IF GOD WOULD ONLY LISTEN

It is not unusual for someone to be mad at God because it appears as though He is not answering their prayers.  Usually this means that God is not following our directions properly.  “If He loved me, He would do as I request because - well - it’s really what I want.”

And it is interesting to ponder if God thinks the same thing.  “I’ve told them exactly what I want.  Why don’t they listen?”  But the difference is that God doesn’t get mad and He will be there tomorrow listening just as intently as He did the day before and hoping we will listen just as attentively.  

GET LOST

How about just one more day reprieve from the topic that seems to be on everybody's mind.  I'm going to ignore the elephant for just one more day.

 

Anybody who knows me knows also that I have a thing about being on time.  "We start on time and we end on time" should be written on my grave stone.  But one thing I have learned lately with a little help from my friends is that when this doesn't happen because of factors beyond my control, as long as I am open to it, really great things can happen that would not have otherwise.

 

Part of this I get from Mom.  If there is one thing she treasured it was getting lost or sent on a detour.  She was always sure that this was the beginning of an adventure that we would not have had otherwise.  And often it was the case.  Some of my best memories were not the things we were supposed to do on vacation but the things we got to do and see because we were lost.

 

Of course I credit God and guardian angels for the wonderful phenomenon.  I don't know if God sends you the curve ball to get you where He wants you or if He just makes something good out of a bad situation, but in either case or combination thereof, He gets the credit in my book.

 

So a week ago I am in Ireland.  After having spent a LOT of hours on the bus with 56 of my favorite people, the tour guide said, "We are now going to get back on the bus and go on a tour of the countryside and then end up back here in two hours."

 

I took him aside and said, "You mean we are going to get on that bus, ride for a couple of hours, and end up right back here?"

 

"Yes."

 

 

"I ain't going.  I see you when you get back."  (Above is one of the places I lit candles for various people including the readers of Adam's Ale)

 

A seminarian joined me and we toured around a town called Dingle.  It was a great visit and it was nice to walk around but I felt like I was being too directive.  "Let's go here!  Let's go there!"  So I told the seminarian, "You pick where we are going now.  I'll follow."  (At right, lunch in Dingle.)  Well, we ended up on some back streets that led nowhere and finally had to double back.  I was practicing my newly found spiritual principle of trying to be happy wherever I ended up and not worrying about the time and just enjoying "being" when a man walking out of a post office nearly ran us down.

 

We looked at each other and took in each other's dress and he asked, "You a priest?"

 

"Yes.  Are you?"

 

"Yes.  Roman?"

 

"Roman."

 

He asked us if we had seen this church in Dingle and we said no.  "Father! You MUST see it!  It's in all of our literature.  It would be a shame to come all this way and not see it!"  After explaining that it was not in walking distance and we that our bus was picking us up in 25 minutes, he ushered us into his car and drove us.  "It will only be 10 minutes to get there," he said.

 

We went down lonely one lane roads with grass growing down the middle and shrubbery brushing the sides  of the car.  Only then did it occur to me there was the possibility that he was not a priest at all but a mass murderer and we were probably the next victims, or worse, we were on an Irish ten minutes and not a Slovenian ten minutes and that we would miss the bus by a couple of hours.

 

But no, we finally did hit the Gallarus Oratory (see picture to your left) said to be Ireland's oldest ecclesial building.  Read more HERE.  We stopped and prayed and then he ushered us back into his car, drove like a wild cat and got us back to the bus with two minutes to spare.

 

And that became my favorite memory of the trip.  And it as because we were lost and open to God's creativity.  Here's a view out the door.

GUEST BLOGGER: IT'S A LIE!

There was no post yesterday because our Internet was down so today you get two!  This is the bulletin letter that my friend and fellow pastor wrote for this weekend's bulletin at St. Francis de Sales in Akron.  I think he loves Ireland and St. Patrick more than the Irish who actually live there.  He always has something interesting to say but this I thought was timely and relevant.  I hope you enjoy it and get something out of it as I did.  Oh - and don't tell your friends from St. Francis about this article until after the weekend.  They haven't seen it yet.  And now from Fr. Bline:

 

One of the most frustrating things for me at this time of year is watching how most of America has no idea what Saint Patrick Day means to the real people of Ireland. It has NEVER been about outlandish parades, tacky costumes or leprechaun decor, green beer or oh-so-misguided souls that want to start this holy day with "kegs & eggs." Oh, am I upsetting some of you? Good, then join my reason for why I think it is fitting for St. Patrick to celebrate his feast in the middle of Lent.

 

Now don't get me wrong, I rather like the fun that comes with the 17th of March. And, I can't say that my lips haven't felt the cool-warm foam of 119.5 second poured pint of Guinness (plus the top off time...not that I know anything about such things), but know what it is really all about...true freedom.

 

It is about Patrick's Lenten plea to return to the Lord, to ask God to create a clean heart in us, to be with family and friends at Mass at the very start of the day and to break bread at home in thanksgiving for God's love in your life. Am I too idealistic, too out of touch, and should I just go along with all the fun and stop being such a party-pooper (as some of my own friends have said)? I don't think so. I'm not saying it is a bad thing to laugh and enjoy the day with generous portions of cabbage and corned beef (or Irish bacon/ham if you're in Eire), black pudding and porridge, colcannon or parties, to lift up a foamy pint with friends, or to have a bite of our own Mary Patricia Nash Butke's perfect Irish soda bread (who by the way just got named the Hibernian's Grand Marshall for Akron's St. Patrick Day Parade). Just remember "The Bright Sadness" (as St. John Climacus loves to call this season, March 30) which is so closely linked to all the sacrificial love St. Padraig embraced and shared with the very people who he was called to serve and to save.

 

 Have holy fun and sacred celebrations this week with your friends and family, St. Patrick and St. Joseph (don't forget your St. Joseph Bread and Altar setup at home on the 19th). But however you enjoy it, remember now is the time to return to our Lenten vows and to make amends by taking care of those who are most in need. Síochána, Fr. Kieran Bline

A-THEISTS POINT OF VIEW

There are those who believe (and I use the word “believe” very deliberately since it comes with its own set of un-provable presuppositions) that there is no God.  The theory of “no god” is also associated with the idea that there we are an accident of the universe with no meaning and when we die we cease to exist.  Period.  If this is so, then there really is no basis for a universal morality because there is no basis for absolute truth.

 

Some will argue that a basis for morality might be found in nature (natural law.)  There is small grounds here.  We might, for example, figure out through natural law that without clean water it we cannot survive and therefore it is good to have clean water and bad not to.  But what about people living in a desert?  Should we give them some of our clean water?  What if it places our access to clean water at risk?  If there is no real meaning to life why not let the people in the desert die?  If you give them water they will only increase in number and then we will need to send more of our limited supply of water.  But if they died, that would be the end of a problem.  There is no heaven or hell so there are no consequences and for the people who live, life on this meaningless planet just became more tolerable.

 

If, on the other hand, one would say that there is in natural law a basis for morality that says life has meaning and that we should take care of the people in the desert; that means that life and the universe have meaning and purpose.  If it has meaning and purpose that means there is an intelligence behind it and we get right back to some form of god.  But even if one argues otherwise, how do you enforce this concept of natural law other than to say, “This is my idea!” followed by a meaningful lump on the head with a club to the one who disagrees?

 

“But wait!” one might argue, “I know plenty of moral and good atheists!”  I agree.  So do I.  They are some of my favorite people.  They are also some of my favorite people in history.  People of towering (what Christians even would call) virtue.  But in the end it can only be fashion.  There is no absolute by which it can be enforced save for “Might Makes Right,” whether that be army, popular vote, control of resources, or other such means.  When the benevolent believer in a god free universe is no longer in control, to what can we appeal to continue his ideals against a contradictory force other than to raise our own force for our preferences?

 

It is often brought up that religion has caused so much war in the world.  From the Catholic perspective, it is exactly when we were NOT living up to the call of our faith that the worst in the world has been committed; when God is used as a false rallying cry and not to move people more deeply into the Gospel message. 

 

For the radical separation of Church and state (which I would argue does not state nor mean that the faith of many of the very people that they government is supposed to represent may have no sway in political activity) opens the door to those with power abusing those without power.  The worst in ourselves will come out over the (not so) long haul.

IT WAS THE BEST OF TIMES IT WAS THE WORST OF TIMES

Jack Francis passed away and was buried from St. Sebastian this past week.  He barely took a breath of earth’s air before passing on to the next world.  There was scarce time for water to be poured over his head and the Trinity invoked.  A short life by our standards to be sure.  One that had yet to be started if we measure life by successive birthdays.

 

Yet he lived!  He had a name!  He was loved!  The kingdom of heaven swelled with his tender soul added to saints of heaven.  He shall spend the rest of eternity praising God and intercessing for those of us who will have to wait years/decades before we are able to enjoy the vision he now enjoys.

 

I thought of Jack before he was born though I did not know his name.  I think of all mothers with their children in their womb coming up in the Communion line.  What a blessed place to be for that child.  To live within the tabernacle of the Lord as his mother received Communion and he shares the same resting place as His Lord and God.

 

His life is tragic only to us.   We are terribly sad that we did not have the opportunity to enjoy watching him grow and learn the way we grow and learn.  But really, he is so far beyond us now in wisdom and knowledge for He is before all Truth, all Love, all Goodness, all Beauty.

 

Certainly we can never be happy about the situation no matter what joy we imagine young Jack may be experiencing.  But our sadness, our disappointment is not without hope.  Jack was already gift, for we feel the loss and out tears tell of how valued the gift was.  And though we may not experience the gift to the extent we wished, we look on with the words of Charles Dickens:

 

“Oh! it is hard to take to heart the lesson that such deaths will
teach, but let no man reject it, for it is one that all must learn,
and is a mighty, universal Truth. When Death strikes down the
innocent and young, for every fragile form from which he lets the
panting spirit free, a hundred virtues rise, in shapes of mercy,
charity, and love, to walk the world, and bless it. Of every tear
that sorrowing mortals shed on such green graves, some good is
born, some gentler nature comes. In the Destroyer's steps there
spring up bright creations that defy his power, and his dark path
becomes a way of light to Heaven.”

WHY DO BAD THINGS HAPPEN TO GOOD PEOPLE?

Then why must bad things happen to good people?  We will never understand fully nor completely satisfactorily in this life with this is so.  But we can begin to scratch the surface.  For example, yesterday we asked the question why did God allow the 9/11 accident to occur.  One clear reason is because of that pesky blessing and burden:  Free Will.

 

But why must innocent people suffer?  Why not keep the pain amongst those who want to play with fire?  Why must I lose my house because you fool around with matches?  It is because there must be consequences to one’s actions.  If I could perform a truly evil act and nobody would effected by it, would it be evil?  If there were never any consequences, what need would there be to punish people who choose ill?

 

Part of the problem is, of course, that often when we punish we want to cause harm back to the person who did evil, not correct him.  But let us suppose we have always the best of intentions and when someone errs, we would want to help set them on the right path.  If there were no negative consequences to our actions, how would we rate someone as sinful?  God’s laws would then simply amount to a chosen set of limited actions rather than the highest, healthiest, and most fruitful fashion of living.

 

Without suffering, there could be no sacrifice – no great offering of love.  With no effects from evil actions, Jesus could not have suffered and died for us as the innocent Victim for our sins, for nothing evil could happen in this life to the innocent.  In anger I could throw my Mother’s crystal glass into the fireplace and because she is innocent and would suffer most from the incident, it would not break.  If I knew it would not break, would there be sin since nobody would suffer?  If there could not be sin, would there be the possibility that I might grow in peace?  If there were not sin would it be possible for me to reject sin and so love?  Would there be love?

 

This world is imperfect and needs the innocent Victim to die because we live in a fallen but redeemable world where the innocent suffer.  But if they did not suffer, no one could choose the good, nobody could sacrifice, nobody would need God, and we would all suffer for that even more greatly.

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.

THE SLAP THAT COST $250,000

Bluecoats is an organization that strives to take care of our emergency first responders who are injured in the line of duty.  I am lucky enough to be one of their chaplains.  Last night they had their annual banquet and yearly meeting.  They always have a great speaker and last night was no exception.

 

The speaker Mr. Joseph D. Pistone who served in the FBI for 27 years, 6 of which were spent undercover as a member of the Mafia.  His work led to hundreds of convictions the story of which is told in the critically acclaimed major motion picture, "Donnie Brasco" featuring Al Pacino and Johnny Depp.  Below is some outtakes from that movie.  You need not watch it but I wanted to make a comment about something that happens about 28 seconds into the clip.  He is shown slapping his wife.

 

During his talk last night he called special attention to this moment in the movie.  He desired to make absolutely clear that at no time in his life did he ever lay a hand on his wife.  The slap was completely fictional.  This was stressed in the most earnest of ways.

 

A little later someone asked how much of the movie did he have control over.  He responded that he was pretty lucky and that he had a bit of say so over the movie.  Joe was gone, however, the day that they shot the slap.  Becoming rather upset he shut down production for half a day.  "Eventually the director won out.  He was the "captain" of the ship as it were.  But I cost them about a quarter of a million shutting down the film for half a day."

 

Now as you can imagine, spending six years with the Mafia, Mr. Pistone probably did not lead a saintly life.  But what is it that led him to say, "This far and no further."  The attack on marriage, on his manhood, on his role as husband was more than he was willing to let go without challenge.  There is a lesson in there somewhere for all of our men.  How far are we willing to go.  I would personally be very flattered if anyone would want to make a movie of my life, pay me lots of money, and have Johnny Depp play me.  Would that trump my beliefs enough that I would bow easily to something that went against my core beliefs?  I desperately hope not.

UNTIL I GET BETTER

Ever sworn off going to confession until you have your life together?  Ever not worn your cross or not practiced a devotional because you feel unworthy?  Many times I have heard this or similar stories.  In one way it does make sense.  All these things – sacraments – sacramentals – are about relationships.  They are about making us one with God and with each other.  If you feel that you have betrayed these relationships it does make sense in a human way that we would avoid the intimate nature of these practices until we have cleaned up our act.  We might do that with our friends on earth.

 

That being said, how can you work on a relationship if you have cut off all contact?  It is almost like saying that you are not going to go see your doctor until you are healthier. 

 

Sacraments and sacramentals are there to assist us to becoming healthier.  Everyone struggles.  That is why God gave us these opportunities for grace.  To say, “I’m not going to confession again until I’ve stopped doing this sin,” is to say “I’m going to get healthy before going to see my doctor.”

 

Of course, the opposite is also true: That of not at lease attempting to rid oneself of sin with the presumed assurance that you will simply be forgiven in confession.  But this is another matter entirely.  Keep God in the picture.  Make yourself available to His graces.  Don’t let sin win by further blocking God out of the picture by the thought that it is a good and noble deed to stay away from Him because you are not good enough.  Nobody is good enough.  He makes you good enough.  He is the only hope.  Don’t give up on Him.  Don’t give up on the Doctor.

HAY HORSE, WHY THE LONG FACE?

Only one of our depictions of saints in our church has a smile.  The rest are all deadly serious.  St. John Vianney is the only one who looks like he just got away with stealing a cookie from the cookie jar.  The rest look like as though they are in a heavy rain trying to make out the license plate of a rapidly receding car that had just side swiped them.

Now, of course someone like St. Sebastian, who is usually depicted as having arrows stuck in his side, would look far out of character with a smile on his face.  One would wonder what pharmaceuticals he must be on rather than the depth of his love for God.  That being said, I think we have done ourselves a grave disservice equating holiness with severeness of demeanor.  That is not to say that there is not a place for a stern approach from time to time, but holiness should lead to joy.  You can’t have holiness without an underlying joy (even if it is through tears and pain) and you can’t have true joy without holiness.

There are those that are joyfull, but the faith underneath it is at best full of empty calories and covered with lots of powdered sugar.  When really tried, it fails to give you the strength you need and the joy (which would be closer to happiness than real joy) fades and so can, and usually does, the faith. 

At the other end is person with faith who is also as grave as the grave.  This person tends to look down upon those who do not live up to their standards of (at least outward) holiness.  Their type of faith might be strong, but it is unattractive and unfruitful.  Who wants to join anything that will make you constantly appear constipated?

So last week (I will share more about it later) I was going to a place that has a reputation for being a “holy place.”  I had some trepidation about it.  It was certainly orthodox from the rising of the sun to its setting, but I had concerns about the temperament of those I would encounter.  “Would I not be ‘Catholic’ enough for them?  Would I be made to feel like a second class Catholic?” 

I am happy to report that such was not the case.  The joy that I experienced there from the priests, nuns, and brothers bubbled over.  They were extremely welcoming and accommodating.  There was an excitement to share what they had freely and openly, and a sense of underlying joy that was attractive and tempting.

If your faith is not leading you to joy, something is wrong.  If you faith is not attractive, something is wrong.  (Notice I am not talking about happiness which is merely an emotion.  Joy is an inner strength and conviction, knowledge of meaning and the blossom of hope.)  If you do not have joy, you do not have what Jesus wants for you.  If you do not have joy, your faith will not be as fruitful as it could be.  If you do not have joy, something needs to change.  We do not need any volunteer statues in church.

P.S., Yes, I know the title should be "Hey Horse!"

WHAT DID YOUR MOTHER TEACH YOU?

A couple of Thursdays ago we had our jazz festival held out of doors on our property.  In a not so wise move I prayed for rain at the opening collect for Mass that morning.  It rained like all get out for the first time in weeks.  Then I started worrying that perhaps we had prayed too hard because it was getting closer and closer to the time of the festival and it was still raining like Gos was trying to get rid of overstock.  So I prayed that it would stop raining and it did.  We dodged that bullet!

Some time after it struck me how fortunate we were weather wise.  It rained when we needed it.  It stopped when we needed it.  The ground dried enough and the cloud cover made an otherwise sweltering summer bearable.  And I didn’t thank God.  I thought how lucky we were, but I forgot to stop and really say thank you.

There is an old Slovenian saying that goes, “He who is polite to you but is rude to the waiter is not a polite person.”  This saying came to mind during the last St. Sebastian Chesterton meeting as we read the “The Ballad of the White Horse” where Chesterton described God as a servant:

“And well may God with serving-folk

Cast in His dreadful lot;

Is not he too a servant,

And is not He forgot?

“For was not God my gardener

And silent like a slave;

That opened oaks on the uplands

Or thickets in graveyard gave?

“And was not God my armourer,

All patient and unpaid,

That sealed my skull as a helmet

And ribs for haulberk made?”

It goes on but you get the idea.  Even if we count not what we perceive as “special favors” there is still so much for which we should be grateful from our servant-God.  And thankfulness comes not naturally, it is a discipline hard won and no greater one is there deserving thanks than the One who made it possible for us to offer it.  He who says thanks to the cashier but not to God is not a polite person.

 

So if you haven't lately, remember a prayer of thank you.  Your Mom would be proud.

WHAT'S IT ALL ABOUT MR. AND MRS. JOHN Q. SMITH FROM ANYTOWN USA?

As Christians we are so focused on what happened to Jesus during this festival we call the Triduum that we might be inclined to think that the whole world was focused on what Jesus was going through starting on what is now known as Maundy Thursday through Easter Sunday. After all you have crowds of people, religious leaders, and government officials highly and publically involved. But in reality there were many, many people who had no idea what was going on. There were those who never heard of Jesus or any of the things he had done. Or perhaps they heard some things but had no idea of the importance and so did not pay much attention. They might have even seen His execution procession go by at a distance and so turn to somebody next to them and ask, “What is all that about?” to which the other might have replied, “Some malcontents being crucified.” “Oh.” For those places and peoples that Jesus was not able to reach, the world went on spinning as usual even though the very cosmos was going through rebirth pangs.

If you find yourself unable to celebrate the Triduum because you must work or are otherwise constrained, know that there is a celebration of these things going on somewhere. When you have a few moments call this to mind and unite yourself with the Church celebrating this most awesome feast. Even at a distance, be part of – be aware – be mindful – participate to the extent in which you are able.

GUEST BLOGGER: THE MEAT OF THE MATTER

Today we are blessed to hear from our correspondent in Rome, Fr. Ott, about fasting.  Even though the end of lent it is very timely.  Read at your own risk for now you will know. 

To understand why Catholics (and many other Christians) don't eat meat on Fridays in Lent, we first have to understand the roots of the disciplines of fasting and abstinence in general. Then we need to see what it is about Fridays in Lent that make abstaining from meat an appropriate thing to do.

Fasting in the religious sense refers to consciously limiting the amount of food one consumes, for the purpose of arriving at a deeper spiritual awareness. It is a very ancient and biblical spiritual discipline (cf. 2 Sam 12:16; 1 Kgs 21:9; 2 Chr 20:3; Ezra 8:21; Jud 4:13; Esth 4:16; Joel 1:14; Jonah 3:5-7; Acts 13:4). So what does limiting my food have to do with my spiritual life? Eating is something that we generally do rather instinctively, without thinking much about it. I simply feel hungry, and so I go get something to eat, and then I don't feel hungry any more. But when I intentionally disrupt that cycle by fasting, it takes me off of "auto pilot" and helps me to realize what wonderful gifts our creator has given us. Life itself is a most amazing gift, as is the rest of creation, which sustains us and makes life worth living. When we fast, it causes us to stop taking things for granted. Thus it helps me to become more humble and grateful to God for his blessings of life and creation. This is why fasting and prayer are often linked together (cf. Lk 2:37; 5:33). The reordering of priorities, and the renewed sense of blessing and purpose that comes from this brings about greater mental and spiritual clarity, which is why it is often done to prepare for big decisions or life changing events (cf. Acts 13:4; 14:23)

Abstinence is a more specific kind of fasting, in which one completely omits a specific food or activity, often because of its symbolic meaning. This is also an ancient and biblical discipline, often requested by God himself (cf. Gen 32:33; Ex 22:30; Lev 11:4-11; Deut 14:7-21). We don't always know the reasons why God has asked for abstention from various things at certain points in history, but mystics and thinkers sometimes try to guess at these reasons, so that they might have a greater sense of purpose in obeying the law. Deut 14:21, for example, says "You shall not boil a kid goat in its mother's milk." Some have suggested that this is because this was actually a foreign religious practice, and therefore it was inappropriate for Israel to undertake it. Others reasoned that boiling an animal in the milk of its mother was just inhumane.

In the case of abstaining from meat during the Fridays of Lent, you won't find this specific rule in the Bible, because Lent did not exist yet when the Bible was written. But both the season of Lent and the discipline of abstaining from meat on Fridays are practices that are deeply rooted in biblical imagery.

The concept of a forty day pilgrimage is very well attested in the Bible. There are several periods of "forty days" in the world-purifying story of Noah and the flood (Gen 7:12, 17, 8:6). Moses spends forty days up on Mt. Sinai, receiving the Law from the Lord (Ex 24:18). Elijah journeys for forty days to escape Jezebel and get to the mountain of the God (1 Kgs 19:8). And of course, Jesus fasted and prayed for forty days in the desert (Mat 4:2; Mk 1:13; Lk 4:2).

It is out of this tradition that the Church established the forty day season of Lent. During this time, we seek to draw nearer to Jesus by going "into the desert" to fast and pray with him. And giving up meat on Fridays is part of this Lenten pilgrimage project.

To understand why this is, it is helpful to substitute "meat" with a more archaic word that means the same thing: "flesh." This gives a twofold mystical meaning to our abstinence. It can first of all remind us of the sacrifice of Jesus. On Good Friday, he gave himself completely for our sakes: flesh and blood, soul and divinity. When we give up "flesh" in this minor symbol of abstaining from meat, it is a small token reminder of the supreme sacrifice that Jesus gave up for us on the Cross.

The second meaning comes from the Bible, especially the Pauline letters. St. Paul likes to use the word "flesh" to mean "a proclivity to fall into sin" (cf. Rom 7:5, 25, 8:3-13, 13:24; 1 Cor 3:3, 15:50; Gal 4:29, 5:13-24, 6:8; Eph 2:3). In particular, he emphasizes that by conforming ourselves more perfectly to Jesus, we allow our "flesh" (i.e. tendency to sin) to be crucified (i.e., destroyed) along with his "flesh" (i.e., his body) (cf. Gal 5:24; Eph 2:14)

Now, to be sure, there were some cultural factors that led us to adopt this symbolic action. Eating fish instead of meat has at times been a symbol of solidarity with the poor, since fish was sometimes seen as poor people food, since you could catch your own for free. Some have even suggested that there was a time when politicians in areas of Europe with a large fishing industry promoted this discipline as a service to their constituents. But none of these reasons, if they ever existed at all, matter to us now, because these conditions no longer exist.

So, why do we give up meat on Fridays? The Church is just asking us to make a significant action each Friday to remind ourselves that the Lord died for us on that day, and that we should respond by continually asking him for the grace to turn away from sin. And I do mean EACH Friday. Before Vatican II, Catholics were asked to abstain from meat every Friday of the year. After Vatican II, this specific discipline was limited to Lent, but we are still supposed to do something sacrificial every other Friday of the year. I think the hope was that faithful Catholics would go beyond the "letter of the law" and more fully embrace the spirit of it, finding creative and meaningful ways to express their union with Christ through personal sacrifices. But I think that's been kind of a flop. Most Catholics probably have no idea what this is about.

But now, you can spread the word ;)

DROPPING MOUNTAINS BY DESTROYING MOLEHILLS

Is there something in your life that you have been working on? Maybe something like anger, or impatience, or something along those lines. Has what you’ve been doing not working? You are not a lost cause! Try something different (always in addition to prayer.)

Let us say, for example, that you are dealing with anger. Every now and then (or perhaps more now than then) you find yourself dealing with the result of having expressed rather boldly your anger. You want to stop this so you work on not blowing up. If whatever technique you are using doesn’t work, try this: Instead of only focusing on the mountains, take a good crack at the molehills. Don’t write off small perturbations as not all that important. Just as foothills lead to mountain ranges, little moments of irritation pile on top of each other leading to the stress that provides the right atmosphere for an explosion. They are the practicing grounds of anger and the foundation stones of rationalizations.

So the computer is taking a long time to start up (as mine did today) take the opportunity to practice not being bothered by it. Breathe. Calm your thoughts. Know that it is out of your control and relax. You’re a caught in traffic. Practice letting go of things beyond your control. You can be caught in traffic and remain calm (say a rosary – get a book on tape – pull off and get a cup of coffee – find what works for you) or you can get caught in traffic AND be angry.

If you are impatient practice patience in the line at the grocery store. Find a way to be happy being with yourself when there are no other distractions. Stay behind someone going slowly on the highway (at a safe distance) and offer it up. Notice how it did not take that much longer to get to your exit – and how much better you feel giving up that extra ten seconds as if they were owed to you instead of being angry at the idiot driver in front of you. You can be held up and impatient, or you can be held up and be constructive – even if it just thinking or observing.

Much of the greatest harm comes into the world because people cannot sit in a chair and just breathe twenty five times. (This is one reason why holy hours are so beneficial.) So like skiing, practice on the bunny hills so that you can build up to the double black diamonds.

PLEASE CURB YOUR SINS

I am very happy to report that the trash cans are back in the city parks a month early. For the first time since I’ve lived here they have taken away the trash cans for the winter with the explanation that “they always do that.” The problem with that is that we still need trash cans.

One of the many reasons they are still needed is because even though it is winter, your dog still needs walked and dogs still do their business and you still have to pick it up. Instead of dropping it in the nearest trash in the winter you have to carry the heavy warm goo with you wherever you go. That is why we save plastic bags at St. Sebastian.

Regular plastic grocery bags are Okay but very bulky. Their advantage is that once tied they have a handle by which you may carry them. Slightly better is newspaper bags – especially Sunday’s – they are much easier to stuff into your pocket and are long so that they may be tied and carried, but they are prone to ripping and if it is an especially generous day from your dog, it is sometimes difficult to pull the bag inside out over your fist.

The penultimate is bread bags. They are thick, strong, compact, and long. I save these for special days. But even so – it makes a walk so much more enjoyable if there is a trash can and so you do not have to carry around even this special bag.

Then there are those who are so upset that they have taken away the cans that they leave their special gifts in the park. But you know what? It doesn’t just disappear. Everyone must deal with it then.

You know, it’s Lent. Are you carrying around a load? You know – you don’t have to. Dump your load at confession. Too many people spend too much of their time carrying their stuff around – trying to find the best way to carry it – but no matter how much you may shield yourself from it, you’re still carrying around a bag of stuff. The confessionals are ready. You will enjoy the rest of your journey so much more if you get rid of your load now. Soon, the confessional lines will get longer and longer the closer we get to Easter. Relieve yourself now. Enjoy the freedom. Even if you are a million miles away from where you are supposed to be, you can drop off your bag, turn around and start walking back and tomorrow you will be that much closer.

Don’t leave your mess for others to deal with. No matter how well you think you covered it over or made sure nobody saw, it’s still there and until it is taken care of properly, it’s still a mess that someone else risks accidently stepping in.

Help keep America clean. Put stuff where it belongs.

P. S. I LOVE YOU

What would you do right now if you had a crush on God?

We are in a season of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. What could you do right now – this very instant – to send God a note saying how much you appreciate him?

Prayer is easy. Just say it right now. Two seconds is all – on your way to use the restroom. Just say thanks – or say the name of Jesus – say a prayer for the person annoying you. Anything – like sending a quick text to someone you love just so they know that you are thinking of them.

Fasting – pour out the rest of that coffee. It’s getting cold anyway. Pass up the treat in the lunch room or kitchen counter that is a left over from Fat Tuesday. Let someone else eat it. Pass on the smoking break, the gossip, the next five minutes surfing on the computer, the television half hour, give something up and tell God, “I’m doing it for you – I’m sacrificing for you.”

Almsgiving – Set a dollar aside right now. Reach in to your pocket and set aside a dollar and ask God to tell you how to use it. Let him bring someone to mind (maybe much later) that needs a dollar and know that this is set aside for that person – even if it is someone of means and he is looking for a dollar to pay for a snack out of a machine – or to put in your Operation Rice Bowl later – it is set aside. Sometimes it is more important for you to give something away than for the right person to get it. Or maybe pack up some of the clothes that you no longer use – or some trinket on your desk – give it away.

Today is the day for prayer, fasting, and almsgiving – for telling God in a special way that you love Him.

HAPPY ASH WEDNESDAY

C. S. Lewis once wrote, “If you and I want to evade some dangerous duty, the best plan is to find one or two other cowards and do our shirking in company.” True enough. But the opposite is also true. If you and I have some difficult business to be about, the best plan is to find one or two other thusly burdened persons and do the task together. Such is the Lenten season upon which we embark today.

As you walk about and see a smudge mark on the forehead of your fellow Catholics, you know here is a person abstaining and fasting today also – who may be trying to pray more – who is cutting something they like out of their lives in sacrifice – is almsgiving – going through caffeine withdrawal – getting up early to exercise the temple of the Holy Spirit – who is improving, becoming more like the being God created us to be just like I will be striving to do.

Take comfort in that.

And remember, our observance is not meant to be a temporary fix up. Last year we should have advanced a bit in the spiritual life. Granted, it may have waned a bit, but some progress should have been made. This year we build on that! And next year we will build on what we did this year. It may seem like a season of hardships, but it is in fact a season of with great payoffs.

DANGER WILL ROBINSON

 

I was on a much needed retreat last week. Trinity Retreat House is a retreat center run by the Diocese of New York and it is specifically for priests which changes the tenor of the house tremendously in much the same way that if a person was going on retreat they might choose one either for married couples or for single persons depending on their state in life.

The retreat master gave eight signs that a priest is seriously off track and in spiritual danger. Here they are:

1. Prayer ceases to be a part of your daily life.
2. Devoting more and more time to entertainment.
3. An over valuing of the opinion of the media.
4. Seeing God’s way mocked and it no longer bothers you.
5. Give yourself reason to be angry and judgmental.
6. Removing oneself from brothers in ministry.
7. The Holy Mysteries of the Church celebrated functionally.
8. With forethought harm those in the Church with detraction.

Now, there are commonalities between everyone’s way in life so these can be largely used or slightly adjusted to help diagnose a non-clerical spiritual life. Let’s give it a go:

1. Prayer ceases to be a part of your daily life.
2. Devoting more and more time to entertainment.
3. An over valuing of the opinion of the media.
4. Seeing God’s way mocked (such as by a comedian) and it no longer bothers you.
5. Give yourself reason to be angry and judgmental.
6. Removing oneself from the community of faith and their functions.
7. Perhaps being present but not giving yourself over to the celebration of the sacraments.
8. With forethought detracting others from the faith/Church and her people.

IT BEATS THE ALTERNATIVE

“It’s good to see you,” you might say to a friend.

“It beats the alternative,” they might reply.

There is generally are two paths, one positive and one negative. This is of course speaking in broad generalities. In any particular case there may be a number of alternatives and extenuating circumstances and results that may not be at all pleasant in a particular case or all positive in another. But in the grand scheme of things, there is the positive and there is the negative.

For example, recently I spend some time with people who were ready to die. They did not hate life, they knew their time was coming and they were ready for it. “I am looking forward to seeing heaven,” one said to me. That’s the way I want to be. Why spend your last days bemoaning the fact that they are your last days on earth? Begin living eternal life right now. After all, what is the alternative? Being miserable.

Mom was always excited about getting lost. Driving to another state and finding ourselves accidently in the middle of nowhere with no idea how to get back where we should be (an increasingly more difficult thing to do with GPSs) she would get excited. “Let’s see what can discover that we would otherwise have never seen.” Actually we did discover some pretty amazing things – sometimes things that turned out to be the highlight of the trip. We made the best of it. After all, what was the alternative?

Sometimes it seems we train ourselves to be angry. When stuck in traffic, or we burn our toast, or someone doesn’t empty the dishwasher, or any of life’s many perturbences, we get angry. One the one hand we might say, “But of course! Life did not go the way I wanted it to – or the way it should have – or could have – and there was waste of time and resources. It could have been better.” And of course we would be correct. So we get angry and frustrated – even nurse those feelings. After all, what is the alternative?

The alternative is to say, “This is the way things are. I can choose to continue to be angry or I can make the best of it.” Yes, there are things about which we should be angry. Yes, there are some pretty rotten things in the world that we are not capable of being happy about, but too often we choose not to be happy when the only reason we choose anger or sadness is because we are supposed to feel that way. We spend much of our lives practicing the reaction to these situation. After all, what is the alternative?