The Art of Distraction

As I sit down to pray the Liturgy of the Hours my mind is flooded with things of a critical nature that need my immediate attention. There is this great, incredible urge to put down my breviary and attend to those things first. I try to focus and press on, trying not to speed up my reading as to get done hastily.

About a half of the way through I start to get some peace of mind. The words start to flow and I become engrossed in the prayers. As I begin the concluding prayer I am awash in contentment, as if I had just finished running a marathon or have just finished a really good meal.

Now, on to those things that just couldn’t wait. I sit and think and for the life of me I can’t remember what they were. They were so important just fifteen minutes ago and now I have no clue.

This is the game I play with the devil several times a day. He doesn’t want me to pray so he fills my head with every excuse he can think of to keep me from doing it. Sadly, some days he is successful. Some days I get to the end of the day and realize that I have not spent this time with the Lord and I instantly feel like that fat kid who decides to eat an entire banana cream pie instead of going to the gym.

Then there is the guilt, which comes from him as well. It is not bad to feel guilt when we have done something wrong as long as we know that Jesus is always ready to forgive us if only we ask with an honest heart.

“Lord, I let the devil beat me today. Please forgive me and fill me with your strength as not to do the same thing tomorrow.”

That is the way the devil works. God speaks to us in a still, small voice that we have to listen for to hear. Knowing this, the devil will fill our day with as many distractions as he possibly can so we will miss God’s voice when it comes to us. I find no coincidence that as we have become more connected through our computers and cell phones that we have also become a less godly society. God is no longer in our government, schools, and places of work. He is barely in our families or our churches.

The more connected we become through social media the less connected we actually are with our neighbor. The things that used to bring us together in celebration now are experienced as likes on a webpage. We are losing touch with each other.

God created the world in six days. On the seventh day he rested. Did he have to rest because he was tired? Absolutely not. God rested to teach us the importance of rest. He set one day aside so that we could set everything aside for one day and enter into his rest. It is the day that we are called to worship him and spend time communing with one another. Of course, these days that day looks just like the rest. The devil fills that day with as much distraction as the others to keep us away from God.

Only you can put down the cell phone, the TV, the sports, or anything else occupying your time on that day. The devil surely won’t stop the distractions for you. It has to be a conscious action on your part to ignore him.  Take the time to listen for that still, small voice. God has something very important for you to hear.

To Lead or not to Lead?

It is not my place to disagree with any Pope when it comes to faith or morals so what follows is a theological disagreement with the recent change that has been made to “Lord’s Prayer”.

Pope Francis has recently approved a change to a phrase in the “Lord’s Prayer”. He changed the phrase, “do not lead us into temptation” to “do not let us fall into temptation”. His reasoning behind that is that God would never lead us into to temptation and he would never tempt us himself. The problem here, it seems, is that scripture does not seem to support that idea.

The first place to start is by looking at the prayer itself in the language it was written. Did we misinterpret the words as we have done in other places? In this case the answer is no. The original Greek does say, “do not lead us into temptation”. So we do have the right translation.

So, the next question we have to answer is if the Pope is correct in stating that God would never lead us into temptation. Does scripture support this idea? Again, the answer is no. Let us remember that the word temptation is synonymous with the word trial. A trial and a temptation are the same thing, at least scripturally.

The three synoptic gospels are very clear when they describe the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry.    

“Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.”

– Matthew 4:1

                “Immediately the Spirit impelled Him to go out into the wilderness.” – Mark 1:12

“Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led around by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil.” – Luke 4:1

The spirit in these passages is the Holy Spirit, or God. So it is very clear that God does lead us into temptation. He is not the one doing the tempting. If God did the tempting it would be entrapment for he knows exactly where we would fail.

In fact scripture is full of references of God testing man. God tested the Israelites for forty years in the desert –

“Then the LORD said to Moses, “Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may test them, whether or not they will walk in My instruction.” – Exodus 16: 4

“You shall remember all the ways which the LORD your God has led you in the wilderness these forty years, that He might humble you, testing you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not.” – Deuteronomy 8:2

Why would God lead us to temptation? It isn’t for his sake. God knows our weaknesses. He knows where we will sin if tried. God allows us to be tested so that we know where we are weak. We cannot grow in holiness if we do not know where we need help. When you purify gold you heat the metal until it melts and then the impurities can be removed. Temptation and trial do much the same thing to us. It allows our impurities to surface so we can ask God to help us purge them from ourselves. When we say no to temptation we strengthen our free will and it becomes easier to resist the devil. Temptation is only a bad thing for those of weak wills who cannot resist. Resisting a temptation is the spiritual equivalent of going to the gym and running on the treadmill. The more you do it the easier it becomes. This is also the same reason we fast.

My real rub to this change is that the Pope has changed the words of Jesus. As stated at the beginning of this harangue, three of the four Gospel writers give us the text of this prayer as handed down by Jesus himself. In the original language used, Greek, they use the words, “lead us not into temptation”.  In fact every translation used by the early Church, to my knowledge, wrote the words that way. If Jesus wanted us to say, “let us not fall into temptation” I think he would have used those words somewhere.

For any Pope to change the words Jesus gave us to teach a theological opinion that is not scriptural I believe to be in error. Now, Pope Francis did not do this on his own. He only approved what has been in the works for almost twenty years. I cannot claim to know the mind of the Magisterium so I look forward to reading the commentaries that are sure to come.

Fulfilling the Law

Jim took a job as an assembler in a furniture factory. His job was to put together a set of drawers that would be sold in the factory outlet center. The factory gave him a work area and all of the parts he needed to put together the set of drawers. Included was a set of instructions on how they wanted the drawers put together. Jim assembled the first set of drawers. It failed QA for many reasons. He tried again and again but the work of his hands was rejected. Over and over his work failed inspection.

Jim’s manager recommended to the owner of the company to let Jim go. He just couldn’t understand the instructions he was given and therefore could not do the job he was hired to do. The owner was a master carpenter who started the business from nothing. He decided that instead of letting Jim go he himself would spend a couple days working with Jim.

The next three days the owner spent with Jim showing him how to build the dresser. He walked him through each step showing him how the step was to be completed. At the end of the three days Jim not only knew how to build the dresser but he no longer needed the instructions. His work was of the highest quality. Jim moved through the ranks of the factory until he himself became a master carpenter.

We translate the word Torah to The Law. In our modern thinking we view law as a set of rules that we are to follow to the letter. The Pharisees viewed the Law in much the same way. They made it possible to be Jewish without the Temple by strict observance of the precepts of Torah. But if we look closer at the original words used a better understanding of Torah would be Instruction. Halakha (Jewish) Law literally means “the way in which to walk” or how to live a righteous life. Torah was given to man as an instruction on how to have a right relationship with God and with each other.

Like Jim, the Jewish people had problems understanding exactly what the instruction was telling them to do. Christians believe that Jesus is the Torah incarnate, the Law living among us. Jesus did not come to abolish the Law but to fulfill it. Jesus came to show us how to live out the Law the way that it was meant to be followed.

The thing that is missing in the legalistic way the Jewish people apply the law is agape, sacrificial love. St. Paul tells us that even if we have faith to move mountains if we do not have love we have nothing. Sacrificial love is the key to understanding the Law. We were given the Law by Love and through Love so we could love God and one another perfectly. The Ten Commandments are not simply a list of “thou shall nots”. The Ten Commandments defines the marriage covenant between God to his people and to his people with each other. The Ten Commandments tell us how to love one another.

Take for example the commandment, “Thou shall not kill.” The legalistic interpretation of this would be not to take another person’s life from them. When this command is lived to its fullest it takes on a much deeper meaning. When you are living this command through love it is not enough just to not harm someone. The fulfillment of this command is to love and care for everyone you have contact with. We are called to serve each other’s needs to the best of our ability. We are called to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, care for the widow and orphan. We are to do so without concern for a person’s age, color, sex, or their location on a map. We are called to care without regard to the cost. We are called to love our best friend and our greatest enemy equally. This is what it means not to kill.

When we look at the Law through legalistic eyes we are often asking ourselves what the minimum we can do and still be within the Law. When we live the Law fulfilled as Jesus taught us to do we will always ask, “What more can I do?” No matter how much we give there is always more we can do. The work of Jesus, of sacrificial love, will never be complete on this side of heaven.

With every commandment given to us by God, whether that is the Ten Commandments or the two simplified commandments give to us by Jesus, ask yourself, “What more can I give?” Then let God direct your heart.

Full Circle

In ancient Rome when a baby was born it would be placed at the feet of the father or who the mother wanted the father to be. The man would look over the baby and if he wanted it he would pick it up. That baby would forever be his. If the father did not want the baby it would be abandoned. Most of the time the baby would be left in a conspicuous place so that someone would find it and give it a home. Babies were left on the door steps of the rich or left by farms in hope the farm owner would take the baby in and eventually make it a farm hand.

It was not uncommon that someone would rescue the abandoned babies. Many times these babies would die due to exposure. Babies who were born with defects would often be thrown out with the trash. When the Christians came to Rome they found this practice barbaric. They began to actively seek out these abandoned babies to give them a chance at life. They established orphanages to care for them.

In many ways this world has come full circle on those times. Instead of the father it is now the mother who determines a baby’s worth. If a mother wants the new life growing inside her it is fully protected by the law from the earliest stages. If the mother does not want the life she is free to have it killed and removed from within her. Some places in the United States have gone as far as to allow that baby to be killed even as late as post birth. Instead of going straight to the compost heap we now pick over the corpses of these murder human beings to harvest any part that we can use for another purpose. What remains is then disposed of with less concern than throwing out an empty plastic water bottle.

The blood of these innocents scream out to God for revenge. Justice is drawing near.

Dignity is the thumbprint of God on the human soul. God is the author of life and therefore the only one with authority to take life. Every great evil that has happened throughout human history began when dignity was ignored and a group of people were viewed as less than human.

Today, this dignity is being ignored at both ends of human life. We live in an age where it is thought to be merciful, compassionate, and responsible to end the lives of the unwanted unborn and to grant death with dignity to the sick and elderly.

As Christians we are called to recognize the dignity God has given to every human being and to know that the authority to take life belongs to God alone. Defend the dignity of every human person from conception to natural death.

RadTrads

In the Catholic faith, a derogatory word for "radical traditionalist." This generally involves the following things: 

1) Rejection of Vatican II
2) Rejection of the non-Latin mass
3) Rejection of the authority of the current bishops and pope

 One of the common arguments used in almost every discussion about the things we do as Catholics is, “That is the way it was done in the early Church.” The argument is meant to convey that things were better in the early Church, more holy, and closer to God. The problem with that argument is that we have very short memories. To some five hundred years ago was the early Church. In a Church that is two thousand years old what is considered early?

On September 11, 2001 nineteen terrorists enacted the greatest act of evil against homeland America. That, of course, was the bombing of the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington D.C. using hijacked commercial jet aircraft. Of these people, who knows more about the events that happened that day –

1: A person who was present in the towers and escaped the tragedy.

2: One of the many first responders who worked so valiantly to save lives.

3: Someone watching the events unfold from the window of their apartment nearby.

4: Anyone reading this blog entry today.

 It is obvious that we know more about the events of September 11^th today than anyone who was present when it happened. Time and distance have given us that ability. The same is true for our Church today. When an artist creates a masterpiece, whether it be a painting, a sculpture, or some other piece of art, they do not begin with the finished product and work backwards. They begin with a thought and the raw materials. They begin with an empty canvas, piece of marble, or slab of clay. Then they work forward, one small step at a time, until the visions in their minds become a reality before our eyes.

One of Michelangelo’s greatest creations is the Statue of David that he carved out of a solid block of marble over seventeen feet tall. When asked how he could create such a masterpiece he said, “I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.”

The same is true about God’s masterpiece of the Church. It was not complete when Christ went back to the Father on Pentecost. In fact, the Church was barely more than a blank canvas on that day. God has been perfecting his masterpiece ever since. This will not be complete until Jesus returns to usher in the new age.

Those who wish to return to the ways things were only wish to do so in part. No one, not even the most staunch radical traditionalist, wishes to return completely to the way the early Church was. They are very much like “cafeteria Catholics” in the way they pick and choose the parts of the early Church they wish to go back to. I will offer just one example of this.

In the early Church you could go to confession only once in your life. Your sins were forgiven when you were baptized and then you got only one other opportunity to receive the healing sacrament of reconciliation. This led people, like the emperor Constantine, to wait to receive either of these Sacraments on their death beds. For some waiting meant missing the opportunity to receive the Sacraments and they died in a state of mortal sin.

In the early Church confession was not made in secret to a priest. Confession was public. You stood in front of the entire congregation and confessed your sins. Absolution came from the priest but brought severe penance with it. You were thrown out of your parish for a period sometimes lasting for years. You had to don sackcloth and ashes and sit at the steps of the Church to beg for forgiveness. Readmission to the Church was a slow and gradual process. What did this lead to? Did people leave the Church in droves over it? No, they didn’t but there were many sins that weren’t reconciled until the final moments of someone’s life.

No one I have ever talked to has expressed the desire to return to the ways of this early Church. If the argument that the early Church was more holy and closer to God shouldn’t we want to return to this form of confession as well?

God is still perfecting his masterpiece. He is doing so in the way he started to in the very creation of the Church. Jesus chose twelve men to be the leaders of his Church. He chose one to be head of the others. These were the original bishops and pope. To them he gave his authority over the entire Church. These men ordained additional men to assist them in this task. Then they ordained replacements as their days grew to an end. This is our Magisterium. God will continue to perfect his Church through them.

Each and every single member of the Mastierium throughout all time has been broken and sinful men. The perfection of the Church does not ride on them. The perfection of the Church comes through Christ alone through these men. We have Jesus’ promises that even the gates of Hell would not conquer the Church and that he will be with us always until the end of time. Broken men at the helm cannot destroy the Church. Some will say that they have tried to do so for two thousand years and yet the Church remains.

Trust in Jesus to be faithful to his promise. Fear not the direction the Church appears to be going in. Christ is still very much in charge. Treasure and enjoy this masterpiece that he is creating for all of us.

Women Deacons

There has been much debate, speculation, and downright argument among the faithful about the possibility of women being ordained deacons in the Catholic Church since Pope Francis took up that question back in 2016. Both hope and fear are through the roof as we wait for the definitive answer from our Holy Father.

I have read many articles, commentaries, and opinions on this matter. As with most things in this day and age the feelings are strong and all over the board. I, too, have found myself with strong feelings on this matter. And then I noticed the question that no one has bothered to ask and that changed the way I will respond to this subject.

What does God want for his Church?

In the arguing back and forth I have yet to see either side ask what God wants for his Church.

So how can we possibly know what God wants in this matter? For me that is simple.

Jesus selected twelve men whom he set apart to be the leaders of the Church he himself established. He gave to these men all of his power and authority to act in his name and to lead his Church on earth. Those men ordained other men to assist and eventually replace them in their work. These men became the first bishops and formed the Magisterium. They are the only ones who have been given the authority to speak for Jesus.

We believe as Catholics that the Pope speaks infallibly, that is without error, when speaking on matters of faith and morals, from the chair of Peter, when in unison with the Magisterium. How will we know what God’s will is on the matter of ordaining women to the Permanent Diaconate? We will be given the answer by the Pope only after a long and prayerful deliberation with his Magisterium.

When that answer comes it is a guarantee that one side or the other, or even both sides, will not be very accepting of the answer given. I am positive that we will see every kind of low and despicable behavior come forth from those who believe that the Pope got it wrong.

Each Mass we pray in unison the Lord’s Prayer. We pray it twice a day when we pray the Liturgy of the Hours or Christian Prayer. There is one petition in that prayer many of us, including myself, seem to say without thought.

“Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

God communicates his will through those he has chosen and given his authority to. For the Roman Catholic Church and those in union with her that would be the Pope and the Magisterium. My opinion on this or any matter of faith and morals simply does not matter. I am welcome to have an opinion and to question, to seek understanding, but when that opinion differs from that of the Church it is wrong. When we hold an opinion contrary to the official teaching of the Church we don’t disagree with the Church or the Pope or the bishops. We disagree with Christ himself.

If the Pope were to announce that women are to be ordained Permanent Deacons I will be among the first to welcome them with open arms and be grateful for the service they give to God’s people. The world sure could use more people with a servant’s heart.

At the beginning of creation God made known his plan of salvation and redemption of the human kind to the angels by becoming human himself. This drove a multitude of the heavenly host to rebel against God for they felt slighted God so loved man. How many will turn their backs on their vocations if he calls women to the diaconate? How many will turn their backs on the Church if he doesn’t?

Stand or Kneel - A Second Thought

The Pharisee and the Publican

      “And He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt: “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. “The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. ‘I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’ “But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’ “I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Luke 18: 9 – 14

Hold hands, raise hands, fold hands for the “Our Father”. Sit, stand, or kneel to receive the Eucharist. Receive in the hand or on the tongue. Traditional Latin Mass or Novus Ordo. These are just some of the arguments we Catholics are having with each other these days. The discussions are always passionate, usually heated, and many times end in uncharitable behavior by all involved. This is hardly the unity Christ prays for, for his Church. The divide is widening, all in the name of reverence.

Christ is about unity, not division. If there is something dividing the Church, even perceived reverence, it is not of Christ. It is of the devil. Yes, the devil uses normally holy things, like scripture and reverence, as tools to get us to sin. Any evil thing can be justified by a verse in scripture if scripture is improperly used. Perceived reverence is also sinful if it causes scandal, division, or malice of any kind. True reverence raises one’s heart to God. False reverence is calling on the Church to do as you do because of how you personally feel.

“The prideful one was praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: those receiving in the hand, standing, at a Novus Ordo Mass.”

We learn in the Screwtape Letters that our posture makes a difference in the way that we worship.

“At the very least, they can be persuaded that the bodily position makes no difference to their prayers; for they constantly forget, what you must always remember, that they are animals and that whatever their bodies do affects their souls.”

The Screwtape Letters, Chapter 4

Knowing this the Church has a general instruction on the proper postures we are to use when we come together in unity to celebrate the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is never a “Jesus and me” moment. It is always a “Jesus in unity with his bride, the Church, throughout all of eternity” moment. We show this eternal unity in our postures, our actions, and our words. The Mass is celebrated throughout all time in every language on the planet combining language from the Church from its very conception. We offer this Mass as one unified body all at once. It is not a time to stand alone.

So, is there a correct posture we should be using when we celebrate Mass? The answer to that is absolutely, positively, and unequivocally yes. It also does not involve our hands, our tongues, or our knees. In fact, the only part of our bodies that really matters is our hearts. If our hearts are in the wrong posture then it does not matter what position we place our bodies in.

The old Baltimore Catechism defined prayer as:

“Prayer is the lifting up of our minds and hearts to God, to adore Him, to thank Him for His benefits, to ask His forgiveness, and to beg of Him all the graces we need whether for soul or body.”

That is about as good a definition of prayer as one can find. True reverence raises one’s heart to God. It is never prideful. It is never boastful. Nor does it demand others do likewise. It does not make claim to be better simply because of outward appearance.

Who does God love more; the man who receives Him in his hand while standing or the man who receives the Lord on the tongue on his knees? Those who argue about this question ad nauseam fail to realize that with God there is no competition. He loves us all perfectly. The greater question is which one loves God more? That is a question that cannot be answered by simply looking at outward appearance only and God alone is the only one who knows our hearts.

True reverence begins in the heart and then radiates outward. If you want to show reverence in your worship do as your bishop instructs. He has been given the authority of Jesus to lead His Church. If you do not know what the proper posture is ask your pastor. If, on the other hand, you have been called by Christ to a more reverent posture cherish the gift of love you have been given. It is yours. It has not been given to everyone. Don’t expect everyone to share in this gift.

This is the reason why the Church has a general instruction on posture and not a definitive instruction on it. The Church recognizes that Christ calls some of us into a deeper union with him and she would never deny anyone of this gift by demanding they conform to a single posture or liturgy.

God has given us many treasures. Instead of arguing which is better or more reverent we should be concentrating on those things that help us elevate our hearts closer to God.

A Star Shining Bright

“After hearing the king, they went their way; and the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them until it came and stood over the place where the Child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.”

Matthew 2: 9-10

The wise men were led to Jesus through the light of a star. They found Light of the world, God made flesh, asleep in a manger. Light led man to Light. After his birth the star disappeared from sight but it did not cease to exist.

When we receive the Holy Eucharist we bring Jesus, body, blood, soul, and divinity into our bodies. Jesus lives and dwells within us. This is the most intimate union we can have with the Lord on this side of heaven.

Our hearts becomes the manager that receives the infant Christ. Our hearts becomes the throne from which he rules the earth. Our bodies become the star that leads people to know and love him, the creator of all existence.

The night sky is filled with countless stars. So numerous are the stars in heaven that we go about our lives barely paying them a passing glance. It took a special star to draw people to the birthplace of Jesus. Does the way you live your life draw people towards Jesus or does it go by barely getting a passing glance? If you have received our Lord you hold all of creation and its creator within yourself. You hold the power to burn as brightly as a billion suns.

Through our baptism we have become adopted sons and daughters of the Father. The Son has become our brother. When we receive him in the Eucharist we become one with him. This love is not meant to be withheld but shared with all. We are meant to become the stars that lead wise men to Jesus.

When a wise man points at the moon the fool stares at the finger. When people look upon the way you live your life do they see a finger or do they gaze upon the Light of heaven? It is truly within you but if others cannot see it, it is because you have chosen to conceal it from them. The Light from heaven is the source of all of our joy and a font of never ending love. Do not hide it from others but let it burst forth from you for all to see.  Be a star that leads people to Jesus.

When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.

Offended?

A mother and a daughter had a fight about something at the family Christmas gathering one year. Both were deeply hurt by the other and both vowed never to speak to each other again. As the years passed the reason for the fight faded but the hurt caused by it never did. Other family members tried to get the two to reconcile but both were too suborn to relent.

One day, out of the blue, the daughter got a phone call. Through tears her sister delivered the message that their mother had passed. For the moment the daughter felt a twinge of sadness but that was quickly replaced as the flames of hatred flared. The daughter refused to go to the funeral and avoided any contact with her family as they laid their mother to rest.

As the mother approached the gates of heaven she was met by Saint Peter.

“Welcome Martha,” Saint Peter said. “Unfortunately, I cannot let you in at this time.”

“What? Why not?” she asked worriedly.

“Only perfect love can enter into these gates,” he replied.

“But I love Jesus,” she exclaimed.

“You do but there is another that you have spite for in your heart.”

The mother thought for a moment. “You mean my daughter?” she asked with surprise.

“Yes,” he said. “That spite in your heart is a poison and you are not allowed in heaven with poison in your heart.”

“What can I do about that now? I am dead,” she said as she began to sob.

“All you can do is wait.”

“You have heard that the ancients were told, ‘You shall not commit murder’ and ‘Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.’ “But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘You good-for-nothing,’ shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell. “Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.” – Matthew 5: 21-24

Heaven is a place of perfect, sacrificial love. Nothing short of this perfect love is permitted in heaven. Even the angels who have lost this love were cast out of heaven. When we die the soul is separated from the body and heads to either heaven or hell based upon the particular judgment. If there is love for Jesus in your heart you are destined for heaven and if no love for Jesus can be found a fiery abyss awaits you.

So, you love Jesus. You have made an altar call and have recited the Sinner’s Prayer. Many cradle Catholics have no idea what that sentence means and many converts are shaking their heads in acknowledgement.  You are all set. You are in like flint. When you approach the gates of heaven, however, you find them locked. What gives?

Quite simply, heaven is a place of perfect, sacrificial love. We don’t get to enter heaven the person we are on earth. None of us, no matter how good or holy we are, have that perfect love for everyone. This creates a dilemma for the non-Catholic Christian who only believes in heaven and hell. Does God just snap his fingers in a Thanos like fashion and make a person love perfectly? That would certainly go against free will. If he would do that at the moment of our death he certainly could do that during our time on earth. Oh what a beautiful place this could be if he did that for everyone. It would almost be like….heaven.

The problem is that love cannot be forced. It can only be accepted by free choice. So, for love to exist there has to be something other than love to choose from. These are all of the things we choose before we choose God. These are all of the things that separate us from God and each other. These other things are what control our lives. These are the things that become the true gods of our lives.

Catholicism teaches us about another place. This is a place where you go when you are destined for heaven but do not have the perfect love in your heart required to enter through the gates. This place is called purgatory. It is the place where the fire of God’s love purges away all that is not perfect within us. It is the place where we freely let go of the other gods that control our life. It is the place where we are made perfect so we can be in the presence of perfection itself.

One of the things that we have to let go of before entering heaven are our grudges against other people. You cannot have perfect love for someone if you are holding something against them. If grudges keep us out of heaven when we die it is to our own best interest to purge ourselves of them while we are still here on earth. This is why we are told to reconcile with our brother. Forgiveness becomes our greatest tool and strongest liberator. Hate is a poison that shackles us in slavery. Forgiveness is the key that unlocks our fetters.

If grudges are such a bad thing it is better to not let them develop to begin with. We live at a time where everyone seems to be offended by everything everyone else says or does. Taking offence to something is the first step to creating a grudge. If you do not allow yourself to be offended it becomes much harder to hold contempt for someone in your heart. Practice sacrificial love instead. Sacrificial love is willing the best for a person without any expectation of something in return. Think of Christ on the cross praying for those who were pounding the nails through his hands. Think of Saint Stephen praying for those who were hurling stones at his head.

When someone says something untruthfully terrible about you don’t be angered by it. Pray for them instead. When someone back stabs you, throws you under the bus, steals, lies, or does any sort of evil thing against you, forgive them. Pray for them. Love them.

The more we imitate the love of Christ, even imperfectly, in this world the easier he will be able to perfect that in us in the next.

Make 2019 the year where you fill your heart with love and make it impossible for anyone to offend you.

I love you, man.

English is usually a vocabulary rich language. Take the word ‘walk’ as an example. You can amble, stroll, saunter, trudge, march, sashay, glide, wander, plod, dawdle, hike, stomp, stagger, ramble, tread, prowl, promenade, roam, mosey, traipse, and stride. All of these mean to walk but each describes a different way to walk. It is easy to understand just how someone is walking by using one of these words.

Yet, when we get to the most important thing in life we have but one word in English. I love my wife. I love my job. I love my pet squirrel. I can even denote the opposite meaning by using love sarcastically. I love cleaning up the dog mess on the front lawn. Love holds a different meaning in each of these sentences but it is left up to the reader to figure out what is meant in each of them.

Love is a scary thing because it makes one vulnerable and opens one up to be hurt. What happens if I love someone and they don’t love me back? What if I express my love and I am thought of as a fool? It is true that love can make you vulnerable but it is equally true that love can make you invincible. It all depends on the way you love.

The lowest level of love is an inward love, a selfish love. It is a love of desire. The Greeks had a word for this type of love and that is eros. We get the word erotic from it. We associate it with a desire of a physical nature but covers desires of all sorts. Someone who is gluttonous has a (eros) love of food. Someone who is greedy has a (eros) love of money. Someone who is vain has a (eros) love of beauty.

The next level of love is an outward love for another that usually depends on an inward love that is returned. This is a brotherly love that is often expressed in loyalty as in between friends, family, and one’s community. It is a generic type of love. The Greek word for this type of love is philia and we get words like Philadelphia or pedophilia from it. I (philia) love my coworkers. I (philia) love my schnauzer. I (philia) love the Chicago Cubs. There is an expectation with this type of love that the same love will be returned. It makes one vulnerable to suffering when the love goes unrequited.

The next level of love is more outward than inward. It is a love of tenderness and affection, usually between parents and children. It is a familial love. For the Greeks this love was known as storge. This type of love was also used to describe extreme loyalty, as in patriotism for one’s country. Although more outward than inward, this type of love can make one vulnerable to very deep pain and suffering. It is the kind of suffering a parent goes through when they watch one of their children suffer or the pain they feel when rejected by a child. It is the kind of suffering a patriot goes through when he learns of a great evil his country has committed. It is some of the greatest pain a person can ever know.

The highest level of love is always outward. It is a sacrificial love that expects nothing in return. It is a love that loves above all things. To the Greeks this type of love was known as agápe. For a Christian, God is agápe. Agápe is loving without regard to one’s self, giving all one has. This makes a person invulnerable. If you are willing to give everything without regard to yourself nothing can hurt you. This is the level of love we all are called to. It is a level most of us will never obtain until the end of purgatory. Then we will be able to see God for who he is for we will be like him. We will be agape.

Peter denied Jesus three times on the night he was betrayed. In John 21: 15 - 17 Jesus asks Peter if he loves him shortly after Jesus’ resurrection. Peter answers that he does. This is often referred to as the redemption of Peter. Reading this in the original Greek paints a slightly different story. Twice Jesus asks Peter if he loves him above all things (agápe). Peter responds that he only has a brotherly love for Jesus (philia). The third time Jesus asks Peter if he only has a brotherly love for him (philia). With this, scripture says that Peter was grieved. Most assume that it is because Jesus has now asked three times, reminding him of his three denials. I suspect that it is because Peter has realized that he has failed yet another test. He didn’t have the love for Jesus that he should have by now (agápe). Jesus promises Peter that he will love him with total sacrificial love before his ministry comes to an end. Peter does his time in purgatory during his time on earth and goes to his own crucifixion with agápe love for our Lord.

Agápe love is the love Saint Paul is talking about when he says that love is patient, love is kind…you know, the reading you always heard read at weddings. We are called to have that type of love, total sacrificial love, for our spouse. To put them first and to live for them in everything.

The type of love we are called to have for our spouse is the same type of love we are called to have for every person, friend and foe alike. That is the kind of love God has for each of us.

Happy New Year

This year in our homiletics class we had to give a homily on one of the weeks of Advent or Christmas. I chose the first week of Advent to give my homily on. Seeing today is the first Sunday of Advent I thought I would share that homily with you.

First Sunday of Advent – Cycle C

1^st Reading – Jeremiah 33: 14-16

2^nd Reading – Thesalonians 3: 12 – 4: 2

Gospel – Luke 21: 25-28, 34-36

Happy new year everyone. When I said that to my family this morning one of my children said, “Dad, it isn’t even Christmas yet.” Well, for us adults the preparation for Christmas started about the second week of September when all of the new Christmas stuff hit the stores and by now we have been so immersed in the “Christmas season” that many of us are looking forward to celebrating Ground Hog’s Day. 

But today is the first day of Advent and the official beginning of the Christmas season for us Christians. It is also the beginning of our liturgical year so it is New Year’s Day for the Church. How does the Church kick off our preparation for Christmas? First, we start dressing in purple and dreading the coming conversation of, “It’s not pink, it’s rose.”  What did we hear in the readings today? Did we hear about the Annunciation of Mary or shepherds tending their flocks at night? Was it about the wise men following yonder star? Those readings would have made sense. 

The Gospel today was about the coming of Jesus, but not the coming we would expect to hear going into Christmas. The Gospel was about the second coming of Christ at the end times. That is a very odd way of starting off the New Year don’t you think? We spend the first day of the year talking about the last day of time. What is the Church thinking?

Well, it is actually quite brilliant. The Church begins by telling us our destination. It is a destination all of us are going to reach one way or another.  Jesus warns us, “That day will assault everyone who lives on the face of the earth.” After today, the Church will spend the rest of the year showing us the best path to follow to reach that destination.

In the first reading today we hear God’s promise to send his Son. That is the source of our hope and joy. It gives us strength for our journey. Then we hear from St. Paul on how to be blameless before God on the last day, to strengthen our hearts for the road we all must travel. Finally Jesus tells us that the end day is coming and that it will catch many people off guard. He encourages us to be vigilant always and to pray we will have the strength to stand before him when he arrives. If Jesus were to walk through that door right now and go, "Surprise, I’m back!" how many of us would be blameless before him? I know I wouldn’t.

That is what Advent is all about. It is time we have been given, not to focus on the destination, but how we are growing in holiness along the way. Yes, Advent ends with us celebrating the birth of Jesus but our growth in holiness does not end with that celebration. Our growth is to continue for the rest of our lives.

So let us begin this new year by asking ourselves one simple question – What am I doing to grow in holiness? Let me offer three suggestions on how you can do this.  

One – Spend time with Jesus. 

Two – Spend time with Jesus. 

And three, can anybody guess it? Spend time with Jesus.

Spend time with Jesus in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.  Get to confession. Let him heal you and restore you to his full friendship. We cannot begin grow in holiness when we have a broken friendship with our Lord.

Spend time with Jesus in the Sacrament of the Eucharist. Receive the body and blood, soul and divinity or our Lord. Allow Jesus to live in and dwell within you in the most intimate union we can have with our Lord on this side of heaven.

Finally, spend time with Jesus in Eucharistic adoration. You cannot fall in love with someone you never spend time with, so come spend an hour with Jesus when he is available for adoration here at St. Rita or any of our parishes that offer the opportunity. 

Do these three things as often as you can and you will grow in holiness. Then, when you reach the final destination you will be able to stand before the Lord with your head held high because you will know him, you will love him, and you will want to spend every moment of eternity with him.

Happy New Year everyone.

Thou Shall Not Commit Adultery

Throughout scripture marriage language is used to describe the relationship between Jesus and his Church. Jesus is the bridegroom and the Church is his bride. This language is used because that is the exact relationship Jesus has with his Church. In fact, it is the perfect marriage and is the greatest example of what a marriage is to be for those of us called to that vocation. The bride is obedient to the bride groom and the bride groom sacrifices his life for his bride. The two are faithful to each other. They live and die for the other. This is the kind of relationship all married people are called to have and is the foundation of every successful and fruitful marriage.

A common thought among non-Catholic Christians is that one does not need the Church. Salvation only comes from faith in Christ so the Church is no longer necessary. All one needs is a personal relationship with Jesus. It is true that we all need to have a personal relationship with Jesus but that personal relationship has to include a relationship with his bride as well. You cannot separate the husband from the wife and expect to get a full relationship out of the deal.

How would that work in your other relationships? Imagine what would happen to your relationship with your best friend if you were to approach that friendship in the same manner. You know Fred, I love you and I like hanging out with you but I really can’t stand your wife. Can’t it just be you and I? Won’t you leave her to be with me? How would Fred respond? I can tell you without a doubt because I have made this mistake in my own life. My friendship, my brotherhood with Fred was destroyed because I had a problem with his wife. Fred and I did not speak for over two years and although we have mended the fence our relationship will never be what it used to be.

Many non-Catholic Christians hate the Catholic Church. There is no limit to the vile words they spew out about her. She is accused of every great evil. How would you respond if someone said such things about your wife or daughter? Would you be forgiving and still have the most intimate relationship with that person? I know you hate my wife with utter contempt and I am ok with that. Let’s head to the bar to watch the game and have some drinks.

I do not know who among us would not be infuriated if someone said the things said about Christ’s Church about our wives. Most of us would be ready to throw down, and with good reason. It is not only justifiable that we defend our wives but it is the duty of a husband to do so. So why should we expect any less from Jesus? If anything he is infinitely more justified to defend his bride from those who hate her. He is God, the creator of everything that is, was, and ever will be. He made all things good. He made the Church and took her as his bride. Who has the right or ability to attack what he has made?

On the other side of the coin we have the multitude of Catholics who have walked away from the Church for any number of reasons. Many go to other non-Catholic Christian churches that they find more appealing. What are they actually doing when they leave Christ’s Church for another? What do you do when you leave your husband or wife for the company of another? That action is called adultery.

The vow a Catholic takes at confirmation and then reaffirms at marriage and every week when they receive the Holy Eucharist is a wedding vow to Christ’s Church. We vow fidelity to Jesus through his Church. We vow to live our lives faithfully to him through Her and to die for them if required. When a Catholic willfully walks away from that vow they commit adultery. That is a grave sin, a mortal sin, which totally severs the friendship between God and man. When a Catholic walks away from the Catholic Church to have just a merely personal relationship with Jesus they end up with nothing for they shut themselves off from having any relationship with Jesus at all. When a Catholic leaves the Church for one founded by a man they lose everything. In the end they end up only with music they like better, or a better sermon, a better “experience”, or something emotional that drew them away in the first place. What they lose is Jesus.

Thou shall not commit adultery refers to much more than just the physical relationship one has with their spouse. It also refers to the covenantal relationship with Jesus and his bride the Church. The two are inseparable.