- Art and Contemplative Spirituality

Thankfulness

Thankfulness: Heartfelt gratitude to God, expressed in response to his love and mercy.

Years back, I attended a Sunday service at a local Christian church. I was curious but mostly went to experience Christian fellowship. The main assembly hall seated about 1500 in auditorium style with a stage, band, and video projection. As the service began, the master of ceremonies came out to welcome everyone. He began by sharing an experience he had during the week. He had met someone on the street and invited her to come to his church on Sunday. She replied, “What time does the mass start?” He replied, “lady, we don’t mass, we praise and worship!” It was a dig toward the Catholic faith.

I took no offense and went up with others during the altar call.

I was indoctrinated into the Mass from childhood. I went because my parents went. It is what Catholic families did. I did not understand much about the Mass and that one hour felt a little like purgatory. Back then, it was emphasized that if you missed Mass – you committed a mortal sin. And if not reconciled, binds one to eternity in hell.

Autocratic obedience or threatening eternal damnation did not work very well back then and does not work any better today. And like many others, I entered adulthood without much understanding, or spiritual connectedness to what underlies the Mass.

The rubrics of the Mass ensures universality but what gives these rituals of worship and sacrifice meaning is: the inward spiritual reality from which they flow. If we hope to deepen our spiritual connectedness to what happens at Mass – We must go beyond the physical senses and externals of habit.

My relationship with the Mass changed when I discovered article 1069 of the Catechism. It states: In Christian tradition [liturgy]means: the participation of the People of God in “the work of God.”

As I began to unpack and teach this deeper meaning, I would often get confused looks from people because it requires a paradigm shift. I can still remember one lady saying, “Well, that’s not how we was taught.” I even had someone give me the proverbial evil eye and say, “Work of God – what work does God have to do?”

The “work of God” (Opus Dei) is not new and is best understood in context of the Trinitarian relationship of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Father sent His Son to redeem man by his sacrifice on the cross. The Mass (Liturgy) is the perpetual action of Jesus the Christ (Head and Body) glorifying the Father by doing His will – redeeming fallen man through his sacrifice on the cross.

A few years back, I was asked by a very bold and learned man, “They say the mass is a sacrifice. What is this sacrifice?” At the time, I really did not have an answer for him but thank God for the question because it has spurred my study so that I am able to return a suitable response if ever again asked. But perhaps the greatest byproduct of the question has been my deepening personal and spiritual engagement in Liturgy – “not to get, but to give.”

As Christians, we have an understanding of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. But we do not as easily see our relationship in the “Body of Christ” and our participation in the Eucharistic sacrifice? If I have a mystical union with Christ and you have a mystical union with Christ, that means we have a particular communion with each other and a co-fellowship “in” Christ’s perpetual sacrifice.

As much as we may like “our” mass – it is not ours. It is an action of the total Christ, or as it was expressed by St. Augustine: “totus Christus”

In Liturgy, we join with Christ by his Body. Its efficacy is not bound by my consciousness of that spiritual reality, but here is the catch. If you asked 99 out of 100 Catholics what the Offertory is about, they would likely tell you it was about bringing up the bread, wine, and money. From just my own experience, I often daydream during the Offertory. It is a time to check out who the ushers are, watching them move from pew to pew, waiting for the basket so I can sometimes drop something from my wallet – then feeling a bit smug when I occasionally drop a big coin. Afterwards, I watch the bread, wine, and collection being brought up to the priest or deacon. Somewhat akin to being in the audience watching a stage play.

The institutional church needs financial support to survive, but one has to ask: “Does God want or need our money?” (No). So what do you think is the highest offering we can give back to God in praise and thanksgiving?

Consider Psalm 51:16-17:

…were I to give a burnt offering, you would not be pleased. The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart,

O God, you will not despise.

The perfection of Christian sacrifice is the total offering of ourselves to God in union with the sacrifice of Christ. Once we have brought up our sacrificial offerings, the priest (speaking for all of us) with hands extended, says:

You are indeed Holy, O Lord, and all you have created rightly gives you praise, for through your Son our Lord Jesus Christ, by the power and working of the Holy Spirit, you give life to all things and make them holy, and you never cease to gather people to yourself, so that from the rising of the sun to its setting a pure sacrifice may be offered to your name.

Therefore, O Lord, we humbly implore you: by the same Spirit graciously make holy these gifts we have brought to you for consecration, that they may become the Body and Blood of your Son our Lord Jesus Christ, at whose command we celebrate these mysteries.

Yes, our first action during the Offertory is to willfully and humbly “give” ourselves back to God. And only in the God who is Love – are our sacrificial offerings returned; not in the value that we have given but, fully consecrated into His full Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity. Through the Thanksgiving [Eucharistic] sacrifice – God heals us and restores a “clean heart.” This is the inner spiritual reality of our participation in the Offertory and Eucharistic Liturgy.

Yes, all this takes faith and reason – but as bible believing Christians it shouldn’t be as difficult as we make it. Our call is not simply to believe in Jesus but to believe “into” Him. I sometimes wonder if all our divisions and denominations of Christian faith have more to do with semantics and attachment to ego. Regardless, we are called to respect one another’s Christian liberty in the Lord. We are to refrain from harsh judgments of each other. We are always to remember that we are relating to people who have been purchased by Christ.

If you are able to find a moment, meditate on Psalm 51

The image is an interior view of the chapel at the Jesuit Retreat Center in Sedalia, CO. It was taken last year during an 8 day silent retreat.

Ps. I am thankful for a happy childhood and long life, good health, the joy of children and grandchildren, a roof over my head that is absent of debt, a full belly, family and friends, a passion for creative arts, and a deepening faith in God who is Love.

All Suffering is Sacred

There is an interesting note about the Satan character in the OT Book of Job. It is not yet the devil as we think it (ie. antichrist) but an agent of the sons of God, a kind of spy or overseer. Note: God starts the action (v. 8): Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?

By the time we get to the 29th chapter: Job has lost his property, his children, his health and now resides on an ash heap.

Job’s wife says to him, “Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die.” But Job reproves her in saying, “Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this Job did not sin with his lips.”

He is then visited by friends who begin in silence and then give counsel. His friends are so certain of their own theology that they are increasingly unable to hear Job’s pain, to see the depth of his wounds, and to accept what his experience presents to their traditions.

Job tries to absorb what happened to him and to be understood. He reflects on how he imagined how his whole life was “supposed” to play out – only to realize his error and exercise in fantasy.

“…Then I thought, “I shall die in my nest, and I shall multiply my days as the sand, my roots spread out to the waters…”

Job’s faith and religion positioned him to believe all would remain good in his life: “Because I delivered the poor who cried and the fatherless who had none to help him. The blessing of him who was about to perish came upon me, and I caused the widow’s heart to sing for joy. I put on righteousness, and it clothed me; my justice was like a robe and a turban. I was eyes to the blind, and feet to the lame. I was a father to the poor, and I searched out the cause of him whom I did not know. I broke the fangs of the unrighteous, and made him drop his prey from his teeth.”

Job’s theology of retribution (Good behavior yields divine blessings and bad behavior provokes divine punishment) that had supported his life collapses, so he asks why this is happening to him.

Then, there is the fourth character, young Elihu who rebukes Job’s friend. Elihu is long-winded and sometimes arrogant but attentive to Job, and he encourages an intimate, personal relationship with God.

“But none says, ‘Where is God my Maker, Who gives songs in the night, who teaches us more than the beast of the earth, and makes us wiser than the birds of the air?” (35:10)

Elihu also proposes that Job wait, in a language that does not deny his pain and suffering but gives tragedy a way to speak to God.

In the end, Job meets God face-to-face and can now see beyond the limits of his suffering. He no longer needs to argue it out. His integrity remains intact. Job is faithful to his experience. Job has moved through his suffering and his world is now different: family, feasting, praying, and the larger community.

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The Book of Job falls under the category of Wisdom literature and written almost entirely in poetic form. Scholars believe it to be written in the seventh century B.C. after the Babylon exile serving as an allusion to Israel’s loss and suffering – told in the one character of Job.

To hear Job’s voice, who cries out, is:

to know our own suffering and to open us to caring for the suffering of others, …

To which, I am no different.

My life has been fortunate but like everyone else, I have experienced generosity as well as loss, injustice, suffering, and redemption. I allow myself to feel its effects while not wishing to exaggerate nor hide it from other people. I will honor it. It is my way of moving through and letting go. Always asking God to enlighten me on what I am to learn. In due time, …Wisdom and Understanding come.

I do believe evil exists but avoid crediting God for the good and Satan for the bad. It is just simply too easy to rationalize life and God in this way. It is too easy to be wrong and no benefit in being right. The point in the story where the Lord begins to answer Job is quite chilling:

“Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge. Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell me if you have an understanding. Who determined its measurements – surely you know! Or, who stretched the line upon it? On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone, when the morning star sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?”

“Absolute Truth” is not subservient nor does it conform to my conclusions, or anyone else. I am constantly seeking the “Why? to this life but at the same time content with the unknowing tension of “Mystery.” As if I had a choice.

I remain naïve to the good I believe is at the core and desire of every human life. And if I am to err, I choose to err on the side of “good.”

Reflection: What does your experience tell you about the divine-human relationship in overcoming evil in this life?

The featured image is a simple doodle using a piece of custom art personally crafted from a Japanese technique called Sumagashi. The outcome had a bit of a “sinister” look.

A reason for hope

“Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience… (1Peter 3:15)

When I teach adults, I usually begin by asking how they came to believe in God, I usually hear “It’s what my parents taught me.” My response to them is “ When you were a child, your parents probably told you about Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny and I doubt that you still believe it, …so what is different?”

Admittedly, it is a thought provoking question, but safe to say we are not saved because of what someone else tells us.

There is but one God, and the “reason” or account that each of us is to give is personal to our own experience and relationship to the Almighty. As children, we trust parents and teachers to guide us. As we grow in spiritual adulthood our conviction of faith, while not being exclusive of community, is between God and I.

Do you ever wonder what your faith in God would be if instead – you had been born of Hindu, Muslim, Jewish, or indigenous parents? What would your engagement with God be? How would it be different, if at all? Now, I know we do not get to choose our parents so it is unrealistic to have been born other than what has occurred, but – consider how much of your faith is conditioned by your environment, community, and book knowledge compared to your “first hand” human experience of the divine.

In John Paul II’s 1988 encyclical “Faith and Reason,” it states:

“Faith and reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth; and God has placed in the human mind and heart a desire to know the truth–in a word, to know Himself–so that, by knowing and loving God, men and women may also come to the fullness of truth about themselves.”

Going back to the introductory quote from 1 Peter:

My mind cannot believe the physical universe just came to be out of chance.

I live each day knowing that, at best, I recognize only a fragment of God’s fullness and that I am blessed to participate in his divinity. There are, at least, a half dozen moments in my life where I can only point to a “power” beyond myself and to which I consider the Grace of the Holy Spirit as operative. When I was Confirmed at twelve, I consciously willed discipleship to Christ and felt such a stirring of the Holy Spirit in my being that even today the moment remains real (and present). It was truly a significant “faith” event but note that if I had not been catechized in the faith, I would not have even been at the church that evening. Regardless, that was my first personal experience and conviction of God’s existence and presence in my life. And even in spite of my many failings – I have never felt abandoned by God’s Spirit. It is how I understand God’s Love.

Other moments where I have experienced intense Grace are: the gift of my children, Reconciliation, Liturgy, the death of my father, select moments in ministry, and even “new life” after the “little deaths” such as the loss of spouse, marriage, and experienced injustices, etc. The more I live this life, the more I see the paschal mystery as the overarching cycle in this life. It is that – to which my faith and hope hang onto Jesus and the gospel.

My upbringing and adult spiritual and theological formation have gone a long way in filling huge gaps in knowledge but, knowledge alone means little if it is not supported by a “lived” faith. The statement “faith builds upon and perfects reason” is believable to me because it characterizes my own experience. On the other hand, our ability to know God and the invitation to participate in the life of God (ie. Grace, CCC1997) is given freely and undeserved.

As a modern people, we continue the tradition of the Greek philosophers and all the religious theologians (ever since) in debates of God’s existence which emphasize either; Reason over Revelation, Revelation over Reason, Reason Only, Faith Only, or Faith and Reason. Sadly, I doubt we are any closer; considering we could put 10 (clergy or laity) in a room to discuss the meaning of any doctrine or dogma and still get 10 different teachings. To what do we attribute this human need to differentiate and divide,… is it our innate desire to know God or just prideful triumphalism? …I do not know.

Since our knowledge of God is limited, our language about him is equally so. [Therefore,] … the Church is expressing her confidence in the possibility of speaking about him to all men and with all men, and therefore of dialogue with other religions, with philosophy and science, as well as with unbelievers and atheists. (CCC 40, 39).

So, let us keep talking with gentleness and respect:

What is your reason for the hope that you have?

The featured image is from the lower right hand corner of a Russian icon of the Nativity. The focus is on St. Joseph who according to Matthew’s gospel (ch1:18) was struggling with great doubt upon the news of Mary’s pregnancy knowing they had not come together. He was considering sending her away. I am told the little curmudgeon facing Joseph is representative of the fears and doubts he is struggling with. But as Joseph considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream saying, ” Do not fear to take Mary your wife… When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded…”

Fear is a Liar

Earlier in the year while visiting a friend, I was introduced to the artwork of John August Swanson (www.johnaugustswanson.com). One of his pieces of St. Francis spoke to me at such a deep and personal level I had to purchase it for my home. It is below:

I had never heard the legend of Francis and the wolf – but it spoke deeply to my own experience and to what I believe underlies much trauma in our lives. Especially, where fear is greater than faith, and greater than one’s ability to love.

Francis and the Wolf of Gubbio

T THE TIME when Saint Francis was living in the city of Gubbio, a large wolf appeared in the neighborhood, so terrible and so fierce, that he not only devoured other animals, but made a prey of men also; and since he often approached the town, all the people were in great alarm, and used to go about armed, as if going to battle.

Notwithstanding these precautions, if any of the inhabitants ever met him alone, he was sure to be devoured, as all defense was useless: and, through fear of the wolf, they dared not go beyond the city walls.

Saint Francis, feeling great compassion for the people of Gubbio, resolved to go and meet the wolf, though all advised him not to do so. Making the sign of the holy cross, and putting all his confidence in God, he went forth from the city, taking his brethren with him; but these fearing to go any further, Saint Francis bent his steps alone toward the spot where the wolf was known to be, while many people followed at a distance, and witnessed the miracle.

The wolf, seeing all this multitude, ran towards Saint Francis with his jaws wide open.

As he approached, the saint, making the sign of the cross, cried out: “Come hither, brother wolf; I command thee, in the name of Christ, neither to harm me nor anybody else.”

Marvelous to tell, no sooner had Saint Francis made the sign of the cross, than the terrible wolf, closing his jaws, stopped running, and coming up to Saint Francis, lay down at his feet as meekly as a lamb.

And the saint thus addressed him: “Brother wolf, thou hast done much evil in this land, destroying and killing the creatures of God without His permission; yea, not animals only hast thou destroyed, but thou hast even dared to devour men, made after the image of God; for which thing thou art worthy of being hanged like a robber and a murderer. All men cry out against thee, the dogs pursue thee, and all the inhabitants of this city are thy enemies; but I will make peace between them and thee, O brother wolf, if so be thou no more offend them, and they shall forgive thee all thy past offences, and neither men nor dogs shall pursue thee any more.”

Having listened to these words, the wolf bowed his head, and, by the movements of his body, his tail, and his eyes, made signs that he agreed to what Saint Francis said.

On this Saint Francis added: “As thou art willing to make this peace, I promise thee that thou shalt be fed every day by the inhabitants of this land so long as thou shalt live among them; thou shalt no longer suffer hunger, as it is hunger which has made thee do so much evil; but if I obtain all this for thee, thou must promise, on thy side, never again to attack any animal or any human being; dost thou make this promise?”

Then the wolf, bowing his head, made a sign that he consented.

Said Saint Francis again: “Brother wolf, wilt thou pledge thy faith that I may trust to this thy promise?” and putting out his hand he received the pledge of the wolf; for the latter lifted up his paw and placed it familiarly in the hand of Saint Francis, giving him thereby the only pledge which was in his power.

Then said Saint Francis, addressing him again: “Brother wolf, I command thee, in the name of Christ, to follow me immediately, without hesitation or doubting, that we may go together to ratify this peace which we have concluded in the name of God”; and the wolf, obeying him, walked by his side as meekly as a lamb, to the great astonishment of all the people.

Now, the news of this most wonderful miracle spreading quickly through the town, all the inhabitants, both men and women, small and great, young and old, flocked to the market-place to see Saint Francis and the wolf.

All the people being assembled, the saint got up to preach, saying, amongst other things, how for our sins God permits such calamities, and how much greater and more dangerous are the flames of hell, which last for ever, than the rage of a wolf, which can kill the body only; and how much we ought to dread the jaws of hell, if the jaws of so small an animal as a wolf can make a whole city tremble through fear.

The sermon being ended, Saint Francis added these words: “Listen my brethren: the wolf who is here before you has promised and pledged his faith that he consents to make peace with you all, and no more to offend you in aught, and you must promise to give him each day his necessary food; to which, if you consent, I promise in his name that he will most faithfully observe the compact.”

Then all the people promised with one voice to feed the wolf to the end of his days; and Saint Francis, addressing the latter, said again: “And thou, brother wolf, dost thou promise to keep the compact, and never again to offend either man or beast, or any other creature?” And the wolf knelt down, bowing his head, and, by the motions of his tail and of his ears, endeavored to show that he was willing, so far as was in his power, to hold to the compact.

Then Saint Francis continued: “Brother wolf, as thou gavest me a pledge of this thy promise when we were outside the town, so now I will that thou renew it in the sight of all this people, and assure me that I have done well to promise in thy name”; and the wolf lifting up his paw placed it in the hand of Saint Francis.

Now this event caused great joy in all the people, and a great devotion towards Saint Francis, both because of the novelty of the miracle, and because of the peace which had been concluded with the wolf; and they lifted up their voices to heaven, praising and blessing God, who had sent them Saint Francis, through whose merits they had been delivered from such a savage beast.

The wolf lived two years at Gubbio; he went familiarly from door to door without harming anyone, and all the people received him courteously, feeding him with great pleasure, and no dog barked at him as he went about.

At last, after two years, he died of old age, and the people of Gubbio mourned his loss greatly; for when they saw him going about so gently amongst them all, he reminded them of the virtue and sanctity of Saint Francis.

The featured artwork was just a fun play on Francis and the Wolf.

To me, the wolf is a metaphor for our fears. Below is my brief personal contemplation:

Do not run from your fears, …for fear is a liar.

Rather, call on the Holy Spirit of God to strengthen your Courage and Fortitude and go to your fear. Taste little sips of it, like a very fine wine. You will learn truth about yourself. Allow your fear to guide your pathway to personal healing, strength, and security.

Click on this link to listen to the song, “Fear is a Liar,” by Zach Williams

Take a Walk

Last year, about this time, I gave a short talk on Sirach 27:30.

“Wrath and anger are hateful things, yet the sinner hugs them tight.”

Anger is a universal human emotion that we all experience. To feel anger, is not wrong. The temptation comes when someone hurts us and our first impulse is to hurt them back. BUT – Christ teaches that anger acted out in vengeance – is an offense against God (and) neighbor.

When Jesus was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane, Peter grabs a knife and cuts off the ear of the high priest’s slave. It is a perfect metaphor to what happens in anger, …we cut off the organ of communications. We stop listening. Anger cuts us off from one another. But, what did Jesus do? …he immediately heals the ear. He reestablishes the link of communications within the Mystical Body. That is what He is about.

We all wrestle with this deadly sin. I’ve been hurt and “by God,” I am going to hurt back. It happens between countries. It happens between people. Unfortunately, it happens way to often in our marriages and our families, where one member is not speaking to another. Each one getting back at each other. You hit me, I will hit you back, but harder. And, on it goes, …

So, … what is the antidote to the deadly sin of anger?

Jesus lives it and preaches it all the time, …Forgiveness.

What does it mean to you when you say “Forgive us our trespasses, …as we forgive those who trespass against us?” God wants nothing more for us – than to live in freedom. He is always trying to show us how to untie ourselves from these deadly sins that we’ve wrapped around ourselves. He is always trying to “loosen the chains.”

How many times Lord, …seven times? No, … I tell you, seven times seventy.

Forgiveness is to be the core of who we are, …if we are to live in “in God’s image and likeness.”

Forgiveness is all God is, …and that’s all he wants – “about us.” Anger is a universal human emotion – but there is a huge difference between experiencing anger (compared to) being stuck in anger.

It takes great courage and fortitude to be on the receiving end of someone’s anger, and choosing not to participate. When we fail to do this, we should not delude ourselves into thinking that we are living in God’s Spirit. Besides, do you really wish to live your life always susceptible to the depth of anger that exist in this world? Do you wish ti give another person so much power to manipulate and control your emotions and behavior? It is your choice, but if so, you are missing the “freedom” of the gospel.

On the other hand, if because of anger you have hurt someone, …take a very small step to heal that broken relationship. There is nothing more that needs to be done other than arriving at a place of contrition, and saying “I am sorry, …please forgive me.”

My most difficult act of forgiveness is when I have been most deeply hurt and I want that person to acknowledge it, but the “I am sorry, …please forgive me,” will never come. I can apply no logic to resolve it.

For me, the cemetery is my place of counseling. I go and take a 30 minute walk. I read the names and dates of the people “who had a real life” on this earth, just like me. I reminds me that there is a finality to my life, as well, I too will come here to rest. This may sound a bit morbid to some, but it restores my emotional balance.

And, as I have heard it said, ” Life and death is a package deal.” One does not come without the other. And to live with that acceptance offers us spiritual awareness and freedom in our daily lives.

Listen to the words of Sirach,

“Remember your last days, …set enmity aside; remember death and decay and cease from sin! Think of the commandments, …hate NOT your neighbor’ …remember the Most High’s covenant, and overlook faults.” (Sirach 28:6-7)

When Jesus says to forgive, it doesn’t mean that we should not feel pain or hurt. It does not mean that we have to forget what someone has done to us. Healing calls us to imitate Christ. In time, we are to move our injury into compassion.

When we struggle to overcome anger and resentment and can’t bring ourselves to “getting along” with the person who’s hurt us, …we can at least desire – no harm. Then, move our spirit and pray for them. And praying for them is a deep way to Love.

When we pray for someone who has hurt us, we choose to will “the good” for them: We ask God to bless them,…We ask God to heal them,…We ask God to save them.

It doesn’t mean we have to put ourselves in harms way. It doesn’t mean we have to let them treat us badly. We are not to remain anyone’s doormat. But it does mean that if someone has hurt us, we are to forgive and express that forgiveness above all by praying for them, …by interceding for them.

And that is a way to love and show mercy, …so that one day we too might be together with them – as forgiven sinners, …and servants who have been shown mercy, …in the everlasting kingdom of God.

It’s time for my walk.

The featured image is the cemetery where I hope one day, …to lay.

ps. I’d like to offer a good book recommendation,

“Happier Endings, A Meditation on Life and Death” by Erica Brown, Simon and Schuster, 2013

raison d’etre

20 years back while while on retreat, I chanced upon a small “out of the way” room hoping for a few minutes of private solitude between talks. The room had a small altar with a few chairs. After about twenty minutes, an elderly woman comes in and begins setting the altar for liturgy. She struggles to light the tall paschal candle. A few minutes later, an old curmudgeon looking priest walks in and takes his turn struggling with the same candle. I am taller, so I offer my assistance. After struggling myself, the old priest utters, “Don’t worry about it, it’s not required for salvation.” I return to my chair and the three of us join in liturgical worship.

To this day, the saying “Don’t worry about it, it’s not required for salvation,”continues to echo and shape my spiritual journey especially when discerning matters of faith. Even more so when I hear debates between different faith traditions. Religious debates seldom focus on what is truly required for salvation.

Recently, I was reminded when asked by a young Catholic man whose Protestant friend critique the Catholic faith, particularly regarding Jesus’ mother. I promised the young man that I would do a little research and follow up with a few thoughts.

To begin, there are many others who hold a far deeper devotion to the mother of Jesus than I. My devotion (not worship) to Jesus’ mother can be understood in the graceful words of the Hail Mary prayer which is formed explicitly from Luke’s gospel. And the other is to entrust the spiritual care of my own children and grandchildren to Jesus’ own mother.

I am not a biblical scholar or theologian. Nor do I consider myself an apologist rather I depend on Jesus and His gospel to defend me. I am simply walking a spiritual path, just like any one else, searching for God’s Truth and Will for my life.

I was doubly motivated to write this blog since the call from the young man inquiring about Mary’s Immaculate Conception came just a few weeks after completing a wood carving of the iconic image of Jesus’ mother. It is one of those “holy coincidences,” or moments of Grace, I believe.

Dogma is developed not strictly by explicit biblical reference but also by implicit biblical references – both literal and holistically. The “dogma” of the Immaculate Conception is supported with multiple Old Testament typologies that point to New Testament affirmations.

I will touch on a rough schematic of thought. Therefore, do not take my word, …. instead, go directly to the bible, or to the online Catechism of the Catholic Church at http://ccc.usccb.org/flipbooks/catechism/index.html#I which defines biblical support for all its its teachings.

The way to think about the Immaculate Conception is that the Mother of Jesus was redeemed from the moment of her conception. This is based on God’s predestination of Mary to be the Mother of the Incarnate Word.

Predestination is God’s gratuitous “fore-choice” of creatures for salvation. Mary was not the only human creature predestined as St. Paul speaks in (Eph 1:3-6) and St. John speaks in his first letter (1 Jn 4:10).

Many scholars and theologians consider Genesis 3:15 as OT typology revealing the Father’s fore-love of Mary and her unique role in salvation history of being chosen for the eventual birthing of the Redeemer. Luke 1:26-38, is a primary New Testament affirmation of this “favor with God” and then another in Revelation 12.

When taking a biblical account of Mary’s presence and role through the Annunciation, Nativity, Presentation in the Temple, intercessory role at Cana, Crucifixion, and Pentecost is it not within human reason to consider – that the mother of our Savior “was enriched by God with gifts appropriate to such a role?

Devotion to Mary is not listed in the Ten Commandments, nor do we find any mention of it in the Beattitudes, but ponder this thought;

“Anyone who is spiritually united to Jesus through baptism and filial adoption has also, in a particular way, received the Mother of Jesus as his or her own spiritual mother. This mother offers an immaculate human model of Christian discipleship to Jesus for the entire People of God, and at the same time intercedes as a mother in the order of grace for her Son’s disciples who seek to respond to the Lord’s invitation to Christian holiness with their own personal fiat of faith.” (M. Miravalle)

Even if one relies solely on a strict literal biblical interpretation, Mary’s role in salvation history is unique.

I’ve never considered devotion to Jesus’ mother “required for salvation,” but if one’s devotion to Mary guides that person to a deeper reality of her Son, …as the Way, the Truth, and the Life, …so be it.

We all have to find our own return to God.

The featured image includes my recent wood carving of Jesus’ Mother. Take note of her hands and to what she is presenting to you.

ps. feel free to comment

Moo Cow

Growing up, my family’s homestead was on the outskirts of the city where there was enough land for my father to raise a few head of cattle. He raised cattle because he enjoyed it and because it supplied meat and milk for the family, all eight of us.

As I young boy I would sometimes follow him to the barn to watch him milk the cow. I yearned for the day that I could milk the cow. Around 9 yrs old, I began nagging. Daddy, Daddy, when can I start milking the cow? His reply, “Son, when you are ten years old.” I could not understand why I had to wait. I was quite confident since I was able to get our milk cow in and out of the stall,…Not so much knowing that the momma cow knew the routine all by herself. She was always waiting at the barn door to be fed.

As my tenth birthday approached – my nagging intensified, “Daddy, Daddy, I am almost 10, can I start now?” His reply was constant, “Son, when you are ten years old.”

On the afternoon of my tenth birthday, I could not wait. I grabbed the milk bucket and headed to the barn. As usual, our old gentle milk cow, Braus, was waiting. I managed to get her in the stall, wash her and began milking. After milking Braus, her uncooperative baby calf had to suck and after be separated – which was not so easy to manage. From that moment, it only took about three days for the fun and excitement of this new responsibility to completely disappear.

I told Dad, that I really did not want to milk the cow anymore. He said, “Son, you are now ten years old. It’s now your chore. Go milk the cow.” I had cross the threshold of innocence into daily chores. This barnyard drudgery lasted for the next five years.

I’ve always credited my father with teaching me a valuable lesson – early in life. Be patient for what lies ahead in life. It will come. And once I make a promise to someone, do all that I can to live up to my commitments,…Even if it no longer brings personal advantage, pleasure, and happiness.

This is the path of our maturity and I believe this lesson transcends;

“When you make a vow to the LORD your God, you shall not be slack to pay it; for the LORD your God will surely require it of you, and it would be sin in you. (DT 23:21)

To do less is to dishonor oneself, and the God to whom you pray. It is harmful to those others who have put their trust in you.

You shall be careful to perform what has passed your lips, for you have voluntarily vowed to the LORD your God what you have promised with your mouth (DT 23:23)

God is the essence of truth and this quality should be reflected in the character of his children.

To live as a Christian, is to be faithful in keeping promises made to others and to God, because we have been called to live in integrity and truth. False or broken promises are considered as sin. There are consequence of sin that damage us and those around us in this life. We may ignore this but there is no getting around it, so:

…, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. (Phillipians 4:8)

The featured image was taken ten years ago, the day after my father’s funeral. We were collecting all his cattle for sale.

I do not miss the cows, but I sure miss my Dad.

Building Great Cathedrals

In my philosophy class, I was given the following assignment:

Look reflectively at our society today. Are we building truly great cathedrals? What are we building that is comparable in scale and grandeur to the great cathedrals of previous centuries? What is (are) the underlying philosophical assertion(s) that those structures make?

Below is my response

The affective experience that one can have inside great cathedrals elevate our eyes, minds, and souls to the heavens in such a way that point us to the Creator. Less grand places of worship, sacred art and music, can affect us in the same. Even more so, the natural beauty of creation points us to the Creator.

We are to give our best to God. But, I have to admit that grand structures on the scale of St. Peter’s, Notre Dame, Hagia Sophia, and many others throughout Europe cause me to wander back in time to how those in power accumulated the wealth to construct them. I do not claim to know the sources of wealth acquired for any of these grand cathedrals, at the same time, I am not naïve to believe it was without some level of subjugating the population. Simony and the selling of indulgences is a known fact of Church history.

Perhaps not in the scale of medieval times but even today, great church structures are being built with great sums of money. The latest church built in our parish cost 25 million. I just returned from a liturgical art workshop in the middle of the wooded hills near Salem, SC and the Orthodox were building a huge magnificent church which I guess cost in the neighborhood of +25 million. We even hear of mega-churches being built for Evangelical traditions. One has to ask, is this how Jesus would spend large sums of money, …probably not.

In the secular realm, one only has to follow where societies are spending billions to build structures for people to glorify some “thing.” My first thought is sport stadiums, Also, mega-corporations, and stock market institutions, to name a few more.

Another structure to which society directs its “cathedral” money is on media systems applied on the world wide web. The smartphone is the “new” pulpit. It is the most frequented place where people point their eyes, mind, and soul for guidance on how to live their lives. There is good that comes from this technology but we are basically ignoring its darker effects and falling prey.

To expand, I’ll share an article that caught my attention from the Wall Street Journal. The headline read; “The Tug of War over America’s Children – iPhones vs. Parents: “Experience has already shown parents that ceding control over the devices has reshaped their children’s lives, allowing an outside influence on school work, friendships, recreation, sleep, romance, sex and free time.”

We all know the smartphone and social media bypasses parental influence and has an addicting quality to it,… and it’s not just children that are susceptible. So are we. The consequences of these addictions are subtle yet devastating. As much as social media applications tout the building up of human connectivity, on the whole, I believe it does exactly the opposite. It minimizes human to human contact and the development of people’s ability for authentic relationships. It moves us farther and farther away from created reality and its truths. And we have yet to experience the worst of it. When augmented and virtual reality becomes mainstream, it will accelerate the fracturing of society and civility.

If Christians of today, truly desire the foundations of our faith be instilled and guide our lives and that of our children – We will need new ways of thinking, teaching, and engaging faith formation.

When I began preparing my written response for this assignment, I googled – “building cathedrals.” Several websites came up that were authored by mothers blogging about motherhood and raising their children. Here is a snippet and quote by Joseph, Cardinal Mindszenty from one particular website:

“The most important person on earth is a mother. She cannot claim the honor of having built Notre Dame Cathedral. She need not. She has built something more magnificent than any cathedral – a dwelling for an immortal soul, the tiny perfection of her baby’s body…The angels have not been blessed with such a grace.”

The website author followed, “Cardinal Mindszenty’s words praise the vocation of mothers and it’s a beautiful quote. But, …We are all called to acknowledge that every person we come in contact with was created to be a cathedral–a heart that God himself will dwell in.”

To sum my thoughts, that is the most awakening and truthful statement – when thinking about what are the great cathedrals in our society today, that is – our children and the sacredness of marriage.

The featured art (photo) was not taken by me. Although, I do claim a joyful involvement.

O-Be-dience

About fifteen years ago, I was attending our company’s annual leadership gatherings along with 300 corporate managers. The keynote speaker was the new CEO. The company had just experience the effects of being bought by another corporations and its effects: cultural shifts, departmental outsourcing and reduction of employee benefits, etc. He was speaking of his “new” vision for the company. Toward the end of his talk he voiced how valuable the employees are to him, the corporate leadership, and to the success of the company. After his speech, he opens the floor inviting questions and comments.

I am sitting all the way in the back of the auditorium and after a few typical inquiries about the stock price, and what were his thoughts about the future of the industry, I raise my hand and offer my comment, “ I believe you when I hear you say that the well-being of the employees are of great concern from corporate leadership but to be honest I have not heard any of my coworkers say that they feel that corporate headquarters cares much about them. In fact it feels quite the opposite.” I was simply being open and honest. He could have responded to my comment as a personal challenge but to his credit, he acknowledged the value of my comment and said that it is something that he knows that he will have to prove. He did not respond with indignation and seemed to appreciate an honest comment from a subordinate. That day he earned my respect.

After a few more questions, the session ended. I headed to the restroom and was followed by two vice presidents who I knew very well. They said to me, “I can’t believe you had the courage to say what you said.”

What they said surprised me. The CEO opened the floor and asked for questions and comments. All I did was take him at his word and respond. Nothing more, nothing less. The comment by those two VP’s revealed their own fears and astonishment of someone speaking honestly to authority. Granted, I was only speaking for myself, but these two VP’s were responsible for a thousand employees under them. They had a much higher obligation to speak openly and honestly to authority at whatever consequence, not only for themselves, but for many others.

I am not suggesting it is always good to say everything and anything on our minds. There is prudence involved especially when there is potential to harm someone. But to fail to challenge our fears when we hide our “true” selves from others is seldom healthy.

For me, it boils down to a fundamental question, Do I prefer knowing (or not knowing) what someone else thinks? Knowing truth is not always easy, but it is easier than living in falsity and fantasy. I do not prefer living life with my head in the sand thinking I can avoid being hurt. Someone else’s words can only endanger my well being, if I allow it. I would rather know the reality of a person, than not knowing. I would rather people know the reality of who I am, than not. Otherwise, there cannot exist an honest and respectful relationship between two people.

Harm due to a lack of personal honesty between people is magnified within organizations of people. Failure to be open and honest between people(s) forms a culture of division and fear, dysfunction, and ultimately corruption that leads to forms of abuse.

Whatever a secular corporate organization may say about how it values its employees, its actions will betray the truth. They exist to make a dollar, and the dollar is above any employee’s worth. The culture is beholden to the dollar and its systemic systems of controlling and forcing obedience will serve its ends even at the expense of its employees.

When our employer fail us – we can just leave. This is not so much the case to our Christian faith. If we claim to be an authentic Christian, the Body of Christ, our mission, leadership, and obligation to holding each other accountable is clear.

Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matt 28:18-20 (ESV)

The Church’s mission is clear. I’ll share a related experience in regards to our obligation to obedience:

A couple of years into ministerial formation, our mentors communicated their frustration by what they called our “grumblings.” Instead of a soulful inquiry to identify the source of our “grumblings” we were asked to write a reflection on the following questions:

Does obedience come easily for you, or is it a struggle?
To whom would you say you are obedient, and how?

After everyone turned in their assignments, they selected one candidate’s reflection to be read back to the whole group. It spoke of his struggle with (human) authority.

Below is an excerpt from my reflection:

[Coincidently, I am reading a book titled, A New Friendship, The Spirituality and Ministry of the Deacon, by Msgr. Edward Buelt. It offers clarity regarding obedience in diaconate service. He states, with his “Present” the deacon-candidate affirms three things.

First he professes that he willingly offers his heart in love for the One speaking.
Second, he promises to offer willingly his obedience, his careful hearing, to the Logos and to the Word that has redeemed and sanctified him and now calls him to the diaconate.
Third, he testifies that he is willing to give his life so that Christ, the Suffering Servant, whose icon he will become, may conform him to himself.

St. John Paul II’s wrote,“When a person is touched by the Word, …obedience is born, that is listening, which changes life” (Orientale lumen 10).]

It is important to note that the Latin etymology for “obedience” means “to hear or listen towards.” This is not typically what most people believe obedience to mean. We also find this aspect early in the Hebrew Old Testament for our act of obedience to God in the “Shema.” (Det 6:4)

Certainly, there is a necessary obedience to hierarchy. Without it there is chaos in the Church but our first and highest obedience is to the Word. Many of us have lost sight of this and more so, the clergy. It is to the “Word” that we have to hold each other accountable. Church leaders do not get a free pass. If there be any doubt, just consider the religious leaders of Jesus time and how they treated him, and how he responded to their corruption.

Romans 1:5 speaks of “obedience of faith.” As Christians, this obligation transcends authority of any man. It is this obedience that exercises our true goodness and fullness in this life – allowing each of us a foretaste in divine life.

To live this form of obedience is to honor God, oneself and others. If it takes courage to be open and honest so be it. But it is such a simple thing. If we truly believe in the gospel we will recognize our own self worth and live with the conviction of our Savior “and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

I have come across both clergy and laity who acted as though they had the responsibility to protect Jesus and His Church. By their arrogance they have it backwards. Jesus does not need me, or anyone else, to protect Him. I need him to protect me and that is exactly why He was sent and why I am Christian.

The featured image is a simple image created while experimenting with alcohol inks.

Mother of Tenderness

What does the loving glance of a mother holding her infant child speak, …but that startling glow of Grace.

What do the eyes of the child return, …but the gift of its Soul.

Who cannot see the halo bright and warm, …as the moon’s glow?

The featured image is an icon titled, “Mother of Tenderness.” It is one of my favorite images of Jesus’s mother. It signifies the private relationship between Mother and Child. I painted it for my daughter soon after she announced her first pregnancy.

In the world of sacred icons of the Mother of Jesus, there are three main ontological categories according to three distinct images of action (or three types of relationship) of spirit and matter, against the background of the earthly, heavenly and divine.

Our Lady of Tenderness (joy):
Our Lady of the Way (ascent, guidance):
Our Lady of the Sign (the standing vigilant before God in prayer).