A Recording of my Theological Reflection

It's not the best audio, but it conveys the reflection pretty well.  For the text of the reflection, go here.

Louisiana monks thankful for right to sell caskets :: Catholic News Agency (CNA)

Louisiana monks thankful for right to sell caskets :: Catholic News Agency (CNA)

 

"Legacies, Listening, and Letting Go"

[The following is a homily written for my "Intro to Homiletics" class on the readings from the First Sunday of Lent, Year C]

In the United States, we grow up hearing certain axioms by which to conduct our lives.  Here are a few examples:

“I cannot tell a lie.” – George Washington

“A penny saved is a penny earned.” – Benjamin Franklin

These words, and many like them, come to us from the legacy of our nation.  They are sage sayings of the Founding Fathers that encourage us to follow a life guided by a certain morality and sense of responsibility. 

For Christians, There is another saying that has grown in importance especially in our own time.  It is an axiom that has shaped our understanding of who we are and who God is:

“[God] will command his angels to guard you,… lest you dash your foot against a stone.” (Psalm 91:11-12)

The question we ought to ask ourselves is: “Who gives us this guidance in our lives?”  In other words, who do we listen to when we think of God’s providence? 

The readings from the 1st Sunday of Lent give us two options: 

The first is the Psalmist.  The responsorial psalm of the day is Psalm 91, and it is of an unparalleled trust in God’s ability and willingness to rescue us from the snares of sin and destruction.  

 It is where we are given a song of faith in the Lord, Who is our refuge and fortress, our God in Whom we trust. (see Psalm 91:3)

It tells us that God’s love is present to us when we are found in right relation to Him, and that this same love protects us from anything that could harm us.  

The evils and afflictions of this world cannot overcome us; 

the stones of sin and error cannot impede our journey to life everlasting; 

the dangerous and ravenous temptations of Satan are placed under our feet; 

as long as we are found in the shadow of the Almighty, clinging to His strength and His message of salvation.

When we are found in this relation, we want for nothing.  God is with us, how could we?

The second time we witness this saying is in the Gospel for the day, and while it is the same words of the Psalmist that we hear, it is Satan who delivers the words to us.  

After bringing Jesus to the parapet of the temple, metaphorically, the highest point of the Jewish world, He says:

“If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written: “He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you, and: With their hands they will support you, lest you dash your foot against a stone.” (Luke 4:9-11)

This passage has always sent shivers down my spine.  It shows the cunning of the Enemy we face.  

Satan is a Bible scholar!  

He is able to produce elements of Sacred Scripture at a whim to meet his needs, and use them in a coherent fashion. 

And, think about it, he has a point.  I mean, if Jesus is the Son of God, then he has the power to do whatever he wills. 

He can turn stones to bread;

He can call upon the myriads of angels, and they would present themselves for service. 

So why not do it?  Why not show Satan who the boss is here?

But instead of the answer we want to hear, we are left to wonder. 

We look around us, and evil still exists;

afflictions overwhelm us at every turn;

sin and error are like a bad cough that we can’t seem to shake;

and the lions and vipers of temptation are lake waves breaking upon the beach of our miserable lives,

incessant and merciless. 

We need only look at the suffering we witness in those of around us who have been met with seemingly unimaginable hardship to see that our stones are still stones.  Indeed, they have replaced our hearts...

So, is this it?  How can we bring ourselves to trust a God who doesn’t seem to know how to answer us?  Or, at least, how we want Him to answer…  

And that’s the point; We have to let go.

As our new Holy Father, Pope Francis is quoted to have said as archbishop of Buenos Aires:

 

“To those who are now promising to fix all your problems, I say, ‘Go and fix yourself.’ . . . Have a change of heart.”

If we can somehow allow ourselves to be carried by God to that place of trust, where there is an assurance of things hoped for, (Hebrew 11:1) we will see that Christ answers it all, just not in the way we’d expect. 

Because Christ clung to the refuge and fortress of Almighty God, his will was accomplished because his Father’s will was accomplished. 

The evils and afflictions of this world he overcame by living with us, suffering with us, and dying for us.

The stones of sin and error did not impede him because he transformed them into the Bread of Life by embracing them in his Passion.  

The ravenous onslaught of evil was drowned underneath the Cross by His own blood. 

This is trust, my friends, but more importantly, this is love!

Don’t you see? Love is our legacy!  Christ has given us an example to follow that surpasses the power of evil in our lives, and it is love! 

It is a conviction of the heart that, as St. Paul tells us in his letter to the Romans, justifies us and saves us (Rom. 10:10) because it transforms us by bringing us into a communion with one another that defies distinctions and barriers! 

According to our modern mentalities, it is an irrational, even irresponsible love, because it is selfless; it is generous to the point of exhaustion, even death.  

This is WHO our God is, and this is who we, as members of His Body and His Bride, are called to be as well.

“[God] will command his angels to guard you,… lest you dash your foot against a stone.”

Who is it, my friends, giving us this guidance in our lives? 

Is it He Who wishes to deliver us from distress and glorify us (Psalm 91:15)? 

Or is it the one who wishes to destroy any hope of our fulfillment?  

We have a choice here; pray that we choose the better part.

 

 Amen.

 

Pope Francis

"EXTRA OMNES"

... and so now we pray.

Today marks the beginning of the conclave to elect the next supreme pontiff.  May all of the cardinal electors be in our thoughts and prayers.  Here is a list of those cardinal electors from the United States:

Now, in the words of Papal Master of Ceremonies:  "Outside all of you!!" 

Frowning and Forgiveness

The following is a short reflection I gave in my homiletics class:

Today’s Gospel reminded me of a story of when I was growing up.  I remember one of my friends telling me that if you frown 100 times, you will create a new wrinkle.  So, what did I do?  I went to go try it out. 

I climbed up on the bathroom counter and sat in front of the mirror, and I frowned, and frowned, and frowned. 

I got up to 70 frowns when I mom called me to get ready for supper.  When supper was over, I decided to try again, but it was pointless.  By the 20^th frown, I just gave up… I had better things to do than sit in front of a mirror and frown; ya know, like playing with my batman action figures or pestering my older brother.

As I prepared for this reflection today, my frowning episode helped me understand the approach I’ve had to forgiveness in my life.  The Book of Matthew presents us with the infamous question that every person having a grudge wants answered: “How often must I forgive?” (Mt. 18:21)   St. Peter sets the bar at 7 times, but in my heart of hearts, I always thought that just wasn’t enough…

Our Gospel reading today says that “Jesus answered, ‘I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times.’”(Mt. 18:22)  Now, I grew up in the Church of Christ, and I learned this passage from the King James Version of the text, where the number of times one forgives is not 77, but “70 times 7.” which comes out to 490. 

Thank God for Catholic translations! 

I can do 77 times.  I’ll just keep a tally of the times someone has ticked me off, and when they get to that ripe number of 77,

<< as is sure to happen rather quickly >>

I will, with righteous anger cast them from my presence into the pit of my passive aggressive grudge-holding.

Only it’s never really worked that way… 

Even when I intended to keep a “tally of wrongs” for someone (usually with my brother), I came to the realization rather quickly that if I were truthful in my forgiveness, I would grow in my relationship with the other person.  Then it would become clear to me:

<< God is not giving me a “tally board,” He’s giving me a chance to love; to learn to love as He does. >>

This has made me think of the times here on the hill when I have held a grudge; when I have avoided others, felt annoyed at their presence, and harbored ill-will toward them when I should have seen them as my brother.   

<< In the end, I realized that they may not be the ones who need forgiveness. >>

 It is fortunate then, my brothers, that we are blessed to witness true forgiveness everyday on the altar.

 It is there that God gives us a perfect example of how to forgive in the Passion of our Lord. 

 It is there that we see the tally of our own wrongs crucified in God’s loving redemption. 

 It is there that we realize how foolish we have been to sit in front of the mirror of our sins reflected upon others. 

 And it is there we see that we are called to better things, ya know, 

 like being saints.

Adopt a Cardinal

Something that is begining to gain steam on the blogosphere and Facebook: http://www.adoptacardinal.org/

When you use this website, it will give you a name of one of the cardinals that will be involved in the conclave for the next pope.  Let's pray for the Church people!