“I will make of you a great nation”
Genesis 12:2
I always enjoy a thought provoking exercise that I came up with once. I try to put myself in the sandals of all of the different characters of the bible with the exception of the main character and see what that part of scripture has to say to me, Kenan. In the case of the scripture mentioned above, I quite humbly replace Abraham with myself. I do think that God has made a great nation out of me. I like the skills and talents that he has given me. I am happy with the family that I am from, happy with the family that I married into and happy with the family that Rita and I have created. He did make a great nation of me and he did bless me. The Lord does keep his promises to us. But remember that he said that he would make a great nation of us, not a perfect one.
Monday, December 28, 2009
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Anxiety
“Free us from anxiety”
Proper of the Mass
I find that the supplication “free us from anxiety” taken from the proper of the mass is one of the most necessary and comforting prayers that we make. If there is one concept that I have of heaven, it is that is a place where we will be free from anxiety. I have faced things in life e.g. death, job loss, debt, rejection and a whole host of others. It is not those particular things that are the burden the burden is the anxiety from dealing with them. And then there is the basic anxiety that we face as humans- our death, which cannot be eliminated. It is part of the human condition (Paul Tillich). This basic anxiety that we have through life is one that we pray for relief from in each Mass that we attend. This prayer and other prayers can help settle the “restlessness of heart” or “anxiety”.
Proper of the Mass
I find that the supplication “free us from anxiety” taken from the proper of the mass is one of the most necessary and comforting prayers that we make. If there is one concept that I have of heaven, it is that is a place where we will be free from anxiety. I have faced things in life e.g. death, job loss, debt, rejection and a whole host of others. It is not those particular things that are the burden the burden is the anxiety from dealing with them. And then there is the basic anxiety that we face as humans- our death, which cannot be eliminated. It is part of the human condition (Paul Tillich). This basic anxiety that we have through life is one that we pray for relief from in each Mass that we attend. This prayer and other prayers can help settle the “restlessness of heart” or “anxiety”.
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Obedience
“Like obedient children”
1 Peter 1:14
Obedience is not a trait that one who grew up in the sixties and seventies accepts easily. Our high school and college years saw one incident after another i.e. Viet Nam, Watergate etc. and we saw that blind obedience was not always a good thing. It can be the same today. For instance, in today’s business world we see blind obedience to short term profit and the disastrous effect that it has had on people’s lives. But yet, as I read the scriptures and absorb the Christian and Catholic traditions and heritage, I see the benefit of proper obedience. Obedience today does involve the sublimation of the ego. Something that I will say is not my strength. I know that in the Sprit of Jesus, I do owe obedience to some of man’s institutions in this world. I owe obedience to the institution of marriage and therefore to a person, my wife. I owe obedience in many situations to the President of the Untied Sates as my civic leader. I owe obedience to the bishop in matters of peace and justice. I owe obedience to the various groups that I am in. I owe obedience to the well being of my children and to their individual development. I owe obedience to my boss as long as that obedience compliments my prime obedience to the Spirit of Jesus.
1 Peter 1:14
Obedience is not a trait that one who grew up in the sixties and seventies accepts easily. Our high school and college years saw one incident after another i.e. Viet Nam, Watergate etc. and we saw that blind obedience was not always a good thing. It can be the same today. For instance, in today’s business world we see blind obedience to short term profit and the disastrous effect that it has had on people’s lives. But yet, as I read the scriptures and absorb the Christian and Catholic traditions and heritage, I see the benefit of proper obedience. Obedience today does involve the sublimation of the ego. Something that I will say is not my strength. I know that in the Sprit of Jesus, I do owe obedience to some of man’s institutions in this world. I owe obedience to the institution of marriage and therefore to a person, my wife. I owe obedience in many situations to the President of the Untied Sates as my civic leader. I owe obedience to the bishop in matters of peace and justice. I owe obedience to the various groups that I am in. I owe obedience to the well being of my children and to their individual development. I owe obedience to my boss as long as that obedience compliments my prime obedience to the Spirit of Jesus.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Mary
Hail Mary, full of grace”
Prayer “Hail Mary”
When examining the role of Mary in God’s world, it behooves us to concentrate on her total humanness. The whole paschal mystery is centered in God connecting to man here on earth in human terms. Mary was 100% human and served as the conduit for God to be able to explain Himself and deliver himself to us as humans. Mary is that magnificent manifestation of the statement that God works with and through humanity to bring himself and, therefore, salvation to the human race. God appearing from some miraculous cloud or other extraterrestrial event would have presented God in his supernatural state only. As He comes into this world through Mary, He reveals Himself as a God with humanity. If I lived back then and met Mary on the street she would have looked like all others, like one of my sisters or neighbors. Mary taught us what total acceptance was. She accepted God’s word through various sources. If we could all accept the will of God like she did, we would be well on our way to salvation. She didn’t argue, she didn’t put up conditions. She accepted all that God had in mind for her. I am not only speaking of the birth of Christ but the acceptance of watching Him as her son, grow, preach, be ridiculed, die on a cross and then rise from the dead. Can we as Christians see Jesus as His mother would?
Prayer “Hail Mary”
When examining the role of Mary in God’s world, it behooves us to concentrate on her total humanness. The whole paschal mystery is centered in God connecting to man here on earth in human terms. Mary was 100% human and served as the conduit for God to be able to explain Himself and deliver himself to us as humans. Mary is that magnificent manifestation of the statement that God works with and through humanity to bring himself and, therefore, salvation to the human race. God appearing from some miraculous cloud or other extraterrestrial event would have presented God in his supernatural state only. As He comes into this world through Mary, He reveals Himself as a God with humanity. If I lived back then and met Mary on the street she would have looked like all others, like one of my sisters or neighbors. Mary taught us what total acceptance was. She accepted God’s word through various sources. If we could all accept the will of God like she did, we would be well on our way to salvation. She didn’t argue, she didn’t put up conditions. She accepted all that God had in mind for her. I am not only speaking of the birth of Christ but the acceptance of watching Him as her son, grow, preach, be ridiculed, die on a cross and then rise from the dead. Can we as Christians see Jesus as His mother would?
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Sodom Today
“As he looked down towards Sodom and Gomorrah. He saw smoke over His land rising like fumes from a furnace.
Genesis 19:28
I wonder how Sammy Sinful felt when he awoke in Sodom the day before it fell. Did he feel totally bad, did he know the end was coming? Did he think that he was the cause of it? Or did he feel a lot like I might feel this morning? Do you think that he woke up everyday thinking of ways to tick God off? Do you think that what he did that upset God was a goal of theirs?
I have heard three different interpretations of the Sodom and Gomorrah story: They were singled out by God for destruction because:
1) They had no regard for the poor.
2) They had a complete disregard for social justice.
3) They had a general immorality centered on self pleasure.
I find it to be quite possible that they didn’t wake up every day with evil in mind. I think that they woke up every day without God in mind and let those other things happen. What concerns me is that these are the same things that we face here in America today. Do we wake up and focus our day on other things: that are not on God or Christ centered things. Our measly two minutes of rote morning prayers might be negated by a life style and goals that are not consistent with those prayers.
The people in Sodom could have woken up every morning just like we do today. They lived their day to day existence filled with activities that were self-centered, me centered and me and my family centered activities. “Me” was the center of their lives. Isn’t it the same today? Do we sometimes spend five times as much on our annual vacations as we give to the poor? Are our political decisions based solely on how things affect “Me?” Not how they might affect the poor.
Can what happened to Sodom happen to us. I don’t know but personally I don’t want to take the chance. What I offer is the supposition that there is a crack in our covenant with God. I do not believe that we are at the point that the people of Sodom were when God dealt his destruction, but I have a feeling that we might be on our way.
Genesis 19:28
I wonder how Sammy Sinful felt when he awoke in Sodom the day before it fell. Did he feel totally bad, did he know the end was coming? Did he think that he was the cause of it? Or did he feel a lot like I might feel this morning? Do you think that he woke up everyday thinking of ways to tick God off? Do you think that what he did that upset God was a goal of theirs?
I have heard three different interpretations of the Sodom and Gomorrah story: They were singled out by God for destruction because:
1) They had no regard for the poor.
2) They had a complete disregard for social justice.
3) They had a general immorality centered on self pleasure.
I find it to be quite possible that they didn’t wake up every day with evil in mind. I think that they woke up every day without God in mind and let those other things happen. What concerns me is that these are the same things that we face here in America today. Do we wake up and focus our day on other things: that are not on God or Christ centered things. Our measly two minutes of rote morning prayers might be negated by a life style and goals that are not consistent with those prayers.
The people in Sodom could have woken up every morning just like we do today. They lived their day to day existence filled with activities that were self-centered, me centered and me and my family centered activities. “Me” was the center of their lives. Isn’t it the same today? Do we sometimes spend five times as much on our annual vacations as we give to the poor? Are our political decisions based solely on how things affect “Me?” Not how they might affect the poor.
Can what happened to Sodom happen to us. I don’t know but personally I don’t want to take the chance. What I offer is the supposition that there is a crack in our covenant with God. I do not believe that we are at the point that the people of Sodom were when God dealt his destruction, but I have a feeling that we might be on our way.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Forgiveness
“As we forgive those who trespass against us”
The Lords Prayer
Unfortunately “Hating” is something that humans can do. I have found myself over time hating another person or some misfortune. It is interesting because at those times in my life when I have hated someone, I have had a tendency to think of this hatred as spikes that can flow out of my eyes and hit the offending person causing him or her pain. What I have discovered is that is the opposite of what happens. The pain of hate is internal. In fact, it wouldn’t surprise me, if some of the people that I have hated in my life, never even knew it. Hate like other sins, has possibly its biggest negative impact on me. It can consume me. It can cloud my sense of love and well being.
That is why; I think that one of the greatest gifts that God has given to mankind is the ability to “forgive.” It is in us forgiving others and in a sense ourselves that we become happier people. What happens to the people that we hate is irrelevant. Our “Thirst for Vengeance” just consumes us and turns us away from God.
As we can tell his command to “Love one another as I have loved you” doesn’t really fit with the concept of us not forgiving others. Remember someone doesn’t have to be guilty for you to forgive them. It is what you think happened that you are forgiving.
“To forgive” is one of the most joyful things that we experience. We immediately feel better and back in whack with God and others and most importantly ourselves.
The Lords Prayer
Unfortunately “Hating” is something that humans can do. I have found myself over time hating another person or some misfortune. It is interesting because at those times in my life when I have hated someone, I have had a tendency to think of this hatred as spikes that can flow out of my eyes and hit the offending person causing him or her pain. What I have discovered is that is the opposite of what happens. The pain of hate is internal. In fact, it wouldn’t surprise me, if some of the people that I have hated in my life, never even knew it. Hate like other sins, has possibly its biggest negative impact on me. It can consume me. It can cloud my sense of love and well being.
That is why; I think that one of the greatest gifts that God has given to mankind is the ability to “forgive.” It is in us forgiving others and in a sense ourselves that we become happier people. What happens to the people that we hate is irrelevant. Our “Thirst for Vengeance” just consumes us and turns us away from God.
As we can tell his command to “Love one another as I have loved you” doesn’t really fit with the concept of us not forgiving others. Remember someone doesn’t have to be guilty for you to forgive them. It is what you think happened that you are forgiving.
“To forgive” is one of the most joyful things that we experience. We immediately feel better and back in whack with God and others and most importantly ourselves.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Amending
Amend my life…”
Act of Contrition
When we talk about getting right with God, when we talk about confessing our sins and then doing better, we use the phrase “amend our lives.” I like this phrase because it emphasizes that no matter what we have done, we are trying to put it right. Our whole being is a gift from God and God created it good. We screw up; we damage part of our lives, so we amend it. The whole is still good. The amending can make it better and stronger. Amending can be thought of as pruning. Our country’s constitution was good. The various amendments that we have accepted have made it better. In this instance we can look at our lives as we live it each day. As we slip into a bad habit or two, we seem to do them on a regular basis maybe even each day. We don’t want to change our whole life but just correct the things that have gone awry. We amend, we don’t replace, we don’t condemn. The ability to amend our lives is truly one of the gifts that God gave us to help us love Him as humans who don’t love 100% all of the time.
Act of Contrition
When we talk about getting right with God, when we talk about confessing our sins and then doing better, we use the phrase “amend our lives.” I like this phrase because it emphasizes that no matter what we have done, we are trying to put it right. Our whole being is a gift from God and God created it good. We screw up; we damage part of our lives, so we amend it. The whole is still good. The amending can make it better and stronger. Amending can be thought of as pruning. Our country’s constitution was good. The various amendments that we have accepted have made it better. In this instance we can look at our lives as we live it each day. As we slip into a bad habit or two, we seem to do them on a regular basis maybe even each day. We don’t want to change our whole life but just correct the things that have gone awry. We amend, we don’t replace, we don’t condemn. The ability to amend our lives is truly one of the gifts that God gave us to help us love Him as humans who don’t love 100% all of the time.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Poverty and Freedom
“Where there is poverty, there is found abundance, where there is plenty there is always a need for more”
St. Anthony of Padua
I combine the above phrase with a tribute that I heard Garrison Keilor give the Sisters of St. Joseph. He talked about those women as being the first true liberated women. That caught my attention because we always think of the nuns of our childhood more for their poverty than their liberation. What both items mean to me is that it is only when we can get away from all material possessions as goals that we can we become centered on our true meaning. Maybe there should be a term “poverty of thought” to indicate that state that you can attain when you are ambivalent to your surroundings and possessions but concerned with faith and others. It is hard to pray to God for love when you are really praying for a new gas grill. Using this concept of “poverty of thought” we don’t see it as emptiness as one would first think, but we see this state as one of freedom. In one sense your heart and mind have to be emptied of other things so you can fill it with love, prayer and caring.
St. Anthony of Padua
I combine the above phrase with a tribute that I heard Garrison Keilor give the Sisters of St. Joseph. He talked about those women as being the first true liberated women. That caught my attention because we always think of the nuns of our childhood more for their poverty than their liberation. What both items mean to me is that it is only when we can get away from all material possessions as goals that we can we become centered on our true meaning. Maybe there should be a term “poverty of thought” to indicate that state that you can attain when you are ambivalent to your surroundings and possessions but concerned with faith and others. It is hard to pray to God for love when you are really praying for a new gas grill. Using this concept of “poverty of thought” we don’t see it as emptiness as one would first think, but we see this state as one of freedom. In one sense your heart and mind have to be emptied of other things so you can fill it with love, prayer and caring.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
To Be Christlike
“Follow me”
Luke 5:27
To be Christlike strikes me with an expanded meaning today, much different from my thoughts on this that I had in my early twenties. . Christ suffered periods of indecision and doubt. Life was not perfect for Him; He had to take his time in the desert to replenish his confidence in Himself and His mission. Too often we think of “Godlike” when we use the term “Christlike.” I think that the term “Christlike” lets us get a sense of how we can gradually develop. The humanness of Jesus should give us comfort. The goal of being Christlike then becomes more meaningful and attainable. We need to be like Jesus, alive so that we can meet God with him in death. We need to travel through our time in the desert every once in awhile in order to replenish ourselves. The desert to us will be anywhere that we can go that is away from other people, away from our jobs and families, a place where we can pray and let God come onto us. Our faith needs to be dwelt on at times. It can not continue without this regeneration periodically
Luke 5:27
To be Christlike strikes me with an expanded meaning today, much different from my thoughts on this that I had in my early twenties. . Christ suffered periods of indecision and doubt. Life was not perfect for Him; He had to take his time in the desert to replenish his confidence in Himself and His mission. Too often we think of “Godlike” when we use the term “Christlike.” I think that the term “Christlike” lets us get a sense of how we can gradually develop. The humanness of Jesus should give us comfort. The goal of being Christlike then becomes more meaningful and attainable. We need to be like Jesus, alive so that we can meet God with him in death. We need to travel through our time in the desert every once in awhile in order to replenish ourselves. The desert to us will be anywhere that we can go that is away from other people, away from our jobs and families, a place where we can pray and let God come onto us. Our faith needs to be dwelt on at times. It can not continue without this regeneration periodically
Saturday, October 24, 2009
God is Today
“When I finish this project, I will work on my relationship with God”
Most of us.
Our relationship with God is today. It is now. It is not tomorrow, not yesterday. We must keep in mind that we think in terms of time, in terms of a journey of Faith. But God doesn’t need time; He is existing with us all of our time. It is wrong to think that we can plan on a relationship with God being something that is important for tomorrow. He might terminate our life or allow it to be terminated today. He wants us to accept Him now. I feel more advanced in my relationship with God that I did as a teenager. But I don’t think that my relationship with God today is basically different than my relationship with Him 40 years ago when I was a high school senior. It was important to me then and it is important to me now. I wouldn’t think that I am any more in love with Him now that I was then; and I certainly believe that He loved me as much then as now. I feel different and I sure look different, and I know that my relationship with God is different. My relationship with God always exits in today, not yesterday or next month.
Most of us.
Our relationship with God is today. It is now. It is not tomorrow, not yesterday. We must keep in mind that we think in terms of time, in terms of a journey of Faith. But God doesn’t need time; He is existing with us all of our time. It is wrong to think that we can plan on a relationship with God being something that is important for tomorrow. He might terminate our life or allow it to be terminated today. He wants us to accept Him now. I feel more advanced in my relationship with God that I did as a teenager. But I don’t think that my relationship with God today is basically different than my relationship with Him 40 years ago when I was a high school senior. It was important to me then and it is important to me now. I wouldn’t think that I am any more in love with Him now that I was then; and I certainly believe that He loved me as much then as now. I feel different and I sure look different, and I know that my relationship with God is different. My relationship with God always exits in today, not yesterday or next month.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Doubting Thomas
“Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nail marks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”
John 20:25
I was thinking about good old “Doubting Thomas” the other day. Thankfully, God gave us him as one of our role models in life. He, Thomas, didn’t believe anything that anyone else told him. Literally, he had to put his hands in the wounds and touch the risen Jesus before he bought into the Resurrection. How much like both you and I was this guy? I know that I have the tendency not to believe others carte blanche. I know that I have to figure things out for myself. I have to have a proof to my liking before I will believe something. And quite possibly that could be the point that God was trying to make when He let us hear of Doubting Thomas. Each of us has to make our faith decision individually. The whole group can not make it for us. Some of us will figure it out one way and some of us will figure it out another way. Each of us should stop and take the time to put our hands into the wounds of Jesus in order to believe. We must try to really experience Him, not just say that we believe in him. Some of us will be more stubborn than others. That is okay. I feel much better knowing that St. Thomas was a doubter. God will bring us through the rough spots in our faith lives, those times that we have doubts and questions.
John 20:25
I was thinking about good old “Doubting Thomas” the other day. Thankfully, God gave us him as one of our role models in life. He, Thomas, didn’t believe anything that anyone else told him. Literally, he had to put his hands in the wounds and touch the risen Jesus before he bought into the Resurrection. How much like both you and I was this guy? I know that I have the tendency not to believe others carte blanche. I know that I have to figure things out for myself. I have to have a proof to my liking before I will believe something. And quite possibly that could be the point that God was trying to make when He let us hear of Doubting Thomas. Each of us has to make our faith decision individually. The whole group can not make it for us. Some of us will figure it out one way and some of us will figure it out another way. Each of us should stop and take the time to put our hands into the wounds of Jesus in order to believe. We must try to really experience Him, not just say that we believe in him. Some of us will be more stubborn than others. That is okay. I feel much better knowing that St. Thomas was a doubter. God will bring us through the rough spots in our faith lives, those times that we have doubts and questions.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Harden not your Hearts
“Harden not your hearts”
Hebrews 3:8
I am finding the phrase “harden not your hearts” to be a very moving meditation phrase. A heart is a soft vibrating organ. If it hardens, it can not function. I also think that the hardening of your heart is a gradual thing. I find this to be a process that we must mediate on. We can harden our hearts in many ways. Over the course of my life I have found at times a hardening of my heart towards mediative prayer. I would find myself making it through the day on a couple of Our Fathers and a Hail Mary or two. I would not want to turn my heart towards God. It is a process that would take several days or weeks, but then one day I would realize that I had become hardened and was not able to meditate. I needed to gradually exercise my heart to get it vibrating and back in the spirit of meditation. I have found my heart to have hardened in my relationships with friends, relatives or others. Over time you realize that you are spending less and less time in a particular relationship. You have hastened the hardening process by negative thoughts about a person. Before you are aware of it, you are not spending any time on the relationship. Your heart has become petrified in this area. Luckily, God has given us the ability to reverse this process at any time. I believe that you can actually feel that hardening of the heart when it takes place. You realize that you are not first and foremost a loving person. You have become blah or selfish or just slovenly lazy. It is a gradual process but one day it comes to you. You have hardened your heart and it is your fault. Your heart is love. Exercise it.
Hebrews 3:8
I am finding the phrase “harden not your hearts” to be a very moving meditation phrase. A heart is a soft vibrating organ. If it hardens, it can not function. I also think that the hardening of your heart is a gradual thing. I find this to be a process that we must mediate on. We can harden our hearts in many ways. Over the course of my life I have found at times a hardening of my heart towards mediative prayer. I would find myself making it through the day on a couple of Our Fathers and a Hail Mary or two. I would not want to turn my heart towards God. It is a process that would take several days or weeks, but then one day I would realize that I had become hardened and was not able to meditate. I needed to gradually exercise my heart to get it vibrating and back in the spirit of meditation. I have found my heart to have hardened in my relationships with friends, relatives or others. Over time you realize that you are spending less and less time in a particular relationship. You have hastened the hardening process by negative thoughts about a person. Before you are aware of it, you are not spending any time on the relationship. Your heart has become petrified in this area. Luckily, God has given us the ability to reverse this process at any time. I believe that you can actually feel that hardening of the heart when it takes place. You realize that you are not first and foremost a loving person. You have become blah or selfish or just slovenly lazy. It is a gradual process but one day it comes to you. You have hardened your heart and it is your fault. Your heart is love. Exercise it.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Humor in Faith
“Humor is the prelude to faith and laughter is the beginning of prayer”
Reinhold Niebur
At first glance that quote might seem like a slight aside or a quick attempt at a joke, but the more that I think on it, the more I can find meaning in it. Humor many times comes from a person making light of himself, making fun of his human condition. Humor is relaxing and lets the teller and the listener escape the mental anguish or mental preoccupations of the day. As we might have learned in our life, in order to get ourselves ready for prayer, we have to first shut out the rest of our day to day life so that we can be in a mood to communicate with God. Humor is a device that can start the relaxation process and laugher is the emotional release that puts us in a different frame of mind. I ask you just think back to how you feel after a good belly laugh. After you have
had that outburst of emotion that wipes clean whatever you were concentrating on prior to humor entering the picture, you are relaxed and your mind is open. It has made the transition from focusing on the day to day parts of life to openness for something different. Laughter can be that emotional preparation for prayer. These thoughts are not meant to say that prayer is humor or a joke. These comments are about preparation. But don’t forget that God created us in His image and likeness, so a bit of humor isn’t always inappropriate. In my family life, humor in prayer rights its ugly head sometimes in the grace before meals. We have had a few good chuckles with what one or the other of us had said. But I most often feel that God is having a good chuckle with us.
Reinhold Niebur
At first glance that quote might seem like a slight aside or a quick attempt at a joke, but the more that I think on it, the more I can find meaning in it. Humor many times comes from a person making light of himself, making fun of his human condition. Humor is relaxing and lets the teller and the listener escape the mental anguish or mental preoccupations of the day. As we might have learned in our life, in order to get ourselves ready for prayer, we have to first shut out the rest of our day to day life so that we can be in a mood to communicate with God. Humor is a device that can start the relaxation process and laugher is the emotional release that puts us in a different frame of mind. I ask you just think back to how you feel after a good belly laugh. After you have
had that outburst of emotion that wipes clean whatever you were concentrating on prior to humor entering the picture, you are relaxed and your mind is open. It has made the transition from focusing on the day to day parts of life to openness for something different. Laughter can be that emotional preparation for prayer. These thoughts are not meant to say that prayer is humor or a joke. These comments are about preparation. But don’t forget that God created us in His image and likeness, so a bit of humor isn’t always inappropriate. In my family life, humor in prayer rights its ugly head sometimes in the grace before meals. We have had a few good chuckles with what one or the other of us had said. But I most often feel that God is having a good chuckle with us.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
God will find a way
“Nature will find a way.”
Jurassic Park
One of my recent meditations focused around God’s love for us and I was reminded of a line from the movie “Jurassic Park.” I convoluted the line and stated it this way: “God will find a way to love you.” I found that thought refreshing as I worked through some Lenten meditations. As one would imagine Lenten meditations can oftentimes focus on how you have shut yourself off from God. But it seems that no matter whatever you do, somehow or someway God finds a way to kick the door of your heart open and show his love for you. My reaction, when this happens is a bit of a sense of guilt that I have shut door to Him, but then there is a feeling of great joy when I realize that He is forcing himself back into my life. As anyone, I can have a tendency to get down on myself, but I have to keep remembering that God created all men and He created all men good. In my times of self reflection, I realize that I am operating from the base of being created a good person. I still, in my heart, believe that I am a good person with a tendency towards transgressions and lapses of love. The unbelievable thing is that our relationship with God is always there for us. His love is constantly searching us out and forgiving us.
Jurassic Park
One of my recent meditations focused around God’s love for us and I was reminded of a line from the movie “Jurassic Park.” I convoluted the line and stated it this way: “God will find a way to love you.” I found that thought refreshing as I worked through some Lenten meditations. As one would imagine Lenten meditations can oftentimes focus on how you have shut yourself off from God. But it seems that no matter whatever you do, somehow or someway God finds a way to kick the door of your heart open and show his love for you. My reaction, when this happens is a bit of a sense of guilt that I have shut door to Him, but then there is a feeling of great joy when I realize that He is forcing himself back into my life. As anyone, I can have a tendency to get down on myself, but I have to keep remembering that God created all men and He created all men good. In my times of self reflection, I realize that I am operating from the base of being created a good person. I still, in my heart, believe that I am a good person with a tendency towards transgressions and lapses of love. The unbelievable thing is that our relationship with God is always there for us. His love is constantly searching us out and forgiving us.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Who do you say that I am?
“Who do you say that I am?”
Matt 16:15
To me, these are the most powerful words in Scripture. They are Christ’s challenge to respond to his appearance as recorded by Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. This is our time. This is when Scripture becomes personal. This is our turn to be part of scripture no matter how many years it has been since the birth of Christ. Each of our responses is individualized, private, as well as personal. It is what we believe Christ is after our leap of faith. Our response is our baptism or our conversion. God loves, we respond. There are no stock answers to this basic question. If your spouse would ask to you the same question, “Who do you say that I am?” your answer would be personal and customized to your particular private relationship. This is the beauty of God. He gives us the freedom to each respond in our own way to this basic question.
To me, he is the one who fulfills me the most, the one whom I want to be with for all time. He is the one that I strive to see in the faces of the poor. He is the one who along with me laughs at my private jokes. He is the creator of all that is different in the world.
Matt 16:15
To me, these are the most powerful words in Scripture. They are Christ’s challenge to respond to his appearance as recorded by Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. This is our time. This is when Scripture becomes personal. This is our turn to be part of scripture no matter how many years it has been since the birth of Christ. Each of our responses is individualized, private, as well as personal. It is what we believe Christ is after our leap of faith. Our response is our baptism or our conversion. God loves, we respond. There are no stock answers to this basic question. If your spouse would ask to you the same question, “Who do you say that I am?” your answer would be personal and customized to your particular private relationship. This is the beauty of God. He gives us the freedom to each respond in our own way to this basic question.
To me, he is the one who fulfills me the most, the one whom I want to be with for all time. He is the one that I strive to see in the faces of the poor. He is the one who along with me laughs at my private jokes. He is the creator of all that is different in the world.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
God"s Will
Let your will, not mine, be done”
Based on the Lord’s Prayer
It seems to me that at times I pray to God to let me have my way, that he let “my” will be done. I am not praying for his will to be done, but I am praying that He will endorse my will. I guess that without thinking this means that I figure that I am smarter than Him. When I do pray asking that his will be done, I am praying for: direction, humility (to admit that His will is the important one) and the ability to see myself as a servant. Becoming a servant is not easy. I am praying that I can contain my “self” or my “will” and be open to His will concerning my fellow man. My “I” becomes small. This situation does not become a battle of wills but rather an immersion of my will into His and this is proving to be a life long process.
Based on the Lord’s Prayer
It seems to me that at times I pray to God to let me have my way, that he let “my” will be done. I am not praying for his will to be done, but I am praying that He will endorse my will. I guess that without thinking this means that I figure that I am smarter than Him. When I do pray asking that his will be done, I am praying for: direction, humility (to admit that His will is the important one) and the ability to see myself as a servant. Becoming a servant is not easy. I am praying that I can contain my “self” or my “will” and be open to His will concerning my fellow man. My “I” becomes small. This situation does not become a battle of wills but rather an immersion of my will into His and this is proving to be a life long process.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Me versus the Poor
“The Poor will always be with us”
Mark 14:7
Christ was with the Poor many times throughout his ministry
- A reading of Luke’s Gospel
Both phrases give pause for thought. To me the first phrase that the poor will always be with us reminds us of the collective goal of Christians to move towards their Father’s love as a group. The poor are part of us, not a separate group given to us as objects, a chore to prove our generosity. No, the poor are full members of our group, Christianity; which means that we are to love them as God loves us. That means with dignity, not derision, with respect, not ridicule and with generosity, not gratuity. When the gospels showed that Christ is with the poor at all times, he extended to us the challenge to join him in his love for the poor. We are to be with them in some way at all times. This is one of the harder roles to define for most of us. We have no urge to live in the ghetto and see nothing wrong with the life that we have chosen for ourselves in golden suburbia. Here lies the crux of what we have to face. We are separating ourselves from some of God’s people. We must change somehow and I don’t have the answers. I support a Child in Honduras through a group that I contribute to on a monthly basis. Too often I see that as a contribution not as working with another member of God’s family. I have work to do. If the Poor will always be with us and Christ was often with the Poor, I would think that that would be a great place to be.
Mark 14:7
Christ was with the Poor many times throughout his ministry
- A reading of Luke’s Gospel
Both phrases give pause for thought. To me the first phrase that the poor will always be with us reminds us of the collective goal of Christians to move towards their Father’s love as a group. The poor are part of us, not a separate group given to us as objects, a chore to prove our generosity. No, the poor are full members of our group, Christianity; which means that we are to love them as God loves us. That means with dignity, not derision, with respect, not ridicule and with generosity, not gratuity. When the gospels showed that Christ is with the poor at all times, he extended to us the challenge to join him in his love for the poor. We are to be with them in some way at all times. This is one of the harder roles to define for most of us. We have no urge to live in the ghetto and see nothing wrong with the life that we have chosen for ourselves in golden suburbia. Here lies the crux of what we have to face. We are separating ourselves from some of God’s people. We must change somehow and I don’t have the answers. I support a Child in Honduras through a group that I contribute to on a monthly basis. Too often I see that as a contribution not as working with another member of God’s family. I have work to do. If the Poor will always be with us and Christ was often with the Poor, I would think that that would be a great place to be.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Conversion
Conversion is not a one time only experience, it is not just a Lenten experience, it is not a monthly or an every-other-day experience. It is an every day commitment. You might want to compare it to being in physical shape. It takes effort every day in various degrees, but it does take a daily commitment. We too often are going to put off the “God thing” till another day. Too often, we say; “When I get this or that done, I will be able to do the God thing.” Or “once I get this done for the kids or work or myself, I will get to it.” Relationships work better if they are every day, not once a week or less. God does not put off his love for us; it is there day in and day out. Shouldn’t we respond in the same way? The words “put it off” are interesting. This actually means a conscious effort to not deal with or work with our relationship with God. This is not forgetting to do something, but remembering it and then deciding not to do it.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Fire of the Spirit
Then there appeared to them tongues of fire, which parted and come to rest on each one of them.”
Acts 2:3
Some see the symbol of the fire of the Spirit as the single flame of a candle and others see it as the dancing flames of a campfire. The view of the single candle is more quiet, more private, more one on one time with the Spirit. It occasionally is a shared experience but often times it is private. It is usually passive and inside a building. The single flame has trouble staying lit when it is outside in the wind. The flames of the campfire come from the fires of many logs burning together. They serve as the focal point for meditation at the end of a day by a group of people sharing their experiences from the day, relaxing and rejuvenating and also getting their taste of the Spirit through active communication with other people. For the whole group of people gathered around the campfire, those flames are the center of attention for everyone. So whether we feel the spirit as the flame of one candle or the flame of a roaring campfire, we as Christians have no purpose until we are lit and start to burn down.
Acts 2:3
Some see the symbol of the fire of the Spirit as the single flame of a candle and others see it as the dancing flames of a campfire. The view of the single candle is more quiet, more private, more one on one time with the Spirit. It occasionally is a shared experience but often times it is private. It is usually passive and inside a building. The single flame has trouble staying lit when it is outside in the wind. The flames of the campfire come from the fires of many logs burning together. They serve as the focal point for meditation at the end of a day by a group of people sharing their experiences from the day, relaxing and rejuvenating and also getting their taste of the Spirit through active communication with other people. For the whole group of people gathered around the campfire, those flames are the center of attention for everyone. So whether we feel the spirit as the flame of one candle or the flame of a roaring campfire, we as Christians have no purpose until we are lit and start to burn down.
Friday, August 28, 2009
Straight Path
“Make straight the way of the Lord”
John 1:23
The words “make straight” could mean there is only one straight path for each person and that path leads from baptism through life to everlasting life with God. I love to think of this phrase. It tells me that most of the times in life we do not lose our way, we do not lose our path, but just run into a few barriers that make us take a crooked approach for awhile. As we wander or zig-zag, God comes into the picture and always is there to help us “make straight” our paths. To accomplish our journey we as humans have to develop a sense of focus on the end goals of the journey which can only come from an active prayer life. Mapquest cannot give you the straightest path to your destination until you tell Mapquest where it is that you want to go. There are no interstates to salvation. There are just paths that are filled with personal challenges and rewards.
John 1:23
The words “make straight” could mean there is only one straight path for each person and that path leads from baptism through life to everlasting life with God. I love to think of this phrase. It tells me that most of the times in life we do not lose our way, we do not lose our path, but just run into a few barriers that make us take a crooked approach for awhile. As we wander or zig-zag, God comes into the picture and always is there to help us “make straight” our paths. To accomplish our journey we as humans have to develop a sense of focus on the end goals of the journey which can only come from an active prayer life. Mapquest cannot give you the straightest path to your destination until you tell Mapquest where it is that you want to go. There are no interstates to salvation. There are just paths that are filled with personal challenges and rewards.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Soul-Lifting
“To you, I lift up my soul, Oh Lord, My God.”
Psalms 25:1
As I ponder these words of a prayer, I realize that my soul is not going to rise up to the Lord unless I put out some energy. The word “lift” reminds me that I will have to work at it a bit. It does not mean that it is going to be a chore, but it will require effort. I think of it as a joyful experience like lifting an infant into the air and watching him smile. It takes effort, but at the time it seems effort-less. The more I work at lifting my soul to the Lord, the more natural it becomes. If I let my soul lie gathering dust while I go around satisfying myself and paying lip service to God on Sundays, it will take quite a lot of effort on the day that I decide to finally lift my soul. But here is the swell part. Although I have to make the effort, God has quite a magnetic power, so as I try to lift my soul after a period of stagnation, he turns up the wattage of his magnetism to help me lift
Psalms 25:1
As I ponder these words of a prayer, I realize that my soul is not going to rise up to the Lord unless I put out some energy. The word “lift” reminds me that I will have to work at it a bit. It does not mean that it is going to be a chore, but it will require effort. I think of it as a joyful experience like lifting an infant into the air and watching him smile. It takes effort, but at the time it seems effort-less. The more I work at lifting my soul to the Lord, the more natural it becomes. If I let my soul lie gathering dust while I go around satisfying myself and paying lip service to God on Sundays, it will take quite a lot of effort on the day that I decide to finally lift my soul. But here is the swell part. Although I have to make the effort, God has quite a magnetic power, so as I try to lift my soul after a period of stagnation, he turns up the wattage of his magnetism to help me lift
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Self
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven”
Matt 5:3
“Mirror, Mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?”
The Queen from “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”
Would we be better off as Christians if we eliminated mirrors? Are they just symbols of all of the time that we spend focusing on ourselves? God made us with eyes that looked outward in order that we can see others. He did not create us with eyes that had the ability to look inward at ourselves. It is in looking into mirrors that we become unhappy with ourselves. We weigh too much, we have acne, we have bad hair days, we are too tall or we are too short. Mirrors probably allow us to spend too much time making ourselves unhappy and, more importantly, that that they cause us to focus our time and our energy on ourselves. This is not the Christian life, we are to focus on others, not self. We have wrecked our priorities. I don’t remember any scriptural reference where Christ talks about his appearance, where he talks about his physical self. In our consumer society we focus on self and self-worth and self improvement and self gratification. Once we have eliminated mirrors, we should tackle the word “self” itself.
Matt 5:3
“Mirror, Mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?”
The Queen from “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”
Would we be better off as Christians if we eliminated mirrors? Are they just symbols of all of the time that we spend focusing on ourselves? God made us with eyes that looked outward in order that we can see others. He did not create us with eyes that had the ability to look inward at ourselves. It is in looking into mirrors that we become unhappy with ourselves. We weigh too much, we have acne, we have bad hair days, we are too tall or we are too short. Mirrors probably allow us to spend too much time making ourselves unhappy and, more importantly, that that they cause us to focus our time and our energy on ourselves. This is not the Christian life, we are to focus on others, not self. We have wrecked our priorities. I don’t remember any scriptural reference where Christ talks about his appearance, where he talks about his physical self. In our consumer society we focus on self and self-worth and self improvement and self gratification. Once we have eliminated mirrors, we should tackle the word “self” itself.
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