door after a hard week’s work, Marilyn would say, "Look, Lily! Oompah's home!"  The baby couldn't crawl over to me fast enough, and she always had the biggest grins!  She would start jabbering away like she was telling me everything she did the week I was gone and didn't want to leave any details out.  And giggled and giggled and giggled.  My heart would just melt.  I would be so elated it was hard to concentrate on anything or anyone else!  It was a time to forget about work, if just for a day.  It was just the ‘recharge’ I needed to continue on to the next week’s challenges.

I wonder if Jesus ever got to walk back into His house and just disappear and "regroup" for a while.  Luke’s Gospel tells us it wasn’t the case at Capernaum (Mark 2:1-12).  We know of Jesus’ excruciating journey to the Cross, but what must it have been like to carry the burden of souls, their wishes and shattered dreams, every day of His life, every moment?  How in the world did He bear the weight of all those people seeking relief so desperately–the poor, the lonely, the lame, the sick, and the outcast?

"Child, your sins are forgiven." (Mark 2:5).  There’s such heart-rending compassion, gentleness of spirit, and presence in those five simple words.  Jesus didn’t take a nap when He got home, "take five," or promise to be in touch later.  Jesus was there, as He always is for each of us, ready to forgive and heal.  Moved by the faith of the crowd and despite the criticisms of the naysayers, Jesus proved that the lame can indeed get up and be freed from what cripples them.  And, by breaking through our own walls that keep us from Christ, so can we.

I truly hope that Jesus laid down His sweet head to rest more than just when He was a baby in the manger.  But I suspect that His short life on earth was lived far less restfully, although certainly He lived it with open eyes, open hands, and a truly open heart.

Unable to get near Jesus because of the crowd, they opened up the roof above him.  After they had broken through, they let down the mat on which the paralytic was lying. (Mark 2:4)

My deeper reflection on this parable begs several questions: What creative means are we called to use to bring healing given today’s hurting world, the polarization, the raw hate, the hurtful ‘reaction’ that surrounds us.  Given the digging in of heels and unwillingness to hear the other.  Given the tensions that consistently envelop us. 

How are we called to bring people to Jesus, how creative do we need to be to bring people to the feet of Jesus?  How can we invite ourselves and others to believe in and dare to risk the possibility of peace – inner peace, outer peace, the peace the world can’t give?  The peace we find in God, in Jesus.  What is it that we – individually and collectively – are called to do to set another world view in motion?  How can we re-introduce the worldview that Jesus shared, the Kingdom of God that begins now?  How can we “open the roof” to let in the healing balm of Jesus’ presence among us?

Waiting for the other – for someone else to breakthrough and empower dialogue and creative solutions has proven futile.  This parable reminds us that the time is now, we need to step in, we need our voices and our hearts to be heard.  We need to introduce a new path, a new vision, a new accountability.  How creative are we willing to be?  How do we empower each other to re-discover the voice, and presence of God and join together to build something new – bring about a new creation, a new paradigm?  Jesus is present, He has returned to Capernaum – where are we?