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The Alternate Path

Monthly Archives: April 2008

The Fourteenth Paragraph

10 Thursday Apr 2008

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Cherish one desire: “Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Mt 6:10), so that throughout the earth all nations will know God as he is known in heaven; so that on this earth everyone will begin to love one another as in heaven; so that also on this earth there will be the beatitude that there is in heaven. Make the effort to spread this desire. Begin now to bring the happiness of heaven to everyone in this world. (Cardinal Van Thuan, Five Loaves and Two Fish)

Reflection

As Cardinal Van Thuan reminds us; the desire to both know and live by God’s will begins now, not tomorrow, in the encounters and opportunities which I have today. As we strive to live our own lives according to God’s will then the sincerity and honest integrity of this striving will help to ignite desire to know God’s will in the hearts of others. As we tend our own fires of seeking to know God’s will; we help pass on the spark of light to others.

The Thirteenth Paragraph

09 Wednesday Apr 2008

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There is only one thing you must fear: sin. When the court of the Greek emperor held a meeting to discuss the question of how to take revenge on Saint John Chrysostom for his forthright denunciation of the empress, the following plans were suggested:

a) Cast him into prison. “But there he will have the opportunity to pray and suffer for the Lord as he has always desired.”

b) Banishment. “But, for him, everywhere is the Lord’s country.”

c) The death penalty. “But, thus he will be a martyr and he will satisfy his aspirations to go to the Lord. None of these plans will cause him to suffer; on the contrary, he will joyfully accept them.”

d) “There is only one thing of which he hates above all else – sin; but it would be impossible to force him to commit sin!”

Therefore, if your only fear is sin, no one will be stronger than you. (Cardinal Van Thuan, Five Loaves and Two Fish)

Reflection

This fear of sin moves us into the truth of who we are and also moves us into a deeper interaction with others. Thomas Merton, in The Inner Experience: Notes on Contemplation, writes:

Thus the man with the “sacred” view is one who does not need to hate himself, and is never afraid or ashamed to remain with his own loneliness, for in it he is at peace, and through it he can come to the presence of God. More still, he is able to go out from his own loneliness to find God in other men. That is to say, in his dealings with others he has no need to identify them with their sins and condemn them for their actions, for he is able, in them also, to see below the surface and to guess at the presence of the inner and innocent self that is the image of God. Such a man is able to help other men to find God in themselves, educating them in confidence by the respect he is able to feel for them. Thus he is capable of allaying some of their fears and helping them to put up with themselves, until they become interiorly quiet and ‘learn’ to see God in the depths of their own poverty.

This is why the one who fears sin is such a threat to the “world”. As the fear of sin liberates us to encounter our true selves; we unconsciously give other people both permission and witness to do the same.

The Twelth Paragraph

08 Tuesday Apr 2008

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Have one ideal: to turn toward God the Father, a Father who is all love. The whole of our Lord’s life, his every thought and deed, had but one goal: “the world must know that I love the Father, just as the Father has commanded me, that is what I will do” (Jn 14:3), and “I always do what is pleasing to him” (Jn 8:29). (Cardinal Van Thuan, Five Loaves and Two Fish)

Reflection

In a reflection on the psalm passage, “Sing to the Lord a new song; his praise is in the assembly of the saints,” St. Augustine suggests that it is by love that we “sing a new song” to the Lord. God’s love active in each person is a unique manifestation both in the love received and in the love given. The saint further writes, “God offers us a short route to the possession of himself. He cries out: Love me and you will have me for you would be unable to love me if you did not possess me already.” (Office of Readings, Tuesday, Third Week of Easter)

Our ideal is that of the Son toward the Father: to turn toward God the Father in all things, a God who is love.

The Eleventh Paragraph

07 Monday Apr 2008

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Take as your one wisdom the science of the cross (cf. 1 Cor. 2:2). Look to the cross and you will find the solution to all the problems that assail you. If the cross is your criterion for making choices and decisions, you will be at peace. (Cardinal Van Thuan, Five Loaves and Two Fish)

Reflection

To live by the “criterion” of the cross means to make the choice to love in all situations; heedless of the shame and heedless of any hoped for outcomes. To apply this criterion to all situations is a very demanding discipline but it is a path to true peace and to true hope.

The Tenth Paragraph

04 Friday Apr 2008

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Cultivate a special love for Mary. Saint John Mary Vianney used to confide: “After Jesus, my first love is Mary.” If you listen to Mary you will not lose your way. Whatever you undertake in her name will not fail. Honor her and you will gain eternal life. (Cardinal Van Thuan, Five Loaves and Two Fish)

Reflection

Mary points to Christ not simply as an ideal or a symbol or a model disciple (although she is this and also the first) but in truth as a person and as a mother. One of the greatest joys of the Christian life is found in encountering Mary and coming to have a relationship with her. Mary will speak to our hearts if we are willing to listen, she will help guide us along the way and she will protect us with her maternal love. Mary knows Christ uniquely and she is generous is sharing this appreciation of her son. When we encounter Mary we find hope.

The Ninth Paragraph

03 Thursday Apr 2008

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Loyally follow one leader: Jesus Christ and his representatives on earth: the Holy Father and the bishops, successors of the Apostles (cf. Jn. 20:22-23). Live and die for the Church as Christ did. Do not forget, however, that living for the Church entails as much sacrifice as dying for the Church. (Cardinal Van Thuan, Five Loaves and Two Fish)

Reflection

Love alone is that which makes sacrifice possible. The willingness to sacrifice for the Church (if it is to be authentic) must first entail a humble and sincere love for the Church. We must learn to recognize and cherish in our hearts the presence of Christ in the very human face of the Church.

Here, Mary is our model. When the young Jesus is finally found in the temple by a worried Joseph and Mary and responds, “Why were you looking for me? Do you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” Mary, we are told, ” …kept all these things in her heart.” (Luke 1:49-51) It is through hearts moved by compassion, generosity and gentleness that we learn to recognize and cherish the presence of Christ in the Church.

The Eighth Paragraph

02 Wednesday Apr 2008

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Observe one rule: the Gospel. This “constitution” is superior to all others. It is the constitution that Jesus left his apostles (cf. Mt. 4:23). It is not difficult, complicated, or legalistic like others. On the contrary, it is dynamic, gentle, and stimulating for your soul. A saint separated from the Gospel is a false saint! (Cardinal Van Thuan, Five Loaves and Two Fish)

Reflection

When we enter into the Gospel we encounter not a set of principles but a person – Jesus the Christ, the one who once was dead but now lives. To hold to the Gospel in its entirety is to encounter the living Christ. Every day some time needs to be spent with the Gospel, every day we need this encounter with Christ.

The Seventh Paragraph

01 Tuesday Apr 2008

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Hold firmly to one guiding principle: prayer. No one is stronger than the person who prays because the Lord has promised to grant anything to those who pray. When you are united in prayer the Lord is present among you (cf. Mt. 18:20). I recommend this to you with all my heart: in addition to times of communal prayer, withdraw every day for an hour, or even better for two if you can, for personal prayer. I assure you that it will not be wasted time! In my experience over all these years, I have seen confirmed the words of Saint Teresa of Avila: “Whoever does not pray does not need the devil to lead him off the path: he will throw himself into hell.” (Cardinal Van Thuan, Five Loaves and Two Fish)

Reflection

Where there is prayer there is depth and “thickness” given to life, time and community. Prayer connects the individual to God, who is the font of all life and the true wellspring of all creativity. Prayer frees one from the tyranny of the clock which seeks to reduce all time to measurable segments of productivity. Prayer moves one beyond gatherings of like-minded individuals to true community where oneness of mind, heart and soul can be found.
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