TRYING TO COPE WITH CHRISTIAN HANDS

 

Christianity is not lived in our church buildings. Our faith is celebrated, strengthened, taught and nourished inside of church buildings. Our Christian faith is lived out in the world: in our families, our places of work, our civic community and among the poor who live right around us. 

Ours is a very worldly faith. 

 

When Christian people turn too much inward, you know you are in decline. There is a strong danger today when so many serious issues confront our Christian faith to retreat into the security of our church buildings. We feel safe inside the structures of our religion and threatened when we are sent into the world. And the world can be downright hostile towards people with a religious faith.

 

At its best, our Christian faith empowers us to embrace the sinful world and bring it hope and a new vision for life on this planet. Maybe the majority of the people who identify as Chriistiain are not even aware of the power that our Christian faith gives us. Too many of them think that religion is all about “dos and don’ts”; how narrow!

 

In a society that struggles with valuing human life, we are challenged to value and celebrate the life of every single individual on this planet. Every human life is of great value of itself. We must value any human life in terms of its productivity. Human life is sacred by the very fact that this particular human life exits. 

 

As humanity tries to come to terms with global warming and the threat to survival of all life forms on this planet, we are being challenged to recapture (which we have lost over the past five centuries) the value of everything and every life form on this planet. Caring for the earth and human society is an essential part of our Christian faith. We are trying to recover the sacredness of the earth that we lost. The average Christian has only a vague sense of what our Catholic social teaching actually offers us. 

 

And then there is the respect that we must reclaim as women reclaim their power ‘that you will no longer hurt or exploit us.’ This is such a profound issue of justice that must be implemented in all societies. This is not a North American phenomenon. Practicing justice and respect is such a strong part of our Christian faith.  

 

As oppressed minorities, First Nations peoples throughout the world and nations that were founded on slavery, claim their history, we Christian people are challenged to walk with them in solidarity and to allow the power of repentance sink into our national and personal history. We want to enter into the healing season of reconciliation with all who have been oppressed.

 

Our prayer does not direct us to run and hide from the troubles of this world in a secure church building. Rather, the teachings of Jesus empower and enable us to embrace the brokenness of the world. Our faith and the teachings of the Church open our vision to the struggles of peoples and the world. This is an empowering religion.

The ritual at the end of each Sunday Eucharist sums it all up well. Go forth, into the world, and bring the love and mercy of God to all you meet. May this worship be like planting a tree: it may start small but it will grow into a mighty tree. 

 

Jesus trusts in us. Jesus sends us forth into the world.

 

 

 

 

THE SCRIPTURES: WE ARE STILL WAITING

 

It is almost sixty years since the Vatican Council launched the Church into renewal. We need to reflect what has taken hold in the life of Church and what has not.

 

One of the questions that I ask is, ‘why has the Scriptures (the Bible) not gripped the imagination and prayer life of the Church as it was hoped at the Vatican Council?”

 

We are a people of revelation. The Word of God is the gift of divine life to lead and support the life and ministry of the Church. Somehow it should demand more energy from the Church than it actually does.

 

The answer to my question is found in the actual prayer life of the people of the Church. For four and a half centuries the prayers of the Sunday worship were completely dominated by the priest and were spoken in a foreign language. The people adapted by their own personal prayer devotions, primarily the rosary. The laity lead a very vibrant prayer life that was parallel to the Sunday Mass. 

 

If you compare this to huge hill, the introduction of the Scriptures as our source of prayer and liturgy had an uphill battle. The mountain of personal prayer and devotion was just too big. No one had to change or adapt to the introduction of the Scriptures into our prayer life. We already had sufficient tools to nourish our spiritual life.

 

To picture this in a biblical image: Moses was sent to move the mountain, but the mountain wouldn’t move!

 

What was hoped for was the proclamation of the Word of God at the Sunday Mass and the people of the Church would pray, sing, wrestle with and be nourished by the Good News of the Gospels each Sunday. It was meant to be a nourishing moment for the people of the Church.

 

Unfortunately, so little of this happened. If you ask the Catholic in the pew, many would say that “I get something out of the gospel reading but the rest just washes over me.”

 

Learning the story of the Bible, using the words of the Gospel in our daily prayers was not part of the religious upbringing of the majority of Catholics. We must continue to work hard to educated and help all our people become comfortable with using the texts of the Bible in their daily prayer.

 

The three year cycle of readings has been a gift to all of Christianity. The goal is to have the entire Church work through the entire Bible every three years. In the three year cycle of readings we have read the entire New Testament and the significant parts of the Old Testament.

 

There is much work to be done. We have only begun to scratch the surface of becoming a Church of the Bible, a people of the Word of God.

 

 

 

CHARTING OUR FAITH ON NEW PATHS

 

  

 

To honestly live our Christian faith today is to be a pilgrim in the true sense of the word. We know that our final destination is God. The journey is uncertain; there are many doubts , hesitations and mistakes. This is a hard time. 

 

As a pilgrim, there are times when we only have hope that God is with us and that we are on the correct path. These are tumultuous times. We feel so often that we are like the Hebrew slaves that Moses lead out of Egypt. We have only God to lead us: a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night!

 

There are so many serious issues that confront us. There will be many people in our Church who just turn their backs on the big issues of the day and retreat into the safety of a ‘private spirituality.’ This is a fearful but dishonest response.

 

Be honest with yourself. You cannot deal with all the issues. There are many times when you feel that you are trying to get a drink of water out of fire hose! Too much water! Too much pressure!

 

In each of the issues, look for God. What is the Spirit of God trying to teach us? Lead us? Support us? Look for God in the mess of life.

 

The atmosphere is warming up. Will humanity survive? And we know the cause of  grobal warming?? How is the Spirit of God leading us back to value all living creatures, the earth itself as connected to human well-being? What are the values and teachings that our Catholic tradition brings us? What tools, what spirituality does our Catholic experience provide us?  

Does the average parishioner even know about the teachings of the encyclical (2015) Laudato si? 

 

The question of the survival of the earth (and every living creature within) should be a burning issue for the Christian believer. Where is God leading us on this question?

 

All the peoples of the first world (one fifth of the world’s population) must come to grips with their colonial past. In all countries that the Europeans moved into there was the mistreatment of the original populations. Everywhere aboriginal peoples have been treated very badly. Then there are the three hundred years of slavery to the Americas. Canada also has a touch of the slave history. What is God trying to teach us with this dark and violent history?

 

Daily in the media we are bombarded with stories of violence against women. This hits very close to home. What insights and action plans does God want to give us in the face of this violence?

 

God fills the earth and every part of it.  Our task is to be alert for the movements of the Spirit of God in all these difficult questions. How is the Spirit of God acting to be our light? Our strength in these storms?

 

 

JANUARY 1: A TIME TO SAVOUR MY LIFE

    

It is a new year!  Where did the old one fly to? What happened that it went by so fast?

 

Today, claim the gift of reflection. Look back over the past twelve months and take ownership of all the blessings and insights that you have received.

 

One mother complained to her friend about the noise her teen age kids make. She finds herself irritated at their volume in the house.

 

Her older friend, who had lost her nineteen year old in a truck accident some years previously, cautiously added to the conversation. “I just wish I could hear the music blaring out of the basement!”

 

A week ago, it was bitterly cold on the prairies. Take a moment to appreciate that the electricity worked so well. The furnace ran smoothly, the computer was charged up and every light in the house worked.  What a daily blessing when you place it beside the disaster life would be if the electricity failed for several days during this cold snap.

 

Your health is very good. The last time you visited your doctor you were told, “Whatever you are doing, keep doing it!” How wonderful to have limbs that function,  a memory that woks and eyes and ears to perceive the world. It all works! Can you be any luckier?

 

Soon it will be tax season. How wonderful that you are self-sufficient and can pay taxes to support the common good of the country. When some people complain I always tell them that it is wonderful that I can pay my taxes so that your granddaughters can go to school.  Even though we all grumble, how great it is to be able to take responsibility for the common good of our country.

 

Take each friend, who supports you, puts up with your many weaknesses and quirks, but still loves you. Every friend is true wealth. 

 

Take each member of your family; your spouse, each of your children and their spouses, each one of your grandchildren and savour the blessing that they are to your life. How impoverished your life would be without them? 

 

If you practice a religious faith, take the great concern that the Father-God has for your life. Get in touch with the concern and mission that he has given you. Your life has deep meaning and purpose. You are given the mission to extend and make real the very love and compassion of God in your daily surroundings.

 

We need to spend time savouring each blessing, taking ownership of each moment of goodness in the past twelve months. Time may have slipped by very quickly, but the blessings are in abundance.

 

Enjoy the reflection. Burst into song in gratitude. 

 

Can you think of a better way to enter into the New Year, 2023?

ENTER THE CHRISTMAS STORY

 

In one of the large malls the management has set up a walk-in Christmas manger scene. There are costumes that people can dress up and take selfies. The invitation is given, “Be one of the figures in the Christmas story that you were never asked to be when you were a kid.”

 

People love it. They put on the costumes and take plenty of selfies. It all is a lot of fun.

 

But we want to see the possible deeper meaning of this ‘selfie project.’

 

It has long been a practice in our spiritual lives to use our imagination and enter into the events and parables of Jesus’ life. Do not just tell the story of the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem. Imagine yourself as one of the characters in the story.

 

Now, do this for yourself.

 

Imagine yourself as Mary. Frightened at the birth of her child while travelling. Poor and vulnerable, feel the longing in her heart for support and protection. Imagine yourself as the new mother who sees her crying child for the very first moments of their encounter. As you are with Mary, what do you feel? What joy is there in your heart? What fears and questions do you have?

 

Stand now in the shoes of Joseph.  He is a very honest and upright man. What fears are there in his heart? How will he protect and support Mary and this new born babe? Where will they get enough food to eat along this journey? What resentments are in his soul over the oppressive demands of the Roman oppressors who have forced them to travel to Bethlehem for taxation purposes? What angers are there in this scene?

 

Now, get into the skins of the unruly day workers, the men who look after rich men’s sheep. They are survivors and they know that the religious elite look down on them as the unwashed. They are the people on the lower ladder of society. But God sent his angels to announce them the earth-shattering news that the Son of God has come among human life. ‘We are the people who do not count, and now we are the first to receive the Good News from almighty God?”

 

Now, be the manger in the Bethlehem story. A manager is a feed trough for animals. Mary and Joseph are so poor that the only place they can place this new born to sleep is in a feeding trough. In your imagination be the feeding trough; hold the new born. Hold the very Son of God. Hold the life and presence of God close to your very skin. Hold the Son of God skin-to -kin.

 

Now, jump back to the story at the top of this article. Try to picture yourself getting all dressed up as one of the Bethlehem characters. Take your picture. Compare the character you have got into with these costumes with your friends. What are you feeling? Thinking? How is this putting you into touch with the workings of God at Bethlehem?

What may have been a fun add-on to the Christmas shopping can also be an excellent time to enter into the mystery of Bethlehem. 

 

May this Christmas give you new insights into the great work of God, here among us. 2022.

 

 

JOSEPH; THE STRUGGLE WITH FAITHFULNESS

 

This fourth Sunday of Advent we are given Joseph. He stands as the hero of this story. He is the husband of Mary and the step-father of Jesus. (Mt. 1, 18-25) We only hear of the angels coming to him in his dreams. We have no spoken words. The last we hear of Joseph is his return from Egypt to settle down in the town of Nazareth. After that he disappears from the story.

 

Joseph is important to us because of his attitude. He is faithful to the message of God. He was an upright man, faithful to the Law and all the rules. God directs him to step outside of the rules. Normally, if a woman was pregnant before the couple came to live together, she could have been punished by stoning. What a cruel and shameful death that would have been.

 

Instead, Joseph struggles with the plans of God. He is to take this pregnant woman and raise the child (not his) with her. Not only that, this child is destined to accomplish great things in his lifetime: He is to save the people from their sins!

 

Enter into the confusion and the struggles of Joseph. He is to act contrary to the teachings he received in his maturing years. He is to act contrary to the Jewish Law. At the heart of his struggles is faithfulness. How does he be faithful to God when the Holy Spirit is leading him in the opposite direction from the Law?

 

We can stand with Joseph. We too struggle with being faithful in some very difficult and confusing situations.

 

We struggle with being faithful to our adult children when they move through  several relationships and have children from one or two different partners. We would like to give up and just walk away but these are my children!

 

We struggle with faithfulness toward our spouse, even when the relationship seems to be drifting apart. We do not give up but try to rebuild on the commitment we made to one another on our marriage day. Faithfulness is not only lived when life is going well, but it is the hard trek through the desert of ‘nothing’ in our relationship.

 

We struggle with being faithful to our aged parent whose dementia has lead them to care in the nursing home. They recognize no one from their past. They cannot communicate. As much as we find it very difficult, faithfulness means just being present for hours, gently holding their hand and quietly telling them memories from the past. Faithfulness can feel very lonely in a nursing home!

 

We struggle with Joseph in being faithful to our fellow human beings. We can only survive and thrive by out interconnectedness and our support of one another. Faithfulness means working together to help each other have medical care, security in our old age and schools for our children to attend. Faithfulness to my fellow human being is the opposite of any type of selfishness.

With Joseph, we want to practice faithfulness toward God. Every moment of our existence comes from the loving concern of our God. We want to work to express our gratitude and praise for the great gift that God has given us: our life at this very moment.

 

Joseph may have not any recorded words. He appears ever so briefly on the stage of Jesus. But today we need this pillar of faithfulness. 

 

Joseph, be with us.

 

 

 

 

FAITH IS RECEIVING FROM GOD

 

When we share the Scriptures at Sunday Mass we are meant to be stimulated by the Spirit of God is actually working among us. The sharing of the Scriptures is meant to be a moment of revelation; a receiving of God’s concern for us. It is meant to be revelation to the entire faith community and a personal revelation for each one of us.

 

During the season of Advent we are drawn to the young woman, Mary. She sets the standards of how God is at work amidst humanity. She is without power. She is illiterate and lives in a country oppressed and heavily taxed by the Roman conquerors.  She is one of the little ones of the earth.

 

God breaks into human life. God asks this humble young woman to be mother. God is asking her to take great risks with her future, her reputation and her economic support for her life. This request is very precarious. This is dangerous.

 

She struggles and she accepts. She trusts that God will accomplish the impossible. She trusts that God will be with her through the entire time of motherhood.

 

Focus on Mary: she accepts!

 

There are many unplanned events in our lives. Our vehicle breaks down. Our older sister develops cancer. We are downsized at work. Our little boy breaks his arm.

 

You pray and beg for help. You need God just to get through this terrible time.

 

Now, be like Mary. What are you receiving from God? And from the people who support you?

 

In your struggles with the strong tensions and confusion, God walks with you in strength. Perhaps at the moment you cannot name this accompaniment, but looking back you see that God was there giving you the strength to continue for another day. 

 

You are struggling with your addiction to alcohol. In moments of severe stress, you beg God for the strength to get through this hour without taking a drink.  God gives you the power to resist alcohol. God strengthens  your strength.

 

You are a teacher and your patience is worn thin by the reluctance of this child to apply themselves to this particular project. You want to give up, but unbeknownst to you, strength is given to keep trying with this child.

 

In all of this, how is God coming into your life, giving you strength to keep going, courage to  look for a brighter day? Where is the Spirit of God when you feel He is so far away at this moment?

 

As we focus on Mary during Advent and how she received from God, focus on your own life to recognize where you have also received from God. Where has God picked you up when you seemed so close to collapse? How has God opened new doors when you felt that tomorrow was shut to your face?

 

This is a season of receiving. It was in receiving that Mary brought forth the very Son of God. Now, where in your life is God working and walking with you? Where are your moments of receiving from God?