Each of us is that boy on the mountain. Each of us has something that our brothers and sisters need. Will you offer it up, trusting God to provide enough for everyone? Or will you hold it close, trusting you and only you to fill your own belly? Yes, the latter seems more logical, more American. But it is most surely not "a manner worthy of the call you have received." So each of us has a choice to make: Who will you trust to feed you? And who will you trust to answer your deepest needs?
Sunday, July 26, 2015
Sunday, July 19, 2015
Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
You are my shepherd. I know no other. I follow no other. I am your useless servant. I am your sheep. To call myself such words does me no harm. I am not left disparaged or degraded by such truths. On the contrary, to be your sheep is to walk through this life with eyes of wonder and joy. And to be your useless servant is to know that I can never fail you, never disappointment you. You guide me, guard me, and love me. There is truly nothing for which I want. Alleluia, alleluia.
Sunday, July 12, 2015
Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
"Lord, let us see your kindness, and grant us your salvation." I was so young when you took me and told me to speak for you. I didn't have a clue. Not a fucking clue. How I wish you had instructed me like you did the Twelve. Instead, you made me wander, with authority over nothing. I'm tired. So very fucking tired. It feels like all I ever do is shake the dust off my feet. But you chose me. You sent me forth. What else can I do except move on to the next place? So please, my friend, please show your useless servant mercy, and lavish me with your grace. Alleluia, alleluia.
Sunday, July 5, 2015
Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Yes, we are a rebellious people, "hard of face and obstinate of heart." But what does that mean when it comes to same-sex marriage? Which of us are the truly defiant ones? Perhaps the problem is that we spend too much time debating politics, when we should be pondering the essential questions. Why does same-sex attraction exist? Is it a tragic defect in the natural order of things or a manifestation of divine will? Which is a greater act of disbelief: to deny the reality of the former or the possibility of the latter? And which is a position of greater weakness: to believe that God has already revealed all there is to reveal, or to acknowledge that they have an abundance of surprises in store for us? So gaze into the hearts of your brothers and sisters, and your own as well, then answer the question.
Sunday, June 28, 2015
Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
At the beginning of this month, my cousin died of cancer. Nicole was a few months shy of her fortieth birthday. She had prayed for a miraculous healing. It did not come. Two days after her death, the son of a dear friend celebrated his fiftieth birthday. Kevin has lived with major medical problems for almost all of those years. He was not supposed to live past four. But grace has rained down upon him. Why? Why does one survive and one not? How many in the crowd surrounding Jesus hoped for a miracle, a healing, for themselves or a loved one? Why were two rewarded, but not the rest?
Life and death. It all feels so capricious. And that notion is exactly what we need to be rescued from. But like a man struggling not to drown, we must trust the arms of our rescuer first. Are you willing to submit to your Parent's logic? Are you willing to surrender to their control? And what might they show you if you are so willing? After my cousin's death, a group of her friends took charge of all the funeral arrangements, allowing her immediate family to simply grieve. So perhaps Nicole's prayers did not go unanswered. And perhaps Kevin has a new guardian angel. Wishful thinking, or a glimpse into grace? I choose to praise our Master and to believe myself rescued. What will you choose?
Sunday, June 21, 2015
Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time
"Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?" Hard questions, especially right now, but ones we need to hear. Those most affected by the terrorist attack in South Carolina certainly heard them. And we know how they responded to the challenge: with words of forgiveness and mercy towards the man who killed their loved ones. Yes, we should admire such faith. But we must also be on guard against the temptation to water it down into feel-good platitudes or quick-fix solutions. Faith is not meant to be easy or comfortable. The cross attests to as much. Our brothers and sisters at Mother Emanuel have picked up theirs and embarked upon that long, hard road. Will we join them?
And what if we did join them? What might that look like? Might it mean facing up to history we have conveniently ignored? Yes. Or banishing symbols of hatred and oppression from our public spaces? Yes. Or even perhaps the consideration of reparations to those whose lives we have plundered for far too long? Yes. And those are just the easy ones. The hard part comes when we must burrow into our hearts and minds to find those places where we simply refuse to love our neighbors, and then realize that we cannot rip out such cancers nor heal such wounds. The uncomfortable truth of sin is that we are incapable of being the family we are called to be, even as we are obliged to pursue it.
So what do we do? Do we drown ourselves in feel-good platitudes and quick-fix solutions? Or do we wake up and embrace a bold and daring faith? A faith that rebukes injustice and orders misery to be still, while knowing full well that neither will go away. A faith that loves ones enemies, even when they hold a sword to your throat. A faith that claims that, no matter how dire the situation may be, evil will never stand victorious. A faith that trusts our Parent and the strange kingdom they wish us to inherit. Yes, let us give thanks to our Master, for their grace is magnificent and everlasting.
Sunday, June 14, 2015
Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
Shoots and seeds. It is who we are and what we have to contribute to the kingdom. And it is enough. So why are we left unsatisfied? Is the builder not working fast enough? Or do we not like the product we see under development? Have any of our efforts to insert ourselves into the process brought about better results? Or do we simply end up taking two steps forward and two steps back? Perhaps now is the time to surrender to our Parent's wisdom, and just be shoots and seeds. Let us love our brothers and sisters, really love them, and trust the kingdom to grow however our Master sees fit.
Sunday, June 7, 2015
Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ
Is Eucharist for the clean or the unclean? We all know the answer corporate religion gives. They fuss and fret over who should and, perhaps more fervently, should not partake of the sacrament. But I say that Eucharist is not a reward for those who have already gotten life right, but an infusion of grace for those who need it most. And who is more in need than those who are dirty and unkempt? How can we expect anyone who is wallowing in sin to let go of such filth without a little help from the Divine? I tell you that our Parent desires a covenant with all of their children; all, not just a chosen few, or some, or even many, but every last one of us. And if accomplishing such a thing means that sacred bread and wine needs to touch unclean hands and lips, then let us sing alleluia and pass them along.
Sunday, May 31, 2015
Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity
Scripture tells us that we were created in God's image. So if they are three, plural, a we are instead of an I am, then what does that make us? If the Trinity is truth, and we take that truth seriously, can we continue to worship our sacred cows of freedom or tribalism? Parent, Son, and Spirit are bound to one another as a family of love. Like it or not, so are you and I and all the rest of our brothers and sisters. We are family; bound to one another in a sacred dance that takes us far beyond our comfort zones of tolerance, sentimentality, or utilitarian convenience. A true we are, not just a collection of I ams.
So how do we tap into our trinitarian nature? How do we act more like the family that we are? Perhaps it is as simple as being gentle to one another. Give your siblings the benefit of the doubt. Try with all your might to see the best in the person you like the least. Do less agitating and more listening. And take a lesson from some anonymous Turkish villagers who in the midst of genocide mourned the loss of their neighbors: "The Armenians were the salt of our land … that which gave us taste and aroma is gone … may God look after us all." Yes, may We Are look after those she has chosen to be his own, those whom they have blessed with the greatest of all inheritances: family.
Sunday, May 24, 2015
Pentecost Sunday
Veni, Sancte Spiritus. Ask and she will come. But he will not bring the gifts you expect, and certainly not the ones you want. Just yesterday, the Church honored our martyred brother Oscar Romero. What does his sacrifice mean given the violence that has consumed El Salvador since his death? Where is the peace, justice, or love? Are we ready now to bear the truth of the kingdom, or must we continue to hide from its fire? Will you take up your cross knowing full well that it will not change the big picture of this world one bit? Will you see the kingdom as it is, not as you want it to be? And will you run to that kingdom and embrace all the strange beauty it has to offer? Veni, Sancte Spiritus.
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