These are good problems to have

Life is never without problems... I'm sure of it!


Have you ever stopped to think about your problems?  Have you ever considered that the fact that you have the particular problems that you have is because life is actually going really well?


I don't know about you but lately I've been impressed by the problems that I encounter and hear about every day.  Almost every time I say, "That sounds like a wonderful problem to have!"


Now, I know that not every problem is a good problem to have but next time you encounter a problem think about it... it just might be a wonderful problem to have.


My favorite "good problem" was a few weeks ago when someone said that they had a hard time finding a seat in church.  They were not happy about this at all.


WHAT A WONDERFUL PROBLEM!  We have so many people coming to church, for certain masses, that it is difficult to find a seat!


I wish all our problems were so wonderful.

Homily fourth Sunday of Easter (year B, April 29th 2012)

Have you ever heard of a student without a teacher?
Or a teacher without students?


Can there be a son or daughter without parents?
How about a parent without a child?


Can there be a husband without a wife... or a wife without a husband?


Think about life.  Think about how real life works and I think you may discover that the popular idea that we are all, "self-sufficent individuals" is really not that true.  In fact we all are effected and influenced by others in our lives.  Each and every one of us is who we are because of the effect and influence of others.


Think about the effect that your teachers have had on you.  Think about the effect that your parents, or those who raised you, had on you.  Think about those who you love and how they help make you who you are.


Show me who you have learned from and I'll tell you something about who you are.
Show me who raised you and I'll tell you something about who you are.
Show me who you love and those that love you and I'll tell you something about who you are!

This is something worth keeping in mind as we hear Jesus tell us that He is our Good Shepherd. (John 10:11-18) Jesus said, "I am the Good Shepherd,  I know mine and mine know me."  Do you know Jesus?


I think that we often think of our life as Christians as a list of things that we have to do and what we should not do.  We also tend to think of our Christian faith as what we are told to believe and what we are not supposed to believe.  Don't get me wrong, these things are important... but they are not the point of being Christian.


Do you know Jesus?


Do you know Him as your Good Shepherd?  Do you know Him and encounter His presence in the pains, sufferings, sicknesses, stresses, sorrows, anxieties, worries, and difficulties?  Do you experience Jesus as your Good Shepherd who suffers with you, comforts you, and supports you when life is hard?  He's not a someone who will take all the pains away and make life a perfectly pleasant experience, but do you know Him as your Good Shepherd when life is hard?


Do you know Him as your Good Shepherd when life is going well?  He said, "I am the Good Shepherd and I will lay down my life for the sheep."  Do you experience Jesus as your Good Shepherd who challenges you to lay down your life for others?  


I really believe that the most common and the most evil sin in our world today is selfishness.  Do you know Jesus as your Good Shepherd who challenges you to lay down your life for others and to run away from ever form of selfishness?

Do you know Jesus?

Our second reading (1 John 3:1-2) tells us that we are now the Children of God... Do you know God as your father?

In the first reading (Acts 4: 8-12) we hear St. Peter tell us that,
"There is no salvation through anyone else, nor is there any other name under heaven given to the human race by which we are to be saved." At the time that this was written the idea that you knew someone's name was not just that you knew something about them.
Rather if you knew someone's name that meant that you knew them personally. 

 Do you know Jesus?

This precisely is what "salvation" really is.  We can make the idea of salvation very complicated but it is nothing more than having a close relationship with Jesus.

It is Here (I was pointing at the altar when I said this)... It is here at mass that we encounter our Lord!

It is here (I was lifting up the lectionary/book of scripture to show it to people)... it is here were we get to know Jesus!

Take you Bible off of the shelf at home, blow the dust off, open it, and read it.  Meditate on what you read.  It is there where we encounter your Good Shepherd.

Most especially it is in your personal prayer where you will learn to know Christ as your Good Shepherd.  Do you pray?  Do you enter into deep and meaningful prayer regularly.  It is there where you develop a relationship with Jesus as your Good Shepherd.

Think about those who you have learned from...

Think about your parents and those who raised you...

Think about those who you love and those that love you...

Do you know Jesus? 

A little bit of woodworking inspiration

Hello all,

You may, or may not, know that I love building furniture and doing other types of woodworking.  This is my hobby.  I really enjoying getting my hands dirty and building things.  I especially enjoy using hand tools for much of what I do.  I think that using a saw or a chisel might be similar to the way that St. Joseph and Jesus built things.  It's nice to think that I might be working with wood the same way that they did so long ago.

Well the other day I came across a video that moved me deeply.

I'm speechless so I'll just share it with you...

Stools from Mark Morgan on Vimeo.

I think we need to all take a moment, every now and then, and appreciate all the good things that we have and all the gifts that God has given us.  I also think that we need to reconsider how we look at our "problems" and maybe see them as not so bad after all...

Grace builds on nature #2

A few days ago I reflected on the meaning of the theological axiom "Grace builds on Nature" and I wanted to say a bit more about that.  (I'm never without something more to add or say) 


Many years ago I felt inspired and excited.  I had struggled and put forth a lot of effort to grow and learn.  I was never a fan of school but suddenly in my life there came a time when I wanted to know as much as I could about "human nature."  


I became a student of "humanity."


I wanted to know as much as I could about the human condition.  I wanted to understand what everyone was saying on this issue so that I could know better what God had done when He made "human nature" and so that I could understand myself more.  


There was also a few extra and unexpected benefits.  I felt that the more that I learned about human nature the easier and more comfortable that I was working with and ministering to people.  The most beneficial thing that came out of all of this was that I was forced to learn about my self and my own emotions.... but I'm getting ahead of things for this blog post.

This is an example of my point...
I strongly disagree

There are some in the world who look at science with a great deal of suspicion and doubt.  Sometime people of strong faith see science as somehow undermining what our faith holds dear and sacred.   I can't disagree with this notion more.


I firmly believe that the vast majority of science is done by good people who are just like you and I.  I believe that science is one of the most noble human pursuits that has ever been undertaken because it seeks to understand and study reality.  If you look at it from the perspective of a faithful believer it can be said that science studies "God's fingerprints."

Psalm 19

But this I mean that creation (our whole world and the entire cosmos) was created by God and as such it is a reflection of its creator.  We are in God's image and likeness.  So whenever science studies creation it is as if they reveal for us some new truth about God.  To study creation is, in a way, to study the creator.  When the cosmos is analyzed and investigated it is as if we get to see God's fingerprints.


In a certain sense science is secular-theology.  Those who do science teach us about the creator (God) without fully realizing it.


Why am I carrying on about science you might be wondering?  It is because as I began to become a better "student of humanity" I found that I could see God at work in the science that I was reading and studying.  


In the seminary I wrote a paper on how quantum physics can help us understand the Eucharist better.  I read a book about mass human behavior and it helped me understand our Catholic Church better.  I read another book about psychology and neurology and it helped me talk to, listen to, and work with people more.


For me, and you may be different, studying interesting things in science helped me understand human nature more.  And since human nature is in God's image and likeness then it helped me understand God more.

I do think science = secular theology.  If we use science to help us better understand the world that God created it can help us understand God too... in my humble opinion.


The second benefit of being a "student of humanity" was that I had to look inward.  I think I made some reference to that in the other blog post.


I had to learn about what "made me tick" on the inside.  I found that the Holy Spirit was dwelling within me and to encounter God I had to learn about myself and face my inner life.


For me this meant that I had to really wrestle with my emotions.  In some sense I wanted to be like John Wayne and always be stoic and never be effected by my emotions.  I could not stand my emotions and to admit that I had then and to be honest about what they were was terrible!  

However, the more that I prayed the more that I felt God's call the more I looked inward and began to wrestle with my feelings.  In this I found a sense of freedom and peace that is hard to describe.  I really believe that it is through prayer, self-reflection, and and awareness of one's own emotions that it is possible to know the peace that "the world cannot give."  


I think this is the peace that the world cannot give (to quote Jesus) because when I wrestled with my emotions I found things like guilt, regret, sorrow, shame, and pain.  It was only through the encounter of the Holy Spirit within and through the mercy of God that these feelings could be reconciled with my faith.  The feelings did not immediately go away but God's mercy does heal a broken heart.

The peace that the world cannot give, for me, is being at peace with myself and being at peace with others.  This really happened as a blessing that came from God but flowed through my becoming "a student of humanity."

Reason #4 "Why do I need to go to mass?"

Hello all,  I know it has been a few weeks since I first started this series about "why do I need to go to mass."  I'm sorry for the delay.  


The fourth reason is that at Mass we encounter the true presence of Jesus Christ.  


When we attend the Mass we believe that Jesus Christ is present to us in many different ways.


I could be wrong but I think that this might sound odd to many.  So often we think (and we believe) that we encounter Christ's true presence in the Holy Eucharist... and that is true but it is not the only way that we encounter Christ's true presence.


Jesus said, "Where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am in their midst." (Matthew 18:20)


Jesus is not limited by the Eucharist.  We can encounter Him in many and powerful ways at the mass.


So here is the list of the ways that we encounter the presence of Christ at mass:


1)In the other people who are at mass
2)In the person of the presider (the priest)
3)In the Word of God that we hear (the readings from Scripture)
4)In the Eucharist


I'm not sure if we are commonly told that we are supposed to be aware of the presence of Christ in all four of these ways.  We certainly believe that Christ is physically present to us in the Eucharist.  But, were you aware that Christ is also present to us in the priest, the readings from Scripture, and even in the person sitting next to you?


Imagine what it would be like if you showed the same reverence toward the person sitting next to you at mass as you show toward the Eucharist!  Would we enter and exit the parking lot differently if Jesus was behind the wheel of the other cars?


Yet, this is our faith.  I'm not making this up.  The Second Vatican Council tells us that we believe that these are the ways that we encounter the true presence of Christ when we gather at mass.


St. Paul even tells us that if we fail to fully recognize the way that Christ is present in other people (along with His presence in the Eucharistic elements) and we still receive the sacrament of the Eucharist then we "eat and drink unworthily!" 


So we need to find and encounter Christ in each other because He is presented to us through them.  Also, we are the ones who show the real presence of Christ to others... we share Christ with those who we worship with, live with, and encounter in our lives.  I think this is something to think about seriously and "let it sink in."


We also believe that we encounter the presence of Christ in the Word of God that is proclaimed in the reading of Scripture.


I think one of the things that we always need to improve is our love, appreciation for, and knowledge of Scripture.  St. Jerome said, "Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ."  How much have you tried to go deeper in your knowledge of and appreciation of Scripture.  I'm not suggesting that you take some theology course on Scripture scholarship... rather I think it would be a good idea to dust the Bible off and open it.  Read a bit of Scripture daily.  The chapters are very short and if you were to read one chapter a day (it would take maybe 3 minutes since there is about a chapter per page or two) you could get through the entire New Testament in under a year!


One other thing that I'd suggest is to read the readings that you will hear at mass ahead of time. You can find them here.  Click on the date of the next Sunday and the readings will come up.  Read them before you come to mass and I promise that you will get much more out of your worship.


We also believe that Christ is present to us in the person of the presider (the person who leads the mass: usually a priest but it can also be a bishop).  Jesus is the true leader of our worship and so when a priest (or bishop) leads the mass we can encounter Christ in Him in a similar way that we encounter Christ in the others that we are worshipping with.  However the role of the presider at mass is unique and so we can encounter Christ's presence in him in a unique was as well because the presider represents Christ to us.


Finally, and most importantly, we encounter the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist.  We receive Him; body, blood, soul, and divinity in the reception of the Eucharist.


This is such an incredible thing that it is difficult to explain without using really technical theological and philosophical language.  But we do believe, and have believed for 2000 years, that Christ is physically present in the Eucharist.


So, this is the fourth reason to go to mass: because we encounter Christ in many and various ways.  Even if someone does not receive the Eucharist they still encounter the real presence of Christ at mass.

Grace builds on nature

There is an old saying that "Grace builds on nature."

What this means (as I understand it) is that God's grace in our lives works in such a way that it makes who we are and what we are better.

God made us who we are, He made us with our personality, and He made us in His image and likeness.  We are not the products of some cosmic accident rather we are deliberate and chosen individuals whom God chose to create from all eternity.

When God made you He said the same thing that He said after every moment of the creation story after He had completed something, "It is good."

You are good!!!  Please, please, please believe me when I tell you that God made you good and as such you cannot unmake your self and turn yourself into something that is not good.

When God looks at you He sees His own reflection because you are in His image and likeness!

When God looks at you He smiles.  I promise you that.

It is true we are all sinners but St. Paul said, "Where sin abounds grace abounds all the more." (Romans 5:20)  This does not mean that we should sin to receive more grace.  But it does mean that God's design for life is such that even sin cannot get in the way of His grace.

Why?  Why is that?  Why is God's grace so overwhelming and powerful?

Well, we could delve into thousands of years of theology to investigate the question of, "What is grace?" but I think I'll offer the simplest... and possibly best answer.  The Holy Spirit is God's grace.  Grace is the Holy Spirit.  Grace = the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit = grace.

So how can grace (the Holy Spirit) build on nature (our human nature)?

The answer is that the Holy Spirit and our human nature were made for each other.  Well, in reality our human nature was made for the Holy Spirit and not the other way around.

So often we think of God the Father in many and various ways.  We most often think of God the Son, Jesus Christ.  But have you ever considered the role of the Holy Spirit in your life?

I really think the Holy Spirit is frequently the forgotten member of the Holy Trinity.  In reality it is the Holy Spirit who is the person of God who is most close to us!!!

Grace builds on nature because we are all "Temples of the Holy Spirit."  Deep within in our hearts, our souls, our guts, the depth of who we are is where the Holy Spirit resides.

It is there that the Holy Spirit is constantly at work empowering us, never forcing us, to grow in virtue, dwell in peace, and enter more fully into the life of the Holy Trinity.

Look inside of yourself and you will find the Holy Spirit.  Stare into the depths of your soul and will find the Holy Spirit staring back at you.  This is why grace builds on nature.  God made us to be receptacles of the Holy Spirit and as we grow and get to know who we are and what our nature is the more that we get to know God.

It is an odd paradox (and it may sound troubling) but the more that we get to know our nature (our personality and human nature in general) the more that we get to know God.  God did become a human after all.  He chose to be found and encountered as a human.  In doing so He bestowed on all human nature the ability to be vessels of the divine.

If you want to get to know God more... get to know who God has made you to be.  Find the Holy Spirit in the depth of your self.

If you want to grow in God's grace learn about your human nature.  Become a student of humanity.  And become an explorer of your inner self.  This is the way that God has chosen to be found and known.  You don't have to go somewhere to find God, just look within.  You don't even have to try to find God... He's already found you!

***disclaimer***

This may sound odd to some.  And to some it may even sound heretical.  

I'm not saying that each one of us is a god.  What I'm sharing with you is (as I understand it) the central insight that Catholic mystics have all agreed on... that God is to be found within because for some reason that is where He has chosen to be encountered.

The easiest way to grow in virtue and grace is to grown in self-knowledge (an understanding of your human nature).  The more that you get to know yourself the more that you encounter God because the Holy Spirit does dwell within you.

The real meaning of Easter

Ask yourself the question, "What is the most important day of the year for us as Christians?  What is our biggest and most solemn celebration?"  I suspect that most people would say Christmas.  They are not entirely wrong since Christmas is the second most important day of the year.  However, by far, Easter is our biggest and most important celebration as Christians.


Why?  Why is Easter so important?  Some may think of Easter and Jesus' resurrection from the dead as God's way of "fixing" the crime that took place on Good Friday.  Or maybe some think of Jesus' resurrection as a symbolic story that really helps us to believe in heaven and God's final victory all the more.  Even worse would be if we only think of Easter as being about bunnies, eggs, and candy.

Well, this is NOT what Easter and the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus is really about.


The Bible begins with the words, "In the beginning."  If we are to fully understand what Easter is really about that is where we need to begin.  The resurrection is about creation.  I know this may sound odd or incorrect but I'd like to explain.

This is exactly what DID NOT happen!

God created the whole cosmos for a purpose.  It was not a random event because God had nothing else to do that week.  God created because it was His eternal will that He might share His love and share His life.  We are the ones who God chose to share His life and His love with.  We are in God's image and likeness for this specific reason.  God wants to make others like Himself and invite them to share in His inner life and His love.  We humans are those that God created to unite to Himself in love so that we can share His life.  In order to finish creation God had to become one of us.  To finish creation God had to became part of His creation and so He became incarnate and became a human being.


So, to make a long story short, creation, Jesus' birth, and resurrection from the dead is one event.  Creation got everything started and the Resurrection completed the act of creation.  When Jesus rose from the dead, body and soul, we saw, for the first time, what God wants our life to be like.  We saw, for the first time, what God's perfect and complete creation looks like.  Creation started with God and it is God who perfected it by His rising from the dead.


This may sound even more weird or strange but bear with me and I think I can make some sense.


When God created the cosmos so long ago His work of creation wasn't done yet.  He had a specific conclusion in mind for what He was doing.  He wanted to unite creation to Himself.  He didn't just want to make something and leave it there alone.  Rather God created so that he could join creation to Himself.

My favorite example of this is when (and this does not happen all that often) I cook my favorite meal of "bacon wrapped maple pork loin." When I cook that I usually do so with the intention of uniting it to myself... by eating it.  If you can forgive the bad analogy think of God as creating for the sole purpose of being united with it.  This final act did not take place until Jesus rose from the dead.  Jesus new life is what life looks like when it is completely united with God.


From the very beginning God wanted to invite creation (especially you and me and all other humans) into the inner life of the Holy Trinity.  God wanted to unite earth with Heaven (more on that in a bit).  The resurrection did this.  


It was the resurrection of Jesus that finally finished the work of creation that had begun so long ago.  At the resurrection Jesus finally united all of creation to God perfectly.  


Jesus resurrection from the dead is not just about defeating death but rather it is about finishing the act of creation.  By the Resurrection all of creation is re-created in Jesus as he was raised from the dead.  Jesus' new human life was transformed and different from before.  It was recreated in such a way that He will never die again and now his new human life is totally united with heaven.  For the very first time, since the beginning of the cosmos, heaven and earth were perfectly united in Jesus.  When that happened creation was finally completed!  God's will and plan for what He began so long ago has finally been finished when heaven and earth were perfectly united in the Resurrection of Jesus from the dead!


I know this is deep and possibly hard to understand but if we consider that Jesus' resurrection was not a response to our sin but rather Jesus' resurrection is the very reason that God began creation in the first place.  


This...

... and this...

..are the same act.  Creation came first and the resurrection of Jesus completed the act of creation.


The resurrection is also a beginning.  Jesus proclaimed the Kingdom of God when He was going around and preaching and working miracles.  This Kingdom of God is when God and His creation are united.

We pray for this every time we pray the "Our Father."  We say "Father... Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven."

When we say these words we are asking that the reign of God be made perfect in the whole world as it is in heaven.  The reign of God we first made perfect in the body and person of Jesus when He rose from the dead.  So for us to pray the Our Father we are asking that the new life, the new creation, the Kingdom of God grow and expand here on earth.  We are praying that we can be part of that work.


The real meaning of Easter is that God has completed creation which He began long ago.  God has brought His Kingdom into our midst, into our world, into our very lives, perfectly as a new way of living.  And the real meaning of Easter is that we now have work to do.  We now have to continue the Kingdom that was started when Jesus rose from the dead.


Easter is not just about "fixing what went wrong" on Good Friday. Easter is about God finally showing us the destiny of our world and how we are to participate in God's Kingdom.