Food for Thought--IV

The coronavirus crisis and the crisis of Jesus sufferings and death:

Condemned to death, Jesus freed us from eternal      death.
On the cross, Jesus prayed: "Father forgive them for  they know not what they do."
Remember me when you get into your Kingdom,      the good thief prayed!
On the way to Calvary, Jesus said to the women:      "Weep not for me but for yourselves and your           children."
Never will I deny you, said Peter to Jesus and, filled  with fear, ended up denying Him three times!
Afraid, the apostles all fled--only John stood with      Mary at the foot of the cross!
Verily, "this is the Son of God," the fearful onlookers  said when an earthquake shook the ground and      darkness covered the earth after Jesus' death.  
In cooperation with Satan, Judas betrayed Jesus        and then, in despair, took his own life.
Resurrected, Jesus triumphed over fear and death.
Until the coming of the Spirit on Pentecost, the        apostles hid behind locked doors for fear of the        Jews.
Secure in their faith by the outpouring of the Spirit    on Pentecost, the apostles went forth to spread        the Good News of Jesus' resurrection and did so        with incredible boldness and courage, not afraid        anymore to express their faith in Christ Jesus.

Following the crisis of the coronavirus, I pray that we will no longer be afraid to put God first in our lives and proclaim our faith in Christ Jesus by living just and upright lives for each other's sake!

Accountability, Integrity, Honesty

In today's first reading from the second book of Samuel, 2 Sam 12: 1-7a, 10-17, God sends the prophet Nathan to confront David, who covered up his sin against Uriah, having taken his wife as his own and having relations with her leading to Bathsheba becoming pregnant. His initial lying led to the greater sin of arranging for Uriah's death.  David thought that he would get away with his crimes against Uriah and his family, but did not.  Neither will you and I get away with whatever wrongs we have committed.  Being held accountable, hopefully, will happen for us here on earth and not wait until eternity.

Every night when we listen to the news we hear of cover-ups, denials and persons enabling others to get away with their crimes against humanity.  And so much more of this kind of corruption occurs  that is not part of the news.  This behavior goes all the way back to the story in Genesis of Adam and Eve covering up their sinful behavior. "I hid from you," Adam tells God, "because I was naked."  God held both Adam and Eve accountable for their sins and continues to all you and me to openness about our wrongdoings, as He did with David.  David repented, modeling the importance of owning up to how we have harmed others.

Can God count on you and I to be a "Nathan," a woman/a man of integrity, a person who will stand up to truth and hold ourselves and others accountable? Or do we cower from those who threaten us and bully us to remain silent, either of our own sinfulness or that of others?

Being a "Herod," or a "Joseph" or a "Mary" in Today's World--Who am I?

Today, in the Catholic Church, we celebrate the feast of Holy Innocents, those children slaughtered by Herod after he heard about the Messiah being born in Bethlehem and whose kingdom would last forever.  He perceived his kingdom and his power at risk and would have none of it!

Of whom am I, are you, jealous? By whose power, real or imagined, do I, do you, feel   threatened? Is there anyone who you are degrading verbally, putting down by demeaning images and, if so, why? How is that person a threat to you, even if an unconscious threat? Instead of attacking another, what if  you and I sent person/s a blessing, prayed for them and turned them, and ourselves, over to a merciful God for the graces he or she needs and that we need as well? What if you and I did not join those who pour out the poisonous venom of hatred, bigotry, misogyny, prejudice and other divisive stances and, instead, spread love, mercy, compassion and forgiveness as Jesus did? Or are we not serious about our faith in the Lord?  Are we, in truth, making the world a better place because of who we are and what we stand for? Or do we simply become part of the crowd of cynical, hate-filled mongrels afraid to look oneself honestly in the mirror and examine what attitudes have poisoned our minds?

Obviously, Herod did not face the truth about himself and simply went on a killing spree, totally out of control of the negativity, the jealousy, the selfishness and sinfulness within him. We, too, can be a "Herod" in today's world  by our words, our actions, our silence.  We can choose to teach others the dynamics of hatred, jealousy, envy, lust for power and control and other sinful attitudes. We can encourage others to seek superiority over others and express that delusional superiority in words and actions that put others down. On the other hand, we can choose to be a "Joseph", a "Mary", listening to God's call to be men and women of integrity who protect children from venomous environments and take them away from places of danger--physical or non-physical. Yes, we can be teachers of Gospel values or the values taught in any other religion--values of integrity, truth, love in both word and action.

Living as God Intends for Us to Live

In today's first reading, Titus 2: 1-8, 11-14, St. Paul enumerates the virtues practiced by those who are faithful to their Lord and Master, Jesus Christ. Such persons, men or women, are consistently true to their faith and to their marriage and religious vows.  They are men and women of integrity, "sound in faith, love, and endurance....reverent in their behavior, ....showing [themselves] as [models] of good deeds in every respect."  Living in this way is possible for all of us, "[f]or the grace of God has appeared, saving all and training us to reject godless ways and worldly desires, [enabling and empowering us] to live temperately, justly, and devoutly in this age, as we await the blessed hope, the appearance of the glory of the great God and of our savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to deliver us from all lawlessness and to cleanse for himself a people as his own, eager to do what is good."

What a grace to be elevated to this kind of exalted living by the grace of God within us!  God not only invites us to do what is right and reverent, He also equips us to live in this way.  Furthermore, God implants an eagerness within our deepest being "to do what is good".  By walking beside us, taking us by the hand, God guides us to complete the good we intend to do. God never leaves our side and, when we call upon Him, He answers us in our weakness, making us strong in weak places!  Praise and thanks to our God!

A Plea for Justice

Again, today's first reading, Habakkuk 1: 12-2:4, is applicable to what is happening in the world of today.  Habakkuk is complaining to the Lord concerning the evil that exists in the world of his day. He says to the Lord, God:  "Are you not from eternity, Lord, my holy God, immortal?  O Lord, you have marked [evil men/women] for judgment, O Rock, you have readied [them] for punishment!  Too pure are your eyes to look upon evil, and the sight of misery you cannot endure. Why, then, do you gaze on the faithless in silence while the wicked man devours one more just than himself?"

Habakkuk's complaint is as true now as in his day.  Evil men and women "devour" others more just than themselves; they are, therefore,  marked for judgment--God's judgment.   The psalmist, in today's responsorial psalm, Psalm 9, reminds that "[t]he Lord sits enthroned forever; he has set up his throne for judgment.  He judges the world with justice; he governs; the people with equity," so unlike humankind's way of judging and governing.  Also, as Habakukk emphasizes:  God's eyes are "too pure...to look upon evil." This is as true today as then."The sight of misery [God] cannot endure" today  any more than in days of old.  The day of judgment will come. God will intervene in God's time and bring justice to this world, creating a new earth and a new heaven where justice will reign and evil will be no more!

Regarding Habakkuk's complaint, God responds as follows: Write down the vision clearly upon the tablets, so that one can read it readily. For the vision still has its time, presses on to fulfillment, and will not disappoint; if it delays, wait for it, it will surely come, it will not be late. The rash man/[woman] has no integrity; but the just [person], because of his [her] faith, shall live."  That promise will be fulfilled!  I believe that!  What about you?

Jesus: God with Us

In the first reading of today’s liturgy, Jeremiah 23: 5-8, the prophet proclaims the coming of Jesus, the Messiah raised up from the root of Jesse.  Jesus is a King of justice, of righteousness and of truth. No deceit is found in Him. Jesus is the Son of God made one with us in the Incarnation. He is the one who frees all of us in exile—those exiled from their earthly homes and all of us exiled from our heavenly homes by sin and selfishness, greed and avarice, deceit and rebelliousness, corruption and ignorance, hopelessness and faithlessness.  Jesus brings all of us home who are exiled from our true selves, from our personal integrity, from our authentic freedom.  

Jesus says to us: I will bring you back to Me.  I will restore you to truth and justice, to ways that preserve your integrity, that restore your right as women, as precious little girls and boys with the right to be treated with respect, to be taught rightly. I will free each of My sons and daughters from being the   property which others abuse, mutilate or exploit for personal pleasure and for the accumulation of this world’s wealth.  I am a Just Judge. Those who abuse, mutilate and exploit my children, young or old, female or male, who destroy anyone’s right to be true to themselves, to grow up to their fullest human potential, including those who kill a child in its mother’s womb,  I will bring to justice. I have come to free anyone put into slavery by anyone or by any means.

I am God; there is no other (Is 45:5).

Be Not Afraid of What I Am Asking of You

“’Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary  your wife into your home. For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”  When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his house” (Mt 1: 16, 18-21, 24a).

Imagine the agony of Joseph in discovering that Mary, to whom he is engaged,  is pregnant.  He trusted her. He loves her dearly and felt privileged that she is to be his wife. He then finds out that she is carrying a child that is not his own.  Distraught, he plans to divorce her quietly so as not to shame her.  He also is terrified that she could be stoned to death, the consequences, in  that culture, if found to have conceived a child out of wedlock.  Struggling with the situation, a messenger from God appears to him in a dream one night and reveals to him the circumstances of Mary’s pregnancy and that the son she is carrying is the Messiah, the one who “will save his people from their sins.”  “Do not be afraid, Joseph, to accept Mary as your wife; take her into your home.” And Joseph obeys the messenger of God.

Joseph suddenly realizes, in a profound way, the purpose for which God created him: to protect, cherish and love Mary and to be the foster father of Jesus, the Son of God made man.  He is to provide for both of them, being compassionate as His heavenly Father is compassionate, being understanding, and caring.  He is no longer identified with his job, that of a carpenter. His calling is much more profound than that. His career is not his calling. It is not the reason God brought him into existence.

For what purpose did God bring you into the world? What is your calling?  What gives substance and meaning to your existence? What transcends  job/career for you and transforms you into the best version of yourself as a human being?

"Wooden Beams" or "Splinters"

In today’s Gospel, Luke 6: 39-42, Jesus challenges us concerning assuming the position of judging others, of noticing “the splinter” in our brothers’ or sisters’ eyes but not seeing “the wooden beam” in our own.  “You hypocrite,” Jesus says, “[r]emove the wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter in your brother’s [sister’s] eye.”
In the first reading, 1 Timothy 1: 1-2, 12-14, we hear of Paul, from whom the Lord Himself removed the wooden beam obstructing His vision of who Jesus is. Paul expresses gratitude to the Lord that he was set free from his blindness and considered worthy to be Christ’s ambassador, a bearer of the Good News of  salvation to us Gentiles.  He admits that before his conversion he was “a blasphemer,” “a persecutor” and an “arrogant man.”  God was merciful to him, he states, because he “acted out of ignorance” in “his disbelief.”   “Indeed,” he says, “the grace of our Lord has been abundant, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.”
What “wooden beams” do I need to take out of my eye?  From what blindness do I need healing?  Who do I persecute by my arrogance? About whose “splinter” do I gossip while being blind to the huge pieces of wood blurring my vision? Like Paul, I, too, know that many times I act out of ignorance—“Father, forgive them for they know not what they are doing”—but at other times I know that I am being arrogant and a persecutor of other persons by my silence, perhaps, or by speaking behind their backs or simply not being honest with them in ways that would remove obstructions to our growth in love, in honesty, in respect and integrity.

God Wills Your Wholeness

St. Paul reminds us in today’s first reading, 1 Thes 4: 1-8, that God’s will for us is our “holiness.”  God wills our integrity, our transparency, our wholeness, our honesty, our purity, our simplicity; in short,  our sacred commitment to Truth, to Life, to  Christ--the way to the Father.  God wills that we again become childlike: innocent, awe-filled, loving and trusting, inclusive, transparent, faith-filled and hope-filled.  God desires that you and I refrain from immoral acts: acts of evil intent, malicious acts, hate-filled acts; that we refrain from deceitfulness and from all that is contrary to godliness, to loving and forgiving as God loves and forgives us.  God wills our good. 

What do you will for yourself and others?  Is your will worthy of being carried out in actuality, that is, are your actions and attitudes in sync with your innermost desires, those that come from your God-self, or are they aligned with the propensity to act contrary to God's will, to succumb to the weakness of sin that exist within each one of us?

Reverence for the Word of God

Today we celebrate the feast of St. John, the apostle.  He opens his Gospel with the following truths of our faith: In the beginning was the Word: the Word was with God and the Word was God…Through him all things came into being….The Word became flesh, he lived among us, and we saw his glory, the glory that he has from the Father as only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth” (Jn 1:1, 14). When the Word of God spoke at the time appointed by the Father, you and I were created in God’s image.  Each of us is a word spoken by God. Through the prophet Isaiah, Yahweh reminds  us that no word returns to God  “void, but shall do my will, achieving the end for which I sent it” (Is 55:11). You and I will not return to God until God has accomplished in us and through us what God desires of us: a woman or a man who reflects the image of God in a world deprived of light, truth and integrity.

When others encounter us, do they see, hear, touch the heart of their Creator or have we substituted a false god in the choices we make and the words we speak?  The choice is ours to make. Yahweh says to us in Dt. 30: 19: Choose life, not death. In other words, we have the choice today to be a “word” of life, not death, in each of the choices we make.  We are free to accomplish God’s will or to sidestep that process by doing what Adam and Eve did in the Garden, choosing to do their will and not God’s. The consequences will be the same for us as for Adam and Eve—we deprive ourselves of “the paradise” that God intended for us and the freedom to be one with God in the choices we make today.

Made in God's image

Today's Scripture (Wis 23-3:9) begins with the statement: "God formed [me] to be imperishable; the image of [God's] own nature [God] made [me]."  God's nature is goodness, love, reconciliation, forgiveness, honesty, integrity and much, much more. Evil, hatred, disunity, revenge, deceit do not exist in God.  Having been made in God's image means that if I am being truly myself I then act out of goodness, truth and integrity (my inside self and outside self match or are in harmony--who I am inside is who I am outside and is what others experience of me). When I am living from my God-centered self, my behaviors reflect my truth, I am not living a pretentious life, I am not living a life of duplicity. As Jesus said of Nathaniel: there is no guile in him.  To live more and more of the truth of my life, I need to be seeking the truth that exists in the depth of my being and in others.  No one person has the whole truth, nor do I.  Each person possesses a part of the truth.  My truth and their truth contributes to a greater portion of the truth.  That is why openness, listening, dialogue and obedience are essential elements of spiritual growth. I need to be listening to my interior self as well as entering into dialogue with others concerning issues shared between us to arrive at more and more of the truth and hence greater personal and interpersonal freedom.

Mother Frances: taught to serve, to give of self, and to live a life of integrity

Amalia Frances Rose Streitel aka Mother Frances Streitel, Foundress of the Sisters of the Sorrowful Mother: Amalia’s siblings, like herself, were highly educated. Both her brothers chose military careers and rose to high ranks. Her sister Hedwig, like Amalia, was educated by the Maria Stern Institute in Augsburg, also earned a teaching certificate and entered the teaching profession.  Amalia’s siblings looked up to her and maintained a close relationship with her throughout her life.  Amalia, as we will learn more of later, and each of her siblings, pursued careers and lifestyles that demanded self-confidence, integrity, and self-less giving. The stamina to achieve high standards was rooted in their upbringing as children. Both parents, themselves, were high achievers: her father as a husband, a father and a judge; her mother as a spouse, a homemaker and an educator/trainer of her children.   When I reflect upon my life, I, too, realize that much of my strength of character as an adult and my expectations that I strive for ever higher quality in ministry,in community life  and in relationships stems to the values modeled by my parents. What about you?