Over the last several weeks in the Catholic Sunday liturgy, we've been hearing Jesus teach on two major themes in the Gospel of John: mutual love and relationship. More than any other Gospel, John focuses on these two themes and makes them the centerpiece of his entire testimony to Jesus. John's version of Jesus gives long treatises to his hearers on the theme of the mutual love that God has shared with him and that he, in turn, has shared with his followers. Furthermore, if his disciples abide in his love by keeping his commandments, he will abide in them, they will abide in him, and they will know the Father. This teaching highlights the type of relationship that Jesus is calling his disciples to: the self-same length, depth, height, and breadth that Jesus himself has with God and has shared with others.
The Gospel of John in it's entirety is a veritable "palanca" that is meant to ever-so-slowly-but-surely open our hearts to the richness of God's love. "Palanca" in Spanish means "lever", "handle" or, "crowbar." Those who have attended Cursillo retreats or TEC retreats (Teens Encounter Christ) would be familiar with this word. These "immersive" retreats attempt to create an environment conducive to experiencing God's love at depth. "Palanca" are those notes of affirmation or other small tokens that the Cursillo or TEC staff share with the retreatants in order to help them "open" their hearts to an experience of God. The staff on these retreats are very deliberate in regularly giving out palanca because they no doubt know how difficult it can be to open one's heart and risk it in love.
We live in a world that makes it difficult at times to take risks for the sake of mutual love and relationship. If one tunes into the American media, there is a great deal of focus on all the reasons why people should be afraid and live in a protective shell in order to avoid taking excessive risks. When one is traveling by plane one is constantly assailed by the message that the current "threat level" is "orange" and one should therefore be diligent and ready for a possible terrorist attack. How is it possible to open our hearts to mutual love and depth of relationship when we are constantly encouraged to be on the defensive?
The book, "The Courage to Heal," chronicles the stories of women survivor's of childhood sexual abuse. The first part of the book shares one heartbreaking story after another of various women who were victimized as children by the persons who should have protected and nurtured them. As difficult as these stories are to stomach, if one can make it through the first one hundred or so pages, the rest of the book tells how they transcended the horrors of their childhood and learned to once again become open, vulnerable, and available to mutual relationship and loving at depth. Their stories are profound testimonies to the healing power and victory of love that is all around us but that rarely gets the media attention it deserves. Two quotes from the book are especially relevant to this reflection: "there's enormous power in speaking your truth. As poet Audre Lorde wrote, "your silence won't protect you." Although there are risks in speaking out, there are dangers in staying silent. Never doubt your right to speak your truth. The second quote is from Henri Nouwen, a renowned Catholic Priest and author: "When we ask ourselves which people in our lives mean the most to us, we often find it is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen to share our pain and touch our wounds with a warm and tender hand." The healing power of speaking one's truth, and the beauty of having our wounds salved through a gentle and warm touch, can only be experienced if we allow the "palanca" of God's love to open our hearts to the world around us. Pat
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
The Peace of Christ (John 14:27)
"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you" (John 14:27).
If you ask me, John's version of Jesus is much more cryptic than Matthew, Mark, and Luke's! If one were to read all four gospels one after the other in rapid succession, one would very definitely come to the conclusion that John's Jesus is very different. He talks more, he shares more about his relationship with the Father and his disciples, and he is far more cryptic in his speech. So, what might Jesus have up his sleeve in saying, "not as the world gives [peace] do I give it to you"? First off it may be tempting to think that Jesus is setting his peace in total opposition to the peace that the world offers. This may be true in one sense but not necessarily in another. On the one hand, John's version of Jesus is in opposition to the "world" that is purely focused on the bottom line of getting ahead at whatever cost and at whomever's expense. On the other hand, John's Jesus tells us that, "God so loved the world that he sent his only son to save it." (John 3:13).
The point being made here is that the world is not totally anachronistic to God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit. The peace that the world offers also is not totally evil and corrupt; it is, however, often misguided. The peace the world offers usually has to do with getting rid of tension and settling into a steady-state of relative "ease." Many conflicts and problems with relationships very often have to do with the fundamental unwillingness or inability to deal with tension or dis-ease. Think about how many persons in our world are taught to deal with conflict: stuffing, running, drugging, fighting, escaping, etc, etc. All of these responses have to do with fleeing from tension and succumbing to a "lowest common denominator"approach to peace as an absence of tension. But is that what true peace is really about?
The peace that God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit give as a gift is quite different. It comes rushing upon us and takes hold of our lives when we, ironically, face the tension of our lives, relationships, and world as matter-of-factly and head-on as possible. The peace of God isn't about resolving tension or trying to do away with it in an artificial and temporary way. The peace of God is the gift of comfort, consolation, and the awareness of the abiding support of a God who will strengthen and bear us up - especially when we make choices not to take the path of ease but to travel along the path of dis-ease in order to be stretched to live and love in ways we never imagined. Pat
If you ask me, John's version of Jesus is much more cryptic than Matthew, Mark, and Luke's! If one were to read all four gospels one after the other in rapid succession, one would very definitely come to the conclusion that John's Jesus is very different. He talks more, he shares more about his relationship with the Father and his disciples, and he is far more cryptic in his speech. So, what might Jesus have up his sleeve in saying, "not as the world gives [peace] do I give it to you"? First off it may be tempting to think that Jesus is setting his peace in total opposition to the peace that the world offers. This may be true in one sense but not necessarily in another. On the one hand, John's version of Jesus is in opposition to the "world" that is purely focused on the bottom line of getting ahead at whatever cost and at whomever's expense. On the other hand, John's Jesus tells us that, "God so loved the world that he sent his only son to save it." (John 3:13).
The point being made here is that the world is not totally anachronistic to God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit. The peace that the world offers also is not totally evil and corrupt; it is, however, often misguided. The peace the world offers usually has to do with getting rid of tension and settling into a steady-state of relative "ease." Many conflicts and problems with relationships very often have to do with the fundamental unwillingness or inability to deal with tension or dis-ease. Think about how many persons in our world are taught to deal with conflict: stuffing, running, drugging, fighting, escaping, etc, etc. All of these responses have to do with fleeing from tension and succumbing to a "lowest common denominator"approach to peace as an absence of tension. But is that what true peace is really about?
The peace that God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit give as a gift is quite different. It comes rushing upon us and takes hold of our lives when we, ironically, face the tension of our lives, relationships, and world as matter-of-factly and head-on as possible. The peace of God isn't about resolving tension or trying to do away with it in an artificial and temporary way. The peace of God is the gift of comfort, consolation, and the awareness of the abiding support of a God who will strengthen and bear us up - especially when we make choices not to take the path of ease but to travel along the path of dis-ease in order to be stretched to live and love in ways we never imagined. Pat
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Jesus, the Sheepfold Gate and Gateway to New Life and Love
Christians are so accustomed to viewing Jesus as the "Good Shepherd" that we overlook other metaphors for Jesus that can have a tremendous impact on how we live our daily lives. In last Sunday's Gospel from John (John 10:1-10), Jesus announces that he is the Sheepfold gate and that whoever enters him will have eternal life. This metaphor suggests two things: 1) Jesus is a type of "gateway" and 2) Jesus is also someone, and, his pattern of life, something, to be entered into. Jesus is a gateway in the sense that through his human and divine life, he opens up new and unparalleled possibilities for connection between humanity and God. When a person enters the gateway that is Christ, they essentially open themselves to allowing God and the divine presence (Holy Spirit) to come flooding into every nook, cranny, and experience of life, giving it purpose, meaning, and ultimate value. However, we don't merely enter through Jesus into this way of living, by passing through the sheepfold gate we enter into Jesus. Christ is more than a mere gateway to new life and love, Christ is new life and new love. Therefore, this metaphor of Christ as sheepfold gate suggests not just a journey but a mode of companionship in which we enter ever more deeply into the person of Christ and Christ ever so slowly, subtly, and humbly penetrates the depths of our lives and the sum total of all of our experiences to infuse them with depth of ultimate meaning and affirming love.
With Jesus as our Sheepfold Gate and Pasture of New Life and Love, we needn't be afraid to throw ourselves entirely into the project of loving life and, above all, loving others. Yet, why is this such a difficult thing to do? There are many reasons why it is hard to risk ourselves in love. Perhaps the greatest obstacle to entering into Jesus and throwing the whole of ourselves into the adventure of life and love is fear and the fear of loss. Our culture is imbued with many fear based messages: fears of terrorism, poverty, "right" or "left", crime, dying, death, etc, etc,. All of these fears basically have to do with some threat of loss. Entering the Sheepfold Gate of Jesus means letting go of our fear of loss and resolving to love life and others even as it or they slip away from us.
Karl E. Peters, in his book, "Dancing with The Sacred," gives an excellent example from his own life about what it means to enter into the Sheepfold Gate of Christ and love despite the threat of loss. He relates the story about how he and his wife of 33 years, Carol, endured the cutting short of her life by cancer: "Because we had no hope of life, we experienced a strange kind of freedom. It was the freedom of knowing that the worst was going to happen, so we could do whatever we wanted. We did all of our favorite things and more. Most important, we talked. We reviewed our life together. We enjoyed remembering the good times and we came to terms with all the trouble we had caused one another. We talked, we listened, we forgave. As life was ebbing away, love was growing. I learned to love and be loved - in ways I never thought possible. Because I knew it could not last forever, I gave myself totally to caring for her. In the end she aged twenty years in fifteen months and my love for her became like that of an adult child for an aged parent. In the end she became dependent, even for walking, and my love was like a parent for a toddling child. And even as she became more dependent physically, she remained emotionally mature - expressing love to all whom she met, and especially to me. Every night, before she went to sleep, she looked into my eyes and said, "Thank you for everything!" Her deep gratitude lovingly consoled me in the midst of our loss. I do not wish these experiences on anyone. But I know that when life goes, love can flourish. I know that love is more important than life."
With Jesus as our Sheepfold Gate and Pasture of New Life and Love, we needn't be afraid to throw ourselves entirely into the project of loving life and, above all, loving others. Yet, why is this such a difficult thing to do? There are many reasons why it is hard to risk ourselves in love. Perhaps the greatest obstacle to entering into Jesus and throwing the whole of ourselves into the adventure of life and love is fear and the fear of loss. Our culture is imbued with many fear based messages: fears of terrorism, poverty, "right" or "left", crime, dying, death, etc, etc,. All of these fears basically have to do with some threat of loss. Entering the Sheepfold Gate of Jesus means letting go of our fear of loss and resolving to love life and others even as it or they slip away from us.
Karl E. Peters, in his book, "Dancing with The Sacred," gives an excellent example from his own life about what it means to enter into the Sheepfold Gate of Christ and love despite the threat of loss. He relates the story about how he and his wife of 33 years, Carol, endured the cutting short of her life by cancer: "Because we had no hope of life, we experienced a strange kind of freedom. It was the freedom of knowing that the worst was going to happen, so we could do whatever we wanted. We did all of our favorite things and more. Most important, we talked. We reviewed our life together. We enjoyed remembering the good times and we came to terms with all the trouble we had caused one another. We talked, we listened, we forgave. As life was ebbing away, love was growing. I learned to love and be loved - in ways I never thought possible. Because I knew it could not last forever, I gave myself totally to caring for her. In the end she aged twenty years in fifteen months and my love for her became like that of an adult child for an aged parent. In the end she became dependent, even for walking, and my love was like a parent for a toddling child. And even as she became more dependent physically, she remained emotionally mature - expressing love to all whom she met, and especially to me. Every night, before she went to sleep, she looked into my eyes and said, "Thank you for everything!" Her deep gratitude lovingly consoled me in the midst of our loss. I do not wish these experiences on anyone. But I know that when life goes, love can flourish. I know that love is more important than life."
Monday, May 9, 2011
The "Work" of God: Believing in The One He Sent (John 6:29)
In today's Daily Mass Gospel from John, Jesus is approached by a crowd of people who ask him "what can we do to accomplish the works of God." Jesus responds with, "this is the work of God: that you believe in the one he sent" (meaning, believing in himself). This sage counsel of Jesus always struck me as a bit strange, after all, how can "belief" be considered "work"? Belief hardly seems like labor: either you believe in something or you don't, there certainly isn't much labor that goes into our beliefs! Unless, of course, belief in Jesus is something not-so-quite-matter-of-fact, which, of course, it isn't!
Belief in Jesus is so much more than parroting the tired, over-used phrase of, "Jesus is my personal Lord and Savior." This is NOT the kind of belief in Jesus that equals "work." Nor is belief looking to Jesus, the Gospels, or the New Testament for some secret formula for living the good life. I recently heard a televangelist preaching on belief in the power of Christ's blood and abstracting from the metaphor of the Lord's Blood (meaning, his sacrifice) four principles for a successful spiritual life and also seemingly a successful life in general. The work of God very definitely does not consist in believing in Jesus (or his blood) so as to gain material reward. The Son of God, the apostles, and all of those faithful disciples profiled in the New Testament very definitely did not lay out a path for reaping material rewards in this life, as a matter of fact, they laid out quite the opposite!
Belief in Jesus equals work when we make the "paschal pattern" or "paschal mystery" of Jesus' life the reason, rationale, and rhythm of our own life. It means being incorporated into the life of Christ ever more deeply and progressively over the whole of our lives. Now THIS is work! The "paschal pattern" or "paschal mystery" that we are invited to be drawn into is very basically a life focused on allowing God to bring redemption from all the circumstances that make up our lives, especially circumstances of struggling, vulnerability, suffering, and striving to be authentically human in a world that would have us do otherwise. Belief in Jesus ultimately has less to do with professing Jesus as Lord as it does making Jesus' presence felt by pouring out our lives so that others might live. However, as much as belief in Jesus is rough sledding and difficult work, the more we do it, the more it becomes a labor of love for the life of others and for the life of the world. Pat, TOR
Belief in Jesus is so much more than parroting the tired, over-used phrase of, "Jesus is my personal Lord and Savior." This is NOT the kind of belief in Jesus that equals "work." Nor is belief looking to Jesus, the Gospels, or the New Testament for some secret formula for living the good life. I recently heard a televangelist preaching on belief in the power of Christ's blood and abstracting from the metaphor of the Lord's Blood (meaning, his sacrifice) four principles for a successful spiritual life and also seemingly a successful life in general. The work of God very definitely does not consist in believing in Jesus (or his blood) so as to gain material reward. The Son of God, the apostles, and all of those faithful disciples profiled in the New Testament very definitely did not lay out a path for reaping material rewards in this life, as a matter of fact, they laid out quite the opposite!
Belief in Jesus equals work when we make the "paschal pattern" or "paschal mystery" of Jesus' life the reason, rationale, and rhythm of our own life. It means being incorporated into the life of Christ ever more deeply and progressively over the whole of our lives. Now THIS is work! The "paschal pattern" or "paschal mystery" that we are invited to be drawn into is very basically a life focused on allowing God to bring redemption from all the circumstances that make up our lives, especially circumstances of struggling, vulnerability, suffering, and striving to be authentically human in a world that would have us do otherwise. Belief in Jesus ultimately has less to do with professing Jesus as Lord as it does making Jesus' presence felt by pouring out our lives so that others might live. However, as much as belief in Jesus is rough sledding and difficult work, the more we do it, the more it becomes a labor of love for the life of others and for the life of the world. Pat, TOR
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Good News Proclaimed by the Apostles: We Are Saved and Are "Being Saved" in Christ
Today's Feast Day in honor of the apostles Philip and James gives us pause to consider the "apostolic ministry" of proclaiming the Word, or, Good News (Gospel) of Jesus Christ. The psalm response from today's Mass declares, "Their message (the Apostles) goes out through all the Earth." What, precisely, is this "message"? The message, of course, is the Gospel, or, "Good News" of God's saving action in Jesus Christ. This is straightforward and simple enough. What isn't so simple is "parsing" out from the New Testament witness what, exactly, the Good News is all about.
Is the message simply that God saves us from sin in Jesus? Is the message that Jesus is "our personal Lord and Savior"? While both of these testimonies are true, they certainly are not the whole truth, nor even the most important part of the depth of the truth which lies at the heart of the Gospel. To get to the heart and soul of what the Good News is more richly about, we can take our lead from today's Mass readings. To begin with, in Paul's Letter to the Corinthians, he declares that the members of the Corinthian Church are "being saved" through the Gospel (1 Cor. 15:2). This is a present progressive verb formulation, suggesting that salvation is very definitely not a "once and for all" deal in Christ but an ongoing reality. What Paul's writings consistently bear witness to, just like the lives of the Apostles and the message they declared, is that salvation is not merely from sin, but, more importantly, salvation is for God. In other words, we are saved from sin so as to live in God! This comes across in today's Gospel from John when Jesus declares to Thomas that, in having fellowship with Jesus, he knows God (John, 14:7). This knowledge of God isn't a "head" knowledge, but speaks to a deep, intimate knowing and experiencing of God's heart. This is a knowledge more on the order of two lovers who's bodies, hearts, spirits, and souls are intertwined in a communion of total self offering and gifting of one to the other. Such is the power of the Gospel: it frees us from sin and guilt so that we might more freely and totally receive and be received into the very heart, spirit, and soul of the living and loving God. Pat, TOR
Is the message simply that God saves us from sin in Jesus? Is the message that Jesus is "our personal Lord and Savior"? While both of these testimonies are true, they certainly are not the whole truth, nor even the most important part of the depth of the truth which lies at the heart of the Gospel. To get to the heart and soul of what the Good News is more richly about, we can take our lead from today's Mass readings. To begin with, in Paul's Letter to the Corinthians, he declares that the members of the Corinthian Church are "being saved" through the Gospel (1 Cor. 15:2). This is a present progressive verb formulation, suggesting that salvation is very definitely not a "once and for all" deal in Christ but an ongoing reality. What Paul's writings consistently bear witness to, just like the lives of the Apostles and the message they declared, is that salvation is not merely from sin, but, more importantly, salvation is for God. In other words, we are saved from sin so as to live in God! This comes across in today's Gospel from John when Jesus declares to Thomas that, in having fellowship with Jesus, he knows God (John, 14:7). This knowledge of God isn't a "head" knowledge, but speaks to a deep, intimate knowing and experiencing of God's heart. This is a knowledge more on the order of two lovers who's bodies, hearts, spirits, and souls are intertwined in a communion of total self offering and gifting of one to the other. Such is the power of the Gospel: it frees us from sin and guilt so that we might more freely and totally receive and be received into the very heart, spirit, and soul of the living and loving God. Pat, TOR
Monday, May 2, 2011
Second Sunday of Easter: Belief without Seeing as Transformation in the Spirit
The Gospel of John is wholly unique in the way that it depicts Christ's Resurrection and his first appearance to the disciples (John 20:19-31). Unlike the other Gospel writers who have Jesus rising, spending a period of time with his disciples instructing them, ascending to heaven, and than sending the Holy Spirit to them (Pentecost), John conflates the Resurrection and sending of the Spirit into one event occurring simultaneously. To conflate two things or ideas is to "bring them together; to meld or fuse them." What is the significance of conflating the Resurrection and the sending of the Spirit in John? To begin with, it's important to bear in mind that John was written 30-40 years after the other Gospels. Hence, the Christian community had the opportunity to mull over, reflect on, and experience the power of Christ's Resurrection for some time. Therefore, we can presume that the point isn't a historical one but a theological one. The Christian community has come to understand the Resurrection not merely as God's "antidote" to death, nor even sin, but, as the "doorway" to new life in Christ through the Holy Spirit. "Belief" in Jesus no longer is a matter of seeing the risen Lord, nor even professing faith in Christ's with one's lips, but, even more, by being transformed through the Spirit. Jesus tells Thomas after appearing to him, "blessed are those who have not seen and believed." (John 20:29). We are indeed blessed in not seeing the Lord because we must rely, rather, on the presence of the Spirit in our lives as a guiding and empowering force which transforms us, our relationships, our communities, and, even our world ever slowly but surely into a "Christ-like" environs that is more open to God's Kingdom.
To see an example of what it means to believe in Christ as transformation through the Spirit, take for example the aftermath of the horrific storms that ripped through Alabama, Mississippi, and a number of other southern states this past week. Despite the apocalyptic-like carnage surrounding the survivors of these storms, many have spoken of how fortunate and blessed they feel to be alive, of having a new appreciation for life, of relationships that are being strengthened through this tragedy, and of communities that are drawing together more closely in mutual support, care, concern, and love. The bonds being formed among members of these devastated communities and those who are reaching out to them both near and far speak to similar dynamics that were at the heart of the early Christian communities mentioned in today's first reading from the Acts of the Apostles: "They devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles and to the communal life, to the breaking of bread and to the prayers. Awe came upon everyone, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. All who believed were together and had all things in common." (Acts 2:42-47). The Risen Lord is indeed at work every bit as much today as he was immediately after the Resurrection, forming disciples whose faith is grounded not in seeing but in transformation through the Spirit. Pat, TOR
To see an example of what it means to believe in Christ as transformation through the Spirit, take for example the aftermath of the horrific storms that ripped through Alabama, Mississippi, and a number of other southern states this past week. Despite the apocalyptic-like carnage surrounding the survivors of these storms, many have spoken of how fortunate and blessed they feel to be alive, of having a new appreciation for life, of relationships that are being strengthened through this tragedy, and of communities that are drawing together more closely in mutual support, care, concern, and love. The bonds being formed among members of these devastated communities and those who are reaching out to them both near and far speak to similar dynamics that were at the heart of the early Christian communities mentioned in today's first reading from the Acts of the Apostles: "They devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles and to the communal life, to the breaking of bread and to the prayers. Awe came upon everyone, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. All who believed were together and had all things in common." (Acts 2:42-47). The Risen Lord is indeed at work every bit as much today as he was immediately after the Resurrection, forming disciples whose faith is grounded not in seeing but in transformation through the Spirit. Pat, TOR
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