Full Fishing Nets

Sunday Feb 7, 2016

A Reflection on Luke 5:1-11, N.A.B.

By: Larry T

Galileans ate little meat besides fish. So fishing on Lake Gennesaret, also known as the Sea of Galilee or the Sea of Tiberias, was big business. The shoals just offshore were a fisherman’s paradise. In Jesus’ day, hundreds of fishing boats trawled the lake. Simon, Andrew (Mark 1:16), James, and John had fished the entire night casting umbrella shaped fishing nets from the side of their boats into usually productive waters without catching a single fish. Imagine their weariness and frustration.

This Sunday we read about how these empty-handed fishermen first listened to Jesus teach the crowd about the Kingdom of God, then reluctantly followed his instructions to “Put into deep water” where they caught so many fish that their nets were tearing and their boats were in danger of capsizing from the weight. Aside from being a really great fish story, what is the point of this Gospel reading? What can we learn from it?

¹ While the crowd was pressing in on Jesus and listening to the word of God, he was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret.

² He saw two boats there alongside the lake; the fishermen had disembarked and were washing their nets.

³ Getting into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, he asked him to put out a short distance from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat.

⁴ After he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch.”

⁵ Simon said in reply, “Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing, but at your command I will lower the nets.”

⁶ When they had done this, they caught a great number of fish and their nets were tearing.

⁷ They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come to help them. They came and filled both boats so that they were in danger of sinking.

⁸ When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at the knees of Jesus and said, “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.”

⁹ For astonishment at the catch of fish they had made seized him and all those with him,

¹⁰ and likewise James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners of Simon. Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.”

¹¹ When they brought their boats to the shore, they left everything and followed him.

-Luke 5:1-11, N.A.B.

We can only guess at what Jesus taught the people about the Kingdom of God, but the power of his reputation and teaching was enough to convince these bone weary fishermen to obey his request to “Put out into deep water . . .” Astounded and excited at the size of their catch Simon Peter threw himself at Jesus’ feet and exuberantly blurted out, “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.” We should understand Simon Peter’s declaration that he was a sinner not primarily in moral terms but as an expression of awe before the power of the Holy One of God. These fishermen abandoned their belongings and family to follow Jesus because they believed him to be the Anointed One. They became part of the foundation on which Jesus was to build the Kingdom of God on earth.

What was the world like in their time? It was a dangerous, brutal, and violent time. Robbery, murder, extortion, assassinations, and public executions were common happenings. Taxes levied by the Romans drove many people into poverty and even slavery. Corrupt politicians and public officials added to the people’s misery. Judaism had divided into four factions: Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes, and Zealots. And the militant Zealots were determined to overthrow the Roman Empire and expel it from the Holy Land by force of arms. What did Jesus bring to this world? Did He bring world peace? Did He bring universal prosperity? Did He overthrow the Roman Empire and restore the Davidic Kingdom thereby eliminating oppression? Did He eliminate corruption? If not, what did Jesus bring to the world of his time, to the world of our time?

Concerning what Jesus brought to the world, Pope Benedict XVI wrote: “He has brought God, and now we know his face, now we may call upon him. Now we know the path that we human beings have to take in this world. Jesus has brought God and with God the truth about our origin and destiny: faith, hope, and love. It is only because of the hardness of our heart that we think this is too little. Yes, indeed, God’s power works quietly in this world, but it is the true and lasting power. Again and again, God’s cause seems to be in its death throes. Yet over and over again it proves to be the thing that truly endures and saves. The earthy kingdoms that Satan was able to put before the Lord at that time have all passed away. Their glory, beliefs, and common opinions, have proven to be a mere semblance. But the glory of Christ, the humble, self-sacrificing glory of his love, has not passed away, nor will it ever do so.”

On the surface our world might seem to be crumbling. Everywhere we look we see abortion, wars, terrorism, corruption, murder, immorality, drug abuse, and refugees fleeing for their lives in unprecedented numbers, and so on. If we aren’t careful we could easily be convinced that our civilization is circling the drain. That is, unless we remember that “the glory of Christ, the humble, self-sacrificing glory of his love, has not passed away, nor will it ever do so.”

Do you trust in Something Greater?

A reflection by Heidi Knofczynski

Do you remember the trembling glasses of water in the movie Jurassic Park?  In this scene some park guests being treated to a grand tour are stranded just outside the now de-electrified T-rex paddock.  Then the sounds of thundering footsteps are heard off in the distance moving towards them.  The footsteps are so powerful that even from a distance they create a vibration that causes the water inside the glasses to ripple slightly.

BOOM!  Something great and terrible is coming this way… BOOM!  Something powerful….BOOM!  Something greater, and if you endure it you will never be the same!

It is a terrifyingly effective scene.  Something like that feeling grips me as I read today's Gospel from Luke.   As Jesus speaks to the crowd His words fall with such portentous weight that, for me, it triggers a trembling inside.   His unfathomable reality exposes my fragmented, abstract, Christ-haunted spirituality.  He has come to take us beyond our superficial expectations into the unknown of eternity.  He has come to cast off all that we cling to to distract us from our nothingness.  Fear is a natural response to death.

BOOM!

In Ecclesiastes Solomon saw how we “chase the wind “in search of something greater, something that will help us outlast death.  Riches, pleasure and even wisdom may serve to distract us, but ultimately they only give the illusion that our life “under the sun” has meaning.  Solomon’s wisdom kept running into the same unavoidable obstacle:  Death means inevitable nothingness.  We are shadows that cannot overcome that darkness.  Until then, don't do evil and cast your bread upon the waters.  In other words, don't cling to stuff, rather enjoy life before nothingness of death absorbs you into its shadow.  Vanity of Vanities! 

But there is something greater than Solomon here.

BOOM!

 

Solomon’s wisdom goes to the brink of death, but there all he sees is darkness.  Jonah is taken further; he goes into the belly of a fish, which should have been a tomb, in order for God to bring an urgent warning to the notorious city of Nineveh.  This city, whose ruthless reputation filled all who heard of it with fear and loathing, listened to the man who came from a tomb bringing them a fearful message.  They listened and cast off their evil identity, through prayer and fasting and placed their hope in a power that overcame a tomb.

And there is something greater than Jonah here.

BOOM! 

We must cast everything upon the waters; our hopes, dreams, who we think we are and even (like the crowd that gathered around Jesus) who we think
that Jesus is.  What is only a shadow within us must be overcome. We will be left with an acute awareness of our nothingness,  But Something Greater has come to us, in all His earthshaking reality.  Endure it, do not run and hide.   Let His perfect love overtake you to cast out the fear of death to this world, because death cannot absorb Jesus into its darkness.  Jesus is no shadow. 

BOOM!  Something greater has arrived!

What are you clinging to today that needs to be cast off?

Update:  I forgot to add this Switchfoot song, BA55...."I believe you're the fire that could burn me clean"

Show us the Path of Life

That very day, the first day of the week, two of Jesus’ disciples were going to a village seven miles from Jerusalem called Emmaus, and they were conversing about all the things that had occurred. And it happened that while they were conversing and debating, Jesus himself drew near and walked with them, but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him. 

Luke 24:13-16

The disciples on the road to Emmaus are discouraged and downcast, heading away from Jerusalem:  The site of the resurrection, the place where they are to go and await the Lord.  They have heard the rumors of resurrection, but they cannot believe after such a disastrous and seemingly definitive end to the life and mission of Jesus.  Their hope is crushed, their courage has failed them. Have you ever found yourself wandering away from the path set before you by the Lord in the wake of the sorrows, trails and sinfulness of this world?  Jesus, who will never abandon us, meets the disciples where they are and probes their hearts.  He gives them His mild rebuke: “Oh how foolish you are!  How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke!”  He then gently instructs and redirects them with the power of His Word.

 You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence.  Psalm 16:11

If there is one thing that we spiritual sojourners constantly face it is the the disorientation of our own sinfulness.  Walking toward the Light can be discouraging, like driving into the sun, every spot on our windshield shows.  I often find myself tossed to and fro between despairing self-condemnation and blinding self-justification.  Both extremes will divert us from our journey into a deeper relationship with the Lord.  We fail to move with conviction, or sometimes without our complete awareness, we change our direction and move farther away from the Light at the slightest failure.  Like the two disciples, in times of discouragement and sorrow, sometimes we discover we are on a path heading away from our true destination.  

I bless the LORD who counsels me; even in the night my heart exhorts me. I set the LORD ever before me; with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed.  Psalm 16:7-8

And where specifically does Jesus council and redirect the faltering steps of the disciples?  To the Mass! We see in the account of this encounter with Christ the power of the Mass in our growth as Christians.  When we go to Mass we first allow our hearts to be convicted of our individual tendencies to veer off the path of life in the penitential rite, the Word prepares us to see and believe not only with our eyes but also with our interior vision  The intimate fellowship with our Eucharistic Jesus is where our interior eyes are opened and our wounds are healed. And then, with this interior vision refreshed and strengthen, we are sent out redirected and with a mission to bring His light to those who we encounter in our daily lives.

So they set out at once and returned to Jerusalem…Then the two recounted what had taken place on the way and how he was made known to them in the breaking of bread.  Luke 24:33;35

The interior vision that we are to cultivate during our time of sojourning is so crucial to staying on the path that leads to resurrection.  It is also difficult to really abandon yourself to, because at some point you will have to see that you are in need of redirection!  Who wants to see that they have failed?  Yet, we are not created to be surface dwellers in the flesh, content with making things look nice and feel comfortable, we need to pierce the veneer and see the dead man’s bones that lie underneath.  If we do not push through the despair and pride and allow the light of the Lord to reveal our wounds, fears and failings, we will end up on the road leading away from Him.  When we encounter the Lord in our failures  -- and you do; He does not abandon you  -- we need to respond and ask Him to stay, to feed us and heal us.

you will not abandon my soul to the netherworld, Psalm 16:10

Allow the Lord to redirect  you, lift up your despairing eyes, shed your prideful blinders.  Yes, when you walk toward the light your flaws become so visible, but rejoice!  He is Risen, and He comes to you now just as you are to be your strength, to be your righteousness, to feed you and fill you with His joy.

conduct yourselves with reverence during the time of your sojourning, realizing that you were ransomed from your futile conduct, 1 Peter 1:17-18

Easter Joy to all!
Heidi
Scripture passages from the Mass readings for the Third Sunday of Easter

On Exploding Heads and the Kingdom of Heaven

Asked by the Pharisees when the Kingdom of God would come,
Jesus said in reply,
“The coming of the Kingdom of God cannot be observed,
and no one will announce, ‘Look, here it is,’ or, ‘There it is.’
For behold, the Kingdom of God is among you.”
Then he said to his disciples,
“The days will come when you will long to see
one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it.
There will be those who will say to you,
‘Look, there he is,’ or ‘Look, here he is.’
Do not go off, do not run in pursuit.
For just as lightning flashes
and lights up the sky from one side to the other,
so will the Son of Man be in his day.
But first he must suffer greatly and be rejected by this generation.” Lk 17:20-25
 
Channel surfing last Wednesday I watched a snippet  of a History channel production that was going to reveal secrets of the Bible!!!! Not usually my thing, except that the only other acceptable option to watch was a Nova production on the JFK assassination which  had “new” facts that showed that Oswald was the only shooter. Okay.  Not being in the mood to watch Kennedy’s head explode in slow motion over and over again,  I flipped back to the  History channel…but that was a mistake,  because now it was time for my head to explode!

It was the same old and  reductionist theories about Jesus and His kingdom, which -- for those of you who are ready to take a secularized leap of faith   -- has nothing to do with a heavenly kingdom, or even  a church for that matter!  No way!  That was all added later on by misguided, power hungry, misogynistic and/or ignorant leaders of the early Christian church.  Leaders who were trying to justify their doctrines by creating a divine messiah out of an itinerant preacher/ zealot / nice dude (whichever you prefer to sell your book) therefore obscuring His true message until modern intellectuals could sort it all out. Thank heavens (by which I do not  mean  life beyond this world, no way, that would be ignorant, and anyway, where is the hope in that?)!  As for the Kingdom of God it was here in this political view or there in those subversives against that governmental system.  It might even be me, myself, and I, who knows… but it was not supernatural.

It is also not an honest and complete assessment of the message of the Gospel, which is  good news beyond your deepest desire, and  which emerges like a lightning flash even in the darkest most hellish, hopeless places in this world.  The companions of Maximilian Kolbe during their  torturous deaths glimpsed it, and I do not think the    banal theories of TV scholars could ever explain how or why their deaths differed from  the deaths the Nazi’s were hoping to give them; deaths that were supposed to be used as a horrific reminder that there was no hope for their prisoners,  either surrender your humanity or suffer horribly and die like an animal.  With the Kingdom of God so powerfully present in Maximilian Kolbe, those prisoners did neither, they died with heaven overtaking them.
.
In the end, my husband and I gave up on TV and streamed Mystery Science Theater 3000 (which may explain the extreme heckling tone of this post).  I apologize for that, but well…my head exploded! 
Here are more  thoughtful rebuttals  by the good Father Robert Barron:

On Resa Aslan's Zealot

 on John Dominic Crossan

I am praying for all who have their hopes diminished and desires misdirected!
Any one else have a good link or resource which helps refute the reductionist Biblical interpretations that are so prevalent in the media?

Is Your Hope Full of Immortality?

A reflection for the Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time by Heidi Knofczynski

I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God

As I pondered the readings for the Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time, which contain the passages from Second Maccabees telling the story of the hellish torture and execution of seven brothers and their mother, I was reminded that, in this world, sometimes places of horror and suffering are places where the Kingdom of Heaven emerges powerfully from those who call upon the Lord. Enduring hope is kindled in these places of earthly desolation, and true freedom, for God is the God of life, not of death, a God of freedom from fear and tyranny. Are you truly as free as you are meant to be?

…that we may be delivered from perverse and wicked people,

Fast forward to Luke’s Gospel account of Jesus’ encounter with the Sadducees -- the intellectual elites of their day  – and we see that even in Jesus’ time there were those who, even with the glorious witness of the seven brothers and their mother, (though it is said that the Sadducees did not accept anything other than the first five books of Scripture as authoritative), did not believe in the resurrection. They rejected the gift of true freedom which is rooted in eternal life.  It is a philosophy (not uncommon in our time) which binds us to only what we see and feel, and therefore, binds us to fear of losing those things. Fear enslaves all. God frees all who take refuge in Him. Jesus breaks through the superficial Scriptural interpretation of the Sadducees by showing them the truth that was always present in the Scriptures they dissect: God has made us to live eternally.

“even Moses made known in the passage about the bush,
when he called out 'Lord, '
the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob;
and he is not God of the dead, but of the living,
for to him all are alive."

 Contrasting the Sadducees weakness of faith (being so rooted in this world) with the faith of the seven, I guess, if you can't believe in something greater, the only thing you can do is ridicule what they died for. In the story, the seven brothers are tortured and executed one by one for not conforming to the king’s decrees to worship a god other than God. If the Sadducees really understood the story, they would have understood how ultimately free one is when the eternal God has been put first. When you really trust that you can hide in the shadow of His wings, not for temporal gain, but for eternal gain; the gain to behold His face.

It happened that seven brothers with their mother were arrested
and tortured with whips and scourges by the king,
to force them to eat pork in violation of God's law.

The king at that time was determined to abolish the Jewish faith by making it illegal to follow God’s laws and statutes. They could not legally offer pure worship to God! The obligation to violate God’s laws was enforced by terrifying displays of torture and execution! If the fear of losing worldly pleasure and comforts did not break devotion to our eternal God, then a more primal fear was invoked, fear of a tortuous death. Their highest hopes were to be placed in the powers of this world to keep them safe and sound, to preserve their lives. Fear was to rule over them.

"It is my choice to die at the hands of men
with the hope God gives of being raised up by him;”

Instead, the brothers and their mother placed their hope in the eternal; a reality more real than their earthly suffering. In doing so they were graced with the freedom to suffer all things, to not be reduced to their fear of pain and death, and thus to merit eternal life. Eternity is not for wimps!

…After him the third suffered their cruel sport.  He put out his tongue at once when told to do so, and bravely held out his hands, as he spoke these noble words:  "It was from Heaven that I received these; for the sake of his laws I disdain them; from him I hope to receive them again." Even the king and his attendants marveled at the young man's courage, because he regarded his sufferings as nothing

How horrifying! I am a wimp, I hate even reading about it! Yet, in this story of martyrdom, these young men and their mother demonstrate a hope beyond hope. They show us something that we already have an inkling of deep in our souls, but something that the “Sadducees” of the world are always trying to rationalize away: What we see -- even what we feel -- in this world is not all there is! This world is not the ultimate reality. It is not eternal. The young men refuse to allow their faith to be rationalized away…even under the threat of unfathomable torture. Enduring in this hope is a gift that we should pray to receive.

May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the endurance of Christ.

It is true, the “Sadducees” around us are always trying to reduce our faith to strictly earthly terms i.e., our most real reality is to depend on governing structures that will give us lots of good stuff, lots of assurances of safety and protection. We are to fear losing our lives, we are to fear losing our looks, we are to fear being a nobody, we are to fear being rejected, we are to fear…. and we are to look to the world to assuage our fears. As we do that we are enslaved to them and reduced to finding our “happiness” in material comforts and in ourselves. I ask you, and myself again, are we truly free? Is your hope full of immortality?

May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father,who has loved us and given us everlasting encouragement and good hope through his grace,encourage your hearts and strengthen them in every good deed and word.

I will leave you with this beautiful song "I Shall Not Want" by Audrey Assad which can be found on her newest album Fortunate Fall, it is a prayer that I think is appropriate for this post, enjoy!   Heidi

 

Will You Accept His Invitation Today?

The parable of the Great Banquet in the Gospel of Luke  brings back memories of my Presbyterian Sunday School and Wednesday release time instruction.   How many Bible stories I remember because we sang them! 

He replied to him,
“A man gave a great dinner to which he invited many.
When the time for the dinner came,
he dispatched his servant to say to those invited,
‘Come, everything is now ready.’
But one by one, they all began to excuse themselves.
The first said to him,
‘I have purchased a field and must go to examine it;
I ask you, consider me excused.’
And another said, ‘I have purchased five yoke of oxen
and am on my way to evaluate them;
I ask you, consider me excused.’
And another said, ‘I have just married a woman,
and therefore I cannot come.’
The servant went and reported this to his master.
Then the master of the house in a rage commanded his servant,
‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town
and bring in here the poor and the crippled,
the blind and the lame.’
The servant reported, ‘Sir, your orders have been carried out
and still there is room.’
The master then ordered the servant,
‘Go out to the highways and hedgerows
and make people come in that my home may be filled.
For, I tell you, none of those men who were invited will taste my dinner.’”

What puzzles me most about this parable is that is seems that the neighbors invited initially said yes!  But, in absence of a true and intimate friendship, they really meant yes, unless....

It is so important to take time everyday to pray and to develop the capacity to know and respond to His voice.  To order my actions, my hopes, my dreams and my ambitions to Christ.  And, oh boy, did I need this reminder, because life has been craaaaazzzzzy lately (on top of everything else:  potty training …need I say more?).  Being that I am not an overly organized person this has caused major disruptions, and there is a pressure to jettison any activity that is not necessary or “productive”.  My high hopes for the day are for dry pants (that would be for Max)  and dinner on the table before bedtime, how on earth can I think of more than that!!

 It is so easy to give in to the temptation it is to push my relationship with Christ off to some abstract, distant Neverland.  But you can't just stumble into Heaven, you must be intentional in your desire to be there!  If He calls for me today, if today is my last day in this world, will my desires be ordered on the Wedding Feast of the Lamb or will they be diverted and perverted by the cares of this world?  Will He have to look elsewhere for someone to hear and respond to Him?

Here is the song…but be warned it is an ear worm, you will be humming it all day long.

(I had to update this because my whole reflection did not copy over, and while I am at it, here is what Pope Francis had to say.)

The Call From Narnia

A reflection on Narnia, everyday life and God's call from eternity.

By Heidi Knofczynski

CCC 30, “Let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.” Although man can forget God or reject him, He never ceases to call every man to seek him, so as to find life and happiness. But this search for God demands of man every effort of intellect, a sound will, “an upright heart,” as well as the witness of others who teach him to seek God.

"It started out as a feeling,..." 

Our family recently watched Prince Caspian on our weekly movie night, and I guess I was in one of those nostalgic moods, because as I was watching the ending, and as the theme music was swelling, I was transported back to my childhood days.  Days when I deeply longed to find the portal that would take me to Narnia, or some other wonderful world.  A place where I could not only see wonders, but be a part of them.  A place I was certain existed in my heart, though I had no way to access it.

and then turned into a quiet hope..."

Then came Junior High, and it was in that time that I learned that what I really should long for was to be popular and to not make a fool of myself.  (In Junior High you make a fool out of yourself by divulging that you have spent more than a few afternoons sitting in your grandmother's closets --she had the closets with the best prospects for adventure-- hoping beyond hope that a door would open up on a world where heroism and valor, beauty and great love were things that could be attained in actuality and not just in the imagination.)  Very quickly I moved on to more rational, down-to-earth, and attainable pursuits. I focused my longings, even my spiritual ones, on things that could be found "under the sun." These worldly things pretend to be just as wondrous and, all to often, seem to be all there is to satisfy deep longings.  They stifle the call of eternity. Then adulthood comes and duties and responsibilities shrink our hopes even more.

I have seen the business that God has given to mortals to be busied about.  God has made everything appropriate to its time, but has put the timeless into their hearts so they cannot find out, from beginning to end, the work which God has done.  Ecclesiastes 3:10-11 

"which then turned into a quiet thought..."

How quickly timeless yearnings in our hearts are diverted!   I know that much of our daily life is made up of mundane and often dreary duties, (I am doing laundry and changing diapers as I am writing this so, believe me, I know!) but even in the midst of this concrete, material world every one has moments when you know there is something more.  What do you do when that little feeling of God's wonder and mystery tugs at your soul?  Respond to it!  Even for just a second acknowledge that you are being called to place you deepest hope in eternity, to hunger for it -- to believe in it!

"which then turned into a quiet Word..."

I may have stopped searching in closets for Narnia, but I am grateful that I never completely could shake the feeling of being out of place in this world, or else I may have ignored my longing for that wondrous world.  Because occasionally that yearning becomes a sharp pang, a joy unfulfilled, calling me toward it, but remaining just outside of my grasp.  All I have to do is sit in my backyard and hear the cottonwood tree whispering in the breeze and see it’s leaves magnificently sparkling in the sunlight and I feel that I am sitting on the edge of a profound assembly. Like that tree and all of nature are hearkening to a call, a call that I feel but I cannot hear with my ears. For a moment I am lifted up in spirit to a place where time does not hold me captive and wonders are poured out eternally.

My backyard cottonwood tree

The heavens proclaim your wonders, O Lord; the assembly of your holy ones proclams your truth.  For who in the skies can compare with the Lord or who is like the Lord among the sons of God?  Psalm 89 

"And then that Word grew louder and louder..."

But just as quickly I find that I am still just hoping, yearning, hungering and mourning -changing diapers, doing laundry, worrying about this, that and everything else under the sun.  Was that a siren song I was lost in? There is a real pain in re-entering the world under the sun when you can feel such wonders at hand. Maybe that is why, as our movie concluded, I could hardly hold back my tears, as the High Kings and Queens of Narnia went back through the door back to their ordinary, anonymous lives. No longer known as kings and queens, no longer fighting great battles or rejoicing in their victories.  No longer in the presence of Aslan. They are caught back in the quickly flowing time of this mundane world.

 "until it was a battle cry!" 

Raising his eyes toward his disciples Jesus said: “Blessed are you who are poor,for the Kingdom of God is yours.  Blessed are you who are now hungry, for you will be satisfied.  Blessed are you who are now weeping, for you will laugh.  Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude and insult you, and denounce your name as evil on account of the Son of Man. Luke 6: 20-23

How wonderful the sound of Jesus’ words are! He is answering the unanswered pondering of the preacher in Ecclesiastes who has nowhere but under the sun to place his hopes.  His words reassure us not to ignore the eternal yearning in our hearts, they are His call.  His battle cry alerting those who hear them to fight the false hopes of this world and look to Him for true hope. Eternal hope. You and I are being called to the great assembly that rejoices in Him as He rejoices in you!  Let it grow into a battle cry that each one of us proclaims!

How is God calling you?

Christ Jesus might display all his patience as an example

for those who would come to believe in him for everlasting life. 

To the king of ages, incorruptible, invisible, the only God,

honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. 1 Timothy 1:17

The sub-headings for this post were taken from the first verses of the song "The Call", by Regina Spektor.  The song can be found on the Prince Caspian soundtrack.  

Setting the World on Fire with His Eternal Love

A reflection on the Gospel for the Fifteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time,  

August 18, 2013

By Judy Morss

What is the outcome of our faith decision to walk in the way of Jesus?

The Gospel reading for this day is taken from Luke 12:49-53.  This reading is the continuation of the Gospel chapter we have been reading for the past few weeks.  Jesus has already told his followers about the dangers of greed and how we must always be alert and responsive as servants of Jesus.  We don't know when He will be returning, but we MUST be ready.

Jesus said to his disciples:

“I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing!
There is a baptism with which I must be baptized, and how great is my anguish until it is accomplished!
Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth?  No, I tell you, but rather division.
From now on a household of five will be divided, three against two and two against three; a father will be divided against his son and a son against his father, a mother against her daughter and a daughter against her mother, a mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.”

A quick reading of this passage froze my heart and my senses!!! Jesus is here to be a source of division??  What can this possibly mean and how should I react to this teaching?  Then I carefully reread what Jesus said and prayed over it.  As usual, I called on the Holy Spirit for guidance.  I remembered that often Fire is a symbol of God's presence and His love.  So that led me to think that Jesus is wishing that the earth was ablaze with His love.  What a beautiful thought.  Then the question becomes, how can that happen?

As His followers we must help to make it happen. Jesus invites us to open ourselves to faith in Him.  It is not enough to follow Him from a safe place with minimal commitment.  Instead, Jesus must become first in our lives. Loyalty to Jesus is of greatest importance. If we have complete faith in Him and in His plan for us, then our life in the "real world" becomes not only bearable, but blessed. Faith is not easy. As Father Gillick, S.J. said, “It is hard to move outside the city-walls of our senses and the security of those walls; trusting, walking into the dark, going without knowing are tremendous violations of our present-day culture."

When we are outside of those walls and behave and move in ways that are not in sync with our highly secular world, we will surely encounter that division Jesus talks about. In spite of what is going on around us, even within our families and friends, we are called to embrace Jesus in faith. The faith-decision to walk in the ways of Jesus will help set the earth on fire with Jesus' love.  I long to see the world blazing with His eternal love.

May we each be a blessing to one another.

Judy

Reflections on the Gospel for Sunday, February 3, 2013

By Judy Morss

Today's gospel reading is taken from Luke 4:21-30 and is a continuation of the gospel reading from last week. Jesus is in the synagogue in Nazareth and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah. He has just finished reading the passage "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor..." and then announced that “Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.” I can visualize the men sitting around Jesus listening to him and thinking about all the great miracles they have heard Jesus has done and wondering what wonders He will do for each of them.

Jesus knew what was in their hearts; they were self-centered and would ask for signs and wonders, looking for what Jesus give to each of them. Surely the deeds for them would be even greater than those performed elsewhere in Judea. But as He always does, Jesus looked into their hearts and knew what was there. He reminded them that just as their ancestors had rejected God's prophets, Elijah and Elisha, so they would reject Him.

Faith is the key to miracles and the key to our conversion. Our world is overwhelmed by individualism; what's in it for me? What's in it for my personal fulfillment? It is never easy to step back from personal interests and to accept the invitation that Jesus is offering us. He calls us as individuals to join together and to walk along and beside him. He calls us to a cultural revolution in which trusting in God, longing to be with Him, and truly working together to move toward the Kingdom are the desired outcomes. And so the question becomes: How do I eliminate pride, envy, greed from my heart and truly work for what for the good of all? Something for us to ponder as we move toward Lent. We have one more Sunday before Lent begins. I plan to focus on what I can do to pass on the desire to join together to focus on that cultural revolution; I'm not planning to focus on what I can "give up" for Lent, but rather what I can DO during Lent to help bring about this cultural revolution.

Reflections on the Readings for Sunday, January 27, 2013

By Sharon Nelsen

As I reflect on today’s readings, “rejoicing” and “joy” leap out encircling me with waves of wondering:  What exactly is rejoicing”?   Paul tells us to rejoice in the Lord always, again, he says, rejoice-- knowing undoubtedly from his own experience that this is a difficult concept to grasp—again, I say, rejoice! 

Rejoicing appears to be an attitude, not a feeling.  What is this attitude and how is it formed?  It is an acknowledgement of God’s goodness and rightness that is reflected in all of God’s “laws” given to guide our feet on the way to peace.

Nehemiah tells the people this after they have listened to the law of the Lord being read to them all day,

“Do not be saddened this day, for rejoicing in the Lord must be your strength!” (Nehemiah 8.10)   “The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart” sings the Psalmist in Psalm 19, verse 9.  Nehemiah and the Psalmist both remind us that rejoicing is about knowing that who we obey and what we follow in the Lord is the best, is the good, is that which ultimately will bring all fulfillment, even victory, and the feeling of joy.

Rejoicing is not only a stance we are invited to take, but if we take that stance, have that attitude, we will have the strength we need to face that which we need to face, including the suffering:  “If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it; if one part is honored, all the parts share its joy. “  1Corinthians 12.26

In that sentence, Paul brings attitude and feeling together.  Suffering hurts!  It ain’t suffering if it doesn’t hurt!  But suffering, like honor, is passing.  Suffering is pain.  Honor feels good.  Just go through it, endure it, ride it like a giant wave knowing that whether pleasant or unpleasant, scary or delightful, suffering and honor are moving us to the safe haven shores of God’s Kingdom.

All of this is a prelude to the mission of Jesus (From Luke 4. 16b-21)  who tells us that we have been set free of no-end-in-sight-ever suffering!  We are no longer captive to the rip tide of one-bad-thing-after-another.  God’s way (what is acceptable to God) is here!  Jesus unites concept, attitude, law, teaching and the feeling of joy when he proclaims: “Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.”  No wonder he had to sit down!  He probably would have levitated out of their sight, so filled with joy was Our Dear Lord in knowing and proclaiming that the Father has immersed him in a wonder-filled mission: Kingdom-bringer!  The time is now; now is the acceptable time!  The Kingdom is here! 

Paul must have swam in that one awhile, for he is able to proclaim in another letter: “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake...” (Colossians 1.24)

What I realize happens within me, is that as I truly move into an attitude of rejoicing, as I take the stance of rejoice in the Lord always, I am able, eventually and in some areas, (I honestly need to qualify) to feel the emotion of joy, an emotion which gives me energy, the desire to jump a bit, the readiness to go for it at last!  I pray that we continue to move from rejoicing in the good law of God to rejoicing in the God of Love whose law of Love is written on our hearts.

Reflection for the Feast of the Holy Family

By Sharon Nelsen

Luke sees importance in this story about the Boy Jesus and gives us the viewpoint of three different sets of characters to ponder:  1)  Those in the Temple who heard him and were “astounded at his understanding and his answers;”   2)  His parents who were  astonished, and who said to him.  “Son, why have you done this to us?  Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety;” and 3) That of the Boy Jesus who asks, “Why were you looking for me?  Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”

When I reflect on those learned men in the Temple who were astounded, I find it astounding in the first place that any group of adults were giving up their time to listen to a boy barely into manhood, much less reflecting on what he had to say.   It’s like a group of university professors intently listening to a high school freshman explaining topics in their field of expertise.  And yet, apparently, the learned men were captivated by this budding rabbi.

As I reflect on the words that another astonished person, the Boy Jesus’ Mother, says to him I think about the expectations we parents have that our children will continue doing what we have taught them to do and our initial disappointment when they take the initiative in modifying  any of our traditions.  Mary’s question certainly reveals her parental viewpoint:  You were not where you supposed to be, and this action on your part has caused your Father and I “great anxiety.”   But Mary and Joseph’s “great anxiety” needs to be regarded in their culture—a young Jewish male apparently on his own in a Roman ruled society.

They realize the implications of a boy his age being anywhere alone in Jerusalem.  What probably was very fresh in their memory of what it was like to live under Roman occupation was a major incident that occurred when Jesus was about ten years old.  A band of Zealots, objecting to a census ordered by the Roman emperor, broke into the armory at Sepphoris, about two miles from Nazareth, and started a revolt.  The Roman’s Twelfth legion, led by the Governor of Antioch, in the north, defeated the rebels. They crucified 2,000 of these Jewish revolutionaries on crosses lined from Sepphoris to the Sea of Galilee.  There is no doubt that Jesus, perhaps with some of his younger cousins, saw these men dying on crosses less than five miles from their village of Nazareth.  Certainly, the adults knew the situation and all of its implications.  After his Bar Mitzvah, a Jewish boy was considered a man of Israel and he could be recruited by the rebel army of Zealots at that age.  And, by himself in Jerusalem, without his father, if he had been caught, he could have been arrested by the Roman soldiers for wandering away from his caravan under suspicion that he was a revolutionary.

The great question of the Boy Jesus, “Why were you looking for me?  Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” is not a sarcastic, “smart mouth adolescent” response, but more of an inquiry.  His parents know he is of age and as a man of Israel could go alone into the Temple Court of the Israelites, where Jewish men would come and recite the great Shema, Israel—“Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is One.”   That they know.  But, as young Jesus learns, they don’t fully understand His mission.  Jesus experiences that integral part of growing up-- the realization that your parents not only do not know everything, but that you might be beyond them in knowledge and understanding in a particular area.

Here are a few of the many revelations I grasp in this story:  1) For the Temple personnel, unable to negate the wisdom and understanding coming from this young teacher, they see contrast in their own perceptions of the Deity;  2) For Mary,  “who kept all these things in her heart,”  there is the same realization of waiting for full understanding of who her Son is, that came upon her with Elizabeth’s greeting, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!” (Luke 1. 40) and again from Simeon in the same Temple when he told Mary that “this child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be contradicted…” (Luke 2.34);  and 3) for the Boy Jesus, he experiences a confirmation of his teaching ability in the fact that he is able to astound a gathering of learned adults in their own “classroom.”

In the Joyful Mysteries of the rosary, we reflect on the joy every parent separated from their child experiences upon reunion.  That is one level, but in this story, the dialogue would suggest that the “finding” is second to the “revelation” that Mary and Joseph experience as to the particularity of the gift of this son, Jesus.   And, they are challenged to adjust this discovery with their parental role. 

The text reveals to us a mutual understanding on the part of Jesus and his parents:  No matter how gifted he is, no matter how much he has astounded his parents and others, he is not yet prepared to encounter and deal with the adult world.   The peasant parents understand that being astounded can be a long way from acceptance. 

Apparently, Jesus respects his parents wisdom above all else –popularity, audience, even his own recognized ability to teach adults—for ”He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them.”

Luke concludes his brief story:  “And Jesus advanced in wisdom and age and favor before God and man.”

I tell this story frequently at Boys Town’s Dowd Chapel in front of the Tableau of the Boy Jesus Teaching in the Temple.  When we have seventh and eighth grade students on a Father Flanagan pilgrimage, I ask them as they gaze upon the Boy Jesus teaching astounded adults, “How many of you know more than your parents do?”    The usual response is a group of lowered heads and shuffling feet.  Then I say, “Well, Jesus did too.  And what do the scriptures tell us?  That he knew he was not ready to engage the adult world; he needed more guidance, experience and formation from his parents.  And so He went back home and learned from them.  And that is why, as brilliant as you may be in your studies, on the computer, or in sports or musical accomplishment, you need the guidance, love and expertise of your parents and teachers so that you, too, are prepared to fully enter the adult world.”

And Father Flanagan always says, “Amen!”

Unrestrained Love or Coffee Spoons? A Meditation on the Feast of the Visitation

 Today is the Feast of the Visitation, when Mary goes to visit her cousin Elizabeth.  This feast is a wonderful opportunity to ponder how we encounter and respond to the movements of the Lord.  Mary hears the words of the Angel Gabriel, and she believes.  She believes and she responds, not only with her great fiat -"be it done to me according to thy word" - but also with an immediate act of charity and generosity, anticipating the needs of her cousin.  In haste Mary goes to Elizabeth, who is expecting to give birth "in her old age" to the prophet John the Baptist.  Mary holds nothing back, she responds to God immediately, and He in turn holds nothing back from her. God responds to Mary's unrestrained giving of herself with a joyous affirmation, by Elizabeth, of the unbelievable events that are occurring. Elizabeth's prophetic response to the Holy Spirit was:

"Most blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb.  And how does it happen to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me?  For the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy,  Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled." 

Both she and Elizabeth believed and responded with the whole of their hearts!  What would happen if you and I responded to God with such generosity?  What would happen if all the passion and desire that we so easily allow to misdirect us, or, even worse, through fear we suppress, were given over to the Lord with a daily fiat? What could happen if we accepted our lowliness, our nothingness without fear and allowed the Mighty One to sweep us away in His divine love?  What could happen if we did not avoid the deep emptiness that reveals our spiritually starved souls, but feared comfort that dulls and obscures our longings until it was too late and we are too lost?  Time is running out for you and for me.  Can we respond with Mary's beautiful canticle, rejoicing in our nothingness, because it is that humility which allows the unfathomable love of God to direct our paths through this valley of tears?

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior. For he has looked upon his handmaid's lowliness; behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed. The Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. His mercy is from age to age to those who fear him. He has shown might with his arm, dispersed the arrogant of mind and heart. He has thrown down the rulers from their thrones; but lifted up the lowly. The hungry he has filled with good things; the rich he has sent away empty. He has helped Israel his servant remembering his mercy according to his promise to our fathers, to Abraham and to his descendants forever."

Maybe this seem like an odd diversion, but I have just re-read T.S. Eliot's poem The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock.  There are various analyses of the poem, but just today I watched a YouTube video on the Holy Spirit by Father Robert Barron in which he used a quote from the poem, " I have measured out my life in coffee spoons" as an example of a life lived withholding generous love.  A life lived afraid and unresponsive to passion and desire, and Prufrock is aware that time is running out. It struck me that the frustrated sense of decay, unfulfilled longings and desires that  permeates the poem speaks of a lack of the overflowing love of the Spirit of God.  A withholding of love indicates a lack of love. The stanza before has Prufrock wondering "Do I dare disturb the universe?"  Well, with the Spirit of God directing those longings, desires and passions they will not only not be suppressed, they will fearlessly pour out with love unending and disturb the universe, but in a way according to the word of God. 

Brothers and sisters:  Let love be sincere; hate what is evil, hold on to what is good; anticipate one another in showing honor.  Do not grow slack in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.  rejoice in hope, endure in affliction, persevere in prayer.  Contribute to the needs of the holy ones, exercise hospitality.  Bless those who persecute you, do not curse them.  Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.  Have the same regard for one another; do not be haughty but associate with the lowly; do not be wise in your own estimation.  Romans 12: 9-16

 Respond to God as Mary did; disturb the universe! Not by grasping at power or by fantasizing about mighty deeds, but by the transformation of your heart and soul through the humble reception of the Word! Let the Spirit flow through you with courage and joy, anticipating the needs of others and pouring out with unrestrained love.  Do you dare disturb the universe?  Do I?  Let us pray with Mary and Elizabeth today for an unrestrained and passionate response to the Spirit!

Peace and Grace!

Heidi

Something Greater

Do you follow the daily readings?  I try to, but it does get away from me, especially when daily Mass is not an option with noisy little ones. Lent is always a good time to make a greater effort to clear out the obstacles that prevent us from hearing the Word of God proclaimed.

 Sometimes the readings are hard to piece together.  I find myself straining to figure out what is being proclaimed in the way the readings have been put together on a particular day.  Today's readings are obvious.  They are about hearing a call to repentance and responding with a contrite heart.  Deep and true repentance that will open your eyes and to the heights you were created for and  free your heart to be healed by the one who is beyond all understanding and is quick to console a broken heart.

But it is the Gospel of Luke that causes me to listen and reflect back on the other readings.  In this reading we here from Jesus about The Queen of Sheba who responds to the wisdom of Solomon by traveling from the ends of the earth, sparing no cost so that she can receive it.  And in this Gospel Jesus says:  "there is something greater than Solomon here."  Can you feel it?  Do those words uttered from the mouth of Christ cause you to take in a quick breath?  Does your soul ache just a little when you hear them?  Is there a stirring of desire for truth, and the deep wisdom that heals superficiality?

 Going on, the notorious Ninevites immediately respond to the preaching of a reluctant prophet by donning sackcloth and ashes, by  fasting and mourning.  Again, Jesus says, "there is something greater than Jonah here."  And again these words seem to reverberate inside me, they call me to react to Jesus in a far deeper way, to repent in a more profound way.  They are ripples in the waters of my soul that could become of tsunami of contrition if I just let them flow and wash away all the soft and fuzzy notions of the majesty of God that I have blindly allowed to accumulate in my heart. They have calcified and hardened over the years, and it is so hard to see the depravity of sin without the awesome majesty of God.   If you want to grow in love for Jesus, you have to let them go, or you will never, never realize that there is something greater in Him than is contained in all the wisdom of this world, and in all the prophets that have perceived and proclaimed the Word of God.  You will never recognize the tragedy of your sins.

I don't think this means we should turn overly scrupulous.  The two extremes of scrupulosity and presumption on the Lords mercy both block our realizing that, as it says in Sirach 2:18:   God's mercy is equal to His majesty.  However, I think that presumption is the more prevalent problem of our time.  I think our image of God is a weak and pathetic one, and so our vision for sin is treacherously myopic.  The Queen of the South will indeed condemn us for having Jesus Himself on our tongues, yet barely giving up a Sunday to celebrate Him.  Without an inkling of God's majesty it is terribly hard to recognize sin and how it works like a cancer from within our calcified hearts unless it is repented of.  As terrible as the Ninevites were they could perceive the Almighty, even through the preaching of a distant (and not very sympathetic) prophet.

So listen to the Gospel again, listen with your imagination.  These words were spoken by the Lord Himself, and they are active.  Feel that aching in your soul, let the ripples become a torrent that can wash away the debris and the blindness.  Or at least spur your awareness of what "something greater" means.  Let them break your heart so that you can offer the Lord the sacrifice He desires, and he can pour out His great mercy upon you.  "There is something greater than Jonah here." 


Peace and Grace,
Heidi

Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God

Mary, Joseph, baby Jesus and me!
 Luke Knofczynski

Since it is still Christmas we still have our decorations up and Christmas music is playing throughout our house. There are abundant platters of Christmas goodies placed out and the kids are enjoying their annual feasting on the chocolate ornaments that have replaced the little Nativity storybook ornaments that were read and hung on the tabletop Advent tree. And, we are all still pondering the story of Emmanuel.

If your Advent was like ours it was busy, hectic and messy!  All of the Advent devotions done with the kids seemed chaotic and disorderly. It was very often the antithesis of quiet reflection!  Still, the Christ child came quietly and silently into the chaos of the entertaining, decorating, traveling, cooking, et cetera.  And because he comes so quietly into the celebrations, we are invited to step back, if only in the depth of our heart, and like Mary reflect.

The readings for the Octave Day of the Nativity of the Lord Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God include the story found in the Gospel of Luke 2:16-21:

 "The shepherds went in haste to Bethlehem and found Mary and Joseph, and the infant lying in the manger.  When they say this, they made known the message that had been told them about this child.  All who heard it were amazed by what had been told them by the shepherds.  And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart.  Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the had seen, just as it had been told to them.

When eight days were completed for his circumcision, he was named Jesus, the name given him by an angel before he was conceived in the womb."

And we are to ponder not in befuddled arrogance, demythologizing the story into oblivion, but in pure hearted wonder and awe, like Mary.  Looking at the frail babe in her arms, pondering his miraculous conception and all the gracious signs that the Lord had given her so that she could continue forward in her great Fiat!  What great wonder must have stirred in her heart.

  I know there are many who study scripture who have taken the prophesies of -and the Gospel story itself - of the virginal conception and birth of the messiah apart; only to put it back together entirely devoid of wonder and awe, and entirely barren of the life it is intended to give.  When I hear these theories I immediately think of the Parable of the Sower.  The birth of the Savior has been stripped of it's fertile soil, and it cannot be planted deeply, and repeatedly pondered. Whatever grace it bestows will be taken away as soon as the dryness of ordinary life returns.

There is still hope!  The miracle of the Incarnation and the miracle of conceiving life everlasting where there should be none or where the soil is dry and hostile, is always being cultivated in the hearts of those who ponder, like Mary.  Purity of heart can begin to be restored in one who ponders the story of the Nativity of Christ!  Life can be regenerated in hearts like mine, hearts that have a tendency become slaves to fear and cynical in our weaknesses or in reaction to the hurtful actions of others. They are regenerated when we receive and reflect on the message of the angel and trust it to be so.

Allow yourself embrace the miraculous conception of the Lord so that you can be a child of Mary, who bore the Savior in humble trust! Imitate her reflective heart and receive the Spirit of his Son so that we all may cry out Abba, Father, and be freed from the tyranny of cynicism and the slavish spirit of this world!

Merry Christmas!
Heidi