The Prison or Chains of Racism

In today's first reading, 2 Timothy 2: 8-15, Paul is speaking to Timothy, and to us, from prison , asking us to "[r]emember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, a descendant of David: such is my Gospel, for which I am suffering, even to the point of chains, like a criminal. But the word of God is not chained. Therefore, I bear with everything for the sake of those who are chosen, so that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, together with eternal glory."  As a prisoner, as one in chains, Paul "died with Christ" and therefore now "lives with Christ in eternal glory."

Remembering Jesus Christ gave Paul the strength that he needed to endure being treated like a criminal. The Christ who strengthened Paul in prison and in chains is the same Christ who helps our black brothers and sisters who suffer the "chains" of discrimination and false imprisonment. Let us remember that  any person, of any color, who dies with Christ  "shall also live with him." Any person who perseveres with Christ, "shall also reign with him" (2 Timothy 2: 8-15).  In verse 15 of chapter 2 Paul, who now lives and reigns with Christ in eternal glory,  asks us to be "eager to present [ourselves] as acceptable to God, a [laborer] who causes no disgrace, imparting the word of truth without deviation." Our black brothers and sisters and brothers and sisters of any color do just that as well as we white people do!  In the words of today's responsorial psalm, Psalm 25, "may God guide [us] in [this] truth and teach [us]" what we need to know to eradicate racism in this country but, more importantly, in each of our hearts, for God alone is our savior!  And let us remember, in the words of this psalm, that all "the paths of the Lord are kindness and constancy."  So if we are kind to  all people, we are then on the path of the Lord and, if not, we are on the path of the Evil One.

Weeping, Mourning and Rejoicing

In today's Gospel, John 16: 20-23, we are again reminded that here on earth we will have times when we "will weep and mourn, while the world rejoices; [we] will grieve but [our] grief will become joy. When a woman is labor,"  Jesus says to us, "she is in anguish because her hour has arrived; but when she has given birth to a child, she no longer remembers the pain because of her joy that a child has been born into the world."   The sufferings of this life that cause us anguish, I believe,  are "birthing" us, if you will,  into the persons God intends us to be.  We might think of suffering as a means of  being "born" into holiness, a way in which God is "birthing" us into the self that resembles God and molds us into our Christ-self!  And if a natural birth is painful, and it is, then, too, is being "born" into our best selves, our God-self.  Suffering could be perceived, I believe, as the "birth canal" into a new self according to God's holy will.

Wanting life to be easy would be as unreasonable as wanting the birth of a child to be easy.  It is not and neither is life lived for and with and through God.  Jesus models for us how to deal with life's difficulties. He shows us how to deal with the traumas of life: being betrayed, being rejected, being ridiculed, being condemned, being impoverished, being bullied,  being a refugee or a stranger in a foreign land, being misunderstood. He even shows us how to deal with death and those causing us "death": "Father, forgive them for they know not what they are doing."  And throughout His life up to and including the crucifixion on the cross, I believe, that Jesus often forgave his persecutors, his detractors, and those who scoffed at His teaching, those who hated Him.  Jesus kept His eyes on His Father and spent time each day in communication with Him. May we do the same so that we, too, are able to put things in their right perspective, especially when they cause us to weep and mourn.

The Mystery of Suffering

In today's first reading, Gen. 44: 18-21, 23b-29; 45: 1-5, Joseph reveals himself to his brothers.  He forgives them for selling him into Egypt, saying: "I am your brother Joseph, whom you once sold into Egypt But now do not be distressed, and do not reproach yourselves for having sold me here. It was really for the sake of saving lives that God sent me here ahead of you."  Joseph, a man of faith, interprets what was an harrowing experience as a blessing from God, a part of God's providence.  In Egypt, he was the victim of false accusation and thrown into prison: "They weighed down with fetters, and he was bound with chains, till his prediction came to pass and the word of the Lord proved him true" (Psalm 105). When that happened, "[t]he king sent and released him, the ruler of the people set him free. He made him lord of his house and ruler of all his possessions" (Psalm 105).

God worked marvels in Joseph's life, as He does in the life of all of us. God had a plan for him that initially looked horrible and which, in fact, was  a criminal act on the part of his brothers.  God wrote straight with crooked lines, so to speak, bringing God good out of evil and continues to do so for us today. You and I are the strong persons, the women and men of faith that we are today, because of the sufferings we have endured and which we survived, as was Joseph. In the midst of such suffering, however, we usually do not see God's hand at work. That does not mean that God is sleeping or does  not care.  He is very much molding, melting, and transforming us through the cross, just as our lives were made holy through the sufferings of Jesus on Good Friday. Clothed in faith, we are transformed by what we suffer for the sake of God! Joseph was and so were his brothers!

Seeking Peace and Holiness

In today’s first reading, Hebrews 12: 4-7, 11-15, St. Paul instructs us to “[a]lways be wanting peace with all people, and the holiness without which on one can ever see the Lord. Be careful that no one is deprived of the grace of God and that no root of bitterness should begin to grow and make trouble; this can poison a whole community.”

In this same passage, Paul reminds us that the Lord disciplines his sons and daughters.  The purpose of that discipline is that we may grow in holiness and, thus, not deprive others of the grace of God that gives life to the whole community. That discipline might come from a correction from another or by a disturbance in my relationships or within myself that alerts me that something is not right. I then need to take note and look at what part of the suffering I am causing. And when I discover how I have contributed to the turmoil, I then need to do my part to restore the peace, that is, acknowledge my part and, possibly, apologize.  When I am ranting within myself about something, frustrated and upset and pointing a finger at someone else's role in the commotion, I find it very helpful to say to myself: Dorothy, you have the most to improve.  That helps me let go and embrace the peace God wants to give me.

  At the end of each day, it is also helpful to reflect upon whether or not I have been a source of holiness in the community, that is, have I,  by my love and forgiveness, by my peace and serenity, by my hopefulness and faithfulness to the Gospel, allowed the grace and mercy of God to flow through me into others? Or, on the contrary, have I poisoned the atmosphere by my unresolved anger and bitterness,  by my selfish ambitions and unforgiving stance, by hidden pride lurking in my attitudes or by my hopelessness and disloyalty to the Gospel of Christ?

Your Redemption is at Hand

“Stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand” (Luke 21:28).  In the face of evil, we need to remember that God is our Savior, and God alone. We need to keep our eyes upon the Lord and look to God for the help we need to remain faithful, to live our faith, to trust in the Lord God. I think of Good Friday, when our Master and Lord was crucified and how dark it looked. That things would be okay was not guaranteed. The apostles fled and hid behind closed doors, terrified that they, too, would be put to death, that the worst would come to them. That did not immediately happen and when it did the gates of heaven opened for them.  On Pentecost, baptized by the Spirit, the apostles left the upper room and boldly preached the Word of God. They were no longer afraid to stand up for Truth. Their message was a message of hope. Their hearts were set on fire with God’s love. The Spirit that was given them was not a spirit of cowards but of courageous disciples of Christ.

In the face of difficulties, I pray, that I, and you, will be filled with the same Spirit that empowered the apostles to live lives of courage, of boldness, of fearless trust in God, strong faith, and a willingness to endure whatever it took to stand up for the Lord, to bring God’s message of the cross and resurrection to everyone! 

Whenever we encounter suffering, as Jesus and the apostles did, our redemption is at hand.  Let us put our hand in the hand of Jesus and ask Him to lead us through our sufferings to new life, as He did on Easter morn.

I need those graces right now. What about you?

Divine Origin or Human Origin

What happened in both Scriptures today, Acts 5: 34-42 and John 6: 1-15, reveals the power of God at work in everyday life. In the  Acts of the Apostles,  Gamaliel, “a teacher of the law, respected by all the people,” challenged the members of the Sanhedrin, before whom the Apostles appeared as prisoners.  “…have nothing to do with these men, and let them go. For if this endeavor or this activity is of human origin, it will destroy itself. But if it comes from God, you will not be able to destroy them; you may even find yourself fighting against God.”  

In the Gospel, Jesus multiplies five barley loaves and two fish to feed 5000 people. Jesus saw a need and responded to it.  Jesus continues feeding millions in the Eucharist every Sunday and throughout the week at every Catholic Mass.  The work of the Apostles has spread throughout the world. No human force is able to destroy the work of those commissioned by Jesus to “go out to the whole world; proclaim the gospel to all creation” (Mark 16: 15).  “…if it comes from God, you will not be able to destroy them; you may even find yourself fighting against God.”

Three things: 1) If what I am pursuing in my life is of God, it will endure. If the activity in which I am involved is God’s will for me, I will succeed in it, even when I meet obstacles or others are opposing me and the work I am doing.  2) If the origin of that to which I am opposed  is of divine origin—be that something in my own life  or the life of another--I could be fighting against God. 3) God will raise others up at the right time to confront those who want to harm me, as He did for the Apostles before the Sanhedrin.  God has my back!

Jesus' Promise of Eternal Life

In today’s Gospel, Mark 10: 28-31, Peter complains to the Lord:  “We have given up everything and followed you.”  This statement follows the passage in which Jesus says how “hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the Kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of God.”  For a Jew that statement was mind bottling.  In their minds having riches was a sign of being blessed. “What do you mean that it is hard for a wealthy person to enter heaven. If a person who is blessed will, with difficulty, enter heaven, who will?  is the apostles’ reaction.” And then Peter says:  “We have given up everything and followed you.”  Jesus responds: “Amen, I say to you, there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands for my sake and for the sake of the Gospel who will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age: houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and eternal life in the age to come.”

Truly, with Jesus, we are on the road to Calvary, to “persecutions,” to losses, to situations that will demand a dying within us on a daily basis: a dying to selfishness, a letting go of demanding that things be the way we want them to be, the acceptance of our routine being shattered by a kid having a tantrum, by an adult wanting us to be more generous with our attention, our time, our talent, in the reality of “being last instead of first,” and so on. Then, too, there is the dying within everyone when they are called to leave home for marriage, for religious life, for priesthood, to pursue the single life style and give one’s all to one’s career or other demands of discipleship. There is also a dying with the person when leaving home for college (or even when leaving home to attend kindergarten and the years of school that follow).  There’s also the dying in the hearts of parents when their children leave. None of us escapes the “persecutions” of life, the annoyances, if you will, of these kinds of “deaths.”

Our strength lies in Jesus’ promise: “Amen, I say to you, there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands for my sake and for the sake of the Gospel who will not receive… eternal life in the age to come.” Yes, as we dies with Christ, we also rise with Him into eternal life.

This strengthens me? What about you?

Sharing in the Chalice of Christ

Today we celebrate the feast of St. Polycarp, Bishop and martyr. In the collect of the Mass we pray that, like St. Polycarp, may we be given a place in the company of holy martyrs who share in the chalice of Christ.  As I think of St. Polycarp’s martyrdom,   I cannot help but think of what led to his death. It had to be a very difficult time, a time fraught with clashes, threats, and risky situations that pointed to the possibility of a tragic end, no less real that Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem, his clashes with the authorities of his day, and his ultimate face-to-face encounters with his executioners.  

Martyrdom, for most of us, involves a bloodless dying to selfishness, pride, arrogance, resentments and sin of any kind.  It involves the quiet heroism of the housewife/husband of an alcoholic/drug-addicted spouse. It involves the “bleeding,” agonizing heartaches of the parents of missing children, mentally ill children, children with terminal or chronic, debilitating illnesses, and much more. It involves the sufferings  that tear at the heart strings of so many in the world of today where we encounter human traffickers, slave laborers, and corrupt persons preying on the young and old in so many ways.

Our bloodless martyrdom also includes resisting Satan’s deceptive schemes and being driven out into the desert to face our inner demons and saying “no” to sin. The desert for millions is the prison cells that they occupy as the result of a crime against humanity.  In our “deserts,” wherever those may be, may we be converted to the ways of the Lord and experience what the psalmist says to us in today’s responsorial psalm:  the “law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. The decree of the Lord is trustworthy, giving wisdom to the simple” (Psalm 19).

Jesus' Endurance for Our Sake's

In today's first reading, Hebrews 12: 1-4, St. Paul speaks about Jesus' endurance of the cross, "despising its shame," and then taking his seat at the right hand of the Father in eternity.  Many times, much suffering accompanies our following of Jesus, our obedience to the voice of the Holy Spirit directing us throughout the day. We may be called upon to walk away from gossip or to refrain from gossiping or, even, to confront such behavior among our co-workers, family members or friends. The Spirit  may challenge us to be honest, humble, kind, outgoing and solicitous for the good of another when we want to promote ourselves.  Or the temptation to sin may be even greater: committing adultery, stealing from our employee in some way, not really doing a full day's work, for instance, or abusing a child, a spouse, an elderly person, physically striking them, or verbally or emotionally abusing their spirit, killing their initiative or spontaneity, crushing their self-esteem, crippling their self-confidence.

Jesus confronts sin. His challenges of the evils of His day led to His crucifixion and His dying a shameful death on the cross, being obedience to the Father's will that Satan be overpowered by Good. Jesus destroyed sin by doing good and by His obedience.  He was restored to life in the resurrection and now sits at the right hand of the Father where He intercedes for us, as we, too, struggle with evil.  It is through Jesus' intercession to the Father on the cross itself--"Father, forgive them; they know not what they are doing" when cooperating with evil, when following Satan's lies--and in heaven that we, too, triumph over evil in our world and in our personal lives. 

Walking by Faith

Imagine the situation in which the Jews who believed that Jesus was/is the Messiah lived. Many were persecuted by their families who believed they were traitors to their ancestral religion.  St. Paul says to the Hebrews, in the first reading of today’s liturgy, “[a]t times you were publicly exposed to abuse and affliction; at other times you associated yourself with those so treated….[D]o not,” he says to them, “throw away your confidence; it will have great recompense. You need endurance to do the will of God and receive what…[God]  has promised.  For, after just a brief moment, he who is to come shall come; he shall not delay”  (Hebrews 10: 32-39).  Jesus says the same to us: “’[D]o not throw away your confidence’  or your faith in Me at work among you and within you. I have planted the Kingdom of God into the soil of this world’s existence, among all peoples of the world, in all circumstances in the world.  The seed of the Kingdom, the seed of holiness and justice, righteousness and goodness will not be suppressed by sin or by the evil that exist in the world. The seed I planted is watered every moment of every day by the water and the blood I poured out on Calvary. You may not realize that the seed I planted is maturing any more than the farmer (See today’s Gospel Mark 4: 26-34) realizes that  the seeds he buried in the earth are germinating. But your faith tells you this is so. Hang on to the faith that your ancestors gave you, especially when it is tried by the “fire” of tribulations and sufferings that are part of your life and was part of mine.”

Redemptive Suffering: God's and Ours

In today’s first reading, Hebrews 2: 5-12, St. Paul reminds us that “[i]t was not to angels that God subjected the world to come,” but to His only Begotten Son.  “In ‘subjecting’ all things to him, he left nothing not ‘subject’ to him.”  Wow!  You and I, every person in this world, every living thing, humans and beasts alike, are subject to the Lord.  We wonder as we listen to the news each night: men and women seeking to destroy one another, men and women and children being persecuted for their faith, men and women involved in every kind of abominable crime imaginable here on this earth.  “Subject” to him? It does not look like it.

In Jesus’ time, it did not look like the Messiah had come either—the Son of God as an infant, the Son of God fleeing for His life into Egypt, the  Son of God crucified on the cross? A Messiah? One to establish peace on earth?  He was killed. What kind of Messiah is that, we may wonder.  Many in today’s world see Jesus only as a prophet, not as the Son of God made man, the Son of God as Redeemer, Sanctifier, as the One who reconciles all things to Himself and to the Father. Yet that is who Jesus is! I believe! Do you?

Jesus, St. Paul tells us, tasted “death for everyone. For  it was fitting that he, for whom and through whom all things exist, in bringing many children to glory, should make the leader to their salvation perfect through suffering.”   The demon who had taken possession of the man referred to in today’s Gospel reading, Mark 1: 21-28, recognized  Jesus’ origins, that He is the Son of God and says to Jesus: “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”  The answer , of course, to that question is “Yes, Jesus did come to destroy Satan and all of his works through His sufferings on the cross.  Our sufferings, too, united with the sufferings of Jesus,  are redemptive and “bring us to glory.”  May I recognize that truth when suffering comes upon me and not curse it, rant and rave about it, recoil from its invitation to act on God’s behalf  but embrace it in faith and trust in God’s power working within me for my good and the good of the Church.

The Mystery of Suffering and Heartbreak

“Do not be terrified,” Jesus says to us in Luke 21: 5-11, “when you hear of wars and insurrections.” He goes on to say:  “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be powerful earthquakes, famines, plagues from place to place; and awesome sights and mighty signs will come from the sky.”   Where is God, we might ask. Some might believe that God is the source and cause of uprisings, violent outbursts that lead to murder, earthquakes, or nations warring against each other, of unexplainable illnesses and fatal diseases  rising in different parts of the world. God does not bring forth evil nor does God cause disasters of any kind. However, God witnesses all of these devastating events and weeps with us, agonizes with us, sends us "angels" to comfort us as He did for Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane when the leaders of his day rose up against him to put him to death.  As with Jesus,  God  gives us the strength to grow strong through suffering and not get stuck in bitterness and anger. Through the work of the Spirit within us, God enables to reach out in charity to those in need when disaster does strike. We are helped to grow in love and forgiveness and compassion ourselves. God never, never wills the destructive forces that come our way through other human beings or through natural disasters. That is not God's nature. God is love. God is mercy. God is compassion.

Jesus says to us in Mt. 11: 28-30:  "Come to me, all you who labor and are overburdened, and I will give you rest. Shoulder my yoke and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Yes, my yoke is easy and my burden light." Jesus approached the disaster of His life, His death orchestrated by the Scribes and Pharisees, with this attitude of humility and reliance on the Father--that led to His exoneration in the Resurrection from  the dead and our salvation, as willed by the Father. We, too, will rise to new life--experience our salvation in Christ Jesus--through life's disaster when we hold on to our belief in Jesus' power to save us in ways that transcend the physical realities.