RCIA – Mystagogy: Your Special Gifts

         Mystagogia: It means “going deeper into the mysteries” – that is, into the truths of the faith. The early Church understood that post Easter many of the mysteries of faith that had been entrusted to the newly initiated needed time to “sink-in” and mature. Let’s give a quick synopsis of what has happened over the past 8 months. For these are the mysteries we will be delving into, the rest of our lives. We have heard about:

         The Church – we are not talking about the building, but us, the people. We are through our belief in Jesus, baptized and connected with one another into the People of God, the Church. Our love for each other is our manifestation of our love for our God. It is because of this love we can go up to the altar and receive the Eucharist.
         We heard about the significance of the 7 Sacraments. We heard how each one, instituted by Jesus, has a significance and place in our lives at critical phases of our lives.
         We heard about Jesus’ teaching and His Life. The purpose of why He came and what it means to each of us.
         We heard about the place which Prayer has in our lives. We heard and learned the “Our Father”, “The Hail Mary”, and “The Glory be”. We have recited the Creed, an enumeration of all that we believe in. We have learned the formulation of the Rosary, Mary’s prayer.
         We touched on each of The 10 Commandments. Not so much that we understood them completely, but at least have become aware of each one and what it means to us, as individuals.
We heard of the importance of Morality. How our living moral lives can positively affect others. The Commandments are a guide for all mankind for living moral lives.
         This thumbnail sketch does nothing but enumerate some of the topics that were covered over these 8 months. What you now do with them depends solely on you. You have just scratched the surface of the beauty of the Catholic Church, of Christianity. As we said earlier, the Church realizes that you now have the awesome and wondrous task of allowing yourself to go deeper into these mysteries, to accept God’s love and goodness. Nobody’s words, no one else’s beliefs, or experiences, not even Scripture, itself, can be a replacement for your own personal belief. All they can do is help you become aware of Jesus and His love for you.
         You are not alone, however. Every Catholic Christian living today has the same task ahead of them, as you. Each of us has the responsibility to learn what it is, in us that wants to join Jesus, to love Him. We need, also, to view what it is that is preventing us from joining Him. Our lives are not cast in cement. We are flesh and blood. We strive, we fail, we hope, we despair. Through it all Jesus looks on us, loves us and tries to help us see and understand. We need only try to comply, try to understand, seek out what things are pertinent to us. What do our lives really reflect? We have to move the Christianity which we learned with our mind and allow it to flood into our hearts. To say we love one another and to actually love one another are two separate things. We, you and I, we need to look inside ourselves and see our faults, as well as the good that we do.
         So, in conclusion, realize that starting from today, right now, each of us must look solely at ourselves and give to Him, who we are right now. We cannot give Him who we want to be. We can only give Him what we have, what we are right now. The experience of loving Jesus is personal. It will always be personal. Just because you have attended this class does not guarantee your success. Your personal belief in Jesus, your desire to follow His way, the time you devote to praying and understanding all of these will help you grow. To understand ourselves, who we are, why we feel as we do, why we do as we do, all of these will help us grow. What we see, at times, we may not like, but we know that in spite of what we see, our God loves us and has a plan for us. He waits for us to grow to be the Catholic Christian that we want to be and that He wishes to see in us.

Pro Choice? Or Pro Life? Or Both?

         The title may seem to be a contradiction, but in reality it isn’t at all. The usage of “Pro Choice” in the world today is simply focused on the wrong timeframe, the wrong action. We all have choices to make. Each man and woman must make the choice of who will be their mate for life. Each must make the decision: is so-and-so the right person for me? Will my choice complete me? Will it be good for me? Will I be good for the other? Will this person be the one with whom, I spend the rest of my life? Do I want him/her to be the parent of my children? These are the choices that we must make. The engagement time is not a time to impress or wow the other person. It is a time to allow that person to see us as we really are. If we put on a mask which we think the other wants to see, or wants us to be, then our marriage will be based on deception.

         Having made all of these choices the married couple then has different sets of choices to make. Is now the time for the two of us to bring a baby into the world? Are we ready at this time of our life? Do we want this to happen? We are, after all, intelligent, thinking human beings with free will. Aren’t we? The choice is ours to make. In marriage, a husband and wife become co-creators with God. They have made as many choices that they could possibly make as thinking, loving human beings. Their responsibility as co-creators is to bring all the natural elements together to produce another human.

         But wait, we are more than just animal. What makes a human being, a human being? What separates us from all other animals? We have a mind that can think. We have the ability to love. And there is something else within us. We have a spirit, a feeling inside us that tells us that there is something else, someone else. Our hearts are restless. We seek a union with our God, our creator. Where does this feeling come from? Why do we have it and not other animals? With our creation, God breathed into us a desire to be re-united with Him for all eternity. When does God breathe His spirit into us? At what point does He give us the greatest gift possible? Himself! We know that a baby begins to take shape the moment the sperm impregnates the egg. Does God wait awhile before instilling His love, His spirit into us? I don’t see it that way. I can’t see God pacing the clouds waiting to complete this new creation with His spirit. If a man and woman determine that it is time for a baby to begin its life, then God, as co-creator, does His part and instills the spirit, the soul into the child, at that same wonderful time.

         From the first moment of conception, the child’s potential is known by God. This is not some microscopic bug, to be squashed under a thumb. If allowed to come to completion, the child will have a mind, a personality, warmth, a smile. It already has a soul. The moment for making a choice has passed. This is not the time to decide if we really want this child, to decide if this child should enter this world or not. In this regard, our choices should have already been made from the time of our engagement down to the very moment of conception. To make a choice now would be like making a choice not to speed in a car, as it careens over a cliff at 120 mph. At this point, our relationship with our God and with our mate comes to the foreground. It is here that our trust in Him, in His love for us, in His concern for our well-being and that of our unborn child comes into play. The very love that we have for our God guides us, directs us to focus our love on the unborn child. The very love that we share with our mate reveals to us the new responsibilities that each of us now have. If the act of conception was not completed out of selfless love, but rather self-pleasure, then it will be self-indulgence that will determine the life or death of the unborn child.

         So we do make both. We crave to be independent and make our own choices. But we must make sure that those choices are made continuously throughout our engagement and married life. And not just at the last critical moment. As was said earlier, that is not the time for choice. We really have to ask ourselves the one most important question, which is, “Do I choose to love God or myself?” With love for God, we trust in Him. With love for our self, we trust in a fool.

My Prayer

I just want to talk with you, oh Lord. My prayers always wind up confused and mixed up. I am always searching for the right word. Today, right now, this time …. none of that. I just want to let my thoughts, my feelings run out of me. I feel very lonely right now. Not really lonely, but I guess the proper word is embarrassed. I always say that I will do this and I will do that. But when the time comes, I do neither. I go a totally separate way. How often, I feel that I should treat someone better, and then I go and do just the opposite. I feel like such a mess. I know you love me, and I sometimes wonder why. It seems like all I can do is screw up. Even now, I am wondering am I really trying to talk to you or worrying about how this is going to sound. I know you love me, but I can’t imagine why. No, that isn’t right. You are goodness, true goodness. You love me. You don’t look at what I do. But rather, you look at what I can be, could be, what you created me to be. Lord I want to be that person. I want to love you and all of your creation in just that way. But then … I don’t. I go my way. I do what I want to do. I screw up again. All I can say is thank you for loving me the way you do. Thank you for creating me, and giving me the parents, the friends and relatives that I have. But most of all thank you for giving me the opportunity to love you back. I want so much to be the person you want me to be. All I can say is that I will try. I know I have said this so many times before, and meant it, so many times before. And yet I fail to do it. Once again, I will try to love you. Once again I will try to love all who I meet today. Let me see you in them. Let me see that they are just like me, screw ups and trying to love you in the best way that they can. Lord, I love you. This is my prayer to you today… Help me, help me become better. Not because I want to be good, but so that you may see one more of your creations honoring and loving you. Help me to realize that you created all mankind to love you and to experience the joys of love. Help me feel the depths of your love for me, and let me be humbled by it. Thank you.

Our Humanity Is…

        What does it mean to be a human being? What are we speaking about when we talk about our humanity? What does the word humanity mean? Humanity is… (Don’t use ‘human being’ in the definition of humanity.) That which makes us feel? Or think? Or rejoice? Or love? Can humanity grow? Can we grow? Albert Einstein said that, “It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity.” What does that statement mean? More importantly, what does it say about mankind’s efforts to grow?

         You can read this piece and say, “hogwash”, or maybe “that’s awesome”, or still maybe “so what?” The question doesn’t go away just because we ignore it. I remember hearing on TV once that if the automobile industry had made the same progress that the computer industry did in just its first 10 or 20 years, we would have all been driving in cars that would run all day on a gallon of gas. (… Or, maybe no gas at all??) Where would we be if we, as human beings, had made the same progress? Where would our world be, right now? What would our humanity be capable of at this time?

         Our humanity is something special. Our creation by God has woven all mankind, the entire universe together. We are not distinct from one another. We are not competing with each other. We feel each other’s pain (or rather, we should feel the pain of the wounded, the dejected, the hopeless, and the ashamed). We are not distinct; we have a common bond. The common bond that joins us to one another is simply God. Whether we call Him, God, or Yahweh, or Mohammed, or whatever, we are revering the One Supreme Being that brought this world together. Yes, together. We in our infinite stupidity are separating this world. We think we are distinct. We think we are separate and must trample one another, be better than the next person, have more friends, more wealth, and more possessions. Why? Why, you ask. Why of course to get ahead and … be liked. We find it difficult to like ourselves, so we feel that no one else must like us either. So we accumulate … things … to prove our worth to ourselves, to show that we are lovable.

         Christ walked this earth, showing us, showing all mankind, that we are truly brothers. “I have come to save sinners”, were His words. But they mean something. Who in all of mankind, other than Himself, does not fall into that grouping? You are no better or no worse than your next door neighbor. Each is loved by their Creator. Each was saved by their redeemer. The same “stuff” that went into their creation went into yours, as well. That “stuff” is the very spirit of God. The fire of His love burns in you, in each of us. Yes, of course, He knows how wretched we can be. He knows our depravity, our selfishness, our unwillingness to bend or yield. He sees the very depths that we are ashamed of… and wonder of wonders… He loves us!! He loves all that we can be. He sees us, as we were meant to be. And, He sees us as the struggling people that we are. Like the dog chasing his tail, we do not know how to get out of this endless repetitive circle.

         But what if we could? What if we could break the circle and move on? Breaking that circle would mean that we start treating those around us, right now, with respect and genuine concern. Do YOU deserve to be treated with respect and concern? Then so do THEY! Don’t look at their home, their belongings, or their life style to determine how you will treat them. They deserve your respect and concern, because they, too, are loved by God. They are His creations, as well. Slowly, our thoughts don’t center on ourselves, but on others. Slowly, the human race starts to look at each other as brothers and not as obstacles. This cannot happen overnight. Much prayer and introspection needs to be done. We must see ourselves as Christ sees us, struggling but with great potential, falling but picking ourselves up and trying again. Then, and only then, can we see others as our brothers, as well.

         I often think of the amazement that the Disciples had when they had gone out and cured people both physically and spiritually. You could almost hear the laughter in their words, “And the seventy-two returned with joy, saying: Lord, the devils also are subject to us in thy name”-1 For believing Jesus and His statement that anything they did in His name would be granted to them by God, they went out and treated their fellow man as brothers, maybe for the first time. And so, they were no longer the fearful followers of Jesus, but believers whose humanity grew. They became closer to their fellow man and in so doing became closer to their God.

         Isn’t it time that we allow our humanity to grow? It’s time, to stop seeing only our needs, our limitations. Belief in Jesus, belief in a loving God, our Creator, will help us become one with our God, with ourselves, with our fellow man. In that bond of love we may, for the first time, see the connections that draw us together, and not simply focus on what separates us. Lord, Help my unbelief.

-1 Luke 10, 17

A request: If you feel there is a truth in this article that would help others, please pass this on. All of us, all humanity needs to start growing.

TheSteppingStones

http://thesteppingstones.wordpress.com

What Does Unconditional Love Mean to ME?

         We read in the Old Testament of God calling the people, “My People”. That is very touching, but what does that have to do with me? He was referring to the Jewish nation, wasn’t He? No, not really. All of mankind was tied up in those two words. He told us, His creations, that we are embraced by Him.

         It is kind of like a painter who paints his masterpiece and quietly smiles. He knows that this particular work will be his favorite painting. The painting just rested on the easel receiving the attention of the artist. It did nothing out of the ordinary to receive this embrace. The brush strokes were made with loving care, by this Artist. He knew how it would turn out. He knew that this creation would prove to be obstinate, would choose to do things that hurt Him, but He loved this creation without reservations.

         Think about it. What did we, you and I, do to deserve this love? Did we act differently? Did we strive to love Him better? When we fail, does His love for us decrease or cease? He loves us. His love is not based on what we do or don’t do. And yet, don’t we feel, at times, that we must act a certain way else we will lose His love? It is like we think we are going to force God to love us. This is absurd because He loves us unconditionally. He already loves us!

         So then, I guess, it doesn’t matter what we do. God will still love us, regardless. Right? Before we go down that path, let’s ask ourselves a question. “When we came into this world did WE FORCE our parents to provide for us?” No, they saw us as someone who was dependent on them, who needed them. They did as best they could, with what they had. They might not have been the most gifted, or the most intelligent, but they saw us and tried to love us as best they could. They loved us to the extent that they were capable. They might even have felt that it was best for us if they gave us up for adoption. What I am trying to say is that if people, who are far from being perfect, can feel this bond towards their children, how much more so does God care for us?

         What then is our response to this love? It is not something that is forced. It is not something that flows out of duty. “Bonum diffusivum sui”. Good diffuses itself. Good begets good. Once we truly recognize what it means to be loved unconditionally, then and only then, can we begin to love God back. We do not love Him because He did so much for us, but because we can. If we are His people, and He is our God (our first and foremost love) then our lives will reflect this unity with Him. We are not doing things because we should. We are not striving to gain more love, more favors from Him, because of how we act. No, our love for Him, the Creator is reflected in how we treat this universe, this planet, this country, our neighbors, ourselves. All of these are His creations. And in honoring them, respecting them we show our love for our God.

3rd Sunday of Lent, RCIA: The First Scrutiny

       This time of scrutiny what is it? What is its’ purpose? It is not simply to critique and assess your readiness—that was done at the Rite of Election. The purpose of the scrutinies is for each of you, the elect, to look within yourselves and uncover, and understand all that is weak, defective, or sinful in your hearts. It has a second purpose, as well, to bring out, and strengthen all that is upright, strong, and good in you.

       As you continue on this journey realize one very important fact. None of us, no one reading this, and no one on this planet is perfect. Each one of us has made and continues to make wrong and bad decisions in our life. This time of scrutiny is a time for honesty. This is a time for you to look at yourself and see what it is that is holding you back, preventing you from getting closer to Jesus.

       In the readings, today, we hear many references to water and thirst. In the Book of Exodus, we hear the people complaining to Moses and to God about their thirst. These were the same people who had been enslaved in Egypt, but at least, there, they had food and water. Now with Moses, leading them to the Promised Land, they had neither. So, they grumbled as to where this journey was taking them, and the hardships they had to endure.

       Before we touch on today’s Gospel, we have to understand a little of the tension between the Jewish people and the Samaritans. After the death of King Solomon, the Jewish kingdom split into two: northern Israel with its capital Samaria and southern Judea with its capital Jerusalem. The Samaritans were viewed as a sinful people, because they worshipped idols, their current fads. The Jews maintained their belief in one God. So, though they had common roots, Jewish people were forbidden to associate, nor talk with the Samaritans.

       In the Gospel of John, we hear the story of Jesus at the well with the Samaritan woman. Jesus approaches the woman at the well and asks her for some water. She immediately responds with, “How do you, a Jew, ask me, a Samaritan, for water?” To which Jesus replies, if you had the gift of faith, and knew who I am, you would be asking me for the gift of living water.

       The Gospel continues with Jesus revealing to her the nature of her life and that she had 5 husbands. This was her scrutiny. This was her time to look at herself, to view her life and see the falseness, the shallowness of it. This passage ends with the woman speaking of the Messiah, to which Jesus simply says, “I am He.”

       Do you see the similarity in these readings and with what is going on with your life, right now? The waters of Baptism, your belief in Jesus, these have the promise of eternal life. This is your journey to the Promised Land. This is not, however, a simple road. It will entail hardship, at times. It will involve your honesty. It will require you to look at your life and how you are living it.

       This time of scrutiny is very important. It starts you on a road of looking at yourself, at your motives and where you need to make corrections. This process of introspection (looking within) will last a lifetime. The more we focus on Jesus, and then look at where we are, we will know what it is that needs to be addressed.

       We said at the outset that there were two purposes to the scrutinies. The second is to bring out, strengthen and understand all that is good within you. The Catholic Christian life is not, and will never be simply focused on the removal of evil. That is not what Jesus was all about. It is a positive life. It is one of doing good acts, helping people, being concerned about people.

       We try to live our lives in a way that Jesus will be glorified and honored. We do this by being like Him. I can’t help people giving them money, if I am poora and don’t have any. I can’t help people across the street, if I, myself, am blind, and cannot see the other side of the street. The time of scrutiny is also to know what goodness we do possess. Do you have a smiling personality? Do you feel sad when you see someone suffering? Do you have time to give to people? These are all qualities that others need to receive. Give what you do have.

       So the scrutinies involve our seeing where we are lacking, and also seeing what gifts we do have. We pray to our Father in heaven to help us eliminate those aspects of our lives that prevent us from living the life of Christ, and at the same time to help us grow to be like His Son.

       As the time draws near for your reception of Baptism, or Confirmation or the Eucharist, you must spend it in preparation of yourselves. Allow the words of the Gospels to fill your hearts and reshape your lives. Allow Jesus’ life to inspire you and lead you. Look within and see what commitment you have made. The time of scrutiny is a positive time. It is a time of opportunity. It is your time.

Do What I SAY, Not What I DO??

        The Gospel in Tuesday’s Mass pulled no punches. Jesus is talking to the crowds and His disciples. He tells them that whatever the Scribes and Pharisees tell them to do, they should do. Observe and practice whatever they tell you, for they are speaking from the words of Moses. He goes on and cautions them, however, don’t do what they do”. For what they preach, they do not practice.

        This is the same Jesus who earlier was trying to point out to these same Scribes and the Pharisees their evil ways. He did this through parables, through examples. He did whatever He could to teach them and gently but firmly wake them up. The timeframe is shortly before the Passover and His death. Jesus cannot try to convince them anymore. Time is running out. Time is of the essence. Now all of His efforts must be directed at the people, the followers of the Judaic Law. He wants to point out to them that the words (the 10 Commandments) handed down by Moses should, and must, still be observed. The words spoken by the Scribes and Pharisees are true. But these same leaders do not observe the very things they preach. Don’t do what they do, don’t imitate their actions.

        And today, don’t look around you, to see who falls into that category. Don’t look to see which priests, preachers, or leaders don’t seem to practice what they preach. Don’t be scandalized when people come up short in your estimation, for we are all alike. Look within. We know what we should do. We know what is expected of us. We feel, down deep within us, the tug at our hearts when we know we are really not moving in the direction we should be. And yet, we will be the first to say what others should and should not do. We will be the first to observe that, that person needs a haircut. She is looking for trouble. They should be doing this or that. They need to be more concerned about others. Whoa!!! Stop right there. How do we know what others are about? How do we know what they should do? How did we come to this knowledge of their motives, their limitations?  The Pharisees were very good at observing the faults and limitations of others. And so, Jesus tells them and us, not to be like the Pharisees.

        It is difficult to assess ourselves. In order to do that, we have to be observant of our actions, and truly critical of our motives. Excuses for what we do, must be non-existent. In the glare of a bright light (our earnest seeking of God’s truths), that is the only way we can ascertain what our true motives are. And yet, after all this, the best that we can come up with is, “I am a sinner, Lord”. For in that moment of recognition, of affirmation, we lay ourselves bare, stripped of all pretenses. It is at that precise moment, that the only thing we have is our trust in God.

        Trust in God, that seems like such an easy solution. But, is it? To trust Him and say, “You are in charge and I accept that”, that is no small feat. But that is exactly what God is looking for in us. He doesn’t want to hear how clever we are, nor, how much wealth we have, nor how many electronic trinkets we have. Our lives of serving others’ needs, of giving people our time, of praying for those who are suffering, these are what God is looking for in His people, His creations. If we recognize the brotherhood that we share with everyone, and live accordingly, then we are doing not what someone tells us to do, but what God wants us to do.