What matters most?

Sunday, July 31, 2016

From the Mass readings for the 18^th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year

“Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.” (Ecclesiastes 1:2)

Pure and simple. All of the things we are concerned about, all the things we are preoccupied with, all the things we are hungry and greedy for, all the things we want or covet, all the things that we possess that we used to think would make us happy (and by the way, how has that turned out for you?) everything that is made of earth and matter, most certainly everything that was made by man—even the great works of art, I guess, although we know that there will be music in heaven, all of this---or rather, should I say, NONE of it will really matter in the long run, in the age to come.

And yet, of course, these things do matter to us up to a certain point, because after all, we are human, we are made of earth, and we are inhabitants of the earthly realm. They may not matter to us once we make it to heaven, please God, but they do matter now. The important question is a question of priorities---and here it is that we often can go wrong.

Some people live with their priorities way out of whack. Do you? Do I? At times, perhaps. I do know that if there were a fire in the building, the one thing I would try to save above all others is my laptop. I have been known to say, “But my whole life is in my laptop!” ----but what does that statement really say? How would you evaluate my priorities? But more importantly, how do you evaluate your own? Could it possibly be that you—or I—give more weight and value and important to things that really don’t matter much in the long run? I can’t help thinking of the story where Jesus tells a man, “There is one thing more that you need in order to be perfect: go sell all you have and give it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven, and come follow me!” (Luke 18:22) And the man went away sad because he was very rich.

But let’s not condemn or think poorly of the man. What would we do in his situation? I know there was a time in my life when I did give away everything I owned, including money (except for my typewriter, some books and records and winter clothes), but my goodness, I now have more than I had when I was practically penniless. God has blessed me beyond measure, as the Lord promised He would. The bad news, however, is that once again I am prone to have a problem with—there’s that word again—PRIORITIES!

I’m just playing around today, trying to get you to think a bit about some things in your life, just as I am thinking about things in my own life. In conclusion, however, I want to call your attention to the last statement in today’s Gospel, where Jesus talks about being rich in what matters to God. (Luke 12:21)

And what does that mean? Something else for you to think about from time to time.

God bless you!

There is always hope, if you are honest about yourself

July 29-30, 2016

The 17^th Century French philosopher and theologian Blaise Pascal once said that there are two principal things we need to know and keep in mind:

1)      That we have a God.

2)      That we are wretched sinners.

Both of these things need to be remembered, not just one. If we believe that we have a God but don’t believe that we are sinners, then we fall into grievous error, risk getting pumped up with pride, and do not avail ourselves of the great gift Jesus Christ gave to us by dying for our sinners. As St. John said in his first letter: If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. (I John 1:8-10)

On the other hand, if we know that we are wretched sinners, but do not know (or believe) that we have a God, a God Who forgives our sins through Jesus Christ, through Whom we have salvation, then we are the most miserable creatures of all. Consider a time when you have fallen deeply into sin. Imagine that during that time you forgot that you have a God Who would forgive you, but that you are alone in your wretchedness with no hope of salvation or release, then how miserable and hopeless would you be?

Pascal says that this condition is the wretchedness of the atheist. I must admit, however, that I have found in some cases, atheists who do not admit to any sin at all and who are lost in their ignorance. We have only to read the newspapers on any given day to realize how many souls there are in the world who have no concept of sin, or guilt, or responsibility for adding to the deposit of evil in the world. And recent history has shown that there are those who believe there is a God, but that He is a God of vengeance, and wrath, and violence and hatred for those who do not think like they do.

Therefore, I would like to suggest that there are not two, but three things that we need to keep in mind at all times.

1)      That we are wretched sinners.

2)      That we have a God.

3)      That this God is a God of  love and forgiveness Who has sent His Son through Whose death we are set free from our sin, gain forgiveness and healing, and through his mercy gain salvation as long as we confess our sin.

God bless you.

How is He forming you?

July 28, 2016

The first reading at Mass today: Jeremiah 18:1-6, the story of the clay and the potter.  At the Lord’s command, Jeremiah goes to watch a potter at work. The potter works the clay at the wheel, shaping and forming it, and if he doesn’t like the way it is turning out, he reshapes it and forms it into something of his liking, something that will be pleasing to him. Then the Lord asks him, “Can I not do to you, house of Israel, as this potter has done?

And we have ask, “Can he not do the same to us, as he wills, making of us something which is truly pleasing to him?”

Some questions to think about today:

How many twists and turns has your life taken? How many times, perhaps, has it be deconstructed and then reconstructed. How many times, perhaps, have you thought you were turning out a certain way when gradually things begin to happen that change the entire picture and reform you? How many times have you tried to reform, and couldn’t do so because you did not trust in His hands rather than your own?

How is He forming you now? How are you resisting? How much do you cling to the old form so much that your clay is no longer supple and malleable? If so, ask Him to give you living water so that you may be revitalized and that he may continue to do His work in you and with you.

God bless you.

How great is God's capacity to forgive?

I’m happy to be returning to Reflections after a wonderful, restful, inspiring and beautiful vacation and tour of four major Canadian cities: Toronto, Ottowa, Montréal, and Québec.

This morning before Mass I was sitting in our cloister garden and savoring the peace and beauty that was all around me. No one else was present, and there were (thankfully) no noises from outside the monastery. My prayers were of gratitude, of mercy, and of intercession, especially for all the people in the world who are suffering from this demonic rash of senseless violence extending throughout the world. I was aware of just how many people there are in the world who never have an opportunity to sit and simply savor silence and beauty, and also how many people there are, myself included, who have access to such environments but often take them for granted or even ignore them because they think they have more pressing concerns.

I prayed that those who do not know the silence and beauty that the monastery affords, may, even for just a tiny moment, experience some of what I was experiencing this morning before the bells rang for Mass.

Silence and beauty: are they luxuries or necessities? And what happens to us when there are taken from us, or when we are forced to live in an environment where these things aren’t even available? Could there be any connection between that and all the violence in our world? I certainly don’t know for sure, but these are things worth wondering about.

Can it be possible to live in your world in a way that you can opt for silence? Again, just wondering.

My entire day wasn’t peaceful, however. Shortly after Mass I learned that in a tiny village in France, and 84-year-old-priest was assassinated by two ISIS fanatics while he was saying Mass. And so the violence continues.

Assassinating a priest (reports say he was beheaded) while he is saying Mass. The assassins were killed by the police. At first I thought that surely they must be writhing in hell. But then . . . I recalled the peace I had enjoyed this morning, me a sinner, given such beautiful gifts, and I wonder . . . could God’s mercy be so great and unfathomable, as Pope Francis teaches us, that even they would be forgiven what they had done?

After all, does anyone in this world really have God’s permission to draw the line between mercy and punishment?

What do you think?

God bless you!

Thoughts during a time of violence

I’m writing from the USA, where hardly a day goes by when we do not hear the news of senseless violence and its innocent victims. It matters not if the root of this violence is in anger and hatred, or is the act of some deranged person so troubled in mind and spirit that this trouble breaks out from them and makes its mark on the world. Satan is having a field day with us, and the pain and loss is multiplying exponentially. I’m beginning to wonder if it won’t be long before every single person in this country doesn’t know and grieve the loss of someone close to them.

Some self-proclaimed prophets like to say that we are being punished, and then pointing the finger at what they have decided to be the cause of the punishment. But they are not prophets. Never forget that the mark of the true prophet, according to Biblical standards, is the fact that the prophet is never wrong.

Others want to place the blame on politicians, or political realities such as the deep divisions there are in our country at the moment. But again, no one has been given the wisdom to be able to explain what is happening to us these days.

As for me, I simply can bow before the mystery of all this horror, and admit I do not understand it. I also give thanks for my monastic vocation because as Thomas Merton once remarked on his first visit to the Abbey of Gethsemanee, it is the prayer of the monks that are holding the world together through all of this. I think of this often when called to the Divine Office and to personal prayer, and in the psalms I find all the expressions of deep emotion and hope and torment that are found in those sacred pages. I often want to cry out with the psalmist, “How long, how long, O God? Have you cast us off forever?”

I also find great consolation in the Jesus Prayer, because probably the most helpful thing I can do at this time is to pray for my own soul and for its need for mercy. I have often heard it said that “if you want to change the world, then first change yourself.” Well, OK. “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”

Please be careful and don’t be quick to jump to conclusions about what is going on in our world right now.  It think it is a fruitless waste of time to seek to understand. Our job now is to endure and unite our sadness, fear, disillusionment and pain to the pain of Our Dear Lord on the cross, and pray that He will absorb our suffering into himself and through the miracle which can only come from His love, transform it and transform us.

One last thing: I know that my own country is certainly not the only place where innocent victims of violence are suffering and dying. And I also know that my own country is also guilty of the sin of causing innocent victims to suffer and die elsewhere in the world. “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on us sinners.” “Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death.”  Amen.

I’ll be back on  July 22 or 23. God bless you all.

Different readings of the same text

We had a reading from St. Ephrem at morning prayer today which I want to share with you:

Lord, who can grasp all the wealth of just one of your words? What we understand is much less than what we leave behind, like thirsty people who drink from a fountain. For your word, Lord, has many shades of meaning, just as those who study it have many different points of view. The Lord has colored his words with so many hues, so that each person who studies it can see in it what he loves. He has hidden many treasures in his word so that each of us is enriched as we meditate on it.  (Commentary of St. Ephrem on the Diatessaron)

We can study the same scriptures year after year and each time come away with something new. What touches our heart at one time may not be what we need at another time, but there is still more. I like to think of the Beatitudes in this way (Matthew 5:3-12). There are some beatitudes which make far more sense to someone who has been through the ringer than for someone who is living a comfortable easy-going existence.

Blest are those persecuted for holiness sake; the reign of God is theirs. Blest are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of slander against you because of me. Be glad and rejoice, for your reward is great in heaven. (5:11)

Let’s face it: There are times when this beatitude doesn’t make any sense at all. “Rejoice because you are being dragged through the mud and people are persecuting you? Give me a break! How could that be?”

BUT: If you are a displaced homeless Christian in danger every day of being put to death by ISIS, that verse takes on a whole new meaning, doesn’t it? And for those who are suffering it is indeed good news.

To sum up: Our understanding of the scriptures is based on our own particular circumstances and on what we bring to the text. If a text touches you deeply, consider what it is saying to your state of life at that moment. And, above all, be respectful of those who may be getting something different from one of your favorite texts, assuming they are sincere and not because they are looking for a way to use the scriptures as a weapon against someone else.

God bless you!

The sometimes secret benefactor

The first reading for today’s Mass:

Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk, who took them in my arms; I drew them with human cords, with bands of live; I fostered them  like one who raises an infant to his cheeks; Yet, though I stooped to feed my child, they did not know that I was their healer. (Hosea 11:3-4)

This is one of the most personable and intimate readings of the Old Testament, this story of the relationship between God and His people. And yet, at the same time, it is the story of the relationship between God and between you and me.

Consider, if you will, the gentleness and love and encouragement it takes to teach a child to walk. And what happens when the child falls? Is that perhaps the way you God wants to treat you and you fall?

God says, “I drew them with human cords.” Think of all the humans who have aided you in your journey to God. More often than not, you are led be friends and mentors, guides and witnesses, not by some kind of awesome and terrifying storm and thunder from on high.

“I drew them with bonds of love.” Have you found that true for you? Perhaps not. Perhaps it has taken something more exacting than bonds of love. What has been your situation?

“I stooped to feed my child.” Every day, in so many ways, for we need to be fed frequently. Personally, I like to read these words as a reference to the Eucharist, when the Lord Jesus actually stoops down to the altar to feed us.

“They did not know that I was their healer.” How often is it, I wonder, that we haven’t been able to see the hand of God operating in our lives when it was actually present. In how many ways have we been healed, and still need more healing?

Think on these things if you will. God bless you!

Please note that I will be on vacation from July 9 until July 22 or 23.

Tenderness for the lost

From today’s Gospel passage: At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd. (Matthew 9: 36)

I found there to be a considerable difference in various translations of this verse so I decided to look up the original Greek text, and with the help of an interlinear reference, discovered that the sense of the original is as follows:

And seeing the crowds, he was filled with tenderness concerning them, because they were distressed and prostrate as sheep not having a shepherd.

The image that immediately came to my mind was the sight of the crowds of homeless refugees who are suffering so terribly from the wars and terrorism in the Middle East. And I prayed, “Jesus, look upon them with tenderness and in ways known only to you, give each individual a special form of help and grace this day.”

We have read time and time again in the Gospels how Jesus cares for the individual people He meets along the way. To one He brings sight, to another hearing. Palsied limbs are made whole, anguished souls hear the words of forgiveness that no one else will give to them. The religious leaders of the day condemn the sinner; Jesus does not, but rather forgives and offers a promise of new life.

The next time you see a picture of a group of refugees in the news or on the Internet, spend a couple of minutes dwelling on each individual face. Look upon that one person “with tenderness,” pray for each individual. See not a crowd but rather a collection of unique persons, each different, each with a different tale of horror and misery to tell, each with hopes that somehow things will get better. Judge no one. Pray for each.

And pray also that the Lord will look up on you in your troubled and tired existence, and bring you precisely what it is that you need this day, even perhaps something you don’t even realize you need.

God bless you!

Note: I will be posting from now until Friday, and then will be off for the final period of my summer travels. I will resume posting again on July 22 or July 23.