Communion with the Father

"Offer a blessing rather than a curse."  I have used that line several times, in regards to gossip or even sarcasm.  I have to remind myself of this directive when I feel sort of nasty or mean spirited.  In the Gospel today the people around Jesus begin to murmur at what is being discussed.  Anyone who has ever been in a parish knows what this is like.  Of course the topic moves from the "Bread of Life," to "We know your parents."

It is interesting that the word we use for the Eucharist, 'Communion,' also means being together, and having a commonality.  To be sure a way that we reach that communion is through conversation and words which build up, as well as draw peoples together.  From the very beginning of scripture we can recognize the life giving quality of the Father's Word.  And the Word made flesh lives among us to bring us to the newness of life. Right before receiving communion at Mass we pray that Jesus 'only say the word and we will be healed.'

In our culture today we do not always use good and life-giving words, or strive for communion with each other.  We are quick to verbally assail each other.  But just as Jesus' words give life, and he who is the Word of God, becomes bread of Life, our challenge is to use good words and to speak the truth.  To be in communion with God and others we have to use a language of 'holy' and life-giving words.  Even St. Paul speaks about the importance of admonishing one another with charity.

When I was in high school my office had an entrance into the main hallway, which meant I could hear many of the conversations of the students.  The back-stabbing, nastiness, and vulgarity, was distressing.  I would often call to mind that these young people received the Eucharist with those same mouths.  Perhaps this is way St. Paul was so adamant about acting like a Eucharistic people outside of the place of prayer and worship.  Our words should imitate the one we receive in building up each others character, offering comfort, and speaking the truth.

We have to be careful to stay away from murmuring crowds and join those whose nature is life giving - like the Eucharist we have received.  That way we know we are close to the Father in heaven.

I am the Bread of Life

The Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation, as found in the documents of Vatican II, teaches us that revelation does not come from dogma but rather from the person of Jesus Christ.  Jesus is an icon of God the Father, and what we understand of God we do so because we have encountered Jesus Christ.  John's Gospel plainly reminds us that we cannot come to know God the Father, except through Jesus Christ.  Jesus after all is the Word of God made flesh.

It is amusing in today's Gospel to witness the hearers of Jesus ask for a sign.  They had just witnessed 5,000 people fed from five loaves of bread, and a few fish.  And yet they seem to look right through Jesus and expect something more.  Even in our churches today though, people are forgiven, lives that are challenged are changed, the naked are clothed, the hungry are fed, and those in the midst of anguish are consoled, yet people complain that the Church is boring and that they do not get anything out of Church.  Jesus comes into bread and wine, and some folks want a laser and sound show.

To recognize Jesus means that we have to recognize our own hungers and pains.  It can be difficult to admit that we are in need, or to talk about we are really hungry for.  So if we ask for more signs we can move away from the real issues and concerns of our life, and the world around us.  St. John tries to move us away from false religiosity, and towards conversion and discipleship.  Recall the story of the man born blind whereas the witnesses were so busy in trying to determine the man's identity, that they totally miss the event of this man's healing.

If  the Eucharist we receive is Jesus then we have to re-examine how we receive Communion, and what we do after we leave Church.  St. Paul is quite a stickler about responding to the Eucharist through faithful lives. Even more so today we cannot have an experience of Jesus and fail to grasp the meaning.  I recent years we have allowed ourselves to be concerned about matters that do not make a difference in real life.  Just as Jesus becomes a sign of the Father in heaven. as individuals, and as a Church, we need to reflect Jesus the Christ.

The potter and the clay

The Sisters of Charity, in Nazareth, Ky, have a long and fruitful history in central Kentucky, and the surrounding area.  They have been primarily teachers, but have served in a variety of ministries which have served the needs of men and women, in an region known for its poverty.  One of my favorite stories about this group is from the civil war.  During this time the Sisters provided medical care and respite to both, the northern and southern soldiers.  The color of their uniforms was the least important aspect of providing care.

This action put the Sisters at great risk, from both sides of the fighting.  But they believed they had a higher calling.  Jeremiah today is offered the image of the potter.  When the clay vessel did not turn out quite well, the potter reformed the clay and started over again.  Of course for us the image is that we are the clay in the hands of our God the potter.  When we can accept that and recognize that fact, we not only are able to take on the form that God wants from us, but are then filled with every good thing.

The people of Jeremiah's time had come to see their religion as a social entity.  Like membership in a country-club, or some prestigious group,  religion had become a 'meet and greet' experience.  And most distressing was that there was nothing about faith contained herein.  Jeremiah is sent to reintroduce peoples to the word of God.

Once in a while we meet people, like these Sisters, who can appreciate that they are formed by the hands of God.  Their work, ministry, praise, and thanksgiving are done so on the foundation of a loving and merciful God.  Last weekend I was with a group of Marriage Encounter families, at a camping weekend.  In family life they appreciate the image of starting over, never giving up, and reforming the vessel.  Just as God does with us, they have witnessed this re-formation in family life.

So we allow ourselves to be the clay in the hands of God.  When we become hardened, or pick up too much debris from around us, we cannot take on His image and likeness.  So we are to be workable and open to the molding of God.  He is the potter we are the clay.

Ignatius of Loyola

Today we honor a great scholar and theologian of our Church, the founder of the Jesuits, Ignatius was sent to spread the Gospel message in whatever ways possible.  The Spiritual Exercises are classic, and of great value to our Church and our culture today.  The Jesuits have always been on the "cutting edge" of theology, which is perhaps why they are always held in suspicion.

When I was in seminary, we had a weekly seminar in which we would discuss our week's classes, in relationship to some theme, or issue in the Church.  Of course the more we learned, and discovered how to pray and reflect, the better the sessions were.  These gatherings helped us to remain focused in our study, as well as our potential ministry as priests.  The ability to 'theologize,' ponder, and reflect are vastly important for our growth as faithful people.  We might believe that we do not have time, but we have to make the time to do theology and the work of faith.

Not only do the saints and holy men and women have this outstanding spiritual life, but simply review the persons we meet in sacred scripture, who ponder the Word of God, wrestle with divinity, and stand in the presence of God.  These persons too are doing theology as they go about searching for meaning and purpose, in addition working for justice and peace.  They are struggling with some of the very same issues which we do today.

The Church shows us how important it is to ask questions, and seek the integrity and dignity, of our brothers and sisters.  It really is a sign of faith to seek for truth and to uncover the God who lives in our midst.

They regarded him as a Prophet

The Apostles had returned to Jesus all fired up about what the healing, proclamation of the Gospel message, and the expulsion of demons, so they were both inspired as well as tired.  Jesus tries to have them go away to rest, but when they get to their place of respite, Jesus sees that they are like sheep without a shepherd, and he begins to teach them.  So this brings us to today, and the people are physically hungry.

And of course we know the rest of the story whereas Jesus multiplies loaves and fishes, and gives the people more than they can eat.  Perhaps some of us of a mature age can remember how the Sunday chicken or roast, lasted well into Tuesday.  Our parents made sure that we had enough to eat, clean clothes, and a place to sleep.  Dads and moms knew that sometimes we were like sheep without a shepherd.  Even more so that same table where we received our nourishment was a place of teaching, consolation, and even admonishment.

Jesus it seems is trying to teach the apostles something about taking responsibility for those that they serve.  What seems to be a crisis, we only have a few loaves of bread, and some fish, becomes an opportunity to put faith into action.  With Jesus at our side, how can I feed and care for the hungry and afflicted?  This becomes a faith response.  At the end of Mass we are challenged to go and proclaim the Gospel.  And to paraphrase St. Francis of Assisi, we would use words if we absolutely had to.

St. Paul today speaks about approaching each other with humility, patience, and gentleness.  Certainly we can learn these virtues at the family dining table, but our faith communities learn this at the Eucharistic table when we gather together to worship.  When we learn early on how to act as a family, committed to our faith, the sheep without a shepherd is no longer a scary sight.  In fact it is our springboard into the world to begin to unfold the mystery of God's love.

People who come into our home can hear and see all the good things of the Lord, because we are blessed in abundance, and have learned to make abundant what we have been given.  Our faith is not just what we do in Church, but only begins there, and extends itself out into the lives of others.

A Christian Nation?

I had begun reading a book on the history of Christmas.  I thought, why wait until the last minute?  In the Church it was a relatively minor feast, but in the last few centuries it has taken on great importance.  In the 17th through 19th centuries it was a grand festival which lasted for three days.  A lot of eating and drinking was done at that time.  What becomes obvious is that this celebration had less to do with the Incarnation, and became more about the social frivolities.  It would be a stretch to say that these people had any devotion to the theological mystery surrounding Christmas.

In recent years we have reminded ourselves that our nation was founded on religious precepts, and that those who came to this new land did so for the freedom to practice religion, without fear of persecution.  While it is true we want moral and ethical leaders, we do not expect them to be religious leaders.  But we should expect those who profess some sort of faith to be religious in their demeanor and response to the world and all that it offers.

In recent weeks we have witnessed several situations which are presented to us as a controversy, and a response from those, who might describe themselves as religious, or spiritual, being less than compassionate and understanding.  The new word of today seems to be, "tolerance."  And yet the response of so many towards opposing views would seem to be intolerance.  We decry oppression, injustice, hate, and anger, up until that time we disagree on various issues.  Then we begin to close off any understanding.

I often tell this story of this freshman student, who stated in my class, that people should be allowed to do whatever they wanted to.  There should be no rules or directions, ie moral norms.  But when I suggested that I could hit her upside the head with a meter-stick, she became a bit defensive.  Whether she understood it or not, she began to express the basics of natural law.  This reminds me that as a culture we have forgotten to deal with truth.  Truth is not a relative issue, some might think otherwise; there are rights and wrongs, bads and goods.  Humanity is created with dignity and integrity that cannot be removed nor should be violated.

As a 'Christian nation' we have to do theology.  Unless I practice my faith, it is about as useful as my Red Cross CPR certification card.  We spend a lot of time sitting on it.  Faith is brought into the public sphere and informs and guides our decisions, especially those dealing with life and death, and care of the anawim.  In any issue we have to discover the truths that are being conveyed or challenged.  It is dangerous to let our minds and hearts be led by sound-bytes.

Our Baptism calls us to something more.  The lifestyle we live has to be counter-cultural.  If we seek to keep everyone happy, or simply follow the herd, we are being unfaithful to our religious beliefs.  Everyday we have to make a profession of faith.

Can you Drink From the Cup?

On this feast of St. James the Office of Readings has us read from a homily by St. John Chrysostom.  St. John takes apart today's reading from St. Mark.  James and John are looking for some sort of reward or recognition for their work as followers of Jesus.  The response of Jesus is to respond that the only "rewards" program that he offers is the cross.  But by accepting the cross, and living daily with the reality of the cross, men and women will experience eternal life.

The disciples will eventually begin to realize this.  Even St. Paul speaks about the imperishable crown that he works for, which exists in the Kingdom of Heaven.  True disciples accept that the goal of their work is not the honors and rewards that are bestowed on us here in this sphere, but the unfolding of the divine values and purpose which, though sometimes unobservable,  give meaning and purpose to the human person.  Consider the times when we have gone out of our way, or acted selflessly, knowing that we would not be thanked, but understanding that we had enabled another to experience some good thing.  Husbands, wives, and parents do this all of the time.

The discipleship that Mark speaks about so often is that we do a good thing because it is a good thing to do.  I remember at one parish where someone had donated some statuary to the parish.  From that point on he would complain to the Pastor as to how "his" statues were being cared for or displayed.  We are challenged to give ourselves freely for the welfare and benefit of the Kingdom of God.  We are not called to be doormats or dishrags, but instruments of the peace and joy of Jesus Christ.  If we profess we believe in this faith, what does that look like on the outside.

The cross is not made to make us look glum, but to draw us into a deeper level of love and compassion without counting the cost.  We have to be willing and able to be Christ for each other.