LOOKIN' FOR LOVE

[1]Have you ever had one of those days where you get a song stuck in your head and it just wouldn’t go away? Yesterday evening right after I read today’s scriptures to reflect during my walk, Johnny Lee’s song, Lookin’ for Lover wouldn’t leave me alone. The chorus of the song goes like this:

“I was lookin' for love in all the wrong places;

Lookin' for love in too many faces;

Searchin' their eyes

Lookin' for traces of what I'm dreaming of

Hoping to find a friend and a lover;

I'll bless the day I discover another heart

Lookin' for love.”

Paul’s message seems to reflect the interior conflict of the self. Our desired self that will: “take delight in the law of God, … but see in my members another principle at war with the law of my mind, taking me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members.” (Rom 7:22-23)

We don’t often refer to the Psalms in our homilies, but today’s psalm speaks of the desire of my heart: “Teach me wisdom and knowledge, for in your commands I trust. You are good and bountiful; teach me your statutes. Let your kindness comfort me according to your promise to your servants. Let your compassion come to me that I may live, for your law is my delight. Never will I forget your precepts, for through them you give me life.” (Ps 119:66, 68, 76, 77, 93)

We know and desire, yet it seems we spend so much time lookin’ for love (God) in all the wrong places. And this is the case when Jesus accuses his contemporaries of studied indifference. “You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky; why do you not know how to interpret the present time?” Using some stern words, “You hypocrites!” “Why do you not judge for yourselves what is right?” (Lk 12:56-57) To equally see the obvious signs, within and around them.

St. Pope John Paul II, whose memorial we celebrate today, in his “Theology of the Body” speaks of the four original experiences between God and man (original innocence, intimacy, unity, and sin). All too often we spend an inordinate amount of time focused on sin, our own and others. This is lookin’ for love in all the wrong places. St. John Paul suggests our interior desire and “delight in God’s law” reflects the original innocence shared by God and Adam, while the weakness of our human nature reflects original sin.

In this section of the Gospel of Luke, Jesus repeatedly exhorts us to live the here-and-now in light of the inevitable reality of death. In today’s passage, he encourages us to live in peace with those around us, to be reconciled to those we’ve offended or who’ve offended us. He doesn’t want us to live with loose ends that will have to be tied up after we die. Lest we be turned over and “will not be released until you have paid the last penny.” (Lk 12:59) He wants us to resolve here-and-now everything we can. Repent, reconcile, let it go, and trust God can turn our mistakes into opportunities of further growth and deeper intimacy with His, who is love. This is the path to the experience of original innocence, even if it’s only for a fleeting moment.

We have all heard stories of people who were agitated and upset by regrets, they groaned about unfinished business, as they lay on their deathbed. Jesus doesn’t want us to be one of those people. If we’re lookin’ for love it’s within us, it exists within every person we meet, this is where God dwells in each and every one of us. Listen and trust that He desires to draw us all back into the experience of original innocence.

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[1] Scripture (NABRE), Romans 7:18-25; Luke 12:54-59.

BE CAREFUL WHAT WE WISH FOR

[1]I recently visited a primary school and noticed an array of student assignments lining the school’s main hallway. Attracted by the bright colors and creative handwriting, I decided to take a closer look. What I saw was a collection of students’ answers to the question: What do you want to be when you grow up? I smiled as I read some of the kids’ responses—predictable ones, like doctor and astronaut, along with some surprises, like aeronautical engineer and toothpaste inventor. As much as I enjoyed seeing the fun stuff these kids imagined, I couldn’t help but feel a bit troubled by the whole thing. Of course, getting kids to think about what “could be” sparks creativity and imagination. It plants seeds of inspiration, but I can’t help but see the other side of this well-intentioned exercise: It sets the tone for expectations, expectations of self and expectations of others. It can lead to a life spent wishing and wanting. The expectations may become fruitful of full of disappointment. Seems to me, we might want to be careful what we wish for.[2]

I found James and John’s question of Jesus very interesting. “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” (Mk 10:36) It sounds like a question a child might ask another child even a parent, hoping for blind consent. Jesus volleys back with his own challenging question, “Can you drink the cup that I drink?” (Mk 10:38)

In his book “Can You Drink the Cup?” Henri Nouwen remembers vividly the day this reading asked the question. Surrounded by members of the Daybreak community he remembered how this question pierced his heart. He realized if we take this question seriously, it would radically change our lives. The question has the power to crack open a hardened heart and lay bare the tendons of the spiritual life.[3]

In our common experience of the Mass, we see and hear in the Eucharistic prayer the priest prayerfully lift, show, and invite us to “Take this, all of you, and drink from it, for this is the chalice (the Cup) of my blood, the blood of the new and eternal covenant, which will be poured out for you and for many (all) for the forgiveness of sins.” and one of the appropriate responses from us is, “When we eat this Bread and drink this Cup, we proclaim your Death, O Lord, until you come again.” This Chalice, this Cup, we desire to share, is the Cup of Salvation.

It’s been a while since we’ve been able to drink from this communal cup. I’ve been questioned often about when we will return to the distribution of the precious Blood and I’ve heard the desire of many to receive the Blood of Christ. Fr. Ivan, in his most recent Facebook live session, addressed the timing for restoring the Cup acknowledging, “typically the first thing to go, is often the last thing to come back.” Yet, I can’t help but feel, we must be careful what you wish for. With the Cup, comes the walk with Jesus. The Cup, is more than something we consume, it speaks of expectations. Expectations of self and of others and expectations of the Church and of God.

When the privilege of the Cup returns, the piercing question become real, can we drink the Cup? In other words, do we live our lives in such a way that we can hold the Cup of life in our hands? Do we desire to taste all the sorrows and joys contained within the Cup? Can we lift it up for others to see and can we drink it to the full?

To drink this Cup asks, are we willing to walk with Jesus? Fully aware that His path is the way of the cross. The Prophet Isaiah tells us this is a path of sorrow, a path of suffering, and that “through this suffering, he will justify many.” (Is 53:11) The way is hard; it is the cup of sorrow he drank fully for us.

In our desire to drink the Cup, do we know what we are asking? If we answer, yes. Just as Jesus told James and John, he tells us too, we surely “The Cup that I drink, you will drink” (Mk 10:39) despite all our weaknesses. We have a high priest who is able to sympathize with our weaknesses. Jesus, who always walks before us, was tested in every way that we are, he “gets” us because He has experienced, in every way, human weakness.

The question, therefore, is NOT about our seat in heaven. It’s about our time on earth, about living our lives fully. It’s about loving God with our entire being, surrendering completely to His will, and living our faith in a way that draws others to God’s merciful love.

May our desire to hold, lift, and drink the Cup move us to be the missionary disciples God desires, in word and deed, for the salvation of all his children.

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[1] New American Bible, Isiah 53:10-11; Hebrews 4:14-16; Mark 10:35-45

[2] Psychology Today, “Be Careful What You Wish For” by Denise Founier Ph.D.

[3] Can You Drink The Cup, by Henri J.M. Nouwen © 2006.

HOT MIC

[1]If you're been around microphones and live-stream cameras long enough, you've probably experienced a “hot mic” moment. We hear about them regularly in the news and on social media. Politicians, celebrities, athletes, and coaches all have been caught by a hot mic often leading to the loss of their position or job.

When Jesus asked his audience to imagine a world in which their darkest thoughts and actions might be “brought to light,” he was posing a frightening—but highly unlikely—hypothetical situation to dissuade them from hypocrisy. Today, the omnipresence of cell phones and surveillance cameras has made it less and less likely that our unsavory behavior can enjoy the cover of darkness.

St. Teresa of Jesus life’s beginning were quite ordinary and often as conflicted as many of ours can be. As a child Teresa found herself in the middle of conflicting views. Her rigidly honest and pious father told her never to lie, but her mother, who loved romance novels to the displeasure of her husband, told Teresa, who also liked the novels, not to tell her father. Even when she entered her first convent, if there would have been a hot mic or hidden camera, the behavior would challenge anyone’s faith and vision of the “holy” nuns. For years Teresa hardly prayed at all “under the guise of humility” thinking as a wicked sinner she didn't deserve to get favors from God. But turning away from prayer was like “a baby turning from its mother's breasts, what can be expected but death?” So, Teresa sympathizes with those who have a difficult time in prayer, stating: “All the trials we endure cannot be compared to these interior battles.”

In her books, especially the “Way of Perfection” and “The Interior Castles” she analyzes and dissects mystical experiences the way a scientist would. She never saw her gifts as rewards from God but the way he “chastised” her. She discovered the more love she felt the harder it was to offend God. She writes, “The memory of the favor God has granted does more to bring such a person back to God than all the infernal punishments imaginable.”[2]

Ours is a time of turmoil, a time of reform, and a time of liberation. We have in St. Teresa a challenging example, where promoters of renewal, promoters of prayer, all have in Teresa a woman to reckon with, one whom we can admire and imitate. A woman who learned to love and pray so that she has no worry of the potential hot mic.

If we too kept before us the possibility of a “hot mic” or the hidden camera that might expose us, wouldn’t we be motivated to change our ways? More readily conscious in reconsidering our “private” gossip and slander? Willing to drop our “secret” habits? Would we turn our backs on the person in need?[3]

Prayer is a powerful mic check to ensure what comes through is our love of God. That our we wouldn’t need to worry if our private thoughts and actions are brought into light.

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[1] Scripture (NABRE), Romans 1:16-25; Luke 11:37-41.

[2] Catholic Online, St. Teresa of Avila

[3] Weekday HomilyHelps, Homily Suggestion by Jim Johnston.

THE IMPOSTER SYNDROME

[1]Sitting here as we hear the word of God it struck me seeing the masks on many of us, that we are getting to the point where we will soon be able to relax the local mask mandates just in time for Halloween that’s coming soon. So, we’ll get to put on some different masks. There’s another common reason we adults put on masks is called, it’s been called the Imposter Syndrome. It happens when we fear that the world is going to find us out. I’ve heard it described as the feeling of being a fake, like we really don’t belong, or we aren’t really successful but are just posing as such. It’s like my Halloween costume at age 7; I dressed up as a zombie, something I believed to be terribly scary, until my next-door neighbor yanked off my mask and said, “Oh, it’s just you.”

In today’s Gospel encounter with the Pharisees, Jesus is frustrated by the disconnect between, what the Jewish religious leaders profess to believe, and their actions. Their preoccupation with external cleansing is really only a mask to disguise the real uncleanliness that comes from the inner life of a person.[2]

What masks do you wear? Do you really need to wear them?

Paul tells us God’s righteousness is revealed through the Gospel. God is faithful to the commitments to the world, and to the promises made to the Jewish people. God’s faith, His fidelity, His commitment comes first; we, in turn, respond with our faith of openness and commitment to His graces. God created us, knit us together in our mother’s womb, He knows us through and through despite the masks we choose to wear. It seems one of our greatest fears may be, that if we show our true selves, the world will say, “Oh, it’s just you.” Yet, being just who God created us to be is actually the best and most perfect thing we can ever be.

Oscar Wilde once said, “Be yourself; everyone else is taken.” We weren’t born with masks. We put them on, so we can take them off. Here are three practical reasons why we need to shed our masks: The first reason is we are called to live to our full potential. We have been wonderfully made and gifted uniquely to hold a place in the community and the family of faith. The second reason, it’s got to be exhausting to live an inauthentic life. Pretending we are something we may not be. It’s like telling a lie, then needing to tell more lies to keep up the appearance of the first lie. The third reason is when we wear masks, we lose a piece of ourselves, we’re basically saying that we consider parts of ourselves as unworthy. To be in, maintain and heal relationships (human & divine), we must offer up all of ourselves.[3]

The poet E. E. Cummings wrote, “The greatest battle we face as human beings is the battle to protect our true selves from the self the world wants us to become.” To become an imposter just to fit in the world. Let us think about the masks we wear and commit to taking them off, no longer imposters, but exactly who God created us to be. Let’s live the good within us—no apology, no shame, no regrets, just us, beloved sons and daughters of a loving God.

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[1] Scripture (NABRE), Romans 1:16-25; Luke 11:37-41.

[2] Weekday HomilyHelps, Exegesis by Michael Guinan, OFM

[3] Psychology Today, “The Masks That We Wear” by Susan Sparks, posted October 20, 2015.

GOD’S CURRENT

[1]St. Mother Teresa once compared our inner workings to that of “the inner workings of electrical things, where we often see small and big wires, new and old, cheap and expensive, all lined up. Until the current passes through them there will be no light. That wire is you and me. The current is God. We have the power to let the current pass through us, use us, produce the light of the world. Or we can refuse to be used and allow darkness to spread.”[2]

In our heart of hearts, we all hope that once we’re converted to God’s current, our lives will automatically be free from power surges and other temptations. But that’s never quite the case, as today’s readings show.

Often, just when we think we have our faith and life wired correctly, we throw the switch to add the current, and in short order something pops the breaker disrupting the currents flow. It may be a temptation we wrestle with, where we may choose to rewire around what we know is right and just or choose to leave the breaker off pretending we didn’t know the current stopped flowing within. It could be an old wound that reenters our consciousness or highly sensitive topic that causes an emotional surge, that short circuits our wiring.

We’re all human. I know I’ve been shocked many times, even knocked to the ground, by a sudden surge of voltage, applied by an unexpected source. Despite all best efforts, the unkind thoughts will come; the unjust actions will slip out, the sharp word will fall from my lips. Unnoticed at first; anger, resentment, and a hardened heart will appear, popping the breaker or short circuiting our efforts, thus darkening our vision of God’s goodness and righteousness.[3]

Every day, we must constantly perform preventative maintenance on our internal circuitry by remaining focused on God’s pure current. Each day we must choose to keep Beelzebul at bay, to fortify our interior wiring against the tide and storms of his demons. To let the Master Electrician, Jesus, check our wiring to ensure the current is flowing in the right direction, from our hearts to our head, and if need be to reconcile the system by resetting the popped breaker.

As Advent approaches, its readings will advise us to keep awake, for “no one knows when the day of judgement will come.” (Mt 24:36) Our daily preventative maintenance program needs to include regular prayer, self-reflection, and participation in the Sacrament of Reconciliation to continually check our internal connections that is the way we keep God’s current of holy love flowing through us to be a light of the world.

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[1] Scripture (NABRE), Joel 1:13-15; 2:1-2; Luke 11:15-26

[2] Do Something Beautiful for God, Mother Teresa © 2020

[3] Weekday HomilyHelps, Homily Suggestion by Mary Carol Kendzia

YES, LORD

[1]My introduction to Divine Mercy was through three women at one of the parishes I served. It is my practice to greet people as they come in for Mass.  One day a woman, Cindy, approached me calmly and gently asked if I was aware of Divine Mercy. At the time I was not. Cindy said she would like to bring the devotion to the parish and thought it would be a good fit for me.  I told her I would pray about it.  In other words, I’m kind of busy in my life and I wasn’t ready to add one more thing to my plate.

About a month or so later, another woman approached me, Trisha, asking if I was familiar with the Divine Mercy devotion.  I said, I’ve heard of it.  By the way did Cindy put you up to this? She said, Cindy who? Again, I was told this might be a good fit for me, and again I said, I’ll pray about it. By now I’m getting the feeling something was happening, but I didn’t know what.

Two weeks later, Maria, a much bolder woman approached me, handed me the pamphlets on Divine Mercy and told me she would like me to preside over the devotion on Mercy Sunday. I asked, do you happen to know Cindy and Trisha. She said no and just read the material and let me know if your willing to do it and walked away. As she walked away I looked up to heaven and just said, Yes, Lord.

If you recall Jonah’s previous adventure on the way to Nineveh, this second command by God to proclaim His word to the city Jonah is obedient. In his obedience Jonah got to witness the response when people respond. Conversion. The King repents and he commands that the people repent, so that God himself will repent of His anger and of the promise to destroy the city.

What does obedience look like?  The Gospel reading uses two women to illustrate the spectrum of obedience. Martha was obedient to the cultural norms of the time. When guests came to the home it was the woman’s role to serve the guests. When she complained about Mary’s perceived disobedience Jesus gives another illustration of obedience. The obedience to accept the invitation to sit with the Lord. Mary chose this obedience and Jesus was not going to take this away from her. Life is a blend of both, a secular/cultural obedience and an obedience to sit in silence and listen to the Lord.

On this the first memorial of St. Faustina Kowalska, we often see the struggle she had with this balance. Her cultural vision of a good nun, was about the things she did, but often struggled with because of her weakness, her knowledge of her wretchedness. Jesus’s demand for strict obedience to her superiors, her confessors, her directors, often seemed to create conflict or requests the were impossible for this little weak and wretched nun. It is through obedience she learned the way of trusting in God’s plan, despite her brokenness, despite her weakness.

The rhythm of life for us is, like Mary, to choose the better part (listen), sit in the silence with Jesus, don’t flood him with words of regular prayers. Sit and listen. When we do this successfully often our Martha tasks tend to go much smoother. Like Jonah and Faustina; trust in God’s call, live His mission to share the Good News in deed and word. Believe that in all we do, His presence is with us always. So that in all things, in obedience, all we need to say is “Yes, Lord.”

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[1] Scripture (NABRE), Jonah 3:1-10; Luke 10:38-43

STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN

[1]Forgive me Father for I have sinned. Words that I and so many others repeat so often on a regular basis, or maybe it has been a while. That’s not the only thing repeated in the confessional, at least for me. I often find myself confessing the same repeated sins, time and time again.

Two concepts often collide in our human existence, especially when it comes to sin, are shame and pride.  The devil uses both in the most subtle why. He uses shame to draw us away from God. In our embarrassment for the sin itself and/or repetitiveness of the sin, we avoid bringing them to God and seeking His mercy and forgiveness. He uses pride to say we don’t need to go to God’s representatives (the priests) to get forgiveness. We just need to be sorry, say a prayer, and move on smartly. We’re a good person overall.

I’ve learned many times, that there is no such thing as private sin. Yes, we sin individually but all sin impacts the community, the faith community, and the community at large. Therefore, all sin is communal in nature.

This is what the prophet Baruch, and so many of the Old Testament prophets, is telling the Israelite community, we “are flushed with shame,” (Bar 1:15) our pride has led us to sin. Putting ourselves before all else, “we have been disobedient to the Lord, our God, and only too ready to disregard his voice.” (Bar 1:19) We are committing the very same sins of our fathers! In the next chapter the prophet prays for deliverance, praying for repentance for the community.

What does repentance look like? The gospel tells us that “if the mighty deeds done in your midst had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would long ago have repented, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.” (Lk 10:13) For us the sacrament of reconciliation is the starting point. While we may be familiar with the feeling of reconciliation as we emerge from the confessional, what does repentance look like?  

Visible signs of sackcloth and ashes, in our time, may be intentional prayer time, even before the Blessed Sacrament in Adoration where we can sit in silence with our God to develop a more intimate relationship. It may be the attendance at some form of continuing adult formation to deepen our knowledge of our merciful God and how he uses his human representatives (the priests) to communicate His forgiveness. And there is always the Spiritual and Corporal works of mercy we can engage to bring God’s mercy and compassion to others.

Breaking the habits of repetitive sin is a process.  While the Sacrament of Reconciliation is the place to start. Reconciliation is a continuing process of replacing bad habits, the occasions of temptations with new positive habits and activities. Doing this is can be a challenge as our expectations might be, I confessed, why can’t I change now!

St. Theresa the Little Flower has taught us her “little way”. A little way that keeps God at our center. It is a small and yet a great thing to offer our small sacrifices joyfully to Jesus throughout each day[2] that helps us navigate the seeming large stairway to heaven, or at least to find the easier way by finding the “elevator” door.

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[1] Scripture (NABRE), Baruach 1:15-22; Luke 10:13-16

[2] Saints for Young Readers for every day. By Susan Helen Wallace, FSP © 1995