With the New Year come resolutions that are often not kept. With the New Year come fresh beginnings for taxes, college courses and some branches of government. The New Year is an arbitrary time in many ways. Some businesses work on a different financial calendar than one beginning January 1. In many situations, we agree on what we will call the New Year, and then we follow the protocols that come with it. This is when we start over, wipe the slate clean, draw a new line for recording information and calculating it. The cynics in our midst might agree with Qoheleth in the scriptures, “There is nothing new under the sun.” We just pretend
that it is.
How do we genuinely make a new start, a fresh beginning, different life? We have certain activities that are built into our way of life that we can’t just stop or reverse all at once. We have to get the resources we need for food, clothing, and shelter, if we are to survive physically. We have to relate to our family and friends with respect, interest, concern and contact, if we want to keep them in our lives. We have to meet certain obligations like taxes, traffic laws and social proprieties, or else we face negative consequences. How do we not feel boxed into life with little room for change or something new and different?
The New Year is not about a date on the calendar, and making a fresh start isn’t about abandoning all that we did in the past. Attitude and style can transform the same old, same old into something different and exciting. We get into a rut when we just focus on getting things done. Because the activities are routine ones which come around every day, week, month or year, they can drag us down with their drudgery. But this doesn’t have to be. We can change the way we do things, with whom we do them and the organization we use to get them done. We can break up the job into pieces and share the activity with helpers. We can bring new people into the routine and mix pleasure with work by connecting social time to follow work time. We can celebrate a job completed well before we move on to the next one. We need to know when to stop working because we are tired and frustrated, and come back to the task later when we are refreshed. We need to foster cooperation in getting a job done rather than competition, not trying to outdo each other but rather do for others through our work.
Baxter is a slavish creature of habit. He does the same things at about the same time every day. I don’t think he knows it’s a New Year, or even a new day. He just plods along doing his cat business with contentment. We look for more from life, but we have to put more into living if we are going to find it. We have to make it a New Year by bringing newness into our lives in different ways. Think about how you can do this for yourself. It’s God’s way of making your burdens light and lifting your spirit to be one with His.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Tuesday, December 30, 2014
Monday, December 22, 2014
Taking Care of Orphans
Baxter was an orphan when we first met. I never knew his parents. At the rescue shelter where I discovered him, he was among many orphaned kittens, abandoned for one reason or another. An orphan of any species breaks our hearts. They are so helpless and defenseless in facing the world. They crave to belong and bond with a family. When I first met Baxter he clung to me and wouldn’t release his grip. He crawled up my leg and nestled in my arm, and there was no separating us from that point. Baxter needed a home, and I needed to give him a home in my life.
Family life is high on the agenda of our Church these days. The first part of the synod on the family closed in Rome last October, and a working paper is now available for people to reflect upon and comment about how we best address the needs of families today. There are many points of view about this topic and the issues surrounding it. We have a tradition of faith that speaks to marriage and family life, painting a picture of life-long fidelity between a man and a woman creating an environment where the new life of children can flourish because it is embedded in their love. This is the ideal we all wish for and strive to attain. It gives us a direction to aim for and principles by which to live. It steadies us when we are not sure what to do, and it sets a foundation upon which we can rely when we have nowhere to turn. We don’t want to lose these roots that our faith provides.
However, sometimes our real lives cannot embody this ideal picture completely. In our struggles to love each other, we find ourselves limited and fragile. We are limited by our physical and psychological make-up, by what other people decide who were once committed to us, by economic circumstances and what it takes to support us. We can try to do the right and virtuous thing, but sometimes we have no control over the tragedies that break up our lives. Facing these facts, we feel like orphans, lost between how we want our families to be and what, in fact, they are. Where do we turn?
Jesus welcomed widows and orphans. They were among the most vulnerable members of society in His day. The prophets before Him proclaimed that God’s judgment of the people’s fidelity to the covenant was based largely on how they treated these misfits and forgotten ones. We cannot dismiss these core messages of the scriptures by quoting a law which we think excuses us from dealing with these real human dilemmas. At the very least, we must enter into these troubled human situations with empathy and compassion. We must consider what could possibly better the situation without compromising our principles, yet without abandoning the weak and wounded. We risk facing the same judgment of God the prophets levied against Israel, if we do not face these orphans in faith.
In the late third century, the Church faced a similar situation in what is known as the Donatist controversy. In the face of persecution, baptized Christians, mostly clergy, weakened and gave in to the pressure of idolatry and burning the scriptures. Afterwards, they regretted their actions and wanted to participate in the life of the church again. Some rigorists, known as “Donatists”, following the view of Donatus, a particular bishop at the time, refused to entertain such a request. They thought that only the pure and undefiled deserved to be part of the Church. If a person sinned, he or she had to start all over again and be re-baptized, and a priest in this condition could no longer celebrate the sacraments. This viewpoint provoked a controversy in the Church. Saint Augustine got involved rejecting such a position, and helping the Church to understand itself as a community of repentant sinners striving for holiness, but always relying upon God’s grace to satisfy our deficiencies. God is always faithful, and He does not go back on His Word once it claims someone’s life. His fidelity means forgiveness and healing are always possible.
As we struggle with what is the best faithful response to wounded and irregular family situations today, we need to keep the lessons of our long Christian history in mind. It is rich in wisdom, and this wisdom can help us discern how the Spirit is calling the Church to respond today. There have always been orphans among the people of God. Maybe some ran away from home on their own, others were forced by circumstances to leave, and still others have stayed around feeling lost and excluded at times. In God’s name, they call to us for help. We should not use abstract principles and rules to avoid listening to and considering their desire for spiritual nourishment. The Savior born on Christmas accepted that grace often comes packaged in smudged, broken and unattractive containers that hold within precious, generous, and penitent souls. We can’t be holier than the Word made flesh.
When my orphaned cat came to live with me, he brought joy and companionship. He taught me the discipline of caring for another who relies upon me for his well being. He has shown me God’s workings in simple, peculiar and surprising ways. Our spiritual orphans may teach us even more.
Family life is high on the agenda of our Church these days. The first part of the synod on the family closed in Rome last October, and a working paper is now available for people to reflect upon and comment about how we best address the needs of families today. There are many points of view about this topic and the issues surrounding it. We have a tradition of faith that speaks to marriage and family life, painting a picture of life-long fidelity between a man and a woman creating an environment where the new life of children can flourish because it is embedded in their love. This is the ideal we all wish for and strive to attain. It gives us a direction to aim for and principles by which to live. It steadies us when we are not sure what to do, and it sets a foundation upon which we can rely when we have nowhere to turn. We don’t want to lose these roots that our faith provides.
However, sometimes our real lives cannot embody this ideal picture completely. In our struggles to love each other, we find ourselves limited and fragile. We are limited by our physical and psychological make-up, by what other people decide who were once committed to us, by economic circumstances and what it takes to support us. We can try to do the right and virtuous thing, but sometimes we have no control over the tragedies that break up our lives. Facing these facts, we feel like orphans, lost between how we want our families to be and what, in fact, they are. Where do we turn?
Jesus welcomed widows and orphans. They were among the most vulnerable members of society in His day. The prophets before Him proclaimed that God’s judgment of the people’s fidelity to the covenant was based largely on how they treated these misfits and forgotten ones. We cannot dismiss these core messages of the scriptures by quoting a law which we think excuses us from dealing with these real human dilemmas. At the very least, we must enter into these troubled human situations with empathy and compassion. We must consider what could possibly better the situation without compromising our principles, yet without abandoning the weak and wounded. We risk facing the same judgment of God the prophets levied against Israel, if we do not face these orphans in faith.
In the late third century, the Church faced a similar situation in what is known as the Donatist controversy. In the face of persecution, baptized Christians, mostly clergy, weakened and gave in to the pressure of idolatry and burning the scriptures. Afterwards, they regretted their actions and wanted to participate in the life of the church again. Some rigorists, known as “Donatists”, following the view of Donatus, a particular bishop at the time, refused to entertain such a request. They thought that only the pure and undefiled deserved to be part of the Church. If a person sinned, he or she had to start all over again and be re-baptized, and a priest in this condition could no longer celebrate the sacraments. This viewpoint provoked a controversy in the Church. Saint Augustine got involved rejecting such a position, and helping the Church to understand itself as a community of repentant sinners striving for holiness, but always relying upon God’s grace to satisfy our deficiencies. God is always faithful, and He does not go back on His Word once it claims someone’s life. His fidelity means forgiveness and healing are always possible.
As we struggle with what is the best faithful response to wounded and irregular family situations today, we need to keep the lessons of our long Christian history in mind. It is rich in wisdom, and this wisdom can help us discern how the Spirit is calling the Church to respond today. There have always been orphans among the people of God. Maybe some ran away from home on their own, others were forced by circumstances to leave, and still others have stayed around feeling lost and excluded at times. In God’s name, they call to us for help. We should not use abstract principles and rules to avoid listening to and considering their desire for spiritual nourishment. The Savior born on Christmas accepted that grace often comes packaged in smudged, broken and unattractive containers that hold within precious, generous, and penitent souls. We can’t be holier than the Word made flesh.
When my orphaned cat came to live with me, he brought joy and companionship. He taught me the discipline of caring for another who relies upon me for his well being. He has shown me God’s workings in simple, peculiar and surprising ways. Our spiritual orphans may teach us even more.
Thursday, December 18, 2014
A Second Look
Before I got my first cat, Gatto, I never would have imagined how fascinating cats are. I took them for granted. They were those critters who seemed to multiply constantly, were aloof, manipulative, and selfcentered, and they lacked any desire for closeness and affection. Only when I began to live with a cat did I see a different side to them.
My first cat was abandoned for a while, so, except for me, she would hide from anyone coming into the house. She also hid whenever I would bring out a broom to sweep the floor. I figured she had some bad experiences with strangers and brooms that marked her reaction forever. Nevertheless, she was warm and affectionate when she felt safe, and she could distinguish me from everyone else who came to the house. She would welcome me home with a few rubs and meows.
Baxter was different from Gatto. I raised him to adulthood from a four month old kitten. He interacted with friendly people of all sorts, so he never shied away from strangers. He never had to deal with the hard knocks of the streets, but was pampered with food, soft beds and toys virtually all of his life. Baxter hates the sound of the vacuum cleaner and runs when it is turned on. I think it is the sound itself and not any bad memory that sets him running. The pitch hurts his sensitive hearing. Generally, Baxter is inquisitive, affectionate and a social butterfly. He figures anyone might have a treat for him so don’t ignore anyone who may come along.
Each of us brings to Christmas the traits we have developed through our experiences in life. Some of these may make us fearful and withdrawn with this celebration. The losses hurt too much. The memories are too painful to recall. We can’t wait for Christmas to be over, so that we can get back to normal. Others of us may just be too cynical about the season. The commercialism we witness colors our view on the whole celebration. We assume we know what Christmas is about, and we would rather avoid the whole thing. But our faith calls us to take a second look.
There is more to Christmas than what we first take for granted about it. God has reached into the human condition in a way that has married human and divine life irrevocably. Entwined with our earthly, physical and psychological dimensions is a spiritual one. It is often hidden from view at first glance, but if we penetrate the surface of our first impressions, we can find the divine impression God has made when the Word became flesh.
Behind the hurt of loss and grief is love. We feel the pain of deceased loved ones so much precisely because our love for them was authentic, faithful and everlasting. Our love doesn’t fade away, but with death it often feels empty and distressing. Christmas reminds us that these feelings aren’t the whole picture. They disguise the communion we still hold with our loved ones in God, and this season invites us to appreciate and give thanks for that wonder. Like the Christ child in the crib who looks poor and forsaken but for whom angels sing of the wonders of God’s love, so for those disciples who know pain and loss at Christmas, a deeper glory calls them to worship and give thanks to God.
Likewise, hidden within the commercialism of this season is a positive instinct sometimes misdirected. We spend on creature comforts for ourselves and others because we want to impress others with our taste and generosity, and send them a message about our regard for them. God did the same thing. As John’s Gospel declares: “For God so loved the world that He gave us His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him may not perish but may have eternal life.” living presents isn’t the problem. Forgetting what the giving represents is. Our gift-giving is a sign of God’s gift of the Spirit to us so that we can encounter the Christ present in every act of generosity and care. The commercialism of our culture wants to make a profit for the retail section of our economy. The commerce of God wants us to profit from Christmas by our living a life rich in incarnate grace.
So take a second look at Christmas. Get beyond the first impressions. Instead of fighting Christmas either inwardly or culturally, pray for God to transform what we see there to uncover God’s action in our lives. That will give us much to celebrate.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
My first cat was abandoned for a while, so, except for me, she would hide from anyone coming into the house. She also hid whenever I would bring out a broom to sweep the floor. I figured she had some bad experiences with strangers and brooms that marked her reaction forever. Nevertheless, she was warm and affectionate when she felt safe, and she could distinguish me from everyone else who came to the house. She would welcome me home with a few rubs and meows.
Baxter was different from Gatto. I raised him to adulthood from a four month old kitten. He interacted with friendly people of all sorts, so he never shied away from strangers. He never had to deal with the hard knocks of the streets, but was pampered with food, soft beds and toys virtually all of his life. Baxter hates the sound of the vacuum cleaner and runs when it is turned on. I think it is the sound itself and not any bad memory that sets him running. The pitch hurts his sensitive hearing. Generally, Baxter is inquisitive, affectionate and a social butterfly. He figures anyone might have a treat for him so don’t ignore anyone who may come along.
Each of us brings to Christmas the traits we have developed through our experiences in life. Some of these may make us fearful and withdrawn with this celebration. The losses hurt too much. The memories are too painful to recall. We can’t wait for Christmas to be over, so that we can get back to normal. Others of us may just be too cynical about the season. The commercialism we witness colors our view on the whole celebration. We assume we know what Christmas is about, and we would rather avoid the whole thing. But our faith calls us to take a second look.
There is more to Christmas than what we first take for granted about it. God has reached into the human condition in a way that has married human and divine life irrevocably. Entwined with our earthly, physical and psychological dimensions is a spiritual one. It is often hidden from view at first glance, but if we penetrate the surface of our first impressions, we can find the divine impression God has made when the Word became flesh.
Behind the hurt of loss and grief is love. We feel the pain of deceased loved ones so much precisely because our love for them was authentic, faithful and everlasting. Our love doesn’t fade away, but with death it often feels empty and distressing. Christmas reminds us that these feelings aren’t the whole picture. They disguise the communion we still hold with our loved ones in God, and this season invites us to appreciate and give thanks for that wonder. Like the Christ child in the crib who looks poor and forsaken but for whom angels sing of the wonders of God’s love, so for those disciples who know pain and loss at Christmas, a deeper glory calls them to worship and give thanks to God.
Likewise, hidden within the commercialism of this season is a positive instinct sometimes misdirected. We spend on creature comforts for ourselves and others because we want to impress others with our taste and generosity, and send them a message about our regard for them. God did the same thing. As John’s Gospel declares: “For God so loved the world that He gave us His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him may not perish but may have eternal life.” living presents isn’t the problem. Forgetting what the giving represents is. Our gift-giving is a sign of God’s gift of the Spirit to us so that we can encounter the Christ present in every act of generosity and care. The commercialism of our culture wants to make a profit for the retail section of our economy. The commerce of God wants us to profit from Christmas by our living a life rich in incarnate grace.
So take a second look at Christmas. Get beyond the first impressions. Instead of fighting Christmas either inwardly or culturally, pray for God to transform what we see there to uncover God’s action in our lives. That will give us much to celebrate.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Wednesday, December 10, 2014
LOVING OUR PETS
Like most pet owners, I love Baxter, my cat. He is easy to love. His needs are simple to satisfy. He needs food and water, a safe place to live and some attention. He has his quirks about some of these, but I find them more charming than annoying. Baxter usually plays fair. He isn’t deceitful or sneaky. He tells me what he wants, and he settles for what I decide to give him. He lives within the limits we have set for our relationship. Certain times to eat, bathroom practices and places to nap have been agreed upon, and we both follow the terms for these. We have a lot of give and take with each other. If Baxter wants to get on my lap, even if I am using my iPad or talking on the phone, I allow him. He is looking for a warm spot, and I can provide one. On the other hand, Baxter takes care of himself when I am away from home. He doesn’t chew the furniture, steal food or mess where he isn’t supposed to mess. He is well behaved, and I praise him whenever I return for his good manners and responsible actions. I think he appreciates this recognition because he keeps up the good job. I think he appreciates this recognition because he keeps up the good job. I think he appreciates me as well because he looks for me when I am away and welcomes me home when I arrive.
Too bad we do not have the same kind of mutual, honest and accommodating relationship with God. We say we love God, but we live with Him in ways that often contradict our words. We try to get away with things rather than carry through our part of the covenant. We don’t like to be honest with God for fear that He will punish us. From time to time, we step beyond the boundaries of our relationship to flirt with other gods—money, sex, selfcenteredness, self-indulgence. We don’t like our love for God to inconvenience us. If worship fits into our schedule, we’ll be there; if doing what is right and just proves to our benefit, we’re in on it; if we face sanctions for satisfying our greed, lust or envy, we back off. It is hard for us to love God for God’s sake because we live in a world that doesn’t even acknowledge God’s reality as a part of the human condition. It’s so easy to forget about the bigger issues, the big questions, the wondrous mystery when you commute every day, get the kids from school and to soccer, dance, or karate, and barely say hello to your spouse before it all starts again.
But God still loves us, even more than our pets do. He wants us on mutual terms, but He will take what He can get. God’s love is so deep and strong that He fits in, however we will let Him. God is not easily offended. Instead, He takes any crack in our hearts we open to Him and sneaks in there, offering a moment of peace, a reassuring thought for our future, a sense of gratitude for our blessings.
God gives wherever and whenever we are ready to receive. Although we may treat Him worse than a dog, He is always ready to forgive and start anew. We may walk all over God with our sins, hardness of heart, arrogance and disregard, and He simply rolls out more carpet for us to have a soft landing when our pride causes us to fall. Although some might consider such a God a divine patsy, our scriptures teach that this is what sacrificial love unto death looks like, and it will save us.
Sometimes we treat our pets better than God or other people. Other people may be offended and walk away. God stays and waits for us to realize how much better our lives can be when He is part of them. So love your pets, but don’t forget who loves you more.
“Love came down at Christmas.” He died for us, and never left us."
Too bad we do not have the same kind of mutual, honest and accommodating relationship with God. We say we love God, but we live with Him in ways that often contradict our words. We try to get away with things rather than carry through our part of the covenant. We don’t like to be honest with God for fear that He will punish us. From time to time, we step beyond the boundaries of our relationship to flirt with other gods—money, sex, selfcenteredness, self-indulgence. We don’t like our love for God to inconvenience us. If worship fits into our schedule, we’ll be there; if doing what is right and just proves to our benefit, we’re in on it; if we face sanctions for satisfying our greed, lust or envy, we back off. It is hard for us to love God for God’s sake because we live in a world that doesn’t even acknowledge God’s reality as a part of the human condition. It’s so easy to forget about the bigger issues, the big questions, the wondrous mystery when you commute every day, get the kids from school and to soccer, dance, or karate, and barely say hello to your spouse before it all starts again.
But God still loves us, even more than our pets do. He wants us on mutual terms, but He will take what He can get. God’s love is so deep and strong that He fits in, however we will let Him. God is not easily offended. Instead, He takes any crack in our hearts we open to Him and sneaks in there, offering a moment of peace, a reassuring thought for our future, a sense of gratitude for our blessings.
God gives wherever and whenever we are ready to receive. Although we may treat Him worse than a dog, He is always ready to forgive and start anew. We may walk all over God with our sins, hardness of heart, arrogance and disregard, and He simply rolls out more carpet for us to have a soft landing when our pride causes us to fall. Although some might consider such a God a divine patsy, our scriptures teach that this is what sacrificial love unto death looks like, and it will save us.
Sometimes we treat our pets better than God or other people. Other people may be offended and walk away. God stays and waits for us to realize how much better our lives can be when He is part of them. So love your pets, but don’t forget who loves you more.
“Love came down at Christmas.” He died for us, and never left us."
Wednesday, December 3, 2014
Making Christmas Count
Baxter is hard to please at Christmas. He is very finicky about his toys, losing interest in them quickly. Once I got him a set of reindeer antlers, thinking I would get him into the Christmas spirit by dressing him in the part. He was not amused. Last year, I thought I had found the perfect present for Baxter, a heated bed. He is still looking at it without even considering a nap. With the heat switched on or off, he is not interested. He is content and comfortable with his well worn mattress and blankets. Gifts don’t make Christmas for Baxter. He is satisfied with the familiar pieces that make up his life.
Maybe we have something to learn from this grinchy cat. Christmas is not about what we get to add to our lives, but it is about what we have to give to life. And this is not the things we purchase for presents. Christmas celebrates God’s gift of Himself to us. His Word became flesh in Jesus, and He dwelt among us. He took on our human condition. He ate our food, smelled liked us, spoke in terms we could understand, cried and laughed and worked along-side of us. He didn’t bring anything special apart from His life with us, but in that life He revealed something special in all of us. We are God’s children. We are the light of the world. We are the salt of the earth. We are disciples of the Lord.
Christmas happens when we share our common kinship in the Lord, when we recognize in each other a divine spark that can ignite goodness and blessing for others. Christmas lights are not turned on with a switch, but with calling forth from others the positive contributions they can bring to make our world a better place for everyone. The taste of Christmas isn’t found in the sweet treats we relish at this season, but in the hope we bring to season every difficult situation so that it will not overwhelm us. The disciple’s Christmas leads others to Christ by showing them the difference He has made in our lives. If we are generous with these gifts, Christmas will disclose the hidden treasures God has placed in all of us through His Son.
Baxter has it right about Christmas. We don’t need more things to find joy in the season. We need to find more in what we have already been given - more faith, hope and love of God. It is there, purchased by the blood of Christ. We need less stuff and more substance to appreciate it.
Maybe we have something to learn from this grinchy cat. Christmas is not about what we get to add to our lives, but it is about what we have to give to life. And this is not the things we purchase for presents. Christmas celebrates God’s gift of Himself to us. His Word became flesh in Jesus, and He dwelt among us. He took on our human condition. He ate our food, smelled liked us, spoke in terms we could understand, cried and laughed and worked along-side of us. He didn’t bring anything special apart from His life with us, but in that life He revealed something special in all of us. We are God’s children. We are the light of the world. We are the salt of the earth. We are disciples of the Lord.
Christmas happens when we share our common kinship in the Lord, when we recognize in each other a divine spark that can ignite goodness and blessing for others. Christmas lights are not turned on with a switch, but with calling forth from others the positive contributions they can bring to make our world a better place for everyone. The taste of Christmas isn’t found in the sweet treats we relish at this season, but in the hope we bring to season every difficult situation so that it will not overwhelm us. The disciple’s Christmas leads others to Christ by showing them the difference He has made in our lives. If we are generous with these gifts, Christmas will disclose the hidden treasures God has placed in all of us through His Son.
Baxter has it right about Christmas. We don’t need more things to find joy in the season. We need to find more in what we have already been given - more faith, hope and love of God. It is there, purchased by the blood of Christ. We need less stuff and more substance to appreciate it.
Wednesday, November 26, 2014
Things Change
Baxter doesn't play much anymore. Occasionally, he will bat around a toy filled with catnip, but usually this lasts for only a short time. He is much more settled and calm than in his younger years. He has his daily routines. He likes looking out the window, playing fetch for treats, and once in a while, exploring the basement or garage to be sure it is still there. Generally, the ordinary is enough for him. He isn’t looking for a new adventure all the time as he did when he was a kitten. He is happy with the normal things that keep him going through the day. He has matured from a mischievous kitten and feisty, young feline, to a peaceful, reflective older cat.
We change too. Sometimes we don’t notice it happening, but we do. We lose interest in certain activities, and gain it in others. We make new friends, not to dismiss the old ones, but our work, neighborhood or interests bring different people into our lives. We change with our physical health. Sickness or injury slows us down. Health and fitness charge our energy, and both will change our disposition, for better or worse. Families change too. People are born; others grow up and leave the nest; loved ones die; part of the family moves away; marriages bring new members into the fold. All of these occurrences change our lives and us in the process. We sometimes try to resist the change, but even that response will change us.
God is in this movement. He has shown us in Jesus’ life how He moves with us. From birth to death and beyond, Jesus’ story unfolds like our life stories. He is on the move to different places, with different people, in different conditions of life. He has His constant companions, but even these change in the course of the story. Sometimes they are skeptical, sometimes open to His teachings, sometimes amazed and sometimes disappointed. Finally, they abandon Him. Jesus encounters praise and admiration, controversy and opposition. Even His prayer changes. At times He goes off on His own for peace and reassurance from the Father, but later He invites His disciples to share His agony in prayer in the garden. Jesus is caught in the same stream of human life we experience, and here is where we see Him reveal God to us.
There is a deep, divine mystery unfolding through the changes accounted in the Gospel stories. Sometimes it is obvious, for instance, in Jesus’ miracles where God’s power breaks forth. Sometimes it is subtle, like Jesus’ forgiveness and parables. The disciples sense this presence, but they are not sure what to make of it most of the time. It has so many facets as the story moves on, and just when they think they understand how God is at work in this man, they are surprised, baffled or confounded. The mystery moves with and through the story which reaches its climax in Christ’s death and resurrection. But then it continues to move and change, as the Spirit leads the Church to reach out to new peoples in foreign lands beyond the Law of Judaism. These changes are not the enemy of the faith, but the vehicle to broaden and deepen the disciples’ faith as they have to deal with the new circumstances of their life with God.
And the story continues in our day. The same divine mystery moves through our lives, and we must learn what the first disciples had to learn. Do not be afraid of the changes. Do not concentrate on what is lost from the past, but look to what God is doing now and into the future. Cherish what we were given previously as a life vest to support us in the waters we face now. But keep moving with the current for we will discover it is full of grace, new life and hope as Mary did at the Annunciation and the whole Church did at Easter and Pentecost.
Things have changed for Baxter. He plays less and cuddles more. We understand each other’s ways better. We anticipate each other’s habits, likes and dislikes. The same kind of thing can happen between ourselves and God, if we move with the changes life brings and discover the grace they hold.
We change too. Sometimes we don’t notice it happening, but we do. We lose interest in certain activities, and gain it in others. We make new friends, not to dismiss the old ones, but our work, neighborhood or interests bring different people into our lives. We change with our physical health. Sickness or injury slows us down. Health and fitness charge our energy, and both will change our disposition, for better or worse. Families change too. People are born; others grow up and leave the nest; loved ones die; part of the family moves away; marriages bring new members into the fold. All of these occurrences change our lives and us in the process. We sometimes try to resist the change, but even that response will change us.
God is in this movement. He has shown us in Jesus’ life how He moves with us. From birth to death and beyond, Jesus’ story unfolds like our life stories. He is on the move to different places, with different people, in different conditions of life. He has His constant companions, but even these change in the course of the story. Sometimes they are skeptical, sometimes open to His teachings, sometimes amazed and sometimes disappointed. Finally, they abandon Him. Jesus encounters praise and admiration, controversy and opposition. Even His prayer changes. At times He goes off on His own for peace and reassurance from the Father, but later He invites His disciples to share His agony in prayer in the garden. Jesus is caught in the same stream of human life we experience, and here is where we see Him reveal God to us.
There is a deep, divine mystery unfolding through the changes accounted in the Gospel stories. Sometimes it is obvious, for instance, in Jesus’ miracles where God’s power breaks forth. Sometimes it is subtle, like Jesus’ forgiveness and parables. The disciples sense this presence, but they are not sure what to make of it most of the time. It has so many facets as the story moves on, and just when they think they understand how God is at work in this man, they are surprised, baffled or confounded. The mystery moves with and through the story which reaches its climax in Christ’s death and resurrection. But then it continues to move and change, as the Spirit leads the Church to reach out to new peoples in foreign lands beyond the Law of Judaism. These changes are not the enemy of the faith, but the vehicle to broaden and deepen the disciples’ faith as they have to deal with the new circumstances of their life with God.
And the story continues in our day. The same divine mystery moves through our lives, and we must learn what the first disciples had to learn. Do not be afraid of the changes. Do not concentrate on what is lost from the past, but look to what God is doing now and into the future. Cherish what we were given previously as a life vest to support us in the waters we face now. But keep moving with the current for we will discover it is full of grace, new life and hope as Mary did at the Annunciation and the whole Church did at Easter and Pentecost.
Things have changed for Baxter. He plays less and cuddles more. We understand each other’s ways better. We anticipate each other’s habits, likes and dislikes. The same kind of thing can happen between ourselves and God, if we move with the changes life brings and discover the grace they hold.
Wednesday, November 19, 2014
COUNTING KIBBLE
Baxter is on cat weightwatchers. He goes to the vet for a weigh-in every month. We are making progress, but it hasn’t been easy.
I had to reduce the portions that Baxter eats twice a day from a third of a cup of kibble to a quarter of a cup. However, the vet told me that I had to do this gradually, because if you cut an older cat’s diet suddenly, it could develop “fatty liver” which is the precursor to big health problems. So I tried to figure out how to make this reduction in food at a well measured and accurate pace. The measuring cup was too easy to over or under do. Then I got this idea. Measure out Baxter’s former portion of kibble and gradually remove some in a controlled way. So I began to count the number of kibble I would remove at each feeding. I needed to get down to 25 less, but I began with 3 for a few days, then 5,8,10,12, 15,. . .to 25. It took about six weeks to get to the desired portion size, but it was worth it. At his first weighing after a month, Baxter gained 2 oz, but the next month, he lost 5 oz. There are no signs of any health problems , and he has become a bit more active—while a little more cranky from less food.
Counting kibble was tedious and inconvenient at times. I told myself that others wouldn’t believe that I was doing this. Why did I do it? I want Baxter to thrive and live as long and as good a life as he can. But these wishes aren’t realized without a cost. I have to care for him, if I care about him.
The same holds for our faith in God which we experience in each other. Faith is first not an abstract idea about the source of the universe or of the rules by which we live. It is primarily a relationship we have with Jesus Christ that we experience in our relationships with each other. Relationships make demands upon us. They take our time and effort to help, to celebrate and commiserate together, to plan events, to express our concern, to share our joys and sorrows. They take care to respect each other and to be sensitive to each other’s priorities and soft spots. All this demands patience with each other. Sometimes things get heavy before we start losing the baggage that weighs us down. Honest, genuine relationships don’t happen quickly. We have to build trust, sometimes by trial and error. So trust needs forgiveness to grow and mature. It can all get very tedious and inconvenient, but it’s worth it.
Hidden in the struggle and effort to love each other is the God, Who is Love. He is the source of those attitudes and values that make us one—generosity, forgiveness, goodness, helpfulness, positive regard, gratitude. We cannot sustain these qualities in our relationships on our own. We need to draw on a higher power, a greater good, a transcendent love unto death to keep us caring about each other. Faith allows us to
see these things and bring them to bear in the way we live with each other. That is how Christ is present in our midst.
Baxter is on the way to a leaner life after some careful calculations to get him there. As Jesus shows us, we can be on the way to eternal life, if we are careful with the way we treat each other. We can count on
that.
I had to reduce the portions that Baxter eats twice a day from a third of a cup of kibble to a quarter of a cup. However, the vet told me that I had to do this gradually, because if you cut an older cat’s diet suddenly, it could develop “fatty liver” which is the precursor to big health problems. So I tried to figure out how to make this reduction in food at a well measured and accurate pace. The measuring cup was too easy to over or under do. Then I got this idea. Measure out Baxter’s former portion of kibble and gradually remove some in a controlled way. So I began to count the number of kibble I would remove at each feeding. I needed to get down to 25 less, but I began with 3 for a few days, then 5,8,10,12, 15,. . .to 25. It took about six weeks to get to the desired portion size, but it was worth it. At his first weighing after a month, Baxter gained 2 oz, but the next month, he lost 5 oz. There are no signs of any health problems , and he has become a bit more active—while a little more cranky from less food.
Counting kibble was tedious and inconvenient at times. I told myself that others wouldn’t believe that I was doing this. Why did I do it? I want Baxter to thrive and live as long and as good a life as he can. But these wishes aren’t realized without a cost. I have to care for him, if I care about him.
The same holds for our faith in God which we experience in each other. Faith is first not an abstract idea about the source of the universe or of the rules by which we live. It is primarily a relationship we have with Jesus Christ that we experience in our relationships with each other. Relationships make demands upon us. They take our time and effort to help, to celebrate and commiserate together, to plan events, to express our concern, to share our joys and sorrows. They take care to respect each other and to be sensitive to each other’s priorities and soft spots. All this demands patience with each other. Sometimes things get heavy before we start losing the baggage that weighs us down. Honest, genuine relationships don’t happen quickly. We have to build trust, sometimes by trial and error. So trust needs forgiveness to grow and mature. It can all get very tedious and inconvenient, but it’s worth it.
Hidden in the struggle and effort to love each other is the God, Who is Love. He is the source of those attitudes and values that make us one—generosity, forgiveness, goodness, helpfulness, positive regard, gratitude. We cannot sustain these qualities in our relationships on our own. We need to draw on a higher power, a greater good, a transcendent love unto death to keep us caring about each other. Faith allows us to
see these things and bring them to bear in the way we live with each other. That is how Christ is present in our midst.
Baxter is on the way to a leaner life after some careful calculations to get him there. As Jesus shows us, we can be on the way to eternal life, if we are careful with the way we treat each other. We can count on
that.
Wednesday, November 12, 2014
Sleeping with One Eye Open
Baxter has two ways of sleeping. Sometimes he is dead to the world. He curls in a ball, hiding his eyes under his paw, and remains undisturbed by any outside sights or sounds. He makes his own noises in this deep sleep. They are something of a cross between a groan and a snore, a strange sound from another world. At other times, Baxter sleeps with one eye open. He seems to be in a trance-like state, but he snaps out of it in an instant. The slightest sound or flash of light will have him sitting up, looking at what is going on and what he might be missing. At these times, he is on the ready to jump and run to the window, the food dish or the door, wherever the alert signals. Although he may be resting, he is in touch with what is going on around him and ready to respond, if it peaks his interest.
Insomnia is a problem many people experience. They can’t sleep at all, and this condition makes them anxious and tired much of the time. Others suffer from narcolepsy. They fall asleep at the drop of a hat in any situation, even driving a car or operating machinery. This condition, needless to say, is a dangerous one for the person with the problem and for others who may bear its consequences.
Faith calls us to sleep like cats not like human beings with sleeping problems. On the one hand, it calls us to a deep sense of peace and security. Our lives rest in God’s hands, and we can be sure that He will not harm
them. We can trust in God and give ourselves over to His loving providence. We can live with a sense that “all will be well”, as Julian of Norwich wrote, because in Christ death and sin have been conquered by grace. While we face problems and difficulties daily, we won’t be overwhelmed by them, if we see them in faith.
On the other hand, our faith also calls us to stay alert in our world for opportunities to see God’s hand and cooperate with it. Sleep with one eye open to the wonder of creation’s beauty, to the needs of our brothers and sisters, and to the possibility of a new way for God to speak and act in our midst. God’s love is not meant to make us complacent or lost in a stupor without regard for anything else. It’s meant to energize us, to set us on alert for what is needed to advance God’s Kingdom in our present situation. But if we want truly to do God’s work, we must set about it without anxiety or preoccupations about how to get it all done successfully. Whenever we minister, we rest in God while we work to serve others. This is the only way our service keeps from being self-serving.
Lord, that His peace and care might rejuvenate us, and learn to relax with one eye open, that His call to service might not be missed. That’s how Mary and Martha from the Scripture story come together. That’s contemplation in action. That’s grace and works in harmony. It’s a key to true happiness. Wake up, Baxter!
Insomnia is a problem many people experience. They can’t sleep at all, and this condition makes them anxious and tired much of the time. Others suffer from narcolepsy. They fall asleep at the drop of a hat in any situation, even driving a car or operating machinery. This condition, needless to say, is a dangerous one for the person with the problem and for others who may bear its consequences.
Faith calls us to sleep like cats not like human beings with sleeping problems. On the one hand, it calls us to a deep sense of peace and security. Our lives rest in God’s hands, and we can be sure that He will not harm
them. We can trust in God and give ourselves over to His loving providence. We can live with a sense that “all will be well”, as Julian of Norwich wrote, because in Christ death and sin have been conquered by grace. While we face problems and difficulties daily, we won’t be overwhelmed by them, if we see them in faith.
On the other hand, our faith also calls us to stay alert in our world for opportunities to see God’s hand and cooperate with it. Sleep with one eye open to the wonder of creation’s beauty, to the needs of our brothers and sisters, and to the possibility of a new way for God to speak and act in our midst. God’s love is not meant to make us complacent or lost in a stupor without regard for anything else. It’s meant to energize us, to set us on alert for what is needed to advance God’s Kingdom in our present situation. But if we want truly to do God’s work, we must set about it without anxiety or preoccupations about how to get it all done successfully. Whenever we minister, we rest in God while we work to serve others. This is the only way our service keeps from being self-serving.
Lord, that His peace and care might rejuvenate us, and learn to relax with one eye open, that His call to service might not be missed. That’s how Mary and Martha from the Scripture story come together. That’s contemplation in action. That’s grace and works in harmony. It’s a key to true happiness. Wake up, Baxter!
Wednesday, November 5, 2014
Grateful for Surprises
I didn’t choose to be a cat person. It was given to me. I came to live in a house a while back which had a cat as part of the fixtures. I didn’t know it at the time. I just moved in and found this cat on the back porch that wouldn’t leave. Someone was feeding her there, so it is no wonder she hung around. Nevertheless, I was not a cat person at the time. In fact, I began by ignoring the critter, hoping it would disappear. Of course, with a free meal offered daily near the premises, why would it? Time passed. The seasons changed, and the warmth of summer’s green turned into the frozen waste of winters white. The cat remained.
One night in late November, I came home after a long and difficult meeting. It was blowing and snowing outside, and I just wanted to get in the house and relax. Sure enough, the cat was there on the back porch, but she was obviously not happy about being there this night. The cold, wind and snow were taking its toll on her, and she kept crying and pacing outside after I shut the door. I tried to ignore her pleas, but I couldn’t. Yes, I weakened and let her into the house, and, as they say, the rest is history.
“Gatto” and I had six pleasant years together, filled with stories about her antics and habits like Baxter has his. In fact, Gatto opened the door for Baxter. I would never have considered being owned by a cat in my own house, if Gatto had not come along. She was an unexpected gift that made me want to give Baxter a home after Gatto died.
We all receive surprise presents in our lives. Some come with planned occasions like birthdays and holidays. Others come and don’t appear to be gifts at first. They may be seen as burdens or unwanted responsibilities. They may demand a change in our routine or ways of doing things. We often resist these impositions, thinking they are not fair or we are not equipped to handle them. But sometimes they prove to be blessings in disguise. They bring out dimensions of ourselves that are good but have lain dormant within us. They challenge us to grow in ways we hadn’t planned or even desired. They focus our attention away from ourselves and our troubles to offer care and concern for another. They expand our horizons on what life has to offer and what we can do to live with a more positive and generous attitude. They are gifts from God covered in unfamiliar wrappings.
As Thanksgiving approaches, reflect upon the blessings that have strayed into your life—an unlikely friendship, an illness that changes your outlook for the better, an unexpected apology, a surprise visit, a plea for help that helps you more. These are God’s fingers rearranging the relationships that knit our lives together in His grace. We may not see them at the time, but their effects are, nonetheless, felt.
Looking back in gratitude deepens our appreciation for how God works with us, and alerts us to look for these kind of surprises in the future. They build on themselves, like Gatto paved the way for Baxter. It’s how God changes our hearts, opens the way to new life, and prepares us for an eternity full of grace-filled surprises.
One night in late November, I came home after a long and difficult meeting. It was blowing and snowing outside, and I just wanted to get in the house and relax. Sure enough, the cat was there on the back porch, but she was obviously not happy about being there this night. The cold, wind and snow were taking its toll on her, and she kept crying and pacing outside after I shut the door. I tried to ignore her pleas, but I couldn’t. Yes, I weakened and let her into the house, and, as they say, the rest is history.
“Gatto” and I had six pleasant years together, filled with stories about her antics and habits like Baxter has his. In fact, Gatto opened the door for Baxter. I would never have considered being owned by a cat in my own house, if Gatto had not come along. She was an unexpected gift that made me want to give Baxter a home after Gatto died.
We all receive surprise presents in our lives. Some come with planned occasions like birthdays and holidays. Others come and don’t appear to be gifts at first. They may be seen as burdens or unwanted responsibilities. They may demand a change in our routine or ways of doing things. We often resist these impositions, thinking they are not fair or we are not equipped to handle them. But sometimes they prove to be blessings in disguise. They bring out dimensions of ourselves that are good but have lain dormant within us. They challenge us to grow in ways we hadn’t planned or even desired. They focus our attention away from ourselves and our troubles to offer care and concern for another. They expand our horizons on what life has to offer and what we can do to live with a more positive and generous attitude. They are gifts from God covered in unfamiliar wrappings.
As Thanksgiving approaches, reflect upon the blessings that have strayed into your life—an unlikely friendship, an illness that changes your outlook for the better, an unexpected apology, a surprise visit, a plea for help that helps you more. These are God’s fingers rearranging the relationships that knit our lives together in His grace. We may not see them at the time, but their effects are, nonetheless, felt.
Looking back in gratitude deepens our appreciation for how God works with us, and alerts us to look for these kind of surprises in the future. They build on themselves, like Gatto paved the way for Baxter. It’s how God changes our hearts, opens the way to new life, and prepares us for an eternity full of grace-filled surprises.
Thursday, October 30, 2014
He's Not Perfect
Baxter has his moments when his shadow side shows. He gets stubborn. He can scratch or bite, usually not intentionally. He leaves paw prints on the floor of the kitchen or the windshield of the car. He drags litter trapped in his paws onto the bathroom floor, and he leaves tuffs of hair around after a vigorous scratch. By human standards cats aren’t perfect, but these imperfections don’t get in the way of our valuing and loving them. In fact, in a strange way, they make them more lovable. If Baxter were always neat and cute and unflawed by my standards, he would also be a less interesting and engaging companion. He would be so predictable as to be boring. One thing Baxter isn’t is boring to have around.
The same holds true for us humans. Our imperfections mark our character as unique and intriguing. The quirks we have, the foibles we follow, the bad habits we develop, even sometimes the sins we commit show us for who we are. We may not always like this side we see in ourselves and others, but it is part of what makes us lovable, nonetheless.
These imperfections show that we are still growing, still on the way to becoming the persons God made us to be. We don’t have it all together and sewed tight. There are loose threads and untucked shirts to take care of before our final appointment with God. In addition, our imperfections remind us that we need each other. People who think they are perfect take care of whatever is needed themselves. They have no faults, but they try to correct those they recognize in others. Consequently, they actually have no genuine relationships in their lives, because everything and everyone relates to and through them. Only their standards count, and everyone else must either measure up or be dismissed. It’s a very clean and neat world, but a very solitary and sterile one. No one matters except the perfect standard bearer.
Jesus presents such a different picture. Those that matter most to Him are the ones who miss the mark, who are condemned by others as sinners, unclean or blasphemers. It is precisely these imperfections which are the opening for Jesus to introduce them and those who will hear to the Kingdom of God. This Kingdom is not a haven for the lost and forsaken where they discover the gifts of God’s love and mercy, and offer thanks to Him for these gifts. This makes all the difference in their lives, and once they realize it, they begin to cooperate with this grace to do God’s work and become different persons. Perfectionism is disguised egoism, and there is no place for God when we fill up our lives with ourselves - our ambitions and expectations, our needs and wants, our standards. God expects us to accept His grace, serve others’ needs, and strive for the standards of the Kingdom where all life is respected and those in the most vulnerable conditions of life are seen as blessed.
Perfect pets don’t exist. Perfect people don’t either. Only God is perfect, and He accepts us as we are and shows us a better way. If we follow this way, we will have many lovable companions to share life’s journey and a homecoming at our final destination in God’s Kingdom.
The same holds true for us humans. Our imperfections mark our character as unique and intriguing. The quirks we have, the foibles we follow, the bad habits we develop, even sometimes the sins we commit show us for who we are. We may not always like this side we see in ourselves and others, but it is part of what makes us lovable, nonetheless.
These imperfections show that we are still growing, still on the way to becoming the persons God made us to be. We don’t have it all together and sewed tight. There are loose threads and untucked shirts to take care of before our final appointment with God. In addition, our imperfections remind us that we need each other. People who think they are perfect take care of whatever is needed themselves. They have no faults, but they try to correct those they recognize in others. Consequently, they actually have no genuine relationships in their lives, because everything and everyone relates to and through them. Only their standards count, and everyone else must either measure up or be dismissed. It’s a very clean and neat world, but a very solitary and sterile one. No one matters except the perfect standard bearer.
Jesus presents such a different picture. Those that matter most to Him are the ones who miss the mark, who are condemned by others as sinners, unclean or blasphemers. It is precisely these imperfections which are the opening for Jesus to introduce them and those who will hear to the Kingdom of God. This Kingdom is not a haven for the lost and forsaken where they discover the gifts of God’s love and mercy, and offer thanks to Him for these gifts. This makes all the difference in their lives, and once they realize it, they begin to cooperate with this grace to do God’s work and become different persons. Perfectionism is disguised egoism, and there is no place for God when we fill up our lives with ourselves - our ambitions and expectations, our needs and wants, our standards. God expects us to accept His grace, serve others’ needs, and strive for the standards of the Kingdom where all life is respected and those in the most vulnerable conditions of life are seen as blessed.
Perfect pets don’t exist. Perfect people don’t either. Only God is perfect, and He accepts us as we are and shows us a better way. If we follow this way, we will have many lovable companions to share life’s journey and a homecoming at our final destination in God’s Kingdom.
Wednesday, October 22, 2014
FRIGHTENED
Loud noises, sudden movements, flashes of light, all these scare Baxter. When he gets frightened he usually runs to what he thinks is a safe place. Under the bed is his favorite spot, but if that’s not available, he may run into a closet, under a chair or into a guest room. When he is frightened, he hides. He gets out of sight and keeps silent until he thinks the threat has passed. He tries to disappear thinking that he is safe if no one knows he is around. Somehow, Baxter has concluded that the sights and sounds that frighten him have targeted him. They are out to get him personally, and his only recourse is to run away and hide.
We get frightened as well. In today’s world, reasons to fear seem to fill the news. Shootings in our neighborhoods; Ebola in our hospitals; violence in schools, movie theaters, and malls; tornadoes, floods, hurricanes and earthquakes; the list goes on and on. They are all threats to our safety and well being, and like Baxter, we want to run and hide from them. We want to find a place where we can’t be touched by these menaces, where we can feel secure and where we can count on people to protect us rather than attack us. We become suspicious of strangers and become reluctant to travel to a strange place or engage in new activities. We wonder whom can we trust and what are the signs of sinister forces around us.
Fear can paralyze us. It keeps us from engaging with each other in open conversations, in playful humor, or in trying new ventures. We revert to the tried and true from the past, and avoid risking our comfort and security in anything new - new people, new ideas, new places, new activities. We play it safe like Baxter by finding a dark, warm, concealed spot to hide, not under the bed, but in our own mind, in our circle of friends, in our habits and routines. Fear shrinks our lives.
In the Gospel, when Jairus approaches Jesus to heal his daughter and while on the way there, some people announce that his daughter has died, Jesus says to Jairus, “Do not fear, only believe.” He says the same to us today. Believe that God is with us despite the terrible things that happen in our world. Believe that the power of goodness which comes from God is greater than any destructive forces we may face. Believe that we can harness this goodness if we come out of our hiding and join together as a community bound in grace to work for God’s Kingdom on earth.
That means we can’t give up. We must tame our imaginations to deal with the threats we face and not allow them to determine our outlook and actions. We need to think about what is possible and work to make it a reality. Not every attempt will give us what we are looking for, but every step will teach us how to live in faith by stepping out of our fear to help others. That is what Jesus did. He refused to listen to the cynics and naysayers, and kept on His course to bring healing and new life. Because of His faith in His Father, Jairus’ daughter lived again and others came to believe.
Faith blots out fear. Instead of hiding, we come forward in the light of Christ to witness to others that God is alive, well and active in our world. We need to show people how this is the case, and keep at it until healing, hope and new beginnings become common place among us. In the trembling, shivering, nervous world we are in today, what a difference this kind of witness would make. The courage of the saint is contagious. Look at Mother Theresa, John Paul II, John XXIII, Martin Luther King, Elizabeth Seton, or Isaac Jogues. Their lives inspired others to move ahead.
So, Baxter, come out from under the bed. What you think may harm you won’t. God is with us. Get going to follow His lead.
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
Understanding Splashing
When Baxter drinks from his water dish he makes a mess. He doesn't politely lap up a portion until he is satisfied. He first has to paw the water to make it move. Of course, this action splashes it all over the floor, leaving puddles to mop. For the longest time, I thought Baxter did this to be ornery. It was his way to get back at me for having him neutered or limiting his food intake. However, just recently, I read that cats do this for another reason.
They are farsighted, and consequently, they cannot see where the surface of the standing water in a bowl begins. They don’t like to get their noses wet by misjudging the water level, so to avoid this discomfort, they paw at it. Cats can better see the moving surface, and so have a wet tongue but a dry nose. I gained a new respect for Baxter’s intelligence and a better understanding of his ways by this simple bit of information. I also solved the problem of the wet floor. I just place a pie plate under Baxter’s bowl to catch the splash, and the wave action is contained. Because we understand each other better, we can live together with less aggravation and harsh judgments levied against each other.
The same holds true for human beings. We sometimes come to conclusions about each other without really knowing what is going on. We assume the worst and act accordingly. We think people won’t, when maybe they can’t or were never asked. We impute motives on others’ actions which may have nothing to do with the real reasons. We can lay on others our way of thinking when actually they see things totally differently and act with that interest in mind. Actions can hold different meanings from different viewpoints and backgrounds. And we may feed misconceptions about each other. One person tells another, “Look at him or her, doing thus and so, for such and such a reason.” We help each other be misinformed so that we can misjudge each other and dismiss those who aren't like us for our own reasons.
What if God acted that way? We would all be out in the cold, relying upon our “friends” to watch our backs, but worried that they might abandon us when the popular word about us changes its stripes. Our lives would be splashing back and forth led by the most recent rumor someone concocted about us. We would soon feel lost and wonder if there is any recourse to the truth about ourselves.
But God is faithful and true. While others may jump to conclusions, God knows our hearts, minds and spirits. He knows that our motives are usually mixed for what we do, but He takes the best in the mix and builds upon it. He encourages us to do good for others and ourselves. He gives us the benefit of the doubt when the path we have taken is unsure. He sends others who have our best interest in mind to offer advice and guide us. We see all of this in the way Jesus treated others.
He wants to know a person’s story from his or her perspective. He looks to help others drink of God’s goodness rather than punish them for spilling some water. He tells them to go forward with their lives, learning from their mistakes, accepting forgiveness and offering others what he gave them. Jesus is short on judgment and long on understanding another person’s viewpoint.
So go ahead, Baxter, splash all you like. It won’t harm anything, and it will keep your nose dry. Good advice for all of us.
They are farsighted, and consequently, they cannot see where the surface of the standing water in a bowl begins. They don’t like to get their noses wet by misjudging the water level, so to avoid this discomfort, they paw at it. Cats can better see the moving surface, and so have a wet tongue but a dry nose. I gained a new respect for Baxter’s intelligence and a better understanding of his ways by this simple bit of information. I also solved the problem of the wet floor. I just place a pie plate under Baxter’s bowl to catch the splash, and the wave action is contained. Because we understand each other better, we can live together with less aggravation and harsh judgments levied against each other.
The same holds true for human beings. We sometimes come to conclusions about each other without really knowing what is going on. We assume the worst and act accordingly. We think people won’t, when maybe they can’t or were never asked. We impute motives on others’ actions which may have nothing to do with the real reasons. We can lay on others our way of thinking when actually they see things totally differently and act with that interest in mind. Actions can hold different meanings from different viewpoints and backgrounds. And we may feed misconceptions about each other. One person tells another, “Look at him or her, doing thus and so, for such and such a reason.” We help each other be misinformed so that we can misjudge each other and dismiss those who aren't like us for our own reasons.
What if God acted that way? We would all be out in the cold, relying upon our “friends” to watch our backs, but worried that they might abandon us when the popular word about us changes its stripes. Our lives would be splashing back and forth led by the most recent rumor someone concocted about us. We would soon feel lost and wonder if there is any recourse to the truth about ourselves.
But God is faithful and true. While others may jump to conclusions, God knows our hearts, minds and spirits. He knows that our motives are usually mixed for what we do, but He takes the best in the mix and builds upon it. He encourages us to do good for others and ourselves. He gives us the benefit of the doubt when the path we have taken is unsure. He sends others who have our best interest in mind to offer advice and guide us. We see all of this in the way Jesus treated others.
He wants to know a person’s story from his or her perspective. He looks to help others drink of God’s goodness rather than punish them for spilling some water. He tells them to go forward with their lives, learning from their mistakes, accepting forgiveness and offering others what he gave them. Jesus is short on judgment and long on understanding another person’s viewpoint.
So go ahead, Baxter, splash all you like. It won’t harm anything, and it will keep your nose dry. Good advice for all of us.
Wednesday, October 8, 2014
Facing Our Vulnerabilities
About a week ago, Baxter got sick. I came home and discovered that he hadn’t eaten his dinner. None of it. He was lying on my bed, half asleep. I asked him if he were sick, and after a few words of cat speak, I concluded he was. When I petted him I got very little of the purring engine I usually hear. Instead, he sort of softly squealed and closed his eyes, wanting to resume his sleep. After a while, he awoke and ate a little, but it wasn’t five minutes before he brought it up. A little later he had another bout of vomiting minus any food. I was getting worried. Was this something serious?
I know animals can turn seriously ill on a dime, and Baxter has a good number of years under his belt, which makes him even more vulnerable. I decided to keep him from eating anything for a time to see how he would be. I learned from the vet that sometimes cats’ stomachs need to quiet down before they can start up again. Then I had to bring back the food slowly and see if the episode would pass. It did. In twenty-four hours, Baxter was his old self again. I was relieved.
It is scary when we think about how vulnerable we are in today’s world. One microscopic “bug” can travel throughout the whole world in this jet age, spreading illness and disease among many populations before anyone notices. We travel long distances in close quarters. We are so used to managing our health that we panic when we think it is unmanageable. We deceive ourselves into believing that epidemics are episodes from the past, until we realize that they are just bigger and more bizarre than in former times. We control bubonic plague, leprosy, tuberculosis and polio, but then Ebola arises with a deadly force. Our jet set life style carries with it a free ride for contagion which can spread within 72 hours nearly everywhere on this earth. What can we do to escape this threat? How do we feel safe again?
We can face our vulnerabilities and accept what they say about us humans. We so often avoid our weakness and fragility that we begin to think they aren’t part of us. We are tough gogetters able to take on any challenge. We hate to admit our limitations and accept our frailty. We would rather hide these in our resolve to do it ourselves rather than ask for help, in our working alone rather than with others, in our stubborn independence which puts ourselves and others in greater jeopardy to harm. But these are simply delaying
tactics. Finally, we will all have to face our strength slipping away, our minds clouding over, and our need for others to take care of us. How do we handle the inevitable decline? Cats’ instincts take over, and they give into their weakness quickly. We are different. We accept our human condition gradually and often reluctantly. We may fight it at first, but our faith offers guidance here.
The cross of Christ can help us face our vulnerabilities and their consequences. As Jesus embraced His frailty in the face of the destructive powers of sin and death, He was broken, weakened and finally taken by others to a place to die. But He was not defeated. He continued to reach out to others—the women, His Mother, the Beloved Disciple, the good thief. He addressed His situation with respect for Himself and others—“It is finished.” “Father, forgive them.” He passed on His life—He gave up His Spirit; “Truly, this was the Son of God.”. When He is most vulnerable, weak and stricken, Jesus teaches us the most about the human condition we share before God. He teaches us how to face it, embrace it and love it by finally handing it over to our loving Father and trusting that He, not us, will save it.
We resist losing what we love and cherish whether it is our loved ones, the dignity of our work, the identity we have forged through loving relationships, or even a beloved pet. But fighting to hold onto these and other parts of our passing life when they are ending prevents us from appreciating the gift they are to us and releasing them with a grateful heart. In the end, all the good of our lives is held in God. Pray to be able to hand our lives over to Him as Jesus did to the Father, and see our vulnerabilities as the last call from God to live by faith.
I know animals can turn seriously ill on a dime, and Baxter has a good number of years under his belt, which makes him even more vulnerable. I decided to keep him from eating anything for a time to see how he would be. I learned from the vet that sometimes cats’ stomachs need to quiet down before they can start up again. Then I had to bring back the food slowly and see if the episode would pass. It did. In twenty-four hours, Baxter was his old self again. I was relieved.
It is scary when we think about how vulnerable we are in today’s world. One microscopic “bug” can travel throughout the whole world in this jet age, spreading illness and disease among many populations before anyone notices. We travel long distances in close quarters. We are so used to managing our health that we panic when we think it is unmanageable. We deceive ourselves into believing that epidemics are episodes from the past, until we realize that they are just bigger and more bizarre than in former times. We control bubonic plague, leprosy, tuberculosis and polio, but then Ebola arises with a deadly force. Our jet set life style carries with it a free ride for contagion which can spread within 72 hours nearly everywhere on this earth. What can we do to escape this threat? How do we feel safe again?
We can face our vulnerabilities and accept what they say about us humans. We so often avoid our weakness and fragility that we begin to think they aren’t part of us. We are tough gogetters able to take on any challenge. We hate to admit our limitations and accept our frailty. We would rather hide these in our resolve to do it ourselves rather than ask for help, in our working alone rather than with others, in our stubborn independence which puts ourselves and others in greater jeopardy to harm. But these are simply delaying
tactics. Finally, we will all have to face our strength slipping away, our minds clouding over, and our need for others to take care of us. How do we handle the inevitable decline? Cats’ instincts take over, and they give into their weakness quickly. We are different. We accept our human condition gradually and often reluctantly. We may fight it at first, but our faith offers guidance here.
The cross of Christ can help us face our vulnerabilities and their consequences. As Jesus embraced His frailty in the face of the destructive powers of sin and death, He was broken, weakened and finally taken by others to a place to die. But He was not defeated. He continued to reach out to others—the women, His Mother, the Beloved Disciple, the good thief. He addressed His situation with respect for Himself and others—“It is finished.” “Father, forgive them.” He passed on His life—He gave up His Spirit; “Truly, this was the Son of God.”. When He is most vulnerable, weak and stricken, Jesus teaches us the most about the human condition we share before God. He teaches us how to face it, embrace it and love it by finally handing it over to our loving Father and trusting that He, not us, will save it.
We resist losing what we love and cherish whether it is our loved ones, the dignity of our work, the identity we have forged through loving relationships, or even a beloved pet. But fighting to hold onto these and other parts of our passing life when they are ending prevents us from appreciating the gift they are to us and releasing them with a grateful heart. In the end, all the good of our lives is held in God. Pray to be able to hand our lives over to Him as Jesus did to the Father, and see our vulnerabilities as the last call from God to live by faith.
Thursday, October 2, 2014
OLD CAT, NEW TRICKS
Baxter and I have known each other for many years. I got him as a four month old kitten, and we have been together ever since. After all those years, we begin to assume things about each other. We know our daily routines, our personal quirks, and our signals for feeling happy, down or upset. Good friends and family rub off on each other, and many aspects of how we live together become second nature in the relationships.
While this familiarity is a good thing to make people feel comfortable and close to each other, it does have a down side. The other day, Baxter surprised me. When I was home for lunch, he jumped on my chair at the table as soon as I got up to clear the dishes. When I returned for a final morsel, he wasn’t about to move off of my chair. So I got another one for myself and moved the one he confiscated next to me. I think he was playing this game in hopes of getting something to eat off my plate. Since he was persistent about sitting next to me and since I was persistent about not feeding him any of my food, we were at a stalemate. Weakening, I decided to place one piece of kibble on the edge of the table for him. To my surprise, he didn’t gobble it up then and there.
Instead, Baxter took it in his paw and placed the morsel in his mouth, like a child placing a piece of candy in its mouth with its tiny hand. I thought I knew everything about this cat’s ways, but he surprised me with this new antic.
Sometimes we do this to each other, and God does this to us. We think we know everything about another person, their habits, their likes and dislikes, their manner and style, and then they surprise us. They do or say something we never expected. They disclose a side of themselves we have never seen. They have a trick up their sleeve we never saw coming. These surprises may startle us at first, but on second thought, they will hopefully excite and encourage us. There is always something new to learn about another person. There is more to this familiar face than I first thought. Surprises keep our relationships interesting and lively. If we pigeonhole others and keep them confined to our comfortable routines, we will never grow in our relationship with them. Each encounter is the same—the same topics, the same interactions, the same routines. Our life together becomes gray with nothing standing out to look forward to, to cherish in our memories, to hope for again.
Our God is a God of surprises to challenge and enrich our lives. Moses and the prophets didn’t expect to do and say what they did. But they responded to God’s unexpected call in their lives and were instruments of His salvation. No one expected the Messiah they got in Jesus, but His death and resurrection proved to be the salvation of the world. We don’t know what lies in store for us from God or from His messengers in our lives. We discover unknown talents and abilities when new opportunities arise for us to respond. They surprise us, but they also broaden and deepen how God is working with us through our lives.
Picking up a piece of kibble in his paw made me look at Baxter in a whole new light. There is more to the guy than a lazy, old cat. He is more ingenious and spunky than I thought. God sees this side in us as well. Let Him surprise you, and you may discover good and exciting things about yourself and others you never knew were there.
While this familiarity is a good thing to make people feel comfortable and close to each other, it does have a down side. The other day, Baxter surprised me. When I was home for lunch, he jumped on my chair at the table as soon as I got up to clear the dishes. When I returned for a final morsel, he wasn’t about to move off of my chair. So I got another one for myself and moved the one he confiscated next to me. I think he was playing this game in hopes of getting something to eat off my plate. Since he was persistent about sitting next to me and since I was persistent about not feeding him any of my food, we were at a stalemate. Weakening, I decided to place one piece of kibble on the edge of the table for him. To my surprise, he didn’t gobble it up then and there.
Instead, Baxter took it in his paw and placed the morsel in his mouth, like a child placing a piece of candy in its mouth with its tiny hand. I thought I knew everything about this cat’s ways, but he surprised me with this new antic.
Sometimes we do this to each other, and God does this to us. We think we know everything about another person, their habits, their likes and dislikes, their manner and style, and then they surprise us. They do or say something we never expected. They disclose a side of themselves we have never seen. They have a trick up their sleeve we never saw coming. These surprises may startle us at first, but on second thought, they will hopefully excite and encourage us. There is always something new to learn about another person. There is more to this familiar face than I first thought. Surprises keep our relationships interesting and lively. If we pigeonhole others and keep them confined to our comfortable routines, we will never grow in our relationship with them. Each encounter is the same—the same topics, the same interactions, the same routines. Our life together becomes gray with nothing standing out to look forward to, to cherish in our memories, to hope for again.
Our God is a God of surprises to challenge and enrich our lives. Moses and the prophets didn’t expect to do and say what they did. But they responded to God’s unexpected call in their lives and were instruments of His salvation. No one expected the Messiah they got in Jesus, but His death and resurrection proved to be the salvation of the world. We don’t know what lies in store for us from God or from His messengers in our lives. We discover unknown talents and abilities when new opportunities arise for us to respond. They surprise us, but they also broaden and deepen how God is working with us through our lives.
Picking up a piece of kibble in his paw made me look at Baxter in a whole new light. There is more to the guy than a lazy, old cat. He is more ingenious and spunky than I thought. God sees this side in us as well. Let Him surprise you, and you may discover good and exciting things about yourself and others you never knew were there.
Wednesday, September 24, 2014
Talking to Baxter
I talk to Baxter. Yes, I admit it. He and I have conversations over various things. Sometimes, they are trivial - the weather, sports, the day’s schedule. Sometimes, Baxter hears about my frustrations. Sometimes, he listens to my opinions on politics, the economy, the Church, or local issues. He usually doesn’t say much in these exchanges. If I have been away for a while, he may offer a friendly chirp to welcome me home, but usually he is silent. So why do I talk to Baxter? With so little to say, what does he have to offer to a conversation?
A true conversation is more than a bunch of words being exchanged between two or more parties. It is a matter of fruitful dialogue. It is a meeting of minds and hearts over a common concern where the exchange contributes to the common understanding and commitment behind the talk. Conversation isn’t just about finding answers to questions we have. It is about creating a bond between the partners in the dialogue, so that they grow closer to each other in the process. This bond creates a freedom to explore any topic, even sensitive ones which demand mutual respect and confidence from each other.
Talk is the cheap part of a conversation.True sharing of ourselves is the valuable ingredient.
Baxter doesn’t talk much, but he adds a more important piece to our conversations. He listens. Listening is a key to our conversations bearing the fruit of genuine dialogue. If we don’t listen to each other, we talk pass each other. We may exchange a lot of words, but they are empty sounds. They get in the way of meeting the person speaking them because we aren’t listening to what that person is expressing when he or she speaks. People tell us what they care about, what they cherish and want to protect, what ideas mean to them and how they serve their deepest values and commitments. But we have to listen for these things. Too often we get lost in making our point in a conversation or winning the argument, and we miss the deeper message the other person is sending in all the talk. “I am here. Take me into your world with respect and regard for who I am and what I stand for.” Listening acknowledges and incorporates this part into any conversation.
God listens. That is why we should never be afraid to speak honestly and sincerely to Him in prayer. In fact, God is much more concerned about the deeper message hidden in all our talk, than about most of our blabber about one thing or another. He reads our minds and hearts, and He wants to fill them with His grace. He uses His respect and esteem for His children to win us over. Just because we don’t hear anything in prayer, doesn’t mean God is absent. He is listening to help us hear ourselves and do what is necessary to follow faithfully.
Yes, I do talk to Baxter. He talks back less often, but he pays attention nonetheless. God works that way too. Maybe if we learn to listen more and talk less, we will have better prayer and better conversations with each other as its fruit.
A true conversation is more than a bunch of words being exchanged between two or more parties. It is a matter of fruitful dialogue. It is a meeting of minds and hearts over a common concern where the exchange contributes to the common understanding and commitment behind the talk. Conversation isn’t just about finding answers to questions we have. It is about creating a bond between the partners in the dialogue, so that they grow closer to each other in the process. This bond creates a freedom to explore any topic, even sensitive ones which demand mutual respect and confidence from each other.
Talk is the cheap part of a conversation.True sharing of ourselves is the valuable ingredient.
Baxter doesn’t talk much, but he adds a more important piece to our conversations. He listens. Listening is a key to our conversations bearing the fruit of genuine dialogue. If we don’t listen to each other, we talk pass each other. We may exchange a lot of words, but they are empty sounds. They get in the way of meeting the person speaking them because we aren’t listening to what that person is expressing when he or she speaks. People tell us what they care about, what they cherish and want to protect, what ideas mean to them and how they serve their deepest values and commitments. But we have to listen for these things. Too often we get lost in making our point in a conversation or winning the argument, and we miss the deeper message the other person is sending in all the talk. “I am here. Take me into your world with respect and regard for who I am and what I stand for.” Listening acknowledges and incorporates this part into any conversation.
God listens. That is why we should never be afraid to speak honestly and sincerely to Him in prayer. In fact, God is much more concerned about the deeper message hidden in all our talk, than about most of our blabber about one thing or another. He reads our minds and hearts, and He wants to fill them with His grace. He uses His respect and esteem for His children to win us over. Just because we don’t hear anything in prayer, doesn’t mean God is absent. He is listening to help us hear ourselves and do what is necessary to follow faithfully.
Yes, I do talk to Baxter. He talks back less often, but he pays attention nonetheless. God works that way too. Maybe if we learn to listen more and talk less, we will have better prayer and better conversations with each other as its fruit.
Thursday, September 18, 2014
Taking A Break
Baxter is back! He enjoyed the summer. He worked on his tan, took a few extra naps, explored the scenery in the area, and generally broke away from the usual work day routine to relax and relish life. It doesn’t take much for him to rejuvenate himself. Cats have simple needs, and a little break from the pressure of daily feedings, litter box use and choosing a place to nap does a world of good. Baxter comes back to his duties now refreshed and ready for another year of antics and foibles that teach us about living better with God.
Do we take breaks, time away from our schedule? Not the big interruptions we may plan like an annual vacation, but the chance each day to stop, smell the roses, and think about what is happening in our lives. In the spiritual tradition of our faith, these breaks were known as the particular examen. They were brief times of prayer and reflection, time-outs in the midst of other activities. They happen in place. A person doesn’t run to the church for these moments. Rather wherever we might be is the place we use to stop, reflect and pray.
What do we do with these breaks? Our tradition offers some help. First, recall that God is with you in this moment and He is always with you throughout the day. With the pressures of our daily activities, we can lose sight of God in our midst. He’s there, but we can’t see, hear or sense His presence because we are lost in our own world. Taking a break cracks open the moment to God’s presence.
Next, review how you are doing. Where did you blow it today? Did you lose your temper, get distracted from the person talking to you, or add an attitude of despair, cynicism or unfair criticism to the situation? It’s o.k. Just ask for help and forgiveness. Where did you nail it so far? You offered to help another when you weren’t obliged; you listened first and spoke later; you refused to cheat, lie, gossip, or steal when seeing others do it. Give thanks and be grateful that you are an instrument of God’s grace in this world.
Lastly, ask to stay focused on God as the horizon in which you see everything and everyone you encounter, and on yourself as a witness to God for others. As Saint John writes, “God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.” And further in 1John we read: “God is love, those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them.” Invite God to be busy with you. Think of yourself as God’s hands and eyes and ears and tongue to work and understand and listen and speak in ways which make God’s light and love present to yourself and others.
Baxter’s long summer break is over. All vacations hopefully fade into pleasant memories, but we don’t have to lose the values they bring to our living. Take a break with God a few times during the course of your day. Take it in place. Find the God who is walking with you each day in these moments, and let Him guide you for the rest of the day. You will come back to your normal routine differently each time.
Do we take breaks, time away from our schedule? Not the big interruptions we may plan like an annual vacation, but the chance each day to stop, smell the roses, and think about what is happening in our lives. In the spiritual tradition of our faith, these breaks were known as the particular examen. They were brief times of prayer and reflection, time-outs in the midst of other activities. They happen in place. A person doesn’t run to the church for these moments. Rather wherever we might be is the place we use to stop, reflect and pray.
What do we do with these breaks? Our tradition offers some help. First, recall that God is with you in this moment and He is always with you throughout the day. With the pressures of our daily activities, we can lose sight of God in our midst. He’s there, but we can’t see, hear or sense His presence because we are lost in our own world. Taking a break cracks open the moment to God’s presence.
Next, review how you are doing. Where did you blow it today? Did you lose your temper, get distracted from the person talking to you, or add an attitude of despair, cynicism or unfair criticism to the situation? It’s o.k. Just ask for help and forgiveness. Where did you nail it so far? You offered to help another when you weren’t obliged; you listened first and spoke later; you refused to cheat, lie, gossip, or steal when seeing others do it. Give thanks and be grateful that you are an instrument of God’s grace in this world.
Lastly, ask to stay focused on God as the horizon in which you see everything and everyone you encounter, and on yourself as a witness to God for others. As Saint John writes, “God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.” And further in 1John we read: “God is love, those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them.” Invite God to be busy with you. Think of yourself as God’s hands and eyes and ears and tongue to work and understand and listen and speak in ways which make God’s light and love present to yourself and others.
Baxter’s long summer break is over. All vacations hopefully fade into pleasant memories, but we don’t have to lose the values they bring to our living. Take a break with God a few times during the course of your day. Take it in place. Find the God who is walking with you each day in these moments, and let Him guide you for the rest of the day. You will come back to your normal routine differently each time.
Thursday, September 4, 2014
Bad Dog!
Overall, Charlie is a very good dog. He doesn’t mess in the house, he doesn’t bite, and he doesn’t USUALLY bark excessively.
Charlie’s biggest mistakes are being insistent on going out when he has already been and sneaking food from low tables whenever possible. To solve most of his disciplinary issues, we utilize a squirt bottle. His face gets sprayed with water whenever an infraction occurs. This is a highly effective deterrent, and merely showing the squirt bottle ends most naughty behavior.
On occasion, though, I have been known to yell at Charlie when he is being bad. “Charlie! Bad dog!” Those simple words in an angry voice cause him to stop, put his ears down, and come cowering to my side. He absolutely does not like yelling and he definitely doesn’t like me to be upset with him.
Charlie never questions my upsets. He doesn’t avoid the confrontation. Instead, he immediately takes responsibility for causing a disturbance. He wants things to be set right again as soon as possible. He is so sweet and cuddly, and clearly so apologetic, I can’t help but forgive him immediately!
We aren’t like that with one another, though, are we? If someone says that we have upset them, we don’t claim responsibility. Either that person was mistaken, we were misunderstood, or perhaps our intentions were taken out of context. We don’t do things wrong, and we definitely don’t hurt people. Apologies don’t come quickly in our society.
The opposite is true, too. Whenever someone wrongs US, we can’t let that go. Even if an apology does come, it probably wasn’t meant or it came with an ulterior motive.
No. Apologies aren’t given and they aren’t accepted. Forgiveness is not something we do very well.
No wonder we have such a hard time with God. We can’t forgive or apologize to one another. How can we imagine a God who not only accepts our apologies, but one who SEEKS to forgive us? But, that is exactly the kind of God Jesus shows to us. Just think of the many parables of finding something lost. The lost coin, the lost sheep, and especially the lost son.
God loves us so much. When we have failed, all we have to do is ask for forgiveness, and it is granted. No intention or explanation is necessary. Jesus tells us, too, that we need to learn to love each other as God loves us. That means forgiving one another.
We’re people, not dogs. Forgiveness is a bit harder than petting a sad pup. But, we have a greater capacity to love than Charlie does.
Let’s love each other and forgive and ask for forgiveness. Then we can all be good! Right, Charlie?
Christy Cabaniss - Parish Minister
Charlie’s biggest mistakes are being insistent on going out when he has already been and sneaking food from low tables whenever possible. To solve most of his disciplinary issues, we utilize a squirt bottle. His face gets sprayed with water whenever an infraction occurs. This is a highly effective deterrent, and merely showing the squirt bottle ends most naughty behavior.
On occasion, though, I have been known to yell at Charlie when he is being bad. “Charlie! Bad dog!” Those simple words in an angry voice cause him to stop, put his ears down, and come cowering to my side. He absolutely does not like yelling and he definitely doesn’t like me to be upset with him.
Charlie never questions my upsets. He doesn’t avoid the confrontation. Instead, he immediately takes responsibility for causing a disturbance. He wants things to be set right again as soon as possible. He is so sweet and cuddly, and clearly so apologetic, I can’t help but forgive him immediately!
We aren’t like that with one another, though, are we? If someone says that we have upset them, we don’t claim responsibility. Either that person was mistaken, we were misunderstood, or perhaps our intentions were taken out of context. We don’t do things wrong, and we definitely don’t hurt people. Apologies don’t come quickly in our society.
The opposite is true, too. Whenever someone wrongs US, we can’t let that go. Even if an apology does come, it probably wasn’t meant or it came with an ulterior motive.
No. Apologies aren’t given and they aren’t accepted. Forgiveness is not something we do very well.
No wonder we have such a hard time with God. We can’t forgive or apologize to one another. How can we imagine a God who not only accepts our apologies, but one who SEEKS to forgive us? But, that is exactly the kind of God Jesus shows to us. Just think of the many parables of finding something lost. The lost coin, the lost sheep, and especially the lost son.
God loves us so much. When we have failed, all we have to do is ask for forgiveness, and it is granted. No intention or explanation is necessary. Jesus tells us, too, that we need to learn to love each other as God loves us. That means forgiving one another.
We’re people, not dogs. Forgiveness is a bit harder than petting a sad pup. But, we have a greater capacity to love than Charlie does.
Let’s love each other and forgive and ask for forgiveness. Then we can all be good! Right, Charlie?
Christy Cabaniss - Parish Minister
Wednesday, August 20, 2014
Puppy love
I love my dog. I also happen to think that Charlie loves me back. As a matter of fact, I get all kinds of grief from my children who question who I love more, them or the dog. Of course, I think the answer to that is obvious.
Some folks will tell you that dogs don’t experience emotions like people do or even have feelings, but I have to disagree. Many of us saw the viral video of the woman from Murrysville and her dog. Her dog hadn’t seen her in two years, and it passed out from excitement when the two were reunited. There are also studies being conducted in Atlanta, GA where scientists are researching dogs’ brains, in an attempt to correlate brain activity and dog emotion. So far, their studies have found that the response is similar in dog and human brains when they see the one they “love.” The signals even originate from the same place in dogs as they do in humans.
So, what does it mean that a dog could be experiencing emotions similar to a human?
Does that mean that dogs are the same as people? I have many friends who claim that pets can be better companions. Some folks even profess to prefer animals to people.
As tempting as it is to equate our animal friends to people, we know that it’s not the same as our human relationships. Sure, animal relationships can seem nicer. Isn’t that because our animal friends can’t actually “speak” their minds, though? They can’t use words to express how we have hurt them, emotionally or physically. They can’t question our motives or our loyalties. They can’t tell us when we have ignored them or made them feel left out. Sure they can act out, but it really doesn’t carry the same weight as when another person, especially one you love, expresses these things to you.
Being in a relationship means getting the bad with the good. It means being accountable for our words and actions. It means our motives and loyalties will sometimes be called into question. That can be some messy stuff. I think C. S. Lewis makes a great point about relationships and love.
“There is no safe investment. To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly be broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. The alternative to tragedy, or at least to the risk of tragedy, is damnation. The only place outside Heaven where you can be perfectly safe from all the dangers and perturbations of love is Hell.”
Trying to keep things neat and tidy leads to the danger of a lonely and miserable life. We have to be willing to get dirty to enjoy the treasures of heaven.
Let’s not keep our hearts locked up from our animals OR one another. It is a great risk, but certainly a risk worth taking!
Christy Cabaniss - Pastoral Minister
Some folks will tell you that dogs don’t experience emotions like people do or even have feelings, but I have to disagree. Many of us saw the viral video of the woman from Murrysville and her dog. Her dog hadn’t seen her in two years, and it passed out from excitement when the two were reunited. There are also studies being conducted in Atlanta, GA where scientists are researching dogs’ brains, in an attempt to correlate brain activity and dog emotion. So far, their studies have found that the response is similar in dog and human brains when they see the one they “love.” The signals even originate from the same place in dogs as they do in humans.
So, what does it mean that a dog could be experiencing emotions similar to a human?
Does that mean that dogs are the same as people? I have many friends who claim that pets can be better companions. Some folks even profess to prefer animals to people.
As tempting as it is to equate our animal friends to people, we know that it’s not the same as our human relationships. Sure, animal relationships can seem nicer. Isn’t that because our animal friends can’t actually “speak” their minds, though? They can’t use words to express how we have hurt them, emotionally or physically. They can’t question our motives or our loyalties. They can’t tell us when we have ignored them or made them feel left out. Sure they can act out, but it really doesn’t carry the same weight as when another person, especially one you love, expresses these things to you.
Being in a relationship means getting the bad with the good. It means being accountable for our words and actions. It means our motives and loyalties will sometimes be called into question. That can be some messy stuff. I think C. S. Lewis makes a great point about relationships and love.
“There is no safe investment. To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly be broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. The alternative to tragedy, or at least to the risk of tragedy, is damnation. The only place outside Heaven where you can be perfectly safe from all the dangers and perturbations of love is Hell.”
Trying to keep things neat and tidy leads to the danger of a lonely and miserable life. We have to be willing to get dirty to enjoy the treasures of heaven.
Let’s not keep our hearts locked up from our animals OR one another. It is a great risk, but certainly a risk worth taking!
Christy Cabaniss - Pastoral Minister
Wednesday, August 13, 2014
Learning new tricks
One of the great things about dogs is that they want to please their masters. Charlie is absolutely interested in pleasing me. Sometimes I wonder though, the source of his motivation.Charlie knows quite a few tricks. He can sit, shake hands, and speak. He can also roll over and play dead. He is learning how to “dance,” too. Some of these tricks he knew when we adopted him. Others he has had to learn, through much trial and error. Every time he correctly performs his tricks, he gets a treat. His performance is greatly influenced by the treat. The more he likes a particular reward, the more vehement and rigorous the tricks are. For instance, he has tiny dog biscuits. While he does like those treats, they pale in comparison to, say, a bit of meat. When offered the biscuit, his tricks lack enthusiasm and require several prompts. But, when a bit of meat is offered, the tricks come one after the other and with exuberance without even being prompted!
Sometimes, service to the church seems a little like tricks for treats. One performs tasks in hopes of a reward.
Maybe service pads a resume, or application. Perhaps it is the ego boost when others compliment us. In some cases, it could be the flawless impression that service makes on others in the community. Sometimes we even think the benefit is getting on God’s “good” side.
These are all SELF-serving attitudes that aren’t much different than Charlie’s. But, we are much smarter than dogs, and we have a greater capacity for emotional development and growth.
Ministry is exactly the opposite of self service. It literally means to attend to the needs of someone else. In the Church, ministry means even more than that. It means doing the work of God. Ministry is literally the work we are doing to attend to the needs of the people of God.
This work has many forms, as do the workers. One of God’s many blessings is that we can find the gifts He has given us and match them to the needs of our communities. We don’t all do the same work, and we don’t all do it in the same way. It takes many gifts for the many needs.
That’s quite a bit different than doing tricks to achieve treats. The service of ministry is not a chore to earn us some kind of reward; it is an honor and a privilege to serve the members of our community. A glance from a different angle helps us to see that a little better. We love one another, and we love God. Therefore, we gladly come forward and say, “Here I am, Lord.”
Charlie loves his treats, and so he performs his tricks. He is a good dog, but we are people, and we can do better than that!
Christy Cabaniss - Parish Minister
Wednesday, July 23, 2014
Charlie, come home!
When we adopted Charlie, he was already a full grown dog. The shelter estimated he was two years old. He was found loose in Greensburg. He had no tags, no micro-chip, and he was not neutered. Despite all attempts to find his family, none came forward.
We have a fenced yard, so when Charlie goes outside, he doesn’t go on a leash. Our fence provides some semblance of security. I say some, because he has escaped that fence on more than one occasion. Charlie doesn’t try to escape all the time. It only happens when something is so tempting outside the fence, like a squirrel or chipmunk, that he must make a break to investigate.
No matter how infrequent his escapes are, they scare me every time. What if he doesn’t come back? What if I can’t find him? What if someone else picks him up?
My fears are out of love for this little dog. The world can be a scary place, and he could get into serious trouble running loose on his own. At my house, he is safe, well fed, and taken care of. He might not find such accommodations out on his own!
To get him back, we always have to offer treats or “catch” him. It seems that the wonders of the world are too tempting for Charlie to simply return home on his own.
The Lord worries over us when we’re lost in much the same way. I know from conversations, especially with parents, about loved ones who have left the church that there are real fears and concerns for those “lost” souls.But, what about those of us who have stopped seeking God even though we come to church? What about the ones who are only going through the motions? Aren’t they just as lost as the ones who aren’t here?
Ultimately, what we must realize is that no matter how lost we are, the Father is patient and waiting. God is always seeking us, and ready to welcome us home. He isn’t interested in punishment and reprimand.
Instead, He reaches out with open arms for whenever we decide to return to Him. And that’s the big difference between us and Charlie. God offers us the choice to return or stay out on our own. He doesn’t offer treats or grab us by the collar. It is entirely up to us to choose Him, or not.
Perhaps, rather than to try and force them, we would serve our friends and family better by living the Gospel in our own lives. Perhaps we have not realized how we ourselves are lost. Conversion to God requires personal reflection. It is not easy, but it is an amazing experience to bring yourself closer to Jesus.
The wonderful news is that He is always ready for us to come home! The same is true for Charlie!
Christy Cabaniss - Parish Minister
We have a fenced yard, so when Charlie goes outside, he doesn’t go on a leash. Our fence provides some semblance of security. I say some, because he has escaped that fence on more than one occasion. Charlie doesn’t try to escape all the time. It only happens when something is so tempting outside the fence, like a squirrel or chipmunk, that he must make a break to investigate.
No matter how infrequent his escapes are, they scare me every time. What if he doesn’t come back? What if I can’t find him? What if someone else picks him up?
My fears are out of love for this little dog. The world can be a scary place, and he could get into serious trouble running loose on his own. At my house, he is safe, well fed, and taken care of. He might not find such accommodations out on his own!
To get him back, we always have to offer treats or “catch” him. It seems that the wonders of the world are too tempting for Charlie to simply return home on his own.
The Lord worries over us when we’re lost in much the same way. I know from conversations, especially with parents, about loved ones who have left the church that there are real fears and concerns for those “lost” souls.But, what about those of us who have stopped seeking God even though we come to church? What about the ones who are only going through the motions? Aren’t they just as lost as the ones who aren’t here?
Ultimately, what we must realize is that no matter how lost we are, the Father is patient and waiting. God is always seeking us, and ready to welcome us home. He isn’t interested in punishment and reprimand.
Instead, He reaches out with open arms for whenever we decide to return to Him. And that’s the big difference between us and Charlie. God offers us the choice to return or stay out on our own. He doesn’t offer treats or grab us by the collar. It is entirely up to us to choose Him, or not.
Perhaps, rather than to try and force them, we would serve our friends and family better by living the Gospel in our own lives. Perhaps we have not realized how we ourselves are lost. Conversion to God requires personal reflection. It is not easy, but it is an amazing experience to bring yourself closer to Jesus.
The wonderful news is that He is always ready for us to come home! The same is true for Charlie!
Christy Cabaniss - Parish Minister
Wednesday, July 9, 2014
DOGS AREN’T FREE
Charlie is expensive!
There are so many things he needs us to buy for him. He has special food because of his long fur. He also needs a certain kind of shampoo for his bath. It helps to keep his skin from getting dry. He has to see the vet annually. He needs heartworm and flea medications, both of which are not cheap. In order to keep him well trained, we need to keep treats in the house. And let’s not forget the many toys he needs to keep him entertained!
Yes, Charlie is definitely expensive. You know what is most harassing about his expense, though? He doesn’t even offer to help out! He never makes an effort to defray the cost of his upkeep in anyway.
Or maybe he does. I must say that since Charlie entered our lives, the stress level has gone down exponentially. He is always there to snuggle when you are having a bad day. He’s ever ready to cheer you up with a rousing game of fetch. Charlie greets you with a doggy smile and a wagging tail that shows how much he appreciates all we do for him.
The work of God is not free either. It takes hearts and hands that are willing to share. It takes time and money, too.
Sometimes, we forget that the church isn’t just another social institution or club. It is the community of the Body of Christ. The first step to becoming a part of that body is a relationship with Jesus Himself. Once a person is in relationship with Jesus, he or she can enter a relationship with His Church. Relationship is the way we are connected, and that takes effort and work. Effort and work have costs to them. The costs of effort and work in a relationship are time, intimacy, and sharing resources.
In our broken world, relationship is a scary word. What if we are wasting our time? What if opening ourselves gets us hurt? What if sharing our resources ends in failure? These are serious questions with serious consequences. The question we might ask ourselves when it comes to Church though is: Whom am I making these sacrifices for?
Through the Church, we make these sacrifices for Jesus and for His people. Sharing your time, yourself, and your resources are in service to God when you give them to the church. At the heart of it all, we do it because God loves us, and we want to share that with others.
Once we realize that we are giving our gifts to God, the giving becomes a whole lot easier. It should also take on a new priority.
Just like knowing I’ve got that cute fur-ball ready for a snuggle, makes him absolutely worth every penny.
Christy Cabaniss - Parish Minister
There are so many things he needs us to buy for him. He has special food because of his long fur. He also needs a certain kind of shampoo for his bath. It helps to keep his skin from getting dry. He has to see the vet annually. He needs heartworm and flea medications, both of which are not cheap. In order to keep him well trained, we need to keep treats in the house. And let’s not forget the many toys he needs to keep him entertained!Yes, Charlie is definitely expensive. You know what is most harassing about his expense, though? He doesn’t even offer to help out! He never makes an effort to defray the cost of his upkeep in anyway.
Or maybe he does. I must say that since Charlie entered our lives, the stress level has gone down exponentially. He is always there to snuggle when you are having a bad day. He’s ever ready to cheer you up with a rousing game of fetch. Charlie greets you with a doggy smile and a wagging tail that shows how much he appreciates all we do for him.
The work of God is not free either. It takes hearts and hands that are willing to share. It takes time and money, too.
Sometimes, we forget that the church isn’t just another social institution or club. It is the community of the Body of Christ. The first step to becoming a part of that body is a relationship with Jesus Himself. Once a person is in relationship with Jesus, he or she can enter a relationship with His Church. Relationship is the way we are connected, and that takes effort and work. Effort and work have costs to them. The costs of effort and work in a relationship are time, intimacy, and sharing resources.
In our broken world, relationship is a scary word. What if we are wasting our time? What if opening ourselves gets us hurt? What if sharing our resources ends in failure? These are serious questions with serious consequences. The question we might ask ourselves when it comes to Church though is: Whom am I making these sacrifices for?
Through the Church, we make these sacrifices for Jesus and for His people. Sharing your time, yourself, and your resources are in service to God when you give them to the church. At the heart of it all, we do it because God loves us, and we want to share that with others.
Once we realize that we are giving our gifts to God, the giving becomes a whole lot easier. It should also take on a new priority.
Just like knowing I’ve got that cute fur-ball ready for a snuggle, makes him absolutely worth every penny.
Christy Cabaniss - Parish Minister
Wednesday, June 25, 2014
Joining the Family
Ah, yes... Summer once again, and since the cat is away let the dogs play! Besides, Charlie is glad to take up Baxter’s slack anytime!
You may remember that our Charlie is a rescue dog. We adopted him from the Westmoreland County Animal Shelter in Greensburg. I remember the day in vivid detail, but to make a long story short, we brought Charlie home the day we met him. I was both afraid and excited. We had all the “things” you need to have a dog. We had a fenced yard and a dog crate. The shelter gave us a leash and some food. Two simple plastic bowls could serve for water and kibble. It seemed we were ready to add this canine to our family. But, we all know, adding a pet to your life is not that simple. Pets need special care and instruction. A pet needs to be conformed to its new family. Pet parents must accommodate feeding and bathroom schedules. Pets must learn the rules of the household, like when it is ok and not ok to bark, which food is off limits, and how jumping up is not an appropriate greeting. Charlie learned all these things in time, and we learned about his schedule and habits. Although it wasn’t instantaneous, there is a good fit with this dog and our family.
The same thing happened for me when I became a member of the church. I was an adult member seeking to become part of the Catholic family. On the surface it seemed I was ready. I had been baptized Catholic, was attending Mass regularly, and was living a simple married life with children. But, just like with Charlie, there was more to it than that! There were things I needed to learn about the Catholic tradition. I needed to have my marriage validated. I needed to learn to convert my heart and my attitude. I didn’t just learn these things in a class, though. I learned them from my parish family. By their patience and example I learned. Through their prayers, I was lifted up. In their love, I began to be converted.
If you or someone you know is looking for God, they may find His presence here. The RCIA is an opportunity for them to see if the Catholic understanding of God resonates with them. Just remember, you don’t just walk in, it takes time. It isn’t meant as punishment, it’s a gift from God.
Christy Cabaniss - Parish Minister
You may remember that our Charlie is a rescue dog. We adopted him from the Westmoreland County Animal Shelter in Greensburg. I remember the day in vivid detail, but to make a long story short, we brought Charlie home the day we met him. I was both afraid and excited. We had all the “things” you need to have a dog. We had a fenced yard and a dog crate. The shelter gave us a leash and some food. Two simple plastic bowls could serve for water and kibble. It seemed we were ready to add this canine to our family. But, we all know, adding a pet to your life is not that simple. Pets need special care and instruction. A pet needs to be conformed to its new family. Pet parents must accommodate feeding and bathroom schedules. Pets must learn the rules of the household, like when it is ok and not ok to bark, which food is off limits, and how jumping up is not an appropriate greeting. Charlie learned all these things in time, and we learned about his schedule and habits. Although it wasn’t instantaneous, there is a good fit with this dog and our family.
The same thing happened for me when I became a member of the church. I was an adult member seeking to become part of the Catholic family. On the surface it seemed I was ready. I had been baptized Catholic, was attending Mass regularly, and was living a simple married life with children. But, just like with Charlie, there was more to it than that! There were things I needed to learn about the Catholic tradition. I needed to have my marriage validated. I needed to learn to convert my heart and my attitude. I didn’t just learn these things in a class, though. I learned them from my parish family. By their patience and example I learned. Through their prayers, I was lifted up. In their love, I began to be converted.
If you or someone you know is looking for God, they may find His presence here. The RCIA is an opportunity for them to see if the Catholic understanding of God resonates with them. Just remember, you don’t just walk in, it takes time. It isn’t meant as punishment, it’s a gift from God.
Christy Cabaniss - Parish Minister
Wednesday, June 11, 2014
In a Word: A Kiss
I was asked, “can you think of a way to write something about the Trinity in one page?” My initial response was a firm, resolute, “No.” But, it appeared that I could do it in a single word. A Kiss. God isn’t just about “Him” or the “Big Guy in the Sky”. God is a working relationship, all the time. In this respect, we are like God, because we are in a relationship all the time: a relationship of family, of a community, and right now, of author and reader. We are always in a relationship-but the ones we have as humans aren’t always what we’d call “working.”
Take families, for instance. Families come in all shapes and sizes, but there is one constant: families take work. Sometimes we try to avoid this work though. We may try to simply float as a family, like a group of people living in the same house, going through the motions, neither loving nor hating, just being there. We can also be dysfunctional. We live with unspoken anger and unacknowledged misunderstanding running rampant, like little vermin ants that you wish the exterminator would just get rid of. Those ants constantly ruin everything you do, and force you to think about every little thing, lest it be sacrificed to the ants. But, there is another time, a time of being a genuine family when, even if for one small instant, everything comes together in love, cooperation, like-mindedness, and common purpose. Those “shining, redeeming moments,” we might say. Our communities take the same work that a family does-our Church takes the same work.
But I mentioned a kiss as that one word. Why? Well, a saint from the 1100’s describes the Trinity this way. St. Bernard of Clairvaux described the Trinity as a relation of Love that is expressed in a kiss. The Father is one who kisses, the Son the one who receives the kiss, and the Holy Spirit is the kiss. The kiss is not just a symbol of love; it is the embrace of love itself--the love of a mother and a child, the bond of a husband and a wife, the loving gratitude of a son for his parents. A kiss isn’t just a symbol; it is an act, and a reality, a moment.
God, likewise, isn’t just a symbol for what we think is right. God is an act of love, and when we let the Holy Spirit into our hearts, like we celebrated last Sunday on Pentecost, God is part of that love. A kiss is work. It takes cooperative and communal effort. But, it is also love, a love worth enjoying. God, the Trinity, is in a word:a Kiss.
Christopher Manderino - Coordinator of Youth Ministry
Take families, for instance. Families come in all shapes and sizes, but there is one constant: families take work. Sometimes we try to avoid this work though. We may try to simply float as a family, like a group of people living in the same house, going through the motions, neither loving nor hating, just being there. We can also be dysfunctional. We live with unspoken anger and unacknowledged misunderstanding running rampant, like little vermin ants that you wish the exterminator would just get rid of. Those ants constantly ruin everything you do, and force you to think about every little thing, lest it be sacrificed to the ants. But, there is another time, a time of being a genuine family when, even if for one small instant, everything comes together in love, cooperation, like-mindedness, and common purpose. Those “shining, redeeming moments,” we might say. Our communities take the same work that a family does-our Church takes the same work.
But I mentioned a kiss as that one word. Why? Well, a saint from the 1100’s describes the Trinity this way. St. Bernard of Clairvaux described the Trinity as a relation of Love that is expressed in a kiss. The Father is one who kisses, the Son the one who receives the kiss, and the Holy Spirit is the kiss. The kiss is not just a symbol of love; it is the embrace of love itself--the love of a mother and a child, the bond of a husband and a wife, the loving gratitude of a son for his parents. A kiss isn’t just a symbol; it is an act, and a reality, a moment.
God, likewise, isn’t just a symbol for what we think is right. God is an act of love, and when we let the Holy Spirit into our hearts, like we celebrated last Sunday on Pentecost, God is part of that love. A kiss is work. It takes cooperative and communal effort. But, it is also love, a love worth enjoying. God, the Trinity, is in a word:a Kiss.
Christopher Manderino - Coordinator of Youth Ministry
Thursday, June 5, 2014
FULL OF SPIRIT
Although Baxter is older now and has mellowed a lot, he hasn’t lost his spirit. He still can run through the house like a maniac for no clear reason at times. He can still get excited when another cat comes onto his territory. He fetches treats like they are hockey pucks, and once he scores with a morsel in his mouth, runs back for more. He can jump when he wants to get something, roll on his back and flip over in a second, and resist moving when he doesn’t want to get into his carrier. At thirteen plus years, Baxter still has a lot of life left in him. He is young at heart.
How are our hearts? Are they full of life and spirit, or have they grown dull and lethargic through the years? Are we just going through the motions at living, or do we still find excitement and interest in certain things? Do we take initiative to make situations better for ourselves and others? Do we reach out to connect to new people or reconnect to old friends? Do we look for something different in our lives to challenge us and call us to further growth? Do we expect and look for new ideas, relationships or commitments to keep us fresh and lively?
These are important questions for us to consider if God is to continue His work with us. Pentecost is the feast of the Holy Spirit filling the lives of the disciples. We cannot claim to live in God’s Spirit if we are lifeless and dull, stodgy and removed from others. The account of the first Pentecost was a scene of excitement where people were engaging strangers for the first time with a message that was new and offered promise for better lives to those who accepted it. There was a contagious energy that was communicated when the first disciples began to reach about the Lord Jesus. This power of the Spirit won over others as much as the content of what they had to say. People want to feel that they are part of a winning team, where everyone strives for a common purpose and a better condition for all. That takes enthusiasm for the mission at hand, and a heart full of pride and resolve to carry it forward no matter what the obstacles may be. We saw this in the first disciples after Pentecost. Do others see it in us when we talk about our faith, work for our parish community, and invite others to join us?
Age is not a reason to be lifeless, unimaginative and apathetic. While our physical energy may be deceased, our spirits should be greater and more fearless because we have lived longer in Christ’s Spirit and learned more of its wisdom and depth. We don’t just burn up the energy of the Spirit as mature Christians. We harness it for good by caring for other’s needs and reaching out to those searching for God with a supporting hand. We walk with others in the Spirit and don’t pretend to be ahead of them. We know we don’t have all the answers to life’s mysteries, but we do have a way to live in them with a confidence in God to show us the way. These are signs of a lively, mature faith fed by Christ’s Spirit.
Baxter may take a few more naps and measure his steps more carefully now, but the old boy still has a lot of life in him. So do we-the life of the Spirit. Christ promised it and bestowed it on His disciples. We have to call it forth, dust it off, and put it to work for others. Let’s get moving!
How are our hearts? Are they full of life and spirit, or have they grown dull and lethargic through the years? Are we just going through the motions at living, or do we still find excitement and interest in certain things? Do we take initiative to make situations better for ourselves and others? Do we reach out to connect to new people or reconnect to old friends? Do we look for something different in our lives to challenge us and call us to further growth? Do we expect and look for new ideas, relationships or commitments to keep us fresh and lively?
These are important questions for us to consider if God is to continue His work with us. Pentecost is the feast of the Holy Spirit filling the lives of the disciples. We cannot claim to live in God’s Spirit if we are lifeless and dull, stodgy and removed from others. The account of the first Pentecost was a scene of excitement where people were engaging strangers for the first time with a message that was new and offered promise for better lives to those who accepted it. There was a contagious energy that was communicated when the first disciples began to reach about the Lord Jesus. This power of the Spirit won over others as much as the content of what they had to say. People want to feel that they are part of a winning team, where everyone strives for a common purpose and a better condition for all. That takes enthusiasm for the mission at hand, and a heart full of pride and resolve to carry it forward no matter what the obstacles may be. We saw this in the first disciples after Pentecost. Do others see it in us when we talk about our faith, work for our parish community, and invite others to join us?
Age is not a reason to be lifeless, unimaginative and apathetic. While our physical energy may be deceased, our spirits should be greater and more fearless because we have lived longer in Christ’s Spirit and learned more of its wisdom and depth. We don’t just burn up the energy of the Spirit as mature Christians. We harness it for good by caring for other’s needs and reaching out to those searching for God with a supporting hand. We walk with others in the Spirit and don’t pretend to be ahead of them. We know we don’t have all the answers to life’s mysteries, but we do have a way to live in them with a confidence in God to show us the way. These are signs of a lively, mature faith fed by Christ’s Spirit.
Baxter may take a few more naps and measure his steps more carefully now, but the old boy still has a lot of life in him. So do we-the life of the Spirit. Christ promised it and bestowed it on His disciples. We have to call it forth, dust it off, and put it to work for others. Let’s get moving!
Wednesday, May 28, 2014
LONG EVENINGS
Don’t you love the long evenings of late spring and early summer? Baxter does too. It gives him more time to look out the windows and admire all the exciting things he sees-birds and rabbits, tree limbs moving in the breeze, flashes of the sun off a car window. It doesn’t take much to amuse Baxter, but he does perk up and go on alert when something catches his fancy. And it’s the light, the long light of the fresh season of growth that makes this all possible for him. He can see more for a longer period of time and enjoy the view for hours.
Easter is a season of long light for us as Christians. Liturgically, it extends itself for fifty days, up to the celebration of Pentecost. Theologically, Easter sheds light on our lives in every aspect. We need to learn to see ourselves, our world and our God in this light.
We are a people redeemed in the death and resurrection of Christ. Our sins are now “happy faults”, forgiven in the self-sacrificing love of Jesus. Our lives are transformed by what God did for us through Him, because now we share in our own lives the very Spirit that moved in Jesus’ life. So we are adopted children of God, brothers and sisters of the Lord Jesus, and heirs to the Kingdom with Him. We are called to be witnesses to this great mystery in which we share by the lives we live, acting like people who live in God’s Kingdom where forgiveness, healing, generosity-especially to the least in our midst-hope, confidence, care, respect and love describe our lifestyle.
In the long light of Christ’s resurrection, the world looks differently as well. It is not just a place of doom and gloom with threats around every corner. It is fertile ground for the Spirit to take root. But we, Christ’s disciples, have to plant the seeds of that Spirit. We have to engage the world on God’s terms, not to condemn it but to redeem it by showing what the marks of the Kingdom can do when people put them into practice. A new heaven and a new earth were introduced when Christ rose from the dead, but we often only see things in the light of past wrongs, prejudices and failures. A new world is possible, not by our own devices—as marvelous as some of them may be-but by God’s grace working in and through us. If we just show off our own talents and ingenuity, nothing will finally change, for our pride will lead to arrogance,our arrogance to selfishness, and our selfishness to competition, conflict and destruction. But if we show God at work through us, there are no limits to the goodness, virtues and transforming relationships we can generate in our midst.
Finally, in the light of the Risen Lord, we see God anew. No longer a sinister judge or cynical cop, a rescuing parent or convenient crutch, an hour-long habit on Sundays or a voice of neurotic guilt over trivial matters, God is a mysterious power, most intimate to us yet never exhausted by our understanding or practices. He is a personal communion of life and love, always extending His communion to more and more of His creation. God is beyond closer to us than we are to ourselves. He is the alpha and omega; the beginning and end of all that is; the Way, the Truth and the Life; He is Love. The pictures for all of this were drawn by Jesus when He spoke of the Good Samaritan, the Father of the Prodigal Son, the Master of the vineyard; when He healed the lepers, the blind and the lame; when He forgave the adulterous woman and His executioners; when He gave the multitude bread and fish and His disciples His body and blood. What a wondrous God we see in the light of the Risen Christ.
The Easter season soon draws to a close, but the light remains throughout the year. Its symbol in the paschal candle marks every baptism and funeral we celebrate, life’s beginning and end. It opens new vistas in this world and leads to the vision of glory in the next. It extends the hope of day and shortens the nights we have to live through. The light of Christ’s resurrection gives us a glimpse of heaven, and it looks like a long summer evening sharing food and company with friends and family on the porch or patio. We see things differently in grace, and this vision makes us grateful. Baxter loves the long light of early summer. Easter teaches us to love the light of eternity shining in our midst.
Easter is a season of long light for us as Christians. Liturgically, it extends itself for fifty days, up to the celebration of Pentecost. Theologically, Easter sheds light on our lives in every aspect. We need to learn to see ourselves, our world and our God in this light.
We are a people redeemed in the death and resurrection of Christ. Our sins are now “happy faults”, forgiven in the self-sacrificing love of Jesus. Our lives are transformed by what God did for us through Him, because now we share in our own lives the very Spirit that moved in Jesus’ life. So we are adopted children of God, brothers and sisters of the Lord Jesus, and heirs to the Kingdom with Him. We are called to be witnesses to this great mystery in which we share by the lives we live, acting like people who live in God’s Kingdom where forgiveness, healing, generosity-especially to the least in our midst-hope, confidence, care, respect and love describe our lifestyle.
In the long light of Christ’s resurrection, the world looks differently as well. It is not just a place of doom and gloom with threats around every corner. It is fertile ground for the Spirit to take root. But we, Christ’s disciples, have to plant the seeds of that Spirit. We have to engage the world on God’s terms, not to condemn it but to redeem it by showing what the marks of the Kingdom can do when people put them into practice. A new heaven and a new earth were introduced when Christ rose from the dead, but we often only see things in the light of past wrongs, prejudices and failures. A new world is possible, not by our own devices—as marvelous as some of them may be-but by God’s grace working in and through us. If we just show off our own talents and ingenuity, nothing will finally change, for our pride will lead to arrogance,our arrogance to selfishness, and our selfishness to competition, conflict and destruction. But if we show God at work through us, there are no limits to the goodness, virtues and transforming relationships we can generate in our midst.
Finally, in the light of the Risen Lord, we see God anew. No longer a sinister judge or cynical cop, a rescuing parent or convenient crutch, an hour-long habit on Sundays or a voice of neurotic guilt over trivial matters, God is a mysterious power, most intimate to us yet never exhausted by our understanding or practices. He is a personal communion of life and love, always extending His communion to more and more of His creation. God is beyond closer to us than we are to ourselves. He is the alpha and omega; the beginning and end of all that is; the Way, the Truth and the Life; He is Love. The pictures for all of this were drawn by Jesus when He spoke of the Good Samaritan, the Father of the Prodigal Son, the Master of the vineyard; when He healed the lepers, the blind and the lame; when He forgave the adulterous woman and His executioners; when He gave the multitude bread and fish and His disciples His body and blood. What a wondrous God we see in the light of the Risen Christ.
The Easter season soon draws to a close, but the light remains throughout the year. Its symbol in the paschal candle marks every baptism and funeral we celebrate, life’s beginning and end. It opens new vistas in this world and leads to the vision of glory in the next. It extends the hope of day and shortens the nights we have to live through. The light of Christ’s resurrection gives us a glimpse of heaven, and it looks like a long summer evening sharing food and company with friends and family on the porch or patio. We see things differently in grace, and this vision makes us grateful. Baxter loves the long light of early summer. Easter teaches us to love the light of eternity shining in our midst.
Wednesday, May 21, 2014
CAT CHARM
Cats get what they want in two ways. Either they become nasty, aggressively insisting on getting their way, or they become super nice, unctuously charming another into doing what they want. I have told you about Baxter’s angry side with its cries and hisses, but you may not know about his ingratiating side where he tries to seduce his innocent victim into giving him what he wants. Yes, Baxter is a charm school graduate. He knows how to butter up someone who has what he’s looking for—a treat, a way to open the door or window, a soft lap where he can stay warm. He uses two devices in his wily scheme. He purrs and purrs and purrs, loudly and rhythmically. The sound is so calming and soothing, who can resist its hypnotizing effects. The other charming technique Baxter has developed is the leg rub. Purring away, he gently pushes up against my ankle with a massage-like pressure to comfort my tired legs and tell me that he cares, that there is no one like me, that I’m the best. Of course, all of this is hogwash, but it works. It lowers my guard, and so I give into whatever has provoked Baxter’s wily charms. Honey attracts more bees than vinegar.
Our words and actions have a great effect on others. They set the terms on which we relate to each other. They either open doors to understanding and affection, or close them. They draw people into our lives with the interest they arouse, or they keep them at bay with the cold shoulder or deception they offer. We regulate the flow of human interaction by the tone of our voice and the body language we present. Without saying a word, we can communicate a message of “keep out” or “welcome”, using our eyes and posture to convey the point. And we can try to fake it as well. We can mask our true feelings in insincere words and gestures, things said and done to manipulate another so that he or she will do what we want. As a last resort, we force our will on another with threats, the exercise of authority, or even physical strength. Like cats, we humans want to get our way, and we use whatever works to do so.
Jesus was so different in this regard. The Gospel picture of Him shows someone who neither forces other people to follow Him nor tries to deceive them into doing so. Jesus is a straight talker, saying “yes” when He means “yes” and “no” when He means “no”. He doesn’t weasel His answers to get out of controversy, but He doesn’t look for a fight either. He opens the truth of God’s Kingdom to invite others to come and see, and He doesn’t expect them to get it all the first time. His disciples grow in their understanding and love for His message through the course of the Gospel story, and they continue to do so as they become His witnesses after the resurrection. Jesus walks with others on their life’s journey. He doesn’t force them to go His way, nor does He reject them because they went astray. Think of the rich young man with many possessions, or the woman caught in adultery. Jesus is not a tyrant or a charmer. He is God’s mercy incarnate, inviting whoever will listen and see to come along and judge for themselves who He is and how He can heal their lives. “Who do people say that I am? Who do you say that I am?” And in the great reversal of expectations and desires, rather than causing others to sacrifice for His comfort, Jesus sacrifices Himself for our salvation.
Like cat charms, human charmers can stroke our egos and make us feel good about what we do for them. But they can’t save us. Only He who is the Way, the Truth and the Life, can fulfill that mission. He invites us. Judge for yourself who is worth following.
Our words and actions have a great effect on others. They set the terms on which we relate to each other. They either open doors to understanding and affection, or close them. They draw people into our lives with the interest they arouse, or they keep them at bay with the cold shoulder or deception they offer. We regulate the flow of human interaction by the tone of our voice and the body language we present. Without saying a word, we can communicate a message of “keep out” or “welcome”, using our eyes and posture to convey the point. And we can try to fake it as well. We can mask our true feelings in insincere words and gestures, things said and done to manipulate another so that he or she will do what we want. As a last resort, we force our will on another with threats, the exercise of authority, or even physical strength. Like cats, we humans want to get our way, and we use whatever works to do so.
Jesus was so different in this regard. The Gospel picture of Him shows someone who neither forces other people to follow Him nor tries to deceive them into doing so. Jesus is a straight talker, saying “yes” when He means “yes” and “no” when He means “no”. He doesn’t weasel His answers to get out of controversy, but He doesn’t look for a fight either. He opens the truth of God’s Kingdom to invite others to come and see, and He doesn’t expect them to get it all the first time. His disciples grow in their understanding and love for His message through the course of the Gospel story, and they continue to do so as they become His witnesses after the resurrection. Jesus walks with others on their life’s journey. He doesn’t force them to go His way, nor does He reject them because they went astray. Think of the rich young man with many possessions, or the woman caught in adultery. Jesus is not a tyrant or a charmer. He is God’s mercy incarnate, inviting whoever will listen and see to come along and judge for themselves who He is and how He can heal their lives. “Who do people say that I am? Who do you say that I am?” And in the great reversal of expectations and desires, rather than causing others to sacrifice for His comfort, Jesus sacrifices Himself for our salvation.
Like cat charms, human charmers can stroke our egos and make us feel good about what we do for them. But they can’t save us. Only He who is the Way, the Truth and the Life, can fulfill that mission. He invites us. Judge for yourself who is worth following.
Wednesday, May 14, 2014
TRAVELING
Baxter is not a traveler. While his excursions have been quite limited-none more than twenty-five miles—every trip has been torturous for him. He starts crying from the moment I get him into his carrier, and the laments don’t stop until he reaches his destination and is free of his confinement within a moving vehicle. Actually, I don’t know if it is the traveling as such that upsets him so much, or the fact that he is restricted to a small box with a caged front for the duration of the trip. Baxter is accustomed to having the rule of the roost where he lives. He comes and goes wherever he likes for as long as he likes, and although he has been taught that certain areas and objects are off limits to him, who knows what he does when I am not at home. But confined to the carrier, Baxter is stuck. He can’t move much, see much, smell much. He’s a prisoner on the move, and he doesn’t like it.
Sometimes we feel the same way. Our lives are moving on, carrying us along for the ride, and we are prisoners of the journey. We are boxed in by obligations and responsibilities, and we seem to have no say over what we do or where we are going in the time that we have. We run from one thing to another-work, children’s activities, home, friends, volunteer service, parents-and we get upset along the way from all the pressure and energy it takes. We are trapped by our own lifestyle into having and doing it all. We don’t like it, but we don’t know how to change it. After all, we want to keep up with other families. We want to show that we can do it and succeed. We want our children to compete and be successful. We love our families and friends, and want the best for them. This crazy, hectic life is what it takes today, so we have to hunker down and take the ride-or so we think.
We can travel in a different fashion. The journey of our lifetime in faith doesn’t have to be taken in a carrier built from expectations we have imposed upon ourselves. We need to upgrade our traveling class. Christ moves with us through our lives to guide and direct the journey, but we have to listen for His voice. This isn’t easy with all of the other voices around telling us what we have to do. So we need to pause and listen. We need to pray and decide which stops we include in the journey and which we skip. We need to come out of the cages we have built for ourselves, and include the things in our lives that we value and cherish, and discard those that take time and energy but mean little to us. As disciples, we need to ask ourselves, “Where do we find the Lord in our journey through life, and what is just busy work done to please ourselves or others without a lasting purpose?”
I usually trick Baxter into his carrier, because he will run and hide from it otherwise. Perhaps we have tricked ourselves into the traps that carry us from one thing to another in our frazzled life style. Step back; look at what is going on; pray for insight to discern what truly matters; then make some adjustments. Now we can enjoy the journey and learn from it. Now we can discover the Lord’s companionship with us like the disciples on the road to Emmaus. The journey of our lifetime doesn’t have to be torturous, if we learn to walk with others freely in the direction set towards life eternal.
Sometimes we feel the same way. Our lives are moving on, carrying us along for the ride, and we are prisoners of the journey. We are boxed in by obligations and responsibilities, and we seem to have no say over what we do or where we are going in the time that we have. We run from one thing to another-work, children’s activities, home, friends, volunteer service, parents-and we get upset along the way from all the pressure and energy it takes. We are trapped by our own lifestyle into having and doing it all. We don’t like it, but we don’t know how to change it. After all, we want to keep up with other families. We want to show that we can do it and succeed. We want our children to compete and be successful. We love our families and friends, and want the best for them. This crazy, hectic life is what it takes today, so we have to hunker down and take the ride-or so we think.
We can travel in a different fashion. The journey of our lifetime in faith doesn’t have to be taken in a carrier built from expectations we have imposed upon ourselves. We need to upgrade our traveling class. Christ moves with us through our lives to guide and direct the journey, but we have to listen for His voice. This isn’t easy with all of the other voices around telling us what we have to do. So we need to pause and listen. We need to pray and decide which stops we include in the journey and which we skip. We need to come out of the cages we have built for ourselves, and include the things in our lives that we value and cherish, and discard those that take time and energy but mean little to us. As disciples, we need to ask ourselves, “Where do we find the Lord in our journey through life, and what is just busy work done to please ourselves or others without a lasting purpose?”
I usually trick Baxter into his carrier, because he will run and hide from it otherwise. Perhaps we have tricked ourselves into the traps that carry us from one thing to another in our frazzled life style. Step back; look at what is going on; pray for insight to discern what truly matters; then make some adjustments. Now we can enjoy the journey and learn from it. Now we can discover the Lord’s companionship with us like the disciples on the road to Emmaus. The journey of our lifetime doesn’t have to be torturous, if we learn to walk with others freely in the direction set towards life eternal.
Wednesday, May 7, 2014
S N I F F I N G
When Baxter suspects there is food to be had, he sticks his nose in the air and sniffs. You can see him do it. His head bobs slightly up and down, while he turns it from side to side, all the time using his nose to reconnoiter the area for whiffs of available nourishment. If the aroma is strong and well-defined like salmon or tuna, he goes right to its source and sits there crying out for some. Nothing drives him away or distracts his attention from his olfactory lead. He won’t give up on the scent until he either gets a taste of it or loses it altogether. And if he loses it, he is always on the alert for another interesting smell that might hold the promise of at least a snack, if not a full meal. Cats’ noses lead them to follow enticing smells with the hopes that they may signal greater rewards for their stomachs.
God tries to sniff us out as well. He isn’t content waiting for us to find Him. God searches for us using whatever aroma our lives are giving off at the time. Maybe we are happy and carefree. Maybe we are sad and distressed. Maybe we are losing hope and despairing, or maybe we are in top form, strong, successful and energetic about whatever the moment holds for us. God can sense it all and use it to connect with us. We know this from the scriptures, especially the psalms, where every human sentiment finds its way into prayer. We don’t have to be a certain way to be with God. God takes us however we are and loves us without conditions. He is not afraid of our anger or overly impressed with our pride. He wants to share our joy, but our sorrow as well. God is not put off by our fickle human dispositions or the foibles of our personalities. God cares only about one thing—us—however we present ourselves at the moment. And He won’t stop sniffing for us, until He finds where we are.
When we approach God, we don’t need to camouflage our lives to smell pleasant and acceptable. No deodorants can mask how we are when we face God. He smells through our cover-ups. We can only offer ourselves as we are, honestly and without pretensions. This is what we have to present to God because, after all, He made us this way. God didn’t make us robots with programmed features to deal with what life delivers in a Stoic, mechanical response. God made us flesh and blood human beings who engage life on many terms at once, and who sometimes appear confused and volatile towards it all. These are the creatures God loves, and His love makes this smelly mess of genuine humanity beautiful.
Baxter gets excited when he catches the trace of an attractive aroma. He pursues it until he either finds its source or loses the scent. God is attracted to all the true smells of human nature, for they signal His points of entry into our lives. Don’t hide how you are from Him. He is too sensitive to fool Him. Let God get a whiff of our real lives, and He won’t leave us alone, but help us cope with ourselves, others and the situations we face with a touch of grace.
God tries to sniff us out as well. He isn’t content waiting for us to find Him. God searches for us using whatever aroma our lives are giving off at the time. Maybe we are happy and carefree. Maybe we are sad and distressed. Maybe we are losing hope and despairing, or maybe we are in top form, strong, successful and energetic about whatever the moment holds for us. God can sense it all and use it to connect with us. We know this from the scriptures, especially the psalms, where every human sentiment finds its way into prayer. We don’t have to be a certain way to be with God. God takes us however we are and loves us without conditions. He is not afraid of our anger or overly impressed with our pride. He wants to share our joy, but our sorrow as well. God is not put off by our fickle human dispositions or the foibles of our personalities. God cares only about one thing—us—however we present ourselves at the moment. And He won’t stop sniffing for us, until He finds where we are.
When we approach God, we don’t need to camouflage our lives to smell pleasant and acceptable. No deodorants can mask how we are when we face God. He smells through our cover-ups. We can only offer ourselves as we are, honestly and without pretensions. This is what we have to present to God because, after all, He made us this way. God didn’t make us robots with programmed features to deal with what life delivers in a Stoic, mechanical response. God made us flesh and blood human beings who engage life on many terms at once, and who sometimes appear confused and volatile towards it all. These are the creatures God loves, and His love makes this smelly mess of genuine humanity beautiful.
Baxter gets excited when he catches the trace of an attractive aroma. He pursues it until he either finds its source or loses the scent. God is attracted to all the true smells of human nature, for they signal His points of entry into our lives. Don’t hide how you are from Him. He is too sensitive to fool Him. Let God get a whiff of our real lives, and He won’t leave us alone, but help us cope with ourselves, others and the situations we face with a touch of grace.
Thursday, May 1, 2014
BEING MISSED
When I am away from home for an extended period of time, Baxter misses me. I know this because of the way he waits for my return. When I pull my car into the garage, turn off the engine and lower the garage door, the next thing I hear are the plaintiff meows from the other side of the kitchen door that leads into the house from the garage. I call out Baxter’s name and tell him through the door that I am home. But the mournful meows aren’t satisfied. Until I open the door and find him sprawled on the floor ready for a belly scratch, he keeps up the racket. His message is a mixed one; part scorn at my leaving him, and part melancholy from missing me. Whoever thinks that cats are unattached, independent and unfeeling creatures simply don’t know Baxter and his kind. Even with all the comforts of food and water, a safe and warm shelter, windows to look out, and soft spots to lie, Baxter needs company to be happy and content.
God does too. When from His loving freedom God created us, He committed Himself to a relationship that became part of His life. I know that is hard to believe, but it is true. And to seal this relationship and show how true to it God will be, He sent His only Son to become one with us and save us. This bond was costly, for Jesus died to save us from sin and death. But no matter the price, God would pay it, not grudgingly but freely and generously, like a loving parent would do anything possible to save his or her child’s life. God saved us in Jesus for eternal life, for life with Him forever. No one is left out of this divine embrace. God wants each and every human being to share His life without end. He goes out of His way like the Good Samaritan or the Father of the Prodigal Son to bring us into the circle of His life and love. And He never quits trying to get us back home to His Kingdom where we belong. Even from the cross, Jesus saved the good thief and reached out to Mary, His Mother, and the beloved disciple to unite them in His love.
But we are often the problem here. On the one hand, we may try to convince ourselves that we don’t matter in the big picture of God’s salvation of the world. How could He care about little, insignificant me? How could He not? We are each made in the divine image with a unique part to play in the drama of salvation. No one can take another’s place, just as no child can replace another child in a family. We are each important to the Father of us all. On the other hand, we may allow our guilt at being away to prevent us from coming back home. We get down on ourselves for our past negligence, our carelessness, our selfishness, our sin, so that we can’t stand to hear the divine cry, “I miss you!” Forgiveness and healing are God’s response to our waywardness. Not just our salvation, but God’s happiness is at stake in all this. Recall the scripture passage, “there is more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.”
I will let you in on a little secret. It is not just Baxter who misses me when I am away. I miss Baxter. That is how it works when we are connected in life. Likewise, I bet that deep down we miss God when we are away from His ways for a while. Creator and creature are both melancholy when apart for too long. The door is open. Walk in and greet your God Who is ready to embrace you. There’s nothing as great as a personal reunion after a long time away.
God does too. When from His loving freedom God created us, He committed Himself to a relationship that became part of His life. I know that is hard to believe, but it is true. And to seal this relationship and show how true to it God will be, He sent His only Son to become one with us and save us. This bond was costly, for Jesus died to save us from sin and death. But no matter the price, God would pay it, not grudgingly but freely and generously, like a loving parent would do anything possible to save his or her child’s life. God saved us in Jesus for eternal life, for life with Him forever. No one is left out of this divine embrace. God wants each and every human being to share His life without end. He goes out of His way like the Good Samaritan or the Father of the Prodigal Son to bring us into the circle of His life and love. And He never quits trying to get us back home to His Kingdom where we belong. Even from the cross, Jesus saved the good thief and reached out to Mary, His Mother, and the beloved disciple to unite them in His love.
But we are often the problem here. On the one hand, we may try to convince ourselves that we don’t matter in the big picture of God’s salvation of the world. How could He care about little, insignificant me? How could He not? We are each made in the divine image with a unique part to play in the drama of salvation. No one can take another’s place, just as no child can replace another child in a family. We are each important to the Father of us all. On the other hand, we may allow our guilt at being away to prevent us from coming back home. We get down on ourselves for our past negligence, our carelessness, our selfishness, our sin, so that we can’t stand to hear the divine cry, “I miss you!” Forgiveness and healing are God’s response to our waywardness. Not just our salvation, but God’s happiness is at stake in all this. Recall the scripture passage, “there is more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.”
I will let you in on a little secret. It is not just Baxter who misses me when I am away. I miss Baxter. That is how it works when we are connected in life. Likewise, I bet that deep down we miss God when we are away from His ways for a while. Creator and creature are both melancholy when apart for too long. The door is open. Walk in and greet your God Who is ready to embrace you. There’s nothing as great as a personal reunion after a long time away.
Thursday, April 24, 2014
CONFUSED
Baxter is confused. Although he has begun his spring time shedding to thin out his fur, he can’t figure out the season. Some days it is sunny, warm and beautiful outside. He sits on the sill with the window wide open and enjoys the sights and sounds of life bursting forth in the yard. At other times, the windows are shut; the sky is gray; rain mixed with snow is falling; it looks like November 30th rather than April 30th. What is happening? Is this global warming, divine retribution or just the usual quirks of weather in Southwestern Pennsylvania? One day, Baxter is lying on his soft blanket all huddled in a ball to keep warm, and the next day, he is sprawled out on the kitchen tile hoping to cool off. He can’t be sure of what to expect from one day to the next.
We sometimes feel the same way, don’t we? Life gets full of uncertainty. What is going to happen to my job, my kids, my health, our peaceful world? While everyone complains about the weather, the climate of our lives raises larger and more profound concerns. We begin to live with worries. We think about the losses, pains and struggles that could happen, and we get anxious and preoccupied with possible disasters. After all, we have witnessed the violence of a mass school stabbing, of drug deaths, of unemployment, of terrorism and lifethreatening diagnoses in our backyards. What is next? How will we handle another disaster close to home? Will we be up to the challenge?
We need to take a deep breath, not just of air but of the Spirit of the Risen Lord. When Jesus appeared to His disciples after His resurrection, the breath of His Spirit brought two messages, fear not and peace. In the face of the list of disasters we named, these messages may seem naive and weak, but we need to think again. What do fear-mongering and rabble-rousing lend to solving the threats we face? Nothing. They confuse our thinking, cloud our judgment, and pit us against each other. The Spirit calls for clear and reasonable approaches, right judgment and unity in the Body of Christ. These are only possible if we rely upon a power that penetrates the crust of confusion our fears generate. This is the Spirit.
The peace of the Spirit is not a settled, comfort zone where nothing ever goes wrong. The peace the Risen Christ bestows is a deep sense of confidence in God working through us. It doesn’t guarantee to meet our expectations by regulating life according to our plan. It doesn’t assure that nothing bad or difficult or tragic will ever happen. It calls us to change course at times, to include new faces in our circle, to compromise what we want for what is best for the common good. These are the weapons of the Spirit that build a new understanding of God’s ways and our ways with God. Armed with this power of grace, we can face the disasters life brings without being overwhelmed or becoming cynical about the possibilities for a better world. Once we are touched by the peace of the Risen Lord, we can’t stop trying to conquer sin and death in whatever way we discover works.
So don’t worry if you are confused at times. The world can become a confusing place. Even Baxter will vouch for that. But get beyond your confusion with the help God offers in the Spirit who conquered the world. He will show us a new way, a better way, a way not yet imagined, but one leading us from confusion to wisdom, and from wisdom to peace.
We sometimes feel the same way, don’t we? Life gets full of uncertainty. What is going to happen to my job, my kids, my health, our peaceful world? While everyone complains about the weather, the climate of our lives raises larger and more profound concerns. We begin to live with worries. We think about the losses, pains and struggles that could happen, and we get anxious and preoccupied with possible disasters. After all, we have witnessed the violence of a mass school stabbing, of drug deaths, of unemployment, of terrorism and lifethreatening diagnoses in our backyards. What is next? How will we handle another disaster close to home? Will we be up to the challenge?
We need to take a deep breath, not just of air but of the Spirit of the Risen Lord. When Jesus appeared to His disciples after His resurrection, the breath of His Spirit brought two messages, fear not and peace. In the face of the list of disasters we named, these messages may seem naive and weak, but we need to think again. What do fear-mongering and rabble-rousing lend to solving the threats we face? Nothing. They confuse our thinking, cloud our judgment, and pit us against each other. The Spirit calls for clear and reasonable approaches, right judgment and unity in the Body of Christ. These are only possible if we rely upon a power that penetrates the crust of confusion our fears generate. This is the Spirit.
The peace of the Spirit is not a settled, comfort zone where nothing ever goes wrong. The peace the Risen Christ bestows is a deep sense of confidence in God working through us. It doesn’t guarantee to meet our expectations by regulating life according to our plan. It doesn’t assure that nothing bad or difficult or tragic will ever happen. It calls us to change course at times, to include new faces in our circle, to compromise what we want for what is best for the common good. These are the weapons of the Spirit that build a new understanding of God’s ways and our ways with God. Armed with this power of grace, we can face the disasters life brings without being overwhelmed or becoming cynical about the possibilities for a better world. Once we are touched by the peace of the Risen Lord, we can’t stop trying to conquer sin and death in whatever way we discover works.
So don’t worry if you are confused at times. The world can become a confusing place. Even Baxter will vouch for that. But get beyond your confusion with the help God offers in the Spirit who conquered the world. He will show us a new way, a better way, a way not yet imagined, but one leading us from confusion to wisdom, and from wisdom to peace.
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