A remake of the tale of Jonah

 

What a strange prophet is Jonah, God’s word bearer sent to the people of Nineveh.  In the Old Testament story we all know [Jonah 2, 3], he boards a ship going in the opposite direction to flee from God!  Was he afraid the Ninevites would kill him?  Perhaps not, because he asks no less than three times for death!  He falls overboard and is swallowed by a whale!

The whale spits Jonah on the shore and for a second time he’s given his commission as prophet to preach God’s word of conversion to the Ninevites.  We don’t know what Jonah says really.  I imagine after asking the people on the beach for directions, he told them their whole land would soon be destroyed by God.  His unhappy and unwilling presence, his uninviting personality didn’t bring hellos and smiles from the Ninevites, but to his surprise conversion was totally embraced.  Even the king says, ‘let everyone renounce evil behavior and the wickedness they have done’.

Could Jonah have skipped his short walk, his overreacting to God’s never-ending mercy, which triggers a new wave of anger and another request to die?  Could it have been the people on the beach who saw Jonah come forth from the whale and who went to the King saying someone eaten by a fish just came out alive on our shore?  Did they interpret his damp arrival as a sign from the God of Israel: Behold my best prophet Jonah who is for you a ‘sign of life’ if you change?

Jonah will ask only one more time to die. Then he gets it together enough to realize that he has a long walk back home.  No ship would dare take him.  ‘Jonah’, the captains said shaking their heads.  His story traveled fast, and so it goes even to this day.  But he really didn’t ever want to go anywhere on a boat again.

In the end Jonah, perhaps an old, grandfatherly figure matured in faith who can laugh, realizes he was the indeed the message, God’s sign of life. God even enjoyed his ‘creative alternatives’ and his acting out. Apparently, they invited God’s playfulness with a prophet in the true Spirit of Israel, one of the least who was chosen. “How better to demonstrate to the simple Ninevites that God is a God of life, a God who brings life from the dead. What better way to show hope than for God choice of this hopeless prophet”? Jonah laughs. “God said he enjoyed praying with me. I said, ‘playing with me’? God said, “no, Jonah, all was prayer between you and I. Ours is a story of lavish mercy, of new life. Thanks for playing!” Jonah concludes: “I tell you as a prophet, my story only points to a greater story yet to unfold”.  God’s Word doesn’t return to God empty.  It bears fruit; it fulfills its mission.

The story of Jonah is an ancient one.  Like a lot of old movies and television shows from the seventies, eighties and nineties, perhaps a “remake” of the familiar tale would be something like this:

Father Jonah, a very fine preacher in New York, was praying for his relatives in Ukraine.  His father and mother had come to the states in the latter part of the 20th Century and had been successful at settling in and becoming successful with green cards and, gradually, citizenship.  Through the years they had filled their children with a deep love for the “old country” and took them to visit grandparents and aunts and uncles on both sides of the family.  Unfortunately they had also handed on their anger and hatred at the people and leaders of Russia.

During Fr. Jonah’s prayer he heard the Lord ask him to go to Moscow and tell the people of that great city that unless they repent of their evil God would destroy them in forty days.  The last place in the world that Fr. Jonah wanted to go to preach the good news was to Moscow.  With the war going on his parents’ homeland, and with the general dismissal of religious teaching, this was an impossible task.  Besides, he was very busy with the line-up of preaching engagements in the US this lent.  So, he boarded the plane for San Francisco to do just that.  But a terrible storm came in off the Pacific Ocean and made it impossible for the plane to get the West Coast.  They landed with some difficulty in a small airport in South Dakota and John tried to take a bus to the coast to get there in time for his preaching engagement.   The bus ticket he secured was the last sold and the bus set out, but the storm, now a raging blizzard, swerved north, and all the roads were quickly closed.  The people on the bus, recognizing his Roman collar begged him to pray for safety but the storm only became worse.  Jonah got off in a small town in Colorado realizing that he was blessed to still be alive after the harrowing trip they had, so he grumpily gave up and told God if he wanted him to go to Moscow God would have to make it possible.

A semi-truck driver was heading to Denver and offered to take Jonah to the airport there and Jonah was able get a ticket to Moscow, but he didn’t have enough money to pay for it.  A gentleman near him at the counter visited with him for a time and then offered to pay his way.  He was Russian and longed for his people to hear someone courageous enough to bring a faith message to them.

Father Jonah reluctantly arrived in Moscow; certain he would be arrested.  Even more, he worried that God would end up being “soft hearted” and forgive the Russian people for their sins – which Jonah was not enthusiastic about.  He had spent his life hating the Russians and didn’t want his God loving them!!!  He would much rather see them going to hell!

Well the rest of the story was like the biblical tale –Jonah preached, the people listened and expressed their repentance by undertaking penance and by demanding an end to the war.  Jonah was angry at God because of His great mercy to Jonah’s enemies.  Why should they be allowed to repent, and why would God require him to be God’s agent for that repentance?

Both stories sound a little crazy, but as I was praying with Scripture today, I was struck by the question of exactly what the “sign of Jonas,” that Jesus is speaking about in Luke’s Gospel, is [Luke 11:29-32] .  Is the “sign” the three days that Jonah was in a big sea creature’s stomach (a tomb)?  Or was it the three days he traversed the city and announcing the end times unless people repented?  (Lots of three’s here to remind of us death and resurrection).  Was it the fact that the people heard his preaching, and their hearts were challenged?  Or is the Sign of Jonah, that we’ve received, simply the mercy of God for a “faithless generation”?   Or is the sign – that is no sign according to Jesus – all of these?  God loves, calls to repentance through His agent, and then heals the wrongdoing of enemies.  The condition of reception, because humans have free will, is that we acknowledge and accept God’s grace, not only for ourselves and our beloved, but for our enemies, despite the seeming impossibility of that.

This is a good way to start Lent.  To consider that we imitate God most perfectly when we grasp the sign of Jonah, God’s compassion for His enemies – for those who hate Him.  During these days may we find the freedom to pray for our enemies – desiring the very best for each one.  I feel called to ask God in prayer who He wants me to announce forgiveness for.  May God begin with me – but may I become His partner in sharing that compassion among friends and enemies as Jonah did, and perhaps as my imaginary Fr. Jonah the preacher might have done.

Oh God, in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my guilt . . . [Psalms 51]

"We dare to say...."

 

One of the first prayers I learned was the Our Father [Matthew 6:7-15].  As a family (except Dad, who was a nominal Mormon), we said the rosary every night until I was 11 or 12 years old.  It was a prayer I said often in my early years.  But what I was doing back then was just repeating it, not praying it (“babbling?”).  Perhaps that early repetition laid the groundwork so I could pray this prayer more intentionally and come to appreciate it more fully as an adult.  I find that I can’t get a restful sleep without praying the rosary each day.  Although it’s a Marian prayer, the lynchpin—the prayer that leads into each Mystery of Jesus’ life—is the Lord’s Prayer.

Teaching us to pray is yet another example of how much our God loves us.  Being well acquainted with our human frailties, God constructed a prayer that would help us move beyond our earthly fears and doubts, so we’re able to see and respond to our neighbors in need. [Matthew 6:7-15]

The more I have reflected on this prayer, the more I’ve become captivated by its simplicity and power in each line.

Our Father who art in heaven,

This line grounds us and reminds us who we are and whom we belong to. 

hallowed be thy name,

God’s name is holy, sacred…remember that.

thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on Earth as it is in heaven.

God is planting the seed that our communities and our world can, one day, become more like God’s kingdom.

Give us this day our daily bread;

We are being given permission to ask for what we need whether its food or some other need or request for help.  

and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us;

This might well be my favorite line of the prayer.  The older I get, the more I’ve come to understand the power of forgiveness.  It not only harms other people, it also hurts us.  Holding on to grudges and clinging to past hurts diminishes the quality of our lives along with our capacity for compassion.  How can we help God’s kingdom come if we can’t forgive ourselves and each other?

and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

God is encouraging us to stay to course—to pursue building God’s kingdom in the here and now.  Don’t get sidetracked by others or by your own desires.

Perhaps if we all focus on really praying the words of the Our Father, Isaiah’s words will become a much-needed reality for ourselves, our neighbors, and our world.

So shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; It shall not return to me void, but shall do my will, achieving the end for which I sent it.  [Isaiah 55: 11]

Abundantly clear direction

“For I was hungry, and you gave me food…”

When my daughter Sarah was about 8 years old, my family decided we wanted to eat out.  As is often the case, we were in the mood for Mexican food.  We went to a restaurant downtown that had very good food and was easy on the pocketbook.  The only concern we had was that it was a neighborhood that most people would consider “dangerous,” because one is always confronted by a panhandler--which doesn’t make the area “dangerous,” just “poor”.

Sarah couldn’t finish her meal, and asked the waitress to box it up so she could eat it the next day.  On our way out we were approached by a disheveled man who asked for some money so he could “get something to eat”.  My first thought was “I just bet that’s why you want the money.  To ‘eat.’  Right.  It’s probably to go down to the liquor store and buy a bottle of wine.  I’m not going to help you kill yourself.  So leave me alone.”

But before I could express those thoughts by simply ignoring the guy and walking along, Sarah said “Here, sir” and handed her leftover meal to the man!  He was so hungry he opened it right there and “wolfed” it down, proving that he was, indeed, hungry and not just another drunk.  He thanked Sarah for the food, said “God Bless you”, and moved on.  I was so ashamed of myself for that day, but thankful to God that he blessed me with such a compassionate child.

“…naked and you clothed me…”

Several years ago, my mother-in-law was cleaning out some closets and came across a couple of WWII vintage army blankets that belonged to my father-in-law.  One was in excellent shape and the other had a slight tear on one edge.  We decided to keep the good one as a memento, but we put the other in a bag, hoping to drop it off at a homeless shelter, because they can always use blankets.  I put it in the trunk of my car and forgot about it.

About a month later, I was sitting in my office looking out the window as the wind blew and the rain was getting heavy from a cloudburst, and I saw him.  We’ve all seen him—he’s pushing a shopping cart or carrying a black trash bag and rummaging through trash bins and landscaping looking for recyclables that he can turn into cash.  He’s in every city in the country.   That day he poked his head into my office.  "Do you have any cans or bottles I can take off of your hands today?", he asked rather pleasantly.  I replied "Sorry, not today!" hoping (I'm sorry to admit) he would beat a hasty retreat back outside where he could "bother" someone else.

He started out the door then turned back toward me and said, "Do you mind if I wait out the storm in here?  It's kind of cold and wet out there and I don't have a coat."   I suddenly remembered the blanket that had been sitting in my trunk.  "Come with me", I said.  I took him out to my car and opened the trunk.  I handed him the army blanket and said, "I've been waiting for you".  He said "Wow!  This is great!  I don't have a blanket.  It's awfully cold some nights."  I also had in my trunk a hooded coat that I didn’t wear very often because of some slight tears in the fabric.  I handed that to him as well and said, "God bless you, I think this will fit you."

With that, he started walking off (I think) with his head held a little higher than when I first met him ten minutes earlier.

What a loving God we have that guides His sheep to those who can supply just what they need when they need it!

“…ill and you cared for me; in prison and you visited me.”

Sometime mid-morning on Holy Thursday 2009, there was a knock on my mother’s door.  She was 90 years old at the time.  She had taken a tumble earlier in the week and was very sore and bruised not only physically, but mentally, too.  Because even at that age, she was still very mobile and active and when she was restricted from leaving the house due to soreness and pain, it took a toll on her usual zest for life.  She was quite “blue” and feeling "imprisoned."

She answered the door, and there stood Joey Long and another young man (I think it was his brother) with a bag of cookies that he presented to her saying that he heard she was under the weather (how he found out is still a mystery to me) and thought that some cookies at Easter would cheer her up.  He handed her a bag that said, “Happy Easter from Joey Long, 3rd Grade”.  My mother waved to Joey’s mother who was waiting in the car for Joey to complete his mission of mercy and love.

I arrived at my mom’s home at about 5 o’clock as I had promised to take her and a neighbor to Mass and she related the story to me.  Although she was in no shape to attend Mass that evening, she encouraged me to go anyway, so I met with her neighbor and the two of us went as planned.

During the Gospel reading at the Mass, I was moved to tears as a passage from John’s Gospel was read.  "I give you a new commandment: love one another.  As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." [John 13:35-35]

I remember thinking to myself, “Joey Long and everyone who is responsible for teaching him the love he showed my mother tonight —from his parents, to his teachers and his family—must be true disciples of Christ.”

The final judgement

At one definitive moment in the future, the Second Person of the Most Holy Trinity, now also in human form as the “Son of Man,” will return to earth in glory surrounded by all the angels of Heaven and will sit upon His new and glorious throne.  In front of that throne, every person of every nation ever to exist will be gathered together, and each person will be judged according to their deeds.  Those who served our Lord and treated the least of His brothers and sisters with mercy and compassion will hear Jesus say, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father.  Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.”   Those who did not serve Christ and did not treat the least ones with mercy will be sent off to eternal punishment as Jesus says to them, “Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the Devil and his angels.”  On that day, only one thing will matter, because eternity will be determined with permanence.  All that will matter is whether you will be placed on our Lord’s right so as to inherit eternal life, or on His left and sent into the eternal fires.

Sometimes, as we journey through life, we can lose sight of this glorious day.  When we think of God and Heaven, it’s easy to fall into the presumption that Heaven is guaranteed to us.  God is kind and merciful, and He loves us.  Therefore, we presume that Heaven is for certain and only the most horrible people will end in hell.  But that’s not how Jesus depicts the Day of Judgment.

Jesus explains that at the time of judgment, the righteous will be astonished by the fact that caring for those who are hungry, thirsty, a stranger, naked, ill, or imprisoned was the same as showing love for God.  Likewise, those who neglected the same people will be astonished that they failed to love God by failing to love the least of Jesus’ brothers and sisters.  Don’t take this teaching lightly.  Jesus doesn’t mince His words.  He is abundantly clear and definitive.

Many of us look the other way when Jesus presents us with an opportunity to help our neighbor.  The only asset we need to fulfill this commandment is Love.  Be Christ to others.  Don’t worry about their color, their wealth, or their clothes.  Let God bring people into your path who you can share even a moment’s joy with and give yourself the opportunity to feel the blessing of kindness to another human being.

Most merciful Lord, Your compassion is great, and Your judgment is real. Help me to always keep my mind upon that final and glorious day on which You will return in all Your splendor and glory to judge the living and the dead. May I truly heed Your words and prepare for that day by loving You in all people, especially in those most in need. Jesus, I trust in You.

“Forty” is a significant number

 

“Forty” is a significant number.  In Scripture, it's used more than 145 different times.  For example, the rain during the Great Flood lasted forty days and forty nights [Genesis 7:12].  Each time Moses went up Mount Sinai, he remained there for forty days and nights [Exodus 24:18, 34:28].  The Israelites wandered in the desert for forty years [Joshua 5:6].  After His resurrection, Jesus appeared to His disciples for forty days before ascending into Heaven [Acts 1:3].  And there are many other uses of “forty” throughout the Bible.  Interestingly, forty is even significant within human nature, in that we develop within our mother’s womb for forty weeks before being born.

The “forty” that we commemorate today on the first Sunday in Lent is the forty days and forty nights that our Lord spent in the desert being tempted by the devil while He fasted and prayed [Matthew 4:1-11].  Forty is used to symbolize a time of testing, purification, trial or probation.  For that reason, it should also be seen as a symbol of your entire life here on earth.  In Saint Matthew’s version of Jesus’ temptation in the desert, he specifically uses the wording “forty days and forty nights.”  Saint Bede, in commenting upon this, points out that this period of time not only symbolizes our entire lives, but the “days” represent the many graces and blessings we receive, while the “nights” represent the crosses we endure.

As we begin our Lenten journey, it’s important to once again apply the lessons of Jesus’ time in the desert to our entire lives.  I can think of two lessons we can take from the passage quoted above.  First, we see that Jesus was “led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.”  This teaches us that Jesus not only endured temptation, He confronted it.  He wasn’t afraid of the devil and didn’t fear his attacks.  Instead, He willingly faced those temptations, being led by the Spirit, so as to not only overcome them in His life but also to enable us to confront, in our lives, every temptation by the power and initiative of the Holy Spirit.  We must never be afraid to confront temptations directly and confidently when the Holy Spirit is in the lead.

A second important lesson is that Jesus voluntarily fasted during this time in the desert.  This illustrates the importance of the virtue of temperance in life.  If we see this period of forty as a symbol of our whole lives, then we’ll understand that temperance must always be part of our lives.  When we experience the joys and blessings of life (the forty days), we must certainly celebrate them.  But we must always do so with a certain self-denial, in that we must never allow the passing things of this world to become the primary satisfaction we seek.  Saint John of the Cross teaches that we can even become overly attached to spiritual consolations.  Conversely, when we experience the crosses of life (the forty nights), we must also practice a certain self-denial, in that we must not allow the difficulties we endure to discourage us or to distract us from seeking out and fulfilling the will of God.  Fasting, meaning our acquisition of the virtue of temperance, must lead us always through the ups and downs of life, helping us to keep our eyes on the truths God has revealed to us and rejecting the lies of the devil.

My temperate and courageous Lord, You confronted all temptation with courage and strength. You fasted throughout the forty days and forty nights so as to teach us how to navigate the ups and downs of life. Please give me the virtues of temperance and courage, and bestow the Holy Spirit upon me so that I may follow You into the desert of my own life. Jesus, I trust in You.

Reimagining

 

The Lenten message is simple, but easily missed and almost always quickly forgotten: If we do good things—if we especially seek justice for the poor and afflicted—we’ll be renewed.  If we stop dancing with evil, we’ll find happiness and life.

In Isaiah, the prophet tells Israel that if it wants the light to shatter the darkness and joy to scatter sadness, they must confront the evil surrounding them.  They must replace injustice with justice.  “If you remove from your midst oppression, false accusation and malicious speech; If you bestow your bread on the hungry and satisfy the afflicted,” Isaiah promises, “Then light shall rise for you in the darkness, and the gloom shall become for you like midday….” [Isaiah 58:9-14]  That’s all they have to do to be brought from death back to life.  But Isaiah’s words are meant for us as well.  If we battle oppression wherever we find it; if we stop all malicious speech; if we share what we have with the needy and reach out to the afflicted and broken ones we see every day, then light and life will come to us.

In a gospel story from Luke, the Lenten message comes to us as an invitation.  Jesus sees Levi, a tax collector, and extends to him the unnerving invitation to leave everything behind for the sake of an uncharted future.  Jesus calls him to strike out on a new path, a different way of being, and Levi does.  In a burst of pure freedom, Levi redefines himself from tax collector to disciple.  The gospel suggests if Levi is to find hope and new life, he has to reimagine not just his life, but even his identity.  He has to think of himself as an initiate on a new adventure, a disciple on a path to a different but richly promising way of life [Luke 5:27-32].

If Lent is all about being healed and renewed, perhaps it begins in the gospel’s call to reimagine who we are and what we’re up to.

My precious Lord, You call all of your children to follow You without reserve.  You call us to be ready and willing to abandon all that this life has to offer so as to obtain so much more.  Give me the grace I need to trust You enough to say “Yes” to You today, tomorrow and all days.  My life is Yours, dear Lord.  Do with me as You will.  Jesus, I trust in You.

Make your voice heard on high

 

Would that today you might fast so as to make your voice heard on high. [Isaiah 58:4]

On the first Friday of Lent, it’s natural to think about fasting.  On all Fridays of Lent we’ll abstain from meat, but it’s also traditional to undertake some form of fasting throughout all of Lent.  Maybe you’re giving up favorite snacks or drinks, gossip, or social media.  Maybe you’re trying to limit the amount of overtime work that cuts into family time.  But Isaiah invites us to take a deeper look at God’s purposes for fasting.  It’s not simply about strengthening our self-discipline.  It’s also meant to open us up to His love [Isaiah 58:1-9].

To put it another way, when we fast from something, we’re allowing God to free us for something else: for receiving and giving love more generously.  If you’re fasting from sweets, for instance, you’ll likely see how much you really want dessert.  When you fast from gossip or a sharp tongue, you’ll likely recognize how easy it can be to say hurtful words.  While fasting from social media, you’ll probably notice how often you reach for your phone.  All this will show you that we can’t fast on our own; we need God’s help.  And that’s when the Holy Spirit can soften our heart, both toward the Lord and toward the people around us.

So when you fast, let the Lord help you to grow in discipline.  But also invite the Holy Spirit to help your fasting be “for” a purpose that will bear fruit for Him.

If you’re fasting from eating out, prayerfully consider how you can use the money or time you’re freeing up.  Maybe you could take that dinner hour to bring a meal to an isolated or ailing neighbor.  If you’re fasting from a sharp tongue, ask the Spirit to give you words that will build people up instead of tearing them down.  Or if you’re fasting from activities that compete with family time, let the Holy Spirit show you a way to work together to build your faith or love for the poor.  Maybe you could do a weekend project at your parish or a local shelter. 

No matter how you choose to fast, let the Holy Spirit use it to help you to receive God’s love.  Then let that love spill out to the people around you.

“Jesus, help me grow in Your love this Lent.”

True love is sacrificial

 

Jesus said to his disciples: “The Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised.” [Luke 9:22]

Jesus knew He would suffer greatly, be rejected and killed. How would you deal with that knowledge if you somehow knew this about your own future? Most people would be filled with fear and become obsessed with trying to avoid it. But not our Lord. This passage from Luke’s Gospel above shows just how intent He was on embracing His Cross with unwavering confidence and courage.

This is just one of several times that Jesus began to break the news to His disciples about His pending fate.  And each time He spoke this way, the disciples for the most part remained either silent or in denial.  Recall, for example, one such reaction of Saint Peter when he responded to Jesus’ prediction of His Passion by saying, “God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you” [Matthew 16:22].

Too often, “love” is understood as a strong and good feeling.  It’s perceived as an attraction to something or a strong liking of it.  But that’s not love in the truest form.  True love is a choice to do what is best for another, no matter the cost, no matter how difficult.  True love is not a feeling that seeks selfish fulfillment.  True love is an unwavering strength that seeks only the good of the person who is loved.

Jesus’ love for humanity was so strong that He was driven toward His pending death with great power. He was unwaveringly determined to sacrifice His life for us all, and there was nothing that would ever deter Him from that mission.

In our own lives, it’s easy to lose sight of what true love actually is.  We can easily become caught up in our own selfish desires and think that these desires are love.  But they’re not.

Jesus had the unwavering determination to sacrificially love us all by suffering greatly, by enduring rejection, and by dying upon the Cross.  Nothing could have ever deterred Him from this love.  We must show the same sacrificial love.

My loving Lord, I thank You for Your unwavering commitment to sacrifice Yourself for us all. I thank You for this unfathomable depth of true love. Give me the grace I need, dear Lord, to turn away from all forms of selfish love so as to imitate and participate in Your most perfect sacrificial love. I do love You, dear Lord. Help me to love You and others with all my heart. Jesus, I trust in You.

Intention more than attention

 

I asked my daughter what time the Mass would start on Ash Wednesday, and she said rather succinctly “It’s not a Mass.  It’s the Liturgy of the Word.”  Way to put your old man in his place and make him proud!  Of course, she’s right.  Instead of the Eucharist on Ash Wednesday, ashes are distributed.  But we still have readings from both the Old and New Testaments, as well as the Gospel.

The timing of the gospel reading for today from Matthew is curious, and maybe even conflicting Matthew [6:1-18].  The message is straightforward and needs little interpretation.  But the timing of it coming on Ash Wednesday will hopefully give us pause as we attend our Ash Wednesday services.

The message is simple…love others as yourself, but don’t do it to feed your ego. We’re challenged in this reading to do right actions, say right words, and pray rightly, but to do so when others can’t see us, hear us, or recognize us.  If we do what’s right in this way then our intentions rightly match our actions and words.  But, if we do so for the purpose of gaining attention, then the genuineness of our actions doesn’t match our intentions.  Perhaps more clearly stated, it's about giving with our intentions more than receiving the attention.

But what are we to make of this on Ash Wednesday?  More than perhaps any other day within the Church calendar, we seem to do exactly the opposite of what the Gospel of Matthew says.  We attend a church service, receive a clear mark on our heads of what we did, and then go out into the community to show our mark.  How do we come to terms with this seeming contradiction of words and actions?  I think the answer might be somewhere between our intention and attention for attending the service in the first place.

Here’s how I see it, after reflection:  One of the reasons for the ashes is so that we can be a sign and witness to others of God’s love for us. The ashes remind us and others that we have a relationship with a Living God, and part of that relationship is our eventual physical death so that we can rise to new life in God.  Hopefully, when we attend the service and throughout the day when looking in the mirror, we ourselves are reminded of that.  But what about others we encounter throughout the day?  What do they see when they notice the ashes?  I think they see the ashes AND see our actions and hear our words all at the same time.  If our actions and words don’t match the intended message of those ashes, are we being a witness to others of God’s love?

But we don’t need ashes on our forehead to be a sign of God’s love.  We can be a witness to God’s love any day of the year.  If our actions and our words come from the right intention rather than from a form of gaining attention—then we’re a sign of God’s love in the world and one that others can recognize.  The ashes we receive on Ash Wednesday are a good reminder for us that we can be a continual sign of God’s love to others, not just on this particular day, but every day so long as we have right intentions.

My hidden Lord, You desire to come to me in the secret depths of my soul and to reveal to me Your love. May I meet You there every day and grow more fully in an intimate relationship with You. As You come to me this Lent, please also use me in many hidden ways to be an instrument of Your love for others. All praise and glory to You, O Lord. Jesus, I trust in You.

Alone with Jesus, the Greatest Of All Time

In my spiritual reflection today, Mark’s Gospel presents us with three moments in which Jesus taught His disciples privately, directly and clearly: first, while they were journeying; second, when they arrived in Capernaum and entered a house; and third, when Jesus called a child over.  Though the content of what Jesus taught His disciples is significant, it’s also helpful to first reflect upon the simple fact that Jesus spent time alone with the disciples teaching them [Mark 9:30-37].

In many ways, our Lord does the same with us.  Jesus is constantly calling us to various forms of solitude with Him so that we can listen to all that He wants to teach us.  This is difficult for many today.  So many people (especially me) are constantly bombarded with the various noises of the world, are constantly distracted by momentary and passing experiences, and find it difficult to go off with our Lord alone so that He can teach them the most important lessons of life.

As you consider your weekly activities, how much time do you devote to being alone with our Lord?  How much time do you spend in prayer, in the reading of Scripture and in silent meditation away from other distractions?  For many (again, especially me) this is a challenge.

It’s also useful to consider the content of what Jesus taught His disciples in private.  He spoke to them about His coming passion, death and resurrection.  This was the central purpose of His life and was clearly something that Jesus wanted to communicate to His disciples.  Jesus spoke very directly and without any figure of speech as He explained this.  Contrast that with the many parables He told to the crowds.  It appears that when Jesus was able to be alone with those who had dedicated their lives to following Him in faith, Jesus was able to speak His saving message more clearly and directly.

This same Gospel passage in Mark also gave me reason to smile today, even as I continue to mourn the passing of the last of my siblings last week and as I remember my Mother’s birthday today, and her passing nine years ago.  

Of late - perhaps in the last few years – we’ve come to see references to the "GOAT" everywhere.    Since then, it seems the term is used daily - athletics, music, engineering, investing... all across the cultural spectrum.  What I don't understand is what causes we humans to have this need to name 'The One.'  Why does it matter?

Twelve disciples, following our Lord Jesus Christ, had been talking among themselves about which of them would be considered The Greatest.  Can you imagine!?  In the actual presence of Christ, son of God?  Incredible!  What hubris!   

And so our Christ, all-knowing and kind, provided a simple lesson.  Even though all of us are special and precious in the eyes of God, none of us is more special or more precious than the next.  A small child, received by Christ, exemplified that if we open ourselves to such a child, we open ourselves to God.  It is through humility and service that we become "first" to God.  Using the powerful words from the Old Testament, we must be steadfast, patient, sincere of heart and standing in justice, humble, and trusting, among other qualities [Sirach 9:14-29].

Let's not aspire to be "G.O.A.T.s" on this earth; rather let's choose to be the least, so that we can be first in God's kingdom. 

Lord, You have so much to say, so much to teach and so much to reveal.  As I choose to follow You and devote my entire life to You, I pray that You will continuously draw me into greater silence and solitude so that I can receive from You the deep, clear and direct messages that I need to hear, understand and believe.  Jesus, I trust in You. 

True fulfillment

 Sometimes what seems the best and most promising path to take reaps consequences utterly different than we anticipated.  And sometimes the path we initially want nothing to do with is precisely the one that opens to fullness of life.  

There’s a passage from Genesis that recounts the familiar story of the building of the Tower of Babel.  It begins with a scene flush with harmony, unity, and peace.  We’re presented with a people in whom there is no animosity, no conflict, and no disheartening divisions.  “The whole world spoke the same language, using the same words.”  But then everything changes.  They decide to replace God’s vision for the flourishing of the world with an ambitious plan of their own.  They will “build…a city and a tower with its top in the sky, and so make a name” for themselves.  Instead of praising and glorifying God, they thirst for glory for themselves.  They forget that they are not gods, but creatures who are forever dependent on God.  Thus, it’s no surprise when their heady project leads not to the security and fame they envisioned, but to chaos and dissolution.  The harmony and peace they enjoyed is forever shattered as they are “scattered…from there all over the earth,” no longer able to understand one another [Genesis 11:1-9].

By contrast, in a gospel story from Mark, Jesus asks us to find life by following a path that goes against the grain of everything we’ve been taught to believe.  “What profit is there for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life?” [Mark 8:34-9:1]

Jesus invites us to find life not through self-promotion and self-aggrandizement, but by taking up our cross and following him.  It’s a life characterized by self-denial, generosity, sacrifice, and a love that endlessly calls us out of ourselves for the sake of others.

Babel and Calvary. They symbolize two very different ways of life. Which one we choose to follow makes all the difference not only for ourselves, but also for the world.

Lord, You and You alone are the source of fulfillment in life. Please purify my desires so that I ultimately desire only You and Your holy will. Free me from every deception and false enticement in life so that I will find satisfaction only in You. Jesus, I trust in You.

Recognizing God

 

There’s nothing quite as striking or stunning as a rainbow after a deluge of rain that brings life to a standstill.  Even while dark clouds still threaten more rain and there’s only a promise of sun, the rainbow becomes a sign that the storm is finally over and life can begin again.  It’s at these moments that we are reminded of how great God is and how fragile we truly are in this life.

God always looks for ways to prod us to acknowledge the power of God to save.  God initiates the grace and is the One to take the first step and is the One who clearly shows us what life is all about.

The Old Testament describes the covenant that God makes with Noah and his descendants after the devastating floods that almost destroyed the first creation.  In most of Genesis, we find a God who is good, life-giving, long-suffering, revising original plans for us, indeed, a God who never gives up on us, even when we have given up on God [Genesis 9:1-13].

In Mark’s Gospel, we have Jesus, who has preached to all kinds of people, healed the sick, driven out unclean spirits, fed the hungry, opened the eyes of the blind, made the deaf to hear and the dumb to speak, and has yet to hear from His disciples a declaration of who He is. He finally has to ask them, “Who do you say that I am?” [Mark 8:27-33]

Our faith is ultimately a realization that we’re in a very personal relationship with God, especially with each of the three Persons of the Trinity, God Creator, Jesus the Savior and the Holy Spirit the Sanctifier. Our faith gets tested when we experience the storms of life, when the cares and concerns of this life threaten to drown us and overwhelm us and when we think of ourselves as irredeemable and without salvation. Even the best of us can point to moments of darkness in our lives, bad choices made, and wrong decisions embraced.

And then there’s a sign from God, a rainbow that says to us that God is good, God is life-giving, God is forgiving and merciful and that Jesus is Love Incarnate.  That’s when the Spirit is truly present in our lives.  Do you not hear God asking you, “Who do you say that I am?”

New Beginnings

 

When Jesus and his disciples arrived at Bethsaida, people brought to him a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. [Mark 8:22–23]

Bethsaida was one of the towns just north of the Sea of Galilee in which Jesus preached.  Later in His public ministry, Jesus condemns the town of Bethsaida for its failure to convert. “Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty deeds done in your midst had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would long ago have repented in sackcloth and ashes” [Matthew 11:21].

It may be because of their lack of faith and immoral living that Jesus led the blind man outside of the city before He cured Him.  And it appears that the people who brought the blind man to Jesus brought him not because of their deep faith, but because of curiosity.  This might also be the reason that, once Jesus cured the man, He sent him to his home saying, “Do not even go into the village.”  Thus, Jesus knew that this miracle would not lead to faith in the hearts of those living in Bethsaida.  So, Jesus instructed the man not to return there. [Mark 8:26]

God has almighty power and can clearly do whatever He chooses, whenever He chooses.  And what He often chooses to do is to exercise His almighty power only in the presence of those who already believe, or at least in the presence of those who have not yet rejected Him.  When Jesus encounters people who have heard Him preach but have failed to come to faith, He refuses to perform any miracles in their presence.

What this tells us is that faith must come first; then, God’s Almighty power flows freely.  Of course, the grace of the Word of God is always given to everyone.  The seed of God’s holy Word is always available to all.  But it’s important to distinguish between the sending forth of His holy Word of the Gospel and the sending forth of His transforming almighty power.  The only way to receive the latter is to first accept the former.  Unless we hear, accept and believe in His Word, we will not receive the grace of His transforming power.

With that said, it must also be understood that God’s “almighty power” can’t be reduced to miracles alone.  We all know that physical miracles are not nearly as prevalent today as they were at the time Jesus walked the earth.  But His almighty power is still at work today; and in a way that’s even greater than when Jesus walked the earth.  Today, His power is one that transforms us interiorly by the fullness of grace and the bestowal of the Holy Spirit.  That is the true miracle that we must always seek and anticipate when we have heard the Word of God and responded with authentic faith.

“Go in peace, lo love and to serve the Lord.”

“And to amend my life. Amen.”

We know these words as Catholics.  Many times, said so completely heartfelt in the moments after receiving the Body of Christ the final words from the priest, and His Absolution in Confession.

But what happens in how we meet the world again when we walk out the door?  Or when we leave the door of confession after laying down the sorrow we carry?  Struggling to follow the ways we so hoped as we move back into the world.

How many times have I left confession truly feeling the grace of what was shared.  Yet the hardest part can be to carry it forward.  I had never seen this until today.  We are asked over and over by so many around us to be a part of the world that in some ways no longer makes sense.

Once we let you in Dear Lord.  Once we welcome You fully.  Once we say “yes”! How then can we remain quiet, patient, trusting and still?  Eyes opened to all You have gifted.

For some, this may take a lifetime of returning.  For others a single day.  But sometimes the gifts are heard when they are not easily seen.   Jesus is already fully open to the wideness of God’s Love.  But we, like the disciples, need to find the courage to see.

“Then He sent one who was healed to his home. Saying, “do not even go into the village.”  This passage I believe had Jesus preparing His chosen apostles to prepare for all to come. 

I imagine Him now saying to me, “I am giving you the Gift above all gifts.  My Love and tender Mercy for each human being on earth.”

How can we learn to fully gift from our hearts knowing I have Jesus Christ truly within me?

After Communion. 

After Confession.

New ways rising always, new beginnings.

All-powerful Lord, You choose to send forth Your almighty power upon those who have come to faith in You by receiving the Gospel You have sent forth. Please open my ears to hear so that I will choose to convert and believe and, thus, be disposed to be transformed by Your abundant grace. Jesus, I trust in You.

Love is just gift. Pure gift.

 I’ve had many thoughts today about love after reading a passage from Mark’s Gospel [Mark 8:14-21], realizing today is Valentine’s Day, and that Sunday was the beginning of National Marriage week!

If you google the phrase “inspiring quotes about love” you’ll find there are over 330 million entries!  I found one particular site that lists over 2000 quotes from some famous (and not so famous) people about what love is.  It was evident that many of them never truly experienced love.  They all described “feelings” and “emotions” and “romance”.  Love certainly contains those things.  But true love is indescribable.  It goes beyond romance and feelings and emotions.  It must be lived.  You don’t think about it, you just do it.

This indescribable love is the love I have for my wife of nearly fifty years.

I think about Marilyn all day every day and about what keeps our love for each other so strong.  I think it’s because we’ve never had to “work” at our love.  It just exists.  You hear stories of people who say, “Our love grows every day”, or “We work hard to keep our love this strong.”  I guess God has blessed us, because my love for Marilyn is just as strong today as it was when I proposed to her, and it’s never been an effort for me to be in love or to stay in love with her.

This indescribable love is the love I have for my children and my grandchildren.

When we arrive in a room with small children, the child looks for the adult with a smile, the one who is open and friendly—the simple detective work of one hunting and searching for love.

Children detect hostility, unfriendliness, and those who are unauthentic in a way that’s beyond words. Their agenda is simple; there is no agenda.  There’s no duality in their thinking, just looking for the one who is most friendly, open, and willing to love.  “Come play with me” is mostly present in their eyes.

How much of this can we learn again in our relationship with God?  How many have fallen prey to following the tradition rather than the love?  Our Catholic tradition without love is meaningless.  Particularly if we start to “preach” tradition in a way that divides us from others rather than unites us in the community of God; the Body of Christ.  The Church is universal.

This indescribable love is the love I have for my fellow human beings.

The word Catholic means universal.  For us, this is universal love, and there is nowhere we can feel and hear that word more soundly than in love expressed by a child.  A child can’t fend for themselves; they survive only with love.  So do I.  Without love, I’m nothing, just someone looking for a cave to dwell in with a warm fire and a loving friend.

The loving friend we seek is the same one the child in the room opens their heart towards.  The love expressed by the adult in the room is filled with the grace of God.  And one willing to communicate it freely, willingly with the smile which requires no repayment.  Just gift.  Pure gift.

Let’s unlearn the prejudices and offer ourselves openly to listen to others, even offer love to those we dislike, without scowls or pretense.  The child in us all brings us back to the “Beginners Mind”, when we didn’t judge, but loved.

And sat silently on the floor waiting for God to come and play with us.  Forever.

The disciples need this reminder in today’s Gospel.  To trust in God.

Forcing a smile today

 

I could use a little Catholic humor today, albeit a martyr’s tale.  But what else does it mean to be Catholic if not ‘assigning’ patronages for obscure reasons?

Saint Apollonia’s Story, courtesy Franciscan Media

The persecution of Christians began in Alexandria during the reign of the Emperor Philip.  The first victim of the pagan mob was an old man named Metrius, who was tortured and then stoned to death.  The second person who refused to worship their false idols was a Christian woman named Quinta.  Her words infuriated the mob and she was scourged and stoned.

While most of the Christians were fleeing the city, abandoning all their worldly possessions, an old deaconess, Apollonia, was seized.  The crowds beat her, knocking out all of her teeth.  Then they lit a large fire and threatened to throw her in it if she did not curse her God.  She begged them to wait a moment, acting as if she was considering their requests.  Instead, she jumped willingly into the flames and so suffered martyrdom.

There were many churches and altars dedicated to her.  Apollonia is the patroness of dentists, and people suffering from toothache and other dental diseases often ask her intercession.  She is pictured with a pair of pincers holding a tooth or with a golden tooth suspended from her necklace.  Saint Augustine explained her voluntary martyrdom as a special inspiration of the Holy Spirit, since no one is allowed to cause his or her own death.

Reflection

The Church has quite a sense of humor!  Apollonia is honored as the patron saint of dentists, but this woman who had her teeth extracted without anesthetic surely ought to be the patron of those who dread the chair.  She might also be the patron of the aging, for she attained glory in her old age, standing firm before her persecutors even as her fellow Christians fled the city. However we choose to honor her, she remains a model of courage for us.

Saint Apollonia is the Patron Saint of:

Dentists
Relief from Toothache

For Heaven's sake!

“If you choose you can keep the commandments, they will save you; if you trust in God, you too shall live.” [Sirach 15:15-20]

“Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!  You have commanded that your precepts be diligently kept.” [Psalms 119:1-34]

“For the Spirit scrutinizes everything, even the depths of God.” [1Corinthians 2:6-10]

“Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven.  But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the kingdom of heaven.  I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.” [Matthew 5:17-37]

As I reflect on my Bible passages today, I think they’re all about options—good and bad, right and wrong.  With free will, we have actual options.  We can choose, but those choices come with ramifications and outcomes.  We have what we need to make good choices.  We have the commandments.  These laws are not capricious or onerous.  They are appropriate and eternal.  Don’t kill.  Don’t cheat.  Don’t steal.  They come down to treating each other respectfully and showing that we love God by loving His creation.  It’s really simple at its basis: love God and love one another.

We can and should choose to do that.  Unfortunately, not everyone does.  We can choose to do the right thing.  We can choose to treat others decently and respectfully, but unfortunately not everyone does.  Even some who call themselves Christians prove that by not loving God’s creation and following the commandments.  Jesus says in the gospel that we can choose to be good.  We can choose to do right. We can choose to respect others and their property.  But if we choose not to, even though we may gain some benefit here on earth, we will not gain a place in heaven.  We know what we should do.  We know how we should act.  It’s no secret, and it’s really basic decency.  This is an informed choice.

We can choose to do what’s right.  We can choose to do good.  And we should do it for its own sake, but if we do right, we’ll get a heavenly reward as well.

Lord of all grace, You came and not only taught us about the heights of holiness, but You also lived it and have bestowed upon us all we need to imitate Your every virtue. Please fill me with Your mercy and strength so that I may live a new righteousness of the fullness of love. Jesus, I trust in You. 

Essential workers

 What were Jesus and His disciples to do with a large crowd in a deserted place, and very hungry after spending three days with them?  There just wasn’t enough bread for them [Mark 8:1-10].

Jesus was “moved to pity for them…If I send them away hungry to their homes, they will collapse on the way.”  Incidentally, in the early days of the Jesus movement, Christians were simply known as “people of the way, or on the way.”

Something strikingly similar occurred in March 2020 with the onset of pandemic Covid 19.   All work abruptly stopped, businesses closed, people lost jobs.  The most vulnerable were the hardest hit.  Funds dried up for non-profit organizations serving the poor, homeless, the elderly and homebound.  There just wasn’t enough bread for them, so to speak.  So many of God’s people surely would surely “collapse on the way” for lack of food or spiritual nourishment.  How will today’s disciple respond?  By ignoring them?  Too many people, not enough bread?

Jesus challenged His disciples to stretch their faith.  In Eucharistic fashion, Jesus blessed the seven available loaves, broke them, and gave them to His disciples to distribute to the hungry crowd.  Rather than distributing the loaves Himself, Jesus directed His disciples to take up this ministry of service.  And “they ate and were satisfied.”

Throughout the darkest days of the pandemic, many “essential workers” were the de facto disciples of Jesus in this Gospel.  Restaurants continued to cook nourishing meals, many of them donating free meals to the homeless and homebound.  These meals nourished, not only bodies, but souls in need of hope of those on the way that looked so dark.  Grocery stores and other retail outlets continued to serve the public through special home delivery or self-serve pick up programs.  Countless health care workers put in millions of overtime hours without regard to increased paychecks and at the cost of lost time with their families.  The examples go on and on.  The number of people who generously donated money and volunteered time are legendary.

Not too long ago, Pope Francis was asked: “How does prayer work when people are hungry?”  “You pray for the hungry,” the pope responded. “Then you feed them.  That’s how prayer works.”

The pope was echoing the words attributed to St. Augustine: “Pray as though everything depends on God.  And work as though everything depends on you.”

Just so.  In faith, Jesus will bless and break our seemingly meager bread.  And in faith, we are to go out and share this bread of life with all in need.

My providential Lord, You know my every need and are concerned for every aspect of my life. Help me to trust You so completely that I always put my love of You as my first priority in life. I do believe that if I can keep You and Your will as the most important part of my life, all other necessities in life will fall in place. Jesus, I trust in You.