Cycle and Transformation

As a scientist, especially for those “Thomas” types, I’ve matured to understand science as our ability to discover and reveal the beauty and elegance in the mysteries of God’s creation and who we are in it.  My graphics and oversimplifications may not be appealing to readers, but I share them as they give me a mental model I find helpful.

From our Creator’s first act in all life, matter and spirit are one. (reference May 5, 2015 blog)  As I’ve grown older and especially during the Easter season, I’ve reflected more on death and the essence of resurrection.  I marvel in the “transformation” of life … (I use the word transformation as I think life enters the cycle of matter and life leaves it and moves forward in the Kingdom of God) … to think there is a tremendously high probability that we have inhaled some of the particular oxygen and nitrogen molecules that Jesus and his disciples inhaled and, though less likely, may share some of the same carbon and hydrogen atoms composing our bodies that may have composed theirs.  (Of course, with respect to Jesus, if you believe in the gift of the Eucharist that is a foregone conclusion!)  Therefore, the Lord God formed man out of the clay (soil – humus) of the ground and blew (spirit) into his nostrils the breath of life and so man became a living being. (Genesis 2:7)

To understand the divinity created within us and our neighbors including those we may not appreciate, we need to “awaken” and re-awaken it, to live in it, to allow God to form us in Him.  We do this through the gifts of the sacraments, the Mass, PX-90, Life Teen, CHRP, community functions, charity, mercy, reflection, adoration, family life, our work, friendships, until it is so pervasive we act as if the Spirit is our nature!  (I’m nowhere close, but join you in process:-)  During his life, Jesus modeled the two great, simplified commandments to love God with all your heart, mind, and soul and to love your neighbor as yourself. (Mark 12:28-31)  He shared the many experiences of joy and love such as childbirth, marriage, companionship, beauty, as well as the hardships and ugliness of life in abuses, oppression, corruption, degradation … so much so that he was crucified.

Jesus’ death and resurrection stirred in us an awakening for understanding who God is.  His life and death forces us to rethink, to evolve in our faith in the Creator.  We become more aware, there is a cycle of the material, but a transformation of life.

When loved ones die, I feel profound loss.  Death and loss just really hurts.  I can only imagine how those closest to Jesus felt, the pain, the despair at his tragic death.  To his followers, Lazarus had become a distant memory.  Long before Jesus’ arrest while raising their brother Lazarus from the dead, Jesus made a promise to Martha and Mary.  “I am the resurrection and the life: whoever believes in me, though he should die, will come to life; and whoever is alive and believes in me will never die.” John 11: 25-26.  Yet, it’s difficult for me to accept let alone to understand. 

Jesus’ resurrection was not a one-time miracle!  He broke from the material cycle of form and ascended to the Father with the promise of taking us with him.  He gives essence to our hope despite our intense losses and pains. 

Though an extremely insufficient analogy, water changes state from a cold solid to a fluid liquid to a hot kinetic vapor.  The changes of form may cycle, yet, the water molecule is of significance and remains through each state.   In unison, energy moves into and away from the water cycle like the Spirit in life moves into and away from the material cycle.  As God breathes the Spirit into the clay, He transforms the material humus into life.  And though our matter returns to the earth, our lives, all lives, again transform with the Spirit continuing to resurrection and ascension into the Kingdom.  It’s always been difficult for me to accept, but this transformation is not something we earn.  We are given it freely with love since the birth of Creation.  Despite our good works and failures, God bestows, loves us with His presence, His divinity within us uniting Spirit and matter.  Unfortunately, during life, some choose permanent deadness and deny Jesus’ gift of life.

“Whatever came to be in him found life, life for the light of men.  The light shines on in the darkness, a darkness that did not overcome it.” (John 1:4-5)  God’s gift of the Holy Spirit asks us to look not only beyond ourselves, but also within for His divine presence.  Our awakenings as mentioned above give us a wholeness to living!  May the resurrection and the season of Easter awaken in you; hope, peace and comfort along your journey knowing your loved ones are always present! 

The 3rd Commandment - Keep Holy the Sabbath

by Fred Vilbig

Have you ever had someone refuse a gift from you? You take the time to go shopping (one of my least favorite things to do). You have to figure out what they are going to like. You kind of put yourself on the line a little in picking the present. And then they say they don’t want it, they don’t like it. Or they re-gift it, and you find out. Or they ask where you bought it, and you know they’re going to take it back. That kind of hurts. I know it’s just something you bought (or worse, something you made), but it’s a little piece of you.

I look at the Church that way. When Jesus was here on earth, he established the Church. He established the sacraments. He set up a hierarchy when he picked the Apostles, and He established the papacy when He commissioned Peter. And at the Last Supper, he instituted the priesthood and the Mass. The Church is God’s gift to us, and yet so many of us throw it back at Him.

One of the reasons people give for rejecting the Church is the sins of the ministers or the hypocrisy of believers. Of course, these are real problems, but they are missing the point. Even Jesus Himself picked Judas.

Towards the end of his life at the age of 44, St. Francis was very frail. He had spent years fasting (seven 40-day fasts each year – yes, the math works). He spent many sleepless nights in prayer. In the end, he needed the help of his brothers to travel at all.

One day, with the help of his brothers, he was passing a village. When the villagers found out that St. Francis was passing by, they went to meet him and implore him to come into their village. They took him to the rectory where the parish priest was living with his girlfriend (a not uncommon practice at the time). When the priest came to the door, he was probably chagrined to see St. Francis.

The villagers proceeded to accuse the priest of his immoral behavior. They certainly expected St. Francis to condemn the man.

Instead, St. Francis fell to his knees, took the priest’s hands in his own stigmatized hands, kissed them, and said, “All I know, and all I want to know, is that these hands give me Jesus.”

If we focus on the sins of the ministers or of the laity, we are missing the point. Jesus is the point. Jesus is the sole reason for our Church. The Church is the ordinary means God uses to reach out to us. The Church gave us the Bible. The Church gives us the sacraments. The Church gives us the Eucharist, the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

If we reject the church, we are throwing back in God’s face the greatest gift He could ever give to us. We are telling God, “No, we are not interested.” God doesn’t give up on us, but I think a part of us dies whenever we do this.

What more appropriate way to keep holy the Sabbath than to participate in that great gift of God, the Mass. Anything else falls so short.

Narrowcasting

It's been a busy week here at PX90 Blog Central....we are all trying to finish our taxes in time!

During one of my breaks I had time to read an interesting article over at WordOnFire.org talking about the concept of narrowcasting.  What is narrowcasting, you ask?  To my understanding it is the new way in which many networks are trying to gain viewership:

"Instead of trying to go after the entire American population with a broadly targeted program that appealed to everyone, you could go with a narrowly targeted program that appealed to only a subgroup of the population."

What's wrong with this?  I could add my own thoughts, but my taxes are not done yet, so you will have to click over to the article to find out...

Click Here for the full Article...

Has your Plate Widened?

With the Cards season beginning, and the Opener next week, I thought this story might stir some thought. I think it is quite appropriate today in view of what is happening in our world, in our country, in our homes and in our faith journey...

Thanks to PX90 stalwart Gene Bestgen for forwarding it on...
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------