In the time of Jesus, as there are now, there were faith-healers and people who claimed to have power over demons who could be hired and, for the right amount of money, would pretend to heal someone or cast out demons. These people were charlatans, but people would pay the money in a desperate attempt to bring healing to a loved one. These supposed “healers” took advantage of people in their suffering and what they offered was not real faith but rather magic – the illusion of healing that was not real.
Our Lord knew of these faith-healers and how they operated. He also saw how they took advantage of people. The Canaanite woman also knew of these faith-healers and the promises they made. It is possible that she had already paid faith-healers in attempts to bring healing to her daughter but all to no success.
This context helps to explain this interaction of Jesus with the Canaanite woman.
This woman, who has heard of the man Jesus and who initially sees him as just another faith-healer, calls out on behalf of her daughter and, more than likely, she is willing to pay the cost that Jesus will demand. The disciples, as observant Jews could not abide faith-healers, they know that Jesus was not a faith-healer and they do not want to be associated with faith-healers so they ask Jesus to send the woman away because she, “keeps calling after us”.
Jesus knows that he is not a charlatan and he knows that this woman is looking to hire him and that she wants a magical healing for her daughter and so he says, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Jesus has a mission from the Father and he is not for hire for magical healings.
But then something happens. The scripture says that the woman, “came to Jesus and did him homage”. The word “homage” is important here. “Homage” implies faith, it implies kneeling in wonder and need before the divine mystery. The woman does not come to Jesus to offer what she will pay him as one would when bargaining with a faith-healer, rather she gives him not money but “homage”.
What changed for the woman? Was it her desperation for her daughter, was it an intuition in her soul that something was different about this man named Jesus, was it the movement of the Holy Spirit in the woman’s heart? Something changed and Jesus sees it.
Jesus then tests it to make certain. “It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs.” Now, in this new moment, the woman responds, “Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters.” The woman shows her faith.
Satisfied and probably with an abundance of joy in his divine heart, Jesus answers, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish!”
Jesus is not a faith-healer for hire. Jesus does not deal in the illusion of magic. Jesus comes looking for faith in our hearts and it is in faith that our Lord meets us and brings the healing that only he can give.
Magic is an illusion. Faith is real and it is only in faith that Jesus encounters us.
The statue of the Madonna and Child is from my home growing up. It belonged to my parents and sat in our living room on a table that served, for all intents and purposes although we never named it, as our home altar. On the table was found this statue, our family Bible, various little statues and holy cards and baptismal candles. Every day growing up I would see this statue – usually just passing by on my way to whatever I was up to but the statue was always there and remains with me to this day.
I have always appreciated the tenderness expressed by the statue. Mary cradles her infant son and holds him close to her breast. Her head leans in towards him and his towards her. There is a familiarity and an intimacy and she presents her child to the world. Here is the Son of God born of a humble woman in a small part of vast empire. He will save us from our sins,
The holy card is from the Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere in Rome. The basilica is one of the oldest churches in Rome and the first to be dedicated to Mary. The card depicts an image from the mosaic of the Dormition of Mary. The dormition of Mary is the Eastern Church’s celebration of the great mystery of the Virgin Mary being taken body and soul into the fullness of the Kingdom of God. In the West, we focus on the Assumption of Mary and our images depict that. In the Eastern Church the focus is on the Dormition – or Mary’s falling asleep to then be taken up into the Kingdom – and their images depict this. It is the same mystery we celebrate. Immaculate Mary, mother of the Incarnate Word, is brought into the fullness of God’s Kingdom. Where she has been brought, we have the hope to also follow.
In the icon of the Dormition of Mary it is common to see Mary asleep in her passing surrounded by the twelve apostles and in the icon is also represented the risen Christ tenderly holding the soul of his mother. The iconographic tradition is to depict the soul – an immaterial reality – as a person wrapped almost like a child in swaddling clothes. The son holds the mother in anticipation of uniting soul and body in the glory of the resurrection.
There is a tenderness here too. The Son, in love, holds the mother again in an expression of familiarity and intimacy. Mary is wrapped in white which is an expression of the glory of the resurrection where all sin, death and darkness is overcome! Christ holds Mary out also as a sign of hope for all the world. Mary is the first to be brought into the glory of Christ’s resurrection. A hope that every Christian now carries through baptism.
One truth of these images and of today’s Feast of the Assumption is the tenderness of God as well as the value of tenderness in the Christian life. God welcomed the tender love of a humble woman and, in return, Christ tenderly welcomes his mother home.
We often underrate the importance of tenderness in life, I believe. But tenderness, as depicted, stands at the heart of the relation of Christ to his mother and, it seems, also at the heart of our Lord’s relationship to every believer. We have a tender God, a tender Savior. This is important because tenderness gives birth to hope and hope produces perseverance. We all need tenderness on the journey of faith. Tenderness keeps us moving forward toward the fullness of the Kingdom of God that awaits us and that also beckons us.
Two images – a statue and a holy card – showing the truth of tenderness and giving a hope that endures.
Holy Mary, tender mother of our Savior, pray for us!
“Peter walking on the Water” by Lester Yokum. Image may be subject to copyright.
My friends, there is a simple truth found in today’s gospel that is worthy of our reflection.
We are told that the disciples are in the boat in the middle of the night and are being tossed about by the waves of the sea. The disciples are caught in fear and dread. Our Lord comes towards them walking on the water. Jesus calls to them and tells them to not be afraid and in response Peter cries, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.”
“Command me.”
Peter does not say, “Lord, calm the sea.”. Peter does not say, “Lord, take away this storm.” Nor does Peter remain in the little safety of the boat, waiting for the Lord to arrive. Peter says, “command me to come to you on the water.” Peter (in his cry to the Lord, in his prayer) is asking for the grace to look beyond the crashing waves, to move beyond the limits of his own fear and to have the faith to walk towards Jesus on the water.
This is the truth – there will be storms in life, there will be struggles and pain and doubt. We will know fear and uncertainty. The waves of life can be strong, high and crushing and it might even seem like everything is going to be lost. The temptation in such moments is to pray to God to take away the storm, to calm the waters and to right whatever is the wrong that we are facing. But is that the right prayer?
The prayer that Peter made was not to take away the storm but to have the faith to walk through the storm, the faith to keep his eyes on Jesus even in the midst of the storm. The gospel gives no indication that the sea calmed while Peter walked on the water. The waves still crashed but Peter did walk on the water and when his faith faltered, Jesus was there to lift him up and save him.
My friends, the right prayer may not always be “Lord, take this storm away. Take away this struggle. Take away my fear.” The right prayer may be, “Lord, give me the faith to walk through this storm trusting that you walk with me and that you are with me to protect me.”
“Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.”
This week the world has given us the tale of two crowds for our consideration.
The first crowd was a group of a few thousand people brought together at Union Square in Manhattan on Friday afternoon by the internet streamer and influencer Kai Cetan. The people came for a hyped giveaway hoping for free PlayStations, computers and other devices. The crowd quickly turned unruly – climbing on vehicles, hurling chairs and throwing punches. The police were called in and only after a number of hours were they able to disperse the crowd and bring calm back to the area. Kai Cetan is now charged with inciting a riot.
The second gathering is going on right now in Lisbon, Portugal. Over four hundred thousand young people representing every nation in the world except one (Maldives) are gathering these days for World Youth Day. These young adults are gathering with Pope Francis, cardinals, bishops, priests and religious from around the world. Rather than unrest and rioting; this gathering is marked by prayer, song, service to others and worship.
The two crowds are certainly set apart by their actions but also by what brings them together and their focus.
A craving for material things and the need to be near the pseudo-celebrity of a social media influencer brought the first crowd together. My hunch is that people saw the crowd gathered while realizing the limited number of items to be given away with the result being that the energy of the excitement of getting something for free quickly turning into a riot. Hence the charge of “inciting a riot”. In this crowd, people saw one another solely as competition for something they wanted.
The focus of World Youth Day is not for a “thing” nor for the hollow fame of an influencer, the focus of the gathering of four hundred thousand in Lisbon is on the Lord of Life and an authentic encounter with Him. In this gathering, the participants recognize one another not as competitors for things but as brothers and sisters in the great family of God – a family which crosses all borders, nationalities, languages and social divisions. The participants at World Youth Day are gathered in Christ.
Today’s Feast of the Transfiguration focuses our eyes on Christ. Jesus is revealed as the long-awaited Messiah as prophesied by Daniel (Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14) and witnessed to by the presence of Moses and Elijah gathered with Jesus on the mountain (Mt. 17:1-9). The voice of the Father is heard by Peter, James and John and the same truth is proclaimed to us today, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.”
Listen to Jesus. Stay focused on Jesus throughout the journey of life. Do not seek after things that do not last and that fail to satisfy. Such things only end in ruin and hurt. Stay focused on the Lord of Life and, by so doing, receive life in abundance.
The world has put before us the tale of two crowds this week. In one is found only self-centeredness and rioting. In the other is found true community, life, hope and joy. Choose wisely.
“This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.”
What book are you currently reading? I am reading Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer, which I am thoroughly enjoying. Robin Wall Kimmerer is a botanist, poet and member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. In her writing she synthesizes and balances her scientific inquiry and indigenous heritage and insight in a writing style that is very engaging.
Early on in her book, the author reflects on the term, “Indian giver” and demonstrates how this term developed out of a, “cross-cultural misinterpretation between an Indigenous culture operating in a gift economy and a colonial culture predicated on the concept of private property.”
When gifts were given to the settlers by the Native inhabitants, the recipientsunderstood that they were valuable and were intended to be retained. Giving themaway would have been an affront. But the Indigenous people understood the valueof the gift to be based on reciprocity and would be affronted if the gifts did notcirculate back to them. Many of our ancient teachings counsel that whatever wehave been given is supposed to be given away again.
From the viewpoint of a private property economy, the “gift” is deemed tobe “free” because we obtain it free of charge, at no cost. But in the gift economy,gifts are not free. The essence of the gift is that it creates a set of relationships.The currency of the gift economy is, at its root, reciprocity. In Western thinking,private land is understood to be a “bundle of rights,” whereas in a gift economyproperty has a “bundle of responsibilities” attached.
I believe that God approaches us in terms of “gift economy”. We have been given the gift of salvation in Christ, but this gift does not free us to do whatever we want; the gift is not “free” in the distinction that Kimmerer makes, the gift draws us directly into relationships and responsibilities towards all of our brothers and sisters, towards the truth of who we are, towards creation and towards God.
In the images that our Lord gives us about the Kingdom of heaven in today’s gospel (Mt. 13: 44-46) there is an important truth given – the man sells all he has and buys the field containing the buried treasure, the merchant sells all he has and buys the “pearl of great price”. They make the choice to freely and fully set their lives by the gift that they have been given, that they have found. They allow the gift to direct and focus their lives.
This is part and parcel of what it means to receive the gift of the Kingdom of God. The gift of the Kingdom of God is not “free”. The gift, by its very nature, moves us into reciprocity and relationship and, in this, we find the fullness of life.
I recently heard these words offered at a symposium on the priesthood and they ring true – not just in the life of the priest but in all of what it means to be Christian and to be Church.
If there is a “theme” in my own spiritual journey over the past few years it is that of a growing awareness of the Holy Spirit and relationship with the Holy Spirit – trust in the Spirit, awareness of the Spirit, crying out to the Holy Spirit, delight in the Holy Spirit, fear of wounding my relationship with the Holy Spirit, awe and wonder at the movement of the Holy Spirit, learning to rejoice in that which the Spirit rejoices in and allowing the Holy Spirit to lead me into truth.
I love the Holy Spirit.
The days between Ascension and Pentecost are a privileged time to receive the Holy Spirit as a welcome guest in our hearts. The words, “welcome guest,” are key here I believe. The Holy Spirit is not an automatic in the life of the Christian and should never be thought of in such a manner. Nor is the Spirit passive. The Holy Spirit chooses and is active. Although the Holy Spirit can and does work through very limited means (I use myself in my priesthood as an example here), the Spirit chooses how to move, where to move and where to abide and in what degree of fullness. The Holy Spirit will not abide in fullness with neither sin nor duplicity.
In grace we must always strive to make of our hearts a worthy place to receive this “welcome guest”. How so? Striving to keep our will and actions sincere, honest, pure and humble. Remaining focused on Christ as Lord and Savior and showing reverence to the image and likeness of God found in every person.
A sure way to experience the withdrawal of the Holy Spirit is to try to use another person in any way, shape or form. This was an abiding sin of the rich man in the parable that our Lord gave us of the rich man and the poor beggar Lazarus. Even in the torment of afterlife; the unnamed rich man, rather than rejoicing in seeing the poor beggar Lazarus resting now in the bosom of Abraham, wanted to use the very one whom he had ignored and stepped over during his life to be sent on an errand for him to warn his brothers. The rich man is denied. One wonders what would have happened if the rich man had rather said, “I rejoice in seeing Lazarus, whom I now recognize as a brother and who knew such pain in life, now resting in the peace of God’s love.” Some scholars suggest that the sin of Judas (who believed Jesus was the Messiah but who felt Jesus wasn’t acting swift or sure enough in his view) was to try to force the hand of Jesus to show his messiahship, in other words – use him, by handing him over to the authorities. In John’s account of the Last Supper, we are told that Satan enters into the heart of Judas and that he departs into the darkness of night. To use another while neither respecting nor reverencing the image of God in which that person is made is a sin that God will not abide.
In all things, we must continually strive, by avoiding that which grieves the Holy Spirit and doing that which pleases the Holy Spirit, to make of our hearts truly a place of welcome for this most honored of guests!
I want to end this post by sharing a reflection by Cardinal Cantalamessa given in his book, “The Holy Spirit in the Life of Jesus’. The quote is long but I share it because these words helped to enliven my heart to a deeper awareness of the Holy Spirit. Cardinal Cantalamessa writes,
But an unbidden question springs to mind: why the long interval between the moments when Jesus received his anointing in the Jordan and when, on the cross and at Pentecost, the outpouring of the Spirit occurred? And why does St. John the Evangelist say that the Holy Spirit could not be given while Jesus “had not yet been glorified”? St. Irenaeus gives the answer: the Holy Spirit had first to become accustomed to dwelling among human beings; he had, so to speak, to be humanized and historicized in Jesus, so as to be able, one day, to sanctify all human beings from within their human condition while respecting the times and modes of human behavior and suffering. “The Holy Spirit,” he writes, “descended upon the Son of God, made the Son of man, becoming accustomed (adsuescens) in him to dwell and rest among the human race, so as to be able to work the Father’s willin them and renew them from their old habitsinto the newness of Christ.” Through Jesus, the Spirit is able to make grace “take root” in human nature; in Jesus who has not sinned, the Spirit can “come down and remain” (John 1:33), and get used to staying among us, unlike in the Old Testament where his presence in the world was only occasional. In a sense, the Holy Spirit becomes incarnate in Jesus of Nazareth, even if in the case of “becomes incarnate” means something different, i.e., “comes to dwell in a physical body.” “Between us and the Spirit of God,” writes Cabasilas, “there was a double wall of separation: that of nature and that of the will corrupted by evil; the former was taken away by the Savior with his incarnation (and, we may add, with his anointing) and the latter with his crucifixion, since the cross destroyed sin. Both obstacles being removed, nothing further can now impede the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on all flesh.”
The same author explains how the wall of separation constituted by nature, that is, by the fact that God is “spirit” and we are “flesh,” came to be removed. The Savior’s human nature, he says, was like an alabaster vessel which in one way contained the fullness of the Spirit, but in another way prevented this perfume from spreading abroad. Only if, by some miracle, the alabaster vessel were itself transformed into perfume would the perfume inside no longer be separated from the outside air and no longer stay shut up in the only vessel to contain it. Now, this was exactly what took place during Jesus’ life on earth: the alabaster vessel, which was the pure human nature of the Savior, was itself changed into perfume; in other words, by virtue of his full and total assent to the Father’s will, the flesh of Christ gradually became spiritualized, until at the resurrection it became “a spiritual body” (1 Cor. 15:44), the “Christ according to the Spirit” (cf. Rom. 1:4). The cross was the moment when the last barrier fell; the alabaster vessel was then shattered, as at the anointing at Bethany, and the Spirit poured out, filling, “the whole house,” that is to say the entire Church, with perfume. The Holy Spirit is the trail of perfume Jesus left behind when he walked the earth! The martyr St. Ignatius of Antioch admirably combines the two moments we have been considering – that of the anointing and that of the outpouring of the Spirit – where he writes: “The Lord received a perfumed (myron) ointment on his head, so that he could breathe incorruptibility on the Church.”
There are a few things going on in today’s gospel (Mt. 5:17-37) that are worthy of reflecting upon.
The first is that Jesus wants us to take sin seriously. There is sin, sin offends God and sin wounds the one who sins. This last part is often lost in our world today. We act as if sin has no real effect on us but that is not true. Sin wounds the sinner – it weakens our will, it dulls our awareness of the truth that God intends and it hardens us to the Holy Spirit and to all that the Spirit can give us. The Spirit will not abide where sin is. So, Jesus wants us to be attentive to sin – both the outward act of sin but also how the temptation to sin is rooted within our weak nature. The quicker we learn to recognize the movement of sin within; the quicker we can cut it off at the root.
Jesus also wants us to take the work of holiness seriously. In his reflection on Psalm 119, St. Augustine writes about learning the commandments of God both in thought and in practice. Augustine writes, “(The one who wrote the psalm) adds, therefore, ‘Blessed are you, O Lord: teach me your ways of justice.’ He prays, ‘Teach me’: let me learn them as people who carry them out learn them, not as those who simply memorize them in order to have something to say.” True and authentic knowledge of God’s commandments can only be gained by striving to live the commandments. Jesus wants us to have a lived knowledge of God’s law and this knowledge can only be gained at that place where God’s grace and our will meet and we make the choice to live God’s commandment. So, be attentive to what is going on within and there make the choice for holiness. …let me learn them as people who carry them out learn them…
Finally, take God’s mercy seriously. I have learned a few things after twenty-seven years of hearing confessions and one is that we can make an idol of anything, including our sins. God will not abide idolatry in any form and there is a real temptation to put our sins and the sense of unworthiness and guilt that spring from them even before God. It seems we can put more faith in our sins than in God’s mercy. This is idolatry and it is wrong. There is nothing that God will not forgive. There is nothing greater than God’s mercy. To think our sins outweigh God’s mercy is like thinking a pebble outweighs Mount Everest. Take God’s mercy seriously.
Jesus wants us to be serious about the life of discipleship, not in a gloomy and dour way but knowing here – being attentive about sin, doing the work of holiness and taking God’s mercy seriously – is where true joy and true life is to be found.
… let me learn your commandments God as people who carry them out learn them …
(Part of this reflection is recycled from a post written in February of 2011.)
In the first chapter of the Gospel of Luke, we hear that the infant John leapt in the womb of his mother Elizabeth on the approach of the infant Jesus carried in the womb of his mother, the Virgin Mary. Today, in the first chapter of the Gospel of John, when the adult John sees Jesus coming towards him, he leaps in his very proclamation that Jesus is the Lamb of God – the one sent to take away the sins of the world!
It is easy to imagine that the scene contained just John and Jesus but Scripture tells us otherwise. Many people, we are told, were going out to see John – this man who was proclaiming that the Kingdom of God was at hand and that the Messiah was coming. Many people were heeding the message of John to repent of their sins and to be baptized in preparation for the Messiah’s coming. And it is in the very midst of this crowd of people who were aware of their sins and wanting to repent that Jesus appears on the riverbank of Jordan.
This had to have been disconcerting for John who was proclaiming a Messiah who would baptize not with water but rather fire and the Holy Spirit – the appearance of a humble messiah willing to be in the midst of sinners. But the Holy Spirit who came upon Jesus during his baptism in the Jordan also enlightens the understanding of John that the true Messiah and King of Israel would not accomplish God’s will by the power of this world but by being the humble Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. God will bring about his Kingdom by His fire and His Holy Spirit and in His way. John was gifted to be led into this understanding just as our Lord began his public ministry.
And John points him out. Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world … Now I have seen and testified that he is the Son of God. The proclamation of John is the mission of the Church. The Church is to do what John did – point Jesus out and say, “He is the Savior! Yes, humble. Yes, ever willing to be in the midst of sinners, but he alone is the Savior.” At every Mass we repeat the words of John when the priest holds up the Eucharist and proclaims, “Behold the Lamb of God, behold him who takes away the sins of the world!” By saying these words, we also remind ourselves who we are to be as Church.
Pope Francis wisely reminds us in many of his writings that the Church must never proclaim herself but rather always proclaim Christ. That the Church must never bring herself but rather always bring Christ – because it is Christ alone who frees people from their sins. It is Jesus who is the Lamb of God and we, as Church, proclaim him to the world!
Today, in a special way, we pray for the repose of the soul of Pope Benedict XVI. Pope Benedict was a man who knew the same truth that John knew and who lived his life and found his fullest calling in pointing to Jesus, the Lamb of God, and calling people to the truth of Christ.
I think it also worthwhile today to pray for the repose of the soul of Monsignor Bill Gahagan – a former pastor of St. Dominic Church and beloved priest of our diocese. People who knew Monsignor Gahagan know that he was a man caught up in the love of God and a man who easily found his Lord present in the midst of his people. Monsignor Bill would count himself blessed to be in the midst of the crowd along the bank of the river Jordan standing beside his Lord and Savior.
For people of faith there is sorrow in the death of a loved one but there is also a deep joy knowing that the dearly departed now fully beholds the face of their Lord.
May these men and all the faithful departed rest in peace.
I am not a Marxist. (How is that for an opening line?) But I do believe that Marx was right about one thing – the economy matters. Neither our individual lives nor the life of society occur within a vacuum. There are many factors which influence and even shape us and the economy is one of the major influencers. Economy carries both positive and negative influence in our lives and it is both critical and helpful to acknowledge this.
Today’s feast – the Feast of the Holy Family – naturally leads us into a reflection on what it means to be family. As Church we proclaim the importance of family and how family is the foundation of society. As Church we strive to build up, support and strengthen families in their particular vocation and witness to our world. This is all true and good, but in order to truly fulfill these goals we also have to be willing to acknowledge and be aware of the context of our times in which families find themselves. Part of this context is economy and its influence.
A number of years ago I came across the book, “Following Christ in a Consumer Society” by John Kavanaugh S.J. Writing the first edition of the book in 1981, Kavanaugh was quite prescient in his awareness and understanding of how the economy was having and would have ongoing impact on our lives, including the life of the family. Here is a quote from the book:
When people, at least on a per capita basis, have most of their needs fulfilled, how are you going to get them to continually want and buy more? Is it possible that it would be more financially rewarding if people were conditioned to be dissatisfied cravers rather than appreciators of the earth? Does one buy more if one appreciates and relishes things, or if one is continually dissatisfied and distressed and craving? Is it profitable that dissatisfaction be induced into the life-consciousness of a people? Will the stimulation of anxiety and tension (closely associated with the experience of need) be economically desirable? Will persons buy and consume more if they have been taught to be unhappy, to be distressed, to be unsure about personal identity, sexuality, and relationships?
Another way of putting this problem of the commodity formation of self-consciousness is to suggest what kinds of behavior are not “good new for business.” Let us suppose that you are a married person with children. If you are relatively happy with your life, if you enjoy spending time with your children, playing with them and talking with them; if you like nature, if you enjoy sitting in your yard or on your front steps, if your sexual life is relatively happy, if you have a peaceful sense of who you are and are stabilized in your relationships, if you like to pray in solitude, if you just like talking to people, visiting them, spending time in conversation with them, if you enjoy living simply, if you sense no need to compete with your friends or neighbors – what good are you economically in terms of our system? You haven’t spent a nickel yet.
This is the context in which families find themselves – the very air they breathe – as they strive to be all that family entails.
Both of my parents were life-long smokers (a factor that was a contributing cause in both of their deaths). It was only when I got to college seminary that I realized it was possible to live in an environment that did not have the continual haze of cigarette smoke. I also soon realized the health benefits of living in an environment free of second-hand smoke. Our society has also learned these benefits and promotes these benefits through a variety of laws and ordinances prohibiting second-hand smoke.
To promote family while not acknowledging the influences which weigh upon family is like trying to encourage people in maintaining a healthy lifestyle in a smoke-filled room. Life does not occur within a vacuum. Context matters and economy (positive and negative) is part of this context. Economy influences.
Ours is not the first generation to be influenced by economy. Economy (in all of its different forms and developments) has been an influence since day one. The Holy Family lived with the influence of economy, the families of medieval serfs lived with the influence of economy, modern day men and women live with this influence. What is unique, I think, about our time though is the depth of influence and continual presence and impact the economy has in our lives through our cell phones, social media in all of its forms and the internet. It is unrelenting and is now moving into the virtual and trying to take us with it.
What can Church and family do within this smoke-filled room? Here are some initial thoughts. First acknowledge that there is smoke. Economy is an influencer and not all of the influence is good. We need to be honest about this. Second, always proclaim and uphold the dignity of the human person and demand that this dignity be respected in all contexts, especially in those of economy. Third, individually, begin to open some doors and windows in your life to both clear the smoke and let fresh air in. How? Do the things Kavanaugh lists in the second paragraph quoted above: go for a hike (one of my favorites), enjoy time with your kids and talking with other people, pray, live simply, put the cell phone away every now and then. Strive to be an appreciator of the goods of the earth. Do the things where you don’t have to spend a nickel and enjoy it.
The fact that God chose to be born and then grow up within the context of human family has much to teach us. St. Paul VI encouraged us to always be willing to go to the “school of Nazareth” and learn from the Holy Family in their love for and interaction with one another. It is interesting to note that the origin of the word “economy” is rooted in Greek meaning, “the management of a household or home”. The Holy Family can help us learn how to truly navigate all of the contexts and influences in which we find ourselves while remaining family – rooted in and formed by that greater economy of salvation found and known through Christ our Lord.
It is a small entrance into the world for God – the Creator and Ruler of all – yet that is how God chose to come to us. Luke highlights this small entry of God in his gospel by placing it in the context and movement of the time. The emperor Augustus had commanded a census of the whole world – nations and peoples were on the move – and in the midst of all of that movement of humanity was one couple (the young wife expecting her child) on the edge of the large empire who had to leave the space of home, family and friends and enter the much smaller space of being strangers in an unknown place. All that they could find for shelter was a manger – not even a room in the Inn. It was within this smallest of spaces that God chose to enter into the world and creation.
“Is God so mighty that he can make himself small? Is God so mighty the he can love us and really enter into our lives?” Pope Benedict XVI asked these questions in a reflection on St. Nicholas found in the small book, “Seek That Which is Above”. Can God enter into our smallness? The answer is “yes”. The answer was given by the birth of Christ – a helpless infant born in a small stable, unnoticed by the powers of the world and first witnessed by a few shepherds. Love that is true cannot remain distant. Love has to draw near and for God to draw near to us then God has to become small and vulnerable. The smallness of the manger reveals God’s power.
But the manger does not just reflect on God – the manger, the incarnation, also reflects on us. The Church, from our earliest days, has understood this. “For if God is too far away from us to love us effectively, then human love in only an empty promise. If God cannot love, then how can man be expected to do so?” (Pope Benedict XVI, “Seek That Which is Above”). The manger teaches us that God can and does love, where love is to be found, how we can love in turn and, by so doing, how we can be truly human ourselves.
Love – most authentically, most purely – if found and given in the small, isn’t it?
The warmth of a smile, the laughter of friends, the comfort of a hug, the help of a stranger, the kiss of a beloved, the tiny grasp of a newborn’s hand…
Love is found, love is given in the small. And it is in the small – where love is given – that time and eternity touch. Is God so mighty that he can make himself small? Is God so mighty that he can love us, even in our smallness? The smallness of the manger says “yes” and the answer given reflects both on us and on God.
During these days of Christmas, the infant Christ looks on us with a singular question in his eyes, “Can you come to the manger? Are you strong enough to set aside the ego, the pride, the resentments, any sense of superiority, the hurt and the fear often carried in life that hinders and weighs down in order to enter the small and to love, just simply love and be loved? If you can you will find life and healing, because there in the small,” says the infant Christ, “you will find me.”
It is in the smallness of the manger that God’s power is revealed and that we learn to live full and true human lives. You could say that we also are born in the smallness of the manger … if we are willing to go there.
It is a small entrance into the world for God – born a helpless infant and laid in a manger. God dwells in the small where love is found.
The Alternate Path 