Oh, I've gotten terribly behind. I should be finished this step by now.
The Shepherds
And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, "Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people; for to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord." - Lk 2, 9-11
When Christ comes to us, our first response is often fear of the unknown, unfathomable, wondrous person before us and of what we are sure he is going to ask of us. Surely the One who leaves the throne of heaven for our sake will not tolerate our shrinking back from our mission, and we know not where it will take us, what he will require of us.
Each year as we celebrate the birth of the Savior, I always consider Calvary, the foreknown path which the eternal Son accepted along with his Incarnation. It is good for us to avoid the trap of romanticizing the glory of angels and the wonder of Magi led by a star, detaching it as we so often do from Jesus' redemptive mission. But while that mission was "finished" at Calvary, it comes into its fullness in the Resurrection, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and the mission of the Church: the birth of Christ in the heart of each beloved son and daughter of God and our formation into the Body of Christ. The Body suffers passion and death, but the Body is resurrected! This is good news of greatest joy! Now: how can we be resurrected without dying?
And they went with haste, and found Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. - Lk 2, 16
Let us not "go, if we must," and worship the eternal Son of God, but go "with haste" and encounter him in his humility, his vulnerability; let us grow with him in infancy and childhood and adulthood; let us enter into his suffering and his resurrected joy! Let us bear lovingly, knowing that it is Christ himself who bears within and through us.
Wednesday, December 31, 2014
All night long . . .
. . . they echoed in my mind:
" . . . or wishing you'd die in your sleep"
" . . . or wishing you'd die in your sleep"
" . . . or wishing you'd die in your sleep"
" . . . or wishing you'd die in your sleep"
" . . . or wishing you'd die in your sleep"
" . . . or wishing you'd die in your sleep"
" . . . or wishing you'd die in your sleep"
" . . . or wishing you'd die in your sleep"
" . . . or wishing you'd die in your sleep"
" . . . or wishing you'd die in your sleep"
" . . . or wishing you'd die in your sleep"
" . . . or wishing you'd die in your sleep"
" . . . or wishing you'd die in your sleep"
" . . . or wishing you'd die in your sleep"
" . . . or wishing you'd die in your sleep"
" . . . or wishing you'd die in your sleep"
" . . . or wishing you'd die in your sleep"
" . . . or wishing you'd die in your sleep"
" . . . or wishing you'd die in your sleep"
" . . . or wishing you'd die in your sleep"
I know you're now wishing you could take these words back. I'm glad you were honest with me about your feelings, though, even though they hurt me. I know you love me, and I love you, too.
" . . . or wishing you'd die in your sleep"
" . . . or wishing you'd die in your sleep"
" . . . or wishing you'd die in your sleep"
" . . . or wishing you'd die in your sleep"
" . . . or wishing you'd die in your sleep"
" . . . or wishing you'd die in your sleep"
" . . . or wishing you'd die in your sleep"
" . . . or wishing you'd die in your sleep"
" . . . or wishing you'd die in your sleep"
" . . . or wishing you'd die in your sleep"
" . . . or wishing you'd die in your sleep"
" . . . or wishing you'd die in your sleep"
" . . . or wishing you'd die in your sleep"
" . . . or wishing you'd die in your sleep"
" . . . or wishing you'd die in your sleep"
" . . . or wishing you'd die in your sleep"
" . . . or wishing you'd die in your sleep"
" . . . or wishing you'd die in your sleep"
" . . . or wishing you'd die in your sleep"
" . . . or wishing you'd die in your sleep"
I know you're now wishing you could take these words back. I'm glad you were honest with me about your feelings, though, even though they hurt me. I know you love me, and I love you, too.
Wednesday, December 24, 2014
Conforming (phase 2), God So Loved the World - The Birth of Jesus (step 9), session 1
The Birth of Jesus
Conforming (phase 2), God So Loved the World - The Birth of Jesus (step 9), session 2I'm glad I waited to start this step until now. I really wouldn't have wanted to get into today's reading (Luke 2, 1-14) any earlier. In a sense, I already did, on Monday at the Christmas at Fairhaven service.
I'm pretty far right now from being able to reflect effectively on this Scripture. The angels may have proclaimed peace on earth among those with whom he is pleased (Lk 1, 14), but the lack of peace in my heart causes me to wonder whether he is the slightest bit pleased with me. I don't know how to proclaim his love into the lives of those around me, especially the one who thinks she is hearing judgment and condemnation and an accusation of weakness instead of a call to live in God's love and strength. But when we think we know what we need and that we aren't getting it, the birth of a baby in a manger two thousand years ago can remind us that God meets our needs in ways we'd never think possible, let alone expect.
Conforming (phase 2), God So Loved the World - The Birth of Jesus (step 9), session 2I'm glad I waited to start this step until now. I really wouldn't have wanted to get into today's reading (Luke 2, 1-14) any earlier. In a sense, I already did, on Monday at the Christmas at Fairhaven service.
I'm pretty far right now from being able to reflect effectively on this Scripture. The angels may have proclaimed peace on earth among those with whom he is pleased (Lk 1, 14), but the lack of peace in my heart causes me to wonder whether he is the slightest bit pleased with me. I don't know how to proclaim his love into the lives of those around me, especially the one who thinks she is hearing judgment and condemnation and an accusation of weakness instead of a call to live in God's love and strength. But when we think we know what we need and that we aren't getting it, the birth of a baby in a manger two thousand years ago can remind us that God meets our needs in ways we'd never think possible, let alone expect.
Tuesday, December 23, 2014
Conforming (phase 2), God Prepares a Way for Our Salvation - The Mystery of the Incarnation (step 8), Session 6
Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, "Sacrifices and offerings thou hast not desired, but a body hast thou prepared for me; in burnt offerings and sin offerings thou hast taken no pleasure. Then I said, `Lo, I have come to do thy will, O God,' as it is written of me in the roll of the book." - Heb 10, 5-7
Not a very long reflection on this one, except for my gratitude that Christ came for this purpose and a reminder that this has major implications for us if we are the Body of Christ.
Not a very long reflection on this one, except for my gratitude that Christ came for this purpose and a reminder that this has major implications for us if we are the Body of Christ.
Light in the darkness?
This was a pretty big theme last night at Fairhaven. It was a way nice Christmas concert - what I could take in of it, anyway, for dealing with our grandchildren's issues. I know that Jesus is the light of the world and hope for all. But it often feels as if all my hopes are for the next world.
Monday, December 22, 2014
Conforming (phase 2), God Prepares a Way for Our Salvation - The Mystery of the Incarnation (step 8), Session 5
Well, somehow I have misread the calendar and not realized I was supposed to be finished with this step on Saturday. So another step tonight, then one in the morning, and we'll double up as time permits during Christmas. (yeah. right.)
Yes, the LORD’s eyes are on those who fear him,
who hope in his merciful love,
to rescue their souls from death,
to keep them alive in famine. - Ps 33, 18-19
Sometimes - a lot, of late - I feel like the Israelites in the desert, having grown accustomed to and then weary of this gift of manna with which God feeds my soul. I grumble in my mind against the tedium and challenges of gathering my daily bread, rather than being appreciative that God has given me what I need to sustain me.
For instance, when the battles against and ADHD and ODD six-year-old have again reached the point at which she rages against how mean I am as I try to hold her to some standard of behavior, to draw a line that doesn't allow her to intrude on her siblings physical persons or to destroy property, or attempt to teach her obedience when it is so completely against her nature, it is easy for me to be blinded to the patience with which God is blessing me, keeping me from losing my patience and lashing out against her in anger. Instead he is giving me a capacity to love her which I know that she recognizes, after the outburst when she is calmed.
Tonight was hard.
The worst of this happened in the car as I waited for her mom and grandma to take care of their business in the fabric store. It was challenging for me to not blame them - especially my bride - for needing to do this errand now, with the little ones already beyond their limit of being still and patient. It is a challenge for me to see that God is keeping me alive in the famine of my life, through them, as he supplies emotional support and connection that I sometimes judge as too meager for my needs.
Tonight was hard.
Yet I hope in his merciful love to provide what I need. I know why the manna must be gathered daily: it is to teach us to rely on God's providence rather than our own or even rather than the gifts by which he supplies my need.
There is much more in this wonderful Psalm, but tonight this is how he is keeping me alive in famine. I know: it is bountiful banquet, too.
Our soul is waiting for the LORD.
He is our help and our shield.
In him do our hearts find joy.
We trust in his holy name.
May your merciful love be upon us,
as we hope in you, O LORD. - Ps 33, 20-22
Yes, the LORD’s eyes are on those who fear him,
who hope in his merciful love,
to rescue their souls from death,
to keep them alive in famine. - Ps 33, 18-19
Sometimes - a lot, of late - I feel like the Israelites in the desert, having grown accustomed to and then weary of this gift of manna with which God feeds my soul. I grumble in my mind against the tedium and challenges of gathering my daily bread, rather than being appreciative that God has given me what I need to sustain me.
For instance, when the battles against and ADHD and ODD six-year-old have again reached the point at which she rages against how mean I am as I try to hold her to some standard of behavior, to draw a line that doesn't allow her to intrude on her siblings physical persons or to destroy property, or attempt to teach her obedience when it is so completely against her nature, it is easy for me to be blinded to the patience with which God is blessing me, keeping me from losing my patience and lashing out against her in anger. Instead he is giving me a capacity to love her which I know that she recognizes, after the outburst when she is calmed.
Tonight was hard.
The worst of this happened in the car as I waited for her mom and grandma to take care of their business in the fabric store. It was challenging for me to not blame them - especially my bride - for needing to do this errand now, with the little ones already beyond their limit of being still and patient. It is a challenge for me to see that God is keeping me alive in the famine of my life, through them, as he supplies emotional support and connection that I sometimes judge as too meager for my needs.
Tonight was hard.
Yet I hope in his merciful love to provide what I need. I know why the manna must be gathered daily: it is to teach us to rely on God's providence rather than our own or even rather than the gifts by which he supplies my need.
There is much more in this wonderful Psalm, but tonight this is how he is keeping me alive in famine. I know: it is bountiful banquet, too.
Our soul is waiting for the LORD.
He is our help and our shield.
In him do our hearts find joy.
We trust in his holy name.
May your merciful love be upon us,
as we hope in you, O LORD. - Ps 33, 20-22
Weird dream
Funny thing. Last night I dreamed that someone I've always wished would regularly read these thoughts I express was actually asking me about something I posted here. I was pleasantly surprised, and glad to answer her questions.
Now, if only that would happen with her in real life.
You could argue that she shouldn't have to, and I wouldn't put up too much disagreement.
Now, if only that would happen with her in real life.
You could argue that she shouldn't have to, and I wouldn't put up too much disagreement.
Conforming (phase 2), God Prepares a Way for Our Salvation - The Mystery of the Incarnation (step 8), Session 4
The Annunciation to Joseph
When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took his wife . . . Mt 1, 24
I have always been truly humbled by Joseph.
I have had in my life one occasion in which the Lord used a dream to direct my decisions. That probably bears recounting in the context of reflecting upon this scripture story (Mt 1, 18-25).
I was always close to my maternal grandparents. We visited them at least weekly throughout my childhood, and were always with them on holidays and birthdays, along with my maternal cousins. Grandmom passed away when I was 19, and a few years later - after I'd joined the Air Force - Granddad died in 1984.
After I left the service in 1992, I worked for a time in the commercial education sector. What a racket, though it did effectively serve some students who were never successful in traditional educational environments. At any rate, one night I had a dream of Granddad. Two decades later I can't really remember any of the details, except that it included vivid scenes of actual events from my childhood with him, and a sense that he was present to me now. I woke up from this dream with a profound certainty that I was being called to do more honor and respect the older members of our society, whom we younger people so often disregard in our haste to live our daily lives.
There was some other event that week that reinforced this message for me, though I haven't been able to recall what it was for quite some time. However, the next Sunday there was an item in our parish bulletin indicating that the local Catholic Social Services office was looking for people to serve in their geriatric respite care program. Volunteers would be trained to help older folks with tasks such as toileting, learn how to lift them safely and help them walk as needed, etc. Again, I was immediately certain that the two events I'd experienced in the previous week were preparation for me to respond to this ad.
So I contacted them, was screened and trained, and was assigned to help a 74-year-old gentleman who was caring for his 94-year-old dad. Their regular respite care provider had been injured in a motorcycle accident the previous week, and the son needed to be able to break out for a couple hours to do grocery shopping and other errands. I spent one evening per week over the next couple months hanging out with this gentlemen who'd been orphaned as a child and been employed by a baker in his youth, who'd later joined the Army and ended up settling in Dayton at the end of his service. I became concerned for them when the end of the quarter at work neared, for I was being reassigned to teach an evening class and would no longer be available to provide respite care, but it turned out that God had all that worked out already. My first week of unavailability coincided with the first week of availability of the volunteer whom I'd replaced, who was now sufficiently recovered from her injuries to be able to provide care once again.
This was no major thing, though, in the grand scheme of my life. What impresses me about Joseph was that this dream led him to make truly major changes in his life, to interpret the clear evidence of his betrothed's infidelity in an unprecedented, different way. I suspect he did not know at that time how this decision would turn his world upside down and lead him to a foreign country, and who knows what other major ramifications he may have experienced before disappearing from the gospel accounts. He had no waking visit from God's messenger as Mary had; still, he accepted this message as being from God and made radical decisions based upon it. And what a difference this made: Jesus' Davidic lineage comes from Joseph, so a significant number of the ancient prophecies concerning him came to fulfillment through Joseph's humble obedience.
Again, I struggle with living the life to which God is clearly calling me through far more accepted means than my dreams. My respect for Joseph is quite high.
When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took his wife . . . Mt 1, 24
I have always been truly humbled by Joseph.
I have had in my life one occasion in which the Lord used a dream to direct my decisions. That probably bears recounting in the context of reflecting upon this scripture story (Mt 1, 18-25).
I was always close to my maternal grandparents. We visited them at least weekly throughout my childhood, and were always with them on holidays and birthdays, along with my maternal cousins. Grandmom passed away when I was 19, and a few years later - after I'd joined the Air Force - Granddad died in 1984.
After I left the service in 1992, I worked for a time in the commercial education sector. What a racket, though it did effectively serve some students who were never successful in traditional educational environments. At any rate, one night I had a dream of Granddad. Two decades later I can't really remember any of the details, except that it included vivid scenes of actual events from my childhood with him, and a sense that he was present to me now. I woke up from this dream with a profound certainty that I was being called to do more honor and respect the older members of our society, whom we younger people so often disregard in our haste to live our daily lives.
There was some other event that week that reinforced this message for me, though I haven't been able to recall what it was for quite some time. However, the next Sunday there was an item in our parish bulletin indicating that the local Catholic Social Services office was looking for people to serve in their geriatric respite care program. Volunteers would be trained to help older folks with tasks such as toileting, learn how to lift them safely and help them walk as needed, etc. Again, I was immediately certain that the two events I'd experienced in the previous week were preparation for me to respond to this ad.
So I contacted them, was screened and trained, and was assigned to help a 74-year-old gentleman who was caring for his 94-year-old dad. Their regular respite care provider had been injured in a motorcycle accident the previous week, and the son needed to be able to break out for a couple hours to do grocery shopping and other errands. I spent one evening per week over the next couple months hanging out with this gentlemen who'd been orphaned as a child and been employed by a baker in his youth, who'd later joined the Army and ended up settling in Dayton at the end of his service. I became concerned for them when the end of the quarter at work neared, for I was being reassigned to teach an evening class and would no longer be available to provide respite care, but it turned out that God had all that worked out already. My first week of unavailability coincided with the first week of availability of the volunteer whom I'd replaced, who was now sufficiently recovered from her injuries to be able to provide care once again.
This was no major thing, though, in the grand scheme of my life. What impresses me about Joseph was that this dream led him to make truly major changes in his life, to interpret the clear evidence of his betrothed's infidelity in an unprecedented, different way. I suspect he did not know at that time how this decision would turn his world upside down and lead him to a foreign country, and who knows what other major ramifications he may have experienced before disappearing from the gospel accounts. He had no waking visit from God's messenger as Mary had; still, he accepted this message as being from God and made radical decisions based upon it. And what a difference this made: Jesus' Davidic lineage comes from Joseph, so a significant number of the ancient prophecies concerning him came to fulfillment through Joseph's humble obedience.
Again, I struggle with living the life to which God is clearly calling me through far more accepted means than my dreams. My respect for Joseph is quite high.
Friday, December 19, 2014
Conforming (phase 2), God Prepares a Way for Our Salvation - The Mystery of the Incarnation (step 8), Session 3a
The Magnificat (cont.)
And Mary said, "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior. - Lk 1, 46-47
I know I promised more reflection on this wonderful canticle. I'm just not sure I have it in me on this day when my past seems empty, my present feels devoid of friendship, my future feels hopeless of any improvement, and my life looks like an end-to-end failure to even bury the treasure entrusted in me and restore it to my master upon his return.
Somehow, God, if my life is going to magnify you today, you're going to have to make it happen.
I grapple to believe an Advent's coming . . . Confession
I no longer feel unforgiven, as I often did when I wrote these words. Now my struggle with hopelessness is very different, and I find myself withdrawing because no effort at engagement has resulted in any improvement.
So I try to remember what I wrote a mere two days ago, that God does what we can't, on a day when my heart is heavy and I'm also struggling to believe in God. (I'm so grateful that he healed our friends' daughter's hearing. It's what I'm clinging to at the moment.)
Karen, pray for me.
And Mary said, "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior. - Lk 1, 46-47
I know I promised more reflection on this wonderful canticle. I'm just not sure I have it in me on this day when my past seems empty, my present feels devoid of friendship, my future feels hopeless of any improvement, and my life looks like an end-to-end failure to even bury the treasure entrusted in me and restore it to my master upon his return.
Somehow, God, if my life is going to magnify you today, you're going to have to make it happen.
I grapple to believe an Advent's coming . . . Confession
I no longer feel unforgiven, as I often did when I wrote these words. Now my struggle with hopelessness is very different, and I find myself withdrawing because no effort at engagement has resulted in any improvement.
So I try to remember what I wrote a mere two days ago, that God does what we can't, on a day when my heart is heavy and I'm also struggling to believe in God. (I'm so grateful that he healed our friends' daughter's hearing. It's what I'm clinging to at the moment.)
Karen, pray for me.
Today's word
A second new one this week.
syncretic \sin-KRET-ik\ - characterized or brought about by a combination of different forms of belief or practice
syncretic \sin-KRET-ik\ - characterized or brought about by a combination of different forms of belief or practice
It's pretty easy to see where this one came from. I continue to need a syncretic approach to my emotional health.
Thursday, December 18, 2014
Conforming (phase 2), God Prepares a Way for Our Salvation - The Mystery of the Incarnation (step 8), Session 3
The Magnificat
He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. - Lk 1, 51b (RSV, NKJV)
I love reading different translations of familiar scripture passages. I imagine that Mary's canticle has been set to music more often than any other New Testament passage, and while it may be most cherished in Catholic circles, other Christian denominations also treasure this passage as a wonderful model of unbridled praise and worship. I have personally sung at least a half-dozen arrangements, and written one as well (though a friend recently pointed out that my chord progression was heavily influenced by Styx). I have prayed it as part of evening prayer on many occasions.
Here are some other translations of this verse with which I was familiar:
He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. - Lk 1, 51b (RSV, NKJV)
I love reading different translations of familiar scripture passages. I imagine that Mary's canticle has been set to music more often than any other New Testament passage, and while it may be most cherished in Catholic circles, other Christian denominations also treasure this passage as a wonderful model of unbridled praise and worship. I have personally sung at least a half-dozen arrangements, and written one as well (though a friend recently pointed out that my chord progression was heavily influenced by Styx). I have prayed it as part of evening prayer on many occasions.
Here are some other translations of this verse with which I was familiar:
- (he has) dispersed the arrogant of mind and heart. (NAB)
- he has routed the arrogant of heart. (NJB)
- he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. (NIV)
- he hath scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart. (Douay-Rheims)
Because of my experience with this canticle of praise, I really expected no new revelation this morning from this familiar passage. You'd think I'd know better by now. As he has done from the beginning, God once again breathes new life through his Word. This idea of the proud (of which I have too often been a member) and the "imagination of their hearts" really resonates with me. So often I imagine myself as more than - more accurately, something different from what - I really am, to the detriment of those around me and also of all that I am and am called to be.
Isn't it strange that the greatest self-concept that our pride conjures up in the imagination of our hearts can never be so great as the true self into which God calls us to grow? Isn't it odd that the bliss we imagine could be ours and for which we pine fails to approach the joy which is already ours for the living?
(Okay, this next paragraph should be read with an exclamation point at the end of every sentence, but I hate it when people write that way . . . )
Now, to focus too much on this particular verse is to miss this great canticle's whole point. God is so much greater than both our biggest imagining and our greatest failure. He has already blessed us so abundantly, with boundless love past and present, with comfort in the midst of great heartache, with joy beyond telling, with wonder and awe at the marvels of this world, all of which are a foretaste of all that he has in store for us. God's greatness can be seen both in what he has done for us and in what he has promised to do, and as we have lately discussed in this context, God keeps every promise and makes possible that which we cannot even imagine.
This great proclamation of praise offers us so much to consider about God's great glory. I've intentionally begun this session today so that I might have time to reflect on it another day; more to come . . .
This great proclamation of praise offers us so much to consider about God's great glory. I've intentionally begun this session today so that I might have time to reflect on it another day; more to come . . .
Wednesday, December 17, 2014
Conforming (phase 2), God Prepares a Way for Our Salvation - The Mystery of the Incarnation (step 8), Session 2
The Visitation
"And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfilment of what was spoken to her from the Lord." - Lk 1, 45
Yes!! This!! Each of our lives is blessed to its greatest possible abundance when we believe that there will be a fulfillment of what the Lord has spoken to us! This is a true Advent: to spend these weeks longing for God's presence, asking and allowing the Holy Spirit to help us believe what we have not quite been able to fully believe on our own:
May the God of peace himself sanctify you wholly; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful, and he will do it. - 1 Thes 5, 23-24
It is not us doing this, though we must participate in the process. I don't primarily sanctify myself or keep myself sound and blameless, though I must cooperate in both these things. But having given my fiat, I will trust - and ask - God's Spirit to be at work in me to fulfill what he has spoken.
"And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfilment of what was spoken to her from the Lord." - Lk 1, 45
Yes!! This!! Each of our lives is blessed to its greatest possible abundance when we believe that there will be a fulfillment of what the Lord has spoken to us! This is a true Advent: to spend these weeks longing for God's presence, asking and allowing the Holy Spirit to help us believe what we have not quite been able to fully believe on our own:
- That we can do what God is calling us to do, because God empowers us (see last item)
- That we can count on God o fulfill his promise to provide for our needs
- That God's desire for us to do what he is calling us to do is not rooted in some despotic wish to control our lives and deprive us of joy, but instead in a deep love for us and a desire to maximize the blessings he pours out in and through our lives
- That the things we choose in God's stead are a vaporous mirage
- That adoring, praising, and worshiping the Savior leads us to all of the "more practical" ways of living out the Gospel in our lives
- That holiness and sacrificial love are not burdens, but the great gift which is our only means of participating in the life and presence of God
- That the Holy Spirit indeed dwells in us, sanctifying us and drawing us ever deeper into the love of the Triune God
May the God of peace himself sanctify you wholly; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful, and he will do it. - 1 Thes 5, 23-24
It is not us doing this, though we must participate in the process. I don't primarily sanctify myself or keep myself sound and blameless, though I must cooperate in both these things. But having given my fiat, I will trust - and ask - God's Spirit to be at work in me to fulfill what he has spoken.
Tuesday, December 16, 2014
Today's word
réchauffé \ray-shoh-FAY\ - 1. something presented in a new form without change of substance : rehash 2. a warmed-over dish of food
Whoever has the end-of-year duties for Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day feature has finally served me up another new one. This is at least the third year in a row that this has been too rare an event. They've instead made an annoying and dull habit of serving up a daily réchauffé of my existing vocabulary.
Conforming (phase 2), God Prepares a Way for Our Salvation - The Mystery of the Incarnation (step 8), Session 1a
The Annunciation to Mary (cont.)
And Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her. - Lk 1:38
We long for the angel to linger, for that moment of clarity to remain with us, so that we might cling to that rather then embark on the long journey ahead with its doubts and misgivings. When we have moved beyond that moment of affirmation - you have found favor with God (30b) - in which God has reminded us that he has equipped us with everything we need, we become intimidated by the long road ahead of us.
In such times, the very fact that we were confident enough to assent to God's plan in the first place can be part of the sustenance we need for long road. We may think back to the time before our vision coalesced so clearly before us, and recognize something beyond our initial hunger and need that demonstrates to our memory that God was at work in setting our feet on the path we now tread.
Very often in our lives, though, it is no angelic being who is revealing God's will to us. The Church and the Scriptures teach us the way we are to go. We must learn to be as obedient to God's will as revealed through them as we think we would be to a miraculous intervention by an angel, or if we ever do encounter an angel we will be so entrenched in the habit of choosing our own will over God's that we will never be able to claim to be his servant and thereby to choose his will in this strange and weighty matter. And we know not what consequences will result from choosing our vision over God's.
God longs to allow his Spirit to overshadow us, to fill us with the presence of his Son (35) so that we might bear him to the world.
(he reminds himself.)
And Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her. - Lk 1:38
We long for the angel to linger, for that moment of clarity to remain with us, so that we might cling to that rather then embark on the long journey ahead with its doubts and misgivings. When we have moved beyond that moment of affirmation - you have found favor with God (30b) - in which God has reminded us that he has equipped us with everything we need, we become intimidated by the long road ahead of us.
In such times, the very fact that we were confident enough to assent to God's plan in the first place can be part of the sustenance we need for long road. We may think back to the time before our vision coalesced so clearly before us, and recognize something beyond our initial hunger and need that demonstrates to our memory that God was at work in setting our feet on the path we now tread.
Very often in our lives, though, it is no angelic being who is revealing God's will to us. The Church and the Scriptures teach us the way we are to go. We must learn to be as obedient to God's will as revealed through them as we think we would be to a miraculous intervention by an angel, or if we ever do encounter an angel we will be so entrenched in the habit of choosing our own will over God's that we will never be able to claim to be his servant and thereby to choose his will in this strange and weighty matter. And we know not what consequences will result from choosing our vision over God's.
God longs to allow his Spirit to overshadow us, to fill us with the presence of his Son (35) so that we might bear him to the world.
(he reminds himself.)
Monday, December 15, 2014
Conforming (phase 2), God Prepares a Way for Our Salvation - The Mystery of the Incarnation (step 8), Session 1
The Annunciation to Mary
And Mary said to the angel, "How shall this be, since . . . ?" - Lk 1, 34
As God calls us to a course of action, how often do we offer a slightly and completely different response: "This can't be, since . . . "? I have seen this at work in my own life and the lives around me countless times. The most egregious was my initial resistance to enter counseling, two decades ago. I knew, I thought, where that confession would lead, and I wanted no part of it, though it was unmistakable that I had to accept this responsibility.
Most of the things that God asks of us (ultimately, for us) are far more mundane things than the physical Incarnation of the eternal Son in the womb of a virgin. Mary's situation was unprecedented, and her question was not so much an "I don't believe you" or a "Yeah, right!" as a "Hmm. How is that going to work?" We approach our opportunity to trust God with far more skeptical assumption: "I don't see how that could work" or "but I have a good reason why that isn't applicable to me," so "it's okay (or even necessary) for me to do this instead." We are most stubborn about this when this is clearly not God's will as revealed through Scripture and the Church.
We forget the end of Gabriel's response to Mary: "For with God nothing will be impossible." Lk 1, 37. We fail to trust God, and especially to truly believe it possible that God will bring more good out of the right decision we wish to avoid than out of the wrong one we seek.
There is more to reflect on in this session's reading (Lk 1, 26-38), especially with regard to Mary's ultimate response, but that will be for another post.
And Mary said to the angel, "How shall this be, since . . . ?" - Lk 1, 34
As God calls us to a course of action, how often do we offer a slightly and completely different response: "This can't be, since . . . "? I have seen this at work in my own life and the lives around me countless times. The most egregious was my initial resistance to enter counseling, two decades ago. I knew, I thought, where that confession would lead, and I wanted no part of it, though it was unmistakable that I had to accept this responsibility.
Most of the things that God asks of us (ultimately, for us) are far more mundane things than the physical Incarnation of the eternal Son in the womb of a virgin. Mary's situation was unprecedented, and her question was not so much an "I don't believe you" or a "Yeah, right!" as a "Hmm. How is that going to work?" We approach our opportunity to trust God with far more skeptical assumption: "I don't see how that could work" or "but I have a good reason why that isn't applicable to me," so "it's okay (or even necessary) for me to do this instead." We are most stubborn about this when this is clearly not God's will as revealed through Scripture and the Church.
We forget the end of Gabriel's response to Mary: "For with God nothing will be impossible." Lk 1, 37. We fail to trust God, and especially to truly believe it possible that God will bring more good out of the right decision we wish to avoid than out of the wrong one we seek.
There is more to reflect on in this session's reading (Lk 1, 26-38), especially with regard to Mary's ultimate response, but that will be for another post.
Sunday, December 14, 2014
Conforming (phase 2), God Prepares a Way for Our Salvation - The Mystery of the Incarnation (step 8)
"Now we turn our attention from the Trinity to the entire earth, all inhabitants and all countries of it, and then slowly focus our attention on the image of Mary with the angel in Nazareth. This exercise of imagination is like to watching a movie with this opening closing down of the camera. With this visualization we have three big pictures to use in contemplation, the Trinity, the world and the scene in Nazareth." - Manual for the retreats, as quoted by Step-by-Step Retreats
This seems like the right transition at the right time. For two weeks we have recalled the longing of Israel for the Messiah and our longing for Christ's return, in the context of the parable of kingdom. Come to think of it, I probably need to wrap up the seventh step a bit in this context.
The people of Israel were of course waiting for the promised king who would restore the glory of their nation. The Lord had worked such amazing deeds for them, and they must have longed for that work to resume. But God never seems to do his marvelous works in the same way that he did them before. He always seems to have something bigger - and often less obviously spectacular - in mind. So the kingdom he has established is far beyond what the children of Israel anticipated with longing, and therefore those who were most invested in the ways that God had worked previously mostly failed to recognized it when he began to bring his plan of salvation to greater fullness.
So yes, it is good for us to prepare to celebrate this great mystery by taking the view described in the manual for the retreats. (I haven't included a direct link to the manual because the link from Step-by-Step's site appears to be broken.) By first considering God's perspective and the eternal, infinite love for the universe which he created in love - and which, in his love, he desires for each of us to enter - and then allowing God to bring us into the presence of this young girl and angel in Nazareth, we begin to approach the place where we might consider the surprising ways he might be coming to us today. Recognizing each encounter's true nature prepares for us to give our own fiat in response to the circumstances that otherwise annoy and trouble us. And this allows the Holy Spirit to make the Son ever more incarnate in our own lives - conforming us more fully with our King whom we have been considering in the previous step.
This seems like the right transition at the right time. For two weeks we have recalled the longing of Israel for the Messiah and our longing for Christ's return, in the context of the parable of kingdom. Come to think of it, I probably need to wrap up the seventh step a bit in this context.
The people of Israel were of course waiting for the promised king who would restore the glory of their nation. The Lord had worked such amazing deeds for them, and they must have longed for that work to resume. But God never seems to do his marvelous works in the same way that he did them before. He always seems to have something bigger - and often less obviously spectacular - in mind. So the kingdom he has established is far beyond what the children of Israel anticipated with longing, and therefore those who were most invested in the ways that God had worked previously mostly failed to recognized it when he began to bring his plan of salvation to greater fullness.
So yes, it is good for us to prepare to celebrate this great mystery by taking the view described in the manual for the retreats. (I haven't included a direct link to the manual because the link from Step-by-Step's site appears to be broken.) By first considering God's perspective and the eternal, infinite love for the universe which he created in love - and which, in his love, he desires for each of us to enter - and then allowing God to bring us into the presence of this young girl and angel in Nazareth, we begin to approach the place where we might consider the surprising ways he might be coming to us today. Recognizing each encounter's true nature prepares for us to give our own fiat in response to the circumstances that otherwise annoy and trouble us. And this allows the Holy Spirit to make the Son ever more incarnate in our own lives - conforming us more fully with our King whom we have been considering in the previous step.
Thursday, December 11, 2014
Conforming (phase 2), The parable of the Kingdom of Christ (step 7), session 7
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." - Mt 5, 3-10
Most kings are somewhat insecure in their power, at least to a degree, and this causes them to primarily align themselves with the powerful in order to shore up their security.
Jesus aligns himself with the weak, for he has security which can never be rivaled by any other power. When we, in our weakness, conform to him, we become aligned with his security and power. Yet we can only conform to him by aligning ourselves as he did, with our weak brothers and sisters.
Most kings are somewhat insecure in their power, at least to a degree, and this causes them to primarily align themselves with the powerful in order to shore up their security.
Jesus aligns himself with the weak, for he has security which can never be rivaled by any other power. When we, in our weakness, conform to him, we become aligned with his security and power. Yet we can only conform to him by aligning ourselves as he did, with our weak brothers and sisters.
Wednesday, December 10, 2014
Conforming (phase 2), The parable of the Kingdom of Christ (step 7), session 6
Conforming does not mean an external imitation but it expresses the essence of belonging to Christ, as “to be conformed to the image” (Rom 8:29) of the Son. Meanwhile tradition uses the expression Imitatio Christi, “Imitation of Christ” for what we call here conforming, it is not meant to be () a slavish copying Jesus’ words or deeds (nor) a sort of moralizing based on Jesus’ example. - Step by Step Retreats
If reforming is the act of allowing God to remove from our lives the outright sin that has deformed us, conforming must be a matter of embracing Jesus fully, with all of his radical implications in our lives. I'm not sure the degree to which this is a matter of B following A. Perhaps the two processes end up working back and forth between each other over the course of a lifetime.
And they stripped him and put a scarlet robe upon him, and plaiting a crown of thorns they put it on his head, and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him they mocked him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!"- Mt 27, 28-29
Sometimes I forget to think about the sort of King I am following, and what it means to conform to him. It is no accident that we have two consecutive sessions in this step that are taken from accounts of Jesus' Passion. This is how Jesus has won his kingdom to himself, how he defends it from attack, how he tends to his subjects' deepest needs. Even when we are rejecting and mocking him, his love is at work to redeem, reform and conform our lives.
It can feel like a discontinuity to reflect on these things in the season of Advent. But I think it is good, as we seek a fuller coming of Christ into our lives by conforming to him, to remember why he came in the first place, and how he establishes the kingdom that we desire to enter more fully, and what is the means of our participation in that kingdom - or, in another sense, what it means for us to be his conformed subjects.
If reforming is the act of allowing God to remove from our lives the outright sin that has deformed us, conforming must be a matter of embracing Jesus fully, with all of his radical implications in our lives. I'm not sure the degree to which this is a matter of B following A. Perhaps the two processes end up working back and forth between each other over the course of a lifetime.
And they stripped him and put a scarlet robe upon him, and plaiting a crown of thorns they put it on his head, and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him they mocked him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!"- Mt 27, 28-29
Sometimes I forget to think about the sort of King I am following, and what it means to conform to him. It is no accident that we have two consecutive sessions in this step that are taken from accounts of Jesus' Passion. This is how Jesus has won his kingdom to himself, how he defends it from attack, how he tends to his subjects' deepest needs. Even when we are rejecting and mocking him, his love is at work to redeem, reform and conform our lives.
It can feel like a discontinuity to reflect on these things in the season of Advent. But I think it is good, as we seek a fuller coming of Christ into our lives by conforming to him, to remember why he came in the first place, and how he establishes the kingdom that we desire to enter more fully, and what is the means of our participation in that kingdom - or, in another sense, what it means for us to be his conformed subjects.
Tuesday, December 09, 2014
Conforming (phase 2), The parable of the Kingdom of Christ (step 7), session 5
Jesus answered, "You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth. Every one who is of the truth hears my voice." - Jn 18, 37
Sometimes I hear the voice of God pretty clearly. When he tells me that he has given me the gift of faith, and that I am to be patient with those who do not so much have it, it can be unmistakable guidance. Yet at other times I feel as if I am not hearing him at all.
Perhaps, though, this is due to my tendency to find and to make my own way, to cling to my own desires rather than God's wishes for me. I struggle to fully trust that God is real and therefore that his plan truly is better than my own.
They cried out, "Away with him, away with him, crucify him!" Pilate said to them, "Shall I crucify your King?" The chief priests answered, "We have no king but Caesar." - Jn 19, 15
How often do we live our lives, make our decisions, with an insistence that "we have no king but . . . "? How often do we want to put the voice of Jesus to death rather than heed his call? I believe it is because we don't believe in his Resurrection, and therefore in our own. In this case, of course we will recognize no authority but our own.
People sometimes let Pilate off the hook here, suggesting that the Jews provided the impetus for Jesus' crucifixion, and that is somewhat accurate. But the Jews had no power to carry out their wishes except the one they exerted. Perhaps Pilate ultimately acquiesced to their request because they gave him what he wanted in return: they pledged their fealty to their occupiers.
Sometimes I hear the voice of God pretty clearly. When he tells me that he has given me the gift of faith, and that I am to be patient with those who do not so much have it, it can be unmistakable guidance. Yet at other times I feel as if I am not hearing him at all.
Perhaps, though, this is due to my tendency to find and to make my own way, to cling to my own desires rather than God's wishes for me. I struggle to fully trust that God is real and therefore that his plan truly is better than my own.
They cried out, "Away with him, away with him, crucify him!" Pilate said to them, "Shall I crucify your King?" The chief priests answered, "We have no king but Caesar." - Jn 19, 15
How often do we live our lives, make our decisions, with an insistence that "we have no king but . . . "? How often do we want to put the voice of Jesus to death rather than heed his call? I believe it is because we don't believe in his Resurrection, and therefore in our own. In this case, of course we will recognize no authority but our own.
People sometimes let Pilate off the hook here, suggesting that the Jews provided the impetus for Jesus' crucifixion, and that is somewhat accurate. But the Jews had no power to carry out their wishes except the one they exerted. Perhaps Pilate ultimately acquiesced to their request because they gave him what he wanted in return: they pledged their fealty to their occupiers.
Monday, December 08, 2014
Conforming (phase 2), The parable of the Kingdom of Christ (step 7), session 4
The proclamation of the kingdom in this session is of the separation of the sheep and the goats. `Truly, I say to you, as you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to me.' - Mt 25, 45 (full reading, 31-46)
Given the argument we had in Mass yesterday, it would be pretty easy for me to convince myself that God is giving me every opportunity to submit to despair.
I must remember that the purpose of these Exercises is not to put me at ease.
Given the argument we had in Mass yesterday, it would be pretty easy for me to convince myself that God is giving me every opportunity to submit to despair.
I must remember that the purpose of these Exercises is not to put me at ease.
This Advent's extra challenge
I love and miss my ritual of awakening in the morning and praying by the light of the Advent wreath. This year, I need to be done in the bathroom in time for little people to get ready for school. By the time I'm done, the sun is rising and the house is too busy.
Perhaps I need to start getting up earlier than 6:15.
Perhaps I need to start getting up earlier than 6:15.
Friday, December 05, 2014
Conforming (phase 2), The parable of the Kingdom of Christ (step 7), session 3
"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.
"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net which was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind; when it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into vessels but threw away the bad. So it will be at the close of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous, and throw them into the furnace of fire; there men will weep and gnash their teeth." - Mt 13, 44-50
I can see why this phase has this title.
In some ways I'm pretty sure that I am not selling all that I have.
In others I'm pretty well convinced it's exactly what I have done.
Perhaps just as no parable can perfectly describe the kingdom of the infinite God, it is certainly true that no finite life can fully conform to it.
But just when I seem to be cutting myself a little bit of slack in my wont to self-judge, I read this sessions third parable with uncertainty concerning what sort of fish I shall ultimately be found to be. I need to remember that I am saved by grace, and trust grace to complete what it has begun.
"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.
"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net which was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind; when it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into vessels but threw away the bad. So it will be at the close of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous, and throw them into the furnace of fire; there men will weep and gnash their teeth." - Mt 13, 44-50
I can see why this phase has this title.
In some ways I'm pretty sure that I am not selling all that I have.
In others I'm pretty well convinced it's exactly what I have done.
Perhaps just as no parable can perfectly describe the kingdom of the infinite God, it is certainly true that no finite life can fully conform to it.
But just when I seem to be cutting myself a little bit of slack in my wont to self-judge, I read this sessions third parable with uncertainty concerning what sort of fish I shall ultimately be found to be. I need to remember that I am saved by grace, and trust grace to complete what it has begun.
Today's word
riant \ˈrī-ənt, ˈrē-; rē-ˈäⁿ\ - gay, mirthful
So here's another one I've never seen before, but it took me to the very end of today's WOTD's Did You Know? section, the Word Family Quiz, to find it. I was pretty sure when I tried to fill in the blanks that this was going to be a word I didn't already know. The only use I might ever make of it would be to rhyme it using its French pronunciation.
Thursday, December 04, 2014
Today's word
caitiff \KAY-tif\ - cowardly, despicable
It is so rare that I encounter a word (in my own language) that I know I have absolutely never seen before, and the Words of the Day have been so pedestrian of late, that I was excited to encounter this one. (Apparently I never read Shakespeare's Measure for Measure.) I have rare enough opportunity to use the adjective "vile," so I think it unlikely that I'll ever need this synonym. Interesting etymology, though!
Wednesday, December 03, 2014
Societal light amid darkness:
Sometimes we just don't get it.
Jonathan Jones writes for the Guardian, and he's apparently having one of those moments. I've never read anything he's written before, so I don't know just how usual this is for him. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt and assume that it is a rare slip, even as I observe that he has missed what is far and away the important point of this photo in his frustration over the viral status of the "hug felt 'round the world."
The cop appears to be comforting the boy. After all the anger, all the divisions, here is a moment of human reconciliation.He's right, of course, that anyone who interprets this photo as representative of the current state of race relations in America, particularly between minority communities and the authorities who are supposed to be - and who are largely dedicated to - making their neighborhoods safer, is choosing to embrace naivete, to don rose-colored glasses and sing Kumbaya 'round the campfire rather than take a hard look at the daunting work that remains to be done to address a huge set of complicated issues which the events of Ferguson (and Staten Island, and elsewhere in the U.S.) are calling into sharper focus. Or, as Jones puts it,
What nonsense. It is one moment among many, and the choice to look at it and celebrate it is clearly a choice to be lulled by cotton candy. It has got more than 400,000 Facebook shares. Each one of those shares is a choice of what to see and what not to see.
Liking this picture as a definitive image of America’s race crisis is the equivalent of locking yourself in and turning up the volume to weep at Frozen while the streets are burning outside.I was hoping that the majority of likes for this picture, which Jones decries as inherently untruthful, are for a deeper truth that we realize and he overlooks. But I've since seen this going around with text that underlines his concern, that seems to paint a prettier picture of the status of race in America. This divide is clearest to me as I continue to talk with my friends, most of whom are white and middle-class, who universally don't get what all the fuss is about. It is, therefore, important for commentators like Jones to continue to draw this picture for us.
But I suspect that, for many of us, our appreciation for this photo is not rooted in any assumption that it indicates the status of relations between minorities and authorities. Rather, we recognize that it offers an important part of the real and lasting answer to this problem. All of the systemic changes in the world are not going resolve this if they are not accompanied by real, person-to-person contact. That's the hopeful thing we like in this picture, not that "See, everything's okay!" but "Yes, this is part of what it is going to take."
And yet we still very much need to address systematic issues of inequality. It remains critically important to examine the many ways societal history has put minorities on a disadvantaged playing field and determine how to address them. It is important that we not repeat this history among the Hispanic population. We must understand that we can't have a just society when a whole segment of it has a well-rooted fear of the people who are supposed to be keeping them safe. Anyone who thinks that picture of one cop hugging one tear-filled boy changes that is indeed myopic.
And this afternoon in the news is another non-indictment that will make matters worse again. Just as I point out the truth that Mr. Jones claims this photo lacks, so too I must acknowledge the truth that he proclaims. Things are likely to get worse before they get better, and they aren't going to get better at all without everyone involved taking a hard look at their own part of the problem instead of blaming the other guy.
The encounter in this photo is still a good and, yes, a true thing.
If there are some who would use it to tell a false narrative, that has been the case even for the very Incarnation of Truth.
Tuesday, December 02, 2014
Conforming (phase 2), The parable of the Kingdom of Christ (step 7), session 2a
The parable of the leaven in the wheat:
I'm not always clear on the meaning of this parable. Does Jesus mean that a little bit of faith in our life eventually transforms the whole thing? Or is he indicating that the leaven of one person's life transforms the lives around him? Perhaps the vagueness of this parable was intended to leave room for both interpretations?
I'm still doubtful that examining my life in the context of this parable provides any more evidence of my faith than doing so under the lens of the parable of the mustard seed. All I seem to know is that only my time with Jesus seems to provide me with consistent light for the rest of my life.
This seems an appropriate tie-in with the season of Advent, in which God's people wait in darkest anticipation for the coming of the great Light.
This seems an appropriate tie-in with the season of Advent, in which God's people wait in darkest anticipation for the coming of the great Light.
Today's word
nostrum \NAHSS-trum\ - a usually questionable remedy or scheme : panacea
It seems to me that I must have seen this word before, but I couldn't conjure up anything near its meaning. Not related to rostrum, apparently. Nice explanation of the etymology in the Did You Know? section.catholicon \kə-ˈthä-lə-ˌkän\ - cure-all, panacea
I'm certain I've never seen this one, which is based on the "universal" sense of the word catholic.
Monday, December 01, 2014
Conforming (phase 2), The parable of the Kingdom of Christ (step 7), session 2
The scripture passage for this session is Mt 13, 31-35. This includes the short parables of the mustard seed and the leaven, along with the observation that Jesus spoke to the crowds only in parables, to fulfill what the prophets had said about him uttering what had been hidden from the foundation of the world.
I sometimes wonder if I have faith even the size of a mustard seed. Sometimes I feel I have just enough to keep me from wandering off into really harmful paths, but not nearly enough to grow into the sort of tree of faith that the Lord would have me be.
More on this session tomorrow . . .
I sometimes wonder if I have faith even the size of a mustard seed. Sometimes I feel I have just enough to keep me from wandering off into really harmful paths, but not nearly enough to grow into the sort of tree of faith that the Lord would have me be.
More on this session tomorrow . . .
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