Catholicism, holiness and spirituality

Snap out of it

In today's Gospel, Jesus talks about not fearing the things that don't matter much; or at least that's my interpretation of it (Matthew 10:26-33):

Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Do not be afraid of them. For everything that is now covered will be uncovered, and everything now hidden will be made clear. What I say to you in the dark, tell in the daylight; what you hear in whispers, proclaim from the housetops.

‘Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; fear him rather who can destroy both body and soul in hell. Can you not buy two sparrows for a penny? And yet not one falls to the ground without your Father knowing. Why, every hair on your head has been counted. So there is no need to be afraid; you are worth more than hundreds of sparrows.

‘So if anyone declares himself for me in the presence of men, I will declare myself for him in the presence of my Father in heaven. But the one who disowns me in the presence of men, I will disown in the presence of my Father in heaven.’

Don't buy into the fear 'they' are peddling, because there are more important things to be concerned with – your soul and your relationship with God for example. If we are companions of Jesus, then what is there to fear?

I can see Jesus' disciples at the time getting concerned with their standing in society, with what was being said about them, with threats being made about their new way of life. Maybe they were seeing this around every corner - respected leaders were saying they were going the wrong way with this Jesus character, established groups may have been shutting them off from the community's resources. Everywhere they turned, it didn't look good; and maybe they didn't see it getting better any time soon, either. That sure could get a person on the defensive, and it could make one's outlook on life a bit pessimistic.

We're subject to this pessimism today, too. There are plenty of reasons to worry about, things that threaten our safety and security – terrorism, job security, rising energy prices and so on are all real. Everything is being made in China and every customer service organization is in India (or so it seems); more jobs are going overseas so what will we be left with? When companies want to improve profits – which they always do – they often cut wages, benefits and retirement; they downsize and outsource and spin-off... and this has a huge impact on people. If it hasn't happened to you, then you probably know someone it has happened to. 

This sour view of things has a negative impact on our current productivity and on our view of the future – it's a self-reinforcing downward spiral. I can imagine Jesus' disciples feeling this way because they didn't have it easy. They were going against the grain and probably suffering the consequences.

But then I can see Jesus calling them to snap out of it: 'Don't be afraid of those things because they don't matter so much in the larger scheme of things. Keep holding close to me, to God, and care for your soul.'

Sometimes we can get convinced things are worse than they really are – bad events get put into a continuous media loop, and the seemingly endless analysis serves to ingrain it deeper into our minds. And I think sometimes we over-identify with our jobs, letting our self-esteem get too entangled with work-life. Sometimes we overlook and downplay the things that count – our relationship with God, our spouse, our family. Maybe it's time to 'snap out of it' and get back to caring more about those things that count.

Living Biblically

Well I wonder how this would turn out? A. J. Jacobs, an author, spent a year living as Biblically as possible and wrote a book about it. Maybe I'll put that book on my Christmas wish-list... sounds entertaining.

Not surprisingly, in one of the reviews of the book I read that Jacobs found that modern-day folks who claim to hold to a literal translation of the Bible actually pick and choose what they take literally. Ever since Scripture was written, people have been arguing about what it really means.

Learning from Suffering

A couple days ago I jumped ahead to read the scriptures for this Sunday. The second reading, from Hebrews, is the one that caught my attention, and it's been stuck in my head for a while now:

Have you forgotten that encouraging text in which you are addressed as sons? My son, when the Lord corrects you, do not treat it lightly; but do not get discouraged when he reprimands you. For the Lord trains the ones that he loves and he punishes all those that he acknowledges as his sons. Suffering is part of your training; God is treating you as his sons. Has there ever been any son whose father did not train him? Of course, any punishment is most painful at the time, and far from pleasant; but later, in those on whom it has been used, it bears fruit in peace and goodness. So hold up your limp arms and steady your trembling knees and smooth out the path you tread; then the injured limb will not be wrenched, it will grow strong again.

Hebrews 12:5 – 13

After I read this, I reflected back on the suffering in my life. I really don't like suffering – who does!? If you had a choice between a happy marriage and a troubled one, which would you choose? Income security or income instability? A satisfying and rewarding job or a mundane, uninspiring job? Healthy spouse and kids or not? A safe and secure neighborhood, or one where shots ring out in the middle of the day? They are all simple choices, but we don't always have the choice. Sometimes, things just happen and we end up suffering. We make bad decisions and suffer as a result of them; other people do things that cause us to suffer; and then there's our encounters with the evil of the world that leave us hurting and suffering. I don't believe that God wants, intends or causes us to suffer. But suffering happens because the world and all of us in it are imperfect.

The scripture's analogy to the father-son relationship also stirred some reflection in me, particularly because I'm the father of two sons (ages 12 & 13). I do my best to keep from causing them to suffer, and I work hard to support our family so none of us suffer. But you know, suffering happens anyway. None of us want it, or like it, but it is unavoidable. And it also provides some great learning opportunities for us all. As my sons grow and experience more of the world, they inevitably encounter some situations where they feel some suffering, and with support from me and my wife they will work their way through it and come out on the other end as stronger, richer, and deeper young men. I really do believe that God wants to help and support us through our suffering too, and provided we're open to it we will grow stronger in all kinds of ways.

Provided we're open to God's support... that's the catch, isn't it? If we call on God only when we are asking for help then that's kind of a one-sided relationship. If you only called on your friends when you needed help, that wouldn't be a very healthy relationship. They wouldn't really know you, and you wouldn't really know them. You would have a harder time communicating. But if we've been talking with God all along, good times and bad, then we will be more receptive of God's support when it comes along. We'll know it when we feel it, when we see it. The assurance of an old friend, with whom we've shared our greatest joys and disappointments, is irreplaceable.

Responding to the gifts

I like all the little wisdom-sayings in Luke's Gospel. Today's Gospel reading ends with one of my favorites, the bottom line answer to Peter's question 'Lord, do you mean this parable for us, or for everyone?':

When a man has had a great deal given him, a great deal will be demanded of him.

Through the years I have thought about that quite a bit. I've pretty much felt very blessed, receiving many gifts from God, for most of my adult life. Sure there have been some hard times, and some times I've felt distant from God, but the blessings have far outweighed all that. God has been so good to me, so now what can I do for God?

That sounds almost silly; after all, God can do anything God wants to do. But I suppose there are a few things I can do. I can be grateful; I can share what I have; I can reflect that grace and those blessings to the rest of the world; I can put all that to work in following God's will for my life. I can use my free will, which is a gift, to choose those things that lead me closer to God. Maybe that's what God is demanding from me, that I use all I am and all that is given to me as tools to advance the Kingdom of God.

So the question of the day is what am I really doing about all this? How am I using these gifts from God to advance God's mission for the world?

Priorities and Expectations

Today's Gospel reading is from Luke - the story of Jesus, Martha and Mary:

In the course of their journey Jesus came to a village, and a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. She had a sister called Mary, who sat down at the Lord’s feet and listened to him speaking. Now Martha who was distracted with all the serving said, ‘Lord, do you not care that my sister is leaving me to do the serving all by myself? Please tell her to help me.’ But the Lord answered: ‘Martha, Martha,’ he said ‘you worry and fret about so many things, and yet few are needed, indeed only one. It is Mary who has chosen the better part; it is not to be taken from her.’

When I read this story I'm reminded of the importance of staying aware of priorities in life. And I suppose along with priorities come expectations and perceptions.

Jesus doesn't seem like the type of guy who would come to your house and expect to have all sorts of food to served for him to snack on, to have his cup always filled and so on. But Martha had certain expectations of how guests are to be treated. Some of her approach was probably cultural, but surely some of it was just how Martha thought things ought to be done. If you have a guest, it's just polite to make sure they are comfortable, and it's also sort of an honor to serve them.

I picture Mary as the independent-minded little sister, the one who's occasionally irritating others because she's doing her own thing, bucking the trend and tradition. She's looking at a situation and thinking 'what can I gain from this?', and then she goes for it. Both Martha and Mary had probably heard of Jesus and knew how important and special he was. They had different ways of responding – he's an important guest for me to serve; and he has a lot of important things I need to listen to.

For me, the story shows how Jesus came more as a servant than a guest to Martha and Mary, to share with them and enlighten them. Jesus points out to Martha, and to us, that he's wanting us to listen to him rather than spend a lot of time on peripheral things that make us all more comfortable. Those peripheral things around our encounter with Jesus are fine and comforting, but they are not the priority and they can't get in the way of our encounter with him.

We spend a lot of energy and resources on being comfortable in our encounter with Jesus. We spend millions on building huge, grand churches and related buildings; I've heard them actually called 'campuses'. We spend all sorts of mental energy taming the Gospel and creating logic to soften some of the sharper points Jesus spoke about. We emphasize parts of the Gospel that are attractive to us and push the rest into the background. We spend more time listening to so-and-so who preaches a good message (i.e. a message that is comforting and nonthreatening to our point of view) than we do listening to Jesus.

That can all be more comfortable than sitting at Jesus' feet and listening to his message, without interruptions, or distractions, or anything else to water it down. And it's a bit more threatening because if we really listen like that, our lives might change.

Creation Museum

This morning's paper announced the long-awaited and much-publicized (around here, anyway) grand opening of the Creation Museum - a $27 million, 60,000 square foot museum devoted to a Biblical-literal view of creationism. They have received a good deal of press leading up to this, and the next couple weeks will surely bring more.

I'm not a scientist, but evolution appeals to me and it makes sense. I don't take the Biblical view of creation literally; I don't take a lot of scripture literally. I don't see how one can build a consistent, integrated and sensible religious world-view around a literal interpretation of the Bible. Literalism seems like building a house of cards - if one card no longer holds its place then the whole thing comes down. It seems that literalism, or maybe another word is fundamentalism, is its own religion at times. It crosses denominations and unites people in the cultural wars.

As I was reading about this topic this morning I came across this quote from a second century Rabbi named Simeon Bar Yohai:

"If a man looks upon the Torah as merely a book presenting narratives and everyday matters, alas for him! Such a torah, one treating with everyday concerns, and indeed a more excellent one, we too, even we, could compile. More than that, in the possession of the rulers of the world there are books of even greater merit, and these we could emulate if we wished to compile some such torah. But the Torah, in all of its words, holds supernal truths and sublime secrets.

Thus the tales related in the Torah are simply her outer garments, and woe to the man who regards that outer garb as the Torah itself, for such a man will be deprived of portion in the next world. Thus David said:" Open Thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of Thy law" (Psalms 119:18), that is to say, the things that are underneath. See now. The most visible part of a man are the clothes that he has on, and they who lack understanding, when they look at the man, are apt not to see more in him than these clothes. In reality, however, it is the body of the man that constitutes the pride of his clothes, and his soul constitutes the pride of his body.

Woe to the sinners who look upon the Torah as simply tales pertaining to things of the world, seeing thus only the outer garment. But the righteous whose gaze penetrates to the very Torah, happy are they. Just as wine must be in a jar to keep, so the Torah must also be contained in an outer garment. That garment is made up of the tales and stories; but we, we are bound to penetrate beyond."

The message of the Torah, and I believe of all Christian Scripture, is deeper than the literal trappings in which it was delivered. God's message is deeper than that, and it's backwards to let literalism drive the intent of scripture. The intent is deeper, and ultimately it's a living message from God to each of us.

The Catholic church doesn't seem to have an official stance on evolution vs literal creationism, but it seems like the sense of the theologians is towards theistic evolution - that is, evolution is a fine theory and God is still the source of all things, however they may have gotten here. It's sort of a classical Catholic 'both-and' view of the world, vs an 'either-or' view. Obviously, that appeals to me and I think everyone should believe it. But, people can believe what they want, and spend $27 million doing it.

Care for Others

From today's Gospel reading:

After the meal Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me more than these others do?’ He answered, ‘Yes Lord, you know I love you’. Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my lambs’. A second time he said to him, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ He replied, ‘Yes, Lord, you know I love you’. Jesus said to him, ‘Look after my sheep’. Then he said to him a third time, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ Peter was upset that he asked him the third time, ‘Do you love me?’ and said, ‘Lord, you know everything; you know I love you’. Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my sheep.

Gospel of John, chapter 21

I remember, as a kid and into adulthood, hearing this scripture at Mass and empathizing with Peter. I'd be a bit upset, too, if Jesus asked me the same question three times. But this morning some new light was shed on this passage:

We may wonder what advantage there could be for Christ in Peter's love for him. If Christ loves you, you profit, not Christ; and if you love him, again the advantage is yours, not his. But wishing to show us how we should demonstrate our love for him, Christ the Lord made it plain that it is by our concern for his sheep.

St Augustine of Hippo

Peter and the Apostles had spent a lot of time and energy focusing on following Jesus. He was their leader, role model, savior, and point of unity. Now Jesus is telling Peter that this love for him can be shown by concern for others. Jesus turns the apostles around, from a focus on the man Jesus to a focus on the people of the world, his sheep.

What if we put ourselves in place of Peter in that conversation? Jesus asks us if we love him, and we say 'Yes, of course!' And then Jesus says, 'You can show your love for me by caring for others.'

Conspicuous Holiness

Friday’s scripture reading from Isaiah seems appropriate and timely for Lent, but it applies equally well to every day of the year:

Shout for all you are worth, raise your voice like a trumpet. Proclaim their faults to my people, their sins to the House of Jacob.

They seek me day after day, they long to know my ways, like a nation that wants to act with integrity and not ignore the law of its God. They ask me for laws that are just, they long for God to draw near: ‘Why should we fast if you never see it, why do penance if you never notice?’

Look, you do business on your fast-days, you oppress all your workmen; look, you quarrel and squabble when you fast and strike the poor man with your fist. Fasting like yours today will never make your voice heard on high. Is that the sort of fast that pleases me, a truly penitential day for men? Hanging your head like a reed, lying down on sackcloth and ashes? Is that what you call fasting, a day acceptable to the Lord?

Is not this the sort of fast that pleases me – it is the Lord who speaks – to break unjust fetters and undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and break every yoke, to share your bread with the hungry, and shelter the homeless poor, to clothe the man you see to be naked and not turn from your own kin? Then will your light shine like the dawn and your wound be quickly healed over. Your integrity will go before you and the glory of the Lord behind you. Cry, and the Lord will answer; call, and he will say, ‘I am here’.

Isaiah 58:1 - 9

For me, this scripture speaks about our integrity, about aligning our outward actions with our inner being, our tendency to put on a show for others, and our hypocrisy. It’s not the fasting that God wants, it’s the change of heart that may come from the experience of fasting. I think the same is true for any action we take – it’s not the action that God is looking for, it’s the effect, the change we are making in ourselves and in others.

I remember a college professor once talking about conspicuous consumption. This was a new concept for me; being raised on a family farm doesn’t really leave room for or encourage conspicuous consumption - farmers are very utilitarian. But being immersed in a private city university quickly familiarized me with the concept. I think there is also a sort of conspicuous religiosity, or conspicuous holiness (an oxymoron, really) that has crept into Christianity the past several years. Part of it, in my opinion, is fueled by the marketing of music, books, charitable organizations, and so on. It seems like consumer-culture has been foisted on Christian culture.

The challenge, in my opinion, is for the church to bring the ‘conspicuous religious’ into that deeper relationship with God that in turn breaks the yokes that oppress them, setting them free to be the people God intended.

Do not forget that holiness consists not in extraordinary actions, but in performing your duties towards God, yourself and others well.

Maximilian M. Kolbe

Separate parts - on purpose

Looking back at my last post it’s hard to believe I’ve gone two weeks without writing! Well, it’s been crazy-busy, and life has rarely been so good for me as it has these past few weeks and months… so no worries; when life gets busy, the blog takes a back seat to many other more important things.

While I was reading this Sunday’s scriptures, Paul’s familiar description of the church as the body of Christ showed up. I’ve heard this one many times, but this morning I took a closer look at it, and it’s interesting to see just how far our current reality is from his description. Here’s the part that I’m pondering, and I’ve highlighted the passages that strike me:

God put all the separate parts into the body on purpose. If all the parts were the same, how could it be a body? As it is, the parts are many but the body is one. The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I do not need you’, nor can the head say to the feet, ‘I do not need you’. What is more, it is precisely the parts of the body that seem to be the weakest which are the indispensable ones; and it is the least honourable parts of the body that we clothe with the greatest care. So our more improper parts get decorated in a way that our more proper parts do not need. God has arranged the body so that more dignity is given to the parts which are without it, and that there may not be disagreements inside the body, but that each part may be equally concerned for all the others. If one part is hurt, all parts are hurt with it. If one part is given special honour, all parts enjoy it.

During my lifetime I’ve been a member of five different parishes, and though some have been better than others none of them really embraced this notion that the weakest members are the indispensable ones, that the least dignified deserve the most dignity, or that the least honorable receive the greatest care. I don’t think that it was intentional, but it seems that the weakest and least honorable often went unnoticed. It seems to me that our achievement-oriented society infiltrated the church and took our attention away from what God intended.

And then there’s the passage where Paul says God put all the various types of people into the church on purpose. The eccentrics, the liturgical perfectionists, the traditionalists who kneel when everyone else stands, the liberals who recite common prayers in a gender-neutral way when everyone else doesn’t, those who always come to mass late and leave early, the guy behind you who sings loud and clear and badly, the parents struggling to manage their young children, the uptight folks who scowl at anyone who disrupts their good time (particularly at big families), the people who sneak into the back pews out of shame or fear or trepidation but feel a longing to fill some deep need that being at church provides, and so on and so on. Make your own list - God put them all there on purpose. Their presence is not an accident, it’s not inappropriate, it’s not a nuisance, it is God’s purpose for them and for us.

I bet at mass this morning we’re going to sing ‘All Are Welcome’. It’s a nice song, but it usually makes me feel hypocritical.

A pure and simple realization: beings of opposite natures can unite in a concord of harmony.

St. Athanasius

Attentiveness and Peace

Yesterday's Gospel reading was from Luke 2:22-35, where Simeon recognizes Christ as the infant Jesus at the Temple. As I was listening to it via Pray As You Go, two parts of it spoke to me. First, Simeon's words that have come to be known as the Nunc Dimittis and often prayed at the conclusion of Night Prayer, which is also known as Compline:

Now, Master, you let your servant go in peace.
You have fulfilled your promise.
My own eyes have seen your salvation,
which you have prepared in the sight of all peoples.
A light to bring the Gentiles from darkness;
the glory of your people Israel.

I've always found that prayer very comforting, and a good way to close the day. The second thing that struck me was how Simeon had the awareness to recognize Christ. He recognized and acted on the Holy Spirit's prompting to go to the Temple that day, and out of all the activity - I'm sure Joseph & Mary were not the only ones bringing their child there to be consecrated, and there surely was other activity going on - Simeon recognized Christ as the infant Jesus. Who would have been expecting to meet Christ as an infant?

Simeon is a good role model, in my opinion, for all of us. He was aware of and attentive to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. He had a good relationship with God - he trusted that God would reveal Christ to him, and when that happened he said 'OK, Lord, you can let me go in peace now.' In peace, at peace - he had a sense that his mission had been fulfilled. Attentiveness and peace - I think they go together.