Category Archives: Faith

Catholic Truth

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Dear Folks,

How to think about people who seek God but are not Catholic? First, there is the question of Christians who are not Catholic, and the Second Vatican Council’s Decree on Ecumenism (Unitatis redintegratio) talks about our relationship with them. Second, there are nonChristian religions and Vatican II deals with that in Declaration on the relations of the Church to non-Christian Religions (Nostra aetate). They are both worth a read.

The Catholic faith is the fullness of truth about Jesus, but there is much that is true that our Protestant brothers and sisters teach, and some things that are true as taught by other religions. God gives everyone the light of natural reason, and so it is not surprising that some true things are taught by groups like Hindus, Buddhists, and Muslims. Christians and Jews have received special revelation in addition, and it is completed by the Jesus event.

All who are saved, all who get to heaven, do so by the power of the Sacrifice of Jesus, whether they understand it explicitly or not. “And this is the verdict, that the light came into the world, but people preferred darkness to light, because their works were evil (John

3:19).” Our salvation is God’s work, not ours. Those who understand who Jesus is and what He is about and choose not to follow Him will be condemned. Those who had not heard about Him, or were taught the Gospel so badly that they could not recognize Him as

the light are another story (and I suggest that latter group is huge). That said, we must not get complacent. We don’t get to sit back and relax. If you read the Gospels (which I highly recommend!) and take them seriously (which I very highly recommend!!) we are warned that we don’t just coast into heaven (See, for example Matt 5:29-30; 7:13-14; 1 Corinthians 9:27).

Jesus wanted His people to be one (John 17:22). I think Satan laughs himself silly every day that Christians are divided and teaching contradictory things. We speak of God’s ordaining will, and God’s permissive will. His ordaining will is that everything and everyone be all good, but He permits us to do evil, and He will bring good from it.

Other religions can be a gift in certain ways: they can help people whom we have not yet reached (though we need to get on that); they provide a challenge for us to better witness to the goodness, beauty and truth of the faith (easy to get complacent when everyone agrees); they can remind us of aspects of our faith that perhaps we have been neglecting.

For example, a few generations back, people told me the Catholic Church did not encourage them to read the Bible. Our Protestant brothers and sisters reminded us of the importance and benefits of reading and being familiar with the Scriptures (and, if you look at

Church documents and history, it is a strong part of the Catholic faith).

Having all of these gifts of the Catholic Church is not a privilege that occasions pride, but a responsibility. “Much will be required of a person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more (Luke 12:48).” Think of all the gifts

we have been given. What will God expect from us?

Blessings,

Fr. Jim

Our Thinking and God’s Thinking

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Dear Folks,

The Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) all relate Jesus giving three predictions of His passion. Today we read in Mark Jesus giving the second prediction of the passion,

and the apostles are clueless. After the first prediction and Peter’s pushback, Jesus says “You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do (Mark 8:33c).”

After the second prediction, the next concern of the Twelve is which one of them is the greatest. Jesus says, “whoever wishes to be first must be the last of all and the servant of all.” Jesus puts His arms around a child and says, “Whoever receives one such child in

my name receives me; and whoever receives me receives not me but the one who sent me (see Mark 10:35-37).”

After the third prediction, James and John start lobbying for the best spots in the kingdom. Jesus teaches that “whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant and whoever wishes to be first among you must be the servant of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:43b-45).

We notice that all the apostles are seen not to understand, but Peter, James, and John are especially highlighted. They were in inner circle, the ones who got to witness the extra special things. They witness the little girl getting raised (Mark 5:47), the Transfiguration (Mark 9:2), and the agony in the garden (Mark 14:33). St. Paul said they were considered “pillars” of the faith community (Galatian 2:9). It appears the closer one gets to Jesus and the higher one gets in the Church the more one gets humbled.

Consider the contrast between God’s way of thinking and human ways of thinking. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways—oracle of the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, my

thoughts higher than your thoughts (Isaiah 55:8-9).”

I would connect this to living according to the Spirit and living according to the flesh. “It is the spirit that gives life, while the flesh is of no avail. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and life (John 6:63).” See Romans 8 and Galatians 5 for some expanded treatment. We see that the way of the world is seeking one’s own advantage and centering one’s life on power, pleasure wealth and honor. The way of God is focused on giving oneself in love. A leader is a servant leader. The one’s who should get our greatest concern are the powerless and most helpless. Those trapped in poverty, the disabled, those incapacitated by age and infirmity, children, especially unborn children (whose rights and dignity are

currently under attack), and others like them must never be forgotten.

But what we are talking about is not just a collection of activities, but a completely different way of thinking. As we reflect on these teachings, how do they challenge how we approach life?

Blessings

Fr Jim

Warning: a Cross

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Dear Folks,
Saturday, we celebrate the Exaltation of The Cross, and Sunday, we read of Jesus predicting His passion. This section of Mark (8:22-10) is all about the cross, about Jesus preparing to carry it and teaching that His followers will have to follow with a cross as well. People are very slow to get it. Three times He will explain that He will be rejected and put to death, and Mark emphasizes that immediately afterward, the apostles show they don’t get it. We are accustomed to talking about the cross in theory, but it is harder to accept in practice. Jesus had just cured a blind man, but it took two tries. After the first try, the blind man could see, but not clearly (people looked like walking trees). After the second try, he could see clearly. Those who thought Jesus was just a teacher and wonder worker are people who can see, but not clearly. I’ve found some who seem to see themselves as customers in the Church rather than coworkers in mission, and they cooperate (maybe) if they get things the way they want them. They can see, but not clearly. I’ve asked practicing Catholics, “why is it a good thing to be a practicing Catholic Christian?” and would get some answers like, “I get a good feeling on Sunday morning,” or “It is good to get together with the people,” or “it gives moral guidance.” These are people who see, but not clearly.
In 1776, Thomas Paine wrote an essay called “The Crisis.” It began, “THESE are the times that try men’s souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value.”
Given what is happening in the world and what is happening in the Church, I think it is a safe bet that being Church is not going to get easier any time soon. It fact, it will likely get less convenient, more challenging, and require more people to step up beyond what they are accustomed to. Those whose faith is shallow shall very possibly wander away, as have so many before. Those who remain, however, will be more prepared than ever to rise to the level of heroism to which God calls His saints. I see my job as preparing people so that more will endure, and then they will be more prepared for the rebuild.
If following Jesus becomes harder, will you still follow? If it becomes a lot harder?
If being Church becomes harder, will you still do it? If it becomes much harder?
God is calling us to greatness.
Blessings,
Fr. Jim

It Begins With Listening

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Dear Folks,

The New Testament teaches us a few Aramaic words, including “Ephphatha,” meaning “be opened.” Jesus heals a deaf man with a speech impediment (Mark 7:31-37). When Jesus does a miracle, we first rejoice, and then we ask, “what is He trying to teach us?

When most people could not read or write, being unable to hear or speak would severely isolate people. Hearing and speaking connect us to the world beyond ourselves. Sin also isolates people from one another and tends to close us in on ourselves. Big Question: Is the focus of attention on ourselves or beyond ourselves?

Most of us don’t listen as well as we think we do. If I’m focused on myself, I’m filled with: How does this affect me? What does it make me feel? How do I respond to it?

In Ann Garrido’s book “Redeeming Conflict” we find habit #2 is “be curious” and habit #3 is “Listen to understand.” We have a tendency to listen to find the flaws and respond. But in the other person’s head, what they are thinking makes sense to them. The challenge is to figure out how it makes sense, how do their ideas fit together, and why do they find them compelling? What are the concerns and motivations that drive them? This allows us to speak to their concerns. I know some people have said some things that were true, but did not speak to my premises and concerns, so I found them completely unpersuasive. I found, for example, that since I think there are some problems with the way liturgy has often been celebrated after Vatican II, they assume that I idealize the time before Vatican II, and so they give me a lecture on all the problems of that time. Since they are arguing with a position that I do not believe, it doesn’t matter if what they say is true, it accomplishes nothing except get on my nerves and waste my time.

Sometimes I have found myself, to my regret, doing that to someone else. A response bursts out of me before I even think about it instead of hearing them out and maybe asking

some questions to draw their thoughts out. This suggests that I was focused more on myself than the other person, and that my need to tell my story had become desperate. It also makes it unlikely that what I say is going to be effective. To become a better listener, I try

to quiet myself and focus carefully on the other person. I also work on telling my story. If I don’t have another venue, it helps to write, even if I don’t share it with anyone. That helps me tell my story in a more controlled manner.

Redeeming conflict habit #5 is welcome emotion, and #6 is tell your story. Once I have listened to the other person, seeking to understand deeply why they think they way they do, I can look at myself and see what I have to tell of what I’m thinking and feeling. I’m more likely to be able to speak in a way that connects. Being a better listener increases my power of speech. I don’t claim to be great at it, but I know I’m better than I used to be, and I’ve connected better with others. I ask Jesus to continue to do for me what He did for the man in the Gospel.

Blessings,

Fr. Jim

Tradition of the Faith

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ear Folks,

Our Gospel for today from Mark 7 tells of Jesus clashing with the Pharisees about God’s teach- ing and their traditions (See vv. 1-23 for the whole story). We see, “In vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines human precepts… You disregard God’s commandment but cling to human tradition (see Mark 7:7-8).”

The Second Vatican Council’s Constitution on Divine Revelation (Dei Verbum) says: “[T]here exists a close connection and communication between sacred tradition and Sacred Scripture. For both of them, flowing from the same divine wellspring, in a certain way merge into a unity and tend toward the same end. … Consequently, it is not from Sacred Scripture alone that the Church draws her certainty about everything which has been revealed. Therefore, both sacred tradition and Sacred Scripture are to be accepted and venerated with the same sense of loyalty and reverence. … Sacred tradition and Sacred Scripture form one sacred deposit of the word of God, committed to the Church (DV 9,10).”

Some have claimed that the Catholic Church is doing what the Pharisees were doing with re- gard to tradition. We want to look deeper into the issue. Both Catholics and Protestants have the tradition of calling the Bible “The Word of God” but the Bible tells us the first meaning of the term is Jesus Himself (John 1:1). Jesus is condemning corrupt tradition, and the word “tradition” means “something handed down (Greek paradosis, verb form paradidomi).” We see, for example St. Paul tells people to hold to the traditions they received (1 Corinthians 11:2; 2 Thess 2:15; verb form 1 Corinthians 15:3).

To understand the Catholic Church’s thoughts about tradition, consider: it doesn’t make sense to us that God would reveal the fullness of truth and then let it get lost. It doesn’t make sense to us that God would protect and preserve the truth in the Church up to a certain point in history and then stop. Hence, we have trouble with the notion that after the Bible was written, the Church as a whole misunderstood it for centuries and centuries until fifteen hundred years later someone got it right. What the Church has taught, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, for many generations carries great weight. We must be aware that we can be manipulated by the world around us, and the testimony of generations of Christians is a vital counterweight.

Some people claim all they need is the Bible, however, many groups who make that claim teach contradictory things, and I don’t see any limit to those contradictions. When I was in col- lege, I met a group called Students for New Testament Restoration. They held that God has given us the Bible to teach us the truth, so we should be able to read the Bible and reliably find and know the truth, otherwise we are saying that God did a poor job writing it. Therefore, after they read the Bible and understood what it meant, everyone who disagreed with them was just being dishonest. They didn’t make a lot of friends, but I admired the consistency of their logic.

God clearly allows messy disagreements, but when it threatens to tear the Church apart and have the Gospel get lost the leaders of the Church, appointed by Christ, or their successors, resolve it (see Acts 15).

It is a constant task to stay faithful to the Gospel revealed in Jesus, passed down in the Church under the protection of the Holy Spirit. As usual, God’s grace does not make it easy but makes it possible.

Blessings, Fr.Jim

Bread of Life: What is God Doing?

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Dear Folks,Every three years our lectionary takes us through the Bread of Life discourse in the Gospel of John. Having just finished the Eucharistic Congress, continuing the Eucharistic revival, we are presented with five weeks of following John chapter 6.I’m going to challenge everyone to take advantage of this time.1. Present yourself to God to be changed by this journey. You can imagine that the disciples were changed by this day. In the Eucharistic prayer, I pray for the Holy Spirit to transform the bread and wine, then I pray that the Holy Spirit will transform us.2. Reflect on the Gospel story throughout the week. All four Gospels relate the feeding of 5000 families with five loaves and two fish. Matthew and Mark also tell the story of feeding 4000 with seven loaves and a few fish. We are really familiar with thisstory. What would it be like for the disciples, who had no idea what was about to happen? The Gospels reveal special treasures when we look at them more closely, and this is especially true of the Gospel of John. I suggest that each sentence is importantand has a purpose. What might it be?3. Try to do some extra learning. If you have not yet read Brant Pitre’s book “Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist,” Bishop Robert Barron’s “This is my Body,” Scott Hahn’s “The Fourth Cup” or “The Lamb’s Supper,” or any of Timothy O’Malley’s books, this might be an opportunity. On Formed.org there is great stuff.4. The talks from the Eucharistic congress are available on YouTube. There is so much that can be done so easily. Those of us who weren’t able to make it in person can participate to that extent. What if you and a group of friends watch a talk and then discuss it afterward?5. We remember that the Eucharist is about gift of self. The Lord gives Himself to us completely in this intimate encounter, and we are learning to give ourselves. What if we asked the question, “If Jesus could get whatever He wanted of me today, what might it be?” What if we let that question percolate in our minds for a while?6. What if we spent some extra time in front of the tabernacle or the monstrance. We remember that the Eucharist is not a thing but a person, the person of Jesus. As we focus on His presence, He is ever aware of our presence. He is watching you. Now. Yes, now.7. After we receive communion, let us go forth from Mass remembering that Jesus is within us. How does that awareness change how we act?I challenge you to do something different. Something. Anything. How can we open a new door in our minds and hearts to let Jesus in more deeply?

Blessings,

Fr. Jim

Do We Really Know?

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Dear Folks,
Today in our Gospel (Mark 6:1-6) we see people who don’t learn who Jesus is because they think they already know. They apparently figured that since He grew up there, they knew all there was to be known about Him, and so their minds were closed. I find one of the great obstacles to learning is the assumption that we already know. Have you ever started to talk, and before you were done, someone assumes (incorrectly) that they know what you are going to say and so starts responding to this imagined point of view? Isn’t it frustrating? Have you ever been caught doing that to someone else? Sometimes we can say what we wanted to say, but their voices are so loud in their heads that they hear what they expected and not what you said.
What some people say about what Christianity is shows a terrible lack of understanding, but they are sure they understand. Several have said that Christianity is just a matter of being good to others. I start to react, and they say, “That’s what it boils down to.” No, No,
No. I heard people say that Christianity and Hinduism teach essentially the same thing, just use different words, so they do both. In the words of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, “No. A thousand gallons of ‘No.’” Christianity is a love relationship, a deep friendship, with a God who loves us deeply, tenderly, and faithfully, and has been willing to pay the ultimate price for us. There is not, nor could there ever be a love story equal to that.
Many people are walking around with the notion that what they learned about the faith as children is all they need to know. I think this has a lot to do with why the Church is having so much trouble now. Even if your faith formation as a child was super-excellent (and for many, many people it was not), what would your life be like if you stopped learning about things in general after eighth grade? Many have left the faith, and many remain in a superficial manner, but get their perspectives more from the world than from the faith. If they have adult questions and only a child’s answers, how could that not happen?
I think many were taught the faith in such a way they didn’t get the sense that it made much difference, so why learn more? I suggest there are several reasons:
1. It enriches our encounters with God. In any love relationship, learning about our beloved helps us connect.
2. It helps us understand how to please God.
3. It pushes us out of our comfort zone. No relationship develops if we are not willing to get out of our comfort zone.
4. It helps us function as members of the Church. Church will still be frustrating because it is so full of us sinful people, but how it works will make more sense.
5. It enables us to witness to the faith better, so more people will want to come and fewer will want to leave.
6. It is just so fascinating! The more I learn, the more amazing it seems and the hungrier I get to learn even more. A thousand lifetimes would not be enough.
7. I suggest our strength as a church in the future will depend a lot on how much people keep learning about the faith.
Blessings,
Fr. Jim

The Fullness of Life

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Dear Folks,
Our Scriptures today deal with the forces of life and the forces of death. “Because God did not make death, nor does he rejoice in the destruction of the living (Wisdom 1:13; see also Ezekiel
1:23).”
In our Gospel, the story of the woman with the hemorrhage is sandwiched between two halves of the story of raising the daughter of Jairus. In Leviticus 17:11 we see that, “the life of the
flesh is in the blood.” For the Israelites, the blood was the life, so her life was draining away. She was ritually impure, so she could not enter the temple, and no one wanted to touch her because they would become ritually impure themselves. Imagine being isolated from life like that for 12 years. The little girl was 12 years old (another hint that the stories are connected). She had had so little chance to experience life, and now it seemed that she never would. The heartbreak of her family would be incalculable. Jesus brings hope when hope is gone.
Of course, there would be many sick and dying people at that time that did not get cured. Jesus of course, had great concern for all who suffered, but His primary task was not to increase people’s lifespan, but give us eternal life. When He does miracles, He is teaching us something.
In one sense, we are either alive or we are not. A human life is immeasurably sacred and precious, worthy of unique respect. It would be appalling for a society to say that the life of an adult was more sacred than the life of a teenager, that the life of a teenager was more sacred than the life of a toddler, or that the life of a toddler was more sacred than the life of a fetus.
In another sense, we can become more fully alive by how we exercise our humanity. To give in to the forces of chaos, to be enslaved to our primal desires, to think only of ourselves, to let life
happen to us is to be less alive. To give ourselves in love to others, to devote our energies to something greater than ourselves, to be intentional about growing and developing as a person is to be more fully alive.
Living things can grow, organize, often connect with others to form communities that are somewhat like a live organism (1 Corinthians 12). Dead things decompose, return to the earth, and their material disperses. W. C. Fields is quoted as saying, “Remember, a dead fish can float downstream, but it takes a live one to swim upstream.” Being alive enables us to resist the forces of chaos.
The great obstacle to being fully alive is sin. Remember that “The devil was a murderer from the beginning (John 8:44).” And in Romans 6:23, “the wages of sin is death but the gift of God
is eternal life.” Jesus came that we “might have life and have it more abundantly (John 10:10).”
If we are to spread the Gospel, it is for us to show that we are leading an abundant life, one that, while challenging, is joyful, even in difficult times. How do you see your life as more abundant because it belongs to Jesus?
Blessings,
Fr. Jim

Seeds of Change

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Dear Folks,

Today in Mark 4:26-34 we hear the parable of the seed that grows mysteriously without us knowing how (unique to the Gospel of Mark). This points to a major paradox in Christianity: We are called to effort, but it is God who accomplishes things.

We do not bring about the kingdom of God. We are called to work for a better world but God is the One who makes the kingdom happen.

People like Hitler, Stalin, and Mao thought they could build an ideal society by their own wisdom and skill. They wound up doing horribly evil things because they were sure it served this great vision, but they failed to produce the result. Instead, they left the people in misery. If God brings about the kingdom, we know our part is smaller, so we are not important enough to think we can decide that killing millions of innocent people is within our scope. We know if we obey God, great things will happen, even if we don’t live to see them (John 4:37-38).

This also means that in spite of how much of a mess the world is in, and how small our abilities are in comparison, we can face the world boldly We can be bolder in our aspirations and at the same time more humble in how we seek them.

Perhaps the two most influential people I can think of in the last thousand years were St. Francis of Assisi and St. Theresa of Calcutta (Mother Theresa). They dedicated themselves to service, sacrifice, caring for the sick and proclaiming the truth. They had no political

power. They were willing to do the humblest jobs. They both suffered from great inner darkness but saw much joy and beauty in God’s creation. They focused more on their own sins than the sins of others (Matthew 7:4-5). St. Francis saw his order change his rule, and he couldn’t stop them. His order has thousands of people all over the world, and his example has inspired and influenced countless people, including non-Catholics, including nonChristians. Does anyone doubt that the same will be said of Mother Theresa a thousand years from now?

We are called to action, but God will make things happen. We can do small things, but if they are done with love, they can, over time, have great effects. Do not get discouraged by anything.

Blessings,

Fr. Jim

A More Peaceful World

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Dear Folks,

This Sunday’s Gospel deals with people that Jesus could not convince.

Mark 3:20-35 Jesus is casting out demons, and His opponents claimed that He was possessed and that he drove out demons “by the power of the prince of demons.” Jesus shows how illogical that is and warned against blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. It seems from the context that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is refusing to see. Helen Keller said, “The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision.”

Some will not see because they don’t want to and will say or do anything to defend against a new idea. Those who refuse to see cannot be forced to see. If even Jesus couldn’t convince them, we are not going to do better than Jesus.

I continue to be concerned about the state of conversation in society today. There is a lot of interaction, but not a lot of understanding. The chasm between sides seems to be growing

wider, and the hostility between them growing fiercer. I chose not to include examples but ask you to think of some from your experience. I bet you can. I’ve noticed that what we say sounds more convincing to us than it does to the people who

disagree with us. There seem to be many occasions when someone presents his argument and ends with the triumphant equivalent of “checkmate. Case closed” and the other person says, “No, not even close.” Some are not convinced because we didn’t make a case that spoke to their point of view, and if we learn more about their point of view we can try again and maybe succeed. Usually there are some bits of information that support one point of view, and other

bits of information that support the other point of view. We tend to put more weight on what supports our narrative. Some people, it seems hammer the details in their favor and ignore the details against. I can’t tell if they are doing it on purpose.

At some point, we need to realize we aren’t going to make progress and need to give up. Jesus spoke of shaking the dust from our feet and moving on (Matt 10:12; Mark 6:11; Luke 9:5

and 10:11). Sometimes it takes a while for a new idea to take root, to mature, and to grow. We can’t generally change the basic architecture of our thinking in a minute; sometimes it takes

years. I’ve caught myself getting angry when I think someone is not trying to understand. I need to check myself. First of all, they may be trying. Second, getting angry is a futile waste of energy at best, and destructive at worst. I just need to accept that I can do what I can do.

I think it is critical to be realistic about what the situation is and how much we can do about it. There is a lot of bad thinking, bad logic, and bad ideas, and it’s going to be that way for the

foreseeable future. We need to resign ourselves to the fact that we can’t fix it, but maybe we can make it a smidge better. If we can get someone to think something they’ve never thought before, ask a question that they’ve never asked before, look at things from a different angle, that moves us forward. If others hurl abuse, call people names, and get nasty while we respond calmly, respectfully,

and persistently, over time those who are open will see where wisdom lies.

One final thought: let us all be carefully on guard against our own human tendency to refuse to see the truth. None of us are immune.

Blessings,

Fr. Jim