A return of two wolves
In 2012, 28 were killed, twenty children from 6-7 years of age at Sandy Hook Elementary School. in 2015, 9 people were gunned down in the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church during a prayer service. In 2016, 49 were murdered and 58 injured at the Pulse Night Club in Orlando. In 2017, 58 died and over 851 were wounded in the Las Vegas shooting. February 14, 2018, 17 students were shot to death at Marjory Stoneman Douglas HS. This past week, 13 pipe bombs were sent through the mail and yesterday 11 died and 6 were wounded at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pennsylvania.
These are the facts and figures that have made the headlines, but more importantly, these numbers represent real people, human beings, family members, friends, and colleagues. So many die violent deaths each day, including the unborn, in our country and throughout our world. How are we to respond? In the Gospel today Jesus sheds some light on the darkness that beleaguers not only our country but our world.
On hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, son of David, have pity on me.” And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. (Mk 10:47-48).
Though Bartimaeus is blind, he seems to “see” better and know who Jesus is. He does not just call out the name of Jesus, but “Jesus, Son of David.” This is not merely a genetic marker, but a Messianic title. Bartimaeus may have physical blindness, but he is one of the few in the Gospel of Mark to recognize Jesus is the Messiah. The disciples and crowd walking with him, the many who “rebuked him” showed their spiritual blindness, in that they prevented the blind man from coming to Jesus.
When we take time to read and meditate on this scriptural account, who are we? Are we like those in the crowd who follow and identify with Jesus, yet rebuke others seeking to come to Jesus? Do we foster a posture of other, embrace tribalism, nationalism, and contribute to division and polarization? If we do, we then are suffering from the very spiritual blindness that Jesus has come to heal.
We need to make an assessment of ourselves. Each thought we ponder and action we take ripples out from us and touches everyone. In what way do we contribute to the violence? Do we gossip, spread false reports knowingly about others only to degrade and belittle? Do we pass dehumanizing images and memes on social media? Do we talk over or at people, do we impose our views not even willing to listen to another? The smallest act of indignity shown to another, whether it be a snide remark, a racial, ethnic, or sexist epithet, or any manner of disrespect contributes to the horrific reports I began this post with.
We need to allow Jesus to convict us in the depths of our soul. In so doing, we are better able to counter the impulse to build walls that promote division, hate, and violence, and instead build bridges of forgiveness, unity, and love. We are called to shine a light in our present darkness as Jesus did by embracing one another as human beings, brothers and sisters created in the image and likeness of God. We begin by being present to those within our realm of influence with understanding, compassion, and empathy. Darkness only wins if we embrace it and become the darkness, let us be light. Hate only wins if we feed the hate, let us feed the love.
An old grandfather said to his grandson, who came to him with anger at a friend who had done him an injustice.
“Let me tell you a story. I too, at times, have felt a great hate for those who have taken so much, with no sorrow for what they do. But hate wears you down, and does not hurt your enemy. It is like taking poison and wishing your enemy to die. I have struggled with these feelings many times.”
He continued, “It is as if I there are two wolves inside me. One is good and does no harm. He lives in harmony with all around him, and does not take offense when no offense was intended. He will only fight when it is right to do so, and in the right way. But the other wolf, ah! He is full of anger. The littlest thing will set him into a fit of temper. He fights everyone, all the time, for no reason. He cannot think because his anger and hate are so great. It is helpless anger, for his anger will change nothing. Sometimes, it is hard to live with these two wolves inside of me, for both of them try to dominate my spirit.”
The boy looked intently into his Grandfather’s eyes and asked, “Which one wins, Grandfather?”
The Grandfather smiled and quietly said, “The one I feed.”
Both wolves are trying to dominate the spirit of our country, which one do you feed?
Let us have the humility to recognize our own need for dependency, that we cannot get through this life on our own. We, like Bartimaeus, need to be healed and made new. We need the Son of David in our lives, we need a savior, a healer, and we need each other. When we acknowledge this reality, we may better be able to resist the temptation to be indifferent to or dehumanize others, but instead be more willing to notice, recognize, pray for and act to provide aide for others. Just as Jesus calls us, he has called others as well. Jesus calls us not to embrace fear, but to love, to will the good of each other as other.
“Grandfather Tells” or “Two Wolves Within” Cherokee Legend, this and another version can be found at: http://www.firstpeople.us/FP-Html-Legends/TwoWolves-Cherokee.html
Photo: The two wolves are Wolfie and Rasta the Dancing Bear. Two wolves I had the fortune of caring for and helping to spread wolf education for the Sharon Audubon Center in the 1980’s.
Link for the Mass readings for Sunday, October 28, 2018: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/102818.cfm
Healed by Jesus, let us bear fruit that will last!
In today’s Gospel, we read about two accounts of horrific deaths. The first is at the hands of Pontius Pilate, who has not only ordered the execution of Jesus’ fellow Galileans but had their blood mixed with “the blood of their sacrifices.” The second incident, Jesus himself brought up regarding the tragic accident in which eighteen people died “when the tower of Siloam fell on them.”
In both cases Jesus rejected the common notion of the time that these incidents were caused by God’s punishment and focused instead on the importance of repentance. Jesus stated quite emphatically, that, “Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were greater sinners than all other Galileans? By no means! But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did” (cf. Lk 13:1-5)!
Jesus was emphatic about helping his followers understand the purpose of his coming. Jesus is the way to the truth of eternal life and fulfillment and meaning in this life. Yet, to receive the gift of his invitation, people needed to repent from their focus on self, misunderstandings of God, and the false substitutions that the world offered and instead, repent, have a change of mind, and turn back to God, the source of our being.
We live in uncertain times as did those of the first century. We still live in a fallen world. We do not know the time or the hour our life will be taken. We often do not want to think about our death, yet, if we do ponder it from time to time, we just might live the one life we have been given a little bit better. Each day we wake up and each breath we take is a gift. The most recent pipe bombs being shuffled through the mail reminds us how fragile life can be.
Jesus is present with us in our trials, pain, and suffering. Let us repent and surrender to him, the divine gardener, for help and allow him to cultivate our ground and fertilize us in such a way that we are renewed by his care and love, so to be healed, so to bear fruit that will last. For the time we are given, in communion and as collaborators with Christ, may we may be more patient, more kind, more loving, more understanding, more forgiving, more present, and more joyful.
Photo: Photo by Luiz M. Santos from Pexels
Link for the Mass readings for Saturday, October 27, 2018: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/102718.cfm
Jesus, help us to slow down so we can be more aware of your presence.
“You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky; why do you not know how to interpret the present time” (Lk 12:56).
Reading this verse brought two memories from my childhood. The first one is from when my friend Steve and I as kids were interested in reading the natural signs and weather patterns, and we enjoyed watching our local weatherman, Hilton Kaderli. each night forecasting the weather. Another memory was with my cousin Danny. We were at my Uncle Pierre and Aunt Claudette’s house one afternoon and we saw a storm rising. We headed to the road and started running as fast as we could in the opposite direction to see how far we could get before the storm caught us, and when it did we walked home, sucking in air, being pelted by the rain, and enjoyed a good soaking. Steve, Danny, and I read the signs of the earth and the sky, but we didn’t pay to much attention to things of the spirit.
By not only the teachings of Jesus, but by his public actions Jesus was revealing some powerful signs that God was in their midst. Jesus taught and preached on his own authority, he cast out demons, forgave sins, healed people, met and ate with sinners and women. These were amazing signs that the Messiah was in their midst, yet there were those who did not see, would not see, rationalized away that he could not be who he said he was. Though there were those who did see, did hear, and did believe.
Because they did so, some two thousand years later, Jesus speaks to us again. The stories and encounters of Jesus have been preserved, passed on generation after generation. Do we see his presence working in our lives? Do we see coincidences or God-incidents? Life is busy and fast passed, but we need to make some time each day to stop and reflect, take some deep breaths, and ask God to help us in reviewing the past twenty four hours to notice how he has been involved and engaged in our life.
Jesus, help us to be still for a moment so that we can acknowledge what we are grateful for and recall some God-incidents no matter how small. Jesus help us to be aware of how much you have been present to us in our daily experiences, and thank you for being with us, even when we have been distracted and indifferent.
For those times that we have refused or failed to recognize your closeness, especially in your presence in others seeking our help, forgive and assist us in being more aware and more intentional with following your will today and tomorrow. This moment with you truly is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Let us repent, believe in you, go in peace and proclaim the Gospel.
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Photo credit: Jack McKee – a moment of rest, enjoying family and God’s creation, Christmas 2010
Link for the Mass readings for Friday, October 26, 2018: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/102618.cfm
Let us be on fire for Jesus!
Jesus said to his disciples: “I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing” (Lk 12:49)!
What fire touches, it transforms. What has been burned does not remain the same. Not only are we to catch and spread the fire, of Jesus, he wants us to be consumed by the fire.
Encountering Jesus effects a change in us, when we are open to allow the Holy Spirit to breathe on the embers in the depths of our souls they are fanned like tinder and ignite. If we continue to fuel the fire, getting in touch with what God has called us to do in our place and in our time, the fire continues to spread and, like the saints whose shoulders we stand upon, we are consumed and transformed.
We are not to be a Christian in name alone but in thought, word, and deed. Pope Francis, in his exhortation The Joy of the Gospel, wrote: “THE JOY OF THE GOSPEL fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus. Those who accept this offer of salvation are set free from sin, sorrow, inner emptiness and loneliness” (Francis 2013, 9). Joy is a gift, a holy flame, that is given to us by the Holy Spirit and it wells up within. It is different than pleasure which arises when the stimulation of the senses are aroused, but fades once the external stimulus has ended.
Happiness is also external and fleeting. It lasts longer than passion in that the memory of the experience will linger on, but it too will also dissipate. Joy wells up from within, as it is imparted to us by God and can be present even when the external experiences are stressful or chaotic. I experienced this during my time of formation for the permanent deaconate. I was still teaching 5th and 6th Grade Religion and acting as the dean of students at Rosarian Academy, while at the same time immersed in my studies and formation activities, parish, and family life.
One particular morning I woke up exhausted. When the alarm went off my first response was to skip my morning prayer and hit the snooze button to get an extra twenty minutes before getting up to go to school. Instead, I literally crawled to my small chapel area, lit the candles and opened my breviary. When I read the words in Psalm 42: “Hope in God; I will praise him still, my savior and my God”, something ignited within my soul. I felt an energy well up within me that I cannot describe. I felt a joy that was inexpressible. Not only did the experience carry me into the day, but lasted through the whole week.
God meets us where we are in our present situation, and even when we are at our lowest, running on reserves, we need to remember to turn to him and he will provide the fuel to keep the flame burning. Pope Francis encourages us to discern the path that Jesus points out for us and we are “to go forth from our own comfort zone in order to reach all the ‘peripheries’ in need of the light of the Gospel” (Francis 2013, 24). When we are on fire for Christ that fire will continue to burn as long as we resist dousing the flame with indifference and complacency, but instead continue to share it, to spread it, such that we join with Jesus and set the world on fire. “The joy of the Gospel is for all people: no one can be excluded” (Francis 2013, 25).
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Photo by Jens Mahnke from Pexels
Pope Francis. Evangelii Gaudium: The Joy of the Gospel. Frederick, MD: The Word Among Us Press, 2013.
Link for the Mass readings for Thursday, October 25, 2018: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/102518.cfm
Let us reflect the light of Christ to a world in darkness.
“That servant who knew his master’s will but did not make preparations nor act in accord with his will shall be beaten severely” (Lk 12:47).
Jesus, as did the prophets, spoke in ways that can be jarring. The purpose was to shake his listeners out of a dull stupor and to make clear his point. In today’s Gospel passage, Jesus addressed Peter’s question: “Lord, is this parable meant for us or for everyone” (Lk 12:41)? Jesus was most likely speaking to Peter and the Twelve. They are the ones he entrusted with continuing his mission of the kingdom of God. And just as he had been clear to point out those Pharisees who had abused their positions, he was being clear with Peter and the apostles. Jesus wanted to be clear with his successors that they were not to continue on with business as usual. What Jesus required of them was not just for themselves, but those whose care they have been entrusted with and beyond them to all the nations.
Unfortunately, we have witnessed those in Church leadership who have in effect, “beat the menservants and the maidservants, to eat and drink and get drunk” (Lk 12:45) on their own power. Those who have: abused children, covered abuse, skimmed off the top of the donations of the blood, sweat and tears of their parishioners’ donations, limited access to positions within the leadership of the Church to only male or clergy, been unmerciful confessors, held up the sin of one group or groups while turning a blind eye to others. These and other forms of hypocrisy do irreparable damage.
The world has been darkened by sin, but not destroyed by it. Jesus has entered the darkness of our fallen nature and has not been overcome by it. Even when those of the Body of Christ participate and perpetuate the darkness, we are not to lose heart nor our hope. As Bishop Robert Barron writes, we are called out of “the realm of hatred, racism, sexism, violence, oppression, imperialism, what Augustine termed the libido dominandi (the lust to dominate).”
We are called to be children of the light. We will do so by being willing to embrace the light of Christ which reveals to us our sin. With humility and contrition we then confess them and from this place of surrender we will be more and more transformed such that we begin to reflect and share his light with others still in darkness. As heralds of his Good News, may we seek opportunities to share the purifying light and healing salve of the Father’s Love we have received with those we meet today.
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Photo: Crucifix front entrance of Our Lady of Florida Spiritual Center
Barron, Robert. Catholicism: A Journey to the Heart of the Faith. NY: Image, 2011.
Link for the Mass readings for Wednesday, October 24, 2018: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/102418.cfm
Are we willing to prepare for Jesus?
Jesus said to his disciples: “Gird your loins and light your lamps and be like servants who await their master’s return from a wedding, ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks” (Lk 12: 35-36).
Jesus is emphasizing that as disciples we need to be ready for his coming, yes for when he comes again at the end of time, but more importantly, to be prepared for his coming each day in the midst of our lives. If we do not prepare to encounter him daily, the likelihood of us being prepared for his coming again, and only the Father knows the time or the hour, will be slimmer.
To plan means we outline all that needs to be done down to the last detail. This can be an advantage especially when we are dealing with blueprints for a home or building. By having detailed plans we can be sure we have the proper materials and tools, an estimated budget, hire the help needed to accomplish the goal. There are many areas in our life where planning is an advantage. Planning our spiritual life is important, deciding when and how we are to pray, meditate, study, engage in Bible and spiritual reading and/or watching, scheduling which service we are going to attend, establishing a routine of spiritual direction, time for fellowship or small groups. These are all plusses to planning.
The challenge with planning is when we become too radically attached to the plan and we leave no room for the Holy Spirit, no awareness for the knock at the door, because we are so focused on finishing the plan. Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners are on the horizon. How many times have we experienced planning a dinner and guests, and spent more time adhering to the plan and its execution, so much so that we miss engaging with those we are working so hard to provide hospitality for?
Preparing is akin to planning, in that we are ready but flexible to be open to other options not governed by our mind alone. Jesus calls us to be ready, to be prepared to receive him at any moment. As St. Oscar Romero wrote, “It would be beautiful if people saw that their flourishing and the attainment of their highest ideals are based on their ability to give themselves to others.” Are we prepared to encounter and be present to a classmate, colleague, family member, or neighbor who asks for help at an inopportune time, the homeless person in need, the undocumented immigrant, migrant, or refugee looking for safety and security, the unborn striving to actualize his or her potential, the coworker that has not been the most pleasant, the person that we perceive as somehow different from us – who we keep at arm’s length?
Have we said yes to or refused these encounters? After some time of reflection, can we better prepare ourselves to be more open to encountering those we meet today as human beings, as brothers and sisters, created in the image and likeness of God? Are we willing to see and serve Jesus, who is present in those we encounter, for: “whatever you did for one of these least brothers [or sisters] of mine, you did for me” (Mt 25:40).
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Photo: Tabernacle and Sanctuary Lamp in the small chapel at Our Lady of Florida Spiritual Center. Let us prepare our hearts and minds to receive Jesus in the consecrated host and so to be strengthened to see and serve him in those we encounter today.
Rothrock, Brad. 30 Days with Oscar Romero. New London, CT: Twenty-Third Publications, 2016
Link for the Mass readings for Tuesday, October 22, 2018: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/102318.cfm
Beware of greed, rejoice in Jesus, serve one another in love
“Take care to guard against all greed, for though one may be rich, one’s life does not consist of possessions” (LK 12:15).
Jesus wisely warns us to be careful to resist the temptation of greed, which can be defined as an intense, selfish desire for something. Here Jesus addresses the greed of material wealth, but we can also have unhealthy selfish desires for anything. Jesus also stated that “one’s life does not consist of possessions.” Material goods are finite and will not ultimately fulfill us but they can be good when used for the purpose they were intended for and in moderation.
God provides for our need. Fostering an attitude of thanksgiving for that which we have received and then being good stewards helps us to resist the temptation of greed. St Clement of Alexandria (150-215 AD) wrote: “How could we do good to our neighbor if none of us possessed anything.” God does bless us, and from what we have been given we are to assist those in need. The problem comes when we interfere with the flow of receiving by hoarding what we have received and rationalizing our unwillingness to share. Also, when we look to our wealth as our safety net, instead of God’s providence, we begin to cling to what we have and develop an unhealthy attachment. We need to remember that the material and finite of below will not satisfy and will not last, we need to set our heart and mind to God above.
Acts of charity, willing the good of and support for one another in need will help us to resist the temptation of greed and help us to be open conduits of God’s mercy. Pope Leo XIII (1810-1903 AD) wrote that, “Once the demands of necessity and propriety have been met, the rest of your money belongs to the poor.” How many of us are willing to put that quote on our bathroom mirror? More so, put it into practice? How about posting this quote from John Chrysostom (349-407 AD) over our closet and reading it before we enter: “The man who has two shirts in his closet, one belongs to him; the other belongs to the man who has no shirt.”
God has given us the gift of his Son, Jesus. In so doing he has given us the free gift of our salvation which is reason to rejoice! He loved us into creation and is loving us into eternity. We are invited to participate in the love experienced by the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. We are to resist clinging to the material and finite, and instead rejoice in our gift of life and relationship with his Son. May we share that which we have received from God, our infinite source and spring of eternal Love. We will be fulfilled and joyful, not by how much we have saved up in our bank account, but by how much love we invest in serving each other.
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Photo from cathopic.com
Link for the Mass readings for Monday, October 22, 2018: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/102218.cfm
A new day to be loved and to love
For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many (Mk 10:45).
As fully God and fully man, Jesus taught and modeled for his disciples a contrarian view of how to live in our world. He rejected the pursuit of worldly honor and power during the time of his earthly ministry. Jesus redirected any attention drawn himself to his Father. He epitomized the exact opposite of the cult of personality by emphasizing what is most important is developing a relationship with God and following his will by serving the needs of others, even to the point of suffering and dying to open up access to heaven for us. Jesus gave his life to pay the ransom of our sin.
On our own we cannot achieve this freedom of service. As the disciples, James and John from today’s Gospel, showed that they did not understand Jesus call to service. But having experienced, studied and mentored with Jesus, experiencing his crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension, they remained true and faithful and came to a place of transformation through their openness to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, where they came to fulfill what Jesus first saw when he called them to leave their boats and follow him.
This is true for us as well. Jesus sees not just our impulsiveness, pride and selfishness, our woundedness and our sin, but he also sees our potential and the fulfillment yet to be actualized. Jesus calls us to a way of life that embracers serving as he served, yet in the unique way and charism that our loving God and Father has created us and formed us. He has sent the Holy Spirit to meet us in our present condition, to guide and empower us with his love, so to draw us deeper into the Mystery of God.
May we be open today to receive and experience the love of God, so to resist the temptation of power, pride, and fame in ourselves, to resist supporting a cult of personality within ourselves and directed toward others. In this way, we will better be able to love and take care of ourselves, by entertaining proper thoughts, making time for prayer, worship, study, healthier eating, exercising, and engaging in virtuous activities. By developing a foundation of being loved by God and loving him in return, we will properly love ourselves, so to better serve Jesus and follow his lead to be present to and serve one another in our needs.
Photo: A new day for us to love God, love ourselves, and to love others. Sunrise at Our Lady of Florida Spiritual Center. Come for retreat: https://www.ourladyofflorida.org/
Link for the Mass readings for Sunday, October 21, 2018: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/102118.cfm
Consider and meditate on the passion of Christ
“It is very good and holy to consider the passion of our Lord and to meditate on it, for by this sacred path we reach union with God. In this most holy school we learn true wisdom, for it was there that all the saints learned it. Indeed when the cross of our dear Jesus has planted its roots more deeply in our hearts, then you will rejoice: ‘To suffer and not to die,’ or, ‘Neither to suffer, nor to die, but only to turn perfectly to the will of God.'” – St Paul of the Cross, shared in recognition of the observation of his Feast day.
Blessed to be celebrating it with the Passionists at Our Lady of Florida Spiritual Center.
Spiritual Stepping Stones 