We're Born to LIve in a Relationship with the Triune God

Andrei Rublev's Icon of the Trinity

Sunday we celebrated the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, the feast of the triune God. We begin every liturgy, and are sent forth at the end, with the blessing of “the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.”

Scriptures speak of God as a walking companion, as tender as a mother, a God who wants to share his wisdom, a good shepherd, all balanced with the last judgment: when we see God face to face. All these images cannot capture fully the inexhaustible reality of God.

And no human relationship can completely satisfy us. We were born to live in relationship with God – the triune God – and today’s feast highlights that relationship.

Sunday's word of God takes us back to a key moment in salvation history, the liberation of the Hebrews from Egypt. God calls Moses to Mount Sinai a second time (after the Hebrews had broken their covenant) and reveals He is a merciful, compassionate and faithful God. Moses then begs God to dwell with his people. And God does!

Paul in his farewell letter appeals to the Christian community in Corinth to live a godlike life and then blesses them with that introductory prayer we hear so often at the beginning of liturgy.

The Gospel according to John describes God as the Tremendous Lover who became one of us so that we may have eternal life.

The Holy Trinity – one God yet distinctive in modalities or persons of Father, Son, and Spirit; a God in whom none is “other”; a God who is love – invites us to build on that relationship with God and one another.

Most people are aware of a relationship with God, perhaps more subconscious than conscious. We are forever trying to make better sense out of life, especially in times of crisis. In moments like these, people often ask the fundamental questions of life: What am I here for? Where is my life going? These are religious questions, questions we cannot help but try to answer.

As we go through the cycle of our own human development, we are forever trying to better integrate our lives. We may want to live for something of ultimate meaning. At times, we seem to have accomplished so little. Life seems marred by too many tragedies. Recent news has looked like a “perfect storm.” Pandemic masks, and restrictions at churches. The tragic death of George Floyd. Fiery protests. And hurricane season is here.

But at other moments, experiences lift us up. The joy of friendship, a golden sunset, a good accomplishment. We begin to experience the transcendent dimension of our life. Yes, there must be a gracious God who is responsible for this magnificent universe and for creating our very lives: with the freedom to pursue true happiness.

A gracious God whose presence among us can heal the brokenness of human life. This God became flesh in Jesus and is alive among us by the power of the Spirit. This triune God, the model of self-giving love, empowers us to reach out to one another with compassion, forgiveness, a helping hand. And in that, we become like the triune God.

Follow Christ with Hope in the Future

Rembrandt's Emmaus

There’s a saying: “it’s better to light one candle...” Hopeful people can accomplish much, because they persevere, despite obstacles and setbacks, in achieving their goals.

Today's word of God, from one viewpoint, is about persistence.

Peter had denied he had been with Jesus, denied he was a disciple, denied he even knew Jesus.  But Peter suddenly realized what he did and wept bitterly. He begged forgiveness. He wanted to start afresh. Peter had fallen badly, but God lifted Peter up.

God continually lifts us up so that we can begin again to live a life worthy of our baptismal calling as sons and daughters of God our Father. God empowers us to persevere in becoming our true self, the very “likeness of God.”

In the Acts of the Apostles, a repentant Peter, on fire with the Spirit, fearlessly proclaims that Jesus, once crucified and now risen, lives and because he is gloriously alive, we live. That is the Easter message.

The letter of Peter explores perishable and imperishable things. Peter contends that perishable stuff like silver or gold didn’t free us from death. No! The imperishable blood of Jesus, the lamb of God, freed us death and nothingness so that we can be with God forever.

And so, with our eyes of faith fixed on this imperishable prize, God graces us to live like new creatures. Imagine: the awesome triune God dwells within us and we dwell within the triune God.  We are becoming new creatures, in the likeness of God!

The Gospel of Luke describes two disciples walking on their way to Emmaus. Even as they walked and talked with the resurrected Jesus, they didn’t recognize him at first. They’re disheartened.  Eventually in the breaking of the bread (the Eucharist) the two recognize with their eyes of faith the transfigured bodily reality of Jesus Christ.

God also reveals himself to us if we persistently seek God with faith. So seek God in prayer, and especially in the Mass. Seek God's wisdom in the Bible; ask his Spirit to guide us in trying to do the right thing; and become aware of God's presence in  our daily lives. 

The Bible highlights what God wants us to know about himself, his relationship with the universe, and his purpose for us. The Bible is not about scientific theories; it's about religious truths, communicated by many authors through the languages and literary forms with which they were familiar. At the heart of the Bible is Jesus, the incarnate Word of God,  who entered our history so that we could become “like God.” Jesus is the way into a glorious future, the exemplar or model or blueprint of our true self and the life in and through and with whom we breathe and live. We hear from God about baffling questions: Who really am I? What is the purpose of my life? How should I live?

Seeking requires persistence. We pray for the grace to seek God daily, to patiently listen to God especially in the sounds of silence. Jesus explains the importance of persistence. Keep on… Everyone who asks receives; and they who seek find; and to those who keep knocking, the door shall be opened. That’s what Luke, Chapter 11, verses 9 on is all about. I think of that great hymn “Walk on, walk on, with hope in your heart and You’ll Never Walk Alone.”

We may have doubts like the many heroes and heroines of Christianity. We may wonder, if I ask will I receive? Of course we should seek the right things. The point is: never give up seeking God, his grace and his Spirit.

Seek God enthusiastically in daily life. We are meant for something beyond getting and spending, beyond having a nice home, a big car. But what is that something we are meant for? The answer points us to a relationship with God; and out of that relationship with God will flow our love for others will flow: into our families, our friends and colleagues and our neighbors.

We have to pursue our ultimate purpose in life. Seek God daily, persistently, and enthusiastically and we will find God in all his fullness, and his life – divine life – will transform us into new creatures so that we can become "like God" and love and serve one another.

Lent: a Time to Draw Nearer to God

Jesus Tempted in the Wilderness

Our Lenten journey from ashes to Easter has begun. Last Wednesday we heard, “Remember, you are dust and to dust you will return.” Dust represents human life: transitory and fragile. But the sign of the cross with ashes on our forehead symbolizes that Jesus Christ has redeemed our “dust.” God lives within us and we live within God.

Lent is a forty-day retreat: a time to ask again what are our most important priorities.  Yes, it time to follow Jesus into the wilderness, not only to get our priorities straight in light of our ultimate purpose in life but to replenish ourselves with the gifts of the Spirit (for example, wisdom, intelligence, good judgment, courage). Lent is a time to recall how the Hebrews of old saw the desert: not only as an abode of wild beasts but a place where a person encountered God and where God encountered the person.

In today’s busier-than-ever world, with its many distractions and temptations, we need this retreat more than ever.

So, what are we bringing into the wilderness. Maybe we feel dissatisfied. Things are OK, maybe you're building an impressive resume, but what does it all mean in the end? Maybe you’re facing challenges, have to make tough decisions. Listen to Jesus's response in the wilderness when He confronts the devil: God instead of material things, a God-centered instead of a self-centered life, service instead of power.

In the beginning, the Book of Genesis says, God fashioned a magnificent universe and created man and woman to enjoy it. Enter the snake, setting people against one another and against God. The man and woman wanted divine status, to be self-sufficient. They lost their friendship with God; they fell from grace.

Ever since, although we are intrinsically good, we have a tendency to choose evil. Human beings have cried out for God’s healing power.

And then, God became one of us in Jesus, so we could experience God's friendship anew. Paul observes that, just as we fell from grace through the first Adam, so now through the crucified and risen Christ, we have God's friendship again.

In the Gospel according to Matthew, would Jesus simply satisfy his physical hunger at the expense of his mission in life? No. Would he work signs and wonders simply so people would puff up his ego? No. Would he seek power so that people would kowtow to him? No. Jesus will not make a god out of material goods, celebrity status or political power.

Lent reminds us that it is time to ask God for the grace to get our priorities straight. It's a time for prayer; a time to do without unnecessary things so that the needy can have necessary things; a time to reach out with a helping hand through volunteer service or charitable giving or whatever.
For hundreds of years, Lent has focused on these three disciplines: prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Re-discover and re-treat yourself to these age-old disciplines again this Lent.

Secrets to Happiness

Christ Preaching at Capernaum by Gottlieb

I came across a book titled The Power of Meaning, which may be edifying reading during Lent (beginning Ash Wednesday, February 26).

Happiness, the book proposes, results from living an other-centered life. The author, Emily Esfahani Smith, describes ingredients for a meaningful life:
First, a sense of belonging, whether family, friends or colleagues. Belonging makes us feel that we matter and that we have people where we can be our true selves. The second ingredient, purpose, motivates and energizes us to do something for others. The third ingredient: storytelling. We are all storytellers in that we try to make sense out of our lives and form an identity. The final ingredient: transcendence -- living for someone or something greater than ourselves.

But I would add one more ingredient: there's within every human being a subconscious if not conscious quest for what is ultimately good and true and beautiful: we call this God. To paraphrase St. Augustine in his classic "Confessions" of the fourth century: our  hearts are restless until they rest in Thee, O God.

Now what does God's word say? Jesus in today’s Gospel asks us to love our enemies. The real challenge is to love people we live and work with -- to create and nurture a friendly, helpful and welcoming environment. Jesus instills within us a vision that sees beyond stereotypes, politics and appearances and recognizes the “spark of the divine” in everyone.

In the Greek text of Matthew’s Gospel, the word for love is agape. That indicates an open, unconditional love for our fellow human beings, wishing them all good. You don’t have to like someone to love them. The agape that Jesus asks us to have means that, no matter how much someone upsets us, we will never let bitterness close our hearts to them nor will we seek anything but their good. Agape recognizes the humanity we share with all people.

Jesus makes radical demands upon us: “give to everyone who asks.” Who can do that? How understand these teachings? First, Jesus connects our love of God with our love for one another. We can’t say we love God and yet neglect fellow human beings in need.

Second, these ethical teachings have to be linked to the mission of Jesus. Jesus proclaims that the kingdom of God is in our midst. Yes, the kingdom is here but not fully. You and I live in-between the historical coming of Jesus centuries ago and the final coming of Jesus at the end-time. We live in the tension between.

Jesus indicates the goal or thrust of our behavior, the direction of our lives: be generous.
To the person who strikes you on one side of the face, Jesus says, offer the other as well. But sometimes we have to stand up against wrongs. The teaching of Jesus indicates again the thrust or direction of our lives, that is, we should try to be peacemakers, healers, bridge builders, reconcilers.
The genuine disciple seizes the many opportunities to do good today.

Wishing you blessed days this Lenten season.

With Eyes of Faith

Christ Calling  his First Disciples by Adam Brenner

Isaiah, Paul and Jesus each had faith in an all-good sovereign God.

Sunday's first scripture reading takes us back to the eighth century before Jesus (the 700s). Isaiah speaks about the future: a great light, a king, will illuminate the darkness. This king will trust completely in God. Isaiah challenges us to trust always in God’s unconditional love. God is always close to us.

Paul, in his letter to the Christian community at Corinth in Greece, deplores the divisions that seem to be tearing the early Church apart. He begs for unity in the community in light of their common bond as God's adopted sons and daughters. It doesn’t appear we Christians see ourselves as one family.

In the Gospel according to Matthew, the author proclaims that Jesus is the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecies. Jesus is the anointed one, the Christos, who will bring light into our darkness by proclaiming the good news: Jesus, the God-man, is gloriously alive. Jesus exhorts us to orient our lives to God! The kingdom of heaven is at hand!

And then Jesus begins to call some unlikely people to discipleship. These folks experienced, at some privileged moment, an overwhelming sense of the divine in Jesus. They recognized with the eyes of faith what lay beneath and beyond the immediate appearance, i.e., the reality of God in Jesus the Christ. And we see that too with eyes of faith.

Our faith, a gift from God, empowers us to relate to God. It answers fundamental questions: Who really am I? What on earth am I here for? Faith calls us to commit ourselves to Jesus Christ: our way to eternal life, our truth who sets us free and our light who illuminates the darkness around us as we journey toward our heavenly home. Faith is about connectedness to a person.

Belief, on the other hand, is a profession of essential truths. We say in the Nicene Creed from the 4th century: I believe in one God, despite many who question God’s existence. Yes, we say: our God is almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all visible and invisible. Someone completely other and completely beyond ourselves; One who is the cause for all creation: God, Father Almighty.

And yes, we believe in one lord, Jesus Christ, who for us and for our salvation came down from heaven and became flesh, one of us. Jesus for our sake – “as a ransom” -- was crucified, died, and rose again to life.

Yes, we believe in the Holy Spirit, the lord, the giver of life. The power of the Spirit is within us, enabling us to live a life worthy of our calling.

And we believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic community. We acknowledge one baptism and look toward the resurrection and the life to come.

The Nicene Creed underscores the essential content of our faith. May our faith help us to find purpose in life and lead us on into our heavenly dwelling place.

Manifesting God's Glory

Adoration of the Magi by Rubens

I made one resolution for 2020: to look for "epiphanies" in God’s universe.   Epiphany is from a Greek word meaning “revelation.” The word has come to mean a manifestation of the divine. Sunrises and sunsets, landscapes and waterscapes, furry and feathered creatures and compassionate people—all these and more can be a manifestation of the divine. For beneath all these appearances lies the reality of an awesome creator God who sustains this multi-faceted universe.

Today we celebrate the Epiphany of the Lord, the revelation of the child Jesus to the magi. These were non-Jews, who traveled from far away, guided by a sudden illumination of wisdom – a mysterious star -- to pay homage to this Jewish child named Jesus. Yes, Jesus is for all people, all times, our way, our truth and our life.

The Word of God from Isaiah takes us back to the 6th century before Jesus, when the Jews lost everything they thought would continue forever. Yet the author speaks of a new Jerusalem. A divine light will emanate and people will acknowledge and walk by this dazzling light. Christians of course see Jesus as this light who shows human beings their purpose: to manifest the glory/presence of God.

The letter of Paul to the Ephesians speaks about our future: we are coheirs to God’s promise of eternal life, co-workers in bringing about the kingdom of God.

In the Gospel according to Matthew, we have all the ingredients of a great mystery novel: exotic visitors, a wicked king, a mysterious star, precious gifts and a new child. The Word of God became flesh so that God can transform our earthly self into an indescribable, heavenly self.

Yes, this child in a manger – a feeding trough –will become an adult, a suffering Messiah, who through his death/resurrection we have eternal life. And He will “deify” us—we shall be like God and we shall see God as God is!

The magi gave homage to the Christ child with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
In our liturgy of thanks, we bring our gifts of bread and wine, and yes, our very selves, to this sacrificial meal so that God can transform them into the real presence of Jesus Christ.

Now who is this Jesus to whom we pledge our ultimate allegiance as a worldwide faith community?
The early Christian community saw Jesus as the fulfillment of the hopes of ancient Israel. They named him the Messiah, the anointed one.

The more they reflected on who he was, the more they saw Jesus as both the fulfillment and the foundation of their hopes. So they called him the eternal Word. The Gospel according to John captures this magnificently: The Word was with God and the Word was God.

Yes, Jesus is the foundation and fulfillment of our hopes as well. He was a real historical person. He experienced, as we do, joy, fatigue, friendship, disappointment and loneliness.
He was a prophet proclaiming that good ultimately will triumph over evil.
He is one with God, truly divine yet truly human; he is gloriously alive in our midst today especially in the sacramental life of our Catholic faith community.

Jesus taught not only that the kingdom of God was breaking into our midst; but that you and I can share in bringing this kingdom forth by living a life of discipleship.

Jesus showed us that God is our Father, a compassionate God, always near us at the start of each day to guide us on our journey to our heavenly home.

So on this the feast of the Epiphany, I invite all of us to rededicate ourselves to Jesus, to ask him to grace us anew at the beginning of this new year, so that we might manifest ever more clearly the divine in our daily lives through our faith, hope, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity and faithfulness.
And may we in 2020 be ever more attuned to those epiphanies all around us:the manifestations of the divine in all of God’s creations.

Pledging our Allegiance

172' Statue of Christ the King in Poland

Across this great land, families will gather on Thursday to celebrate Thanksgiving. It’s a special day to be grateful to God for our many blessings—family, friends and colleagues, and freedoms and opportunities to pursue our dreams. Thanksgiving is all about enjoying one another’s company.

Today, we celebrate the Feast of Christ, the King of the Universe, to whom we pledge our ultimate allegiance, Jesus who is the image of the invisible God, and the Good Shepherd who guides us into eternal life.

In the aftermath of World War I, which saw four empires swept away, Pope Pius XI was convinced that new dictators were emerging who thought they were gods and would deny people their basic human rights. So, he wanted to point people to the one true God. That’s how we have today’s feast.

What, really, is the Feast of Christ the King all about? We recognize the end of the liturgical year when, to quote the letter of Paul to the Corinthians, “every human being and all that is will be subjected to Jesus Christ, who will deliver the Kingdom of God over to his heavenly Father.”

God became incarnate in Jesus to share God’s life and love and goodness with all creation by the power of the Spirit. Yes, all creation is alive with the goodness of God.

The book of Samuel takes us back to the anointing of David as king of the tribes of Israel. The people acknowledge their kinship with the king. He will be their watchful shepherd as well as their wise leader.

The letter of Paul to the Christian community at Colossae in Turkey highlights an early Christian hymn of thanksgiving to God and exaltation of Jesus. Christ before his birth is the image of the invisible God, the model or blueprint after which all things were fashioned. The second stanza describes Christ after his earthly life. He is the head of the Church, the people of God, through whose dying/rising we’re in relationship with God, moving from earth to heaven. The author proclaims that Christ alone is the ruler of the universe.

In the Gospel according to Luke, we reexperience the theme of “rise and downfall.” We remember how Simeon prophesized in Luke’s infancy narrative that the child in his arms was destined to be the downfall and rise of many. We meet two robbers at Calvary; one sees something transcendent in the bloody face of Jesus; the other doesn't. One rises (“This day you will be with me in Paradise”), and the other apparently meets his downfall.  In a certain sense, the good thief pulled off the greatest robbery ever: he stole heaven.

We as a community of faith profess our ultimate allegiance to Jesus Christ. Do we spend our time, our energy, our resources with Jesus in prayer and in service?

Jesus calls us to a God-centered, other-centered life. This Feast of Christ the King of the Universe asks us, how can we rededicate ourselves more single-mindedly to Jesus, who is our way, our truth, and our life.

Give Thanks to God for Newman's Life

Sketch of a Young St. John Henry Newman

Sunday's word of God takes us back in our imaginations to the ninth century before Jesus, to a man of God by the name of Elisha. And a foreigner, a Syrian army general, begs the prophet to heal him. To the general’s surprise, Elisha simply suggests that he bathe in the Jordan River. The Syrian does so, is cured, and this foreigner praises the God of Israel.

Paul, in his letter to Timothy, speaks about the hardships he has endured. Paul invites us to give thanks for the gift of God’s life, bestowed upon us in the waters of baptism, nurtured in this liturgy, and ours forever in a transformed heavenly life.

In the Gospel according to Luke, Jesus heals ten people of leprosy. Only one, a foreigner, returns to give thanks to God.

Gratitude is a theme in today's word of God. I would like to highlight the grateful and faith-filled life of John Henry Newman, whom Pope Francis canonized in Rome today.

This nineteenth century Englishman spent the first half of his life as an Anglican (aka Episcopalian here) and the second half as a Roman Catholic. Newman influenced the so-called Oxford movement, an intellectual effort to return to the resources of our faith--the Bible, the sacraments, belief statements, authority in the Church and apostolic succession.

Newman's research eventually convinced him to join the Catholic Church. Two years later he was ordained a Catholic priest. Returning to England, Newman founded Oratory houses in Birmingham and London and then served as rector of the Catholic University of Ireland, which inspired his landmark book The Idea of a University. Newman wrote 40 books and 21,000 letters that survive.

The fullness of revelation, Newman emphasized, resides in the person of Jesus Christ. Belief statements try to capture, but never fully, the inexhaustible reality of the God-man. Hence, Christianity must develop over the centuries as we grow from childhood to adulthood. And there must be an authority on the truth or falsity of such developments.

Newman was a supporter of Christian unity at a time when Christianity was divided and religious bigotry commonplace.

In particular, he emphasized the active role of the laity: the “Spirit dwells in the Church and in the hearts of the faithful as in a temple.” Newman's writings prefigured the spirit of the Second Vatican Council (1962-65). The Church is always reform-able, holy yet made of sinners.

Revelation is a person. In other words, God reveals himself to us in Jesus and we describe this revelation in belief statements. The Eucharist is the font from which all the Church’s power flows. From this we go forth to love and serve.

I highlight two awesome prayers by John Henry Newman: the first about purpose in life:
“God has created me to do Him some definite service. He has committed some work to me which He has not committed to another. I have my mission. I may never know it in this life, but...I shall do His work...Therefore, I will trust Him, whatever, wherever I am.… If I am in sickness, my sickness may serve Him, in perplexity, my perplexity may serve Him...God knows what He is about. He may take away my friends. He may throw me among strangers. He may make me feel desolate, make my spirits sink, hide my future from me. Still, He knows what He is about.”

The second prayer holds one of my favorite images of God: light. Newman’s poem “The Pillar of the Cloud,” written while he recovered from a severe illness, was made a hymn. Here is a very recognizable verse of the poem:
 “Lead, Kindly Light, amid the encircling gloom, Lead Thou me on!
The night is dark, and I am far from home, Lead Thou me on!
Keep Thou my feet; I do not ask to see the distant scene; one step enough for me...
So long Your power hath blest me, sure it still will lead me on” into God's eternal light.
Amen!

Faith in Practice

St. Francis of Assisi 

In the Gospel according to Luke, the disciples beg Jesus to bestow upon them the gift of faith so that they can work signs and wonders for God. Jesus replies, You already have faith. Now practice that faith.

Yes, with faith in God, we can work wonders by becoming the generous hands, compassionate eyes, hopeful voices, and dedicated feet of Jesus to the people who touch our lives every day.

Consider an extraordinary person of faith whose feast day we celebrated October 4: Francis of Assisi. Francis has been portrayed as a lover of animals, an environmentalist, a flower-child (ala the movie Brother Sun Sister Moon), a peacemaker, a mystic, a reformer, a poet. But who really was he?

“Francesco” came from a comfortable middle-class family in central Italy. He went off to fight in wars in that region; and failed miserably. Then, back in Assisi, yearning for meaning in his life, gradually, in silence and in prayer, he searched for God.

Eventually Francis gave up “his things,” so to speak. He experienced his absolute dependency upon God, and in that, he found everything: an all good Creator God who became flesh in Jesus and is gloriously alive in our midst by the power of the Spirit.

Francis began to pursue the Gospel way of life in a literal way, living simply, rebuilding a chapel, attending the sick. Eventually, men and women began to gather around him as religious and lay men and women, to live what became known as the Franciscan way of life.

Eight hundred years later, does Francis have anything to say to us? Of course! In addition to his writings like his Canticle of Sun, and his letters, we can find inspiration in experiences from his life.

One day, Francis was praying and suddenly he experienced the marks of the crucified Jesus in his hands, feet and side. This captures for me the depth of Francis’s relationship with God; God gifted him with the stigmata. Francis challenges us always to be in relationship with God, especially through the sacraments.

Another, earlier incident occurred as he prayed before the crucifix in the tumbledown chapel of San Damiano, outside the city walls of Assisi. Francis heard Jesus whisper from the crucifix: “Francis, rebuild my house which you see is falling into ruins.” Francis at San Damiano challenges us to build up our households, our parish community and beyond.

And a third experience: as Francis rode on horseback one day, a man with leprosy appeared. Francis started to ride away. But no! He slowly dismounted and embraced the leper. Like Francis, we may want to avoid distressing situations. Francis’s embrace challenges us as well.

Francis transcended trivia and focused on essentials: our relationship with God and one another, and our positive, pro-active response to the “brokenness” in our fellow human beings and in ourselves.
May Saint Francis inspire us to intensify our prayer life, to build up our family and to reach out with helping hands.

Seize Every Opportunity to Do Good

Caravaggio's Sacrifice of Isaac

It’s “back-to-school time.” I’m going to give you a brief two-part quiz.
Part one: Name the last two movies to win the Oscar for best picture.
Part two: Think of a teacher who made a positive difference in your life, and a friend or mentor who helped you learn something worthwhile.

The point is simple: we often forget “headlines.” However, “heroes and heroines” like teachers and mentors, family and friends, can truly make a difference for the better.

The word of God heard today recalls the first Passover meal, when the ancient Hebrews celebrated liberation from their oppressors, and notes: That same provident God, always faithful to his promises, eventually will send the Messiah who will usher in God’s kingdom of peace and justice and truth and freedom.

In the Gospel according to Luke, Jesus says that we are to be like servants who await their master’s return, ready to welcome him. Be alert; be prepared; focus on what truly matters—eternal life with God. We will be accountable for the person we become with the time and talent God gives us.

To be a disciple of Jesus is to be fundamentally a man or woman of faith, someone who trusts completely in God throughout all the opportunities and threats and disappointments of life, someone who desires to do what God wants even though we can’t always precisely figure out what that is.

The letter to the Hebrews tells of two faith-filled people, Abraham and Sarah: trusting completely in God, in a foreign land, among strangers, in shelters, believing that Sarah would at last have a child. They are models of faith.

The story invites us to reflect upon the dimensions of our own faith: a gift from God whereby we begin a right relationship with the triune God, nurtured through prayer and especially through the Eucharist, the source and summit of Catholic life. It is the acceptance of God’s promises as true and a commitment to live accordingly. Faith includes the essential truths we profess every Sunday in our Nicene Creed, from the fourth century.

Faith is living in a right relationship with God. And there can be various stages in our faith development. We either grow into a relationship with God, or we fall out of it.

This faith compels us to be missionary disciples. Many of us share our faith even though we may not realize it, teaching the virtues of prayer, generosity, fairness, honesty, and service. Teachers develop virtues or habits of heart and skills of mind that will enable students to become good citizens. So do medical professionals. And, so do citizens when they urge their elected officials to set legislation that promotes human dignity.

We especially share our faith when we do our best to stand up for what is right and true and good. Never forget that the only “Gospel” some people may ever see is ourselves. Every day, we have so many little opportunities to be fully awake, to do good for others.

What Matters to God

Dore's Sketch of the Rich Man and Lazarus

In today’s Gospel, Jesus advises us to “Take care to guard against all greed.” He calls one who only accumulates things for him/herself a fool, forgetting one’s absolute dependency upon God, and forgetting one’s mortality.

Yes, we need things in order to live, but all we can take with us in death are our good deeds. As the saying goes, you never see a U-Haul trailer following a hearse to the cemetery.

The reality of death challenges us to answer the most important questions in life: how shall we live and what shall we do? And so, Jesus urges us to make sure we have our priorities straight. Seek first the things of God.

The so-called last things—hell, purgatory, and heaven—are challenging beliefs in Christianity. How can we say at the same time there’s an all-good God, and there’s a hell? Think about it.  Yes, scripture describes the last things.

But Dante’s The Divine Comedy also imaginatively reveals how he awoke in a dark wood (perhaps a midlife crisis) where Virgil led him through earth to hell (remember Dante’s famous line, “Abandon hope, all ye who enter here”). They saw sinners going to the abode of Satan. Then Dante ascended to purgatory, and finally, with his beloved Beatrice, he climbed the spheres of paradise and into the dazzling vision of the Triune God.

The Divine Comedy is a masterpiece in poetry, not easily readable but profoundly instructive about life. Heaven and hell answer the question of justice. Many good people die without receiving in this life a reward for their goodness, and many wicked people die without paying for their wickedness. If there’s justice, there has to be someplace where wrongs are righted, and someplace where good is rewarded.

So what are hell, purgatory, and heaven? The language is best understood symbolically. God does not “send” us to hell; we freely choose to go (unwisely). Also, while accepting the possibility of hell (in light of the dynamic between God's unconditional love for us and our human freedom to reject that love), we don’t have to believe that human beings are actually “in” such a “place.” In fact, we hope all human beings will find salvation.

If we peel away its fiery imagery, hell can be described as the absence of God, the failure to realize our true selves, whereas heaven is the ultimate fulfillment of our true selves. In heaven, we participate in the mystery of God.

Purgatory then is a “purification” in which we become our true selves.  And judgment is our own recognition of what is right and wrong in ourselves.

Finally, we believe that in the mystery of death, God will transform our earthly selves, like Jesus, into a new, indescribable heavenly reality. St. Paul put it well: “No eye has seen, no mind has ever imagined … what God has prepared for those who love Him.”

Yes, Jesus wants us to be indescribably rich: “rich in what matters to God.” (Luke 12:21)

Go the Extra Mile

Vincent Van Gogh's Good Samaritan

The Gospel according to Luke tells the famous story of the Good Samaritan. The Samaritan in those days was persona non grata among the Jews, someone you would never be seen with. That was the shock of this parable. Who’s our neighbor? Jesus says everybody, even this Samaritan. Every man, woman, child, whatever ethnic background, religious tradition, sexual orientation, is our neighbor, so to speak.

I think of that as we saw news this weekend about severe floods in Louisiana and Mississippi, and a blackout in New York.

Jesus says very simply yet very powerfully that we love God to the extent that we love one another. And Jesus challenges us to make acts of kindness part of our daily routine. Matthew 25 says this loudly and clearly: When I was hungry, when I was thirsty, you did something.

We can’t say we love God and yet neglect our fellow beings. Our love for one another doesn’t depend upon what others can do for us. Jesus aided many people who apparently couldn’t do much in return. Although people can surprise us!

Jesus makes some radical demands regarding our relationships. Read carefully Chapter 5 in Matthew. Jesus says: Give to the one who asks of you. Give to everyone? It’s not always possible. But that demand indicates the direction of our lives: to be generous with what we have, with our time, talent and treasure.

Jesus says: To the person who strikes you on one side of the face, offer the other side as well. Sometimes we have to stand up against wrongs. Again, Jesus indicates the thrust or direction of our lives, that is, we should do our best to be peacemakers, healers, bridge builders, reconcilers. We also find his well-known advice to go the extra mile.

Now these radical demands by Jesus of course have to be linked to Jesus’s mission. He proclaims that the kingdom of God is breaking into our midst. Yes, the kingdom is here, but not completely or fully. You and I are living in between the historical coming of Jesus in Bethlehem and the final coming of Jesus in glory at the end time. So we live in that tension between the present and the future.

Often we fall short of the ideals of Jesus, because we have within ourselves a “pull” or tendency to not always choose right over wrong. People sometimes choose evil over good. The Catholic tradition calls this “original sin.” This tradition also proclaims that the power of God within us –as our creator, redeemer and sanctifier--can overcome that tendency, and enables us to have a genuine relationship with God and with one another.

How? By sharing what we have with others. Sharing our time-especially with our families. Sharing our talents-a smile or a skill that will uplift someone else. Sharing our treasure, especially with people in need. All of us have the potential to do great things for God. And it begins with small, ordinary things, each day.

The great eighteenth century preacher, John Wesley, summed up our potential for doing great things for God with the phrase; do all the good we can.  By all the means we can.  In all the ways we can.  In all the places we can. At all the times we can.  To all the people we can. As long a ever we can. Amen.

Life, Liberty, Happiness

The Sermon on the Mount: Matthew 5: 1-11

On the Fourth of July, we celebrate the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. That document proclaims these truths: “…that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

The word of God speaks to those principles. For example, in the 9th century before Jesus, God called Elisha to succeed Elijah as a prophetic voice. Elisha answered God’s call with a “yes.” He didn’t know how life would unfold; he simply trusted in God.

God calls us to live a life of discipleship. Not yesterday or sometime in the future, but today!

We may sometimes judge others, like James and John in today’s Gospel, who wanted to obliterate two Samaritans for their lack of hospitality. But Jesus rebukes the disciples and continues to Jerusalem. On his way, someone asks to follow Jesus. Jesus’s reply indicates discipleship is making God your first priority.

Paul, in his letter to the Christian community in Galatia, proclaims that Jesus has freed us from our worse selves (the vices of our dark side) so that we can be our better authentic selves (in a life of virtue). Yes, the Spirit of God lives and moves and breathes within us so that we can become our authentic selves. Paul may ask, how are we using that liberty?

This insight of St. Paul’s intrigues me. Freedom to be ourselves is what joy and happiness are all about. Everybody wants happiness. Many think that if they get enough money, fame, or power, they’ll be happy. But if so, explain how some celebrities who “had it all” sedated themselves with drugs. Happiness has to factor into life, work, relationships, and ultimately death.

Bishop Robert Barron, of “Word on Fire” fame, cites Michael Jordan as an example of someone who became his happiest not by playing any way he wanted but by mastering the basics.
So too with us. Mastering the basics of discipleship with Jesus.

Yes, we become our happiest by mastering the basics (e.g., the beatitudes). In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus describes the kind of character we should have. The first beatitudes (or attitudes) focus on our relationship with God. The next steps, our relationships with one another.

Disciples recognize only God can fill their emptiness. That’s what it means to be poor in spirit. An awesome Creator gifted us with life. Disciples realize their fortune to be alive and are grateful. They know only God can heal and gift them with eternal life. They are gentle, considerate and unassuming. Disciples, above all, hunger for a right relationship with God.

Next: our relationships with one another. Fortunate are they who forgive and let go of anger and resentment. Happy are they who are pure in heart, who have integrity in their relationships; they will see God face to face.

And fortunate are they who are ready to suffer rather than betray their conscience, who try to do the right thing in all decisions in life. Now that’s a worthy pursuit.

The Purpose of my Life

Rublev's Icon of the Trinity

Happy Fathers Day! The word “father” or “dad” evokes various images and traits. I think of qualities my father possessed in abundance (qualities all good fathers possess): Love, commitment, communication, spirituality. We spent time together. And my father had a good sense of humor.

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, the feast of the triune God, the fundamental and distinctive truth of Christianity. We begin every liturgy “In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit” and are sent forth at the end with the blessing of the “Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.”

Now when we hear the word “God,” what images do we think of? The Bible gives us many. A walking companion. As loving as a mother. A God who wants to share his wisdom with us. The parables of the good shepherd and the prodigal son are balanced with the parable of the last judgment.

The images cannot capture fully the inexhaustible reality of God.

And no human relationship can completely satisfy us. St. Augustine wrote, “Thou hast made us for Yourself, O God, and our hearts are restless until they find rest in You.” Yes, we were born to live in relationship with God -- the triune God.

The book of Proverbs personifies wisdom as a woman, as creative energy, as a playful companion of God who witnesses the mighty acts of God. The early Christians saw Jesus in this wisdom image, God’s Word made flesh among us. St. Paul waxes eloquently about the saving work of Jesus Christ. Through him we have a right relationship with God.

In the Gospel, Jesus alludes to the mystery of the triune God: The Spirit that comes through Jesus and the Father will guide us into all truth.

The mystery of the triune God (one yet distinctive in modalities or movements of "persons"--Father, Son, and Spirit--none is the “other”; a God who is love) invites us to reflect upon our relationship with God and one another.

We are forever trying to make better sense out of our lives. Especially in moments of crisis, people often ask fundamental questions: What is the purpose of my life? Where is my life going? Through the cycle of our own human development, at times, we wonder. We accomplished so little, and now it is almost over. What was it all about? Life seems marred by too many tragedies.

We also have awesome experiences. A starry sky, the joy of friendship, the golden rays of a sunrise or sunset, the accomplishment of a goal. Such experiences can take us out of ourselves and into the presence of an awesome power. We begin to experience the transcendent dimension of our lives.
Yes, a purposeful and gracious God is responsible for this magnificent universe and for our very lives. Yes, this God became flesh in Jesus and is alive among us by the power of the Spirit.

This triune God, the model of self-giving love, empowers us to reach out in love to one another with compassion, forgiveness, a ready smile, a kind word, a helping hand.  And in reaching out in love, we become like the triune God in self-giving love.

Pray for the grace today, to quote the musical Godspell, to see God more clearly, love God more dearly and follow God more nearly in our daily lives. Amen.

Jesus Christ is gloriously Alive

Delacroix's Christ on the Sea of Galilee

Happy Mother's Day! I remember my mother as one of my best cheerleaders. Moms encourage, mentor, teach, and patiently listen. And the most important thing a mother can give? Unconditional love! We can never fully measure such love. Thank you for all you do on behalf of family life.

The word of God describes St. Paul’s first missionary journey through the country we know as Turkey. Paul and Barnabas first told the Jews the good news: Jesus Christ is gloriously alive and because He lives, we live forever.  This good news outraged some in the synagogue.
Then Paul and Barnabas proclaimed the Gospel to the Gentiles, the non-Jews. God gifted these people with faith in Jesus. They repented, were baptized and focused their lives on God.

This Easter season, we have been meeting different biblical personalities.

Today we meet Paul, also known by his Jewish name, Saul. Born in Tarsus, southeast Turkey, he was well educated in Judaism and Greco-Roman philosophy. He was by trade a tent-maker. But he was a rabid persecutor of Christians.

Suddenly, enroute to Damascus, Paul was struck by an amazing visionary experience of Jesus, gloriously alive. This turned Paul’s life upside down. He became one of the greatest evangelizers: established Christian faith communities, authored letters shaping the history of Christian thought, and eventually was beheaded by order of the emperor Nero.

Paul and the apostles lived and died for their communities. Our response is gratitude to God for our community, which gives a virtuous purpose to our lives. A few good reasons why I’m grateful:

 We are a worldwide community, a diverse family that celebrates the presence of the living Christ in our liturgies and especially in our Eucharist. Yes, the triune God abides in us, and we abide in God.

We are people of the good news, servants of God’s people. My favorite image of the Church is Peter’s fishing boat. We’re on a journey, with a map, stormy weather, people slipping overboard, survivors, mutinies, sometimes off course, attacked. And a boat of course needs a captain: if everybody grabs the wheel, we’re all in trouble.

 We are a community with splendid heroes. Consider the litany of saints. These men and women lived the beatitudes. They recognized who they are (creatures of an all-mighty Creator); they sought God in their daily lives. They were peacemakers, bridge-builders.

We are a community moved to serve the basic needs of the poor. Think of Jesus’s many examples and teachings, for example Matthew chapter 25. Yes, we are the mystical body of Christ attempting to meet people’s needs.

Alas we are also a community of saints and sinners. Some people behave scandalously; they make a mess out of their lives and the lives of others  So, we have to muddle through as best we can and stay true to Jesus who is our way, our truth and our life.

The word of God, for example the Acts with its narrative about the missionary journeys of Paul, prompts us to thank God for the heroes and heroines before us, and for the faith community to which we belong. Yes, be grateful and confident, and invite others to the spiritual resources, the “living waters” of this faith-filled community of service.

Becoming Our Best Self

Burnand's  The Disciples Peter and John Running to the Tomb

On Thursday, we celebrated the National Day of Prayer.  Rabbi Goldstein, who was wounded at the California synagogue that was recently attacked, shared a message: when we are faced with the darkness of evil, we must counter the darkness with light. The Rabbi pointed to the power of prayer to grow in the light of goodness.

In the Book of Acts, the Sanhedrin or the Jewish supreme court, so to speak, wants the disciples of Jesus to stop proclaiming the good news. But Peter and the other disciples boldly state that they will obey God. God, Peter declares, exalted the crucified Jesus. He is alive, risen, and among us.

The book of Revelation describes a visionary, mystical, heavenly experience in which countless creatures cry out that Jesus, the Lamb slain for us, is worthy to receive power and riches, wisdom and honor, and glory and blessing. The author may be asking us, do we know our purpose in life: to be in relationship with God forever:God abiding in us and we abiding in God.  What an incredible gift to us.

The Gospel highlights a post-resurrection experience at the Galilee shore. Jesus tells the disciples, who had been fishing all night and caught nothing, to cast their nets again. Lo and behold, they make a huge catch. John recognizes the Lord.  So too does Peter, who only recently denied he knew Jesus but then wept bitterly and begged forgiveness for his betrayal.

Peter, aka Simon, became the leader or rock among the disciples,betrayed Jesus three times,  witnessed his resurrection, shouted from the rooftop in Jerusalem that Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah, worked signs and wonders, evangelized throughout the eastern Mediterranean, and eventually was martyred in Rome in the 60s. Two New Testament letters are attributed to Peter.

Although Peter often appears impetuous, he always was ready to admit a mistake, to make amends. In the end, Peter became someone you could trust, a man of character. As someone said, “The true measure of character is what you do when nobody’s watching.” Within all of us, there is a tension to choose our better or our worse selves. Catholic Christianity calls this “original sin” or “the fall from grace.”

Many try to explain why people behave the way they do. I prefer to emphasize an informed conscience. Conscience is associated with our feelings—we sometimes feel guilty about things we do or don’t do—yet conscience is more than feelings. Conscience is a power of judgment, our moral compass, so to speak, about the goodness or badness of our behavior and attitudes. Our conscience is a friendly guide in our quest for fulfillment as authentic human beings.

Men and women of character try to be true to their inner best selves: to take a stand on principle and conscience—yes, an informed conscience.

Finally, I like to think that the quality of our life and our soul's destiny will be measured by our character: going the extra mile to help someone in need; living up to our promises; working for the common good; trusting always in a good and compassionate God who is ever near to us and will will bring us into eternal life.

Where There's Darkness, Bring Light

Caravaggio's Doubting Thomas

Jesus Christ lives, and because he lives, we live.

We continue to celebrate the Easter miracle.

And we can help create little miracles for others. A depressed person resurrected to hope; an alcoholic resurrected to sobriety; a troubled marriage resurrected to renewed love; an angry man resurrected to forgiveness; an estrangement bridged; an alienated person brought back to faith and kindness. Make miracle an action verb.

In the book of Acts, the disciples work signs and wonders, and a vibrant faith community is emerging and growing. That should inspire us to worship together and share, especially our time and talents in service.

The book of Revelation describes a Christian’s visionary experience of the God-man Jesus, risen and alive. The author encourages readers to persevere in their faith despite hardships, because good ultimately will triumph.

In the Gospel according to John, we have a post-resurrection appearance of Jesus in a Jerusalem house where the disciples hide behind locked doors. Jesus bestows upon the disciples the energizing Spirit, the abiding inner peace, and the overwhelming mercy of God. But the skeptical Thomas wasn’t there. Lo and behold, a week later Jesus appears again. Thomas then makes that awesome declaration of faith “My Lord and my God.”

Thomas the doubter is easily identifiable with many people. They're doubters, questioners; they demand to see compelling evidence that there's a God.

Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” Every human being is made in the image of God. But we are fallen or flawed human beings.  And that is why we cry out for healing and mercy.

We seek God's mercy and forgiveness, and the forgiveness of one another. Jesus, through the mystery of his dying and rising, freed us from death and nothingness so we can live with God forever. God created us for a purpose; gifted us with life eternal; and reconciled us to Himself.

There are all kinds of indicators pointing to God: the order in the universe presupposes an orderer (e. g., a watch presupposes a watchmaker); hope presupposes a future; moral outrage presupposes a judge; and so forth.

Of course, there are also indicators that there’s no God—for example, evil or senseless violence. But faith in God is a calculated risk. The 17th French mathematician, inventor, and philosopher Blaise Pascal captured this risk in his famous wager or bet.  The bet goes like this:
One doesn't have certainty that God exists.
Not believing in God is bad for one’s eternal soul if God indeed does exist.
Believing in God is of no consequence if God does not exist.
Therefore, it is in my interest to believe in God. Think about that bet.

At a funeral mass, we hear the words, “For those who believe, life is not taken away, life is merely changed.” Let us pray that the gift of faith will empower us, like Thomas, to proclaim every day, “My Lord and my God.”

Jesus Christ Lives and We Live

Rubens' Resurrection of Jesus

Happy Easter! Felices Pascuas! Joyeuses Paques! Buona Pasqua! Frohe Ostern!

We call Easter the Paschal mystery: paschal relates to the “paschal lamb” of Passover, which Jewish communities celebrate during our Easter celebration this year.

Easter is about the daybreak, starting over. Jesus’s resurrection is a new day. This is a time to be joyful, happy, enthusiastic about life. We have so much to be grateful for, especially the gift of faith in Jesus Christ who is our way, our truth and our life.

Every morning, we awaken to begin again. Perhaps the night before, we carried burdens: things undone, bad things said, good things unsaid. In the morning all is possibility, opportunity. Who among us is content with things as they are? Who does not want to be more loving, more generous, more tenderhearted, more thoughtful, more helpful? This Easter, God wakes us up again, to rediscover the extraordinary graces transforming our lives TODAY.

In the Gospel according to John, chapter 20, we hear the story of the resurrection of Jesus. Mary Magdalene finds the tomb empty. Shortly thereafter, Christ appeared to Mary Magdalene outside the tomb, to the disciples in the upper room, and on the road to Emmaus. Jesus is not among the dead. Jesus is risen. He is alive. He has passed through this earthly life – as we do --- and then through the mystery of death into a new, transfigured reality. This heavenly reality is ours as well. That is the Easter message!

Jesus said, I live, and because I live, we also live.

How? We are born in the flesh and reborn in the Spirit. Water is poured upon us in the rite of baptism, and in these waters the Spirit of God is poured upon us, and the triune God lives within us, and we live within the triune God.

As we grow into adolescence, the bishop anoints our forehead with oil in the sign of the cross—and God pours out more fully the gifts of the Spirit so that we might practice more faithfully all of the fruits of the Spirit: patience, generosity, faithfulness and love.

And at the Eucharist, where the living Christ sacramentally presences himself to us in the signs of bread and wine, and becomes one with us in Communion,; the living Christ feeds us with his life so we can continue our journey. If we should stumble on our journey, the living Christ lifts us up in the rite of penance where we celebrate God’s mercy.

Yes, through the sacraments, we experience the living Christ and we go forth to love and serve one another. The exchange of wedding promises, the anointing of the sick, all the sacraments are indeed signs of God’s care.

Eternal life in relationship with God and one another—that is our ultimate purpose. Easter is about getting our priorities straight, about asking, “How can we become more godlike, more loving, more generous, more thoughtful, more helpful?”

Easter is indeed about a new day, a fresh start.  Why. Because Jesus Christ lives. And because He lives, we live.

Every Picture Tells A Story

Rembrandt's Return of the Prodigal Son

This Sunday is known as Laetare Sunday. Laetare is a Latin word meaning “rejoice.” Why rejoice? Because we are close to our salvation, the Easter mystery.

In modern times, Easter is often boiled down to eggs and the Easter bunny. Many people ask, what’s the connection?

Originally, eggs laid during Holy Week were saved and decorated and then given to children as Easter gifts. Chocolate eggs appeared in the 19th century. And the Easter bunny? Rabbits usually give birth to a big litter, so they became a symbol of new life. Legend had it that the Easter bunny lays and hides eggs. Thus, the Easter egg hunt. So much for folklore.

What does the word of God say to us today? In the Gospel, the parable of the prodigal son has many levels of meaning, inviting us to see ourselves in the characters.

The younger son asked his father for his inheritance, squandered it—and then he “comes to his senses.” An amazing phrase! He realizes his true identity as a beloved son. His father unconditionally forgives and loves him and gives him a party.

The older son is “angry,” critical, finding his father’s generosity incomprehensible. Was the older son really listening to his father, and following his example? His father affirmed that “everything I have is yours.”

This parable may move us to ponder forgiving someone. If we can’t forgive on our own, pray for the grace to participate in the forgiveness of Jesus, who pardons those who come to him and try to start their lives afresh.

And who is this Jesus who loves and forgives us unconditionally?  Did you ever wonder what Jesus really looked like? Great painters give us different portraits. The Gospel writers Mark, Matthew, Luke, and John also give us different portraits, and various ways to bring forth Jesus. They faced a unique challenge. How portray someone completely human and yet completely divine? Moreover, they wrote to different audiences. Which Gospel is most authentic and best reflects the historical Jesus? They all do.

Mark was the earliest, shortly after scores of Christians perished during the persecution of Emperor Nero. Mark thought he ought to write who Jesus was, what he taught, and what he did. The Jesus in Mark is very human: the Messiah who suffers so that we can live forever. What happened to Jesus, Mark says, can happen to us too. Luke’s and Matthew’s portraits are similar.

In the Gospel of John, Jesus is noble, majestic, and divine. Remember how this Gospel opens: in the beginning was the Word. Yes, Jesus is completely human and completely divine. Jesus in John is the revealer of the mystery of God, the face of God among us.

Jesus, the God-man, is more than any one person can adequately describe. And so, each of us might ask: how do I reflect Jesus in my daily attitudes and behaviors? Rediscover a portrait of Jesus by prayerfully reading and listening to the Gospel. Let the portrait fire you up to become an ever-more-faithful disciple.

Finding our Way to God

Doing good as long as ever you can

GPS apps are a splendid way to navigate, and to route around obstacles. It’s a powerful spiritual metaphor. We have a “voice” to guide us: our conscience, informed by the bible, the guidance of the church, and the wise counsel of holy women and men.

As I have learned to trust the GPS electronic voice while driving, so I need to learn to trust my informed conscience, as I navigate to my ultimate goal: eternal life with God.

Sunday’s word of God carries us back to a defining moment. Moses experiences the awesome presence of God in the image of “fire flaming out of a bush.” God reveals himself as the creator of this universe: “I am the one who causes to be all that is,” as one biblical author translated this mysterious phrase. And then God empowers Moses to free the Hebrews from their oppressors.

St. Paul, in his letter to the Christian community in Corinth, compares the Hebrew Exodus experience to our baptismal experience; just as God was a rock in the wilderness, out of which flowed life-giving waters, so too Christ is our rock, from whom comes our salvation, eternal life.

In the Gospel according to Luke, Jesus deals with the question of evil. There is of course no satisfactory answer. Why mindless killings in New Zealand, why so many people suffering violence? Evil is ultimately a mystery.

And then Jesus speaks about a barren tree. The point of the parable: yes, God is patient, but God will hold each of us accountable for our life, our attitudes, and our behaviors. Jesus urges us to repent now, to turn to a God-centered/other-centered life. Yes, live in light of your ultimate purpose, life in relationship with God here and beyond.

Often people live in the future. Some imagine, My life will begin when I get a new job, when I rebuild my home, etc. Life will begin in the future? Naomi Levy, in her book Hope Will Find You, wondered, while caring for her critically ill daughter, when could she realize her dreams and goals. She wrote: “… just then something snapped inside my soul:…all of us have to learn to live inside the imperfect lives we have here and now.”

Lent is a time to re-assess our lives again, to decide what we believe to be truly important, and then act on these priorities now.

Our Christian faith proclaims that life has meaning, that there is indeed an all-good, compassionate, and merciful God who seeks us out in our everyday experiences. This God became incarnate in Jesus, and renewed God’s covenant with us through his death/resurrection and thereby opened up to us life beyond this earthly life. This same God is alive among us today by the power of the Spirit.

We can participate in God’s triune life: by regular prayer, by fasting from attitudes and behaviors that jeopardize our relationship with God and one another, and by living a life of generous service.