Hi. Chuck here. The upcoming (December 15) issue of Newsweek has a cover story on the bible and same-sex marriage. Unfortunately, the article is very badly done and sheds more confusion than light on the issue. What follows are some comments on the article by Father Hugh Feiss. Here's a link to the article if you would like to read it first:
http://www.newsweek.com/id/172653/output/print
Now here are Father Hugh's comments:
Chuck asked me to comment on the recent cover article in Newsweek on Homosexual Marriage. I am not a moral theologian and do not feel competent to lay out all that is involved on the Catholic Church's teaching on homosexuality (as an involuntary and therefore not sinful orientation) and homosexual actions and same-sex marriages. However, I can comment on the logic of this article and some of its arguments. Fr. Hugh
The question about the morality of homosexual acts and the (distinct) question about the advisability of granting the status of "marriage" to same-sex unions are complex issues. There are societal and ethical (not just religious) concerns which might lead one to either side of the debate on these two questions. The religious concerns involved are also complex. One would not know that from this article, which seeks to paint a stark contrast: either you agree that homosexual relations and same-sex marriage are acceptable or you are a doltish, prejudiced, Christian fundamentalist. The author blatantly opts for a very poor debating strategy: present your opponents' arguments in the weakest possible light then knock them to pieces, citing only those people who agree with you. Admittedly, some fundamentalist Christians use Scripture verses as blunt instruments to bludgeon opponents, and sometimes religious people (including Catholics) lobby more than they persuade, but this article counters with propaganda not even-handed reporting.
Here are some of its assertions, with my comments in parenthesis. Paul (and Jesus) condemned divorce, but half the Christians in America are divorced, therefore their teaching about marriage has no weight; admitting that homosexual acts are right and that gay marriage should be recognized is the same as recognizing that slavery is wrong and that slavery should be abolished (there are some distinct differences, such as slavery is imposed whereas homosexual acts, not homoerotic orientation, are chosen); apart from religious considerations and commitments, marriage is a civil contract (but she seems unwilling to let homosexual unions be defined simply as that); she found a New Testament scholar who says that Paul condemned really kinky homosexual activities, but not non-violent ones (this seems quite a stretch and is not the consensus of scholarly interpreters); Jesus preached a message of inclusion for all (but He told them to sin no more); the assumption throughout seems to be that only with genital activity can there be committed, nurturing relationships, otherwise people will be lonely and sad.
The Catholic Church has developed its teaching on marriage over 2000 years, based on Scripture, tradition and experience. It is not perfect and its has certainly changed across time and will change some more in the future. One facet of that teaching is that sexual activity should be the expression of committed, married love between a man and a woman. Admittedly such an understanding is out of step with Newsweek and much of contemporary thinking and practice. However, contrary to Newsweek, that does not make such teaching wrong. The author writes that Jesus’ spoke about leaving wife and family to follow him. She might have noticed that the Gospels of Matthew (19:4-6) and Mark (10:6-8) also report that he said: “Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female’ and said ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’” This doesn’t end the discussion, which now must deal with the findings of modern medicine about innate homosexual orientation, but it should be part of it. In the end, we may have to agree to disagree, but we can do so on the basis of reasoned and respectful discussion.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Monday, December 1, 2008
Hi. Carol Brown of Capstone Missions recently sent me a link to a wonderful talk by Gianna Jessen, a woman who, as a fetus, survived an abortion. She has some good stuff to say, especially to men. Please give it a look and listen and tell us what you think. Here are the links:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPF1FhCMPuQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8B1nKGIAeg
As you know, Joe and I have been reflecting for some time on the issue of manhood and how in our culture it is too often confused with adolescent boyhood. We'd kind of like to reprise the retreat we offered last spring where we looked hard at gender issues and reflected on what it means to be real men and real women.
Chuck
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPF1FhCMPuQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8B1nKGIAeg
As you know, Joe and I have been reflecting for some time on the issue of manhood and how in our culture it is too often confused with adolescent boyhood. We'd kind of like to reprise the retreat we offered last spring where we looked hard at gender issues and reflected on what it means to be real men and real women.
Chuck
Monday, November 17, 2008
Thirty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
One of the most vicious lies told about Christians, a lie we sometimes believe ourselves, is that to a be a good Christian we need to cover up who we really are. We need to paint on a little happy face and go through life pretending to be something we are not. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, St. John Chrysostom, who lived in the fourth century and may have been the greatest preacher Christianity has ever produced, taught that each Christian’s goal is to become the person we truly are.
St. Augustine teaches that to be really free is not to be running around and doing anything that comes to mind – that is just being foolish and irresponsible. To be free is to be able to see the difference between what is important and what is not and to be able to use that knowledge to become the kind of person God created you to be. That’s what we mean when we say that knowing Jesus makes you free.
As Jesus’ parable from tonight’s Gospel reading points out, the "master" entrusts each of us with gifts that we are supposed to use for the good of the community around us. We don’t all have the same gifts, but whatever we are given, we are called to use.
It’s not always easy to know what your gifts are. Sometimes it’s easier to figure out what they aren’t. I remember as a kid in grade school working and working to draw a horse. It always ended up looking something like a dog. We would do penmanship exercises where we were supposed to produce long beautiful circular coils. Mine always looked like someone had stomped on them. I took music lessons and came to love music deeply, but I could never really get the music to come out of an instrument the way it was in my heart.
But as I got older I found that I loved teaching. I loved studying something and then figuring out a way to help other people understand it. I loved being in a classroom and I loved helping students outside of class. And people told me that I did a pretty good job at it.
One of the most important signs that you are using a gift God has given you is that you feel close to God when you are using that gift, and the gift tends to make others more aware of God’s goodness. When I’m preparing a class or teaching, I am lifted up. I feel closer to God.
I serve on a board for a group that raises money to support an orphanage in Mexico. One of our board members is an accountant who keeps track of all our funds. As far as I know, he’s only been to the orphanage once. He’s not a carpenter or a plumber who can make the repairs we often need to make. He’s not an organizer or a speaker who can raise the $40,000 or $50,000 a year we have to raise to keep our kids safe, healthy, and well-cared for. But he is a tiger when it comes to protecting our income, expenditures, and accounts. He watches every penny. He knows where it came from and where it goes. He protects and loves those kids and our donors like you wouldn’t believe, but instead of doing it by wielding a hammer or wearing a badge, a way for which he is probably not very well suited, he does it by protecting our accounts. He is using the gifts God gave him to do God’s work, and he grows in his love for God and others as he does it.
Maybe you are lifted up by visiting with lonely or sick people. Maybe you are lifted up by writing or performing music. Maybe you are lifted up by drawing, making signs or posters, putting together a newsletter. Maybe you find yourself closer to God when you are repairing or building. I know a young woman who loves to organize things. She has a gift for administration, and everything works better when she is around. I know another young woman who has a gift for leadership. She walks into a situation and says, "Hey, let’s try this," and the whole group gets focused and heads off to do wonderful and loving things and have fun in the process. I know a woman who works in a high-pressure job processing huge amounts of mail. She’s good at it, but she is especially good at caring for the people she supervises on that job. She knows their needs, their joys, and their sorrows. And everyone who works with her is lifted up by her concern and attention.
Sometimes all we have to bring to the table is our brokenness, our knowledge of what it feels like to be lost, or afraid, or betrayed. I’ve seen incredible things happen when someone just brings those gifts and offers them.
Every year my wife and I help with a healing retreat for people who have been harmed by abortions, either having had one themselves or been close to an abortion in some other way. The retreat helps people to truly accept the forgiveness and love that God offers and to begin to see themselves as lovable again. And I’ve seen these people use the powerful gift they’ve been given – the gift of really knowing what it means to be forgiven and loved – to make an incredible difference in their own lives and the lives of people around them.
We see in the reading from Proverbs the gift that this wonderful woman with the hard work of her "loving hands" is to her family and the whole community. It might not have seemed at first that the humble work she did could be holy. But it was powerful work in building up God’s kingdom.
Don’t be afraid to seek out the gifts that God has given you – you might even try to attend a "called and gifted" weekend. They’ll be having one at St. John’s Feb. 22 and 23. It is a retreat devoted to finding out what gifts God has given you. On our fall retreat at St. Paul’s, we worked through a similar process, and some people gained some real insights into the way that God is working in their lives.
And don’t ever think that God doesn’t have a contribution for you to make. Nobody else can love God in exactly the way that you can. Nor can God love and protect and nurture our poor suffering world through anyone else in exactly the way that God can work through you. My prayer for each of us is that we can come to realize more clearly that God loves and trusts us and calls each of to the joy and fulfillment of a life with a purpose. My prayer is that we will each hear the words, "Well done, good and faithful servant. Come, share your master’s joy."
[Prv 31:10-13, 19-20, 30-31; Ps 128:1-2, 3, 4-5; 1 Thes 5:1-6; Mt 25:14-30]
St. Augustine teaches that to be really free is not to be running around and doing anything that comes to mind – that is just being foolish and irresponsible. To be free is to be able to see the difference between what is important and what is not and to be able to use that knowledge to become the kind of person God created you to be. That’s what we mean when we say that knowing Jesus makes you free.
As Jesus’ parable from tonight’s Gospel reading points out, the "master" entrusts each of us with gifts that we are supposed to use for the good of the community around us. We don’t all have the same gifts, but whatever we are given, we are called to use.
It’s not always easy to know what your gifts are. Sometimes it’s easier to figure out what they aren’t. I remember as a kid in grade school working and working to draw a horse. It always ended up looking something like a dog. We would do penmanship exercises where we were supposed to produce long beautiful circular coils. Mine always looked like someone had stomped on them. I took music lessons and came to love music deeply, but I could never really get the music to come out of an instrument the way it was in my heart.
But as I got older I found that I loved teaching. I loved studying something and then figuring out a way to help other people understand it. I loved being in a classroom and I loved helping students outside of class. And people told me that I did a pretty good job at it.
One of the most important signs that you are using a gift God has given you is that you feel close to God when you are using that gift, and the gift tends to make others more aware of God’s goodness. When I’m preparing a class or teaching, I am lifted up. I feel closer to God.
I serve on a board for a group that raises money to support an orphanage in Mexico. One of our board members is an accountant who keeps track of all our funds. As far as I know, he’s only been to the orphanage once. He’s not a carpenter or a plumber who can make the repairs we often need to make. He’s not an organizer or a speaker who can raise the $40,000 or $50,000 a year we have to raise to keep our kids safe, healthy, and well-cared for. But he is a tiger when it comes to protecting our income, expenditures, and accounts. He watches every penny. He knows where it came from and where it goes. He protects and loves those kids and our donors like you wouldn’t believe, but instead of doing it by wielding a hammer or wearing a badge, a way for which he is probably not very well suited, he does it by protecting our accounts. He is using the gifts God gave him to do God’s work, and he grows in his love for God and others as he does it.
Maybe you are lifted up by visiting with lonely or sick people. Maybe you are lifted up by writing or performing music. Maybe you are lifted up by drawing, making signs or posters, putting together a newsletter. Maybe you find yourself closer to God when you are repairing or building. I know a young woman who loves to organize things. She has a gift for administration, and everything works better when she is around. I know another young woman who has a gift for leadership. She walks into a situation and says, "Hey, let’s try this," and the whole group gets focused and heads off to do wonderful and loving things and have fun in the process. I know a woman who works in a high-pressure job processing huge amounts of mail. She’s good at it, but she is especially good at caring for the people she supervises on that job. She knows their needs, their joys, and their sorrows. And everyone who works with her is lifted up by her concern and attention.
Sometimes all we have to bring to the table is our brokenness, our knowledge of what it feels like to be lost, or afraid, or betrayed. I’ve seen incredible things happen when someone just brings those gifts and offers them.
Every year my wife and I help with a healing retreat for people who have been harmed by abortions, either having had one themselves or been close to an abortion in some other way. The retreat helps people to truly accept the forgiveness and love that God offers and to begin to see themselves as lovable again. And I’ve seen these people use the powerful gift they’ve been given – the gift of really knowing what it means to be forgiven and loved – to make an incredible difference in their own lives and the lives of people around them.
We see in the reading from Proverbs the gift that this wonderful woman with the hard work of her "loving hands" is to her family and the whole community. It might not have seemed at first that the humble work she did could be holy. But it was powerful work in building up God’s kingdom.
Don’t be afraid to seek out the gifts that God has given you – you might even try to attend a "called and gifted" weekend. They’ll be having one at St. John’s Feb. 22 and 23. It is a retreat devoted to finding out what gifts God has given you. On our fall retreat at St. Paul’s, we worked through a similar process, and some people gained some real insights into the way that God is working in their lives.
And don’t ever think that God doesn’t have a contribution for you to make. Nobody else can love God in exactly the way that you can. Nor can God love and protect and nurture our poor suffering world through anyone else in exactly the way that God can work through you. My prayer for each of us is that we can come to realize more clearly that God loves and trusts us and calls each of to the joy and fulfillment of a life with a purpose. My prayer is that we will each hear the words, "Well done, good and faithful servant. Come, share your master’s joy."
[Prv 31:10-13, 19-20, 30-31; Ps 128:1-2, 3, 4-5; 1 Thes 5:1-6; Mt 25:14-30]
Monday, October 20, 2008
What's the deal with holy water?
Hey everyone, someone recently asked, “What’s the deal with holy water and why are those holy water holders (fonts) at the entrance to the church?”
Catholics have signs of our faith, some of which are unique to Catholicism, called sacramentals: holy water, crucifix, prayer beads (rosaries), and palm branches for Palm Sunday. All of these are used to remind us of something greater, but they, “[do] not so fully express the nature of the Church and which, according to Catholic doctrine, [do] not carry the guarantee of grace associated with the seven sacraments.” (from Richard McBrian’s Catholicism). What does that mean as far as holy water is concerned?
Holy water is intended to remind us of our baptism, but holy water is not enough to constitute a baptism. For example, if you invite a non-Christian friend to Mass and there happens to a Rite of Aspersion (Sprinkling), that friend isn’t suddenly baptized against their will. For a Catholic, holy water is a reminder of incorporation into the body of Christ, reminding us that we are sons and daughters of God (Ephesians 4:25).
The purpose of the holy water font or baptismal font at the entrances of the church is for us to call to mind our baptism before Mass, especially that we are, “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own, so that you may announce the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” (1 Peter 2:9). Holy water has more uses than that. For example, after Mass, one will have well in mind our unity with God, but the holy water can be used as physical sign praising God for our being blessed with, “every spiritual blessing in the heavens,” (Ephesians 1:3) which is something we always need to keep in mind.
Catholics have signs of our faith, some of which are unique to Catholicism, called sacramentals: holy water, crucifix, prayer beads (rosaries), and palm branches for Palm Sunday. All of these are used to remind us of something greater, but they, “[do] not so fully express the nature of the Church and which, according to Catholic doctrine, [do] not carry the guarantee of grace associated with the seven sacraments.” (from Richard McBrian’s Catholicism). What does that mean as far as holy water is concerned?
Holy water is intended to remind us of our baptism, but holy water is not enough to constitute a baptism. For example, if you invite a non-Christian friend to Mass and there happens to a Rite of Aspersion (Sprinkling), that friend isn’t suddenly baptized against their will. For a Catholic, holy water is a reminder of incorporation into the body of Christ, reminding us that we are sons and daughters of God (Ephesians 4:25).
The purpose of the holy water font or baptismal font at the entrances of the church is for us to call to mind our baptism before Mass, especially that we are, “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own, so that you may announce the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” (1 Peter 2:9). Holy water has more uses than that. For example, after Mass, one will have well in mind our unity with God, but the holy water can be used as physical sign praising God for our being blessed with, “every spiritual blessing in the heavens,” (Ephesians 1:3) which is something we always need to keep in mind.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Reflections on a Banquet (28th Sunday in Ordinary Time)
I’m sure you’ve read reports in the newspaper or seen them on TV of suicide bombers in the Middle East. One of the reports I saw emphasized that Muslims believe that those who die in such a way will go directly to heaven, and according to the reports be "attended" by groups of virgins. The idea that one report put forward was that the Muslim idea of heaven is almost orgiastic. We’ll, a couple of years ago, I decided to read the Quran myself to see exactly what it said. What the Quran actually says is quite a bit different from what news reports say, which should be no surprise to anyone who has tried to follow religious matters in the popular press.
In the Quran heaven is pictured as a banquet with really good waiters and some wonderful guests. Among the guests are women who are of high moral character (that probably gets translated "virgins" in some places), who are very intelligent and excellent at conversation. It also says that these women have exceptionally large and beautiful eyes. So in the Muslim view, heaven is a great party with wonderful guests and terrific conversation.
It’s really no surprise that the Prophet Muhammad tended to see heaven as a banquet. That view came directly from the Hebrew prophets whom Muslims read and venerate. Isaiah, in looking forward to the day of the Lord, says that the banquet will happen right here on this mountain, the mountain on which Jerusalem sits. And on that day, God will "destroy the veil that veils all people," the veil that separates them from God and from each other.
In the city of Jerusalem about 500 years after Isaiah wrote, Jesus gathered a group of followers in an upper room and held that banquet, a banquet that has continued since then and will continue in heaven forever. Jesus lifted up the bread and the wine and gave thanks for them and said the words of consecration which made them his body and his blood for us. When we come together here at Mass we don’t start another banquet, we join into the very banquet that Jesus held in the upper room. We join into the very banquet that Jesus holds even now in heaven.
But in the story that Jesus tells in this evening’s Gospel reading, a lot of the people who are invited aren’t coming to the banquet. Why not? One of the reasons that so many of those originally invited didn’t come was that the real banquet looked so much different than they had imagined. The Jewish people worked hard for more than 1,000 years before Jesus to keep their faith separate from the worship of the pagan peoples around them. A large part of the story of the Hebrew people is their succumbing time and again to the temptation to adopt the pagan forms of worship, and time and again God sending prophets to purify the faith, to get the pagan practices out of their worship and pagan philosophies out of their thinking. So by the time of Jesus, the sense of separateness was so deep that it was impossible for some to recognize that in Jesus, the faith was now opened up to all the nations. This was very difficult issue for the early church, and it led to fractured communities all over the Mediterranean region. The issue was only settled when Peter, Paul, James, and others held a church council in Jerusalem where they made the decision to admit gentiles as full Christians -- recognize that in Jesus, God was bringing something absolutely new into the world.
But the story tacked on at the end of this evening’s Gospel reading hints at a different and bigger reason for people to refuse the invitation to the banquet. Recall that one of the guests was not properly dressed for a banquet and was forced to leave. What is that all about?
Accepting the invitation to God’s banquet requires a change in us. We need to take off our regular street clothes, the idea that what life is all about is getting and spending, the idea that we need position and power, the philosophy of "me first." We need to put on different clothing. We need to remember that each of us is God’s beloved child. We need to know that each of us is here for a purpose, and that purpose isn’t to accumulate the most toys. We are here to love and to accept love. To support and to heal and to nourish and to protect, to leave this world a better place than it was before we came. To come close to God in this life in anticipation of being close to God in eternal life.
Thank you so much for being here and accepting the invitation to God’s banquet. Here is the banquet table. And just look at all the intelligent women of high moral character with large and beautiful eyes. You must be in the right place. Thank you for letting Christ’s light shine through you so that it warms and brightens the whole world.
In the Quran heaven is pictured as a banquet with really good waiters and some wonderful guests. Among the guests are women who are of high moral character (that probably gets translated "virgins" in some places), who are very intelligent and excellent at conversation. It also says that these women have exceptionally large and beautiful eyes. So in the Muslim view, heaven is a great party with wonderful guests and terrific conversation.
It’s really no surprise that the Prophet Muhammad tended to see heaven as a banquet. That view came directly from the Hebrew prophets whom Muslims read and venerate. Isaiah, in looking forward to the day of the Lord, says that the banquet will happen right here on this mountain, the mountain on which Jerusalem sits. And on that day, God will "destroy the veil that veils all people," the veil that separates them from God and from each other.
In the city of Jerusalem about 500 years after Isaiah wrote, Jesus gathered a group of followers in an upper room and held that banquet, a banquet that has continued since then and will continue in heaven forever. Jesus lifted up the bread and the wine and gave thanks for them and said the words of consecration which made them his body and his blood for us. When we come together here at Mass we don’t start another banquet, we join into the very banquet that Jesus held in the upper room. We join into the very banquet that Jesus holds even now in heaven.
But in the story that Jesus tells in this evening’s Gospel reading, a lot of the people who are invited aren’t coming to the banquet. Why not? One of the reasons that so many of those originally invited didn’t come was that the real banquet looked so much different than they had imagined. The Jewish people worked hard for more than 1,000 years before Jesus to keep their faith separate from the worship of the pagan peoples around them. A large part of the story of the Hebrew people is their succumbing time and again to the temptation to adopt the pagan forms of worship, and time and again God sending prophets to purify the faith, to get the pagan practices out of their worship and pagan philosophies out of their thinking. So by the time of Jesus, the sense of separateness was so deep that it was impossible for some to recognize that in Jesus, the faith was now opened up to all the nations. This was very difficult issue for the early church, and it led to fractured communities all over the Mediterranean region. The issue was only settled when Peter, Paul, James, and others held a church council in Jerusalem where they made the decision to admit gentiles as full Christians -- recognize that in Jesus, God was bringing something absolutely new into the world.
But the story tacked on at the end of this evening’s Gospel reading hints at a different and bigger reason for people to refuse the invitation to the banquet. Recall that one of the guests was not properly dressed for a banquet and was forced to leave. What is that all about?
Accepting the invitation to God’s banquet requires a change in us. We need to take off our regular street clothes, the idea that what life is all about is getting and spending, the idea that we need position and power, the philosophy of "me first." We need to put on different clothing. We need to remember that each of us is God’s beloved child. We need to know that each of us is here for a purpose, and that purpose isn’t to accumulate the most toys. We are here to love and to accept love. To support and to heal and to nourish and to protect, to leave this world a better place than it was before we came. To come close to God in this life in anticipation of being close to God in eternal life.
Thank you so much for being here and accepting the invitation to God’s banquet. Here is the banquet table. And just look at all the intelligent women of high moral character with large and beautiful eyes. You must be in the right place. Thank you for letting Christ’s light shine through you so that it warms and brightens the whole world.
Friday, October 10, 2008
We answer questions!
Hey everybody, I just wanted to tell you that we definitely answer questions around here. That wonderful little box we used at our recent Fall 2008 retreat is still available for questions! It is brown and small if you missed it at the retreat. If you are around St. Paul's, or in the SUB on Mondays, feel free to drop in a question and check back here for the answer.
EDIT: You now have the ability to send questions to us anonymously. Check it out: http://www.contactify.com/b9bc9
To the end of answering questions, a couple people noted on their evaluations that they wanted to know more about NFP (Natural Family Planning). A great place to check out is the Couple to Couple League's website. They "manage" the NFP training groups across the country and have a ton of resources on their website, including links to pro-life doctors who are open to discussing the Sympto-Thermal Method scientifically instead of politically. Studies have shown that couples practicing NFP, "have a dramatically low (0.2%) divorce rate", so it is definitely something worth checking out.
Have a great weekend!
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Jesus on Fair Pay -- Twenty-Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
One of the reasons that Jesus was so disturbing to the people of his time was his tendency to hang out with the wrong crowd. He often ate with tax collectors and was seen talking to prostitutes. He associated with lepers and with crazy people. He seemed to have a special love for those in trouble. He even associated with foreigners and treated women as equals. To make matters worse, he spent very little time with those who were wealthy and highly placed. Recall that when Jesus was arrested and tried, the high priests had to seek witnesses to tell them what Jesus had been doing and saying. The king was anxious to meet Jesus because, while Jesus was quite familiar to the poor and outcasts, the king had never actually seen him.
The parable that Jesus relates in today’s Gospel is directed at those of us who think that we are better than or deserve more than someone else – which, according to surveys is just about all of us. Maybe we think we are more moral or harder working or better looking. It doesn’t matter what it is that makes us think we are above someone else. Jesus tells us that God sees us through different eyes. In God’s eyes we are all radically equal and we are all loved equally.
Sometimes that is hard to take. I know that when I read the parable Jesus tells today, I instantly identify with those who have been working since dawn. I’ve worked harder. I deserve more. But in this life I can’t know who has worked harder. Only God knows the efforts I and others have made. I don’t get to judge; only God get’s to judge. And when I compare myself not with others but with what God deserves from me, my own efforts look tiny compared to the total commitment that I owe. In fact, upon reflection, it doesn’t seem like a very good idea to get this whole judgment business under way. The truth is that I’m one of those who came toward the end of the day and instead of arguing, I’d better be grateful that a loving and forgiving vineyard owner is handing out the pay.
I’m reminded of a story told by evangelist Dave Roever. Roever was a soldier who served in the Vietnam War. He was burned very severely when a phosphorus grenade went off in his hand. Not only was his hand destroyed, but his face was terribly disfigured. His nose and one ear were burned off. His eyelids, lips, almost his whole face was either destroyed completely or badly burned. His wife was informed of his injuries, and he was evacuated to a hospital in the U.S. There were two beds in his hospital room. In the other bed was a soldier whose legs had been blown off. He was in pretty bad shape.
That evening, the soldier’s wife arrived. When she entered the room, she stood looking at her husband with no legs. Then she took off her wedding ring and threw it at him. She said, "You disgust me," and she turned and left. Through most of the night, Dave could hear the soldier in the next bed sobbing. The soldier died before morning.
The next morning Dave’s wife walked into the room. Dave could tell that she was pretty shocked by what she saw, and even though he couldn’t talk very well, with a lot effort he managed to say: "I know that I’m so ugly now, but do you think that somehow you can still love me?"
She walked over to the bed, found a spot on his face that was more or less intact, and planted a big, wet kiss. Then she said, "Honey, you were never that good-looking to begin with."
Like Dave’s wife, God never loved us because of our good looks, or our social status, our good intentions, or even our hard work. God loves us because God loves us. Knowing that we are loved in spite of our ugliness and failings is incredibly freeing. It frees us to love others in spite of their faults because we are loved in spite of our faults.
We can reach out to prisoners, we can reach out to the poor, we can reach out to immigrants, we can reach out to the sick because we know that we have done wrong, are impoverished, are strangers, need healing, and God loves us through it all.
Let us live like the forgiven and beloved people we truly are.
The parable that Jesus relates in today’s Gospel is directed at those of us who think that we are better than or deserve more than someone else – which, according to surveys is just about all of us. Maybe we think we are more moral or harder working or better looking. It doesn’t matter what it is that makes us think we are above someone else. Jesus tells us that God sees us through different eyes. In God’s eyes we are all radically equal and we are all loved equally.
Sometimes that is hard to take. I know that when I read the parable Jesus tells today, I instantly identify with those who have been working since dawn. I’ve worked harder. I deserve more. But in this life I can’t know who has worked harder. Only God knows the efforts I and others have made. I don’t get to judge; only God get’s to judge. And when I compare myself not with others but with what God deserves from me, my own efforts look tiny compared to the total commitment that I owe. In fact, upon reflection, it doesn’t seem like a very good idea to get this whole judgment business under way. The truth is that I’m one of those who came toward the end of the day and instead of arguing, I’d better be grateful that a loving and forgiving vineyard owner is handing out the pay.
I’m reminded of a story told by evangelist Dave Roever. Roever was a soldier who served in the Vietnam War. He was burned very severely when a phosphorus grenade went off in his hand. Not only was his hand destroyed, but his face was terribly disfigured. His nose and one ear were burned off. His eyelids, lips, almost his whole face was either destroyed completely or badly burned. His wife was informed of his injuries, and he was evacuated to a hospital in the U.S. There were two beds in his hospital room. In the other bed was a soldier whose legs had been blown off. He was in pretty bad shape.
That evening, the soldier’s wife arrived. When she entered the room, she stood looking at her husband with no legs. Then she took off her wedding ring and threw it at him. She said, "You disgust me," and she turned and left. Through most of the night, Dave could hear the soldier in the next bed sobbing. The soldier died before morning.
The next morning Dave’s wife walked into the room. Dave could tell that she was pretty shocked by what she saw, and even though he couldn’t talk very well, with a lot effort he managed to say: "I know that I’m so ugly now, but do you think that somehow you can still love me?"
She walked over to the bed, found a spot on his face that was more or less intact, and planted a big, wet kiss. Then she said, "Honey, you were never that good-looking to begin with."
Like Dave’s wife, God never loved us because of our good looks, or our social status, our good intentions, or even our hard work. God loves us because God loves us. Knowing that we are loved in spite of our ugliness and failings is incredibly freeing. It frees us to love others in spite of their faults because we are loved in spite of our faults.
We can reach out to prisoners, we can reach out to the poor, we can reach out to immigrants, we can reach out to the sick because we know that we have done wrong, are impoverished, are strangers, need healing, and God loves us through it all.
Let us live like the forgiven and beloved people we truly are.
Monday, September 15, 2008
Being Careful When We Talk About God
Several years ago late on a summer afternoon here at St. Paul’s, after we were already closed for the day, I was just gathering up some things in my office and getting ready to go home. I saw a young girl perhaps 15 or 16 come walking across the courtyard. I could tell she was upset so I rushed to open the door and find out what was going on. She stood there with tear streaks running down her face and asked me, "Does God kill babies?"
I invited her in and listened to her story. Her older sister had been pregnant for several months and each checkup showed that things were going well. But that day her sister had visited the doctor and the doctor couldn’t detect a fetal heartbeat. Further tests showed that the child had died. In an apparent effort to comfort this young girl, people had told her, "God must have wanted this little child in heaven, so God took it." Needless to say, she didn’t find that very comforting. Not only had her sister lost the child that the whole family already loved before even seeing it, but now people were telling her that God had killed it.
Of course, God doesn’t kill babies. Sometimes bad things happen because of our own sinfulness and bad choices. Sometimes bad things just happen, and we have no idea why. We do know that God loves us and even suffers with us through those difficult times. And we know for sure that the beloved little baby who died is wrapped in God’s loving embrace.
It is very important how we word the statements that we make about God, because if we aren’t careful, we can end up implying terrible things. This is particularly true when we confront the issue of Jesus’ death on the cross. A common thing to say is that Jesus died for our sins. That is true, of course, but without further elaboration and nuance it can be interpreted to say that God the Father, offended by our sins, insisted on a bloody human sacrifice to somehow make up for our transgressions. The vengeful, bloodthirsty God who demands a human sacrifice isn’t any more attractive than the God who kills babies, and the image of God that is presented is just an inaccurate. Yet I know several people who have left the Church and have even rejected Christianity because they think this is the Christian God.
Let’s think just a bit about who God really is and what Jesus’ suffering and death on the cross really mean. The creation stories make it abundantly clear that God created us and our world out of love. God created us as loving companions to each other and loving and beloved companions of God. But from the very beginning we have used God’s wonderful gift of free will to reject God’s love and the love of others. Like Adam and Eve, we choose to listen to the serpent.
So the history of humanity is a story of wars, exploitation, greed, and betrayal. With the birth of Jesus, God intervenes in human affairs, not to punish us for all our terrible deeds, but to offer us forgiveness and an even closer relationship. Jesus comes into our world not as a conqueror and avenger but as a helpless child completely dependent on the goodness of Mary and Joseph. And as an adult, Jesus announces the coming of the Kingdom of God as a kingdom where the care of the poor, the comfort of the sorrowing, companionship with the sick, the estranged, and the imprisoned will take precedence over the desires of the wealthy and the powerful.
Jesus told the truth about our sinfulness and it’s consequences. Jesus told the truth about God both with his words and with his actions. And he did it in a world that needs lies to keep the selfish in power and to justify lives devoted to acquiring things and excluding people. In such a world, the truth is very dangerous, far too dangerous to tolerate. So we betrayed him, and we beat him, and we nailed him to a cross, and we watched him die. And he forgave us again and again, and prayed for us until there was no more breath left with which to offer prayers.
Through it all, God the Father suffered as any father would suffer watching his son dying in agony. God the Father suffered as Mary suffered. God the Father suffered along with Jesus intending that this extraordinary act of love – the love of God for us – would convince us to change, to accept God’s loving embrace, to be the kind of people we are created to be.
Last Sunday was the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross. We lift up and honor the cross because it is the symbol of God’s amazing love for us. It is a symbol of how far God has gone and will go to save us from our own folly. It is a symbol of how much we are worth to God.
My prayer for all of us is that we will always see in the cross God’s gift of salvation and that we can always see whatever crosses we might bear as an opportunity to share in God’s redemptive love.
I invited her in and listened to her story. Her older sister had been pregnant for several months and each checkup showed that things were going well. But that day her sister had visited the doctor and the doctor couldn’t detect a fetal heartbeat. Further tests showed that the child had died. In an apparent effort to comfort this young girl, people had told her, "God must have wanted this little child in heaven, so God took it." Needless to say, she didn’t find that very comforting. Not only had her sister lost the child that the whole family already loved before even seeing it, but now people were telling her that God had killed it.
Of course, God doesn’t kill babies. Sometimes bad things happen because of our own sinfulness and bad choices. Sometimes bad things just happen, and we have no idea why. We do know that God loves us and even suffers with us through those difficult times. And we know for sure that the beloved little baby who died is wrapped in God’s loving embrace.
It is very important how we word the statements that we make about God, because if we aren’t careful, we can end up implying terrible things. This is particularly true when we confront the issue of Jesus’ death on the cross. A common thing to say is that Jesus died for our sins. That is true, of course, but without further elaboration and nuance it can be interpreted to say that God the Father, offended by our sins, insisted on a bloody human sacrifice to somehow make up for our transgressions. The vengeful, bloodthirsty God who demands a human sacrifice isn’t any more attractive than the God who kills babies, and the image of God that is presented is just an inaccurate. Yet I know several people who have left the Church and have even rejected Christianity because they think this is the Christian God.
Let’s think just a bit about who God really is and what Jesus’ suffering and death on the cross really mean. The creation stories make it abundantly clear that God created us and our world out of love. God created us as loving companions to each other and loving and beloved companions of God. But from the very beginning we have used God’s wonderful gift of free will to reject God’s love and the love of others. Like Adam and Eve, we choose to listen to the serpent.
So the history of humanity is a story of wars, exploitation, greed, and betrayal. With the birth of Jesus, God intervenes in human affairs, not to punish us for all our terrible deeds, but to offer us forgiveness and an even closer relationship. Jesus comes into our world not as a conqueror and avenger but as a helpless child completely dependent on the goodness of Mary and Joseph. And as an adult, Jesus announces the coming of the Kingdom of God as a kingdom where the care of the poor, the comfort of the sorrowing, companionship with the sick, the estranged, and the imprisoned will take precedence over the desires of the wealthy and the powerful.
Jesus told the truth about our sinfulness and it’s consequences. Jesus told the truth about God both with his words and with his actions. And he did it in a world that needs lies to keep the selfish in power and to justify lives devoted to acquiring things and excluding people. In such a world, the truth is very dangerous, far too dangerous to tolerate. So we betrayed him, and we beat him, and we nailed him to a cross, and we watched him die. And he forgave us again and again, and prayed for us until there was no more breath left with which to offer prayers.
Through it all, God the Father suffered as any father would suffer watching his son dying in agony. God the Father suffered as Mary suffered. God the Father suffered along with Jesus intending that this extraordinary act of love – the love of God for us – would convince us to change, to accept God’s loving embrace, to be the kind of people we are created to be.
Last Sunday was the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross. We lift up and honor the cross because it is the symbol of God’s amazing love for us. It is a symbol of how far God has gone and will go to save us from our own folly. It is a symbol of how much we are worth to God.
My prayer for all of us is that we will always see in the cross God’s gift of salvation and that we can always see whatever crosses we might bear as an opportunity to share in God’s redemptive love.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Getting Married in the Catholic Church: Part II
In my last posting about marriage, I talked about how you make the arrangements. This time I want to talk about one of the complications that sometimes arises. Sometimes it turns out that one of the people who wants to get married is, at least in the eyes of the Catholic Church, already married! The Catholic Church has always figured that Jesus meant what he said in Matthew 19:9 and Mark 10:9-12. Once a person is validly married, there is no possibility of divorce and remarriage, period. The only way that a person who is validly married can marry again is if their spouse dies.
An annulment is granted when what appeared to be a valid marriage turns out not to be a valid marriage. An annulment is not a divorce. It is a recognition that the conditions necessary for a valid marriage were not present at the time the apparent marriage took place. A marriage might be ruled invalid on procedural grounds -- as it would be if a baptized Catholic marries outside the church. Or, a marriage might be ruled invalid because the consent might be defective -- as it would be if the parties involved didn't understand the commitment they were making or didn't make the commitment freely.
When a marriage is annulled, it does NOT mean that the people have engaged in some sort of sinful union or that their children are considered illegitimate. They are two people who made a mistake and who took the actions they took in good faith. Once an annulment has been granted, a person can do anything that an unmarried person can do. That might mean marrying. That might even mean becoming a priest or a nun.
If you are thinking about marriage, and the person you wish to marry has been married before (or you have been married before), please come to see me or someone else who can help you determine whether an annulment might be granted. Please don't even contemplate the separation from the Holy Eucharist and all the other sacraments that a marriage outside the church would entail.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Getting Married in the Catholic Church: Part I
There is so much confusion on marriage issues, that I thought it wise to spend a little time explaining some of the practices. Generally if people know how it all works, they can navigate the process quite easily, and there isn’t much reason for drama (or trauma). So here is the basic idea.
A person who is a baptized Catholic must be married in a Catholic ceremony (or be granted special permission for an alternative ceremony) if the marriage is to be considered valid by the Church. Marriages between two non-Catholics are generally considered valid as long as the couple is legally married even if one of the parties later becomes Catholic.
For a Catholic to decide to get married outside the Church is a much more drastic step than most people realize. To get married outside the Church is to step out of communion with the Church. A Catholic who is married outside the Church may not receive Holy Communion or any other sacraments and may not serve as a godparent or Eucharistic Minister until the situation is corrected. The most common way of correcting the situation is very simple – just have a Catholic ceremony. This is generally referred to as a marriage "validation" or "having your marriage blessed." In most cases, it can be arranged quite easily.
Catholic weddings come in two types: a wedding within Mass or a wedding outside of Mass. Either is equally valid. We generally recommend a marriage within Mass when both parties are Catholic. A wedding outside of Mass is generally better when one party is non-Catholic. In a wedding within Mass, the Catholic party will receive Holy Communion while the non-Catholic party (and about half the congregation) will not. That seems to most people to be a needless source of division. In some cases, even when both parties are Catholic but many of the guests will be non-Catholic, the couple opts for a wedding outside of Mass. Just fine. No problem.
In preparation for the marriage, couples being married in any of the Boise parishes are required to take a set of marriage preparation classes and attend an Engaged Encounter Weekend. Parishes outside Boise often require one or the other but not both. In addition, each party must
A person who is a baptized Catholic must be married in a Catholic ceremony (or be granted special permission for an alternative ceremony) if the marriage is to be considered valid by the Church. Marriages between two non-Catholics are generally considered valid as long as the couple is legally married even if one of the parties later becomes Catholic.
For a Catholic to decide to get married outside the Church is a much more drastic step than most people realize. To get married outside the Church is to step out of communion with the Church. A Catholic who is married outside the Church may not receive Holy Communion or any other sacraments and may not serve as a godparent or Eucharistic Minister until the situation is corrected. The most common way of correcting the situation is very simple – just have a Catholic ceremony. This is generally referred to as a marriage "validation" or "having your marriage blessed." In most cases, it can be arranged quite easily.
Catholic weddings come in two types: a wedding within Mass or a wedding outside of Mass. Either is equally valid. We generally recommend a marriage within Mass when both parties are Catholic. A wedding outside of Mass is generally better when one party is non-Catholic. In a wedding within Mass, the Catholic party will receive Holy Communion while the non-Catholic party (and about half the congregation) will not. That seems to most people to be a needless source of division. In some cases, even when both parties are Catholic but many of the guests will be non-Catholic, the couple opts for a wedding outside of Mass. Just fine. No problem.
In preparation for the marriage, couples being married in any of the Boise parishes are required to take a set of marriage preparation classes and attend an Engaged Encounter Weekend. Parishes outside Boise often require one or the other but not both. In addition, each party must
- provide a copy of their baptism certificate (issued no more than six months before the wedding date for a Catholic),
- sit with a deacon or a priest and fill out the required "Prenuptial Investigation" forms,
- have a close relative or friend fill out a "Testimony of Freedom" form certifying that there is nothing that would prevent the person from entering a valid marriage
- if one of the parties isn’t Catholic, the Catholic party must sign the following promises: "I reaffirm my faith in Jesus Christ and, with God’s help, intend to continue living that faith in the Catholic Church. At the same time, I acknowledge the respect I owe to the conscience of my partner in the marriage. I promise to do all that I can to share that faith which I have received with our children by having them baptized and reared as Catholics."
- complete and review a pre-marriage attitude survey, either the FOCUS or the PMI which is designed to surface issues that the couple still needs to resolve.
Note that the issue of what faith the children will be raised in has already been decided if you marry in a Catholic ceremony. You agree that the children will be baptized and raised Catholic.
Since all of this takes time, we recommend that you get this process started at least four months before the proposed wedding date.
Enough for now. Next time I’ll talk a little about complications that sometimes arise.
Monday, August 11, 2008
The Best Campus Ministry
Hi. In June I attended a workshop at Notre Dame on “Visionary Campus Ministry.” One of our activities at the workshop was to examine in great detail the path that led the Catholic campus ministry at Texas A&M from obscurity to being maybe the best campus ministry in the country right now.
The beginning of that path seems to have been a time in 1993 when they completely changed their thinking. Rather than focusing on their tiny amount of resources and trying to do the best they could with what they had, they asked, “What kind of campus ministry would serve the Kingdom of God best on this campus, and what can we do to make this ministry into that ministry?” The assumption was that if they had the vision, the resources would appear (and they have).
I’d like for us to start asking the same question they did: “What kind of campus ministry would serve the kingdom of God best on our campus?” Of course, we start with prayer. We probably don’t know right off the bat what the very best campus ministry would look like, but God does. After a period of reflection and prayer, would you hit the “comments” button below and share your thoughts on what that perfect campus ministry would look like? As suggestions come in, I’ll post them on this blog. Maybe reading others’ suggestions will help you to put into words some even better ideas.
Thanks for God's wisdom shared through you.
Love,
Chuck
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
The Core of Matthew's Gospel Message
The Sunday readings for the middle of this summer have been from a special part of Matthew’s Gospel. As it turns out the whole Gospel of Matthew is organized around a core message, and the readings from three summer Sundays comprise that core.
At the center of Matthew’s Gospel is a set of parables that Jesus presents to his followers to teach them about the Kingdom of God. Remember that the Hebrew people had been looking forward to the Messiah who would bring to reality the Kingdom of God on earth for almost 2,000 years when Jesus was born. Many expected it to be a military kingdom. They expected the Messiah to raise a great army that would throw off the hated Roman occupiers and re-establish the Kingdom of Israel as a mighty world power.
Jesus needed to teach his followers that the reality of God’s kingdom was much different than that. That’s what these parables are about. Let’s review what Jesus has to say:
The first parable is about a sower planting seeds. Some seeds fall on good ground, but many do not. Many people God invites into the kingdom are so dried up and hard that the seeds of the kingdom can never even start to grow in them. Some accept the invitation with enthusiasm at first, but their soil is shallow. There is no staying power. The life that springs up in them withers and dies. But some people are persistent and let that life grow in them and yield a bountiful harvest.
The second parable is about a field planted with good seed, but weeds spring up among the valuable plants. Why doesn’t the farmer (God) pull up and destroy the weeds? Because the good crop could be harmed. In particular, some of us who are behaving like weeds may turn to God in time. The presence of weeds in the kingdom is not a sign of God’s weakness, nor does it mean that God is not ultimately just. The presence of evil in our world is a sign of God’s loving patience with us, giving us second and third and fourth chances to turn away from evil and become the good people we were meant to be when God planted the good seed.
The third and fourth parables come as a pair – one with special relevance for men, and one with special relevance for women. Men, who are the ones spending their days working out in the fields, know that a tiny mustard seed isn’t very impressive. But when you let it grow, it becomes a shrub big enough for birds to build their nests in. Women, who make bread for the family, know that the yeast that you put into a batch of bread doesn’t look like much, but it makes a huge difference. Without the yeast, the dough is just a lump. With the yeast, the dough rises and becomes beautiful, aromatic and tasty. The Kingdom of God is in this world, but won’t seem like much at this point unless you are wise enough to not be fooled by appearances. The Kingdom of God is at work. In the end, it will grow to dwarf everything else that appears important to the foolish.
The fifth and sixth parables also come as a pair. The Kingdom of God is like a treasure that someone finds buried in a field. The Kingdom of God is like a fabulous pearl that is worth selling everything you own to obtain. Once you understand what God is offering you as a follower of Jesus, as a citizen in God’s kingdom, you will put everything else aside. You will devote your life to what really matters and not be led astray by the silly or even evil things that the rest of the world may find valuable.
The seventh parable tells of a fishing net that has brought up a whole bunch of stuff from the ocean bottom. Some of the things are valuable, but many of them are not. The things that come up in the net must be sorted. The valuable things will be kept, but the other things will be tossed. Ultimately God’s judgment will prevail.
And finally, a word of wisdom. "[E]very scribe who has been instructed in the kingdom of heaven is like the head of a household who brings from his storeroom both the new and the old." In a way, the Kingdom of God has always been with us. Even the ancient people before God spoke to Moses, had a sense of good and bad, of truth and falseness. They sought God in whatever ways they were able to do so. There is much goodness in that. But Jesus has also brought something utterly new. A new relationship with God, a new way of relating to each other and a new way to think about ourselves. A new way of dealing with suffering and pain. A new meaning to life.
This teaching of Jesus is incredibly rich. I don’t have any idea how to sum it up adequately in just a few words, but Jesus telling us that the reality of God’s presence in our world is much different than most of us expect. It is easy to miss if we aren’t willing to pay attention. It is gentle and unassuming, yet it is ultimately the most powerful force in the history of our world. It provides us with great opportunity, but we choose some pretty scary outcomes if we refuse the invitation offered.
At the center of Matthew’s Gospel is a set of parables that Jesus presents to his followers to teach them about the Kingdom of God. Remember that the Hebrew people had been looking forward to the Messiah who would bring to reality the Kingdom of God on earth for almost 2,000 years when Jesus was born. Many expected it to be a military kingdom. They expected the Messiah to raise a great army that would throw off the hated Roman occupiers and re-establish the Kingdom of Israel as a mighty world power.
Jesus needed to teach his followers that the reality of God’s kingdom was much different than that. That’s what these parables are about. Let’s review what Jesus has to say:
The first parable is about a sower planting seeds. Some seeds fall on good ground, but many do not. Many people God invites into the kingdom are so dried up and hard that the seeds of the kingdom can never even start to grow in them. Some accept the invitation with enthusiasm at first, but their soil is shallow. There is no staying power. The life that springs up in them withers and dies. But some people are persistent and let that life grow in them and yield a bountiful harvest.
The second parable is about a field planted with good seed, but weeds spring up among the valuable plants. Why doesn’t the farmer (God) pull up and destroy the weeds? Because the good crop could be harmed. In particular, some of us who are behaving like weeds may turn to God in time. The presence of weeds in the kingdom is not a sign of God’s weakness, nor does it mean that God is not ultimately just. The presence of evil in our world is a sign of God’s loving patience with us, giving us second and third and fourth chances to turn away from evil and become the good people we were meant to be when God planted the good seed.
The third and fourth parables come as a pair – one with special relevance for men, and one with special relevance for women. Men, who are the ones spending their days working out in the fields, know that a tiny mustard seed isn’t very impressive. But when you let it grow, it becomes a shrub big enough for birds to build their nests in. Women, who make bread for the family, know that the yeast that you put into a batch of bread doesn’t look like much, but it makes a huge difference. Without the yeast, the dough is just a lump. With the yeast, the dough rises and becomes beautiful, aromatic and tasty. The Kingdom of God is in this world, but won’t seem like much at this point unless you are wise enough to not be fooled by appearances. The Kingdom of God is at work. In the end, it will grow to dwarf everything else that appears important to the foolish.
The fifth and sixth parables also come as a pair. The Kingdom of God is like a treasure that someone finds buried in a field. The Kingdom of God is like a fabulous pearl that is worth selling everything you own to obtain. Once you understand what God is offering you as a follower of Jesus, as a citizen in God’s kingdom, you will put everything else aside. You will devote your life to what really matters and not be led astray by the silly or even evil things that the rest of the world may find valuable.
The seventh parable tells of a fishing net that has brought up a whole bunch of stuff from the ocean bottom. Some of the things are valuable, but many of them are not. The things that come up in the net must be sorted. The valuable things will be kept, but the other things will be tossed. Ultimately God’s judgment will prevail.
And finally, a word of wisdom. "[E]very scribe who has been instructed in the kingdom of heaven is like the head of a household who brings from his storeroom both the new and the old." In a way, the Kingdom of God has always been with us. Even the ancient people before God spoke to Moses, had a sense of good and bad, of truth and falseness. They sought God in whatever ways they were able to do so. There is much goodness in that. But Jesus has also brought something utterly new. A new relationship with God, a new way of relating to each other and a new way to think about ourselves. A new way of dealing with suffering and pain. A new meaning to life.
This teaching of Jesus is incredibly rich. I don’t have any idea how to sum it up adequately in just a few words, but Jesus telling us that the reality of God’s presence in our world is much different than most of us expect. It is easy to miss if we aren’t willing to pay attention. It is gentle and unassuming, yet it is ultimately the most powerful force in the history of our world. It provides us with great opportunity, but we choose some pretty scary outcomes if we refuse the invitation offered.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Good Source for Basic Information on the Catholic Church
Hi. The other day I was searching for a document that came out of a Lutheran-Catholic dialogue on "justification by faith." It was a terrifically important dialogue because resulted in agreement between Lutherans and Catholics on the most important point at issue when Lutherans and Catholics split 500 years ago. I found the document in a couple of different places. One is http://archive.elca.org/ecumenical/ecumenicaldialogue/romancatholic/jddj/index.html
and another is http://www.ewtn.com/library/CURIA/pccujnt4.htm.
But while poking around on its website I found that the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has produced a wonderful video aimed at explaining to Lutherans what the Roman Catholic Church is all about. It is remarkably accurate and well-done. So if you would like to help a friend learn about the Catholic faith and would like an "unbiased" source of information, you've got it. It's at http://archive.elca.org/mosaic/RomanCatholic/index.html.
and another is http://www.ewtn.com/library/CURIA/pccujnt4.htm.
But while poking around on its website I found that the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has produced a wonderful video aimed at explaining to Lutherans what the Roman Catholic Church is all about. It is remarkably accurate and well-done. So if you would like to help a friend learn about the Catholic faith and would like an "unbiased" source of information, you've got it. It's at http://archive.elca.org/mosaic/RomanCatholic/index.html.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Welcome to Our Blog
Hi. Welcome to our blog. We intend this to be a place where conversations can go on. Of course, all kinds of conversations are already going on at St. Paul’s. We have worship, meetings, classes, parties, meals, and many circumstances where we learn about and from each other. We also send and receive lots of e-mails and get lots of phone calls. And sometimes people come by just to talk and hang out. That’s all wonderful, and we wouldn’t want to change any of it.
This blog lets us have some of our conversations in a more public way and in a way that invites more people to participate. It lets people participate who might find it inconvenient or even impossible to come over to St. Paul’s and join in. So come on in. You’re welcome. Let’s talk about what’s important, what’s interesting, what’s fun.
Joe and Chuck
This blog lets us have some of our conversations in a more public way and in a way that invites more people to participate. It lets people participate who might find it inconvenient or even impossible to come over to St. Paul’s and join in. So come on in. You’re welcome. Let’s talk about what’s important, what’s interesting, what’s fun.
Joe and Chuck
Is “organized religion” the cause of wars, hatred, and other evils?
In his book Mere Christianity C.S. Lewis traces his journey from his early atheism to the Christian faith. One of the phenomena that influenced his thinking is the fact that all over the world, in every age, people have sought to make their behaviors consistent with some external measure of what is good, just, and true. Sometimes that means changing our actions to fit a higher standard. All to often that means seeking ways to amend or reinterpret the standard so our current actions can be justified. But Lewis reflected that in every place in every time, the need to be "right" with something transcendent is a core aspect of what it means to be human.
Lewis is not the only person to recognize this basic aspect of humanity. In fact, I have read reports of recent psychological research seeking to define and quantify this human quality.
In the context of this understanding of human nature, religious expressions of all sorts are seen to flow from the human need to be closer to and more in tune with God, however that concept is understood. Properly expressed by healthy people who are blessed with good leadership, this wonderful element of our humanity emerges in people like Mother Theresa, Bishop Desmond Tutu, Martin Luther King, and Saint Francis of Assisi and in movements like Habitat for Humanity and Oxfam. It shows up in good families, good friendships, and healthy churches. But like other powerful drives such as sex and the need for safety, the urge to faith can drive us in terrible directions. One sees "Christian" white supremacists and "Muslim" jihadists violating the most basic standards of human decency because they have let their urge to faith be turned in truly bizarre directions.
So to condemn "organized religion" misses the point entirely. There is a powerful drive within each human being to do what is right and to be right with God. When we allow this drive to become deformed, misdirected, and perverted we see terrible outcomes. The answer to the problem is not to ignore or suppress this aspect of our humanity – witness the result of trying to do that with our sexuality – but to understand and appreciate it in a way that allows it to blossom into the truth, holiness, and beauty that it calls us to.
Chuck
Lewis is not the only person to recognize this basic aspect of humanity. In fact, I have read reports of recent psychological research seeking to define and quantify this human quality.
In the context of this understanding of human nature, religious expressions of all sorts are seen to flow from the human need to be closer to and more in tune with God, however that concept is understood. Properly expressed by healthy people who are blessed with good leadership, this wonderful element of our humanity emerges in people like Mother Theresa, Bishop Desmond Tutu, Martin Luther King, and Saint Francis of Assisi and in movements like Habitat for Humanity and Oxfam. It shows up in good families, good friendships, and healthy churches. But like other powerful drives such as sex and the need for safety, the urge to faith can drive us in terrible directions. One sees "Christian" white supremacists and "Muslim" jihadists violating the most basic standards of human decency because they have let their urge to faith be turned in truly bizarre directions.
So to condemn "organized religion" misses the point entirely. There is a powerful drive within each human being to do what is right and to be right with God. When we allow this drive to become deformed, misdirected, and perverted we see terrible outcomes. The answer to the problem is not to ignore or suppress this aspect of our humanity – witness the result of trying to do that with our sexuality – but to understand and appreciate it in a way that allows it to blossom into the truth, holiness, and beauty that it calls us to.
Chuck
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