Here's a great shepherd trying to ensure that his entire flock is kept safe, not just the ones that the civil authorities protect.
So, do you think immigrants should boycott May 1st or not?
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
Monday, April 24, 2006
When you're next to me
I have been listening to the sountrack to the movie "A Mighty Wind" a lot lately. I think that it's best when you turn songs about lust turn them into songs about the love we have for God. Oh, glorious Song of Songs...
When I’m standing next to you
There’s a song to sing
I know everything’s feeling right
When I’m standing next to you
Steeple bells ring
Only good things Do I see
When you’re next to me
When I hold your hand in mine
Different world wakes
A new morning breaks with the sun
When I hold your hand in mine
Children's dreams take flight
Through a star lit nightThat’s what I see
When you’re next to me
(Chorus)This love for you I’m feeling
Has a power that is healing
It can mend the darkest hour
With glorious light
When I taste your lips so sweet
I see beggars dine
And the sands of time up and stop
When I taste your lips so sweet
Black and white bend
Every dove lands at your feet
When you’re next to me
(Instrumental)
(Chorus)This love for you I’m feeling
Has a power that is healing
It can mend the darkest hour
With glorious light
When I’m lying next to you
I feel moonbeams burn
I see rainbows turning to gold
When I’m lying next to you
I hear Angels play
I see sweeter days
I see rivers wind
Through the end of time
I see hatred fall
From the highest hill
I see God’s good grace
Shining in your eyes
That’s what I see
When you’re next to me
When I’m standing next to you
There’s a song to sing
I know everything’s feeling right
When I’m standing next to you
Steeple bells ring
Only good things Do I see
When you’re next to me
When I hold your hand in mine
Different world wakes
A new morning breaks with the sun
When I hold your hand in mine
Children's dreams take flight
Through a star lit nightThat’s what I see
When you’re next to me
(Chorus)This love for you I’m feeling
Has a power that is healing
It can mend the darkest hour
With glorious light
When I taste your lips so sweet
I see beggars dine
And the sands of time up and stop
When I taste your lips so sweet
Black and white bend
Every dove lands at your feet
When you’re next to me
(Instrumental)
(Chorus)This love for you I’m feeling
Has a power that is healing
It can mend the darkest hour
With glorious light
When I’m lying next to you
I feel moonbeams burn
I see rainbows turning to gold
When I’m lying next to you
I hear Angels play
I see sweeter days
I see rivers wind
Through the end of time
I see hatred fall
From the highest hill
I see God’s good grace
Shining in your eyes
That’s what I see
When you’re next to me
Sunday, April 23, 2006
Jesus gives the power to forgive to those who need to be forgiven
On my last day-off, I was at home talking to my mother about the difficulty priests have in going to confession during Lent. We are usually busy hearing confessions on Saturdays when our fellow priests hear confessions. Some priests are out in the country pastoring multiple parishes with the next priest twenty to thirty miles away. We usually get on this topic because my mom can’t understand why a priest has gone to confession at communal penance. I think part of the reason she has trouble understanding this is because it probably seems annoying to her. I mean, if a priest is going to confession, that really takes two priests out-of-commission, both the priest penitent and priest confessor. But, when mom brings this up, she doesn’t ever bring that up. She says something along the lines of, “What has a priest done that he needs to go to confession.” It makes me laugh that a woman who has a son who is a priest still thinks that priests are perfect. Does she not remember my teenager years?
Today, we celebrate the end of the eight-day celebration of Easter in a celebration that Pope John Paul II declared Divine Mercy Sunday. He was heavily influenced by Saint Mary Faustina Kowalska who was fascinated by the forgiveness offered by God to his people. This forgiveness is what we celebrate each Easter, the forgiveness connected to the cross and resurrection of Christ.
In the church, we have three sacraments whose core meaning is forgiveness of sins. In Baptism, we celebrate the forgiveness of original sin that came from Adam and Eve. In the anointing of the sick, we celebrate the forgiveness of sins for those who suffer, knowing that they have a unique insight into Christ’s suffering on the cross. Yet, for the most part, I’ve never found anyone who has troubles with these two sacraments. Even people with only a slight interest in practicing their faith will have their newborn child baptized. And, despite changing the name and words associated with the sacrament of anointing of the sick, I still get calls from people whose loved one hasn’t been to church in decades who suddenly want “Last rites.” These moments are clearly moments of profound conversion and joy for people. Yet, I meet several people who have difficulty celebrating the sacrament of reconciliation, myself included, and I hear reasons why. Some say that it has to do with the changing ritual such that no one knows what will happen when they come. This may be why I try not to impose too much ritual on people who want to confess their sins. I don’t want people to feel lost but I also don’t want to take away people’s sense of continuity that should be a part of this sacrament. Nonetheless, I tend to believe that it has more to do with a loss of a sense of sin and its effects on the part of the faithful, a criticism that especially concerns me. I think it’s hard to understand God’s forgiveness if we don’t have a sense of our need to be forgiven. We have to understand what the goal of life is in order to understand why we aren’t living up to that goal and our first two readings offer just such a glimpse.
The first reading said that the first Christians held “everything in common” and that there was “no needy person among them.” This was not a form of Christian communism. In context, this is clearly seen as an elective form of charity in which each person asked themselves how they could have so much excess when there are others who don’t have enough to live, a question that should plague the Christian conscience.
If we are to look to a theological rationale behind this radical form of charity, we need look no further than the second reading. In it, John looks at this world as being transformed by the paschal mystery. As one commentator put it, “The direction of love taken by John…is reversed. (We are accustomed to) the focus (first on) a love for God, which presumes love for others. (In John) the focus is on love for God’s children, which reveals itself in love for God and observance of God’s commandments. It would seem that these two loves are co connected that it makes little difference which comes first.”[1] So, this is the goal: a society that cares for all its members and loves God. Yet, this prompts a question for all of us: is this the way we lead our lives? To put it more bluntly, are we the society of the perfect? After much reflection, I would humbly answer in a somewhat typical theological way, Yes and No.
We see this answer in the gospel story, part of which took place eight days after the resurrection. This story, to which we generally refer as Doubting Thomas, first tells the story of the apostles’ astonishment at seeing the risen Lord without Thomas and then tells a parallel account the next week with Thomas present. We often highlight the doubt that Thomas had in the meantime, a doubt that prompted him to make outlandish statements about his need for proof. Yet, in truth, I imagine we can all sympathize with Thomas in the skepticism that we have felt, at points in our lives. Maybe not right at this moment, but haven’t we all wanted to actually have more proof than the testimony of people who lived two millennia ago? Instead, what I would like to emphasize is what happened the week before to those apostles who were just as astonished, just as doubtful, as Thomas would be the next week. Despite their unbelief, our Lord turned to them and gave them authority to forgive sins. In this story, therefore, we see that God calls the sinner to also be the reconciler. This is a call to personal forgiveness and a call to forgive others, in other words to take seriously the call of the Our Father, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” In Thomas, we can see that small things matter, those times we doubt God, times we don’t use our gifts and talents to show love to our neighbor, and times when we don’t love God in prayer.
In our life of faith, sometimes we are the society of the perfect and sometimes we are doubting Thomas. God’s divine mercy says we not only love one another in order to love God but we must also have a need to be forgiven for all our sins while we forgive those who sin against us.
[1] From Bergant Preaching the New Lectionary Year B
Today, we celebrate the end of the eight-day celebration of Easter in a celebration that Pope John Paul II declared Divine Mercy Sunday. He was heavily influenced by Saint Mary Faustina Kowalska who was fascinated by the forgiveness offered by God to his people. This forgiveness is what we celebrate each Easter, the forgiveness connected to the cross and resurrection of Christ.
In the church, we have three sacraments whose core meaning is forgiveness of sins. In Baptism, we celebrate the forgiveness of original sin that came from Adam and Eve. In the anointing of the sick, we celebrate the forgiveness of sins for those who suffer, knowing that they have a unique insight into Christ’s suffering on the cross. Yet, for the most part, I’ve never found anyone who has troubles with these two sacraments. Even people with only a slight interest in practicing their faith will have their newborn child baptized. And, despite changing the name and words associated with the sacrament of anointing of the sick, I still get calls from people whose loved one hasn’t been to church in decades who suddenly want “Last rites.” These moments are clearly moments of profound conversion and joy for people. Yet, I meet several people who have difficulty celebrating the sacrament of reconciliation, myself included, and I hear reasons why. Some say that it has to do with the changing ritual such that no one knows what will happen when they come. This may be why I try not to impose too much ritual on people who want to confess their sins. I don’t want people to feel lost but I also don’t want to take away people’s sense of continuity that should be a part of this sacrament. Nonetheless, I tend to believe that it has more to do with a loss of a sense of sin and its effects on the part of the faithful, a criticism that especially concerns me. I think it’s hard to understand God’s forgiveness if we don’t have a sense of our need to be forgiven. We have to understand what the goal of life is in order to understand why we aren’t living up to that goal and our first two readings offer just such a glimpse.
The first reading said that the first Christians held “everything in common” and that there was “no needy person among them.” This was not a form of Christian communism. In context, this is clearly seen as an elective form of charity in which each person asked themselves how they could have so much excess when there are others who don’t have enough to live, a question that should plague the Christian conscience.
If we are to look to a theological rationale behind this radical form of charity, we need look no further than the second reading. In it, John looks at this world as being transformed by the paschal mystery. As one commentator put it, “The direction of love taken by John…is reversed. (We are accustomed to) the focus (first on) a love for God, which presumes love for others. (In John) the focus is on love for God’s children, which reveals itself in love for God and observance of God’s commandments. It would seem that these two loves are co connected that it makes little difference which comes first.”[1] So, this is the goal: a society that cares for all its members and loves God. Yet, this prompts a question for all of us: is this the way we lead our lives? To put it more bluntly, are we the society of the perfect? After much reflection, I would humbly answer in a somewhat typical theological way, Yes and No.
We see this answer in the gospel story, part of which took place eight days after the resurrection. This story, to which we generally refer as Doubting Thomas, first tells the story of the apostles’ astonishment at seeing the risen Lord without Thomas and then tells a parallel account the next week with Thomas present. We often highlight the doubt that Thomas had in the meantime, a doubt that prompted him to make outlandish statements about his need for proof. Yet, in truth, I imagine we can all sympathize with Thomas in the skepticism that we have felt, at points in our lives. Maybe not right at this moment, but haven’t we all wanted to actually have more proof than the testimony of people who lived two millennia ago? Instead, what I would like to emphasize is what happened the week before to those apostles who were just as astonished, just as doubtful, as Thomas would be the next week. Despite their unbelief, our Lord turned to them and gave them authority to forgive sins. In this story, therefore, we see that God calls the sinner to also be the reconciler. This is a call to personal forgiveness and a call to forgive others, in other words to take seriously the call of the Our Father, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” In Thomas, we can see that small things matter, those times we doubt God, times we don’t use our gifts and talents to show love to our neighbor, and times when we don’t love God in prayer.
In our life of faith, sometimes we are the society of the perfect and sometimes we are doubting Thomas. God’s divine mercy says we not only love one another in order to love God but we must also have a need to be forgiven for all our sins while we forgive those who sin against us.
[1] From Bergant Preaching the New Lectionary Year B
Saturday, April 22, 2006
Friday, April 21, 2006
Spiritual Directors
I just got back from my spiritual director and I think, if you don't have one already, you should get one. You can't replace your confessor with your spiritual director because you need both.
My spiritual director is just so encouraging and helps me understand what God is doing in my life and teaches me the hardest thing we believers must do, not confuse my will with the will of God. It's worth a five hour car ride for this visit that helps my most fundamental relationship.
My spiritual director is just so encouraging and helps me understand what God is doing in my life and teaches me the hardest thing we believers must do, not confuse my will with the will of God. It's worth a five hour car ride for this visit that helps my most fundamental relationship.
Thursday, April 20, 2006
Pray for VIESHEA
There is a long tradition in Ames of a springtime celebration called "VIESHEA"
"What does "VEISHEA" stand for? VEISHEA was named in 1922 by Professor Frank D. Paine, Department of General Engineering. He combined the first letters of the colleges at that time, and the name has stuck ever since. The word VEISHEA (pronounced "VEE-sha") stands for:
Veterinary Medicine
Engineering
Industrial Science
Home Economics
Agriculture" (from the VEISHEA WEBSITE)
It is notorious for two things: end of school release of tension before finals and rioting...literally.
Two years ago this celebration was a real black eye on the University. They have taken significant steps to try to prevent the same mistakes from taking place. However, I'm really concerned because I don't hear students wanting to put the blame on students. It's the Police's fault for breaking up a huge party...it's the president's fault for not having enough activities...it's the bars fault for closing down all at once... Unless if students can say those statements as well as saying that it's rioters fault for toppling street lights, parking meters, and wreaking havoc, the lesson is unlearned.
I just hope that, despite the unlearned lesson, nothing bad happens. Please pray for us here at Iowa State.
"What does "VEISHEA" stand for? VEISHEA was named in 1922 by Professor Frank D. Paine, Department of General Engineering. He combined the first letters of the colleges at that time, and the name has stuck ever since. The word VEISHEA (pronounced "VEE-sha") stands for:
Veterinary Medicine
Engineering
Industrial Science
Home Economics
Agriculture" (from the VEISHEA WEBSITE)
It is notorious for two things: end of school release of tension before finals and rioting...literally.
Two years ago this celebration was a real black eye on the University. They have taken significant steps to try to prevent the same mistakes from taking place. However, I'm really concerned because I don't hear students wanting to put the blame on students. It's the Police's fault for breaking up a huge party...it's the president's fault for not having enough activities...it's the bars fault for closing down all at once... Unless if students can say those statements as well as saying that it's rioters fault for toppling street lights, parking meters, and wreaking havoc, the lesson is unlearned.
I just hope that, despite the unlearned lesson, nothing bad happens. Please pray for us here at Iowa State.
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Waking up
I had two epiphany moments today that made a lot of sense.
1. I regularly read certain conservative blogs, usually done by college-age students that are frustrated with the state of the catholic church. In the middle of reading one with a million responses, I had this realization of Tolkien significance. You may remember the communication (propaganda?) devices between the dark lord, Saruman and the vile figure Sauron that drives the steward crazy. I think that reading these blogs had the same effect on me. They make a vocal minority seem as though they are the norm. I can hear the future of the church that is frustrated with certain liturgical innovations that want to be a voice for a renewal of the renewal. But, I can also hear a real arrogance in their tone...a lack of any sort of charity. So, I deleted them from my favorites so that I'm not influenced by them.
2. I'm reading a book about Opus Dei, the maligned organization of the most evil man on the planet, Dan Brown. In this book, the founder Josemaria Escriva is highlighted. At one point, the liberal author claims that the founder was both accused of being anti-semitical by the Jersualem newspaper Ha'aretz and Opus Dei was accused of being composed of Jews by legitimate anti-semites. Even though it's not a direct statement that you are being a good Christian, I think it is at least shows how much people hate this organization and how unjust that hatred is. Jesus' accusers couldn't get their story straight either.
1. I regularly read certain conservative blogs, usually done by college-age students that are frustrated with the state of the catholic church. In the middle of reading one with a million responses, I had this realization of Tolkien significance. You may remember the communication (propaganda?) devices between the dark lord, Saruman and the vile figure Sauron that drives the steward crazy. I think that reading these blogs had the same effect on me. They make a vocal minority seem as though they are the norm. I can hear the future of the church that is frustrated with certain liturgical innovations that want to be a voice for a renewal of the renewal. But, I can also hear a real arrogance in their tone...a lack of any sort of charity. So, I deleted them from my favorites so that I'm not influenced by them.
2. I'm reading a book about Opus Dei, the maligned organization of the most evil man on the planet, Dan Brown. In this book, the founder Josemaria Escriva is highlighted. At one point, the liberal author claims that the founder was both accused of being anti-semitical by the Jersualem newspaper Ha'aretz and Opus Dei was accused of being composed of Jews by legitimate anti-semites. Even though it's not a direct statement that you are being a good Christian, I think it is at least shows how much people hate this organization and how unjust that hatred is. Jesus' accusers couldn't get their story straight either.
Pope's letter to priests
here's the summary of the Pope's letter to priests. I wish I could find the original but I'm a little behind and want to get at least this out.
Saturday, April 15, 2006
From the Office of Readings for Holy Saturday
This about says it all
From an ancient homily for Holy Saturday
"Something strange is happening – there is a great silence on earth today, a great silence and stillness. The whole earth keeps silence because the King is asleep. The earth trembled and is still because God has fallen asleep in the flesh and he has raised up all who have slept ever since the world began. God has died in the flesh and hell trembles with fear."
I only wish I could preach like that...
From an ancient homily for Holy Saturday
"Something strange is happening – there is a great silence on earth today, a great silence and stillness. The whole earth keeps silence because the King is asleep. The earth trembled and is still because God has fallen asleep in the flesh and he has raised up all who have slept ever since the world began. God has died in the flesh and hell trembles with fear."
I only wish I could preach like that...
Thursday, April 13, 2006
Good news from New Orleans
You may remember that a few weeks ago I posted this link to a story about a parish in New Orleans in a post entitled, "My Future".
I'm glad to show that the wise bishop of New Orleans has found a way to deal with a difficult situation. I love happy endings. They remind me of Psalm 85: 10-11
"Near indeed is salvation for the loyal; prosperity will fill our land.
Love and truth will meet; justice and peace will kiss."
I'm glad to show that the wise bishop of New Orleans has found a way to deal with a difficult situation. I love happy endings. They remind me of Psalm 85: 10-11
"Near indeed is salvation for the loyal; prosperity will fill our land.
Love and truth will meet; justice and peace will kiss."
This is, undoubtedly, my favorite title to an article, "Pope, in Holy Thursday homily, says Judas was a greedy liar".
Of course, some would ask what Judas ever did to him...
Of course, some would ask what Judas ever did to him...
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
God or the Girl
So, on Easter Sunday, the A&E network is starting a "reality" series about these four guys that are discerning priesthood by the above title. Like everything else in the world, it has an website and a video preview. It will probably be the first television show that I have actually intended to watch for some time. It looks good, though I'm always leery of what people do in order to make religion "marketable". And HUGE PROPS for not making one of them gay! I have a feeling that they will talk about it in one of the episodes but let's hope...
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
chrism mass
I'm just getting back from our dioceses' chrism mass. It's always such a joy to be with my fellow priests and even more of a joy to renew the committment that I feel to my Archbishop and, through him, to the church.
I was especially struck by the Archbishop's care that he took to update us on all the sick priests of the diocese. Please continue to pray for us and for our excellant Archbishop Hanus!
I was especially struck by the Archbishop's care that he took to update us on all the sick priests of the diocese. Please continue to pray for us and for our excellant Archbishop Hanus!
Friday, April 07, 2006
Personal Update
I usually find lent to be kind-of like a marathon, or at least what I imagine a marathon to be. It starts off and I have a lot of high ideals, in the middle I realize that I'm not really living up to those ideals, and by the end, I'm so tired from living that I just want to get to Easter.
This year has been different. I've found myself exploring Benedictine spirituality. It has been a concern of mine for some time that I didn't have a spiritual "mentor", a saint whose life of faith assists me in my journey. That's what I've found so appealing about St. Benedict and Benedictine sprituality. In praying the psalms and a developed personal prayer, as well as the attitude of treating all guests like Christ and a profound sense of community, I've found my own prayer-life reinvigorated. I've especially found that the chanting of the liturgy of the hours, I've paid more attention to the words that I'm praying and found the time more rewarding...more spiritual. Now, if only God would suggest to the Archbishop that I try being a monk...
This year has been different. I've found myself exploring Benedictine spirituality. It has been a concern of mine for some time that I didn't have a spiritual "mentor", a saint whose life of faith assists me in my journey. That's what I've found so appealing about St. Benedict and Benedictine sprituality. In praying the psalms and a developed personal prayer, as well as the attitude of treating all guests like Christ and a profound sense of community, I've found my own prayer-life reinvigorated. I've especially found that the chanting of the liturgy of the hours, I've paid more attention to the words that I'm praying and found the time more rewarding...more spiritual. Now, if only God would suggest to the Archbishop that I try being a monk...
Thursday, April 06, 2006
"People-centered" popluation program
I think the article on zenit.org entitled "Holy See on People-Centered Population Policies" shows the good actions that permeate the episcopacy (another term for "the bishops" and shows that the church can still make stands on controversial issues despite the complaints of some.
"Perhaps it is worth recalling how the mandate of this commission has developed with the passage of time. In years gone by, dire predictions as to the future composition and sustainability of the projected human global population led to radical population policies which have in turn been responsible for different but equally grave dilemmas such as the serious problems brought about by falling birthrates, and the creation of imbalances between men and women in the population, with its own social consequences. If the development of the world's peoples is to be both sustainable and sane, such flawed policies will have to be replaced by truly people-centered ones. "
"Perhaps it is worth recalling how the mandate of this commission has developed with the passage of time. In years gone by, dire predictions as to the future composition and sustainability of the projected human global population led to radical population policies which have in turn been responsible for different but equally grave dilemmas such as the serious problems brought about by falling birthrates, and the creation of imbalances between men and women in the population, with its own social consequences. If the development of the world's peoples is to be both sustainable and sane, such flawed policies will have to be replaced by truly people-centered ones. "
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
Saturday, April 01, 2006
The meaning of suffering
How do you react when you hear that someone say they believe they have been called by God? Are you somewhat skeptical? For me, it depends on the particular call the person believes she or he has received. If the person believes they have been called by God to serve the poor, I admire them. If they believe they have been called by God to eat four pounds of hamburger, I’m a little more skeptical. And, if they believe they’ve been called by God to beat me up, I try to more actively discourage the call.
One of the central things that Jesus needs to establish in the gospels and especially in the gospel of John is his identity: Who is he? In the first three gospels, the so-called synoptic gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, Jesus’ identity is proclaimed from the heavens at his baptism. We hear in the gospel of Mark, a voice from the skies that says, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”, In both Matthew and Luke, the voice seems to change from a message to Jesus, to a message to those surrounding him. The voice says, “This is my beloved son, with whom I am well pleased.”
The gospel of John has no such divine pronouncement at its beginning, probably because there is no explicit statement that John baptized Jesus. Instead, the gospel writer prefers to do make the statement here, 12 chapters from the beginning. That prompts all of us to ask, “Why?” and “What is John doing by moving the voice of God to this point in the gospel?”
It’s important to understand a few of the details before proceeding to answer those questions, beginning with a bit of context. In the chapter immediately preceding this, Jesus does one of two resuscitations that are recorded in the gospels. He brings to life a dead little girl in Mark. In the gospel of John, he raises his childhood friend, Lazarus. We know that this had a profound spiritual affect on Jesus because it is the only time in which the very human emotion of weeping overcomes our Lord. It is an image of his own gruesome death and the sadness that will be a part of that experience. After Lazurus is raised, a banquet is thrown in celebration. In the middle of that banquet, Mary the sister of Lazarus, (not Mary Magdalene regardless of what Dan Brown says) anointed the head of Jesus with costly oil. Judas gets angry because they could have spent that money on the poor, though the evangelist says that is has nothing to do with the concern for the poor but concern for himself since he was stealing from the collection. Jesus sees in this lavish anointing a preparation for his own burial, a statement that could have only been confusing for this group of disciples since he had just raised Lazarus. Can’t he also raise himself? All of this is taking place at Lazarus, Martha, and Mary’s house in the little town of Bethany, which is the same name of the town that John the Baptist is supposed to have baptized and is not far from Jerusalem. Jesus enters into Jerusalem the next day, a wildly popular figure after having raised Lazarus. He enters to a throng of people waving palm branches and singing songs to him, an event we will celebrate next week, Palm Sunday. In the context of this entry into Jerusalem, our current scene unfolds.
It all begins when some Greeks, probably non Jews, want to see Jesus. What spills out is a clarification of Jesus’ identity…literally the crowd gets to see Jesus. That’s when this heavenly dialogue unfolds. Instead of Jesus either seeming to passively receive the knowledge of his identity or passively have his identity broadcast to anyone listening as it took place in the previous three gospels, John seems to want to fold Jesus’ identity into his mission of being lifted up. Jesus now accepts that, just like Lazarus actually had to die before he was resuscitated, so he is himself going to have to die before he is resurrected. The heart of the passage begins when Jesus asks, “…what should I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour.’ But, it was for this purpose that I came to this hour.” Then, in a unique dialogue between heaven and earth, Jesus turns to his heavenly Father and says, “Father, glorify your name.” The voice responds, “I have glorified it and will glorify it.”, a phrase, I’ve learned, indicates a timeless quality to salvation. John has put it here to be the time when Jesus, basically, accepts his divine calling to be glorified, to be crucified. His identity is not merely announced, it is inextricably bound to his death for the salvation of the world.
We, the members of the body of Christ, can learn a great deal from this divine dialogue. It is the true message of Lent; the cross. So much of the time when we talk about the salvation that has been won for us in Christ, we talk about it in terms that pass quickly from the cross to the glory of the resurrection. During Lent, we are forced to find value in suffering. Christianity is a religion that takes suffering seriously. We can see this in Christ just as easily as we can see it in the life and death of Pope John Paul II, whose requiem anniversary we remember this weekend. John Paul II was a man who knew profound suffering. From suffering under the repression of the Nazis to the tyranny of the communists; in watching his mother and brother die as a child and in his own attempted assassination in 1987; in the dissent of so many theologians and the calls from theological demagogues who tried to turn the church into an ideology or another community among other communities, in the development of Parkinson’s disease and the developments of his death, we can see an example of one who taught us much about the dignity of suffering and the importance of accepting the crosses each of us have been handed.
Our primary vocation is given to us in baptism, a call to holiness. This is what Matthew, Mark, and Luke wanted to transmit. John wants us to know that this call to holiness will involve suffering; the suffering of watching a loved one die, the suffering of being what society calls the imperfect, the poor, the handicapped, marginalized, the suffering of war and hatred. We take up our crosses when we do not run from these sufferings but see them as a part of our central call to holiness, our participation in the central act of salvation.
One of the central things that Jesus needs to establish in the gospels and especially in the gospel of John is his identity: Who is he? In the first three gospels, the so-called synoptic gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, Jesus’ identity is proclaimed from the heavens at his baptism. We hear in the gospel of Mark, a voice from the skies that says, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”, In both Matthew and Luke, the voice seems to change from a message to Jesus, to a message to those surrounding him. The voice says, “This is my beloved son, with whom I am well pleased.”
The gospel of John has no such divine pronouncement at its beginning, probably because there is no explicit statement that John baptized Jesus. Instead, the gospel writer prefers to do make the statement here, 12 chapters from the beginning. That prompts all of us to ask, “Why?” and “What is John doing by moving the voice of God to this point in the gospel?”
It’s important to understand a few of the details before proceeding to answer those questions, beginning with a bit of context. In the chapter immediately preceding this, Jesus does one of two resuscitations that are recorded in the gospels. He brings to life a dead little girl in Mark. In the gospel of John, he raises his childhood friend, Lazarus. We know that this had a profound spiritual affect on Jesus because it is the only time in which the very human emotion of weeping overcomes our Lord. It is an image of his own gruesome death and the sadness that will be a part of that experience. After Lazurus is raised, a banquet is thrown in celebration. In the middle of that banquet, Mary the sister of Lazarus, (not Mary Magdalene regardless of what Dan Brown says) anointed the head of Jesus with costly oil. Judas gets angry because they could have spent that money on the poor, though the evangelist says that is has nothing to do with the concern for the poor but concern for himself since he was stealing from the collection. Jesus sees in this lavish anointing a preparation for his own burial, a statement that could have only been confusing for this group of disciples since he had just raised Lazarus. Can’t he also raise himself? All of this is taking place at Lazarus, Martha, and Mary’s house in the little town of Bethany, which is the same name of the town that John the Baptist is supposed to have baptized and is not far from Jerusalem. Jesus enters into Jerusalem the next day, a wildly popular figure after having raised Lazarus. He enters to a throng of people waving palm branches and singing songs to him, an event we will celebrate next week, Palm Sunday. In the context of this entry into Jerusalem, our current scene unfolds.
It all begins when some Greeks, probably non Jews, want to see Jesus. What spills out is a clarification of Jesus’ identity…literally the crowd gets to see Jesus. That’s when this heavenly dialogue unfolds. Instead of Jesus either seeming to passively receive the knowledge of his identity or passively have his identity broadcast to anyone listening as it took place in the previous three gospels, John seems to want to fold Jesus’ identity into his mission of being lifted up. Jesus now accepts that, just like Lazarus actually had to die before he was resuscitated, so he is himself going to have to die before he is resurrected. The heart of the passage begins when Jesus asks, “…what should I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour.’ But, it was for this purpose that I came to this hour.” Then, in a unique dialogue between heaven and earth, Jesus turns to his heavenly Father and says, “Father, glorify your name.” The voice responds, “I have glorified it and will glorify it.”, a phrase, I’ve learned, indicates a timeless quality to salvation. John has put it here to be the time when Jesus, basically, accepts his divine calling to be glorified, to be crucified. His identity is not merely announced, it is inextricably bound to his death for the salvation of the world.
We, the members of the body of Christ, can learn a great deal from this divine dialogue. It is the true message of Lent; the cross. So much of the time when we talk about the salvation that has been won for us in Christ, we talk about it in terms that pass quickly from the cross to the glory of the resurrection. During Lent, we are forced to find value in suffering. Christianity is a religion that takes suffering seriously. We can see this in Christ just as easily as we can see it in the life and death of Pope John Paul II, whose requiem anniversary we remember this weekend. John Paul II was a man who knew profound suffering. From suffering under the repression of the Nazis to the tyranny of the communists; in watching his mother and brother die as a child and in his own attempted assassination in 1987; in the dissent of so many theologians and the calls from theological demagogues who tried to turn the church into an ideology or another community among other communities, in the development of Parkinson’s disease and the developments of his death, we can see an example of one who taught us much about the dignity of suffering and the importance of accepting the crosses each of us have been handed.
Our primary vocation is given to us in baptism, a call to holiness. This is what Matthew, Mark, and Luke wanted to transmit. John wants us to know that this call to holiness will involve suffering; the suffering of watching a loved one die, the suffering of being what society calls the imperfect, the poor, the handicapped, marginalized, the suffering of war and hatred. We take up our crosses when we do not run from these sufferings but see them as a part of our central call to holiness, our participation in the central act of salvation.
Friday, March 31, 2006
The wisdom of Abraham Lincoln
When I read history, it tends to revolve around three subjects; Church History, World War II in Europe, and the Civil war. With the last of these three, I especially like the figures of General Grant and President Lincoln. In the book that I'm currently reading, entitled Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin, I have discovered just how policially savy Lincoln was. I was unaware that Lincoln chose his rivals for the election to be his cabinet. One of them, a man named Salmon chase, was a particular thorn in Lincoln's side because he wanted to replace Lincoln after one term. I found this paragraph to be particularly humorous/educational:
"...Chase's incessant presidential ambitions reminded (Lincoln) of the time when he was 'plowing corn on a Kentucky farm' with a lazy horse that suddenly sped forward energetically to 'the end of the furrow.' Upon reaching the horse, he discovered 'an enormous chin-fly fastened upon him, and knocked him off,' not wanting 'the old horse bitten in that way.' His companion said that it was a mistake to knock it off, for 'that's all that made him go.'"
"'Now,' Lincoln concluded, 'if Mr. [Chase] has a presidential chin-fly biting him, I'm not going to knock him off, if it will only make his department go.' Lincoln agreed that his secretary's tactics were in 'very bad taste,' and 'was sorry the thing had begun, for though the matter did not annoy him his friends insisted that it ought to.' Lincoln's friends could not understand why the president continued to approve appointments for avid Chase supporters who were known to be 'hostile to the President's interests.' Lincoln merely asserted that he would rather let 'Chase have his own way in these sneaking tricks than getting into a snarl with him by refusing him what he asks.' Moreover, he had no thought of dismissing Chase while he was hard at work raising the resources needed to support the immense Union Army."
Sometimes you have to let someone who thinks they are a jack of all trades do the thing in which they excell and not worry about their inflated ego.
"...Chase's incessant presidential ambitions reminded (Lincoln) of the time when he was 'plowing corn on a Kentucky farm' with a lazy horse that suddenly sped forward energetically to 'the end of the furrow.' Upon reaching the horse, he discovered 'an enormous chin-fly fastened upon him, and knocked him off,' not wanting 'the old horse bitten in that way.' His companion said that it was a mistake to knock it off, for 'that's all that made him go.'"
"'Now,' Lincoln concluded, 'if Mr. [Chase] has a presidential chin-fly biting him, I'm not going to knock him off, if it will only make his department go.' Lincoln agreed that his secretary's tactics were in 'very bad taste,' and 'was sorry the thing had begun, for though the matter did not annoy him his friends insisted that it ought to.' Lincoln's friends could not understand why the president continued to approve appointments for avid Chase supporters who were known to be 'hostile to the President's interests.' Lincoln merely asserted that he would rather let 'Chase have his own way in these sneaking tricks than getting into a snarl with him by refusing him what he asks.' Moreover, he had no thought of dismissing Chase while he was hard at work raising the resources needed to support the immense Union Army."
Sometimes you have to let someone who thinks they are a jack of all trades do the thing in which they excell and not worry about their inflated ego.
Thursday, March 30, 2006
Bishop Blase Cupich
Bishop Cupich guided my retreat before I became a deacon and he's wise, pastoral, caring, and good. He's got a blog...interesting that even bishops can have blogs. Here's his summary of a visit he had to visit the pope and an oppertunity to reflect on Deus est Caritas.
"The best description of the liturgy is that it is this very same event. God, who loves us so passionately, empties himself to the point of giving us everything he has, including the life of his only Son. Our response, called “worship” is our acceptance of the life God gives us to the point that our life takes on a new direction. Yes, this happens every time we celebrate the sacraments, but in each instance God is giving us himself and we are stretched just a bit more, gradually growing in the likeness of God himself. Someone once described the liturgy as a revelation of the beauty of God’s love for us."
"The best description of the liturgy is that it is this very same event. God, who loves us so passionately, empties himself to the point of giving us everything he has, including the life of his only Son. Our response, called “worship” is our acceptance of the life God gives us to the point that our life takes on a new direction. Yes, this happens every time we celebrate the sacraments, but in each instance God is giving us himself and we are stretched just a bit more, gradually growing in the likeness of God himself. Someone once described the liturgy as a revelation of the beauty of God’s love for us."
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