“If you should hear My voice, harden not your hearts.” This is a phrase we hear time and again in the Bible. The God, who made us, loves us and is concerned about us, He cautions us not to turn a deaf ear. If we should hear his voice!! He is not saying, “If I should speak to you”. That is a given. God constantly speaks to us. The question is, “Will we hear it”?
God pours Himself out to us always. His love speaks to us in a cool breeze when we are hot and uncomfortable. He manifests His greatness and beauty in those magnificent sunrises and sunsets. He sends us friends who console us, are concerned about us. He sees our worries and concerns, our fears, our transgressions. Through all of these He assures us that His love is constant. It does not waver. He does not waver. He is beside us, strengthening us so that we can cope.
“If you should hear My voice…” – the important word is IF. How many times do we see, hear, feel and experience all of the above and simply pass them off as “nice”, or “refreshing”, or “co-incidences”? If we truly believe that God is infinite, that He loves us totally, then why would we think that He doesn’t speak to us constantly? Maybe, we need to ask ourselves a question. Do we believe He is infinite? Do we believe that He loves us totally? Do we believe that He speaks to us constantly? What do we believe?
This infinite God constantly displays His goodness, His love, His beauty, His faithfulness. This same God also gave us free-will. It is up to us to seek Him out, to find Him, to hear His voice. He will not shout His word at us, so that we must believe His message. He presents it in the flutter of a butterfly’s wings, in the rustle of a tree’s leaves, in a cool wind, in the smile of an acquaintance. But, in our anxiousness over an illness, an unsettling day, an unruly child, in all our worries and concerns we can easily miss God’s voice. His voice will be heard in a normal, everyday kind of experience. And, at that time, in that place, under those circumstances it is something totally unexpected but, oh so totally meaningful. “Why, right now, did that happen?” We know it is special to us. We know it is God speaking to us. About what …? Its significance, its meaning is for us to ascertain. Here is where we delve into His words for us and understand their significance. We must be open to His thoughts and apply them to our lives. This is where the rest of the phrase comes into play. “…Harden not your hearts”.
Archive for March, 2011
There is a very human and warm Gospel passage-1 in today’s Mass. The mother of the sons of Zebedee, (James and John) asks Jesus that her two sons be allowed to sit at His right and left side. Isn’t this really a very natural and motherly trait, wanting the best for her children and willing to do anything to help them?
But, Jesus turns to them and tells them that they don’t realize what is necessary for them to do to accomplish what they are asking. “Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink?” These words echo down through the ages to all of us. What are we willing to do, to tolerate, to endure for the prize? Very often we want the accolades, the notoriety, and the fame. We want our lives to be comfortable, not plagued with difficulties. We want to be recognized and seen as someone special. But what makes someone special? Jesus tells us bluntly, “…Whoever would be great among you must be your servant and whoever would be first among you must be your slave”.
Well there it is the formula that gains the prize. How simple is that? We cannot covet the accolades, the notoriety or the fame. This is not the way to the prize. This is not why Jesus came into this world, to teach us to strive for success and glory. How many times, how many ways does Jesus warn us with His words and Life, not to seek out the first position but the last? He goes on to tell them, “…that even the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve.” (I think it rather humorous that the other Apostles became indignant at James and John. They probably wanted those prized positions for themselves??)
If we are honest with ourselves, if we view our lives without those rose colored glasses, we see how picky and trite we can be. We look at people who are different from us and … look away. The unwashed, the dirty, the people who wear their clothes differently than we would, the people who don’t act the way we think they should, all of these we look down our noses at. We judge them to be problems. But, we don’t judge our problems. Who are we that we can treat them with little or no concern? Are we not all struggling to live our lives with a sense of decency and goodness? Ahh.. There is the problem! We don’t judge ourselves. We don’t do any introspection of ourselves. We don’t critically look at our way of life. So, how can we possibly see that our lives are struggling to achieve decency and goodness, if we don’t look critically at our actions, our motives, and our judgments?
Jesus wants us to follow Him. He has shown us the way. But before we can make that first step along His path, we have to place our trust and love in Him. We must love Him enough; trust Him enough that we can face our weaknesses. It is only through Him that we gain the freedom to accept ourselves, with our failings. It is only through Him that we gain the courage to judge ourselves and see ourselves as we are. Then, and only then, in seeing our own frailty and knowing that He still loves us, do we realize that all the people that we meet, ALL of them are loved and struggling. What we do then is….
-1 (Matthew 20: 17 – 28)
In the March 11th issue of the Catholic Star Herald, there is an article about Pope Benedict’s Lenten message. The entire message will not be re-printed here, but one glaring excerpt will. The Pope stated that Lent is a time for self-examination and to let go of all traces of selfishness, which is the root of violence. He said, “The greed of possession leads to violence, exploitation and death”. He continues that we must engender giving, “which is the capacity to share.”
This was touched on earlier, in the Ash Wednesday blog. “Giving up things” and “denying ourselves” are all recognized forms of Lenten sacrifices. These in and of themselves are noble, difficult and well-meaning. But if we look at them closely, aren’t we focusing primarily on ourselves? I will give up cigarettes. (It is also good for me to do so.) I will cut back on cake and candy. (It is also good for me to do so.) I will diet and lose some weight. (This is definitely good for me.) I am not saying that we shouldn’t do these things. I am just pointing out that the beneficiary is….ourselves.
The Pope points out that we must engender giving, which is the capacity to share. What are we sharing if we give up things that we would normally be giving to ourselves? Before we leave this area, it would be wrong for us not to mention that we are saving money from not buying cigarettes, not buying cake and candy. If we then use these acts of denial as a means to obtain something of value that we can give away, that we can share with people in need, then there can be merit in these actions.
What is possibly the most precious thing that we have? Think about it. If we are thinking along lines of material things, we are looking the wrong way. Not to turn this into a guessing game, let’s just point out that our life and all that makes it noble is probably our most precious possession. Our mind, our ability to love, our desire to help, and our willingness to go out of our way for another and many more selfless acts dignify humanity. The time that we have, the strength that we have, the awareness and willingness to serve others these are all ways to engender giving. While we are doing any of these, we do not have the spotlight on ourselves. We are focused solely on the other person as being the beneficiary. Presumably, we know that such and such an action is needed, maybe desperately needed, by the person.
Pope Benedict points out that selfishness is the root of violence. This may sound like a harsh sentence, but think about it. It is the person who thinks of him or herself before others; will put his or her needs ahead of anything else; who covets what others have; who prizes his or her possessions above people, this is the selfishness of which the Pope speaks. Because, if we feel this way, if we think this is true, then any action is seen justifiable to reach these goals. Lying, slandering, stealing, even killing will be seen as justified in our twisted view. Selfishness is truly the root of violence.
The call to being a giving person, a caring person is being once again laid before us this Lenten season. It is not to be practiced and then forgotten once Easter is celebrated. Lent is a time to practice our goals, to test out what we can and can’t do. We may stumble. We may trip up every day. Some of the goals may seem to be set too high. But we are not expected to be saints on earth. We are expected to try and after falling, try again. While we are trying, some people who we meet along the way will get the benefit of those efforts. Lent is a time to begin practicing the love that we will have for the rest of our lives.
Oh, the beauty and simplicity of the Bible. Today’s Gospel (Luke 5:27-32) says in very simple words, why Jesus came to mankind. Read the cited passage, but if you don’t have the time to look it up, verses 30 to 32 say it all. “And the Pharisees and their scribes murmured against his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” And Jesus answered them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick; I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
There, in less than 50 words, Jesus tells us, “I know you need help. It is for this reason, I have come to you. Trust Me. Acknowledge and confess your guilt, your confusion.” He came into this world for sinners, you and me. When will we recognize our plight? When will we admit that we are not the perfect person, we want others to think we are? We spoke yesterday of hiding behind a mask. We protect the illusion of goodness and propriety, at all costs.
And Jesus patiently waits for us. He waits for us to hear, really hear, His words and understand that He is speaking directly to us. We seek out so many things that are unimportant. We let them occupy our time, our thoughts and our energies. And that which is most important, namely, our acceptance of His words, our belief in His words, our living our lives based on His words, these we relegate to a dusty corner in our life.
All we need to do is go to The Physician. Tell Him we are not well. Tell Him we may not even know what is wrong with us, but we know that something is wrong. Believe in Jesus, TRUST Him. Trust Him with every fiber in our body. Know that He will be with us and provide us what is best. Then, having said this, having done this… live every moment of our life in the present. Don’t worry about the past. It is over. Don’t be concerned about something an hour from now. We have no control over the future. That person who you just met, give them your undivided attention. That problem that just cropped up, recognize it for what it is and not a crisis. That feeling that you feel right now, be aware of it but not a slave to it. Christ is NOW. He doesn’t dwell in the past. Nor is He to be found in the future. He is what makes the present, beautiful. He waits for us, in the now.
Well, here we are, the 2nd day of Lent is upon us. Forty days seems like a long time, but whatever we do, the days will come and go. Yesterday, while getting ashes on my forehead, I could not help but wonder. “The ashes are placed on our foreheads, to remind us of our need for repentance, to remind us that we are still very much imperfect”. And what is the Number ONE capital sin? It is the sin of pride. It is really incongruous isn’t it, that we, a society of people full of imperfections, struggle with the sin of pride.
We know our faults. Lord, do we know them. We can’t help but know them. They seem to constantly be reminding us that they are still with us. We look at our lives, and almost to the point of embarrassment, we want to turn our heads away. “Oh God, if people ever knew how I am, if they knew how very much I can and do offend you, they would never talk to me or be with me again”. We do feel that way and think that way. So what do we do? We put up a false front, a façade. This mask is what we have people see. This is how we protect ourselves. Do we strive to correct? No, that is too difficult. We just cover it up. We put on fresh paint to cover the rust underneath.
And here is the most incongruous aspect of all of this. This façade, this mask, this is what we become PROUD of. We struggle, not to correct our problems, but to maintain this illusion. We feel good, when we know that other people think highly of us. We are happiest when others believe that the mask that we hide behind is really us. And so, we do everything in our power to maintain that illusion.
Jesus asked, “Who of you is without sin?” That question wasn’t just for those people in His lifetime. That question rings down through the centuries of time, and stares us in the face. He has already told us that He loves us. He forgave us on the cross, telling His Father in heaven that we didn’t even know what we were doing. He LOVES US!!! Not as we love, with our conditions. We say, “I love that person….. but….”. We immediately put a condition on our love. We don’t really understand, nor appreciate what unconditional love is. We know that Jesus loves us. But we struggle to understand how He could do it, unconditionally. He does not look at what we have done. He looks only at the good that we are capable of doing.
Every person that you know, or ever knew has been asked that question by Jesus. None of us, or them could ever step forward. We ALL are struggling with our faults, imperfections and sins. And Jesus loves us ALL. Why then, do we hide behind our masks, our self-imposed prisons of deceit? It is because we haven’t really embraced and enjoyed the freedom of being loved unconditionally. Every person we know is loved unconditionally. We cannot keep denying our love of others, by throwing up observations that he is dirty, or greedy, or sinful, or a different race. So what? He or she is struggling just as we are.
This time of Lent is a perfect time to start looking within, at ourselves. What is preventing me from giving my friendship, my time, and my energies to others? What are the things that I am throwing up as reasons why I cannot or should not love that person? Grow closer to Jesus. Feel His love and goodness for you. Realize that He doesn’t stop at the mask, but sees us as we are, as we really are. That is the freedom that comes with being a Christian. I cannot undo the problems that I have caused. But I can begin to love my fellow man who is struggling as I am; and see Jesus in him. Have a loving Lent.
Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. We go to Mass and afterwards, the priest gently presses his thumb in burnt palms from last year and makes the sign of the cross on our forehead. It winds up looking more like a circle, but we know a North, South, West, East mark was made on our forehead. “Remember, I beseech thee, that thou hast made me as the clay, and thou wilt bring me into dust again.” (Job 10:9) These words or a paraphrase of them are said as the priest makes the sign of the cross on our forehead.
“Why, this ritual?” we should ask ourselves. Especially since the Gospel in the Ash Wednesday Mass makes it quite clear, how we should fast, and how we should do good. “When you give alms, sound no trumpet before you”, and again “when you fast, do not look dismal”, and still again, “that your fasting may not be seen by men but by your Father”. (Matthew 6: 1 – 6, 16 – 18) It seems almost like a contradiction. We wear ashes and yet are told to wash our face, to not appear any different to our fellow man. The fact is, we don’t wear the ashes to proclaim our holiness, or to appear to all that we are getting ready to fast, but rather to acknowledge that we are a community of sinners in need of repentance and renewal.
It is only when we look into our souls and recognize all that is preventing us from truly uniting with Jesus we begin to understand our life, our direction. Maybe, this should be said in a different fashion. Our desire to be so united with Jesus gradually frees us and allows us to understand what it is that is keeping us from getting closer to Him.
The ashes that we wear on Wednesday, do remind us that we are sinners in need of repentance. They should also remind us that Jesus died for us, loving us. We, who have so many imperfections and sins, are understood and loved. THAT is what breaks the bonds holding us back. His love for us, His total all-encompassing Love frees us. We can look at ourselves and our fellow man, recognizing that all of us are struggling with the same problems, the same sins, the same proud actions and all of us are loved. No one person is better than anyone else. No one person can look down on anyone else and feel superior. We are all struggling, all loved.
This Lent, whatever acts of self denial we choose to perform, let them be actions that cost us something, and not be actions that make us feel good about ourselves. We can give up smoking, or candy, or something that we like. We could also do something for someone else. Do we know someone who is homebound? Do we know someone who is lonely, grief-stricken, or depressed? What can we do for them? YOU who have suffered through illnesses, and grief, and depression, YOU who have struggled with sins and despair, YOU can quietly bring the love of Jesus to someone. How can you? You can, because Jesus loves you. This Lent is a time for all of us to bring Jesus’ Love to the world, the world of our friends and acquaintances. Let’s have a great loving Lent!
