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Monthly Archives: January 2016

The witness of Eli: Mentoring Young People

24 Sunday Jan 2016

Posted by mcummins2172 in Uncategorized, young people

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Eli and Samuel, faith, mentoring, Young Adult Ministry, younger generation and faith, Youth Ministry

hannah taking samuel to eli  222On January 31st, the Church will celebrate the Feast of St. John Bosco – a man who devoted his life to helping young people.  One of the greatest blessings of our Christian faith is the witness of men and women throughout history who let go of their own needs and worked tirelessly for the good of youth and those generations who were to come after them. The witness of these men and women should call us, as the Church, into a reflection on how best to minister to youth and young adults, especially in a time and culture that is “youth obsessed”.  We can readily see how this obsession plays itself out in all areas of society – the entertainment and news media industry, politics, sports, education, relationships – just to name a few.  A fair question is how might this “obsession with youth” bleed into and perhaps even negatively influence the Church’s own ministry to youth and young adults just as they are seeking to claim their own Christian faith and discipleship and how might we best avoid the danger of this obsession?

For full disclosure, I will begin by stating that one of the core convictions I gained in my ministry with youth and young adults is that young people do not benefit from older people trying to act or pretend young; rather young people benefit when their elders remember their own age and are authentic to who they, themselves, are.

To use an image from Scripture: in our world today, young Samuels need the guidance of older and wiser Elis.  For any person ministering to young people, 1 Samuel 2-3 is an important and essential point of reference.  There is much insight to be gained in continually returning to these chapters. Eli is one of the unsung heroes of Scripture.  For our purposes here, we will make use of the famous encounter between the young Samuel and the elder Eli as a way to explore some thoughts.

In the second chapter of 1 Samuel we are told that the Lord had withdrawn his favor from the house of the priest Eli due to the corrupt actions of his two sons, Hophni and Phinehas.  Yet the young Samuel “continued to grow both in stature and favor with the Lord and with men.” (1 Samuel 2:26)  In the third chapter we find the well-known scene of the young Samuel hearing the voice of the Lord, mistaking it for the voice of the old priest and going each time to the sleeping Eli until finally Eli catches on to what is happening and instructs the young man in how to respond.

Our focus here is more on Eli than Samuel.  There are four things that Eli does and personifies which are worthy of reflection and emulation.

  1. Eli has a relationship with the young Samuel while not pretending to be Samuel’s peer.
  2. Eli was a man of prayer who was able to eventually recognize what was occurring and then give good instruction to the young man.
  3. Eli put what was in Samuel’s best interest before his own.
  4. Eli trusted in God.

The fact that the young Samuel is comfortable in seeking out the elder Eli each time he hears the voice of the Lord testifies to an established relationship of trust between the two persons yet nowhere is there expressed any confusion between their differing roles.  Eli knows who he is and therefore he is comfortable in his own skin and he has no need to pretend to be something that he is not.  An approach to Christian faith and ministry that needs to abandon itself and our Christian heritage in order to chase after the world in the hopes of relevancy lacks maturity and therefore any real depth of insight to offer a young person who is searching.  It might be flashy in the moment but beyond that there is just really not that much there.

What enabled Eli to be comfortable in his own skin and act out of his own authenticity was that he was a man of prayer.  Like any true discipline, the fruit of prayer is only born after the establishment of a hard-fought for habit and practice.  Let’s be honest, the discipline of prayer is not easy. That which enabled Eli to finally recognize what was occurring with the young Samuel was a lifetime spent devoted to the often daily and mundane work of prayer.  An approach to Christian faith and prayer which seeks to manufacture “spiritual highs” at all times rather than developing the daily discipline of prayer is more about feeding addiction than honest Christian spirituality.  Such an approach is in fact a disservice.  The life of Christian faith grows gradually, often unnoticed and through daily habit.

Not only did Eli know what the Lord’s call meant for the young Samuel; he also knew what it meant for him and his family.  Frankly, God’s calling of Samuel meant the end of the road for Eli and his own sons.  It would not be out of place to believe that this recognition must have crossed Eli’s mind along with the temptation to intentionally misguide the youth in an attempt to watch out for his own sons.  Yet, Eli did no such thing.  Eli put Samuel’s best interest before his own and even that of his sons.  This will forever be in Eli’s favor.  To let go of self for the good of another person takes a mature and wise heart. Wisdom is sorely lacking in our world today and one way that this can sadly be seen is when members of an older generation cannot let go of their own interests, needs and particular viewpoints in deference to what is in the best interest of the younger generation.  When we let go of our own needs to help those who come after us then we make a choice for hope and a choice for the future.

I believe that one of the many contributing factors behind younger generations no longer defining themselves as religious is their own experience of their elders’ inability to put the needs of others before their own – the “elders” in this context being a generation of people who would more readily define themselves as “religious”.  When young people no longer define themselves as religious are they forsaking religion per se or are they reacting against impoverished examples of religion which they have seen?  True maturity is found in not always needing to put oneself first. True maturity is expressed in seeking the good of the other person.  It is this type of maturity that truly aids the next generation, as shown in this encounter between the elder Eli and the young Samuel.

What enables this letting go is a profound trust in God.  Eli had such a trust.  Following upon God’s revelation to Samuel; Eli requests that the young Samuel inform him of all that had been spoken by the Lord, holding nothing back.  Samuel shares all, including the ending of Eli’s house.  Eli responds, “It is the Lord, let him do what seems good to him.” (1 Samuel 3:18)  Eli’s trust in the Lord was perhaps one of his greatest gifts to the young Samuel.  A faith obsessed with pursuing youth and relevancy lacks this depth of trust because it is a depth that can only be achieved by negation and passing through the dark night of the senses.  At this point, everything Eli had been about was negated yet he is able to offer this profound statement of trust in the Lord.  In the end, the most important thing is that God’s will be done.

It does the Church no good to chase after the world.  Yes, we live in the world and there are truly positive things to be gained and we must seek to encounter and dialogue with the times we find ourselves in but it does no good if we are co-opted and lose our own soul in the process.  Eli has much to teach us about helping younger generations find and know God while, at the same time, remaining authentic to who we ourselves are.

The Wedding at Cana: Heart speaks to Heart

16 Saturday Jan 2016

Posted by mcummins2172 in homily, Uncategorized

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disciple, discipleship, faith, Heart speaks to Heart, Wedding at Cana

The-wedding-at-Cana.3There is much worthy of reflecting upon in today’s gospel (Jn. 2:1-11) which gives the account of our Lord’s first public miracle – the turning of water into wine and the wedding in Cana. We can see in the image of the couple running out of wine on their wedding day a symbol of the ending of the Old Covenant and the freshness of the New Covenant beginning with our Lord turning water into wine.  We can see in Mary’s noticing of the wine running short a concern for the young (and probably poor) couple who will soon be greatly embarrassed by not being able to provide for their guests.  The first step of true mercy is noticing needs and not being indifferent toward others in their plight.  This is a good witness Mary gives us during this Year of Mercy.

What I was struck by in praying over this gospel passage was the depth of the relationship (and this word is important) between Jesus and his mother.  Mary does not even need to ask.  She knows her son and even if she does not know fully how everything will play out she knows who he is and why he has come. “They have no wine,” is all that she needs to say.  Our Lord knows what she is implying, “Woman, how does your concern affect me? My hour has not yet come.”  Our Lord acknowledges the truth of Mary’s concern and for a brief instant we are invited into this amazing and profound exchange between the sacred heart of Christ and the immaculate heart of Mary.  Bl. John Henry Cardinal Newman had a phrase regarding the true place and moment of encounter and conversion in life: “Heart speaks to Heart”. “Fill the jars with water,” Mary responds.  Jesus, who is God made man, acquiesces; “Draw some out now and take it to the headwaiter.” The water is turned into wine which nourishes and refreshes!

Heart can only speak to heart in the willingness to enter into relationship. New life (and even miracles) can occur only when we let go of isolation and fear.

When St. Francis began the great spiritual journey of his life he made a simple prayer to God for an “honest faith”. Part of having an “honest faith” is to live a personal relationship with Christ.  We can relate to Christ in a multitude of ways but that does not make them fully honest and therefore life-giving.  I can see Christ as a great human being worthy of admiration or a wise teacher whose lessons are worthy of my attention and learning.  I can see Christ as the authentic human person.  I can see Christ as a means to my personal well-being.  There might be some truth to these viewpoints of Christ but they all fall short both of honest relationship and of who Christ is.

Christ is savior. This is the honest faith of the Christian and it is the most profound relationship any of us can have with Christ.  When we know Christ as savior then we know him as the one who saves us from sin and death and the one who calls us to follow him wholeheartedly.  Christ is savior and this is truth – pure and simple.

Faith can be life giving and even transformative only when it is lived in relationship with Christ. Ideas of Christ might be interesting and even satisfy for a time but it is only relationship with Christ that turns water into wine.  Mary witnesses this for us.  Heart speaks to heart.

We should all learn from St. Francis and pray for an “honest faith” – a faith willing to let heart speak to heart. Our hearts to the heart of our Savior and his sacred heart to our little hearts.

Gifts from my parents: a reflection in faith

06 Wednesday Jan 2016

Posted by mcummins2172 in Uncategorized

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

faith, family, The illative sense

What is it that leads people into the Catholic Church? I recently found myself reflecting on this question as I visited the gravesites of my parents, both of whom were converts.  I do not have a neat, black and white answer and I don’t remember my parents ever giving one either.  It is interesting how parents can remain a mystery to their children.  A mystery that only deepens after the parent dies and the children are left with jigsaw puzzle memories.

My parents lived their Catholic faith although I think both would admit their struggles. My father was an alcoholic – a disease which he would never overcome that took his life and his marriage.  My mother, for the good of her boys, finally separated from my father but such a disruption is never perfect nor good.  Faith-wise, my family was thrown into limbo for most of my childhood and teenage years.  At best we were twice a year Catholics, lost and confused – reeling from the effects of the modern, shattered family.

IMG_3887My father was brought up in a Presbyterian household although how staunch it was is open for debate. A story I once heard was of an exchange which occurred sometime after my father’s conversion when my two great aunts from Mississippi made a visit to my grandfather and grandmother.  Noticing a little dust on the family Bible one aunt is said to have remarked, “Maybe if that Bible was not dusty, Jack would never have converted.”  A number of years later my own aunt (my father’s sister) would tell these same two great-aunts, “Michael has decided to enter Catholic seminary and we are very proud.”  The southern equivalent of drawing a line in the sand!

My grandfather was a self-made and successful businessman who established a local business and, at some point, acquired a bottling company in Cuba. This was pre-Castro when Cuba was open and, apparently, quite the place to be.  Every now and then my father would share memories of being a young boy visiting Cuba and he would smile when he talked of visiting some Catholic churches and shrines in the country.  Even to the end of his life my father enjoyed spending whole evenings sitting and listening to records of Cuban music.  I cannot help but believe that the lived faith my father witnessed in Cuba as a young man lit a spark that eventually led him to embrace Catholicism.

IMG_3889My mother did not grow up in affluence as my father did. Her childhood was spent in a small town in North Carolina.  Nominally, I believe that she was raised Baptist but it seems that church was not a major factor in her younger years.  She did once tell me that for a while she worked at a local Methodist retreat center frequented by the young (and then single) Billy Graham.  “All the young ladies would swoon over him,” my mom once confided.  She never said if she was one of the ones swooning.  Right out of high school my mother left Brevard to work in book-keeping for a man who owned a number of hotels scattered around the southeast.  Mr. Faw was a good man.  He looked like Colonel Sanders, the founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken, and for the fun of it would sometimes dress like the fast food icon just to see people’s reaction.  Mrs. Faw was of Eastern European descent and she once gave my mother an eighteenth century lithograph of the Virgin Mary holding the infant Jesus.  My mother treasured this gift and today it hangs on my wall.

IMG_3888At one point (prior to marrying my father) my mother was sent to a hotel owned by Mr. Faw in Oak Ridge, TN. At that time it was the only hotel in the city and therefore the temporary residence of visiting scientists from all over the world who came to do work and research in the government-run laboratories.  My mother met a wide variety of people those years and at one point was approached by the FBI to help keep tabs on a visiting couple that the government thought had Russian connections.  For this effort my mother received a signed letter from J. Edgar Hoover thanking her for her service to her country.   One scientist my mother met and became a good friend of was a Franciscan nun from the Northeast.  She taught at a university and had come to Oak Ridge to do some research.  She and my mother remained friends for many years and I do believe that her friendship and that of Mr. and Mrs. Faw were what helped my mother in recognizing the beauty of the Catholic faith which, in turn, enabled her to make the choice to become Catholic.

When I was studying theology I took a class on the thought of Bl. John Henry Cardinal Newman. It was in that class that I first heard the term, “The Illative Sense”.  Fundamentally, the illative sense in regards to faith, is that capacity that the human person has to draw from a multitude of converging and intersecting common human experiences the belief and sure conviction that there is a transcendent dimension to reality and that there is a personal God who seeks encounter with us.  One experience alone is not enough but when the experiences add up we have the ability to connect the dots.  The illative sense is not so much an academic exercise (although that might be an essential component) as it is a fundamental living recognition of experience.  Things just kind of add up and it is in this “adding up” that a person is able to make the step in faith.

2014-06-14_22-38-52_408My father and mother each walked their own journey of life and of faith (like we all do) but through their journeys and their own reflecting on experiences (i.e. use of the illative sense) they both came to belief in God and in the Church. I do not know all the experiences that added up to their each making their choice for faith.  I never will and that is probably for the best.  There are some things rightly left between the soul and God alone.  These are and will remain the missing jigsaw pieces of their own journeys but I must admit that I do take great delight when I hear a story or memory shared that sheds a little more light on the journey each one had.  These insights bring me joy and, I believe, are gifts given to help us who remain to continue our own journeys of life and faith.

The Feast of the Epiphany: following bees and following the star

02 Saturday Jan 2016

Posted by mcummins2172 in Epiphany, Uncategorized

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

belief, Epiphany, faith, homily, hope, Star of Bethlehem

beeSome of the best advice I ever came across regarding homily preparation was in an essay written by Annie Dillard. In the essay Dillard made use of the imagery of following bees as a way of exploring the adventure of writing.  If you want to find a bee hive (and honey) then follow a bee.  If you lose sight of the first bee then wait and when you catch sight of another bee follow it.  By so doing you will eventually be led to the bee hive.  The same is true for writing.  When an idea or thought, no matter how strange or non-sensical it seems at the outset, pops in your head then follow it.  Let the thought lead you even if you do not know exactly where it is going.  It may take you to where you want to go.  If it takes you only so far then stay there and wait for the next thought.

When I begin to pray over the readings I try to pay attention to what “pops” for me. It might be an image or a phrase or a play of words.  Then I try to let that lead me.  It may take me all the way to where I want to go or it may not.  It may take me only so far.  It may take me to another thought (sometimes one which I was not even expecting) or a book I once read, or a movie scene or a song lyric or a memory.  There are many times that I sit down to write out a homily following that first “pop” that I really have no idea where I am ultimately going or I end up in a spot I did not think I would end up at.

Following bees takes patience, trust and faith. Following a star also takes patience, trust and faith.  But certainly there is a difference.  A bee is a small thing, easily overlooked and lost, and the star of Bethlehem must have shown bright for all to see.  The gospel (Mt. 2:1-12) tells us that the magi from the East recognized the star but it seems that all of Jerusalem was oblivious.  Herod, after all, had to ascertain from the magi the time of the star’s appearance.  Apparently, the star had not really made much of an impression upon Jerusalem.  Maybe the star of Bethlehem was not as bright and overpowering as we so often assume from Christmas imagery?  Maybe it takes more faith, more trust and more patience to follow a smaller star than a larger and brighter one?  Yet the magi followed.  They raised their eyes to the heavens and saw the star and they followed.

In the first reading (Is. 60:1-6) we hear the prophet Isaiah admonishing Jerusalem to rise up! Yes, darkness covers the earth and there are thick clouds that envelop the people but the light has come! “Raise your eyes and look about,” proclaims the prophet.  Yes the light has come but for our part we must raise our eyes.  We can almost say that Jerusalem was content to be oblivious and to be oblivious means to keep our eyes down and not even dream of raising them.  To be oblivious means to give in to the darkness of sin and violence and the thick clouds of resignation that tell us that this is just the way things have always been and will always be.

In the Epiphany we are no longer afforded the luxury of remaining oblivious. The light of God has appeared for all nations, for all peoples and for all times!  As Christians we must learn the discipline of the magi.  We must raise our eyes and look about!  We have to learn the faith, the trust and the patience needed to follow the star.  We have to be willing to let our faith lead us even when do not fully know where it is going.  We have to learn to follow even the smallest stars that point us toward God and his Kingdom.  And we have to resist, in every way, the voices of resignation – the thick clouds that can cover the earth and cover our hearts.

As Christians, we celebrate the Epiphany – the light of Christ has dawned for all peoples and nations. As Christians, we must be the Epiphany.  Our very lives must reveal the light of Christ in our world.  We begin to do this by making the choice to raise our eyes, to look about and to follow the star of God’s Kingdom.

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