Thirst for Fullness

It is Jesus that you seek when you dream of happiness; He is waiting for you when nothing else you find satisfies you; He is the beauty to which you are so attracted; it is He who provoked you with that thirst for fullness that will not let you settle for compromise; it is He who urges you to shed the masks of a false life; it is He who reads in your heart your most genuine choices, the choices that others try to stifle. 

It is Jesus who stirs in you the desire to do something great with your lives, the will to follow an ideal, the refusal to allow yourselves to be ground down by mediocrity, the courage to commit yourselves humbly and patiently to improving yourselves and society, making the world more human and more fraternal. 

John Paul II

Last week we celebrated the feast day of Saint John Paul II.  The above quote from his talk at World Youth Day 2000 in Rome is one of my favorites.  There is so much hope in his words, in the way he brings to light the working of Jesus in our everyday lives. 

There are so many times in my life when I settle for compromise - when I know the path Jesus is calling me to but  instead choose to do what is convenient, comfortable or of lowest risk.  My thoughts and actions are turned in on myself and enable such reasoning to somehow look acceptable.  It becomes easier to settle and harder to hope as the days and years pass - for the wine skins have aged and the consequences of choosing Christ's path would shatter the house of cards that I have so thoughtfully crafted.

Yet as JPII's quote points out, Jesus continues his jealous pursuit of my heart, and in numerous small ways reveals that HE LONGS to make all things new - even this old wine skin.  And once renewed His new wine can be poured in, inebriating me to once again hope in a life truly lived, set apart, glorious in His eyes.

It is a decision we face all day everyday - to be genuine in our choices, or let them be stifled by our selfishness.   

So I pray the Saints' words stir your hearts as they do mine, inspiring trust and hope in the path we all are called to walk...

Tithing

Well that title should result in some of the fewest hits I’ve ever gotten on a blog here.  In polite society we don’t talk about money, and we certainly don’t hold our hand out.  But what about the church?  What are we called to give back in an effort to support our parish?

Do I have to give 10%?  Is that before taxes or after taxes?  Does the tuition at Holy Infant count?  What about when I overpaid for that auction item last year?  

Ok, let’s start with the basics.  Tithing is a Jewish custom that many believe started with Genesis 14 where Abraham donated a tenth of his belongings to the rabbi Melchizedek.   Several of our protestant brothers and sisters adhere to the strict % number of tithing – 10% of your family income, right off the top.  The Catholic church however, does not specify a percentage that lay people are required to give.  Rather there is a stewardship of offering your time, talent and treasure.   For whatever reason, people are willing to donate some time, and even some of their talents, but when it comes to treasure, well that’s an awkward conversation.

There are times in your life where you are barley getting by and there are times where you have more than you need.  I know me personally, when I was out of work in 2005, I sat down with Monsieur Dempsey and had the embarrassing conversation that I had to stop my donations for a while until I got back on my feet.  He was more than gracious, treating my family no different than he had before.  Our first responsibility is to provide for the basic necessities of our family.  The church does not ask for you to not pay your mortgage in an effort to put money in the collection plate.   Having said that, we can all do better.

Here are some unsettling statistics:  The average share of our income that we U.S. Catholics give to our Church (including not just weekly parish giving, but special collections and other Church related charities) is a mere 1% - the same as it’s been as long as anyone’s been counting.  That’s the lowest percentage of giving of any major religious denomination in the United States.  

So why don’t we give more?  What are we afraid of?  Isn’t everything that we have God’s anyway?  I have a theory.  I know it’s true for me, so I’m guessing it’s true for others as well.  I don’t know if a really trust God.  Somewhere deep down, I believe that the only person who is going to take care of me is me, and if I really give away my hard earned treasure, I will be left in need.  So I give just enough to make me feel like I’m doing my part, but I don’t give until it hurts.  Why?  Because I want the control.  I believe the path to happiness is through my own gratification and pleasure, and I’m like Carol House…. I like nice things.

Here’s where I’m starting to see that this thinking is holding me back.  I know, looking at my life, that whenever I have given more than I felt comfortable with, not once, not twice, but every single time I have been provided for.  God is never outdone in generosity.   I’ve experienced this first hand, but still, my faith gets tested and the enemy convinces me that I need to hoard things for myself.  Without my money, I don’t have security and comfort.  So I build more barns to store my grain to continue to chase this illusion that my money will keep me safe and happy.  It’s not security.  It’s a prison.  One that keeps me from enjoying the amazing life God wants to offer me if I’d only let go and trust him.

      

Bountiful Harvest

Dirt and dust cover a barren landscape. A solitary farmer plunges a shovel into the rough earth. Slowly and deliberately, he carves a network of canals into the dirt. One canal connects to another, forming an array of trenches that end at a small dam. The farmer bends over the dam, his hands aching as he works a gear to open a small door. Water rushes out of a small opening, filling the trenches and soaking into the dirt. Day after day, the water permeates into the coarse earth and seeds buried deep therein begin to sprout. Months pass and vegetation grows over the once barren landscape. The lush crops sway in an autumn breeze as the farmer prepares for the harvest.

The Holy Spirit has labored over the bleak landscape of human existence since the beginning of time, toiling as He carved the law into the hearts of men. What began as precepts etched on stone tablets became a living and breathing being in the incarnation. Jesus demonstrated the importance of God’s precepts during His public ministry. In numerous encounters with the Jewish leaders, our Lord pointed to the importance of love within the context of the law. The doctrines of our faith are a gift from God: a network of channels into which we are called to pour out our love. By pouring out our love within the structure of the law, we nourish the seeds of God’s grace, which brings us joy in our present life and eternal happiness in the life to come. 

How could it be that doctrines are a gift? Most of us think of rules as a burden: a series of arbitrary restrictions that oppress us and take the fun out of life. Confronted with a series of dos and don’ts that seem contrary to our nature, many of us simply opt out. Maybe we’re in favor of obvious rules such as the prohibition of murder or sexual relationships between adults and minors. These seem to make sense to most modern men, regardless of their creed.

The doctrines of the Church are another story. Go to Mass every Sunday, don’t use contraception, only receive the Eucharist if you’re properly disposed, one man and one woman for life…the list seems endless. If we look back into the early books of the Bible, such as Leviticus, our heads may start to spin: exact measurements for a structure to house the ark, incredible restrictions on diet, the punishment of death for disobedience. Surely these were all arbitrary rules from an oppressive God who wants nothing but to put us down. Don’t even get us started about the people that God has supposedly put in charge of administering these laws... 

Despite the myriad of excuses that we may come up with about how rules are unfair and burdensome, sacred scripture holds that doctrine is not only a benefit to mankind, but a natural part of our existence. In his letter to the Hebrews, St. Paul echoes the voice of God when he says, “I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds.(1)” The precepts of God are a part of us. At the time of St. Paul, the law was seen as a Jewish concept. The Jews were under the law and the gentiles were outside of it. However, in his letter to the Romans, St. Paul tell us that “[the gentiles] show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them.(2)” When we do wrong by ourselves, by others, or by God, something eats at us inside. This feeling deep within us is our conscience, and it operates inside of every man as the precepts of the heart.

St. Paul identifies the link between the law of God and the law of the heart, but Jesus connects the two in His public ministry. It is tempting to read Jesus’ interactions with the Pharisees as a condemnation of doctrine, but it is important to draw a distinction: Christ clearly states that the problem lies not within rules or structure but within the hearts of men. If the law was the cause of the Pharisees’ sin, then why not just do away with the doctrines all together? Rather than dismiss the law, Jesus upholds it when He says, “Do not think that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets. I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.(3)” Jesus not only upholds doctrine, but he exalts it by saying, “If you love me, keep my commandments.(4)” Christ embraces the law and goes further by claiming that we show our love for God by following His commandments. 

Merely following rules is not enough. Even if we see the importance of God's precepts, like the Pharisees did, we must seek more than outward appearances. Rules are an invaluable tool, but ultimately they are a mere channel, a framework upon which we build our love. Jesus frequently condemned the Pharisees not for following precepts, but for following the law without love. When faced with a man whose hand was withered, our Lord asked the Pharisees if it was lawful to cure of the Sabbath. They were silent and Jesus “looked around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart.(5)” Christ calls us to accept doctrine and to carry out God’s commands in a spirit of love. 

By following the precepts of God, we anchor our lives to a structure that is etched into our very beings. A life lived in the confines of the law alone is one that is dry, barren, and devoid of fruit. Jesus calls us to pour the love of our hearts into the framework of doctrine. Just as the law alone is insufficient, so too does love alone fail to bring us fulfillment. Uncontained love tends to spread out and dry up, turning fervor into weakness and exhaustion. The opposite is also true when love is not properly contained and ordered: a deluge of feelings and emotions overwhelms everything in its path, drowning out reason. When carefully guided into the confines of the law, our love is given order and direction. Properly ordered love nourishes the seeds of grace that God places in our hearts. In His time, these seeds grow into fruit that will last, bringing us satisfaction in this life and the immeasurable abundance of heavenly bliss in eternity. 

References

(1)  Hebrews 10:16 

(2)  Romans 2:15 

(3)  Matthew 5:17 

(4)  John 14:15 

(5)  Mark 3:5

Images 

(1)  The Veteran in a New Field (1865). Obtained via nytimes.com (https://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/11/arts/design/the-civil-war-and-american-art-smithsonian-american-art.html)

Do I Restrict?

Then Jesus summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority to expel unclean spirits and to cure sickness and disease of every kind.  Mt: 10:1

Jesus now called the Twelve together and gave them power and authority to overcome all demons and to cure diseases.  He sent them forth to proclaim the reign of God and heal the afflicted.  Lk 9:1-2

Though I am stretching connections, many are answering Christ’s call!

The Pharisees and the scribes questioned Jesus: “Why do your disciples not follow the tradition of our ancestors, but instead take food without purifying their hands?”¹ Moreover, they (Pharisees) never eat anything without first sprinkling it.²

The St. Wenceslaus food pantry provides food to residents who hunger.  Dinners are provided for the homeless at shelters.  Meal-a-Month assists in stocking their shelves. Helping Hands provides meals for the family who has lost a dear one.

You pay tithes on mint and herbs and seeds while neglecting the weightier matters of the law, justice and mercy and good faith.³

The Stewardship team engages community to offer their talents, time, and treasure for the betterment of all.  Christ Renews His Parish offers spiritual renewal and a deeper sense of community.  RCIA opens a new door of opportunity to others to explore spirituality and the sacraments.  Adult Faith Formation addresses social issues to enhance awareness and to build faith in community.      

Likewise, there was a Levite who came the same way; he saw (the man beaten by robbers) and went on.⁴

Peter & Paul homeless shelter provides a bed, warmth, and meals to men without.  Frozen casseroles prepared for the St. Patrick Center, another shelter, provide a personal touch to the palate. 

When the Pharisees spied (Jesus’ disciples pulling heads of grain and eating them): “See here!  Your disciples are doing what is not permitted on the Sabbath.”⁵ A man with a shriveled hand happened to be there, and they put this question to Jesus, hoping to bring an accusation against him: “Is it lawful to work a cure on the Sabbath?”⁶

Law enforcement, medical staff, firefighters, utility professionals work around the clock seven days a week to answer the call when emergencies arise.  Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration provides unbroken support through the Blessed Sacrament for grace, strength, courage, guidance, mercy, gratitude, blessings to build a community of hope and faith for all people.

People were bringing their little children to him to have him touch them, but the disciples were scolding them for this.⁷

Holy Infant’s school nurtures the minds, hearts, and souls of our youth.  PSR a vibrant program brings the life-filling gifts of the sacraments to all children.  Edge and Lifeteen offer youth opportunities to strengthen positive networks to build faith together.  Angel Corps brings the Eucharist to those who are sick and homebound. 

A Canaanite woman cried out to him, “Lord, Son of David, have pity on me!  My daughter is terribly troubled by a demon.  He gave no word of response.  His disciples came up and began to entreat him, “Get rid of her.  She keeps shouting after us.”⁸

Stephen ministers receive the hurting with love and caring support, assisting others through their confusion, stress, loneliness and pain.  No request is too great for the Jonah Prayer team to assist.

As Jesus walked along, he saw a man who had been blind from birth.  His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, was it his sin or that of his parents that caused him to be born blind?”⁹

Educators, therapists, writers and text translators assist those lacking sight to the world around them.  Medical engineers work to resolve the biologics of blindness.  Cantors, choirs, musicians engage the soul to dance! Researchers work on tomorrow’s vaccines to protect loved ones from debilitating sickness.  Geneticists tap into code to unlock the torture of ALS, cystic fibrosis, MS ….  The Prayer Shawl ministry crochets or knits wraps/blankets blessed for comfort, healing, and peace. 

The Pharisees, scribes, disciples, and others including myself, want to possess, own God.  Occasionally, we think we’ve cornered Him/Her for own benefit, supremacy, and influence.  God’s restricted on our side.  I catch myself upon reflection thinking; I know better than God.  And when I do, I limit God’s mercy, love and grace in my life and in the lives of others. 

            Jesus and those he sent opposed their fabrications and posturing with decisive love, mercy, and grace for the outcasts, the sick, the blind, the addicted.  Jesus crossed many borders, many social and economic boundaries.  He struck the complacent!

            Am I with him?  Am I complacent?  Do I care?  Am I willing to offer my talents and act in love, mercy, and grace?

Christ expands far beyond the space we allow!  We are sons and daughters!

His eyes are mine and those of my neighbor

Her hands are mine and those of my neighbor

His compassion is mine and that of my neighbor

Her intelligence is mine and that of my neighbor

He is my neighbor and I am Hers.

My soul sings in gratitude; God is vast, expansive more than I have imagined! 

1. Mk 7:5

2. Mk 7:4

3. Mt 23:23

4. Lk 10:32

5. Mt 12:2

6. Mt 12:10

7. Mk 10:11

8. Mt 15:22-23

9. Jn 9:1-2