A text without its context...

“A text without a context is a pretext for a proof text.”

In other words, if you do not know the story behind a text it can be used to prove an idea the text doesn’t actually support. A good example of this in Holy Scripture is when St. Paul tells the women of Corinth to sit down, shut up, and be subservient to their husbands.

“The women are to keep silent in the churches; for they are not permitted to speak, but are to subject themselves, just as the Law also says. If they desire to learn anything, let them ask their own husbands at home; for it is improper for a woman to speak in church. Was it from you that the word of God first went forth? Or has it come to you only?” – 1 Corinthians 14: 34-36

This has lead people to believe through the ages that St. Paul was just another one of those old white guys who wanted to oppress women. This has been used as a proof text by men who wish to justify their domination of women and by women libers looking to break the bonds of male oppression.

In reality St. Paul was one of the great feminists of the time and did more to make women equal to men than those around him. Without the proper context what other conclusion can you come to? And now a lesson in history….

Corinth was a major seaport located on narrow strip of land that separates the Corinthian Gulf from the Saronic Gulf. It was an important and bustling trade city. The city had many pagan temples that employed the services of temple priestesses in the oldest profession known to man. These priestesses were known as honey bees and their job was to raise money for the temple by providing their services. It was considered good luck and a noble thing to employ these honey bees.

Because the land was narrow it was faster and easier to pull small trade ships out of the water at Corinth and portage them across to the Saronic Gulf than it was to sail all the way around Achaia. There were companies that employed slaves to land ferry these ships across. The sailors on these ships enjoyed an extended liberty call and like sailors have done through the ages they engaged in all sorts of drinking, festivities, and debauchery, which included visiting the honey bees. The streets were filled with all kinds of deplorable activity.

The Jews are a people set apart by God. They have the Torah which tells them how to live in a right relationship with God and each other. Jews were easy to pick out in Corinth. The women were silent. They were veiled (we veil what we hold sacred) and they were subservient to their husbands. This made them stand out as being different.

Along comes this new religion, Christianity. Women were viewed more as equals. They no longer had to be veiled or be silent in church or public. They did not act like slaves to their husbands. The problem was that they fit into the Corinth pagan society a little too well and became hard to distinguish from their pagan counterparts. This led to the mistaken belief that the Christians were nothing more than just another pagan cult.

But as Christians we are called to be more like the Jews. We are called to be in the culture but not part of the culture. People should look at a Christian, as they can a Jew, and know that there is something different about them.

The context behind St. Paul’s instruction to the Corinthians was basically this;

“To avoid creating a scandal and leading the city to believe you are something you are not go back to acting the way the Jews do while you are in public and in church. It is far better to be mistaken for a Jew than it is to be mistaken as a honey bee.”

This is the same kind of thought St. Paul had when he said that he could eat anything he wants when questioned about the Torah’s dietary restrictions. It is not what goes into a person that makes him unclean but what comes out of a person. However, if eating meat brings scandal upon me I will refrain from doing so when I am with you.

How much more love and respect can you show someone than to change your ways when in their presence for their sake?

St. Paul never intended his instruction to be justification for domination over anyone and he certainly did not see women as second class people who should sit down and shut up.

Context means everything. It is something talking heads no longer concern themselves with.

As Christians we are called to be set apart from society. People should be able to tell us apart by the way we act, the way we speak, and the way we dress. Look around you. Can you tell who the Christians are or are more and more people starting to look like drunken sailors and honey bees.

To Bear the Burden

Yoke

yōk/

noun: yoke

A wooden crosspiece that is fastened over the necks of two animals and attached to the plow or cart that they are to pull.

 Yokes are fitted to an animal team. The better the fit the better the animals could work together to bear the load. A well fitting yoke is comfortable and barely noticed by the animals whereas an ill fitting yoke rubs, chaffs, and can do damage to one or both animals it is used on. 

There is a tradition that believes Jesus was a master yoke maker. People would come to him from all around to make a yoke for their working team. If this tradition is true then there must have been some people laughing when Jesus said:

“Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” – Matthew 11: 29-30

The yoke maker telling us to take his yoke. Was this holy land advertising?

The Pharisees thought the way to righteousness was by strictly living to the letter of the Torah. This put a great burden on those who tried. You were either lowly because you often failed and couldn’t live by the Law or you became holier than thou, like Saul, who boasted of being without fault in the eyes of the Law. Christians see Jesus as the Law fulfilled, the living Torah. Jesus invites all people to live as he does, in the spirit of the Law, and not to be overburdened by trying to ensure every jot and tittle is in its proper place.

The last time I was watching The Passion of the Christ, which I can only do once every Easter, a particular scene stuck me in a new way. It was the scene where Simon of Cyrene was pressed into helping Jesus carry his cross.

When I saw this image I immediately saw….a yoke, Christ’s yoke. I saw two bearing the burden. I was struck by the way Mel Gibson had “Simon” not only carry the cross but our Lord as well. The two of them worked together to make it to the greatest event in human history.

Jesus goes on to tell his Disciples that if they want eternal life they would have to pick up their crosses and follow him. The way to Calvary was not easy. Nor is it easy to be a Christian. We are called to be better. We are called to be the image of Christ.

Back to the image of the cross being a yoke. A yoke is made for two. We never bear our cross or wear our yoke alone. As Simon helped Christ in his humanity bear the burden so Jesus now helps us in ours. With Jesus as our yokemate is there any burden that could be too heavy? When we stumble is he not there to balance the load. When we can no longer stand does he not put one arm around us and one around our cross and lift us up?

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me. Be gentle and humble of heart. I will make your burden light and you will find rest for your soul.

It was an itsy bitsy teenie weenie yellow polka-dot bikini...

I had a friend tell me that he came home from Mass the other day offended and deeply hurt. His adult daughter paid him a visit and they decided to attend the anticipatory Mass together. The problem was that his daughter was dressed in clothes that would make Daisy Duke blush. During the sign of peace an older parishioner took a hold of his daughter’s hand tightly and said, “You should be ashamed of how you are dressed.”

“The lady didn’t look too happy with me either,” he said. When I asked what he was wearing he said that he had on his favorite cut off shorts, tank top, and flip-flops. “Who are they to judge? God doesn’t care what we wear. He’s just happy that we came.”

Personally, I find that to be one of the most arrogant statements I hear. The creator of all existence is overjoyed because we managed to carve out forty-five minutes of our day to go sit in church. My friend’s daughter is getting married at the end of the year. I asked if it would be ok for me to wear my cutoffs and tank top to her wedding.

“What? No it wouldn’t be ok. It is her special day. You’d ruin the pictures.”

For far too many people Mass is a place where they go to get. They get to listen to good music. They get to hear a sermon that makes them feel good about themselves. The get communion. They don’t see anything wrong in wearing beach attire when it is all about them and what they get.

But Mass for a Catholic isn’t about receiving. It is about giving. It is the highest form of worship we have. Mass is where heaven and earth come together as one and we are taken through space and time back to the foot of the cross at Calvary so that Jesus crucifixion is made present in real time to us. When we go to receive communion we don’t go to get a host but to give our lives to our Savior who is giving his to us. It is the most awe-filled solemn event a human can have on this side of heaven. Unfortunately for far too many Mass has lost its awesomeness.

Dress is one area where I think our Muslim brothers have an advantage over us. No, I am no supporter of the full blown burka but I do admire the respect they have for a woman’s body. See, we veil what we hold sacred. Brides wear veils. Our chalices get veiled. The Holy of Holies was veiled. What we hold sacred we cover. They take it to the extreme by covering their women from head to toe so nothing can be seen. What does it say for our culture when women, when our daughters wear as little as they possibly can?

“You should be ashamed of how you are dressed.”

My friend took that to mean “how you are dressed for church”. I am sure the parishioner really meant “dressed in public”. Where is your sense of decency? Where is your respect for yourself? If you hold your body to be a sacred temple of the Lord why do you show it off as if you dance around a pole for a living?

And then to show up for the most holy event in a Catholic’s life dressed as if you were headed to a pool party?

My friend should not have been offended. Instead he should have been humbled and thankful that this person cared enough about his daughter to actually say something to her. Love takes on many forms. Not all of them make you feel warm and fuzzy.

Boiled Frogs

Jake was a high school superstar. He was strong and athletic, excelling in both baseball and football. He took second at state in wrestling. He got a full ride scholarship to a good university and graduated four years later with a degree in structural engineering. By his tenth year class reunion he had landed a good paying job and was enjoying the fruits of his hard work.

By his fifteen year class reunion Jake’s weight had ballooned up to almost three-hundred and fifty pounds. The most athletic thing he did was enter eating contests on the weekend. He had high blood pressure and high cholesterol. If he had ever checked his blood sugar levels he would have known that he was already considered diabetic. He was starting to have many other health issues and his classmates were worried.

At his twenty year class reunion Jake was sporting some new body art. He had an eight inch scar that ran down the center of his chest from where he had open heart surgery to correct a clogged ticker. Jake complained of increasing shortness of breath during a physical so his doctor sent him for a stress test that lead to a quadruple bypass. Jake was lucky. The danger was found before any serious damage was done.

Jake’s classmates barely recognized him at their twenty-five year class reunion. He had shed the weight and was now a trim 182. He started an exercise program and was looking good. They all gathered round to listen to him tell his story.

“How did you lose all the weight Jake? What’s your secret?”

“I went on a plant based diet,” was his reply. You would have thought that Jake had three eyes by the looks he received.

“You’re one of those?" someone asked.

“I could never give up mu bacon and burgers,” another added.

“You’ve never had to look death in the face,” was Jake’s reply.

How often are we like Jake’s classmates? How often do we willfully choose something that we know is bad for us? Some drink. Some smoke. Some of us eat too much of the wrong things. All of us sin. Whereas all of the other activities kill the body, sin kills the soul. Much like the other activities there are many of us who don’t know what is bad anymore. We have become increasingly numb to depravity.

There was a time when decency wouldn’t allow a toilet to be shown on TV.  Now even the commercials show all kinds of explicit material that used to be reserved for rated R movies. The family hour has gone the way the VCR and eight track tapes. Our frog had been thoroughly boiled. The water in the pot is at a full roll and we are kicked back and comfortable.

Many of us won’t get a clue until death comes knocking on our door. By then it will be too late to make a life saving change. All we will be left with is the parachute of God’s mercy. Let us pray that we will be smart enough to pull the rip cord in time. An unopened chute kills the sky diver.

Instead, let us be more like Jake. Let us realize that the way we live our lives is actually stealing our lives out from under our feet. Let us make the difficult choice to walk away from the things we think we need and love and live as we were made to live. Let us say no to temptation and yes to God.

That burger may taste good today but it isn’t good enough to go through open heart surgery and suffer debilitating health problems over. That sinful action may be enjoyable now but sure isn’t worth facing the fires of hell for. Jake had to relearn how to eat right. He didn’t do this on his own. He sought the advice of a nutritionist. Likewise, those who have only known sin can’t change on their own. They need to seek advice as well. Where a nutritionist can teach you to correctly feed your body the Church can tech you to feed your soul. Make an appointment today and start the healing!

Invited to Candidacy

On Thursday, August 3, 2017 at 10:00am my wife and I, dressed in our Sunday best, entered a classroom at the Rockford Diocese administrative building. We were met by smiling faces of the eight people who made up the candidacy scrutiny board. For roughly the next half an hour we answered questions about our spiritual growth, how the Aspirancy had gone, and the types of ministries I might be interested in pursuing. Then it was off to the chapel to wait as they deliberated.

This scrutiny was much different than the first. In the first the devil latched on to my anxiety and had me convinced that I would be passed over based on my psychological exam alone. I was getting angrier the longer the process took and really considered not even showing up for the scrutiny at all. This time I was at peace. I was not worried about making it through. If it was God’s will it would happen and if it wasn’t he would make it clear to me. I was not fearful of the questions. God would give me the words that needed to be said. Plus, I was able to brag a little about my class, some of the best men I have known. We challenge each other in the best ways possible and inspire each other to be better. I have been truly blessed to be among them. It has made me a much different person.

Father Ken came into the chapel with a smile and an envelope in his hand. The board had decided favorably and I was officially invited to candidacy. Now I and my wife had to independently petition the Bishop with a hand written letter to seek admission into candidacy.

This is where it all becomes real. If I choose to move forward I will be forever considered by the Church as a man who was a candidate for Holy Orders. Even if I leave formation sometime in the next three years that will follow me in everything I do from this point on. I will no longer be looked upon as a normal layperson and everything I do will be done with extra scrutiny. Why was this person whom we intended to ordain wasn’t ordained? As they used to joke, it is a mark in my permanent record.

I have every intention of finishing formation. I no longer believe that I have been called to service as I did when I started this program. Now I believe I am being called to be ordained. Service will still be a huge part of what I do but God wants me to be ordained. Holy Orders is one of the seven Sacraments in the Catholic Church. A Sacrament is an outward sign, instituted by Jesus, to give grace. Grace is favor from God that strengthens us to live a fuller Christian life. Sacraments are permanent – they cannot be removed. To receive Holy Orders is to receive an indelible mark on one’s soul. The fringe benefits are the best in the industry but it does call one to live by a different standard and set of rules. To be ordained is less about what you can do and more about who you become.

The role of a deacon is somewhat foggy for most people, even many Catholics. The Permanent Diaconate was only restored in the US fifty years ago and is constantly evolving and growing. What makes it foggier is that other faith traditions also have deacons that serve in a variety of roles. I have a friend who is a Baptist deacon. He was shocked to learn that my formation is a total of seven years. His was two weeks long. But what he does as a Baptist deacon was the same thing I was doing as a Catholic layman. A lot of the stuff reserved for his pastor I will be doing as a deacon. In some traditions deacons act more like elders or advisors to the elders. It the different definitions and roles across the faiths it is not surprising many are confused. Here are some quick facts about the Permanent Diaconate in the Rockford Diocese:

DIOCESE OF ROCKFORD

QUICK FACTS ABOUT PERMANENT DEACONS

Who is a Deacon? A deacon is an ordained minister of the Catholic Church. There are three groups, or "orders," of ordained ministers in the Church: bishops, presbyters (priests) and deacons. Deacons are ordained as a sacramental sign to the Church and to the world of Christ, who came "to serve and not to be served." The entire Church is called by Christ to serve, and the deacon, in virtue of his sacramental ordination and through his various ministries, is to be a servant in a servant-Church. 

  

What are the requirements to become a permanent deacon? Men must be between the age of 35 and 55 and must complete two years of ministry formation and five years of diaconate formation. These programs are conducted by the Diocese of Rockford. For more specific requirements and how to get started, men should first contact their parish pastor or contact the Office of the Permanent Diaconate.

What are these "various ministries" of the Deacon? All ordained clergy in the Church are called to be ministers of the Word, Sacrament, and Charity, but bishops, presbyters and deacons exercise these functions in various ways. As ministers of the Word, deacons proclaim the Gospel, preach, and teach in the name of the Church. As ministers of Sacrament, deacons baptize, lead the faithful in prayer, witness marriages, and conduct wake and funeral services.  As ministers of Charity, deacons are leaders in identifying the needs of others, then marshaling the Church's resources to try and meet those needs. Deacons are also dedicated to work toward eliminating the injustices or inequities that cause such needs. No matter what specific functions a deacon performs, they all flow from his sacramental identity. In other words, it is not only WHAT a deacon does, but WHO a deacon is, that is important.

May married men be ordained deacons? Yes. The Second Vatican Council decreed that the diaconate, when it was restored as a permanent order in the hierarchy, could be opened to "mature married men," later clarified to mean men over the age of 35. This is in keeping with the ancient tradition of the Church, in which some married men were ordained into ministry. Also in keeping with ancient practice is the expectation that while a married man may be ordained, an ordained man, if his wife should die, would not marry again.

Is a Deacon ordained for the Parish or the Diocese? Whenever a person is ordained, he is to serve the diocesan Church. Deacons are no different in this regard: they are assigned by the bishop to ministries for which the bishop perceives a great need, and for which the deacon may have special gifts or talents. Most often, this will be within a parish setting, just as most priests serve in a parish. Once assigned to a parish, the deacon and any other clergy assigned to the parish, minister under the immediate supervision of the pastor. However, this assignment may be changed at the request of the deacon or the initiative of the bishop. 

This is the life that I am choosing to live. There are fourteen other men in my class with me. Our wives are our primary support network. Although not ordained themselves they are absolutely vital in our success in this endeavor. Just being in this program paints a big bull’s-eye on us for attacks not only from those who do not like the Church, Christianity, or religion in general but it also brings on spiritual attacks by the devil and his minions. There are two types of clergy the devil loves – those he can get to walk away from their vocation and those he can corrupt. Those he can’t make bad he makes busy and there isn’t any clergy who isn’t over tasked and over burdened these days. Pray for me and my classmates, our wives and all clergy. We sure could use it.

Of Infinite Worth

“The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field.”

We often look at this passage and think that heaven is the hidden treasure that we are to go out and find. When we find it we are to sell all that we have to buy it. Oh joyful the man who can buy the kingdom of heaven.

In actuality we are the treasure buried in the field. The field is death and all of us treasure is buried in it. Out of love for us God bought that field using his most valuable treasure, his only begotten son. Jesus’ blood was poured out into that field to redeem us from the bonds of death. God is the joyful merchant who regains that which was lost to him. We are a treasure to him, pearls of infinite worth.

“The kingdom of heaven is like a net thrown into the sea, which collects fish of every kind.”

The offer of heaven is made to every person. It is made not only to Christians but to Hindus, Muslims, pagans, and yes, even atheists. I suspect that at the particular judgment we each will stand alone with Jesus before a charcoal fire. For those who have never heard of him Jesus will be his own best advocate. They will learn of who Jesus is from Jesus himself. And then, like with Saint Peter, he will ask us one question, “Do you love me?”

Love for Christ does not have to be perfect. It only needs to be present. Jesus meets us where we are at and will walk with us the rest of the way. We will be purified until only perfect love remains. We are the treasure buried in the earth. God finds us and cleans us up. He buffs us up until we are shiny and new again.

For those who hold no love for God in their hearts, those who cannot be persuaded by Jesus, those who choose themselves and reject God, those will be the fish thrown into the fiery furnace. These are the ones for whom the pain of hell is reserved. God condemns no man to hell but he does respect their choice to go there.

“Then every scribe who has been instructed in the kingdom of heaven is like the head of a household who brings from his storeroom both the new and the old.”

The head of a household is responsible for every member in the house, both family and servant. It is the responsibility of the head of the household to show those who are in his house how to get to heaven. We do not go to heaven alone. The kingdom of heaven is a family not an individual relationship. When we go to heaven we do not stand alone. We stand with every person we have helped get to heaven along the way. It is the responsibility of each and every person who can answer Jesus’ question with an imperfect “yes” to live in such a way that they become a beacon to all those in darkness. A beacon drawing others closer to God.

People should look to you and say, “I want what they have.” A righteous, upright life is a beautiful thing that draws others to live the same way. Be that beacon to those in your house. Let your love for God be present in all that you do. You are a treasure of infinite worth that God paid for in full. Infinite worth paid for in full. It doesn’t take a math major to see the impossibility of that statement and yet God did that very thing, for you.

Joy be with you.

The mood was sober. The air hung heavy and still. The people gathered together were straight faced, tight lipped, and void of emotion. Every word and gesture seemed labored as if bearing a heavy weight. People seemed to be going through the motions with little thought or care. There was rarely a smile and I often caught looks of distress on some faces as the little children among us fidgeted, cried, or made noise. It was exactly the mood I would have expected had we been at a funeral or memorial of the passing of a person deeply loved and respected.  Instead of being at an occasion of sadness we were celebrating Sunday Mass. We were celebrating the greatest event of human existence. Heaven and earth were being connected as Jesus came down from heaven, becoming our life giving food, and dwelling within us.

This is actually something that has been bugging me for some time. There seems to be a general lack of joy as we celebrate the Eucharist together. It is easy to understand why more and more people fall away from the Catholic Church, preferring one of the mega churches that concentrate on experience and emotion. People have a hard time putting their finger on the exact reason for it. They claim to like the music better or get more out of the sermon. Every reason I have heard always points back to one thing. Joy. Those mega churches fill people with a sense of Joy. They feel good going there. We were made to be happy and people will crawl through the desert on their hands and knees to find happiness. The joy these mega churches offer is real joy but it is a false joy. It is a happiness directed in. The music or good sermon makes us feel good about ourselves. True joy is happiness that radiates outwards. Instead of being filled from the outside in real joy is like a spring that wells up from within us and bubbles outward.

Church leadership struggles with ways to fill the pews. We look for the right combination of things to bring parishioners back. Homilies have changed through the years. It is rare to find a church that preaches about the pains of hell. We strive not to dive too deeply into what makes a moral life. In our rebellious nature no one wants to hear what is the right or wrong way to live. Even absolutes like X and Y equal male are subject to personal interpretation. The more we stand up for what it right and good the fewer people will show up to hear that message.

No matter what we do or direction we take it has to be joy filled for it to have any chance to work. We need to let Jesus work from within, to bubble up and shine through us. Anything done with joy causes a glow about a person that makes people take notice. A joyful person is one others want to be around. A joyful parish is a parish people want to be part of. The Catholic Church offers the greatest thing available to mankind. We offer the body and blood, soul and divinity of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Looking in from the outside, who would be interested in receiving him when the communion lines look as if they are filled by the walking dead?

Be joyful and joy filled in all that you are given, even your sufferings and trials. Even those are blessings from God who will use them to bring about a greater good. It is through  joy and love that they will know we belong to the Lord.

The Conservation of Energy

When I started out on my journey for my spiritual retreat I had a car with a full tank of gas. As I traveled the gas in the tank went down. When I arrived at my destination the tank was nearly empty. This is the law of the conservation of energy. Energy cannot be created nor destroyed. It can only change form. I had changed the potential energy in the tank into a mechanical action producing velocity and motion and ending in distance.

Because of this physical law many find it difficult to believe some of the stories in the Bible like the feeding of the multitude.  In two separate stories Jesus takes a couple loaves of bread and a few fish and feeds thousands of people with them. This just isn’t physically possible so it has to be just a fable. Skeptics offer any number of ideas how this actually happened naturally and miraculously.

Yet, with God all things are possible. God does not go about breaking the rules he has put in place for the world willy-nilly but there are two things to which the law of the conservation of energy does not apply. These are mercy and love. Like the loaves and fishes love and mercy can start out seemingly small and will continue to grow to satisfy the need of every person. But how?

Love and mercy both flow from the very nature of God who is infinite, therefore, like God, love and mercy are also infinite. If you continually draw water from a well the well will eventually run dry. It does not matter how much you draw from the well of love and mercy for they are infinitely full. The amount of love and mercy available never diminishes even a drop.

The people were with Jesus for three days and had no food. They were hungry and he was concerned that they would not be able to make the journey home if he did not feed them. The loaves and fishes were not simply physical food for them. It was an extension of his love and mercy. There would have been enough to eat for the entire world had they been present at the time.

For love and mercy to multiply it has to be freely passed on. The multitude would not have been fed if the first people who received the basket with the food had kept it for themselves. They would have their fill but the rest of the people would go hungry. Love and mercy can only grow if you take what you have been given and pass it on to another. You will receive love and mercy from God in the same measure as you give love and mercy to another. If you wish to received God’s love in its fullest you need to love to your fullest. As you give away your love and mercy to another, God will replenish that love and mercy within you from his infinite well and increase your capacity to love and be merciful.

Love fully, forgive freely, grant mercy to those who neither request nor deserve it. In doing so you will be like God and he will find favor with you. You will find the more you give the more you will have to give but the more you try to save for yourself the more you desire to have even more to the point that there is never enough. The only thing that grows when you save what you have been given is your hunger.