Joy Made Complete

January 10, 2009

Christmas Weekday

And we have this confidence in him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in regard to whatever we ask, we know that what we have asked him for is ours…We also know that the Son of God has come and has given us discernment to know the one who is true. And we are in the one who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. 1 John 5:14-15, 20

The one who has the bride is the bridegroom; the best man, who stands and listens for him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom's voice. So this joy of mine has been made complete. He must increase; I must decrease. John 3:29-30

Piety

Father, make us a channel of your complete joy. Help us to set aside our selfish ways and decrease our sense of personal entitlement. Help us to increase our generosity and our acts of mercy and compassion. Amen.

Study

As we wind out way through the closing days of the Christmas season and reflect back on all that we have heard over the past few weeks, I am struck by the sequence of the stories and by the messages in the readings throughout Advent and Christmas. While we started the season somewhat chronologically with the Nativity story, as we progress through the glimpses we get of Jesus’ public ministry as it unfolds, we skip around quite a bit back and forth in time as well as between each of the Gospels.

Consider the last 10 days starting on January 1 as the shepherds make their way to the Infant. Then, for a few days we fast forward to readings about John the Baptist in the desert proclaiming Jesus right before the adult Jesus arrives on the scene – a scene we just visited during the Advent season. By January 4, we are back at the Nativity with the magi transported there through the time tunnel of the Bible. On January 5, we moved back to the future adult ministry of John and Jesus with Jesus hearing about John’s arrest, proclaiming the same words John spoke – “Repent, the Kingdom of God is at hand.” Jesus picks up right where John said he would. We follow Jesus grief over John’s execution and witness the beginning of his public preaching and miracles – a beginning with the feeding of the 5,000 that foreshadows the very end of the Gospel.

Then we are with Jesus as he returns to Galilee after being in the desert and announces the cornerstones which will guide his work. We listen and watch that work begin with the miracle of the curing of the man with leprosy and the reminder that Jesus would often withdraw to the desert to pray – such retreats were not just a one-time occurrence that marks Lent. Then, we flash back to John before his arrest and execution before concluding the season and bridging into Ordinary Time with the Baptism of the Lord.

The readings give us a preview of what will unfold throughout the liturgical year and our own faith journey. We witness an entire time capsule of Jesus’ life story complete with foreshadowing of the Passion, death and resurrection of Jesus by the inclusion of the narrative of John’s execution. The readings provide some clear highlights of everything that is to come in Jesus’ life and to the touchstones which guide us through the Christian journey that welcomes the God intimate God, the God who comes and who dwells within us and among us.

We started the Advent season hearing the message to “watch” for the lord of the house, the bridegroom is coming. As we close the Christmas cycle, the “watching” is now over. John the Baptist proclaims that his joy has been made complete with the arrival of the bridegroom.

The combined Advent and Christmas cycles end with the prophecy of John one last time – John’s joy is completed and he now exits but not after reminding the people what he had been preaching all along is now fulfilled. Jesus is baptized by John. The voices of the angels which announced the coming of the child to Joseph, Mary and the Shepherds now give way tomorrow to the voice of God. On coming up out of the water he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit, like a dove, descending upon him. And a voice came from the heavens, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” (Mark 1:10-11) The bridegroom is walking into his church in the world.

Action

If the Son brings eternal life and peace, the world brings eternal strife and death. We are seeing that played out on the world stage in the Holy Land with the continuing violence between Israel and Palestine. There is no joy in the region with bombings and burnings affecting non-combatants on both sides of the conflict. Innocents are caught in the cross fire as well as international humanitarian aid workers (when they can get through). If ever we need a dove to descend from the heavens, now would be a great time.

A message from the Just Faith graduate network reminds us of our responsibility to call out for peace. Just Faith Ministries wrote: “We are all feeling helpless and in despair over the crisis in the Middle East. We can't ‘fix’ it, but as people of faith we have a responsibility to do what we can. The main pressure point we have as Americans is our Congress, which can create the pressure and leverage needed for real negotiation and permanent solutions between the factions. The situation is dire and we can't be silent.”

Make a call for peace. Contact your U.S. senator and express your opinion. Maybe you will want to make some of the following points suggested by Just Faith:

As an American Catholic, I deplore the tragic loss of life of civilians caught in the escalating violence in Gaza and southern Israel and care deeply about the welfare of both Israelis and Palestinians who are suffering and living in fear. I ask that if and when the Senator/Representative makes a statement about the current crisis, he/she expresses support for strong U.S. diplomatic leadership, together with international partners, to achieve an immediate, comprehensive cease-fire that:

• ends the escalating violence between Israel and Hamas;
• addresses the humanitarian situation - including an opening of the border crossings that provide relief for the people of Gaza and meets Israel's security needs; and
• leads to concrete steps toward a two-state peace agreement - the best hope for long-term stability and security for Israel and the Palestinians.

You can go to this link provided by Catholic Relief Services to find out whom to call in Congress to support a cease-fire.

In His Son

And this is the testimony: God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever possesses the Son has life; whoever does not possess the Son of God does not have life. 1 John 5:11-12

Now there was a man full of leprosy in one of the towns where he was; and when he saw Jesus, he fell prostrate, pleaded with him, and said, "Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean." Jesus stretched out his hand, touched him, and said, "I do will it. Be made clean." And the leprosy left him immediately. Luke 5:12-13

Piety

Father, hear my pleas for help. Jesus, touch me and make me clean. Holy Spirit, guide me to share eternal life in the Son. Amen.

Study

Jesus hears us. Jesus responds to us. Jesus prays for us. It is a simple pattern but it is a pattern repeated over and over again in the New Testament. It is love to the power of perfection.

Luke calls it merciful. Matthew calls it perfection. “So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:30)

Perfect love is what we seek in those we love. We want those we love to hear our pain and our pleas for help. We want them to respond. We want them to love us. We want them to talk with us. We want them to hand around us. That is what friends do.

Sorry to break this news to Forrest, Forrest Gump…but life in the love of the Lord is not a surprising box of chocolates. You can look at every evangelist and every story, miracle, healing or sign. Jesus hears. Jesus responds. Jesus prays.

The Roman centurion needs his daughter healed? Jesus hears, responds and prays.

Ten lepers seek cleansing? Jesus hears, responds and prays.

Lazarus lies dead in the grave? Jesus hears, responds and prays.

There are no surprises when we fully rely on God. The surprises come when we rely upon someone or something else other than God.

Action

Scripture asks us to love perfectly. We can learn how to do that when we hang out with God in the scriptures. We can learn how to do that when we hear what God is speaking to us. We can learn how to do that when we respond to God. We can learn how to do that when we speak to God about our problems.

Are we ready to reciprocate for the Lord like the man cured of his leprosy? Are we ready to take three simple steps:

1) Listen to the Lord. He speaks to us every day through sacred scripture and through our sisters and brothers.
2) Respond to the Lord. By being attentive at all moments to God, we can listen with the ear of our heart and be ready to spring into action.
3) Pray unceasingly.

So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Upon Me

January 8, 2009

Christmas Weekday

For the love of God is this, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome, for whoever is begotten by God conquers the world. And the victory that conquers the world is our faith. 1 John 5:3-4

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.” Luke 4:18-19

Piety

Father, take from me the trappings of the material world so I do not waste any needed effort upholding the false security and illusion that they place upon me.
Jesus, help me shoulder with all humility and obedience the burdens that you have reserved to place upon me.
Holy Spirit, give to me the strength to accept your message and never to turn away from the work and gifts you shower upon me. Amen.

Study

Is Luke Chapter 4 among the most absolutely central and important messages proclaimed anywhere in the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament?

The notes to the New American Bible tell us that more than any of the other gospel writers, “Luke is concerned with Jesus' attitude toward the economically and socially poor. At times, the poor in Luke's gospel are associated with the downtrodden, the oppressed and afflicted, the forgotten and the neglected, and it is they who accept Jesus' message of salvation.” Later in this chapter, we will read, see and hear the first example of that when Jesus cures the man with leprosy and then how he cures Simon’s mother-in-law.

Jesus went much further than just a social gospel and a healing ministry. In today’s scripture, Jesus took the combined weight of the entire salvation history and placed it squarely upon his own shoulders, the shoulders which were so strong that they would also carry the weight of the cross and all of our sin along with the inequities of the world. He was able to stand up to this challenge because he was not alone. He did it with the strength of the Spirit of the Lord.

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me.” Is that not also what we receive when we are baptized and confirmed in our faith? These sacraments of initiation (including Eucharist) get us to leave one path in life and embark upon another. According to an article by Thomas Richstatter, “We become Christians by a process of conversion—metanoia in Greek, which means literally ‘turning around.’ Conversion is a process of turning from a life of selfishness and sin—a ‘Me First’ life—to a life of Spirit-filled generosity and love.”

We are reminded of the turn around needed in the first reading today from the Letter of John. We must turn AWAY from the world and instead turn TOWARD God, turn toward love and turn toward obedience of God’s commandments. In this way we know that we love the children of God when we love God and obey his commandments. For the love of God is this, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome, for whoever is begotten by God conquers the world. And the victory that conquers the world is our faith. 1 John 4:2-4

Jesus has just re-“turned” to Galilee from desert experience. He lived hungry. He lived poor. He lived powerless. Yet throughout the forty days and nights, he resisted the temptation of the world to give in to the easy way out of his situation. Instead, he embraced hunger. He embraced poverty. He embraced powerlessness. He returned, Luke tells us, “in the power of the Spirit.” That is how he has the confidence to stride into the temple and announce his ministry in a fashion which some have called the Nazareth Manifesto.

Fr. Richstatter continues, “This faith journey is not merely a matter of learning about the faith, not merely instruction, but also a true conversion process. It involves the whole life of the candidate and the whole life of the Church. These sacraments are not private events. They affect the whole Church. Conversion takes place in community. Conversion implies initiation into that community, initiation into the Body of Christ.”

Today, the Gospel proclaims Jesus’ initiation. And it takes place in community – in the synagogue where someone hands Jesus the scroll from Isaiah to read. Initially, the people in his hometown were amazed at the preaching of the carpenter’s son. “And all spoke highly of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth.” (Luke 4:22). This helps us recall the wonder of Christmas. However, it was not long before the people started to reject the Nazareth manifesto and the challenging preacher. Rather than change (conversion), they wanted to stay in the comfort zone of their current lifestyle, politics and religion. “When the people in the synagogue heard this, they were all filled with fury. They rose up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town had been built, to hurl him down headlong. But he passed through the midst of them and went away.” (Luke 4:28-29).

Right there -- in eight verses of Luke’s Gospel -- we go from Christmas right to Good Friday. The whole episode in Luke 4 encapsulates Jesus’ ministry in the world and foreshadows the rejection of Jesus in his own hometown and by all of Israel. Yet he conquers the world because the “Spirit of the Lord” is upon his shoulders.

Is Luke Chapter 4 among the most absolutely central and important messages proclaimed anywhere in the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament?

Action

Imagine being the teacher who handed that scroll to Jesus. You can be like that teacher if you get involved in teaching or religious education in your parish. The youth of our parishes do not represent the church of tomorrow. They represent the young church of today. By volunteering in religious education, you can help the youth in our church learn the importance of love, obedience and humility as they “bring glad tidings to the poor, proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.”

What responsibilities do you see and feel that the Spirit of the Lord has placed upon your shoulders?

If We Love One Another, God Remains in Us

January 7, 2009

Christmas Weekday

By Melanie Rigney

Beloved, if God so loved us, we also must love one another. No one has ever seen God. Yet, if we love one another, God remains in us, and his love is brought to perfection in us. (1 John 4:11-12)

He shows pity to the needy and the poor and saves the lives of the poor. (Psalms 72:13)

(When Jesus realized the disciples were terrified when they saw him walking on the sea,) he spoke with them, “Take courage, it is I, do not be afraid!” He got into the boat with them and the wind died down. They were (completely) astounded. They had not understood the incident of the loaves. On the contrary, their hearts were hardened. (Mark 6:50-52)

Piety

Lord, help me to love as You love: without precondition and despite perceived hurts of the past and fears about the future.

Study

Cec Murphey

Today’s first reading brings to mind a marvelous scene from the 1987 film Barfly, loosely based on the life of Charles Bukowski, and nicknamed the Poet Laureate of Skid Row:

Wanda: I hate people. Do you hate people?

Henry: No ... but I sure feel better when they're not around.

It’s easy to love people who aren’t around: starving children in developing countries, for example, or friends or family we see once or twice a year at most. Loving folks we encounter every day ... that can be a different story. There’s the neighbor who doesn’t mow the grass often for our liking, the coworker who clips her nails at her desk, the man who puts his briefcase down on the only free seat on the bus or train.

Like the disciples in today’s Gospel reading, we fail to understand the incident of the loaves because our hearts are hardened. Christ didn’t line up the five thousand and provide food only to those he liked or approved of; he fed them all.

You may have heard of the best seller 90 Minutes in Heaven, which was co-authored by my friend Cec Murphey. Cec is a retired Presbyterian minister who’s been on every continent, including six years as a missionary in Africa. He’s the author of more than 100 books, many as a ghostwriter, which is why he’s called “The Man Behind the Words.” A while back, Cec sent around an e-mail update that beautifully captures where we go wrong and harden our hearts when we attempt to split loving as Christ and “liking” the people in our lives:

When we determine what is the acceptable behavior of another, we don’t love the person. This comes down to saying, “I’ll love you if you meet certain conditions.” … Maybe we need to learn to care for people as they are, regardless of whether they ever conform to our standards. We love them even if they never change. If we do that, we don’t have to decide whether we love or like them.

In Cursillo, we’re fond of saying: “Make a friend, be a friend, bring that friend to Christ.” We can’t skip steps one and two, and we can’t limit them to “make a friend who looks or acts just like you” or “make a friend because you feel sorry for that person or yourself.” Love all as Christ loves, and give thanks for His presence.

Action

Do some palanca for someone whom you have a hard time loving. Take him to dinner or talk with her about her 2009 vacation plans. Take courage; do not be afraid.

He Began To Teach Them

January 6, 2009

Christmas Weekday

In this way the love of God was revealed to us: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might have life through him. In this is love: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as expiation for our sins. 1 John 4:9-10

When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things. Mark 6:34

Piety

God, help us to follow your call where ever it may lead us and whatever personal cost it may require. Jesus, help us to see the hunger in the eyes of those around us and respond to it with humility and obedience inspired by your example that sets aside our personal agenda and replaces it with yours. Holy Spirit, strengthen us to take the actions that God’s love requires of us. Amen.

Study

As the meaning of the Christmas season manifests itself in our minds, our hearts and our souls, today we see what is made possible by the baby who was born on the outskirts of Bethlehem 2009 years ago.

Jesus came because God loved us too much to leave us to our own ends. No matter what our mistakes might have been, what they are today or what they will be tomorrow, God did not want to leave us to the ends which we would choose. So, out of his love for us, to wipe the proverbial slate of sin clean, he sent his Son to teach us and redeem us.

None of our sins were going to be obstacles for God or Jesus to carry out this plan. Herod may have just executed John the Baptist in the story passed down to us from St. Mark, but that was not going to stop Jesus. He wanted to go away to a deserted place and rest – and pray for a while. But the contemplative prayer had to wait as the crowds gathered. As much as Jesus would prefer to grieve for his cousin, when he saw the crowd assembled, he was moved with pity and grief for them as well. Without John, they had no one to follow – for they were like sheep without a shepherd. So Jesus stepped up to the position he was destined to occupy.

St. Mark does not tell us much of what Jesus said that fateful day when his public ministry really began but he really showed what Jesus did. Not only did Jesus put his personal grief last, but he also performed the first of the many miracles passed down to us in what could be termed The First Supper. In this action or breaking the bread and feeding the five thousand people, the entire ministry of Jesus and even his passion is foreshadowed.

Action

What are you called to do? What situation is God placing before your eyes today?

Are you willing to accept that assignment with the humility and obedience that Jesus exhibited? Are you willing to follow Jesus to a deserted place and any hour of the day or night, ignoring any personal cost to your comfort and security?

Today, Jesus saw the hunger in the eyes of the people gathered around him and he acted. In the January monthly letter from Ken Hackett, president of Catholic Relief Services, he addresses the continuing hunger in the eyes of people today. He writes:

For months we’ve been hearing about the global food crisis. The cost of food and fuel increased suddenly and sharply, making it harder for poor people around the world to feed their families. In dozens of cities, people took to the streets in protest.

Now the focus is on the collapse of the world economy. Food and fuel prices on global markets have fallen nearly as precipitously as they rose.

So, is the global food crisis over?

Unfortunately, no. It has merely entered a new phase. We are now confronted with an environment of price volatility and uncertainty. Who knows where prices will be a year from now?

The letter goes on to point out that we must act now to avoid crisis in the future. A key part of a food security strategy must be an increased investment in farmers who cultivate small plots, particularly those who grow staple crops. Mr. Hackett explains that we can help farmers obtain badly needed fertilizer to maximize their harvests and connect farmers to markets where they can receive a good, fair price for their crops. In the midst of the food crisis, CRS launched or expanded several initiatives with these goals in mind, including programs seeking to increase production of rice in West Africa, navy beans in Ethiopia, chickpeas in Tanzania and cassava across the continent. Mr. Hackett concludes with this call to action:

And we must never forget the poorest of our brothers and sisters. We must provide those who are most vulnerable–such as orphans, the disabled, the elderly–with a safety net that would include food distribution, vouchers that could be exchanged for food and cash or food for work. These programs are particularly important in urban areas, where the desperately poor can’t grow food and so have no recourse when they exhaust their resources.

As we begin this New Year, it is an auspicious time to recommit ourselves to this fight to end hunger around the world.

Copartners in the Promise

January 4, 2009

Epiphany of the Lord

By Rev. Joe McCloskey, SJ

You have heard of the stewardship of God's grace that was given to me for your benefit, (namely, that) the mystery was made known to me by revelation, that the Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same body, and copartners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel. Ephesians 3:2-3a, 5-6

Piety

O God, give your judgment to our leaders and your justice to the people throughout the world. May our leaders govern your people with justice and provide your oppressed people with right judgment. May your Spirit be like rain coming down upon the fields, like showers watering the earth.

Justice shall flourish in Your days, great bounty, till the moon be no more. May God rule from sea to sea, from the river to the ends of the Earth. May the nations and people bring tribute and offer gifts to God because God rescues the poor when they cry out, the oppressed who have no one to help. He shows pity to the needy and the poor and saves the lives of the poor. (From Psalm 72)

Study

Literally it means open to or appear to. We all claim epiphanies in our lives at one time or another. It was a magic moment in my life when I learned with enough application of my mind, heart and soul I would do almost everything I set my heart on.

The Epiphany Feast today has a number of meanings for us. It refers to the one Lord including everyone in his good news. But it also implies the gifts that are given at Epiphany. Gold, gift to kingship, frankincense, symbol of prayer and myrrh, the anointment for death, are gifts that are prophetic. How this plays out in the life of the community gives the community the right to its name.

We all are following some star. There is a light that shines in the darkness of our hearts that is the call to worship our God. We are created for that worship of God. God is love and we are called to be men and women of love. The best of ourselves is the gift of gold we bring on this feast day. Our coming to worship is the frankincense of our prayer. What we have dedicated our lives to is the myrrh of the offering of ourselves.

The prophet tells the world what is wrong. Even tells the community what it needs to do. All the social outreach programs of the community are how it exercises the role of prophet. When our leadership of the community opens up another task to be done the prophet role is being fulfilled.

Action

Christ is our king and we share his kingship. We are responsible for our world. We are the masters of our destiny. In the God who strengthens us we believe we can do all things. Epiphany starts our community because we are not waiting for someone to tell us what to do next. Our very lives give life to the community. We need each other even when we work alone. Our unity flows out of the kingship of Christ. We can call each other brothers and sisters in our relationship to Christ. Prophecy instills in our hearts the tasks of Christ and his kingship over our hearts is our right to act in his name.

The priest gets his definition from the community he serves. He is the funnel between the community and God. He takes the prayers of the community to God and brings back the blessings of God in the Eucharist which reenacts the great mystery of the priesthood of Christ. The one Sacrifice which is for ever gives us our contact point and puts us in the fullness of Christ’s priesthood by the giving of our lives which is celebrated together.

Epiphany in its fullest meaning is God opening himself to our world. We are his opening when we live the gifts of our community that give Christ flesh and blood in each other.

Love, as He Commanded

January 5 2009

Memorial of St. John Neumann

By Beth DeCristofaro

…we should believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another just as he commanded us. Those who keep his commandments remain in him, and he in them,
and the way we know that he remains in us is from the Spirit whom he gave us. (1 John 3: 23-24)

When Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee…(then he) went around all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom, and curing every disease and illness among the people. (Matthew 4: 12, 23)

Piety

Teach me, Lord, to use everything I am given. Save me from warm feelings that are a substitute for effective action. Lord, you never let me forget that love is shown in deeds, not words or feelings. I could fill notebooks with resolutions, and in the end be further from you. Help me, with your great gift of faith, to choose you rather than myself. (based on http://sacredspace.ie/ )

Study

Jesus withdrew when he heard John was arrested. We might imagine that he withdrew to grieve for his cousin and to ready himself because his time had come. He withdrew to immerse himself in his Father from whom he drew his identity, strength, his message. Jesus was totally human yet able, in the way we too would be able were our faith as great as his, to be connected to the width and depth of the divine.

And Jesus’ first preaching used the same words as John did: “Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand.” This message, however, was literal. He was at hand. He was the Kingdom and through his words, his compassion and living faith he invited people to join in the kingdom. His first actions were to travel to where the people were and to heal. His message was not a warm fuzzy, even though he certainly granted the wishes of many who were ill or hurt. His message was to act. He called for commitment and putting aside a well-known and well-loved way of life as well as self. He used his capacities as a human man to connect with other men, women and children while at the same time, being God, he superseded his humanity and brought the gifts of God to others. He sent the Spirit to fill us so that we might do the same.

Action

St. John Neumann was a priest and educator. He was a humble man. This story is told of him as bishop: “Once on a visit to Germany, he came back to the house he was staying in soaked by rain. When his host suggested he change his shoes, John remarked, "The only way I could change my shoes is by putting the left one on the right foot and the right one on the left foot. This is the only pair I own." (www.catholic.org) He put his love of God and zeal for spreading the Good News before his identity as prince of the church.

What do we need to learn about ourselves in order to become closer to God? What God-given gift could we use better – or use at all – for God’s glory? What do we need to give up or give away in order to do so? Withdraw, be with God, and come back renewed.

Revealed

January 4, 2009

Epiphany of the Lord

Rise up in splendor! Your light has come, the glory of the Lord shines upon you. See, darkness covers the earth, and thick clouds cover the peoples; But upon you the LORD shines, and over you appears his glory. Isaiah 60:1-2

And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them, until it came and stopped over the place where the child was. They were overjoyed at seeing the star, and on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother. They prostrated themselves and did him homage. Then they opened their treasures and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Matthew 2:9b-11

Piety

Show Me Your Face, O God / Psalm 61

At land’s end, end of tether

where the sea turns in sleep

ponderous, menacing

and my spirit fails and runs

landward, seaward, askelter

I pray you

make new

this hireling heart

O

turn your face to me

winged, majestic, angelic

tireless

a tide

my prayer goest up –

show me your face, O God!

-- Daniel Berrigan, SJ (From Hearts on Fire: Praying with Jesuits, edited by Michael Harter, SJ)

Study

Epiphany is the great “A-Ha!” moment for Christians. The “magi from the east” had their great “A-Ha!” moment in the house in Bethlehem. There have been two words which have appeared in our readings again and again during this season. Revealed and Remain. The gift was revealed and now remains with us forever.

Revealed. What had been promised and concealed for generations is now open and exposed. Angels have announced the Good News. Jesus, God-made-man is now living among the people even though they may not know it or recognize it. Special messengers have been chosen to see the face of God and then to spread the word. Once the Christ child was revealed to them, they helped spread the news to others.

Remain. Even though God becomes human in the person of Jesus, God remains in Him. The Spirit guides him. He wants to dwell among us and remain with us. He wants to hang out with us like friends. He will wait while we attend to other business. But now that Jesus is here, he will not leave. Even when we try to kill him, he stays behind in the figure of the Holy Spirit. So despite the Passion story which we know will unfold, through the gift and power of the Holy Spirit, that which has been revealed remains. It can never be taken away or hidden again. Nothing we do can change that. We can ignore it but it remains. We can feel like it has abandoned us but it remains.

Action

The Moment. The Mountaintop Experience. Moses had a burning bush. Peter, James and John had the transfiguration.

When and where was your great “A-Ha!” Moment when you realized that Jesus’ friendship was revealed to you and remains with you? Was it on your Cursillo weekend? Was it when you were holding your newborn child in the delivery room at a hospital? Was it when you were volunteering to help those less fortunate? Was it when you stepped onto holy ground at a famous church or shrine? Did it happen when you were visiting a patient who was sick? Was it when you were driving down the road listening to your car radio? Was it when you woke up today? Or will it be when you put your head on the pillow tonight and thank God for the gift of another day?

We never know when the Moment will sneak up on us. However, if we stay aware of the presence of God in our daily lives, then through these Sacraments of the Present Moment, we can relive what has been revealed to us and remains with us. Everyday can be and Easter. Every day can be an Epiphany. Remember to keep track of your moments closest to Christ this week and share it with your Group Reunion.

We Are God’s Children Now

January 3, 2009

Christmas Weekday

See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God. Yet so we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we shall be has not yet been revealed. We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. 1 John 3:1-2

John testified further, saying, “I saw the Spirit come down like a dove from the sky and remain upon him. I did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘On whomever you see the Spirit come down and remain, he is the one who will baptize with the holy Spirit.’” John 1:32-33

Piety
Dearest Lord, teach me to be generous. Teach me to serve you as you deserve; to give and not to count the cost; to fight and not to heed the wounds; to toil and not to seek to rest; to labor and not to ask for reward, save that of knowing that I am doing your will. Amen.
-- St. Ignatius Loyola

Study

What has been revealed? Jesus has been revealed first by the angels and now by John.

Some people knew that something special happened at that cave in Bethlehem thirty years earlier. Word spread – to Elizabeth and Zechariah, to the Shepherds, to the Magi and to a few others like Simeon and Anna. However, after those early episodes, Jesus’ life is a mystery until he becomes an adult. Little is documented in the Good News about Jesus’ life growing up in Nazareth.

Now along comes John. He knew he had a job to do. “I did not know him, but the reason why I came baptizing with water was that he might be made known to Israel.”

John was not there to baptize in the modern sacramental sense of washing away sins. Jesus did not come to be baptized to have his sins washed away. What sins would Jesus ever need to have washed away? None! Instead, John was there to announce the coming of someone greater than himself. As we heard on Friday’s readings, “there is one among you whom you do not recognize, the one who is coming after me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie.” (John 1:26-27)

If the world did not recognize Jesus, John was there to reveal Him. Prepare ye the way of the Lord! In essence, John’s work was Jesus’ introduction into public life, society and religion. That introduction is now in the history books.

Action

So, what? Who cares? What’s in it for me?

We don’t know that answer…yet. With the incarnation and baptism, we have become God’s children. Where all of this is leading, we do not know. “What we shall be has not been revealed.”

Recall that memorable passage from 1 Corinthians 13:11-13: When I was a child, I used to talk as a child, think as a child, reason as a child; when I became a man, I put aside childish things. At present we see indistinctly, as in a mirror, but then face to face. At present I know partially; then I shall know fully, as I am fully known. So faith, hope, love remain, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

What has been revealed? John reminds us that we are God’s children, destined to inherit eternal life. However, now our present knowledge is only partial. It is clouded by our limited perspective, our obstacles and our sins. When we see and know God face-to-face, the rest of the truth shall be revealed. However, until that minute, the Spirit remains alive with Jesus and with us. The Spirit guides us to live as God’s children according to the cardinal virtues of faith, hope and love.

How do we live as God’s children?

Those of you reading this message via e-mail or on the Internet page are not most likely not among the portion of the population living in poverty. Our culture puts so much emphasis on those who are at the top of the economic ladder (the exploits of Bernard Madoff); the leaders of the entertainment industry (like the late Heath Ledger, Paul Newman and Charlton Heston); the news and political leaders (like Tony Snow, Jesse Helms, Tim Russert and William F. Buckley) and the sports legends of our day (LeBron James, Brett Favre, and Roger Clemens). We spend little time worrying about the plight of those struggling to hide their poverty amidst this culture of acquisition.

Andrew Natsios, former leaders of the U.S. Agency for International Development (AID), recently said: “All rights are not equal: The right to survive is the most important.”

To get more familiar with those who are impoverished in your area, the late Senator Paul Simon suggests in his book Fifty-Two Simple Ways to Make a Difference that you volunteer to work a day or more at a homeless shelter or a soup kitchen or some other place where you can learn about and understand the problems that many Americans face. Contact your parish social action minister or the local Volunteer Center to find out where your help is needed most.

Remain in Him

January 2, 2009

Memorial of Saint Basil the Great and Saint Gregory Nazianzen, Bishops and Doctors of the Church

As for you, the anointing that you received from him remains in you, so that you do not need anyone to teach you. But his anointing teaches you about everything and is true and not false; just as it taught you, remain in him. And now, children, remain in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not be put to shame by him at his coming. 1 John 2:27-28

John answered them, "I baptize with water; but there is one among you whom you do not recognize, the one who is coming after me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie." John 1:26-27

Piety

The Lord gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who understand. He reveals deep and hidden things, for the light dwells in him. It is one and the same spirit who produces all these gifts, distributing them to each as he wills. He reveals.

Lord God, you bestowed upon your Church the radiant example and teaching of Saints Basil and Gregory. Assist us that we may humbly accept your truth and live by it in faithful love. This we ask of you through our fellowship with Jesus Christ. Amen.

(From Benedictine Daily Prayer: A Short Breviary, Proper of the Saints.)

Study

The old folk song lyrics say, “They will know we are Christians by our love, by our love. Yes, they’ll know we are Christians by our love.”

As the notes to the New American Bible explain, the ending of our first reading echoes this sentiment. Our actions reflect our true relation to Jesus and to the Father. Do we remain on His side or are we drawn to the world? Are we drawn to a relationship with Jesus or to a relationship with something else? Is it Christ versus the world? Or is it Christ versus the Church?

Some would ask, “How can we be friends of an institution?” We can not. We are in fact called into relationship with Jesus. In St. John’s account of the Last Supper, Jesus says that we have become his friends. “You are my friends if you do what I command you. I no longer call you slaves, because a slave does not know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father. It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you.” John 15:14-16

Institutions are made by humans and sometimes they fail miserably. By some counts, the late Pope John Paul II issued more than 100 apologies for the actions or inactions of the Church. At the time, many churches were apologizing for their actions and inactions. The recent past has witnessed many statements of repentance by religious groups:

· The Southern Baptist Convention repented of their past support for slavery and racial segregation. They asked African-Americans for forgiveness of the denomination's past actions and for any residual racism left today.

· The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America apologized for the viciously anti-Jewish statements made by Martin Luther, the main leader of the Protestant Reformation.

· The United Methodist Church apologized for the brutality of a lay Methodist preacher who led a massacre of Native Americans during the Civil War.

· The Roman Catholic Church issued a document “We Remember: A Reflection on the Shoah.” It recognized the relative inactivity and silence of many Roman Catholics during the Nazi Holocaust.

Today, the Church honors two saints who helped it through some rough times in the past. According to the Crossroads Initiative, these two men began their friendship while away at school and later became bishops who were the backbone of Catholic Orthodoxy during a period of doctrinal struggle and confusion. Gregory presided over the second ecumenical council, held at Constantinople, whose great achievement was the completion of the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed that the Catholic Church recites each Sunday and the definition of the divinity of the Holy Spirit. These Cappadocian Fathers, both Doctors of the Church, proved to be some of the greatest and most influential teachers of all time, honored by both East and West, Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic. In a sermon by St. Gregory, he characterized their actions this way:

Our single object and ambition was virtue, and a life of hope in the blessings that are to come; we wanted to withdraw from this world before we departed from it. With this end in view we ordered our lives and all our actions. We followed the guidance of God’s law and spurred each other on to virtue. If it is not too boastful to say, we found in each other a standard and rule for discerning right from wrong.

Different men have different names, which they owe to their parents or to themselves, that is, to their own pursuits and achievements. But our great pursuit, the great name we wanted, was to be Christians, to be called Christians.

Action

Have you included your Cursillo plan for Piety, Study and Action in your New Year’s resolution? Have you even made any resolutions?

If you have, write them down and look back on them every two months to see if you are on track.