Trust in the Lord

As the entire world suffers from the coronavirus pandemic and racial injustice, we’re struggling to find solutions while realizing that many of our leaders and institutions have failed us. I’m sure that many of us feel sheep without a shepherd. In my reflection today, I imagine Jesus looking down upon the Earth and , “at the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned.” (Matthew 9:32-38)

Those who placed their trust in Jesus, like the mute man, find healing and liberation. Those who fail to trust in Jesus, like the Pharisees, find demons and darkness.

The prophet Hosea warns against placing our trust in false gods: “With their silver and gold they made idols for themselves, to their own destruction.” (Hosea 8:4-7, 11-13) Where do we place our trust?

In these turbulent and challenging times, it’s tempting to place our trust in money and power. But we know that the coronavirus infects both the rich and the poor. We know that those entrusted with power, like our police force and government officials, can abuse that power. Others want to trust in themselves or in ideologies. But the coronavirus doesn’t discriminate based on what we believe or don’t believe. And much of the racial injustice we see today is embedded in systems built from toxic ideologies by individuals who also believed in themselves. We’re tempted to place our trust in science to “solve” the coronavirus pandemic. But this virus is brand new and there’s still too much we don’t know. Science has limits. God, however, is infinite.

It is in Him that we must place our trust: “The house of Israel trusts in the Lord.” (Psalm 115:9)

Magic? No! Faith? Yes!

Today, our faith is challenged – in some measure due to new visibility and voice for age-old and world-wide issues.    We know that Jesus called us to love one another, for all of us to love all of our neighbors.  But we continue to fall short.  What a lovely thought that we could wish it away – all the hatred.  What a magnificent dream to see a sweep of a wand that could make things right for all people – all respected and loved.  What a beautiful image to visualize Jesus making things whole for all of us, today – through faith.  But the magician is inadequate to the task and Jesus isn’t physically here. 

So what do we have?  We have to remember that Jesus IS here – within each of us.  Jesus continues to speak through each of our words and to act through each of our choices.  Our faith is made manifest in our everyday words and our everyday works.  Our faith can be as true as that of the suffering woman, and that of the official for his daughter (Matthew 9: 18-26).  We have the power to use our deep faith for the benefit of the other.  But we – I – may lack the courage to do so.

Never give up hope

Our world, and maybe our lives, seem so heavy and heart-wrenching right now.  We’re called to a meekness that allows us to ask our loving God for help; to learn from Jesus how to make our way through it in small and humble service to others.  That’swhere we’ll finally find peace.

We beg for a humility that can place us in the shoes of another to see and begin to understand their world and point of view.  We’re not in this alone, but side by side with Jesus, doing our part but knowing we’re guided and loved by His great heart.

We need to listen carefully to the words in Zechariah; “he shall proclaim peace to the nations”. (Zechariah 9:9-10). It can refresh our spirits. The vision of the King of Peace coming to abolish all fighting is a cause for hope.  Of course, it's more than a dream since we’re children of the Covenant.  God has promised us a time of peace. We must never give up on the dream.

Our country was founded on a dream. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be celebrating the Fourth of July this weekend. The dream of our forefathers was very much like God's dream, His Providence. We’re all entitled to be dreamers. We must never give up hope that God's dream of peace will come true. It's His plan!

Despite recent events and overwhelming rhetoric and ‘talking points’ to the contrary, there's nothing wrong with the American Dream. It's based on the reality of God's dream; so whatever we dream and work for in America is based on His principles of life. 

How do we help make His plan come true?  First, by speaking out; not being afraid or timid in presenting our Catholic principles. Second, by “living in the Spirit”, as Saint Paul explains in his letter to the Romans (Romans 8:9, 11-13). Because we’re all members of the Body of Christ, every good individual action strengthens the whole body. We need to faithfully pray for peace, respond with serene charity to the many frustrations and "downers" in our lives, and influence others to do the same.

Living in the Spirit will reduce our tendencies to depend too much on living in the flesh. Of course, we live in the flesh - from hugs to hot dogs - but it’s so easy to let our desires get out of hand.

More prayer and more getting out of ourselves to think of other people, brings lightness of heart and freedom of Spirit.  When we're scared and think that it's just too hard, think of the Lord's words: "Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest." (Mt 11:25-30)   In other words, Jesus says to us, "Here, give it to me. I'll carry it for a while."

A message of hope and encouragement

The prophet Amos from the Old Testament holds a reputation as a prophet of both doom and hope!  Israel had been unfaithful to its covenant with God; they had been punished.  Therefore, Amos speaks of Israel’s restoration:  rebuilding the ruins, the “basics” of life restored, a sense of being “home”, a new age, a fertile earth – flowing from an abundance of God’s love (Amos 9:11-15).

Matthew’s Gospel (Matthew 9:14-17) pictures the disciples of John the Baptist questioning Jesus about the demands of fasting.  Jesus uses a variety of images – a wedding celebration, patching a piece of fabric, the care of new wine – to help them understand that, in Him, God is sharing a new image of God.  God’s love is fresh, new, abundant; God is forgiving, generous, loving.  Jesus challenges them to “think outside the box”.

Today, July 4, 2020 we’re invited to embrace the opportunities and challenges of life: The global pandemic with catastrophic illness and death; social unrest and calls for a change of attitude and practice in the U.S.; contemporary “prophets” of doom and gloom (“trolls” and conspiracy theorists), fanning fear with selfishness and mistrust.  Jesus invites us to have faith in Him,  to “think outside the box” and see the bigger (global) picture, to accept and share God’s generous life and love, so powerfully revealed in His suffering and death on the Cross.

Psalm 85 speaks of God’s gifts of peace, kindness, truth, justice, salvation – the needed message of hope and encouragement for the U.S. and our world this July 4th.  Encouraged by the prophet Amos of old and one another’s example, may Jesus bring about new Life for our world!

Pursued by God

Oftentimes, I wonder about how God pursues us.  We’re created in God’s image as we are reminded in Genesis (1:27).  In what way is God pursuing us? My meditation today is about a couple of completely different guys who were pursued by God in completely different ways.  I’ve felt quite a bit like each of them this last couple of weeks.

One was a zealous man, who happened to be not impressed with his fellow disciples when they were still locked in the upper room after Jesus had appeared to them.  Apparently, that wasn’t enough to get them out into the world proclaiming the good news of the resurrection and hope.

Thomas was the disciple who wanted to make sure that everything was in order before being convinced. Before being sure that Jesus actually rose, Thomas wanted to touch His hands and sides.  Then, even in the face of Jesus’s soothing words that the Father’s house has many rooms and that Jesus will come back to guide the disciples home, this wasn’t good enough for Thomas; he wanted to know exactly where Jesus was going for fear that Thomas would get left behind. (John 20:24-29)

God pursued Thomas, inspiring him to take to heart the command to go out into the world with the message (however that may be proclaimed).  Even to the shores of Malabar, India, where he planted the Word, and his own blood would nourish the seed.  That same Spirit is within us.  We only need to listen and pay attention to our surroundings.

And then there was Paul.  It’s probable that Paul never knew Jesus prior to when He was crucified and resurrected but came to know Him when Jesus appeared to Paul on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-19).  Despite not having known Jesus during His earthly ministry, Paul’s heart clearly was on fire.  Twenty centuries later, one can almost hear the power of his voice urgently proclaiming the Good News that Jesus died to atone for our sins.  There aren’t really that many Pauls among us.  I know I’d have a hard time running into a place of worship and boldly proclaiming the Resurrection to a bunch of people that I didn’t know.  But that was Paul’s great gift.

About a month ago at the family cabin, there was a ‘flash of light’ in my right eye, followed by a complete loss of vision in that eye.  Some vision returned about an hour later, but only in ‘spots’; it also went completely dark again throughout the next couple of days, followed by blurred vision and loss of color vibrancy.  Since it was a holiday weekend, I had to wait several days to see an ophthalmologist.  By the time I saw the doctor, my ‘sight’ had improved a lot, but my ‘vision’ in my right eye was a lot worse.  A trip to the optometrist confirmed that, and a new eyeglass prescription will hopefully correct my current ‘lopsided’ view of things.  But the eye doctor did order a few tests ‘to rule out a stroke’.  Everything so far seems OK, but I still have a couple of tests scheduled.  So while I’m not as concerned as I was when it first happened, I am kind of worried that if I did suffer a stroke and it happens again, I could be struck blind, as Paul was.  I think it gives me a little more understanding as to what Paul felt with “scales” on his eyes.  I hope my faith in Jesus is enough to make the scales fall from my eyes sooner, rather than later.

It’s easy to admire Paul and belittle Thomas, but I know I have a lot of Thomas in me and I bet I’m not alone.  It seems clear to me that Thomas wasn’t in any way a person lacking in faith.  He was just a bit of a worrier.  He worried about what would happen the next day and about whether Jesus and God would really be there for him.  I imagine he worried about a lot of the things that many of us do.  I keep telling myself that I’m OK, and not to stress.  Maybe I’m just fooling myself, trying to be as bold as Paul, when I’m really worried, like Thomas.

 We all have gifts and we all fail to use them at various points in our lives.  Maybe that makes us all a little bit like Thomas.  But look how much Jesus loved Thomas, because rather than rebuking him Jesus responds with one of the most loving passages in the Gospels: “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)

If Jesus was there for Thomas (as we see He was), He’s here for us now.  And that in itself gives me optimism and the strength to join my suffering with Jesus’ for the redemption of all mankind.

Take Courage

For most of us, it’s easy to pray to God for things like a physical healing or the like.  We may find it quite easy to ask for favors and blessings from God.  But how easy is it for us to ask for forgiveness?  This may be harder to do for many because it requires an initial act of humility on our part.  It requires that we first acknowledge we are sinners in need of forgiveness.

Jesus is God and fully human.  Becoming fully human means He laughed, He cried, He worried, He rejoiced.  Because He was fully human, He died for our sins.  It couldn’t have been easy to be God and man; as human, He must have been annoyed or frustrated.  Yet He mostly was patient and kind.  But that didn’t mean He avoided asking His followers and those who doubted Him tough questions.

His followers had the faith and the belief that this man who called Himself the Son of God was just that. They couldn’t really understand, but they had faith in Jesus.  When the followers brought the paralytic man to Jesus, He “saw their faith” and forgave the sins of the man.  Jesus told him to “Rise, pick up your stretcher and go home.” (Matthew 9:1-8) I love the simplicity of that.  It reminds me a lot of the feeling I had one time after one of my own confessions.

I confessed to what I consider some pretty serious sins and I was taken aback a little by the penance I was given.  I was told to say one “Our Father”.  I thought to myself “That’s it?  Wasn’t Father listening?”  Then I was relieved that it was only saying a prayer and not something like I’ve had in the past like pulling out the prayer of St. Francis when I get angry at others (a sin I seem to confess to a lot, I’m ashamed to say).  That was actually one of the hardest penances I’ve ever received.  Do you realize how hard it is to remember to pull up a prayer on the smart phone or out of a wallet when you’re focused on anger?  Let’s just say I had to confess to not completing my previous penance once.  Reflecting on my penance of just one Our Father that day, and Matthew’s account of the paralytic man today, drives home the fact that we can all share in the same mercy and forgiveness earned for us by Christ on the Cross.  We just have to ask for it and act on it.

Being God and human, Jesus must have always had an idea of what the scribes were thinking.  In this case (the Gospel in Matthew), He calls them out for what they’re muttering to themselves and reminds them of His authority.  We all need to be reminded of that authority of the Son of God from time to time.  Jesus can forgive our sins and allow us to walk in the light.  Jesus tells the paralyzed man: “Courage.”  It takes courage to believe as Jesus’s followers did.  It takes courage to take that leap of faith.  Let the miracle in our life be the faith of His followers.  Ask for the grace to believe and ask for the forgiveness of sins.  Ask for the grace to glorify God and to show gratitude for God’s presence in our life.  Pray for the courage to continue to take the leap of faith and live out that faith every day.

Acknowledging our need for forgiveness takes courage, but this courage is a great virtue and reveals a great strength of character on our part.  Coming to Jesus to seek His mercy and forgiveness in our lives is the most important prayer we can pray and the foundation of all the rest of our prayers.

Seek good, not evil

"What goes around, comes around."  This will always be so, as long as man chooses sin over virtues requiring self-denial.  It is we who empower Satan whenever we consent to sin.

“Seek good and not evil, that you may live; Then truly will the LORD, the God of hosts, be with you as you claim!”  The prophet Amos told the people to amend their ways.  They claimed to be following God by doing ceremonial things, but their basic commitment to “seeking good and not evil” required attention.  (Amos 5:14-15, 21-24)

Jesus, traveling through pagan territory encountered a violent, self-destructive demoniac possessed by a "legion" of evil spirits.  Christ never forces His will on anyone, but when the man prostrated himself before Him, Jesus commanded the spirits to leave him.  The spirits, comfortable in pagan territory, begged not to be banished from the area, so Jesus allowed them to enter the nearby large herds of swine that then rushed madly into the sea to drown.  Seeing the madman suddenly restored to his senses and their great loss of livestock, the natives, in fear, begged Jesus to leave them.  However, His saving power remained with them.  Jesus left behind the healed man to tell the wonder done for him by the One True God. (Matthew 8:28-34)

Amos’ admonition should sting our hearts.  Doing ceremonial things is easier than following the inner witness to seek good and avoid evil.  A lot of us share the Gadarenes’ wariness of the Lord, keeping Him at a distance because we fear what it might cost us, without recognizing that He alone is good.  When we sin by suppressing the anamnesis of good vs evil, we deform our inner selves.  Thanks be to God that the inner sense He implanted within us is still there, making us uncomfortable with our bad choices, drawing us to repentance!

God, the most perfect of parents, forgives and restores to His friendship, sinners who repent and work to reform their lives.  But He also sometimes allows them to suffer the consequences of their selfish actions along with their innocent victims in hopes they’ll develop a keener, more compassionate conscience.  Such was King David's experience after lust caused him to plan Uriah's death to marry his wife.  We see him in fear, fleeing his palace, losing his kingship to Absalom, the son who betrays him. (2Samuel:11)

In both of the Scripture accounts (David’s sin and the demoniac exorcised by Jesus) humans are “beset”.  Who among us is not “beset”?  Who hasn’t felt completely overwhelmed?  Sometimes we’re overwhelmed through our own fault (bad or nonexistent scheduling, discipline, choices); sometimes it seems that we’re being nibbled to death for no apparent reason.

Sometimes we want to strike back, or out, to heave the rocks and the dirt back in the direction they came from; other times we wish our own problems on others (lacking a herd of swine). I have some advice for these times:

First, let’s take a deep breath. Then, let’s ask Jesus to help us out of the mess that we’ve got ourselves into.  That, really, is what faith is largely about; helping us overcome being “beset.”  

Bringing calm to the storm

"Who then is this whom even wind and sea obey?" (Matthew 8:23-27)

Like the Apostles in that boat on that stormy night, I daresay many of us have asked ourselves the same question from time to time that they did; “Who then is this whom even wind and sea obey?" “Who is Jesus?”

We know that Jesus is the Son of God.  We know that He is the Savior.  We know that He’s present to us in the Eucharist and in the Word.  We know a lot about Him, but what we think we know is utterly insufficient.  We must become like the apostles.

We must learn to know Jesus as friend, companion, teacher, guide, brother, Lord and God.  We come to this by slow steps, but St. Teresa of Avila taught that to know Jesus as man and God was to enter into God's embrace.  To learn who God really is we must embrace the humanity of Jesus Christ.  That's a powerful and hard teaching.  Most of us look to Jesus as God and forget that He was also human. We don't deny it, but we seem to overlook it.  Sometimes in a homily or in a book we’re reminded that there were times when even He was frightened, sad, angry, joyous; there were times when He experienced every facet of the human existence.

The apostles were in a boat when a storm kicked up on the lake.  They were terrified.  They woke up Jesus and He calmed the storm.  The apostles were at peace.

If we think about it a little deeper, Jesus actually calmed two storms.  There was the outer storm in nature, and the inner storm of fear and anxiety in the apostles.

There’s no doubt that we’re living in stormy times.  One of those storms is the outer storm of brutality against others because of the color of their skin.  Another storm is the inner storm of anxiety of those who fear they will be the next victim of a virus or the scourge of racism.  And there’s a third storm, the inner storm that is the raging prejudice in some human hearts.

As for the first storm, we feel helpless.  It has been raging since the beginning of time.  It will take a major miracle to put it to rest.  Maybe the Last Judgment.

As for the second storm we can do something.  We can make laws and enforce laws that call for equality and justice.  Some progress (so little, though!) has been made here.  This will help calm the storm of anxiety in some of those who fear for their lives.

As for the third storm, we need to make sure there is no prejudice in our hearts.

Prejudice is the result of ignorance.  Ignorance is dispelled by listening, listening that involves walking a mile in another’s shoes.  Listening leads to understanding.  Understanding leads to compassion.  And compassion leads to peace.

So, to come to answer the question "Who then is this whom even wind and sea obey?" we must be able to embrace both the divinity and the humanity.  We need to learn to love Jesus in all that He is before we can begin to fully love Him for all that He’s done for us.  Who then is this?  He is the only One, true man and true God, the eternal before all things. And He is the One who loves us.

Inner peace comes to us when Christ is the center of our lives.  When our boat starts rocking, let’s cling to Him, trust Him, and love Him.

God calls the ordinary to be extraordinary

Two ordinary men.  One a fisherman.  The other a Pharisee and a tentmaker.  Two ordinary men who recognized that God had called them to be something greater than they thought themselves to be.  Two ordinary men who had courage to speak the truth that was spoken to them through Christ.  They endured many hardships and trials for their words and actions and yet they kept on believing in the truth that dwelt in their hearts.  How could ordinary men come to do extraordinary things?

“The angel said to Peter, “Put on your belt and your sandals.”  He did so.  Then he said to him, “Put on your cloak and follow me.” (Acts 12:8)

Even in prison Saint Peter didn’t give up hope in Jesus Christ.  He listened and followed the angel out of the prison.  The angel had to wake him up!  If Saint Peter was asleep, he certainly wasn’t afraid of the trial that was to take place the next day.  The passion that he felt in his heart, about who he had spent three years following and all that he’d seen Jesus Christ do for others, must have been a source of his hope and courage.  He was open to the possibility that Jesus was the Messiah and confirmed it when Jesus asked him “Who do you say that I am?” (Matthew 16: 15-16)

“I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith.”  (2Timothy 4:7)

Saint Paul was also in prison and didn’t fear death.  He knew that he had completed what Christ had called him to do for the proclamation of the Kingdom.  An ordinary man who was passionate about his faith to the point of persecuting the first Christians.  Then Jesus caught his attention with a flash of light and a bit of a humbling fall to the ground on the road to Damascus (Acts 9: 1-19).  A “snap out of it” moment.  The very epitome of a ‘Come to Jesus Meeting’.  He would carry the message of Christ to the Gentiles beyond Jerusalem to the end of the known world: at that time, the Roman world.  Again, his passion came from the truth that dwelt in his heart and he wasn’t afraid to recognize it and act upon it.

Each of us are called to become something greater than what we think we are.  Even me, an ‘ordinary’ man who believes that his faith is a gift.

Most of us become aware only gradually of this gift.  In our youth we might worship and pray with our family as a custom, as part of our culture.  Our relationship with God can grow as we mature and open our hearts to His presence.  For some people, this choice to open themselves to God never happens.  For many of us, we wax and wane at times, letting other things take priority in our lives.  Months and years can go by without our relationship with Christ growing.  In fact, I rarely think of St. Paul without remembering one particular “Road to Damascus” event in my own life.

When I was a teenager and questioning the existence of God (as I’m sure most teenagers do), I had a lot of nightmares wherein I was falling from great heights.  Sometimes I jumped, other times I was pushed.  Just before hitting the ground and certain death, I would wake up in a cold sweat from the nightmare I imagined death would be.  The same dream came often. I was spending a lot of time worrying about death. One night, again I started the fall.  But this time, an angel appeared next to me and asked why I was afraid.  I told him I was afraid to die. My angel said, “Recite the Our Father with me.”  As we prayed the Our Father together, I remember thinking that I wouldn’t have time to finish before hitting the ground.  But I didn’t need to worry.  Just as I said “Amen” my angel lifted me up and we began to soar.  That’s when I woke up and instead of being afraid, I was sad the dream had to end.  It was such a revelation!  Now, 50 years ‘wiser’, I absolutely believe that God was letting me know two things: First, that in the dreams that I ‘jumped’ off the cliff, it was because I was doubting His saving power; when I was ‘pushed’, it was my sins that were pushing me to doubt and despair.  Second, He was confirming to me that He is alive and well and waiting for me—I just have to remember that I have been given the gift of faith, and that I must act on it.

These present times are certainly calling us to become something greater than what we are today.  The Covid-19 virus and now protests and riots and race conversations have stirred much within my own soul.  I’m being reminded once again that, just like in that dream so many years ago, the strength to persevere through these present events can only occur through faith, prayer, hope, and trust in Christ.  

A simple statement of faith

My daily Scripture reflection today reminded me of this simple statement of faith:

God is Good!  All the time!

And all the time, God is Good! 

Several times during this last school year (obviously before pandemic guidelines that closed the schools for in-person classes took place), I was privileged to sit in on some of Lily’s classes as a “Watch Dog”.  Watch Dogs is a group of ‘Dads Of Great Students’, but granddads were invited, too.  Basically our duties were those of hall monitors and playground supervisors.  We were assigned to help various teachers who wanted or needed our help, as well, usually the teacher of the ‘DOG’s student.

As fifth grade classes tend to do, Lily’s got a little noisy at times when it was supposed to be ‘quiet time’ for reading, studying, or simply listening for God’s “small whisper” (1 Kings 19:12).  When the noise got out of hand Lily’s teacher would say in a loud voice, “God is Good!”, to which the students would reply, “All the time!”  Then she would follow that up with “And all the time!”, and the students came back with “God is Good!” 

Once the kids had a chance to renew their faith commitment in this manner, they would all settle down and listen to the teacher.

God blesses us with this gift of faith as well.  God blessed the Shunammite woman because of her faith and generosity toward the prophet Elisha (2 Kings 4:8-11, 14-16a).  In Paul’s letter to the Romans (6:3-4, 8-11), we’re reminded once again that our earthly lives don’t end in death, rather we’re given new life in Christ and will suffer no more.

To understand more fully the message of the Gospel from Matthew I’m reflecting on today (Matthew 10:37-42), it’s important to know that the chapter preceding this one was where Jesus was sending out the disciples to do the work He had called and prepared them to do, which was to preach the good news of salvation. This is a pretty daunting mission!  One that we’re all being called to yet today!  Isn’t it an amazing gift for God to trust us so much with the good news that we’re given the holy task of representing God to others?

Jesus reminds us that this call to discipleship challenges us to make His mission paramount in our lives.  Fulfilling the mission of Jesus Christ requires that we detach from those things that keep us from being good and focus on living the new life we have been given at Baptism, sharing the good news with others.

All will be well

Sometimes, it’s hard to have faith. We’re rational, scientific, and want tangible proof or explanations for everything.  But the centurion in Matthew’s gospel (Matthew 8:5-11) wasn’t like most of us; he had incredible faith in Jesus.  He came to Jesus, humbled, and just stated a fact, “my servant is suffering”.  He didn't ask Jesus to cure the servant, he just had faith that Jesus would know what needed to be done. 

Many of us, myself included, seem to think we know what we need.  Instead of telling Jesus how it is and trusting that He will provide and care for us, we ask for things.  We ask for that new job, for money, for things that we think will make us happy.  But that’s not what we’re called to do.  We must have faith that Jesus has the right answers and the right timing.  We might not know what we really need, or when something should happen.  As scary as it is, we need to trust that our loving God will take care of us, because He knows what’s best for us.  Some of God’s greatest gifts are unanswered prayers.

If Christ Himself appeared to us today and said, “all will be well”, do we have the faith to believe that we can be a part of the change as Jesus would have us do? And do we have the faith to believe what He would do if His feet were on this earth in the midst of Covid-19 and racial unrest?  The Gospel tells us what He would do:

“When it was evening, they brought him many who were possessed by demons, and he drove out the spirits by a word and cured all the sick, to fulfill what had been said by Isaiah the prophet: ‘He took away our infirmities and bore our diseases.’”  (Matthew 8:16-17)

To be a part of the solution, we need to stay faithful through prayers and Scripture readings, worshiping as best we can under difficult circumstances during these troubled times, and not allow ourselves to be burdened or to feel separated from God – He is here, with us, always.

Lord, if You wish....

"Lord, if you wish ..."  (Matthew 8:1-4)   This was a great Gospel reading to reflect on!

What is it that you wish the Lord would do for you?  We all have our wish-lists.  We incorporate them into our prayer times, we post them at prayer request websites, we detail them to friends who give us prayer support.  

In our arrogance (or stupidity), we believe that we know how God should answer our prayers.  We think we're smart enough to know that right now is the best time for God to give us exactly what we desire. But do we really want Him to be as blind and stupid as we are?  Do we really want Him to be limited by our requests?

Or do we prefer that He take charge of the entire situation, with free reign to be sovereign over all elements and every ramification of our prayers?

God does give us miracles.  God can make it happen fast.  But how wonderful it is to know that He doesn't work according to our demands!  We should be elated that He's not a magic genie whom we can control and cajole and coerce.

When we approach the Lord in prayer, when we approach Him in the Eucharist, when we approach Him in the people we meet and deal with every day, if our attitude is one of homage, there’s always a miracle that takes place.  It's first of all the miracle of supernatural intimacy with the God of life, the God of the universe, the God of eternity, the God of all power and knowledge and goodness and love.

Jesus often would tell those who were healed to tell no one.  One reason for this, I think, was that Jesus’ acts of love and mercy weren’t done for His own benefit; rather, they were done out of love.  Jesus loved the leper in this Gospel and wanted to offer Him this precious gift of healing.  He did it out of compassion and, in return, only wanted the man’s gratitude.  He didn’t need to make this a public spectacle.  He only wanted the man to be grateful.

The same is true with us.  We need to know that God loves us so much that He wants to lift our heavy burdens and heal our weaknesses simply because He loves us.  He doesn’t do it first because it will benefit Him; rather, He does it out of love for us.

One lesson we can learn from this has to do with our own acts of love and mercy toward others.  When we go out of our way to show love and compassion, are we OK with no one knowing?  Too often we want to be noticed and praised.  But the nature of an act of love and compassion is such that it should be done simply out of love.  In fact, doing something loving and compassionate that isn’t noticed by anyone helps us grow in love and compassion.  It purifies our intentions and enables us to love for love’s sake.

In this time of economic and social unrest, when so many are sick and dying, when whole communities feel left out or worse, we need to cry out to the Lord.  And we will surely hear Him say, “Of course I want to heal you.”  But we first must know what we truly want and then make our plea to Jesus.

Strong foundations

“Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock.”  (Matthew 7:24-25)

One of the ‘feeds’ on my Facebook page today was a story that, to me, was very timely to the gospel of Matthew I read for tomorrow.  It says there’s a ‘conspiracy theory’ making the rounds and gaining momentum that the world actually ended in 2012, and that those of us still around now are living in an ‘alternate timeline’ that is so ridiculous it must be true.  It cites the election of Donald Trump and the passage of Brexit as clear examples of the theory.  Obviously, somebody who has watched too many Marvel movies and has too much time on their hands came up with this as a joke.  In fact, I double-checked to see if the article may have been published by one of the satirical websites.  It wasn’t.  What troubles me upon reading the article is that the faith and/or inner strength of so many people is so weak that they would actually entertain its veracity! 

When life is easy and all goes smoothly, we don’t necessarily need great inner strength.  When money is plentiful, we have many friends, we have our health and our family all gets along, life can be good.  And, in that case, life can even be easy.  But there are few who can go through life without facing some storm.  I daresay the entire world is being tested these days with the pandemic and social unrest due to racism.  When that happens, our inner strength is tested, and the strength of our inner convictions is required.  

In the gospel I reflected on today (Matthew 7:21-29), the rain, floods, and wind that buffeted the house in Jesus’ story are actually a good thing, because they allow the foundation of the house to manifest its stability.  So it is with us.  The foundation of our lives must be our fidelity to the Word of God.  Jesus makes it clear that we will have a solid foundation only when we listen to His words and act on them.

There are many examples of strength and weakness all around us as found in nature, leadership on a national and local level, church, and community as well as family and friend relationships.  We would like to think that the gift of faith we’ve all been given is going to be rock solid all of the time no matter what challenge comes our way!  Jesus tells us that if we only listen to him and stay connected all will be well.  Our faith calls us to be open to the high tide that may wash away our hopes and dreams only to make way for those life-giving God experiences that low tide may wash upon our shores.

Give thanks to a God whose foundation is rock solid and able to endure the winds and rain as well as the sunny days and star-filled nights.

Rich in mercy

My reflection on the gospel for the Nativity of St. John the Baptist (Luke 1:57-66, 80), reminded me that ever since Adam, who God formed “out of the dust of the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being” (Genesis 2:7), names mean something.

“The man gave his wife the name “Eve,” because she was the mother of all the living.” (Genesis 3:20)

“She named him Moses; for she said, “I drew him out of the water.”  (Exodus 2:10)

“She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”  All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel,” which means “God is with us.”” (Matthew 1:21-23)

“He shall be called John.” (Luke 1:60)  

I did a little research on the name “John”.  The Hebrew name for John is a combination of Jah (God) and hanan (mercy)!  God is merciful.

One of the most frequent prayers in Scripture is “Lord have mercy on me”.  In the Old Testament one of the most known uses is in Psalm 51:1: “Be merciful to me, O God, according to Your loving kindness.  According to the greatness of Your compassion blot out my transgressions.” 

We must all live on the edge of God’s mercy.  We must not be afraid to jump into the abyss of His kindness.   There’s a great democracy among all of us.   We all exist on the margins of God’s mercy.  Paul said it well: “For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”  So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.” (Romans 9:15)   God’s mercy is our ultimate reality!  This is true not just because we’ve sinned and need forgiveness, but our very existence is an effect of His mercy.  “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” (James 1:17) “But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us.” (Ephesians 2:4)

We have met the enemy

A few years ago the company I worked for was trying hard to implement a new program that would greatly improve the lives of our customers, our team members, and—of course—our stockholders.  It was a radical change in proven procedure, but a necessary one.  Naturally, there was a lot of ‘pushback’ by the management team (myself included); a lot of excuses, disagreements, and arguments as to why we shouldn’t ‘fix’ what wasn’t ‘broke’.  Some were even resigned to the attitude that any good manager hates to see in his team: “It’s impossible!”  My boss came up with what I thought was a great motivator to identify the root cause of our inability to comply with the new program.  He gave each of us a hand mirror to carry with us and told us to look into it every time we wanted to see our ‘biggest obstacle’.   

It sometimes seems that the solutions to our country’s problems are “impossible”.  Racism, greed, vengeance, poverty, global warming, unemployment, discrimination, apathy, inflexibility to other opinions, dishonest politicians of every party and ilk, and ‘journalists’ with agendas; the list goes on and on.  To quote the wise opossum POGO in Walt Kelly’s famous comic strip, “We have met the enemy, and it is us!”

What do we pray for when the enemy “is us?”  When I reflected on the Gospel of Matthew today (Matthew 7:6, 12-14), Jesus gives three sayings that provide a good answer to that question.  First, Jesus says, “Do not give what is holy to dogs, or throw your pearls before swine, lest they trample them underfoot, and turn and tear you to pieces.” We can pray that we don’t trample the words of Jesus “underfoot” in order to pursue greed or vengeance or our own will.

Jesus then says, “Do to others whatever you would have them do to you. This is the law and the prophets.”  We should pray for the grace to follow the Golden Rule.

And after that, Jesus says, “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and those who enter through it are many. How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life. And those who find it are few.”  We can and should pray for the grace to discern the “narrow gate” and the “constricted road.”  We can pray for the willingness to let go of whatever it is that keeps us from entering the “gate” that leads to life.

We don’t have to be anyone’s enemy, even when we disagree about what needs to be done.  What we’re asked by Jesus to be is loving, compassionate, understanding, kind, forgiving, and merciful.  We need to look in a mirror and ask ourselves, “Are we?”

Critique vs Criticism

“Do not judge, that you may not be judged” (Matthew 7:1-5).

As I reflect on this gospel today, I don’t think Jesus is telling us to “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil”, or to be naive and undiscerning.  Part of the prophetic role of the baptized is precisely that; to be prophetic, not to abstain from taking positions.  Part of our being sent is to call evil what is evil and good what is good. But this doesn’t necessarily mean that we have to set ourselves up as judges of others.

In the English language, there’s a distinct difference in the use of two similar words, namely, ‘critiquing’ and ‘criticizing’.  They both have the same etymological root, but they have different meanings.  We critique products: books, poetry, paintings, music; we critique actions, strategies, principles.  The moment we pass from products to persons, from actions to agents, we’re no longer critiquing, we’re criticizing.  And in criticizing we’re setting ourselves up as judges of our brothers and sisters, we become personal in our passing judgment.  We’re able to critique products, because, at least to some extent, we can measure their quality.  But we don’t have any sure gauge to measure the intention and heart of the agent, as distinct from the action itself, and so to criticize the person.

I believe this is the context of the Lord’s injunction “don’t judge: don’t condemn (the person), that you may not be condemned. Whether we judge/criticize or not, we are all going to be judged one day by the One, who is entitled to do so: The Father has entrusted all judgment to the Son (John 5:22).

We’re asked (Matthew 16:16) to be “simple as doves, but shrewd as serpents”.  Simple toward people, but prophetically shrewd toward actions, policies, products.

It seems that the times we live in demand mercy more than ever.  Perhaps one of the reasons for that is the extreme tendency, as a world culture, to be harsh and critical of others.  All we need to do is read a newspaper, browse social media, or watch the nightly news programs to see that our world culture is one that is continually growing in the tendency to overanalyze and severely criticize.  This is a real problem.

We’re called to be self-reflective rather than the bearer of judgment.  The most annoying things I find in other people are generally things that I find or have found in myself.  I often learn a lot about myself when I’m aware of my less favorable experiences of others.

The good thing about the mercy of God is that He uses either our judgmentalism or our mercy (depending upon which is more manifest) as the measuring rod of how He treats us.  He’ll act with great mercy and forgiveness toward us when we show that virtue.  But He will also show His justice and judgment when this is the path we take with others.  It’s up to us!

Mercy is always far more rewarding and satisfying than being judgmental.  It produces joy, peace, and freedom.  We need to put mercy in our mind and commit ourselves to seeing the blessed rewards of this precious gift.

Fear not!

“Fear no one.  Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known…” (Matthew 10:26)

At one point or another, most people go through a period of sadness, trial, loss, frustration, or failure that’s so disturbing and long-lasting, that it can be called a Dark Night of the Soul (St. John of the Cross, 16th c. Spanish mystic).

Depression is a psychological malady; the dark night is a spiritual trial. The gospel I reflected on today (Matthew 10:26-33) challenges us to shift from a therapeutic to a faith model and offers us a guide for dwelling in our 21st century world, a world saturated with violence and fear.

If your main interest in life is health, or comfort, convenience, or pleasure, you may quickly try to overcome the darkness.  But if you’re looking for meaning, character, personal substance, you discover that a dark night has important gifts for you.  Every human life is made up of the light and the dark, the happy and the sad, the vital and the deadening.  How we think about this rhythm makes all the difference.  Will we hide out in self-delusion or distracting entertainment?  Or are we willing to embrace the mystery?

Many people think that the point in life is to solve their problems and be happy.  But happiness is a fleeting sensation, and we never get rid of problems.  Maybe my purpose in life is to become more of who I am, more engaged with the people and life around me now; to really LIVE life.  It may sound obvious, yet many people spend their time avoiding life.  When we’re afraid to let life flow through us, our vitality can get channeled into ambitions, preoccupations, addictions, all of which can (and usually do) lead to jealousy, envy, apathy, and cynicism; fear, racism, violence, and hate are never far behind.

“Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge.  Even all the hairs of your head are counted.  So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”  (Matthew 10:29-31)

It’s comforting to know that the All-Powerful God of the Universe knows every detail about our lives and is deeply concerned about every single detail.  He knows us infinitely better than we know ourselves and He loves each one of us more deeply than we could ever love ourselves.  These facts should give us much peace.

When we can come to the realization of the Father’s perfect knowledge of us AND His perfect love of us, we’ll be in a position to put our complete trust in Him.  Trust in God is only possible when we understand who we are trusting.  And when we do begin to completely understand who God is and how much He cares about every detail of our lives, we’ll more easily entrust to Him those details, allowing Him to take control of all.

Our Mother's Love

The Immaculate Heart of our Blessed Mother is a sign of her perfect love for us.  It is ‘Immaculate’ in that it’s spotless and perfect in love.  Her love is the perfection of a mother’s love.  This is a unique love of the highest order.  A mother’s love is not just love of neighbor or a friendship.  Rather, a mother’s love is such that it’s completely invested, nurturing, sacrificial and total.  This is the love our Blessed Mother has for us.

The Immaculate Heart, and therefore, the Immaculate love of our Blessed Mother is a glorious gift from God.  She is the instrument through which Salvation Himself came into our world.  She is also, therefore, the continuing instrument through which all the grace given by Christ comes into the world.  She is the Mediatrix of Grace.  God could have saved us any way He chose, but we must humbly and honestly acknowledge that the way He chose to save us is through the mediation of the Blessed Mother. 

Today’s Gospel is the account of Mary and Joseph finding the 12-year-old Jesus in the Temple after fearing Him lost.   When they finally find Him, He says, "Why were you worried?  Didn't you know I must be in my Father's house?"  (Luke 2:41-51)

During my reflection today I thought, “how could Mary and Joseph just ‘lose’ their son?”  It's not like they forgot He was the Son of God.  Rather, they might have been just so comfortable in their family life that they thought He must be with one of the other families (possibly even relatives) traveling with them and so didn't worry until a couple of days had passed.  But when they did notice His absence, they were distraught. 

Sometimes I get distraught that I'm not giving Jesus enough attention and conclude that I've ‘lost’ Him.  When that happens, I have to try and remember that I know where to ‘find’ Him; He'll be in His Father's ‘house’, in the Tabernacle.  If you know someone who has ‘lost’ Jesus or is simply just looking for Him, direct them to the Father's house.  They’ll also find Him there, in the Tabernacle.  Tell them to look for the flickering red lamp that keeps vigil for us when we can't be there.

Most all of us have trust issues, even with God.  We have those issues because what is happening to us at a given moment of our lives often doesn’t make sense to us.  Figuring out how to respond is even more difficult.  And then, of course, there are those experiences of misunderstanding, disappointment, and even betrayal.  Events in our lives can easily overwhelm us and fill us with fear.  It is in times like these that the life of Mary can speak to us.  She was battered by many tragedies in her life and was, I’m sure, often afraid.  Yet, her steadfastness in remaining open to the mystery of God and trusting in God’s faithfulness never wavered.  She was present from the beginning to the end and beyond, into the life of the early Church.  She is the true disciple.  There is no one better than she to pray with, through the Rosary, as we ask God to help us in our lives to never lose heart and trust that Jesus is with us.

Finding rest through Jesus

My reflection today on the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus comes in the midst of a world that’s in the throes of change, desperately seeking to remain alive.  The power of Covid-19 continues to ravage the populations of nations, the forces of hatred and division deeply embedded in histories of privilege and oppression are being explosively revealed and challenged, and the power of fear creates social and economic chaos in community after community.  Many of us are wondering how we can find strength for another day, much less another hour.

Jesus cares about how much we have to do, and He knows how difficult it is for us. He doesn't want to see us discouraged and overburdened and sapped of energy.  So He gives us a special invitation: "Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28)

It's not a false respite, from a bottle or a pill or a pillow.  It's God's kind of rest, straight from the heart of Jesus Christ, our Lord, and our Savior.  He alone can give us this kind of rest.  It's a good rest, a real rest, God's rest.  And He wants us to have it.

So, how do we get the kind of rest that Jesus wants to give us?  First, He tells us to come to Him; simply, humbly, like a little child.  Then, we just have to tell Jesus that we want to take Him up on His promise; we want to take on His yoke, His way of working, and learn His way to move on with the tasks in our life.

His way provides His kind of rest.  Even though we’re still working, now we’re working under His yoke, and that makes all the difference in the world.  We’ll still be working, but it will be different with Jesus in charge.  By taking His yoke and learning from Him, "we will find rest" for ourselves.