Tag Archives: Christian life

Trying to ride dead horses – reflection and homily

13 Saturday Aug 2022

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It is interesting how God speaks to us.  This past week I was on retreat at a Jesuit retreat house.  For me, a retreat is a time for quiet, prayer, reading and walking.  (I walk a lot on retreats.) On one of these walks, I came across a little bench given to the retreat center in memory of a deceased Jesuit priest.  On the bench was engraved a saying that, I am guessing, this Jesuit was known for.  The saying is, “If the horse is dead, it is prudent to dismount.”  (Fr. Bob Hanlon, S.J.)  Jesuit wisdom at its finest!

There is wisdom in the saying.  How much of our time and energy do we spend trying to ride dead horses?  If we are nursing a grudge or a grievance, we are trying to ride a dead horse.  If we are comfortable in a habit of sin, we are trying to ride a dead horse.  If we are holding on to a prejudice, we are trying to ride a dead horse.  If we give in to the voices of negativity and doubt in our lives, we are trying to ride a dead horse.  If we take pleasure in gossip, we are trying to ride a dead horse.  If we are active in an addiction, we are trying to ride a dead horse.  If we need to control persons and situations, we are trying to ride a dead horse.  There are many ways of trying to ride a dead horse. 

There is wisdom in the saying.  A good examination for each of us is asking the question: what are the dead horses in my life that I am trying to ride and is now the time to dismount? 

The gospel for this Sunday is not easy (Lk. 12:49-53).  Jesus … a source of division and not peace?  This does not seem right.  Jesus does not come to sow discord but, as we are told elsewhere in the gospels, Jesus fully understands human nature.  Jesus comes to bring new and true life but he knows our weakness in sin.  Some will accept this call to new life and some will fight and kick against it. 

Jesus comes to each of us – in love and in truth – and says, “It is time to stop trying to ride that dead horse.”  Not only does he say “it is time”, he gives us the grace – he is the grace – to dismount and to walk away from the dead horse into the newness of true life. 

Because of this we read in the Letter to the Hebrews, “…let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us (in other words, “Get off that dead horse!”) and persevere in running the race that lies before us while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus…”

Jesus calls us to rid ourselves of sin and he gives us (each of us) the grace to persevere in running the race – the grace of the sacraments, the grace of Holy Scripture, the life of Christian community, the discipline of prayer, the call to serve and the call to carry our own crosses.  These are the graces given in order to persevere.  Hebrews gives us further wisdom; when we are discouraged and down  – consider Jesus and all that he endured, we have not yet resisted, “to the point of shedding blood.” 

Jesus does not come to sow discord.  Jesus comes to brings new and true life but he also knows well our human nature. 

“If the horse is dead, it is prudent to dismount.” (Fr. Bob Hanson, S.J. – may he rest in peace)

The “Our Father” as fire

23 Saturday Jul 2022

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In the “dog days” – the time before the arrival of horses and guns – the Pikunii people (one branch of the Blackfeet nation served by our sister parish in Montana) used fire carriers made of hollowed-out bison horns to carry burning coals from one camp to the next in order to once again enkindle fire at the new campsite.  The persons chosen to carry the fire for the tribe were well respected members of the tribe who were known to be both mature and responsible.  To carry the coals was a critically important task because in many ways the life of the tribe (fire for warmth and for cooking) depended on these coals being safely transferred from camp to camp.  The coals had to be both protected as well as kept burning just enough through the journey so as not to go out. 

In the coals was also seen a connection to the past as the coals being carried were seen as coming from and connected to all of the campfires at all the campsites the people had made throughout their history.  The fire journeyed with the people. 

The tribes carried these coals with the greatest of care. 

How do we view the “Our Father”?  Is it just some interesting words, a nice part of our worship, nice thoughts given us by Jesus to think about or do we see it for what it truly is – fire. 

The “Our Father” is fire. 

It is a fire that we could not get on our own.  Tertullian wrote, “The expression God the Father had never been revealed to anyone.  When Moses himself asked God who he was, he heard another name.  The Father’s name has been revealed to us in the Son, for the name ‘Son’ implies the new name ‘Father’.”  (CCC #2779) Jesus alone brings this name to us and he gives this name and his prayer to us now through our adoption as sons and daughters of God.  Jesus entrusts this fire to each of us and he invites us into this relationship that is now – through grace – our common patrimony.  Now, we each must carry this fire throughout the journey of our lives.  We must cherish this fire, tend it, protect it and allow it to protect and nourish us. 

In the very beginning of the Church, Christians would stop and pray the “Our Father” three times each day.  They recognized that this fire that they held (which we now hold) pushes back the darkness of evil, sin and lies.  It overcomes the great deceiver and his lies.  It nourishes and brings refreshment to our weary and thirsting souls and it warms and protects us from the cold pain of injustices endured in our world. 

The Pikunii chose only those persons who were mature and responsible enough to carry the fire for the tribe.  This fire given to us by Christ both matures us and is received by us more fully as we mature in the journey of faith and discipleship.  The words of the Our Father are the same today that I first learned when I was five years old but the fire that I carry in those words today is very different – it has now been tended through all of the experiences, joys and struggles of fifty-four years of life.  It is the same for each of us, if we tend this fire that has been given us and if we also allow this fire to warm, nurture and mature us. 

How do we view the “Our Father”?  It is fire.  A fire given to each of us through our baptisms to carry and protect throughout the journey of our lives. 

The Reign of God and the Trophic Cascade

19 Sunday Sep 2021

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Any interest in wolves will eventually lead a person to Yellowstone National Park and the work of reintroducing wolves into the ecosystem there.  It is in this context, that one will hear the term, “trophic cascade”.  The term is used to describe an “ecological phenomenon triggered by the addition or removal of top predators which then brings about changes in the relative populations of predator and prey in an area. A trophic cascade often results in dramatic changes in an ecosystem.” (Stephen Carpenter) In the case of Yellowstone, it was the healing of the ecosystem. 

When wolves were extirpated from the park in 1926, their natural prey, the elk, increased to unmanageable numbers.  There was overgrazing by the elk and the whole ecosystem suffered.  Since being returned, the wolves have helped to reduce the number of elk to a number that the ecosystem can actually support.  The wolves changed the grazing patterns of the elk so that valleys and riverbanks (where elk are more vulnerable) are no long overgrazed.  The wolves have even strengthened the elk in that the wolves cull out the sick and weak elk, thus helping to reduce the risk of spread of disease in a herd.  All of these factors have allowed areas that were overgrazed to rebound allowing plant life to again flourish naturally which, in turn, attracts more and varied fauna back into the ecosystem. 

All of this cascade of effects from one change. 

Here is the connection to the readings.  James, in the excerpt from his letter that we just read (James 3:16-4:3), lays out the human condition under sin quite clearly.  We are a mix of pride, jealousy, selfishness and envy.  We are at war within ourselves and this violence seeps out in many ways.  Yet, even in the midst of all of this, we yearn for that “wisdom from above” which is peaceable, pure, gentle, full of mercy and good works.  We yearn for this because we know in our deepest core that we are meant for it.  We are made and meant for that authenticity of self and life. 

In the gospel (Mark 9:30-37) we see this played out in real time.  The disciples are confused about what Jesus is telling them and they have fear within them about asking.  When the group arrives at the house, we come to learn that they were arguing about who was the greatest disciple among them.  The disciples themselves have been caught up in that whole mix of pride, jealousy, selfishness and envy that James laid out in his letter!

Jesus knows full well the human condition.  He sees the sad circumstance of the mix of who we are under sin but he also knows the truth of who we are meant to be as children of God.  What does he do in the face of all of this?  He makes one change.  He brings in a child and says, “Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but the One who sent me.”   

In this one act, Jesus shifts the attention of the disciples away from themselves and towards another.  Now, instead of being caught up in the whole mix of pride, jealousy, selfishness and envy; focus is on the other and welcoming the other.  Pride is forgotten, jealousy gives way, selfishness and envy are put aside.  The shift in focus allows for a whole cascade of effects. 

It can all be very daunting when we are honest and recognize the truth of the mix that we are – a good chunk of it which is not so great.  Rather than demanding wholesale change which is beyond any of our abilities, the lesson given here by Jesus is to make one change.  Do one thing in our lives for the Kingdom.  Shift the focus.  Welcome one person in the name of Christ.  From the one change in our lives for the reign of God there will then come a cascade of effects. 

Do one thing. 

“…the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace for those who cultivate peace.”

Nurse Rocks and the Rock of the Church

13 Tuesday Jul 2021

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I first became aware of “Nurse Rocks” on one of my early trips to Yellowstone National Park.  These “glacial erratics” dot the landscape of areas within the park and northward throughout Montana.  When glaciers from the mountains last marched through the area (the Wisconsian and Pinedale glaciations) they picked up and carried rocks of all sizes, some quite huge. When the climate began to warm and these glaciers melted, they dropped the rocks trapped in their ice.  These are the rocks and boulders that one sees randomly strewn across the terrain. 

The term “nurse rocks” come from an interesting ecological niche they occupy.  In a harsh and quite unforgiving landscape these boulders actually create a microclimate that is more conducive to life taking root and growing.  The boulders buffer against the wind as well as animal grazers while also providing a needed bit of shade during the hot summer months.  Radiating the warmth of the sun during the colder months, the rocks also warm the surrounding earth which both delays the freezing of the ground immediately around the rock as the cold of winter begins to set in as well as contributing to a quicker melt off of packed down snow around the rock as winter gives way to spring, thus allowing for an earlier growing season.  (It is quite common to see the first tufts of green grass of spring around these rocks.)  In this way these boulders actually help to extend the growing season in their immediate area.  In summer the rocks and the shade they cast also slow down the evaporation of the morning dew giving just a little bit more moisture for surrounding plants to draw upon.  With all of these factors adding up, it is therefore no coincidence to notice that trees in this harsh landscape of sage brush tend to take root and grow right beside a “nurse rock”.    

A spiritual thought for reflection is this – can we as Christians individually and collectively be “nurse rocks” for others?  Can we be a source of shade, protection and even nourishment so that life might take root and grow around us?  Might we, by our very presence, help create a microclimate of life and growth especially in harsh circumstances?

We are aware of our Lord in the gospel giving Simon the new name “Peter” – the rock on which he would build his church.  We traditionally think of rock as strength, foundation and cornerstone – and these are all true – but can we also add “nurse rock” to our understanding of the rock of the Church?   

Life can be harsh, very harsh and unforgiving.  Many people are hurting in a variety of ways.  Places of shade, protection, comfort and nourishment are truly needed.  The Church, at its best, provides this and even each individual Christian can help affect it.  We might look at all the problems of the world and toss up our hands in frustration and despair, “What can one person or one church community do?!”  We might not be able to change the world – and we are not necessarily called to – but we can affect our immediate surroundings for the better and that is a good thing. 

What stands out about the nurse rock is not the rock itself but rather the life around it.  Nurse rocks are not flamboyant.  They do not tend to immediately draw one’s attention.  In Yellowstone what initially grabbed my attention as I looked out upon the different open areas were the trees, it was only when someone pointed out the rock beside the tree that I began to notice a trend and learn a connection.  Then I began to notice these glacial erratics and see the life-giving effects of their microclimates.  After that, I began to see rock nurses all around the park!  There is almost a humble, hidden-in-plain-sight quality to the work of the nurse rock. 

It is the life around the nurse rock that truly witnesses and testifies to the blessing that the rock is. 

Isn’t that both a good metaphor and goal for the life of the Christian disciple? 

Paul’s “Thorn in the Flesh” and the Century Plant

03 Saturday Jul 2021

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The Century Plant (Agave Americana) is a type of agave plant that is native to northern Mexico and southern Texas.  I came across it in my recent travels.  It is particularly suited for dry, higher elevations.  The plant’s name is a misnomer.  It does not live for a century.  Generally, it lives between eight and thirty years.  When it blossoms, it puts out a single stalk that can rise up to twenty feet from it’s thick, leafy base.  Little branches will grow out of the stalk and at the end of each branch a cluster of bright yellow flowers will grow upward – attractive to insects and birds.  The sight of these towering plant stalks with their yellow blossoms is quite dramatic against the dry desert landscape.  What is also dramatic is that the plant will (for the vast majority) only bloom once – at the end of its lifespan.  So, when you are looking upon this amazing spectacle of height, color and beauty you are also looking at a plant that is actively dying. 

Our Christian faith is centered around a God who died for us and in that dying revealed the depth and beauty of God’s love.  This same God – who died for us – also taught us that – as his disciples – we must pick up our own crosses and follow after him.  That to be true disciples we must also go through the journey of “dying to self”. 

Can we recognize the beauty in this?

In his second Letter to the Corinthians, Paul writes about the “thorn in the flesh” given to him, “an angel of Satan, to beat me, to keep me from being too elated.”  Much ink has been spilt over the centuries arguing what this “thorn” might have been.  I do not believe that Paul ever specifically says and he does not have to.  It is valid that every person has some things kept between himself/herself and God.  Despite what social media tries to impress upon us all, we do not have to be open books to the world in every aspect of our lives. 

What Paul does share is that there was a grace and wisdom which he gained from this “thorn”.  Paul writes that God responds to his entreaties with, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.”  So, Paul will boast in his weakness, he even goes on to share, “I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions and constraints, for the sake of Christ; for when I am weak, then I am strong.” 

Following upon my trip to Big Bend National Park, when I read these words by the apostle I now easily envision the century plant – a witness of life, beauty, height, strength, color even in the very midst of its dying. 

Is there a beauty to be found in dying to self?  Very much so.  It is a real beauty and an authentic beauty and so often (for those with eyes to see) it does stand out from its surroundings in dramatic contrast. 

“I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions and constraints, for the sake of Christ; for when I am weak, then I am strong,” writes Paul and writes every disciple (maybe not by word on paper but most importantly by the witness of their life) who undertakes the journey of dying to self.

God sees the beauty and God rejoices.

Singing the Goat Song

03 Saturday Aug 2019

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goatOne thing that the Scriptures do not shy away from presenting is tragedy. We like tragedy when it is on the screen or in a play but not so much in our lives. This is partly why we invest in IRA’s. Yet, tragedy is a part of life (Sacred Scripture knows this) and no one gets through this life without experiencing tragedy in one form or another.

Here is an interesting fact. The word “tragedy” is rooted in two Greek words which mean “goat song”. The thought is that the word comes out of ancient Greek drama where the chorus was dressed like satyrs, who in Greek mythology were goat-like woodland deities. A tragedy is a goat song.

Our Lord makes use of tragedy throughout his parables and teachings and today’s gospel is one example. The story of the rich man planning to build bigger storage bins and then be set for many years to come is both tragic and ironic. Just as the man is planning and dreaming, God knows that very night his life will be demanded of him.

There is tragedy in life. We all, in one form or another and at one time or another, will have to sing the goat song. Maturing in life and maturing in faith is coming to both recognize this and accept it. In both the recognition and acceptance of tragedy there is a hard fought maturity and wisdom gained that can never be pretended. This is why Scripture does not shy away from presenting tragedy. It is why in the first reading we hear from that great reflection on “vanity of vanities”. Tragedy has a way (unlike any other) of breaking through the illusions of life, the vanities that we all like, the vanities that keep us comfortable but stifled and that ultimately can impede us from the growth that is necessary.

Certainly part of the mystery of the cross is tragedy. It is the greatest tragedy in human history that the one man without sin publically died the death of a sinner, but God has a way of overcoming and transforming from within. The cross does not say that the Christian will never experience tragedy. That is an immature faith, yet it is preached and popular. The cross says that even in the midst of tragedy God is there for us. God can reside in tragedy because God has entered into the tragedy of the cross. Even in the tragic moments of our lives, God is there for us – willing to walk beside us and give us his grace, his strength, his love and his consolation and hope.

At the end of the parable God says, “You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you; and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?” God’s use of the term “fool” is not necessarily a condemnation of the man himself. How often do friends say to one another, “Don’t be a fool!”? Love allows for the freedom to point out foolishness. The foolishness of the man’s plans and attitude is what is subject to condemnation by God. How often are we, through our assumptions and attitudes, fools before God, but God still loves us.

“Thus it will be for all who store up treasure for themselves but are not rich in what matters to God.” In this context what does it mean to be “rich in what matters to God”? Here it is the awareness and the faith needed to know that, yes, there will be tragedy in life yet even in the midst of tragedy, God is God for us. We will each have to sing the goat song at some point but God – in his love and his willingness to embrace the tragedy of the cross – can even make of that something beautiful and graced.

If God is for us, who can possibly be against us?

What are the animals in your stable?

09 Sunday Dec 2018

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animals in the mangerYou may have noticed that Seth who oversees our parish maintenance has placed the animals in the stable scene outside in front of our church. I appreciated this as the day after he put the figures out I came across this quote from the author Evelyn Underhill,

“Human nature is like a stable inhabited by the ox of passion and the ass of prejudice; animals which take up a lot of room and which I suppose most of us feed on the quiet. And it is there between them, pushing them out, that Christ must be born and in their very manger he must be laid – and they will be the first to fall on their knees before him. Sometimes Christians seem far nearer to those animals than to Christ in his simple poverty, self-abandoned to God.”

The stable scene and the quote prompt a good examination in preparation for the coming Christmas celebration. What are the animals inhabiting the stable of my heart? Truth be told, any person who would say, “I have no animals. My stable is completely clean,” either does not know his or her own heart, is a fool or a liar or maybe a combination of all three. Honestly, what are the animals in the stable of our hearts?

We can even get quite creative in this examination. The ox of passion might be the passion of lust but it also might be the passion of anger, control or narcissism. The ass of prejudice might be prejudice against the one who is different, the stranger or the person I have already judged in my own heart. But there can be other animals. The strutting rooster of pride and arrogance, the fat, squawking hen of gossip, the goat of resentment, the pig of sloth, the farm rat of jealousy… What are the animals in our stables? A good way to prepare for Christmas is to honestly and creatively look within and not be afraid to acknowledge and name those animals that we find within our stables. A spiritual truth – when we can creatively and even mockingly name the animals that mill about in our heart’s stable, they actually begin to lose their power – for example, when we know our pride is at work we can chuckle to ourselves, “there goes that strutting rooster again!”

The quote from Underhill goes further though and brings out another deep dynamic in the Christian mystery when she writes that it is precisely within the stable, between all the animals that reside there, that Christ must be born. It is not we who first make our stables nice, neat and clean in order to then welcome the Christ child; it is the Christ child who first chooses to be born within the crowded mess of both our world’s and hearts’ stables and by his presence brings the light and healing that we yearn for. The Nativity stable continually instructs us to avoid the danger – even heresy (Pelagianism) – of believing that it is we who first cleanse our stables by our own efforts in order to then win and warrant the coming of our savior, the gift of grace. It does not work that way. God first arrives – even into the mess and pressing crowd of our little stables – and this is what brings life and the healing.

Both prophets in today’s readings proclaim this to us. The prophet Baruch proclaims the glory of Jerusalem but specifies that it is a glory that comes from God. “Jerusalem, take off your robe of mourning and misery; put on the splendor of glory from God forever: wrapped in the cloak of justice from God…” The prophet invites Israel to live and rejoice in this gift from God! Even John the Baptist – who is that voice crying out in the desert, who is that one who is sent to prepare the way of the Lord – proclaims that it is the “salvation of God” that all flesh will see. God arrives first. “And it is there between them, pushing them out, that Christ must be born and in their very manger he must be laid…”

Soon Mary and Joseph, the angels and the shepherds and eventually the three kings will also arrive at the stable but before all of that it is worthwhile to just sit and acknowledge the animals in our stables. It is worthwhile to honestly admit their presence and to know that Christ is not put off by them – that he will be born within their midst, that he will be laid in their manger and that the animals – by his presence, healing and grace – will then become the very first to kneel down in adoration.

The poor widow’s offering: Heart speaking to Heart

10 Saturday Nov 2018

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the-poor-widows-offeringAs some of you know I recently went to Yellowstone National Park and led a retreat there. Before and after the retreat I had free days so I took advantage of those days and went on some hikes. The first day going in I stopped at the ranger station just to check on things and make sure there were no concerns about the trails I was considering. The ranger suggested that I download the Yellowstone Park app as it would be a help to me. I took his advice and downloaded the app. It was a great help. What they have done at Yellowstone (and I am not sure if this is at other parks or not) is that they have mapped out every trail in the park on this app. Not only that, but when you go out on the trail you take your phone with you, switch it to airplane mode so that it is not continually searching for coverage and draining your battery and with GPS the phone shows you via a little dot on the screen exactly where you are at on the trail. One phone in the vast expanse of Yellowstone communicating with some satellite in the sky telling you exactly where you are at and which way to turn when the trail splits. I just find that level of technology, connection and focus amazing!

Our Lord, in today’s gospel, has a level of focus that is also amazing. He is watching a crowd giving their contribution to the temple treasury. To his disciples he singles out one poor widow in the midst of that whole crowd. She gave not out of her surplus but, even in her poverty, she gave out of her livelihood. Her act was an act of faith and of trust. In essence it was a movement of love from her heart to the heart of God and we have a God who notices such movements – even the smallest of movements. Bl. John Henry Newman said that true evangelization, true sharing of the good news occurs when “heart speaks to heart”. There was such a communication going on here In this moment, the heart of that woman – by trusting and giving out of her livelihood – was speaking, was calling out in love to the heart of God. And the heart of God, in Christ, saw her, and heard her and blessed her for it!

Our Lord had just condemned the scribes and their need to go around in long robes, who recite lengthy prayers and who accept seats of honor in banquets in order to be noticed, but, who themselves, never notice the widows. I am sure that there were scribes in this crowd along with all the people giving out of their surplus. Just another day at the temple treasury. The people in the crowd themselves probably never noticed the poor widow. Some of them may have even viewed her as a nuisance – a nobody getting in the way of their holy and respectable duty. But, Jesus does not notice any of them because even with their long robes, their lengthy prayers and their large sums of money their hearts were not open. There is no heart speaking to heart because on their side the heart is mute and has nothing to say, despite all the show. Jesus, takes no notice of them.

Jesus sees the widow; his heart hears her. In contrast to the scribes, our Lord invites us to learn and live the simple and honest faith of the poor widow. No crowds, no distance, no outward appearances or show distract the heart of God. The heart of God is focused on the human heart that calls out to him in honesty, in love and in faith. Heart speaks to heart – this is where God will meet us. God is found and God is encountered in the sincerity of belief, the sincerity of a heart that is open, honest and trusting. In this regard our Lord confirms that the poor widow was, in fact, the richest contributor within that crowd of people that day because her heart was open. “Amen, I say to you, the poor widow put in more than all the other contributors to the treasury. For they have all contributed from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has contributed all she had, her whole livelihood.”

“Heart speaks to heart,” true evangelization, true sharing of the good news occurs when one heart opens to another.

In this witness of the poor widow and our Lord’s noticing of her even as she seems hidden amidst the crowd of people, we also learn that God’s heart is open and searching – searching for the human heart that is open and calling upon him in humility, faith, trust and love.

Jesus, Facebook and true encounter

07 Saturday Jul 2018

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jesus-friend-requestLiving in our social media age has led me to ask the following questions in light of today’s gospel (Mk. 6:1-6). “If Jesus were alive today would he be on Facebook?” “If he were on Facebook, what would he post?” “How would we react to his posts? Would we like them, would we unlike them, would we unfollow him, would we perhaps even defriend him?”

I just returned to Facebook after a short break and I took the break not because I think Facebook is evil and trying to control our thoughts – advertisers have been attempting this since the dawn of trade – and not because I don’t want to see people’s pets or what my friends had for dinner – I’ve posted both of these myself. (It’s interesting, I will post what I think is a thoughtful reflection and maybe get a few likes. I post a picture of my dogs and I get hundreds of likes! What’s up with that?!)

I took a break from Facebook because I was tired of the demonizing of the “other” (whoever that might be on whatever issue) that I often see, especially around political and social issues. The negativity is toxic and it does wound one’s soul I believe. I reckon the effect of viewing a steady stream of negative posts and memes on our psyche to being similar to being force fed an unceasing diet of bags of potato chips. It does nothing but leave a person’s soul and intellect bloated, obese and capable of only belching noxious gases in return.

I tend to believe that our Lord would not be on Facebook and not because he does not want to know what we had for dinner or our pet’s latest escapade but because we see throughout the Gospels how he values true encounter and true relationship. Although social media has positives – keeping people connected and sharing information to some degree – it is neither true encounter nor does it give space for real dialogue or for real friendship.

We are told in today’s Gospel that the people in our Lord’s “native place” – the ones who knew him and his family – took offense at our Lord when he returned and taught in the synagogue. “Where did this man get all this? What kind of wisdom has been given him? What mighty deeds are wrought by his hands?” These people preferred to stick with their “perception” of Jesus rather than take the risk of true encounter and true relationship with him in that moment which, by its very nature, challenges and changes people.

For this reason, Jesus was not able to “perform any mighty deeds there”. The gospel even says that our Lord, “was amazed at their lack of faith.” Our Lord was amazed and the people missed that opportunity for new life! No mighty deeds were performed there.

Avoiding Jesus, which can even occur within a life of attending Mass devotedly yet choosing to remain with our limited perception of who we think Jesus is rather than risking a true encounter with him, has effects. The opportunity of new life is missed and we, like the people in Jesus’ “native place”, are less because of it. Our Lord departs that place.

Our Lord desires true encounter and true relationship! He invites each of us to encounter him. Yes, it will challenge and change us … and it will give life.

Turn the screen off.

Take a walk outside.

Just have a face-to-face conversation with another human being.

Charlottesville and the Call to be Community in Christ

17 Thursday Aug 2017

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Charlottesville, VAIn light of the violent and tragic events that have occurred in Charlottesville, VA a dear friend asked me what can one person do “on a regular basis to fight racism and some of what’s going on in this country/world?” It is sad and frightening what is going on in our country and what we see happening in our world. We must reaffirm that there is no place for bigotry, prejudice and violence in our country, our world and in our hearts as Christians and, I think, we must do this as we also reaffirm and in many ways, rediscover, the value and unique power of Christian community.

In Matthew 18:15-20 our Lord gives his disciples some instructions on the reality and role of Christian community. “If your brother sins against you,” our Lord says, then go and tell him the fault, if he fails to listen then take one or two others along with you and if he still refuses to listen then tell the Church and if he fails to listen even to the Church, “then treat him as you would a Gentile or tax collector.” It is worthy to note that Jesus often entered into relationship with the Gentile and tax collector throughout his ministry and that he sought their healing and salvation. Jesus then gives to the community the authority to bind and loose. “Amen, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Our Lord then doubles down on the unique power and authority of the church community. “Again, amen, I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything for which they are to pray, it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”

The power of the Christian Church, the power of our Christian faith, is a weak power. We do not have the force of arms or military or police might, neither do we have economic or even (in our increasingly secular age) social might. What we do have is the presence of Christ in our midst and the gift of the Holy Spirit. This alone is that power that can bind and loose and that can open and call forth the grace of heaven through prayer.

Like many people, I viewed the Vice media video that recorded and interviewed the white supremacists during these horrendous days in Charlottesville. I was truly shocked by the vitriol, hatred and anger expressed by these people and I was also extremely saddened for them because I saw people locked in fear and hate. Theirs is a pseudo-community. Despite the bravado and the appeals to white unity there is no community there. They are people locked in a sad echo chamber stoked by the negative isolation of social media, resentment, fear and ignorance. They are imprisoned in their hate.

To this pseudo-community we are called to be community in Christ – the only true community that can both bind and loose and here is found our unique weak strength. Because Christ is with us and the Holy Spirit has been given us we can both bind and loose. Through the living of Christian community, we can work to truly bind those forces in society and the human heart that seek to separate and isolate each one of us in resentment and fear. Through the living of Christian community, we can even help to loose those brothers and sisters who have become bound by resentment and fear. This has been my prayer and my hope since I have viewed those sad images coming out of Charlottesville. Pseudo-community only leads to a sad mockery and false caricature of human dignity. All the pseudo-communities of our time must be met by the true community of the disciples gathered in prayer, truth and the mercy and the grace known in Christ.

There are many sad and broken things that lie at the root of the violence and hatred given expression in Charlottesville the past few days. One of these, I believe, is a crisis of true community in our society. People are isolated, people are lost, there is pain, uncertainty and fear and in such circumstances the false appeal of pseudo-community can be strong and alluring. This is all the more reason for us to strive in humility, love and grace to be Church – the community where Christ is present and where the Holy Spirit is given and the only true community that has the power to bind and to loose.