September 25, 2005: How I Met My Lord

+THE TWENTY-SIXTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

On Monday night, I watched the first episode of a new TV series called How I Met Your Mother. It’s actually pretty silly. The show supposedly takes place 25 years in the future and the premise is that through using flashbacks, the hero named Ted tells his rather bored kids about how he met his wife—their mother. But there was one interesting aspect of watching this program: it got me thinking about Jesus in a new way.

Since the show is about relationships, I started thinking about the large number of Christian people who really have no relationship with Christ. Many of these, of course, are even baptized Catholics. They may be people who never come to church except for Christmas or confirmation or a funeral. They may be people who never pray and never give a thought to religion… or they may even be regular churchgoers who think that the Body of Christ is basically a social club but who have no desire or intention of living an authentically Christian life. And why is that? Because they don’t have a relationship with the real Jesus… or because they think he may be a nice guy but is essentially irrelevant.

Irrelevant? Maybe they wonder what possible meaning a guy who lived 2,000 years ago—in a primitive age and in a totally different culture—could have for them today. They’re not being insulting or sacrilegious. They honestly can’t make the connection between the biblical Christ and their contemporary life.

As I meditated on this, I wondered what it would be like if I didn’t know Jesus. It seems logical to conclude that someone who lived thousands of years ago—whether it’s an Egyptian pharaoh or a caveman or Jesus—really doesn’t have much impact on me.

Then I continued with that mental thread. I thought: I’m 55 years old. If Jesus had lived and died just 56 years ago, I wouldn’t know him either, since he was gone before I was born.

And then I reasoned: well, I didn’t even convert until 1989… so if Jesus had died in 1988—just 17 years ago—I still wouldn’t have known him.

And finally I thought back to that silly program, How I Met Your Mother. Why, people could be alive at the very same time and still not know each other unless some spark of grace were to draw them together.

In the TV show, Ted desperately wanted to meet a woman he could spend his life with. He saw this as a road to peace and fulfillment in life. And so, to pursue this dream, he was active in the dating scene. He thought constantly about this perfect woman. He talked to his friends about it—even his obnoxious friend, Barney, who made fun of him. He put a lot of irons in the fire, hoping that one would lead him to this woman of his dreams. And Ted’s friends encouraged him to take chances—to read the signals, not to be afraid to kiss her, to be clear about letting her know that he wanted to see her again. It seems like a lot of work—but well worth it if it leads to his dream!

Believers know that Jesus Christ is also a road to peace and fulfillment in life—and not just on earth but for all eternity. In fact, real believers know that finding God is the only source of true and lasting peace and fulfillment. That’s what St. Augustine expressed so beautifully 1600 years ago when he wrote in his book, Confessions: “My heart is restless until it rests in Thee.” What a blessing when we realize this, too.

The point is, we ought to approach finding Jesus and building a relationship with him just as we would seek the perfect spouse or soul mate: with the same enthusiasm and energy… with the same hope… with the same dogged determination… and with the same creativity. And, if you’re already blessed with having Jesus in your life, then it’s important to help each other… just like you’d help your best friend find true love!

What’s really great, though, is that unlike human-to-human relationships which don’t always pan out, finding Jesus and having an awesome relationship is a sure thing! If not just superficially, but honestly you set your sights on him and invite him into your life, he will come… and just like a human lover, he will bring out the best in you and give you tremendous joy and satisfaction.

Jesus isn’t some ancient fellow who lived 20 centuries ago and who is clueless when it comes to things like cell phones or Mars space probes. Heck no! He is your thoroughly modern soul mate… because he made your soul! He knows your heart and your world inside-out. He understands what makes you tick and he knows how to give you to the max what life has to offer. Your heart is the lock, and he is key.

And best of all, he’s waiting just around the corner to step into your life—if only you say the word and invite him in.

How I Met Your Mother may be a silly little sitcom… but How I Met My Lord is the real deal. Stir up your heart and don’t be afraid to go out to find and love Jesus Christ.


Today’s Readings:
Ezekiel 18: 25–28
Psalm 25
Philippians 2: 1–11
Matthew 21: 28–32

September 18, 2005: Prayer & Canadian Geese

+THE TWENTY-FIFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

One of the special ways that I pray every morning is by taking my dog, Maggie, for a walk around the high school athletic field. Actually, I walk and she runs. As Maggie dashes around sniffing and exploring, I talk to God—thanking him for his beautiful creation, asking for his help, and entrusting various needs and petitions to his heavenly care.

One morning this week, I was enchanted to discover a flock of 17 huge Canadian geese right in the middle of the field. I figured they must have been taking a rest while migrating south. These geese, as you probably know, can be protective, so I was a little apprehensive about Maggie tangling with them.

Well, she spotted them and like a shot, took off in their direction. I started talking to God about this new development.

As the dog got closer, the geese evidently saw her coming… but they didn’t move. During this pregnant pause, I dared a bit of humor with God: “Lord, do you know any good recipes for goose and dog stew?”

But in the nick of time, the flock starting honking and took to the air… and it looks like they were heading towards Indianapolis. All was safe again in McCaughey Field.

This morning adventure, I think, is a beautifully simple illustration of the prophet Isaiah’s counsel today: Seek the Lord while he may be found, call him while he is near (Isa 55: 6). This truth is echoed in the Psalm: The Lord is near to all who call upon him (Ps 145: 18).

We human beings take the air for granted, because it envelops us everywhere. How easy it is, too, to take God for granted, because he is everywhere… but what a fantastic vow he makes: if you don’t just take me for granted but call out to me, I’ll take care of you! That’s got to be why Jesus tells us to pray always (Lk 18: 1).

For lots of people, prayer is something you use as a last resort. The doctor is out of treatment options, so you pray. You’re out of work and out of money and the wolf’s at the door, so you pray.

But this notion of prayer misses out on the magnificence of a relationship with God. Prayer, you see, is not supposed to be just a way to get what we want to happen. Prayer is not a remote control like we use with the TV.

Instead, prayer is meant to be a way to detach us from our own wants and attach us to God’s… and not just in an intellectual way, but in our real, lived-out experience. You might say that prayer moves us from mastery to mystery.

When we pray, especially in the ordinary times of life, we learn to let go of a lot of stuff and put it in God’s hands. Think about what that means. It is humble, because we recognize that God’s in charge… not us. The opposite, of course, is arrogance, which lets us think that we’re in control. I like to remember God’s words to Job: if you think you’re the boss, then go ahead and add another year to your life… or put some more hair on your head!

Praying reminds us that we are vulnerable. We’re part of life, not in control of life. And that, in turn, helps us to recognize grace: divine life that works in us and through us. To me, that’s about as mysterious as it gets.

One of the greatest gifts that the Lord has given us is free will. We get to choose to do things or not to do them. And that includes the choice of whether or not to pray.

I suppose it is possible to go all through life without ever speaking a word to God in prayer—and maybe even without ever heeding his voice in the depth of our heart or conscience. And that, frankly, is terribly sad.

What an unimaginable loss to miss out on the one who, without any ulterior motive, wants nothing more than to love you to bits! Listen to some of the adjectives used in today’s readings to describe how God wants to shower that love on you. He is: merciful, generous, forgiving, full of blessings, gracious, slow to anger, kind, good to all, compassionate and fair.
All yours for the asking—literally. Maybe that suggests that if you don’t ask, there’s a chance you won’t get these things.

But would God really do that? Why not? The workers in the gospel today thought that the landowner in Christ’s parable was unfair the way he treated the people who toiled all day as compared to the ones who just worked a couple of hours. The boss said, “Aren’t I free to do as I please? Are you jealous because I feel like being generous?”

In the same way, couldn’t God say, “Look, I said all you have to do is call out to me and I’ll give you all these things. If you can’t even be bothered to do that much, aren’t I within my rights to choose not to give you any special favors?” Something to think about.

The point is, we all should be calling out to God—praying—all the time. If you do it, it becomes almost automatic. Why not take a little time this very day to reflect on this… and begin by asking God to deepen within you the gift of prayer in your life.


Today’s Readings:
Isaiah 55: 6–9
Psalm 145
Philippians 1: 20–24, 27
Matthew 20: 1–16

September 11, 2005: Detraction & Calumny

+THE TWENTY-FOURTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME


With Chief Justice Rehnquist’s death last week, the Supreme Court is very much in the news. There are now two vacancies in the Court. The President gets to make his appointments, but the Senate has to approve them. This isn’t always an easy process, given the way that politics work. No doubt, we will see a lot of questions tossed around—and probably some mud-slinging, too.

But don’t think this kind of stuff is new. It’s as old as politics itself.

One day, soon after Abraham Lincoln took office as president, a delegation from California came to the White House to lodge a formal protest against a certain political appointment that Lincoln had made. The group handed the president a piece of paper which contained many accusations against the public and private character of Senator Edward Baker of Oregon, an old and very dear friend of Lincoln’s. The president read the paper thoughtfully and carefully. Then he turned to the little group and asked with dignity, “Is this paper mine?”

They said it was. Then Lincoln asked, “May I do with it what I please?”

“Yes, of course, Mr. President,” they answered.

Slowly and deliberately, Mr. Lincoln bent down to the fireplace behind him, laid the paper on the burning coals where it soon vanished in smoke, and turned to the group and said, “Good day, gentlemen.”

And that is how every Christian should deal with accusations and gossip made against another person’s character: throw the charges into the fire.

The Eighth Commandment teaches, “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.” In essence, this means that we are forbidden from intentionally harming another person’s reputation. Tearing down a person’s character is frequently the subject of gossip and telling secrets.

Two of the worst sins against the Eighth Commandment are detraction and calumny. Unfortunately, those are not words that we hear very often.

Detraction means that we reveal the hidden faults of others when we really have no reason to do so. If you say to me, “That man you were just talking to sure seems nice!”—and if I answer, “Well, I work with him. He was fired from his last job for stealing money from the company”—then I have committed the sin of detraction. What possible purpose could I have for saying such a thing? In fact, if my intention was to harm his good name for some reason, we would call it slander—a sin even worse than detraction alone.

There are lots of different ways that we can commit detraction. It can be a direct comment, like my example. Or, it could be by silence—like if someone says, “He’s not a thief, is he?” and I don’t answer. Or, it could be by little hints. For instance, if someone asks the same question—“He’s not a thief, is he?”—and I say, “Well, let’s just say that I wouldn’t ask him to hold my wallet for me.”

We can sin by detraction by sharing uncharitable news, even though it’s true… or by hinting or suggesting that there are certain things that you really don’t know about a particular person… or by trying to deflect the praise being given to someone: “Oh, didn’t Mary do a great job painting this room!” “Yeah, well, why don’t you ask her where she got the paint from.”

Detraction is a sin against charity because it shows hatred for our neighbor who we’re supposed to love. It exposes the person to contempt and ridicule. It takes away from their esteem. It may cause them pain and embarrassment if they hear it or hear about it.

It’s also unjust, because it robs your neighbor of the respect that others have for them—maybe even causing a loss of friends or business.

And it is totally the opposite of the example of Christ who didn’t betray anyone… not even the one who was to betray him.

The other sin I mentioned—calumny—is like detraction except for the fact that the accusations aren’t true. So this in effect adds the sin of lying on top of harming a person’s good name. It is a serious sin against truth, charity, justice and religion. It’s a cowardly sin, too, since obviously the person doesn’t have a chance to defend themselves.

The lesson in the gospel today reminds us that we all expect the Lord to forgive our sins, just as the king forgave his servant. But when we gossip and tell stories about people—and even when we listen to it—we are guilty of detraction or calumny. Christ tells us that only by showing mercy to others… only by burning up the faults of others as President Lincoln did… can we expect God’s merciful forgiveness.

Lots of times, our nasty comments slip out of our mouths as if by habit. I heard a priest once tell a very powerful story. About 20 years ago, he and a friend were walking along when the name of a mutual friend came up in their conversation. The priest said something unkind about the person. It was sarcastic. It was cynical. It was a put-down. His friend stopped, turned and faced the priest until they were very close and eye-to-eye. With deep, slow words, the man said, “A man who says he loves God would not say a thing like that about a friend.”

The priest said that his friend could have put a knife into his ribs and the pain would not have been any less. But you know something? He said there have been ten thousand times in the last 20 years that he has been saved from making a jerk of himself. Whenever he’s been tempted to say something unkind about a brother or sister, he remembers his friend saying, “A man who says he loves God would not speak in such a way about a friend.”

What a great lesson for all of us.

May our loving and gentle God touch our hearts and our tongues and our ears and help us to love each other as he does. Amen.

Today’s Readings:
Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) 27: 30–28: 7
Psalm 103
Romans 14: 7–9
Matthew 18: 21–35

September 4, 2005: God’s Lap

+THE TWENTY-THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME


When I was a brand-new priest, I think I took the prophet Ezekiel’s words very personally—and maybe I should say, even pompously: I have appointed you watchman for the house of Israel (Ezek 33: 7). I felt it was my job to be God’s Doberman, sniff out sins, and right the errors of the world.

And of course Matthew’s gospel today explains the stages and steps of how that correction should be handled. I was ready, trained and rarin’ to go.

Over the years of my priesthood, I’ve met many good people who feel the same way that I did. Maybe some of you fit in that category.

But the more I grow in my spiritual life—in other words, the more I try to follow Jesus Christ—the more I’m intrigued, and perhaps even perplexed, by the subtleties of the Lord’s teaching. Yes, he says when somebody sins against me, I should go and tell them their fault… but he also says: turn the other cheek (Mt 5: 39), do not judge lest you be judged (Mt 7: 1), be patient and let the weeds grow up with the wheat until the harvest (Mt 13: 24–30).

So how am I supposed to act to really follow the spirit of Christ’s teaching? How do I lovingly draw people to him and yet at the same time not let them be endangered if they truly are entrapped in sin?

To figure all this out, it’s important to remember that God loves all his people. He doesn’t want anyone to be lost. He’s patient, and if I’m willing to help someone, he’ll help me help them… and wait while we see how the person responds. So principle number one is that we don’t have to be frantic.

Then there’s another preliminary step we should follow before we get to the procedure outlined in the gospel. That important step is to observe carefully and just remain silent. Try to be neutral, uncritical, non-judgmental and even accepting, and just watch and try to figure out why the person is behaving as they are.

If you think about the Golden Rule, I’m sure you’ll realize that we all hunger for that kind of respect and acceptance. If I’m a rational person, then I act for a good reason. Won’t you take a moment and try to see what that is before you jump down my throat? That’s all any of us asks, right? And the amazing thing is, silence is a place of great power and healing. We might say that it’s God’s lap.

I know a wonderful doctor named Teresa who treats many AIDS patients. As you can imagine, that’s very difficult and emotionally-draining work. This physician has a picture of her grandmother in her home, and every day she sits and looks at it for a few minutes before leaving for her office. Her grandmother was born in Italy and had a lot of that old-world wisdom.

One time when Teresa was very small, her kitten got run over. It was her first experience with death and she took it very hard. Her parents tried to comfort her by telling her that the kitten was in heaven with God, but Teresa didn’t feel much better. She prayed to God and asked him to give her kitten back, but God didn’t do it.

In her anguish, she turned to her grandmother and asked, “Why?” Her grandmother didn’t tell her that her kitten was in heaven like the other adults did. Instead, she simply held Teresa and reminded her of the time when her grandfather had died. She, too, had prayed to God, but God didn’t bring Grandpa back. She didn’t know why. Then Teresa just leaned into the soft warmth of her grandmother’s shoulder and sobbed softly. When she finally looked up into her grandma’s face, she saw that her grandmother was crying as well.

Even though her grandmother couldn’t answer her question, a great loneliness had gone and Teresa did feel better. All the assurances that Peaches was in heaven didn’t give her this strength or peace. Teresa said, “My grandmother was a lap—a place of refuge.” Then she made a breathtaking discovery. She said, “I know an awful lot about AIDS, but what I really want to be for my patients is a lap. A place from which they can face what they have to face and not be alone.”

That’s what I think Jesus wants us to be: a lap for one another. That’s what it means to love your neighbor as yourself. That’s why love is the fulfillment of the law (Rom 13: 9–10).

Dear God, help us to be patient with each other. Help us to see with your eyes and love with your heart. And above all, use us as your lap. Amen.


Today’s Readings:
Ezekiel 33: 7–9
Psalm 95
Romans 13: 8–10
Matthew 18: 15–20