Per Crucem ad Lucem

Through the cross to the light. As we begin the holy season of Lent, we are faced once again with the brutal sacrifice that our Lord Jesus Christ made to purchase our salvation. His cross was torture, humiliation, and utter agony. The prospect of His trial and crucifixion was so daunting that He begged God the Father to let it pass Him by. Jesus pleaded until blood and sweat ran from his pores (1). Yet, in spite of His fear, our Lord went to His death willingly, knowing that by doing so He was carrying out His Father’s will (2). Christ’s example leads us to consider some difficult questions: Do we really have to suffer in this life to do God’s will? How could suffering possibly benefit us? 

Our Lord calls us to master ourselves and to control our passions by accepting suffering in our life: "Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any man will come after me let him take up his cross and follow me”(3).If we want to follow Christ, we have to accept suffering. Notice that Jesus calls each man to take up his cross; not a cross, not the cross, but his cross. This is a deeply personal invitation from our Lord. 

Personal or not, this call can be difficult to accept. When I’m in the midst of difficulty, I often ask God:

Lord, I’ll suffer for you, but please, can it be something else? I only got two hours of sleep last night. You’re asking me to remain patient and act charitably when the driver in front of me refuses to speed up even though he’s in the fast lane. Can I suffer some other way instead? How about I go to an extra Mass this week? It would be really inconvenient for me to have to wake up early and go to church. Will you take away the frustration and anger that’s building up in me if I take on some other kind of sacrifice? 

Transfiguration

Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves.  And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white.  Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him.  Then Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, I will make three dwellings here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”  While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said, “This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!”….  And when they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus himself alone.  Mt 17:1-5, 8

            For years, I thought the transfiguration was alien, somewhere out there, distant, fictional.  However, Lent offered opportunity and I entered it. 

            Early in life, I considered Lent to be a punitive period exercised by God annually seeking penance for mankind’s treatment of Jesus.  My parents reinforced my misconception.  They confirmed I’d selected “something to give up,” while imposing additional chores and less basketball, reminding me to be prayerful as I worked. 

Following my undergraduate studies in chemistry and physics, I entered the seminary. Classes in philosophy and theology were going well, but failed to present the “mysterious proof.” My Lenten experience changed dramatically. Though I was told differently, I thought theologians devised a mysterious proof of God’s existence through the life of Jesus in a precise, analytical package that could be easily deduced in the form;

            If “A” is true, then “B” is true.

            If “B” is true, then “C” is true.

            Therefore, if “A” is true, then “C” must be true!

            To my disappointment, I discovered no such proof existed.  Faith doesn’t work that way.  My relationship with God doesn’t work that way; neither do my relationships with people.  An intense Lenten season of questioning and searching erupted.  Among the essential questions; Why be Catholic?  I have tremendous admiration for individuals, especially RCIA candidates’ pursuits to answer this question.  One’s journeys are unique.  I chose to investigate religions of the world to answer mine.

            As a result, during that particular Lent, I identified essentials significant to my relationship with God within the Church.  Though not all-inclusive, I share a few of these.  The sacraments, especially the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist strengthens my relationships with God and the community.  As a scientist, I study the Church’s discoveries and contributions in the sciences, health, and education; for example, Catholics who initially posited theories on the Big Bang and evolution.  Christ came for sinners and I live down to that!  Considering controversial issues, the Church is never stagnant, willing to wrestle with ethics and morals.  Catholics support responsibility and care for the poor, disadvantaged.  They are committed to social justice.  Her theologians are non-literalist, critical consumers of scripture and Jesus’ message.

I agree with Rachel Balducci’s (Make My Life Simple: Bringing Peace to Heart and Home) statement.  “Freedom comes from knowing we are where we need to be, and if we aren’t exactly where we should be, God is with us on our journey closer to that spot.”

With confidence and gratitude, I appreciate the Church’s inclusion of “cafeteria Catholics” as individuals embrace their struggles as opposed to exclusion.  Jesus’ parables challenge me as I journey through the cafeteria.  (I know some may cringe, thinking the cafeteria may be a negative or detrimental factor in faith, but to me, that is what “wrestling with our faith” is all about.)  It is from this tension in which new life occurs.  It is during this time of Lent where dying to self, surrendering my ego, allows for transformation in relationship with community and Christ.  I need the community.  I need to hear the voice of God in others.  The Church does not kick me out, but stays the course, shepherding her flock.  There are plenty of historical instances when acceptance has not always been the case.  Fortunately, humanity has had numerous grace-filled individuals and saints who have corrected the course!  The Church teaches me to live in paradox without feeling threatened. 

            English philosopher and theologian, Chesterton writes Catholicism keeps its beliefs “side by side like two strong colors, red and white ….  It has always had a healthy hatred of pink.” Bishop Robert Barron explains what Chesterton meant is “Catholicism consistently celebrates the coming together of contraries, not in the manner of a bland compromise, but rather in such a way that the full energy of the opposing elements remains in place.  And so, to give just one instance, the communion of saints, which includes the warrior Joan of Arc and the pacifist Francis of Assisi; the towering intellectual Thomas Aquinas and the barely literate Catherine of Siena; Antony, the recluse of the desert, and Thomas More, the Lord Chancellor of England.”

I see the transfiguration intimately connected to RCIA, the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults.  In awe, I watch adults freely choose to enter a sacramental conversion into the Body of Christ through Catholicism.  Lent is a season of opportunity, a season for individual conversion and transfiguration.  My transformation is never complete. Lent is an annual, on-going opportunity for intentional conversion (Fr. Stanger graciously listed numerous ideas in the bulletin.  What ideas are effective for you?) to build and to strengthen my relationship with God, my family, friends, and community. 

On the evening of the Easter Vigil, I anticipate looking into the faces of our community and those joining us from RCIA and seeing the face of our Lord.  God continually calls us to be “gracious and merciful, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love.” Joel (2:13)  It is for our conversion, our transformation, our transfiguration that we fast and pray!  Blessings!

Fear Not...Become Like Children

Ash Wednesday is next week.  This Lent, I invite you to approach Easter acting like a young child.  Continue to act maturely in your job and in your relationships.  (You can’t cite me as an excuse to hold your breath and pout the next time you have work to do.)  In regards to faith, however, spend Lent with the mindset of a young child.

I should further clarify that I’m not talking about being childlike in giving things up for Lent.  I’m reminded of one Lent, years ago, where our children were naming items they would give up and one of our sons proudly stated that he would give up Candy Canes until Easter.  To this day, I’m not sure if he was genuinely abstaining from one of his favorite sweets in an attempt to unite in suffering and strive for purification as we awaited Jesus’ resurrection.  Or maybe he was simply an evil genius, naming the one snack that was guaranteed NOT to be available to tempt him throughout spring.  I may never know…I don’t think I want to.

But I digress.  A more relevant memory is that of any number of occasions where my children have awakened in the middle of the night, scared from a bad dream or a loud noise.  Whether their fear stemmed from their own imagination, or something legitimate, all it took was a hug, or a statement of “Don’t Worry”, to dissipate their concerns and allow them to quickly return to rest.  This is the example of childlike faith I challenge us to strive to replicate during Lent.

Be not afraid.  Do not fear.  There is debate as to how many times these phrases appear in the bible under various translations, however, it is very clear that we are instructed to FEAR NOT, time and time again throughout the entirety of the Old and New Testament.  So now that you know your instructions, go ahead and follow them.  Fear not.

Let’s take that even a step further.  Do not be anxious about anything.    “Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God.”  (Philippians 4:6)  There you have it.  Don’t fear, and don’t even worry.  In a nutshell, be like a young child. 

For most of us, that is a pretty tough pill to swallow.  The badge of adulthood generally comes with a continual promotion to greater opportunities for, and levels of, stress.  Stress can more broadly be looked at as coming from responsibility, worry, anxiety, and fear.  We have mortgages, tuition payments, jobs, marriages, ice storms, professional relationships, elderly parents, killer bees, sick loved ones, children growing up in this society, North Korean dictators, car repairs, public speaking, and gluten everywhere.  We cannot give up on our responsibilities.  We have to continue to take care of each of those things.  But can we do so while giving up our worry and our fear?

It all comes down to our faith.  Do we trust in God?  Common answers may be along the lines of, “Of course I trust in God!  I just want to know HOW He’s going to take care of my problem.  And WHEN He’s going to take care of it.  Once I know that, and it makes sense to me, then I’ll be able to stop worrying.” 

But I’m reminded of the youngest of my kids again, coming to me with fear and anxiety.  With a hug and a statement of "Don't Worry," they are satisfied.  Their fear is gone.  They do not ask how, or why, or when?  They just trust.  Take your fear and your worry to God, and then trust that God has heard your request.  The problem may still exist in the morning, the solution may not be the easiest, and the timing may not come according to your schedule, but TRUST that God has heard you and is in charge, and the fear and worry that accompanied your trial can be given over to Him.  “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 18:3)

Have a blessed Lent.

Matt Buehrig

Inspired by: My Kids

Appeal more to the Heart than to the Head

Hard to believe, but Lent is right around the corner.  One of the traditions the churches offers during this time to help us move into the right interior space is praying the Stations of the Cross.  As Gary Jansen, author of the book 'Station to Station', states

"The Stations reveal the lowest point in Jesus’ life and, in turn, the Stations resonate with the difficult times we experience in life as well as the tough times that we hold in our memories. In this way, the Stations appeal more to the heart than they do to the head"

Recently Gary was interviewed about his book on Word on Fire, and I share this today so that you may consider walking with Christ through his suffering as part of your Lenten journey.  The interview can be found at the link below...

https://www.wordonfire.org/resources/blog/station-to-station-an-interview-with-gary-jansen/5379/

God Bless -

Jim

Dear Younger Me,

So the Youth Ministry program is preparing for a retreat for the upperclassmen.  One of the activities we are asking the teens to do, is to write a letter to our younger selves.  If now as an upperclassman in high school, you could go back and talk to the 8^thgrade you, what would you say?  What advice would you give?

The more I thought about it, I realized what a good exercise that is.  We are all very willing to give advice to others, but here we must reflect back on our own lives, our own choices, from a new, hopefully wiser perspective.

I remember the movie Shawshank Redemption.  Red was facing the parole board, yet again and was asked if he was rehabilitated.  His reply…

There's not a day goes by I don't feel regret. Not because I'm in here, or because you think I should. I look back on the way I was then, a young, stupid kid who committed that terrible crime. I wanna talk to him. I wanna try to talk some sense to him -- tell him the way things are. But I can't. That kid's long gone and this old man is all that's left. I gotta live with that.

So we all have moments in our life where we can look back and contemplate how we’ve grown, or how we’ve changed.  So here is my attempt at the assignment:

Dear Younger Me,

Here you are, 21 years old, full of so much enthusiasm and ambition.  You graduated college early, you have a full time job, the wedding is only a few months away.  Soon you will have everything you’ve ever dreamed of.  Finally, your hard work has paid off and you can be happy.

Well you are 25 now.  This sales racket is a bit tougher than you’d thought.  All your friends make more money than you do.  You have a child now and a mortgage payment.  This was supposed to be your dream come true.  Why does it feel like so much work and struggle?  You're sure you just need to grit your teeth and push.  The finish line is so close you can taste it.

You’re 33 years old.  Man it went quick.  You have four healthy kids, a beautiful wife, your dream vacation home, the luxury car.  Now you have it all.  Finally, it’s time to enjoy the fruits of your labor.  But in that moment, you know deep down that you aren’t happy.  Why?  A friend told me once, “Ben, sometimes you are so busy climbing a ladder, you don’t check to see what building it’s leaning against.“

Son, let me offer you some advice from a man who has a few more years under his belt and knows you well.  At some point you need to realize that your life isn’t about you.  The happiness and relief you are looking for is never going to be found in worldly things.  No matter how much money, power, popularity, or fame you can capture here, it will never satisfy you.  Don’t you notice that once you get what you were striving for, days later you are searching and struggling again?  Saint Augustine put it well when he said, “Our heart is restless until it rests in you.”  The journey you are on is a foolish one.  It revolves around self promotion, pride, and constant competition.  If you envision Jesus on one side and Satan on another, who do you think is smiling and laughing as you constantly rush through your life looking for happiness?

The peace you long for has been there waiting for you, your whole life.  You’ve had glimpses of it.  You’ve experienced it.  But your sinfulness tends to block the graces that come from it.

It’s hard to see you fight and struggle so hard, and come away so empty.  I wish you could here me.  I wish you could realize that it’s not success in your endeavours that you are called to fight for.  It’s faithfulness.  Deep down you know things will be ok.  You don’t have to control everything.  You don’t have to strive for comfort and be terrified of failure or hardship.

Here you are in your 40’s.  The scales have fallen from you eyes.  You see now that the path to happiness is not through work, but through faith.  However, be careful here.  You are going to spend several years believing that material success is bad and holiness is good.  As that belief takes hold, you will find yourself in conflict.  Why did God give me ambition?  Why is it bad to work hard and use my talents?  It will begin to feel like you are two different people.  One who is a selfish, greedy sinner and other who is a dutiful servant of God.

You are getting closer, but there is something you need to understand.  Winning in this world, however you may define it, itsn’t wrong.  Money isn’t bad.  Your longing to be accepted by your friends, or admired by your family isn’t the problem.  Jesus didn’t come into the world to give you more rules.  He came to change your heart.  He is calling you to detachment.   Love your work, but don’t become addicted to it.  Long to be admired, but don’t define yourself by other’s opinion of you.  When you have worldly happiness, God is happy for you, and wants to celebrate with you.  Your faith life isn’t supposed to feel like eating your vegetables.  It’s supposed to feel like the best meal you’ve ever had.

So my advice to you now is to slow down.  Savor the beauty around you.  Be in the moment with the people you love.  You’ve spent a lifetime being there, but not really being present.  You know now that success is not living the American dream and having the matching sweaters in your Christmas photo, but you also know that God isn’t asking you to forget about your responsibilities and spiritually whip yourself for your sinfulness.  Believe it or not, the image of total success is Jesus crucified.  That is true detachment.  Look at him.  He doesn’t have wealth, power, or popularity, but on that cross, he is happier that you have ever been.  He knows he is perfectly doing the will of God.

That’s all you need to do.  Everything else in life will sort itself out.  Trust me.  Step outside tonight, and look up at the stars.   Go watch your daughter’s deep breathing while she sleeps.  Then go to adoration and feel the love that has never left you, even at the times you couldn’t feel it.

It’s time to take your puppet strings off.  It’s time for you to realize who you are, and whose you are.  You’ve carried this for too long.  Let him take it, and for the first time in your life, feel the joy that comes from finally being free.