Being Salt and Light

Nathan Greene's  Jesus Light of the Universe

Last Sunday was the Super Bowl. This Sunday brings the Academy Awards. How can we consider these media events in light of Scripture? It often appears our culture is celebrity-driven.

But celebrities are not the only people with talent. Every one of us has gifts or talents that can “build up” other people. We have special gifts by virtue of our baptism. We possess the power to believe, to hope and to love.

The Book of Isaiah notes practices like fasting are useless if we treat people unfairly. It’s better, the author says, to practice works of mercy: feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, care for the sick, and be compassionate.

St. Paul asks us to look for wisdom not just in people of eloquence, but in the Spirit who empowers us to proclaim the good news: God became one of us in Jesus so that we could become like God, see God as God is. That indeed is our purpose in life: to be in relationship with God forever.

In the Gospel according to Matthew, Jesus says we are to be “salt of the earth” and “light of the world.” Adding salt to food can bring out the natural flavor. Salt in our bodies enables our muscles to expand and contract, our hearts to beat, our blood to circulate. We are “salt” when we bring out the best in people: bring out the “flavor” of God in everything.

Light can transform a cold night into a warm day. Light enables us to study, to behold the beauty of God’s universe. Luminosity in art can point us to the transcendent. We are “light” when we illuminate the presence of God in our everyday life. There are many splendid callings. Parent, teacher or student, doctor or lawyer, businessperson -- whoever you are, you have a specific vocation, right now: to inspire people to be the best version of themselves, to give their time and talents to others, to have the courage to stand up for what's right and true, to be men and women of integrity.

And what makes us a faithful and effective Christian is the Spirit of God within us. Oh, personality can be a blessing. But the Spirit of God works through us as we are. The Spirit illumines our minds to know the way we should behave and strengthens us to behave in that way. The Spirit gives us “love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and discipline.” What more can we want?

The Spirit of God can make us a means of healing, a channel of grace, an instrument of peace. What a wonderful gift. These gifts or talents we have are not for ourselves but for the common good, for the family in which we live, the profession in which we work, the community in which we find ourselves.

May each of us realize that the purpose of life is to matter, to make a difference for the better by giving the best we have in service to one another. And then we will realize, with God’s grace, the best version of ourself.

With Eyes of Faith

Presentation of the Child Jesus to God in Temple by Raphael

The Super Bowl gets plenty of attention each year. But Sunday Feb. 2nd we celebrated the feast of the Presentation of the Lord.

In the readings, the author of the book of Malachi, in the fifth century BC, scolds leaders for their careless worship of God which jeopardizes the special relationship (or covenant) God made with the Hebrews centuries before. But God never reneges on his promises. God will send a messenger to prepare the way before him who will purify God’s people so that they can give true worship.

Malachi may challenge us to ask, what is leadership? I think of three ingredients, three Cs: character, courage, “can do”: Character, at our core, who we are at our core,  when no one is watching. Courage is moving beyond fears and doubts to achieve something worthwhile. Finally, leadership presumes a “can do” attitude. At different times, all of us are called to be leaders.

The Letter to the Hebrews describes how God became human in Jesus. Jesus is indeed the face of God among us. And through his death and resurrection, God gifts us with his divine life; we are brothers and sisters to one another and sons and daughters of God our Father. We are consecrated in baptism, sanctified, to be in relationship with God forever. Our faith in Jesus Christ proclaims that one day, God will transfigure us into a new heavenly life as God transfigured Jesus.

Luke’s Gospel tells us that when Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the temple in Jerusalem, Simeon took Jesus into his arms, praised God and said, “My eyes have seen your salvation…a light….” Quite a recognition of a child for an old man.

At home in Nazareth, Jesus grew up--wise. His family was a vital factor in his human development. Even in his teens and “roaring 20s” Jesus prayed, studied and stayed close to family and to God.

More than two millennia later, Pope Francis urged that families develop “a healthy sense of leisure.” Yes, set aside time to do things, to communicate. Sundays are for family.  Enjoy one another's company, do things together whether is'a at a dinner table or in an outdoor/indoor activity.  Think positively about one another.

Someone wrote: “Twenty years from now we will be more disappointed by the things we didn’t do than by the ones we did.” Think about it. Don’t put off until tomorrow….

Remember, the BIBLE stands for Basic Information Before Leaving Earth. Do good now, not later. Life is not a rehearsal. It’s the “real thing.”

Jesus, and Mary, and Joseph lived a life as a family, a holy family, a life with no regrets.
May God on this feast of the Presentation of the Lord grace us: with trust in God’s unconditional love for us; with faith in Jesus Christ, as in the letter to the Hebrews, as our healer, our reconciler; and may God grace us, as He did Simeon and Anna, with the eyes of faith to see Jesus as our salvation, a light who illuminates our darkness.

Family: Always There for Us

Murillo's Holy Family

Today we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.

Cherish the precious gems you have in your family: siblings, spouse and sons/daughters; recognize the gems in your parents. Notice the gems all around you in your neighborhood and parish community.

We become like God, here and now, by striving to reflect godlike attitudes and behaviors in our relationships with one another.

In the Gospel according to Luke, the family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph made a pilgrimage to the temple in Jerusalem. On their way back, Mary and Joseph suddenly realized Jesus was missing. But their anxiety turned into joy: young Jesus was astonishing the rabbis with his wisdom.

This close-knit holy family went back home to Nazareth, where Jesus grew in wisdom and age. For twenty-some years, this family clung together. They fled to Egypt together. They lived in a backwater village and worked at ordinary tasks. Joseph, tradition says, kept his loved ones in daily bread with the skill of his hands. Mary baked and spun, carried water, and taught Jesus to pray. And Mary eventually waved goodbye to Jesus as he set off for his life’s mission. She experienced the empty nest!

What sustained the holy family in Nazareth? What sustains ours? I would like to suggest three virtues: faithfulness, courage, and prudence.

Faithfulness builds trust. Parents need to be faithful to each other and to their children. Children trust that parents will always be there. We all need to know that someone loves us and will always be there for us, especially when we hit a rough patch in life. We need the anchor of faithfulness in our ever-changing world.

Second, families need courage. Courage is about moral character. It defines who we are at the core of our innermost selves. It is an attitude that challenges us, despite our fears, to stand up for what is right and true and good. Many of us would include Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr, and Mother Teresa in our list of courageous people. And we probably would include our parents. Parenting, sustaining life, requires courage, always trying to do the right thing even when we’re not sure it’s right.

And the third virtue for families is prudence. It doesn’t mean caution. Rather prudence is the instinct to seek the right thing to do among our many choices, whereas courage is the instinct to do the right thing despite our fears. Prudence and courage go hand in hand. Often decisions are not either/or but both/and. It’s only by making decisions daily that parents become experienced decision makers. Prudence requires continually reflecting on decisions and learning from them.

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph lived as a family, a holy family. May God on this Feast of the Holy Family anchor our own families and community in faithfulness, courage, and prudence.

Tidings of Courage and Joy

Rembrandt's John the  Baptist

The third Sunday of Advent is known as Gaudete Sunday. “Gaudete” is a Latin verb which translates as “rejoice”: because Jesus is about to be born. Joyful songs will be heard.

In the 17th and 18th centuries, Catholics in England could not practice their faith openly. So someone, the legend goes, wrote “The Twelve Days of Christmas” with two levels of meaning:
The Partridge in a pear tree symbolizes Jesus Christ.
The two turtle doves are the Old and New Testaments.
The three French hens stand for faith, hope and love.
Four calling birds are the four Gospels.
Five golden rings are the Torah: the first books of the Hebrew Bible. Etc.

When you hear “The Twelve Days of Christmas” practice your religious education!

The word of God today takes us back to the seventh century before Jesus. The author of Zephaniah proclaims "shout for joy, sing, be glad," because “God is in your midst.”

Paul, in his letter, urges an early Christian community to be joyful and generous, to pray confidently, and not to be anxious.

In the Gospel according to Luke, what caught my attention was the courage of John the Baptizer to preach the good news of the coming of Jesus. John empowered people to help each other. King Herod then imprisoned him.  John the Baptist had the courage to speak truth to power, and he paid with his life. He wasn’t afraid to do the right thing.

A common phrase in the Bible is “Do not be afraid.” Or “Be not afraid.” Between the Old and New Testaments, the phrases appear more than a thousand times. It appears God is trying to get a message across to us.

Psychologists often argue that fear is a dominant emotion. Think about it. We're afraid of failure, of certain parts of town, of criticism. Fear stops more people from doing something extraordinary than lack of ability.

Courage is not the absence of fear, but the acquired ability to move beyond fear. Look through history and identify people you admire. Much can be accomplished in one moment of courage. Much can be lost in one moment of fear. 

Courage is an acquired virtue. You learn to ride a bicycle by riding one. You acquire courage by practicing it. Virtues are like muscles—when you exercise them, they become stronger.

Starting a new venture, making a sacramental commitment like confirmation or marriage, coming humbly before God in prayer: they all require courage. It animates us and makes so many things possible. 

We are not alone. God has given us the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. In the end, a life lived in accordance with an informed conscience and grounded in courage leaves us at peace within oneself: in harmony with God and with our own inner best self.

So, always seek what is right as John the Baptizer did: not what is fashionable, not what is expected by others, not what is merely acceptable, but what is right and good. And having found what is right and good: “just do it.”