Created for God

(Note: There will be no reflection on Wednesday, September 30


Continuing with paragraph 27 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

“. . . we are created by God and for God and God never ceases to draw us to himself.”

Who are the people, the institutions, the circumstances that have served to draw you closer to God in your life? These are the means by which God draws you to himself. For me, among other things, it has been the music of J.S.Bach. For others, it might be a sculpture or other work of art, something they read, a realization that took place in the depths of their being. Sometimes it is through great difficulty that a person finally turns towards God; other times it a moment of happiness and rejoicing that elicits a prayer of thanksgiving.

The Second Vatican Council (Gaudium et Spes) reminds us that “the invitation to converse with God is addressed to man as soon as he comes into being.” It also notes that one “cannot live fully according to the truth unless he freely acknowledges [God’s love for him] and entrusts himself to his creator.”

That’s a tall order, and, as we know, there are many people in the world and even in our own neighborhoods who would find those words hard to accept, or incomprehensible, or even objectionable.

But how about you? Today—this day---this very moment, can you be in touch with the reality of God’s love for you? Today---this day---this very moment, are you willing to entrust everything that is happening in your life to this God who created you and who loves you? Or is there perhaps some corner of your life or pocket in your thinking that you have not yet brought under the umbrella of his embrace?

What are you holding back? In that area, or thought, or circumstance, is there truly any peace in your spirit?

You have been created by God, you exist in order to be in communion with God, God holds you in existence, and he continually finds people and means to draw you closer to himself. And, in addition to this, God may actually be using you to draw other people closer to himself. Wow!

Too wonderful for me, this knowledge; so far, so high beyond my reach. (Psalm 139:6)

Love of neighbor

My spiritual reading this morning reminded me of some of the things that Pope Francis had to say when he was visiting with us the past several days. The passage was talking about love of neighbor as a sign of progress in the spiritual life, an “unselfish love founded on respect, a service, a disinterested affection that does not ask to be paid in return, a ‘sympathy’ or ‘empathy’ that takes us out of ourselves” and makes it possible for us to feel with our neighbor. (Olivier Clément, The Roots of Christian Mysticism, p. 270-271)

We’ve been speaking about the “desire for God” the past few days. This desire for God will also entail desire for our neighbor. Think of the two great commandments: love God, and love your neighbor as yourself.

Here is what Clément says about this love (and here it is that I can hear echoes of Pope Francis): “. . . the love of the Trinity reveals the other person to us as ‘neighbor’ . . . and to become a ‘neighbor’ is to side with Christ, since he identifies himself with every human being who is suffering, or rejected, or imprisoned, or ignored.

Here is a possible exercise for you. Consider a person, any person, whom you find it difficult to accept and love as “neighbor.” Notice the thoughts you have about that person. Ask God to purify your thoughts. Meanwhile, with an act of will, begin to allow your own contempt to melt away and be replaced by this love of God, the God who created your neighbor and gave him a nature which is very different than your own.

You might even find yourself praying from Psalm 123: Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy. We are filled with contempts. Indeed all too full is our soul with the scorn of the rich, with the proud man’s disdain.

Getting access to your desire for God

. . . continuing our discussion of the notion that “the desire for God is written in the human heart” from the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

There are times in our lives or in our days when we lose contact with this desire for God, particularly when we are busy with the stuff of life and with matters that have little to do with the human spirit.

This is a natural condition; after all, we are not yet brought to the fullness of perfection and union with God—but we are on our way, and it is good to have “tools” to help us stay in touch with our greater destiny.

The Psalms are very helpful in this regard, and I call your attention to Psalm 63 in particular. By praying this psalm and meditating on it, we can deepen our own access to the desire for God. In fact, I encourage you to memorize it over the days to come.

O God, you are my God, for you I long;

for you my soul is thirsting.

My body pines for you

like a dry, weary land without water.

So I gaze on you in the sanctuary

to see your strength and your glory.

For your love is better than life,

my lips will speak your praise.

So I will bless you all my life,

in your name I will lift up my hands.

My soul shall be filled as with a banquet,

my mouth shall praise you with joy.    (The Grail translation)

Absorb these lines. Let them become so much a part of you that they will arise in your mind or on your lips automatically, and at times when you need a gentle reminder about who you really are.

Written in the heart

Last time I offered for your consideration paragraph 27 of The Catechism of the Catholic Church. If you need to look back, go to http:// spiritualityforbeginners.blogspot.com.

Today, let’s take a closer look at the opening phrase: The desire for God is written in the human heart . . .

Are you aware of this? Do you feel within yourself a strong desire to be united with God? Are your choices and decisions based on what will move you closer to God rather than farther away from God?

Maybe you’re not. I certainly know that there have been times in my life, and actually still are, when this desire is not what overrules everything else. And I know for sure that many people are not consciously aware that they have such a desire within them.

Could it be that there is a connection between this desire for God and the fact that we are created in God’s image (see my post from June 26)? Pope Francis hints at the connection in The Joy of the Gospel:

“ . . . we become fully human when we become more than human, when we let God bring us beyond ourselves in order to attain the fullest truth of our being.

So, if all this be true, we benefit from knowing how we are ”knit together in our mother’s womb” (Psalm 139).

Contemplative prayer: Just sit in the quiet, calm yourself with your breathing, and then just reflect on how God, in creating you, put within you this wonderful desire, far greater and more appealing than any other desire we might have, even when we forget it, even when we sometimes might be oblivious to it. It is there. He gave it to you. It is yours. It is your destiny.

more next time.

The Desire for God

The “Catechism of the Catholic Church” is not a book meant to be read from cover to cover, but rather one to be consulted or browsed through with the help of the index in the back. It also provides a lot of nourishment and food for meditation.

One of my favorite passages is Paragraph 27, and I’ve often quoted it in homilies and talks.

 “The desire for God is written in the human heart, because man is created by God and for God; and God never ceases to draw man to himself. Only in God will he find the truth and happiness he never stops searching for.”

Each phrase of this paragraph can be a meditation onto itself, and would like to explore its riches in the next few reflections.

For today, you might like to think it over and look for specific instances in your life when this teaching has been proven true for you.

More tomorrow.

By the way, the COCC is available on line and I believe it has a searchable index as well. 

Hidden faults

Note: there will be no reflection tomorrow.

From Psalm 119, verses 13- 14 (the psalm for the 26^th Sunday in Ordinary Time):

But who can detect all his errors?

from hidden faults acquit me.

From presumption restrain your servant

and let it not rule me.

The second line of these verses might cause us to wonder: “So what is this? I try so hard to be good, at least some of the time, and you tell me that there are still hidden faults?”

And the answer is, “Yes.” Sometimes it takes years and years of ruthless honesty and self-examination to become aware of faults and weaknesses of character that it seems everyone else already knows about. Think of it yourself: haven’t you become an expert about the faults of certain people in your life, or a certain group, or those who hold a certain view of things, but yet are very willing to give yourself the benefit of a doubt when it comes to your possible peccadillos?

We all have, and that is why Jesus warns us to make sure we tend to the beam in our own eyes before taking care of the speck in someone else’s eye. Yes indeed, Lord, from presumption restrain your servant. Don’t let my arrogance and my self-righteous cloud my vision and poison my spirit. Restrain me, O Lord, if I tend sometimes to be like the Pharisees.

I love the verse, “From hidden faults acquit me.” I use it as a constant reminder not to take myself too seriously. I return to it when I catch myself casting a suspicious eye on others. Sometimes I can’t even see my own faults, so how dare I presume to be knowledgeable about the condition of another’s soul?

Faith-filled music

This morning I was playing an organ chorale by J.S. Bach based on an old Lutheran hymn “If thou but suffer God to guide thee.” (Wer nur den lieben Gott lasst walten). Here’s the text of the hymn:

If thou but suffer God to guide thee and hope in him through all thy ways,

He’ll give thee strength, whatever betide thee, and bear thee through the evil days.

Who trusts in God’s unchanging love builds on a Rock that naught can move.

It’s an intricate piece of music put together with the inspired craftsmanship of a great and faith-filled composer. There are two major little musical figures (called motifs) that are heard repeatedly through the chorale. Both are highly symbolic, and they are intertwined together. The first motif is FAITH. The second one is the most interesting because it signifies OVERWHELMING JOY.

Put the motifs together with the text and it is as if Bach were saying, “The times are rough. My faith is strong. God is with me and his love never fails. Therefore, despite the trials and difficulties of the moment, I am filled with joy. Thank you, Lord, for the faith that undergirds my joy.”

I thought about these themes as I was playing the music and suddenly realized that the Lord had provided me with excellent material for my daily reflection. And so you have it. Have a nice day.

Conversation about not judging

I had a conversation yesterday with a student about my recent reflections and I’d like to share it with you here. Happy Sunday!

B: Were the reflections about contemplation and mindfulness helpful to you?

S. Yes. I like the thought of letting things be as themselves. Undisturbed existence without classification or association.

B. Good. I’m glad you grasped them. Now the trick is to do the same thing with people.

S. That’s difficult, especially on campus. I always label people by what they are associated with. I feel like associations and entanglements with people really characterize them.

B. Well, I wonder what would happen if every once in a while you caught yourself doing that and put your assessment on hold? It’s very difficult. It takes a lot of self-awareness.

S. That would certainly be a start. I don’t think I could immediately drop all assumptions. I would definitely have to ease into it. I’m very externally aware but often I lose touch with myself.

B. It’s a life-long process. Just this morning I caught myself doing the same thing. A was at a meeting and someone said something that I didn’t agree with. My immediate reaction was to “label” the speaker in a negative way (what a jerk!). But then I set that aside and ended up with a completely different outlook about things and how he was actually making an important contribution to the discussion.

S. It is very very difficult and sometimes I reflect my personality based upon this association or assumption.

B. Most people do that all the time. They never get to see things as they really are. But once you realize that process you move to a higher state of relationship with what’s around you. And you have already begun!

Talk2003

I won’t have time to write a reflection today, so here are some excerpts from a talk I gave on campus about 12 years ago.

• The world preaches a way to happiness. But most of the time, it’s lying.  Check this rule out carefully: think of all the things that are being promoted to you on campus and in the dorms which are supposed to make you happy, but which turn out to be big, ugly disappointments. Or maybe even nightmares.
• Most people who spend their lives chasing the world’s route to happiness, whether through money, fame, sex, stuff, power, or whatever, never end up being happy.  In fact, they carry around an emptiness inside that never goes away, that can never be filled as long as they continue living the way they’re living.
• Portraits of human greatness: They all found ways to serve the world.
  Let’s talk about sin. After all, sin is a big part of our lives. We all do it, every day. In fact, most of us probably do far more sinning than we do serving. Then we wonder why we’re so seldom happy.
• Yeah. Not happy.  Sin causes suffering.
• We suffer because of our sin.  Sometimes it’s easy to see. Sometimes it’s not so easy.  Example: You’re nursing a grudge. Have you ever realized how much suffering that grudge is causing you?
• The greatest thing about God is that He knows what it’s like to be human.  Not because He made us, but rather, because in Jesus Christ He’s gone through it with us.
• He knows what you’re like. He knows what it’s like to be human.  He knows what it’s like to be hungry, and thirsty, to be tired and smelly.  He knows what it’s like to have a broken heart.  He knows what it’s like to be suffer terror. He knows what it’s like to struggle against temptation—remember what Hebrews says, He was tempted in every way that we are. He knows what it’s like to have people not understand him.  He knows what it’s like to be abandoned or betrayed by his friends. He even knows what it’s like to feel like God has given up on him. He also knows what it’s like to be punished for something he didn’t do.
• The most powerful place on the planet where you can receive the mercy of God and the relief from sin—a relief that he suffered to give you-- is in the confessional. Make sure you use it. It’s part of the plan God put into place to get you into heaven.
• God loves you. Accept the gift.

Mindfulness practice

Contemplation practice. Also known as mindfulness practice.

I suggest you print this out and keep it with you until you have the time and space to complete the exercise. It will be of no help to you if you simply read it. What you need to do is experience it.

Wherever you are, look around.

Notice something you have not noticed before.

Let it be.

                Just as it is. Simply IS.

                No classification, no evaluation, no competition

                                                                                      with any other object in the universe.

And you? What thoughts are moving through your mind?

                                Let them move on. Don’t engage them.

Let the object remain naked.

Don’t go trying to clothe it with something coming from your mind.

Remove anything that has been added to the object

   since you first gazed on it.

Simply let it be.

                Respect it.

                Appreciate it.

                Savor it.

                Celebrate it.

                Take joy in it.

Once you are filled with that joy, let your eyes move to something else.

Begin again. This time the process will take less time.

Learning to look contemplatively

We need to learn to look at or consider people, places or things as they are: that is, free from any classification or evaluation or judgment that is habitually a part of our way of looking at things.

Richard Rohr (The Naked Now) suggests we practice this by looking at an object—any object at all. I suggest a knick-knack, or a flower, or a bottle of water, a pencil, a blade of grass or something small enough that you can comprehend it with a single glance.

As you look at this object, notice your thoughts about the object: any evaluations or considerations, questions as to whether or not it is useful or practical for you. Notice any memories it may bring up, or thoughts about other things. Notice all of these things and notice that you are the one who has the thoughts but the thoughts are not you. Don’t over-identify with the thoughts. Rather allow them to move through you until you are able to look at the object with a clear unfettered or undistracted vision.

This may take some practice. Don’t forget that our habitual way of looking at things is tied up with our thought about them. But what you want to do now is simply take in the visual information without anything else added to it.

In time, the object you select may become a talisman for you. It may be something that will help you regain your purity of vision so that you can extend that vision to other things in your immediate world.

This is a first step. More next time.

Please write me or comment on how your practice goes.Thank you.

Contemplation, part one

Divine Love casts no judgment.

This is hard to accept because it isn’t the way I have been conditioned to look:

When I look at myself, I am constantly judging.

When I look at others people, my first impulse is to judge or evaluate, and I keep doing it                      until I become aware of what I am doing----and only then am I able to stop,

                                                with God’s help,

                                and hopefully, learn to accept others for who they are.

This doesn’t mean that I am unaware of any good or evil that may be in them; it means that I see them with the good and with the evil, and I simply let it be, for it is not up to me  to judge.

It is up to God to judge, but His Son tells us that “I am sent not to condemn but to save.”

And he looks on us with love.

Search the Gospels and find places where Jesus looks with love, no matter what may be going on in a person’s life. I think especially of the rich young man who wanted to follow Jesus but who walked away sadly because he was too bound up in his materialism. And yet, it says, Jesus looked on him with love. He saw the man’s struggle. He saw how the man was losing the battle at that particular time. He did not judge or grow impatient. He simply looked with love. I often wonder what happened to that young man as he got older. What effect did the look of love have on him?

Can we ever learn to see that way? In a way that confers love on someone or something?

Can we ever learn to look contemplatively? 

Manna, part 2

What can the manna teach us?

• ·         It was supplied each day (except the Sabbath—a double portion was given the day before). Similarly, each day God gives us what we need. NOTE THIS: Even when we don’t ask for it.
• 
  
• ·         It needed to be gathered early in the morning. I imagine it was part of the people’s morning prayer. What does “early in the morning” indicate for you? Is it chronological time, or is it a symbol of something else?
• 
  
• ·         The people were given just what they needed for that particular day. God gives us just what we need, no more, no less. Sometimes we have trouble with this and feel that we haven’t been given enough, or that we’ve been given too much to handle.
• 
  
• ·         If the people couldn’t trust, and tried to gather extra manna one day, it turned putrid the next day.  No stockpiling allowed. No hoarding. Just trust.
• 
  
• ·         The Book of Wisdom tells us that the manna “provided every pleasure and [was] suited to every taste . . . it was suited to everyone’s liking.” (Wisdom 16:20ff). God is that flexible with us as well, and the blessing is according to the capacity of the one who receives it.
• 
  
• ·         “Give us this day our daily bread.”

Manna in the desert

Manna in the desert.

The Israelites in the desert were totally dependent on God. It was a difficult time for them because it was a time of testing, a time of learning to trust more deeply than they ever had before.

They had nothing and they were residing in a place where nothing was available. Helpless, deprived, alone and frightened—the type of fright that could take away all hope. Have you ever experienced that?

And so we have three elements in this story that are common to all of us at particular times in our lives, especially at times when we fell we are having a “desert experience.”

The first element is for them to realize that they were not completely alone, but rather that they needed to recognize their total dependence on God. On a God who would supply their needs. But even in realizing this, they still needed to grasp that they were never truly alone. They were not merely dependent. They were dependent ON GOD.

The second two elements follow from the first: hope, and as we mentioned before, trust.

And what happened: God did indeed supply their need day by day without fail. That is the meaning of the manna. Notice also that God supplied their need in a unique way that they never could have predicted. Has THIS ever happened to you?

And so, night after night they had to go to sleep trusting that the manna would be there the next day. And morning after morning, there it was for them again. God never let them down.

There is a lot more to learn from the manna. Think about it today. Let it teach you.

HELP, part 2

Yesterday we finished with what I call the four-word prayer: I can’t; you can. Let us see this prayer as a seed to be sown. Let us allow the prayer to expand and to blossom. Let us see where it might lead us.

"Lord, I don’t know where I’m heading. You do. Grant me the patience which will help me be at rest in not-knowing. I don’t know, you do. It is not up to me to know right now. Help me to surrender and let that surrender bring me peace, peace in not-knowing.

"Lord, I cannot see how the disparate elements of my life can fit together. You are the One doing the fitting-together. You are the one weaving the tapestry. Help me understand this so deeply that I can put my life in your hands and be at rest in not-knowing.

"Lord, I try so hard. I confess that at times I try too hard and forget that You are the active agent in my life. Forgive my lack of faith. Help me to surrender and to become totally dependent on You.

"Lord, I look into my life and see so much that is incomplete, unsettled, disappointing and mystifying. You look on me with love and see a beauty which I cannot yet see. I cannot make sense of this all now, Lord, but you can. Help me to see the beauty of the process of my life, Lord. Help me—give me even a brief glimpse into the beauty of my life EVEN WITH all that is incomplete, unsettled, disappointing and mystifying. Lord, help me to trust.

. . . and now, perhaps you can utter a prayer of your own. If you feel you cannot do it, just remember that the Holy Spirit prays within you, and that He can.

HELP!

HELP!!!!

With this one simple one-word prayer, the spiritual life begins in earnest.

I know I cannot do this by myself; I know that I don’t know how to walk a spiritual journey. I know that no matter how hard I have tried, I have been unable to get control over a certain weakness or temptation that assails me.

I also know that my God is there to help me and that my God is all-powerful. The simple one-word prayer becomes a 4-word prayer: “I can’t; you can.”

Once I know that, I can find peace. The more I can enter into that prayer and actually become that prayer, the more liberation from worry becomes a part of my existence.

to be continued . . .

Entering the realm of compassion

Today’s Gospel passage sums up much of what we have been talking about the past couple of weeks:

“Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven. . . . For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you.” (Luke 6:37-38)

There will come a time, Jesus tells us, when everything will be known, when what we have said and done in secret will no longer be secret. This passage used to frighten me, and it probably should frighten all of us. Are you ready to have everything be known about you?

But as the years have gone on, I have come to see things in a different way, and that is because I have had experiences, in the confessional, in spiritual direction and in several sorts of encounter groups, when almost everything has been known. And during experiences such as that, what results is not judgment or condemnation, but rather an outpouring of love and compassion and empathy and understanding.

I guess you have to experience things like that to understand fully. I guess you have to allow yourself to be vulnerable enough to “bare your soul” to another human being or to a group of people, to grasp the reality of a compassion and understanding that is hard to put into words. If you have ever shared a deep and painful (and possibly shameful) secret with a friend or loved one, then perhaps you, too, can grasp what I’m getting at here.

Those who will not do these things, on the other hand, are still stuck back in a realm where judging, condemning and lack of forgiveness make for a hostile and terrifying world without hope or love or peace of soul. If you find yourself in this realm, beg the Lord to grant you deliverance. Beg him to help you open up and get free.

Quotes about suffering

We’ve been speaking about “quietly embracing” suffering, as it says in the Rule of St. Benedict, chapter 7. Here are a few quotations that may help you when you find yourself in the place of suffering.

·         “Suffering . . . can lead you in either of two directions. It can make you very bitter and close you down, or it can make you wise, compassionate, and utterly open, either because your heart has been softened, or perhaps because suffering leaves you feeling you have nothing more to lose.”*

·         “The sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” (Romans 8:18)

·         “We know that in everything God works for good with those who love him.” (Romans 8:28)

·         “A negative, judgmental attitude will probably only aggravate the . . . problem, increasing the pain and adding more fuel to the fires of resentment. This vicious, downward spiral can be broken only if we accept the reality of life—difficult though it may be—without judging, criticizing, or blaming”. **

·   

 “ . . . everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.” ***

* Richard Rohr, The Naked Now, p. 125

**Philip St. Romain, Reflecting on the Serenity Prayer, p. 12.

***Viktor E. Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning, p. 104

Mature faith

After Mary said “yes” to the angel’s announcement, she was not automatically filled with knowledge and understanding. She made her way through life, like Abraham, “not knowing where she was going.” Imagine, for example, how she must have worried how Joseph would react when he heard that she was pregnant. Little did she know that God was already working things out with Joseph, and that he would take her as his wife.

True, mature, adult faith does not bring us certainty or all-knowing wisdom. In fact, on the way towards gaining a mature faith, we often have to make our ways through periods of intense doubt and confusion. (Consider Mother Theresa). But true, mature, adult faith gives us the freedom to not-know, helps us to reverence and bow before the mystery of life and to understand that the path may still be dark before us but that God will be there each and every step of the way to enlighten us with what we need to know when we need to know it.

Some encouragement today

Is there something within you that needs mending? Is there some issue in your life that needs repairing? Is there something deep down inside that you know needs adjustment, improvement, or maybe even radical surgery? Well then, let this be a cause for humility and compassion. Don’t be surprised or judgmental when you hear or read about the foibles, mistakes, crimes and misdemeanors of others, because we are all in the same boat, you and I and them, when it comes right down to it:

We are all in need of mending. We are all in need of encouragement. We are all in need of peace. We all need hugs. We all need to be kissed with the kiss of peace. We all need an infusion into our lives of the perfection of a life beyond what we can obtain. And the Good News is that if we rest in God, he will supply what is lacking in us.

The fourth step of humility, part two

A number of authors have written books applying the wisdom of the Rule of Saint Benedict to ordinary daily life. If you’re interested in reading a book like that, I suggest you do a search on amazon.com or another on-line bookseller and you’ll find plenty of leads.

I chose to comment on the 4^th step of humility because it describes the only healthy way to deal with difficult or painful circumstances.

Again, the passage: “The fourth step of humility is that in this obedience under difficult, unfavorable, or even unjust conditions, his heart quietly embraces suffering and endures it without weakening or seeking escape” (RB 7:35-36)

This isn’t an option reserved for monks. It describes what must take place for anyone if there is to be any resolution or peace of mind. The alternatives are toxic and dangerous. When faced with suffering, the way that leads to peace leads through the suffering, not around it. That is why we hold before us the image of Christ on the crucifix. In essence, as we embrace the suffering and allow ourselves to experience it deeply, he takes the suffering to himself and embraces us with his arms extended on the cross. The alternatives: anger, fighting, revenge, resentments, attempts to manipulate to triumph over the pain.

In meditation, sit calmly, focus your attention on your breathing, and allow the feelings to arise and wash over you. Pay particular attention to any body sensations that are associated with the pain, and allow yourself to experience them fully. It may take time, but you will get to a place of peace. And once you’ve reached that place, you will be better equipped to deal with whatever is facing you.

Try this with small matters; it’s good practice for when the big ones come along.

But once again, I warn you: be very aware of the tendency to form resentments, because they can rot the soul. Ask God to help remove them from your heart and to free you from their effects.

The 4th Step of Humility, part one

The Rule of Saint Benedict, “the fourth step of humility.”

“The fourth step of humility is that in this obedience under difficult, unfavorable, or even unjust conditions, his heart quietly embraces suffering and endures it without weakening or seeking escape.” (RB 7:35-36)

Is there anyone among us who has not experienced difficult, unfavorable or even unjust conditions in life? So maybe this part of the holy Rule has something to say to all of us. I’d like to explore this part of the Rule in the next few reflections.

For today, let us consider just one word: “quietly.” Why does Benedict introduce the word “quietly” (tacite)? Isn’t it the case that at least within our hearts, unfavorable circumstances evoke a lot of noise and protest? Isn’t the word “quietly” counter-intuitive?

That shouldn’t be a surprise. Much spiritual teaching requires that we look at thing from a completely different perspective than what we’re used to.

But what does it mean for you or for me? How can we be quiet about what causes the blood to boil and the blood pressure to rise? Or could it be perhaps that the quiet is actually a remedy?

What do you make of this?

Hope in times of difficulty

Here are two passages from old homilies of mine. The theme of each is: hope in time of trial. I hope they not only bring hope, but also help for you:

1. Sometimes relief from the present difficulty does not make life better. Sometimes the present difficulty is what is needed  for a greater life to be revealed to us. Far better to look through the suffering of the present to the reality which is beyond, to look through the suffering to a possible meaning for it.

2.       This is the essential nature of the spiritual journey for a child of God: to walk a path that God Himself has marked out for us, a path which we do not walk alone even when it may seem as if we are totally, utterly alone. Just take your eyes of your own dilemma or your own difficult trek and look up and see before you the Lord who is with you.

Bound for heaven

St. Paul praises the Colossians: “we have heard of the love that you have for the holy ones because of the hope reserved for you in heaven.” The love is based on a hope. The hope is that, no matter what our differences, we share a common destiny: heaven.

Paul is speaking of the love within the early faith communities, but with your permission I would like to extend the meaning of that passage to everyone, because it is God’s will that everyone be saved through the knowledge of the truth (1 Tim 2:4). All of us share a common destiny. All of us are bound for heaven. We don’t necessarily know how God is going to bring this about, and it really isn’t necessary for us to know. That’s his job and his concern, and we cannot place any limits whatsoever on the scope and power of his mercy.

But consider the ramifications, if we are all bound for heaven:

The people we disagree with: they are bound for heaven.

The people we do not like: they are bound for heaven.

The people who do not share our faith: they are bound for heaven.  (See the Catechism of the Catholic Church, # 836-845)

The people who are struggling with various sins and difficulties: they are bound for heaven.

The people who seem to be defeated by evil: they are bound for heaven.

The people whom we are prone to condemn: they are bound for heaven.

Think about that concerning each and every person you see or encounter today: they are bound for heaven.

Do not judge, part three

The call to true conversion is always directed towards us and not towards others, but in our zeal we sometimes forget this fact. But what we must remember is that is it always easy to get passionate about other peoples’ moral issues than it is to get honest about our own issues and areas where we personally are being called to grow and change. And that is why we must be careful when we find ourselves demanding conversion of others before we have taken an honest look at the need for our own growth and purification.

Two quotes that address this issue:

1) Richard Rohr in The Naked Now, p. 94: “The ego diverts your attention from anything that would ask YOU to change, to righteous causes that invariably ask OTHERS to change.”

2) The Rule of Saint Benedict, chapter 72: “This, then, is the good zeal which monks must foster with fervent love: ‘They should each try to be the first to show respect to the other’ (Rom 12:10), supporting (=bearing) with the greatest patience one another’s weaknesses of body or behavior, and earnestly competing in obedience to one another.”