Repent and Believe in the Good News

In my morning meditation,  I continued to bare my distress to the Lord about a recent conversation that what awaits us following death is God’s  punishment for our sinful lives; namely, that we will suffer in the fires of purgatory and not enter heaven when we die.  It’s not that I do not believe in the importance of being purified before entering heaven; however,  there seems to be a contradiction with the following Scripture passages for those of us who repent and believe the Good News. In  Psalm 103:11, the psalmist proclaims: “[as] the height of heaven above earth, so strong is [God’s] faithful love for those who fear him. As the distance of east from west, so far from us does he put our faults”  and,  in Is. 1:18, God says to us through the prophet: “Though…[their] sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool” (Is 1:18).  As explained in a footnote in the Jerusalem Bible on this passage, “the condition on which God insists is avowal of the sin and repentance…and the inner conversion that this implies.”  I believe that one who avows or admits his/her sins and brings his/her sinful behavior into harmony with the Holy Will of God is purified of that sin in the here and now through the sacraments of reconciliation, Eucharist and the Anointing of the Sick.  Furthermore, did Jesus not say to the good thief on the cross “this day you will be with me in Paradise”?  He did not say” You will be with me in Paradise after you suffer in the burning fires of purgatory following your death.”  If his repentance and sincere sorrow, if his admittance of his guilt and his suffering united with the sufferings of Jesus’ on the cross were accepted  as his purification and readiness to be in the presence of God in eternity that very day, why is this not true for those of us  who sincerely repent and believe in Jesus’ words to us in this very moment and on our death beds: “This day you will be with me in Paradise.”  I believe it does. What is your belief?

Triumphantly Victorious in Christ Jesus

In today’s first reading, Romans 8: 31-39, St. Paul raises several questions:   “If God is for us, who can be against us?  Since he did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for the sake of all of us, then can we not expect that with him he will freely give us all his gifts? Who,” Paul asks, “can bring any accusation against those that God has chosen? When God grants saving justice who can condemn? Are we not sure that it is Christ Jesus, who died—yes, and more, who was raised from the dead and is at God’s right hand—and who is adding his plea for us. Can anything cut us off from the love of Christ—can hardship, distress, or persecution or lack of food or clothing, or threats or violence….No; we come through all these things triumphantly victorious, by the power of him who loved us.”

Those words are deeply consoling for me following a recent conversation about the afterlife and the belief of many that we will be separated from God for awhile because of the punishment due our sinfulness and our need for purification following death.  I have a difficult time perceiving God as a judge preparing meticulously to hold our sin against us, just waiting for us to enter eternal life so he can punish us as we deserve.  This is not my God.  And furthermore, I believe that I will come through this life “triumphantly victorious, by the power of him who [loves me]!”

What if, however, I do Ieave this life unprepared to enter into God’s presence? How will I become purified, since, after I die,I am no longer able to prepare myself. That is part of my mission here on earth. Once I die, I am then totally dependent on the prayers that are said for me by the church militant, those still on this earth on their way to heaven.  I do believe I shall be purified—however long that purification period is after I die. It is not God punishing me, however; it is the choice I will have made if I leave earth unreconciled, unrepentant of my sins and not trusting in God’s infinite mercy and unconditional love.

The Spirit Praying within Us according to God's Will

In today’s’ first reading, Romans 8: 26-30, St. Paul reminds us that the Spirit prays within us “in inexpressible groanings” when we do not know how to pray.  This truth may be difficult to get our arms around!   Because the Spirit prays within us  according to God’s will it would seem wise for us to let go in prayer and  let God the Spirit make intercessions for us!  Is this why the psalmist asks us to “be still and know that I am God” (Ps. 46).

As I tried further to get my arms around this truth, I spelled out what the specifics might look like if I do let go and allow the Spirit to intercede for SSMs, for new vocations, for the church, for my family and relatives, for me;  for abortionists, for human traffickers and victims of human trafficking, for drug addicts and alcoholics and the mentally, physically, emotionally ill and those who assist them in their struggles, for those actively racist and sexist, for those involved in corruption, war and violence of any kind as well as victims of such.  Imagine the Spirit praying for all of these intentions according to God’s will.

I also attempted to understand  this truth by describing it as follows: 

Through the intercession of the Spirit praying within us, God transforms chaos into order, sin into holiness, deceit into truth, fear into courage, emptiness into fullness of life according to God’s holy will. 

Truly, God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are warriors who come into our lives, and the lives of the world at large, to conquer sin and death--the death of faith, hope, and love; the death of truth and decency. And does so in a very real way in the liturgical celebration of the Eucharist when we here on earth, as Catholics,  join the angels and saints in a heavenly liturgy when God and all the angels and saints war against evil in our world offering Jesus’ passion, death and resurrection for the salvation of all and when Jesus, in Holy Communion, enters the Temples of our bodies to cleanse them, just as, when entering Jerusalem, He went to the Temple and cleansed it before entering His passion.

How great is the Lord, our God, through all the earth (Psalm 8).

God's Kingdom: The "Yeast" within Human Nature

In today’s Gospel, Luke 13: 18-21, Jesus asks the question: ‘What is the kingdom of God like?  What shall I compare it with?  It is like a mustard seed which a man took and threw into his garden: it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air sheltered in its branches.’ Again he said, ‘What shall I compare the kingdom of God with? It is like the yeast a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour till it leavened all through.’

The seed of the Kingdom is a powerfully creative seed planted within us at our baptism, sealed within us at our confirmation, nurtured within us in the reception of the Eucharist, and transformed within us by all of the sacraments. As the entire dough is effected by  yeast, so, too, the whole of human nature is transformed by the “yeast” of God’s grace until each of us becomes the very image of God, until we become an alter Christus in this world, until, with St. Paul, each of us can say:  “I have been crucified with Christ…it is no longer I, but Christ living in me” (Galatians 2:20).  Think of the fact that everything we do and say and long for reflects this longing to be one with Christ, even when we, or others,  fall miserably short of reaching that goal.  Why? Because Christ has won the victory of our transformation into the very likeness of God. Good will triumph, no longer how long it takes and evil will be overcome by the seed of Goodness within each one of us!

Wow!

Growing into a Temple Sacred to the Lord

Today’s first reading, Ephesians 2: 19-22 reminds us that  we“… no longer strangers or sojourners, but are fellow citizens with the holy ones and members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the capstone.  Through him,” we are told, “ the whole structure is held together and grows into a temple sacred in the Lord; in him…[we] also are being built together into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.”

That Lord is saying:     (your name),  you are no longer a stranger or an alien. You are one of the family and not an ordinary family but the family of God.  Moses spoke to God face to face, had an intimate relationship with the Lord and so, too, did all of the saints that have gone before you.  “I,” the Lord say to you and me, “have an intimate relationship with you and my heart is in anguish until you discover this intimacy, my nearness to you, my love for you and realize that I desire you above all. I gaze upon you every moment of every day with eyes of love.”

You and I, St. Paul tells us, are God’s temple, “built upon the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the capstone…,” the one through whom  “the whole structure is held together and grows into a temple sacred in the Lord.”  All of us “are being built together into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.”

All of us have, perhaps, visited churches that have taken our breath away because of their beauty. And those buildings are built by human beings!  The Temple that St. Paul is talking about is being built by the Lord. It is being put together as a “dwelling place of God.”  Its beauty will far outshine the beauty of anything built by human hands. And into that Temple, every day or every week, the Son of God, Christ Jesus, says to us through the priest:  “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, happy those called to the Supper of the Lamb” and we respond: “Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.”  Jesus enters our Temple, as He entered the Temple when he was on His way to Jerusalem and cleansed it. In Holy Communion, He does the same for the Temple into which we that we are being built.

I believe,” Lord, “help my unbelief!”                                             

Spiritual Warfare

In today’s first reading, Romans 7: 18-25a, St. Paul honestly expresses the spiritual struggles we all encounter as disciples of Christ.  We are inspired, passionate, in fact, about doing something good.  We are filled with good intentions only to see them evaporate in short order.  Guilt may even set in and we may even say to ourselves: “Lots of hot air but no action”; or, more painfully, others may say that of us.  Then, too, we may find ourselves doing what we do not want to do: judging another, complaining about another; even ranting and raving about this or that in the world, in the church, in our country, in our government; yes, even in our families, our parishes, and/or our religious communities.

Who, St. Paul asks, will free us from this mortal body with its weaknesses and its sinful inclinations? When will we, once and for all, stay on the path of holiness, seeds of which also exist within us?  When will we actually follow through with our good intentions more often than not?  If we are relying on ourselves alone, the answer is “Never.” If we are relying on Christ, the answer is “Now, in Christ Jesus”.
In faith, we know that we will accomplish the good to which we have set our minds, that which we are determined to accomplished because “God is with us.”  The truth is that we will always encounter difficulties that need to be overcome, weaknesses that need to be strengthened, “hot air” that needs to be dispelled.  Like any athlete, artist, writer, designer, musician; like anyone taking on a task worth doing, the “gold medal” will be won by strengthening our “weak muscles,” overcoming fatigue and meeting whatever obstacles are encountered along the way and do so with the help of Christ Jesus and  many other disciples on the same journey.

Being Prepared for our Bridegroom's Coming

This week we lost one of our Sisters who was very much alive and loved. She was fully employed at a nearby parish as a Pastoral Associate in charge of the sick and infirm of the parish. She visited very parishioners who was hospitalized and or sick at home. She was at a family’s side when they were dealing with the trauma of a terminal illness or dealing with chronic diseases.  Persons to whom she ministered describe her with much gratitude, as she personified the compassion and mercy of God for them. Suddenly this past Sunday, while dining out with one of her friends, a Sister celebrating her 97^th birthday, she experienced a sudden pain in her head. She died less than 24 hours later from a brain bleed. 

All week long, the Gospels have warned d us to be ready because, “at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come” (Luke 12: 40)—today’s Gospel. Yesterday, Jesus said to us: “Gird your loins and light your lamps and be like servants who await their master’s return…, ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks. Blessed are those servants whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival” (Luke 12: 35). And the strongest message of all was given to us in Monday’s Gospel, Luke 12: 16-21, which told the story of the “rich man whose land produced a bountiful harvest,” so great that he wondered what to do with his abundance.  “This is what I shall do: I shall tear down my barns and build larger ones. There I shall store all my grain and other goods and I shall say to myself, ‘Now as for you, you have so many good things stored up for many years, rest, eat, drink, be merry.”  God says to him and to those of us accumulating riches only for this world and neglecting those that last into eternity:  “You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you; and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?”  Thus will it be for the one who stores up treasure for himself [herself] but is not rich in what matters to God.”
 
The Sister who died Monday morning was “rich in what matters to God.”  What about you and me? Are we building up only earthly riches and not those of heaven?