"Jesus said to his disciples: 'Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.'" Mt 5:17
Jesus must have been terribly confusing to the leaders of the Jews. Forever insisting that he wants only to live the Law and fulfill it, at the same time, he seems to break the law regularly. What were the Pharisees to do? If they did not challenge and condemn him, they would lose their own authority. If they did reject his teachings, they would lose the power they had over ordinary people. Their quandary, like ours, led them into impossible situations. More concerned with their own position in the community than with their role of instructing the people of God, they don't listen deeply to the Lord. Neither do we!
A life of faith is not something we put on or off at will. Neither can it be reduced to obeying legitimate authorities. Faith demands reflection, prayer and conversation with others seeking to know and follow God's law, all of which takes time away from other necessary duties in life. Too often, hoping for a simple and quick solution to complex questions, we avoid the hard work of following the Lord, and either put our foot in our mouth or kick ourselves in the shins.
It is important to remember the lesson of the Pharisees. While we can, and sometimes must, criticize church and state, it is only through reflection, prayer and honest conversation that God's will emerges.
Today, pray for the prophets in our world who remind us to live the Gospel fully.
How do you discern God's will in your life?
Saturday, February 15, 2014
Friday, February 14, 2014
Marriage Week
"And the two shall become one flesh, and they are no longer two but one." Mk 10:8
Some of the most powerful moments in my life, and in the lives of many priests, occurred with married couples who were willing to stretch and live their vows deeply despite very difficult family situations. Primarily through the Marriage Encounter movement, but also during weddings, I have sensed God's presence and mercy in compelling ways.
Many years ago, while helping prepare a couple for marriage, the young woman asked whether she could "sign" her vows as well as speak them. A teacher of deaf children, she wanted to be sure that her students felt like they were an important part of the ceremony. That wedding remains a highlight among the many marriages I witnessed.
We need to honor marriage all the time, but this week especially the church asks us to pause and remember all the married and the sacrament they embody. St Paul tells us that there is a great mystery in marriage because it tells us so much about Christ's love for the church. (Eph 5:32) When married couples work at their marriage and seek the unity about which St Mark writes, they help us understand Christ's love for us his body. As the Second Vatican Council reminds us, "Christ the Lord abundantly blessed this many faceted love, welling up as it does from the fountain of divine love and structured as it is on the model of His union with His Church." (GS 48)
Today, pray for a married couple that you know might be struggling in their marriage.
What do you think are the glories of marriage lived in faith?
Thursday, February 13, 2014
St Cyril and Methodius
“Ephphatha!' (that is, 'Be opened!') And immediately the man’s ears were opened, his speech impediment was removed, and he spoke plainly." Mk 7:34-35
So many aspects of life need to be opened over and over in our lives. We need to have open spirits, open hearts and open minds. Without a life open to God and God's direction, we risk missing the voice of the Spirit who Christ promised us would always be present within and among us. Remaining open to God's Spirit can be especially troubling when we are in pain.
An older friend has remained engaged in life by reading. She reads the newspaper everyday and a novel at least once a week. She also reads history and theology, but recently she has been grappling with vision problems. Almost immobile, my friend is struggling to understand and accept this new burden. The openness she has had her entire life, and which she so prized, is difficult to maintain. Though she knows that she can use her other senses to engage the world around her, her eyes have always been her primary path to enjoyment and conversation.
How we manage the transitions that life presents us is the measure of our faith. Walking with others in pain, reaching out to the hungry, and accepting the limitations that come to everyone, while seeming to close us off to what we have always known, in fact allows God to do God's work in and through us.
Today, open your heart to whatever God asks.
What are the most difficult transitions you have faced?
So many aspects of life need to be opened over and over in our lives. We need to have open spirits, open hearts and open minds. Without a life open to God and God's direction, we risk missing the voice of the Spirit who Christ promised us would always be present within and among us. Remaining open to God's Spirit can be especially troubling when we are in pain.
An older friend has remained engaged in life by reading. She reads the newspaper everyday and a novel at least once a week. She also reads history and theology, but recently she has been grappling with vision problems. Almost immobile, my friend is struggling to understand and accept this new burden. The openness she has had her entire life, and which she so prized, is difficult to maintain. Though she knows that she can use her other senses to engage the world around her, her eyes have always been her primary path to enjoyment and conversation.
How we manage the transitions that life presents us is the measure of our faith. Walking with others in pain, reaching out to the hungry, and accepting the limitations that come to everyone, while seeming to close us off to what we have always known, in fact allows God to do God's work in and through us.
Today, open your heart to whatever God asks.
What are the most difficult transitions you have faced?
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
Strange Gods
"When Solomon was old his wives had turned his heart to strange gods, and his heart was not entirely with the LORD, his God,
as the heart of his father David had been." 1 Kgs 11:4
Today's scripture selection is dangerous, especially for women, since it implies that as Solomon aged he was more vulnerable to the wiles of his wives. Like the book of Genesis which seems to blame Eve for Adam's sin, the first book of Kings lays Solomon's sin on the back of his wives.
Having a scapegoat is always easier than accepting responsibility for our own actions. Could it not be possible that as Solomon aged his fears grew and his faith weakened making him vulnerable to anyone, not just women or his wives, who might offer him a way to avoid or ignore his doubts and fears?
It is not uncommon for the elderly to experience a multiplicity of fears and doubts as they slow down and near death. Busy for most of our lives with working, maintaining a home, building a career and raising children, few take the time to consider the great mysteries of life and faith, but as our bodies begin to feel the natural aches of aging and the future does not seem endless, we are forced to confront our mortality, and with it questions about God and eternal life.
There is no reason to ignore or avoid these questions and doubts. Natural, necessary and formative, they force us to let go of all that distracted us from entering life fully and prepare us to trust more deeply in the God whose mercy can never be measured or fully comprehended.
Today, ask for the grace to face your doubts and fears with faith.
Who or what do you blame when faced with your own weaknesses?
Today's scripture selection is dangerous, especially for women, since it implies that as Solomon aged he was more vulnerable to the wiles of his wives. Like the book of Genesis which seems to blame Eve for Adam's sin, the first book of Kings lays Solomon's sin on the back of his wives.
Having a scapegoat is always easier than accepting responsibility for our own actions. Could it not be possible that as Solomon aged his fears grew and his faith weakened making him vulnerable to anyone, not just women or his wives, who might offer him a way to avoid or ignore his doubts and fears?
It is not uncommon for the elderly to experience a multiplicity of fears and doubts as they slow down and near death. Busy for most of our lives with working, maintaining a home, building a career and raising children, few take the time to consider the great mysteries of life and faith, but as our bodies begin to feel the natural aches of aging and the future does not seem endless, we are forced to confront our mortality, and with it questions about God and eternal life.
There is no reason to ignore or avoid these questions and doubts. Natural, necessary and formative, they force us to let go of all that distracted us from entering life fully and prepare us to trust more deeply in the God whose mercy can never be measured or fully comprehended.
Today, ask for the grace to face your doubts and fears with faith.
Who or what do you blame when faced with your own weaknesses?
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