Lent and Transfiguration

Yearly, on the Second Sunday of Lent, the Catholic Lectionary has the Gospel passage of the Transfiguration from one of the three synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark or Luke). This might seem a little odd. After all, the Transfiguration, on its surface, seems so distant from the spiritual preparations of Lent. It seems too hopeful, too positive to fit. But that would be a mischaracterization of the Transfiguration. First, what is the Transfiguration? Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He shares the same divinity, the same nature as God the Father and the Holy Spirit, but they are three persons. He became incarnate, taking on human nature with all that goes with it except sin. He has a human body and soul, intellect and will. This humanity ‘hid’ His divinity. In the Transfiguration, occurring on Mount Tabor, that divinity was allowed to shine forth. He became dazzling. But more important, He conversed with Moses (giver of the Law) and Elijah (the most important of the prophets) from the Old Testament, both symbols of Jesus’ mission and ministry, that He would fulfill the Law and the prophets. The apostles Peter, James and John witnessed this vision of Christ in His glory. Peter did not know how to respond - he states, “Lord, it is good that we are here. Let us build three tents…” He recognizes the beauty of the revelation, but desires to stay there (though the tents might refer to the Jewish Festival of Booths, when they lived in tents in honor of the harvest). But Jesus was about something else. Especially in Luke’s account, it is clear that Moses and Elijah are speaking of His “Exodus” - that He was going to be the way to salvation through His death on the Cross. The Transfiguration was a means of preparing for the scandal of the Cross. St. Peter says as much in his letter, when he wrote that we are not following cleverly devised myths because he was a witness of the glory of Jesus Christ’s glory in the Transfiguration (2 Peter). What does this have to do with us and our Lenten preparations? We might be like St. Peter. We might recognize the beauty of the Risen Christ, and we might become too comfortable, we want to stay comfortable. But Christ invites us to enter into His death and resurrection, especially in this Lenten season. Hearing of the Transfiguration might invite us to consider the glory we have witnessed in the Resurrection, and remind ourselves that the glory we see is preparing us for something greater. We must be willing to follow Christ through this Lenten season into the glory not only of His Resurrection, but to the eternal life He died to give us. The Transfiguration reminds us that something more, something greater, awaits. We need to get uncomfortable, though. But we might recall, as Pope Benedict XVI stated, we are not made for comfort. We are made for greatness. We prepare for greatness in Lent!

Dominion

Recently, in the Catholic Lectionary for the daily Scripture readings for Mass, we began reading in Genesis. So much could be written about these first few chapters – from creation and intelligent desing (especially as opposed to atheistic evolution), to the dignity of human beings, to the Fall and disgrace of sin. We could discuss the nature of humanity itself – the differences between male and female, and the complementarity of the sexes. We could discuss the whole idea of evolution as the means that God our Creator used to bring about the life we see around us. In this latest reading, however, what struck me is the idea of “dominion”. Twice, the author writes that the Creator gave man dominion over the fish, birds and beasts. First, is a statement of God’s intent, but the second time an extension of God’s blessing. How are we to understand this? After all, in our modern ears, dominion is a bad thing. It seems to be to rule it, to use and discard according to one’s own desires and wishes. It is viewed as an unchecked industrialization and capitalist endeavor. Its extreme opposite is one that leads to seeking to eliminate humanity and a rejection of any authority over creation. We would not leave a single mark on the world. Dominion is in between – it means leaving the world better, both by the wise use of resources and trying to limit waste. We should seek to protect the earth. The root of “Dominion” means to ‘lord’. It implies that to have dominion is a participation in the very action of God in subduing, protecting, and guiding. Dominion does not allow wanton destruction, but rather creativity. It is a form of stewardship, which is to take care of the things that we have been given by the Creator, and to pass them on to our youth. To have dominion is to use wisely. Why might this notion be important? First, it is God’s will that we as human we participate in His continuing creative action. After all, while we hear of how He rested on the seventh day, He did not cease to guide and create. So we are given dominion to aid. We build roads, create technology, grow our food just as examples, to have dominion and subdue. But the other reason is that to participate in the dominion is an acceptance of God’s blessing. If it is God’s will, and His blessing, it is then a sacred duty. It is one that we cannot neglect. Perhaps with this idea, we can seek better ways of environmentalism and green deals.

Memento mori

Some time ago, I read a story about a doctor’s conversation with a patient with terminal cancer. The patient was expressing fear of dying, mainly because of the fear of the unknown. At that moment, there was a commotion at the door, as the sound of clawing and yelping was heard. A split second later, a dog burst in, bounding into the doctor’s office and with as much enthusiasm as a dog can display, ran up to her master, the doctor, and pounced. As he knew the patient not only from his work but saw him at the same church, the doctor took the moment to demonstrate the lesson. “You notice how impatient my dog was to get here?” the doctor asked. He continued, “My dog has never been in here. In fact, she has never been here before. She did not know what waited for him on the other side of the door, but she heard my voice. She knew that I was in here. She knew the voice of his master, she knew the love of her master, and she had no fear. She just wanted to be with me.” The doctor paused, choking back his tears, realizing the power of that moment for both his patient and himself, “I imagine death is like that. We don’t know what’s on the other side, but we hear the voice of our master, and we should want to be with Him so much that we have no fear.” The patient wiping away tears of relief, was moved by the example to silent pondering. This month, at least in the Catholic Church, we remember all who have died. It gives us a pause to remember those who have passed with fondness, and to pray for them. But it is also a chance for us to remember that we, too are going to die. This can bring us tremendous fear, or it can bring us tremendous peace. Like the doctor and his dog, if we know the voice of the Lord and listen to that voice, we have nothing to fear, and while we do not hasten to see Him before He calls us, we also do no fear that day. This is the true meaning of the phrase, “Memento mori” - Remember death. We call to mind that we are gong to die, and we make decisions based on that eternal perspective. While it is a sobering thought, it is also tremendously freeing. St. John tells us in his first letter that we are God’s children now, and that the world does not know this because they do not know Him. But St. John continues that what we are to be is yet to be revealed, and when it is, we shall be like God for we shall see Him as He is. We hear the voice of the Master, we don’t know what waits, but we know Who waits for us, and that He waits as a loving Father, ready to embrace us as beloved children and something more, something beyond our wildest imaginations. So we remember death, but also remember that death is conquered by Christ. We have nothing to fear.

Repeating or Rhyming?

Mark Twain is mistakenly credited to have quipped, “History doesn’t repeat itself, but it rhymes.” This notion has been in my mind these last months as we have witnessed, yet again, the failure of so many in leadership in the Catholic Church regarding sexual misconduct. Some used those days wake-up call to recommit ourselves to the faith, morality, and most importantly live as Christ has called us to live. Dioceses of our state have released the names of those credible accused, sought out the victims to beg forgiveness and seeking healing, and at least begun the settlement of lawsuits. Unfortunately, some bishops and dioceses did not. These last months, we have witnessed high-ranking prelates debasing themselves in the most despicable of ways. We see others covering, aiding and abetting sin and moral failure. Others have created alternative structures, almost an anti-Church movement, heading by duplicitous clergy (priests and bishops) in the Church. While these issues had been named as pedophilia, a more chilling realization has set in – according the 2003 John Jay report, 79% of the crimes were homosexual (male on post-pubescent male). These revelations have shaken most of us to the core. What we are witnessing now in other parts of the country is the rhyme and repeat based on the failure to respond. Too many simply went through the motions, and like a child, swept the dust under the rug, assuming out of sight, out of mind. But that is not clean! Now, the Holy Spirit is challenging us again to look at the corruption. As a Catholic, I deeply believe that this is the time that the Blessed Mother Mary promised, in which she is going to sweep the Church clean. It hurts, and it is hard work. But it is spring cleaning for the whole Church. Lift up the rugs, crush the cockroaches, scrub the dust. Get the filth out! When this is done, there will not be one place for evil to hid in the Church, and then the Church will be able to continue her mission of cleansing the world. Only then will the Church be what she is called to be, a refuge for sinners seeking Christ, and a place of safety for all. The Church will always be the prefect and spotless bride of Christ. Christ has promised that the gates of hell will not prevail against it. But the Church’s members are sinners. The Church is in constant need of purification. Christ suffered and died for this! And we must accept this purification. While we may not be at fault, we all have a role. What we see in the Church is only symptomatic of the culture, especially as we consider the #MeToo movement or the rampant rise of STDs, the use of pornography, the sex trades, or abortion. We need to commit ourselves to saying “NO MORE.” We need to examine every aspect of our culture and remove abuse in all its forms. Only then will history cease to rhyme.

Thoughts on Independence Day

The smell of burnt gunpowder probably hangs in the air following our Fourth of July celebration. Really, though, that is a misnomer. The Fourth of July is like any other day. Why the parades, the flags, the fireworks, the hopefully unfettered show of patriotism? It is Independence Day we celebrate, the day we remember the brave founders of the American experiment, men and women with a noble vision of a country of, by, and for the people. They envisioned a country not ruled by a king, dictator, or emperor, but a person elected to serve for a particular time to execute the laws legislated by a congress and judged in keeping with the founding documents by a judiciary. This American experiment was one unlike any other, and after 242 year, we stand, though perhaps not as strong.

If we ask now what kind of freedom we fight for, too many might answer the right to self-determination, but defined as to do what I want, right or wrong, properly licentiousness. My needs and desires always supersede the other. If I cannot have those needs met thorough my own agency, then the government must intervene. But that is not the vision of our founders. See, the freedom they envisioned was a liberty - the freedom to choose the right and reject the wrong. It was a freedom of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. But its basis is truth. They understood that neither these rights nor truth itself were a function of popular vote or granted them by a benevolent ruler, but by God. While they may have a theistic understanding of God as a distant creator, they still acted and believed that these rights were deeply engrained in the human person and that truth is knowable. That is why these rights are inalienable - they are not able to be taken away. This notion of truth and liberty is profoundly Christian, based on the Judeo-Christian history, but all peoples can have access to it. That is why countless people have flocked to our shores and continue to do so. They want a share in freedom, to live the truth.

As a country and people this Independence Day, I hope that we can acknowledge the American dream is alive, and yet unrealized among so many. Let us defend the defenseless and downtrodden who come to our ports of entry eager to follow the dream. But at the same time, find humane ways of securing our borders to limit child and sexual trafficking and those looking to expand criminal empires. Let us pray for those who govern, no matter party affiliation, that they may be filled with wisdom to work for the good of all Americans and allow this country to be a bold beacon of truth and liberty to the whole world. Let us be a people seeking truth, working for justice, and defending life, liberty, and the pursuit of eternal happiness.

Mothers

This weekend, we honor our mothers. These women are too often the unsung heroes of our communities. Whether they have careers outside the home or their career is the home, they provide the backbone of the formation of our children. Of course, we know that motherhood begins with conception, and from that first moment, the bond between mother and child is formed. For the first 9 months, and perhaps for some time after birth, the mother and child are inseparable. As the child grows and matures, it is more often than not the mother who comforts and nourishes the children. Their role might too easily be taken for granted, overlooked, or even minimized. With that understanding, we as children need to show respect to our mothers more than just one day (and equal for our fathers). Perhaps, this Mother’s Day, we take special note of the hidden ways our mothers have given of themselves, and pledge our love and respect at a deeper level. As a Catholic, however, I cannot help but take this inclination to honor mothers a little further. Not only do we honor mothers this weekend, but we also honor the Blessed Mother Mary this month of May. After all, the first mention of Mary in the scriptures is the Annunciation, when the angel Gabriel reveals God’s plan to her, the plan to be the mother of His Son. God the Father chose her, really created her, for this moment. We next hear of Mary taking Jesus in her womb to visit Elizabeth, whose own unborn son recognizes his unborn Savior. These two mothers rejoice in their good fortune: one to be a mother in her old age, her shamed barrenness lifted; the other, the mother of the hope of all for salvation. They rejoice in their mutual maternity. Two millennia later, Mary remains a mother who seeks to introduce her Divine Son to all. We do not worship her, but we do honor her for her role in salvation. We ask her aid, not as a God, but as a mother who had such an intimate union with the Incarnate Word of God, so intimate that she gave Him flesh, clothed Him, feed Him, comforted Him. As a mother, she did so much of our Savior and Lord. To disregard her role in God’s plan is to minimize her Son. Put positively, to honor Mary is to honor her Son, and to understand her role is to worship God! Even Jesus, as a Jew, honored and obeyed her! Mary longs, like a good mother, to help us understand her Son, to know Him and to love Him. All of us, Catholic or Protestant, have recourse to her as a mother who is willing to come to our aid. Like Elizabeth, let us cry out “Who am I that the Mother of my Lord should come to me!”

Memorial

Twenty years ago, this community was different. The March 29, 1998, tornado that stuck our city destroyed or damaged trees, businesses and public buildings, and homes. It changed the landscape and city. The storm system claimed two lives and changed countless others. Those who were here before and immediately after have a multitude of stories to share. As we mark this anniversary, we will share those stories, some untold for years. This is an effort to remember. It is a human trait.

Memory was important for the Jewish people, and therefore important for the early Christians, too. The Jewish people shared the story of the Exodus – their slavery in Egypt and how God powerfully saved them and lead them into freedom. The Passover meal that they gathered to share was not a quaint ritual or a play-acting. Instead, it was a solemn ‘remembering’ where the events of the past were brought into the present, and the partakers of the present meal were immersed into the events of the past. This type of memory is where the bounds of time and space breakdown. When they remembered, they allowed the actions to be new to them, and they drew strength from the memory.

At His last Passover before offering His life to the Father on the cross for our salvation, Jesus Christ initiated a new covenant and a new memorial, not marked with the blood of a lamb, but with His own blood. He instructed and ordained the Apostles, (and they in turn their successors) to offer the new sacrifice of bread and wine in His memory, and in doing so, He would be present. The act of remembering draws us to Calvary and we stand at the foot of the cross. The act of remembering give us strength and direction to move forward. So important for us as Catholics is that we take Jesus at His word - the bread and wine cease to be, and they are Jesus Christ’s body and blood, changed for our life and nourishment. This memory changes everything.

While certainly not as universal as the Passover or the Crucifixion or their commemorations, we make another kind of memorial as we commemorate the tornado. As we share the stories of before, during, and aftermath, we might in some way be drawn in time to that tragic day when all was changed. The question is whether we going to be bitter, holding on to anger and frustration for what was lost, or that we will be better by challenging ourselves to continue to seek to expand the good things that have occurred because the tornado? In the end, that is the challenge of our lives. We are challenged to do more than hold on to the memories of past events, but to allow them to instruct our future, calling to mind the good that the Lord has done even in our day.

Lent

St. John Vianney (1786-1859, Ars, France) was a man sought far and wide for his wisdom and spiritual counsel. He spent countless hours in the confessional, hearing thousands of confessions every year. His homilies and guidance were always in his own down-to-earth style. One day, a woman of obvious means came to him and asked a simple question, "What must I do to reduce [lose weight]?" He looked her up and down, noting her fine jewelry and clothing, and her girth, and replied, "About three Lents." It was not well received, to say the least. She was perhaps looking for an easy answer, his response gave none. He read her soul and found that her size was due to a spiritual malady - perhaps greed, gluttony, or sloth - that could only be cured by entering into a penitential season such as Lent.

The danger is that we too often approach Lent with the opposite attitude. We might be tempted to see it as a period of self-improvement. Looking at the number on the scale or noticing the tightness of our clothing, we might decide that this Lent is a great time to diet. We might be tempted, as we look around, to see the people who might benefit from our charity, and so we create a program for giving. We might be aware of a little addiction (chocolate or candy, pop, TV, etc), and decide Lent is a good time to face that. As good-hearted as these kinds of things are, however, they are not Lent. These things can turn Lent into a self-improvement project.

Lent, which we are entering this week, is about seeking God and His will. We ought to always seek to eliminate from our lives the things that distract us from God and those things to which we are 'inordinately attached' - those things that take too much of our time and attention compared to their eternal value. Lent is about allowing God's grace to transform us, not about our improving ourselves. While it might be true that we see the same effects, we enter Lent to fast, not to diet. We seek to give alms, not to seek reward for charitable giving. We seek the Lord in prayer, not just of self-reflection. We might not need to enter Lent for the same reason as the woman that St. John Vianney encountered, but we need Lent. Let's enter it well, seeking the Lord and His grace, so that as we gather to celebrate Christ's resurrection, we may do so with hearts set free.

Exultation of the Cross

This week, most Orthodox and all Catholic Rite churches will celebrate the Exultation of the Cross. It marks the finding of the True Cross in 327 and the dedication in 335 of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, built over the site of Jesus’ crucifixion, burial, and resurrection. This feast marks something more than simple history. This feast gives us a chance to reflect on the meaning of the Cross, and ask the question of whether we are willing to take it up in our lives. Before His death, Jesus spoke of the Cross explicitly and implicitly. He spoke to Nicodemus of the Son of Man being lifted up, and referenced the episode of the bronze snake mounted on a pole. He invited the disciples to take up their cross and follow Him. He prophesied His death on a cross. They would have understood exactly the reference. While not necessarily an everyday occurrence, crucifixion was common enough in Roman-occupied Israel. It meant death, humiliating and literally excruciating. Jesus was to transform it. He embraced the cross, submitted himself in humility. Dying on the Cross, He put death to death, and robbed hell of its false claim on those who obediently submit themselves to God. In rising, He gives life to all who believe. Jesus Christ models for us that we who are sinners need to die to ourselves. More importantly, by the Cross, He gives us the only means of salvation and eternal life. We are invited to take up our cross. Too often, we ‘reduce’ the cross to something that frustrates or troubles us. Jesus does not want us to reduce the cross to only something like sickness or cancers, or a difficult family situations, or whatever else, as difficult as those things are. He wants us to carry our cross in the whole of our life - to submit our entire lives, not just those difficulties. He wants to be Lord of our entirety. Certainly, the Cross of Jesus transforms those difficulties, but He wants His Cross to transform us. He wants us to follow Him so closely that when others see us, they see Christians who embrace our own dying to self and seeking to exult Him. As Christians, we cry out everyday of our lives, as we carry our own cross, "We exult you, O Christ, and we praise you, because by your Holy Cross, you have redeemed the world."

Transfiguration

There is something wonderful about the Feast of the Transfiguration that Roman Catholics just celebrated on August 6th. There is some debate around the date itself. Some suggest that it was in mid-late September due to the mention of “Booths” and the connection to the Jewish Feast of Sukkot. Others suggest that it was the early spring before Jesus’ death and resurrection as He used it to prepare the three apostles for the cross. No matter, because what we celebrate is not when the Transfiguration happened, but THAT it happened.

We perhaps know the story well enough. Jesus lead Peter, James, and John up the mountain, there to be transformed or better allowed to reveal His inner majesty. They struggle for understanding, seeing Moses (the law-giver) and Elijah (the Prophet). Peter offers to build booths or tents, signifying his desire to stay there. They hear a voice that could only come from God Himself, informing them that this is indeed His Son, and the exhortation to listen to Him.

One could easily underestimate the meaning of the Transfiguration. As already written, it was a means of preparing the apostles for the scandal of the Cross, as they would see Jesus as divine and know that He was to suffer. But even more, St. Peter himself sees something more profound, and writes of it in his second letter (2 Peter 1:16-19). He states that he was there when they witnessed Jesus’ majesty and heard the voice of God. He sees it as proof that the faith he lived, and the faith for which he would ultimately die, was not one of “cleverly devised myths”. He uses that experience to encourage the believers to trust in the Lord.

Think about that: St. Peter, who struggled for the words, wanting to stay in that moment, must have spent the rest of his life thinking about that moment, reflecting on it time and again. When moments were rough, perhaps he thought of it. When things were well, perhaps it inspired him to more. We, too, have been invited to encounter the Lord. Perhaps it was less majestic than the Transfiguration, but no less noble. Do we allow our encounter to inspire our actions, and are we sharing of that encounter with others, aiding in their walk with the Lord?

A secret

I want to share a secret: the Church is filled with sinners. I admit that it is not a very good secret. At times, though, we can pretend that it is a secret or that we are not really sinners. We act like this statement in itself is scandalous, ignoring that is the sinful behavior that is cause of scandal, not that the members struggle with sin. From the first apostles until now, this has been the case. Call to mind the original 12 apostles. They were not perfect. Time and again, they bumbled their way through life. Consider St. Peter, patron of our fair city. He sometimes got things so right - making the bold profession that Jesus is the Son of the Living God and having courage to take the first step onto the water, only to display complete ignorance to God’s will or take his eyes off our Lord. Or think of Judas, the man who could follow Jesus for three years, but sold him out for thirty pieces of silver, then to commit suicide in despair. The other apostles who ran, hid, or were skeptical. No, the Church, as beautiful as she is as a whole, is filled with sinners in her members. But that is good - the Church is a hospital for the sick, not a shrine for the perfect. We as members are not perfect, but the Body of Christ, united to Christ as head, is. While the vile acts of some priests have certainly challenged us, the message of the Church remains - that Christ is our savior. But we still act in such a way that suggests we can keep this secret. First, we members and leadership attempt to be “Nice”, and to avoid anything that would not be seen as ‘nice’. We become too accommodating, allowing bad behavior because we are in the Church (a problem that also plagued the early Church as some rejoiced in the freedom to sin) . We do not want to offend anyone, so we allow sin to go unchallenged. We too often allow unprofessional behavior in the workplace lest we come off as mean. We are members of the Church, after all, and we are supposed to love and accept everyone, right? The opposite of this being nice is also prevalent - we can be done right mean. We disparage those who do not meet our ideas of perfection, and we become too demanding. Specifically, we might look at incidents of members condemning a unmarried woman who is pregnant, or groups protesting funerals as God’s punishment. Neither of these extremes (nice or mean) reveal Jesus. Jesus is merciful, certainly, but He is also just. He spent time with prostitutes and tax collectors, but did not confirm them in their sins but called them to conversion. We need to be kind and loving, but the most loving thing we can sometimes do is challenge someone to be better, to respond to grace. Too often the charge of hypocrisy is thrown around when we do so, however. It is not hypocrisy to be a sinner seeking conversion, but it is hypocrisy to pretend like we do not sin, or to hold others to standards we do not apply to ourselves, however imperfectly. Only when we get beyond the fear of being called hypocrites, only when we stop fearing that we are sinners to be discovered, will we find the grace to move forward in the Lord. The truth is that there are sinners in the Church, but we are sinners who know our savior is Jesus who loves us and calls us to repentance.

Spring-cleaning

Despite the difficult weather patterns we have experienced, Spring is here. I love seeing the lawns green up, and even the yellow of the dandelions and daffodils provide a much-needed contrast to the white and gray hues of winter. The trees bud forth in glorious array, and the birds are chirpily building their nests and laying eggs. Even the children, not so long ago bundled-up to avoid the dread cold now are running free and un-encumbered.

What is not to love about Spring? Nothing, except my now distant memories of dreadful consigned service to household tasks called “Spring-cleaning”. As children, my brother and sisters and I were assigned our tasks to washing walls and floors, cleaning drawers and carpets, and in general to throw out all that was no longer useful or needed. It was so nice outside, but now we were trapped inside, not by necessity caused by the weather, but the results – dirt. Knowing now what I did not then, I might have asked why we were continuing a outdated tradition started when walls would get soot-covered by a winter’s worth of burning coal. I might have suggested to do the dreaded tasks on the inevitable rainy day. In obedience, I simply did it.

Looking back, now I see the wisdom in my mother’s tradition, all the same. Without spring-cleaning, we collect too much stuff, to the point that many have storage units that could fill-in for dumpsters. We hold on to things we do not need, all just because. Spring-cleaning helps sever those ties, and in the end frees us.

The same is true in the spiritual life. As we go through life, we collect pains and hurts, grievances, grudges, and gripes. They accumulate like the soot and clutter, little by little, until we just get accustomed to them. Regularly setting a time to address them is good for us, and how good it is when we truly do so. When we take the time to do so, even if it takes us out of the cheer of the outside world, we find that our interior world - our spirit and souls - experience a true peace and tranquility that comes only from God.

As Catholics, we have a great means of “spring-cleaning” in the sacrament of Reconciliation, but all Christians have access to the forgiveness of Christ. Invite Him in – ask the Holy Spirit to come and clean our heart and mind, and then to occupy it and not allow anything else to fill it (Mt. 12:43f). After all, Jesus Christ is raised from the dead to set us free. He gives us life, and life more abundantly, that we may live in the newness of life that this great season of Spring only begins to emulate. I am so thankful to my mother for teaching me the value of spring-cleaning.

Prairie Catholic Article: through the Cross

Lent is a season to reflect and ponder the Cross and Resurrection of Christ. The liturgical destination of our Lenten journey is the Sacred Triduum, when we celebrate the giving of the Eucharist, the Cross, and the Resurrection. It is tempting to ignore Good Friday, to view it as something simply ‘gotten’ through or around. Easter Sunday is easy to celebrate with joy. The gift of love that Christ leaves in the Eucharist as well as the model of charity in the washing of feet is happy. But it is Good Friday that ties these days and themes together and gives them their power to change our lives. Good Friday is difficult because we do not like the Cross or always understand what it truly means. We try to avoid it because it symbolizes suffering, sacrifice, and pain. Ultimately, Lent is about remembering that there can be no resurrection without the Cross.

It is the Cross that marks our lives on this earth. We are marked with the Cross at our baptisms; and this is renewed with each Sign of the Cross. Jesus instructs us to take up our cross daily. This is not an optional activity for a few followers, nor one that is a one-time deal, or when convenient, or on a limited schedule. Every disciple has cross, and it is part and parcel with following Jesus.

The cross is not light, in discussing or in fact. Crucifixion was cruel, slow, and methodical. People could be dying on the cross in excruciating (literally from the cross) pain for days. As one of our Eucharistic Prefaces (Preface III of Ordinary time) states, the Father “fashioned the remedy out of mortality itself”. When Jesus embraces and dies on the cross, He takes upon Himself the entire burden of the world’s sins. By His innocence and obedience, He puts sin and death to death. The Church Fathers and countless saints spoke of the cross and resurrection in terms of the re-creation story. Adam and Eve, by their disobediently taking of the fruit of the tree of Knowledge, cause sin to enter the world. In the Crucifixion, Jesus stretches out His hands not to take but to give. He is revealed as the New Adam, the Blessed Mother Mary as the New Eve who stands beside her Son. This makes the Cross the Tree of Life. How Jesus dies is not just incidental, a matter of convenience, simply chosen because crucifixion was the current tool of capital punishment by the Roman government. It was God the Father’s plan, His ultimate choice, from before all time. He intended that the wood of the Cross be the means of our salvation.

Jesus willingly gave His life, so that we could see how ugly our sins are to the Father by our looking at Jesus on the Cross. In the cross, he fulfills the promise of the Eucharist, the most blessed fruit of Tree of Life, which brings us eternal life in the Resurrection. But we must ponder our sins and allow them to be put to death, along with our own. We cannot go around the cross – we must go through it.

Instead of avoiding the Cross this Lent, we are to take up our cross and follow. He will put our sins to death. We submit ourselves in obedience to Him, and are to receive often and well of the fruit of Tree of Life: Jesus, the Eucharist. By doing so, we return to the Garden for which we were created, where we will walk with the Lord for the rest of eternity.

A season for unity

The season of Lent is one of intense preparation for the celebration of the Passion and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. The season has its roots in the ancient Church as adults preparing to be baptized and received into the Church entered the season as a sort of 40-day retreat, following the example of Jesus himself as he fasted in the desert. It is marked by three spiritual practices in the Orthodox and Catholic Churches, as well as some Protestant Churches: prayer, fasting, and almsgiving as encouraged by Jesus (Matthew 6). What was good for those newly entering the Church was then seen as supremely good for all members, newly baptized and those whose baptism may be a distant memory. Fasting from food, and perhaps even certain foods such as meat, forces our wills to submit our bodies to a higher good as we are reminded that God is the giver of all sustenance, and body and soul experienced greater union. Prayer unites our souls and spirits and raises them to the Heavenly Father. Almsgiving, giving of money or acts of charity to the less fortunate, unite us to one another. Instead of isolating us, Lent is really about uniting us: us to ourselves, to each other, and to God. It makes sense, too. Christ’s Resurrection is the salvation of humanity from sin and death. It is the re-creation of the entire universe through His obedient self-sacrifice on the Cross. It undoes the ‘Fall’ of creation. As we read in the Creation account, sin entered the world because of the disobedience of Adam and Eve, and because of their sin, the rest of humanity is born into original sin where we are separated from the God who lovingly created us. The serpent lied when he said they would not die. Certainly physical death was not immediate, but death is more than physical (the separation of body and soul) – it is any separation. Man and woman were no longer comfortable in their own bodies, but were ashamed of their nakedness. Man and woman blamed each other and the serpent for their moral failures. They desired to hide from God. These Lenten practices seek to undo them. While it is through the sacrament of Baptism that we put to death this original sin, we still deal with its effects. The Lord desires to give us the grace to live united. Lent is about seeking greater union with Holy Trinity of the Father, Jesus Christ the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The practices of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving help us to live in such a way that we bring unity to the world that has been divided by sin and death. May we live this Lent well, and come to greater union with Christ, one another, and even our own selves this Easter.

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine’s day. From the appearance of many stores, though, it seems like we have been celebrating it since a few days after Christmas. Sadly, that is only symbolic of what many might understand of Valentine’s day - a secular and commercialized ‘filler’ for the period in between Christmas and Easter, between the toys and the candies. But, as a Catholic, I recall that it is really more, though it is true that we do not commemorate it as such any longer. Instead we celebrate the memorial of Ss. Cyril and Methodius, the two brothers credited with sharing the faith with the Slavic nations. St. Cyril is the designer of the Cyrillic alphabet which bears his name as a result. Part of the reason that the Church no longer commemorates St. Valentine is that there is a confusion about which saint of at least two is really commemorated, and that so many legends have come to surround these Ss. Valentines. According to most, the one honored was a Catholic priest of Rome who was imprisoned for the radical action of teaching about the natural and sacramental nature of marriage. The emperor claimed for himself the right to the first ‘encounter' with the soon-to-be married women of Rome, and St. Valentine clandestinely witnessed the marriage of many young couples to protect their virginity and chastity. It is said that even in prison, he continued his bold defense of marriage as the intimate union of man and woman, in a free, full, faithful and monogamous relationship. He saw that marriage in the Christian sense was a direct result of the teaching of Christ, but that the practice of the emperor having his way with would-be wives was against even the natural order. For this bold proclamation, he gave his life. The love of his life was Christ, a chaste, but nonetheless intense, love. The love he defended by his death was a marital love between man and woman. How far detached, therefore, we have become in our secularized celebrating of this man of faith. It is separate from the love of Christ, often marked with a thinly veiled lust, and is no longer referencing lifelong, marital relationships. Maybe this is because we have lost an understanding of marriage and love itself. Perhaps, it is as many recently are saying, that the real vocational crisis in the Church is the vocation of marriage. These next days between now and St. Valentine’s day, instead of focussing solely on all the hearts and cards, chocolates and roses, we can examine our loves. Would St. Valentine recognize it as from Christ? Would it please the Lord? Perhaps, too, instead of all the stuff, we focus and truly prepare to give our hearts to the beloved, whether it be to a significant other, especially one’s spouse, or the Beloved of every heart, our Lord Jesus Christ.

Christmas is a season

Merry Christmas! I hope that this season is one of peace and joy for all. Christmas is a season - it only begins on December 25. The Twelve days of Christmas, of carol fame, begins - not ends - on Christmas day. Indeed, the twelve days ends on the feast of the Epiphany, we we remember three events in which Christ is revealed to the world (the arrival of the Magi, the Baptism of Christ, and the first miracle at the wedding at Cana). Different cultures have different endings of the season culturally, for example marks is through February 2 (the feast of the Presentation), while others end with the official end of the liturgical season on the Baptism of the Lord, this year January 9. There is something profoundly human (and humane) about this. We prepare for Christmas with another season, Advent, to prepare our hearts to celebrate His birth, but also for His glorious return in the Second Coming. In the Church, we need that time to prepare. While not as intense as Lent, it is a season in the Catholic and Orthodox churches marked by prayer and penance (and even fasting by some). But after such preparations, we also need to to celebrate, and do so for more than one day! Why all this preparation and celebration? Because Christmas is so much more than celebrate a birthday, thought true it is that in part. The Church recalls that Christ was born, but also that He will come again, and when better than when we celebrate His first birth. For a deeper understanding of the meaning of His birth, we need look no further that to some of the carols that we sing during this season. Hark the Herald Angels Sing tells us "God and sinners reconciled”. Silent Night proclaims “the dawn of redeeming grace.” The First Noel reminds us that with His [Christ’s] blood mankind hath bought.” Indeed every Christmas hymn (the religious ones, anyway) tell us the story of the Birth and the reason behind it. Clearly, this is no mere child, but is a Divine Being with a heavenly purpose. Being the Second Person of the Holy Trinity (the persons of the the Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit in the one Being of God), Jesus took flesh (the Incarnation) in the womb of Mary, and He was born in a humble stable. While some might quibble about the date, the fact is that He was born, and we celebrate that fact. God became Man, became one of us, so that He would lead us to Himself. He was born that He might offer His life to the Father to redeem us. This is the core of the Christian faith, which begins with Christ’s Incarnation and Birth. He came to die on the Cross to bring the Father’s grace and loving presence to us. With that noble purpose, we need much more than one day. So sing long and well those glorious songs of Christmas and share the joy of our salvation with all.

Evangelization

Many Christians, and in particular many Catholics, have a reputation of avoiding “evangelization” – the process of sharing the faith with others. Perhaps it has several reasons. It might be related to fear: we are afraid of rejection, being thought a fool, or failing. We might feel unprepared: what if the person asks a question we do not know how to answer, or perhaps worse, where do we go from the initial positive response.  Perhaps the largest is a certain amount of spiritual apathy. We are too accustomed to relativism – that truth is adaptable and subjective to the person, that the person decides what is true “for them” – think of the term “self-identify”, for example. This view of the truth rejects that there is any “always and everywhere” truth, one that is objective and not dependent on a person’s ability to grasp it. If all things are relative or subjective, which ironically is presented as an objectively-held truth, then the other persons’ beliefs or un-beliefs are as valid as our own.

But there is something profoundly different about Christianity. We believe that God loved humanity so much that the Father sent His Son to redeem us, and this Son, Jesus Christ, tells us Himself that He is the only way to the Father. Even in the Parables of the Lost that we heard proclaimed last weekend, it is God who ‘finds’ us – not us finding God or creating our own way to Him. In the end, what we have in Christianity is not a set of principals and procedures, rules and regulations – it is about being ‘found’ by the Lord, and being in relationship with Him.

If that is all true, then we know that we cannot be apathetic about evangelization. We come to understand that in Christ alone are we saved from sin and given the promise of eternity with God. We are asked by Jesus Christ to go to all nations, sharing the Good News of what He has done for us. We are not selling information but providing a relationship by introducing them to a Person. We invite them to deepen that relationship through the Sacraments and Church. We do so because we love the Lord (and perfect love drives out fear). We must ask ourselves, what kind of friend, either of the Lord or the other person, would we ultimately be if we did not wish to help them find each other?