Mother of the Church

In the Catholic Church, the Monday after Pentecost Sunday, is the “Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church.”  This celebration was declared, in the words of Pope Francis, “to help us to remember that growth in the Christian life must be anchored to the Mystery of the Cross, to the oblation of Christ in the Eucharistic Banquet and to the Mother of the Redeemer and Mother of the Redeemed, the Virgin who makes her offering to God.”

What vivid images to reflect on; “Anchored” to the Cross, the Eucharist, and the Blessed Virgin Mary who is both “Mother of the Redeemer” and “Mother of the Redeemed.” 

The Gospel chosen for this memorial presents to us the image of the Blessed Mother standing before the Cross of her Son (John 19:25-34).  While standing there, she heard Jesus say the words, “I thirst.”  He was given some wine on a sponge and then declared, “It is finished.”  Jesus’ Blessed Mother, the Mother of the Redeemer, stood as a witness as the Cross of her Son became the source of the redemption of the World.  As He took that last drink of wine, He completed the institution of the New and Eternal Passover Meal, the Holy Eucharist.

Just prior to His dying, Jesus declared to His mother that she would now be the “Mother of the Redeemed,” in other words, the mother of each member of the Church.  This gift of Jesus’ mother to the Church was symbolized by Him saying, “Behold, your son” to Mary, and to John, “Behold, your mother.”

As we celebrate this memorial within the Church, it should make us ponder our relationship to the Cross, to the Eucharist and to our heavenly mother.  If we are willing to stand by the Cross, gaze at it with our Blessed Mother, and witness Jesus pour forth His precious blood for the salvation of the world, then we are also privileged to hear Him say to us, “Behold, your mother.” 

When I think of Mary, I imagine how gracious she must have been. There must have been so many who sought her out, for advice, for comfort, for counsel, for wisdom, and guidance, or just to be near this beautiful woman who radiated love.  Who else besides Joseph spent as much time with Jesus, learning the secrets of Love from the source Himself?  She must have been that relative, friend and confidante that everyone wanted to be close to.  She was always thinking of others;  I remember her roles at the wedding at Cana, and her visit to Elizabeth.  I imagine how she would greet visitors with a smile, kind words, something to eat or drink, and of course patience, even if she was interrupted from her daily tasks.  I imagine she treated everyone like family, ready to serve or help. She was simply present for them with love.

“Behold, your mother!”  (John 19:27)

Catholic Tradition tells us there is more to this directive from Jesus than simply handing His mother over to John.  Looking at just the Scripture, it reads as if He said it emphatically.  How important they must be!  This is not something Jesus would have had to tell John, “the disciple whom Jesus loved”.  Of course John would have taken care of Mary as he would his own mother.

Because of our human nature, we tend to think of things in our own extremely limited way.  God can help us see in His way, which is always unlimited.  This God who can do all things, and has given us everything He had to give, even to give up His life for our salvation, has also given us His mother!

“Enraged at her escape, the dragon went off to make war on the rest of her offspring…” (Revelation 12:17)

From the perspective of our limited human minds and hearts it may not seem that she could be our Mother, but if we try to understand from the mind and heart of God, His Sacred Loving Heart, then how can a God who has given us everything, hold anything back?  It’s impossible for the Love of God to do that.  So, Jesus was emphatically telling us in His way, “You whom I love, I have given you My all! I have but one thing left to give.  Here is your Mother!”

Our Blessed Mother, a woman of unequaled compassion, tenderness, and generosity who now loves each of us as her own child.  We are her offspring.  Who can fathom such a gift?

“Woman, behold your son!”  (John 19:26)

Jesus is really saying, “ Mother, these little ones, my children, I give each of them to you.”

This God, full of surprises, even to the very end of His life on earth, once again shattered the notions of mere men at what God can and will do for love of us.

Of course then, this God of wonder and surprises, allows us to speak to Our Mother in our prayers.  From God’s perspective, why wouldn’t He?  And she of course, prays for us, as He also allows her to speak to our hearts.  Because our souls are encased in our physical bodies, we see the material world, and at times (if God allows), glimpses of the spiritual world, but that doesn’t mean that in the spiritual world they can’t and don’t “see” us.  Let’s not put our limits on God!  So, she is as present to us as she was to those in Nazareth.  She is as ready to help, console, and serve as she was then, and even more so that Jesus has given her a capacity to love each of us as her own child.

Mary is our Mother, given to us by Jesus Himself. She is ready to take our hand, and always, always takes us back to Jesus.  Besides Himself, she is the greatest gift that He has given us!  Stay close to our heavenly mother.  Seek her maternal care and protection and allow her prayers to daily draw us closer to her Son.

Enkindle in us the fire of Your love

After the heat wave earlier this week, it was so refreshing to see the breezes kick up a little to cool things down this morning.  But at about four o’clock in the afternoon, a “strong driving wind” came through the area—strong enough to move the heavy aluminum patio chairs a foot or so, accompanied by the sound of distant thunder!  It was enough to remind me that Pentecost has finally arrived!

“And suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were. Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim.”  (Acts 2:2–4)

Do you think there was really a “noise like a strong driving wind” at this first outpouring of the Holy Spirit?  And do you think there really were “tongues as of fire” that came and rested on everyone?  I believe there was!  Why else would have it been recorded that way in the Scriptures?

I wonder if the disciples who were there really understood what was happening and began to dance around?  For many of them, I have a suspicion the changes may have felt sudden and even unwanted; a new language, reaching out to the unknown and unwelcome members of foreign communities; essentially turning their lives upside-down.  It must have been incredibly mystifying and difficult to process – to come to terms with changes so immediate, so unexpected yet absolute, and so profoundly unclear.

These physical manifestations of the coming of the Holy Spirit were made present for several reasons.  One reason was so that these first recipients of the full outpouring of the Holy Spirit would have concretely understood that something amazing was happening.  By seeing and hearing these physical manifestations of the Holy Spirit they were more properly disposed to understand that God was doing something awesome.  And then, upon seeing and hearing these manifestations, they were touched by the Holy Spirit, consumed, filled, and set on fire.  They suddenly discovered within themselves the promise Jesus made; they finally began to understand.  Pentecost changed their lives.

If you’re anything like me, you’ll admit to being hurt; being changed, surprised at something or someone.  A car accident, broken bones, problems in marriage, the death of a parent, sister or brother, a child, the diagnosis of a disease which will never go away and may probably end in death.

So many things shake up our journey!  So many things become enormous earthquakes which destroy the road ahead of us; the senseless and apparent racially motivated killing of George Floyd and the ensuing violence all over the country, the Covid-19 pandemic that has had the world in a stranglehold for months and the political infighting over blame for the handling of the crisis and its aftermath, and the list goes on.

Maybe it’s these tragedies which breeds the change needed to uncover the very miracle we long for. 

We most likely haven’t seen and heard these physical manifestations of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, but we should rely upon the witness of those in the Scriptures to allow ourselves to arrive at a deep and transforming faith that the Holy Spirit is real and wants to enter our lives in the same way.  God wants to set our hearts on fire with His love, strength, and grace so as to effectively live lives that effect change in the world.  Pentecost isn’t only about us becoming holy, it’s also about us being given all we need to go forth and bring the holiness of God to all those we encounter.  Pentecost enables us to be powerful instruments of the transforming grace of God.  And there’s no doubt that the world around us needs this grace.  There is so much hate, bigotry, racism, envy, and greed in the word today.  God’s grace is the answer.  So simple to see, but so difficult to accept.

As we celebrate Pentecost, it would be helpful to again ponder the primary effects of the Holy Spirit in a prayerful way.  These Gifts are the primary effects of Pentecost for each and every one of us.  Used as an examination of our lives, God shows us where we need to grow more deeply in the strength of the Holy Spirit.

Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit

Fear of the Lord: With this gift the Christian becomes keenly aware of anything that may hurt his/her relationship with God.  There is a holy “fear” of hurting this relationship and grace is given to avoid these things at all cost.

Wisdom: With this gift the Christian is given a special grace to “ponder divine realities” in his/her speculative reason.  We are able to see the big picture and know how best to be an instrument of peace and harmony in our world.

Understanding: This is the ability to have a supernatural assurance of the matters of faith.  Life makes sense.  We can make sense of the deeper parts of revelation, make sense of suffering, and understand those things that tempt us to doubt.  With this gift we come to see how everything in life can work for good in accordance with God’s plan.

Knowledge:  With this gift the Christian knows, more in the practical intellect, what God’s will is in this or that situation.  We know how to live, how to discern God’s will and what decision to make in our daily life.  It also enables us to learn from our past mistakes.

Counsel:  With this gift the Christian sees him/herself as a link in a chain which makes up the entire Church.  God uses each one of us to help and support one another on our journey.  We know what to say and how to act so as to do our part to build up one another.

Fortitude: Simply put, it is a firmness of mind and spirit to do good and avoid evil.  It’s a sort of Christian courage.  The Gospel will call all of us to a radical life of love.  Fortitude gives us the strength we need to follow through.

Piety:  This gift enables us to first reverence and love God, but also to see the dignity of one another and reverence each other as children of God.

Beyond description

My reflection today has been on the final sentence of the Gospel of John.  It’s one we don’t hear very often.  But it offers some fascinating insights to reflect upon.  All we know about the life of Christ is contained in the Gospels, but how could these short Gospel books ever come close to describing the totality of who Jesus is?  They can’t!  Take it from an eyewitness:

“There are also many other things that Jesus did, but if these were to be described individually, I do not think the whole world would contain the books that would be written.”  (John 21:25)

Imagine the insights that our Blessed Mother would have had about her Son.  She, as His mother, would have seen and understood so many hidden moments of His life.  She would have watched Him grow year after year.  She would have watched Him relate and interact with others throughout His life.  She would have noticed that He was preparing for His public ministry.  And she would have witnessed so many hidden moments of that public ministry and countless sacred moments of His entire life. 

So a first insight we should take from this Scripture is that we know only a small portion of the actual life of Christ.  What we do know is glorious in and of itself!  But we should realize that there’s so much more.  And this realization should fill our minds with interest, longing, and a desire for more.  By coming to know how little we actually do know, we will hopefully be compelled to seek Christ more deeply. 

A second insight we can gain from this passage is that, even though the numerous events of Christ’s life can’t be contained in countless volumes of books, we can, nonetheless, discover Jesus Himself in what is contained in the Holy Scriptures.  We may not know every detail of His life, but we can come to meet the Person.  We can come to encounter the Living Word of God Himself in the Scriptures and, in that encounter and meeting of Him, we’re given all we need.

My reflection took me to the previous 4 verses in John (21: 20-24).  It reads like a lot of Facebook posts in this day and age.  One person posts their version of a story and it becomes accepted and widely spread, until one of the other people involved (in this case, John) posts a clarification to set the record straight.

It reminds me so concretely of the humanness of all the disciples and followers of Jesus.  Not only because of John’s clarification of what actually happened, and the final words that state, so humanly, “There are also many other things that Jesus did, but if these were to be described individually, I do not think the whole world would contain the books that would be written,” but also because of Peter’s role in the story.

Peter says, “Lord, what about him?” referring to John following them.  How often do we say that to God?  What about him or her, who is doing something “wrong,” or getting too many “blessings” in our opinion, or neglecting us, or …?  The list can be endless.

Jesus’ answer to us is the same as to Peter: “What concern is it of yours? You follow me.”  We need to plant those words deeply in our hearts, file them permanently in our memory, and remember them the next time we want to pass judgement on someone else, causing us to take our eyes off what we’re supposed to be doing: following Jesus.

Are we at least trying?

On the shore next to the Sea of Galilee, after breakfast, Jesus asked Peter three times “Do you love me?” (John 21:15-19)

Why three times?  Many people suppose that when Jesus asked His question of Peter three times it was to ‘balance out’ the three times that Peter denied Him on Holy Thursday (John 18:15-27), but maybe it’s more a matter of Jesus driving home His point? 

Others say that three is a number that signifies perfection.  For example, we say God is “Holy, Holy, Holy.”  This triple expression is a way of saying that God is the Holiest of all.  By Peter being given the opportunity to tell Jesus three times that He loved Him it was an opportunity for Peter to express His love in the deepest of ways.

So we have a triple confession of love and a triple undoing of Peter’s denial going on.  This should reveal to us our own need to love God and seek His mercy in a “triple” way.

When we tell God that we love Him, how deep does that go?  Is it ‘lip service’, or is it a total and all-consuming love?  Is our love of God something that we mean to the fullest extent?  Or is it something that needs work?

If we really love Christ, and not just in words, we need to care for all the members of His flock; the ewes, the lambs, and even the rams, and in taking care of their needs, whatever they might be.  We must care for those who think they’re poor and those who think they’re rich, for those who believe themselves strong and those who are sure they’re weak.  And we must care for those who are satisfied that they’re serving God and those who don't care.  

We must go into their loneliness, their self-condemnation, their sin, their poverty in religious matters as well as physical ones, and their ignorance of God's absolute and unfailing love and forgiveness, and it is there where we must touch their lives and heal them, nourish them, and be the Good News that Christ calls us to proclaim. 

We should hear Jesus asking us “Do you love me?” three times also.  We should realize that He’s not satisfied with a simple, “Lord, I love You.”  He wants to hear it again, and again.  He asks us this because He knows we need to express this love in the deepest way.  Like Peter, our ultimate answer must be, “Lord, You know everything, You know that I love You!” 

This triple question also gives us the opportunity to express our deepest longing for His mercy.  We all sin.  We all deny Jesus in one way or another.  But the good news is that Jesus is always inviting us to let our sin be a motivation for deepening our love.  He doesn’t sit and stay angry at us.  He doesn’t pout.  He doesn’t hold our sin over our heads.  But He does ask for the deepest of sorrow and a complete conversion of heart.  He wants us to turn from our sin to the fullest extent.

As the old hymn of the same title says, "They will know we are Christians by our love," an idea straight out of John (13:34-35).   Do we in fact love any and all of God's children?  In every circumstance?  Of course not, if we’re honest with ourselves.  But are we at least trying?

Keep me safe, O Lord!

It seems to me that Paul had the same problems with the Sadducees in his day as we have today in this pandemic (Acts 22:30; 23:6-11).  We too are surrounded by those who agree with and those in disagreement with how things should be handled and who and what we should do concerning the current state of affairs in these times.  There are many voices vying (sometimes violently or with hate) to be recognized and heard.  Everyone believes their ideas and point of view is the correct way to proceed, when in fact, it’s probably a combination of all ideas.  It is a “novel” coronavirus, after all!

It’s the same way with our relationship with God.  Too often we spend a lot of energy on telling God what to do and just how to do it.  Jesus assured Paul that He would be there for him, to have courage and continue to do the work he was being called to do.  Paul stated his belief and hope in the resurrection and boldly stood his ground with the Sadducees in spite of the danger to himself.  The gospel reminds us of the unfailing love God has for all of us even when we mess up and forget who’s in charge (John 17:20-26).

As we approach the great feast of Pentecost, the birthday of the church, it’s good to renew once again our commitment as disciples of Jesus to answer the call to preach the good news of the gospel.  We are resurrection people, anointed by the Holy Spirit to give witness to God’s word and to do so with courage and hope that we’re not alone in this task.  There’s no better way of life than to live as children of God, to share this message of hope and courage especially in these uncertain and fearful days of the pandemic.  There’s only one Voice that we must listen to and that belongs to the One who created us and watches over us as only a loving Mother and Father can do.

Listen and Trust

How often do we listen to and trust that voice that speaks to our very core?  We recognize the voice as true.  Somehow, we know it to be the voice of the Spirit, maybe we even look around to see if anyone else heard it.  We want to believe but we don’t know what it might mean.

Has there been a time in your life when you heard deep within your heart that voice and knew it to be truly of God?  I have several experiences of His speaking to me through His Holy Spirit.

One night years ago, I had to work really late and I missed the mass at 5:30.  When I finally got off work, I thought, “I should go to the chapel and say my prayers and apologize to Jesus for missing His Word today, then eat my dinner.”  I heard a faint voice say to me “No, go to dinner and back to the hotel. The gate will be locked anyway, since mass is over, and it will just be a waste of time.”  Another louder, more authoritative voice broke in and said, “What will it hurt to try? There’s still the grotto with the Holy Family that you can visit and say your Rosary.”  The second voice was much more convincing, and so I went to the chapel.  There was only one car in the parking lot, and, as I thought, the gate to the chapel was shut and locked (the church and chapel are in a very bad neighborhood, with a lot of gangs and criminal activity.  The gate is there to protect the Blessed Sacrament and the people who are there to adore Jesus in perpetual adoration).  I was getting ready to drive off, but that same second voice said, “Don’t leave yet.”  As soon as I got out of my car and walked up to the gate, a man came out of the chapel.  I asked him if he would mind letting me in.  He said, “Of course not. The woman who is supposed to be relieving us called a few minutes ago and said she was going to be late.  My wife and I were just praying that someone would show up earlier because we have somewhere to go, as well, and we really didn’t want to be late.”  I knew right then that I was “called” by Jesus to come and sit with Him until the lady who was scheduled could show up.  

In the Acts of the Apostles (20: 17-27), St. Paul tells the community he must move on from Ephesus: “Compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem. What will happen to me there, I do not know.” Paul trusts that God is working through him. He just needs to keep listening, trusting, and responding to the Spirit.

This is what “discernment” means in our life of faith: listening.  Of course, there are many voices out there vying for our attention.  And we have all certainly listened to the wrong voice on occasion.  But I imagine all of us can recall a moment of extreme clarity.  We just knew something to be true, like my “inner voice” that said, “Don’t leave yet.”  Or St. Paul knowing he must go to Jerusalem even though he didn’t know what awaited him there.  Even Jesus, trusting in His relationship with His Father, knew He had to go to Jerusalem.

The demands of our mission....

As the Easter Season winds down and we approach Pentecost Sunday and ‘Ordinary Time’, we should make time to consider more deeply the meaning of Easter for us; not simply the promise of our life in Christ after death, but the demands of the mission of being the Body of Christ here in the world.

My reflection today is on two “farewell addresses” we’re given in Scripture.  In the Acts of the Apostles (20:17-27), Paul asserts that his journey is nearly over.  He’s heading toward Jerusalem where he will face almost certain suffering and possibly even death.  But what’s uppermost in his mind is, “. . . if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to bear witness to the Gospel of God’s grace.”

And in the Gospel of John (17:1-11) Jesus, in a prayer to the Father as part of his farewell address prays, “I glorified you [Father] on earth, by accomplishing the work that you gave me to do.”  Just as Jesus is preparing to depart from this life, He renders an account of his mission to the Father. 

Paul, in the face of probable death, also renders an account of his mission.  Essentially, it’s the work that Jesus sent him to do, a portion of Jesus’ own work.  By the outpouring of the Holy Spirit that we’ll celebrate at the end of this week in the Feast of Pentecost, Paul is clearly asserting that we (the Church) have received a task from Jesus that He had originally received from the Father;  the proclamation of the good news and the realization by our lives of God’s Kingdom here on earth.  This is made real in the Church when the we accomplish the work that Jesus gave us to do;  to bear witness (by the way we live our lives) to the members of our own community and to the world to the true repentance (rejection of sinful or self-willed choices) before God, and to faith (behavior in keeping with Jesus’ way of being human) in our Lord Jesus.

As we end the Easter Season with its focus on Jesus’ defeat of the power of the “world” (death and fear of death), we’re challenged to turn to Ordinary Time, brought to focus by Pentecost, when we ponder the passing of the active work of Jesus’ mission to His disciples of every generation.  Jesus’ farewell prayer becomes ours, because we’ve been given to Him by the Father and are now filled with His own Spirit of truth and life.  

It’s a copout for us to think that God will be glorified only in the afterlife by the way the saints care for one another or love one another (even their enemies or those who want to do them harm).  God is sending us here in this life, in the face of persecution, suffering, and even death to love and care for every person, especially the least among us. 

Fear of death or fear of suffering often slows us down and makes us timid to take on the work of serving one another in Jesus’ name.  Fear of shame or being made a fool of; fear of poverty or the inability to take care of ourselves; fear of being alone or outcast by those we value; fear that if someone disagrees with our ideology we might be wrong; fear that God doesn’t really love us and so we have to earn that love; all these and other self-centered fears are essentially the work of  the enemy of God who attempts to stop the work of Christ in us to bring the whole world to the Father.   As this Easter Season comes to an end my own prayer is that I can say with Paul, “The only thing important is that “I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to bear witness to the Gospel of God’s grace.”

Take courage

Though we're not as holy as Jesus the Divine Son, our Divine Father remains with us always; our baptisms guarantee it.  Take a look at Acts (19:1-8), where Paul meets a group of people who have received the baptism of John.  He completes their initiation into the Church by giving them the sacramental baptism as instructed by Jesus Himself.

There’s a difference between the two baptisms: The first one had been an act of repentance, which is something we do every time we overcome sin.  In the second one, because it's a sacrament, it's something that God does.  God comes to us in the fullness of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Thus, we can never be abandoned.  Even when we lose people through death or separation or some other form of scattering, we never lose God.  If we seek God, we’ll discover that He’s already right here with us.  But when we insist upon handling life our own way, we look past Him and miss Him.  We abandon Him.

How much we accept God's presence is entirely up to us.  That’s free will.

To feel the Father's nearness, we need to spend time in meaningful prayer and examination of conscience, repent of our sins, surrender to Him our will and desires so we can make room for His will and desires, and refuse to settle for any substitute that the world offers.

We need some words of encouragement today.  How about, “In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world.” (John 16:29-33)

Jesus never said believing in Him would make life easy.  With Covid-19 and the social and political polarization occurring, not just in the United States, but around the World, our faith is the key to weathering the storm.  To have hope and courage through prayer.  To be able to tap into the gifts that have been given to us, through the Holy Spirit, to bring hope and courage to those who need us.  We all have our part in building up the Kingdom of God in our country and our world. It’s not easy, but God gives us the graces we need.

It's simple, really

My reflection today led me to remember the times that I’ve been asked, “Why do you believe, Steve?  Have you ever questioned your faith?”

Have I ever questioned my faith?  Yes. I’ve been tested, but not so much anymore.  I’ll leave it at that.

Why do I believe?  As I think about my answer, I start with the knowledge that faith is a gift from God and that ultimately my personal faith flows from my acceptance of His gift.

But today I pondered upon what experiential reasons make me able to accept this gift from God.  I can come up with a multitude of examples that make it reasonable to believe, but one reason in particular stands out above all the others.  And I’ll admit the simplicity of it surprises me.  When I’ve been faithful to living the Gospel, I’ve found peace and happiness; when I haven’t been faithful, I’ve lacked that peace.  In short, faithfulness to living the Gospel is my path to the greatest peace and happiness.  This is the greatest support for my faith.

A very ordinary example can help show what I mean.  In my life I have been occasionally unjustly condemned or criticized by someone.  I then have a choice of how to respond to that criticism: I can either forgive the person or I can hold on to resentment.  When I choose to move toward forgiveness (living the Gospel) I experience peace; but when I choose to move away from forgiveness (not living the Gospel) I lose that peace.  Living the Gospel brings peace.

Jesus’ words reaffirm my conviction that living the Gospel brings peace and joy.  Jesus invites his disciples to ask anything in His name, and then He assures us that we will receive what we ask, “so that your joy may be full.” (John 16:23-28) He is repeating the promise He made earlier to His disciples, “All this I tell you that my joy may be yours and your joy may be complete.” (John 15:11)

Faith in Jesus gives us believers the joy that the world cannot give nor take away. This faith, our path to deepest joy, is the greatest gift God has given us.

So when I’m asked why I believe, the best I can do is to witness to the peace and joy my faith brings to my life.  I think my answer can give some a new perspective to view faith.  I hope so.

Our GPS to abundant life....

“When a woman is in labor, she is in anguish because her hour has arrived; but when she has given birth to a child, she no longer remembers the pain because of her joy that a child has been born into the world. So you also are now in anguish. But I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you.”  (John 16:21–22)

Anguish in life is common.  In small ways, we will experience anguish each and every day.  And, from time to time, we will experience the very heavy pains of a particular anguish in our lives.  The entire world has been experiencing varying degrees of anguish for the last 12 weeks or so, due to Covid-19.

Does an experience of anguish mean we’re not in God’s grace?  Does it mean that God has left us?  Or does it mean that we’re doing something wrong?  Emphatically not.  All we have to do is look at the life of Jesus to see prove that.  He was in constant anguish throughout His earthly life as He continually entered more deeply into the mission of His Father.  Just prior to His public ministry He was in anguish for forty days in the desert (Mark 1:12-13).  Throughout His public ministry, He experienced the anguish and exhaustion of His earthly life.  He experienced the criticism of others, misunderstanding, ridicule, rejection, harsh treatment, and so much more.  In the end, He was crucified; you really can’t get more ‘anguished’ than that.

Our Blessed Mother had the “sword of sorrow” pierce her heart (Luke 2:35).  She carried a perfect love of her Son and anguished over His future as He grew.  She watched many people love Him and others harass Him.  She watched His sham of a trial and His Crucifixion.   

But now they reign from Heaven as the glorious Queen of All Saints and the King of the Universe.  They live in glory now for eternity.  Their anguish has turned to perfect joy.

As I reflect on the Scripture passage from John above, I understand the promise that God makes to those who endure them with faith.  If you feel as though you’ve been dealt an unfair hand or have been treated unfairly, you’re in good company.  I believe the key is to walk through this life with grace and dignity.  We mustn’t let the trials of this life or its pains get us down.  As we remain faithful walking down the path God has set for us, the end result is that we will rejoice!  This is simply a fact.  We can hold on to that hope and keep our eyes on the finish line.  It’s worth it in the end.

Most of us are familiar with GPS; I use it all the time, even when I’m going someplace that I’ve been to a thousand times before.   It not only gives us directions, but in my case, it’s somewhat reassuring at times.  “Take this road; turn here; oops, recalculating; go straight ahead; get ready to turn; avoid cliff; stay the course.”  But before the GPS can give us directions, we have to tell it our destination.  So, what’s our destination?

Jesus says, “I came so that they may have life and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10) Life, abundant life.  That’s our destination.

Later, in the same Gospel, Jesus says, “I will ask the Father and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always…” (John 14:16) The Holy Spirit is called the Paraclete.  Paraclete means someone “called to the side” of another to be guide, protector, comforter, counselor, and friend.  In other words, the Holy Spirit is like a GPS to life, abundant life.

During these days before Pentecost we’re reminded of the role the Holy Spirit plays in our lives.  If we listen carefully, we’ll hear the Holy Spirit guide us to our destination.  Among other directions, the Spirit will tell us not to be afraid and to keep on spreading the Good News, as He did with Paul (Acts 18:9-18).   The Spirit will lead us to “shout to God with cries of gladness” (Psalms 47:2-3, 4-5, 6-7), filled with a joy no one can take from us (John 16:22).

"Teach them"

In the Gospel for Ascension Thursday Jesus gives His followers what is known as “The Great Commission”:

“All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”

Many parents make it a point to have their children baptized. But it doesn't end there: "teach them," Jesus says, "to observe all that I have commanded you." (Matthew 28:18-20)

This teaching to observe what Jesus commands us, in turn leads to forming us as true, mature disciples, not just nominal Christians.  And that's crucial.  To be a disciple means to be "disciplined" or well- formed in our faith.  A disciple is a follower or "pupil" of Christ, our Teacher.  That means an ongoing process throughout our growing-up years and right through adulthood.

The beauty of that is that there's always something new to learn about God.  The fascinating relationship we as disciples can have with Him can continue to unfold and develop through our whole lives.  I know this is true in my own life.  It seems just about every time I'm feeling smug about what I know, I'll hear a priest give a sermon or an apologist on TV or radio discuss a topic that encourages me to dig even deeper into the Mystery.

So, rather than be discouraged that we may become overwhelmed and will never fully master the practice of our Faith, we can be excited about the ongoing deepening of our faith as Jesus' disciples.  Deepening our faith can only help us better observe all His commands.

Pope Saint John Paul II wrote in his homily for Ascension Thursday in 1979; “You must be strong, dear brothers and sisters.  You must be strong with the strength that comes from faith. You must be strong with the strength of faith.  You must be faithful.  Today, more than in any other age, you need this strength.  You must be strong with the strength of hope, the hope that brings perfect joy in life and which prevents us from ever grieving the Holy Spirit.  You must be strong with love, the love which is stronger than death … You must be strong with the strength of faith, hope and charity, a charity that is conscious, mature and responsible, and which can help us at this moment of our history to carry on the great dialogue with man and the world, a dialogue rooted in dialogue with God Himself, with the Father, through the Son in the Holy Spirit, the dialogue of salvation.”

Strengthened by the Holy Spirit, the Feast of the Ascension invites us to devote ourselves to consolidating Our Lord’s Kingdom on earth, a kingdom of goodness, justice, solidarity, and mercy.  It challenges us to give courageous witness to the Gospel before today’s world, bringing hope to the poor, the suffering, the lost and abandoned, the desperate and those yearning for freedom, truth, and peace.  It inspires us to be good to those we live and work with, to love them, and by doing so to show our love for God, who in all things loves us.  

The Ascension doesn’t mean that Jesus has left us behind, or that He’s departed to some faraway place, far from people and far from our world.  It means He no longer belongs to the world.  He belongs to God.  In His Ascension, Jesus takes our human existence into the presence of God.  He takes with Him our flesh and our blood, so that you and I and every human being who desires to do so can now abide in God, and God will abide in us.  The mystery of the Ascension introduces us into the very life of God.  The Ascension means that Christ had not departed from us.  It only seemed so.  In fact, He’s close to each one of us forever.  On intimate terms with Him now, each of us and all of us together can work with Our Lord as He shares His strength with us to bring His own mission to conclusion.

Influence, Praise, and Guidance--The Holy Spirit is at work!

My reflection on the Scriptures today is about influence, praise, and guidance; how we influence people in their path to Christ, praising God and how we receive guidance from God.
  
In Athens, Paul tried a new approach to bringing others to Christ.  The best description I can come up with for it is the "used car salesman" approach.  And it didn’t work.  Normally Paul was direct, to the point of being a wild-eyed zealot.  In most of his encounters with possible new converts he would say, "Here's the Gospel of Jesus Christ, take it or leave it."  People then either were converted and invited Paul into their homes or they covered their ears and started throwing rocks at Paul.  In Athens though, Paul became a smooth talker and waited to the very end to spring the "R" word on his audience, Resurrection!  Paul's new approach was met with sneers and indifference (Acts 17:15, 22--18:1).  If I were Paul, I think I would have preferred rocks.  But though Paul (temporarily) lost his faith in his well-known oratorial skills, he not only went on, he became utterly convinced that Jesus Crucified was the only message that could move men and women’s hearts.  Strangely, he had his greatest success in Corinth.  And what a city that was! Corinth was a major port city, corrupt, libertine, known throughout the Roman empire as a wide-open city populated by the very worst kind of people.  Yet here Paul preached only about Christ Crucified and found that a suffering Son of God who loved with His whole being was the transforming message.  The educated and wealthy of Athens were unmoved.  The suffering and outcasts of Corinth were transformed by the love they recognized in the heart of Christ.

Every day we meet people who cover a broad spectrum in their relation to Christ.  Some don't know Him at all, some only vaguely and some quite well.  How we present Christ to others is important.  Direct or indirect.  Words or actions.  As Christians, we are called to be ambassadors and are held to a higher standard.  

Sometimes we don't even know we are being ambassadors.  One day I inadvertently left my blog up on a computer at work after showing it to one of the guys I worked closely with.  Another of my co-workers (we’ll call him “Doug”) saw it after I left and called me to say he enjoyed reading it, but more importantly that he would like to ask me some questions about my Catholic faith.  Doug was searching for God and my writing was—in his words, “simple enough for me to be interested in what your faith has to offer.”  We did speak several times after that, having many discussions about the Bible and Catholicism in general and even attended a Mass together once or twice.  I’m sorry to say that we lost touch with one another after he moved on to another company.  I’d like to know if “Doug” found what he was searching for.

Another time, my friend Todd and I had to make one of our frequent business trips out of town.  As was often the case, we got our work conversations out of the way first, then, we talked about our families and the daily triumphs and struggles attendant to those.  He’s not a “religious” man, but he does believe in God.  I have a feeling he’s “searching” for answers, but not aggressively.  We talked and laughed about and prayed earnestly for our families, especially our children and grandchildren.  He brought up a topic that reminded me of that day’s Gospel that dealt with forgiveness.  That got me started on a 30 minute discourse about forgiveness, and how I needed to work on my lack of forgiveness to others who I feel have hurt me or my family or my friends, whether in a big way or a small way.

The next day, I was going to have to drive a truck back to Fresno and Todd was to follow me.  He said, “It’s going to be a long drive back without someone to talk to.  No offense, but I like your occasional “sermons”.  They always get me thinking about how I can improve myself.”  I didn’t respond. I didn’t think I had said anything special the day before.  I had just explained my understanding of the Gospel that I received through my Catholic faith and my relationship with the Holy Spirit.  I told him that any good that came out of our conversation would have to be credited to the Holy Spirit, because I was just relaying what I was inspired to say, without any foreknowledge we were even going to have the conversation. 

In both of these instances, the Holy Spirit had used me to be an influence without my even realizing it.  I'm a coward when it comes to witnessing for my faith, but sometimes opportunities to witness arise and we don't recognize that we've been a witness.  Psalm 148 tells us simply to “Praise the Lord”.   And in the Gospel of John (16: 12-15), Christ tried to explain to the disciples that the Holy Spirit would be coming to guide them when He’s gone.  His love and concern for them is evident.  His desire to encourage and guide them comes through clearly.  The disciples never did get it until His Resurrection.  

As we recall the great Apostle Paul, his perseverance in the face of defeat and his willingness to change and depend more on Christ, we pray for the grace to surrender the brokenness of our lives to God’s love, confident that through our weakness, God will bring us ever closer into His love.

We have to move on to move up

Jesus said to his disciples, "Because I told you I'm going back to him who sent me, grief has filled your hearts." He followed that up with, "But I tell you the truth, it is better for you that I go."  It was better because then He could send us His Holy Spirit (John 16:5-11).  We must let go of the familiar in order to experience the greater gift that God has in mind for us next.  We have to move on to move up.

Although grieving a loss is important and necessary, we can’t afford to let it control our decisions.  God should be in control.  Our decisions will either hold us back or move us forward.  Both directions will impact our lives and the lives of uncountable others.

I worked for 25 years for a company that is always evolving in its business model to do what’s best for the customer, the shareholders, and the employees—although most of the time, we didn’t see it that way.  It seemed that every time we got ‘comfortable’ with a program or policy or procedure, we were told to change it.  There was always one or two (sometimes more) vocal ‘holdouts’ who were sure that the old, comfortable, tried-and-true was the way to go.  I think deep down, it was because they were afraid of failure, or that it would somehow make their jobs harder, or that the ‘bosses’ were just being mean and creating more chaos.  It sometimes cost them their jobs (and maybe those of their subordinates) because they were left behind when the changes came anyway.  Those of us who embraced the changes always saw a change for the better; and ultimately, better service to the customers, bigger profits for the shareholders, and pay raises or bonuses for us and our subordinates. 

God wants what's best for us.  He's implementing a wise plan for our benefit, but not only for us.  God works for the benefit of everyone.  So when we refuse to travel from the old to the new, we not only prevent ourselves from discovering more of God's awesome love, we also get in the way of God's love for others.

In these ‘novel’ coronavirus stay-at-home times, most of us have had to let go of our normal routines and take extra precautions so as not to spread the virus.  It has many of us in states of loneliness, anger, and trepidation.  You could say we are ‘grieving’ for the comfort we felt in the ‘good old days’.  But on the bright side, it’s a good time to reflect more on our relationships with our families, neighbors, friends, and most importantly, God. 

The Holy Spirit gives us help and comfort when we pass through our losses, but only if we accept the help instead of cursing the changes.  Then we can ‘grieve with joy’.  Look at how Paul and Silas handled their imprisonment (Acts 16:22-34).  Surely, they grieved when they were arrested, when their wounds throbbed, and when their chains locked them into the darkness of the dank prison.  Yet, in their trust of the Lord's love, they were able to sing joyful praise.  The result was that the power of the Holy Spirit shook the very foundations of the prison and sprung open the doors. 

With faithful, joyful, and earnest prayer, and trust in Jesus, He’ll do the same for us.

Listen up!

What does it mean to be a good listener?  It means to really stop, open our heart and ears, and pay attention to what’s being said.  Being mindful of someone speaking means we’re not glancing at our smart phones or papers on our desk or gazing beyond the speaker to our favorite TV program playing in the background.  Listening simply means we stop everything and give our attention, like a gift, to the person in front of us.

We can take a lesson from Lydia, from Macedonia (Acts 16:11-15).  When Paul and Barnabas arrived in Macedonia, the next stop in their journey to the Gentiles, they looked for a place of prayer along the riverbank.  Lydia, a woman who was a dealer in purple cloth was presumably a wealthy and busy merchant.  But on this day, she was in that place of prayer that Paul sought.  While there, she, “listened, and the Lord opened her heart to pay attention.”  She could hear Paul with an unusual clarity, and it changed her life.  Her immediate response was to open her home to them.

Being a follower of Jesus changes our lives and means we live in a new way.  Being a Christian, and really following Jesus’ message, comes with challenges for the ways we live our lives.  In John’s Gospel (John 15:26—16:4), Jesus warns us of the trials that His followers will face but says He will send the Advocate, the Spirit, to be with us in those encounters.

It’s easy to despair, especially in these difficult times.  It’s important to believe that our God will never leave us.  His love is always evident if we open our hearts to it.  We must have faith, cling to the truth, and let God give us the strength to persevere.  We, like Lydia, will find the power to “testify”, to bear witness, to the Lord.

Like Lydia, we can take the time to pray, to quiet ourselves and ask Jesus to open our hearts to what He wants for us.  We can speak to Him of the challenges we face and thank Him for the joy in our lives.  And we can stop, in silence, and listen.  What do our hearts hear Jesus saying to us?  Where is the Spirit guiding us?

With the example of Lydia before us, we can ask what kind of hospitality we are called to as Christians?  Who in my life needs the gift of my attention?   Who do I need to forgive?  A spouse, a child or other family member?

Today we can remember to open our hearts silently in prayer; then to those around us who need the gift of our attention.  Jesus promises that the Advocate will be with us in all we do today, if only we can listen.

Keep hope alive!

In 1988, Rev. Jesse Jackson made an unsuccessful run for the Democratic Nomination for President, losing out to Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis.  At the Democratic National Convention in Atlanta that year, he gave his famous speech which ended with the words, “Keep hope alive!”

In the midst of this world-wide pandemic is there a reason to have hope?  Not optimism that “things will get back to normal,” or that it’s “safe to go back to work” or that “everything will be alright, just as it always has been.”  Not a denial of reality, a refusal to see or understand the scope of suffering all around us.  That’s clearly not hope.  Hope is clear eyed.  It sees reality in some measure that God sees reality.  It doesn’t appear to be in great supply on the airwaves just now – at least in the U.S.

In the suffering of the hundreds of thousands of the sick, the bewilderment of those who may not attend Church,  the fear of those put out of work, the anger of those who feel that they have lost control over their own lives, in the confusion of students from graduate school to first grade trying to understand how to learn in a new environment, are any of us ready to give a reason for our hope?   

“Always be ready to give an explanation for your hope” says Saint Peter in his first letter to the early Church (1 Peter 3:15-18); reminding them that thanks to the unsurpassable love that God has shown us in Christ, we have nothing to fear, no reason to be anxious, and certainly no cause for despair no matter what life might throw at us.  Am I ready?  I ask myself this question almost daily.  Can I give an explanation for my hope?  Do I have any hope to explain?

Philip traveled to Samaria, proclaimed the gospel, and a newly born church sprang to life.  People with “unclean spirits” were set free while the “paralyzed or crippled” were made whole.  No wonder there was “great joy in that city.”  And, I might add—Hope. (Acts 8:5-8, 14-17)

Perhaps the most reassuring words we should hear today come from Jesus, who tells us, “I will not leave you orphaned.” (John 14:15-21) Is there anything more reassuring, anything more consoling?  We shouldn’t panic. We should never let sadness, fear, or anxiety rule our hearts because Christ won’t forsake us. No matter what adversity might come our way, we never face it alone because the Christ who promised to be with us is closer to us than we are to ourselves.

I don’t know how things will be two months from today.  I don’t know if the world will have returned to ‘normal’.  But I do know that no matter what might be happening, we can take to heart the joy, hope, peace, and love that we read about in the Bible passages above.  And that’s because, as Jesus tells us, “I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.”  (John 14:20)

Crossing through

Following the resurrection of Jesus, the disciples lived in an in-between time.  A time they didn’t choose.  They had no choice but to come to terms with what they had lost.  Initially, they hid, and some of them tried to return to their lives before Jesus.  It seems that at some point, they came to the realization there was no going back.  They accepted that their lived experiences of Jesus, including His death, and resurrection had transformed them.  They no longer fit the paradigm of the world they knew before Jesus.  The only way out of the in-between time was to go forward.  I imagine this decision involved many conversations and many questions such as: "Can we return to our old lives?"  "If we don’t go back, how do we go forward?"  "This is all new, uncharted territory, how can we decide, now that our Master is gone?"  "Remember, Jesus told us we would be hated and persecuted (John 15:18-21).  If the world hates and persecutes us, can we succeed?"

We can put our faith and our trust in God and keep moving forward.  In a passage from the Acts of the Apostles, Paul and Timothy relied on the Holy Spirit to guide their teaching and missionary travels.  By trusting God and choosing to do the work God has in mind, "The churches grew stronger in faith and increased in number." (Acts 16:1-10)

The Acts of Apostles and the lives of the saints are filled with stories of triumphs and setbacks.  It sometimes feels like it’s constantly, ‘three steps forward, two steps back.’  But Paul and Timothy gave us an insight into how to proceed when we feel life (or a virus) gets in our way.  It’s so simple we might even miss it: “So they crossed through.” (Acts 16:8)

We must remember that we’re a pilgrim people.  We’re on the way to our Father’s house.  We have with us the Spirit of God and Jesus has gone before us.  Elsewhere in the Acts it says, “So they left the presence of the Sanhedrin, rejoicing that they had been found worthy to suffer dishonor for the sake of the name.”  (Acts 5:41)

Now, like the early disciples, we are in an in-between time, a place we didn’t choose to go.  COVID-19 has inflicted excruciating physical, mental, and emotional pain on many people, and continues to do so.  At the same time, life has slowed down, allowing time for transformation.  We can’t go back to who we were pre-pandemic.  We have no choice but to come to terms with our situation.  However, we do have the freedom to choose how we integrate these experiences and who we become.