"When John came to you in the way of righteousness, you did not believe him; but tax collectors and prostitutes did. Yet even when you saw that, you did not later change your minds and believe him." Mt 21 31-32
Today's scripture and feast is a difficult one for me. Perhaps like some of you, when I get involved in a heated argument, it often becomes more important for me to be right than in relationship. I have struggled with this my entire life and it is not difficult for me to see myself among the Pharisees trying to convince everyone, without regard for the truth or what is happening right in front of me, that Jesus is a charlatan. That thousands are listening to John the Baptist announce that he is not the Christ and convincing even prostitutes and tax collectors that his message is from God, the Pharisees suggest that prostitutes and tax collectors are poor witnesses and will do anything to feather their own nests. Failing to even consider the humility and honesty of John, especially when he points to Christ as "the one who is to come," (Lk 7:18-19) they risk their salvation for the sake of their fragile power within the Jewish community of Jesus' day.
The feast of St. Lucy only increases my discomfort. After she rejects a proposal of marriage, the fellow she spurns "accuses" her of believing in the Christ, and even though she realizes the danger, Lucy acknowledges that indeed she is a Christian. When she refuses to recant her belief, she is martyred. We know little else about her life, but the early church held her up, even including her name in the first Eucharistic prayer, because of her simple, direct an unwavering faith. What a challenge she is to us. Lucy knows who she is, will not equivocate about her faith and suffers death as a result. Faith, Lucy's witness reminds us, is simple. God gifts us with belief and the treasure is so real and so powerful that it is strong enough to sustain us in the face of death. Simplicity, honesty and integrity are the fruits of a faith deeply valued and lived. It is only when we complicate faith unnecessarily for the sake of our own comfort that we risking losing the most precious gift we will ever receive.
Today, pray to join St. John the Evangelist when he reminds us: "He must increase; I must decrease." Jn 3:30
Showing posts with label honesty. Show all posts
Showing posts with label honesty. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Unearned Privilege
"Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it." Lk 11:28
There are some who might get upset with this passage from Luke. When a woman in the crowd seems to praise Jesus’ mother saying, "Blessed is the womb that carried you and the breasts at which you nursed," Jesus reacts. A person’s life is not of value, he says, because of her parents or relatives, but by her willingness to listen and live the good news. The Jesus of the gospels would never disparage his own mother’s goodness, but he would and does use the words of an anonymous woman in the crowd to remind his listeners that being born a Jew guarantees nothing. Were he alive today, he might well say that being born a Catholic means little unless one lives one’s religious faith and tradition.
In cultural diversity workshops, which are common these days in large and multinational companies, the concept of “unearned privilege” is often introduced. Initially, those hearing the concept for the first time might have a visceral reaction and reject the notion all together. But suggesting someone has “unearned privilege” is not an accusation, nor it is intended to make people guilty. Rather, it is a concept that helps those born in this country as white, middle class people understand that they have unearned advantages over those who are born black and poor, Asian or Latin American. Exercises that help us understand this notion are designed for insight and change. It is not so much that we want to denigrate who we are, where we live or the color of our skin, but that we want to help those without the unearned privilege access the same social options we have.
I had an interesting experience of unearned privilege when I first joined the Capuchins. 18 years old and full of dreams, I was walking around the grounds of the novitiate in my new brown Capuchin robe when a car entered our driveway. As it approached me, it slowed and through an open window a middle aged woman asked me I had a moment to talk with her. Tempted to say yes, I thought better of it and told her I was only a novice and directed her to front door where she could ask for a priest. My Capuchin robe was my path to unearned privilege. The woman assumed I was trained and ready to respond to her concerns simply because I was wearing religious garb.
Jesus, I suggest, was trying to remind his Jewish brothers and sisters that they were not better than others simply because of their religious clothing, roots or heritage. Rather, he wanted them to live their faith with integrity and a deep sense of justice not by lording it over others but by always remembering their own slavery in Egypt and their times of exile from the Promised Land.
Rather than argue about the validity of a concept like unearned privilege, let’s pray for the insight to see ourselves as others see us and find ways to share the wonderful opportunities given us as Americans and Catholics. When we work to build strong relationships between and among religious traditions, and have the courage to confront anything and anyone that exclude others for no reason other than their religion, race, culture or ethnicity, we build the Reign of God.
Today ask God for the grace to go beyond the essentials of religious practice. Ask for the courage to make your faith the foundation of your life. What could Jesus' challenge to the rich young man to go sell everything and follow him mean in your life?
There are some who might get upset with this passage from Luke. When a woman in the crowd seems to praise Jesus’ mother saying, "Blessed is the womb that carried you and the breasts at which you nursed," Jesus reacts. A person’s life is not of value, he says, because of her parents or relatives, but by her willingness to listen and live the good news. The Jesus of the gospels would never disparage his own mother’s goodness, but he would and does use the words of an anonymous woman in the crowd to remind his listeners that being born a Jew guarantees nothing. Were he alive today, he might well say that being born a Catholic means little unless one lives one’s religious faith and tradition.
In cultural diversity workshops, which are common these days in large and multinational companies, the concept of “unearned privilege” is often introduced. Initially, those hearing the concept for the first time might have a visceral reaction and reject the notion all together. But suggesting someone has “unearned privilege” is not an accusation, nor it is intended to make people guilty. Rather, it is a concept that helps those born in this country as white, middle class people understand that they have unearned advantages over those who are born black and poor, Asian or Latin American. Exercises that help us understand this notion are designed for insight and change. It is not so much that we want to denigrate who we are, where we live or the color of our skin, but that we want to help those without the unearned privilege access the same social options we have.
I had an interesting experience of unearned privilege when I first joined the Capuchins. 18 years old and full of dreams, I was walking around the grounds of the novitiate in my new brown Capuchin robe when a car entered our driveway. As it approached me, it slowed and through an open window a middle aged woman asked me I had a moment to talk with her. Tempted to say yes, I thought better of it and told her I was only a novice and directed her to front door where she could ask for a priest. My Capuchin robe was my path to unearned privilege. The woman assumed I was trained and ready to respond to her concerns simply because I was wearing religious garb.
Jesus, I suggest, was trying to remind his Jewish brothers and sisters that they were not better than others simply because of their religious clothing, roots or heritage. Rather, he wanted them to live their faith with integrity and a deep sense of justice not by lording it over others but by always remembering their own slavery in Egypt and their times of exile from the Promised Land.
Rather than argue about the validity of a concept like unearned privilege, let’s pray for the insight to see ourselves as others see us and find ways to share the wonderful opportunities given us as Americans and Catholics. When we work to build strong relationships between and among religious traditions, and have the courage to confront anything and anyone that exclude others for no reason other than their religion, race, culture or ethnicity, we build the Reign of God.
Today ask God for the grace to go beyond the essentials of religious practice. Ask for the courage to make your faith the foundation of your life. What could Jesus' challenge to the rich young man to go sell everything and follow him mean in your life?
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Asking for Help
“Ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” (Lk 11:9)
Being unafraid to ask others for help is an important lesson in humility, and a sure sign that we have not become so arrogant that we live as if we don’t need others. Nevertheless, it is difficult for most people in individualistic societies like the United States to ask for help, and those who do are often looked down upon. Homeless street people may be shown pity and helped, but they are seldom respected as human beings, and it is the rare person who engages them in conversation about their lives.
I am not naïve or idealistic about all of this. For many years, I worked with and came to love Boston’s street people who found their way to the Shattuck hospital. Some of them were so full of fear that they could not say a word to you in greeting. Others were unable to stop talking. Most of the time and with most of the residents at the Shattuck, I had a passing relationship. They came to expect me to lead them in worship on Sunday mornings and were happy to be a part of a praying community. After mass we would mingle for a while, exchange pleasantries and grow in trust. Eventually, some would gain enough confidence to ask for the sacrament of reconciliation, but they were the exception.
Nevertheless, all of them seemed to understand me and be grateful when I would insist that there were no prostitutes at the Shattuck. There were women and men who had prostituted themselves, but they were people with real identities and names. The same was true of those who were addicted to drugs and alcohol. They were not alcoholics and drug addicts. They were people with raging addictions. It was important for the patients at the Shattuck to hear this, more than once. Most of them had been through two or three recovery programs and were giving up on themselves. As soon as they began to think of themselves as drug addicts rather than persons, they were on their way back to the streets without hope and looking for a fix.
The same is true for all of us. Being needy is a not a fault or a sin. It is the human condition, and St Paul reminds us often to remember that we are the body of Christ. In Romans, 1 Corinthians, Colossians and Ephesians, he returns to the image of the body of Christ, and insists that a body is made up of many parts, all of which have dignity. Further, when a part of our body is under stress it is natural for the rest of the body to come to its aid. An injury or infection is not perceived by the body as sinful, but sick, and as Jesus reminds us, it is the sick that need a physician.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help today. Allowing someone else to help you may be the grace they need to free themselves from self absorption and sin.
Being unafraid to ask others for help is an important lesson in humility, and a sure sign that we have not become so arrogant that we live as if we don’t need others. Nevertheless, it is difficult for most people in individualistic societies like the United States to ask for help, and those who do are often looked down upon. Homeless street people may be shown pity and helped, but they are seldom respected as human beings, and it is the rare person who engages them in conversation about their lives.
I am not naïve or idealistic about all of this. For many years, I worked with and came to love Boston’s street people who found their way to the Shattuck hospital. Some of them were so full of fear that they could not say a word to you in greeting. Others were unable to stop talking. Most of the time and with most of the residents at the Shattuck, I had a passing relationship. They came to expect me to lead them in worship on Sunday mornings and were happy to be a part of a praying community. After mass we would mingle for a while, exchange pleasantries and grow in trust. Eventually, some would gain enough confidence to ask for the sacrament of reconciliation, but they were the exception.
Nevertheless, all of them seemed to understand me and be grateful when I would insist that there were no prostitutes at the Shattuck. There were women and men who had prostituted themselves, but they were people with real identities and names. The same was true of those who were addicted to drugs and alcohol. They were not alcoholics and drug addicts. They were people with raging addictions. It was important for the patients at the Shattuck to hear this, more than once. Most of them had been through two or three recovery programs and were giving up on themselves. As soon as they began to think of themselves as drug addicts rather than persons, they were on their way back to the streets without hope and looking for a fix.
The same is true for all of us. Being needy is a not a fault or a sin. It is the human condition, and St Paul reminds us often to remember that we are the body of Christ. In Romans, 1 Corinthians, Colossians and Ephesians, he returns to the image of the body of Christ, and insists that a body is made up of many parts, all of which have dignity. Further, when a part of our body is under stress it is natural for the rest of the body to come to its aid. An injury or infection is not perceived by the body as sinful, but sick, and as Jesus reminds us, it is the sick that need a physician.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help today. Allowing someone else to help you may be the grace they need to free themselves from self absorption and sin.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Nehemiah, Model Leader
“How could I not look sad when the city where my ancestors are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been eaten out by fire?" (Neh 2:3)
The book of Nehemiah offers us a wonderful map for leadership even today. The prophet’s first task was to face the reality of Jerusalem’s destruction in the context of prayer. After acknowledging his pain and desire to help, he approaches King Artaxerxes, who he was serving as cup bearer, to ask for a “leave of absence” so he can return to Jerusalem and help the people rebuild the holy city. More, after Artaxerxes grants his request, he asks for letters of protection on his journey to Jerusalem which the King also grants. Finally, on arriving in Jerusalem, he quietly surveys the damage to the city and realizes he cannot address the devastation by himself. Consequently, he organizes the people already there and assures them that if they work together they can both rebuild the city and protect themselves from their enemies. Miraculously, Nehemiah and all his compatriots rebuild Jerusalem in 52 days.
Nehemiah’s steps as a leader are clear. Pray, reflect, assess and discern what can be done, organize those most affected, and act together. For those of you experienced in community organizing, these steps are self evident, but they have not always been followed carefully in our church and nation. While I do not think we can impose prayer on our civil leaders, surely it must be the foundation of church leadership. Only with prayer can we come to terms honestly and openly with the struggles our church is experiencing in the United States today. Without prayer, which can free us of the strangling fear that makes new initiatives die on the vine, we will be using old models and paradigms which are overly hierarchical and clerical to address the needs of our church in the 21st century. The Second Vatican Council was clear when it urged bishops and pastors to seek out qualified lay women and men, who are called by baptism to serve the entire church, (Lumen Gentium, Chapter 4, #31) to take their rightful place alongside the hierarchy in leading the church. (1)
My own experience in leadership inside the Capuchin community makes this abundantly clear. Without the marvelous men and women who have joined our efforts at renewal and used their considerable skills and resources to energize us, we could not have faced the issues of declining numbers and diminishing monies with openness and creativity. With them we have hope. When we pray, face the reality of our situation, discern carefully what can be done and work together, we build God's reign in powerful new ways.
Today ask Nehemiah for honest hearts with which to face our problems as a church and work together to address them.
The book of Nehemiah offers us a wonderful map for leadership even today. The prophet’s first task was to face the reality of Jerusalem’s destruction in the context of prayer. After acknowledging his pain and desire to help, he approaches King Artaxerxes, who he was serving as cup bearer, to ask for a “leave of absence” so he can return to Jerusalem and help the people rebuild the holy city. More, after Artaxerxes grants his request, he asks for letters of protection on his journey to Jerusalem which the King also grants. Finally, on arriving in Jerusalem, he quietly surveys the damage to the city and realizes he cannot address the devastation by himself. Consequently, he organizes the people already there and assures them that if they work together they can both rebuild the city and protect themselves from their enemies. Miraculously, Nehemiah and all his compatriots rebuild Jerusalem in 52 days.
Nehemiah’s steps as a leader are clear. Pray, reflect, assess and discern what can be done, organize those most affected, and act together. For those of you experienced in community organizing, these steps are self evident, but they have not always been followed carefully in our church and nation. While I do not think we can impose prayer on our civil leaders, surely it must be the foundation of church leadership. Only with prayer can we come to terms honestly and openly with the struggles our church is experiencing in the United States today. Without prayer, which can free us of the strangling fear that makes new initiatives die on the vine, we will be using old models and paradigms which are overly hierarchical and clerical to address the needs of our church in the 21st century. The Second Vatican Council was clear when it urged bishops and pastors to seek out qualified lay women and men, who are called by baptism to serve the entire church, (Lumen Gentium, Chapter 4, #31) to take their rightful place alongside the hierarchy in leading the church. (1)
My own experience in leadership inside the Capuchin community makes this abundantly clear. Without the marvelous men and women who have joined our efforts at renewal and used their considerable skills and resources to energize us, we could not have faced the issues of declining numbers and diminishing monies with openness and creativity. With them we have hope. When we pray, face the reality of our situation, discern carefully what can be done and work together, we build God's reign in powerful new ways.
Today ask Nehemiah for honest hearts with which to face our problems as a church and work together to address them.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Dying in order to Live
Often enough, perhaps because it feels too negative, we fail to speak of Baptism as a death. Committed to life in Christ, it is only natural for us to speak of the cleansing and refreshing waters of Baptism, but unless we are careful, we will miss an important and potentially transformative aspect of our faith. Paul is clear about this. “You were buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.” (Col 2:12) We can’t be raised until we die!
Baptism is about dying to ourselves. It is about plunging into the waters of faith each day and letting go of our hurts, resentments, fears and anger, but we can only do this if we remember that we have been saved in Christ, and have developed a security in the unconditional and total love of God for us.
Parents often learn this lesson early in the life of their children. An infant cannot survive without her mother and dad feeding her, clothing her, protecting her. She is totally dependent on others for life. When this dependence manifests itself in the middle of the night, it is often not easy for parents. So many young friends have told me of their exhaustion in the first months of their child’s life. Getting up three or four times a night to feed, comfort and change a child is simple and natural but very difficult.
And the dying continues when a child goes to school or leaves home for college or marries. The control parents once had is gone. Others influence their children in ways they cannot determine, and they must trust that God will be their children’s guide and that they will remember the values taught them.
Practicing letting go is a powerful spiritual exercise made easier when we practice gratitude. Thanking God for life, salvation, faith and the freedom to love on a daily basis lays the foundation for the letting go that all of us must face and endure. When we begin and end each day with gratitude, it takes the sting out of the lack of control we have over life.
Don’t be afraid to die to yourself today. God has promised us life forever.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Do not pray to be successful, pray to be faithful
“But as we were judged worthy by God to be entrusted with the Gospel, that is how we speak, not as trying to please men (and women), but rather God, who judges our hearts.” (1 Thess. 2, 4)
Mother Teresa is reputed to have said: "I do not pray to be successful, I pray to be faithful." Sounds very much like St. Paul in today’s passage from first Thessalonians. He is not trying to please the people he is serving, but God. What a challenge both these great saints put before us.
Soon I will be celebrating another birthday, a time for reflection and hopefully some renewal. But I always smile ruefully at times like this because I continue to rely too much on others' approbation of my life and ministry, even though I know it is silly, even childish. While this enduring fault may be a good exercise in humility, I would like the grace to let go of success as a barometer of my value, and enter more deeply into the mystery of God’s presence all around us.
Since some of you may be struggling with this same fault, let me suggest a few practices that might be helpful.
- Take a moment each morning to hand over the day ahead. Ask God to make it holy and to help you not worry about the things you can’t control.
- Pause during the day in an intentional way and thank God for whatever is happening. Sometimes I set my watch alarm to buzz at noon and 5 pm to remind myself of this.
- When troubled (or obsessed) with others' behavior, ask what it is like for others to live with you as you are.
- Develop some form of repetitive prayer throughout the day. The Jesus prayer might be fine way to begin: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner.”
A gospel life must be very simple. Don’t be afraid to laugh at yourself. Cluttering life with too much to do, too many worries, too many things to say or think gets in the way of knowing the heart of God at the heart of all that is.
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