Throwing Stones

Since the fall of man, there has been plenty of examples of folks making bad choices.  Pride, greed, lust, pick your sin. It poisons our decisions and the consequences are grave. If you look in the news, there is plenty of scandal resulting from these bad choices.  Unfortunately, the Catholic Church and even our Holy Infant community are not immune to these headlines.  

I can’t help but notice, that when we see someone fall, there is something inside of us that gets excited.  For some reason, we all seem to love to see someone fail.  A text goes out, or a call is made, “Did you hear about so and so?  Can you believe it?......”  As we organize into our outraged mob, we point to the travesty and judge their actions. I wonder if one of the reasons we secretly enjoy these shortcomings in others, is that it makes us feel a little bit better about ourselves.  The bar is somewhat lowered for us so we can say, “Well at least I don’t do THAT!”

Venting disgust as a group onto one person creates a sense of unity and togetherness.  However, it’s always a false, unstable unity because it’s predicated on the verbal violence of gossip.  The phony community of the group is founded upon a victim.   Don’t you always wonder when you leave the group, if you will be the next person they talk about?

I wonder…is this kind of scapegoating and gossiping good for us? Is this the reaction we should have? Is God on our side as we point out with holy anger the sinfulness of others?  

My mind is drawn to the woman at the well in John chapter 8.  A woman who committed adultery is brought to Jesus by the scribes.  Imagine the length they had to go to in order to catch her in the very act.  There is a deep hunger and need to find a scapegoat, and it’s amazing the lengths we will go to find someone to blame.  A gathering force like a storm begins to swell as they draw into their circle more “blamers”.  They seek immediately a religious sanction and come to the Jesus.  “The law of Moses says we are justified in stoning this woman, what do you say?"  The scapegoat is usually backed up by a sacred violence. God approves of it.  

Notice what Jesus does first.  This is a great guide for all of us on how to handle gossip.  He does nothing.  He does not engage them or answer the question posed.  He bends down and begins to write in the sand.  Sometimes the best thing you can do, is nothing - just refuse to contribute to it.

The church fathers say he was writing into the ground the sins of the people who were holding stones.  Jesus then rises and delivers his famous words, “Let he without sin, be the first to cast a stone.”  

He has taken the outward violence of the group and transforms them to look inward.  What started as shaking a finger in judgement at the woman, now the people are faced with their own shortcomings and dysfunction.  Next time you find yourself being drawn into the dynamic power of a mob, imagine Jesus writing in the ground your worse sin.  All of a sudden, it’s not so easy to throw a stone.

Christ himself was the victim of a scapegoating crowd.  They gathered in force and excitement yelling CRUCIFY HIM! I always feel uncomfortable reciting those words on Good Friday.  Jesus came to show that God does not sanction violence, but rather God stands with the victim.   In that, a new world is born.  A world predicated on compassion, mercy, and non-violence.  

I see someone in the news who embezzled money.  I’m outraged.  But I then ask myself, have I ever made a bad moral choice due to greed?   I hear about cases of sexual abuse and I’m disgusted and demand justice.  But for a moment, if I set my pitchfork and torch down, I hear a voice ask, “Has lust ever corrupted your heart?”

I’m not suggesting that we accept sin, or look the other way.  People should be held accountable for their actions, which happens in a just society, or with our souls at the final judgement. My challenge to all of us is when we hear of something scandalous, and the gossip circle starts to form....STOP.  Don’t join in.  You’ll see the disappointment immediately from the person who is wanting to gossip with you.  Think to yourself - “There, but for the grace of God goes I.”  And finally, look at one of our fallen brothers or sisters and say, “Where are they?  Is there no one left to condemn you?  Then nor do I condemn you.  Go and sin no more.”

                                      

Lumen Orationis

The light of prayer. As we enter Holy Week, we are given the opportunity to escape the rhythm of our lives on earth and to turn to the promise of life everlasting. Prayer is a tool that we use to consider our own experience in light of the divine life. Through Christian forms of prayer such as mediation and contemplation, we let go of worldly cares and place ourselves in the presence of God. Although these forms of prayer are different, they both offer the same reward: to become like Christ. Despite the invaluable treasure of a life spent imitating Christ, we are confronted with the reality that prayer is difficult. Bearing in mind this reality, we are called to practice meditation and contemplation, thus opening  ourselves to divine life.

According to the Catechism, "meditation is above all quiet" (1). In this silence, we cast aside the cares of the world and shift our focus to the spiritual. During meditation, "the mind seeks to understand the why and how of the Christian life, in order to adhere and respond to what the Lord is asking" (1). The goal of Christian mediation is not to sit and try to think about nothing. Instead, Christian meditation calls us to set our focus on spiritual matters and to continue to return to this focus in the midst of distraction. Whether we are reading the Gospels or a spiritual book, meditation invites us to a personal encounter with our Lord. We may use our imagination to envision ourselves in a scene from scripture, or we may think deeply about a spiritual truth in meditation by relating this concept to our lives.

Meditative prayer is often active, utilizing imagination as well as introspection in order to relate truth to our own experience. Contemplative prayer differs from meditation in that during contemplative prayer, "our attention is fixed on the Lord Himself" (2). While the mechanics may seem simpler than meditative prayer, contemplation can be far more difficult as we are called to ponder God Himself and our relationship to Him. Contemplative prayer is seeing God as He is and seeking to understand our place in relation to Him. I find contemplative prayer to be the most humbling and rewarding type of prayer. Humbling, because I am weak and constantly fail to keep my focus on our Lord. Rewarding, because when I am able to maintain this focus, even if only momentarily, I can experience the Father's infinite power and love alongside my brokenness.

Meditation and contemplation are essential elements of a soul that is equipped to reach heaven. How else will we see God unless we can understand our own weakness while also knowing, loving, and accepting His infinite power, love, and mercy? These forms of prayer allow us to offer our lives to God. Through prayer, we "hand ourselves over, as an offering to be purified and transformed" (3). By giving ourselves completely to God in prayer, we immerse ourselves in the ocean of God's transforming grace.

It is not easy to pray. We have to constantly battle against the world, the flesh, and the devil in order to make a free gift of ourselves to God. The struggle to pray is not unlike starting a fire on a cold winter's day. After a long walk in the chill air, I find myself shivering, nearly frostbitten, nose and fingers burning from the bitter cold. My hands fumble the logs as I awkwardly assemble the wood. I light a match with fingers that barely move. Small whips of fire slowly grow into dancing tounges of flame as the glowing warmth begins to thaw my hands. Gradually, the warmth of the flames pervades the stinging chill of the cold. I gaze into the glowing radiance of the fire as its warmth surrounds me.

Much like starting a fire after having spent time out in the bitter cold, the beginning of prayer is often awkward and difficult. We try to focus but struggle to rest as our minds stumble between prayer and distraction. Through perseverance, the distractions lessen and we experience the light of God's presence. Gradually, slowly, and oftentimes painfully, we begin to experience the warmth of God's presence as we let go of our attachments and allow His grace to warm our hearts.

The possibility of encountering the warmth of God's presence can be a compelling incentive to pray. While mystical experiences are possible, most of us are unlikely to experience such powerful encounters in our prayer. The reality for most of us is that prayer will often be difficult. Prayer is "the poor and humble surrender to the loving will of the Father in ever deeper union with His beloved son" (3). A wise priest once told me that humility is the hardest virtue to practice. We want the credit, to be recognized and held in high esteem. Pride all too often chokes the fruits of prayer by tempting us to seek things other than God. It's easy to think about what's in it for me. After all, what's the point of sacrificing my valuable time to do something that is panful and seems to offer no measurable benefits?

The purpose of prayer is to be transformed by God. The end goal of prayer is to become like Christ. It's tempting to think that we pray in order to gain some type of enlightened state here on earth; a kind of nirvana where I'm always happy and everything goes my way. Jesus is the model of prayer. Did He still feel distress and sadness? Christ's experience of sweating blood during the agony in the garden should give us an indication that our Lord's life was not without significant emotional suffering. Yet, in spite of His fear, Jesus willingly faced torture, humiliation, and death.

I find great comfort in Christ's example. Even the most agonizing pain is bearable so long as I am focused on God, begging Him for the graces that I need, and praising Him for the invaluable gift of His presence. Yes, prayer is painful at times. We will continue to struggle to maintain our focus, and there will be many times where our prayer feels empty, shallow, and forced. Yet, we continue on, gathering the logs, striking the match, and waiting patiently to be warmed by the radiant presence that is God's transforming love.
_________________________________________________________________________________

Quotations:

(1) Catechism of the Catholic Church: With modifications from the Editio Typica. (2003). New York: Doubleday. Paragraph 2705.

(2) Catechism of the Catholic Church: With modifications from the Editio Typica. (2003). New York: Doubleday. Paragraph 2709.


(3)  Catechism of the Catholic Church: With modifications from the Editio Typica. (2003). New York: Doubleday. Paragraph 2711.

Images:

(1) Christ in Gethsemane, Heinrich Hofmann, 1886

Stations

All people have ‘crosses’ to bear.  But, presently, I feel more like Simon of Cyrene, called to assist a friend carrying a tremendous burden where anguish has overtaken physical loss.  I refrain from using my friend’s name as I write below.  I know that several readers intimately know of so many others who suffer relentless agony and despair; aging parents, the terminally ill, struggling and/or lost children, separation and divorce, injustice, violence, degenerative diseases, the indigent.  AND they, too, walk in the steps of Jesus. 

So much is graphically written with respect to the physical pain of Jesus’ suffering throughout the Passion.  But upon reflection, I think the greatest anguish Jesus suffered occurred in Gethsemane.  The anguish and despair never let up.  Before entering the garden, Jesus delivered his most profound gift of love, his body and blood in the bread and wine after washing the feet of those entrusted to him.  Soon the most extreme shift was about to occur as those he compassionately served were about to turn on him. I can think of no greater suffering than to be betrayed by those one loves.  Jesus was in such agony and he prayed so fervently that his sweat became like drops of blood falling on the ground. (Luke 22:44) 

My friend is frequently prone to anxiety, he often hikes along Castlewood State Park’s bluffs to erase them.  Having already survived liver and colon cancers, he loves the outdoors, grateful to fish, hike, cycle.

 Jesus condemned to death.  On January 4, after a freakish accident, still unexplained by medical analytics, a fall in his kitchen left him virtually paralyzed, a quadriplegic lying in his blood for nearly 2 1/2 hours before being discovered.  Though he has sensation in his arms and legs, he was left with no movement or use of arms, legs, hands, and feet.  Painful spasms constantly fire at random times interfering with physical and occupational therapy.

Matthew 19:16-22

"...and he walked away sad because he had many possessions."

I have many possessions...

Maubane - that's where we were heading.  I was sitting on a bus with my wife and daughter.  We were joined by a host of other parents and their wandering child. All of us held onto a bit of anxiety as we rode along the highway, for we did not know what to expect... 

We turned off the expressway and soon dust clouds billowed up as we traveled dirt roads.  A small village came into view - townships they are called - with rows of single-story structures missing doors and windows.  Our destination was in sight.  Our bus slowly weaved around the potholes until we reached the front of the school - a fenced in area with a few dilapidated buildings forming the edges of a courtyard.  You could hear the excitement of the children as we walked through the gate...

Why Personality Matters

How often do you sit in your chair and think how every day words and actions are perceived by others? Are you generally a thankful person, sharing your optimism with a gleaming smile across your face? Do you laugh often? Do you offer genuine compliments to others with no ulterior motive? Do you go above and beyond to help those with whom you work to make their day a tad less stressful?