Fourth Sunday of Advent. December 23, 2018
Elizabeth’s greetings to Mary lead us to the Christmas crèche, but we aren’t there yet: we haven’t finished the Advent preparation.
According to Augustine, Mary was the first disciple of Christ. How is this possible since she did not follow him in his ministry? One preaches by example as much as by word, hence Mary could witness Jesus’ teaching for nearly thirty years. “Blessed are the poor in spirit and the beggars before God because theirs is the kingdom of God.” “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called children of God.” These are things we can observe every day: the beggars of God bring forth the kingdom of God and the peacemakers bring peace to all the children of God.
As the first disciple of Christ, Mary is the image and model of all believers. Late Medieval art has beautifully illustrated this vision in the various paintings of the Virgin of Mercy covering with her cloak the whole church the way she covered the baby Jesus in the manger. But as model of all believers, she leads us to be better disciples of Jesus Christ..
Nobody likes to go to a party empty-handed; at least we dress up a little. The Christmas party is coming: what are we bringing after the four weeks of preparation? Let us look back at the first week of Advent: what was your resolution? I asked myself, “Will I be more accepting of others by Christmas?” I admit that my resolution has somewhat been side-tracked; I do not know how. Recently I had a cold that clogged my brain and made my mind foggy. Well, I tried, at least a little. What was your resolution?
And did you make a financial contribution – for Yemen or other pressing needs? - There are still a few days left to do so. Then we will gleefully sing:
hegy@adelphi.edu
COMMENTS
A Poem
God’s Word is fresh;
we eat and proclaim,
to pass on the Flesh
of God’s Holy Name.
That’s where God dwells,
in manger-hearts adored.
Amid the straw and the smells:
Lives the Word of the Lord.
Perhaps that’s why we need the Messiah who was born to straw and smells to dwell among us and save us despite our messiness. May we call upon that God of love, hope and joy to find peace during this Christmas tide.
Merry Christmas!
Dave Pipitone, Streamwood, Illinois
My prayerful reflection
Pierre, You suggested prayerful reflection on the season and the end of Advent. Here’s mine. Resolutions? None. Growth and development? Probably not much. Reflections of the advent and discipleship of more than one Mary and the coming of the Son. Lots.Incarnation for someone who has born six children probably means something different from those who have not. At the beginning of Advent all my children and most of the grandchildren (eleven in all) came to celebrate my entering the “fourth age,” i.e. eighty. They prepared the food, greeted guests, brought me a glass of wine from time to time, and finally sang a rousing happy birthday not to me but to the gathered cousins who rarely come together to celebrate their own birth.
Like Mary, I had no idea what I was getting into. Like Mary, I was called to carry human life to term, in my case six persons to continue whatever meager love I gave them. Like Mary, I hope to carry that Christ in my being, to bring that Christ forward in to whatever small world I occupy, and to multiply that Christ presence again and again in one way or the other.
I am grateful for the experience of having children, but mostly for being able to multiply not loaves but lives who can nourish each other and those they meet when I have faded away. Advent is about giving. Advent is about multiplying that gift of God with us—that is us—to those we meet along the way. We cannot all do it physically—but we can all “make the Word flesh” in the places and persons who are part of our lives.
Peace to all this holy season,
Dee Christie
Dee’s is a marvelous piece of writing for Advent and Christmas — life-affirming.
Anton Jacobs,
Divine Word College,
Epworth, Iowa
Mary visiting Elizabeth
Pierre's resolution to be more accepting of others fits well with the story of Mary visiting Elizabeth. Here in the midst of a "family visit" we hear of two women rejoice with wonderful surprises. A baby leaping in the womb assures Elizabeth that God's saving activity is near at hand. While she was undoubtedly amazed had "removed her curse" in old age, she knew God was doing even more wonderful things. Mary's great "yes" finds affirmation in Elizabeth's greeting.Accepting others seems much more possible when one is open to being surprised. When we think we have the other "all figured out" we limit what might come to see in them. When we limit ourselves by our yesterday's behavior, we limit what we might come to see in our present moment. Pope Francis invites us to be open to the surprises of Christmas. And, of course the greatest surprise is that God would become one of us in the flesh of an infant. God becomes one with us in our poverty and brokenness - a truth first seen by those "abiding in the fields" and later venerated by strangers from afar.
Christmas Peace,
Frank Berna, La Salle University
Third Sunday of Advent. December 16 2018
with the person who has none"
Most of us have more than two coats, two pairs of shoes, or two outfits, and when we have outgrown hem, we give them to a charity. But his Sunday we are minded that love of God must also include responsibility in the public sphere. Advent is a special time for making a financial contribution.
I will not argue from a biblical but a statistical perspective. Everybody knows the words of Jesus “ I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’” The fact is that there are no naked and hungry people in my neighborhood. So we must go where they are—in Yemen, the immigrants, the underdeveloped and impoverished nations and families..
Christmas is very expensive, and we are willing to pay for it. The average American spent $700 on holiday gifts and goodies in 2016, totaling more than $465 billion. This means that a family of three spent $2,100. Fifty-four percent of the shoppers could not pay for it and had to spread the expenses over several months. Not wise.
The total budget of the Pentagon in 2016 was $523.9 billion; so we spend nearly as much for Christmas as for national security and foreign wars. Much of our public expenses is financed by the national debt, which means that our children will have to pay for the spending of their parents and grandparents. Not wise!
America first! We do so much helping others! Yeah! Look at the data, please. In terms of foreign aid, the U.S. spends about as much (0.15 of Gross National Income) as Turkey (0.17) and Croatia (0.14). This represents less than half the amount of China (0.36), and many times less that European countries: Great Britain (0.67), Germany (0.49), France (0.36), and especially Sweden (1.36).
Rich individuals like rich nations tend to be stingy. A national survey in the US revealed that those making $90,000 and above give an average of 1.1% of their income to charities of all kinds while those earning 12,500 or less contribute 2.2% This has been knows for a long time. Furthermore, the top ten percent of givers contribute over 70 percent of all contributions while the bottom 40 percent contribute practically nothing. If you are an average giver, you contribute around 0.3 percent.
Why are rich people more stingy? Hard to know. Here is my guess. In order to get to the top of the social ladder, you must be very efficient—in time, resources and money—and the result is that you have nothing left to give;it's all taken already! We are too busy to have anything to give. Does this make sense?
The good news is that most of us are above average givers. According to a survey taken by America Magazine last week, 95% of the respondents donate money around the holidays. This is exceptionally high. As explained by a respondent, “I donate throughout the year, but I view it as a spiritual practice during Advent and Lent, a way of putting Gospel values into practice.”
The Yemen famine and the poor from all over the world call on us. Let us hear their cry.
hegy@adelphi.edu
COMMENTS
Rejoice!
One of the themes of Third Advent is rejoicing. We see that theme in the first two readings, but in the gospel we hear stern exhortation from John to give to those in need. The two, of course, go together. Part of rejoicing is giving to those in need, being attentive to the poor and other victims, including those struggling in Yemen and survivors of sexual abuse.Pierre's post certainly challenges us to work harder at helping those in need. I welcome that challenge; I definitely could give much more. But how do we do that while also caring for our own needs? What does giving more look like?
Part of the answer, it seems, is honestly assessing what our own needs are. What do I truly need to be healthy and happy? How can I get by with less so that others can have more? I am indeed a spoiled American, so I have to work hard at revising my understanding of what my needs are so that I can have more to give to those who have so little.
And all of this is part of joyfully embracing Christ's triple-Advent: the first coming of Bethlehem, the Second Coming, and the ways Christ comes to us today, such as through the Eucharist and through caring for others. We in the Church often do a lot of griping. While some of that may be justified, our focus is to be on, neither griping nor turning a blind eye to suffering, but joy rooted in the hope that Christ provides, a joy that takes seriously the world's sin and evil but offers more.
David VonSchlichten, vonschlichten@setonhill.edu
Gaudete!
If ever there was a time when we needed Gaudete Sunday, this is it. Our news outlets shout at us of war, corruption, hatred, violence, ineptitude in high places, starving refugees, and babies as defendants in court. And yet today Zephania, Isaiah, and Paul all insist that it is to rejoice. Zephaniah assures us that the Lord is in our midst, to take away our fears, and to remove disaster from us. Isaiah for his part tells us to be confident and unafraid. And Paul, with his resounding Rejoice! tells us not to be anxious about anything. The peace of God will fill our minds and hearts. Luke continues the story of John at the Jordan. When asked what he meant by his message of repentance, John talks about sharing what we have with those in want. He also reminds those whose exercise power over people’s lives to do so with compassion and justice. For tax collectors this means not collecting more than is owed. For soldiers this means not threatening or maligning others. For all of us this means to do whatever it is we do with integrity and diligence, and always with care for the poor and the margeinalized. The Advent candles burn this year in a world filled with death, destruction, sorrow, and want. Yet the candles do burn, spreading light a little at a time, through me and through you. Each time we feed the hungry, reach out to the lonely, give a blanket to a shivering homeless person, we make the Advent light burn a bit brighter.Marie Conn, mconn@chc.edu
The topic of this second Sunday of Advent is conversion (metanoia), which means "turning around," but conversion does not happen in just one turning around. Sunflowers, poppies and marigolds are common heliotropic flowers, and there are 24,000 species that have flowers turning the sun. They wake up with the sun, open their petals, bathe in the warmth of the day by following the sun at all times, and close up at night to keep warm. This is a good image for conversion.
This image illustrates the relationship between creatures and their Creator. “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.” There are quite a few flowers that can grow in the shade—but not without light! These flowers are not ready for full sun. Many people grow without the full light of God, but they would grow faster in direct sun.
Carmelite Brother Lawrence (1614 –1691) is well known for his Practice of the Presence of God (a 50 page booklet, https://www.pathsoflove.com/pdf/Practice-of-the-Presence-of-God.pdf) He worked as a cook most of his life – a job he disliked – but he “accustomed himself to do everything for the love of God, and with prayer on all occasions he found everything easy.” Throughout his life he practiced being in the presence of God, so that “in the greatest hurry of business in the kitchen he still preserved his recollection and heavenly-mindedness.”
This may be easy for brothers doing manual labor but for most of us work requires constant attention. Actually we often have little time for anything but work, to the point of sacrificing sleep and health. Then comes the price tag: overweight, hypertension, alcoholism or coffee addiction, irritability, meaninglessness, depression (or heart attack), etc. This is natural: we are made for God and our hearts are restless until they rest in him.
Seals are mammals that spend most of their time underwater but they need to breathe at least every 30 minutes. In the winter, they create breathing wholes. Our hearts are restless unless they turn to the light every so often. Have you created breathing wholes in your schedule – every hour or few hours – to turn to the Creator? A break of only a few minutes of silence restores both the body and the mind.
Conversion is the slow process of turning to the God of light and love. We need to practice the presence of God, at least from time to time. We need breathing wholes to come back from under the water to find peace and rest.
GUESTION: Do you have breathing holes in your daily schedule? Could you plan to have a few on a regular basis?
hegy@adelphi.edu
COMMENTS
God is good. All the time, God is good! While I know conversion comes as a life long project, I sometime find it difficult to preach conversion on a Sunday. The people assembled for worship, like the preacher, are by no means perfect. We all have things to work on. Still, the people have assembled! They make an effort to be in God's presence, to give thanks, and to ask for strength to go forward. I find that most often they have little difficulty seeing themselves as sinners in need of God's mercy. However, they do have difficulty seeing themselves as holy people; people in whom God is at work; people who have been taken hold of by God's reign.
I like the image of the sunflower for conversion - a turning toward the good. Though this entails a turning away from that which is not good, the accent lies on the Good! In Advent we are called to see light in darkness, if only a tiny flicker. In Advent we are called to believe in the Promise - God's reign taking hold of us and our world, if only a promise on a distant horizon.
God is good. All the time, God is good!
Frank Berna, IV Dei, berna@lasalle.edu
La Salle University
Come, O come, Emmanuel
I will admit, I am one of those good at brooding. Maybe it’s my Druid genes. But I practice too. (So this is a nature/nurture issue.) This time of year, it becomes easier to avoid the sun. But I need it, and I need you all who remind me to face the light. I am grateful for the reminders to face the Son, to stop embracing the brooding and cynicism. Thank you Frank and Pierre and all on this list. The liturgical church in its wisdom has us anticipate and celebrate the birth of the Risen One at the time of solar solstice. Come, O come, Emmanuel.Dan Finucane, djfinuc@aol.com
Saint Louis University
First Sunday of Advent. December 2, 2018
In today’s readings Jesus evokes the last days when “the Son of Man (will be) coming in a cloud with power and great glory.” And Paul exhorts us “to be blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus.” Advent is the time to get ready.
A famous person was once asked what he (sic) would like as an epitach on his tombstone. He replied, “Just put: “He tried.” Years later when asked if he would change his epitaph, he said, “Yes, put: “He tried everything!” I would like this to be said about me, but then people would might, “Everything, like what?” What is that we would like to try and change for Christmas, in order to be ready for the coming of the Lord?
We should make a resolution for Christmas. I have recently seen a documentary about Mister Rogers, and was impressed by his attitude, presented in a song:
Exactly and precisely.
I think you turned out nicely,
And I like you as you are.
“Whatever you did for the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” (Mt. 25:40). Among the little ones some are pushy, obnoxious, arrogant, self-centered, insensitive, angry, pessimistic, depressed, divisive, closed-minded, deceitful, manipulative, uncompromising, and much more and much worse. And we have to accept them as they are? Well, I may be one of them sometimes, and I would like to be accepted then.
Will I be more accepting by Christmas? If I put a little reminder on my computer screen, maybe; and then, only a little. But those who were given only one or two talents have to produce only one or two more. And if we do, we will be prepared for the coming of the Lord.
And you, what are you going to do? Hurry: it’s only four weeks until Christmas!
hegy@adelphi.eduCOMMENTS
Not just individual sheep and goats waiting for an individual judgment
I would like to offer two reflections in response to the above, concerning the readings for the beginning of our new Church year. The first may seem a bit out of place, but I ask you to bear with me.
The first Sunday of Advent continues the theme of the last Sundays of the Church year—a focus on the final days (traditionally: heaven, hell, death and judgment—this is a Redemptorist writing this!). This reminds us that while we are waiting for the wondrous divine breakthrough that we celebrate at Christmas, we are also attentive to our final end.
But have you ever noticed that the great parable of the sheep and the goats in Mt. 25 has the king seated on his throne to judge the nations! We are such an individualistic society that we almost automatically think of the parable in terms of individual sheep and goats and thus individual judgment. I could expound on this but I want to draw one simple thought out of it. Do we realize how much we are collectively who we are? Christians in North America or Western Europe think very differently about ourselves than, say, Christians in Pakistan or Iraq (where the community is at risk). We think of ourselves in the context of our own culture, which is highly individualistic.
Perhaps this recognition of cultural influence would lead us to think in an entirely new way about our preparation for the Feast of the Incarnation. We might spend some time in prayer thinking about the influences upon our faith journey from our culture (not just the consumerism and materialism that we so easily decry—and then practice!). But the only way to gain any insight would be to listen to and learn from other people. What could we learn from refugees now in our community? Or by inviting a ‘different’ family for a time of sharing over tea or supper about Christmas customs? Or by admiring the customs of other cultures/peoples/nations in order to get a perspective on our own customs that we take for granted?
Forgive the length of this reflection, but I now come to my second point and this is meant to add to Pierre's lovely reflection about accepting people. Take a look back at the second reading and the challenge to the Thessalonians to “…abound in love for one another.…” Every letter of Paul, Peter, John, and James has a number of passages describing what a Christian community should look like, how it should live. (It’s a good exercise to go through the New Testament letters, find and reflect on these passages.) In conjunction with the parable on the wheat and the weeds living together until the judgment, Christian community does not begin by excluding those who do not measure up morally or according to the correct degree of ‘being nice.’ It begins and ends in kindness, gentleness, care for one another, mutual forgiveness as needed, singing psalms in joy together. Isn’t that a great place to begin our meditation on preparing for Christmas?
And to tie these two thoughts together, perhaps at the final judgment, in place of the nations we will find our own Christian communities standing together before the Great and (we trust!) Merciful Judge!
Mark Miller, CSs.R., markmillercssr@gmail.com
Toronto, Canada
Emphasize the holiness of ordinary people
As a child,stories of the end times frightened me. Often enough they were used to help "keep us in line." Since these were the days before "elf on a shelf" the strategy may not have been all that bad. Today, however, I realize that this apocalyptic literature intends to give us hope in the immediate challenges and uncertainties of life; hope in the midst of our own foibles and limitations.
In recent years when preaching, I find that I want to, and do, emphasize the holiness of ordinary people - the people of the Church. Additionally, I invite myself and the congregation to be open to the workings of God (holiness) in people and places we may not expect. While holiness requires ongoing conversion, I believe the starting point of goodness even in the sinner, better reflects Gospel.
My own "resolution" for Advent is to continue developing that perspective in my own life. How unlikely, how amazing that God becomes one of us in Jesus! God really does think rather well of us!
Frank Berna, I.V.Dei., berna@lasalle.edu
La Salle University
Dear Francis...
Your words were that of Jesus' speak to me thru you!
Thank you,
Evelyn Augusto, evelynaugusto2012@gmail.com
Advent is really about opening up
Remember the context of all this biblical grandeur and pomp and circumstance stuff. People were looking for an apocalypse, an end of the world when the bad guys would be taken away and life would be good--like the "good old days." Yet we believe--we know--that God IS here, always, not just in some future time. All this judgment stuff puts the focus on us: are we good enough? Do we try hard enough? What are our sins? Maybe it's time to remember that Advent is really about opening up to God's love. Isn't that the Mary story--she said yes. Although doubting the possibility of the gift that was about to be given to her, Mary still said yes. That's really all the judgment that God looks for: did we say yes, do we say yes, will we continue to say yes to the Son of Man coming to us? Remember the metaphor: we are the sheep, not because we are good (because sheep generally are pretty clueless) but we are loved. Don't let these reading get your goat.Dee Christie, dlchristie@aol.com
Our job is to help produce a new beginning
The eschatological focus of Advent gets me thinking that endings and beginnings are cyclical more than linear. Maybe the "end" that we hear of in these texts refers not just to THE end but to various endings and beginnings and how the two go together. To quote the song "Closing Time," "Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end."In this dark age of increased racism and anti-Semitism and xenophobia coupled with populism and autocratic rulers and an opioid crisis and an anthropogenic climate crisis and rampant gun violence, it is easy and tempting to think that this is THE end, but maybe it is AN end, and our job, empowered by God, is to help produce a new beginning.
On a somewhat related note, I recall Pierre channeling the wonderful Fred Rogers's challenge for us to accept people as they are. I agree. How do we do that with, say, a deranged, autocratic ruler whose way of being involves spreading hatred and division?
David VonSchlichten, vonschlichten@setonhill.edu
Where was the Lord in all of this?
Considering our epitaph is a useful focus for reflecting, and a very useful lens through which to read the Advent lectionary. For years I have opened my intro to theology course by giving my students a 3 x 5 card. They are to answer two questions: “What does it mean to be human?” and “What would you like on your tombstone?” One answer for each side of the card.The exercise gets a discussion started and the course started, and we revisit it at the end of the semester too. There is something about being finite and intertwining with others that always comes out. A charming way to introduce freshman to the humanities, no?
So, this summer, I had surgery. A guy I met about ten days earlier cracked open my sternum and put in a new (bovine) aortic valve. The ICU too was a useful focus for reflecting. Reflecting became extraordinarily basic. Before, during, and after I had an enormous support system from friends, students, medical folks.
Asking where the Lord was in all of this was overwhelming answered by the “small voice” recognition, a few days in, “Who do you think all these people are?” The talents of all the people around me added up. The support was palpable. Intensive care indeed.
The smarmy reminder at the time, is that I couldn’t control my own movements or choices for a while. The advent readings (current events too) remind me, that the same is true outside of the hospital. (I knew that. I asked my students to think about that, no?)
Dan Finucane, djfinuc@aol.com
Saint Louis University
Last Sunday after Pentecost (Jn 18:33-37) November 25
In reference to the Jesus’ kingship of the universe, Pilate could say today, “Your kingdom? See how divided it is! First the East split from the West. Then the whole of North Africa, Middle East, Turkey, and part of Europe switched to Islam. Later nearly the whole of Northern Europe turned against Rome. And now Catholicism is in a serious crisis! I know, I know: your kingdom is not of this world…”
“Jesus answered, "You say I am a king. For this I was born and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice." In other words, kingship evokes power and wealth and this is not what I came into the world for, but to testify to the truth. So I return the question to you: do you listen to the voice of truth?
This Sunday is the last one of Pentecost time. What did we accomplish during these past 28 weeks? On Easter morning Jesus breathed over his disciples saying “Receive the Holy Spirit,” opening their minds to the understanding of Scriptures. They did not receive any new teaching, only a better understanding of what they already knew. Then they spent fifty days in discussions and reflections in the Cenacle. On revolutionary Pentecost day, they were sent out to the world to be the witnesses of what they had learned. Similarly for the 28 weeks of Pentecost Time we were to look at the world in light of the gospel. (Go back to the reflection on Pentecost). Now is the time to look at what we have accomplished.
The liturgical cycle follows appropriately the seasons of the year, leading from the ascetic harshness of the winter, the illuminative rebirth of the spring, to the active life of the summer. With Thanksgiving the summer comes nearly to an end and Advent is soon to begin.
Most of us will admit that time flies too fast. Week after week we are busy with immediate concerns and have little time and energy for ultimate concerns. But we should look back at the past 28 weeks, asking whether it would have been possible to spend fifteen minutes a day in silent time, or one hour on Sunday in lectio divina (or any proposal of silent time). Sure it would have been possible!
Invitation. Let us look back at the major activities over the summer: vocation, traveling, family engagements, house repairs, gardening, special projects, unpleasant failures, and memorable events. When and how was the kingship of Christ present or absent in our lives? Now is the time to listen to his voice in retrospect, so that during Advent, we may move forward.
Twenty-seventh Sunday after Pentecost (MK 13:24-3) November 18
and Christ’s Return
Astrophysics foresees the end of the universe happening in billions of years. On our blue planet, there have been at least five major cataclysmic extinctions, the best know is the one, 65 million years ago, that destroyed the dinosaurs. The biggest extinction killed 95 percent of all species, and many million years later, evolution resumed as if nothing had happened. But there might be one day a total life extinction that will kill 100 percent of all species. The moon at one time had rivers and vegetation, but no more. It is possible that an asteroid or another cause may destroy all life on earth. As to “the day and hour, no one knows.”
The reading of today has four major predictions: the destruction of the Temple, coming persecutions, great tribulations, and the return of the Son of Man. The first is clear, the other three are not. In past times there has been much fear about Christ’s return and the Last Judgment.
“I was hungry and you gave me food, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, in prison and you visited me.”(Mt. 25:35). But Jesus did not hand out food and clothes, he did not visit people in prison, and as a stranger away from home, he needed welcome without being able to return the favors. He described love of neighbor as a Samaritan caring for a robbery victim, not as a philanthropist handing out food and clothes. The description of Matthew refers to the practices of the first Christians who welcomed traveling missionaries, visited persecuted Christians in prison, and organized the social welfare of their community through food and clothes assistance. Such practices are still desirable for the sake of social justice, but they are not the main characteristics of Christian love of neighbor.
Maranatha! Lord come! During Advent we expect the joyful coming of the Savior. Why should we fear his return? There is nothing in the life of Jesus that would inspire fear. He was “humble and meek of heart.” He would not “break a bruised read, and snuff out a smoldering wick.” He brought peace—not condemnation—when he first appeared to the disciples who all had abandoned him. The fear of Judgment in the Middle Ages was mainly inspired by the fear of death when one third of the European population was whipped out by a repulsive plague.
Maranatha! Lord come in our hearts and minds! “You have made us towards you, and our heart is restless until it rests in you!”(Augustine). Faith, hope and love; the greatest is love—there is no room for fear.
Twenty-sixth Sunday after Pentecost (MK 12:38-44) November 11
The example of the widow of Zarephath
The widow of Zarephath had only a little flour and oil left for her last meal; after that, “when we have eaten this last meal, we shall die." Should she believe Elijah’s promise “Your jar of flour shall not go empty, nor your jug of oil run dry?” Would you believe he promises of an excentric foreign prophet?
Let’s be rational. If she rejected Elijah’s request, she would die for sure. If she made three pancakes instead of two, she may also die, unless, of course… Having little to lose, she trusted the prophet. Sometimes, in life, it pays to trust God.
In today’s reading, a poor widow put in the treasury “all she had, her whole livelihood," not just some left-over money at the end of the month. Was this rational? In most cases it would not be; the widow of Zarephath did not give away all her food; she only made an extra pancake, and she did not endanger her own existence. (Be aware that Jesus often speaks in hyperboles, like comparing the rich to a camel trying to pass through the eye of a needle. It definitely gets people's attention!)
“Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or about your body, or what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, yet God feeds them. Can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life?” (Lk 12:22-25) There are no hyperboles here: worrying too much does not help; we need trust to function properly.
Would you say that the poor are proportionally less generous than the rich? The opposite tends to be true. It has been found that in Protestant and Catholic Sunday collections in the US the economically poor give proportionally more money than the middle class, who, in turn, give proportionally more than the well to do! It seems that when you have little, it makes sense to trust in God in order to lead a healthy life, while when you’re rich, you need constantly to keep track of your wealth. Ask President Trump: he knows something about it and about avoiding taxes.
“Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward them for what they have done.” (Proverb 19:17) If this is true, one day we may face St. Peter saying while checking his ledger, “Yeah, you have given small change at second collections, but your balance is negative, as you have robbed so many people…”
The example of the widow of Zarephath makes sense: let us just share some of our food (and whatever else we can), and for the future – which is not in our hands – let us trust in the Lord.
Twenty-fifth Sunday after Pentecost (MK 12:28-34) November 4
Listen Israel – Shema Yisrael
The Lord your God is Lord alone!
(the Shema prayer)
"Listen Israel!" This is the beginning of the Shema prayer that Jews have recited for centuries. It continues: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and your neighbor as yourself.— In a night flight, I have seen pious Jews stand up and recite the Shema prayer early in the morning. As shown in the picture above, one is supposed to cover one’s eyes to concentrate; to love God and neighbor with all of one’s heart requires concentration, not just mechanical action.
One or two generations ago, Catholics were told to pray morning and evening. What happened? In the past, the mother would usually recite the evening prayer with her children. As soon as a child was able to speak the mother would recite a simple prayer, for instance to the Guardian Angel, before the child would go to sleep and the mother would turn off the light. From interviews I learned that in some families at night the whole family would pray or recite the rosary. Has television really replaced the evening prayer?
Morning prayer was less common, although in all parishes the church bell rang for the morning Mass. The bell would also ring at noon for the Angelus. There is a painting by Millet of 1859 showing two peasants in the fields saying a prayer, the Angelus, at the ringing of the bell from the church on the horizon. This painting was immensely popular (my parents had a print in the living room). It was also a common reality: I have seen people stop working in the fields at the ringing of the Angelus. The popes still recite the Angelus every day at their balcony at the Vatican. Does anyone today still say a mid-day prayer?
Two generations ago, when people arrived at church for Sunday Mass they knelt and prayed. Now they sit down and check their email…
Many things have changed and we have to adapt, but prayer is the oxygen of spiritual life. It is God himself who said “Shema Yisrael! Listen New Israel! Your first priority is to love God with all your heart and your neighbor as yourself.” Television should be second or third.
From interviews I also learned that many people still pray, even up to an hour every morning. Shema! Prayer is Oxygen! – What do you do to revitalize yourself?
hegy@adelphi.edu 
Twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost (MK 10:-30) October 21
"Lord, do for us whatever we ask of you."
On the prayer of petition
John and James's request is typical of many prayers of petition which basically say, "Lord, give me! Give me!" Of course we have many needs, but simply praying “Give me! Give me!” does not support our spiritual lives for very long. Here are some steps for our petitions.
There is the prayer of lament which comes naturally when we are in the pit. The Book of Lamentations wept over the desolation of Jerusalem but also individual suffering: “I am one who has known affliction under the rod of God’s anger, one whom he has driven and forced to walk in darkness, not in light.” Jeremiah laid bare his lament before God: “You seduced me, Lord, and I let myself to be seduced; you were too strong for me, and you prevailed.” And Job went as far as to curse his birth, “Perish the day on which I was born, the night when they said ‘The child is a boy.’ May that day be darkness; may God above not care for it.” There are many psalms of lament. Jesus himself felt the weight of darkness when he said, “My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death.” (Mk 14:34) There are levels of suffering that seem worse than death. As children of God we should not be reluctant to express our sadness and anger. The stoic denial of suffering is not a Christian answer.
The prayer of petition for the needs of others. No need to endlessly repeat our petition. “When you are praying, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.(Mt 6:7-8). It often helps to pray for others in the same need. Praying for others will enlarge our horizon.
The prayer for indifference. The promotion, salary increase, or admission to a prestigious society may not happen. We have to prepare ourselves to this eventuality. The prayer for indifference asks for a state of mind to accept whatever the outcome will be. Such a prayer may take days and weeks: we cannot easily go from the prospect of a rosy future to the acceptance of whatever the future holds.
Prayer of faith and thanksgiving. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”(Phil 4:6). It is our hope and faith that whatever the future brings, it will be for our best, even if it does not seem so. It is Job who had cursed God for his misery who finally prayed “The Lord has given, the Lord has taken; blessed be the name of the Lord!”
Twenty-second Sunday after Pentecost (MK 10:17-30) October 14
"Go, sell what you have, then come and follow me."
I am not going to sell everything I have. Why should I? In the story of today, the young man had observed all the commandments since his youth and there was only one thing left for him to do. Well, I have many good things I can do besides renouncing my possessions. Here are a few of them.
First, one can be satisfied with one’s income and possessions, comparing oneself with those who have less rather than with those who have more. It is wisdom never to complain, but on the contrary, to express gratitude for all that one has received.
Second, and still at the minimalist level, one can beautify what one has because our belongings condition the life of others A simple flower on the table can bring joy. Cleanliness is next to godliness because it shows spiritual control over one’s life. A house should always be ready to welcome a distinguished guest comfortably but not ostentatiously— members of one’s family and outsiders.
Thirdly, we are only the managers, not really the owners, of our wealth, and increasing we cannot transmit our belongings to our children. If we are lucky to die at 85 or older, our children will be about 60, and they won’t want any of our “stuff” (they have their own). Hence we must learn to give away our precious possessions; if not, they will go to a landfill.
Fourthly, we can do a lot of good with money. It has long been a Christian tradition to give 10 percent of one’s income to charities. On average, Catholics donate only about 1 percent of their income, mainline Protestants about 2 percent, and evangelicals about 7 to 10 percent. “I can’t afford it” said a man with an over-a-six-digit income; he needs to go skiing in the winder and spend two weeks on a sea-side resort in the summer. A steady donation of 5 to 10 percent of one’s income is a sound spiritual practice. Even better would be getting involved in a specific program, a scholarship, a domestic or foreign mission, a service to the poor etc. Such work provides gratification to self as well as to others.
“"How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!" This is quite true, especially when wealth owns us rather than the opposite. Those consumed by their own wealth (or obsessed by the lack of it) become like camels trying to pass through the eye of a needle—they become spiritually numb.
Reflections:
- Where do you stand as a wealth manager on the four points described above?
- We usually give a 12 to 15% tip at restaurants. Do you give a 12-15% tip to charities?
Twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost (MK 10:2-16) October 7
"Let the children come to me;
for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.”
We may understand this verse in the light of today’s psalm (Ps 128): “Blessed are you who fear the Lord, who walk in his ways! Blessed shall you be, and favored.” To walk in his ways is blessed by many rewards: the husband “shall eat the fruit of [his] work;” the wife “shall be like a fruitful vine” and the children “like olive plants around your table.” This is a little idyllic, but the idea is that the Lord who cares for the ravens and the flowers in the field surely will take care of those who walk in his ways.
Psalm 91 develops the same theme even more forcefully. “You who dwell in the shelter of the Most High, / Say to the Lord, “My refuge and fortress, my God in whom I trust.”/ You shall not fear the terror of the night nor the arrow that flies in the day,/ Nor the pestilence that roams in the darkness, nor the plague that ravages at noon.” To those who walk in his ways he promised: “Because you have the Lord for your refuge, no evil shall befall you, no affliction come near your tent./ For he commands his angels to protect you wherever you go.”
This psalm is a prayer of hope, not an accurate description of everyday life. Trust can be shattered, and God’s response, when we are in the pit, slow to come. This psalm is the prayer of the child praying to the guardian angel for peace at night and protection during the day. It is a prayer of hope that can sustain most of us most of the time.
“Seek first the Kingdom of God and the rest will be added on to you.” Children don’t do that, and most of us don’t do that either. This is why we should confidently pray the prayer of the child, praying for peace at night and protection during the day. This the language of faith – of the child. But how long can we claim to be children? Wake up, Lazarus! Start seeking the Kingdom of God and its righteousness, and then the rest – whatever it is: not always bliss and blessings – shall be added on to you, but it always will include comfort for our doubts and light for our darkness.
Suggestion: Read Ps 128: "Blessed shall you be..."
Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost (MK 9:38-43) September 30
“Who is not against us is with us”
There are times to hold, “Who is not with us is against us” (Mt 12:30) but today we reflect on the inclusive perspective which is much more difficult.
Above all it consists of not judging harshly, even when there is just cause. The messiah is to be gentle, “A bruised reed he will not break, and a dimly lit burning wick he will not quench.” (Is 42:3). Jesus’ yoke is easy and his burden light. He is meek and humble of heart, but at time he is thunderingly judgmental, hence inclusiveness is not all accepting. There are times to condemn and times to embrace; we must know the difference.
“Lord, do you want us to call down the fire from heaven to consume them?” (Lk 9:54) No, never. We should not condemn. To judge people: never; only God can. To judge opinions or specific deeds: yes, but only if it is really useful. In today’s reading, someone was driving out demons in Jesus’ name. In this case there is nothing to be gained from rebukes; on the contrary, it is better to be inclusive. In Luke’s story, the Samaritans did not welcome Jesus’ disciples. In this case, there is nothing to be gained from rebuking them either. “Jesus turned and rebuked them – his disciples! – and they journeyed to another village.” Do not judge; just walk away.
Evangelical inclusiveness is not the same as positive thinking. It is a good advice to focus on the positive in order to have positive results, rather than the opposite – and everybody likes cheerful friends. Biblical inclusiveness is different: “God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good!” Now there were black holes in the sky and ferocious animals in the wild, yet God said it was good. Biblical inclusiveness allows one to see the sparks of light in the midst of darkness – the light in the darkness that darkness cannot overcome. Evangelical inclusiveness is to see that divine light wherever it is.
Evangelical inclusiveness is not pious generalities. From this Sundays’s psalm, do we really feel deep down that “The law of the Lord is perfect refreshing the soul?” If not, we should not use such a pious phrase to impress others. Do we really feel that “The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever; the ordinances of the Lore are true, all of them just?” If not, let’s not tell such pious phrases to our children. But let us say, “From inadvertent sin– arrogance – restrain your servant; let it not rule over me.” Then – without arrogance and fake piety – we will be ale to say, “Then shall I be blameless and innocent of serious sin.”
There is a time to rebuke and a time to embrace. Let us know the difference, but of the two, the second is the preferred option, not through positive thinking nor pious generalities, but by seeing Christ’s light in the general darkness.
Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost (MK 9:30-37) September 23
Where is God's kingdom today?
In the current situation of church crisis, we may rightfully ask, Where is the kingdom of God today?
Jesus had promised his disciples to make them fishers of men. On his way to Jerusalem, he started to teach them, “The Son of Man is to be handed over to men and they will kill him,” They did not understand: where is the kingdom of God in all this? They did not understand.
Who will be the greatest in the coming kingdom? Taking a child, Jesus placed in their midst and said, “If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all.” What is the job of children and servants in the kingdom of God?
Jesus had started his ministry with references to Isaiah, to open the eyes of the blind and free people in prison. In all his life, Jesus only cured a few blind and did not visit prisons. Even after the resurrection, the disciples asked “Are you now going to restore the kingdom of Israel?” (Acts 1:6). In the eighth century BC, Isaiah of Jerusalem had promised the restoration of Israel (chapter 35) but it did not happen. Two hundred years later the Second Isaiah promised a glorious return from exile but it happened much later and under less glorious circumstances. Only in the last chapter of the gospel of John does Jesus tell Pilate, “My kingdom is not for this world.” If not of this world, then where and when?
God's ways are not our ways. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts." (Isaiah 55:9) So where is the kingdom of God today?
Each generation has to struggle with the question of “where and when?” There are partial answers in St. Paul’s letters, in the book of Revelation, and in the Acts of the Apostles. The kingdom of God is real, even if we cannot see where. The faith and hope of martyrs and followers of Jesus is real. In times of crisis the question should not be, “Where is the kingdom of God?” but rather, “Where and how can we increase our faith and hope?”
Reflection questions:
- What do you personally do to increase your faith and hope? Prayer, meditation, and lectio divina are traditional answers. What do you do?
Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost (Mk 8:27-35) September 16
Who defines us?
Who will define who we are or who we will be? That’s a basic question for all humans. And there are quite a number of people or groups or forces in our settings that would be very willing to take up the challenge and tell us who we are or who we should be. In the text for this week, Jesus goes along with the prevailing social customs of his day in that others in the larger context often defined people. So he asks, “Whom do people say that I am?” A variety of answers are given, and then he asks, “whom do y’all say that I am?” Of course, Jesus was from south of Jerusalem in Bethlehem, so surely he would have said “y’all” ?—actually I use “y’all” here to reflect that this is a plural “you” in Jesus’s question. So if not our larger setting, shouldn’t those closest to us define us?
Peter gets the answer right when he says that Jesus is the Messiah, but only partially so. For what happened next is that Jesus gave an unexpected self-identity description that involved rejection, suffering, and sacrificial love instead of a kingdom with earthly benefits for Jesus and his followers due to overthrowing the Romans. But Peter will have none of it—Peter steps in to correct Jesus, preferring a messianic figure defined by Peter versus one defined by Jesus himself.
In our settings, we have to remember that our identities are not for sale to the highest bidder. We are a people called to a higher purpose that involves giving ourselves in loving service to those around us, even when the price is amazingly high for doing so, like taking up a literal cross. We are the ones called to follow Jesus no matter what. I’m reminded of the 21 Egyptian martyrs on the beach in Libya who stayed faithful to who they were, Christians, in spite of the unimaginable pressures placed upon them as they faced their own deaths. We change this world be being who God has called us to be, not by letting ourselves be defined by whoever would like to do so.
Bill Warren, wfwarren@aol.com
New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary
Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost (Mk 7:31-37) September 9
The pagans proclaimed
what institutional religion did not see
After his confrontation with the Jews about hand-washing and performing miracles on the Sabbath, Jesus withdrew into pagan territory. Will his message be better received there? After Jesus healed a deaf-mute, “they proclaimed, ‘He has done all things well. The deaf hear and the mute speak.'"
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“All things are well.” This echoes Genesis: “God saw it was good” about the work of creation.
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“The deaf hear and the mute speak.” This echoes the prophecies of Isaiah, “the ears of the deaf will be cleared and the tongue of the mute will sing."
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“They proclaimed...” This echoes the psalms and key moments in the gospel of Mark: “The heavens proclaim the glory of God, and the firmament declares the work of his hands.” John the Baptist “proclaimed a baptism of repentance.” And after his resurrection Jesus sent his disciples to “proclaim the gospel to every creature.”
Why was the Jewish establishment less open to miracles than these pagans? Institutional religion tends to make a fetish out of its own rules and accomplishments. There are many very successful megachurches in the U.S. One of them has attracted over 400,000 pastors to learn from its experiences. When I visited a parish near one of them, “It is all show and no substance” I was told. “Have you attended any of their services?” “No! But I know [from hearsay!]”
Are we institutional Christians? This means being subservient to the subculture of the church. Or would you rather say with the Psalmist, “From the lips of children and infants You have ordained praise... when [they] behold Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You set in place...” For “God chose the weak of the world to shame the strong and chose the foolish of the world to shame the wise.”
Reflection: are we foolish enough to proclaim the good in others, even if not supported by social and religious institutions?
Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost (Mk 7:1-23) September 2
—“Why don’t your disciples wash their hands?”
—“You hypocrites!”
To wash one’s hands before eating is a good thing. The purification of cups and jugs and kettles and beds may also be good things. There are many good religious customs around the world – Catholics and Protestants and all Christians have their own. So what’s the problem?
“God, I thank you that I am not like other people, these who eat with dirty hands and do not purify cups and jugs.” For centuries Catholics have ridiculed Protestants for reading the bible and Protestants have despised Catholics for going to Mass. In the past many devout Catholics may have prayed, ”God, I thank you that I am not those who do not go Mass and who will go to hell...” “Hypocrites!” You preach love of God and you practice contempt of others.
How does Jesus’ saying “This people honors me with their lips but their hearts are far from me” relate to washing one’s hands? We are often absent minded during Mass and oblivious of religious obligations. Then while we honor God with our lips our minds – not our hearts – are far from God. To honor God is a disposition of the heart at all times, not just present-mindedness during religious services.
“From their hearts come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, etc. All these evils come from within.” Obviously our mind can be far from God when you wash our hands; it is not our God-mindedness that counts but our God heart-centeredness. The Pharisees were God-minded but their heart was not God-centered.
Inspired by http://www.ktotv.com/video/00097782/22e-dimanche-ordinaire-b-vangile
Reflection: Are you sometimes absent-minded at church? Never mind, if at other times your heart is God-centered.
Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost (Jn 60-69) August 26
Why I left or Why I stayed
"Many of his disciples no longer accompanied him.... Simon Peter answered, "Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life". LEAVING OR STAYING?
An unexamined life is not worth living, and an unexamined faith is not worth practicing either. When religion is inherited from one's family, one can move out of it as easily as one moved in.In the wake of the clerical sexual scandal, we may ask, WHY ARE WE STAYING? If at any time you have left, WHY DID YOU LEAVE? At all times we have to re-examine the reasons for leving qand staying.
SEE COMMENTS AT
http://wakeuplazarus.net/2018/staying.html#comments
Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost (Eph 5:15-29) August 19
“The days are evil but be filled with the Spirit”
Conscience is higher than institutional religion
Today I prefer to concentrate on he first reading which has two main points, the rejection of evil and life in the Spirit. The letter to the Ephesians has a relatively mild view of the evils of the world: “Be angry but do not sin.” “Thieves must give up stealing.” “Put away all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander.” And “Fornication and impurity of any kind, or greed, must not even be mentioned among you.” We may say,”All of this I have done since my childhood.”
The crux of the argument is this. “Good teacher, what must I do to have eternal life?” The answer is known: obey the Commandments and the laws of the church. If the Ten Commandments are not enough for you, there are 613 of them in the Torah, 1,752 canons in Canon Law, and 2,865 articles of discipline or faith in the Catholic Catechism. Even if we follow all these laws, we are not justified by obedience but by faith. Obedience and the avoidance or evil are clearly not enough. You must be filled with the Spirit.
“Do not grieve the holy Spirit of God with which you were sealed.” Or in different terms, do not grieve the voice of God in your conscience. Conscience is greater than institutional religion, the prophets told us. There are so many crimes that were committed in the name of obedience and the lack of conscience, from concentration camps to...
The Founding Fathers recognized the rights of conscience in religion, while for another 200 years the Vatican allied itself with repressive regimes. Vatican II recognized the right to religious freedom, but Canon Law under papal direction made loyal dissent illegal for Catholics. For over 50 years victims have reported hideous sex crimes by priests but the hierarchy used cover-ups to silence them and their own conscience. Ultimately it is newspaper reporters and the secular courts that showed conscience. As you can see, conscience is higher than institutional religion, but also more elusive. Question: What is it you have done since childhood? Is it just obey the rules to stay out of trouble? Today’s reading calls us not to grieve the voice of conscience. Do you listen to conscience by reviewing your day?
COMMENTS
Letter To A Priest
Women marched for their rights in 2017; teens marched for their lives in 2018; 250,000 people marched with Martin Luther King Jr. in 1963 against the injustice and inequalities shown to African-Americans; even The Ku Klux Klan marched, as though heroes, in 1925 simply to make their presence known....
And I think it is about time that priests march to protest the sex abuse scandals inside the walls of the Church they have pledged their lives to. It is time that priests take to the streets around their dioceses’ Cathedral, to get their Bishop’s attention, it is time they use their voices to break thru and demolish the walls of silence that screen the deception that protects abusers, men who hide inside the safety and comfort of the Church, men who wear white collars like tricksters and hide their evil deeds. Because if you are not against them…you are with them.
I ask, what is keeping the “good priest” from speaking out daily against his degenerate brothers, priests who are destroying the foundation of our modern day Church, priest who are making the “good priest’s” life increasingly difficult to navigate in a mostly secular world? And I ask: What would Jesus say? Yes, the Son of God who said: 'Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God'.
Those same children who have been used for sexual pleasure at the hands of the clergy Jesus once ordained to represent Him, no doubt, gave up on the Kingdom of God a long time ago.
So this is a call to “the good priest” from a woman who was sexually abused as a child and barely survived: Stop living in your glass houses and do something to protect innocent lives from the dirty legacy of sexual abuse in The Church.
It could be the most import thing you have ever done with your vocation.
Evelyn Augusto, evelynaugusto2012@gmail.com
Response to Bishop, Scott, ThePriest 
Reading and rereading your response to my Letter To A Priest and thinking what this means:
"For me, though—and I’m simply responding to broaden the dialogue—priests marching on their own ‘headquarters’ would strongly intimate they are not in synch with the hierarchy of their church. That somehow the bishops and rank-and-file clergy are on separate pages when it comes to this sensitive subject. The last thing I want as a Catholic during these challenging times is a deeply impressionable visual of anarchy between priests’ and their superiors. That would suggest an unraveling of the Church founded on the ‘rock’ of St. Peter. Surely the overwhelming majority of priests, bishops, cardinals, right on up to Pope Francis consider the kind of behavior chronicled in the Pennsylvania grand jury report as hideous, disgusting and gravely sinful."
I know that the "respectful", "supportive", "obedient", "accepting" posture toward the men in black, the “ask no questions” and “do not judge” position is what has fed the monster for years and years. Abusers in The Church, like all pedophiles, prey on the trusting and bank on your preference to not "rock the boat".
Jesus knew well that: "Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and any city or house divided against itself will not stand...." And what was he suggesting?
He demolished "the temple" and rebuilt in three days. AND WITH FAITH GOOD PRIESTS CAN TOO!
This "house", let's identify as The Catholic Church must be divided to encourage its collapse so that The Body of Christ can bulldoze the debris, clean up the mess and start again.
Only the narrow "percentage of good priests" (you have grossly overestimated the % of 'good priests' -- sorry) can effectively battle the evil inside these rectories and sacristies, only a small number of them have what is needed from The Holy Spirit to exorcise the demons that walk the aisles of our Churches. And that is what I hope to encourage priests who read my letter to do. The "good priest" must no longer be complicit or complacent!
Priests must gird their loins against corrupt bishops and pedophile "men of the cloth". There must be a: "If you see something ... say something" practice within seminaries and places where priests gather. Good priest must stop looking away.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/15/us/priest-sexual-abuse-catholic-church.html
Part of the issue, it seems to me, is toxic masculinity. We teach men deal with their pain by hurting others socially weaker than themselves. Some of those men shoot people. Others engage in sexual abuse.
Men, of course, are not intrinsically evil, but they are often socialized to deal with their hurt by hurting others.
David VonSchlichten vonschlichten@setonhill.edu
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdsq_jJIAEcra473zg_xVFQxrLnpuNXEzv8OUll2bEGIcqSHg/viewform
Pedophilia in the Catholic Church is one of the saddest things ever. We are certainly a church of sinners, but some sinfulness is systemic. And it is NOT the pedophilia.
We knew personally one of the early self-disclosed guys, a serial abuser. He was an assistant in our parish. (He came out on the cover of a national magazine—Newsweek I think.) Our kids were scandalized; the parish was sad, friends were shocked. He was easy to work with and a good confessor. What a waste and what a sad commentary that those in charge did nothing. What a distorted pastoral legacy on those whose lives he ruined! And therein grows the sin. Pedophiles are damaged people.Those in charge who do nothing--and who know--are to blame.
Bureaucracy always protects its own, but the church should be better than that. As C.S. Lewis noted years ago, evil is most active in the places where good should thrive. This is a sickness which becomes a cancer, a dark mold that destroys not only the victim (and we know one of those as well--that's why HE left the church) but the whole institution. And then there's the scandal: one, holy . . .church--really??? I cannot imagine someone staying Catholic without some deeper religious experience that floats above this stuff. Our children certainly have not. Half practice nothing; the other half have converted to Disneyism (Walt = God the Father; Mickey = his only begotten son. Lots of magic; lots of feel good.)
Any of us who have worked in the church and/or accademia have seen this kind of thing--and other bad stuff (The Me-Too movement comes to mind). It's just very, very, sad. The comment in the last join-in post says it well.post which demonstrates the lasting pain says it well.
Dee Christie, dchristie@aol.com
About the time (1972) the Jesuits left control of all their parishes in rural Southern Maryland - a 90 mi. long peninsula - perhaps not coincidentally, rules were changed allowing priests to be moved more frequently. Almost every parish in the area was given a pederast priest or two, and one even a bishop.
As many people know, bishops typically send these men to rural or poor urban communities. Today, Mass attendance there is one of the worst in the country.
It is hard for us who hail from the birthplace of Catholicism in the English-speaking colonies to not have known several or more friends, family, parishioners, fellow students who were not raped, tortured, victims of drugs and suicides.
For decades we have known bishops were criminally complicit.
I entered graduate training with an eye to discover the roots of the abuse of power in the Church. Attached is the first article I wrote on the subject (for private use only). My book on the underlying theology contributing to the crisis was just published in June. (Berulle's Spiritual Theology of Priesthood)
This latest news cycle seemed like any other. Thankfully, it is not.
Sometimes the Holy Spirit comes as a winnowing fire and we must hide our faces. This is a day of great rejoicing for victims and for advocates alike but it will be a long one and filled with the stench of sulphur.
When we look back, we and history will account it as a momentous time of change and betterment. We have a lot of work to do to make that happen. The first thing is to join hands across the ideological divide that actually kept the secrets in place, and continues to do so.
Richard Sipe, a longtime mentor to me across that divide, ended all of his emails to me with the word, "Courage."
One of his last emails to me in June included the following: "Clare: I am feeling pretty desperate now. Secrecy on all sides is too much to carry. I have kept trying as long as I could. History should win out... "
Perhaps the grace he has obtained for us has allowed the secrets to begin to break open.
One victim decades ago told me that when Catholics finally find out there is hardly one leader who was not complicit, many will leave the faith.
I left myself for 9 years but am grateful to have been given the grace to return.
Vatican voices 'shame and sorrow' over damning sex abuse report
https://www.yahoo.com/news/u-bishops-call-vatican-lay-abuse-probe-ex-154245204.html
An important factor that contributes to the churches current problems, as I see it, is that the executive and judicial functions in a diocese rest in one person, its bishop. When Caesar's role and God's call to mercy collide in church governance there are problems. Jesus tells us: "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's and to God the things that are God's." Some ecclesial safeguards for this are in place. For example: a bishop may not hear the confession of one his clergy lest there be conflict of interest. Other limitations on what bishops and pastors do should also be in place.
When understandings of executive function with regard to morality, psychology, financial accountability, and planning collide with data, there should be easy recourse to outside adjudication. We do not have that within the catholic church. The function of polity should not trump impartial judgment and wrong-doing..
C. T. Rupert s.j. crupert@jesuits.org
I am what some would call a "cafeteria Catholic" but what I would call a committed-but-educated Catholic. It pains me that so many Catholics think it's all-in or out. There are some non-negotiable teachings. If you want to know what they are, simply recite our creedal statements. Notice that there is nothing there about who may or not be ordained; about abortion or stem cell research or physician assisted suicide; about male-female or single-sex marriage or about sex before marriage; about mandatory or optional celibacy. I love my Catholic heritage but, like all aspects of our lives, I love it best when it meets the needs of our people. Living in Philadelphia is living in one of the epicenters of the child abuse scandal. I have also learned from a childhood friend from my days in New York not only that a priest that taught us and chaperoned our dances is an offender but also that this friend is one of his victims. These are human failures in an institution that too many have been taught is above suspicion. Accepting the human side of this church of ours frees us, challenges us, and emboldens us to fight to make it reflect more closely the values of Jesus. A final thought: a TV spot on a local channel waxes eloquent about "the majesty of the Catholic mass." This infuriates me but it also points to part of the problem. Jesus was a man of the fields and the sea and the mountains, an itinerant preacher who relied on others for bed and board. We need to remember the vision of Vatican II, which urged us to get back to our simple roots, before the conversion of Constantine turned us into a monarchy and our leaders into potentates. Real "other Christs" need to get this right
Marie A. Conn, mconn@chc.edu
Chestnut Hill College,
Marie's comments are right on target, and reflected in today's readings. It occurred to me today at Mass that maybe those in the Johannine generation after Jesus understood the "live forever" part of today's readings ("Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever.") not in a heaven after death way but in another way.
When we come together and eat, we become those "other Christs." What does that mean? Certainly it means the interdependency that Marie talks about (relying on others for bed and board, etc.), but it means also that the reality of the living Christ continues in us and in the future of the community. The major "majesty of the Catholic Mass" is not its pomp and poetry but its real presence--that is, the presence of Christ in those of us who become what we eat. The church not a hierarchy but a community that takes this insight seriously and passes it on incarnate in love, caring, compassion.
It is sad that we have protected the structure more than we promote the reality. Have we forgotten who we are? Have those in institutional leadership forgotten who they are? This latest public crisis is a call out from the religious restaurant inspectors. Maybe it's time for our leaders to clean up the kitchen and take more seriously what a well prepared banquet looks like. Maybe we cafeteria Catholics need more consciously to carry out a generous doggie bag. You know, those baskets and baskets of leftovers.
Dee Christie, dchristie@aol.com
To: Christopher Rupert
Fr. Rupert is quite correct to point to the structural issue here.
The church still follows a feudal model in which the bishop is lord of the diocese, with administrative/executive, legislative, and judicial authority all rolled into one. He many not function directly in a judicial role, but he appoints all the members of the tribunal; thus, there is no recourse against a bishop except an appeal to Rome, which is expensive, time-consuming, and pre-disposed in the bishop's favor. Even when our own (now retired) Cleveland bishop underwent multiple appeals that challenged his arbitrary handling of parish closings—quite another subject, but it illustrates the same issue of unchecked authority—all the appeals finally were upheld, but the remedy was never enforced and the bishop was never recalled/demoted/censured for this abuse of authority. He caused a schism in Cleveland that still has not been repaired. Even with a new bishop who seems much more pastorally inclined, what victims would put themselves under "obedience" to another autocrat with no structural safeguards in place?
I don't want to see the church become yet another corporation, but that is not the only alternative here. The "American experiment" has shown that a separation of powers helps prevent such abuses of authority. Even when it works badly (as is the case at the present), at least it still puts some brakes on autocratic executive power. So, we need a polity change, not just a policy change.
We also need a total overhaul on the understanding of the clerical state. The fundamentally heretical opposition to women's ordination, grounded in a refusal to acknowledge women as fully representative of humanity, is both supported by and reinforces the toxic masculinity mentioned by David Von Schlichten. Current church structures are unethical, and that includes the marginalization of women and gays. There is no way to eliminate the Romanitas that pushed all these abuses underground to "save face" and "protect the faithful from scandal" without eliminating the macho structures. Because this would require a truly seismic shift, many draw back from the admission, but nothing less will serve.
Sheila E. McGinn, smcginn@jcu.edu
John Carroll University
Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost (Jn 6:41-51) August 12
“Whoever believes has eternal life”
Today’s gospel is full of extreme aphorisms: “Whoever eats this bread will live forever,” “I am the living bread that comes down from heaven,” and “Whoever believes has eternal life.” These statements are best understood in light of the opposition between light and darkness of the Prologue: “light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
“Whoever believes” would be best translated as “whoever has faith.” We now realize that there are many levels of faith while beliefs are either true or false. Also: “there are many mansions in my Father’s house”– there are many heavens for people of many faiths, not just an economy class, the same for all. How do the various levels of faith lead to eternal life? In short, as is in Romantic love, religious faith is based on constant mutual attention; faith never sleeps. Do you have morning or evening encounters with the Loved One?
“Whoever eats this bread will live forever” is also best understood in light of the Prologue: “In Him was life, and that life was the light of men.” The Word is to be received, consumed and appropriated, and this Word gives life because He is life. Needless to say, one must nourish oneself with this bread daily if possible. He is also light for the mind for those who study his word. Neither a life-time of study nor a multi-generation library can contain it. Again, like for all studies, it takes years to make progress. We believe in the Holy Spirit and in the possibility of miracles, but not in progress through magic; rituals are not magical performances. The heavenly bread becomes a source of life usually through a life-time of appropriation.
Let’s not be fooled by simple phrases like “In God we trust” as on our currency or “Truth makes you free,” which is the motto of the CIA. “However believes has eternal life” speaks of the whole mystery of salvation. So what does it say to you?
QUESTION: How do you make the bread of Jesus Christ source of life in everyday living?
COMMENTS
Faith involves the whole person
Here's the line that particularly resonated with me: “Whoever believes” would be best translated as “whoever has faith.” This hooks up nicely with Jesus speaking to Thomas after the Resurrection when he admonishes Thomas to be (in my interpretation) "faithful" instead of "unfaithful" (and in place of the usual "believing/unbelieving" binary.
Growth in faith is not simply an exercise of volition to respond to a challenge of belief, but something which involves the whole person and grows more gradually (and unevenly) over time.
Jim Bretzke SJ james.bretzke@bc.edu
now at Marquette University
I see two messages. First: we are offered a gift. The gift is for "everyone."Second: this is not a spectator sport. We are called to be that living bread to others, often in very ordinary ways. Do we take seriously Jesus' example, that is, to give ourselves totally to nourish others?
Dolores Christee dlchristie@aol.com
Shaker Heights, OH
On Hurting and Healing
Last weekend I had a harrowing experience of anger and disgust at some public manifestations of bigotry in the media and ignominy with the church scandals...Then Sunday came along, and at Mass God spoke to me. The Second Reading (Ephesians 4:30-5:12) seemed directed very pointedly to me: “All bitterness, fury, anger, shouting, and reviling must be removed from you.....” Chastized, I knew I was being severely admonished indeed. I swallowed my anger, and—hopefully—I have learned my lesson. Surrender to persecution, no, but patience, steadiness, forgiveness, yes. Then in the Gospel, the Lord went on to tell us, “No one can come” to Him “unless the Father... draw him.” I must learn to be compassionate and “understanding” even to those non-Catholics who hate us. And within the Church, even to those in ecclesiastical authority over us. Moreover, as Pope Francis has said more than once, the embarrassment, the “shaming,” that all Catholics are passing through because of the scandals is the “sacrificial offering” whereby we do public and collective penance for the public sins of some in our midst. In Christ, the Mystical Body heals itself in Christ. Healing often hurts, hurts very much.
Robert Magliola
rmagliola@yahoo.com
Assumption University of Thailand (retired)
Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost. (Jn 6:24-35) August 5.
The bread of life in its many forms
Jesus as bread of life has been understood in many different ways. For some Christians, Jesus is the bread of life through scripture only. Some churches celebrate the Lord’s Supper once a month only. The meaning of “This is my body” has also been understood differently within Christianity.
In the Didache of the first century we read about the broken bread, “We thank You, our Father, for the life and knowledge which You made known to us through Jesus Your Servant.” Here the emphasis is on the symbolic nature of the broken bread: “As this broken bread was scattered over the hills, and was gathered together and became one, so let Your Church be gathered together.” At the other extreme, at one time people believed that Christ is physically present in the Eucharist the way the pope in present in the Vatican, as attested by the belief in miracles of bleeding hosts.
The “real presence” of Christ refers to something more than a symbol, but what? His presence is spiritual, not physical. Of course God is present in the whole universe. More specifically, Christ is present in the scriptures, in the sacraments, in the liturgy and the praying communities, in the pastors and the flock, and in the bread and wine.
These beliefs are not very important unless one acts upon them. Believing that Christ is present in scripture is of little use if one does not read scripture, and believing in the “real presence” is meaningless to the mice hiding in the walls and the beggar spending the night in the church.
What is most important is the active belief that the presence of Christ is relational: there is no “presence” when one is absent. A presence is relational when it is mutual and constant – like the mutual presence of lovers. Of little consequence is a five minute mutual presence on Sunday morning. To be food for life in a mutual presence, Christ needs more than beliefs and a few minutes per week.
Question: How to you see Christ as the bread of life?
Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost. (Jn 6:1-15) July 29.
Miracles are signs — of what?
We all know that the multiplication of the loaves refers the Eucharist but that’s a first grade catechism answer. There is more to biblical “signs” than catechism. If Jesus is the “sign” or image of the Father, then what are his miracles signs of? Each generation has to answer in its own way, “Who do you think I am?” And, what are his miracles a sign of for you?
“For me Christ is life and to die is a gain.” “Nothing will separate us from the love of Christ.” “It is not I who live but it is Christ who lives in me.” These are exceptional professions of faith on the part of St. Paul.
Most of Paul’s letters begin with a blessing. To the Corinthians he wrote, “I give thanks always on your account for the grace bestowed on you in Christ Jesus.” But the Corinthians for Paul were like a thorn in the flesh. They were polarized in endless disputes and one of them was a sexual pervert. Paul had to write three times to the Corinthians (the third letter is lost) and once in tears. But here is the point: all is grace to give thanks for; all things are signs of God’s creative generosity.
Miracles are marvelous events (from Latin “mirare:” to admire, to marvel). There are many marvelous things that happen to us, but we may say, “It’s just a coincidence,” or, “It’s good luck,” or “I was born under a lucky star.” No! All coincidences are God’s gifts. What do they mean? Coincidences are signs through which God may communicate and their meaning depends on our profession of faith of who Jesus is. Poets can see the extraordinary in the ordinary; so can faith. It is faith that makes us admire and see, and leads us to give thanks. Most people have stories of divine assistance in extradorinary coincidences.
Question: What are your experiences of divine assistance in exceptional circumstances?
COMMENTS
Don't Forget the Leftovers
The loaves and fishes passage is presented in this gospel as a significant “OH WOW” moment. It must be, since we find it repeatedly, in the gospels and in the Hebrew scripture (Elijah’s feeding story and the Moses’ miracle of manna). In John, of course there are alterations that appear to be minor but have great significance. Unlike in the synoptics, here Jesus himself distributes the food. The event takes place near the feast of Passover. The happening is described, as Pierre notes, as “sign” and not a “miracle.” It is not a pointer to an extra-worldly action or a gimme-God parable.
Do we trust that our very flesh is nourished and perfected in the bread of life, in real time? Do we believe that we are precious people sustained by the manna of God’s love and unconditional acceptance? The Passover is continued in the celebration of the community of believers and extended into the rest of world by the “bread of life” we carry in our being.
When we or others experience pain, cry, feel alone, this food is available to nourish us. And there is enough to nourish others. Is not God present most richly when we hit bottom, when our hunger and weariness are at their nadir? Check out those twelve baskets. Do not miss the miracle.
Dee Christie, dlchristie@aol.com
Shaker Heights, OH
The real miracle
As Monika Hellwig noted years ago, the real miracle of the Eucharist is in the spiritual transformation of the believer, not in the transformation of the bread and the wine. I would only add that the deeper meaning of the Eucharist is to recall the self-sacrificing life of Jesus as summed up in his passion and death and to urge us to imitate it ("Do this in memory of me").
Joseph Bracken, bracken@xavier.edu
Xavier University
Tenth Sunday after Pentecost. (Mk 6:30-34) July 22.
Moved with pity
The Greek word translated as “moved with pity” is better rendered as “his heart was broken” or “he felt sympathy deep in his gut.” It is a word that recurs in the Gospels to indicate intense sympathy. For instance, in Luke 15, Jesus uses the word to describe the father’s reaction to seeing the (so-called) prodigal son off in the distance, returning home at last. This deep, gut-wrenching compassion is at the core of how Jesus responds to us. Christ’s compassion is so vast and strong that it breaks his heart to see us suffer.
Naturally, we should go and respond likewise to the suffering of our fellow human beings (and even, to an extent, non-human creatures). It is easy to grow numb to the never-ending stories of devastation on the new and in our relationships. The shootings, the opioid crisis, the crisis over the horrible treatment of immigrants and refugees, climate change—the bad news is endless. Then there are people we know who tell us their stories about battling cancer or addiction. I want to care and work hard to convey my sympathy or at least empathy, but it is challenging to do that every single time.
Of course, we need to take time for self-care, as Jesus seems to do with the disciples. Sometimes, though, we have to put the self-care aside, at least for the moment, to tend to the need right in front of us. Jesus does that in our reading. When he sees the people, who are interrupting his down time, his heart breaks, and he helps them.
Thanks be to God that it is not all up to me. The Trinity is the one ultimately responsible. Also, thanks be to God that the Church is not just me. All of us, guided and empowered by the Trinity, fed through the Word and the Sacraments, especially the Eucharist, supported by the communion of saints, both living and dead, are in this together.
May we all assist one another in taking time to rest and also feeling that heart-break for those in need.
David VonSchlichten, vonschlichten@setonhill.edu
Seton Hill University
Nineth Sunday after Pentecost. (Mk 6: 7-3) July 15.
Missions begin at home
Our most common educators in the faith are our parents, mostly mother, only secondarily our catechism teachers, and lastly our parish priest. Most homilies this week may encourage people to get involved in missions – a noble endeavor. But missions begin at home: unless people are “missionaries” to their children, they have little faith to share with others.
- Parents (usually mothers) should read the bible to their small children, even before they can read (I did not).
- Parents should prayer with their children, starting when they are small – something more than saying grace before meals (I seldom did).
- Parents and children should read the bible together, maybe once a week (I did only a short time)
- Parents should speak about matters of faith with their children, especially as they go through sacramental preparation and religious education (I seldom did).
- The whole family should go to religious events (conferences, pilgrimages, visit to churches or shrines (I seldom did).
- Finally (if encouraged by Vatican II pastors) parents should be active in voluntary associations and ministries and encourage their adolescents to do the same.
Some parishes support a poor sister parish abroad. This may be the opportunity to make a regular financial contribution to a missionary charity. One may become a godparent to a child abroad through financial support.
Many churches (especially evangelical churches) organize short mission trips of a few days or a week. Such trips are usually great eye-openers for many people.
There is an enormous potential of good will and manpower among seniors. Their contribution could be a new wave of both giving and receiving. Mission starts at home, but it requires as much listening as it does giving.
COMMENTS
Only sacri-fice “makes holy”
It saddens me that so many, including my own children, find many who represent the public face of the good news do nothing like that. Two of my kids have put it much this way: “Mom, I know that you taught us justice and caring; and I know those values came from the Catholic faith you hold. Nevertheless, what I hear preached from the pulpit is not justice but exclusion and hate. How can I be a part of such a community? I won’t bring my kids to such a place.” While their argument has holes, it has merit as well.
That message of exclusion, of we-are-better-than-you, of sin not love seems so loud to many that they cannot hear the deeper offer of God’s love. They do good, yet the good they do is not nourished and replenished by the community of the bread of life. They get discouraged, they drop out.
I am saddened by the emphasis often of the both church and country on partial pieces like abortion and gay marriage rather than see the bigger picture of intrinsic human dignity and rights (see Pacem in Terris), racism, health care, and basic needs (translation: take care of pre-natal and post-natal care of all human beings). And Pierre is right. As a senior I have time and energy to listen, to care, to heal and cast out demons. Maybe I can pack my small bag and join others to do so.
Dee Christie, dlchristie@aol.com
Shaker Heights, OH
Eighth Sunday after Pentecost. (Mk 6:1-6) July 8.
The rejection at Nazareth: No faith seeking understanding
- “What mighty deeds are wrought by his hands! Is not his sister here with us?” Please answer!
- “"What sign can You show us to prove your authority?" Please answer!
In matters of beliefs we usually ask for proofs or explanations, as in math and science. In class, any student can stand up and say, “I have a question. Please answer! The Jews were simply asking questions. For them religion was a question of correct beliefs. They wanted answers that can be accepted passively.
Hear the prayer from an unknown complainer. “I have become like dust and ashes. I cry to you, but you do not answer me. You have turned into my tormenter, and with strong hand you attack me... Let my accuser write out his indictment! Let the Almighty answer me.”
“Then the Lord answered Job out of the storm and said: ‘Where were you when I founded the earth? Tell me if you have understanding.” “Then Job answered and said. ‘I have spoken but did not understand, but now I have seen you. Therefore I disown what I have said.’”
In matters of faith, seeking is active, not passive; it precedes and hopefully leads to understanding, not the opposite. One cannot summon God to court and demand answers to our questions. Faith must begin with a humble seeking, God may or may not answer out of the storm. Faith and understanding are a divine gift.
When reading this Sunday’s gospel, do you find it uninspiring? I did. I had to consult commentaries and reach out for understanding. Only humble seeking can bring forth inner light.
Reflection. Isn't it a common tendency to identify the Christian faith with beliefs and doctrines? E.g,.in bible reading, in church teachings, in personal questions like those of Job.
COMMENTS
[The ability of being amazed]
In Nazareth, the amazement of what was happening in the person of Jesus captivated people. But in a society where public acclaim was a right by birth more than a possibility to be attained, the people could not fathom that maybe God could break that pattern. Maybe we also tend to forget about what God can do in our own settings in and through the lives of others. Overlooking what God is doing in our own settings happens to all of us, but hopefully not so often as to be a pattern in life. May God help us to see the holy things that are happening in our own midst.
Bill Warren, wfwarren@aol.com
New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary
[Faith is not doctrine]
Faith seeking understanding will never find it if the attitude is purely intellectual and dismissive. This is not about doctrine. If I look for answers and proof instead of openly seeking relationship, I get nowhere.
Notice how Jesus responds. He is distressed that his reaching out is rebuffed. This is what happened also in Mark 10 with the rich young man: Jesus “loved him.” The man couldn’t handle it and “went away sad.”
How often do we miss Christ’s presence in our lives in simple encounters, in giddy gatherings, in acute agony? That lovely friend is there to listen, to laugh with us, to hold us tightly when we hurt. We can see that presence, feel it; but only if we are open. God’s presence is fleshed in the Christ of our everyday. Do we believe that? Do we really?
Dee Christie, dlchristie@aol.com
Shaker Heights, OH
Seventh Sunday after Pentecost. (Mk 5:21-43) July 1.
Jairus: faith in the throngs of death
– “Your daughter has died; why trouble the teacher any longer?” to which Jesus replied:
– “Do not be afraid, just have faith.”
How can you have faith when there is no future, when everything is dark, when you are in a tunnel with no end? My daughter is dead: this is irreversible. How can I have faith now?
After Lazarus’ death, Martha complained to Jesus, “If you had been here, my brother would not have died.” Why did you not heal him before it was too late? Yes, I know: “You are the resurrection and life – in the other world!” Then Mary rushed to the scene and repeated, “If you had been here, my brother would not have died.” How can you have faith when it is too late?
Just think of the hundreds migrants lost in the Mediterranean Sea when no country wants to accept them, or the migrants at the Mexican border separated like cattle into adults and children. How can they have faith? Many of us have probably been in a situation where there seemed to be no future, maybe not as stark as that of Jairus and the immigrants. The question is the same: how can you have faith when there seems to be no future?
Faith gives hope, and hope by itself makes impossible life possible. Without hope there is no future. Faith is both a divine gift and a decision. Faith is different from optimism which sees life in rosy colors. Faith is based on the conviction that God is greater than death, no matter what. Faith is not the hope that things will turn out the way we expect, and often this is not the case. Faith is hope in hope, hope in a power than is greater than our expectations.
Here is the story of an Pentecostal pastor. When his father was dying, he launched a prayer campaign for his miraculous healing. And the father recovered. Ten years later, the same happened but the father died. This failure became a crisis of faith for the whole congregation. Then in prayer, the pastor heard an inner voice saying, “I know what it is to lose your father. I too had to bury my father Joseph when I was still young. But the power of God is greater than death.” At these words the pastor wept and his crisis of faith was healed. Maybe that was the miracle that he needed. Faith is not hope for a miracle according to our expectations but something greater than that.
Reflection: Have you been in a similar situation? What happened then?
COMMENTS
[In God’s ways there is a way when there is no way]
"Lord, make a way where there is no way." I heard this prayer repeated over and over in the healing and deliverance ministry at a prayer breakfast. It has become a prayer that I pray as well.
We are always urged to trust and to believe, not to be afraid. But the realities of life prove that there are things for which we have good reason to be afraid. But the truth is that, yes, there really is no way at times. Some things are very wrong and we are powerless.
God's ways are really not our ways. The God of our future has already seen and been at work preparing us and the path ahead of us. There is a kind of backward causality, prevenient grace, reversed order of things. Divine Providence reaches back toward us time and again. Perhaps this is the Christian vocation.
John the Baptist came to see how the fear of God who struck dumb his doubting father was a promised miraculous intervention. Like him, we must wait, watch, see! He is coming, the God who makes all things new, even death, especially death.
Clare McGrath-Merkle, OCDS, cmm4@verizon.net
[Listening to all needs]
In Mark 5:21-43, the synagogue leader Jairus gets a hearing and his daughter is cured but the other person in this story, a woman with whose health problems that made her unclean, is an uninvited intruder into Jesus’ social space. Who would bother with her? Jesus does, delaying his journey to Jairus’s home.
rhaps we live too often in a world that doesn’t want intrusions by needy people who don’t meet our “importance” qualifications. We don’t want to be bothered in the midst of what we deem important by peoplewe do not deem to be “important.” May God help us to hear the cries of those whom society deems as not important. Jesus ministers to all groups in society. May we do the same.
Bill Warren, wfwarren@aol.com
New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary
Sixth Sunday after Pentecost. (Lk 1:57-66). June 24
The vocation of John the Baptist and ours
When growing up, John was famous because his father had spoken to an angel in the Temple of Jerusalem. At age 14 or 15, he was eligible to be betrothed to the most prominent girl in town. He studied the Thora and started serving in the Temple like his father. Then, one day, he renounced this promising career.
News reached the family that John had been seen in a hut or cave somewhere in the desert of Judea. They were very sad at such a prospect. Of course they supported him in all the ways they could but were very disappointed. They saw no future for him. Besides nobody knew where he was and nobody was coming to listen to him.
One day someone inquired about the man in the cave. “He wears a hairy garment with a leader belt around his waist.” “That’s Elijah!” said the other who, like king Ahaziah, recognized him by his clothes (2 Kings 1:8). From then on, the news spread that Elijah had come back to prepare the way for the Messiah. And people came flocking to be baptized from all over the country.
I am currently reading a very readable story of Joan of Arc. What an incredible vocation, one that began like a firework and ended in the flames at the stake! The author of the book gave his heroine a very modest title, “A Good Heart.” In a certain sense, Joan’s mission was very simple, just go and do as told by your voices! Joan’s words at the trial have been preserved; they are inspiring by their simplicity. It does not seem that many people read the lives of saints and heroes anymore (like the story of John with a hairy garment and a leather belt.) Scholars tried to reconstruct the life and deeds of the historical Jesus but the need for historical accuracy may have killed the imagination. Washington and Lincoln need to be known without legends and exaggerations, but not without imagination. And this holds for saints and heroes. They are our best role-models; they are outstanding vocations to help our own more modest ones.
Reflection questions:
- Was there a time when reading the stories of saints and heroes was common in your life?
- What happened since? What life stories have you read or watched at the movies? Gandhi? M. L. King? Oscar Romero? Silence? What books or movies would you recommend?
- Little vocations feed on big ones: tell us about it.
Forth Sunday After Pentecost (June 10)
What is love?
“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.” (John 15:9)
The gospel of John uses the term love 19 times in four chapters, and even several times in the same sentence. But what is love? Romantic love and the psychological theories of love are of little help, and so is the opposition between agape and eros. What is needed is a translation of “agape” into modern concepts.
In homilies, love of neighbor is often equated with works of charity like those of the Good Samaritan, but that is a limited view of love.
Love has been defined as caring, using spousal and parental love as root metaphor. Caring is not static; it must change with the evolving relationships: spouses change and children become adults. Caring also implies knowledge: care must be adapted to the other person’s real needs, not one’s wishful thinking. This caring love implies dedication to the daily needs of others, being present at their successes and failures, and freely giving praise, support, encouragement, ideas, and practical help.
There is something missing in the metaphor of care: God is the creator of the infinite universe and his love for the material things is expressed in the infinite creative power of mind over matter. If God’s love in the universe means endless creativity, then love of neighbor must also include creativity through knowledge, skills, arts, sports, etc. Love as caring should not be just emotional; it must involve innovations and activities.
Finally the creative caring for others must also include a common turn to God and a concern for spiritual growth: “Remain in me as I remain in you.” But there are two major obstacles: most people do not see spiritual growth as part of their religion, and most of us are too busy to even think about it. Moreover, we may be tempted by two extreme attitudes: never speak about spirituality because it may seem irrelevant to others, or at the other extreme, make moralizing suggestions which turn people off.
I could suggest Paul’s practice of caring for his churches in prayer: “I give thanks to my God at every remembrance of you, praying always with joy in my every prayer for all of you.” (Phil. 1:3). Caring for others in prayer helps caring for them in everyday life.
-
What is love for you? An emotional longing? A practice of works of charity?
- How do you include concern for spiritual growth in your relationships?
- How would you talk about love at a wedding?
COMMENTS
Love on the occasion of Father’s Day
I am thinking of love with regard to Father's Day, a day that I have long been ambivalent about, in part because of my horrible biological father and in part because I feel unworthy of being celebrated as a father. Why should I receive a holiday to commemorate my simply doing what I am supposed to be doing? But I have no problem showering positive attention on my wife on Mother's Day.
Father's Day and "What is Love?" are certainly related. God is the ideal Parent (I am ambivalent about calling God "Father," as well) who loves us the way we should love others, even as we fall short in that love. Our biological and social families are important, but Christ creates a new family. In all these families, love is less about how we feel and more about how we live. Caring requires action and innovation. To love means to be attentive to people's needs and contexts and to respond in a way that reflects the greater, perfect love of God.
If I were preaching this Sunday, I would want to focus on the Parable of the Mustard Seed which teaches us that God can bring the great out of the small. This process is an expression of God's love. Part of this process is God cultivating a new understanding of the family that is the Church, as we heard last Sunday. In the Church, we all are to sow seeds and cultivate them in imitation of God the Father
David VonSchlichten, vonschlichten@setonhill.edu
To love all creation
True Christian love extends to all creatures, and–if one chooses to eat meat–that animal slaughter be humane. Catholic vegetarians do not argue against meat-eating as such (remember Acts 10:9-11 on Peter eating meeat!–though the message there is that no animals are "impure"), but against the cruel industrialization of animal-slaughter, and by the increasing environmental unsustainability of feeding hundreds of millions of beef cattle, pigs, etc.
I recently witnessed, on a bus from Los Angeles to San Francisco, what were literally several square miles of beef cattle, stunned and standing stiffly erect, zombie-like, in long, long, rows, around a huge slaughter house. In another incident thirty nesting Canadian geese, near a lake around which I jog, were violently assaulted and their eggs destroyed by spikes driven through their shells (literally). The deed was performed by affiliates of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The manifest lack of love for God’s creation, the cruelty of it all, pierced me to the heart.
Robert Magliola, rmagliola@yahoo.com
No fast growth in the parables of the kingdom
We live in a fast-everything society. We desire fast food, fast service, fast cash, fast internet access, fast cell phone service, fast weight loss, and we often even want fast spirituality. The first-century Zealots wanted a fast deliverance by means of a military and political victory over the Romans.
The parables in Mk. 4:26-34 give an answer to this. God works in ways that are often not even noticeable on a day to day basis. Also, God’s work often starts very small in our lives, families, and other settings. But the reality is that God is working even if things don’t fit our a “fast everything” expectations. God works at the rate that we can sustain in our lives, in ways that bring amazing results long term. May God’s patience rub off on us to where we become less of a “fast-everything” people and more of a long-term investing in God’s world people. And may our spirituality be life transforming even more than bringing a fast change.
As we celebrate Fathers’ Day, may dads remember that it takes a long-term approach to parenting and investing in our children if we are going to see the results that make a real difference in their lives and in our world. We’re in it for the long-haul because our children need and deserve nothing less.
Bill Warren
New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary
Second Sunday After Pentecost (MT 28:16-20)
Feast of the Holy Trinity (May 27)
“Go and make disciples of all nations”
Discipleship today is formed through relationships, not through preaching doctrines. For instance, children imitate parents, students their teachers, and all of us follow role models in work and society, in small Christian communities, and in networks of friends. “Tell me who your friends are and I will tell you who you are.” Friends tell about their worthwhile experiences and thus enrich one another.
A major obstacle for making disciples is a fixist conception of religion, for instance a set of behavioral rules like receive the major sacraments or being born again. Such a conception was common in Catholicism before Vatican II. The younger generations have rejected this other-worldly conception but have nothing to replace it. So what is the content of religious growth?
As sons and daughters of the Creator, we are entrusted with body and mind that need to grow. Food is the natural medication of the body and physical exercise is a physical need in times of undisciplined eating and obesity. The mind must be cultivated through all forms of exploration; education is a universal right but self-education is a personal duty. This exploration will leads to all things excellent or praiseworthy: “whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—put it into practice.” (Phil 4: 8-9) We all must grow in body and mind and help others to do so.
A second obstacle for making disciples is the belief that religion is private: we should not talk about it and avoid proselytizing. A basic misconception is at work here: witnessing requires transparency about oneself and authenticity rather than propagating doctrines. People know intuitively who we are: our behavior has long ago betrayed us. Pulpit preaching is always autobiographical: by avoiding self-revelation preachers may hide some emptiness: it is easier to preach doctrine and morality than be transparent about one’s discipleship.
A third obstacle is that we are mostly busy with immediate concerns, yet most people are occasionally open to ultimate concerns. For many people God speaks through the book of experience and the book of nature (health issues). On these occasions there can be discipleship through transparent sharing in social networks, not preaching.
Finally St. Paul offers a perfect example of transparent sharing when he wrote “I have not yet arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.” All of us must “press on” and if we do so and are transparent, people will notice it. Ultimately we would like to say with Paul, “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” (Philip3:13-14) This should be our ultimate testimony.
How transparent and authentic are Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist discipleship and evangelization?
COMMENTS
[Trinity and Christian Discipleship as Relationships]
On Pentecost Sunday, Christians celebrated the birth of the church and seven days later, the focus is on the Trinity. The link becomes clear when one asks, what type of church was given birth to on Pentecost Sunday? What ought to be the model for this church that was founded on Pentecost Sunday? To answer the first question, the church is a community of believers that attempts always to live out the fullness of this sense of community in friendship, love, trust, respect, and openness. In response to the second question, less the members of the church forget what they are called into, the sure guide for the church becomes the Trinity.
By locating the Matthean passage on discipleship within the context of the Solemnity of the Trinity, the church is reminding itself that the guide for the church on how to live out its mission by looking up to the Trinitarian relationship. Yet the actual missiological praxis has not yet caught up.
Of recent, Cardinal Francis Arinze, argued against allowing Protestant Christians to receive the Eucharist in Roman Catholic liturgies. He states a Tridentine position that states that Protestants ought to first convert to the Roman Catholic faith and then be in the state of grace before they can be allowed to receive communion. This is juridical framework. I am not comfortable with that approach because ecclesial catholicity is rooted in Trinitarian theology and the Spirit welcomes all and does not chase away.
Finally, discipleship essentially means being invited to set one’s gaze on the inner life of God as Trinity in a world that is divided. It means becoming a church for all and not for the few who want to universalize their particularity under the guise of doctrinal purity.
SimonMary Aihiokhai, aihiokhais@yahoo.co.uk
University of Portland
“I am with you always, until the end of the world”
"Making disciples" is like creating a tasty stew. The final product cannot be hurried. It is formed in the gentle flame of slow cooking. So too the mission of teaching: use good ingredients, and then wait for the warm love of God to make them into a nourishing meal for hungry diners. Such a recipe calls for more than a pinch of humility.
Are we willing to be this kind of cook? Discipleship is not a matter of arm-twisting others into belief and charitable action but rather of God's grace. Having been a teacher – and a mom – for more than a half-century, I have experienced how little influence one has unless or until there is receptivity. Mostly it's important to be with, to watch, to listen, and to wait.
We stand and watch as Christ rises to the Father and is no longer in our sight. We hear the message, "Go in peace, to love and cook a great stew for the Lord." And the meal satisfies us all.
Dee Christie dlchristie@aol.com
Shaker Heights, OH
“We are material”
I love the metaphor of cooking to understand discipling. Cooking isn’t about following a recipe: it takes a knack, a sense of what goes together and what goes in next. The brain scientists tell us that smell is one of the oldest senses that has evolved in us. The scent of things takes us deep, it takes us back, it helps us connect, to sense the bigger perspective. Maybe our sense of discipleship is not all visual, and not all measurable. Jesus told us we would become fishers, not hunters. Fishing takes patience, waiting, in addition to preparation.
Last weekend, in anticipation of a medical procedure, I received the sacrament of anointing. I felt the oil on my hands. I left if there for a while afterwards and smelled its very different scent. The anointer told me, “we are material.” I easily forget that because I live in my head. After hearing the readings of Pentecost, I am glad to be reminded of the material.
Dan Finucane, djfinuc@aol.com
Saint Louis University
[Reminiscences of friends and discipleship]
This weekend as we are anticipating the Memorial Day celebration on Monday, and so I'm going to try and weave in a bit of that along with Trinity Sunday. I’m going to begin by recalling a movie of 20 years ago, "Saving Private Ryan," which starred Tom Hanks and Matt Damon. I'm presuming most of you will remember the movie. It begins with an elderly version of "Private Ryan" coming across the grave at Omaha Beach of the Tom Hanks character, who had led the rescue party – and in the process sacrificed his own life. The movie then is a flashback, but the final scene shows us the elderly Private Ryan being surrounded by his wife, children, grandchildren who comfort him in his sorrow and in response to his cri de coeur: "Tell me I’ve been a good man."
I think this movie reminiscences may be woven into remarks on friendship and discipleship, and in a certain sense then too we must all "mirror" the embrace, love, and sacrifice of the Holy Trinity.
Finally, I plan to bring in the Mandate of Jesus in Matthew 28 to "go and make disciples of all nations," though I shall do a gloss on the original Greek (panta ta ethne) highlighting the Gospel command to go out to all ethnicities and not just those on the GOP approved list of potential immigrants (I shan't mention "GOP" explicitly, but I'm pretty sure most of the congregation will pick up the reference....).
Jim Bretzke S.J.. james.bretzke@bc.edu
Boston College
“As you go, Make disciples”
This Matthew text is a favorite of mine for several reasons, among which are the following. The command to make disciples (which I take as “As you go, make disciples” since the main verb is “make disciples” or “disciple”) is still vitally needed in our world today as we are called to invest our lives in the lives of others in the most positive ways possible. And I can think of no more positive manner than to help others as we seek to be the people that we were created to be and are called to be, which means living life as God desires.
The world is very short on mentors and long on critics, short on positive examples of investing life for others in a godly manner and long on self-centeredness, so I use this verse as a corrective for seeking to be long on sharing the good news by way of mentoring others, including leading them to faith of course, but even more so mentoring them in their daily lives as fellow disciples on the same road.
I’ve used the Saving Private Ryan clip on this as well, and also have used this as a call for praying for the persecuted church around the world as well as others who are facing persecuting in whatever forms. With my work in Cuba over the past 14 years, I’ve seen the patterns there of establishing mentorships for the new believers within the church fellowships, with most of the church members being involved in some way in mentoring others both within their own families and beyond with other new Christians.
This passage is a foundational one for this type of emphasis for the churches and seminary there where I work. At present, I’m trying to establish more of that practice in the life of the church where I serve here in the USA, with mentoring or disciple-making being a determined effort within the body of Christ.
William Warren, wfwarren@aol.com
New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary
Pentecost Sunday, May 20 (John 20: 19-23)
Entering Pentecost Time
The celebration of the birthday of the church at Pentecost is the highest point of the liturgical calendar. The year begins with Advent and the preparation for the coming of the Savior. Lent is the time for acetic practices leading to the Pascal Triduum. The fifty days after Easter have traditionally been the time of mystagogy, the inner illumination in the mysteries of faith. And at Pentecost the disciples were sent out to share the insights gained in their 50 day retreat. The liturgical cycle approximates in its own way the various stages of spiritual development, the via purgativa, via illuminativa, and after Pentecost, the via activa.
In today's reading we recall again the Easter morning appearance when Jesus breathed over his disciples saying “Receive the Holy Spirit,” thus opening their minds to the understanding of Scriptures. They did not receive any new revelation, only a better understanding of what they already knew. This reading about the Easter morning mystagogy is appropriately repeated today on the occasion of the Pentecost celebration..
On Pentecost day, the apostles learned nothing new, but they came to understand their past experiences. The vision of prophet Joel had become a reality: sons and daughters shall prophesy, that is, look at the future in light of the past, and young men shall have visions and old men dreams, that is, have mystagogical experiences to guide them into the future. Peter then repeated this illuminative process by saying (in substance), People of Jerusalem, you know the facts about the death of Jesus the Nazarean. Now understand the meaning: God raised him up! “Therefore let the whole house of Israel know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Messiah.” Conversions begin with a new understanding, that is, by “knowing for certain.”
After having learned to know for certain the understanding of scripture, the disciples were sent out. There will be 28 weeks of Pentecost Time during which we should look at the world in light of the gospel. The first Sunday after Pentecost is dedicated to the missionary sending,”Go and make disciples.” The following Sunday the church celebrates the New Covenant in Jesus’s blood. After a two week recess, we will follow John the Baptist into the wilderness of the world.
Do you see the liturgical year as progressive growth in the via purgativa, the via illuminativa, and the via unitiva? Does the liturgical cycle follow appropriately the seasons leading from the ascetic harshness of the winter, to the illuminative rebirth of the spring, and to the active life over the summer?
Can you related to inner illumination as better understanding of what we already know or intrinsic understanding of scripture, as opposed to outer illumination as knowing better through scholarship or an extrinsic understanding of the bible?
COMMENTS
[The power of small communities]
Signs of a new Pentecost for me mean continuing to recognize, claim, and celebrate in many and diverse ways the gifts of the Spirit at work in the whole church with profound new gifts in the laity. I am saddened when so often clericalism (and I am a priest) and institutional structures “stifle the Spirit” by failing to trust the laity. I am inspired by new ecclesial movements and individual people who refuse to give up. They know, “it's their church.”
Until a younger pastor with a heart for traditional priest centered worship changed a given parish, a few of the Renew groups were still meeting, a number of years after Renew II. A Bible study group that met for 7 - 10 years was disbanded since the group engaged and paid for an outside teacher. The pastor wanted control.
Small groups for devotion, and other programs of active engagement, have a real potential to promote and engaging Sunday Eucharist as they promote both personal devotion and a sense of belonging. The community of Sunday worship gathers the communities of the parish - communities of family, prayer groups, Bible studies, service groups, social groups, and ministry groups.
Frank Berna, berna@lasalle.edu
La Salle University
[Connecting in small things]
The link between weekly liturgy and private devotion and (or smaller group practices in this or previous times) runs parallel with the groping of our decentralized or isolated selves for something to both experience deeply and find in others. We are reaching for the group, the bigger place, for connections that give but also sustain life. What upper rooms are we sitting in (maybe individually interacting with a screen as I am now?) It seems to me that the via purgativa these days is connected to unplugging. Then comes a waking up. We can look up and see each other differently.
I find it helpful to reflect on the notion that the Spirit did not teach the disciples something they didn't already know – they were given understanding and the ability to act. Where can we connect to Christ, to the Body of Christ – to the “elements” in the meal, and to the subjects that need each other to act? Where is the breaking bread where we recognize him? In the places, some obvious, and others not so obvious where we recognize each other, and Christ in each other, there hope can surprise us. There the Spirit surprises us. Mostly I find the connections start small and are handmade. Then the larger liturgy, the work of the people, has something to work with.
Dan Finucane, djfinuc@aol.com
Saint Louis University
[Pentecost and the church of empire]
I am usually suspicious of concepts of visions that perpetuate a dualistic way of thinking, living, and encountering God. That said, i do not think illumination ought to be spoken of as inner and/or external. We each encounter God via our bodies and that ought to be understood as a holistic reality. That which is encountered internally ought also be encountered externally.
I have been asking myself the following question, Is the Christian Church today ready to embrace the Pentecost Church prior to its marriage to empire identity? The church of Pentecost was a church of concrete koinonia; it was a church of radical embrace of the other, of peace, and an icon of God’s mercy in the world. The church of empire is primarily a church of control, of identity:- who belongs and who does not? Who has the correct doctrrine and who does not? The focus is not on the Spirit; rather, it is on church structures and systems and the Spirit is only a tool used to serve those structures and systems.
I recall many times I heard a bishop in Nigeria telling his priests and seminarians that he is the church and his decisions were always confirmed by the Holy Spirit, even when the decisions were themselves products of his own clerical ambitions. The church of Pentecost is a church that recognizes the freedom of the Holy Spirit. Such a church would not be synonymous to our current juridical notions of church.
If we are to move away from the empire church, our current ecclesial systems ought to be reformed in more ways than we may be willing to accept. For example, the Church of the Pentecost was not a male only ministerial church. Are we in the Roman church, ready to let go a male-only church? Pope Francis says we should think of ways of a broader ecclesial leadership that includes everyone. In response to his wish, I say, be courageous and open ministerial ordination to include all of God's people, men and women.
Simon aihiokhai aihiokhais@yahoo.co.uk
University of Portland
[Images of Pentecost]
All the readings for Pentecost tie together, and the message is us. There is no separation among those whom God loves – with that rich and abundant love expressed in the Psalm 104 – to the universal language of God's care and ours. We float above it all, tied together securely in the risen Christ.
Christ bursts into the fearful and protective bubble of the isolated upper room, wipes away the membrane that separates the private “me” from the universal “us.” Isn’t this the message of the liturgy: to experience God’s love in community; eat the torn and nourishing flesh of the savior – God with us? We are called to become full, bright, and going out “to love and serve the Lord.” We are like those in the base communities of liberation that demand a different, non separatist, non imperial church. We are called to embrace one another with healing, with caring, with forgiveness, in fearless love.
Dee Christie, dlchristie@aol.com
Shaker Heights, OH
[Pentecost in times of persecution]
When I think of Pentecost, what comes to mind is a scared group of disciples who become bold, a language-divided world becoming united, and a hoped for presence of God becoming a powerful reality. I’m reminded of our time in Colombia during the 1980’s with so many problems and so much violence, yet the churches kept growing and the people kept ministering and in many ways the power of God keep flowing even in the midst of martyrs, threats, poverty, violence, and overall difficulties. Pentecost represents a breath of fresh air from God in a world suffocating on its own self-centeredness and the related fallout of what so often becomes a debasing and dehumanizing tendency in this world.
Bill Warren, WFWarren@aol.com
New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary
[The missionary zeal of Pentecost]
The reading from Acts on Pentecost makes clear that the disciples had “assembled together,” and the Holy Spirit’s descent triggered the “inner illumination” that caused the outward expression of “speaking in tongues,” etc. Stirred by the zeal of Pentecost, the disciples went “out to all nations.”
Let me share with you an example of this dynamic at work. The Trento diocese in Italy for many years has had a Diocesan Missionary Center that organizes fourteen or so gruppi missionari (missionary groupings that are "basic communities") collectively called Comunione e Missione (Communion and Mission). These missionary groups are comprised of laity, Sisters, Brothers, priests who are posted to foreign missions (of course, the laity "volunteer" for their service abroad--often for three years and for repeated missions).
A priest celebrates Mass for each of their small meetings, and its members, the majority of which is composed of laity, share scripture, testimony, and prayer together. From this combination of “inner” and “outer” illumination, the members generate the zeal motivating them to “go out to the nations.” Almost every issue of the monthly magazine features reports back from the missionary fields (most in Latin America and Africa, but some in Asia). One issue of magazine I lookedat listed two lay missioners going to Brazil and Togo, one returning from Brazil, two Sisters going to Benin and Peru and four returning from Eritrea, Democratic Republic of Congo, Cameroun, and Chile, Brothers returning from Bolivia, Brazil, and Ecuador, two priests returning from Brazil, five returning from Kenya, Papua New Guinea, Democratic Republic of Congo, Colombia, and Peru and six priests going to Brazil, Uganda, Kenya, and India.
This kind of connection between dioceses and foreign countries nurtures the fire of the Holy Spirit in hearts at home and abroad, and the fires start in and with "basic communities" at home and abroad.
Robert Magliola, rmagliola@yahoo.com
Assumption University of Thailand and National Taiwan University, retired
ON TRIPS & PILGRIMAGES
A reflection for your summer vacation
Traveling is a basic image of our condition as homo viator or pilgrims. Trips are like rites of passage because they involve a liminal or departing stage between leaving and arriving; that’s when we can reflect on the past and prepare for the future. Everybody goes through
- getting married and settling in one's own home
- family trips (me: the Liberty Bell, national parks. What about you?)
- discovery trips (me: Latin America. What about you?)
- endurance trips (martial arts. What about you?)
- intellectual explorations (pastoral sociology. What about you?)
- cultural explorations (web technologies. What about you?)
- pilgrimages (the Holy Land. What about you?)
- religious explorations (American Evangelicals. What about you?)
- retirement to complete one’s unfinished explorations
- the trips of no return: grieving for and with others
Traveling is a basic metaphor of change and discovery. Each time I was in a stage of transition, I felt the need to travel, and in the process I found a new direction for my life. What about you? (There are many kinds of adventures: intellectual, Romantic, religious, geographical, etc.)
SEE TESTIMONIES
Seventh Sunday after Easter, May 13 (John 17: 11-19)
In the World but not Of the World: on Money and Time
“As you sent me into the world, so I sent them into the world.” We are sent into the world to bear fruit. We also have our private home in this world; it is our place of comfort for family, and friendships. Are we being asked to leave this comfort zone?
We all know the basic values of society because we share them. These values are wealth, power, and fame. These are the values that make our comfort zone so homey: we appreciate the coziness of our little wealth, our deserved power at work, and the recognition for our achievements. Then we are in the world and of the world.
Wealth seeks more wealth and power more power. Millionaires want to be multi-millionaires, and multi-millionaires to be billionaires. After acquiring wealth, people often seek public power, and in the process acquire more wealth. This is being totally of the world.
The gospel values are quite different. Christians are only the managers of their wealth and they are accountable for this management. “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none.” In the civil society power is sought for personal gain while in the kingdom of God “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.” . Finally, one should seek praise in the eyes of God rather than humans. Secular and religious values are totally different, yet not opposed.
“I do not ask that you take them out of the world but that you keep them from the evil one.” The secular world of wealth, power and prestige is not evil but a slippery road: cozy wealth, deserved power and social recognition are not evil but can easily become a worldly prison in which we regress.
As managers of the wealth entrusted to us, we should have a plan of generous giving, like tithing, rather than just give the equivalent of a tip at the Sunday collections. Our greatest power is our use of time; it should include service to others and silent time for thanksgiving.
In terms of money and time management, how are you “in the world but not of the world”?
Sixth Sunday after Easter, May 6 (John 15:9-17)
“I Will Call you Friends”
It is most gratifying to be called a friend by the Most High. How shall we understand this? First of all it is a process rather than a title. “I call you friends if [and when] you do what I command.” To love one another is something that takes practice. It is more than loving one’s friends, which is easy while loving one’s enemies and all who are unfriendly to us takes much time and effort. By practicing “Love one another as I love you” we truly become Jesus’ friends.
“I have called you friends because I told you [and have given you] everything I have heard [and received] from my Father.” Friendship must be reciprocal. It is not a tit for tat; it cannot be one-sided. In that respect I have a lot to complain about.
Many friends of God have complained, some bitterly. “I must lay out a case against you, Lord. Why does the way of the wicked prosper?” (Jeremiah. 12:1). Why do others prosper and I do not? I feel I have not always been treated in a friendly manner. After five escalating complains, Jeremiah exploded: “You seduced me, Lord. You were too strong for me.” Then he slowly recovered from his anger.
Some well-intended preachers like to repeat in many ways “Jesus gave his life for your sins.” I do not buy this. I do not want anybody die for me, and my mediocre sins are not worth dying for. The Anselmian theory of buying back through blood is repulsive to contemporary sensibilities, and so are the legal notions of satisfaction and atonement. There is no mention there of he resurrection. If there is no resurrection, what the purpose of all this talk about blood and atonement?
“God became man so that man can become God.” (Augustine and Athanasius). This theology is better music. Christian life is both death and rebirth, cross and resurrection. This is the way, truth and life: Jesus died so that all can have life, and have life in abundance.
Now the opening quotation makes even more sense: “You are my friends when you love one another as I loved you.” This reciprocal love takes time and effort. There are times we must give more than we receive. Of course some people are luckier than others, but this is irrelevant to “love one another as I loved you.” For this purpose, God became man so that man can become God. “I told you this so that your joy may be complete.”
What are your experiences in your friendship with God?
Fifth Sunday after Easter (John 15:1-8)
“If you remain in me, you will bear much fruit”
The purpose of spiritual life is to bear fruit. We have so many outstanding examples like St.. Francis and Clare of Assisi, Francis of Sales and Jane of Chantal, Thomas Merton and Dorothy Day, but these are exceptional people and we have little in common with them.
“I have no time” is a common excuse. We have to make time, which may be difficult and even impossible at times. All spiritually committed people I interviewed had found time, either early in the morning or late at night. Some have silent time, some take a walk in nature, some sing while driving.
Today Americans check their cell phones 47 times a day; that’s every 19 minutes. This amounts to five hours a day. Would it be possible to check one’s cell phone only two or three times a day? Lots of free time could be gained. Most people spend from half-an-hour to an hour driving to and from work. That’s when we are alone with ourselves if we turn off the radio. Some people listen to an inspirational tape or CD.
The brain needs silence to function. I have most of my insights when I wake up or during a nap, because I usually think about an important issue before falling asleep. The silence of meditation heals the brain and nourishes the spirit. “It is to my Father’s glory that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.” Irenaeus of Lyons said something similar, “The glory of God is man fully alive,” that is, alive in Jesus Christ.
“Those who keep his commandments remain in him and he in them, and the way we know he remains in us is from the spirit he has given us.” (1 John 3:24) Do we have the spirit of Mammon or the spirit of God? Can we say, “The one who is in you [or in me -- the spirit of God] is greater than the one [Mammon] who is in the world?” Anyone who belongs to God listens to God, and anyone who belongs to the world listens to the world. Depending on whom we listen to, we have “the spirit of truth" or "the spirit of deceit.” (ibid 4:4-6).
To bear fruit is learning to listen. Silent time is listening time while cell phone is chatting time. Silence and listening are good for the brain and food for the soul. “Remain in me and I in you, and you will bear fruit.” We must have listening time to bear fruit.
Fourth Sunday after Easter
An Example of Scriptural Meditation and Preaching
On July 24, 2016, after about an hour of praise and worship, Fr. Pfleger, the pastor of St. Sabina in Chicago, came to the pulpit and said, starting in a very low voice:
I was going to preach this morning from the first book of Samuel about the choosing of David but the Lord woke me up early this morning and had me re-read today’s gospel from Luke. I do not know who this is for or why, but God has his ways and heaven has its own ways. God told me to speak about this gospel and put aside what I had prepared. I tried to be obedient because I understand this is not about me or us; it is about him. It is all about him! God had me re-read this gospel this morning at about 5 o’clock – I wish he had waited until about 7! (general laughter). I re-read that gospel we are so often focused on, that gospel where he teaches us how to pray.
So I thought, “Sure God, what you want me to preach about is the importance of prayer.” I read that first part of the gospel over and over, “Our Father who art in Heaven...” I did that over and over. Then God said, ”Keep reading.” Then I read the next part of the gospel, and what began to move inside me is where Jesus said, “God will answer you, if not because of friendship then because of persistence.” God started to teach me in my heart that somebody obviously needed to hear that. What is important is persistence.
Somebody shout “persistence!” Somebody shout “endurance!” Somebody shout “tenacity!” Somebody shout “determination.” God spoke to my heart. In the days we live, we have to have a persistent faith, not just an easy faith. Not just a casual faith. Not just a normal faith, but a persistent faith! With endurance! With tenacity!
My comments. This is a typical scriptural meditation. Pfleger usually has a devotional hour at 5 in the morning. That day he found the gospel reading un-inspiring, so he decided to preach on Samuel but God told him to put his prepared sermon aside. He tried again. He found the readings of the day un-inspiring again. A common experience! He tried hard and was ready to give up, wishing God had come at 7: then it would have been too late
“Continue reading. Continue searching.” Then, at the word “endurance” he was moved inside; he felt that God was speaking to his heart. He had found a spark of light and at once wanted to share it. This is the most important point: Scriptural meditation should lead to an inner illumination, usually about a verse or a few words of scripture. This is different from theological meditation.
He spoke with inspiration for about 35 minutes. People were moved. Then he called for an altar call around him (as in Protestant churches). Many people came forward. That lasted another 20 minutes of improvised prayer and preaching.
Here is a section of his sermon that I found most moving: Pfleger described his discouragement after another shooting in his neighborhood.
I had to go to my room, close the door and just weep. I was hurting. I had to sit down (he sits on the steps of the altar) and said “God I am tired! Your son is tired!.” God said, “Get up!” God told me to walk around my room yesterday. “Walk around your room just like Joshua did. And walk around until a spirit of determination raises up and gets louder than the spirit of discouragement. Just begin to speak about who I am. Begin to speak that I am the Almighty God, king of kings and lord of lords. I am shepherd and there is nothing you shall want. I am the light, the truth and the way....” And while I was declaring who God is, I felt something rise up in me that said, “ I am NOT going to win this battle, not in this city, not in this neighborhood, but (shouting) GOD WILL!” (People in the pews were moved and applauded).
Transcription from video of July 24, 2016
Third Sunday after Easter
Jesus Opens the Intelligence of Scriptures
On Easter Sunday evening, Jesus explained to the disciples that “everything written about me in the law of Moses and in the Prophets and psalms had to be fulfilled. Then he opened their minds to the intelligence of scripture.” (Lk:24: 44-45). Thus began the long 50 day retreat that will lead them to the full reception of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost day.
What did they do for 50 days? “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was till with you...” A retreat consists of remembering the words and deeds of Jesus’ public life in order to gain a spiritual understanding. In the 30 day long silent retreat of the Spiritual Exercises, St. Ignatius proposes to meditate on the mysteries of the life of Christ, from the baptism in the River Jordan to the passion and resurrection. It is very likely that the disciples in the Upper Room did the same: they reminisced and shared memories and in the process got a better understanding. This is what meditation is all about.
On several instances it is mentioned in the Gospels that the disciples did not understand what was going on. Now, in retrospect, it made progressively sense. On a small mountain Jesus had proclaimed, “Blessed are the poor, for your is the kingdom of God. Blessed are the meek for they will inherit the earth.” These proclamations made little sense at the time but in the light of the passion and resurrection the values of the Kingdom of God took a new meaning, although still unclear. “I have not come to abolish the law and the prophets but to fulfil them.” Such claims seemed unrealistic at the time but now no more, although it required reading again the law and the prophets to get their accurate meaning.
“If anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.” This may have seemed outrageous, and Jesus did not do so before the Sanhedrin. Now, not every word, not every parable and sayings, they realized, had to be taken literally. Parables are wisdom stories. Sayings use hyperboles or litotes. Scripture requires open-minded intelligence.
“If anyone should be first, he must be last of all and servants of all.” This is the opposite of reality. When Jesus said “The Son of man will be delivered into the hands of men and they will kill him... they did not understand and they were afraid to ask him” – like shy students. On Easter Sunday Jesus gave them a glimpse of scriptural understanding to meditate on in their 50 day retreat. And they were to meditate about it until their death.
There are no limits to scriptural understanding but there are beginnings. We are often given a glimpse of understanding. Let us not allow this little light to die out, but let’s turn it into a fire of light. That is the purpose of meditation.
Second Sunday after Easter
Reflections and meditations
Reflections are rational and universal. Meditations are personal and involve the emotions and the will. Both are useful. The readings of Easter week 2 (Jn 20:19-31) allow us to use both.
MEDITATION. Early on Easter Sunday, Mary of Magdala goes to Jesus' tomb and rushes back to the disciples to tell them what she saw: an empty tomb. Then Peter and John rush to the tomb but John runs faster. They see nothing special. "They did not yet received the understanding of scripture." All this rushing and running lead to nothing. How often do I rush -- even to church -- and get nothing special out of it? Rushing, even for God's kingdom, is not enough.
REFLECTIONS. Later on that day, Jesus appeared to his disciples and said, "As the Father sent me, so I send you. And when he said that, he breathed on them and said, 'Receive the holy Spirit.'." That's when, in John's Gospel, the disciples received the understanding of scripture.
There have been very few outpourings of the Holy Spirit over the centuries. Today we must receive the understanding of scripture through meditation and reflection. It is like learning a foreign language, it requires daily practice. Or it is like learning to paint or play the violin, we get better only through practice.
There are poems or paintings I like which leave you cold, and vice versa. Some (and many) pages of the bible leave me cold, this is why I must begin by reading a few pages to find a passage that will inspire my meditation and reflection. We must practice that regularly, like learning to play the violin.
MEDITATION. That morning Mary of Magdalen "stayed at the tomb weeping.." She must have stayed weeping a long time, She talks with two angels and the assumed Gardner but understood nothing. But when Jesus said "Mary!" she was touched. and saw. Because she has been in a state of meditation for a long time, she finally heard the voice of Jesus. In mediation we must talk to Jesus until he says to us -- to me: "Pierre!" That's what meditation is: waiting, talking, and connecting.
Now Mary can run to the disciples and say "I have seen the Lord!" Now she has inspiring news she can share with the whole world. Now she has the understanding of scripture. It is only when we have scriptural intelligence that we get daily a better understanding of scripture and a message to share with others.
Palm Sunday (Ps 22)
“My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”
This is a feeling I felt quite a few times. The complaint goes on, “My God, I call by day, but you do not answer; by night, but I have no relief.” Depression is bad, but the feeling of abandonment makes it worse.
This psalm is very long. It goes through ups and downs. At once the writer recalls the faith of Israel: “In you our father trusted; they trusted and you rescued them. To you they cried out and were not disappointed.” This was true in the past, but will it apply to me now?
“All who see me mock me. They shake their heads at me: ‘He relied on the Lord – let him deliver him; if he loves him, let him rescue him.’” This line evokes the situation in Babylon when the Israelites were the butt of local contempt as the subjugated under-class. (This psalm was probably written some time after the end of the exile.) Abandoned by God is one thing, but to be rejected by neighbors makes it worse.
The depressive mood evokes nightmarish images: “Many bulls surround me; fierce bulls encircle me. Dogs surround me; a pack of evildoers closes in on me.” In depression one has the feeling of being totally surrounded, with no possible exit.
Finally, one may contemplate one’s own death, in the worst possible situation, that of a criminal execution: “They have pieced my hands and my feet. I can count all my bones. They divide my garments among them.” It may even be an execution by crucifixion.
Physical depression is challenging; psychological depression is morose, but spiritual depression can be suicidal, at least in thought. And it drags on. The psalmist seems to say, “It’s OK to complain on to the Lord. Complain! Complain! but keep the faith.
In a storm, the sun does not disappear; it only hides behind the clouds. It takes faith and patience to weather a storm. When it is over one can say, “You who fear the Lord, give praise! He has not spurned or disdained the misery of this poor wretch, but heard me when I cried out!”
After Good Friday comes Resurrection Day. Alleluia!
Fifth week of Lent (Jn 12:20-33)
Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory of the Lord!
This is Laetare Sunday: REJOICE: MINE EYES HAVE SEEN THE GLORY OF THE LORD! In today’s reading:: “The hour has come for the Son of man to be glorified...Then a voice came from heaven, ‘I have glorified him and will glorified him again.’”
The glory of God is celebrated throughout the bible, especially in the psalms. His glory shines in nature: “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the expanse proclaims the work of his hands.” (19:1) This is a common experience for most people. His glory also shines in his temple,” Rise up, ancient doors! Let the King of glory come in!” (24:7) People have lavished their greatest works of art to their temples to inspire reverence and to let the King of glory come in. Yet God’s greatest glory is man “You made him little less than God and crowned him with glory and honor.”
Scripture also tells another story about human greatness: “All have sinned and are deprived of the glory of God.” But by the grace and glory of God we are all transformed. In a breathtaking sentence: “All of us, gazing with unveiled face on the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, as from the Lord who is the Spirit.” ( 2 Co 3:18)
It is the greatest man, the Son of Man, who is the greatest glory of God. Yet his glory came as a high price, the price of anxiety and utter despair: “Father save me!” And worse, if possible, “It is for this purpose that I have come.” It is unfathomable how the great glory of God can be revealed under such inglorious ways..
This is the Sunday of Laetare – the midpoint in the Lent – Rejoice! He who died conquered death, so that we may all say, “the sufferings of this present time are as nothing compared with the glory to be revealed for us.” Laetare! Rejoice!
Fourth week of Lent (Jn 3:14-21)
To Nicodemus: on Universal Salvation
No, salvation is not limited to those born again, as one may expect from the dialogue with Nicodemus. The promise of universal salvation is repeated three times: “That everyone who believes in him might not perish.” “That the world be saved through him.” Whoever believes in him will not be condemned.” The judgement is this: “The true light which enlightens everyone, has come into the world.” Everyone who live in the light will be attracted to the truth, “so that his/her work may be clearly seen as done in God.” Those who do not live in the light will retreat into darkness, thus condemning themselves.
There is no mention here of “good works” or of church identity but of faith (“to believe” is mentioned four times in these few lines). There is a clear distinction between “believing that” in reference to creeds, and “believing in” in reference to a person. Believers often repeat their creed at church – upon command, when prompted to do so. This kind of faith is mostly based on tradition and habit; it often implied little conviction and makes few demands. “Faith in” is shown mostly in times of crisis or through religious commitment. Failures in career, finances, family life, and health often trigger questions of faith; some lose faith in themselves and sink in depression and self-destructive behaviors. Failures test whether our faith is strong enough to profess that we are not abandoned by God. Psalm 21/22 begins with “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” and ends with “I will proclaim your name.” This kind of faith is work, really hard work. It applies to all people of whatever religion.
Nicodemus was a pious Jew who had many beliefs – out of habit and custom. He needed to learn a faith beyond tradition which required commitment. “I will poor over the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of mercy and supplication, so that when they look at him they have pierced, they will morn.” (Zech. 12:10) This prophecy is part of a promise of general destruction.. When this crisis will come, people will need a new spirit and a new faith, beyond custom and tradition. This prophecy is also often applied to the crucified Christ who is the ultimate test of faith – whether, in a time of personal crisis, we can have faith in a forsaken Christ. But the crucified Jesus is also present in all tho suffer: will we then show a spirit of mercy?
Third week of Lent (Jn 2:13-25)
The Cleansing of the Temple & the Dangers of Reform
This story, at the very beginning of the gospel of John, has the same meaning as in the gospel of Mark: it describes the conflict that will lead to Jesus' tragic end. In Mark Jesus’ opponents are the scribes and the Pharisees, while in John they are “the Jews,” an anonymous group that represents the forces of darkness like in a Greek tragedy, rather than real people.
“The Jews” asked for a sign, but were only given the image of the temple rebuilt in three days. This is an unintelligible sign by common standards. What “the Jews” expected was an unquestionable sign like the sun turning black or the moon shining in the middle of the day. Jesus is suggesting here that biblical signs require an openness to mystery that goes beyond the obvious, but from the very beginning there is resistance and misunderstanding. Even the disciples did not understand this sign until a few years later.
From the very beginning of John’s gospel, the sign of contradiction is the temple-body of God destroyed and rebuilt in three days. We thus realize, after having read the Prologue in chapter one, that Jesus is the new temple that will replace the old one, until in the heavenly Jerusalem “the temple is the Lamb [where} the glory of God gives it light.” All this is suggested through symbols.
The cleansing of the temple brings to mind the temple story of Jeremiah. The prophet stood at the gate of the temple and proclaimed, “Reform your ways and your deeds [or else] I will destroy this temple like Shiloh.” What was required was a total change of heart, “no longer oppress the alien, the orphan, and the widow.” It is not this moral sermon but the indictment of “The Temple! The Temple! The Temple!” that provoked an immediate outcry: “the priests and the prophets laid hold on him, crying: ‘You must die!’” (Jr 8:1-15; 26:1-19). Clearly it is dangerous to attack people’s sacred objects, their temple, their rituals, and their ingrained traditions.
Change is inevitable. We all have to introduce changes in work and family, and they usually provoke resistance and outcry. In order to succeed, changes require proper timing. If, in a vsion, we could see the past, the present, and the future, timing would be made easy. The Spirit of God scrunizes everything, even the dvine mysteries, hence what we need is spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that we may know the mystery of God's will. Intimacy with the spirit of God through reflection and prayer is needed for reform to succeed. As in gospel times, the spirit speaks through signs–often those of every day life: a conversation, a reading, or a casual event, and these are the signs we miss most easily .
I am in the process of scrutinizing the future. I haven't seen any clear signs yet. It is tempting to decide by outselves, and then the road taken may lead to failure. May we all introduce change in wisdom and spiritual knowledge!
Inspired by the commentary of Marie-Noëlle Thabut at:
http://www.ktotv.com/video/00092706/3e-dimanche-de-carme-b-vangile align="center">
Second week of Lent (Mk:9:2-10)
Transfiguration: Jesus Firstborn Among Many Brothers
By becoming transformed into the image of Jesus Christ, we will become transfigured into glory with him, in a family where he will be the firstborn among many brothers. As stated in the free translation of Voice, "From the distant past, His eternal love reached into the future. You see, He knew those who would be His one day, and He chose them beforehand to be conformed to the image of His Son so that Jesus would be the firstborn of a new family of believers, all brothers and sisters." (Rm 8:29). All things have to be re-created in him, for "he is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation." (Col 1:15)
The voice in the cloud tells us what to do: "This is my beloved one. Listen to him." This line echoes Isaiah's poems about the servant of the Lord. "Here is my servant, my chosen one with whom I am pleased." To be a servant of the Lord is a life time program. Such a servant is a friend of peace, healing bruised relationships and letting conflicts die away: "A bruised reed he will not break and a dimly burning wick he will not quench."
"Upon him I have put my spirit. -- Listen to him." Listening is the greatest gift we can make to others; it is giving them our mindfulness, in body and soul. The child listen out of obedience but the disciple listens out of admiration. The child only listens when told to do something, while the disciple lists at all times to be able to say like Samuel, "Speak, Lord, your servant is listening,."
“Though harshly treated, he submitted and did not open his mouth, like a lamb led to slaughter.” The disciple is no greater than the master but when treated harshly he can say, “The Lord is my shepherd;’ there is nothing I shall fear.” To violence he will not oppose violence. In all things he will be an instrument of peace, for where there is hatred he will sow love. “See I am doing something new!” It is the transfiguration of those transformed at the image of the Firstborn of all creation.
Inspired by the commentary of Marie-Noëlle Thabut at:
http://www.ktotv.com/video/00091811/2e-dimanche-de-carme-b-vangile
Second week of Lent (Genesis 22: 12-18)
Abraham's Sacrifice: Not a Test!
To understand Abraham's sacrifice of his son as a loyalty test is probably as gross historical misunderstanding. The text of the book of Genesis was probably written at about the same time as the others books of the Pentateuch; if not, we may assume that the main ideas of all these books were discussed in relationship to one another.
In Exodus 22:28 we read "You shall give me the firstborn of your sons. You must do the same with your oxen and your sheep." This prescription comes among many others that are totally unrelated. The next one says "Flesh torn to pieces in the field you shall not eat; you must throw it to the dogs." People must have understood these prescriptions. It must have been clear to them that the oxen and sheep offered to the Lord would be slaughtered in sacrifice but not human beings.
A temptation may have emerged in the minds of some people: do not people in the neighboring nations offer human sacrifices? Is it possible the Yahweh requires a human sacrifice?The "parable" of Abraham's sacrifice may have been introduced in the Genesis narrative precisely in order to answer this question. The story makes it absolutely clear: in no way does the God bound by covenant with Abraham and his descendents want human sacrifices. The shedding of human life has always abhorrent to him. Hence the parable of Abraham's sacrifice can be understood as a thought experiment meant to reinforce the sacredness of human life.
We may apply this thought experiment to ourselves. What would we say if God said, "what you have most precious, offer it to me in sacrifice." Some people offer their lives, but this is not a common vocation. More than a thought experiment, it is a common experience to lose job, friends, money, family, and health. Many people then say, "How can God this to me!" It is the time then to renew our part of the covenant which requires love not sacrifice, faith not material things. God does not test; rather, he invites all to his banquet through faith and hope.
Inspired by the commentary of Marie-Noëlle Thabut at:http://www.ktotv.com/video/00091808/2e-dimanche-de-carme-b-1re-lecture
First week of Lent (Mk 1: 12-15)
JESUS’ EVERYDAY TEMPTATIONS
Mark tells us that the Spirit drove Jesus into the desert to be tempted by Satan, but he does not describe these temptations. Instead there are a few hints of ordinary everyday temptations. They are: the temptations of success, of giving in to social expectations, or using power in order to convince, and the temptation of flee from suffering and impeding failure. These are very common temptations.
The Markan narrative begins with a success story. In his first teaching at the synagogue of Capernaum, Jesus gains the admiration of his audience for his authority and the cure of a demoniac. Next, he heals Simon’s mother-in-law, and a night cures many people pressing at the door of the house. Clearly his reputation was set as a powerful faith healer and his future success assured. In the morning Simon beseeched him, “Healer, everybody is looking for you,”– meaning, “Let have more healings!” – “No, let us go to nearby villages to preach, for this is the purpose I have come.” (Mk 1:35-38) Success is always very tempting but it may drive us in a false direction. Like for actors and actresses, success may cast us in limiting social roles. Success may also fill us with vanity and self-glory.
“Who do people say that I am?” – “Peter answered him, ‘You are the Messiah’ and he warned them not to tell anyone about him.” There were high expectations about the Messiah, and all were flattering. Here the temptation was giving in to social expectations. A future of turmoil and suffering? Peter rebuked him. “Behind me, Satan. You are thinking not as God does, but as humans do.” (Mk 8: 29-33) It is very tempting to see social expectations as God’s will. Are they?
Shortly after feeding a crow of four thousand, the Pharisees asked for a sign. “He sighed from the depth of his spirit and said, “Why does this generation seek a sign?... Then left, got into the goat, and went off to the other shore.” (Mk 8:11-13) Miracles are signs; if misunderstood they are counter-productive. Here the temptation was to use one more sign of power to gain confidence his reluctant audience. Common tools of power to convince others are irony, sarcasm, exaggeration, belittling, yelling, even hitting. In such a temptation it may be better to leave the scene rather than use hurtful words of power that are counter-productive.
Finally, at the prospect of suffering and public failure, Jesus in Gethsemane was “greatly distressed and troubled.” His temptation was to flee. The movie The Last Temptation of Christ projects what would have happened had Jesus run away. At the prospect of failure, we may at times have the opportunity to run away. Instead we may cry, “My God, my God why have you abandoned me?” Then only answer is trust. And at the end, hopefully we may be able to say with the psalmist, “The generations will be told of... the deliverance you have brought.” (Ps. 22)
Inspired by the commentary of Marie-Noëlle Thabut at:
http://www.ktotv.com/video/00091806/1er-dimanche-de-carme-b-vangile
Scriptural Intelligence
1. Why "intelligence?"
There are multiple intelligences: linguistic, mathematical, social, musical, interpersonal, etc. There is also religious intelligence, e.g. the intelligence of scripture, and the mystical intelligence of the mysteries of God. Here are quotations from various translations:
- "Everyone who heard him was amazed at the intelligence of his answers."(Lk 2:47)
- “Why do you reason that it’s because you have no bread? Are you still without intelligence?" (Mk 8:17)
- "Listen, Israel. You will love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your intelligence, and with all your strength." (Mk 12:33)
- He said to them, “O men without intelligence!” Then beginning with Moses and all he prophets, he opened their intelligence to all the scriptures concerning him. (Lk 24:25)
- "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by renewing your intelligence so that you may discern the will of God." (Romans 12:2)
- “O Galatians without intelligence!” (Galatians 3:1)
- "May Christ dwell in your hearts through faith—that you may understand (with your mystical intelligence) what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses any knowledge." (Ephesians 3:17-19)
- "Be renewed in your spiritual intelligence and put on the new man, which was created according to God’s image in righteousness and true holiness." (Ephesians 4:23-24)
The purpose of education is to develop a child's intelligence in light of Piaget's stages of cognitive development. Universities endeavor to develop more fully the many forms of human intelligence: logical, technical, artistic, musical, relational, moral, religious (in religious studies), etc. Technical rationality is a very limited form of intelligence; it applies only to logic and engineering but not to other forms of human intelligence. Most English bible translations use “mind” or “spirit” rather than “intelligence” but in the social sciences as in education it is more common to write about intelligence than mind or spirit.
Scriptural intelligence, like literary intelligence, requires a great familiarity of the texts. It takes years of study to assimilate the scriptural subculture, and it requires daily meditation rather than academic studies. Biblical intelligence leads to spiritual wisdom, while theology leads to cognitive wisdom; both are desirable but biblical intelligence should have the priority.
2. Is scriptural and buiblical intelligence the same?
3. How do you cultivate scriptural intelligence
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