Every day I try to walk my two dogs, Bailey and Maxine, for a few blocks in our neighborhood.  As I have done this for a while now, I have come to realize that there are some spiritual truths that can be learned from their doggie actions.  Here I would like to mention a few:

1.  “Follow your nose” or, in other words, “Follow your joy”.  The olfactory sense of dogs far surpasses that of humans.  Dogs love to smell things and Bailey and Maxine are no exception to this.  They will stop at every bush, tree, blade of grass and scent of other dogs all along our route.  They will stop, bury in their nose and inhale to a full contentment (tails wagging full force) and if I am pulling on them to continue our walk they will lock down until they have had enough.  Much more so than humans, dogs let their noses lead them and they trust in the guidance of their olfactory sense.  In the spiritual life it is helpful for us to mark and take note of our experiences of joy.  True joy (distinct from happiness which is fleeting by nature) is that deep contentment of soul which cannot be contrived nor manipulated.  It can even be present in times of difficulty and struggle.  Joy witnesses to the presence of God and wherever God is, there will be found fulfillment.  Follow your nose.  Trust the guidance of your sense of joy. 

2.  “Thank God for the yanked leash” or, in other words, “There but for God’s grace go I”.  The other day I was walking Bailey when up ahead of us along the sidewalk I noticed a large cat crouched against a short wall with eyes pinned on my dog.  Bailey – great hunter that he is – was oblivious.  The dog had no clue that this cat was ahead, that it was a cat that, by all looks, meant business and was not going to be chased off by any dog!  This feline was going to stand its ground!  I yanked on Bailey’s leash and made a wide berth around the cat.  Bailey was surprised by the yank and only after we had passed the cat did he notice the feline glaring at him and obstructing our way.  Bailey did not see the cat but I did.  Isn’t it so true in life that we can be heading down the road thinking we know it all and that we are in control; when in fact we are completely oblivious and do not see what awaits us ahead nor what we are getting ourselves into.  But God sees … and sometimes He yanks the leash!  Thank God!  We may grumble at first and be frustrated with the perceived inconvenience at the moment but in hindsight we get the full picture.  There but for God’s grace … thank God for the yanked leash!

3.  “Now.  Here.”  Dogs have no sense of time, at least they don’t mark time as we humans do.  Nor do they seem real concerned about places beyond their immediate location.  For dogs all that matters is now and here.  Pretty simple.  When Moses asked for the name of God the Lord responded with, “I am who am.”  God is just as present now as He is at any other time.  God is just as present here as He is anywhere else.  And, in the end, this is all that really matters.  God is present; we are the ones who, more often than not, are absent.  Now and here – two good spiritual commands.

4.  “Wag your tail at other dogs.”  Bailey is good at this.  Maxine … well, she is still working at it.  The wagged tail is the sign of friendship and respect – the other dog is accepted and welcomed.  The courage to welcome, to show hospitality to, and to respect the other person (even if he or she is different) is an important spiritual discipline which (more than the multiplication of words) witnesses to the true reality of ones spiritual life.  My experience has taught me that the ability to welcome the other who is without grows as the fear within is lessened.  We read in 1 John, “Perfect love casts out all fear.”  Truth be told, Bailey finds it natural to wag his tail because he has been loved since he was a pup.  I have loved him.  Maxine was rescued from a pound and, I think, not loved so much until now … and it is taking time.  But she is making progress.  We walked by two dogs today and she did not even growl once!  I gave her a big hug afterwards!  Wag your tail … and if it is hard to, remember that you are loved by God with a perfect love.          

The opposite of acedia (“despair in weakness” or what we might term “depression”) is not the industrious spirit of the daily effort to make a living, but rather the cheerful affirmation by man of his own existence, of the world as a whole, and of God – of Love, that is, from which arises that special freshness of action, which would never be confused by anyone with any experience with the narrow activity of the “workaholic.”  (Taken from Leisure: The Basis of Culture by Josef Pieper)

I have decided to lead a reading/discussion group on Pieper’s sixty page essay, Leisure: The Basis of Culture this fall semester at the Catholic Center as part of our faith formation opportunities.  This essay, I believe, can change the way one views the world and how one lives life.  In this essay, Pieper offers an important commentary and corrective to trends present in our current cultural climate and a needed voice that our young people, especially, need to hear.

I believe that this essay is also valuable for anyone who is open to discerning God’s call in life.  In fact I highly recommend it.  Of specific importance is Pieper’s distinction (gained from ancient and medieval philosophy) between ratio and intellectus.  Ratio (Pieper points out) is the “power of discursive thought” – it is intellectual work, what we can deduce and arrive at by our own power and effort.  Ratio is important, through the effort of human intellect we have achieved and continue to achieve much but ratio is not the only game in town.  Intellectus is also a form of knowing.  Intellectus “refers to the ability of ‘simply looking’ to which the truth presents itself as a landscape presents itself to the eye.”  Intellectus can be described as, “Listening-in to the being of things.”  The crux of the problem, which Pieper points out, is that in our modern world, for a variety of reasons, we have reduced all forms of knowing to ratio and, in the process, have shuffled intellectus to the fringes if not to out-right disdainment.

Thomas Merton once observed that American society is a society that is neither conducive to nor encouraging of the contemplative life.  I would agree and I would also say that if we are anything we are a nation of engineers – we like to figure things out and we are pretty darn good at it.  But “full knowing” is both ratio and intellectus.  An over-emphasis on either one without the other limits us, limits life and limits society. 

Yes, in discerning God’s movement in ones life there is work to be done (ratio) but, more fundamentally, there is the need of “listening-in to the being of things” (intellectus).  Here it does us well to take a cue from our Lord’s response to Martha’s complaint – while she bustles about – as Mary sits content at his feet (Lk. 10:38-42).  “Martha, Martha you worry and are troubled about many things (an apt description of life lived solely in ratio), whereas only one thing is needed.  Mary has chosen the better part, and it will not be taken away from her.”

In discerning God’s movement in life do the work but also learn how to listen-in to the being of things – ratio and intellectus.       

The Feast of the Assumption of Mary is my favorite Marian feast!  It is a holy mystery full of beauty and hope for all followers of Christ.  Below are some thoughts by Bishop Vincenzo Paglia concerning today’s feast.

In the heart of the month of August, the Churches of the East and the West together celebrate the feast of the Assumption of Mary.  As known, in the Catholic Church the dogma of the Assumption was proclaimed during the Holy Year of 1950…  But the roots of the memorial reach back to the first centuries of the Church.  In the East, where the feast perhaps began, it is still called, “The Dormition of the Virgin” today.  Saint Theodore of Stadium, astonished by the truth of this feast, asked himself, “What words will I use to explain your mystery?  My mind is in difficulty … your mystery is uncommon and sublime: it transcends all of our ideas.”  And he added, “She who became a mother by giving birth remained as intact as a virgin, because it was God who was generated.  Thus in your living formation, unlike all others, you alone rightfully put on the glory of the complete person, body and soul.”  And he concluded, “You have fallen asleep, yes, but not to die.  You have been assumed into heaven, but you do not stop protecting the human family.”  

Mary, most holy, we turn to you who dwell body and soul in the eternal presence of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and in the fullness of God who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  Please pray for the Church, pray for us as we make our pilgrim way.  Please pray for our diocese of Knoxville, our Bishop Richard Stika, all members of our diocese, all our priests, deacons, religious and seminarians.  Please pray for our young people that they too will strive, through grace, for the glory of that “complete person” who reflects the very glory of God.  Please pray that they will be open to God’s call for them and the true fulfillment that can only be known in saying “yes” to God as you, yourself, did. 

Today the Muslim world begins the month of Ramadan.  This is a time of fasting, prayer, purification and spiritual discipline carried out in order to express gratitude for God’s guidance and also to atone for past sins.  During this month it is recommended that each Muslim read the entire Quran. 

One of the highlights for me last year in our ministry here at the Catholic Center was when we invited the Muslim Student Association to join us one Wednesday evening for dinner.  This was near the end of the fall semester.  Then, in return, the MSA invited us to a dinner in the spring semester at the local Muslim community center.  A friendship has begun between our two groups that I hope will continue to grow and even become stronger.

During our visit to the Muslim community center we were welcomed to witness as the community gathered for one of their prescribed times of prayer.  Watching the men kneel and prostrate themselves in prayer I could not help but be struck by their sincere reverence for God. 

So, to my friends in the MSA I say, “As Salaam Alaikum” (“Peace be Upon You”) as you begin this holy season of Ramadan and I pray God’s blessings for you!

It is also fitting, I believe, on this day to reflect on the Church’s teaching found in Nostra Aetate (Declaration on the Relation of the Church to Non-Christian Religions) from the Second Vatican Council. 

The Church, therefore, urges her sons to enter with prudence and charity into discussion and collaboration with members of other religions.  Let Christians, while witnessing to their own faith and way of life, acknowledge, preserve and encourage the spiritual and moral truths found among non-Christians, also their social life and culture.

The Church has also a high regard for the Muslims.  They worship God, who is one, living and subsistent, merciful and almighty, the Creator of heaven and earth, who has also spoken to men.  They strive to submit themselves without reserve to the hidden decrees of God, just as Abraham submitted himself to God’s plan, to whose faith Muslims eagerly link their own.  Although not acknowledging him as God, they venerate Jesus as a prophet, his virgin Mother they also honor, and even at times devoutly invoke.  Further, they await the day of judgment and the reward of God following the resurrection of the dead.  For this reason they highly esteem an upright life and worship God, especially by way of prayer, alms-deeds and fasting.

Over the centuries many quarrels and dissensions have arisen between Christians and Muslims.  The sacred Council now pleads with all to forget the past, and urges that a sincere effort be made to achieve mutual understanding; for the benefit of all men, let them together preserve and promote peace, liberty, social justice and moral values. 

There is a malformation of the gospel occurring in our day and it is called the “Prosperity Gospel”.  The basic tenet of the Prosperity Gospel (from what I can tell) is that if you have faith then God will bless you abundantly (which means materially).  Faith leads to success in all of ones enterprises and endeavors and to comfort in ones life.  The Prosperity Gospel proclaims that you can indeed have your best life now!  This take on the Gospel is out there, it is prevalent and it has many adherents … the only problem is that it is not Christian.

My question to those who proclaim the Prosperity Gospel is this: if faith equals success, material blessings and comfort then why did Peter and Paul die penniless, in chains and – according to all counts – unsuccessful?  Was their faith not strong enough?  Did they not really believe in Christ as Lord and Savior?  And what about all the other martyrs of our faith (Lawrence included)? 

The Prosperity Gospel leaves no room for the martyrs because they stand in witness against its basic tenet. 

St. Lawrence was a deacon of the early Roman Church.  He lived his faith in a time when the Church was being persecuted.  Lawrence was known for his love of the poor and his service to them.  He also oversaw the temporal goods of the Roman Church.  This was widely known and at one point the prefect of Rome brought in Lawrence and demanded that he hand over the wealth of the church.  Lawrence asked for a few days to gather the wealth.  After a few days Lawrence once again came before the prefect and presented to him the poor, the beggars, the sick, the elderly, the foreigners and said, “Here, this is the treasure of the church!”  Lawrence was martyred (tradition has it by being grilled alive, this is why he is often pictured with a grill). 

Lawrence knew that the true prosperity of the gospel is not found in material blessings but in the abundance of love which God has shown for us and which we, in turn, are to show to one another.  We have been loved abundantly so we, in turn, must also love abundantly!  The treasure of the church continues to be the poor, the outcast, the sick, the foreigner, the elderly, and the one who is hurting because they are the beloved of God and Christ is with them.  They might not count much to our world but they are precious in God’s eyes! 

The abundance of love is the true prosperity of the gospel. 

St. Lawrence and all holy martyrs, pray for us!     

Edith Stein was born into a Jewish family in Breslau, Prussia in 1891.  During her life Edith was to become a well respected scholar and prolific writer.  In 1922 she entered the Catholic Church.  She was a leading thinker in the Catholic women’s movement in Germany and entered the Cologne Carmel in 1933, making final profession of vows in 1938 taking the name Teresa Benedicta of the Cross.  Being of Jewish descent, she was arrested by the Nazis and sent to Auschwitz/Birkenau and died in 1942.

Her writings are of great value and offer great wisdom for the life of discipleship.  Below is an excerpt that speaks to trusting in God even in the temptation of disbelief and despair of nothingness.

Anxiety, to be sure, is under ordinary circumstances not the dominant mood of human life.  It overshadows everything else only under pathological conditions, while normally we go through life almost as securely as if we had a really firm grip on our existence.  This may in part be explained by the fact that we feel tempted to pause at any superficial view of life which stimulates an appearance of lasting existence within a static temporal continuum and which under the veil of our multiple cares hides from us the sight of life’s nullity.  Generally speaking, however, this feeling of security in human existence cannot be called a mere result of such an illusion of self-deception.  Any circumspect reflective analysis of the being of people shows clearly how little reason for such a feeling of security there is just in actual human existence, and to what extent the being of people is indeed exposed to nothingness.  

Does this mean then that the feeling of existential security has been proven objectively groundless and irrational and that therefore “a passionate … consciously resolute and anxiety-stricken freedom toward death” represents the rational human attitude?  By no means.  The undeniable fact that my being is limited in its transience from moment to moment and thus exposed to the possibility of nothingness is counterbalanced by the equally undeniable fact that despite this transience, I am, that from moment to moment I am sustained in my being, and that in my fleeting being I share in enduring being.  In the knowledge that being holds me, I rest securely.  This security, however, is not the self-assurance of one who under her own power stands on firm ground, but rather the sweet and blissful security of a child that is lifted up and carried by a strong arm.  And, objectively speaking, this kind of security is not less rational.  For if a child were living in the constant fear that its mother might let it fall, we should hardly call this a rational attitude. 

In my own being, then, I encounter another kind of being that is not mine but that is the support and ground of my own unsupported and groundless being.  And there are two ways in which I may come to recognize eternal being as the ground of my own being.  One is the way of faith when God reveals himself as he who is, as the Creator and Sustainer, and when our Redeemer says, “He who believes in the Son possesses eternal life” (John 3:36).  Then I have in these pronouncements clear answers to the riddle of my own being.  And when he tells me through the mouth of the prophet that he stands more faithfully at my side than my father and my mother, yea that he is love itself, then I begin to understand how rational is my trust in the arm that carries me and how foolish is all my fear of falling prey to nothingness – unless I tear myself loose from this sheltering hold.  

The way of faith, however, is not the way of philosophic knowledge.  It is rather the answer of another world to a question which philosophy poses.  But philosophy has also its own specific way: It is the way of discursive reasoning, the way or ways in which the existence of God is rationally demonstrated. 

“Do not be afraid any longer, little flock, for your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom.” 
(Luke 12:32)

What the Father has done for us in Christ … it is truly amazing.  Amazing grace…

A song of praise on the lips witnesses to joy in the heart!

Today the Church celebrates the feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola.  St. Ignatius lived from 1491-1556 and is the Founder of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits).  St. Ignatius and the Jesuits have and continue to contribute greatly to the life of the Church and the development of Christian thought. 

In the history of Christian spirituality and discernment, Ignatius developed a spirituality that views imagination and feeling as positive components of the spiritual life rather than just distractions to be moved beyond.  The correct use of imagination and the gauging of feelings, Ignatius realized, are means by which we can grow in discipleship and in an awareness of God’s presence in our lives. 

One of the disciplines of this spirituality is to take time at the close of each day for an examen – time to review the day and ones conduct and thoughts during the course of the day. 

Below is a simple examen developed by John Veltri SJ followed by a Prayer for Generosity attributed to Ignatius himself.  The discipline of the daily examen is a great aid in discerning God’s will in ones life.

An Awareness Examen at the End of the Day

Ask for the light of the Holy Spirit to see through God’s eyes…
1.  What gifts I have received during the day that I can be grateful for.
2.  Where God has been working during the day in my life; where I am cooperating with God today; where I am cooperating with the sinful element within me and not doing what I want to do in the Lord (Rom. 7:15-20)
3.  The forgiveness God offers for the times when I have not been attentive and responsive to God’s presence and love in my life.
4.  How God’s help will guide me through tomorrow, and that God’s Spirit will be with me. 

Prayer for Generosity (attributed to St. Ignatius)

Eternal Word, only begotten Son of God,
Teach me true generosity,
Teach me to serve you as you deserve.
To give without counting the cost,
To fight heedless of wounds,
To labor without seeking rest,
To sacrifice myself without thought of any reward
Save the knowledge that I have done your will.  Amen. 

Today the Church celebrates the feast of Sts. Joachim and Ann – the parents of Mary and grandparents of Jesus. Joachim and Ann are never mentioned in the canonical gospels. Most of what we know about them comes from the Protoevangelium of James – stories regarding the youth of Mary that come out of the oral tradition of the Church. The Protoevangelium of James has had a significant influence in the history of the Christian faith beginning in the early centuries of the Church through the Middle Ages and still has a lot to offer.

We may not know much, biographically, about Joachim and Ann but we can say that someone had to teach Mary the history of her people and someone had to instill within her the hope and dreams of Israel. Someone, had to help prepare Mary for her being able to say “yes” when the angel Gabriel came to her.

From the prayers for today’s feast:

God of our fathers,
you gave Saints Joachim and Ann
the privelege of being the parents of Mary,
the mother of your incarnate Son…

and

Father,
your Son was born as a man
so that men could be born again in you.
As you nourish us with the bread of life,
given only to your sons and daughters,
fill us with the Spirit who makes us your children.

So … kudos to you Joachim and Ann! You done good! And thank God for all those grandparents and parents who simply and humbly and in often daily and unseen ways pass on the beauty of faith and hope!