Is There a Doctor in the House?

Luke 5:27-32

In today's Gospel, Luke recalls the scene where Levi, the tax collector, responds to Jesus' call. Levi drops everything, leaves his post and follows Jesus. Thinking in terms of the circumstances of our own day, this scenario is hard to imagine.

But taking the entire episode at its face (without really even examining what in the world Levi must have been experiencing in the exchange) we see something that the religious of the time could not understand. Jesus was not seeking out those who were righteous. He was reaching out to those who were perceived the dregs of their society. The guys you love to hate: the tax collectors. (Lenten restraint prevents me from making a bad IRS joke.)

Later in this passage, we are told of the gathering and dinner Levi hosts where Jesus is the guest of honor among a group of other tax collectors-- some of the society most notorious sinners.

What is going on here?

We must remember who Jesus is-- God. We must remember His job-- to proclaim the Truth about our destiny as man. Jesus uses the analogy of the patient-doctor relationship. This is a simple one to understand. Jesus reached out to the sick-- in this case, the spiritually sick.

This story says something beautiful about all of us. Whether we are believers or not, there is something inside each of us that knows that there is something missing in all of us. We may not always sense it. But, I think if we are honest with ourselves, we can point to episodes in our lives where we have felt a void.

The lesson today is that God makes house calls. We just have to recognize our symptoms and be honest enough with ourselves to tell the doctor the truth-- regardless of our fear of treatment.

The Meaning of the Fast

Matthew 9:14-15

Yes, Thursday's cross still has me off a day. But, today is the day to get back on track. Recall from yesterday's post the inconvenience of losing Internet access. But, I think there is a lesson here.

Friday (yesterday) was the first Friday of the Season of Lent (more about this over the next 40 some days of posts...). There I was-- rushing about my busy day. Truth be told, I was pretty distracted and a little anxious and stressed out. Not unlike days that you have had, I'm sure.

I was invited by some colleagues to join them for a casual lunch out of the office. We find ourselves at a little pub a few blocks away. We are having an enjoyable conversation (despite dozens of televisions fixated on the Tiger Wood's press conference). We order, eat, talk and laugh some more, and then we leave.

The problem is that in my stress and distraction, I completely forgot my obligation to fast and abstain. Not six steps out of the front door of the pub, I realized it. Then the cherry-on-the-top: the "Oh, _ _ _t." I admitted my sin. One of my two colleagues said she had noticed when I ordered and had contemplated kicking me under the table-- the whole thing was kind a disaster. But let me tell you what I learned:

God gives us penances as a gift and as a tool.

The day's Gospel reading tells the story of when Jesus was asked why His disciples do not fast. Jesus' response is so very simple. He uses a wedding analogy and asks the question: "Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them?" What does this mean? Well, after my first Lenten blunder, I completely understand.

You see, God gives us the discipline of fasting to help us to feel hunger. Why? It helps us to focus our mind. It is a "rumble in the tummy" reminder. Everything we have and everything we are comes from God.

I was so caught up in my day that I forgot. The irony is that I really needed to fast on Friday. I needed God in the midst of my busy and stressful day. Intellectually, I knew this. But to really grasp this, I needed to feel this.

The disciples did not fast when they were with Jesus because His presence was already there. In my next fast, the door will be open for Our Lord to come on over and stay awhile. He is the friend I need on those busy, stressful days.

Letting Go-- and Letting God

Luke 9:22-25

Alright. It is not much of a cross, but a little cross it is, nonetheless. The cable went out yesterday, and I lost my Internet connection. Not so much of a tragedy, you could certainly say. I can accept that missing the colossal battle in Olympic Figure Skating is not much of a hardship. But, missing my blog post about the significance of carrying our daily crosses is a tough one to bear. That said-- I'm back, and I'm sorry that I missed you.

Thursday's Gospel reading is extraordinary. In this passage, we read the most amazing prediction in all of human history. The Savior of the Universe predicts that he will suffer greatly, will be rejected, will be killed and will be raised from the dead on the third day. Wow. This is NOT what people expected to hear.

Even more shocking is what Jesus tells us about ourselves.

God, himself, in the second person of the Holy Trinity (more on this likely in another post) tells us in no uncertain terms that for the eternal life that comes only through him we must (1) deny ourselves, (2) take up our daily crosses, and (3) follow Him. This is a tall order.

However, Jesus gives us guidance when he says simply that we should forget the life that we know. We should give it up and let it go. We need to understand that although we live in the world that we are not of the world.

This concept requires almost a suspension of our very notion of reality. We need to understand that to live as God requires we must deny ourselves. Sadly, in our culture, denial is often-- in and of itself-- viewed perversely as a sacrilege. We must also embrace our cross-- we must see it as a gift (see post on suffering-- February 15).

And most importantly, we must follow God. This last one is often the hardest one for me. But, knowing that God has my very best interest at heart, I pray for the grace to hear Him and follow. I need to learn how to let go-- and let God.

Keeping Secrets

Ash Wednesday

Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18

Welcome to Lent. Sounds like an odd greeting, but I mean it. The secret is out. I love Lent. I love it because I am the kind of person who is willing to admit that she needs structure and ritual. It makes me feel calm and secure. If you are Catholic, you may likely understand.

Today is the day that we are reminded of the truth about life. The ashes on our forehead remind us of the human condition affected by sin. Easy enough to understand, but is it? Today we live in a world that everyday denies that sin even exists.

In the imposition of ashes, today, we are admitting our guilt before God and expressing our desire for inward conversion. This sign is the first step in our journey of conversion. It takes us to the sacrament of reconciliation, then to the Passion and then to salvation in the Resurrection at Easter.

This is what we must remember.

We are made up of two substances. A body and a soul. It is no secret that our bodies die. But what is often difficult to remember or understand is that our soul (the invisible part of us that animates our bodies) is wounded when we sin.

During Lent, we are offered a beautiful prescription. We learn from today's reading that what our souls need is to pray, to fast, and to give alms. But the key is that we must do these three things in secret.

Why is secret? When these three things (prayer, fasting and almsgiving) are done in secret, it is God who sees your true intentions. These offerings are done in communion with God, alone. This is because it is God who heals the soul.

Who's Driving Us Crazy?

James 1:12-18

In today's reading from the Letter of James, we learn yet another one of the important secrets of life. Who is it that is driving us crazy?

James instructs us to make no mistake-- it is NOT God who tempts us. This is because God is not subject to evil. If you can wrap your head around it-- God is goodness, itself.

So, who is driving us crazy?

On any given day, I am sure that it would be easy to fill in the blank. My vote is for Satan. But, that is not exactly right, either. What James wants us to know is something profound-- something that is frightening to admit out loud.

We are tempted (and in my parlance--driven crazy) when we are lured and enticed by our own desire. So, the person driving us crazy is OUR SELF.

God gave us all a dangerous and powerful gift. He gave us our will. But, in His loving wisdom, he also gave us His Word. Through His Word, if we listen, we have everything we need to harness our will and calm the crazies.

Why Do We Suffer?

James 1:1-11

Today's reading comes from the Letter of James. If you don't know, the Letter of James is a small letter sandwiched in between the Letter to the Hebrews and First Peter, if you care to check it out. Of all the books of the Bible (save the Gospels, themselves), I love the Letter of James. I love it for its simplicity, and I love it for the wealth of answers to some of life's most challenging questions.

One of the important questions answered in this passage is-- why do we suffer?

We learn from this passage from James that we suffer because in suffering we are tested. A test of how we perceive a situation. A test of how we react to a situation. A test of how we survive a situation.

I am sure that I speak for many of us when I say that some of my tests have been whoppers. Truth be told, I have probably failed more of them than I have passed. But (to use a school analogy), in this life, the grades do not matter. What matters is that we (1) come to class, (2) pay attention to the teacher, and (3) keep doing our homework.

This means that in life-- when your car breaks down, you don't lose your cool and scream at your family. This means that when your wife gets sick, you don't curse God. This means that when someone in your life fails you, you don't write them off as unimportant. Just think of all of the many ways that we suffer and are tested everyday.

Thank God for the Suffering.

Now, thank God because if we were not given these challenges (as unpleasant and difficult as they sometimes are) we would never have the opportunity to challenge our faith. Why would want to challenge our faith, you ask? Two good reasons: (1) to know that we have some, and (2) because a tested faith produces perseverance and makes us stronger.

Think about this. For most of us, when do we call God the loudest? We call on Him when we are in trouble. Truth is, for most of us, it is easy to get caught up in the world and our daily life and lose sight of what is even more real-- but harder to see.

Our life here is a journey with a series of tests. Each test moves us closer or farther away from God-- we chose. What the Letter of James tells us to do is simple: ask God for Wisdom and Faith because there is redemptive power in suffering.

We Should All Want to be Poor

The Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Jer. 17:5-8

Today's First Reading is from the Prophet Jeremiah. I could have chosen the Gospel to talk about today because it shares this same theme, but Jeremiah speaks loudly to me.

The prophet explains in very clear words how important it is for all of us to trust and rely on God and not on man or the things of this world. This notion can be a tall order when you think about the idea of trusting completely in one and in something that you can not see, touch or hear without eyes, hands and ears of faith.

But that is the beautiful thing about what Jeremiah is trying to explain. He uses the analogy of the faithful and trusting man as one who is like a tree planted in fertile ground and perpetually nourished by a life-giving stream. He says this type of man stays healthy (spiritually), is tranquil in temperament and always bears fruit.

Simple: Trust God.

Letting go of things can be hard. God wants us to use our intellect, judgment, and the resources and gifts He has given us-- but he does not want them to be the masters of us. I think of Jesus and the Beatitudes-- blessed are the poor in spirit. The whole notion of spiritual poverty had for a long time be somewhat of a mystery to me. In fact, Jesus celebrates the joy of the poor to whom he says that the Kingdom already belongs. What does this all mean?

At its essence, it is really quite simple. Poverty of Spirit simply means a state of mind that is voluntary humility. Speaking from experience, this can be very hard. But God, himself, calls us to this state of mind because to get to this state of mind-- you have to let go and just TRUST GOD. This means trusting him in everything. For a control freak like me, this is the ultimate test of obedience and love.