"If anyone says, 'I love God,' but hates his brother, he is a liar; for whoever does not love a brother whom he has seen
cannot love God whom he has not seen." 1 Jn 4:20
The Gospel has always been clear. While believers are called to follow Jesus and enter deeply into the mystery of God's love, following Jesus without loving our brothers and sisters is empty. Only the full response to all in love is sufficient, and while we all fail at this command as often as we succeed, our success is not the goal. Rather, our willingness to step beyond our small circle of friends and to love everyone as brothers and sisters in Christ is the true test of our faith.
The saints never doubted this. Although many of them had harsh tempers, they knew that their faults needed to be addressed. They did not try to defend their poor behavior but asked God for the faith to see all people with new eyes. St Jerome, to whom we owe the first translation into the Latin Vulgate, a feat that made the scriptures available to everyday people, was notorious for his temper. At the same time, especially after his vitriolic and judgmental pen got him into trouble, he write about his great remorse, and it was his sorrow and repentance that earned him the title saint.
Like St Jerome, we are all called to acknowledge our sins and return to the full love of God and neighbor. Our willingness to admit our wrongs is the first step in drawing closer to God. Being open to seeing others as God sees the, and to search for the good in each person is the best antidote to a critical and judgmental nature.
Today, revisit a person for whom you have little respect and ask to see him or her with God's eyes.
What faults in others are the most difficult for you to see?
Wednesday, January 8, 2014
Tuesday, January 7, 2014
The Dullness of the Apostles
"He got into the boat with them and the wind died down. They were completely astounded. They had not understood the incident of the loaves. On the contrary, their hearts were hardened." Mk 6: 51-52
The world often gets very small when we are struggling. A friend who ran in the NYC marathon told me she could think of nothing but the finish line for the last few miles of the race. Suffering from hypothermia, she ignored her body's signals to stop. Her goal was in reach and she could not let it go. Similar things happen to all of us. Exhausted by working in the hot summer sun, we often keep pushing to finish whatever project we are working on and find ourselves too tired to enjoy what we have accomplished.
Danger also makes the world small. When the disciples found themselves struggling to row against the wind in the middle of the night, they did not recognize Jesus coming to them across the sea. Consumed by their fear, that had forgotten the miracle of the loaves and fish which they had just witnessed. Clearly hoping that Jesus show of power was a sign that he would soon lead them into Jerusalem and rid their holy city of the Romans, they failed to understand his message. In fact, the text suggests, their "hearts were hardened."
How often when we are stressed we forget that Jesus is always with us. Determined to work through whatever problem is in front of us, we are like people trying to push back the tide or the waves of an ocean. Our independence or our personal goals become more important than our faith, and when we fail, we complain to God and sometimes even doubt God's existence. Although the Gospel continually assures us that the Lord is always near, when life gets dark, we fall into old patterns of self reliance and howl against the night when all we need to do is stop, rest and let the night play itself out.
Today, ask for the grace to walk with God no matter how slowly God seems to be moving.
Did anyone teach you to slow down in order to find God in every situation?
The world often gets very small when we are struggling. A friend who ran in the NYC marathon told me she could think of nothing but the finish line for the last few miles of the race. Suffering from hypothermia, she ignored her body's signals to stop. Her goal was in reach and she could not let it go. Similar things happen to all of us. Exhausted by working in the hot summer sun, we often keep pushing to finish whatever project we are working on and find ourselves too tired to enjoy what we have accomplished.
Danger also makes the world small. When the disciples found themselves struggling to row against the wind in the middle of the night, they did not recognize Jesus coming to them across the sea. Consumed by their fear, that had forgotten the miracle of the loaves and fish which they had just witnessed. Clearly hoping that Jesus show of power was a sign that he would soon lead them into Jerusalem and rid their holy city of the Romans, they failed to understand his message. In fact, the text suggests, their "hearts were hardened."
How often when we are stressed we forget that Jesus is always with us. Determined to work through whatever problem is in front of us, we are like people trying to push back the tide or the waves of an ocean. Our independence or our personal goals become more important than our faith, and when we fail, we complain to God and sometimes even doubt God's existence. Although the Gospel continually assures us that the Lord is always near, when life gets dark, we fall into old patterns of self reliance and howl against the night when all we need to do is stop, rest and let the night play itself out.
Today, ask for the grace to walk with God no matter how slowly God seems to be moving.
Did anyone teach you to slow down in order to find God in every situation?
Monday, January 6, 2014
Loving with God's Expansiveness
"Beloved, let us love one another, because love is of God; everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God." 1 Jn 4:7
John's first letter is remarkable in so many ways but two are especially noteworthy. His demand that we love one another because love is of God is no simple task. As more contemporary writes remind us, love is often a decision, not simply something that we feel, but something we choose. Moreover, when we remember that Jesus told us to love our enemies, we realize how difficult the choice to love can be.
John's letter also pushes us beyond our comfort zone in another area. Love is no longer restricted to love of family, tribe, culture, nation or church. Everyone who loves, John insists, is begotten by God and knows God. The God about whom John writes is not a God of the Jews or Christians alone, but someone who belongs to all who are willing to let go of their natural limitations, fears and prejudices to love those upon whom they stumble each day. This love demands a huge heart and a willing spirit that sees in all creation and especially in all people, an image of God, the creator of all.
Whether we are able to love as expansively as John suggests everyday is not the point. All will fail regularly trying to live the vision of Jesus, but we must always ask for the grace to love each person we meet with the love that will open them to the God who is love. What happens to them is up to God. What we do is up to us.
Today, taste the sweetness of loving another in the name of the living God without expectation.
What or who is most difficult for you to love as God would have you love?
John's first letter is remarkable in so many ways but two are especially noteworthy. His demand that we love one another because love is of God is no simple task. As more contemporary writes remind us, love is often a decision, not simply something that we feel, but something we choose. Moreover, when we remember that Jesus told us to love our enemies, we realize how difficult the choice to love can be.
John's letter also pushes us beyond our comfort zone in another area. Love is no longer restricted to love of family, tribe, culture, nation or church. Everyone who loves, John insists, is begotten by God and knows God. The God about whom John writes is not a God of the Jews or Christians alone, but someone who belongs to all who are willing to let go of their natural limitations, fears and prejudices to love those upon whom they stumble each day. This love demands a huge heart and a willing spirit that sees in all creation and especially in all people, an image of God, the creator of all.
Whether we are able to love as expansively as John suggests everyday is not the point. All will fail regularly trying to live the vision of Jesus, but we must always ask for the grace to love each person we meet with the love that will open them to the God who is love. What happens to them is up to God. What we do is up to us.
Today, taste the sweetness of loving another in the name of the living God without expectation.
What or who is most difficult for you to love as God would have you love?
Sunday, January 5, 2014
Sifting through the Light and Dark
"Beloved, do not trust every spirit but test the spirits to see whether they belong to God." 1Jn 4:1
Discernment of Spirits, especially since St Ignatius of Loyola wrote so eloquently about them in the 16th century and the Second Vatican emphasized the need to read the sign of the times when deciding how best to live and spread the Gospel, is a foundationally important skill for every Christian.
St Ignatius insisted that his followers understand that both consolation and desolation come to every one and can move believers towards or away from God. Sometimes consolation comes from a good spirit, especially when we are struggling to live with integrity under difficult life circumstances, but consolation when we are leading a sinful life is from an evil spirit and we must struggle against it. Appearing like an angel, evil spirits make sure that we stop seeking deep transformation by "consoling" us with hollow comforts. Desolation, on the other hand, is often the work of an evil spirit trying to dissuade a faith seeker from the light of God's way, and the work of a good spirit when we refuse to listen deeply to the Gospel.
It is often important to have help and guidance when we are discerning how best to respond to desolation and consolation. Finding and listening to a spiritual companion can be difficult, but for those wanting to know how to go the extra mile for God, it is often a necessity. Years ago I learned an important Latin phrase. Nemo judex in causa sua. No one is a judge in his or her own case. Asking someone else for help in discernment frees our decision making from the fears we all have that are rooted, not in God but in a spirit that wants to block our path to God.
Today, pray in gratitude for those who have already helped you on the road to a deeper faith.
Has desolation ever, in the long run, been a blessing for you?
Discernment of Spirits, especially since St Ignatius of Loyola wrote so eloquently about them in the 16th century and the Second Vatican emphasized the need to read the sign of the times when deciding how best to live and spread the Gospel, is a foundationally important skill for every Christian.
St Ignatius insisted that his followers understand that both consolation and desolation come to every one and can move believers towards or away from God. Sometimes consolation comes from a good spirit, especially when we are struggling to live with integrity under difficult life circumstances, but consolation when we are leading a sinful life is from an evil spirit and we must struggle against it. Appearing like an angel, evil spirits make sure that we stop seeking deep transformation by "consoling" us with hollow comforts. Desolation, on the other hand, is often the work of an evil spirit trying to dissuade a faith seeker from the light of God's way, and the work of a good spirit when we refuse to listen deeply to the Gospel.
It is often important to have help and guidance when we are discerning how best to respond to desolation and consolation. Finding and listening to a spiritual companion can be difficult, but for those wanting to know how to go the extra mile for God, it is often a necessity. Years ago I learned an important Latin phrase. Nemo judex in causa sua. No one is a judge in his or her own case. Asking someone else for help in discernment frees our decision making from the fears we all have that are rooted, not in God but in a spirit that wants to block our path to God.
Today, pray in gratitude for those who have already helped you on the road to a deeper faith.
Has desolation ever, in the long run, been a blessing for you?
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