Mary, Queen of Heaven and Earth

Today, we Catholics celebrate the Feast of Mary, queen of Heaven and Earth.  The Gospel of today's liturgy is from Luke 1: 26-38, which tells the story of the Annunciation.  An angel, a messenger from God, appears to Mary at age 13 or 14 and tells her that she is "highly favored." "The Lord is with you," she is told. The angels' message disturbs Mary.  She asks herself what this message could possibly mean!  Assuredly, the angel tells Mary to not be afraid. She "has won God's favor! Listen," the angel says to her. "You are to bear a son, and you must name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David; he will rule over the the House of Jacob  forever and his reign will have no end."  What? Mary must have said to herself.  "...[H]ow will this come about," Mary asks the angel. "...I am a virgin?"  "The Holy Spirit will come upon you...and the power of the Most High will cover you with its shadow. And so the child will be holy and will be called the Son of God."  The angel then tells her that her elderly cousin Elizabeth has also conceived and is in her sixth month of pregnancy. "For nothing is impossible with God." Mary then says to the angel: "'I am the handmaid of the Lord,...let what you have said be done to me.' And the angel left her."  

Imagine being this teenage Jewish girl!  Imagine "the Holy Spirit [coming] upon" this teenager and "the power of the Most High [covering her] with its shadow." At that moment, while betrothed to Joseph and not yet married,  she conceives the Son of God.  Mary is pregnant not by man but by God's power and will! She has been chosen to be the Mother of God!

What does Mary do?  Learning that her elderly cousin Elizabeth is six month's pregnant, Mary leaves Nazareth to assist her cousin and confide in her!  She stays with Elizabeth until John the Baptist is born and then returns to  Nazareth three month's pregnant!

At some point, Joseph, her husband-to-be, is told by an angel to not be afraid to take Mary into his home as his wife and that the child she is bearing has been conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit  (See Matthew 1:20-22)! With Mary, Joseph learns to trust God deeply and that "nothing is impossible with God!"

How trusting are you and I?  How does the story of the Annunciation touch our hearts?  Do we recognize that Mary is Queen of heaven and earth, Queen of our hearts and minds and wills?  Do we confide in Mary, as Mary confided in her cousin?

Dedicated to God for God's Purposes

In today's first reading, Jeremiah 1: 4-5, 17-19, God tells us, through the prophet, that God knew us "before [God] formed us] in [our mother's] womb" and that He "dedicated" us before we were born. Through the prophet Jeremiah, God asks us "to gird" ourselves and to do and say what God commands us to do or say; "Be not crushed on [account of others], as though I would leave you crushed before them....[Others] will fight against you but not prevail over you, for I am with you to deliver you, says the Lord."

And God does not break His promise!  We see that truth in Christ Jesus. In today's Gospel,  Luke 4: 21-30, after Jesus spoke in the synagogue of his hometown, the people turned against Him. They took Him "to the brow of the hill on which their town had been built, to hurl him down headlong." Jesus "passed through the midst of them and went away."  God the Father delivered His son from the evil ways of those plotting to harm Him and He does so for us, as well!  God is on the side of those who do His will and who follow the plan God has marked out for them!

Who am I in today's Gospel: those who, out of anger or jealousy, rise up against others or those who, girded with grace and the power of the Spirit,  speak the truth as directed by God, as Jesus did?  Do I, like Jesus, trust the Father in fighting for us and protecting us from evil?

Come, Follow Me; Trust Me

In today's Gospel, Matthew 4: 18-22, Jesus is walking by the Sea of Galilee. He sees two brothers, Andrew and his brother Peter, and calls out to them: "Come after me!"  A little further down the shore Jesus sees two other brothers, James and his brother John. They, too, are called by Jesus and, like Andrew and Peter, immediately leave their fishing business and families and follow Jesus. These four men never look back!  Their lives are changed forever.  We have that same example in Mary, the Mother of Jesus! She says "yes" to the angel Gabriel. Her life, too, is changed forever. Other women, once they heard the words of Jesus, follow Him all the way to the cross.

You and I also have been called to follow Jesus' Way. If we are being true to our call, our lives, too, are being transformed by grace. Walking in the footprints of Jesus is not easy and certainly was not easy for Mary or for any of the apostles or any other men/women who believed in Jesus. As with Jesus and Mary and the apostles and other disciples of the Lord, we, too, are often blindsided by "Herods" and challenged by "Pharisees". At times we have needed to change course along the way, sometimes becoming "refugees" in strange territories--that territory could be in our own family situations.  Nor are we spared sudden storms along the way, as did the apostles when out to sea in the middle of the night, about to drown, they wondered whether Jesus, who was actually sleeping through the storm, cared about the danger they were facing that stormy night.  We learn throughout our lives, that, though the terrain might be very difficult to navigate at times, God is always there.

A God of Sufficiency

In today's first reading, 2 Kings 4: 42-44, a man brings the prophet Elisha "twenty barley loaves made from first fruits and fresh grain in the ear."  Elisha directs him to give the food to the people to eat.  How, the man objects;; I don't have enough to feed the hundred people gathered here.  "Give it to the people to eat. For thus says the Lord, 'They shall eat and there shall we some left over."  Sure enough! They ate and there were leftovers. That is the kind of God who serves us and is there for us!

Jesus reveals these same attributes of God!  A huge crowd followed Jesus and the disciples across the Sea of Galilee. Jesus sees the crowd approaching and says to Philip:  "'Where can we buy enough food for them to eat?'  He said this to test him, because he himself knew what he was going to do."  In the crowd, there  was a little boy who had five barley loaves and two fish. Andrew, the brother of Peter, raised the question:  "...[W]hat good are these for so many?"  There were about 5000 men in the crowd besides women and children.  "...Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed them...and also as much fish as they wanted. When they had their fill, he said to his disciples, 'Gather the fragments left over, so that nothing will be wasted.'  So they collected them, and filled twelve wicker baskets with the fragments from the five barley loaves that had been more than they could eat."

God is a generous God, a God of plenitude, a God of sufficiency!

How trusting are you and I, especially when we believe that we do not have enough to reach out to others in their need?  Do we believe that, with God's help, we will have what it takes to lift a burden from another person, to offer our help by assisting them financially or materially, giving of the little energy we do have,  knowing that by being there for others the little strength we have will be multiplied a "hundredfold"?  Your "two fish" or "five barley loaves" of love, of generosity, of patience goes a long way if we distribute such in faith!

"Shake the Dust from Your Feet"

In today's first reading, Acts 13: 44-52, prominent women and leading men stirred up a persecution against Paul and Barnabas "and expelled them from their territory." This past week a Catholic priest was fired by Speaker of the House, as his message of passing legislature that benefits the rich and poor alike was labelled "too political." Whatever the reason for the expulsions, Paul and Barnabas "shook the dust from their feet in protest" against their persecutors and moved on.

All of us, from time to time, will encounter those who oppose the good we want to promote, will   reject our stand for justice, and, in fact, will persecute us for our commitment to the Gospel. There will be times when, in spite of having put forth our best, we will need to shake "the dust" from our feet, forgive those who oppose our actions, let go and let God, and move on.  Given the obstacles placed in our way and a clear messages of being  unwelcome and in fact "expelled from [the] territory," we need to open ourselves to God's invitation to move on to other  "territories." This may mean moving on to a different ministry/job, letting go of a certain relationship and/or, in short, changing our determination to get what we want from "soil" that is unproductive, knowing that God has a future full of hope planned for us (See Jer 29:11)! But without letting go of and surrendering the past to God we will not know that future!

Facing "Giants": What do we do?

In today's first reading, Numbers 13: 1-2, 25-14:1m 26-29a, 34-35, we read about the Israelites being sent into the land of Canaan to "reconnoiter the land." They returned to Moses reporting that truly Canaan is a land flowing "with milk and honey," but that giants live there. "[T]hey are too strong for us....And all the people we saw there are huge, veritable giants."  Moreover, "[t]he land we explored is a country that consumes its inhabitants."  The people wailed all night against God.  Fed up with them, God says to Moses and Aaron:  "How long will this wicked assembly grumble against me? I have heard the grumblings of the children of Israel against me....Forty days you spent scouting the land; forty years you shall suffer for your crimes: one year for each day. Thus you will realize what it means to oppose me...."  So their time in the desert--not in the land flowing "with milk and honey"--would be extended!

We create our own deserts by grumbling against God, by refusing to trust in the Lord and the Lord's promises.  How often do we not exaggerate the difficulties of a job that God asks of us:  "It's too hard." "I can't do that." "All the other kids are giants compared to me."  "There are others far superior to me; much wiser than me; much smarter than me; far more experienced than me," might be our complaints against God on any given day!

Lord, have mercy on us when, like the Israelites, we do not trust you!

Trusting and Focusing on the Lord

In today's first reading from Genesis 12: 1-9,  we encounter  75-year-old Abram, whom the Lord has just asked to take leave of his father's house and go forth to a land that God will show him.  It's like God said to Abram: "Just leave! Just trust me and start out on a journey. I will reveal your destiny. I know where  I want you to settle!"  Not only that, but God says to Abram: "I  will make of you a great nation--Abram and Sarai are childless--and I will bless you; I will make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you. All the communities of the earth shall find blessing in you." 

Abram, we are told, "went as the Lord directed him" and "journeyed on by stages...." Along the way, Abram is accompanied by the Lord--the Lord reveals himself and speaks with his servant throughout the journey. At certain points on the journey, Abram builds altars to the Lord and worships Him.

We are not unlike Abram. As with Abram,  God directs us along our faith journey, as well.  At one time or other, each of us has been asked to leave "our father's house".  We did so when we married or entered religious life or set out on a career as a single person to follow a dream that we believed was a calling from God.  God went with us, walking behind us or in front of us, at our right and left side, never leaving us alone. Along the way, God has blessed us and, without us knowing it, stopped others from "cursing" us or tripping us up.  Whatever obstacles we encountered, God helped up over the hurdles and continues to do so.  Like Abram, hopefully, we have special places where we set up , or seek out, altars to worship the Lord.

Truly, we are walking on holy ground as the Lord sanctifies it and us as we journey to our eternal home in imitation of Abram, who has gone before us!

Being a Stream in the Hand of the Lord

The first verse of today’s reading, Proverbs 22: 1-6, 10-13, reads: “Like a stream is the king’s heart in the hand of the Lord; wherever it pleases him, he directs it.”  Obedience! Surrender Trust! In today’s Gospel, Luke 8: 19-21, Jesus speaks of these virtues by saying:  “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and act on it.” What a tribute to His Mother, who was obedience to the Word of God and acted upon it.  She allowed God to direct her life however it pleased Him to do so!  In every encounter with God, Mary pondered God’s messages and actions!

What about you and me? Does the Solomon’s wisdom apply to us? Are we like “a stream…in the hand of the Lord” in that “wherever it pleases” God, God directs us? Are you, am I even aware of God’s directions in our lives  each day? Do you, do  I take time at the end of the day to reflect upon ways in which you/I allowed or resisted the directions of the Holy Spirit throughout the day?  Would Jesus say of you/me: “My mother and my brothers [and sisters] are those who hear the word of God and act on it”?

Do what? You Gotta Be Kidding!

In today’s first reading, 1 Kings 17: 7-16, we learn that the place where Elijah was hiding dried up.   Elijah is directed to move on to Zarephath of Sidon and stay there. "...a widow...[will] provide for you."   Elijah had the choice of following those directions or of  ignoring them.  “Oh, I will manage right here,” he might have argued.  “I will be fine,” might have been another way of resisting the voice within him telling him that it was time to move on. Furthermore, Elijah might have bulked on depending on a poor widow!

The Lord is always giving us directions throughout the day. These directions may seem so mundane

that we simply ignore them and choose otherwise only  to regret that we did not listen to the

suggestions rising within us. Or, what we are hearing may sound outright ludicrous. Our response: "No way; I will do it my way!" Or we might argue: “What will others think?” Or, “let me check this out with so-and-so first,” not trusting ourselves as having the wisdom from within the core of our being, where the Spirit resides, to be making a right choice.  This is not to say that consultation is not important, but how often do we not live to please others and not ourselves and not our God!

No one was around but Elijah, you say. He had to trust God. “No, he didn’t,” is my response. He had a choice, because God will not coerce us to follow the Spirit within us. He gave us a free will and will

always allow us that freedom.  God does not force us to follow His directions or to be His servant or handmaiden. He gives directions freely all of the time;  and, yes, all of the time, he respects our free will to say “yes” or to say “no.”

What will my choice/your choice be? 

Being Born from Above

In today’s Gospel, John 3: 7b-15, Jesus tells Nicodemus that he “must be born from above,” that “the wind blows where it wills,” that we “do not know where it comes from or where it goes; so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” Furthermore, Jesus reminds us in this Gospel that  “just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.” 

I looked upon this passage in light of my experience of having little or no energy on some days and then again having a surge of energy.  Being the person that I am, I have a very difficult time not having the energy which I need to accomplish what I want to accomplish on a given day. I entered into the following conversation with my mother, who is in heaven:

Mom, this lack of energy is getting to me. But I am ashamed of complaining about it. Look at what you endured with your cancer.

Dort (the name I was called as a child), I understand your complaint. It is difficult to not have the energy you want in order to do what you feel called to do. Be patient and compassionate toward yourself. Cultivating these virtues is significant in living as Jesus lived, that is, saying “yes” to God’s will in accepting circumstances beyond your control.  It is not about what you accomplish or how productive you are that matters in life. It is the interior life of faith that matters uppermost.

Thank you, Mom.

Dort, God is taking you on the most important of journey of your life, that is,  the journey of faith and trust in God, your Savior.  It is the way of humility and love.  This is the time for you to grow in your understanding of what it means to walk by faith, not by sight.  It is the time to believe in the “blowing wind” of the Spirit  doing the will of God in you, in others and in the world.  You see It and then you don’t.

This is the time in your life to ascend in faith, looking upon Him whom we have pierced and nailed to the cross. Look upon Him who is redeeming you in the circumstances of life and inviting you to descend into your lowliness and lack of energy.  Low energy: testing your faith. High energy: affirming your faith.

Mom, this is difficult. 

Dort, “you must be born from above”  (Today’s Gospel: John 3: 7b-15).   That, Dort, is what God is doing in you now.  It is not your work but His. On occasion, God opens your eyes to realize that He is doing more in you now than you can imagine. Trust God, Dort. Trust Him!

Looking Intently to heaven

Today we celebrate the feast of St. Stephen, the first martyr, who held fast to his faith in Christ Jesus in the face of the outrage “of the members of the so-called Synagogue of Freedmen, Cyrenians, and Alexandrains, and the people from Cilicia and Asia.”  They were unable to debate with Stephen, as his wisdom and the spirit with which he spoke was too much for them. Hearing him, “they were infuriated, and they ground their teeth at him. In the midst of their attack upon him, Stephen, “filled with the Holy “Spirit, looked up intently to heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God,” saying to his attackers:  “Behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God” (Acts 6: 8-10; 7: 54-59). 

Many times when our loved ones are face to face with death, they, too, I believe, see the “glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.”  The “heavens [open]” and they see “the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God,” as they, too, look “intently to heaven.” God, we know, is always with us in our best of times and our “worst” of times, worst humanly speaking.  God never abandons us. That is why He became one of us in the flesh.  He is always close at hands, even when we are unaware of His presence.

Authored to do God's Will

Today’s Scripture readings, Proverbs 30: 5-9 and Luke 9:1-6, both speak of trusting the Lord. The author of Proverbs asks the Lord to “give me neither poverty nor riches; provide me only with the food I need; lest, being full, I deny you, saying, ‘Who is the Lord?’ Or, being in want, I steal, and profane the name of my God.” In the Gospel Jesus sends His apostles out to preach the Good News, giving “them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, …to proclaim the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick.” He then says to them: “Take nothing”  [with you]…neither walking stick, nor sack, nor food, nor money, and let no one take a second tunic.”

Wow! Trust, trust, trust that God will provide.  I have a tendency to over prepare for everything, leaving nothing to chance, nothing to God’s power, really. I want no surprises, yet God is full of surprises and full of power. His grace is abundant and He always goes ahead of us to prepare the way. Where is my faith when I over prepare, when I hold back because “I’m not ready,” “I have not done enough research,” “I do not have this degree or that degree; I’m too limited.”

Jesus sent the 12 apostles forth to proclaim the Kingdom, to heal diseases, to cast out demons. Jesus gave them power and authority. Jesus also gives you and me power and authority whenever we are invited to go forth out of our comfort zones. Do I believe this? Do I act on faith when the Spirit beckons? Or, when the pastor of my parish or a parishioner asks me to get involved, do I say, “No, I’m not ready for that.”  When someone out the blue calls me up and says: Will you do such and such, do I say, “No, I don’t think I can do that,” when the disbelief is a hidden fear that God will not provide me with “the food I need”  to do that task?

Does Jesus walk away saddened by my refusal to trust, to believe?

The faith journey

Today, I am directing a retreat at UW-River Falls, WI. The theme of the retreat is “Sometimes you have to go to Jerusalem as a Christian.”  The Scripture reading chosen for today’s reflection is 1 Kings 17: 7-16.  Drought has ravished the land. The Lord says to Elijah: “Up and go to Zarephath in Sidonia, and stay there. I have ordered a widow there to give you food.” As Elijah enters the city, he meets a widow gathering sticks to prepare a last meal for her son and herself before they die.  She is asked to share the little she has with Elijah. She is hesitant. Elijah tells her that Yahweh has promised that the “[j]ar of meal shall not be spent, the jug of oil shall not be emptied, before the day when Yahweh sends rain on the face of the earth.”  She does as Elijah suggested and, lo and behold, the “jar of meal was not spent nor the jug of oil emptied, just  as Yahweh had foretold through Elijah.”

 When you and I think we have absolutely nothing to share or  we are at the end of our rope, there are no more choices left to make, we want to give up totally or simply lie down and die, the Lord says: “Up and go. Don’t just sit here.  Don’t give up.  I have ordered so and so to meet your need, to restore you to life, but you have got to be willing to work  for it. You have got to be willing to leave your “poverty” and seek the more from those who can assist you.

The journey to fullness of life always  involves a dying, a letting go, a  giving and a receiving. If we cling to what is when what is is no longer life-giving—the well has run dry, so to speak-- if we wallow in self-pity, we will continue to feel famished, unmotivated, stuck. On the other hand,  if  we assume responsibility in “finding the widow” in relocating to another “place,” be that a physical move or a psychological/spiritual move, following  Elijah’s example, we will thrive in God’s goodness and grow in our trust of Divine Providence.  The faith journey is learning over and over again to trust God’s invitations to get “up and go to ‘Zaraphat in Sidonia’” or to give of the little we have to help others even when we think we have nothing to give.    

Taking Things into Our Own Hands: The Consequences

In today’s first reading, Gen. 16: 1-12, 15-16, we have the story of Sarai giving her husband permission to have intercourse with her Egyptian maidservant Hagar, because “the Lord has kept me from bearing children.”  Abram and Sarai take things into their own hands instead of trusting and relying upon the Lord,  who promised them that their descendents would be as numerous as the stars in the sky or the sand on the seashore.  Following her pregnancy, Hagar begins to treat Sarai with disdain and lord her pregnancy over Sarai. Sarai blames Abram for Hagar’s abuse. He dismisses it as her problem: “Do with her whatever you like.”  Sarai, in  turn, abuses Hagar, who runs away to get escape the consequences of her bad behavior that Sarai reciprocates.  God communes with Hagar, expressing his concern and counseling her to deal with the situation she has created by returning to Sarai. 

How easily to get ourselves into a mess when we take things into our own hands and then take steps to avoid any responsibility for the mess that we have created.  There are consequences to abusing anyone, to lording it over others, to entertaining and acting upon jealousies.  Note, though, that God does not abandon any one of these persons and He does not negate His promises. The covenant stands that He made with Abram and Sarai.  Hagar, too, is given protection, is counseled, is shown care and concern from on high. 

God has a plan for all and that plan will not be thwarted because we choose to do things our way instead of waiting upon the Lord.  In what ways, we need to ask ourselves, do we take things into our own hands, arrange to escape the messes we have created in our relationships, act upon jealousies and forget God’s covenant with us?

Trusting in the Lord

 In today first reading, Is. 26: 1-6, we are encouraged with words: "Trust in the Lord forever! For the Lord is an eternal Rock."  I am at our province headquarters in Oshkosh, WI.  I came here on the 3rd of Dec. and will be here until the 14th. I came to set up a vocation committee that consists of lay people, SSM Associates and some Sisters.  I said to the Lord on the way here: "Lord, this is a trust walk, an act of faith. I have no idea who I will be interviewing or whether the persons I asked for suggestions have any information for me." The first night at Franciscans Courts, our headquarters in Oshkosh, I went to the library around 7:00 p.m. and around 7:30 a sister who does chaplaincy work at Mercy Hospital in Oshkosh dropped by and gave me a list of names of persons she thought would be good committee members. On returning to my room, the phone rang. It was one of our Associates. She had a list of names for me.  I was overwhelmed. I had been praying the prayer: "Lord, bless me this day and I will indeed be blessed!"

I have 12 person interested in working with us to promote religious life and priesthood, to put forth effort to make SSMs known. I will be interviewing all of these persons and writing recommendations to the Council.

Our communication specialist, who also has background in marketing, has offered to analyze my work and help me develop strategies for more effective use of social media and maintaining ongoing contact with inquirers.

"Trust in the Lord! For the Lord is an eternal Rock!"  How many times the Lord confirms this truth for me! What about you?

Trusting in God's Saving Power

Today’s readings, for me, are about utter dependence upon and trust of God and God’s eternal faithfulness to humankind.  The first reading deals with political disasters—the Assyrians invade the Northern Kingdom, destroy the city and drive the people into exile.  In the Gospel, the disciples’ boat is on the verge of capsizing in a turbulent sea.  Out of nowhere, between 3:00-6:00 a.m., Jesus, though not recognized, is seen walking on the sea, coming toward the boat.  They cry out: “It is a ghost.” Jesus responds: “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.”  Peter says: “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” Peter starts out, doubts, almost drowns and cries out: “Lord, save me!” 

What lessons for you and me!  The world is in no better shape than when the Assyrians invaded the Northern Kingdom.  We have nations rising up against nations to this very day, destroying cities, driving people out of their homelands. Personal disasters also touch every person’s life, multiple times, it seems. This is life “in this vale of tears.”

Like Peter, we have the option of crying out to the Lord: “Lord, save us.”  And He will.  We also know in faith, that, as in the Old Testament, God is a warrior who fights for us, who comes to our aid, and is close to the brokenhearted who seek Him above all and in all and through all.  Evil will not triumph, even though it may look that way. With the author of psalm 89, we pray:  “O Lord, you have been our refuge through all generations. Before the mountains were begotten and the earth and the world were brought forth, from everlasting to everlasting you are God!”