ONLY 39 MORE DAYS TO GO! YOU CAN DO IT!

There is not a lot of accountability in lent.  If you did not fast yesterday, chances are there was nobody around who had power to discipline you.  If you ate meat there wouldn't be a cut in your pay. If you are not giving up something for Lent (of doing something extra) you won't get a ticket.  If you are not diving into prayer and almsgiving, you won't receive a warning notice from the city.  Lent is entirely voluntary and you will get out of it exactly as much as you put in to it.

How awesome it is that we are encouraged in our self disciplines rather than under the watchful eye of a Big Brother.  It means that whatever we undertake, it is not a matter of outside forces guiding our actions from which we look forward to escaping the moment the pressure is released.  It is, rather, something that comes from within, forming habits and character, not just compliance.

May your Lenten practices steep you in Truth, bathe you in Goodness and set you aglow in Beauty for the rest of you life.

ME AGAINST ALL OF THE JERKS ON THE HIGHWAY

I had a terrible dream last night.  I was in a wheelchair roaming around downtown Barberton.  That was not the terrible part.  The terrible part was that there was another guy in a wheelchair in front of me who I couldn’t get around on the narrow sidewalk and I KNEW he was going slowly in a valiant attempt to tick me off.  The way I knew this was true was that when we got to a place where I could pass him, he started wheeling as quickly as he could. 

Idiot.

The dream ended with me getting out of my chair and punching him.

Are there not enough real life events such as this that I need to dream about it?  There’s the car that does the same thing on one lane roads, the guy that blocks the whole highway by riding at the exact same speed as the truck in the only other available lane, there’s having to stop on your bike to let someone pull into their driveway EVEN THOUGH you haven’t seen another car in an hour and there is not one other person pulling in or our of their driveway for miles in either direction but still you have to stop.  

Seriously?

Or, or, or if you slow down to let someone else coming in the other direction get around a parked car AND THEY SLOW DOWN TOO so the next time you say to yourself, “I am NOT slowing down this time because the other person just will to,” AND THEY DON’T.

There are, in general, two ways to handle the situation.  The first is to get angry and assign all kinds of malevolent intent on the part of the other person, the cosmos, or God.  This can result in a general raising of blood pressure, the side effects can be loss of volume control in your voice, tourette like symptoms of speech, and the involuntary raising of certain digits.  Once infected, the lingering feeling from these symptoms are difficult to shake and can lead to needing to see the Divine Doctor in the confessional.

Here is at least one alternative:  Say that every time you are delayed, cut off, or otherwise put off course you were being saved from something.  Assume it is your guardian angel in the other car.  Maybe these few extra moments mean that you wont run in to that annoying person who will give you a cold, or that you will miss being in a accident, that somehow your life is going to be better because of this annoying few moments - not the least of which will be that you have exercised and made stronger the virtue of patience within you.  This may sound pie-in-the-sky but I am amazed at how often it is true.  So instead of getting angry, you learn to say, “Thank you.”

BUT WHAT IF THE GUY IN THE OTHER VEHICLE REALLY IS JUST BEING A JERK?  That may be absolutely true.  But if you get angry, then he is a jerk and you are an angry jerk. It is better that they are a jerk and you at least grow in patience and thankfulness.  And who says God doesn’t use jerks to advance his plan?  It’s yours to win no matter what.

STAY FOCUSED! YOU CAN DO IT!

A few years after having studied with him I went up to my philosophy professor (RIP) and said, “You know, I hated studying philosophy but now I see how useful it is and wish I had taken it more seriously.”

 

He got a weary but sympathetic look on his face and said, “I know.  The problem with philosophy is that it has a long fuse.”  By this he meant that you have to learn a lot of philosophy and live with it for a while before there is any kind of pay off.  Or, as the sign on my friend’s barn door says more simply, “Hard work eventually pays off.  Laziness pays off now.”

 

That is one of the insidious problems with good and evil.  Evil most often starts off at least feeling like a good but does its damage later, while doing good (like getting up early this morning in the what I hope is the last winter storm to go to the gym to work out) can start off feeling like a trial but then pays off.  Some of what lent tries to do is get us past that initial desire to enjoy sin and get over the initial hump of goodness in order to enjoy its benefits.  That is what God want for you.

 

Having the discipline to turn off the T.V. or computer and go to bed earlier so that you can be fresh in the morning to meet your day’s obligations is a good thing.  God wants you, as far as is possible, to have enough sleep.

 

Cutting down on your food intake if you need to so that you don’t feel bloated later is a good thing and what God wants for you.

 

Getting off of the couch and doing some exercise so that you feel stronger later and look better is not a selfish thing but treating the temple of the Holy Spirit the way it should be treated and is part of God’s plan for you.

 

Trying to make peace with others so that life is more enjoyable is part of God’s plan for you.  Having your sins forgiven so that you have a clear conscience is in his desire for you.  Expanding your learning to open you up to the wonders of creation is his gift waiting for you to open.  Even though it is not supposed to be the point, he gives you consolations when you work charitably for others because he wants you to know his love.  Taking some time on your own to pray quietly every day is not forsaking other duties but is as necessary as taking time to eat and sleep and is His desire for you.  Forgoing a good in the Lenten season is so that you might have a stronger will, greater discipline, more control and more freedom.  All these are His gifts and wishes for you.

 

Now get out there and RUMBLE! 

WHY DOES GOD ALLOW THINGS LIKE 9/11 TO HAPPEN?

“Why does a good and loving God allow things like 9/11 to happen?”  It is often thought that if He is all good and all powerful, full of love and knows what we need before we ask it, why does He not do something like stop terrorists flying into buildings killing many innocent people?

 

There are a thousand answers to that question both negative and positive, but it boils down to that He must allow things like 9/11 to happen or our salvation is at risk.

 

God’s law is based on this: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind and to love your neighbor as yourself.  On this the whole law is based.  Therefore, to follow God freely and follow His way means we must have the capacity to love.  Ironically, we can only love to the extent that we are capable of hating.  We must have free will in this matter.  If there is no free will, if we are incapable of hating and our only choice is to love, then it is no choice at all, love is all that we can do and true love ceases to exist.  We have become puppets on a string.  We cannot choose God then because we cannot not choose God.  Our love would be empty.  We would be like a brick that remains being a brick because it can’t possibly be anything else.  What merit is there in that?

 

If we can hate just a little (mind you, I mean that we are capable of it, not that we must do it) then we can choose not hate that much, we can choose to love that amount instead in spite of ourselves.  We are capable of loving a little if we are capable of hating a little.  And how truly capable are we of loving?  We have the capability as a human race to hate so much that we are willing to fly a plane load of innocent people into a building filled with innocent people.  That we could foster that hate for long periods of time, spend countless days and hours planning destruction, and even be willing to use our own lives in the administration of our hate.

 

How much can we love?  We have the capability as a human race to love so much that we are willing to walk into a building that is engulfed in flames, debris falling everywhere, where there is chaos and death and danger of further destruction.  That we could foster love by preparing for such an event, choosing a lifestyle that focuses on assisting their fellow citizens, studying and training for countless days and hours preparing to rescue those in need and be willing to risk our own lives in the administration of our love.

 

Free will.  It has a down side.

 

But it also has an upside.

 

And for that upside to mean anything, God must allow events like 9/11.

TAKE THIS JOB AND . . . WAIT - I NEED THIS JOB

About ten minutes ago I finished up celebrating a funeral. I will admit when I go to bed at night it is with a certain amount of satisfaction that my vocation in the priesthood does a lot of good in the world (now whether I do well at it is another question but the vocation itself does a lot of good.)

Recently a number of people, mostly men, have come to me and stated that they do not feel that their chosen careers make much of a difference in the world. For example, “I sell whichamajiggies Father and at the end of the day nobody will be saved because they have one, it won’t affect history, it won’t give others hope or ease their suffering.” I challenge that assumption and I challenge it because of what another man who does sell whichamajiggies taught me.

His side of the story goes more like this, “Father, I sell whichamajiggies but that is not what I do. That is a tool. I own this whichamajiggy shop and that allows me to employ these husbands and fathers so that they may raise Christian children with a certain amount of security. Selling whichamajiggies allows me to support my family, my parish, and my community. It allows me to witness to my faith. That is what I do – not sell whichamajiggies.”

If you enjoy your job but it does not feel as though you are contributing to the betterment of man and the glory of God, it may be that it simply a tool to allow you to do those things that do accomplish that end. It may be that your employment is a blessing to others afterall.

NOW THAT'S RICH

So why doesn’t God just wave His mighty arm and fulfill everybody’s needs? Like Lazarus for the Lazarus and the rich man Gospel, where was God? Why didn’t He send Lazarus help?

Well, the fact is that He did. On the other side of the door was plentiful food. Even the rich man’s dogs had more than enough to eat. Unfortunately he never bothered to look outside of himself to see if there might be anyone in need. He was too concerned with self pleasure.

God does not do everything for us. He also does not want us to do everything completely on our own. He wants to work with us. There was a man in need and another man who was supplied with excess. It was all there. All that was required was the one with to give a little of what he had to the one without. By God allowing us to work with Him instead of just doing everything for us, it is we who benefit. How great it would have been if the rich man could have looked outside of himself, saw the needs of others, grew in compassion and generosity, and thereby became a better man.

We all have a surplus of something; musical talent, time, prayer, knowledge, strength, health, a pickup truck. There is always someone in need. God provides it all. We just need to open the door, see the person in need, and share what we have.

NO PAIN - NO GAIN - RO GAIN

So Father B and I were traveling about and needed to take a room somewhere in Pennsylvania. I went to work out in the hotel exercise room and when I returned B was watching a televangelist. I think a lot of these people preaching for such a long period of time week after week. It must be difficult. But five minutes into it we found ourselves saying, “Please say something of substance – please say something of substance.” It was like a long drawn out joke in which a person gives too many details before the punch line. Perhaps an hour sermon (for some – others are really quite good) say as much of substance as priests (are supposed to) do in an eight minute homily.

This particular man (and I would like to emphasize that I am talking about one preacher who was unassociated with a denomination) was going through great lengths to tell people that God wants them to be successful, rich, and happy. His prayer was that this is exactly where his congregation would find itself so that others would look at them and now that God is blessing them because of their wealth and happiness show that they must have truth.

Apparently the crucifixion was lost on him.

He is far from alone in the idea that if we are good enough, if we pray enough, if we are well practicing Christians then God will give us the high life. I would want to believe this! If I were a bit more naive and thought this message possible, I would gobble it up. Why not? What would I have to lose? Why not go with the guy who promises wealth and happiness from God?

Because it is a false promise.

There are not many non-Catholic Christians out there they see the merit in redemptive suffering. It is precisely when we suffer and remain true to God that we are refined like silver in the furnace, becoming more pure, more holy, even closer to God. Love of another human being is exactly the same. A couple that never has difficulties never truly grows in love for neither must sacrifice for the other. It is exactly when sacrifice is necessary, practiced and given freely that love, which is at first tried, becomes a deeper, more mature love.

Why do we purposefully practice acts of denial, charity, and penance in this season? Exactly to train ourselves to love and focus on God. This helps us prepare for those times when trial will hit us involuntarily. This will enable to trust God to see us through difficult times – to love Him just the same and not blame Him for our woes. It is redemptive because love will be tested and found then stronger than ever.

If you need proof, contemplate His Son’s Cross, or Job, or the Virgin Mary, or the violent life and death of those closest to Jesus such as the apostles, of Saint Paul, of the Martyrs, of the missionaries, of those who stand alone in their faith, of those persecuted for believing in Him – there is a reason they are now called saints – it was not because God made them wealthy and happy in an earthly sense – but wealthy in love and full of joy even when there were tears and trials.

FOR SALE: VATICAN. CHARMING VIEW OF TIBER FROM VATICAN HILL. ALL SERVICES INCLUDED.

In a store a man stopped me and asked, “Are you a Catholic priest?” I had my blacks on but had pulled out my tab collar. After receiving an affirmation he said, “I thought so,” and then launched in on vicious attack, most of which was unfounded, against the Catholic Church. Don’t think I was hurt or offended, I relish in such things.

His biggest complaint was the wealth of the Vatican. It was the reason he left the Church so long ago. Why this particular point should be the linchpin for his leaving I can’t figure out (I would think some perceived false teaching would be a much better reason, but that is just me).

He was convinced that if the Vatican would sell off everything that it had, that there would be an end to poverty in the world. But the Catholic Church was there simply to suck up money from the rest of the world so that it (I suppose the lucky few that “get to” live in the Vatican) can live in luxury.

So let us suppose for a moment that the Vatican were to sell all that it had. To what end? Suppose every one who was poor in the world got $1,000 and a meal. Then what? Would the institutions and practices of the world have changed? Would the causes of poverty be wiped out? What of future generations who now also no longer have their patrimony as Catholics available to them?

And is not part of the “mission statement” if you will of the Catholic Church to be an influence on culture? What is to be gained by destroying some of the greatest collections of art and knowledge in the world? At the Vatican these pieces belong to all the nations.

There is the mindset too that the poor need a meal and a place to sleep and we have done our job. Not so. This is crass. This pays not attention to the dignity and complexity of the human person. The poor need beauty too. A sensual being needs to be fed more than in his stomach to be truly fed. Besides, to make this statement is to miss the fact that the Catholic Church is of the greatest contributors to those in need in the world already.

Perhaps I lack the eloquence to state the argument convincingly, but Professor Thomas F. X. Noble of Notre Dame does give some insight in his Popes and the Papacy course from the Teaching Company:

“Let’s do say the Vatican is not rich. There is this notion that the Vatican is rich. Well, the Vatican bank controls three and a half billion in assets but none of that belongs to the Vatican it belongs to the depositors. We could say, ‘Oh, they have all that stuff.’ Fair enough. Are they going to sell St. Peter’s? Are they going to sell Michael Angelo’s pieta? Are they going to sell the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel? How could one put a value on any of these things?

“It may amuse you to know that each of those things is on the Vatican books with the nominal value of one Euro. For what would the price be?”

JUST ANOTHER HAPPY AND PRODUCTIVE DAY IN CATHOLIC LAND

When I come down to join the other priests for breakfast in the morning the first question asked is no longer, “Did the Church make the paper?” It is now, “What are they saying about us today?” The Church makes the news so often that I’ve thought of writing to the paper suggesting that they have a Catholic section to make finding the Catholic Church stories easier.

Of course the stories are almost invariably negative. “Another Happy and Productive Day in Catholic Land,” does not sell. And quite honestly, we deserve some of it and some of it helps keep us honest. And I don’t have a problem if someone wants to debate a Catholic issue. At least they are talking about it. But what really gets my shorts in a bunch is the constant stream of misinformation, exaggerations, and the tendency to only find persons who are opposed to the Church or her teachings to give any kind of comment. How is that fare and unbiased reporting? Answer: It isn’t.

I thought of venting about each of the misleading stories that were printed or aired locally in just the past week but why give the stories any more exposure? In a way, it is a back-handed compliment that the Church is so constantly maligned. If we were unimportant, there would be no reports or people acting so vehemently. So thank you I suppose.

And even if there are some people doing stupid things in the name of the Church, the vast majority of us keep moving along, quietly doing what Christ has called us to do. So instead of hashing the poor reporting over again, here is a nice story about your Church from the last week that you will not have heard about:

An elderly lady died in a nursing home. She was penniless. Her family moved and left no forwarding address. (Did I mention that she was penniless?) Calling hours were held and a notice was placed in the paper, but nobody came. Her funeral, however, was one of the nicest ever held here. Cecil B. DeMille would have been proud.

The pastor had the mass. A member of Gabriel’s Harp, a Christian band that has performed all over the world including various World Youth Days, provided music. A local boy’s Catholic high school Saint Ignatius has a ministry called the Saint Joseph of Arimathea Pallbearer Ministry which provides pallbearers for families that do not have members or friends that can act as such. They made themselves available at both the church and at the graveyard. Classes from our grade school came to pray for her and to act in ministries such as reader, extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion, and gift bearer. And the members of the local Jesuit community will offer another mass in her name.

That’s cool. The daily, quiet acts of corporal and spiritual acts of charity that go largely unnoticed. Thank you to all of you who do these things too, quietly, unrecognized, maybe even feeling alone in your endeavors. You are not. You are part of a much greater goodness. What you do is important even if no one sees it. God bless you for your ministry.