Hurricane Irma hit several areas of Florida and the Caribbean very hard; let's keep the people affected by Irma in our thoughts and prayers and lend a helping hand in next weekend's special collection if we can.
We in St. Petersburg prepared for the worst but were blessed with downgraded category 1 winds, but many still affected by power outages and downed trees.
During the hurricane, I thought of the biblical story of Noah and the Ark, and I pondered a few lessons from that story:
1. Plan ahead. When Noah built the Ark, it wasn’t raining.
2. Stay fit. We may have to do something big.
3. Don’t miss the boat.
4. Speed isn’t always an advantage. On the Ark, snails were with cheetahs.
5. The Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic was made by professionals.
6. No matter how severe the storm, with God there’s a rainbow waiting.
Yes, a few lessons to consider in the aftermath of the storm.
The word of God takes us back to the second century before Jesus. The wisdom of Sirach is one of Israel's many spiritual guides, a collection of advice about how to live well. It emphasizes the golden rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Practice virtue: faith in God, honesty, compassion, discipline and responsibility. Here the author challenges us to seek forgiveness in our broken relationships with God and with one another. God forgives us to the extent we forgive.
Paul in his letter to the Christian community at Rome acknowledges God's complete sovereignty over life and death. He urges us to live not for ourselves but for others. Imitate God, live a God-like life. Paul emphasizes that we belong to Jesus Christ. Christ lives. And because he lives, we live forever.
In the Gospel according to Matthew, Peter asks Jesus if he has to forgive a person who's wronged him “as many as seven times.” In other words, when do we start getting even. Jesus responds with an even more outrageous number, “seventy-seven times.” Jesus then makes his point with a parable. Worker #1 owes a huge amount of money (say the equivalent of $1 million). The king cancels his debt. Then worker #1 runs into worker #2 who owes him a small amount (say $100). What does worker #1 do? He grabs worker #2 by the throat, chokes him and says, “pay me now or I’ll put you in jail.” When the king hears of this, he summons worker #1 and says, “I canceled your debt. Shouldn’t you have done the same?” And the king throws worker #1 into jail.
The lesson is simple: God forgives so much; so why can't we forgive so little.” Forgiveness doesn't necessarily mean we forget. Nor does it mean we have to relate to or befriend or like the one who's wronged us.
Forgiveness, in the final analysis, is a decision to will the good of the other even though we may continue harboring negative feelings about the person. It's a decision to let go of wrongs done to us and move on with our lives.
I have been reflecting these last few weeks on the guidance of some of the great “movers and shakers” in Christianity: holy men and women whose lives and writings can lift us into a more intimate friendship with God.
Today I would like to highlight two Carmelite icons. Who are the Carmelites? They go back to the early 13th century (the 1200s), to a community on Mount Carmel in Israel. The 1247 “Rule of St. Albert” defines their spirituality: Christ-centered, Eucharistic and biblical, “thinking with the Church,” devoted to the Virgin Mary, inspired by the prophet Elijah and living together in community. This 13th century Carmelite movement spread rapidly into Europe and attracted men (friars), women (nuns), and lay people.
In 16th century Spain, at a time of dramatic exploration and religious upheaval, Teresa of Avila entered the Carmelite monastery in Avila, a UNESCO world heritage site. Teresa, along with fellow Carmelite John of the Cross, became an energetic reformer, despite intense resistance. They traveled to Carmelite monasteries and established numerous discalced--“barefoot”—communities emphasizing the contemplative aspect of their Rule.
Teresa's writings had great influence in spiritual circles. “Interior Castle” is her masterpiece, written when she was 62 years old. She illustrates the individual's ascent to God in the imagery of a castle where the triune God dwells in seven mansions or chambers. These are comparable to the classic stages of prayer: the purgative way (trying to please God), the illuminative way (being pleasing to God), and the unitive way (ecstatic experience of God).
With grace, Teresa described persevering 20 years before she had a mystical experience. Bernini's sculpture, St. Teresa in Ecstasy, captures splendidly this Doctor of the Church.
I love this prayerful reflection of Teresa of Avila: “Let nothing upset you, Let nothing startle you, all things pass; God does not change. Patience wins all it seeks. Whoever has God lacks nothing; God alone is enough.” Teresa is a model of our own search for God; she experienced God daily in prayer and in work.
Therese of Lisieux, another Carmelite icon, lived and died in the late 19th century in the obscurity of a cloister in Normandy, France. We know about her through the remarkable autobiography she was asked to write, “The Story of a Soul.”
At 15, Therese joined two of her sisters at the Carmelite monastery, and pursued a spiritual path that she came to call the “little way.” She died at 24, still struggling with doubts and yet holding a crucifix tenderly as she spoke her dying words, “My God, I love You.”
So, what is Therese’s “little way” that anyone can follow? For me, it includes three ingredients. Yes, good things come in threes. (Father, Son, Spirit)
First, Therese realized her own insignificance. Think about it. Seven billion+ people live on this planet: perhaps billions before, perhaps billions after. Maybe ten trillion planets in our galaxy alone; and at least 200 billion galaxies. Wow! Yet God gave us significance. God who is love created us in love so that God could be one with us. Therese personified humility: gratitude to God that she even existed.
Second, Therese recognized that God loved her unconditionally. That's why she had a childlike trust and lived completely dependent on the love of her Father in heaven and always receptive to whatever gifts God bestowed upon her.
Finally, because God loved her unconditionally, Therese loved God unconditionally, even though she often wondered where God was. She did small things extraordinarily well out of love for God. She accepted the will of God in the daily routine of cloistered life. In every situation, Therese willed the good of the other, no matter how annoying they were.
Therese's “little way” can be a spiritual guide for us: Gratitude to God; trust in God; and doing ordinary things well out of love for God.
These two Carmelite icons, Teresa of Avila and Therese of Lisieux challenge us to integrate prayer into our daily lives, and walk into the awesome light of God forever.
