God is Not Logical

We've read the Parable of the Hidden Treasure and the Parable of the Pearl of Great Price (Matthew 13:44-46) in the daily readings for last Sunday and again today. My son and I were talking about these readings and, because he is the first born, he told me that he never particularly liked these readings because the actions seem so reckless and irresponsible. To sell everything you have for one treasure? Why would anyone do that? He's right, of course, when you consider worldly sayings like, "Don't put all your eggs in one basket," or even the Cardinal Virtues of Prudence (cautiousness) and Temperance (moderation, self-control). It's just not the smart or logical thing to do!

Of course, everything about God is illogical! God defies common sense. Jesus' teachings are counter-intuitive and even seem foolish. G.K. Chesterton described these paradoxes as, "Truth standing on her head to attract attention." Two examples of the illogical ways of God are:  a baby King born poor in order to "go behind enemy lines" (C. S. Lewis) or Jesus' death on the cross; out of suffering and defeat often comes victory. Jesus' teachings are also counter-intuitive. All eight Beatitudes defy logic as do many of the parables like the Prodigal Son, the Sower and the Seed, and the Mustard Seed. Paradoxical statements, ideas, or stories get our attention because of their contradiction and motivate us to resolve the contradiction by learning and reflection. Maybe God's wisdom is not backward. Maybe ours is.

The Parable of the Hidden Treasure and The Pearl of Great Price cause us to imagine a treasure so valuable that nothing else matters; that we would risk everything else to possess it. That treasure is Jesus. No wealth, pleasure, power, or honor is worth more than Jesus. If we understand the Gospel correctly, "For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it," (Matthew 16:25) then following the example of the "person" or the "merchant" in these parables is the only logical way to live.




Credit:
Pathos, "Happy Are We: Father Robert Barron Unpacks the Teachings of Jesus"
Gary DeLashmutt "Backward Wisdom of God"

It's Scary To Be First

It's scary to be first. I'm the oldest of four daughters and I was the first to do many things in my family. Some things were exciting, some were difficult. I was the first to go to college, to get married, and to have a baby. I was the first to substantially break my parents' trust, the first to total a family car, and the first to move far away from home. As a first-born child, I also do everything with an added bit of control and perfectionism but also with direction, ambition, and commitment. 

Yesterday was the Feast of St. James. I've thought about him all day. He was the brother of the Apostle John; possibly the older brother. He and his brother John were called by Jesus right after the brothers, Simon Peter and Andrew, on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. He heard Jesus teach with authority, watched Him cure Simon Peter's mother-in-law, and raise Jairus' daughter from the dead. He was part of Jesus' inner circle of friends, along with Simon Peter and John. Jesus asked them to come to the mountain and pray. They were there to witness the Transfiguration of Jesus, see Moses and Elijah, and hear the voice of God. Jesus called James and his brother John, "Sons of Thunder." James and John could not have known the cost of discipleship when their mother asked Jesus to allow them to sit at His right and left in heaven. (Matthew 20:21) 

Saint James is the patron saint of Spain. His remains are held in Santiago do Compostela in Galicia. Legend holds that St. James's remains were carried by boat from Jerusalem to northern Spain where he was buried. The Way of St. James, El Camino de Santiago, is a pilgimage to the Shrine of St. James. The walk from the French border to Santiago de Compostela on the main routes of the Camino Frances beginning at Roncesvalles or Jaca takes about a month.  The Way is also the subject and title of a 2010 movie, written and directed by Emilio Estevez. His father, Martin Sheen, plays Tom Avery, the lead role in the fictional story.

St. James was the first to be martyred of all the apostles, but also the first to be reunited with Jesus in heaven. Here is an example of a first-born son going first; doing the hard thing first, before all of his friends. The courage and faith of St. James astounds me. The apostles were normal, human people filled with the Holy Spirit. Their kind of strength and courage was supernatural. We all have the ability to participate in the supernatural grace that the Holy Spirit gave St. James. On our part, it requires humility, receptiveness, and presence. May the Lord bless all of us, first-borns especially, with the strength of faith and the courage to go first!

Christmas in July

I have a story to share with you that I heard for the first time today. Apparently it's a common story because it's easy to find on the internet. I heard it told by a Catholic speaker. I was listening to Mark Hart's Lighthouse Catholic Media cd entitled, "Down to Earth: Grounded in Faith." On it, he retold the story from Paul Harvey (radio broadcaster), who gave credit to Lewis Castles, who made clear that he was not the original author. The original author is unknown. I'm sharing it because Jesus came to show us the love of our Father, to show us how to live, to make us part of God's family, and to redeem us from our sins.

Why would God become a man? Here's a modern parable:

Now the man to whom I’m going to introduce you was not a scrooge, he was a kind, decent, mostly good man. Generous to his family, upright in his dealings with other men, but he just didn’t believe all that incarnation stuff which the churches proclaim at Christmas time. It just didn’t make sense, and he was too honest to pretend otherwise. He just couldn’t swallow the Jesus story about God coming to earth as a man.

“I’m truly sorry to distress you”, he told his wife, “but I’m not going with you to church this Christmas eve”, he said he’d feel like a hypocrite, that he’d much rather just stay at home, but that he would wait up for them. So he stayed and they went to the midnight service.

Shortly after the family drove away in the car, snow began to fall. He went to the window to watch the flurries getting heavier and heavier and then went back to his fireside chair and began to read his newspaper. Minutes later, he was startled by a thudding sound. Then another. And then another; sort of a thump or a thud. At first, he thought someone must be throwing snowballs against his living room window. But when he went to the front door to investigate, he found a flock of birds huddled miserably in the snow. They had been caught in the storm and in a desperate search for shelter, had tried to fly through his large landscape window.

Well, he couldn’t let the poor creatures lie there and freeze, so he remembered the barn where his children stabled their pony. That would provide a warm shelter if he could direct the birds to it. Quickly, he put on a coat and goulashes, tramped through the deepening snow to the barn.

He opened the doors wide and turned on a light. But the birds did not come in. He figured food would entice them in. So he hurried back to the house, fetched bread crumbs, sprinkled them on the snow making a trail the yellow lighted, wide open door to the stable. But to his dismay, the birds ignored the bread crumbs and continued to flop around helplessly in the snow. He tried catching them. He tried “shooing” them into the barn by walking around them waving his arms. Instead, they scattered in every direction except into the warm lighted barn.

Then he realized that they were afraid of him. To them, he reasoned, I am a strange and terrifying creature. If only I could let them know that they can trust me. That I’m not trying to hurt them, but to help them. But how? Because any move he made tended to frighten them, confuse them. They just would not follow. They would not be led, or “shooed” because they feared him.

“If only I could be a bird”, he thought to himself “and mingle with them and speak their language. Then I could tell them not to be afraid. Then I could show them the way to the safe warm ----------

(Sudden recognition)

---- to the safe warm barn, but I would have to be one of them so they could see and hear, and understand.”

At that moment the church bells began to ring. The sound reached his ears above the sounds of the wind. He stood there listening to the bells, Adeste Fidelis. Listening to the bells pealing the glad tidings of Christmas. And he sank to his knees in the snow.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcjuK5KUe4M Paul Harvey tells the story himself right here.

JOY = Jesus, Others, Ourselves

About 10 years ago, a life coach advised me never to give any service, product, or money away for free; or without trading/gaining something in return. After that, her words made me question myself when I volunteered, gave away free items to customers in my business, or contributed to my church. I'm sorry to say that I believed the life coach's advice because of her confident authority.

Thankfully, I discovered a more legitimate authority: Matthew 10:8-15 "Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons, Freely you received, freely give. Do not acquire gold, or silver, or copper for your money belts, or a bag for your journey, or even two coats, or sandals, or a staff..." When I read this, I never get hung up in the language. To me, heal the sick means care for the sick; visit, make a meal, or run errands for someone who can't because they are sick. To me, raise the dead means teach others about the new life we have in Jesus through sacramental grace or to offer hope to those who despair. Cleanse the lepers means to help restore individuals or families to parish community by offering Christian friendship, inviting them, and helping them to see that they belong.  Casting out demons means to counsel the doubtful; to dispel the lies of the world and present the Truth with love.

An acronym that helps me remember that I have freely received and should freely give is J.O.Y. This is Jesus, Others, Yourself. It reminds me to serve like Jesus, to serve others first, and then to think of myself. Serving regularly is important. Serving where you enjoy the people and love the work is good, but sometimes we are called to serve in the less enjoyable, less visible, and less appreciated jobs. Serve anyway. Teach your children to serve with you. They will not want to, but teach them anyway with patience and love.

I don't always do a good job at service. Sometimes my attitude stinks. Sometimes I'm resentful and tempted to compare my service record to others'. That's when I know that I need to respond in love. I am 100% sure that the life coach that advised me a decade ago was wrong. I wish I could tell her now what I know. The best I can do is to tell you.

Freedom, Authority, and Responsibility

Since it's the 4th of July weekend, I've been thinking a lot about Freedom; the worldly kind and the spiritual kind. This weekend, it's especially appropriate to recognize, appreciate, and thank God for the freedoms we enjoy in the United States and for the people responsible for ensuring our political and societal freedoms. 

Freedom is however one of those ideologies that has been twisted into something it is not in the modern world. Freedom does not mean doing anything we want, whenever we want, however we want, anytime we want, as long as it doesn't hurt anyone else and as long as it's not against the law. Another way we skew the meaning is when we take belief systems out of proportion. Look at the definition of this cool word I found recently. You may know all about EGALITARIAN, but although I understand its meaning, I'd never really paid attention to to the word. Here's the definition:

e·gal·i·tar·i·an

iˌgaləˈterēən/

adjective

1.

of, relating to, or believing in the principle that all people are equal and deserve equal rights and opportunities.

Of course I believe that all people are equal. The Church teaches this too. But, this modern principle is especially embraced in the United States because our freedom was won through a revolt against oppressive authority from England. Authority today is often viewed as suspect and opposed to the freedom of the individual. This makes the authority of the Catholic Church, the Holy See and the Magisterium, seem suspect. Legitimate authority, however, is always necessary in politics, society, and in religious faith. We can never take egalitarianism to the point that we allow individuals to do what is wrong under the veil of Relativism; do whatever makes you happy. Sometimes what you think will make you happy is not good for you or even dangerous to you. 

Spiritual freedom is another thing entirely. It is so counter-intuitive to us that in order to find freedom we must surrender. Our personal freedom does not include deciding for ourselves what is right and what is wrong for us. Right and Wrong have already been identified. We exercise our free will by simply choosing what's Right or choosing what's Wrong. 

The gift of freedom does not come without responsibility and the opposite is true. Responsibility affords a proportional amount of freedom. Finally, as Uncle Ben reminds Peter Parker/Spiderman (and all of us), "Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required," which, of course, is in Luke 12:48 "And to whomsoever much is given, of him shall much be required." 

The Feast of St. Thomas

Today is the Feast of St. Thomas. We don't know much about St. Thomas' ministry after the 'doubting Thomas' episode in the Bible except that tradition says he went east to India. In fact the Indian Christians in Kerala have called themselves "St. Thomas Christians" for centuries. Our own priest, Father Mathew, and his family are from Kerala originally, so thank you St. Thomas!

I was reading about St. Thomas today and want to share something that I found profound. We know that when Christ was sentenced to death for claiming to be the King of the Jews, His followers thought that it was the end. When He died on the cross, they despaired. Then, the women saw Jesus on Sunday morning at the empty tomb. St. Thomas was not in the upper room with the other apostles when the risen Christ appeared for the first time. Why? I've heard homilies that suggested Thomas was out getting groceries or running some practical errand.

There is no question that Thomas loved the Lord. We see his love in the Gospels, but it is curious that Thomas was not with the other apostles. Thomas doubted their claim that they had seen Jesus. Possibly, after Jesus' death, in Tomas' despair, he made the mistake of withdrawing from the other apostles. He chose loneliness over the comfort of friends in his sadness and pain. When they tried to tell him that they had seen Jesus, Thomas refused to be comforted. He refused to believe. This idea really struck me because I have felt this way before; like withdrawing when I'm grieving or depressed. Don't we all feel like doing this? It's certainly easier for the devil to attack us when we are alone. He will tell you that the others don't understand and they will not support you. He wants us to be alone, to feel left out, abandoned and suffering. I'm sure St. Thomas felt all of these things. Plus, the secondary emotion here is anger.

The next time Jesus appeared, Thomas was with the apostles. Thank goodness he did not keep himself isolated. He saw Jesus and believed. He was the first person to call Jesus, "God"! When you are tempted to separate yourself from the people that love and support you, don't. We are made for communion; to be in union with each other as the Body of Christ. Even though you don't feel like it, make the effort to be with others.

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