The heart and soul of the Christian message, the Christian life is this: Jesus said to his disciples: “As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love” (Jn15:9).

To be a Christian is to acknowledge and live out who we have been created by God to be, which is a living, craving, hunger and desire to be one with God and each other, and this is true for the atheist and the mystic alike. We have been created by love, to be loved and to love, to belong, to be a part of, to be in communion.

Dehumanization, hatred, violence, polarization, and division are contrary to the message of the Gospel. Jesus has received the love of his Father and has been sent to share that same love with us. We are to then receive his love and to share it, to be loved and to love in return. This means we are to resist the temptation of what St Augustine called, “Incurvatus in se” to turn or curve in on oneself. This is the ego drama, the living of a life exclusively inward for oneself, instead of a going out of oneself to will the good of the other as other.

To curve in upon our self may be appealing to us because we feel we are in control, we feel safe and secure, free of risk. Yet, this act of turning within cuts us off from the source of meaning and joy in our life. When we surrender our control and walk away from the ego drama, the path of exclusive, self gratification and self centeredness, and instead embrace the theodrama, God’s love, his will for our life, we will experience meaning, fulfillment and joy.

Christianity is about building, supporting and sustaining healthy relationships grounded not in what can we get for ourselves from another, but empowering, encouraging, loving and willing the good of each other. This begins with a smile, a thoughtful or kind word, a listening ear, a gift of sacrifice for another. Let us go out from ourselves today and love each person we meet as Jesus has loved us, such that his joy may be in us and our joy might be complete.

Photo: Rejecting incurvatus in se, curving in on themselves and readying to love, to will the good of each other!

Link for the Mass readings today: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/052319.cfm

In today’s Gospel reading from John we experience the imagery Jesus used of the vine and the branches. As the branch of the vine matures, it begins to look more like the vine itself. As it remains connected, is sustained by the nourishment provided, and protected by the vine grower, the branches become more and more conformed to the vine. This is also true in the event that a branch not originally attached to the vine is grafted to it. Over time, the branches are almost indistinguishable from the vine itself.

Our hope, as disciples of Jesus, no matter what our background, culture, gender, ethnicity, or race will be the same. We are to be one as the Son and the Father are one. As St Paul has written to the Churches in Galatia and Collosse: In Christ there is neither Jew or Greek, circumcision or uncircumcision, male or female, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free because we are all one in Christ (cf. Galatians 3:28, Colossians 3:11).

We are not to be automatons, cyborg, ants, all following mindlessly. Being a Christian means the opposite, the more we are conformed to Jesus, the more we come to know him and so know our self. We begin to let go of the pressures to conform to that which stunts our growth and begin to embrace who we are, the truth of our reality and dignity. That sense of being fully who we are that sometimes just wants to burst out is allowed to be free when we die to our false self and live in Christ.

Let us resist turning in on ourselves, for to do so, we are disconnecting from the vine, we are detaching ourselves from the very source of our life. Just as the body will suffer without water regularly, so our soul will suffer if we are separated from the source and foundation, the living spring of our sustenance. Remaining attached to Jesus the vine, means more than just surviving but maturing and living our life to the full, with joy that reaches out beyond ourselves to others, thus bearing fruit to share.

We can bear fruit that will last today and all days by putting the words of St Paul into action: “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if one has a grievance against another; as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do. And over all these put on love, that is, the bond of perfection. And let the peace of Christ control your hearts, the peace into which you were also called in one body. And be thankful” (Colossians 3:12-15).

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Photo accessed: https://www.pexels.com/photo/abundance-alcohol-berries-berry-357742/

Link for the Mass readings for Wednesday, May 22, 2019: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/052219.cfm

Have you ever wondered why there is so much violence? How many countries, including our own, were founded on taking of lands by force and oppression of aboriginal peoples? Has there ever been a time without war? How many of our youth and citizens have to die from gun violence and mass murders? Road rage, domestic abuse, human trafficking, terrorism – foreign and domestic, and the myriad of random acts of violence are a daily occurrence.

We often hear good will speeches, petitions and intercessions ringing from our pulpits and prayer groups, participate and see people march, and vote for change. There are those working in the trenches, putting their own lives at risk, matching their words and their deeds, yet do any of these efforts make a difference?

Amidst our own experiences, directly and indirectly, and with the constant temptation of cynicism biting at our heels, the words of Jesus are proclaimed in today’s Gospel from John: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you” (Jn 14:27).

The peace that surpasses all understanding, the peace that is not of this world, has been and continues to be offered to us as a gift. Many have indeed said, :”If there is a God, well then, why doesn’t he do anything?” He has. The reality is, the peace that God shares through his Son, is one person at a time. This is why when he resurrected he only appeared to those he chose and not the whole world. Even if he had, these experiences, in time, would have been attributed to mere myth and legend. Jesus must be encountered and his relationship is built with each person in each generation. What we pass on as disciples, after encountering him for ourselves, are the ways for others to open their hearts and minds to receive him and enter into their own relationship with Jesus, to accept the gift of his grace that he offers.

The peace that Jesus offers is not some abstract formula, the command to love is not some pie in the sky universal love for all. The acts of peace and love Jesus shares throughout the Gospel are very concrete, individual and personal. Jesus interacts with people as people, not as numbers. He interacts and directs us to do the same, by encountering, accompanying, and loving a person. The real question is not why isn’t God doing anything? The real question is why have we left the gift that he has given us unwrapped?

If we want peace, it begins with us. Our heart and mind must be open to want it, to embrace it, to live it in the most minute of details. We are able to receive the gift of peace Jesus offers when we are willing to let go of our weapons of hate, prejudice, cynicism, racism, paternalism, and the like. God created us as beings who are interconnected with one another, which means that what one does affects all, the sun rises and sets on the good and the bad alike.

If we want peace, let us spend the beginning, middle, and end of the day opening our heart and mind seeking forgiveness so better to receive the peace that Jesus offers us, and put it into practice each time we are tempted to do otherwise. Let us “beat our swords into plowshares and our spears into pruning hooks” (cf. Isaiah 2:4).

We do so when we disagree with someone, we resist being disagreeable and respect the person while we share our differing viewpoint. When someone speaks or acts in a way that gets under our skin, we take a breath, pray for patience and understanding, as we resist the temptation to react. When we make a mistake, we resist beating ourselves up over the process and instead look to learn from how we have miscalculated, learn from our misstep and begin again, while at the same time be willing to offer the same understanding and patience to another.

What we need to decide today, is how and what do we want to contribute to our realm of influence? Do we want to receive the peace that Jesus gives and put it into practice now, with each person we encounter? Can we really bring about world peace? In some abstract form, for all people, for all time, no. What we can do, is to offer one smile, one random act of kindness, one understanding and encouraging word, even to someone who we consider unapproachable, one person at a time.

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Photo: Of my Eastern Orthodox icon of the Resurrection of Jesus destroying the gates of Hell, and saving our ancestral parents, Adam and Eve, and so us! Do we want to be saved? Do we want his peace? Grasp the hand of Jesus that he extends out to us today, receive the peace that surpasses all understanding and share it with another!

Link for the Mass reading for Tuesday, May 20, 2019: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/052119.cfm

Two points jump out of the Gospel of John today: commandments and love. How are each of these related to living life as a disciple? Often, many who hear the word commandments, often react and are immediately put off. There goes the Church again telling me what I can and cannot do. Yet Jesus is connecting the following of his commandments to love.

Love is another word that evokes reactions. One reason is that, even though the English language has a plethora of words to utilize and choose from, there is only one word for love and it is interpreted in many ways. In Ancient Greek, there are four words that are used to connote love. There is eros, which has do to with attraction. It is the beginning stage of love, because we are drawn out of ourselves as we are attracted to another. The next word for love is philios, which has to do with friendship. This is the love between friends. If our love matures it moves from attraction to friendship. The third word is storge, or the deeper love shared with family members. The fourth word is agape, which is unconditional love.

When Jesus shares that we are to follow the commandments, he is not demanding that we do so as a tyrant would. He is providing the boundaries and parameters for us to grow and mature as people who love, who, in the words of St Thomas Aquinas, will the good of the other as other. As humans we are social beings. We want to belong, to be accepted, and to be a part of. We seek meaning, purpose and fulfillment in our lives. This is best done through cooperation and collaboration with God and with one another, striving to love unconditionally, agape.

If we operate from a self centered posture in which we are only turned in on our self, and we only seek to manipulate and get from others, instead of working for consensus and sharing a common vision with others, we will ultimately be empty with the exchange on any level, because we will be left wanting more. This is true because once the immediacy of the stimulation, whether material or sensual, ends, so does the experience of the feeling. Some happiness may linger from the effect, but we will never be filled or satisfied from finite things, so we will seek more and more, until the pursuit of the instant and constant gratification ensnares us and we are entangled in a web of addiction.

The commandments, grounded in love, are meant to provide boundaries for us, training wheels, and to keep us free from enslavement to sin, while at the same time help us to be persons who mature to be other centered instead of self centered. They are meant to be a means of freedom for excellence such that we can become who God calls us to be and who we truly desire to be. God is not in competition with us. He is our biggest fan. As St Irenaeus wrote, the glory of God is the human being fully alive.

Commandments and morality imposed without law is a bludgeon. Love and mercy without accountability and justice enables. Jesus provides the blueprint for a balanced both/and approach. May we seek this day for opportunities to be loving guides, to align ourselves with the Holy Spirit, who is the Love expressed and shared between the Father and the Son. May we seek where we can improve our lives so to be more mindful and whole, to be more honest with our weaknesses, and to seek God when we are tempted and seek forgiveness when we have fallen.

As we journey in this life, we do not do so alone. As we seek to follow Jesus’ lead, as we grow and mature, we do so while in the midst of encountering and forming relationships with others. Conformed by the commandments, we reach out in love to each other as Jesus has done for us. As we form and deepen relationships, new and old, may we encourage, support, and love one another while at the same time, challenge and hold each other accountable as we strive to be who Jesus invites us to be.
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Photo: Four years learning to love and follow the commandments, now ready to put what they have learned into practice at the next level, at university!

Link for the Mass readings for Monday, May 19, 2019: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/052019.cfm

“I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another” (Jn 13:34).

We are capable of loving because Jesus has loved us first. All of creation is an expression and an outpouring of the divine love and communion of the Trinity. Love, if it is true, goes out from the self to be there for the other. St. Paul wrote that love is patient and kind (1 Cor 13:4). These are virtues that flow out of our willing the good of the other as other.

When we act with patience, we love because we resist the temptation to react and strike out. We do not seek to protect our ego, but seek to understand and be present to the person. We see the them beyond their brokenness, we resist fueling and feeding their frustrations by not adding our own impatient responses, and thereby help to dissipate any growing negativity. Instead we allow Jesus to love the person through us. We listen, accompany and guide.

When we are kind, we do so because we resist returning hurtful acts with acts of love, seeking nothing in return. We are kind because this is what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. We are not kind in the hope that people are kind in return. We are kind because that is the foundation our being, this is our posture and disposition that we direct toward those we encounter.

So often we do not know what another is going through. When someone cuts us off in the course of our travel, we do not have to react in anger, but can choose instead to send a blessing, that the driver may find peace of mind, slow down and have a safe trip. We can pray that all those driving may drive mindfully so all may be safe on the road.

When someone is short or curt with us, instead of reacting by being sharp or snarky in return, we can take a breath, and ask Jesus in that moment to be present in us and minister through us to the person in our midst. We can choose to be open to loving the person as Jesus loves us, accepting them as they are in that moment, and being willing to allow the Holy Spirit to be present in our encounter with them.

The best way I have found to love another, to be patient and kind in the moment, is to smile, offer my hand in greeting and be available to listen. These very simple acts do have a cost in that our ego and focus on self becomes less and Jesus becomes more. In these simple acts we say to the other, even before we have said anything with our words, that they are important to us, they have worth and dignity, because we are willing to make the time to acknowledge them as a human being, not reacting to and defining them by their weakness and brokenness in that moment.

“This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (Jn 13:35).

CN Strong, patience and kindness in action!

Link for the Mass readings for Sunday, May 19, 2019: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/051919.cfm

In our reading from the Gospel of John today, Jesus is explaining to Philip how he and God the Father are one. When Philip asks Jesus to show him the Father, Jesus responds: “Have I been with you for so long a time and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father” (Jn 14:9). Even though Philip had lived with Jesus, experienced the authority of his teachings, witnessed his works of healing and exorcism, witnessed to the inclusiveness of his ministry, he, as we, struggle with comprehending what Jesus was talking about regarding the unity between God and Jesus.

One of the reasons is that God is God and we are not. God is not one being among many, he is not even the Supreme Being, nor is God even in the genus of being. God so transcends our reality and sphere of understanding that any words we say about him are going to be limited. God is Infinite Act, God simply is. We are finite. At the same time, this does not mean that God is an impersonal force. God transcends all of his creation and is the source and foundation of all that exists, yet he is closer to us than we are to ourselves, each and every one of us.

God came closer still when, in the Person of his Son, he came to dwell among us. This is what Jesus meant when he said to Philip that when he saw him he saw God. Each person, Father and Son are distinct but because of their eternal nature they are also, as we say in the Nicene Creed each Sunday, consubstantial, they are of one and the same substance.

The Son came to be one with us while remaining fully divine and in full communion with his Father, so we can be one with him and experience the intimate relationship that they share. We participate in the life of Jesus because he became human, and as human beings, God created each of us as being interconnected with one another. So what happens to one of us, happens to all of us.

Through our Baptism and participation in the Sacraments, we participate and become conformed to the Body of Christ so to encounter Jesus in an even deeper intimacy and share in the divine Communion between God the Father and God the Son, the Love that is shared between them who is God the Holy Spirit.

This wonderful gift of relational communion with the Holy Trinity, is not just for us alone as some treasure to sit on, as some secret knowledge to be shared with only a few chosen ones. This is a universal message to be shared with all. As we grow in our relationship and participation with God, we are to make him known to others. We are able to do so through our participation in the life of Jesus. As Jesus said to Philip, “[W]hoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these, because I am going to the Father” (Jn 14:12). Jesus seeks to work, love, and serve through us as the Father did through him.

That may sound intimidating, but each of us are given a particular charism, a ministry of service to build up the kingdom of God. The key is to believe in Jesus and seek his guidance so that he can help us to discern how best we can serve him and build up his Body. The key to those who were living saints, were that they came to know that one thing that God called them to do. They then surrendered all to their vocation. This is not just for clergy or religious, this is for each and every person on this planet. The only requirement is that we are willing to follow Jesus, say yes to the invitation to experience the love of the Holy Spirit he freely offers, and be willing to be sent to allow God to happen in our interactions with one another. In so doing, we find meaning and fulfillment in our lives.

Embrace today the reality that the God of all creation loves each and every one of us more than we can ever imagine. Embrace the unique relationship he calls us to participate in, which is his Trinitarian Communion. Embrace this unique blessing so we can open our hearts and minds to the service and ministry he calls us to through our participation in the life of Jesus the Christ, the Son of the Living God, through the Love of the Holy Spirit.

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Photo Credit: pexels.com

Link for the Mass reading for Saturday, May 18, 2019: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/051819.cfm

Our days are so full of activities, conflicts, health issues, technological stimulation, 24/7 news cycles, social media interaction, that if we do not have the proper foundation and orientation, we can feel stretched, hollow, and/or fatigued. One day can seem to blend into another, and another, and another. The image of being on a hamster wheel or an unending treadmill hovers before our eyes, when we actually do take a minute to breath. Anxiety, worry, stress, fear, prescriptions, and addictions all appear to be on the rise and swirling out of control.

Is there an answer to this hyper pace or are we doomed to just keep going until the wheels fall off? The opening verse in today’s reading provides an antidote when we are feeling any or all of the above.

Jesus said to his disciples: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me” (Jn 14:1).

We are invited to place our trust in God and Jesus. By putting them first does not mean that the externals to our life will take an abrupt turn for the better, but what it does mean is that we will have support, and divine assistance. It means that we are not alone in our suffering. The disciples found this out, when they found themselves in the midst of a sudden sea squall, taking on water as the waves grew higher. They awoke Jesus, terrified. They turned to Jesus, who awoke and with a word, he calmed the sea (cf. Mk 4:35-41).

Jesus may or may not calm the sea of our trials and tribulations, but what he will do is be present with us through our storms in life and we can trust in him that he will guide us through. As we grow more confident in our trust in Jesus, knowing that no matter who or what comes at us, he will be there to assist us, there will be more peace, more calm within – no Prozac or Zoloft required. The ultimate assurance that Jesus provides is that when we surrender our life to him we belong to him, we are not alone or orphaned. He gave his life for us, to redeem and save us so that we can be assured that when we place our trust in him our home for eternity is assured.

If we are struggling on any level and are seeking to build our trust and faith in Jesus, we do need to realize that this takes time. We need to daily ask Jesus for help, seek his discernment about where we can make changes in our life, and make periodic efforts to stop in our day to be still. This time does not need to be long, three to five minutes periodically through the day can do wonders. On the surface level, by stopping for five minutes to pray and breath, we get off the wheel, we step out of survival and reaction mode, so we can then make more mindful decisions, and we can come to see that we truly have options, but more importantly, we begin to develop a relationship and intimacy with Jesus.

For me the Liturgy of the Hours has been my anchor. I stop to pray throughout the day, some days are better than others, some days are less rushed than others, but each day I make the time. It has helped me through some experiences when I have felt stretched, and wondered if taking the time to pray was really the most sensible choice, and time and again it has been!

The Rosary is also a great way to get into God’s word by meditating on the mysteries of the life of Jesus. If you are not able to pray the whole Rosary in one sitting, periodically pray a decade at key points throughout the day, first thing in the morning, mid-morning, mid-day, afternoon and evening.

Read for a few minutes from the Bible once in the morning and then return to meditate on the same verse or verses that touch or challenge you throughout the day. You can also read the daily Mass readings each day and place your self in the scene as if you were actually there.

Each of these practices helps to bring the Word of God alive in our lives. They are just a few of the many ways to stop the madness, and to connect with the power, the love, and the grace of Jesus. Jesus is present for us, he will guide us, when we have faith and trust in him today and each day going forward, for he is “the way and the truth and the life” (Jn 14:6).

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Photo: Bible, Breviary, and Rosary, my anchors for helping me to trust Jesus and put God first in my life each day

Link for the Mass readings for Friday, May 17, 2019: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/051719.cfm

Today’s Gospel from John begins as Jesus had just finished washing the feet of his disciples. Jesus then said, “Amen, amen, I say to you, no slave is greater than his master nor any messenger greater than the one who sent him” (Jn 13:16). Jesus not only taught the truth that God the Father sent his Son to serve and not be served, he modeled this practice consistently.

From his conception, gestation, and birth, the Son of God came to be human in the very simplest of conditions and endured the hardships of those on the margins early on. Joseph, Mary, and Jesus were political refugees very soon after his birth. The young family was forced to flee from Bethlehem to Egypt. When Herod the Great died they returned to Nazareth, and other than the incident in the Temple, we hear nothing about the life of Jesus until he begins his public ministry. The most likely reason for this was that there was nothing to tell. Jesus most likely apprenticed with Joseph, in the trade of a simple tektōn, a woodworker, which was pretty low on the rung of the social ladder.

Through the short time of his ministry, Jesus modeled for his disciples what a follower of his entailed and what it meant to be one of his successors. To follow in his footsteps they would need to participate in servant leadership. There is no task too menial, that we can’t roll up our sleeves and dive in to help. There is no person too other that we can’t assist when they are in a need.

A good prayer and meditation for us today is to ask Jesus to reveal for us how we have resisted his urgings in the past regarding serving others in our realm of influence and interaction, as well as thinking or believing that what he was asking of us was beneath us. Have there been people we refused to reach out to for similar reasons? For those ways in which we have withdrawn within ourselves may we ask for his forgiveness. If we start to notice a habitual pattern of resistance we may want to participate in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

Being willing to allow Jesus to shed some light on our lack of embracing opportunities to serve is a good place to begin. Renewed with his forgiveness and healing touch, may we ask Jesus to guide us today to be bearers of the grace and mercy we have received from him. May we ask to be open to each of the people and/or tasks that God will place before us, the discernment to know his will, and the clarity and courage to act as his servant with humility and without hesitation.
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Photo: Grounds work during my novitiate year with the Franciscans in Brookline, MA.

Link for the Mass reading for Thursday, May 16, 2019: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/051619.cfm

“I came into the world as light, so that everyone who believes in me might not remain in darkness” (Jn 12:46).

What might be the darkness that Jesus refers to? It could be anything that turns us within ourselves, away from that which is True, Good and Beautiful. This can be prejudice, ignorance, cynicism, sin, violence, hatred, war, division, dehumanization, and the list can go on.

A major root that keeps us in this darkness is fear. Jesus offers us gently the light of his Father. He encourages us to leave our self imposed imprisonment by loving us as we are, more than we can imagine, and more than we can ever mess up. Christianity is not just a set of moral principles, a set of doctrines, a philosophy, or a theology. Christianity is about an encounter with a person, the Son of God, Jesus the Christ.

The light of Jesus leads us, invites us to that which we have been created for and are restless for – an intimate relationship with God the Father and each other. Jesus reveals to us by his light of love those false substitutes and idols that distract us and keep us separated from deepening our relationship with God. We come to know God when we are willing to receive the love of the Holy Spirit and are moved to share that love with each other.

Jesus, today, help us to resist any selfish impulse or reaction based in fear and instead be willing to love as you have loved us. We can do so by simply smiling, offering to be of help, to be present to listen, and/or to be willing to be understanding, supportive and encouraging. In these small ways we allow the light of Jesus to shine in our lives and the darkness will not overcome it!

Photo: Storm clouds gathering in the western sky

Link for the Mass readings for Wednesday, May 15, 2019: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/bible/john/12:44

“This is my commandment: love one another as I love you” (Jn 15:12).

This is how God created us, to be loved and to love. The love that Jesus is talking about is unconditional and not just relegated to those closest to us, although, hopefully, in our families and friendships is where we first experienced being loved and learned to love in return.

The love that Jesus commands that we are to participate in as his followers, is a going out from, a giving of ourselves to others. We are not to seek in return, but to seek to empty ourselves and to give ourselves away. The return we get is from the infinite well spring and source of the Holy Spirit. The more we hold back, the less we receive, the more we give, the more we receive. We are to be tapped into the living stream, not separated and isolated, so as to become a stagnant pool.

The love Jesus commands cannot be done on the fly. To love is to be present to another. To love is to stop, to put our agendas and thoughts on the side and be willing to accompany another. Love is also not coercion and manipulation, it is accepting another as they are and where they are and sharing the journey of life together. Love, as I have also written before, is as St Thomas Aquinas has written, to will the good of the other as other. This means that we seek to will another’s good. This may mean saying things that others may not want to hear, or guiding them away from actions, relationships, and habits that are detrimental to their highest hope and good, but first and foremost meeting each person where they are and walking with them.

The reality of living in the love of Jesus is not exclusive but universal. We are to love those in our family, community, place of worship, tribe, political party and nation, while at the same time we are not to be limited to our common groups only. We must be willing to go out from our protected spaces to risk to love, to direct our thoughts, words, and actions toward those who are different, those who do not see the world as we see it, and even those we consider our enemies. This does not mean we have to agree or even like someone else, but we are commanded to love, to respect the dignity of the person as our starting point.

We can and ought to state clearly our beliefs, our thoughts and dreams, but also allow others to do the same. In this way, though we may differ in our points of view, we can see how we are much more alike than different. When we talk at and over one another, demean and belittle one another, we dehumanize each other. In an open dialogue, we encounter the person, and instead of keeping each other at arm’s length, we can embrace, learn and grow from one another as friends, as mutual brothers and sisters on this journey we call life.

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Photo: Wolf Den Pow Wow, with hunka father, Fire Hawk, in late 80’s.

Link for the Mass readings for Tuesday, May 14, 2019: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/051419.cfm