GOD of OPPORTUNITIES

There is a longing for God in our general absence from Mass.  We know this by the number of views all the live-streamed Masses are experiencing.  Your Pastors and parish priests have been experimenting, in very creative ways, to offer opportunities for us to remain spiritually connected, to God and as faith communities, during this time of social distancing and quarantine. 

The Gospel today speaks of God’s very creative and unexpected way of entering into human history, by the fulfillment of the prophesy of Isaiah. “The virgin shall be with child, and bear a son.” (Is 7:14) The Nation of Israel has long awaited, some with great expectation and anticipation this Messiah and Savior.  The announcement is made to Mary, a young betrothed teenager, by an angel, that she is that virgin.  Mary will be the gateway by which God will reverse Adam & Eve’s first sin, through the miraculous birth of His Incarnate Word, Emmanuel (God with us) whom the world will know as Jesus, the Son of Mary and the carpenter’s son.

I believe God remains active in our lives, in human history.  As bad as Covid 19 is or may get, this Lenten journey into the unknown wilderness, our absence from Mass, is creating a great longing and anticipation for our return to these sacred mysteries, this communal prayer, we call the Mass.  God is giving us opportunities, not punishment!

This is an opportunity to be less distracted by work & extracurricular, an opportunity to connect as family (our first community), an opportunity to delve deeper and more intimate with His Word (sacred scripture), and an opportunity to experience the many beautiful spiritual practices and prayers from the traditions of Mother Church. 

Like Mary, we may not understand the how or why of the things occurring around us in the world, but we can respond like her, in complete obedience and abandonment to God’s will.  As we await with great expectation and anticipation for our ability to gather, as a community, to give praise and worship around the table of His Word & Eucharist.

MTAKATIFU

In the Swahili version of the Hail Mary, the word "Holy," as in "Holy Mary," is mtakatifu.  Here, the Swahili language offers us an interesting and valid insight into the concept of Mary's holiness. Taka means "desire," while tifu refers to "obedience."  As a whole, the word mtakatifu means "one who desires to be obedient."  Mary is holy because she is fully obedient to the will of God.  She freely unites her will with God's so that it not only affirms her own good, but the good of all God's children as well. Mary, therefore, is truly a universal mother.

While the secular mind has difficulty with the concept of obedience, it has no difficulty in regarding loyalty as an important virtue.  Yet loyalty and obedience are very close to each other.  Loyalty requires a strong allegiance, if not obedience, to a group.  The loyal person must often make sacrifices on an individual level for the good of the group to which they belong.[1]

The central theme of the passage from Deuteronomy which is part of Moses’ first address to the Israelites about to enter the promised land, is obedience.  Obedience is the key to Israel’s maintaining right relationship with God.  Obedience is also the condition upon which the people will eventually receive the gift of land promised to them through the patriarchs.

Moses in his exhortation tells the people: Hear and observe the statutes and decrees which I am teaching you … teach them to you children and your children’s children. (cf. Dt 4:5-9) Someone counted the laws in the Book of Leviticus that the people must follow, 613 precepts.  Passing them on, much less keeping them, can be burdensome.

In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.” (Mt 5:17) Jesus holds the law and the prophets together.  The question then becomes: What law is Jesus embracing and upholding? Is it all of the ordinances of the OT?  The answer lies in the understanding the primary commandment to love of God with one’s whole being. (Dt 6:1–4) and focusing on loving one’s neighbors as one’s self. (Lv 19:18) The living out of these two commandments is meant to establish and maintain right relationship with God and support the well-being for all peoples.[2]

The Coronavirus has led to the decision to close Disney! WOW, you don’t see that often. The virus has also been the cause for canceling all ministerial activities and the suspension of all liturgical celebrations (Mass) for an undetermined time period, all in an attempt to slow its spread.  No Mass is a significant sacrifice for the faithful.  We have a couple ways to obediently embrace these decisions: First complain about being denied the source and summit of our faith.  The other is “obedience”, in embracing this sacrifice, we can find ourselves in solidarity with the many places in the world and the United States that do not have the priests to celebrate Mass with any regularity.  This is very Lenten desert experience of obedience fully supports the well-being of all God’s people. This sojourn away from the community celebration can be viewed as an opportunity to return to the basics of family unity and prayer, a call to utilize the many other spiritual practices our faith has to offer (praying the Liturgy of the Hours, reading sacred scriptures using Lectio Divina; other spiritual readings, etc…) all in an effort to maintain our right relationship with God. 

We have been called to a Global Retreat in a sense.  Given an opportunity to withdraw from the many distractions of this world to refocus on the most important of commandments; love of God with all your being and loving your neighbor as yourself.  Like Mary we are called to mtakatifu (one who desires to be obedient).

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[1] CERC, Catholic Education Resource Center. Obedience by Donald Demarco

[2] Weekday HomilyHelps. Homily Suggestion by Leota Roesch.

FAMILY!!!

I’m sure you've noticed that we have the most intense conflicts at home, within our family, with the people closest to us. Family conflicts bring us the most pain, make us suffer, and distress us.  Whether it’s another shouting match with a teenage child or a disagreement with your spouse, conflicts at home are the most challenging to face because it’s so easy to be held hostage by your own emotions.[1]

Family conflict holds center stage of the drama where a father favors one son. We witness the envy, the jealousy, of the other brothers and their plot to rid the family of this golden child, Joseph.  In the Gospel, after sharing the parable, Jesus asks, “What will the owner of the vineyard do to those tenants when he comes?”  (Mt After they answer, he implies that they resemble the tenants and the Kingdom of God is like the vineyard.[2]

A sobering thought came to me during my reflections.  We are the tenants and the Kingdom of God is the Earth.  I’m resisting the desire to break into the song, “We Are Family.”  Yet we are, all Christians, even further, humanity is the family of our Creator.

As such, we need to figure out a better way to resolve family conflicts.  Change doesn’t start with the other.  Change begins with us, from within us.  When we need to set ourselves free from negative emotions, negotiators suggest we metaphorically "go to the balcony", to look at the conflict with some detachment.  I know it’s easier said than done. Viewing the conflict from different perspectives allows us to detach ourselves and get some clarity. Clarity is important if you want to resolve conflict and avoid escalation.  So there are three perspectives we can take to assist us in entering a state of clarity.

From our own perspective, it requires us to achieve a higher degree of self-awareness. This is done by asking our self, “what’s really bothering us?” Often what has upset us may not be what we are in conflict about, but is a trigger for something deeper.

Viewing the situation from the other’s perspective is a fundamental step that requires us to have empathy and through empathy to widen our understanding of what’s really going on.  Put ourselves in the other’s shoes for a moment, helps suspend our judgment and to see the situation from the perspective of another.

Using a third party’s perspective allows us to put ourselves in the position of an observer viewing the situation.  Like sitting in a movie theater, watching the conflict projected on a screen as if it were a movie. What is it all about?  What are they seeing?  We can also invite Jesus in as the third person to discuss it with Him.

Conflict can always be an opportunity: for better communication, for a dialogue about problems that matter, for a more authentic relationship, for self-growth, for being Christ-like in the midst of challenges.

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[1] Psychology Today. “3 Steps to Resolving Conflict Within Your Family” by Aldo Civico Ph.D. Posted: Jun 04, 2015.

[2] Weekday HomilyHelps. Homily Suggestion by Linus Mundy.