If a clown were to ride past you on a unicycle, would you notice? Most of us would like to say that we would! But chances are we wouldn’t- if we were talking on our cell phones. According to a recent experiment at a college in Washington State, three out of four students talking on their cell phones failed to notice a unicycling clown as he rode around campus. They were so distracted by their phone conversations that they failed to notice what was going on around them.
Now, this is kind of funny, because it’s so ridiculous. But we all know that this kind of distraction can be deadly serious. Six thousand people die each year, and a third of a million more are injured, because of drivers who were texting or talking on their cell phones when they should have been paying attention to the road.
When we’re distracted or preoccupied, we fail to be really aware of those who are around us- including God. Because of the way we live our lives today, and the way we structure our time, we’re often too distracted to be aware of God’s presence around us, or hear his voice when he speaks.
Today is the First Sunday of Advent, and as tradition has it, our readings speak to us of Jesus’ coming. Of course, we’re beginning to anticipate Jesus’ coming at Christmas. But in a special way today, we also anticipate Jesus’ coming again at the end of time. Jesus made it clear that his “second coming” will catch some people by surprise! That’s why he warned that we need to keep watch, and be vigilant. Not in the sense of looking for signs or omens, but in the sense of being prepared. And for us to be truly prepared to meet Jesus tomorrow, we need to be aware of his presence today. To do that, we need to put aside certain distractions.
In order to notice a clown on a unicycle, we should put away our cell phones and engage with our surroundings. If we’re behind the wheel of a car, we need to “hang up and drive,” as the bumper sticker says. But what can we do to be more aware of God’s presence? In a sense, much the same thing. We need to put aside what’s distracting us, so we can see his hand guiding our lives; so we can hear his voice. God wishes to speak with us! But we won’t hear him if we’re distracted. His voice will be drowned out by the noisiness in our world.
Today’s gospel makes it quite clear that Jesus’ second coming will be unmistakable; there will be no doubt about what’s happening. However, God’s presence amongst us today is generally far more subtle. The Holy Spirit very seldom shouts at us. Instead, the Spirit speaks in a whisper. Not because he’s trying to be secretive, but for a good reason. Because in order to hear someone who speaks in a whisper, it takes all of us to hear what’s being said. We can’t be multi-tasking. We have to stop everything; we have to strain to hear. We have to force ourselves to truly pay attention.
That’s why I think God whispers, instead of shouting. He wants us to really focus and pay attention, so we can really hear what he has to say. And let’s face it: There’s already enough shouting and loud noise in our lives anyway, isn’t there? God doesn’t want his voice to get lost in the commotion and confusion. So he whispers. Which means we need to focus, so we can really listen.
Truly listening to another requires effort, energy, and attention. Think of it this way: If we were speaking to someone else, and the other person was fidgeting, checking the clock, typing on a computer, flipping through a newspaper, glancing at the TV set, and saying nothing more than “Uh huh” every so often, we’d know that we didn’t have their full attention; we’d know that they weren’t truly listening to us.
God is trying to speak to us. But do we give him our full attention? Do we make the space in our lives to truly listen? We need to take time, be quiet, be single-minded. Prayer and multi-tasking don’t mix well. But that can be hard for us. Sometimes we may think we’re being quiet, when in reality we aren’t.
In an interview, Disney CEO Roger Iger said that he gets up at 4:30 a.m. each day because, as he puts it, “I like the quiet time.” But then he went on to explain how he uses that quiet time. He reads the paper, checks e-mail, surfs the web, watches a little TV- all at once! Sometimes he’ll exercise, but even then he listens to music or watches the news. Not exactly quiet time, if you ask me. If that’s our idea of quiet time, chances are God’s whispers won’t be heard. “We cannot find God in noise or agitation,” said Mother Teresa. “In silence we are granted the privilege of listening to his voice.”
We’re gearing up for Christmas right now. This season brings with it a great deal of noise, chatter, busyness, distractions- things that might keep us from listening to the Jesus whose birth it is we’re preparing to celebrate! Even Christmas carols, beautiful as they might be, can add to the commotion. But what’s the most popular Christmas carol of all time? I’ll give you a hint: It’s not “Noisy Night.” It’s “Silent Night.”
This Advent, let’s be sure to enjoy the sights and sounds of the season. But let’s also take the time, and make the space in our lives, to be quiet, to pay attention, to be “vigilant,” so we can listen for the voice of God speaking in our hearts. If we don’t, it’ll be far more than a clown on a unicycle we’ll miss. We will miss the words of Jesus, the Word-made-flesh.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Friday, November 13, 2009
Thirty-Third Sunday of Ordinary Time
Did you floss your teeth this morning? I won’t ask for a show of hands, but if we’re like the rest of America, many of us did not. It’s not that we don’t appreciate that flossing is a good thing. We do! We know it helps keep our gums healthy and fights the buildup of plaque. We don’t do it, however, because we don’t want to make the effort; it’s annoying. We’re more focused upon the short-term inconvenience of flossing, than we are on its long-term benefit.
Advertisers are well aware that we often focus on the short-term, while overlooking long-term consequences. They use this to their benefit, especially with so-called “shock ads.” Some of you remember this one: “This is your brain. This is drugs. This is your brain on drugs.” That’s a “shock ad.” Right now New York City is conducting a big public health campaign, trying to get people to cut back on sugary drinks. One poster in subway cars shows soda turning into globs of fat as it’s poured into a glass. The caption reads: “Are you pouring on the pounds? Don’t drink yourself fat.”
It’s gross. It’s scary. But then that’s why “shock ads” are so often effective. They force us to consider the long-term consequences of the decisions we make now. They try to change the way we feel, so we’ll change the way we act.
How did today’s readings from the Bible make you feel? Both the first reading from Daniel, and our Lord in the gospel, spoke of our final judgment at the end of history with some very powerful images. Daniel refers to a time “unsurpassed in distress” after which some will be an “everlasting horror and disgrace.” When Jesus foretold of his coming as judge, he described the sun and moon being darkened, stars falling from the sky, and the “powers of heaven” being shaken.
It would be understandable if these images made us feel afraid. Kind of like a “shock ad.” If you’ll recall, shock ads appreciate that we often ignore the long-term consequences of the choices we make in the short term. They’re also intended to make us feel a particular way, so that we’ll change our behavior. If today’s Scripture readings shock us into changing our behavior, and remind us that we’ll be judged tomorrow for the things we do today, that’s a good thing. If’ we’re inspired to repent, change our ways, and turn our life around, then we have allowed the Word of God to cut us to the heart. Which might be exactly what we need. We might think of it as a “kick in the seat” from our Father in heaven.
In the Washington Post a few weeks ago, an English teacher at an area high school recalled how she’d become frustrated at some of the students in her class who had just failed a test. She asked, “Why don’t you guys study like the kids from Africa?” One kid shot back, “It’s because they have fathers who kick their (behinds) and make them study.”
When it comes to living the Christian life, most of us, at one time or another, need similar “motivation” from our Father in heaven. Every so often, we can benefit from a stern warning that our actions have consequences; that we’ll be held accountable for what we do; that the choices we make define what kind of people we are. Psychologists call this “negative reinforcement.” And it can help shape us into being better people.
Earlier this fall my son Charlie entered 5th grade. As a way to prepare him and his classmates for middle school, they’re being held responsible for completing their assignments on their own, without mom and dad having to sign off on everything and constantly check up on them. Should they not get their work done, or forget to bring something home, they receive demerits. And I have to say that the prospect of a demerit has really lit a fire under my son. Like many ten-year old boys, Charlie’s not the most organized person in the world. But the negative reinforcement of demerits has really had a positive impact. Of course, the system of demerits isn’t intended to last forever. It’s designed to help kids develop good work habits. And what’s another word for a good habit? Virtue!
There’s a parallel here with our relationship with God. God presents us with stern images of judgment, because sometimes we need that to get us kick-started in the right direction. Just like demerits; just like “shock ads.” Like them, the “shock value” of judgment is simply the means to an end. It can help us to become better people. But the last thing God wants is for our relationship with him to be dominated by fear of judgment.
For those of us who are parents, we wouldn’t want our relationship with our kids to be like that, would we? Sure, we want our kids to respect us, to trust us, to be responsibly obedient to us. But we also want our kids to love us. We want there to be warmth, affection, closeness, and fun.
So too in our relationship with God. God wants our obedience, respect, trust. But God also wants us to be close, for there to be intimacy, friendship, and more than anything else, love. But that can’t happen if our relationship is based on fear. It’s hard to be close to one we’re afraid of.
Today God challenges us to trust in his goodness and mercy, hope in his promise of everlasting life, and allow the prospect of judgment, not to frighten us, but to motivate us to live lives of true holiness, and remind us of the good news that it is goodness, and not evil, that has the last word, and the final victory. It’s because of this that Pope Benedict can write, “The last judgment is not primarily an image of terror. It is an image of hope.”
Advertisers are well aware that we often focus on the short-term, while overlooking long-term consequences. They use this to their benefit, especially with so-called “shock ads.” Some of you remember this one: “This is your brain. This is drugs. This is your brain on drugs.” That’s a “shock ad.” Right now New York City is conducting a big public health campaign, trying to get people to cut back on sugary drinks. One poster in subway cars shows soda turning into globs of fat as it’s poured into a glass. The caption reads: “Are you pouring on the pounds? Don’t drink yourself fat.”
It’s gross. It’s scary. But then that’s why “shock ads” are so often effective. They force us to consider the long-term consequences of the decisions we make now. They try to change the way we feel, so we’ll change the way we act.
How did today’s readings from the Bible make you feel? Both the first reading from Daniel, and our Lord in the gospel, spoke of our final judgment at the end of history with some very powerful images. Daniel refers to a time “unsurpassed in distress” after which some will be an “everlasting horror and disgrace.” When Jesus foretold of his coming as judge, he described the sun and moon being darkened, stars falling from the sky, and the “powers of heaven” being shaken.
It would be understandable if these images made us feel afraid. Kind of like a “shock ad.” If you’ll recall, shock ads appreciate that we often ignore the long-term consequences of the choices we make in the short term. They’re also intended to make us feel a particular way, so that we’ll change our behavior. If today’s Scripture readings shock us into changing our behavior, and remind us that we’ll be judged tomorrow for the things we do today, that’s a good thing. If’ we’re inspired to repent, change our ways, and turn our life around, then we have allowed the Word of God to cut us to the heart. Which might be exactly what we need. We might think of it as a “kick in the seat” from our Father in heaven.
In the Washington Post a few weeks ago, an English teacher at an area high school recalled how she’d become frustrated at some of the students in her class who had just failed a test. She asked, “Why don’t you guys study like the kids from Africa?” One kid shot back, “It’s because they have fathers who kick their (behinds) and make them study.”
When it comes to living the Christian life, most of us, at one time or another, need similar “motivation” from our Father in heaven. Every so often, we can benefit from a stern warning that our actions have consequences; that we’ll be held accountable for what we do; that the choices we make define what kind of people we are. Psychologists call this “negative reinforcement.” And it can help shape us into being better people.
Earlier this fall my son Charlie entered 5th grade. As a way to prepare him and his classmates for middle school, they’re being held responsible for completing their assignments on their own, without mom and dad having to sign off on everything and constantly check up on them. Should they not get their work done, or forget to bring something home, they receive demerits. And I have to say that the prospect of a demerit has really lit a fire under my son. Like many ten-year old boys, Charlie’s not the most organized person in the world. But the negative reinforcement of demerits has really had a positive impact. Of course, the system of demerits isn’t intended to last forever. It’s designed to help kids develop good work habits. And what’s another word for a good habit? Virtue!
There’s a parallel here with our relationship with God. God presents us with stern images of judgment, because sometimes we need that to get us kick-started in the right direction. Just like demerits; just like “shock ads.” Like them, the “shock value” of judgment is simply the means to an end. It can help us to become better people. But the last thing God wants is for our relationship with him to be dominated by fear of judgment.
For those of us who are parents, we wouldn’t want our relationship with our kids to be like that, would we? Sure, we want our kids to respect us, to trust us, to be responsibly obedient to us. But we also want our kids to love us. We want there to be warmth, affection, closeness, and fun.
So too in our relationship with God. God wants our obedience, respect, trust. But God also wants us to be close, for there to be intimacy, friendship, and more than anything else, love. But that can’t happen if our relationship is based on fear. It’s hard to be close to one we’re afraid of.
Today God challenges us to trust in his goodness and mercy, hope in his promise of everlasting life, and allow the prospect of judgment, not to frighten us, but to motivate us to live lives of true holiness, and remind us of the good news that it is goodness, and not evil, that has the last word, and the final victory. It’s because of this that Pope Benedict can write, “The last judgment is not primarily an image of terror. It is an image of hope.”
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