Getting Along

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Dear Folks,

As we continue the Christmas season, we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family.

This year, we will be doing Cycle A readings, which means lots of the Gospel of Mat-

thew. I’m challenging everyone to look at the Gospel stories through the lens of God

bringing order out of chaos that life may flourish. The Gospel warns us that if we seek to

follow, there are some things we can expect:

It will cost us; there will be sacrifice. We will face opposition, sometimes from

those we most expected support. Sin will bring chaos. God will let bad things hap-

pen. Notice how often family is the way the plan happens, even though these fami-

lies are not perfect, often very messed up. If we trust in God, He will do great things

in their proper time.

Genesis chapter one shows our story beginning with God bringing order out of chaos that life may flourish.

The Gospel of Matthew begins with the genealogy. It shows generations of families, each with their own stories. Some we know the stories, and others are just names. What we do

know of the stories tells us there was a lot of chaos going on. Looking at the overall sto-

ry, however, we notice there are three sets of fourteen (twice the divinely perfect number

seven). This is a hint that God is carrying out a well-ordered plan, though it would not

have seemed like it at the time.

Many have observed that families can have a lot of chaos in their daily lives, but also that great things can happen in families. People learn basic things about how to function,

what is right and wrong, what is of value and what is worthless. It also gives us connec-

tion to something bigger than ourselves that is still there even when it’s really difficult.

This is a fuller way to live than dedicating ourselves to material possessions and pleas-

ures.

In “A Christmas Carol” Scrooge disconnected from relationships, likely because they

had caused him pain and that he feared poverty. He saw his wealth as a security against

the pain he had suffered when he was younger, and, as vices do, his greed consumed

him. During his ghostly wakeup call, he reconnected with that neglected aspect of him-

self. He was able to see life greater than the pain of his past. He no longer let his grief

over losing his little sister Fan stop him from connecting with his nephew Fred. He even

saw his employee, Bob Cratchet, as not simply an instrument for conducting business,

but saw him and his family as human beings, and formed a more human relationship with him. He would, short term, see his profits decrease, but he would see that in perspective.

Besides, perhaps this more fully expressed self would enable him to connect to people

better in business, and he might find his profits increasing.

Our families are all flawed, and they can give us wounds as well as treasures. If we re-

spond in faith, in hope and in love, maybe we can unlearn bad habits, do some healing,

build on what we were given, and do a bit better than the last generation, leaving the

world a little better.

God Bless us everyone, and God bless our families,

Fr. Jim

Dare to Hope!

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Dear Folks,
Dare to hope!
opeSometimes, fear of disappointment may tempt us to give into despair, cynicism, and settling for the status quo. We then say, “That’s just the way it is.” We throw up our hands, tired of being hurt, and retreat into a protective shell. It can be hard to believe that God could bring good out of this situation. He’s brought good things out of many awful situations, but this one seems too tangled, too deep, too messy to have be an occasion of grace. This seems to be King Ahaz’s response in our first reading in Isaiah 7:10-14 .St. Joseph could have responded that way in our Gospel (Matthew 1:18-24), but he stepped out in faith, and great things happened after that. It was not going to be easy orwithout pain, but it would lead to glory. It will require patience and perseverance that we couldn’t understand in the beginning. I believe in lower expectations short term, higher expectations long term. God is more patient than we are.
We look at the number of people who were raised Catholic who have left the practice of the faith, and those who maintain a minimal connection to the faith. This is not how the
Church was founded to be. This is not being on track with the task of making disciples of all nations. Some people shrug their shoulders and say, “That’s just the way it is, and we just have to accept it.” Some have actually said, “We can’t expect any better because of the state of our society” which suggests that the Gospel message is not powerful enough to advance in a hostile culture. This, of course, can be comforting in that it absolves us from responsibility. But Jesus calls us to a bolder response. The early Church began with a handful of people, very few resources, and were surrounded by an extremely hostile culture. They grew like a grease fire. The mightiest empire the world had ever seen was helpless to stop them. If we truly believe that the Gospel message, the Catholic faith is true, then we believe that it is the most powerful transformative force in the universe.
For this to happen, we must be willing to go where God leads, as the disciples did (eventually) in the Scriptures. God often would lead people where they did not expect to go and would prefer not to go. That requires trust. Those who trusted would see great
things happen, greater than their own abilities could accomplish.
It all begins with taking some time to get to know God better, to fall more deeply in love with him. May that happen to all of us, that our Advent can be fruitful.
Blessings,
Fr. Jim

Gaudete: Rejoice in Jesus’ Abundant Life

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Dear Folks,
Today is Gaudete Sunday, and Gaudete means rejoice! We rejoice, not because everything is great now (I expect we all have our list) but because Jesus is coming, and we are confident that what we are doing is worth doing and pain will turn to glory.
We live with an “already” and a “not yet.” Jesus is here and Jesus is coming. We are participating in eternal life now but not experiencing it in fullness. “Amen, amen, I say to you, the hour is coming and is now here when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live (John 5:25).” When Jesus comes in glory His followers will recognize Him as one they have known, but never known as fully, as gloriously, or as wonderfully as they will then.
“Love never fails. Prophecies will eventually cease, tongues will become silent, and knowledge will pass away, for our knowledge is partial and our prophesying is partial; but when we encounter what is perfect, that which is imperfect will pass away. When I was a child, I used to talk like a child, think like a child, and reason like a child. However, when I became a man, I put all childish ways aside. At the present time we see indistinctly, as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. My knowledge is only partial now; then I shall know fully, even as I am known. Thus, there are three things that endure, faith, hope and love, and the greatest of these is love (1 Corinthians 13:8-13).”
Jesus came that we might “have life and have it more abundantly (see John 10:10).” To live for eternal values, to live in union with God, to give of ourselves in love is a much more abundant way to live than living for gratifying immediate desires. Such a life can be very hard, discouraging, frustrating, even agonizing. But during the worst times, we know that for the faithful sorrow is not the last word, that we do not face it alone, and that even our pain can have meaning in the kingdom. During the most joyous times, of course, we recognize that the joy is a foretaste of the ultimate joy, and that makes it more powerful even as it passes for now.
“See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God. Yet so we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it does not know Him. Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we shall be has not yet been revealed. We know that when it is revealed we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. Everyone who has this hope based on him makes himself pure, as He is pure (1 John 3:1-3).”
David Goggins wrote a book called “Can’t Hurt Me.” (warning: language is rough!) He went through navy seal training three times and then decided that he wasn’t pushing himself hard enough (!) He did things like run ultramarathons (100 miles in twenty-four hours). He said that a lot of people plan great things while they are comfortable, sitting on their couches drinking iced tea. But when the pain and the exhaustion hit, they start asking, “Why am I doing this?” Many then drop out, because they are not deeply enough rooted in their why.
The promises of the world fail us sooner or later. Christmas has a special way of teaching that lesson. Sometimes toys are not nearly as much fun as they seemed in the store. Sometimes they break and can’t be fixed. Sometimes they are fun for a while, but the thrill fades. Over time, we notice that toys pass away, but love endures. But the toys are so enticing, we have to have a good grip on our “why” to keep going. If you’ve read the New Testament (which I highly recommend) it is surprising how often they talk about the importance of endurance. Let us focus on our goal, sharpen our desire for the Kingdom, and not let distractions loosen our grip on our hope.
Blessings,
Fr. Jim

Hard Messages to Hear

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Dear Folks,
In this second Sunday of Advent, we encounter John the Baptist, and his fierce preaching. We also meet the Pharisees and Sadducees, whom we will encounter later. They were very smart,
did a lot of studying, and did a lot of religious devotion. They did a lot of listening to each other, and despising those who were not a part of their group. Of course, if they all agreed on
their basic beliefs and just talked to each other, they would never be challenged serious. They would reinforce each other
In C.S. Lewis’ book “The Screwtape Letters” we see a senior devil (Screwtape) giving advice to his nephew (Wormwood) about how to lead a soul to hell. In letter 3 we see, “You must bring him to a condition in which he can practice self-examination for an hour without discovering any of those facts about himself which are perfectly clear to anyone who has ever lived in the same house with him or worked in the same office.” He’s talking about blind spots, and if we listen to those who think like us and discount those who don’t before really hearing them (because they are evil/stupid/lying) we protect ourselves from having our ideas challenged and our blind spots discovered. In the book “Unlocking Leadership Mindtraps: How to Thrive in Complexity” by Jennifer Garvey Berger, Margaret Wakeley, et al. they talk about the trap of agreement: if our entire group agrees, we tend not to seek further input, and become trapped in our bubble. I have recommended Monica Guzman’s book “I Never Thought of it That Way” to understand how this works and how to counter it. In the book “Radical Inclusion” by Martin Dempsey and Ori Brafman they mention that modern discourse tends not to be about logical argument but competing narratives. People hear a narrative, find it compelling, believe it and proclaim it as if it were the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. They often do not consider if the premises are true, if he reasoning is valid, or if it is missing something. Then, when they hear something contrary to that narrative, they dismiss it, ridicule it, and attack it, without asking, “Might there be something here to learn?”
What if our Pharisee and Sadducee friends were so rooted in the narrative that their approach was the correct one, they were the good guys, and that no one else had anything to teach them. They reinforced each other in their beliefs and were quite sure they didn’t need to change anything in their thinking or actions. John gave them a severe talking to (I don’t think his methods would work today. We are too good at dismissing people we see as cranks.
In the book “The Practice of Adaptive Leadership” by Ron Heifetz et.al. they talk about protecting minority voices. Too often, minority voices get steamrolled and ignored by the majority, but they may have some wisdom to share. Even if we don’t accept all of their position, they may have insight that can help us refine our ideas. We remember that in 1905 Albert Einstein turned the physics world upside down with three groundbreaking papers, including one on relativity. Over time, however, the revolution became the establishment, and when the time came for the next step, quantum mechanics, Einstein was fiercely opposed. He came up with every argument he could to discredit it (and he was very good at that. Even though he was eventually proven wrong, arguing with Einstein helped the innovators refine their position, and it made the science better. Those who disagree with us are challenges, not enemies.
Heifetz also talks about getting on the balcony. Taking some distance to see the big picture, the picture that we can’t see when we are in the midst of the dance. If we can find a way to take a step back this Advent to see things from a different perspective, that could bear some fruit.
May we all have a fruitful Advent.
Blessings,
Fr. Jim

Waiting for God’s Peace

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Dear Folks,

Today we begin Advent, a season of expectant waiting. Waiting is not just stillness, but directed toward a future hope, and doing Advent well includes a keen focus on what we are hoping for, and how we are shaped by that hope. Our readings, of course, help us.

First, in Isaiah 2:1-5, we see a future in which God gathers people from everywhere. God is the great Gatherer. Jesus prayed in His great priestly prayer “I pray not only on behalf of these, but also for those who through their word will come to believe in me. May they all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, may they also be in us so that the word may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become completely on, and thus the world may know that you have sent me and that you have loved them even as you have loved me (John 17:20-23).” Do you want people to believe that Jesus is truly at work in the Church and that the Church is worth coming to? Jesus connects that to our being one. 

We see as people gather, their great desire is that God “may instruct us in his ways, and we may walk in his paths.” We call ourselves disciples, and “disciple” means “student.” To be a disciple is to be learning, that we may “walk in His ways,” that is, live according to His truth.  As they live this truth they will “beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks,” because fighting has become obsolete. The great promise is peace: everyone will get along all the time. Ahhhh.

Romans 13:11-14 reminds us that to get to that peace, we must “throw off” all the things we do that are not in keeping with God’s truth. This time of expectation and hope is a time of repentance. By the power of God’s grace, we seek to live like people who want that peace, and that means not only avoiding doing harm, but actively and intentionally building peace (Matthew 5:9).

Because we are sinful, flawed people, we are going to offend each other. We are naturally more aware of how others offend us than how we offend other people (That great big splinter in your eye looks so much bigger than that little plank in my eye). When we have a gripe against someone, we are called to be healers, even if we are sure we are not at fault (though more often than not, we have contributed somehow and need to be open to that possibility). 

We go to the person first and talk, not to attack, but to bring mutual understanding and healing. If we can’t make progress, bringing one or two more into the conversation to help (Matthew 18:15-16). Talking about people behind their backs, saying things about them that we don’t say to them, spreading complains to create a climate of hostility against that person, is a terrible poison that does immeasurable harm in communities. We must all remind each other because gossip is a terrible plague in the church. We are always to encourage healing. Talking to each other is so much harder than talking about them, but that is exactly the sort of sacrifice to which Jesus calls us.

Matthew 24:37-44 reminds us that God will call us to account for how we answer this call, and we are always to be ready.

Blessings,

Fr. Jim

Strength in Weakness: Christ the King

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Dear Folks,

This is the feast of Christ the King, the celebration of Jesus’ great victory over evil, over sin and death, and now He reigns supreme forever. Alleluia! And yet, our Gospel is of Jesus on the cross. He is being ridiculed, and He makes no reply. He cannot move His hands or His feet. He has to fight to breathe. This is not what humans think when we think about a great king in his triumphant moment. This cuts to the heart of the Christian paradox that the world cannot understand. Jesus’ mighty power is expressed most powerfully not in His amazing miracles or brilliant teaching, but His faithful suffering and death.

St. Paul understood this, saying “If I must boast, I will boast of the things that exhibit my weakness (2 Corinthians 11:30; see 11:16-30)” and “Hence, I will boast most gladly of my weaknesses, in order that the power of Christ may dwell within me. For this reason, I rejoice when I endure weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and distress for the sake of Christ. For it is when I am weak that I am strong (2 Corinthians 12:9b-10; see 7-10).”

Some resist admitting a mistake or failing for fear it will make them look weak, but whom do we trust more: someone who admits when they fail or someone who always, always finds a reason why it is not their fault and not their failing?

Not only have I had to deal with the fact at my age that my biceps aren’t what they used to be, but I have had some particularly powerful lessons in weakness lately, with more on the way. I

have found that times of weakness can be great times of love, and God values love more than biceps.

We look at all the evil in the world, and it is overwhelming. We feel helpless. I find that is often when God does His best work.

Christians are never helpless. Even if we can only do a teeny, tiny bit, if we do that bit with everything we have, that is huge in God’s eyes (see the story of the widow’s mite (Mark 12:41-44 and Luke 21:1-4). Even if we are completely immobile, we can pray, though this will put our faith in the power of prayer to the test. I find that God is quite willing to let our faith be stretched. If our minds go so that we cannot form a coherent prayer, God can still touch us on a deep level, as Psalm 8 tells us, “From the mouths of children and babes you fashioned praise to foil your enemy, to silence the foe and the rebel.”

The basic message of the book of Revelation, as well as Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21, is that the world may fall apart and go horribly wrong, but Jesus is victorious, and if we remain faithful to Him, we will share in the victory (for example Matthew 24:13).

Bottom line: The more the world goes wrong, the more tightly we need to cling to Jesus. If we stay faithful to Him and do not give up, we can contribute to making things better, but He has the victory. He reigns supreme.

Blessings,

Fr Jim

Endings

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Dear Folks,

As we get close to the end of the liturgical year, we start thinking about endings in general. Life is full of endings and new beginnings, but we still tend to think of things we are used to always being there. The real truth is that nothing that is of the earth is guaranteed for tomorrow (or even later today).

Matthew, Mark, and Luke all have an apocalyptic chapter (“apocalypse” is Greek for “removing the veil” which in Latin is “revelatio.”) This chapter starts with predicting the destruction of the temple. The temple was a huge, sturdy building, and a critical part of the Israelites relationship to God. It had been destroyed in 587 B.C. which was devastating, but you know how bad we humans can be about learning the lessons of history. Jesus’ words would have been a shock, and then he segues to the end of the world. The book of revelation will develop this more.

I would encourage you not to pay attention to anyone who claims to have figured out when the end of the world will be. Jesus said we would not know and instead encouraged us to focus on being ready whenever it comes, whether in five billion years, or in 5….4….3…2 you get the idea.

Getting ready centers around faithfully doing the work that God gave us to do and holding the things of the earth in a loose grip.

Of course, there are other kinds of endings. We each experience the end of the world when we die. We also can lose our health, our material possessions, our position in the world, etc. They can vanish without warning.

Civilizations can fall. The Roman Empire lasted for a thousand years, and I believe people expected it to just continue. When it crumbled and was literally overrun with barbarians it was devastating. The structures of education, law and order, the building of roads and aqueducts and things that kept civilization going crumbled. The Church kept a lot of things going when the government could not, maintaining knowledge and education, building universities and hospitals, and other good things. (That was a time when you could not depend upon government. What about our time?) I recommend the books “How the Irish Saved Civilization” by Thomas Cahill and “How the Catholic Church Built Western Civilization” by Thomas E Woods.

When the industrial revolution came, many ways of life abruptly vanished, and people caught in the middle were thrown into desperate poverty (Charles Dickens did a lot to raise awareness of this). I know some heroic Christians moved in to help, but perhaps we can learn to do better.

We seem to be on the cusp of the Artificial Intelligence revolution, and that could do the same thing. It looks like it will be at least as radical as the industrial revolution. How will Christians be called to respond to people who are caught in the middle of this? Matthew 25 describes a little chit chat that Jesus is going to have with each one of us about how we respond to His call. Being aware of that, what should be our focus now?

Blessings,

Fr. Jim

St. John Lateran and the Body of Christ

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Dear Folks,

Today we celebrate the Feast of the Dedication of the Basilica of St. John Lateran. You may be asking why the Catholic Church is making such whoop-de-do about the dedication of some old church building? I’m glad you asked.

First, we remember that the church building is a symbol of the real Church, who is us.

St. John Lateran is the cathedral of the Catholic Church. The word “cathedral” is from the Greek for “Cathedra” meaning “chair” Jesus said in Matthew 23:2-3 that the scribes and Pharisees sat in the chair of Moses, so their authority should be respected, even though their conduct was abominable. (If you know your history, you know that Catholics have had a good deal of opportunity to apply this teaching through the years).

Some people have said that they believe in Jesus but not the Church. This leads me to wonder where they get their Jesus, because it can’t be from the Bible. In the Gospels Jesus begins by calling people together, and He says that He will build His Church (Matthew 16:18) and expected that the Church would be there to help keep us working together.

The Scriptures compare the Church to a body (1 Corinthians 12, Romans 12, and Ephesians 1:22-23 and Ephesians 4:11-16), and to a temple (Ephesians 2:19-22 and 1 Peter 2:4-5).

I find the image of the body especially interesting. The various parts are very different, but have compatible genetic structure, and if my rudimentary biology is correct, they agree on certain antigen proteins so they recognize each other as belonging. This can break down when there is an autoimmune disease that causes the body to attack itself. 1 Corinthians 1:10-16 talks about factions in the early Church, and how dangerous that was. Some say diversity is our strength, and others say that unity is our strength. I say they are both half right. Having diverse points of view, styles of thinking, and backgrounds but being united in purpose and agreeing on essential teachings while cooperat-

ing with each other under the guidance of leadership makes us strong. I have put a lot of energy into teaching and encouraging people to deal with their differences in a charitable

and productive way, and I think it is one of the most important tasks for this generation of the Church.

I believe God calls us to be Church so that we are forced to deal with each other. We have to deal with other people’s ideas, concerns, needs, and perspectives. This draws us beyond ourselves and demands giving of ourselves in a deep way. It also means a lot of times things won’t be done the way we want or the way we think they should be. That is part of the cost of discipleship.

Let us pray that we may work together so that we can be strong against our common enemy (Ephesians 6:10-17).

Blessings,

Fr. Jim

Helping Those in Need Part II

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Dear Folks,

There is serious concern that many things that are meant to help the poor are actually keeping them trapped in poverty. I’ve been told that these are hard to change because many people make money helping the poor to stay poor.

The books “Toxic Charity” by Robert D. Lupton and “When Helping Hurts” by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert and the documentaries at Povertycure.org and Povertyinc.org can shed some light on the disparity between good intentions and good results.

In the Greenville and Belding area we have programs that are worth looking at. IM Kids Third Meal makes portable meals for children in food insecure situations to have something

to eat in the evening. I’m not an educator, but even I know that children go through different stages of development, including their brains, at certain ages, and if they don’t have adequate nutrition during those times that development does not happen and can’t be made up for later.

Children must never go unfed. Some will say that the parents should be doing this and I agree, but I don’t know all their situations, and I’m not sure how to make it happen. One thing I’m not willing to do is let children go unfed to incentivize the parents to solve the problem.

Have Mercy helps the homeless to look for work and to find a stable home. They celebrate every time someone “graduates.”

Alpha Family Center and the Walking with Moms in Need ministry help families during pregnancy and when their children are little. This is a pivotal and especially vulnerable time for them, and so what they do is valuable beyond imagining.

Habitat for Humanity engages people and gives an assist as they work to better their own situation. It is known to make a lasting and profound difference in people’s lives, so they can move from squalor to flourishing.

Many churches have food pantries and make meals for people in the community, and these can help people through difficult times (eating has become an expensive hobby).

All these and other programs could use support, including financial and volunteers. Might God be calling us to reexamine how we could participate?

For us to answer this challenge, we the Church must grow stronger and sharpen our focus on caring for those in need. The more we do that, the more people may believe the Gospel that we preach with our words. We cannot do it by our own power, of course. Without God’s grace we are helpless; with God’s grace nothing is impossible. If we want a better world, thefirst step is falling more deeply in love with Jesus.

Blessings,

Fr. Jim

Pope Leo and Care for the Poor Part I

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Dear Folks,

Pope Leo XIV has issued an Apostolic Exhortation called Dilexi Te about Christian love for the poor. Nothing in it will surprise anyone familiar with the Scriptures and what the Catholic Church has taught for 2000 years, but he is reminding us as we need to be reminded on a regular basis.

Pope Leo goes through the Scriptures and stories of Saints through the centuries who showed great love and care for the poor and emphasizes that care for the poor is not op-

tional for Christians, but an essential dimension of being Christian, and our Christianity is not authentic without it.

1 Corinthians 9:7 “God loves a cheerful giver.” I remember one church sign that said, “God loveth a cheerful giver, He accepteth from a grouch.” The saying has a more profound meaning than people think. Real generosity is not just giving but joyfully giving.

Our faith calls us not just to comply with commands but be transformed to our core. To be a Christian is to give ourselves to Jesus to transform us by the power of grace. The more we are transformed into the image of Christ the more we seek to give of ourselves, because that is who we are. Hence, the Holy Father warns that worship that is authentic is worship that moves us to care for the poor.

We should not approach them as if they were inferiors, but as brothers and sisters. We encounter Jesus in them, and we can learn from them. We are not only to offer material

help, but dignity and spiritual help gathering them into the community.

He says that giving material goods is meant to be a provisional solution, and better to help them get a good job by which they can earn a enough to live with dignity.

He talks about getting to the root causes. We could have a good deal of conversation about the root causes of poverty. I have heard that those who come from fatherless families are more likely to be poor. How can we address the issue of fatherless families? Helping people to produce more value so they could get good jobs seems important. Would school choice help people escape failing schools and be better prepared? Let’s look at who our celebrities are. What if we did more to lift up those people those people who worked hard and accomplished things that helped people. A culture that valued self-improvement and achievement over gratification of desire might produce fewer poor people.

He warned not to just let the government do it, but neither should we deny the government role in caring for the poor. There needs to be a lot of conversations about how that

all shakes out. One thing that doesn’t help is saying, “You don’t agree with what I think will help, so you don’t care about helping.” I see this again and again in different forms, and I think it is a serious obstacle to productive dialog. There’s a Youtube video called “Bishop Barron on Paul Ryan and Catholic Social Teaching” that talks about the coming together of subsidiarity and solidarity and how there can be different perspectives.

More on this next week.

Blessings,

Fr. Jim