If Jesus were a genie in a bottle, and granted each one of us three wishes, I wonder what we’d ask him for. I suspect that many of us might ask for things that would make our lives easier.
But Jesus, of course, isn’t a genie. We can and should ask him for things, but he isn’t obligated to grant our wishes. Jesus does give us things. But they don’t always make our lives easier. Instead, Jesus gives us things to make our lives better. And sometimes there’s a big difference between easier and better.
We see this in today’s gospel, I think. A paralyzed man was brought to Jesus, and our typical reaction is to think that he probably wants to walk more than anything else! But we can’t see into another’s heart, and Jesus can. In that man’s heart Jesus saw fear- which is why he told him to have courage. Jesus also saw a need for forgiveness- which is why he pardoned his sins. Jesus knows that living life with courage and inner peace- even if one is unable to walk- is much better than limping along with fear and guilt.
Yes, Jesus did eventually heal the man- in order to prove a point to his critics. But we aren’t Jesus’ critics; we’re his friends. And the point he proves to us is that his gifts to us may not always be what we want; they may not be things we think we need; they won’t necessarily make our lives easier. But they will always make us better people, because Jesus knows what is best. A genie won’t do that! But thankfully, Jesus is no genie. Instead, he is our Lord.
Readings for today's Mass: http://www.usccb.org/nab/063011.shtml
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Monday, June 27, 2011
Tuesday of Ordinary 13
The older I get, the harder I find it to stay asleep through the whole night. Squawking birds, rumbling trucks, flushing toilets, the dog pacing downstairs- something’s always waking me up. So I find it hard to imagine Jesus sleeping on a rocking boat in the midst of a violent storm. Perhaps he was really tired. Or maybe we’re to understand Jesus’ peacefulness in the midst of chaos as a contrast to the panic of his disciples. They had freaked out. But they wouldn’t have done so, according to Jesus, if only they’d had faith.
Are there things in our life that we’re anxious about, but shouldn’t be? Things that lead us to say to the Lord: “How come you aren’t paying attention? Don’t you see how important this is? Aren’t you concerned about my well-being and happiness? Are you asleep?”
At times we’re all tempted to think that God doesn’t care. But God does care. It’s just that he doesn’t always see things we way we do. That’s why we need faith. With faith, we can purify our perspectives, priorities, and expectations. With faith, we remember that while God always gives us what we need, he doesn’t always give us what we want. With faith, we can be grateful for what we have instead of frustrated over what we don’t. With faith, we can be happy in the present instead of thinking that we’ll only be happy in a future that may never come. With faith, we understand that everything happens for a reason. With faith, we’re assured that God is always with us, surrounding us with love, giving us the grace to do what he wants us to do. With faith, we’ll know the peace that only Jesus can give.
Life can indeed be hard. But as he was with his disciples, Jesus is in the same boat with us. He invites us to faith, so he can replace our “violent storms,” with “great calm.”
Readings for today's Mass: http://www.usccb.org/nab/062811.shtml
Are there things in our life that we’re anxious about, but shouldn’t be? Things that lead us to say to the Lord: “How come you aren’t paying attention? Don’t you see how important this is? Aren’t you concerned about my well-being and happiness? Are you asleep?”
At times we’re all tempted to think that God doesn’t care. But God does care. It’s just that he doesn’t always see things we way we do. That’s why we need faith. With faith, we can purify our perspectives, priorities, and expectations. With faith, we remember that while God always gives us what we need, he doesn’t always give us what we want. With faith, we can be grateful for what we have instead of frustrated over what we don’t. With faith, we can be happy in the present instead of thinking that we’ll only be happy in a future that may never come. With faith, we understand that everything happens for a reason. With faith, we’re assured that God is always with us, surrounding us with love, giving us the grace to do what he wants us to do. With faith, we’ll know the peace that only Jesus can give.
Life can indeed be hard. But as he was with his disciples, Jesus is in the same boat with us. He invites us to faith, so he can replace our “violent storms,” with “great calm.”
Readings for today's Mass: http://www.usccb.org/nab/062811.shtml
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Monday of Ordinary 13
“How not to be a follower of Jesus” would be an appropriate title, I think, for the gospel we just heard. If you’ll recall, we were introduced to two characters. The first promised that he would follow Jesus wherever he would go. Yet Jesus replies to this boast with a warning. Unlike the foxes and birds, Jesus said, he had nowhere to lay his head. In other words, our Lord was telling this person that following him might be a bit more challenging than he imagined, and that he might wish to think twice before signing on the bottom line. In a sense, Jesus was asking: “Are you sure you want to follow me? Do you really know what you’re getting into?”
The second character we meet agrees to follow Jesus, but only after he has buried his father. Now we have to understand that this person’s father was not dead. His father was living, and he wanted to stay nearby. In effect, this person was saying: “I’d like to follow you, Jesus, but only when it’s more convenient. It’s just not the right time; I have other things I want to do first.” Jesus’ response that the dead should bury their own dead was his way of saying that following him is more important than anything else we might do.
The witness of these two individuals serves to remind us that if we truly want to be disciples of Christ, we need to be prepared to make significant changes in our life, and make them right away. In other words, authentic discipleship is not an afterthought or just a part time activity, but should instead be our top priority that absolutely defines who we are and what we do. We’re called to serve, not according to our own plan and out own timetable, but God’s. In the words of St. Alphonsus Liguori, “We must love God, then, in the way that pleases him, and not just in a way that suits ourselves.”
http://www.usccb.org/nab/062711.shtml
The second character we meet agrees to follow Jesus, but only after he has buried his father. Now we have to understand that this person’s father was not dead. His father was living, and he wanted to stay nearby. In effect, this person was saying: “I’d like to follow you, Jesus, but only when it’s more convenient. It’s just not the right time; I have other things I want to do first.” Jesus’ response that the dead should bury their own dead was his way of saying that following him is more important than anything else we might do.
The witness of these two individuals serves to remind us that if we truly want to be disciples of Christ, we need to be prepared to make significant changes in our life, and make them right away. In other words, authentic discipleship is not an afterthought or just a part time activity, but should instead be our top priority that absolutely defines who we are and what we do. We’re called to serve, not according to our own plan and out own timetable, but God’s. In the words of St. Alphonsus Liguori, “We must love God, then, in the way that pleases him, and not just in a way that suits ourselves.”
http://www.usccb.org/nab/062711.shtml
Friday, June 24, 2011
Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ
I grew up in a Navy family, which meant that when I was a kid, my dad was often away from home while his ship was on a cruise. Fortunately, dad spent only one Christmas out at sea- the Christmas of ’73. I remember my mom and the other ship’s wives putting together a huge care package of cookies and other goodies they hoped could be delivered to the ship by Christmas. It wasn’t a guarantee that it could happen. But I remember how happy everyone was to learn that, in spite of rough seas, a helicopter delivered the crate on Christmas day itself.
Receiving that care package meant a lot to my dad and his shipmates. If you’ve ever been away from home- at summer camp, school, the military, Peace Corps, whatever- you know how wonderful it is to receive a care package. It’s a little bit of home we can enjoy while we’re away from home, sent by those who love us.
Today- Corpus Christi Sunday- or more properly, the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ- is a day we celebrate God’s gift of the Eucharist: a gift we might think of as a care package from God. You and I are far from home, because Scripture tells us that our true home is in heaven. In the Eucharist, however, our loving God gives us a little taste of our heavenly homeland, so we can begin to experience what it will be like.
Consider what Jesus said in today’s gospel. He spoke of a “living bread come down from heaven.” This heavenly bread is the Eucharist; it’s bread from our true home. But this bread is more than just bread. Jesus explained that those who eat it will live forever. So not only does this bread come from heaven. It also allows us, even now, to begin to enjoy the eternal life promised us in heaven.
Of course, there’s a danger in equating the Eucharist with a care package. There’s a big difference between heavenly bread and homemade cookies. We don’t want to risk minimizing the importance of the Eucharist or misunderstanding what it is. So maybe we should consider another analogy.
Many of you know that I’m a runner. As a runner, I’ve learned that what I eat, and when I eat it, is critically important. To begin with, runners need carbs for fuel. You’ve probably heard of runners “carbo-loading” on pasta in the days leading up to a long race. In addition, it’s also important that runners eat during a long race- typically little energy gels or beans which pack carbs, electrolytes, and even caffeine. Also, it’s important to eat right after a race for muscle recovery- typically a bagel and a banana. In short, to run well, one needs to eat well- before, during, and after a race. Because if you don’t, you’ll slow down, conk out, or get hurt.
St. Paul tells us that our spiritual life is something like a race- an endurance run in which we need to persevere and keep our eyes on our heavenly goal. “Run in such a way as to get the prize,” Paul told the Corinthian church. In this race, just like in road running, we need to eat well in order to run well. And the food we need for this spiritual journey is the Eucharist.
But what sort of nourishment does the Eucharist give us for our journey? We already know that it gives us a taste of heaven. But it gives more than that. In today’s gospel, Jesus said: “I am the bread from heaven.” This bread is Jesus! Or more precisely, at Mass bread becomes Jesus. It doesn’t simply remind us of Jesus; nor is it merely symbolic of Jesus. It is Jesus: His “body, blood, soul, and divinity.”
During televised coverage of the Pope’s Mass at National Stadium a few years ago, one obviously non-Catholic commentator said: “This is when the bread is ‘transmorgified’ into Jesus.” Now, you can read the Catechism from cover to cover and not find anything about “transmorgification.” What you can read about, however, is “transubstantiation.” It’s a fancy Catholic word loaded with philosophy. At its heart, however, transubstantiation means that something becomes something else while continuing to look the same. In our case, bread becomes Jesus. It may still taste like bread. But what it nourishes us with is the very life of God. And it is life that we need, more than anything, as we continue our spiritual journey.
We ask for this whenever we pray the Our Father and say: “Give us this day our daily bread.” With these words, we aren’t just asking that God provide us with essential things like food, clothing, and shelter. The word we translate as “daily” is a rare Greek word found nowhere else in the Bible. It’s means “super-essential” or “more than essential.” And it refers to the bread-become-Jesus in the Eucharist.
It’s good that we think of the Eucharist as “daily bread” because we need the nourishment it gives us in our daily lives. We need Jesus. And there’s no better way to meet him, and receive him, than in the Eucharist. That’s why daily Mass has become an important part of Catholic spirituality. Every one of the 140 parish churches in the Archdiocese of Washington has a Mass celebrated every day. Here at St. Hugh’s it’s celebrated at 7:15 a.m. Monday-Friday, and 8:30 a.m. on Saturdays. Some churches in business areas offer Mass at Noon, to accommodate the lunchtime crowd. And other churches have Masses in the late afternoon to catch folks coming home from work.
It’s not possible for most of us to attend Mass each day. But we can make it a Sunday priority, and try to come as often as we can, so we can enjoy God’s care package of love, and have the fuel we need to run our race until we finally arrive at our heavenly home.
Readings for today's Mass: http://www.usccb.org/nab/062611.shtml
Receiving that care package meant a lot to my dad and his shipmates. If you’ve ever been away from home- at summer camp, school, the military, Peace Corps, whatever- you know how wonderful it is to receive a care package. It’s a little bit of home we can enjoy while we’re away from home, sent by those who love us.
Today- Corpus Christi Sunday- or more properly, the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ- is a day we celebrate God’s gift of the Eucharist: a gift we might think of as a care package from God. You and I are far from home, because Scripture tells us that our true home is in heaven. In the Eucharist, however, our loving God gives us a little taste of our heavenly homeland, so we can begin to experience what it will be like.
Consider what Jesus said in today’s gospel. He spoke of a “living bread come down from heaven.” This heavenly bread is the Eucharist; it’s bread from our true home. But this bread is more than just bread. Jesus explained that those who eat it will live forever. So not only does this bread come from heaven. It also allows us, even now, to begin to enjoy the eternal life promised us in heaven.
Of course, there’s a danger in equating the Eucharist with a care package. There’s a big difference between heavenly bread and homemade cookies. We don’t want to risk minimizing the importance of the Eucharist or misunderstanding what it is. So maybe we should consider another analogy.
Many of you know that I’m a runner. As a runner, I’ve learned that what I eat, and when I eat it, is critically important. To begin with, runners need carbs for fuel. You’ve probably heard of runners “carbo-loading” on pasta in the days leading up to a long race. In addition, it’s also important that runners eat during a long race- typically little energy gels or beans which pack carbs, electrolytes, and even caffeine. Also, it’s important to eat right after a race for muscle recovery- typically a bagel and a banana. In short, to run well, one needs to eat well- before, during, and after a race. Because if you don’t, you’ll slow down, conk out, or get hurt.
St. Paul tells us that our spiritual life is something like a race- an endurance run in which we need to persevere and keep our eyes on our heavenly goal. “Run in such a way as to get the prize,” Paul told the Corinthian church. In this race, just like in road running, we need to eat well in order to run well. And the food we need for this spiritual journey is the Eucharist.
But what sort of nourishment does the Eucharist give us for our journey? We already know that it gives us a taste of heaven. But it gives more than that. In today’s gospel, Jesus said: “I am the bread from heaven.” This bread is Jesus! Or more precisely, at Mass bread becomes Jesus. It doesn’t simply remind us of Jesus; nor is it merely symbolic of Jesus. It is Jesus: His “body, blood, soul, and divinity.”
During televised coverage of the Pope’s Mass at National Stadium a few years ago, one obviously non-Catholic commentator said: “This is when the bread is ‘transmorgified’ into Jesus.” Now, you can read the Catechism from cover to cover and not find anything about “transmorgification.” What you can read about, however, is “transubstantiation.” It’s a fancy Catholic word loaded with philosophy. At its heart, however, transubstantiation means that something becomes something else while continuing to look the same. In our case, bread becomes Jesus. It may still taste like bread. But what it nourishes us with is the very life of God. And it is life that we need, more than anything, as we continue our spiritual journey.
We ask for this whenever we pray the Our Father and say: “Give us this day our daily bread.” With these words, we aren’t just asking that God provide us with essential things like food, clothing, and shelter. The word we translate as “daily” is a rare Greek word found nowhere else in the Bible. It’s means “super-essential” or “more than essential.” And it refers to the bread-become-Jesus in the Eucharist.
It’s good that we think of the Eucharist as “daily bread” because we need the nourishment it gives us in our daily lives. We need Jesus. And there’s no better way to meet him, and receive him, than in the Eucharist. That’s why daily Mass has become an important part of Catholic spirituality. Every one of the 140 parish churches in the Archdiocese of Washington has a Mass celebrated every day. Here at St. Hugh’s it’s celebrated at 7:15 a.m. Monday-Friday, and 8:30 a.m. on Saturdays. Some churches in business areas offer Mass at Noon, to accommodate the lunchtime crowd. And other churches have Masses in the late afternoon to catch folks coming home from work.
It’s not possible for most of us to attend Mass each day. But we can make it a Sunday priority, and try to come as often as we can, so we can enjoy God’s care package of love, and have the fuel we need to run our race until we finally arrive at our heavenly home.
Readings for today's Mass: http://www.usccb.org/nab/062611.shtml
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Nativity of St. John the Baptist
Today we celebrate the birthday of St. John the Baptist. We don't decorate trees, send card, or exchange presents as we do on Christmas. But I don't think that John the Baptist minds that his birthday is celebrated with less fanfare than that of our Lord. You'll recall that he once said about Jesus: "He must increase, but I must decrease."
In fact, it's thanks to these words that we celebrate John the Baptist's birthday today. Because from this point on, daily sunlight will decrease until we arrive at the birthday celebration of Jesus, when daily sunlight will begin to increase.
John the Baptist knew that his mission was to prepare the way for Jesus. He lived his life, not to promote himself, but to promote the Lord. In this, John the Baptist is an important witness for us and challenges our society's preoccupation with self-promotion. He reminds us that Christians shouldn't aspire to be a celebrity, but should strive to be a servant. We should live lives that shout not "Look at me!" but "Look to Jesus."
This is not to say that John the Baptist was not important. He was incredibly important! That's why each of the four gospels begins the story of Jesus' public ministry, by first telling the story of John the Baptist.
You and I may be called to positions of importance: in the workplace, in society, in the church. But there's a big difference between being important and self-important. John the Baptist bears witness to that.
So happy birthday, St. John. Like you, may we live our lives, not for ourselves, but for Jesus.
In fact, it's thanks to these words that we celebrate John the Baptist's birthday today. Because from this point on, daily sunlight will decrease until we arrive at the birthday celebration of Jesus, when daily sunlight will begin to increase.
John the Baptist knew that his mission was to prepare the way for Jesus. He lived his life, not to promote himself, but to promote the Lord. In this, John the Baptist is an important witness for us and challenges our society's preoccupation with self-promotion. He reminds us that Christians shouldn't aspire to be a celebrity, but should strive to be a servant. We should live lives that shout not "Look at me!" but "Look to Jesus."
This is not to say that John the Baptist was not important. He was incredibly important! That's why each of the four gospels begins the story of Jesus' public ministry, by first telling the story of John the Baptist.
You and I may be called to positions of importance: in the workplace, in society, in the church. But there's a big difference between being important and self-important. John the Baptist bears witness to that.
So happy birthday, St. John. Like you, may we live our lives, not for ourselves, but for Jesus.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Thursday of Ordinary 12
St. John of the Cross wrote: "From my observation, our Lord is to a great extent unknown by those who claim to be his friends." I thought of these words as I reflected on today's gospel.
Jesus spoke of those who called him "Lord," and who even claimed to have acted in his name. Nevertheless, Jesus said, they never really knew him. These words remind us that cultivating a personal relationship with the Lord needs to be a priority in our life, not an afterthought.
Our Lord gives us clues on how to do this in today's gospel reading. First, we need to listen to him as he speaks to us through Scripture, Church teaching, and in prayer. Yet we need to do more than listen. We also need to act. "Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them," explained Jesus, "will be like a wise man who built his house on rock." On the other hand, Jesus describes the person who listens but does not act as a fool.
A young student once asked German theologian Karl Rahner what books he should read in order to grow in faith. "No books!" Father Rahner replied. "Go instead and serve the city's poor." That young person needed to act, in addition to all his "listening."
And so do we. Today, each of us is challenged to be wise- to build our houses upon rock- by listening to Jesus, and acting in his name- that we might know him, as a true friend.
Jesus spoke of those who called him "Lord," and who even claimed to have acted in his name. Nevertheless, Jesus said, they never really knew him. These words remind us that cultivating a personal relationship with the Lord needs to be a priority in our life, not an afterthought.
Our Lord gives us clues on how to do this in today's gospel reading. First, we need to listen to him as he speaks to us through Scripture, Church teaching, and in prayer. Yet we need to do more than listen. We also need to act. "Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them," explained Jesus, "will be like a wise man who built his house on rock." On the other hand, Jesus describes the person who listens but does not act as a fool.
A young student once asked German theologian Karl Rahner what books he should read in order to grow in faith. "No books!" Father Rahner replied. "Go instead and serve the city's poor." That young person needed to act, in addition to all his "listening."
And so do we. Today, each of us is challenged to be wise- to build our houses upon rock- by listening to Jesus, and acting in his name- that we might know him, as a true friend.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Wednesday of Ordinary 12
It’s a good idea, from time to time, to ask ourselves the question: “How do other people feel when they spend time with us?” Or to put it another way: “How to others respond to who we are and what we do?” For instance:
1. Does our anger leave them angry or scared?
2. Does our arrogance make them feel small or humiliated?
3. Does our negativity or cynicism turn them off?
4. Are we so rushed and anxious that others feel they’re bothering or pestering us?
5. Does our insistence on always being right or in control make them feel guarded or defensive?
6. Do we come on too strong, leaving others feeling pressured and driving them away?
7. Or, do others share the joy and peace that radiates through us?
8. Do they feel loved, respected, and accepted because we receive them with attentiveness and genuine concern?
9. When they are in our presence, can others discern something of the presence of God?
Our answers to these questions can help us see, to borrow our Lord’s words from today’s gospel, if the fruits we bear in our lives, are true reflections of a healthy faith and the grace of the Holy Spirit. The challenge for us as Christians is to be known by good fruits, so that by those fruits, God himself might be known.
Readings for today's Mass: http://www.usccb.org/nab/062211.shtml
1. Does our anger leave them angry or scared?
2. Does our arrogance make them feel small or humiliated?
3. Does our negativity or cynicism turn them off?
4. Are we so rushed and anxious that others feel they’re bothering or pestering us?
5. Does our insistence on always being right or in control make them feel guarded or defensive?
6. Do we come on too strong, leaving others feeling pressured and driving them away?
7. Or, do others share the joy and peace that radiates through us?
8. Do they feel loved, respected, and accepted because we receive them with attentiveness and genuine concern?
9. When they are in our presence, can others discern something of the presence of God?
Our answers to these questions can help us see, to borrow our Lord’s words from today’s gospel, if the fruits we bear in our lives, are true reflections of a healthy faith and the grace of the Holy Spirit. The challenge for us as Christians is to be known by good fruits, so that by those fruits, God himself might be known.
Readings for today's Mass: http://www.usccb.org/nab/062211.shtml
Monday, June 20, 2011
Tuesday of Ordinary 12
A servant’s heart should characterize every Christian. Yet not every Christian lives the life of a servant. I think this is part of what Jesus laments in today’s gospel when he says that not many people find their way through the narrow gate.
Unfortunately, we have a culture that discourages us from becoming servants. Instead, it conditions us to be selfish, and to think only of our own needs. Consider how marriage is typically understood these days. So often our primary concern is, “Am I happy in my marriage?” Which is a fair question to ask. But as servants, should not the primary concern be instead, “Is my spouse happy in our marriage?” Whether we’re married or not, we can easily become so concerned about ourselves and our needs, that we forget about the needs of all those people God has given us to love: family, friends, neighbors, co-workers…whomever. We wind up waiting for other people to make us happy. They in turn wait for us to make them happy! And everyone winds up unhappy.
But Jesus tells us, “Do to others what you would have them do to you.” Think about that. If we really followed this “Golden Rule,” how might our relationships change? How might we change? It’s all about thinking of others first. It’s all about having a “servant’s heart.” Some would call this a “paradigm shift,” and it is! But Jesus says, quite simply, that it is the way to “life.”
Readings for today's Mass: http://www.usccb.org/nab/062111.shtml
Unfortunately, we have a culture that discourages us from becoming servants. Instead, it conditions us to be selfish, and to think only of our own needs. Consider how marriage is typically understood these days. So often our primary concern is, “Am I happy in my marriage?” Which is a fair question to ask. But as servants, should not the primary concern be instead, “Is my spouse happy in our marriage?” Whether we’re married or not, we can easily become so concerned about ourselves and our needs, that we forget about the needs of all those people God has given us to love: family, friends, neighbors, co-workers…whomever. We wind up waiting for other people to make us happy. They in turn wait for us to make them happy! And everyone winds up unhappy.
But Jesus tells us, “Do to others what you would have them do to you.” Think about that. If we really followed this “Golden Rule,” how might our relationships change? How might we change? It’s all about thinking of others first. It’s all about having a “servant’s heart.” Some would call this a “paradigm shift,” and it is! But Jesus says, quite simply, that it is the way to “life.”
Readings for today's Mass: http://www.usccb.org/nab/062111.shtml
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Monday of Ordinary 12
No marriage is truly successful, I’ve heard it said, unless husband and wife are each other’s best critic. And, it’s conventional wisdom that effective parenting involves establishing fair but consistent boundaries for children. In both of these activities, making sound judgments is an essential component.
This is good to remember when considering today’s gospel. We do need to judge others’ actions; Jesus doesn’t deny this. What he does insist is that we examine our motives before we do.
We usually can’t judge a person’s motives. We can judge what they do, however. But before we do, we need to consider our motives. That’s because when we judge, we assume a measure of moral authority. And that carries with it great potential to hurt the person whose actions are being judged. We know this, and that’s why criticisms are frequently employed as weapons in arguments, tools of manipulation, or expressions of our own insecurities. It’s true that we most criticize in others those things we dislike about ourselves.
The only proper motive for making a judgment is love. When we judge another’s actions, it should be with the intention that they mature as a human being, grow in holiness, and that our relationship with them might deepen. That’s loving judgment. Just as God loves, when he judges us.
Readings for today's Mass: http://www.usccb.org/nab/062011.shtml
This is good to remember when considering today’s gospel. We do need to judge others’ actions; Jesus doesn’t deny this. What he does insist is that we examine our motives before we do.
We usually can’t judge a person’s motives. We can judge what they do, however. But before we do, we need to consider our motives. That’s because when we judge, we assume a measure of moral authority. And that carries with it great potential to hurt the person whose actions are being judged. We know this, and that’s why criticisms are frequently employed as weapons in arguments, tools of manipulation, or expressions of our own insecurities. It’s true that we most criticize in others those things we dislike about ourselves.
The only proper motive for making a judgment is love. When we judge another’s actions, it should be with the intention that they mature as a human being, grow in holiness, and that our relationship with them might deepen. That’s loving judgment. Just as God loves, when he judges us.
Readings for today's Mass: http://www.usccb.org/nab/062011.shtml
Friday, June 17, 2011
Trinity Sunday
Have you ever wondered what heaven will be like? People sometimes ask if there are dogs in heaven, and I happen to think there will be. Sometimes people wonder what we’ll do in heaven. As one bumper sticker proclaims: “If there’s no golf in heaven, I’m not going!” And it’s not unheard of for parents to assure their children that thunder is simply the sound of God bowling in heaven. I can’t say for sure if there is golf or bowling in heaven. But if there is, I promise you that there will be no golf widows, and nobody will bowl alone.
I say this because “Bowling Alone” is the title of a recent book from a Harvard professor which speaks about our society’s increasing fragmentation, and how we’ve become more and more disconnected from each other. Over the past 25 years we’ve experienced a huge drop in the number of people participating in clubs and other organizations, having friends over, and attending family dinners. We have seen an increase in the number of people who bowl. But they don’t bowl in leagues. Increasingly, we bowl alone.
But in heaven, nobody will have to bowl alone. Why? Because God is a Trinity. Now, if I lost you just there, bear with me. Understanding the Trinity is critically important. It’s easy for us to dismiss the Trinity as a mystery of faith we accept simply because we’re Catholics. But it’s essential that we understand the Trinity, because it will help us understand ourselves, and appreciate why there is no solitary bowling in heaven.
We became Christians when we were baptized- as Jesus’ instructed in today’s gospel- “in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” Because of this, as St. Paul explained in our second reading, we received the Holy Spirit into our hearts, making us children of God with Jesus our brother, who call upon God the Father as Abba, or “Dad.” Through baptism, we are united with all three persons of the Trinity in such a way that we share in the very life of God. And God’s life is a sharing of love between three Persons: Father, Son, Holy Spirit. You and I have been created in the image of the Trinity. This means that you and I were made to share love. And this can only be done in community. With others. Never alone.
It’s true that as Christians we believe in one God, not three. But we believe in one God in three Persons, so perfectly united by love that they are indeed one. This is important. Because if God were ONLY one, then we might understand God as being lonely. Which could mean that you and I, as God creation, might simply be an expression of God’s neediness, God’s boredom, God’s loneliness. We might be nothing more than God’s distraction, or God’s hobby. If God is alone, it would mean that you and I would have been created to be alone too. To be lonely as God is lonely. To bowl alone.
But God is not simply one. He is three-in-one. A community of persons united in love. Therefore, there’s no chance that we’re merely expressions of God’s neediness. Instead, we’re an expression of God’s love. Perfect love, which God is, is giving, generous, overflowing. It can’t contain itself. You and I might understand ourselves, then, as an overflowing of God’s love. And since we’re made in God’s image, we can say that we’re both created by overflowing love, and created for overflowing love. Which makes our existence both a gift, and a possibility- a possibility to give and receive love the way God does: a perfect love without conditions, without limits.
Sometimes, however, encountering such love in this life can remain only a possibility. We may experience love, but it is far from perfect. What we thought was love ends up not really being love at all. We’ve wound up being hurt, abandoned, used, left behind. We’ve confused physical intimacy with love. Friends and family may have turned their backs on us when the going got rough, or because they were looking for greener pastures. We may not have wanted to bowl alone. But we wound up doing so anyway.
When this happens, we can be understandably angry. It’s as if we’re being cheated out of something we were meant to have. We say: “This isn’t fair! This isn’t the way it should be!” And we’d be absolutely right. Because we’ve been made for something much better than this.
Now, it may be that we are deeply blessed by the love of others in this life; hopefully others are blessed by our love too. But any and all human love, this side of the veil, is always imperfect, however good it may be. It’s only in heaven that we will experience love in all its fullness, in all its perfection. The brokenness we experience here, will be healed and restored there. In heaven, we will finally be able to love, and be loved, the way God intended us to. The way he created us to do. The way God the Holy Trinity does. In this life we often say, “You always hurt the ones you love.” But in heaven, we’ll finally be able to say, “Love means never having to say you’re sorry.”
While we wait and hope and pray for such love, it’s important that we keep trying to love as best we can, and be grateful for the love we receive. We can’t give up, retreat into ourselves, or get stuck in cynicism. We need to keep reaching out, keep trying, keep forgiving. We need to have realistic expectations about our relationships with others, all the while trying to grow in our relationship with God, as we set our sights on heaven.
So what will heaven be like? Will there be dogs? I wouldn’t be surprised. Golf and bowling? Perhaps. But bowling alone? Not a chance.
I say this because “Bowling Alone” is the title of a recent book from a Harvard professor which speaks about our society’s increasing fragmentation, and how we’ve become more and more disconnected from each other. Over the past 25 years we’ve experienced a huge drop in the number of people participating in clubs and other organizations, having friends over, and attending family dinners. We have seen an increase in the number of people who bowl. But they don’t bowl in leagues. Increasingly, we bowl alone.
But in heaven, nobody will have to bowl alone. Why? Because God is a Trinity. Now, if I lost you just there, bear with me. Understanding the Trinity is critically important. It’s easy for us to dismiss the Trinity as a mystery of faith we accept simply because we’re Catholics. But it’s essential that we understand the Trinity, because it will help us understand ourselves, and appreciate why there is no solitary bowling in heaven.
We became Christians when we were baptized- as Jesus’ instructed in today’s gospel- “in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” Because of this, as St. Paul explained in our second reading, we received the Holy Spirit into our hearts, making us children of God with Jesus our brother, who call upon God the Father as Abba, or “Dad.” Through baptism, we are united with all three persons of the Trinity in such a way that we share in the very life of God. And God’s life is a sharing of love between three Persons: Father, Son, Holy Spirit. You and I have been created in the image of the Trinity. This means that you and I were made to share love. And this can only be done in community. With others. Never alone.
It’s true that as Christians we believe in one God, not three. But we believe in one God in three Persons, so perfectly united by love that they are indeed one. This is important. Because if God were ONLY one, then we might understand God as being lonely. Which could mean that you and I, as God creation, might simply be an expression of God’s neediness, God’s boredom, God’s loneliness. We might be nothing more than God’s distraction, or God’s hobby. If God is alone, it would mean that you and I would have been created to be alone too. To be lonely as God is lonely. To bowl alone.
But God is not simply one. He is three-in-one. A community of persons united in love. Therefore, there’s no chance that we’re merely expressions of God’s neediness. Instead, we’re an expression of God’s love. Perfect love, which God is, is giving, generous, overflowing. It can’t contain itself. You and I might understand ourselves, then, as an overflowing of God’s love. And since we’re made in God’s image, we can say that we’re both created by overflowing love, and created for overflowing love. Which makes our existence both a gift, and a possibility- a possibility to give and receive love the way God does: a perfect love without conditions, without limits.
Sometimes, however, encountering such love in this life can remain only a possibility. We may experience love, but it is far from perfect. What we thought was love ends up not really being love at all. We’ve wound up being hurt, abandoned, used, left behind. We’ve confused physical intimacy with love. Friends and family may have turned their backs on us when the going got rough, or because they were looking for greener pastures. We may not have wanted to bowl alone. But we wound up doing so anyway.
When this happens, we can be understandably angry. It’s as if we’re being cheated out of something we were meant to have. We say: “This isn’t fair! This isn’t the way it should be!” And we’d be absolutely right. Because we’ve been made for something much better than this.
Now, it may be that we are deeply blessed by the love of others in this life; hopefully others are blessed by our love too. But any and all human love, this side of the veil, is always imperfect, however good it may be. It’s only in heaven that we will experience love in all its fullness, in all its perfection. The brokenness we experience here, will be healed and restored there. In heaven, we will finally be able to love, and be loved, the way God intended us to. The way he created us to do. The way God the Holy Trinity does. In this life we often say, “You always hurt the ones you love.” But in heaven, we’ll finally be able to say, “Love means never having to say you’re sorry.”
While we wait and hope and pray for such love, it’s important that we keep trying to love as best we can, and be grateful for the love we receive. We can’t give up, retreat into ourselves, or get stuck in cynicism. We need to keep reaching out, keep trying, keep forgiving. We need to have realistic expectations about our relationships with others, all the while trying to grow in our relationship with God, as we set our sights on heaven.
So what will heaven be like? Will there be dogs? I wouldn’t be surprised. Golf and bowling? Perhaps. But bowling alone? Not a chance.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Friday of Ordinary 11
One standard but dreaded job interview question is: “Tell me your greatest weakness.” When asked this question, one expert recommends admitting only to a minor weakness that we’re in the process of fixing. In other words, don’t really answer the question, because weaknesses are considered a liability in society and the workplace. That’s why we usually deny, defend, excuse, hide, or resent our weaknesses.
The truth is that we all have a bundle of weaknesses: Physical, emotional, and intellectual. Some of us have financial limitations or difficult relationships. In addition, we all struggle with a weakened, fallen human nature which inclines us to sin.
God is well aware of our weaknesses. However, he doesn’t necessarily see them as liabilities. Instead, he wants to use them for our benefit, other’s benefit, and for his glory. St. Paul knew this. That’s why, in today’s first reading, he wrote, “If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.” Paul admitted his weaknesses and came to accept them as part of God’s plan for his life. God challenges us to do the same with our own.
If we do this, we’ll discover that our weaknesses can serve very useful purposes: They cause us to depend on God instead of ourselves; they keep us from being proud and arrogant; they build community, as they lead us to realize how much we need each other; and they help us to be more sympathetic, compassionate, and understanding people.
We’re asked “What is your greatest weakness?” in job interviews because potential employers want to find out A) What’s wrong with you? and B) How much of a risk are you? The good news is that God already knows what’s wrong with us, and he’s already given us the job of being his disciple. And if we let him, he can turn a great weakness, into a great strength.
Readings for today's Mass: http://www.usccb.org/nab/061711.shtml
The truth is that we all have a bundle of weaknesses: Physical, emotional, and intellectual. Some of us have financial limitations or difficult relationships. In addition, we all struggle with a weakened, fallen human nature which inclines us to sin.
God is well aware of our weaknesses. However, he doesn’t necessarily see them as liabilities. Instead, he wants to use them for our benefit, other’s benefit, and for his glory. St. Paul knew this. That’s why, in today’s first reading, he wrote, “If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.” Paul admitted his weaknesses and came to accept them as part of God’s plan for his life. God challenges us to do the same with our own.
If we do this, we’ll discover that our weaknesses can serve very useful purposes: They cause us to depend on God instead of ourselves; they keep us from being proud and arrogant; they build community, as they lead us to realize how much we need each other; and they help us to be more sympathetic, compassionate, and understanding people.
We’re asked “What is your greatest weakness?” in job interviews because potential employers want to find out A) What’s wrong with you? and B) How much of a risk are you? The good news is that God already knows what’s wrong with us, and he’s already given us the job of being his disciple. And if we let him, he can turn a great weakness, into a great strength.
Readings for today's Mass: http://www.usccb.org/nab/061711.shtml
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Thursday of Ordinary 11
Frustrated parents sometimes complain that shouting is the only way to get their kids attention. Sometimes people approach prayer this way too. They think God will hear them only if they pray long enough and hard enough. They’re like the people Jesus referred to in today’s gospel, who hope that they’ll be heard because of their many words.
Prayer isn’t about getting God’s attention, however. We already have God’s attention! In fact, it’s God who inspires our prayer in the first place. Prayer also isn’t about telling God things he doesn’t know. Jesus said that God knows what we need even before we ask him.
But we might ask: If God knows our needs, and is attentive to us all the time, why do we need to pray? Or to put it another way: If our Father in heaven wants to give us our daily bread, why does Jesus teach us to ask him for it?
The reason is that God isn’t going to impose something on us we don’t want, even if it’s something he knows we really need. In his love for us, God wants us to want what we wants to give us; he wants us to ask for what we need to receive, not because he needs to hear it, but because we need to know that it is God alone who can supply our needs. In other words, prayer never informs God; but prayer can, and does, form us.
Readings for today's Mass: http://www.usccb.org/nab/061611.shtml
Prayer isn’t about getting God’s attention, however. We already have God’s attention! In fact, it’s God who inspires our prayer in the first place. Prayer also isn’t about telling God things he doesn’t know. Jesus said that God knows what we need even before we ask him.
But we might ask: If God knows our needs, and is attentive to us all the time, why do we need to pray? Or to put it another way: If our Father in heaven wants to give us our daily bread, why does Jesus teach us to ask him for it?
The reason is that God isn’t going to impose something on us we don’t want, even if it’s something he knows we really need. In his love for us, God wants us to want what we wants to give us; he wants us to ask for what we need to receive, not because he needs to hear it, but because we need to know that it is God alone who can supply our needs. In other words, prayer never informs God; but prayer can, and does, form us.
Readings for today's Mass: http://www.usccb.org/nab/061611.shtml
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Wednesday of Ordinary 11
If we were put on trial for being Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict us? Would there be witnesses who could attest to our faith? In circumstances like that, we would certainly want our family, friends, neighbors and coworkers to be well aware of our Christianity! The fact is, Jesus does want other people to see our faith in action, because it can change their lives.
A former drug addict shared with me that his cure began when he joined a vibrant young adult prayer group. When I asked him why, he said, “I could see that they had something that I needed!”
It’s Jesus’ hope that others will look at us and want what it is we have. He wants people to see our good works. It’s one of the ways he builds up his church. And it’s one of the ways we evangelize.
Evangelism, however, is about drawing attention to Jesus, and not drawing attention to ourselves. That’s why, in today’s gospel, Jesus warned against praying, fasting, and giving in order to impress other people. To do that is self-glorification, and it’s a real temptation in our culture. But as Christians, who we’re called to glorify is not ourselves, but our Lord.
Readings for today's Mass: http://www.usccb.org/nab/061511.shtml
A former drug addict shared with me that his cure began when he joined a vibrant young adult prayer group. When I asked him why, he said, “I could see that they had something that I needed!”
It’s Jesus’ hope that others will look at us and want what it is we have. He wants people to see our good works. It’s one of the ways he builds up his church. And it’s one of the ways we evangelize.
Evangelism, however, is about drawing attention to Jesus, and not drawing attention to ourselves. That’s why, in today’s gospel, Jesus warned against praying, fasting, and giving in order to impress other people. To do that is self-glorification, and it’s a real temptation in our culture. But as Christians, who we’re called to glorify is not ourselves, but our Lord.
Readings for today's Mass: http://www.usccb.org/nab/061511.shtml
Monday, June 13, 2011
Tuesday of Ordinary 11
A dear friend of mine wrestles the pain inflicted on her for years by her ex-husband, who might fairly be described as selfish, vindictive, callous, and immature. Because of her deep faith, however, my friend has received the strength to cope and persevere.
Her faith has, at times, made her feel smugly superior to her “ex.” She thought it made her look better than him in the eyes of others. She’s also harbored deep resentments against him, and would secretly rejoice whenever misfortune came his way.
Over time, my friend realized that her attitudes were incompatible with her faith. So she started to fast and pray for her ex-husband, asking that he himself might come to know the Lord and enjoy happiness and peace, even if she weren’t part of the picture.
My friend’s journey was inspired by Jesus’ words in today’s gospel. In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus asks each one of us to love unconditionally, just as our heavenly Father loves indiscriminately- including those who’ve hurt us, by hoping for their good, and praying for their salvation.
Readings for today's Mass: http://www.usccb.org/nab/061411.shtml
Her faith has, at times, made her feel smugly superior to her “ex.” She thought it made her look better than him in the eyes of others. She’s also harbored deep resentments against him, and would secretly rejoice whenever misfortune came his way.
Over time, my friend realized that her attitudes were incompatible with her faith. So she started to fast and pray for her ex-husband, asking that he himself might come to know the Lord and enjoy happiness and peace, even if she weren’t part of the picture.
My friend’s journey was inspired by Jesus’ words in today’s gospel. In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus asks each one of us to love unconditionally, just as our heavenly Father loves indiscriminately- including those who’ve hurt us, by hoping for their good, and praying for their salvation.
Readings for today's Mass: http://www.usccb.org/nab/061411.shtml
Monday of Ordinary 11
“Everyone says that forgiveness is a lovely idea,” wrote C.S. Lewis, “until they actually have something to forgive.” How true that is! When we’ve been hurt or betrayed, our typical knee-jerk reaction is to seek revenge and retribution. “Don’t get mad,” the saying goes, “get even!”
When we act this way, we may excuse our behavior by explaining that all we want is for justice to be done, and who can argue with that? In a similar vein, we might try to convince ourselves that we’ll never find peace or “closure” until the offending party has received his or her due.
Jesus, however, in today’s words from the Sermon on the Mount, rejects this “eye-for-an-eye” sort of ethic. He knows, and invites us to accept the radical truth that victims of injustice will find peace and closure, not through actions motivated by pain and hate, but through sincere forgiveness, motivated by grace and love.
Readings for today's Mass: http://www.usccb.org/nab/061311.shtml
When we act this way, we may excuse our behavior by explaining that all we want is for justice to be done, and who can argue with that? In a similar vein, we might try to convince ourselves that we’ll never find peace or “closure” until the offending party has received his or her due.
Jesus, however, in today’s words from the Sermon on the Mount, rejects this “eye-for-an-eye” sort of ethic. He knows, and invites us to accept the radical truth that victims of injustice will find peace and closure, not through actions motivated by pain and hate, but through sincere forgiveness, motivated by grace and love.
Readings for today's Mass: http://www.usccb.org/nab/061311.shtml
Friday, June 10, 2011
Solemnity of Pentecost
High in the Andes Mountains, 14,000 feet above sea level, stands a majestic statue of Jesus on the border of Argentina and Chile. It was constructed to celebrate the peaceful resolution of a border dispute between the two countries. In fact, the metal for the statue comes from guns the two nations had intended to use against each other. An inscription at the base of the statue reads: “He is our peace who has made both one.” This famous statue serves as a sign of the peace that the Son of God came to bring. We know that the risen Jesus greeted his friends by saying, “Peace be with you!” We might understand his words, however, as being intended for the whole world.
The truth is, Jesus wants peace amongst nations, within societies, and between people. Conflict, warfare, and division were not part of his Father’s plans for us. God created us to live in harmony with him and with each other. But when sin entered the picture, everything got fouled up.
That’s one lesson we take away from the story of the Tower of Babel, in our first reading. People, acting with sinful pride, attempted to displace God by constructing a tower into the heavens. And the results were disastrous! Humanity became scattered and divided- a division symbolized by the confusion of their language. Because they couldn’t understand each other anymore, chaos ensued, and there was no peace.
That kind of describes the situation today, doesn’t it? Our world is divided by culture, faith, wealth, and even more by attitudes towards power, authority, and cooperation. As a result, we experience a lack of peace.
Thankfully, God hasn’t left us to flounder in the mess we’ve made. He saw the situation, and he sent us the Holy Spirit at Pentecost to bring people together in peace. At that first Pentecost, the disciples proclaimed the good news of Jesus, everyone understood what they were saying- regardless of what language they spoke. The curse of the Tower of Babel was undone! The Holy Spirit, then and now, heals the divisions created by human pride and sin, by allowing people to communicate and understand each other once again.
Pentecost is traditionally referred to as the “Church’s birthday,” because the outpouring of the Holy Spirit marked the beginning of the Church’s mission to bring all people together in peace by being united in God. You and I participated in the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost when we received the Sacrament of Confirmation, and you and I are members of the Church. This means we have a responsibility to share in the Church’s mission by being agents of peace. To fulfill this mission, our recent popes have suggested several things we can do.
First of all, we can resist the pressures of our materialistic culture to possess more and more and to consume things at levels that ultimately deprive others. A world divided into “haves” and “haves not” is a world that will inevitably experience tensions and war. As Christians, we should strive to live simply, so that others may simply live. One way to do this is by being good stewards of the world’s resources and taking care of the environment. As Pope Benedict recently said, “Disregard for the environment always harms human coexistence, and vice versa. It becomes more and more evident that there is an inseparable link between peace with creation and peace among men.”
Another thing we can do to be peacemakers is to learn to be good communicators. As John Paul II said, “Language is made…for uniting.” We need to honestly but gently share our thoughts and feelings with others, seeking to be understood without resorting to threats or insults. At the same time, we can strive to really listen to others by giving our full attention and respect, and if they yell at us, we need to try to understand what might be the cause of their hurt.
Being a good communicator is never enough, however. The language of peace must be matched by gestures of peace. “It is the practice of peace that leads to peace,” to again quote John Paul II. We can strive to be forgiving, gentle, and generous. We can reject old rivalries, hatreds, and prejudices that history or our culture may try to impose on us. We can try to build bridges between societies and nations by reaching out in friendship, learning new languages, and offering any help we might be able to give. And we can work for and promote human rights like the right to life, religious freedom, freedom of thought and expression, and the rights to decent work, housing, education, food, and health care. “If you want peace,” said Pope Paul VI, “work for justice.”
In addition to working for peace, we must also pray for it. Peace will never come through our efforts alone, because peace is always a gift from God. It is human sin that creates divisions and destroys peace, and it is only by the grace of God that the effects of sin are undone and peace is restored. That’s why we must pray. We can pray for an end to warfare and violence; we can pray that world leaders will strive for peace; we can pray for justice and forgiveness between enemies; we can pray for our conversion, that we may turn from sin and give our lives to Christ, the prince of peace; and we can pray that God will help us to be peacemakers. Holy Spirit of Pentecost, help us all to spread your peace.
The truth is, Jesus wants peace amongst nations, within societies, and between people. Conflict, warfare, and division were not part of his Father’s plans for us. God created us to live in harmony with him and with each other. But when sin entered the picture, everything got fouled up.
That’s one lesson we take away from the story of the Tower of Babel, in our first reading. People, acting with sinful pride, attempted to displace God by constructing a tower into the heavens. And the results were disastrous! Humanity became scattered and divided- a division symbolized by the confusion of their language. Because they couldn’t understand each other anymore, chaos ensued, and there was no peace.
That kind of describes the situation today, doesn’t it? Our world is divided by culture, faith, wealth, and even more by attitudes towards power, authority, and cooperation. As a result, we experience a lack of peace.
Thankfully, God hasn’t left us to flounder in the mess we’ve made. He saw the situation, and he sent us the Holy Spirit at Pentecost to bring people together in peace. At that first Pentecost, the disciples proclaimed the good news of Jesus, everyone understood what they were saying- regardless of what language they spoke. The curse of the Tower of Babel was undone! The Holy Spirit, then and now, heals the divisions created by human pride and sin, by allowing people to communicate and understand each other once again.
Pentecost is traditionally referred to as the “Church’s birthday,” because the outpouring of the Holy Spirit marked the beginning of the Church’s mission to bring all people together in peace by being united in God. You and I participated in the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost when we received the Sacrament of Confirmation, and you and I are members of the Church. This means we have a responsibility to share in the Church’s mission by being agents of peace. To fulfill this mission, our recent popes have suggested several things we can do.
First of all, we can resist the pressures of our materialistic culture to possess more and more and to consume things at levels that ultimately deprive others. A world divided into “haves” and “haves not” is a world that will inevitably experience tensions and war. As Christians, we should strive to live simply, so that others may simply live. One way to do this is by being good stewards of the world’s resources and taking care of the environment. As Pope Benedict recently said, “Disregard for the environment always harms human coexistence, and vice versa. It becomes more and more evident that there is an inseparable link between peace with creation and peace among men.”
Another thing we can do to be peacemakers is to learn to be good communicators. As John Paul II said, “Language is made…for uniting.” We need to honestly but gently share our thoughts and feelings with others, seeking to be understood without resorting to threats or insults. At the same time, we can strive to really listen to others by giving our full attention and respect, and if they yell at us, we need to try to understand what might be the cause of their hurt.
Being a good communicator is never enough, however. The language of peace must be matched by gestures of peace. “It is the practice of peace that leads to peace,” to again quote John Paul II. We can strive to be forgiving, gentle, and generous. We can reject old rivalries, hatreds, and prejudices that history or our culture may try to impose on us. We can try to build bridges between societies and nations by reaching out in friendship, learning new languages, and offering any help we might be able to give. And we can work for and promote human rights like the right to life, religious freedom, freedom of thought and expression, and the rights to decent work, housing, education, food, and health care. “If you want peace,” said Pope Paul VI, “work for justice.”
In addition to working for peace, we must also pray for it. Peace will never come through our efforts alone, because peace is always a gift from God. It is human sin that creates divisions and destroys peace, and it is only by the grace of God that the effects of sin are undone and peace is restored. That’s why we must pray. We can pray for an end to warfare and violence; we can pray that world leaders will strive for peace; we can pray for justice and forgiveness between enemies; we can pray for our conversion, that we may turn from sin and give our lives to Christ, the prince of peace; and we can pray that God will help us to be peacemakers. Holy Spirit of Pentecost, help us all to spread your peace.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Friday of Easter 7
“10,000 people could do a better job than you!” Sr. Briege McKenna told a gathering of priests. “But that’s beside the point. God chose you.” No priests are perfect, in other words, but God calls them to service anyway. This was true for St. Peter, as we see in today’s gospel. Jesus chose Peter as his chief shepherd, the first pope. At the same time, he acknowledges Peter’s weaknesses.
The three times Jesus asked Peter to affirm his love recalls Peter’s three denials during Jesus’ trial. The first two times, as originally written in Greek, Jesus asked Peter if he gave him “agape” - sacrificial love. In response, Peter said that he gave him “phileo” - brotherly love. So in his third question, Jesus asked Peter not for "agape" love, but brotherly love. And Peter said he could.
Peter knew that he wasn’t yet capable of "agape," and Jesus knew it too. But Jesus also knew that one day Peter would be. That’s why he said that Peter himself would die on a cross.
Jesus doesn’t wait until we’re perfect to call us to service, either. Instead, he meets us where we are, and gives us grace to grow. Jesus knows that we’re broken sinners. Yet still he loves us, and uses us to build up his kingdom. Jesus doesn’t call the qualified. He qualifies the called.
Readings for today's Mass: http://www.usccb.org/nab/061011.shtml
The three times Jesus asked Peter to affirm his love recalls Peter’s three denials during Jesus’ trial. The first two times, as originally written in Greek, Jesus asked Peter if he gave him “agape” - sacrificial love. In response, Peter said that he gave him “phileo” - brotherly love. So in his third question, Jesus asked Peter not for "agape" love, but brotherly love. And Peter said he could.
Peter knew that he wasn’t yet capable of "agape," and Jesus knew it too. But Jesus also knew that one day Peter would be. That’s why he said that Peter himself would die on a cross.
Jesus doesn’t wait until we’re perfect to call us to service, either. Instead, he meets us where we are, and gives us grace to grow. Jesus knows that we’re broken sinners. Yet still he loves us, and uses us to build up his kingdom. Jesus doesn’t call the qualified. He qualifies the called.
Readings for today's Mass: http://www.usccb.org/nab/061011.shtml
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Thursday of Easter 7
If someone is especially arrogant, it’s not uncommon for people to say: “He really thinks he’s God’s gift to….women, soccer, the sales team, whatever. It’s not meant as a compliment. It’s a put-down.
We don’t wish to be seen by others in this way. At the same time, Jesus does want us to see ourselves as God’s gift. “Father,” he prayed in today’s gospel, “they (meaning us!) are your gift to me.”
We are God’s gift to Jesus. And we aren’t a gift he wants to return or exchange. We’re a gift he wants. Because he prays for us, we might even say we’re a gift he asks for; he included our names in his wish list.
But as today’s gospel reminds us, Jesus does far more than pray for us. He also dwells with us and in us, shares his glory with us, reveals his name to us, guides us to perfection, unites us with our Christian brothers and sisters, and showers us with the same abundant, unconditional love he’s shared with the Father from all eternity.
Jesus tells us this, not to make us arrogant or smug, but to fill us with gratitude and hope. So hopefully no one will put us down by saying we think we’re God’s gift to something. But we can thank Jesus, that he embraces us, as God’s gift to him.
Readings for today's Mass: http://www.usccb.org/nab/060911.shtml
We don’t wish to be seen by others in this way. At the same time, Jesus does want us to see ourselves as God’s gift. “Father,” he prayed in today’s gospel, “they (meaning us!) are your gift to me.”
We are God’s gift to Jesus. And we aren’t a gift he wants to return or exchange. We’re a gift he wants. Because he prays for us, we might even say we’re a gift he asks for; he included our names in his wish list.
But as today’s gospel reminds us, Jesus does far more than pray for us. He also dwells with us and in us, shares his glory with us, reveals his name to us, guides us to perfection, unites us with our Christian brothers and sisters, and showers us with the same abundant, unconditional love he’s shared with the Father from all eternity.
Jesus tells us this, not to make us arrogant or smug, but to fill us with gratitude and hope. So hopefully no one will put us down by saying we think we’re God’s gift to something. But we can thank Jesus, that he embraces us, as God’s gift to him.
Readings for today's Mass: http://www.usccb.org/nab/060911.shtml
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Wednesday of Easter 7
Imagine yourself as Jesus in today’s gospel. You’ll soon be betrayed, arrested, abandoned, condemned, and crucified. In circumstances such as these, most of us would be filled with anger, fear, and overwhelming sadness. Yet Jesus is concerned, not for himself, but for his friends, and he prays that they share his joy.
We might wonder how Jesus could speak of joy in such circumstances. However, his claim that his followers don’t belong to the “world” provide us with a clue. In other words, we will not find the joy of which Jesus speaks in the things of the world, but only through our union with him, the Father, and the Holy Spirit.
This union was at the heart of Jesus’ prayer, when he asked the Father to keep his followers in the name that he had given him. It is this union with God, it is this relationship of love, it is this very sharing in God’s life that is the source of joy which Jesus wishes for us, and which sustained him on the eve of his darkest hour. This joy the world cannot take away; this joy that can co-exist with pain; this joy will endure forever. As one songwriter puts it: “Jealousy and anger, greed and hypocrisy, the seasons of human nature- you can’t take my joy from me!”
Readings for today's Mass: http://www.usccb.org/nab/060811.shtml
We might wonder how Jesus could speak of joy in such circumstances. However, his claim that his followers don’t belong to the “world” provide us with a clue. In other words, we will not find the joy of which Jesus speaks in the things of the world, but only through our union with him, the Father, and the Holy Spirit.
This union was at the heart of Jesus’ prayer, when he asked the Father to keep his followers in the name that he had given him. It is this union with God, it is this relationship of love, it is this very sharing in God’s life that is the source of joy which Jesus wishes for us, and which sustained him on the eve of his darkest hour. This joy the world cannot take away; this joy that can co-exist with pain; this joy will endure forever. As one songwriter puts it: “Jealousy and anger, greed and hypocrisy, the seasons of human nature- you can’t take my joy from me!”
Readings for today's Mass: http://www.usccb.org/nab/060811.shtml
Monday, June 6, 2011
Tuesday of Easter 7
When I’m behind the wheel, I try to make driving time into prayer time. I pray for my family, my ministry, and my parishioners; I ask to be a better husband, father, and priest; I lift up the sick and the deceased, and the special needs of people God has placed in my path. I also thank God for my blessings, and even some of the crosses I bear.
I don’t always offer all these prayers on any given day. Sometimes I have a short commute, and sometimes I get lazy and daydream or listen to the radio instead. Whenever I find myself losing the motivation to pray, however, I find it helpful to remember that wherever I am and whatever I’m doing, Jesus is constantly interceding for all of us.
This is precisely what Jesus does in today’s gospel through his “High Priestly Prayer.” The “hour” of his passion and crucifixion had arrived. Yet even then, Jesus prays for his friends. He does so still, as he reigns in heaven.
Our Lord’s example challenges us to take prayers of intercession seriously. Through intercession, we can change lives and even the course of history; we acknowledge our complete dependence upon God; and we can continue the priestly work of Jesus, in our world, today.
Readings for today's Mass: http://www.usccb.org/nab/060711.shtml
I don’t always offer all these prayers on any given day. Sometimes I have a short commute, and sometimes I get lazy and daydream or listen to the radio instead. Whenever I find myself losing the motivation to pray, however, I find it helpful to remember that wherever I am and whatever I’m doing, Jesus is constantly interceding for all of us.
This is precisely what Jesus does in today’s gospel through his “High Priestly Prayer.” The “hour” of his passion and crucifixion had arrived. Yet even then, Jesus prays for his friends. He does so still, as he reigns in heaven.
Our Lord’s example challenges us to take prayers of intercession seriously. Through intercession, we can change lives and even the course of history; we acknowledge our complete dependence upon God; and we can continue the priestly work of Jesus, in our world, today.
Readings for today's Mass: http://www.usccb.org/nab/060711.shtml
Monday of Easter 7
An online message board asked: “Describe a time that contributed to your faith in God’s loving presence.” In response, one person wrote of caring for a dying friend; another spoke of struggling to raise two children after a painful divorce; and a third recalled nursing an elderly mother through a series of debilitating strokes.
Each storyteller had learned to depend on the Lord for strength. Through faith, Jesus had replaced their fear with courage, and their anxiety with peace.
This was Jesus’ hope for his disciples in today’s gospel. Although they had just professed their belief in him, Jesus warned that they would soon abandon him at his crucifixion. Jesus knows how easy it is, when hardship strikes, for faith to be replaced by fear.
That’s why it’s important to cultivate our faith while things are going well. We can fill our days with prayer, count our blessings and give thanks to God; and be soaked in Scripture and sanctified by sacrament, so that when we face life’s inevitable difficulties, our faith will hold firm, instead of falling apart. We’ll know that when we can’t handle things on our own, we won’t have to, because Jesus is with us. This world will surely give us “trouble,” as Jesus said. But we can take courage, because he has “conquered the world.”
Readings for today's Mass: http://www.usccb.org/nab/060611.shtml
Each storyteller had learned to depend on the Lord for strength. Through faith, Jesus had replaced their fear with courage, and their anxiety with peace.
This was Jesus’ hope for his disciples in today’s gospel. Although they had just professed their belief in him, Jesus warned that they would soon abandon him at his crucifixion. Jesus knows how easy it is, when hardship strikes, for faith to be replaced by fear.
That’s why it’s important to cultivate our faith while things are going well. We can fill our days with prayer, count our blessings and give thanks to God; and be soaked in Scripture and sanctified by sacrament, so that when we face life’s inevitable difficulties, our faith will hold firm, instead of falling apart. We’ll know that when we can’t handle things on our own, we won’t have to, because Jesus is with us. This world will surely give us “trouble,” as Jesus said. But we can take courage, because he has “conquered the world.”
Readings for today's Mass: http://www.usccb.org/nab/060611.shtml
Friday, June 3, 2011
Friday of Easter 6
Women in labor are often encouraged to focus upon an object in the delivery room, such as a photograph, flowers, her husband’s eyes, a cross. This helps with relaxation, and takes an edge off the pain. By keeping their eyes on a “comfort object,” as they’re sometimes called, they’re better able to keep their eyes on the prize: the happy moment they first cradle their newborn in their arms.
Jesus used the image of a woman in labor in today’s gospel to prepare his disciples for the anguish and fear they would experience after his death. As a woman’s labor pains are forgotten after her child is born, so the disciples’ suffering would be replaced by the supreme joy of seeing him risen.
Jesus’ words can assure us too, when we experience pain and loss- times we might be tempted to despair and lose hope, because the agony and stress seem too much to bear. Jesus encourages us, much like a woman in labor, to stay focused on the joy and peace that he promises those who are faithful to him.
Our focus may not eliminate our pain, but will help us endure and persevere. Mother Teresa knew this well. “Never let anything cause you so much sorrow,” she said, “that you forget the joy of Jesus risen.”
Readings for today's Mass: http://www.usccb.org/nab/060311.shtml
Jesus used the image of a woman in labor in today’s gospel to prepare his disciples for the anguish and fear they would experience after his death. As a woman’s labor pains are forgotten after her child is born, so the disciples’ suffering would be replaced by the supreme joy of seeing him risen.
Jesus’ words can assure us too, when we experience pain and loss- times we might be tempted to despair and lose hope, because the agony and stress seem too much to bear. Jesus encourages us, much like a woman in labor, to stay focused on the joy and peace that he promises those who are faithful to him.
Our focus may not eliminate our pain, but will help us endure and persevere. Mother Teresa knew this well. “Never let anything cause you so much sorrow,” she said, “that you forget the joy of Jesus risen.”
Readings for today's Mass: http://www.usccb.org/nab/060311.shtml
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord
When she was in kindergarten, my daughter watched a film about Jesus. She liked it, she said, but when it got to the part where Jesus had to leave his friends, she cried. And I understand that. It’s sad when people we love have to leave. We can imagine that Jesus’ disciples were sad when he told them he was going to ascend to heaven. Perhaps, like my daughter, some of them even shed a tear.
Our experience with Jesus, however, is somewhat different. Unlike the disciples, we haven’t shared meals with Jesus, listened to him speak, watched him in action, or travelled as his companion. Oh sure, we know Jesus, and we’ve encountered him in all sorts of ways: through sacrament, Scripture, the movement of the Spirit, our community of believers, and the faces of the poor. In prayer, Jesus communicates with us, and we communicate with him. Just because he’s ascended into heaven does not mean that he’s left us alone! Yet we’ve never seen him face-to-face. And we’ve never had to say goodbye.
We might even say that our relationship with Jesus is kind of like a friendship over the Internet. Many people today have relationships with people they’ve met online, but have never met in person. Sometimes, however, such friends do decide to meet. And as the time for their first meeting approaches, they often feel excited, but maybe a little bit apprehensive too.
How do we feel about meeting Jesus face-to-face for the first time? In today’s reading from the Acts of the Apostles, angels told the disciples that Jesus would return in the same way that he left. He will “come again in glory, to judge the living and the dead” as we pray week after week in the Creed. We don’t know when it will happen, but we believe that it will happen. But how does it make us feel?
Once my dad asked his seventh grade Sunday School students what they would do if Jesus were about to walk into their classroom. Without exception, they all said that they would hide. At least they were honest! But being afraid of Jesus’ return is not unique to modern-day middle-school students. Throughout history, Christians of every age have been fearful of meeting Jesus upon his return.
Pope Benedict speaks about this fear in his beautiful little book about hope. Traditionally, he recalls, churches at their east end would typically have a depiction of Jesus returning as king, which is an expression of Christian hope. At the west end, through which the faithful would leave after Mass, there would be a rendering of the Last Judgment. It was meant to remind people of their responsibility to live good lives as they went back into the world after worship. Over time, however, church art gave more and more prominence to the frightening aspects of the Last Judgment, with the result that hope was obscured by horror.
But is horror how Jesus wants us to feel about the prospect of his return? Jesus is perfect love. Why should meeting perfect love in person make us scared at all? Shouldn’t it be something we look forward to? We all know how hard it is in December for kids to wait for the arrival of Christmas day. Shouldn’t we feel the same way- and even more so- about the coming of Jesus?
Think about why Jesus left in the first place. It’s not because he was tired of his friends or was looking for new excitement in his life. No, Jesus left in order to finish what he had come to do in the first place. Jesus had come down from heaven in order that heaven might be opened to us, because through our sin we had effectively shut ourselves out. When Jesus ascended into heaven, he took with him the human nature that we all share, but that he redeemed through his death and resurrection. This means that because Jesus is now in heaven, you and I can hope to join him in heaven. Or think of it another way: Through our baptism, we are united to Jesus as members of his body, the Church. And if Jesus, whose body of which we are a member, is now in heaven, you and I already have one foot in heaven, so to speak. This should fill us with both joy and hope. Jesus didn’t ascend to heaven only to come back and destroy us, as some people fear. He went home to heaven, so that one day heaven might be our home as well.
Nevertheless, we still might find ourselves apprehensive about Jesus’ return and the judgment he will bring. We’re aware that there are things about us which are displeasing to our Lord. And this fills us with fear. But maybe our image of Jesus is a little one-sided. Like those artists who focused too much on the frightening aspects of the Last Judgment, our image of Jesus neglects to account for his mercy and compassion. Perhaps it might be helpful to reflect on the famous Divine Mercy image. Its caption is not: “Jesus, I’m afraid of you.” Instead, it’s “Jesus, I trust in you.”
At the same time, any fear we experience isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Psychologists tell us we generally fear something less if we think we can do something about it. In bad traffic, we feel more comfortable behind the wheel, with our foot on the brake, than we do if we’re in the passenger seat. If we fear Jesus’ return, we’re in the driver’s seat, because we can do something about it: We can repent; we can confess; we can amend our lives; we can ask Jesus for his mercy, and be assured that he’s always happy to give it. And that should give us hope, which is what Jesus wants us to have. Jesus has ascended into heaven, but he is coming again. Come, Lord Jesus!
Readings for today's Mass: http://www.usccb.org/nab/060211b.shtml
Our experience with Jesus, however, is somewhat different. Unlike the disciples, we haven’t shared meals with Jesus, listened to him speak, watched him in action, or travelled as his companion. Oh sure, we know Jesus, and we’ve encountered him in all sorts of ways: through sacrament, Scripture, the movement of the Spirit, our community of believers, and the faces of the poor. In prayer, Jesus communicates with us, and we communicate with him. Just because he’s ascended into heaven does not mean that he’s left us alone! Yet we’ve never seen him face-to-face. And we’ve never had to say goodbye.
We might even say that our relationship with Jesus is kind of like a friendship over the Internet. Many people today have relationships with people they’ve met online, but have never met in person. Sometimes, however, such friends do decide to meet. And as the time for their first meeting approaches, they often feel excited, but maybe a little bit apprehensive too.
How do we feel about meeting Jesus face-to-face for the first time? In today’s reading from the Acts of the Apostles, angels told the disciples that Jesus would return in the same way that he left. He will “come again in glory, to judge the living and the dead” as we pray week after week in the Creed. We don’t know when it will happen, but we believe that it will happen. But how does it make us feel?
Once my dad asked his seventh grade Sunday School students what they would do if Jesus were about to walk into their classroom. Without exception, they all said that they would hide. At least they were honest! But being afraid of Jesus’ return is not unique to modern-day middle-school students. Throughout history, Christians of every age have been fearful of meeting Jesus upon his return.
Pope Benedict speaks about this fear in his beautiful little book about hope. Traditionally, he recalls, churches at their east end would typically have a depiction of Jesus returning as king, which is an expression of Christian hope. At the west end, through which the faithful would leave after Mass, there would be a rendering of the Last Judgment. It was meant to remind people of their responsibility to live good lives as they went back into the world after worship. Over time, however, church art gave more and more prominence to the frightening aspects of the Last Judgment, with the result that hope was obscured by horror.
But is horror how Jesus wants us to feel about the prospect of his return? Jesus is perfect love. Why should meeting perfect love in person make us scared at all? Shouldn’t it be something we look forward to? We all know how hard it is in December for kids to wait for the arrival of Christmas day. Shouldn’t we feel the same way- and even more so- about the coming of Jesus?
Think about why Jesus left in the first place. It’s not because he was tired of his friends or was looking for new excitement in his life. No, Jesus left in order to finish what he had come to do in the first place. Jesus had come down from heaven in order that heaven might be opened to us, because through our sin we had effectively shut ourselves out. When Jesus ascended into heaven, he took with him the human nature that we all share, but that he redeemed through his death and resurrection. This means that because Jesus is now in heaven, you and I can hope to join him in heaven. Or think of it another way: Through our baptism, we are united to Jesus as members of his body, the Church. And if Jesus, whose body of which we are a member, is now in heaven, you and I already have one foot in heaven, so to speak. This should fill us with both joy and hope. Jesus didn’t ascend to heaven only to come back and destroy us, as some people fear. He went home to heaven, so that one day heaven might be our home as well.
Nevertheless, we still might find ourselves apprehensive about Jesus’ return and the judgment he will bring. We’re aware that there are things about us which are displeasing to our Lord. And this fills us with fear. But maybe our image of Jesus is a little one-sided. Like those artists who focused too much on the frightening aspects of the Last Judgment, our image of Jesus neglects to account for his mercy and compassion. Perhaps it might be helpful to reflect on the famous Divine Mercy image. Its caption is not: “Jesus, I’m afraid of you.” Instead, it’s “Jesus, I trust in you.”
At the same time, any fear we experience isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Psychologists tell us we generally fear something less if we think we can do something about it. In bad traffic, we feel more comfortable behind the wheel, with our foot on the brake, than we do if we’re in the passenger seat. If we fear Jesus’ return, we’re in the driver’s seat, because we can do something about it: We can repent; we can confess; we can amend our lives; we can ask Jesus for his mercy, and be assured that he’s always happy to give it. And that should give us hope, which is what Jesus wants us to have. Jesus has ascended into heaven, but he is coming again. Come, Lord Jesus!
Readings for today's Mass: http://www.usccb.org/nab/060211b.shtml
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Thursday of Easter 6
Pain- be it psychological, emotional, or physical- can affect us deeply. When we hurt, the world can seem a very bleak place. We can feel alone, scared, helpless, depressed. We might become angry at God, wonder if he cares, or even doubt that he exists. At times like this, we need to hear Jesus’ words in today’s gospel. “You will grieve,” he promised, “but your grief will become joy.”
When Jesus first spoke these words, he was assuring his disciples that their sadness over his crucifixion would be replaced by the joy of his resurrection. But the Lord intends these words for us as well, because resurrection joy has the power to transform our grief as well, by offering us hope.
The resurrection gives us a present hope- a hope for the healing, reconciliation, forgiveness, courage, and strength that Jesus offers us as gifts. And, the resurrection gives us a future hope as well- a hope for a life not only free of sorrow and pain, but one filled with a love, a joy, and a peace we can only begin to imagine now.
Thanks to the resurrection, beyond every one of our Good Fridays lies the hope of an everlasting Easter; beyond every cross we carry, is the promise of an empty tomb.
Readings for today's Mass: http://www.usccb.org/nab/060211a.shtml
When Jesus first spoke these words, he was assuring his disciples that their sadness over his crucifixion would be replaced by the joy of his resurrection. But the Lord intends these words for us as well, because resurrection joy has the power to transform our grief as well, by offering us hope.
The resurrection gives us a present hope- a hope for the healing, reconciliation, forgiveness, courage, and strength that Jesus offers us as gifts. And, the resurrection gives us a future hope as well- a hope for a life not only free of sorrow and pain, but one filled with a love, a joy, and a peace we can only begin to imagine now.
Thanks to the resurrection, beyond every one of our Good Fridays lies the hope of an everlasting Easter; beyond every cross we carry, is the promise of an empty tomb.
Readings for today's Mass: http://www.usccb.org/nab/060211a.shtml
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)