Mary's Visit to Elizabeth: A Model of a God-centered Life

Feast of the Visitation of Mary:  Inspired to visit her elderly cousin Elizabeth, Mary does so.  Both Mary and Elizabeth recognize the great things God is doing in their lives. Elizabeth greets her 14-or-15-year-old cousin with: “Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen… that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For at the moment the sound of your greetings reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.”  Mary responds: “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant. From this day all generations will call me blessed: the Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is His Name.”

Neither of these women is self-centered. Both are focused outside of themselves, one praising Mary and standing in awe of what the Lord has done for her cousin and the other praising the Lord and standing in awe of what God has done for her and the implications of that fact.  Both women are affirmative, positive, humble, and overwhelmed with gratitude. Both respond from a faith stance.  God is the center of both women’s lives.

Lessons modeled by both Mary and Elizabeth:

·         The  courage to follow the Spirit’s promptings and going/doing what the Spirit inspires

        us to do, without question
·         Living life from a faith stance—there is always a God-dimension functioning in our lives,
       a dimension made known to those who seek God above all else  and who look for God
       at work in the other and in oneself
·         Acknowledging God’s work in the depth of our beings
·         Being a blessing in our encounters with others and blessing others in those encounters
·         The humility of putting others first and reaching out to meet their need.

To which of those lessons do I need to give serious attention today?

The Courage to Approach Jesus in our Need

In today’s Gospel, Mark 10: 46-52, Bartimaeus, a blind man, realizes that Jesus is passing by.  He calls out: “Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me.”  The crowd tries to quiet  him, perhaps believing that he is not worthy of Jesus’ attention.  He cries out even louder.  Jesus says to the crowd: “Call him.”  At Jesus’ command, they say to  him: “Take courage; get up, Jesus is calling you.”  Jesus looks upon Bartimaeus with compassionate love and asks him: “What do you want me to do for you?”  In faith, Bartimaeus expresses his need:  “Master, I want to see.”  Jesus tells him that his faith has saved him. Bartimaeus’ sight is restored  at that moment and he follows Jesus.

This story challenges us to ask ourselves several questions:

1.       Will I recognize Jesus in what or who crowds around my space today?
2.       Will I persist in wanting to talk to Jesus even when the crowd discourages me, treats
           me  disrespectfully, in fact scorns me?
3.       Do I realize in what ways I am blind or why I need Jesus to intervene in my life?
4.       Do I even believe that Jesus is God, a God of infinite compassion and love, who wants
           to heal me and fill me with His love and mercy? Do I have faith in Jesus’ willingness
           and ability to open my eyes to what I need to see?
5.       What do I want from Jesus?

No matter how we answer the above questions, Jesus says to us: “Take courage. Get up. I am calling you.”  As today’s first reading, Sirach 42: 15-25, reminds us:  God “plumbs the depths and penetrates the heart; …[our] innermost being he understands….No understanding does…[God] lack; no single thing escapes…[God]. Perennial is his almighty wisdom; he is from all eternity one and the same…How beautiful are all his works.” And, yes, when Jesus gazed upon Bartimaeus, He did so from this stance!  The same is true of his gaze upon you and me! He deeply desires to help us in our need. But we need to articulate that need.

The spiritual journey

In today’s Gospel, Mk 10: 32-45, James and John ask Jesus to grant them the privilege of sitting “one at your right and the other at your left” when they enter His glory.  Jesus gently confronts them, saying: “You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the chalice that I drink or be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” Being a disciple of Christ is about serving others, not about privilege and honors and being served, as Pope Francis would remind us, no doubt.  As servants, we will, like Jesus, be ridiculed, misunderstood, even spat upon at times, sometimes scourged with harsh words. It is our role to “wash the feet of others,” not have “our feet washed.”  Honor will be heaped upon us in eternity, not here.  How difficult it is to learn this lesson.  Like James and John, we will, from time to time, need to be reminded by Jesus that we will drink of the same chalice He did, though probably not crucified literally as He was.  Each time we die, that, is dying to the self-centeredness displayed by James and John, we, too, will rise again.  Each time we endure the crosses of life, as Jesus did, we will experience angels ministering to us as they assisted Jesus in Gethsemane.  Each time we take up our crosses in faith and hope and love, we will be encouraged by His mother and helped by “Simons”, as Jesus was.  We will rise to a stronger, richer life as the power of Jesus’ resurrection flows through us each time we have the courage to “drink the chalice that Jesus drank.”

Following in the footsteps of Jesus is totally opposite following the footsteps of the rich and famous!

And far more enriching. This way of life endures into eternal! life

Gifts for the Most High

In today’s first reading, Sirach 35: 1-12 we are encouraged to offer sacrifices of praise to the Lord in the form of helping our neighbor, doing acts of justice, and giving alms.  “…be not sparing of freewill gifts,” Sirach says to us.  “Give to the Most High as…[God] has given to you, generously, according to your means.”

 As I reflected upon this passage in my morning meditation, I was touched by the example of parents everywhere, giving generously of their time and gifts to their children, not sparing anything for the welfare of those God entrusted to their care.  Every act of kindness to another, no matter how small it might be, is a sacrifice of praise offered to the Lord. Sirach reminds us that “the just one’s sacrifice is most pleasing, nor will it ever be forgotten” by God.  “With each contribution,” even a smile given to a neighbor, a diaper changed on an infant, a bandage put on the scraped knee of a youngster or whatever, “show a cheerful countenance, and pay your tithes (not necessarily money) in a spirit of joy.”  All of us witness that kind of generosity every day.  All of us, too, can recall the “sacrifices of praise” given to us by our own parents. Yesterday we commemorated the men and women who served our country. Their service, their sacrifices,  were/are pleasing to the Lord and will never be forgotten.  “For the Lord,” Sirach reminds us, “is one who always repays and…[God] will give back to you sevenfold…For …[God] is a God of justice…”

You and I are called by our baptism to follow God’s example given to us in Christ Jesus, who did not spare anything for our welfare. What am I going to give unsparingly today for the well-being of another in my family, in my workplace, in my religious community? And what am I willing to give unsparingly to myself for my own well-being, so that I truly enhance my ability to be generous in my service to others?

Thank you to Veterans of any War for Your Sacrifices

Thank you to the veterans of any war!  You gave of yourself generously for the sake of those of us enjoying the freedoms of this great nation: you gave your energy, your training, your selflessness, in service of your country. May God now give back to you in the measure that you gave of yourself and continue to give of yourself to your families, to the civic and church communities in which you live.
For your sacrifices, may God give you an inner strength and continued courage to meet the everyday challenges of your life; for your selfless service, the gift of ongoing generosity by which you receive as much or more than you give.  May you know the depth of God's love for you by the love of family and friends and by the love you continue to share with those facing difficult moments in their daily lives.

To those still serving, may God keep you safe and bring you home to your families a stronger, wiser, and more compassionate person than when you left. May your family also have grown in these virtues as they grieved your absence and longed for your return.

God bless you!

"Sell All"--Let Go, Let God and a Richness Will be Yours

This morning I needed to come to the Lord and share the disappointment in myself, an internal poverty of spirit when something I was doing was not working and another suggested another way that I believed would not work either and then getting huffy about it.  It is the poverty that manifest itself in my reactions when a person suggest I do something that contradicts affirming that I know what I am doing and when I do not want to be contradicted or when I am entrenched into “I’m in charge here,” or I want it my way!

Then I opened today’s Scripture.  In the Gospel, Jesus says to the rich, young man: “Go sell what you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me” (Mk 10:17-27). So what is the Lord saying to those of us who insist on being right, on having it our way, of needing to be in charge, no matter what, of wanting affirmation and approval of what we are doing, even when it is not working?  Perhaps the answer lies in what Abram said to Lot concerning which land would be his and what would be Abram’s:  “If you take the left, then I will go to the right; or if you take the right, then I will go to the left” (Gen. 13:9).  A richness will be ours when we say “Okay” or simply let go instead of attempting to win the argument.  Letting go and letting be without imposing our way upon the situation, especially when our way is not working, can lead to a richness the world cannot give: peace within, even if the other person’’ way does not work either or is not what we would have done!

 This spiritual journey, Lord, is challenging. Show us the way and give us the strength to persevere in our efforts to “sell all” or, at least, to sell being right so something new can possibly develop, even when it may not have be the way we would do it.

Glorifying God on Earth

Today is a Friday and the mantra that is resounding over and over again in my mind are the words of Jesus on the cross: “It is finished.” Also coming to mind is the proclamation in His priestly prayer:  “I have glorified You on earth and finished the work that you gave me to do. Now, Father, it is time for you to glorify me with the glory I had with You before ever the world was” (Jn 17:4-5).

Jesus finished His work. Now it is our turn to finish the work that we have been given when sent here by the Father.  We know from the Scriptures that our work is this: to know Jesus Christ, to proclaim the presence of the Kingdom here on earth and to do even greater work than Jesus did here on earth: “I tell you solemnly, whoever believes in me will perform the same work as I do myself; he [she] will perform even greater works” (Jn 14: 12). 

In what ways today will I meet this challenge?  How, to this point in my life, have I carried on the work Jesus did while here: not crushing the broken reed, not quenching the smoldering wick, being just and caring toward the poor and needy, welcoming the little children, healing the leper within and without, tending the lame, casting out demons (within myself and elsewhere); preaching the gospel, not so much by my words as by my actions? 

When others observe me, do I give them reason to proclaim: “The Kingdom of God is here in our midst"? If yes, what am I doing/saying? If not, why not?